The drug test results for UFC 158: St-Pierre vs. Diaz have been returned, and no fighter tested came back with a positive result. The Quebec Boxing Commission, who oversees mixed martial arts regulations, emailed the results to Bleacher Report on Thurs…
The drug test results for UFC 158: St-Pierre vs. Diaz have been returned, and no fighter tested came back with a positive result.
The Quebec Boxing Commission, who oversees mixed martial arts regulations, emailed the results to Bleacher Report on Thursday confirming the results.
According to the statement, six fighters at UFC 158 were tested in their anti-doping program and all six came back with negative results.
Due to medical laws and the rules within the commission, it does not, however, release the names of the six fighters who were tested nor the drugs that they were tested for at the event.
While no names were released, it’s almost standard practice among athletic commissions that the main event fighters will be among those tested and in this case four other random fighters on the card.
Regardless whom the fighters were that were drug tested, Nick Diaz’s name did not pop up, which means he’s clear to return to action if he decides to come out of retirement.
Prior to UFC 158 taking place, Diaz, who has twice been suspended in the past for positive tests for marijuana, stated that he’s not sure if he’d pass a drug test if it was administered while he was in Montreal.
“I think (at UFC 143) I tested for a metabolite or a nanogram, it was hardly (anything) so I just did a little more than I did last time so, sorry if I don’t pass the test, but I think it should work out,” Diaz said at the UFC 158 pre-fight press conference. “I’ve passed plenty of them before, unless they just weren’t testing me.”
Even UFC President Dana White expressed that if Diaz should fail a third test for marijuana post UFC 158 that he might have to make the hard decision to cut the Stockton fighter. It looks like if Diaz wants to come back and compete again, so he’s safe to call the UFC home.
The Quebec commission has come under fire since UFC 158 for what has been dubbed “Weight Gate” where there was an apparent rule that allowed title fighters Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz to come in as high as 170.9 pounds and still be ruled as weighing 170 pounds. It’s standard practice that for title fights, the competitors must weigh in at or under the weight limit for that particular division, in this case 170 pounds.
Attorneys for Diaz have threatened to file an appeal with the commission over the incident, but no action has been taken at this time.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report
It’s an odd world when a former champion loses two fights in a row—one of which was another shot at the title—and somehow talk of his retirement starts being bantered about in MMA. Rashad Evans was caught off guard recently when he heard hi…
It’s an odd world when a former champion loses two fights in a row—one of which was another shot at the title—and somehow talk of his retirement starts being bantered about in MMA.
Rashad Evans was caught off guard recently when he heard his name being mentioned alongside retirement. Certainly, Evans was aware that his last performance against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira was nothing to be proud of, but still it marked only his third loss in professional MMA.
He’s not sure why people are asking about retirement, but Evans is happy to shut down those rumors because he’s not going anywhere.
“That is kind of crazy to me too because it’s like I’ve only lost three fights,” Evans told Bleacher Report on Wednesday. “Some people have like 10 losses, 12 losses, and I’ve only lost three fights and people want me to retire? It also says people set a high standard on the level which I’m supposed to compete at. So I really can’t get mad at that, but I just know that I have to let my level rise and not to be in the position where I lost one fight then in two or three fights I need to retire.
“It’s funny to me also because it seems like I just started fighting the other day. Just seems like I just got into the sport the other day and it goes to show how much time has passed by.”
Evans won’t deny that his last performance was something he wants to forget. It was billed as his chance to get back in the race for a potential title shot down the road, but instead he came out flat and couldn’t muster the skills to get past Nogueira in a fairly lackluster fight.
For Evans, it wasn’t an easy loss to recover from, despite having no physical ailments that needed mending. Evans’ problem was from the mental side of things, as he had to go back and watch a fight he had no desire to relive.
“I really let myself down bad in the last fight and it’s something that took me a while personally to shake off,” said Evans. “As any competitor knows, you’ve almost got to have a short memory when competing. The more you hang onto it, the more you drag onto it, in a negative sense you don’t move past it. I just need to get back to what I do best. There comes a time when you learn so many different things and you try to develop a style and you try to stay ahead of the curve, but sometimes you can just get yourself out of what is best for you. That’s what I feel like I’ve done. I’ve gotten out of what’s absolutely best for me in the pursuit of trying to gain that edge.”
