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MMAJUNKIE
Werdum out with rib injury; James Thompson steps in last minute
by MMAjunkie Staff on June 26, 2010 at 6:10 pm ET
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Around 5:15 P.M. today while drilling standard guard passes, Fabricio Werdum sustained a rib injury when a teammate got careless during the drill and crushed Werdum's rib with his knee.
"This is terrible--just terrible. This would have been the biggest fight of my life and it was taken from me. I am speechless. I would just like to apologize to all those who supported and believed in me. I still want to make this fight happen, and it hurts me that the match will have to be prolonged. I leave it to [Scott Coker] to make the correct call on how to proceed tonight," Werdum said.
After the event was made known to Strikeforce, Strikeforce began a hasty search for a replacement. The search did not last long. After seeing the notice on Strikeforce's website that they were looking for a replacement for the main event of tonight's card, PRIDE veteran and legend James Thompson immediately volunteered.
"I live every day like this may happen. You always to be ready, man. This is my chance for glory," a excited James Thompson was quoted as saying.
MMAjunkie was able to get in contact with The Colossus by phone for this brief interview:
MMAJUNKIE: James, with so little time to prepare for this fight, where will your priorities and focus lie during these brief few hours?
James Thompson: Well, I find this works best for me when preparing for a fight, man. I have found that preparing weeks in advance has made me half-ass my workouts and underestimate the bloke I will be fighting. In fact, in almost every fight I've ever been in, my training typically begins the day before the fight. I find I get the most out of my workouts that way. The success I have found with this method is obvious.
After this interview, I'm going to go out to my shed and try to find my jump rope. It's a good jump rope. I realize that cardio will be important for this fight and I am not taking it lightly.
MMAJUNKIE: Thanks you for your time, James, and good luck tonight.
James Thompson: Thanks, man.
JUST KIDDING!
