Author: admin

UFC 183 was supposed to be an historic night for the organization in a good way. Two stars of the sport, Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz, were making their returns after long layoffs. Silva, the greatest UFC champion, was attempting to come back from a gruesome broken leg.

Three days later, UFC 183 made history alright — for all the wrong reasons. News broke that Silva had failed an out-of-competition drug test for anabolic steroid metabolites nearly a month before the bout. And Diaz popped for marijuana metabolites in a post-fight drug screening.

These failed drug tests come less than a month after we learned UFC light heavyweight Jon Jones failed a pre-fight drug test for cocaine metabolites. And Tuesday, UFC middleweight contender Hector Lombard was pulled from the UFC 186 co-main event for testing positive in a post-fight drug test for an anabolic steroid at UFC 182.

As far as Tim Kennedy is concerned, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

“There’s a crazy problem,” Kennedy told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour. “The inevitable is gonna happen and where somebody is going to get seriously hurt and the person that caused that is gonna test positive and then the sport is … “

Kennedy, a longtime anti-drug advocate in MMA, didn’t have to finish his thought. We all get where he was going — to a scary place. One Kennedy thinks is inevitable at this point.

“I’m talking about like something horrible, maybe even something gone wrong where a bad drug is used and something happens to the athlete before the fight and now his kidneys are failing and his liver is failing,” Kennedy said. “Guess what? That’s what happens when you use steroids. So yeah, it’s going to get worse before it gets better.”

Kennedy, 35, said he has been approached by someone offering him performance-enhancing drugs almost on a monthly basis during his 13-year MMA career. He said two such people he considered friends and now no longer associates with them. Kennedy, a special forces officer in the U.S. Army, said he didn’t even take PEDs when he was overseas, where guys use “just to stay alive, to not get blown up.”

“Even over there, it’s been tempting,” Kennedy said. “As God as my witness, never have I ever used or even thought about using. It’s been tempting, I can’t lie.”

The Austin, Texas resident seems to be in the minority. Kennedy said “60 to 70 percent” of MMA fighters are using performance-enhancing drugs. And he believes that unless the UFC stars cracking down with year-round, random drug-testing, as the promotion spoke about doing last year, the problem will not stop. UFC president Dana White has since said the organization will not institute such a program. Kennedy refers to quotes about PEDs from White and UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta “lip service.”

“I think that number is going to continue to go up unless the UFC changes things,” Kennedy said. “But myself, Lyoto Machida, the old-school guys that still care about martial arts, we’re going away. That generation is leaving and the younger athlete is coming in and that athlete is one abusing dude.”

Kennedy is also convinced that something fishy is going on with the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC). Silva’s test occurred on Jan. 9 and the results didn’t come back to the commission until three days after the fight. Had it returned before the bout, Silva would have been pulled for failing the screening. When asked by Helwani if he thought the NAC was corrupt, Kennedy responded, “absolutely,” because the commission stands to lose a ton of money if a big-drawing fight does not go on as planned.

“Now they’re just insulting us,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy is in the middle of a sabbatical from fighting following his loss to Yoel Romero at UFC 178 in September. Like friend and FOX analyst Brian Stann, he said he is willing to be a public advocate for cleaning up the sport he loves. Because, from here, Kennedy only thinks something very, very bad is going to happen and change MMA forever. And not in a good way.

“I’m honestly surprised it hasn’t happened yet,” Kennedy said. “If you look at the number of athletes using and some of the fantastic finishes. It doesn’t even have to be a horrible injury. It can just be a knockout and the guy comes in and tests positive. That in itself. That guy just got a serious amount of damage done to his brain done by a dude who is using steroids. We’re not putting balls in holes. We’re not playing golf. We’re not playing basketball. We’re not hitting balls out of a park. We’re hitting each other in the head and then we have guys using anabolic steroids and testosterone and HGH.”

LOS ANGELES — This year could be Tito Ortiz’s last in MMA.

The UFC Hall of Famer and legend of the sport said he plans on fighting just twice more for Bellator.

One of those, he said, will come in June against the winner of a Bellator light heavyweight title fight between Emanuel Newton and Liam McGeary set for later this month. Ortiz’s final bout will be a title defense after he takes the belt from one of them, he said.

“You never know what times can tell, but right now that’s my goal,” Ortiz told MMAFighting.com. “That’s what I want to do. I’m 40 years old. In 17 years, I’ve done everything in the sport. Retiring as the champion and being the only athlete to ever do that, I think goals like that are set in the mind. I want to make that happen. I’ve done so much in the sport that no athlete has ever done in mixed martial arts and I want to continue doing it.”

Ortiz was here this weekend at the LA FitExpo signing autographs and taking pictures with fans to promote his Punishment Athletics brand. And there were plenty of things to sign and pictures to take. Ortiz was busy for more than five hours each day without taking a break.

Say what you will about the former UFC light heavyweight champion, but his fanbase is still extremely strong. Ortiz’s Bellator 131 main event with Stephan Bonnar in November was the most watched MMA fight on cable television in 2014.