What Evans did best for many years was integrate a slick boxing style with his background in wrestling. That game will get a boost under new coach Kenny Monday, an Olympic gold medalist in wrestling, who will join the Blackzilians as the new wrestling coach next week.
Evans wants to find that fire that saw him climb from The Ultimate Fighter winner to UFC light heavyweight champion, and that begins with his fight at UFC 161 against Dan Henderson.
Following the fight with Henderson—win, lose or draw—Evans might be put in a whole new situation as he considers moving down to middleweight. Evans has toyed with the idea for the past year, but now it seems like it’s getting closer to reality.
“It’s definitely something that interests me because after you run the round robin with all the fighters and I fought him, and he fought him, it just kind of becomes stagnant. A chance to fight new competition at a different weight class, that is appealing to me,” Evans stated. “I can’t lie and say that’s not appealing to me.
“It’s a chance for me to see if I can do it again. See if I can rise to the top in another weight class. That challenge is definitely appealing to me outside of all the potential matchups that the fans get to see me have now. It’s definitely something that I will look into after this fight whether I win or lose, just for the fact that I’m midway through my career and I’m thinking maybe I could just try another weight class and maybe I could mix it up. Because when you’re doing something for so long, no matter how much you love it, it does become kind of stagnant.”
Evans is excited about the fight with Henderson because it’s a chance to face a legend of MMA history, but he is quick to point out that the options beyond this fight at 205 pounds are limited. He is interested in potential rematches with LyotoMachida and Jon Jones, who account for two of his three losses in MMA, and maybe finally getting the chance to face someone like Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, but outside of that, Evans doesn’t see much left for him in the light heavyweight division.
“That would be the only three matchups that would really be interesting for me at 205,” Evans commented about those trio of fights. “The idea of 185 does sound appealing because of those new matchups. 205 has been my home for so long it does feel kind of weird not to compete at that weight class. That’s one thing that if I was to make that choice, I would really have to think about that.”
Evans’ mind will only contemplate one thing right now, and that’s beating Dan Henderson at UFC 161. After that fight and hopefully a win, Evans will look to what’s next and potential new life at 185 pounds.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report, and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Transgender fighter Fallon Fox has tackled the latest obstacle in her hope to remain a competitor in the state of Florida, and she will be allowed to compete at her next scheduled bout for Championship Fighting Alliance on May 24. On Tuesday, the Flori…
Transgender fighter Fallon Fox has tackled the latest obstacle in her hope to remain a competitor in the state of Florida, and she will be allowed to compete at her next scheduled bout for Championship Fighting Alliance on May 24.
On Tuesday, the Florida Boxing Commission closed the investigation into Fox’s licensing application, which means she will be able to compete in the state in future fighting events.
Fox was issued a fight license by the state in early March, but the application she submitted was under review for “alleged discrepancies.”
“Fallon Fox was issued a Florida license on March 2, 2013. Our Department had been investigating alleged discrepancies in the information provided on the application, and during that investigation Fox’s license was not suspended or frozen; it was still active. The investigation was concluded yesterday,” said Sandi Poreda, Director of Communications for the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, in a statement emailed to Bleacher Report on Wednesday. “Currently, there is nothing that would prohibit her from being proposed on a fight card in our state. We have not received any fight cards for future fights for her at this time.”
Fox has been at the center of controversy for the last several weeks after she revealed that while born a male, she underwent extensive treatment and eventually surgery to become female. The 37-year old fighter was competing in the CFA women’s 145-pound tournament where she recently knocked out her opponent in just 39-seconds.
On her application for a fight license, Fox had not disclosed her medical status as a transgender female.
Upon further review, the Florida commission didn’t believe there was enough information to support further action.
“The evidence does not support prosecution of the specified violations of Chapter 548, Florida Statutes, or the rules promulgated thereunder. Therefore this case should be closed,” read a statement by Roger Maas, Assistant General Counsel to the Florida commission.
The MMA world has been buzzing ever since she revealed her transgender status with everyone from UFC commentator Joe Rogan to former Strikeforce champion Miesha Tate weighing in on the subject of whether Fox should be allowed to fight women having been born a man.
While several doctors have argued the point of Fox’s body chemistry as to whether or not she should be allowed to fight, the decision to allow her license to remain in tact ultimately came down to the Florida commission who will oversee her next scheduled fight.
