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Is this good for MMA fans?

It was fun while it lasted, but alas, Kountermove is no more.

The daily fantasy home for many mixed martial arts (MMA) fans was officially acquired by No. 1 competitor and former UFC partner, DraftKings, late last week.

From the Kountermove Press Release:

We are excited to share that today Kountermove has been acquired by DraftKings, a leader in daily fantasy sports! The team is absolutely thrilled to join DraftKings where we will continue bringing fans the best daily fantasy experiences in the industry.

DraftKings shares Kountermove’s deep commitment to and understanding of martial arts and will continue to bring you the best mixed martial arts fantasy games – in addition to enhanced mobile applications, an unparalleled variety of different sports and contest types to suit every player, and some of the biggest prizes across all of fantasy sports.

Like Kountermove, DraftKings believes player satisfaction and customer service are of the utmost importance. Our teams have been working closely together to ensure that you have a smooth transition to continue playing the games that you love. In three easy steps you can transfer all existing Kountermove funds to a new DraftKings account (or an existing DraftKings account, if you have one).

They go on to mention that former Kountermove players will be given a transfer bonus when moving on to DraftKings, alongside a 100 percent matching bonus when you make your initial deposit on DraftKings.

Full details of the acquisition were not provided, but if anything comes to light, we will be sure to update this article with all pertinent information. It’s important to note that the deal between DraftKings and UFC reportedly expired at the end of 2015; therefore, the Kountermove acquisition could replace that business need / market niche moving forward.

Time will tell.

As for all the MMAmania readers who looked forward to our weekly Fantasy MMA previews, I hope to have a solution in the coming weeks for you all.

For more information on the DraftKings acquisition of Kountermove, click here.

Mike Tyson is a big Ronda Rousey fan, and he spoke about her suicidal comments from earlier this week.

You can always count on Mike Tyson for a quote. The former world heavyweight champion boxer is a big UFC fan, and has particularly focused Ronda Rousey. Tyson, who went to watch Rousey train before her knockout loss to Holly Holm, was approached by TMZ and asked about a few Rousey-related things. His answers were short, but interesting.

When asked if he would train Rousey in boxing after her KO loss, he was open to it:

“She’s pretty good herself, but yeah I would do that.”

But didn’t think it was necessary when the reporter pressed on with talk about the Holly Holm KO:

“Nah. Everybody has bad days and off days.”

…

“She’ll come back eventually. She can do whatever she wants but you got to be happy to do this stuff.”

Perhaps his most intriguing answer was in regards to Rousey admitting that she had suicidal thoughts after the loss. He doesn’t think it’s a big deal:

“No. It’s just a moment in time. She doesn’t feel that way now.”

He was then asked if he ever had similar feelings after a loss, and took the time to crack a joke:

“I’ve had bad thoughts after a win!”

Holm defeated Rousey by second-round KO at UFC 193 late last year. She will defend her title against Miesha Tate at UFC 196. Rousey’s return is still up in the air as she films movies.

UFC veteran and BJJ black beltAnthony Perosh demonstrates a basic armbar escape, in Submission Radio’s “Technique of the week”.

Apology not accepted.

Nike recently severed ties with boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao, after “Pac Man” went on a rant against the gay community by suggesting homosexuals were worse than animals. The aging pugilist later apologized and tried to clarify his remarks, but it was too little, too late.

Outsports posted an official statement from the sneaker and apparel giant:

“We find Manny Pacquiao’s comments abhorrent. Nike strongly opposes discrimination of any kind and has a long history of supporting and standing up for the rights of the LGBT community. We no longer have a relationship with Manny Pacquiao. Any recent remarks made by Manny Pacquiao reflect his personal views. Nike is strongly opposed to discrimination of any kind and has a long history of supporting and standing up for the rights of GLBT individuals.”

Maybe he was just confused.

With or without his Nike sponsorship, Pacquiao will continue on to fight Timothy Bradley in their rubber match scheduled for Sat., April 9, 2016 inside MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, in what is expected to be the final bout of his long and storied career.

How about it, fight fans, does the punishment fit the crime?

Gleison Tibau has dropped his plans to appeal his two years USADA suspension, and now he’s opening up about exactly why he decided to do so.

If there’s anything good to be said about Gleison Tibau’s drug test failure, it’s that he’s taken a pretty remarkably open stance on explaining what his process in dealing with the news has been. He tested positive for Erythropoietin (EPO) in a pair of drug test failures (one in competition, one out of competition) surrounding his November 7th win over Abel Trujillo at UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson 3. Tibau was handed a two year suspension for his USADA drug testing policy violation, a punishment that he planned to appeal.

Recently, he dropped that appeal, due to concerns about the expense and the feeling that it wouldn’t lead to a sizeable reduction in punishment. But in a recent interview with MMA Fighting, he also spoke on accepting responsibility for taking a banned substance, and while he’s not exactly hiding anything, to hear him tell it, he had no clue that what he was doing would get him in trouble:

“I’m upset,” he said. “I have to apologize to my fans because it was a medical mistake. We used a substance we thought wouldn’t be anything, we used it out of competition. I have my conscience clear that I took it without imagining I was doing something wrong. It’s going to be hard for me, but I will pay the price for my mistake.”
…
“I’m not speaking about myself here, but for others, two to four years is too much for a suspension,” he said. “I think one year is enough for an athlete to recognize his mistakes, redeem himself and don’t make any mistake again. But two to four years… The athlete has a family and a life, he needs money. If he can’t fight in this period, what is he going to do? I think it’s too much.”

On the flip side, Tibau (who has been fighting since 1999), how has two years to rest up, work on his technique, heal old injuries, and work on making a comeback. From the sound of things, he seems pretty dedicated to the idea that he will continue his fighting career, so fans will just have to wait and see what he brings to the table two years from now.