UFC 122: Alessio Sakara vs. Jorge Rivera Cancelled, What Does This Mean?

Taking in UFC 122 on Sportsnet One and to my surprise, I see that Dennis Siver vs. Andre Winner were the co-main event of the evening. After reading the news initially reported by mmajunkie.com, it's become clear that Alessio Sakara had to drop out due to illness. According to Sherdog.com, Sakara vomited backstage.

That illness was being reported as Lupus by Bleacherreport.com's own Andrew Brining. Obviously this needs to be treated as rumour for now, but Lupus or not, something was up with Sakara that made him pull from the fight.

Lupus is no joke and wreaks havoc on ones body, and if it is something Sakara is dealing with, it may be the last time we see Legionarius in the Octagon. If it was just the flu, he better be looking to get back in there and find an opponent as soon as possible, because this was a big fight for him and could have launched him further up the ladder had he won. Falling sick and then sitting out for a while could really slow his momentum he has built up over his last three fights, defeating the likes of Thales Leites and James Irvin.

As for Jorge Rivera, one has to feel his pain, at 38-years-old, the clock is ticking on him, and he is in the process of making one last push to get to the top of the 185-pound division. Rivera has won his last three after a rough patch in his career dealing with the passing of his eldest daughter in 2008 and some tough losses.

Many were placing a lot of value on the Sakara fight for Rivera, feeling it could have positioned him well for one last run at a title.

Having to see his chance at fighting at UFC 122 slip away on such short notice must have felt like having the rug pulled out from under him. The good news is, he is in good condition, and if Sakara was just suffering from the flu, maybe fans can see this fight take place a lot sooner than what maybe expected with so many events scheduled between now and January.

If Alessio Sakara can't step back into the octagon anytime soon, Jorge Rivera should look to find someone at 185 pounds to fight; he should be telling the media who he wants next and getting that message out to the fans as soon as possible. Chris Leben is a guy that comes to mind—both are stringing together some wins and both guys come to fight.

In any case, it certainly wasn't something anyone was looking forward to, and hopefully, both men can get back in the saddle sooner rather than later.