In the realm of so-called “superfights,” there’s one hypothetical match-up that has struck the imagination for years. That is a fight between former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber and former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.
As of Wednesday night, that fight has become a reality. UFC Tonight reported that Faber will officially meet Edgar in a five-round featherweight bout to headline the UFC’s inaugural visit to the Philippines on May 16.
The event will take place at the SM MOA Arena in Manila.
For Faber (32-7), it will mark the first time that he’s competed at 145 pounds since he fought Jose Aldo for the featherweight title at WEC 48 in 2010. “The California Kid” is coming off semi-controversial finish of Francisco Rivera at UFC 181 in December, in which he delivered an inadvertent eye-poke that set up the end sequence. Moments later, Rivera tapped to a bulldog choke.
Before then Faber submitted Alex Caceres at UFC 175 via a third-round rear-naked choke. The 35-year old fan favorite has won six of his last seven fights in the UFC, his lone loss coming in a bantamweight title fight against Renan Barao at UFC 169 in New Jersey. That first-round stoppage (TKO) was considered early by many fans.
“This fight was hard to put together,” Faber’s manager, MIke Roberts, told Ariel Helwani. “I think Urijah and Frankie both know this is a legacy fight and wanted to do it for the fans. At least I know that’s true for Urijah. It was the hardest fight to put together for me, ever.”
Edgar (18-4-1) has won three fights in a row in the UFC’s featherweight division, after losing his title bid against Jose Aldo at UFC 156 (via unanimous decision). In his last fight, a dominating victory over contender Cub Swanson at UFC Fight Night 57 in Austin, he reinserted himself as a contender at 145 pounds.
Yet series of circumstances are bringing Faber and Edgar together. With Irishman Conor McGregor next in line for a title shot at featherweight, and Faber’s fight with Raphael Assuncao scrapped due to an injury to the Brazilian, the timing opened up to put the fight together.
In the realm of so-called “superfights,” there’s one hypothetical match-up that has struck the imagination for years. That is a fight between former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber and former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.
As of Wednesday night, that fight has become a reality. UFC Tonight reported that Faber will officially meet Edgar in a five-round featherweight bout to headline the UFC’s inaugural visit to the Philippines on May 16.
The event will take place at the SM MOA Arena in Manila.
For Faber (32-7), it will mark the first time that he’s competed at 145 pounds since he fought Jose Aldo for the featherweight title at WEC 48 in 2010. “The California Kid” is coming off semi-controversial finish of Francisco Rivera at UFC 181 in December, in which he delivered an inadvertent eye-poke that set up the end sequence. Moments later, Rivera tapped to a bulldog choke.
Before then Faber submitted Alex Caceres at UFC 175 via a third-round rear-naked choke. The 35-year old fan favorite has won six of his last seven fights in the UFC, his lone loss coming in a bantamweight title fight against Renan Barao at UFC 169 in New Jersey. That first-round stoppage (TKO) was considered early by many fans.
“This fight was hard to put together,” Faber’s manager, MIke Roberts, told Ariel Helwani. “I think Urijah and Frankie both know this is a legacy fight and wanted to do it for the fans. At least I know that’s true for Urijah. It was the hardest fight to put together for me, ever.”
Edgar (18-4-1) has won three fights in a row in the UFC’s featherweight division, after losing his title bid against Jose Aldo at UFC 156 (via unanimous decision). In his last fight, a dominating victory over contender Cub Swanson at UFC Fight Night 57 in Austin, he reinserted himself as a contender at 145 pounds.
Yet series of circumstances are bringing Faber and Edgar together. With Irishman Conor McGregor next in line for a title shot at featherweight, and Faber’s fight with Raphael Assuncao scrapped due to an injury to the Brazilian, the timing opened up to put the fight together.
In a month where the UFC held four major events, one could make the argument that Anthony Johnson — one of MMA’s great resurrection stories — stole the show in January.
Johnson went to Stockholm, Sweden to face the country’s native son Alexander Gustafsson at UFC on FOX 14, in what was a set-up for a rematch between Gustafsson and light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. So what did he do? In front of 30,000 partisans, Johnson scored a TKO victory over Gustafsson. He not only stole away the Swede’s rematch, but he sold himself as a viable challenge to the throne with a raw demonstration of power.
And as “Rumble” watched an emotional Gustafsson cry in the Octagon afterwards, he couldn’t help but feel a little bad for having to do what he did.
Johnson made an appearance on The MMA Hour on Monday, and said it was the first time in his MMA career where he felt a pang of sadness in victory.
“I did because, I mean, we all knew what the deal was before the fight,” he told Ariel Helwani. “He was supposed to have his title shot and then he got injured, and then Jon and DC [Daniel Cormier] had their beef going on, so they let that fight continue, even though I think DC got hurt. And Alex should have had his title shot back then. It should have been Alex fighting instead of DC. But this is the UFC. This is their business so, they can do what they have to do. It’s Zuffa.
“It just seems like he’s been through Hell and back to get his rematch for a title, and he just didn’t get his opportunity again. I mean, I felt bad for him. So when he was crying, to me that’s what was going through my head. I was like damn, his dreams just got shot to hell. I just felt bad about it.”
One thing Johnson didn’t feel bad about was the idea that he might have headbutted Gustafsson before the end sequence that put him away. When the topic was broached, Johnson said he was fairly certain that their heads never connected.
