Author: Brian Oswald

Nick Diaz Tests Positive: Dana White Responds to NSAC Report

UFC President Dana White issued the following statement via email in response to the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s report on UFC 143 interim welterweight championship contender Nick Diaz:”I am beyond disappointed that he tested positive for …

UFC President Dana White issued the following statement via email in response to the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s report on UFC 143 interim welterweight championship contender Nick Diaz:

“I am beyond disappointed that he tested positive for marijuana,” said White. “It is now in the hands of the Nevada State Athletic Commission.”

Earlier today Keith Kizer, Executive Director of the Nevada Athletic Commission, sent out an email to members of the media in regard to UFC 143 post-fight drug tests, containing this hairy little nugget:

All results received thus far have been negative, except Mr. Diaz tested positive for marijuana metabolites.  A complaint for disciplinary action against Mr. Diaz has been filed.

Given Diaz’ well-publicized track record, it is hard to fathom how anyone could possibly be surprised, let alone disappointed, in Diaz for testing positive for marijuana.

Regardless, the whole situation is a mucked up win-win for both the organization and Diaz. 

The amount of publicity Diaz has toked up during his short return to the UFC—from retiring BJ Penn to the whole back-and-forth saga with Georges St-Pierre—has been nothing short of proactive. It got the people talking.

It’s not like the sport is going to receive a black eye for the Diaz drug test, unless people think the UFC took the low road in knowingly bringing back a known rabble-rouser. Did they?

For Diaz—who never wavered from his “principles”—he gets to be even more endearing to the fans. Also, did he not already retire after his close decision loss to Condit? So, really, all of this is a moot point, right?

The one thing no one should be doing right now though is getting mad at Diaz. Nor should they be confused over his actions or call him an idiot (or any other superlatives). Diaz is who he is. Dana wanted him to play the game “just a little bit,” and he didn’t.

Perhaps all of it was a game all along…so put that in your pipe and smoke it. 

 

Photo of Nick Diaz (left) with UFC President Dana White (right) via CombatLifestyle.com.

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UFC 140 Video: Corissa Furr Interviews Tito "The People’s Champ" Ortiz

They say you can’t give yourself a nickname—but don’t tell former UFC champ Tito “Bad Boy” Ortiz that. Correction: “The People’s Champ.” Our friends at Fighting Famous caught up with Mr. Ortiz and did so in style, putting sexy Strikef…

They say you can’t give yourself a nickname—but don’t tell former UFC champ Tito “Bad Boy” Ortiz that. Correction: “The People’s Champ.”

Our friends at Fighting Famous caught up with Mr. Ortiz and did so in style, putting sexy Strikeforce ring girl Corissa Furr in front of the microphone.

Not just another pretty face, Furr held her own with the fighter formerly known as “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” while she displayed a great knowledge of the sport—and looking oh so easy on the eyes while doing so.

As far as what Tito had to say, we’ll let you check out the video, but if you like your teasers then we can divulge that he talks about UFC on FOX and UFC 140—and of course no MMA interview would be complete without some PRIDE banter.

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UFC 139’s Martin Kampmann: "I Got No Titties to Breastfeed"

Our friends at MMA H.E.A.T. caught up with Martin Kampmann, and not only do you get some insight into “The Hitman,” you get Xtreme Couture striking coach Ray Sefo cutting through the interview to go watch X Factor while Kyle Kingsbury shows off his c…

Our friends at MMA H.E.A.T. caught up with Martin Kampmann, and not only do you get some insight into “The Hitman,” you get Xtreme Couture striking coach Ray Sefo cutting through the interview to go watch X Factor while Kyle Kingsbury shows off his chest.  

Definitely some shenanigans worth watching.

Be sure to tune in this Saturday night for all the fights, as Martin Kampmann will be taking on Rick Story and Kyle Kingsbury will step into the Octagon opposite Stephan Bonnar.

Also on the main card will be Brian Bowles trying to knock off Urijah Faber and in the co-main, Cung Le will be making his UFC debut against a living legend in Wanderlei Silva and PRIDE legends Shogun Rua and Dan Henderson will be colliding in a fight that surely can’t go all five rounds, can it?

