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UFC Middleweight Brian Stann Denies Bellator's Alexander Shlemenko's Accusations Of Ducking Fights

By ShinSplints

UFC Middleweight Brian Stann came under fire earlier today, when Bellator fighter Alexander Shlemenko implicated that the Marine Corps veteran may have lied about his injury to avoid fighting the debuting Hector Lombard. The recent rash of injuries has effected the quality of every card in the last few months. The effects have been apparent in the PPV buyrates for each card except UFC 148, which featured one of the most highly anticipated fights this year.

This evening, Brian Stann defended himself from the accusations via Twitter:

Stann went on to explain:

My injury was a 6-8 week recovery & the UFC was not interested in delaying his debut to wait for me. Fighters dont fake injuries, we have to pay the bills guys!

There has been a lot of commentary on the different factors that could be contributing to the high amount of injuries that have plagued the UFC recently. While some question fighters' training method or if they may be over training, others point toward the UFC's new injury insurance that began last spring. Most likely the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Brian Stann has recovered from his shoulder injury and is scheduled to fight Michael Bisping in the co-main event of UFC 152. With Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson battling for the Flyweight title, the UFC returns to Ontario, Canada on September 22.


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