That decision has now been made and Fox is cleared and her license remains valid. Her next opponent is scheduled to be 2-1 fighter Allana Jones, who stated as of earlier this week that she would face Fox in the next round of the tournament in May.
The finals of the tournament could come into some question however as Peggy Morgan, who sits on the other side of the bracket opposite of Fox, has stated that she will not face her should the two of them be paired together in the finals of the tournament.
“I do not think there is sufficient hard evidence to show that Fallon does not have physical advantages over the women she has fought,” Morgan said in a statement via her management’s website. “I understand why people are advocating for Fallon and I appreciate that it is important to protect her rights, but I think it should be just as important to protect the safety of the other women in the tournament. Until I am presented with conclusive evidence that a fight with Fallon would, in fact, be fair, I will not be entering the cage with her.”
The CFA tournament will continue regardless with their next event in late May and now Fox has been officially cleared to return to action for her next fight regardless of who she may or may not face if she makes it to the tournament finals.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report
It’s been an odd couple of weeks for UFC lightweight Melvin Guillard, but it looks like he’s found a new place to call home. The one-time Ultimate Fighter competitor recently announced that he was exiting his team at the Blackzilians in Florida and rej…
It’s been an odd couple of weeks for UFC lightweight Melvin Guillard, but it looks like he’s found a new place to call home.
The one-time Ultimate Fighter competitor recently announced that he was exiting his team at the Blackzilians in Florida and rejoining his old team under the tutelage of coaches Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn in New Mexico.
The move was rebuffed, unfortunately, as Jackson’s MMA had moved on since the time that Guillard left them in 2011, and it appeared in everyone’s best interest if he didn’t return to the team he called home for several UFC fights.
Since that announcement was made, Guillard has stayed fairly quiet while not answering many calls or having done any interviews about the strenuous situation surrounding the next camp he planned to work with in anticipation of his return to UFC action.
On Wednesday, Guillard revealed that over the last week he decided that Denver would ultimately be his new stomping grounds and that the long-time UFC lightweight will now train at Team Grudge led by coach Trevor Wittman.
Interesting enough, Team Grudge is an affiliate and has served as sort of a sister team to the squad run by Greg Jackson in New Mexico, with both sharing talent for training camps over the years. Fighters such as Rashad Evans and Nate Marquardt would routinely make the trip from Colorado to New Mexico (and vice versa) to get in the training necessary to get ready for a fight.
Team Grudge’s notable members include Marquardt, former UFC champion Shane Carwin and Ultimate Fighter finalist Brendan Schaub.
Now that list has grown by one with Guillard uprooting from his Florida home to relocate to Denver and begin working out of the Grudge Training Center.
As of now, Guillard still hasn’t been booked for his next UFC fight. However, from the sound of his message on Twitter, he’s beginning a training camp, so an announcement could be made at any time. Guillard will definitely be looking for a big return in his next fight after dropping back-to-back bouts recently and holding a 1-4 record overall in his last five fights inside the UFC Octagon.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report.
It seems so long ago that Pat Curran was the featured fighter on the reality series called TapouT that aired on the Versus network. At the time in 2008, it was Curran’s first real step into the spotlight as a young fighter with a 1-0 record train…
It seems so long ago that Pat Curran was the featured fighter on the reality series called TapouT that aired on the Versus network.
At the time in 2008, it was Curran’s first real step into the spotlight as a young fighter with a 1-0 record training under his cousin and veteran UFC competitor Jeff Curran. Fast forward two years later and Curran was competing as a lightweight in a Bellator tournament, knocking out current UFC fighter Mike Ricci and beating former Sports Illustrated cover boy Roger Huerta on his way to face Eddie Alvarez for the 155-pound title.
Curran lost that fight, but truth be told, he was never a lightweight to begin with, just a bloated featherweight who got a chance to compete in Bellator and he took it. Since that loss to Alvarez, however, Curran has never looked back.
A winner of five fights in a row, Curran won the Bellator featherweight tournament before destroying former champion Joe Warren to capture the belt, and he made his first title defense in January defeating Patricio “Pitbull” Freire at the inaugural show for the promotion on Spike TV.
