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Team
Quest's Krzysztof Soszynski and Stephan Bonnar may get rematch in
July
by Matt Clarmont
Krzysztof
Soszynski (19-9-1) and Stephan Bonnar (11-7) may, indeed, finish
what they started at UFC 110 where a hard fought battle by both men
ended prematurely due to a cut on Bonnar's forehead. According to
mmafrenzy.com, The rematch is now tentatively scheduled to take
place and possibly co-headline The Ultimate Finale 11, rumored to be
held on July 19th in Las Vegas, Nevada.
An unintentional headbutt opened a cut early in the third round and
an Australian referee mistakenly attributed the wound to a legal
strike, unable to see the foul from his vantage point. A cageside
doctor called a stop to the contest when Bonnar was deemed unable to
continue because of the injury as blood was flowing heavily into his
eyes. The proper call would have been a cut stoppage from an
accidental foul which would have sent the bout to an immediate
decisions and the judges' scorecards would have determined the
outcome.
Both Bonnar and Soszynski unofficially agreed to a rematch at UFC
110's post fight press conference and a mild uproar by fans and
media likely encouraged UFC matchmaker Joe Silva to begin drawing up
contracts for the do-over. Immediate rematches are a rare occurrence
in MMA but since a referee's decision cannot be overturned according
to Australian rules and it was either man's fight at the time of the
stoppage, this was an expected resolution.
Bonnar has appealed the original ruling but as of now, he will enter
this fight on a 3 fight losing streak, losing unanimous decisions to
Mark Coleman and Jon Jones prior to his bout with “The Polish
Experiment.” Soszynski has only lost to Brandon Vera in the last 3
years.
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