“There wasn’t no headbutt,” he said. “I don’t remember touching him at all. I don’t remember a headbutt or anything at all. I heard his corner say throw the push kick, and I heard it, and I was ready for it whenever he did it. I just didn’t think it was going to be at that moment, but I was expecting it. And when he did it I didn’t even get a fresh hit on him. I kind of hit him on the jaw line and the neck at the same time.
“But I don’t remember a headbutt. I mean, I could have, but I really doubt it. [Gustafsson] even said he didn’t feel a headbutt, but from the angle I can see why a lot of people would say a headbutt. If you look at it from the top, it doesn’t look like a headbutt. But if you look at it from the side that I was on, it looks like a headbutt. Whatever angle you look at it, it just really depends, but I don’t remember headbutting the guy. And if I did, I apologize because everybody knows I’m not a dirty fighter.”
Now the UFC is looking to match the 30-year old Johnson against Jones in May, and Johnson will look to become one of the greatest turnaround stories in the sport. Johnson fought 10 times as an oversized welterweight in the UFC, and failed to make weight twice. In his lone trip to middleweight against Vitor Belfort in 2012, he missed weight by a dozen pounds. He lost and was cut from the promotion.
But after winning six fights outside of the UFC, primarily in the World Series of Fighting and primarily as a light heavyweight, Johnson came back at UFC 172 in Baltimore this past April. He upset Phil Davis, and has rolled since then. A first round finish of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC on FOX 12 in July, and now his latest upset victory over Gustafsson.
The one constant of the “Rumble’s” career is his power. And if there’s anything he brings to the table that Jones hasn’t faced in his storied career, it’s the sheer strength in his hands.
Asked if he thought that Jones had ever faced anybody like him before, Johnson mostly demurred.
“I don’t know, he’s fought the best of the best,” he said. “I don’t think he’s fought anybody with knockout power like I have. But he’s fought so many different styles, I don’t know man. He’s faced it all already, so we’ll see.”
Since getting the title shot, Johnson has been nothing short of complimentary towards Jones, even as the champ goes through another round of scrutiny from having failed a drug test from December for cocaine. Other fighters, such as Dan Henderson and his Blackzilians’ training partner Rashad Evans, have sniped at Jones in the media as being less than genuine. On Monday, Johnson had nothing but good things to say about Jonny “Bones” Jones.
“Whatever he had with Rashad was with him, it wasn’t me,” he said. ”Dan Henderson’s got his own opinion for whatever. That’s his own opinion. Dan Henderson wants to get in his business like that, go ahead, he can be one of the Gossip Girls if he wants to. That’s not my thing.”
Johnson called Jones the best pound-for-pound light heavyweight in UFC history, and said he no qualms with anything going on in his personal life.
“He’s a champ,” he said. “He’s a crazy athlete, obviously. Hell, what else am I supposed to feel? I don’t have anything against the guy.”
In a month where the UFC held four major events, one could make the argument that Anthony Johnson — one of MMA’s great resurrection stories — stole the show in January.
Johnson went to Stockholm, Sweden to face the country’s native son Alexander Gustafsson at UFC on FOX 14, in what was a set-up for a rematch between Gustafsson and light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. So what did he do? In front of 30,000 partisans, Johnson scored a TKO victory over Gustafsson. He not only stole away the Swede’s rematch, but he sold himself as a viable challenge to the throne with a raw demonstration of power.
And as “Rumble” watched an emotional Gustafsson cry in the Octagon afterwards, he couldn’t help but feel a little bad for having to do what he did.
Johnson made an appearance on The MMA Hour on Monday, and said it was the first time in his MMA career where he felt a pang of sadness in victory.
“I did because, I mean, we all knew what the deal was before the fight,” he told Ariel Helwani. “He was supposed to have his title shot and then he got injured, and then Jon and DC [Daniel Cormier] had their beef going on, so they let that fight continue, even though I think DC got hurt. And Alex should have had his title shot back then. It should have been Alex fighting instead of DC. But this is the UFC. This is their business so, they can do what they have to do. It’s Zuffa.
“It just seems like he’s been through Hell and back to get his rematch for a title, and he just didn’t get his opportunity again. I mean, I felt bad for him. So when he was crying, to me that’s what was going through my head. I was like damn, his dreams just got shot to hell. I just felt bad about it.”
One thing Johnson didn’t feel bad about was the idea that he might have headbutted Gustafsson before the end sequence that put him away. When the topic was broached, Johnson said he was fairly certain that their heads never connected.
“There wasn’t no headbutt,” he said. “I don’t remember touching him at all. I don’t remember a headbutt or anything at all. I heard his corner say throw the push kick, and I heard it, and I was ready for it whenever he did it. I just didn’t think it was going to be at that moment, but I was expecting it. And when he did it I didn’t even get a fresh hit on him. I kind of hit him on the jaw line and the neck at the same time.
“But I don’t remember a headbutt. I mean, I could have, but I really doubt it. [Gustafsson] even said he didn’t feel a headbutt, but from the angle I can see why a lot of people would say a headbutt. If you look at it from the top, it doesn’t look like a headbutt. But if you look at it from the side that I was on, it looks like a headbutt. Whatever angle you look at it, it just really depends, but I don’t remember headbutting the guy. And if I did, I apologize because everybody knows I’m not a dirty fighter.”
