Author: Damon Martin

TUF 18: Men and Women Live Together and Everything Will Be Caught on Tape

Through 17 seasons, the Ultimate Fighter house has seen a little bit of everything from the multitude of fighters that have gone through the reality show. While the houses have actually changed from season to season, the events that take place in each …

Through 17 seasons, the Ultimate Fighter house has seen a little bit of everything from the multitude of fighters that have gone through the reality show.

While the houses have actually changed from season to season, the events that take place in each one live on in infamy with cameras rolling at all times to catch everything that happens.

From Chris Leben urinating on one of his roommate’s beds to entire doors being broken down and glasses being thrown and shattered all the way to a backyard brawl between two competitors in the house, there’s not much that hasn’t been done already.

That was until Saturday night when UFC president Dana White announced that the newest season of the Ultimate Fighter would featured a cast of 135-pound fighters – both men and women from the weight class. 

In addition to the first time that women would have ever been showcased on the reality show, it was also revealed that all of the cast members would share a roof at the new Ultimate Fighter house when filming begins later this year.

Like many dozens of reality shows before them, the Ultimate Fighter will immediately tap into the drama and tension that can come from not only complete strangers living in a house together, but now it becomes a co-ed house with men and women.

What can be expected for the first ever season of the Ultimate Fighter with both male and female competitors living together?

“I have no idea what’s going to happen, we’ve never done it before.  I don’t know,” White said when speaking to reporters about the new Ultimate Fighter.

One part that White did make perfectly clear was the fact that whatever happens in the house, it will be caught on tape.   Pranks, conversations, and anything else that may happen—there’s no hiding in this house.

“There’s cameras everywhere.  You can’t hide from anything on the Ultimate Fighter. There’s cameras in the bathroom.  You can’t hide,” said White.   “You pretty much give up all your freedom when you’re in that house.”

The new season of the Ultimate Fighter will feature women’s coaches as well with UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey heading up one team while the other team leader will be determined on April 13 when Miesha Tate meets Cat Zingano at the Ultimate Fighter 17 finale in Las Vegas.

Two days later, casting begins for the cast of 135-pound fighters in both the men’s and women’s categories with filming expected to kick off after the final selections are made.  The Ultimate Fighter season 18 will then kick off and air later this year.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Prospect Watch: Steve Magdaleno Wants to Stand out in a Crowd of UFC Hopefuls

The UFC roster seems rather large right now with more than 400 fighters under contract, but there are always hungry up-and-comers looking to add their names to that list. It’s a dog-eat-dog world for young fighters trying to land on the radar of UFC ma…

The UFC roster seems rather large right now with more than 400 fighters under contract, but there are always hungry up-and-comers looking to add their names to that list.

It’s a dog-eat-dog world for young fighters trying to land on the radar of UFC matchmakers Joe Silva and Sean Shelby, and it really comes down to separating themselves from a pack of thousands all looking for that same opportunity.

With a 9-3 record overall, former Ultimate Fighter hopeful Steve Magdaleno is hoping to make the kind of impressive run to where the UFC can’t ignore him forever.  Magdaleno took a shot at making the Ultimate Fighter cast back for season 12, but things didn’t go his way that day, so he’s rededicated himself even more to earn a chance to fight in the Octagon.

As he stares ahead at his fight in BAMMA USA this weekend, Magdaleno knows he’s got the talent to hang with the best in the UFC, it’s just a matter of getting the chance to prove it.

“I feel I’m already there now,” Magdaleno told Bleacher Report.  “I’ve trained with a lot of UFC guys for many, many years. I feel like I’m at that point.  My last three fights have been knockouts and I’ve been in this game for a long time. I just need the chance, but I feel like I’m there already.”

It takes more than just a winning streak these days to get a call from the UFC, and Magdaleno is well aware of that.  The UFC likes to see fighters face good competition outside of the promotion as well as put on a show in those fights.

Magdaleno believes his style is tailor made for the UFC, and if he keeps racking up knockout after knockout, they can’t help but pay attention eventually.

“My style tends to lend itself to finishing fights because I think I’m dangerous everywhere.  There’s that element where I feel like I do want to finish the fight, I feel like I have that need to finish the fight.  It’s kind of the nature of the beast.  Early in my career, I got a couple of decisions, but now I’m good everywhere and I feel like ‘end the fight standing or on the ground.’  It’s not that much pressure because wherever the fight goes, I can finish it,” said Magdaleno.

The tough part of being a fighter in his position is that there are no guarantees.  The UFC could come calling after his next fight or it could be five fights from now, there are no set guidelines for what it takes to receive an offer from the UFC.

Magdaleno is realistic and knows that he may not get the call today, tomorrow, next week or even next month.  His job is to win, win convincingly, and the rest will work itself out.

“I’m already thinking two or three fights from now in my head.  It does get trying at times, so there definitely is some frustration, but you can’t let it get to you.  I’m a pretty patient guy,” said Magdaleno.   “As long as I keep beating good-level opponents and doing it in convincing fashion, they have to notice.”

 

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Nick Diaz Explains His Anxiety and the Way His Mind Works Ahead of a Fight

There may not be a fighter more psychoanalyzed in all of MMA than UFC 158 main event fighter Nick Diaz. Whether it’s his inability to show up for workouts, missing press conferences or unleashing a four-letter worded tirade on an opponent during a medi…

There may not be a fighter more psychoanalyzed in all of MMA than UFC 158 main event fighter Nick Diaz.

