There's hurts ...and there's "not exactly."
Unfortunately for Jason MacDonald, he qualifies for the latter after withdrawing from his UFC 124 bout against Rafael Natal on Dec. 11 in Montreal.
Natal's management group today tweets that Canadian MMA fixture Jesse Bongfeldt will step in to replace "The Athlete" at Quebec's Bell Centre.
McDonald's 2010 return to the Octagon went from dream to nightmare after breaking his leg while defending a takedown against opponent John Salter at UFC 113 back in May. The grisly injury required surgery and has kept the former division contender away from action for several months.
Now it appears he will remain on the disabled list until 2011.
Natal entered the Octagon as a highly touted but relatively unknown fighter with a record of 12-2. "Sapo" would drop his promotion debut to Ultimate Fighter (TUF) cast member Rich Attonito by unanimous decision on Sept. 15.
He needs a win to avoid the dreaded 0-2 debut, but don't expect Bongfeldt (21-6) to make it easy on him.
"Water" has been terrorizing the regional circuit for the past three years, winning seven straight fights including a 2008 submission win over UFC veteran TJ Grant. Is he ready for the big time? We'll know soon enough.
UFC 124 will be headlined by Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre taking on fellow TUF 12 coach Josh Koscheck. Thiago Alves and John Howard as well as Dustin Hazelett and Mark Bocek are also expected to hook 'em up.
For the latest UFC 124 fight card and rumors click here.