Now the UFC is looking to match the 30-year old Johnson against Jones in May, and Johnson will look to become one of the greatest turnaround stories in the sport. Johnson fought 10 times as an oversized welterweight in the UFC, and failed to make weight twice. In his lone trip to middleweight against Vitor Belfort in 2012, he missed weight by a dozen pounds. He lost and was cut from the promotion.
But after winning six fights outside of the UFC, primarily in the World Series of Fighting and primarily as a light heavyweight, Johnson came back at UFC 172 in Baltimore this past April. He upset Phil Davis, and has rolled since then. A first round finish of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC on FOX 12 in July, and now his latest upset victory over Gustafsson.
The one constant of the “Rumble’s” career is his power. And if there’s anything he brings to the table that Jones hasn’t faced in his storied career, it’s the sheer strength in his hands.
Asked if he thought that Jones had ever faced anybody like him before, Johnson mostly demurred.
“I don’t know, he’s fought the best of the best,” he said. “I don’t think he’s fought anybody with knockout power like I have. But he’s fought so many different styles, I don’t know man. He’s faced it all already, so we’ll see.”
Since getting the title shot, Johnson has been nothing short of complimentary towards Jones, even as the champ goes through another round of scrutiny from having failed a drug test from December for cocaine. Other fighters, such as Dan Henderson and his Blackzilians’ training partner Rashad Evans, have sniped at Jones in the media as being less than genuine. On Monday, Johnson had nothing but good things to say about Jonny “Bones” Jones.
“Whatever he had with Rashad was with him, it wasn’t me,” he said. ?”Dan Henderson’s got his own opinion for whatever. That’s his own opinion. Dan Henderson wants to get in his business like that, go ahead, he can be one of the Gossip Girls if he wants to. That’s not my thing.”
Johnson called Jones the best pound-for-pound light heavyweight in UFC history, and said he no qualms with anything going on in his personal life.
“He’s a champ,” he said. “He’s a crazy athlete, obviously. Hell, what else am I supposed to feel? I don’t have anything against the guy.”
Just as it seemed like a colossal fight between former middleweight champ Anderson Silva and erstwhile welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre might finally have some inroads, Silva’s positive drug test threw a monkey wrench into things.
Silva popped positive for two different kinds of steroids — drostanolone and androstane — in an out-of-competition test given on Jan. 9 leading up to his comeback fight against Nick Diaz at UFC 183. That effectively put any talk of a GSP-Silva fight to rest.
And even if Silva had been clean, there was of course the other hurdle – would St-Pierre have even accepted the fight and made his own return? The answer is no. Not yet.
The Canadian icon St-Pierre appeared on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour and said that, though there has been a couple of dangling carrots by the UFC, right now he’s not ready to return.
“[UFC president Dana White] called me to fight in Montreal [on April 25 at UFC 186], and he also texted me to see if I was interest in fighting Anderson Silva right before the thing came up,” St-Pierre told Ariel Helwani. “And I said no…and then the whole thing came up and everything and it was bad. That fight with Anderson would have interested me [his manager] Ed Soares said something in the media and they make people talk.”
Asked if that meant he was interested, or if at that point he wasn’t, St-Pierre said he currently has his hands full with other projects.
“I never said never, but now is not that time for me,” he said. “I’m not interested right now. The way that things go, I’m not interested right now. I’m busy with other stuff too.”
St-Pierre walked away from active competition in Dec. 2013, surrendering his welterweight belt in the process. At the time he cited mental exhaustion and stress for the reasons, as well as an escalating concern over rampant PED use in the UFC. He has been vocal since that time about not coming back until the sport is cleaned up.
White has been on record saying that he believes that St-Pierre will return at some point in 2015. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen, as the drug busts have been coming fast and furious against higher-profile fighters in recent months. St-Pierre said during the interview that he still believes the worst is yet to come.
Then again, St-Pierre said that he begins to feel the inkling to compete whenever he watches a big UFC event, especially now that he is healthy again.
“I’m not going to lie, I’m busy with everything and I work on other projects,” he said. “But for sure I watch the fights sometimes and I feel the itch. And the more and more I watch the fights the more I feel the itch. I took time out of competition because I was also burned out of all the pressure and the expectations and everything. I needed to find a way out to keep my mental stability so to speak. And, yeah, I’m not going to lie. The more time that goes by the more I feel the itch. And now I’ve had my knee surgery, my knee feels 100 percent now. And I’m even able to perform some movement that I can do now that I was not able to do before, so I’ve even made a progression in that department.
“So, no, I’m not going to lie, every time I see a fight I tune in for a big UFC fight and I feel excited, you know. But I don’t know what’s going to happen to me. I don’t say that I’m making a comeback, but I think right now the sport needs to get cleaned up.”
St-Pierre has been vocal about getting an independent third party involved for out-of-competition drug testing, beyond the UFC and sanctioning body — such as VADA, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association. He has stipulated that these steps might prompt him to return sooner than later.
“For me, the condition for me to return, if I want to return…I need my fights to be tested by an organization that is independent and competent like VADA, or I believe there is another one,” he said. “It needs to be done, otherwise I’m not coming back.”
He also said that right now it’s not something he feels compelled to do.
