MMA News Thread

[RM211]

Mar 9, 2012 - A heavyweight fight between Fabricio Werdum and Mike Russow is close to being finalized, according to sources close to both camps. Both fighters have already verbally agreed to the bout, which is expected to take place on the UFC's return to Brazil later this year, which is slated for late June 2012.

No exact date or location has been finalized just yet.

Werdum (15-5-1) looked fantastic in his return to the UFC in February, defeating Roy Nelson via unanimous decision. The win marked Werdum's first in the UFC since he defeated Brandon Vera at UFC 85 in June 2008.

Russow (15-1, 1 NC), who also works a full-time Chicago police officer, most recently defeated Jon Olav Einemo at UFC on FOX 2 in January. The win extended Russow's overall winning streak to 11 in a row and four straight inside the Octagon.

Also expected to take place on the same card is Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II and Vitor Belfort vs. Wanderlei Silva.

 

[RM211]

even tho he's fighting silva next, Roy Nelson has 97,000 plus friends on facebook...

 

[RM211]

pat barry is letting his hair grow out until he submits someone in the ufc.lol...

 

[RM211]

Bellator CEO says heavyweight Blagoi Ivanov's condition upgraded

Two weeks after being stabbed in the chest at a bar in Sofia, Bulgaria, Blagoi Ivanov has been downgraded from critical to serious condition.

However, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney today told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) that the heavyweight remains vulnerable.

"The doctors were still pretty tepid in their willingness to say to us that he was out of the woods," said Rebney, who received an update earlier this week. "He was stabbed in the heart, so he is in a difficult state."

Multiple reports said Ivanov was attacked by a group of men and stabbed under his armpit. The wound pierced his heart, and he was placed on artificial life support after he we brought to an area hospital.

Police are investigating the incident, which took place in the early hours of Feb. 26.

With a such a severe injury, Ivanov's career certainly hangs in the balance. But Rebney said he's far more concerned with the fighter's health.

"Obviously, there haven't been even questions or the beginning of anybody trying to answer if he's going to be able to resume a career right now," he said. "The entirety of the focus is let him get through this. For a large extent of the time, he was in a medically induced coma to try to slow down his breathing and keep everything stabilized.

"So we're extremely hopeful that a) he's able to resume his life, and b) all the other issues can be addressed from there."

Ivanov (6-0 MMA, 2-0 BFC), a world champion in the Russian hand-to-hand fighting art sambo, made his Bellator debut this past March and immediately announced his presence with a first-round TKO victory over William Penn. He then earned the right to compete in the promotion's season-five tournament and advanced to the semifinals after a second-round submission victory over "The Ultimate Fighter 10" veteran Zak Jensen.

However, Ivanov would withdraw from the competition when he injured himself training for a bout with Thiago Santos at Bellator 56 this past October. He returned two months later to TKO former UFC champ Ricco Rodriguez at an MMA event in Moscow.

Ivanov rose to prominence in 2008 when he handed former PRIDE champ Fedor Emelianenko his first loss in combat sambo in eight years.

 

[RM211]

UFC 145's televised lineup official for pay-per-view, FX

The televised lineup for April's "UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans" fight card is complete.

As expected, the event features a five-fight pay-per-view main card headlined by Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans in addition to a four-fight "UFC Prelims" special that airs on FX.

The FX broadcast features Michael McDonald vs. Miguel Torres, Travis Browne vs. Chad Griggs, Matt Brown vs. Stephen Thompson and John Makdessi vs. Anthony Njokuani.

Additional preliminary bouts are expected to stream on Facebook. However, UFC executives have yet to officially announce those plans.

Featuring a light heavyweight title fight between current champion Jon Jones and former titleholder Rashad Evans, UFC 145 takes place April 21 at Atlanta's Philips Arena. The night's main card airs on pay-per-view.

UFC 145 marks the fourth-ever UFC event held in Georgia. The state played an important role in the promotion's early development, hosting UFC 13 in 1997 and UFC 11 in 1996. Both of those events were held in Augusta.

FX is a FOX-owned channel and is part of the UFC's historic seven-year deal with the network.

