Steve Cantwell issues a 'Mea Culpa'

Hopefully this will be the last bit of news regarding UFC Fight for the Troops (read: Night of the Broken Bones). But Steve Cantwell is addressing his controversial comments from that night (via mmaontap.com)

"You know that was a really weird outcome to the fight. I had the arm locked in tightly and expected Razak to tap right away – then we rolled twice and it got even tighter. I was thinking to myself ‘This guy is made of rubber – this is crazy’. The only thing I could to end the fight was force the arm until either it broke or he tapped, and that’s what I did. Fighting is always a series of calculated risks, and he had ample opportunity to tap. But none of us enter the ring trying to end each others career, and I do regret the comments I made and being so animated about it afterwards. It was the adrenalin taking over."

Shortly after the fight, Cantwell called the UFC and requested Al- Hassan’s phone number to speak to him directly. He reached Al-Hassan at home and expressed a heart-felt apology for the comments he made regarding the injury. He also shared some techniques and healing methods to aid Razak in his recovery. "When Razak heals up I want him to come out to Vegas and train with me. He’s a great guy, a great fighter, and has a future in this sport for sure. There is absolutely no ill will between us," said Cantwell.

It is good news that Cantwell is apologizing but that doesn't undo the damage. As I said before that night will be ammunition for MMA opponents for a long time.