“I don’t need it. I’m wealthy, and I’m healthy, which is even more important,” he said. “I’m wealthy, I’m healthy and I don’t need to put my life at risk. I don’t need it. I like the competition, I love my sport, but consider the risk. The positive versus the [negative], it’s not worth it for me. If I ever come back and something bad happens, it can destroy my brand, which is bad for me. So there are more cons than pros for me.”
Just as it seemed like a colossal fight between former middleweight champ Anderson Silva and erstwhile welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre might finally have some inroads, Silva’s positive drug test threw a monkey wrench into things.
Silva popped positive for two different kinds of steroids — drostanolone and androstane — in an out-of-competition test given on Jan. 9 leading up to his comeback fight against Nick Diaz at UFC 183. That effectively put any talk of a GSP-Silva fight to rest.
And even if Silva had been clean, there was of course the other hurdle – would St-Pierre have even accepted the fight and made his own return? The answer is no. Not yet.
The Canadian icon St-Pierre appeared on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour and said that, though there has been a couple of dangling carrots by the UFC, right now he’s not ready to return.
“[UFC president Dana White] called me to fight in Montreal [on April 25 at UFC 186], and he also texted me to see if I was interest in fighting Anderson Silva right before the thing came up,” St-Pierre told Ariel Helwani. “And I said no…and then the whole thing came up and everything and it was bad. That fight with Anderson would have interested me [his manager] Ed Soares said something in the media and they make people talk.”
Asked if that meant he was interested, or if at that point he wasn’t, St-Pierre said he currently has his hands full with other projects.
“I never said never, but now is not that time for me,” he said. “I’m not interested right now. The way that things go, I’m not interested right now. I’m busy with other stuff too.”
St-Pierre walked away from active competition in Dec. 2013, surrendering his welterweight belt in the process. At the time he cited mental exhaustion and stress for the reasons, as well as an escalating concern over rampant PED use in the UFC. He has been vocal since that time about not coming back until the sport is cleaned up.
White has been on record saying that he believes that St-Pierre will return at some point in 2015. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen, as the drug busts have been coming fast and furious against higher-profile fighters in recent months. St-Pierre said during the interview that he still believes the worst is yet to come.
Then again, St-Pierre said that he begins to feel the inkling to compete whenever he watches a big UFC event, especially now that he is healthy again.
“I’m not going to lie, I’m busy with everything and I work on other projects,” he said. “But for sure I watch the fights sometimes and I feel the itch. And the more and more I watch the fights the more I feel the itch. I took time out of competition because I was also burned out of all the pressure and the expectations and everything. I needed to find a way out to keep my mental stability so to speak. And, yeah, I’m not going to lie. The more time that goes by the more I feel the itch. And now I’ve had my knee surgery, my knee feels 100 percent now. And I’m even able to perform some movement that I can do now that I was not able to do before, so I’ve even made a progression in that department.
“So, no, I’m not going to lie, every time I see a fight I tune in for a big UFC fight and I feel excited, you know. But I don’t know what’s going to happen to me. I don’t say that I’m making a comeback, but I think right now the sport needs to get cleaned up.”
St-Pierre has been vocal about getting an independent third party involved for out-of-competition drug testing, beyond the UFC and sanctioning body — such as VADA, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association. He has stipulated that these steps might prompt him to return sooner than later.
“For me, the condition for me to return, if I want to return…I need my fights to be tested by an organization that is independent and competent like VADA, or I believe there is another one,” he said. “It needs to be done, otherwise I’m not coming back.”
He also said that right now it’s not something he feels compelled to do.
“I don’t need it. I’m wealthy, and I’m healthy, which is even more important,” he said. “I’m wealthy, I’m healthy and I don’t need to put my life at risk. I don’t need it. I like the competition, I love my sport, but consider the risk. The positive versus the [negative], it’s not worth it for me. If I ever come back and something bad happens, it can destroy my brand, which is bad for me. So there are more cons than pros for me.”
In light of the recent news that Anderson Silva popped hot for steroids in an out-of-competition test a month before his fight with Nick Diaz, the sport’s staunchest critic on PED use in the UFC isn’t exactly saying I told you so.
Longtime UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre decided to cede his title and, at least temporarily, walk away from the sport last December after defending his title against Johny Hendricks at UFC 167. Citing stress and mental exhaustion as the key reasons, St-Pierre grew disenchanted by what he considered a rampant drug problem in the sport. He made it clear that he would only be interested in coming back if attempts were made to clean the sport up.
Thirteen months later, out-of-competition testing is beginning to prove his theory right. Silva was latest casualty of a random drug bust, and perhaps the most shocking. Silva defended the middleweight title a record 10 times, and had been vocal himself about PEDs being a detriment to the sport.
As we await Silva’s B sample to be tested, it was learned that Jon Fitch — whom St-Pierre defeated at UFC 87 in 2008 — failed a drug test for his fight with Rousimar Palhares. St-Pierre appeared a special guest on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, and said we’ve barely scratched the surface.
“I was not surprised that a lot of guys got busted, I’m not surprised,” he told Ariel Helwani. “It’s going to be other names coming up. That what’s you guys don’t understand. If they keep doing the right testing, it’s going to be other guys coming up. I’m not a rat. I don’t want to say any names, but I want to change the system. And what it shows is now we’ve got a big problem, and they need to do something with it.
