UFC Quick Quote: Rory MacDonald cut by spinning backfist from sparring partner

"I spoke with his coach, Jonathan Chambers, and he said Rory was looking very, very sharp. They said the sharpest they have ever seen him in his preparation against BJ Penn. But his sparring partner threw a technique you are not supposed to throw while sparing and cut MacDonald right above the eye. It was a cut that went right down to the bone. It ended up needing 38 stitches. They want to keep him out of sparring for a month and a half, so it looks like that fight is going to be postponed."

-- Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter and current "UFC Tonight" analyst, Kenny Florian, reported that Rory MacDonald's injury, which required 38 stitches and caused him to withdraw from his fight with B.J. Penn at UFC 152 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on Sept. 22, 2012, was caused by an ill-advised spinning backfist thrown by one of MacDonald's training partners during a sparring session that apparently got too intense. Reportedly, MacDonald ducked under the spinning backfist and was nailed, right over the eye, by his sparring partner's elbow. It's just another instance of two mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters who got carried away, resulting in another costly injury and another major card shake-up. "Ares" still intends to fight the Hawaiian, suggesting UFC 154 in Montreal, while Penn is interested in throwing down one month earlier at UFC 153 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. No official word yet, however, has come from the promotion about a potential reschedule at this time. Is there anything that can be done to stop this from happening in the future? Or are fans trapped in a reality where UFC cards are constantly and frequently subject to change?