Spencer Fisher Injured, Out Of UFC Fight Night 13
by Robert Sargent
In an unfortunate turn of events, exciting lightweight contender Spencer "The King" Fisher has been forced to pull out of his UFC Fight Night 13 bout with Marcus "Maximus" Aurelio after suffering a shoulder injury.
Aurelio will now likely face UFC newcomer Jim Miller, who is on a five-fight winning streak and whose lone career defeat came against UFC standout Frankie Edgar.
Fisher (20-4-0) was looking to rebound from a loss to Edgar at UFC 78, but decided that it was in his best interests to withdraw from the fight with Aurelio. Fisher's manager, Monte Cox, explained that Fisher has competed numerous times in the past with injuries, but said that Aurelio is not the calibre of fighter you want to face when you are only 80 percent.
Aurelio is one of the most talented submission fighters at the lightweight level, holding a victory over #1-ranked lightweight Takanori "Fireball Kid" Gomi in PRIDE, and rebounded from a lacklustre decision loss to Clay Guida in his UFC debut when he defeated Luke Caudillo by TKO at UFC 78.
Rather than facing a proficient striker in Fisher, Aurelio will now face a ground wizard like himself, as eight of Miller's 10 victories have come by way of submission. Stylistically, this seems like a better matchup for Aurelio, as his jiu-jitsu is matched by very few people in the world, at any weight class. Miller will have all he can handle if and when the fight goes to the ground.
In the case of Fisher, he will be out of this bout but will no doubt look to rebound in the near future, as soon as he is healthy. He remains as a top contender at the lightweight level, and can stand and strike with pretty much anyone in the division.
Aurelio will look to make it two wins in a row when he takes on Miller, while Miller will look to get a victory in his UFC debut. Expect a submission clinic.
UFC Fight Night 13 remains as the most stacked Fight Night to date, and other bouts on the card include Thiago "Pitbull" Alves vs Karo "The Heat" Parisyan, Matt "The Hammer" Hamill vs Tim "The Barbarian" Boetsch, Kurt "Batman" Pellegrino vs Nate Diaz, James "The Sandman" Irvin vs Houston "The Assassin" Alexander, Gray "The Bully" Maynard vs Frankie "The Answer" Edgar and Josh "The Dentist" Neer vs Din Thomas. Clay Guida will also be competing on the card.
The main event of UFC Fight Night 13 is Joe "J-Lau" Lauzon vs Kenny "KenFlo" Florian in what poses to be a #1 contender's bout for the UFC Lightweight Championship. The event takes place on April 2nd and will air on SpikeTV.
