2011 has been the year of the fight cancellation. Starting with New Years Day’s UFC 125 card, nearly 60 scheduled fights have been canceled because fighters have pulled out with injuries. Since the UFC just recently started covering their fighters’ health insurance, some people think that fighters are pulling out of fights that they previously wouldn’t have.

Personally, I think it’s just a coincidence. There are more websites than ever covering the sport so each fight rumor and injury is reported and tweeted non-stop. A few years ago we probably would have missed the news when a fight from an undercard would get scratched.

I have a more simple answer to explain why we’ve had so many fight cancellations this year – You’re fairly likely to get hurt when your day job consists of people hitting, kicking, throwing and twisting your body.

Take former TUF 13 castmember, Ryan McGillivray’s nose for example. McGillivray (11-5-1, 0-1 UFC) doesn’t have a fight coming up in the UFC or any other promotion based on anything I’ve heard. Yet here he is with a smashed nose courtesy of the knee of one of his teammates. McGillivray is heading home to have surgery today. So if he were scheduled to fight, he would have to cancel. Injuries have always been a part of the sport, I just think we pay more attention now that we’re writing everything down.

[Fightlinker, MMAMania, MMAJunkie, Twitter]