Two of the top newcomers to the 2009 “M-1 Challenge presented by Affliction” have been ruled out of the season’s fifth challenge scheduled for June 5 in Kansas City, Kansas. Both Steve Carl of USA East and Tom Blackledge of Team England are out due to injury.
Blackledge’s injury has not been specified and with the Team Wolfslair product on the sidelines, England has been left scrambling to find a replacement light heavyweight to fight France’s Christian Mpumbu.
Cornered by former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Blackledge improved to 8-6 and played a large role in England defeating Japan by a 4-1 margin in April. The competition, held at Differ Ariake in Tokyo, Japan, not only marked Blackledge’s M-1 Challenge debut but the first-ever M-1 Challenge for England.
Facing Tatsuya Mizuno, Blackledge was declared victorious after recording a submission at 3:22 of round 1.
Meanwhile, Carl, a 6-1 welterweight, will be on the shelf because he is scheduled to undergo surgery to replace a metal rod in his leg. The rod was inserted several years ago after the U.S. Army veteran was involved in a life-threatening car accident. At the time, Carl was informed he would never be able to fight again.
Thus far, Carl has beaten the odds and has won four consecutive matchups. He helped lead U.S. Team East to a 5-0 victory over Bulgaria in March after submitted the previously unbeaten Ivan Ivanoff with a rear naked choke at 3:31 of round 1.
The M-1 Challenge in Kansas City is scheduled for Friday, June 5 at the Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas. With a start time of 8:00 p.m. the event will feature 15 challenge matchups featuring USA East vs. Finland, England vs. France, and the World Team vs. Turkey. Tickets are now on-sale at Ticketmaster outlets as well as Ticketmaster.com.