With the announcement, the UFC 145 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (pay-per-view)
•Champ Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans (for light-heavyweight title)
•Rory MacDonald vs. Che Mills
•Ben Rothwell vs. Brendan Schaub
•Mark Hominick vs. Eddie Yagin
•Mark Bocek vs. Matt Wiman

PRELIMINARY CARD (FX)
•Michael McDonald vs. Miguel Torres
•Travis Browne vs. Chad Griggs
•Matt Brown vs. Stephen Thompson
•John Makdessi vs. Anthony Njokuani

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)*
•Mac Danzig vs. Efrain Escudero
•Chris Clements vs. Keith Wisniewski
•Maximo Blanco vs. Marcus Brimage

 

[RM211]

'UFC Primetime' airs on FX for 'UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Overeem'

In anticipation of their highly anticipated UFC 146 heavyweight title fight, current titleholder Junior Dos Santos (14-1 MMA, 8-0 UFC) and former Strikeforce champ Alistair Overeem (36-11 MMA, 1-0 UFC) will be featured in an upcoming edition of "UFC Primetime," a three-part special that airs on FX.

The first episode airs Friday, May 11, at 11 p.m. ET/PT, with subsequent episodes premiering in the same timeslot on May 18 and May 25.

Replays of each episode air on FUEL TV.

"UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Overeem" takes place May 26 at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena. The night's main card airs on pay-per-view.

Overeem, a former Strikeforce champion who was released by the organization and quickly signed by its sister promotion, made his official UFC debut at UFC 141 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. By knocking out ex-champ Lesnar (for his 11th straight win), he set up the upcoming heavyweight title fight with current champ Dos Santos, who was healing from a knee injury.

Meanwhile, Dos Santos fights for the first time since winning the title with a first-round knockout of Cain Velasquez this past November. He'd been sidelined by a torn meniscus in his left knee but has since said he's recovered 100 percent.

Dos Santos is undefeated in the UFC and currently boasts a nine-fight win streak.

 

[RM211]

The Good and Bad of TUF: Live

Mar 10, 2012 - TUF: Live, the newly revamped FX version of The Ultimate Fighter, may not deserve to be judged on its opening episode, which will differ from episodes to come over the 13-week season, but the show did give a sampling of what viewers could expect from the fighters soon to inhabit the house as well as the production that goes along with it.

As a live sports presentation, it was a bit uneven in its delivery. While TUF fans are used to watching fights without a play-by-play man and color commentator, it felt strange to do so for 2 1/2 hours straight. With the move to FX and in theory, a broader audience, the broadcast might have benefited from announcers to explain what was happening.

There was good and bad to the show, with most of the high spots coming during the in-cage action. Among the standouts? Justin Lawrence, who walked on to the set as a little-known newbie in MMA but walked out as one of the favorites to win it all after steamrolling respected veteran James Krause.


TUF: Live Review

-- When the UFC announced that all 16 elimination fights would be aired on FX, we wondered how that could be possible. The answer was one-round fights. That was a good call, immediately raising the stakes and ratcheting up the intensity level. In addition, $5,000 awards were promised for finishes. Not surprisingly, eight of the first 12 bouts went to a finish. The last four went to decisions, but remember, those fighters had been waiting to compete for over two hours by that time, so they might not have been as fresh and loose as the guys who fought early.

-- Throughout the broadcast, FX imposed an "Ultimate Fighter FX Live" logo on the upper right part of the screen. While those types of placements are relatively standard in TV presentations, on an HD set, it happened to be in a place that often covered fighter's faces as they moved around the cage. In most stick and ball sports, the producer can contain the action in the middle of the screen, and that ad is merely an annoyance, but in MMA, it's blocking a participant, and could cause a viewer to miss the impact of a fight-changing strike. It should be moved or completely removed by next week.

-- UFC president Dana White and coaches Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber filled some of the lulls in fights with their commentary at a cageside desk. Their significance was highlighted during one of the night's last fights, when fighter Jon Tuck suddenly looked down before continuing to fight. At home, it was hard to tell why, but Cruz immediately pointed out Tuck had broken his toe.

Cruz was especially good at analysis and explaining what a fighter was doing right and wrong in a given situation, even though he was doing it in a conversational way while talking to White. The trio also had some humorous moments, like when White told Cruz and Faber that their cornermen sucked for not informing the fighters how much time was left on the clock each round. Cruz pointed out that his corners had timers on their phones but the production staff had taken them phones away, to which White replied, "Real professional. You go in the corner with your phones?"