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UFC Fighters Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck and Others Give Back to San Jose Community

Our Friends at MMA30 met with Team AKA’s Josh Koscheck, Jon Fitch, Daniel Cormier and Luke Rockhold as they volunteered at Martha’s Kitchen in San Jose, California helping to feed those in need. Luke&nb…

Our Friends at MMA30 met with Team AKA’s Josh Koscheck, Jon Fitch, Daniel Cormier and Luke Rockhold as they volunteered at Martha’s Kitchen in San Jose, California helping to feed those in need. 

Luke was stingy with the franks n’ beans, Fitch was criticized for his cupcake delivery method and Cormier worked on perfecting his serving techniques.

The event showcases UFC’s continued commitment to get involved with the local communities that they bring their fight card to. The great thing about an event like this is that it really showcases that fighters are people, just like the rest of us. They may get in the cage and battle as modern day warriors, but they also care about being part of the community that helps their fellow man.

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UFC on Fox Rumors: Is Cain Velasquez Healthy for His Fight with Dos Santos?

It is never ideal to come into any sport event, let alone a fight, at less than 100 percent.The stakes are orbiting at stratospheric levels for UFC on FOX. Neither fighter could, in good conscience, pull out of the fight unless they were on their death…

It is never ideal to come into any sport event, let alone a fight, at less than 100 percent.

The stakes are orbiting at stratospheric levels for UFC on FOX. Neither fighter could, in good conscience, pull out of the fight unless they were on their death bed. While that may be a bit too much hyperbole, it is not that for from the reality of the situation, is it?

Ariel Helwani, from B/R MMA content partner MMAFighting.com, recently floated some scintillating info via two different videos: one with UFC head honcho Dana White and the other with his favorite media partner in crime, Ben Fowlkes.

Let’s start with a spinet of the transcript from the White video shall we?

Ariel: There was a report that I had received that Cain did get injured at some point…did you hear that? 

Dana: Yeah. But nothing that…neither guy has been injured in a way that would in any way shape or form effect the fight.

Both videos are worth watching for various reasons, but the biggest takeaway for this content creator was the notion that perhaps Cain is not at 100 percent.

To add some perspective, B/R MMA caught up with Cain’s head coach Javier Mendez at the UFC on FOX open workouts earlier this week, and he had this to say in paraphrased form: this is not the best Velasquez they can get…but he is better than the fighter that beat down Brock Lesnar back at UFC 121.

So whether Velasquez is at 100 percent or not, we can quote his head trainer as saying he is not at his best. So will “not his best” be enough to beat Junior Dos Santos and defend his heavyweight belt? Will his long layoff from fighting translate into tangible ring rust?

Enough conjecture—are you ready for some fighting?

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UFC on FOX 1: Junior dos Santos will be, "the First Guy to Beat Cain Velasquez"

Junior dos Santos is a man on a mission that will manifest into a collision course with Cain Velasquez this Saturday night when UFC on FOX makes its debut.Bleacher Report was on the scene at today’s open workouts for UFC on FOX 1 and caught up with JDS…

Junior dos Santos is a man on a mission that will manifest into a collision course with Cain Velasquez this Saturday night when UFC on FOX makes its debut.

Bleacher Report was on the scene at today’s open workouts for UFC on FOX 1 and caught up with JDS, who was nice as always; a humble hulk of a man with a singular vision of wearing UFC gold.

But he will have to get through the current kingpin, Velasquez, in a fight that many are billing as the biggest and most technical heavyweight fight of all time. This generation’s “Fedor vs. Big Nog,” if you will.

Can the best boxing, along with yet-to-be showcased and supposedly stellar BJJ, overtake the best kickboxing/wrestling combo the sport has ever seen?

Tune in as Velasquez and dos Santos get set to collide in the Octagon—for the first time on FOX—in front of what will be the most star-studded crown in UFC history, hearkening back to the big boxing matches of days gone by.

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