Ultimate fighter Lee Anderson retained his Extreme Fighting lightweight world championship title Saturday after his opponent withdrew two days before the fight and no one else would step into the ring with him.
Anderson, the Wood River Valley's 35-year-old ultimate fighting sensation, was scheduled to defend his title at the Qwest Arena in Boise Saturday night against Salt Lake City fighter "Superman" Patrick Reed, the Extreme Fighting number one lightweight contender.
"Superman, I guess, wasn't invincible after all," Anderson said Monday. "He got injured just before the fight. I was all ready to go. I can't express how disappointed I am."
Anderson said the fight promoters claimed to have some backup fighters for Saturday's bout, but one of them didn't want to fight Anderson and the other one couldn't be found.
"At the end of the night, I was in there with my gear and they couldn't find anyone to fight with me," he said.
Anderson said even longtime lightweight rival Brandon "Big Dog" Shuey, declined to get in the right with him.
"He said he'd do it for $10,000 and if they'd give him five months to train," Anderson said. "I guess that was his way of saying no. I tried to talk him into it myself.
"For whatever reason, no one wanted to step in with me," Anderson said. "I'm really sad and disappointed for my fans. Many of them came all the way from the Wood River Valley to see me fight. Thanks again to all my supporters for coming."
Anderson said he'll likely get another shot at defending his title in September. In the meantime, he hopes to get a fight set up for the King of the Cage ultimate fighting venue in California.
"I just don't want to go a long time without fighting," he said. 'I was there ready to go and I'm ready now. It's just a matter of finding an opponent."