“I mean, 2.2 million viewers on Spike TV doesn’t lie,” Ortiz said. “Fans still want to see me compete. Fans still want to hang out and they wait in line for five hours — crazy. It keeps me real. I don’t see myself any higher than anyone else.”

Ortiz (18-11-1) has retired before, after a loss to Forrest Griffin at UFC 148 in July 2012. But since signing with Bellator in 2013, the Mexican-American star is 2-0 and he’s gunning for a title shot. Ortiz defeated Bonnar by unanimous decision in that Nov. 15 bout in San Diego. Newton, the champion, takes on McGeary at Bellator 134 on Feb. 27 at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.

“I love to compete,” Ortiz said. “I want to be a world champion and Bellator is gonna give me the opportunity after coming off of two wins. I’m thankful for it.”

“The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” also understands the Bellator is a growing organization and he is a drawing card that it can continue to build around. Ortiz said he was in New York last week for a photo and video shoot that will be rolled out as part of Spike TV’s new Friday night branding as the home of combat sports.

“They’re putting in money,” Ortiz said. “It was bigger than a UFC production they were using. I was surprised. It’s great what [new Bellator president] Scott [Coker] is doing. Spike TV is on board 100 percent. Viacom is on board 100 percent. They want to make a mark on the sport. Me being one of those guys who can put things on his shoulders, I’ve been in that position before with the UFC and I can do it.”

Ortiz is feeling good, too. Not just physically, either. He enjoys spending time with his twin sons from his past relationship with Jenna Jameson.

“I’m really healthy right now,” Ortiz said. “I just turned 40 and I’m healthier now than I was when I was 30, physically wise. Emotionally wise, like no other. I went through a really hard relationship and now it’s nice to be in a positive mind where everything around me is great. I’ve worked super hard for it, though. I’ve been through hell not totally unscathed, but I came out not too bad.”

That said, Ortiz knows the clock is ticking. He’s been through the retirement process once before and now he’s putting an expiration date on his career.

“I have a couple more fights left in me,” Ortiz said. “I want to go on to bigger things. I have kids. I don’t want the chance of being paralyzed or something like that. I want to get my last two fights the best I can and that’s for a world title, get that world title, defend it and retire as the world champion.”

Tim Kennedy is not retired. He’s just not interested in any potential fights the UFC might have for him.

“Has to be something special,” Kennedy told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour. “Fedor [Emelianenko] comes out of retirement and I fight him at a catchweight of 100 kilos. I’d be down for that.”

Mostly, Kennedy has soured a bit on the sport of MMA. He still loves it, but right now he’s unhappy with the current state of things — from the multiple drug-test failures to incompetence in refereeing and judging.

“I have a conflict,” Kennedy said. “My love for the sport isn’t going away. I’m just disappointed in the sport. I don’t know how to explain these mixed emotions where I’m like: every dude in my weight class is testing positive, everybody is cheating, judging still sucks, reffing still sucks.”

Kennedy, 35, has been on the shelf since falling to Yoel Romero by third-round TKO at UFC 178 in September. That was a controversial bout. Romero took too long coming out from his corner for the third round after a second round in which Kennedy nearly finished him.

The whole thing was a mess with multiple parties, including referee John McCarthy, to blame. Romero had too much Vaseline on his face from the cutman. McCarthy instructed him to wipe it off, but the cutman was already gone. Romero ended up still on his stool in confusion when McCarthy attempted to restart the fight.

Minutes later, Romero landed a crushing blow and finished Kennedy with punches.

“I thought the fight was over,” Kennedy said. “Talk about a huge mistake. That’s on me. Yes, John messed up. Yes, the corners cheated. Yes, Romero cheated. Yes, they all knew what they were doing and it was completely against the rules every which way. But first and foremost, I have to look at myself as an athlete. I messed up. I should have stayed there. I should have been cerebral enough to be cognitively aware that this fight could still be going on.”

Kennedy (18-5) said he just is not interested in any prospective fights right now. Middleweight contender Thales Leites called him out recently on Twitter and Kennedy said he had no emotional reaction. Kennedy wouldn’t be interested in a rematch with Romero, either. If UFC matchmaker Joe Silva called him and offered him a title fight against Chris Weidman, he could snap back into action. But other than that, Kennedy said he is “bored.”

On top of that, the Army Special Forces Weapons Sergeant said that he’s sick of the “lip service” every time there is an issue in the UFC, especially when it comes to UFC president Dana White or CEO Lorenzo Fertitta discussing drug use.

“And then nothing changes,” Kennedy said.

The Austin, Texas resident still works for the Army as a contractor and, while being vague, apparently still gets deployed for missions.

“Additionally, I need my brain,” Kennedy said. “This sport does not compensate enough for me to be damaged for the rest of my life, not to be able to have a real career the last 40 years of my life.”

Kennedy, who won four in a row before the Romero loss, seems to just be in a holding pattern. He said he still trains 15-18 times a week. He still loves that aspect of things and the competition. Things could change for him and he could get the motivation back to fight in the Octagon. But in the current climate, it just doesn’t seem to be there.