“My desire is to make real good anti-doping testing by an independent and competent agency that would scare a competitor from using performance enhancing drugs. I don’t wish nobody to get caught for performance enhancing drugs, I wish that people just don’t use it…and they’re afraid they’re going to get caught if they do, and the sport gets cleaned up. There’s a lot of clean up to do in the sport. And I think it’s only the beginning.”
The 33-year-old St-Pierre defended the 170-pound belt nine times before taking a break from the sport. In his last fight against Hendricks, he wanted to ramp up the testing through VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping Association), but received little support from the UFC or Hendricks in the matter. Embittered, St-Pierre has become vocal about the need of independent testing since then.
Still, he says that he believes the Silva bust was a sad reminder of the problem — but this is not something that should tarnish Silva’s legacy.
“Yeah, it’s really unfortunate, and I feel bad for everything,” St-Pierre said. “Even for Anderson. I don’t elevate myself when people are getting dragged down by something like this.
“It’s not something to be happy about — it’s sad and unfortunate. And like I said, I don’t elevate myself when something like that happens. And for me, it doesn’t change the fact. I still think that Anderson is still the best pound-for-pound in the world, of all time. It’s just unfortunate for his reputation, and also his health.”
St-Pierre stopped short of saying that PED violators should be subject to a zero tolerance policy that some have suggested. But he did say that he thought the punishment should be more severe.
And he also said that fans might want to buckle in, because the drug issue will get worse before it gets better.
“I think it’s the tip of the iceberg to tell you the truth,” he said. “I believe there’s a lot of guys who are going to get caught. A lot of fighters in MMA know it’s a big problem. The guy that knows MMA well and they are in competition, they can tell you it’s a big problem, even if they don’t want to admit it. And it’s probably the tip of iceberg. It’s a big problem, and they need to find out what to do with it.”
He also said that he understood the broader conflicts going on.
“It’s not like a race or a game,” he said. “You put your life in jeopardy every time you step in the Octagon. It’s a fighting sport, a full-contact fight. They need to do something. They need to find a solution for the safety of the competitor. But what I wonder is, is the safety of the competitor more important than the financial [side].”
In light of the recent news that Anderson Silva popped hot for steroids in an out-of-competition test a month before his fight with Nick Diaz, the sport’s staunchest critic on PED use in the UFC isn’t exactly saying I told you so.
Longtime UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre decided to cede his title and, at least temporarily, walk away from the sport last December after defending his title against Johny Hendricks at UFC 167. Citing stress and mental exhaustion as the key reasons, St-Pierre grew disenchanted by what he considered a rampant drug problem in the sport. He made it clear that he would only be interested in coming back if attempts were made to clean the sport up.
Thirteen months later, out-of-competition testing is beginning to prove his theory right. Silva was latest casualty of a random drug bust, and perhaps the most shocking. Silva defended the middleweight title a record 10 times, and had been vocal himself about PEDs being a detriment to the sport.
As we await Silva’s B sample to be tested, it was learned that Jon Fitch — whom St-Pierre defeated at UFC 87 in 2008 — failed a drug test for his fight with Rousimar Palhares. St-Pierre appeared a special guest on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, and said we’ve barely scratched the surface.
“I was not surprised that a lot of guys got busted, I’m not surprised,” he told Ariel Helwani. “It’s going to be other names coming up. That what’s you guys don’t understand. If they keep doing the right testing, it’s going to be other guys coming up. I’m not a rat. I don’t want to say any names, but I want to change the system. And what it shows is now we’ve got a big problem, and they need to do something with it.
“My desire is to make real good anti-doping testing by an independent and competent agency that would scare a competitor from using performance enhancing drugs. I don’t wish nobody to get caught for performance enhancing drugs, I wish that people just don’t use it…and they’re afraid they’re going to get caught if they do, and the sport gets cleaned up. There’s a lot of clean up to do in the sport. And I think it’s only the beginning.”
The 33-year-old St-Pierre defended the 170-pound belt nine times before taking a break from the sport. In his last fight against Hendricks, he wanted to ramp up the testing through VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping Association), but received little support from the UFC or Hendricks in the matter. Embittered, St-Pierre has become vocal about the need of independent testing since then.
Still, he says that he believes the Silva bust was a sad reminder of the problem — but this is not something that should tarnish Silva’s legacy.
“Yeah, it’s really unfortunate, and I feel bad for everything,” St-Pierre said. “Even for Anderson. I don’t elevate myself when people are getting dragged down by something like this.
“It’s not something to be happy about — it’s sad and unfortunate. And like I said, I don’t elevate myself when something like that happens. And for me, it doesn’t change the fact. I still think that Anderson is still the best pound-for-pound in the world, of all time. It’s just unfortunate for his reputation, and also his health.”
St-Pierre stopped short of saying that PED violators should be subject to a zero tolerance policy that some have suggested. But he did say that he thought the punishment should be more severe.
And he also said that fans might want to buckle in, because the drug issue will get worse before it gets better.
“I think it’s the tip of the iceberg to tell you the truth,” he said. “I believe there’s a lot of guys who are going to get caught. A lot of fighters in MMA know it’s a big problem. The guy that knows MMA well and they are in competition, they can tell you it’s a big problem, even if they don’t want to admit it. And it’s probably the tip of iceberg. It’s a big problem, and they need to find out what to do with it.”