-- On the other hand, the trio shouldn't have had to carry the information load. It would have made more sense to have a broadcasting team and to occasionally listen in on Cruz and Faber scouting the fights as they went along.

-- Refreshing: A series of 16 fights with no booing. Stale: No crowd. A very small (and quiet) group watched the fights live at the TUF training center. In the past, there was no audience in order to guard the results from leaking out into the public, but there's no real purpose for it now. Unfortunately, the TUF gym isn't big enough to house much of a crowd, so this one's mostly out of their control.

-- Based on the UFC's pledge of $5,000 per finish, they shelled out $40,000 last night. The fastest finisher: Sam Sicilia, who needed only eight seconds to knock out Erin Beach. The slowest: Vinc Pinchel, who took 3:39 to choke out Cody Pfister with a rear naked choke after slicing him open with an elbow from the top.

-- Next week, TUF: Live moves to its "jive-live" format, with pre-taped segments stemming from the contestants' time in the house leading into the first first-round fight. That will feel more like the old TUF with the added element of the live bout. Given White's insistence that the FX network, with its broader demographic reach than Spike, will bring in many first-time viewers, it just seems like it would make sense to have announcers explaining the fights as they happen. At least we can say that the sporting experience is as it should be, live, and for most fans, that is the more important change of the two.

The 16 Contestants
Joe Proctor (7-1)
Cristiano Marcello (12-3)
Sam Sicilia (10-0)
Chris Tickle (7-4)
Andy Ogle (8-1)
Vinc Pinchel (7-0)
John Cofer (7-1)
Chris Saunders (9-2)
James Vick (4-0)
Michael Chiesa (4-0)
Mike Rio (8-1)
Justin Lawrence (3-0)
Darren Cruikshank (10-2)
Jeremy Larsen (8-2)
Al Iaquinta (5-1-1)
Myles Jury (9-0)

Four Favorites
Justin Lawrence - 3-0, Team Black House fighter
Cristiano Marcello - 15-year veteran, 11 finishes in 12 pro wins
Mike Rio - 7 finishes in 8 pro fights
Sam Sicilia - Undefeated, 8 first-round finishes in 10 wins

 

[InfamousICON]

Cristiano Marcello is gonna run through this season of TUF

 

[InfamousICON]

Cyborg wants to fight Paul Daley next

http://tatame.com/2012/03/09/Cyborg-calls-out-Paul-Daley--Itd-make-me-happy

By Marcelo Barone
Photo Esther Lin
Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos is not paired up in Strikeforce. Having fought last in September of 2011, he knows who he wants to confront next. It’s Paul Daley, a Guy he should have fought before, in 2011, but was averted because suffered an injury.

“I’m training and I’ll be ready starting on May. I wanna have a good preparation. My results are going to be crucial for the future of my career. I have more four fights left in my contract and after two good results I’ll be back to the top of the division. I had a title shot against (Nick) Diaz, I lost on the undercard to Jordan Mein. I want to fight someone known, maybe even Paul Daley, who is also coming from a bad outcome. It would make me happy fighting him. He would be a good opponent. I owe this fight to the fans”.
Light heavyweight fighter, Cyborg trains with Jorge Patino Macaco on the United States and told TATAME he doesn’t know why it’s taking so long for him to fight.

“I also would like to know it (the reason why). Actually, whenever you lose they make you wait. If I get a win I’ll be back. I fought in January against Diaz, but then I got injured in JUne before fighting Paul Daley and then they offered me Jordan Mein, someone people don’t really know, he has no name, for for whom I lost”, Evangelista explained, taking these last months off to repair old injuries.

“I’m 34 years old and I started fighting when I was 18, I never stopped, so there comes a times your healing process is not that fast anymore. It’s natural. I had many injuries and it was good for me to get them all healed, train hard and do a good fight next”.

Hope this fight happens, would be a straight up war. I'd have Semtex via KO though.