“I’m just disappointed in the sport in a lot of different ways,” Kennedy said. “Not only the rampant drug use. Guys cheating. Judging. I’ve been a professional in the sport for 13 years. I’ve been a martial artist for 25, 28 years. And nothing has changed.”

Anderson Silva’s second out-of-competition drug test has come back clean.

Silva didn’t have any banned substances in his system in tests taken Jan. 19. MMAFighting.com obtained the records from the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) on Monday. The UFC 183 headliner passed an HGH kit and a regular examination on that date.

Silva did test positive for anabolic steroid metabolites in a drug screening on or around Jan. 9. That news was broken by Yahoo! last week. The former UFC middleweight champion was found to have drostanolone and androstane in his system. Both substances are banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code followed by the commission. He is temporarily suspended and facing discipline from the NAC at a hearing in either March or April.

Bob Bennett, the NAC executive director, said he did not know if the latest test findings would affect any penalties given to Silva by the commission.

“I can’t speak for the chairman or be presumptuous in any way or comment on that,” Bennett told MMAFighting.com. “It’s not my position.”

Bennett did say it was good news for Silva, the UFC and the sport.

“We’re happy to get these results,” he said.

Dr. Ali Mohamadi, an endocrinologist, told MMAFighting.com last week that drostanolone can be detected in the system as long as two months after being taken.

Silva defeated Nick Diaz at UFC 183 on Jan. 31 by unanimous decision. That result could also be overturned at the disciplinary hearing.

Diaz tested positive for marijuana metabolites in a post-fight test and is also facing a penalty from the NAC. Bennett said that Diaz was not administered any random, out-of-competition tests prior to UFC 183. Diaz was only licensed to fight days before UFC 183 when he submitted a negative drug test to the commission.

Silva, 39, is the greatest champion in UFC history. He held the middleweight title for seven years and holds the organization records for most consecutive wins (16) and title defenses (10).

Chad Mendes won’t exactly be draping an Irish flag around himself in July. But the top featherweight contender does have somewhat of a rooting interest when it comes to Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor for the 145-pound title at UFC 189.

Mendes has mixed feelings about the fight in general. He just knows how business works. And he thinks if McGregor wins, and becomes champion, there is an easier road for him back to a title shot. That being said, Mendes also wants a third crack at Aldo at some point, too.

“Ultimately, in my best interest, I want Conor to win,” Mendes told MMAFighting.com at the Fighters Only MMA Awards in Las Vegas. “This puts me right back in line for a title shot, gets me back in there to fight a new opponent for the title. But I have this thing with Aldo. There’s something to be said about two guys who just get in there and beat the crap out of each other for 25 minutes straight. There’s some kind of weird thing, like a bond or something that’s made.”

The UFC announced the Aldo-McGregor headliner before UFC 183 weigh-ins Jan. 30. It’ll be the focal point of International Fight Week on July 11. Mendes fell to Aldo at UFC 179 back in October by unanimous decision in a Fight of the Year candidate. Aldo also beat Mendes by knockout in 2012. Aldo is the only man Mendes has ever lost to in his career.

“I want to be the guy to beat him,” Mendes said.

For the time being, Mendes has to go in another direction. He’ll take on Ricardo Lamas in the main event of UFC Fight Night 63 on April 4 in Fairfax, Va. Lamas, like Mendes, has history with both Aldo and McGregor. Aldo beat Lamas by unanimous decision at UFC 169 and McGregor has trash-talked both Mendes and Lamas in similar fashion.

Mendes and Lamas have remained relevant in the featherweight division. Lamas is coming off a first-round submission win over Dennis Bermudez at UFC 180 on Nov. 15 in Mexico City. The winner of the UFC Fight Night headliner could certainly make a case for a title shot. Frankie Edgar would be in the mix, too.

“I think all in all he’s a strong wrestler,” Mendes said of Lamas. “He’s got some decent stand up. But nothing too dangerous on his feet. I feel like my wrestling is a lot better than his and I feel like I hit a lot harder on the feet.”

Mendes, 29, touched up Aldo a bit in that fight last year. And it might have actually been blows after the first-round bell that changed the course of the bout. Aldo hit Mendes with two punches after the round was supposed to be over. But the arena in Rio de Janeiro was so loud that no one, the referee and Mendes included, heard the horn.

“The two punches he hit me with messed me up pretty good,” Mendes said. “It kind of slowed me down a little bit for the rest of the fight. I think if that doesn’t happen, I win that first round and probably fight a little bit different the rest of the fight. There’s a lot of things I can say what-if about, but I just gotta get in there and control what I can and fight.”

He’ll do that against Lamas and if he wins then he can start plotting another rematch against Aldo. Or, of course, a brand-new, marketable fight against McGregor, the brash Irishman. Mendes would be extremely confident against the latter.

“I think it’s in my best interest for Conor to win,” Mendes said, “but part of me wants Aldo to win.”