He also said that he understood the broader conflicts going on.
“It’s not like a race or a game,” he said. “You put your life in jeopardy every time you step in the Octagon. It’s a fighting sport, a full-contact fight. They need to do something. They need to find a solution for the safety of the competitor. But what I wonder is, is the safety of the competitor more important than the financial [side].”
When news came down that UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman had suffered an injury while training for his next title defense, the UFC began scrambling to find a replacement to stand in against Vitor Belfort on February 28. The name that UFC president Dana White came up with was one-time light heavyweight champion, Lyoto Machida, who has gone 3-1 since dropping to 185 pounds.
White later said that Machida accepted the bout on less than a month’s notice, but that Belfort declined the offer. So what was the whole story?
Machida’s manager Ed Soares was a guest on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, and he said White’s version was pretty much dead on.
“That is what happened,” he told Ariel Helwani. “Dana called me and asked me if Lyoto would be interested in fighting Vitor Belfort on February 28, and I said I believe so, but let me just check with him really quick. I called Lyoto and before I could even finish the question he basically said yes, send me the bout agreement. So I called Dana back and told him, and he said great, now I got to clear it with Vitor.
“Then about 15 minutes later, Dana called me, pretty pissed off, saying Vitor didn’t want to fight [Lyoto], and didn’t want to accept the fight. He said that [Vitor] said he didn’t want to fight him because he’d been training for [Weidman], and he wasn’t training for a southpaw, and that he wouldn’t have enough time to prepare for a southpaw.”
Though he knocked out then-middleweight champion Anderson Silva with a left hand at UFC 162, Weidman is an orthodox fighter. The champion was originally supposed to defend his title against Belfort at UFC 181 in December, but was forced to postpone due to an injury.
Lightning struck again on the Ray Longo fighter this past week when Weidman suffered a rib injury during wrestling practice. With only a month to prepare from a right-handed fighter to a leftie was enough for Belfort to take a pass.
“About 20 minutes later I texted Dana and said, ‘tell him that Lyoto will start every round with his left foot forward,'” Soares said. “Dana just [texted back], ‘LOL.’”
The 36-year old Machida is coming off of a resounding victory over C.B. Dollaway at UFC Fight Night 58 in Brazil. In that fight, Machida landed a hard kick to Dollaway’s body that crumpled him over in pain. He finished the fight moments later with follow-up strikes.
Before then he lost a unanimous decision to Weidman at UFC 175, in a fight that he appeared to be picking up momentum as it played out. The bout with Belfort represented a chance to expedite a rematch with Weidman.
“Lyoto wanted that fight,” Soares said. “He really wanted the opportunity for him to fight for the interim title and also to be able to face Vitor Belfort. It was everything that Lyoto wanted.”
Though it appears that Machida will now stick to his originally scheduled fight with Luke Rockhold, which is slated to take place at UFC on FOX 15 on April 18 in New Jersey, he would have welcomed the chance to settle some minor contentions he’s had with Belfort.
“I wouldn’t say they have a history,” Soares said. “There’s no negative or bad blood, but when Lyoto didn’t accept that fight — I believe it was against Jon Jones, the short notice fight at UFC 152, when he was on his way to Brazil for the grand opening of his academy — Vitor did say something about the [Brazilian national] anthem, about [how] ‘the son of Brazil doesn’t run away from the fight.’”
(The actual lyrics are, “Thou wilt see that a son of thine flees not from battle…”)
“Basically Vitor kind of put that out there almost insinuating that Lyoto was running from the fight. So that bummed out Lyoto. So now, in a roundabout way Lyoto is kind of feeling, well, what happened to the son of this country? He’s running from this fight.”
UFC 184, which takes place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, will now be headlined by women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey in a title defense against Cat Zingano.
When news came down that UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman had suffered an injury while training for his next title defense, the UFC began scrambling to find a replacement to stand in against Vitor Belfort on February 28. The name that UFC president Dana White came up with was one-time light heavyweight champion, Lyoto Machida, who has gone 3-1 since dropping to 185 pounds.
White later said that Machida accepted the bout on less than a month’s notice, but that Belfort declined the offer. So what was the whole story?
Machida’s manager Ed Soares was a guest on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, and he said White’s version was pretty much dead on.
“That is what happened,” he told Ariel Helwani. “Dana called me and asked me if Lyoto would be interested in fighting Vitor Belfort on February 28, and I said I believe so, but let me just check with him really quick. I called Lyoto and before I could even finish the question he basically said yes, send me the bout agreement. So I called Dana back and told him, and he said great, now I got to clear it with Vitor.
“Then about 15 minutes later, Dana called me, pretty pissed off, saying Vitor didn’t want to fight [Lyoto], and didn’t want to accept the fight. He said that [Vitor] said he didn’t want to fight him because he’d been training for [Weidman], and he wasn’t training for a southpaw, and that he wouldn’t have enough time to prepare for a southpaw.”
Though he knocked out then-middleweight champion Anderson Silva with a left hand at UFC 162, Weidman is an orthodox fighter. The champion was originally supposed to defend his title against Belfort at UFC 181 in December, but was forced to postpone due to an injury.
Lightning struck again on the Ray Longo fighter this past week when Weidman suffered a rib injury during wrestling practice. With only a month to prepare from a right-handed fighter to a leftie was enough for Belfort to take a pass.