 

[trips]

Is The UFC Losing One Of It's Star Fighters? Quinton "Rampage" Jackson Wants Out Of His Contract

View attachment 109040

 

[RM211]

thats old breh, i posted an article about this tho, he said he wants to fight one more time in the ufc then take his career elsewhere...if rampage is honest about this he's gona want a big name before he exits, my guess would be shogun.


and another thing is he wont make the kind of money he's making or made somewhere else besides the ufc.

 

[InfamousICON]

lol Bob Sapp tapped to a fucking double leg take down this past weekend, why in the hell do these promotions keep paying this guy? He's been a joke of a fighter for years.

[video=youtube;V1UrW8oRH3M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1UrW8oRH3M&feature=player_embedded[/video]

 

[RM211]

Ex-champ Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson plans split from UFC, addresses TRT

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's days in the UFC appear numbered.

Following a week-long series of Twitter posts in which the former champion said he will leave the organization once he completes the one remaining fight on his contract, Jackson on Monday confirmed he's planning to continue his career elsewhere.

With HDNet's Bas Rutten, he also discussed his recent testosterone-replacement therapy.

Jackson recently suffered a shutout unanimous-decision loss to Ryan Bader at UFC 144 in Japan, where he said his issues with the UFC reached a head. Jackson, who missed weight for the Feb. 26 fight, said a knee injury contributed to the entire mess.

"I don't want to fight for the UFC no more," he told Rutten. "I think the fans don't understand. They think that just because I make a lot of money, I should be happy – because I've got a nice house. I've always stated that I fight for money because it's my career, but I think a lot of fans are sheep, and they don't understand.

"The thing is, the UFC knew I was injured, and they knew I still fought for them. I feel like, honestly, if I didn't fight on that card in Japan, I don't think the appeal would have been as big. I'm not trying to toot my own horn or nothing like that. But they only had me and (fellow PRIDE vet) Mark Hunt (on that card)."

Jackson also has taken issue with recent matchups the UFC officials presented him. He doesn't like that he's been matched up with wrestlers, including Bader, Jon Jones, Matt Hamill and Rashad Evans in recent fights. (However, the Evans fight served as a "TUF 10" coach-vs.-coach bout, and the Jones fight was for the title.)

"I think (UFC matchmaker) Joe Silva needs to be slapped in the face," he said. "I'm sorry, (but) you've got a fighter like me who likes to go out there and fight fights, so why do you keep giving me wrestlers who are going to take me down and hump me?

"I'm sorry, but I'm really tired of the UFC."

The TRT issue, which Jackson first discussed with "Fighters Only" magazine, recently became a hot-button topic, especially after his interview suggested a UFC-selected doctor prescribed it. However, Jackson clarified that wasn't the case.

"I did use TRT because my doctor prescribed it to me," he said. "He tested my levels. My levels were low, and he said it would let me heal up my knee."

So why did UFC president Dana White later try to discredit the story and distance himself from the TRT?

"I think what happened was, I did an interview with this one guy, and he recorded it," Jackson said. "I thought he was going to put it up just like you're doing. But no, he took some of it and typed it, and the guy who typed it was a British guy. He didn't understand my English. He didn't understand my accent. He just typed some stuff that he thought I said, which is wrong.

"I think they tried to say that I had like a UFC doctor give it to me or something like that, which is wrong. I had my personal doctor. He gets paid by the UFC. He's my personal doctor, but I don't have to pay him. 'He just sends the bill' to UFC basically is what I said.

"So that's why I said the UFC knew I was hurt. I don't know if the UFC knew what I was doing. But the UFC paid (for) me to see him. He sent me to another doctor. The doctor that he sent me to, I pay him. The UFC doesn't pay the doctor who did the TRT. I pay that TRT. But the doctor who takes care of me, the UFC pays him."

Now, the damage appears unfixable. Jackson said he has plenty of fighting years left, and they're unlikely to come in the UFC. MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has been unable to reach Jackson or his representatives, but as he told Rutten, his next UFC fight will surely be his last.

"The UFC talks about being in a billion homes," Jackson said. "They're making all this money. Yet I'm making less money than I used to make with the UFC. The UFC is getting bigger, which means I'm getting bigger, but I'm making less money. Why?

"So I just don't want to be with them no more. I think the flavor is done. If anybody thinks that I can't make my own career choices and stuff like that, then you're a bigot. I can do whatever the hell I want to do. I'm a grown man. I don't want to have to fight for somebody no more if they're not really appreciating me."

