UFC 170 medical suspensions: MacDonald, Assuncao among those with potential long terms

A dozen fighters were given medical suspensions following their bouts at this past Saturday’s UFC 170. Five of them could be out as long as six months.

MMAjunkie received the list of suspended fighters from the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which oversaw Saturday’s card at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

Leading the list were Rory MacDonald, Raphael Assuncao and Stephen Thompson, all of whom have conditional suspensions for six months, as do Robert Whittaker and Cody Gibson. All can return quicker if cleared by doctors.

MacDonald got back on track with a win over Demian Maia on the main card. But he’ll need his right ankle approved by a doctor with an x-ray if he wants to be back sooner than six months. Regardless, he was given a 30-day shut-down. Maia was shut down for 45 days.

Assuncao, who may have paved the way to a title shot at bantamweight with his win over Pedro Munhoz, needs to have his left ribs cleared by a doctor.

Thompson, who picked up a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his knockout of Whittaker to open the main card on pay-per-view. Thompson needs to have his right hand cleared by a doctor before he can return, or he’ll be on the shelf for six months. Whittaker needs his left forearm cleared, or he’ll be out the same amount of time. No matter what, he was shut down for 30 days after the knockout loss.

The full list of suspensions includes:

• Sara McMann: suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
• Patrick Cummins: suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days
• Rory MacDonald: suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days; additionally, must have right ankle cleared by doctor or no contest for 180 days
• Demian Maia: suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days
• T.J. Waldburger: suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days
• Stephen Thompson: must have right hand cleared by doctor or no contest for 180 days
• Robert Whittaker: suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days; additionally, must have left forearm cleared by doctor or no contest for 180 days
• Raphael Assuncao: suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days; additionally, must have left ribs cleared by doctor or no contest for 180 days
• Pedro Munhoz: suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
• Aljamain Sterling: must have MRI of head within seven days
• Cody Gibson: must have right hand cleared by doctor or no contest for 180 days
• Rafaello Oliveira: suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to contusion under right eye

For complete coverage of UFC 170, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

(Pictured: Rory MacDonald)