“About 20 minutes later I texted Dana and said, ‘tell him that Lyoto will start every round with his left foot forward,'” Soares said. “Dana just [texted back], ‘LOL.’”
The 36-year old Machida is coming off of a resounding victory over C.B. Dollaway at UFC Fight Night 58 in Brazil. In that fight, Machida landed a hard kick to Dollaway’s body that crumpled him over in pain. He finished the fight moments later with follow-up strikes.
Before then he lost a unanimous decision to Weidman at UFC 175, in a fight that he appeared to be picking up momentum as it played out. The bout with Belfort represented a chance to expedite a rematch with Weidman.
“Lyoto wanted that fight,” Soares said. “He really wanted the opportunity for him to fight for the interim title and also to be able to face Vitor Belfort. It was everything that Lyoto wanted.”
Though it appears that Machida will now stick to his originally scheduled fight with Luke Rockhold, which is slated to take place at UFC on FOX 15 on April 18 in New Jersey, he would have welcomed the chance to settle some minor contentions he’s had with Belfort.
“I wouldn’t say they have a history,” Soares said. “There’s no negative or bad blood, but when Lyoto didn’t accept that fight — I believe it was against Jon Jones, the short notice fight at UFC 152, when he was on his way to Brazil for the grand opening of his academy — Vitor did say something about the [Brazilian national] anthem, about [how] ‘the son of Brazil doesn’t run away from the fight.’”
(The actual lyrics are, “Thou wilt see that a son of thine flees not from battle…”)
“Basically Vitor kind of put that out there almost insinuating that Lyoto was running from the fight. So that bummed out Lyoto. So now, in a roundabout way Lyoto is kind of feeling, well, what happened to the son of this country? He’s running from this fight.”
UFC 184, which takes place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, will now be headlined by women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey in a title defense against Cat Zingano.
Through many seasons of watching football, you learn to condition the reflex to cheer on a big play. You see it, want to believe it, but there’s a brief second where you hold off on the high fives to make sure there aren’t any flags on the field. If there aren’t, boom, rejoice. If there are, let’s be clear — somebody is sucking the life out of the game. See enough plays wiped out because of a penalty and you can’t help but guard against your own swing in emotions.
The UFC is a bit like that these days. Cheer on Saturday night when the fights take place, jeer on Tuesday night when the drug tests come back. We saw it with Mark Hunt and Antonio Silva, one of the best heavyweight fights of all time, a fight that ended — as if ordained by the Fight Gods themselves — in a poetic majority draw. Dana White, sitting on the tarmac in Australia getting ready to come home, called Roots of Fight to make him a shirt commemorating the bout. It was just that good.
Days later, “Bigfoot” tested positive for elevated testosterone, and suddenly there was a stenciled mustache on the Mona Lisa.
At UFC 182, Jon Jones scored his most impressive victory to date over Daniel Cormier, but by Tuesday it was learned he was in rehab for cocaine. At UFC 183, Nick Diaz and Anderson Silva fought in a rare novelty bout that was all about fan imagination, and not one but both of them came back with hot tests. Diaz for pot (again), Silva for a cocktail of performance-enhancing drugs from a random January 9 test.
The latter is a killer. The latter is, for lack of a better word, disheartening.
When Anderson Silva tests positive for PEDs, nothing feels sacred. Anderson Silva is largely considered the greatest practitioner of the mixed techniques to ever step foot in the Octagon. He was the guy who beat the roided-out beasts of his day as if to wag a finger at cheating and strike a chord of natural grace. He was the wholesome icon of 16 straight UFC victories and 10 title defenses, whose greatest known vice was scarfing down a couple of Big Macs before a fight. He was the man and the myth, the guy who came back from a shattered shinbone this past Saturday at 39 years old just to show the world he’s still got it.
Before the confetti could be swept up from the celebration of his triumphant return, though, the fight has become tainted. So now has Silva’s legacy. Tuesday once again carried the sad postscript. Drostanolone and Androstane, two banned substances, discovered in his system by the WADA-accredited Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory at the University of Utah. The tests only came back after the fight, which is its own can of worms, but the problem is you’re never sure when it all began. How far does the taint go back? Why, as people have been asking on social media, can’t MMA fans have nice things?
You talk to people who covered this sport from its earliest days, and they tell you stories about just how rife MMA was with cheats. There was a hesitation to believe it was as widespread in the sanctioned New Era, when government bodies conducted in-competition drug testing to catch cheaters and, more realistically, dummies who didn’t cover up better. Still, a fair amount of fighters were getting caught doing something. Diaz, who has made no secret that he likes to toke up, was one of them.
But in the world of out-of-competition testing, what a snake hatch we’ve opened up. When it wasn’t Wanderlei Silva running from a drug test (leading to his retirement), it was Chael Sonnen testing for everything under the sun (leading to his retirement). The overall hypocrisy in the matter came off as poorly as the test results.
And speaking of hypocrisy, think back to what Silva told MMA Junkie just this past October and let the thing burn through you.
“When the guys test for the steroids, it’s bad because this is a problem,” he said. “It’s bad not just for the UFC, but for the sport.
“When the guys test for the steroids, [they should have] no more fights. When you use the steroids, you use them for a long time. When you use the steroids for a long time, you have a problem. It’s a drug and it’s not good for the sport.”