 

[RM211]

'The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil' cast unveiled with 32 featherweights and middleweights

The fighters competing in the first-ever international edition of "The Ultimate Fighter" have been revealed.

"TUF: Brazil," which features UFC notables Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva as coaches, streams in the U.S. on UFC.com (simultaneously as it debuts March 25 in Brazil on Globo) and airs on FUEL TV (air times TBA).

A total of 32 featherweights and middleweights take part in the competition-reality series, the winners of which earn UFC contracts.

As with the recently debuted 15th U.S. edition of the reality show – "TUF: Live," which debuted this past Friday on U.S. – "TUF: Brazil" features an elimination round of fights. All winners of the those fights become official cast members. They then compete in the two tournaments, which are the focus of the reality show's regular-season run.

While most of the fighters are veterans of the Brazilian scene and largely undiscovered talent (in North America), there are a few notables, including featherweight Rodrigo Damm, a former Strikeforce and World Victory Road/Sengoku fighter, and 10-time IFL veteran Delson Heleno. However, notable Hacran Dias (20-1), one of the country's top prospects, isn't on the list.

The full list of "TUF: Brazil" fighters (courtesy globoesporte.com) includes:

Featherweights

•Alexandre Ramos (5-0)
•Rodrigo Damm (9-5)
•Rony Mariano Bezerra (10-3)
•Godofredo Pepey (8-0)
•Marcos Vinicius Borges Pancini (19-3-1)
•Anistavio Medeiros (12-7)
•Johnny Goncalves (4-0)
•Hugo Viana (5-0)
•Fernando Duarte Guerra (10-1)
•John Teixeira (13-0-1)
•Rafael Bueno (7-1)
•Wagner Campos (11-3)
•Pedro Nobre (10-0-1)
•Fabricio de Assis Costa da Silva (14-1)
•Dileno Lopes (8-0)
•Giovanni da Silva Santos Jr. (10-1)

Middleweights

•Sergio Moraes (6-1)
•Cezar Ferreira (4-2)
•Leonardo Mafra Teixeira (5-0)
•Daniel Sarafian (7-2)
•Gustavo Sampaio (5-1)
•Richardson Moreira (3-0)
•Fabio Luiz Vital da Costa (9-0-1)
•Renee Forte (7-1)
•Joao Paulo de Souza (8-4)
•Francisco Drinaldo (10-1)
•Thiago Rela (3-1)
•Charles Maicon (8-1)
•Gilberto Galvao (19-4-1)
•Thiago de Oliveira Perpetuo (8-1-1)
•Samuel Trindade (6-1)
•Delson Heleno (23-6)

Silva vs. Belfort, as well as the two tourney finals, are slotted to fight at UFC 147. The event takes place in June in either Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo. Fellow Brazilian and middleweight champ Anderson Silva headlines the event opposite Chael Sonnen.

Unlike "TUF: Live," "TUF: Brazil" uses the show's traditional format in which all content, including the in-house drama and fights, is pre-taped. The show currently is in production.

 

[RM211]

Joe Warren has been suspended for 90 days following a vicious knockout loss to Pat Curran at this past Friday's Bellator 60 event.

Warren's manager, Ryan Tobin, told MMAjunkie.com the former Bellator champ sustained a concussion during the fight will no longer compete at 145 pounds.

Curran (17-4 MMA, 7-1 BFC) took the featherweight belt from Warren (7-3 MMA, 5-2 BFC) with a barrage of punches in the third round of their fight, which headlined this past Friday's event at The Venue at Horseshoe Hammond in Hammond, Ind. It was part of the MTV2-televised main card.

Tobin confirmed that Warren vomited backstage after the fight, which he attributed to the punches and "exhaustion." Warren was then taken to the hospital, where tests cleared him of permanent brain damage.

The fight's stoppage was almost immediately criticized by fans and pundits. Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney later said he thought it was stopped too late, and Curran said the same in an interview today with "The MMA Show."

Commission director Andy Means declined to comment on the performance of Jeff Malott, who as referee waved the bout off at the 1:25 mark of the third round after Warren slumped to the canvas.

