Author: Andrew Barr

Brock Lesnar Might Have to Retire, Whether He Likes It or Not

Earlier this month, Brock Lesnar released a video communicating that he was “back” and ready to compete after spending months on the sidelines due to his diverticulitis.However, rumors are circulating that suggest Lesnar’s career might still be in jeop…

Earlier this month, Brock Lesnar released a video communicating that he was “back” and ready to compete after spending months on the sidelines due to his diverticulitis.

However, rumors are circulating that suggest Lesnar’s career might still be in jeopardy.

According to themmacorner.com, sources close to Lesnar’s camp have reported that the former UFC heavyweight champion has been told by more than one doctor that continuing to compete would be inadvisable, considering the stress that training and fighting puts on the human body.

Whether or not Lesnar will actually heed the warnings of his physicians remains to be seen, but for the time being, it seems he wants to continue to compete.

The question is whether or not continuing to train and fight will again aggravate his disease.

Lesnar was first diagnosed with diverticulitis in 2009, when he was forced to withdraw from a match with Shane Carwin at UFC 106.

After taking some time to recover from the illness, Lesnar made a successful return at UFC 116, submitting Shane Carwin in the second round with an arm-triangle choke.

The former WWE superstar then went on to defend his championship against Cain Velasquez at UFC 121. The fight did not go Lesnar’s way, with Velasquez coming out strong and winning by first-round TKO.

After losing the belt, Lesnar looked to reclaim it by coaching a season of The Ultimate Fighter opposite Junior dos Santos. After coaching, the two heavyweights were meant to meet in a No.1 contender’s matchup.

Lesnar’s diverticulitis served as a bump in the road back to the title, taking him out of commission before he got the chance to fight dos Santos.

The second bout with his disease proved to more serious than the first and Lesnar had to have a 12-inch piece of his colon removed and repaired.

It’s clear that Lesnar wants to continue fighting and even become a world champion again, but will he actually continue to fight, considering the advice given from his doctors?

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report as more on this story develops and for all your other MMA news.

Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacherreport.com. For updates on what’s happening in the world of MMA, follow him on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/AndrewBarr8

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UFC 137: Fan-Made Trailer for BJ Penn vs. Carlos Condit

This is a must-watch, fan-made trailer for BJ Penn vs. Carlos Condit; if this trailer doesn’t get you pumped up for this fight, you’re probably not a fan of mixed martial arts.Condit and Penn are scheduled to scrap at UFC 137 in the co-main event of th…

This is a must-watch, fan-made trailer for BJ Penn vs. Carlos Condit; if this trailer doesn’t get you pumped up for this fight, you’re probably not a fan of mixed martial arts.

Condit and Penn are scheduled to scrap at UFC 137 in the co-main event of the evening. The winner of the fight will be considered the No. 1 contender in the UFC’s welterweight division and receive the next crack at the title.

Both competitors are known as exciting fighters who finish most their fights.

Every single time these two men step into the Octagon, they bring it, and that’s what has fans so excited for this bout; there’s just no way it could be a boring fight.

The last time we saw Condit in the Octagon, he knocked out Dong Hyun Kim in the first round. Kim was previously undefeated and had defeated some tough guys in the welterweight division, so Condit made a big statement by walking right through him.

Penn’s last fight was against Jon Fitch at UFC 127. It was an extremely close fight and ended up being scored a draw.

Also on the UFC 137 main card, current UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre willing be defending his belt against Nick Diaz, who recently vacated his Strikeforce welterweight championship.

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UFC 135: If Rampage Couldn’t ‘Whoop Ass’ on Hamill, What Can He Do to Jon Jones?

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and his next opponent Quinton “Rampage” Jackson have been firing back and forth at each other, verbally, because of Rampage’s claim that Jones has a spy in his camp.The quarreling seems to have reached a boiling…

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and his next opponent Quinton “Rampage” Jackson have been firing back and forth at each other, verbally, because of Rampage’s claim that Jones has a spy in his camp.

The quarreling seems to have reached a boiling point, with Rampage posting this tweet late last night:

“ yeah I keep it real,I fight 4 $ cause I hate training,but I love giving ass whoopins,and ill b giving 1 on the 24th,btw grow up!”

Within this tweet, Rampage has made the promise that he will give Jones an “ass whoopin” when they meet at UFC 135, which takes place on September 24.

However, one has to wonder if there is any bite behind Rampage’s bark.

It’s been a while since he has looked really good against a top-level opponent and earlier this year he defeated Matt Hamill, but his victory came via decision.

In Hamill’s next fight, he was finished in the first round by Alexander Gustafsson, who isn’t even a top-10 light heavyweight.

So, if a barely-known fighter was able to finish a fighter that he couldn’t, does Rampage stand a realistic chance of defeating the No. 1 light heavyweight in the world today?

Probably not.

Rampage seems motivated for this fight, which is something we haven’t seen in a while, but I doubt that motivation will be enough to carry him through to victory.

Jones is arguably the most well-rounded fighter in the light heavyweight division and Rampage isn’t much more than a boxer these days.

Rampage also had a hard time dealing with the wrestling of Rashad Evans, and from what we’ve seen, Jones has more dominant takedowns than Evans does.

