Can a fighter choose not fight the back up fighter when his main opponent gets injured?

[Luffy]

Like, ofc they can, no one is forced to fight. Jon Jones iirc didn't want to fight Chael on short notice (or maybe it was his coaches who told him not to), but I don't know if Chael was a backup fighter, was he?

But for example, if there is a back up fighter, the main fighter gets injured, the other one can choose not to fight the back up fighter and give time for his main opponent to heal so they can fight? Or does the fact that there is a back up fighter mean they also have a responsibility to be prepared for them in an unlike but possible to happen event?

If they don't choose to fight the backup fighter, are them prone to suffer some consequences, by the regiment, the rules, to lose the right to fight with the injured guy the next time?

I mean, in practice it does not as we have seen it happening quite a few times, but what about the rules, does anyone know?

 

[jsbx45]

I'm sure Dana wouldn't mind.

 

[jjjjjjjjjjohnny]

i'm pretty sure that the "back-up" fighter would be obligated.

Also guessing it would be career suicide if you declined the fight if you were in deed the back up fighter?

 

[cws80us]

Yes. The most famous example is Jon Jones vs Dan Henderson. Hendo dropped out a couple weeks before the fight and the UFC offered Chael Sonnen as a replacement. Jones declined and the whole ppv was canceled.

 

[Sonny Qc]

Do you wanna be a fucking fighter?

 

[Sonny Qc]

I think Jones had barely a week notice,

Guess they didn't pay him enough to make him risk his betl on that short of a notice.

 

[RockyLockridge]

jones vs stipe had pavlovich as a back up and stipe didn't fight him.
islam vs charles 2 had gamrot as a back up and islam never fought him.

 

[Necrocrawler]

I think Jones had barely a week notice,

Guess they didn't pay him enough to make him risk his betl on that short of a notice.

That's my guess also
He would have murked Sonnen lol

 

[CroCopsLHK]

Sometimes there's a pre determined back up fighter. They make weight do a camp, all of that with the promise of fighting or getting paid show money for being there. Strangely ita never worked

Luque missed weight once as back up for a title fight lmao!

Under some circumstances it doesn't happen. When Jones got "injured" he was the champ and Dana didn't want Stipe vs Pav for interim so they used Pav/Aspinall and preserved Jon Jones sacrificial lamb

 

[MRT]

Nah...no obligation (but the wrath of the UFC brass is probably a powerful incentive lol).

Also, remember when Gamrot was apparently the backup for Islam-Charles at UFC 294, but then Volk stepped up on short notice when Charles was out? So not only is a backup not obligated to step up, the UFC is apparently not obligated to give the backup the opportunity to step up lol

 

[dipstickjimmy]

Yes. The most famous example is Jon Jones vs Dan Henderson. Hendo dropped out a couple weeks before the fight and the UFC offered Chael Sonnen as a replacement. Jones declined and the whole ppv was canceled.

But that isn't a back up fighter. The better example would have been Gamrot who was paid to be the back up fighter for Islam vs Oliveira. The UFC it seems chose to pursue other options as Dustin was called and Volanovski jumped in. But I think the OP is asking do the original fighters have to accept a fight with the official backup fighter in the event of a last minute injury/weight cut issue.

It is a weird issue as the two most recent examples I can think of with an Official Back Up where there was an actual injury was Gamrot who was skipped over as the replacement and Pavlovich when Jon and Stipe were booked. They pulled both main event fighters and booked Tom vs Pavlovich. I still have to wonder why they had a back up if neither Jon nor Stipe was willing to fight him in the event their opponent got injured?

 

[BJJ4Tone]

Do you wanna be a fucking fighter?

 

[icemun]

Yes. The most famous example is Jon Jones vs Dan Henderson. Hendo dropped out a couple weeks before the fight and the UFC offered Chael Sonnen as a replacement. Jones declined and the whole ppv was canceled.

I wasnt hip to the backstory or maybe just forgot at this point-