"As we do with every event, we will meet as a staff to review the performance of all officials and deal with any performance issues internally as they arise," Means wrote in an email to MMAjunkie.com.

Means did say that commission officials are "held to the same standard as other licensees in regards to disciplinary action" and are "held to a performance standard."

"We are constantly re-evaluating the standing of each official as they complete events," Means stated. "Any issues, small or large, are discussed with that individual directly to help improve their ability.

"If those issues become habitual and performance starts to slip, they then are subject to a number of different things such as not being assigned to as many events or any events at all, official reprimands, or potentially having a license suspended."

Tobin said Warren weighed in at 140 pounds on the night of the fight. Curran's cousin and coach, Jeff Curran, previously stated that Pat Curran cuts weight from 160 pounds, though his weight on fight night is unknown.

"He fought like a warrior," Tobin said. "That's the nature of the sport. Clearly, the size that he had at that weight class [against] someone who was coming down from such a big weight, it had its toll.

"Quite frankly, we're very upset with how the referee decided to call that final 15 seconds of that fight. We probably could have avoided a long night in the hospital if he would have recognized the damage. It's a title fight, and you want to give the guy every chance to recover, but when the guy's defenseless and turns his back, that's kind of the point where the ref needs to know to call the fight."

Tobin said Warren's next move is to try out for the U.S. Olympic wrestling team in hopes of making the 2012 Summer Olympics held in London. He plans to compete at 132 pounds.

When the fighter returns to the cage, it will be at 135 pounds. Prior to his fight with Curran, Warren entered Bellator's season-five bantamweight tournament and was knocked out in the opening round by Alexis Villa.

But despite the recent setbacks, Tobin said Warren will soldier on.

"He's got his eyes set back on that 135-pound weight class," Tobin said. "We're officially out of 145 for good."

 

[RM211]

Strikeforce champ Melendez fights May 19, coach stumps for Penn or Pettis

Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez (20-2 MMA, 10-1 SF) will fight at the organization's recently announced May 19 event.

Against whom? That's a good question.

However, one of Melendez's coaches, Cesar Gracie, has two suggestions: current UFC fighters B.J. Penn or Anthony Pettis.

However, multiple sources told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) no opponent has been determined as of yet. Additionally, the champ's manager, Gil Melendez Sr., declined comment. But today on Twitter, Gracie stated, "I hope (it's) Penn or Pettis."

UFC president Dana White recently opened the door for the possibility of current UFC fighters moving to their sister promotion, but as of now, no major names have joined Strikeforce. Pettis recently saw a planned title fight with new champ Benson Henderson instead given to Frankie Edgar, and Penn hinted at retirement following a welterweight loss to Nick Diaz in October that moved him to 1-3-1 in his past five fights.

Additionally, there are some deserving contenders already under Strikeforce contract. For example, Josh Thomson recently defeated K.J. Noons in what many believed was a No. 1 contender's fight, and Pat Healy has moved into contention with four consecutive Strikeforce wins. However, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker wouldn't confirm after the fighters' March 3 wins that either is next in line for a shot at Melendez's belt.

As MMAjunkie.com recently reported, the May 19 Strikeforce event is likely to take place at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Melendez's title fight would be part of the Showtime-televised main card that also includes the Daniel Cormier vs. Josh Barnett heavyweight-grand-prix finale.

Melendez, who's one of the top fighters not currently fighting in the UFC, made his third consecutive title defense with a unanimous-decision victory over Jorge Masvidal in December. He's now 7-1 in his past eight fights. The lone loss came in a 2008 title fight with Thomson, though Melendez avenged the defeat a year later as part of his current six-fight win streak.

 

[InfamousICON]

Nick Diaz Challenging Suspension

http://espn.go.com/mma/story/_/id/7679348/nick-diaz-challenging-suspension-positive-test

LAS VEGAS -- Per a response filed to the Nevada State Athletic Commission on March 7, UFC welterweight Nick Diaz is challenging the commission's complaint for disciplinary action that he tested positive for a prohibited substance following a Feb. 4 contest in Las Vegas.

Following a unanimous decision loss to Carlos Condit at UFC 143, the NSAC reported Diaz submitted a urine test that tested positive for "marijuana metabolites." The commission voted later that month to temporarily suspend Diaz's fighters license.

