Bellator heavyweight Hayes' tourney spot in jeopardy with medical suspension

Article taken from MMAjunkie.com
by Steven Marrocco

Mike Hayes passed the first gauntlet of Bellator's season-five heavyweight tournament, but he may have taken too much damage to continue.

Hayes (16-4 MMA, 2-1 BFC) has been issued a preliminary suspension of 60 days by the Louisiana Boxing and Wrestling Commission following his split decision over Neil Grove (11-4-1 MMA, 3-2 BFC) at Bellator 52, which hosted the quarterfinals of the eight-man competition.

A final report due soon will determine whether Hayes suffered a fractured orbital in the bout.

Although Hayes today told MMAjunkie.com that he suffered a concussion and was vomiting afterward, his suspension did not address such an injury.

"I don't think he suffered a concussion," LBWC chairman Alvin Topham said today. "We're just concerned with the kid's orbital."

Bellator CEO Rebney said he's waiting for the commission's final ruling on the suspension before Hayes loses his tournament spot. If the suspension stands, the winner of a yet-undisclosed alternate bout at Bellator 53 will move on to meet Blagoi Ivanov in the tournament semifinals.

"My hope against hope is that it's not what its been reported to be," Rebney said of Hayes' initial suspension. "But if it is, and it's 60 (days), then obviously Mike would not be able to move forward in this tournament just because of the time restraints we're faced with."

The tournament semifinals are set for Bellator 56, which takes place Oct. 29 at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan. As always, MTV2 airs main card action while Spike.com streams preliminary bouts.