Apart from the wrestling advantage, Jones also has a significant reach advantage and a more complete arsenal of strikes.

Realistically, the only things Rampage has going for him are his punching power and maybe superior boxing technique.

The way things are looking, Jones seems to be the future of MMA and Rampage is one of few old-school fighters still surviving on a one-dimensional skill set.

There is always the chance that Rampage could land a solid punch and win this fight, but the smart money would bet on Jones being the one distributing an “ass-whoopin” on September 24.

Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacherreport.com. For updates on what’s happening in the world of MMA, follow him on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/AndrewBarr8

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5 Reasons Brazil Could Rival the US and Canada as a UFC Destination

UFC 134 was this past weekend and it was the promotion’s first event held in Brazil in more than a decade.It was clear that Brazil had been dearly missing the UFC, as the event sold out in under an hour.Dana White has since spoken about how great the t…

UFC 134 was this past weekend and it was the promotion’s first event held in Brazil in more than a decade.

It was clear that Brazil had been dearly missing the UFC, as the event sold out in under an hour.

Dana White has since spoken about how great the trip to Brazil was and how great the fans are down there.

It’s probably safe to say that the UFC will be making many more trips back to the Brazil in the coming years.

However, it’s a wonder whether or not these trips to Brazil will be like the UFC’s trips to England, Germany and Australia, by which I mean events held to appease the fans in those countries, but are not necessarily that successful.

The other possible outcome is that events in Brazil end up being very lucrative for the UFC, like most of their events in the USA and Canada.

Here’s six reasons why events in Brazil have just as much potential to make the UFC money as events held in Canada and the US…

Begin Slideshow

UFC 134 Medical Suspensions Released: Forrest Griffin out for 180 Days

Following UFC 134 this past weekend in Rio de Janeiro, 16 UFC fighters have been issued medical suspensions.Given that the country of Brazil lacks sanctioning for these matters, UFC parent company Zuffa LLC was forced to handle all suspensions and r…

Following UFC 134 this past weekend in Rio de Janeiro, 16 UFC fighters have been issued medical suspensions.

Given that the country of Brazil lacks sanctioning for these matters, UFC parent company Zuffa LLC was forced to handle all suspensions and regulatory processes.

The company has put forth a strict system, using some of the most knowledgeable doctors and regulators in the sport. They feel that their standard of regulation is on par with most major athletic commissions.

The full list of suspensions, courtesy of MixedMartialArts.com, is as follows:

 

Yushin Okami: Suspended 45 days with no contact during training for 30 days for precautionary reasons.

Forrest Griffin: Suspended 180 days due to possible right-foot and jaw injuries, though he can be cleared early by a physician. Regardless, suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days for precautionary reasons.

Ross Pearson: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days for precautionary reasons.

Brendan Schaub: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days for precautionary reasons.

Luiz Cane: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days for precautionary reasons.

Stanislav Nedkov: Suspended 180 days due to a possible nasal fracture, though he can be cleared early by a physician. Regardless, suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days for precautionary reasons.

Thiago Tavares: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons.

Rousimar Palhares: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days for precautionary reasons.

Dan Miller: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days for precautionary reasons.

Raphael Assuncao: Suspended 180 days due to a possible nasal fracture, though he can be cleared early by a physician; regardless, suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days for precautionary reasons.

Erick Silva: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons.

Luis Ramos: Suspended 40 days with no contact for 30 days for precautionary reasons.

Yuri Alcantara: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons.

Felipe Arantes: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days for precautionary reasons.

Yves Jabouin: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days for precautionary reasons.

Ian Loveland: Suspended 180 days due to a possible chest injury, though he can be cleared early by a physician; regardless, suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days for precautionary reasons.

 

UFC 134 was the first UFC event held in Brazil in more than a decade and the promotion’s return was wildly successful, completely selling out in under an hour.

Due to the fond reception, Dana White has stated that the UFC will definitely be returning to Brazil in the future and that they’re going to do the event in a bigger stadium next time.

UFC 134 was headlined by Anderson Silva and Yushin Okami, with the UFC middleweight championship on the line. Silva defended the belt successfully in his homeland, TKOing Okami in the second round. In doing so, Silva broke his own records for most consecutive title defenses and most consecutive wins in the UFC.

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Vote for UFC 3 Undisputed Cover

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s third major video gaming title, UFC 3 Undisputed, is currently in production and set to be released in January of 2012.The promotion has decided that one the current UFC champions will be featured on the game’s cove…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s third major video gaming title, UFC 3 Undisputed, is currently in production and set to be released in January of 2012.

The promotion has decided that one the current UFC champions will be featured on the game’s cover, but they have left it up to the fans to decide which champ gets the slot.

The featherweight and bantamweight champions, Jose Aldo and Dominick Cruz, have been neglected from this voting process, but every other UFC champ is an option.

The choices are:

  • UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez
  • UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones
  • UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva
  • UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre
  • UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar

To vote on which fighter you want to see grace the game’s cover, go here.

UFC 3 Undisputed looks to be the most realistic game so far in the franchise. New features will include more advanced moves, leg-kick TKOs, new submissions and new fight mechanics, such as complex feints and ground sways.

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