That suspension is unwarranted, according to Diaz's attorney, Ross Goodman, who states that "marijuana metabolites" are not a prohibited substance according to the list used by the NSAC, which is adopted from the World Anti-Doping Agency.

"Marijuana is the only substance that is prohibited; not marijuana metabolites," Goodman told ESPN.com.

"The basis to discipline Mr. Diaz is that he tested positive for a prohibited substance. We know he didn't test positive for marijuana. So, you look to see at WADA whether marijuana metabolites are prohibited. They do not prohibit it in any category."

In a sworn affidavit submitted with the response, Diaz stated he has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder for which he was prescribed medical marijuana by his physician, Robert E. Sullivan. Medical marijuana is legal in both Nevada and California, where Diaz resides.

Diaz and his camp have said the fighter suspends his use of marijuana eight days prior to a contest. Under the statues set forth by the NSAC, athletes are not punished for using marijuana out-of-competition.

According to Goodman, the substance Diaz tested positive for was THC-Carboxylic Acid, an inactive marijuana metabolite. NSAC executive director Keith Kizer was unavailable to comment on that claim Monday.

The response filed to the commission, therefore, challenges that Diaz merely tested positive for an inactive metabolite, which is not listed as a prohibited substance.

"You have to test positive for marijuana, as opposed to this inactive ingredient Nick did," Goodman said.

"If there's nothing in the rules prohibiting marijuana metabolites, why are we here?"

Athletes are provided the option to submit an application to the NSAC requesting therapeutic exemptions for different substances.

Goodman says Diaz did not take that measure because he discontinues use eight days before a contest -- long enough for the effects of the active compound in marijuana, THC, to wear off.

The filed document also points to the "long detection window" of marijuana in one's system as a potential reason why WADA does not include metabolites on its banned substance list.

Diaz's legal team argues that since marijuana is not prohibited to athletes out-of-competition per commission standards, it would be unreasonable for its banned substance list to contain marijuana metabolites.

"Why punish Nick, or anybody else for that matter, for a metabolite?" Goodman said. "We're not talking about a cocaine metabolite. We're not talking about something illegal. We're talking about a metabolite that stays in your system for weeks or months."

The UFC had planned to set up an immediate rematch between Diaz and Condit, prior to the NSAC's findings. When hearing the news, UFC president Dana White said he was "beyond disappointed."

Diaz faces a potential one-year suspension for the positive test. In 2007, he tested positive for marijuana following a submission victory over Takanori Gomi in Las Vegas, resulting in a six-month suspension and the result changed to a no-contest.

A formal hearing to sentence Diaz was expected to take place in April; however, Goodman told ESPN.com that date might be delayed due to Monday's filing.

^^^ Nick Diaz to the NSAC

 

[Unk1ne]

Rampaage fighting Shogun No Date yet but its signed for his last fight in UFC

 

[RM211]

Dana White says 'Rampage' Jackson will fight 'Shogun' Rua then leave UFC

like i said brehs...


Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (32-10 MMA, 7-4 UFC) isn't out of the UFC just yet.

One day after the disgruntled former light-heavyweight champ asked the promotion to be released, he's instead expected to serve the final fight of his UFC contract in a meeting with fellow former champ Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (20-6 MMA, 4-4 UFC).

Yahoo! Sports initially reported the UFC's offer of Rua to Jackson, and the matchup was confirmed tonight during an episode of "UFC Tonight." The bout is targeted for the summer, though a specific date has yet to be announced.

According to "UFC Tonight," Jackson will be released from the UFC after he fights Rua. The pair fought seven years ago in the now-defunct PRIDE Fighting Championships. Rua won by first-round TKO, though Jackson later said he wasn't fit to fight and expressed desire for a rematch.

But until today, Jackson's very future with the UFC seemed to hang in the balance. A series of fiery Twitter messages saw him point the finger at the fight promotion over a number of grievances, and in an interview Monday with HDNet's Bas Rutten, he said he was done fighting inside the octagon.

"I don't want to fight for the UFC no more," he told Rutten. "I think the fans don't understand. They think that just because I make a lot of money, I should be happy – because I've got a nice house. I've always stated that I fight for money because it's my career, but I think a lot of fans are sheep, and they don't understand."

