No sooner did Ryan Couture (1-0 MMA, 1-0 SF) secure an opponent for his second professional fight than he had to pull out of it.
A lingering staph infection in Couture's leg has forced him to withdraw from Strikeforce Challengers 12, Strikeforce officials today announced.
As MMAjunkie.com first reported over the weekend, officials recently secured Juan Zapata (1-1 MMA, 0-0 SF) as an opponent for Couture. It is unknown whether Strikeforce will secure a new opponent for Zapata or scratch the bout entirely.
"I was really looking forward to fighting, so this is a big disappointment, but I'll be back," Couture stated. "As soon as I'm cleared, you can bet I'll be back in the gym preparing for my next Strikeforce fight."
Strikeforce Challengers 12 takes place Nov. 19 at the Jackson Convention Complex in Jackson, Miss. The headliner pits lightweight Justin Wilcox against Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro.
It's a disappointing setback for Couture, who turned pro in August with a slick first-round submission victory over Lucas Stark at Strikeforce Challengers 10. The lightweight prospect and son of UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture also amassed a solid 5-1 amateur record before joining up with Strikeforce.
Couture's injury could possibly keep him out of action for several weeks, and officials estimate a three to four week recovery time.
Zapata, who's been billed as owning a 17-0 career amateur record, made his pro debut at Monte Cox's Adrenaline MMA 3 event in June 2009. Despite a 0-0 pro record, Zapata agreed to fight 50-fight veteran Joe Jordan (44-12-2 at the time) and suffered a first-round submission loss due to strikes. However, he rebounded this past September at a regional MMA event in Mississippi and scored a second-round TKO win over MMA newcomer Trey Brown for his first pro win.
Source: http://mmajunkie.com/news/21234/ryan-co ... ection.mma