Jon Fitch injured, out of UFC 132 rematch with B.J. Penn

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The rematch of UFC 127's main event between Jon Fitch and B.J. Penn will no longer be coming to UFC 132 in July, as MMAWeekly.com reports that Fitch has been forced out of the event with an injury.

Though no details on the injury were revealed, it was severe enough to take him out of an event that is still more than three months out.

The bout was scheduled to be a rematch of their headlining bout in Australia this February that resulted in a majority draw. The competitive fight saw Penn edge the first two rounds on two judges scorecards, while Fitch took Penn down in the third, keeping him there for the entire round and earning a 10-8 on those same scorecards to lead to the draw.

The UFC is now reportedly searching out a replacement for Penn on the card, which comes to the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on July 2. The card will feature a Bantamweight Championship bout between Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber, though it has not been officially confirmed as the night's headliner.

Link to Original Source Article

Penick's Analysis: That's crappy timing for Fitch, and the injury has to be fairly severe if it is taking him out of the fight already. That's never a good thing, and I was very much looking forward to their rematch. Hopefully Fitch can recover sooner rather than later to plug himself back into the mix, but unfortunately for him this is the type of thing that could severely hinder his progress back towards a title shot. As for who they match up with Penn, Carlos Condit needs an opponent for this summer...

[Jon Fitch art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]

Urijah Faber