In his most recent UFC appearance, Jackson lost a unanimous decision to "The Ultimate Fighter 8" winner Ryan Bader at UFC 144. He gave up 20 percent of his "show" purse when he came in five pounds overweight for the fight. Later, he said an injury prevented him from cutting weight.

But Jackson courted further controversy when he admitted to undergoing testosterone replacement therapy prior to the fight and hinting that a UFC-recommended doctor prescribed the controversial treatment. Talking to Rutten, he said he was misquoted and his personal doctor gave him the prescription.

"He's my personal doctor, but I don't have to pay him," Jackson said. "'He just sends the bill' to UFC basically is what I said."

Regardless of the supposed miscommunication, Jackson said the relationship between his doctor and the promotion fed into his anger about the circumstances surrounding the Feb. 25 fight. A feeling of disrespect replaced most of the good feelings he had for his employer.

"The thing is, the UFC knew I was injured, and they knew I still fought for them," Jackson said. "I feel like, honestly, if I didn't fight on that card in Japan, I don't think the appeal would have been as big. I'm not trying to toot my own horn or nothing like that. But they only had me and (fellow PRIDE vet) Mark Hunt (on that card)."

Jackson's anger also prompted him to take aim at the UFC's matchmaker for pairing him against fighters with a strong wrestling background such at Matt Hamill, Bader and champ Jon Jones.

"I think Joe Silva needs to be slapped in the face," he said. "I'm sorry, (but) you've got a fighter like me who likes to go out there and fight fights, so why do you keep giving me wrestlers who are going to take me down and hump me?

"I'm sorry, but I'm really tired of the UFC."

Since losing the title to Forrest Griffin at UFC 86, Jackson has gone 4-3 in the promotion with wins over Wanderlei Silva, Keith Jardine, Lyoto Machida and Hamill. His losses include Rashad Evans (in a title eliminator bout) and a two-fight skid against Jones and Bader.

Jackson took the light-heavyweight title from Chuck Liddell at UFC 71 and defended the belt once against Dan Henderson before ceding it to Griffin.

Rua most recently lost a decision to Henderson at UFC 139 in a fight considered to be among the best of 2011. The former PRIDE tournament champion took the UFC belt from Machida by knockout at UFC 113, but lost it to Jones following a long injury layoff courtesy of a oft-troubled knee.

 

[RM211]

Mark Hunt vs. Stefan Struve completes all-heavyweight UFC 146 main card

A heavyweight scrap between slugger Mark Hunt (8-7 MMA, 3-1 UFC) and Dutch skyscraper Stefan Struve (23-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) is the fifth heavyweight matchup added to UFC 146, and all five fights will be featured on the main card.

The plans were first revealed by Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole and have since been confirmed by UFC officials.

The card marks the first time in UFC history five heavyweight fights have filled out a main card.

Featuring a heavyweight title fight between current champion Junior Dos Santos and former Strikeforce title holder Alistair Overeem, "UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Overeem" takes place May 26 at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena.

A former kickboxing star, Hunt has emerged as a surprising success story in the UFC's heavyweight division with three-straight victories. He debuted for the promotion in September 2010 with a submission loss to Sean McCorkle but has since earned wins over Chris Tuchscherer, Ben Rothwell and Cheick Kongo.

Meanwhile, at just 24 years old, Struve has already fought 10 times in the octagon and is closing in on 30 total career contests. The 6-foot-11 fighter is 4-1 in his past five fights, with the lone loss coming to Travis Browne. His wins during that run have come over Dave Herman, Pat Barry, McCorkle and Christian Morecraft.

With the addition to the card, UFC 146's latest lineup currently includes:

MAIN CARD (pay-per-view)
•Champ Junior Dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem (for heavyweight title)
•Frank Mir vs. Cain Velasquez
•Roy Nelson vs. Antonio Silva
•Shane Del Rosario vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
•Mark Hunt vs. Stefan Struve*

PRELIMINARY CARD

•Edson Barboza vs. Evan Dunham
•Dan Hardy vs. Duane "Bang" Ludwig
•Diego Brandao vs. Darren Elkins
•C.B. Dollaway vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller
•Kyle Kingsbury vs. Glover Teixeira
•Paul Sass vs. Jacob Volkmann