It’s also not good for the sport when one of its greatest ambassadors, the man who personally reopened Brazil for business at UFC 134, ends up in the same pile of asterisks. Maybe it’s no longer surprising when anybody gets caught doing PEDs. But with Silva…well, you can’t help but wonder where naïve begins and ends.
And it sucks.
Since Silva defeated Diaz on Saturday, the “superfight” conversation kicked up again about him longtime welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre finally meeting in the cage. It was fun to think about, because the timing was actually not bad for it to happen.
Or at least, that’s how it was on Saturday. By Tuesday, the timing couldn’t have seemed worse. St-Pierre walked away from the game in part because of its rampant PED issues. Now Silva becomes part of the problem. That fight will likely never happen. Silva, if he lives by his own words, should have “no more fights.” St-Pierre, if he lives by his, has no reason to come back.
These are just a couple of the problems that go into what is obviously a larger whole.
Through many seasons of watching football, you learn to condition the reflex to cheer on a big play. You see it, want to believe it, but there’s a brief second where you hold off on the high fives to make sure there aren’t any flags on the field. If there aren’t, boom, rejoice. If there are, let’s be clear — somebody is sucking the life out of the game. See enough plays wiped out because of a penalty and you can’t help but guard against your own swing in emotions.
The UFC is a bit like that these days. Cheer on Saturday night when the fights take place, jeer on Tuesday night when the drug tests come back. We saw it with Mark Hunt and Antonio Silva, one of the best heavyweight fights of all time, a fight that ended — as if ordained by the Fight Gods themselves — in a poetic majority draw. Dana White, sitting on the tarmac in Australia getting ready to come home, called Roots of Fight to make him a shirt commemorating the bout. It was just that good.
Days later, “Bigfoot” tested positive for elevated testosterone, and suddenly there was a stenciled mustache on the Mona Lisa.
At UFC 182, Jon Jones scored his most impressive victory to date over Daniel Cormier, but by Tuesday it was learned he was in rehab for cocaine. At UFC 183, Nick Diaz and Anderson Silva fought in a rare novelty bout that was all about fan imagination, and not one but both of them came back with hot tests. Diaz for pot (again), Silva for a cocktail of performance-enhancing drugs from a random January 9 test.
The latter is a killer. The latter is, for lack of a better word, disheartening.
When Anderson Silva tests positive for PEDs, nothing feels sacred. Anderson Silva is largely considered the greatest practitioner of the mixed techniques to ever step foot in the Octagon. He was the guy who beat the roided-out beasts of his day as if to wag a finger at cheating and strike a chord of natural grace. He was the wholesome icon of 16 straight UFC victories and 10 title defenses, whose greatest known vice was scarfing down a couple of Big Macs before a fight. He was the man and the myth, the guy who came back from a shattered shinbone this past Saturday at 39 years old just to show the world he’s still got it.
Before the confetti could be swept up from the celebration of his triumphant return, though, the fight has become tainted. So now has Silva’s legacy. Tuesday once again carried the sad postscript. Drostanolone and Androstane, two banned substances, discovered in his system by the WADA-accredited Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory at the University of Utah. The tests only came back after the fight, which is its own can of worms, but the problem is you’re never sure when it all began. How far does the taint go back? Why, as people have been asking on social media, can’t MMA fans have nice things?
You talk to people who covered this sport from its earliest days, and they tell you stories about just how rife MMA was with cheats. There was a hesitation to believe it was as widespread in the sanctioned New Era, when government bodies conducted in-competition drug testing to catch cheaters and, more realistically, dummies who didn’t cover up better. Still, a fair amount of fighters were getting caught doing something. Diaz, who has made no secret that he likes to toke up, was one of them.
But in the world of out-of-competition testing, what a snake hatch we’ve opened up. When it wasn’t Wanderlei Silva running from a drug test (leading to his retirement), it was Chael Sonnen testing for everything under the sun (leading to his retirement). The overall hypocrisy in the matter came off as poorly as the test results.
And speaking of hypocrisy, think back to what Silva told MMA Junkie just this past October and let the thing burn through you.
“When the guys test for the steroids, it’s bad because this is a problem,” he said. “It’s bad not just for the UFC, but for the sport.
“When the guys test for the steroids, [they should have] no more fights. When you use the steroids, you use them for a long time. When you use the steroids for a long time, you have a problem. It’s a drug and it’s not good for the sport.”
It’s also not good for the sport when one of its greatest ambassadors, the man who personally reopened Brazil for business at UFC 134, ends up in the same pile of asterisks. Maybe it’s no longer surprising when anybody gets caught doing PEDs. But with Silva…well, you can’t help but wonder where naïve begins and ends.
And it sucks.
Since Silva defeated Diaz on Saturday, the “superfight” conversation kicked up again about him longtime welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre finally meeting in the cage. It was fun to think about, because the timing was actually not bad for it to happen.
Or at least, that’s how it was on Saturday. By Tuesday, the timing couldn’t have seemed worse. St-Pierre walked away from the game in part because of its rampant PED issues. Now Silva becomes part of the problem. That fight will likely never happen. Silva, if he lives by his own words, should have “no more fights.” St-Pierre, if he lives by his, has no reason to come back.
These are just a couple of the problems that go into what is obviously a larger whole.
