James Irvin Officially Becomes Most Cursed Fighter in MMA History
(Looks like somebody's heading to the glue factory. Photo courtesy of Sherdog.)
Seriously, the Amir Sadollah Curse doesn't even come close. Carmichael Dave broke the news yesterday that James Irvin, who was scheduled to face Wilson Gouveia later this month at UFC 102, has been forced to drop out of the match due to a serious knee injury suffered in training which will likely require surgery. And that means it's time to update the James Irvin "Why Me?" timeline...
— 6/9/06: A Strikeforce match between Irvin and Bobby Southworth ends in a no-contest after both fighters fell out of the cage. Irvin screwed up his left leg during the tumble and couldn't continue fighting.
— 5/26/07: Irvin tears the ACL and MCL of his right knee during a UFC 71 match against Thiago Silva, and the fight is ruled a TKO victory for Silva.
— 12/29/07: Irvin takes an illegal knee from Luiz Cane during their fight at UFC 79; Irvin is awarded the DQ victory when he can't continue fighting.
— 5/20/08: Irvin is forced to pull out of a UFC 85 match against Rashad Evans due to a broken foot.
— 7/19/08: Irvin gets knocked out by Anderson Silva in 61 seconds at UFC Fight Night 14.
— 7/29/08: Irvin is suspended from competition for nine months after testing positive for methadone and oxymorphone following the Silva fight. Irvin said he was taking the meds to mask the pain of his previous foot injury.
— 4/29/09: Irvin is forced to pull out of a UFC 98 match against Drew McFedries due to a torn meniscus in his knee.
— 8/3/09: Irvin is forced to pull out of a UFC 102 match against Wilson Gouveia due to another knee injury. Please, James, tell us that this one is a career-ender. We just can't handle the disappointments anymore.
Currently, UFC 102's lineup looks like this:
MAIN CARD
Randy Couture vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (HW)
Keith Jardine vs. Thiago Silva (LHW)
Chris Leben vs. Jake Rosholt (MW)
Nate Marquardt vs. Demian Maia (MW)
Brandon Vera vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (LHW)
PRELIMINARY CARD
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Chris Tuchscherer (HW)
Justin McCully vs. Mike Russow (HW)
Tim Hague vs. Todd Duffee (HW)
Nick Catone vs. Mark Munoz (MW)
Matt Veach vs. Evan Dunham (LW)
Login or register to post comments
DIGG THIS 
Comments
byebyestrikeforce Says:
1st?
Jay Smith Says:
I wonder if Dana & the UFC have been payin for or, helping to pay for any of his surgeries. I hope he makes it back, I always liked to see him compete (win or lose). Good luck sandman!
NinJay Says:
Eh. The only fight that even remotely peaks my interest is Nate Marquardt vs. Demian Maia . Not that Irvin fighting would have changed this.
Justin Says:
I've always like James Irvin. The guy gives 100% every time. This sucks. Maybe he should just take a year off and actually heal.
Karma Elite Says:
That's easier said than done if you're a fighter that lives paycheck to paycheck.
LoneWolf Says:
That sux
BackbaconBilly Says:
Always surrounded in some kind of controversy or drama, if things were'nt going well for the sandman he just seemed to fold and quit, I won't miss him at all.
If anyone can point me to where he had a knock down, go the distance give it your all kind of fight please point me to where so i can see it for myself.
eelcozy Says:
Man I got UFC 102 tickets and I was kind of looking forward to that fight. I at least want to see Gouveia fight someone else. Please, UFC??
Kweli Says:
Look up his fight against terry martin.. its actually one of the better Knockouts i've seen
BackbaconBilly Says:
Thanks Kweli.
TheHuytonHandGrenade Says:
Looks like a very good card id like to see how Brocks buddy Chris Tuchscherer does against Gonzaga
NateGetsIrate Says:
@ Kweli:
You beat me to it.
And, yeah Billy. You should check it out. Sandman got completely worked over in the first round, then comes out in the second with a flying knee that practicalls dents Martin's forehead in. That's a way better fight then a Herman v. Grove back and forth snoozer.
brutecarnage Says:
I dont understand why Leben is on the Main card instead of someone that hasnt tested positive for steroids like Gonzaga. Leben is such a douche. All that crap he said about he was a changed person and being a good little boy. To end up testing positive. Doesnt make sense why the UFC is having him on the main card after testin postive, plus Gonzaga (steroid free) is a better fighter to see then Leben.
HereForTheBooze Says:
This sucks man, Irvin has always been involved in some of the most eventful fights in the UFC win or lose. Not the Stand up drag out wars but highlight reel.
The 8 seconds with Alexander, the terry martin knee, the silva highlight reel hit that I saw at 5 times on countdown last night. A loss to the card in my eyes.
NateGetsIrate Says:
Meh. I'd prefer watching Leben over Gonzaga. Especially after seeing that murderous look he had on his face after Terry Martin rocked him which Leben followed up by walking thru some more punches to knock Martin's ass out (Damn Terry! Talk about being on the wrong side of great highlight reels). Love him or hate him, you gotta give the guy some respect for not crumpling when the pressure is on.
Biv37 Says:
I'm a fan of JE. I hope he comes back.
LukeTheDuke Says:
Yea I like the year off idea. James Irvin is a sick sick sick (triple sick) fighter. His strikes are so powerful.
Bloodlust Says:
Irvin took the easy way out vs Cane. I'd like to see a rematch between those 2 whenever he gets back.
Vargas Says:
"— 8/3/09: Irvin is forced to pull out of a UFC 102 match against Wilson Gouveia die to another knee injury."
Ouch :P
Dubbayoo Says:
Can't say I'd agree w/ his Anderson Silva fight and Anderson Silva fight-based suspension as examples of bad luck, but I definitely feel bad for Irvin for the rest of it. Every win this guy gets goes right to the highlight reel.
@ Bloodlust, he didn't take the easy way out w/ Cane. He thought he lost the fight. That's how out of it he was.
Dubbayoo Says:
correction: His win against Cane isn't highlight reel-worthy. I felt bad for him. He was knocked retarded from that illegal knee. And it took FOREVER for the doctor to check him out.
Junk Puncher Says:
Maybe he should change his nickname from Sandman to Job. That's "Job" from the Old Testament and not the thing you do for a living. Poor guy!
Sheps Says:
What happened to Yushin Okami being the most cursed.
Jay Smith Says:
Hey ben, I told you about the grammar in the other article, and now Vargas points out another one. Boy I tell ya, get to be a big famous reporter/star, and you think you can use the language any friggin way you want.
HC Honkanen Says:
Fuck. This makes me feel bad. Honestly. I don't even LIKE Irvin. But man, that's too much. An eventful fighter nonetheless.
Häkkiperuna Says:
on top of all that, it took me 20 seconds to KO him in UFC Undisputed. And I was plaing with Houston Alexander, the worst guy in the fucking game!