Calvancante Injured, Out Of "Yarennoka!"

by Robert Sargent

After tearing a ligament in his left knee during training, Gesias "JZ Calvan" Calvancante has been forced to withdraw from his fight with Shinya "Tobikan Judan" Aoki at "Yarennoka!" but Aoki will still compete on the card.

Calvancante re-injured his left knee and has now been forced to postpone his fight with Shinya Aoki until next year.

He tore a ligament in his left knee during a training session last week.

The announcement was made at a press conference at the DEEP Dojo in Tokyo, with Yarennoka! executive committee representative Keiichi Sasahara in attendance. He confirmed that the injury had originally taken place on December 17th, and that Calvancante had been informed that he would be unable to compete.

Calvancante is the reigning 2006 and 2007 K-1 HERO's Middleweight (154 pounds) Tournament Champion winner, and was looking to close out the year by potentially attaining the #1 position in the lightweight division with a convincing win over Aoki. Instead, he will be forced to watch from the sidelines as Aoki takes on a replacement opponent, who will be determined in the next few days.

Calvancante expressed regret and sadness for the injury and for Aoki, who will no longer be able to compete with him on New Year's Eve. He explained that he first injured his knee prior to the HERO's Middleweight Tournament in September, and then re-injured it again in his fight with Andre "Dida" Amade. The ligament tear in training sealed his fate.

At present, it looks as if the fight will be rescheduled to sometime in March of 2008, but this will not be confirmed until Calvancante's recovery time is known. Calvancante will fly back to Brazil for further examinations and surgery to repair the torn ligament.


While this puts an end to the most promising fight on the card thus far, Aoki will still be competing, and all of his fights are thrilling ones for the fans. His replacement opponent will be named shortly.