Former International Fight League (IFL) lightweight champion Chris Horodecki today failed a pre-fight physical and has been blocked by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) from competing against Dan Lauzon at Affliction: "Day of Reckoning" on Jan. 24.
Sherdog.com reports that the baby-faced "Polish Hammer" is suffering from a bulging disc in his neck, which has sapped 80 percent of the strength in his right arm.
The 155-pound bout between Horodecki and Lauzon was expected to kick-off the pay-per-view special, which will take place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., and begin to air at 9 p.m. ET. No replacement has been named at this time; however, the hunt for a suitable opponent is already underway.
This is familiar territory for the upstart promotion -- Aleksander Emelianenko was scratched at the last minute prior to the debut show "Banned" back on July 19, 2008, when he was denied a license from the CSAC for undisclosed medical reasons. Perhaps the silver lining in this case is that Affliction has more than 24 hours to find someone willing to challenge Lauzon.
Horodecki most recently entered "S-Cup 2008″ — an eight-man Shootboxing tournament held in Japan -- back in November. The 21-year old Canadian drew the 31-year-old Shishido in the first round — an experienced fighter, but one who he was more than likely favored to defeat. Shishido, however, managed to outwork and out score Horodecki on the judges scorecards en route to a unanimous decision win.
It was a curious decision at the time with the Lauzon fight on the horizon. And one has to wonder if taking that fight had any impact on his current health situation.
Horodecki made his IFL debut in June 2006, going 8-1 and looking sensational in the process. He has just one career loss in mixed martial arts (Shootboxing is not considered true MMA) –- a lopsided beatdown courtesy of Ryan Schultz at the IFL World Grand Prix Finals in December 2007.
It was his last appearance. Hopefully, Horodecki can recover quick and get back in the saddle sooner rather than later ... he has been on the sidelines for too long.
"Day of Reckoning" features the colossal clash between WAMMA Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko and former UFC titleholder Andrei Arlovski. Of course, we will also pass along Horedecki's replacement as soon as possible. To check out the latest fight card click here.
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