UFC vet Jason Reinhardt out of WEC debut bout

Some may remember Jason Reinhardt as the guy who got choked out of “The Ultimate Fighter” veteran Joe Lauzon, back at UFC 78 in November of 2007, in just 74 seconds of the opening round.

What you probably didn’t know, is that before his one-and-done stint with the UFC, was that Jason was an undefeated fighter, who regularly competed in both the bantamweight and featherweight divisions.

The epitome of a proven finisher, in every single one of Reinhardt’s recorded victories (20 victories) all of them were met before the final bell. 16 submissions and 4 TKO’s anchor his resume.

While none of them were of the caliber of opponents that someone may find in the UFC or in Strikeforce for that matter, 20 wins with 20 finishes is impressive, none-the-less.

Reinhardt, who was coming out of a 2-year-hiatus from the fight game, was next up to face undefeated China fighter Tiequan Zhang at wec 51 in Broomfield, Colo., this Thursday.

In his place stepped in lightweight Pablo Garza, a “The Ultimate Fighter” season 12 hopeful, whom was defeated in the elimination round.

According to Jason, the Colorado Athletic State Commission would not deem him fit to fight, because Reinhardt wears contacts during his fights.

Ridiculous? Yeah, I thought so too. In an interview with MMAJunkie.com, Reinhardt claimed that in his bout against Lauzon in New Jersey, which is one of the most notorious governing bodies, he was able to wear his contacts even then.

“I even fought my UFC fight in New Jersey with my contacts.

“This isn’t 1965,” he said. “I see 20-20 with my contacts in. They rarely fall out.”

So, MMA peeps, with those who are familiar with Reinhardt, what do you make of the news? Would you like to see him in the cage sooner rather than later? Sound off in the comments section below.