Talk about adding insult to injury:
Spike TV TUF fighter, Gabe Ruediger, has been barred from fighting in this Saturday’s K-1/Pro Elite show. Ruediger was released from his UFC contract to pursue fighting elsewhere. He recently signed with the K-1 where he was to face Katsuhiko Nagata (2-1). He was dropped from fighting on the card by California State Athletic Commissioner, Armando Garcia, who had recently watched Ruediger on The Ultimate Fighter TV show. Garcia cited the show in determining that Ruediger was “mentally unfit to fight”. On the show Ruediger seemed to have suffered a mental breakdown after unsuccessfuly making the 155lbs. weight limit. This fight would have been at 161lbs. It is unclear if Ruediger will be able to fight in California if he is not cleared by a mental health specialist.
As much as everyone bags on Ruediger, this is bullshit. Gabe is an experienced and decorated professional MMA fighter with some noteworthy wins. He did make an ass out of himself with the weight-cutting issue, but he’s hardly “mentally unfit”. Athletic commissions sometimes wield way too power.
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