Ryan Ford Fought Jake Shields with Broken Arm; Sefo Says WSOF Did Not Know

---

World Series of Fighting welterweight Ryan Ford competed against Jake Shields with a broken right arm in the main event of Saturday’s WSOF 14 “U.S. vs. Canada.”

Ford disclosed the injury in a video (now made private) which was published after his first-round submission loss to Shields at Edmonton Expo Centre in Edmonton, Alberta. In the video, Ford stated that he sustained the injury last Tuesday during sparring.

Edmonton Combative Sports Commission Executive Director Pat Reid confirmed to Sherdog.com that Ford, along with all fighters on the card, passed his pre-fight medical examination. After the fight, Reid said, Ford was issued an indefinite medical suspension for “a fractured right forearm that is listed as having occurred ‘pre-fight.’”

World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo released this statement to Sherdog.com on Sunday afternoon:

“Neither I nor any of my staff at World Series of Fighting had any prior knowledge of Ryan Ford’s condition until he went on the record about it after last night’s fight. Like all of the other fighters who competed last night, Ryan went through all of the steps necessary to receive clearance by the athletic commission to fight. Had we been aware that Ryan was suffering from an arm injury, we would have immediately pulled the plug on his matchup with Jake Shields and secured another suitable opponent for Jake.

As both a fighter and a promoter, I take the health of our fighters very seriously, and I am also sensitive to the needs of fighters to support their families with the income they make from competing. Financial needs can always be addressed and worked out, but health is something that no one can afford to play with, so I sincerely hope that Ryan and the other athletes on our roster learn a lesson from this, and will be 100 percent transparent with us and disclose to us any pre-existing medical conditions in the future.”