Whenever a bout gets cancelled at the last minute, especially a headlining bout, people are going to be frustrated. Not just fans, who have a tendency to lash-out almost any time an athlete fails to meet expectations, but even promoters, opponents, and other fighters will get in on the action. Following his removal from UFC 215, Ray Borg found criticism coming at him from an unexpected source, teammate Donald Cerrone.
“Should have fought. That’s what I would have said,” Cerrone responded when asked what he would tell his teammate. “But that’s just me. Yeah of course. No matter what. I’d have to be on my deathbed not to.”
And even if Borg didn’t respond to Cerrone directly, it’s clear that the message – that he should have found a way to fight – is rankling him. In a series of since-deleted tweets, the top flyweight contender gave his response to people saying he should have stayed on UFC 215 (h/t MMAFighting).
“I have gotten ill twice and missed weight twice,” Borg wrote as the opener to a series of posts on social media, “not all back to back you fucks act like I am the only fighter on the roster who has messed Up or has had bad luck, how many times did linekar, gastelum, and others missed weight? How many times did Ian Mccall get ill?”
“You mother fuckers are acting like I chose not to fight read the damn statement the UFC doctor came to check on me and he pulled me.”
The statement in question, from the UFC, reads that “Borg was deemed unfit to compete by the UFC medical team.” But, as other fighters before him have found, it’s not easy to deflect this kind of criticism. Especially when, in Borg’s case, a narrative surrounding his trouble getting to fight night healthy and on-weight has been established.
It remains to be seen if the UFC will re-book Borg against Demetrious Johnson for a fight in the immediate future, or if they’ll use the opportunity to bring in a different title challenger, like Sergio Pettis or Henry Cejudo. Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for more news and updates.
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