Once a shy, quiet fighter who was always slipping under the radar leading up to his bouts, Curran is starting to settle into his role as champion. It’s a different feeling than always being the contender, but Curran also knows that it only takes one punch to put him back on the bottom looking up.
“I’ve always had that role of being the underdog and I liked having that role, but as a champion that role’s going to change,” Curran told Bleacher Report recently. “In my mind I work too hard, put too many hours in and devoted my life to being where I’m at right now and I don’t plan on losing that. One loss can change everything and it would ruin everything I work for, so I mentally want to stay focused and I keep that in the back of my mind where I’m not going to lose that.”
Curran can walk around these days with confidence knowing that he’s the best in the Bellator featherweight division, but the air never gets too thick because a quick dose of humility will always bring him back to earth. No matter how much pride he carries in being champion, at the start of each fight he’s just another guy in the cage standing across from a fighter who wants to take his head off.
No amount of gold, confidence or swagger will save him in those moments, so Curran reminds himself often that it all goes away if he’s not truly at his best at all times.
“I’m very proud of all my accomplishments and being Bellator‘s featherweight champion. I’m very proud of that. I’ve worked very hard to get where I’m at and I am confident as a champion, but at the same time I am humble because I know it only takes one punch to change a whole fight,” Curran said. “You’ve got to have confidence but at the same time you have to be humble and respect all your opponents.”
Respect is a tricky word because Curran knows he gets that from his fellow fighters and he gets it from the executives at Bellator, but perception sometimes rules the MMA spectrum. Right now, the perceived notion is that Curran is probably a top-five featherweight but may not be No. 1 in the world because of a fighter named Jose Aldo who currently competes in the UFC.
To Curran, none of it matters. He enjoys—like any fighter would—getting the accolades that come along with being a champion, but whether he’s ranked No. 1 or No. 10, he knows what he can do inside the cage and that’s all that truly matters.
“I worked my ass off to get where I’m at and I definitely proved I belong with the best,” Curran stated. “I don’t look at the rankings too much, it’s cool to see, but it really doesn’t phase me at all being in the top five or whatever. It’s nice to know I’m getting recognition for the hard work I’m putting into the sport.”
Curran will attempt to solidify his spot once again Thursday when he faces a very tough test in Russian striking machine ShahbulatShamhalaev in the main event at Bellator 95.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
With only four days until event time, the UFC has secured a replacement fighter to step in and face former Strikeforce and Dream champion Gegard Mousasi in the main event at UFC on Fuel 9 in Sweden. UFC President Dana White announced on Tuesday that ne…
With only four days until event time, the UFC has secured a replacement fighter to step in and face former Strikeforce and Dream champion GegardMousasi in the main event at UFC on Fuel 9 in Sweden.
UFC President Dana White announced on Tuesday that newcomer IlirLatifi will step in to replace his friend and training partner Alexander Gustafsson in the main event.
The fight came together hours after the Swedish MMA Federation decided that Gustafsson would be unable to compete after suffering a cut over his eye in training. The laceration was too severe to allow the light heavyweight contender to compete this Saturday, so as the sanctioning body over the UFC on Fuel 9 event, they opted to remove him from the card.
With very little time to spare and only a few days to find a fighter to replace Gustafsson, the UFC found one of his training partners to come in and serve as the new main event alongside Mousasi.
At 7-2, Latifi comes to the UFC with by way of Sweden, but having never fought on a major show, especially one of this magnitude, the odds are stacked against the 29-year-old.
Despite his relatively unknown status, Latifi has faced some solid competition in his career. The Swede holds victories over Team Black House fighter Jorge Oliveira and King of the Cage veteran Tony Lopez. He’s also faced current Bellator contender Emanuel Newton, although Latifi came out on the short end of that fight, losing by unanimous decision.
It will be a tough test for Latifi, who accepts the fight just 72 hours away from weighing in against one of the top light heavyweights in the sport.
Mousasi will be making his UFC debut this Saturday after a long career in several other promotions, where he sat near the top in both the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions.
Following his final fight in Strikeforce in January, where he picked up a submission victory over Mike Kyle, Mousasi transitioned to the UFC with title hopes in his eyes.
It appears for the time being he’ll have to be satisfied with a main event fight in the Octagon against a relative unknown in Latifi.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report
The drug test results for UFC 158: St-Pierre vs. Diaz have been returned, and no fighter tested came back with a positive result.