Whether it’s his inability to show up for workouts, missing press conferences or unleashing a four-letter worded tirade on an opponent during a media call, Diaz is picked part by fans, media and onlookers alike as everyone tries to play Dr. Melfi to his Tony Soprano.

Some try to diagnose Diaz as having a sort of social anxiety disorder where he just can’t deal with the pressure of the lights and crowds that are associated with large gatherings. Others try to point the finger at a behavioral problem that Diaz is just lashing out as an act of rebellion.

On Thursday in one of the most telling interviews he’s done to date, Diaz explained how his mind works to Fox Sports host Jay Mohr, starting with the idea that his opponent Georges St-Pierre is somehow scared of him.  In reality to hear Diaz tell it, the fear goes both ways and it’s a healthy kind of fear every fighter should feel.

“I have Georges St-Pierre out here telling me ‘you really think I’m afraid of you, man?’ and I’m like you should be, bro. You should be scared out of your mind.  I’ll tell you what, I’m scared of him,” Diaz explained.  “I’m scared of any fighter I’ve ever fought because they are some dangerous people to be dealing with.  That’s also where the anxiety comes from.”

There is a general idea surrounding Diaz that he hates doing media and keeping commitments for filming obligations and interviews as he gets ready for a fight.  Diaz says that his anxiety has nothing to do with that particular aspect of promoting or pushing a fight.

“People like to talk a lot about me, about how I have anxiety or social disorders.  I’ll admit to anxiety, but it has nothing to do with media or being in front of a camera or being around people.  It has to do with dealing with the sparring that I’m going to have or the workouts that I’m going to have from day to day,” said Diaz.

“If you don’t find time to meditate and get all that negative out, and if you don’t have the right people being positive around you, this is a very scary job to have if you don’t learn how to control your fear.  Of course I’ll admit to anxiety, but it has nothing to do with being in front of the social media.”

Digging deeper into his own psyche, Diaz is like a broken record stuck on a loop with only one thought on his mind at all times—the fight in front of him.  Like a soldier who gets locked in a war and can’t break away from that even when his or her tour of duty is over, Diaz can’t break his focus for even a moment to enjoy a few seconds of levity when his mind is aimed at the fight ahead of him.

“I know what it’s doing to me, it’s taking up my time and the anxiety comes from the missing time in training, it doesn’t come from the media, it doesn’t come from being around people, it comes from every couple of seconds all of a sudden I’m starting to laugh when I see a comedy show, I can’t even watch a comedy nowadays.

“I think it’s healthy for you to laugh and be happy, but sometimes it’s hard for me to do because it takes me so far out of that state of mind to where I’m thinking of being smashed with elbows, and all these different ways I can lose,” Diaz explained.

“I try to cancel out every possibility of losing the fight, and this runs through my head all day long.  I’m seeing myself become smashed in the face, cut, or being submitted or being knocked out in so many different ways all day long.  That’s just my job to train that in my head and when I’m back and forth in a happy mode or a training mode to a happy mode, like I have a really quick shock of anxiety right there and I don’t like that feeling.”

Keeping his head solely wrapped around the mission at hand is the only way Diaz functions without anxiety, but once that train of thought is derailed it’s like a cold blast of water in the face and the sting doesn’t go away very easily.

So when Diaz‘s routine is broken and his mind is interrupted, he isn’t at his best and his defense mechanisms set in.

“It enhances my sense of security to just keep my training 100 percent and in the gym, and not miss a workout and otherwise this is the sort of thing that plays into my anxiety,” Diaz stated.

For all the naysayers that just believe Diaz is just a bad guy who can’t keep his press commitments, there’s obviously more to him than meets the eye.  Diaz is a puzzle, and can’t be formed into a square. 

The truth is Diaz does care about public perception and what people think about him, but he hopes they also understand how his mind works before judging from the outside looking in.

“As far as factual, realistic information goes and the real fight fans who are going to look in deeper, those are the people that I really care what they think,” said Diaz.

The mental health of any competitor has to be taken into account, but when Diaz is at home and when he is at his best is the moment the cage door closes and his mind is only thinking about one thing—the fight in front of him.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Over a Million Dollars into His Deal, Is Hector Lombard Close to the Cut Line?

In the world of major free-agent signings in MMA, the UFC landing Hector Lombard was supposed to be a landmark deal, as the champion from Bellator jumped ship to sign with another organization while still holding the title. The deal Lombard signed repo…

In the world of major free-agent signings in MMA, the UFC landing Hector Lombard was supposed to be a landmark deal, as the champion from Bellator jumped ship to sign with another organization while still holding the title.

The deal Lombard signed reportedly paid him a $400,000 signing bonus, along with a $300,000 per fight starting purse along with points earned via pay-per-view bonuses.  The cost for Bellator to match those numbers was just too high, and ultimately Lombard inked a deal with the UFC.

Coming into the UFC, Lombard was riding an incredible 24-fight win streak while also capturing and defending the Bellator middleweight title.  Since joining the promotion, however, Lombard has fallen on much harder times.

His debut fight at UFC 149 was anything but impressive as Lombard dropped a split decision to Tim Boetsch.  He bounced back with a vicious performance to knock out Brazilian submission specialist Rousimar Palhares last December, but then could not overcome the takedowns and ground control of middleweight contender Yushin Okami in his last fight at UFC on Fuel 8 in Japan.

If the numbers reported in his initial deal were correct, the UFC has spent upwards of more than $1 million dollars on Lombard, and thus far he’s produced a 1-2 record overall. 

UFC president Dana White isn’t ready to give up on Lombard yet, however, and says that in this game sometimes there are going to be risks involved in signing a fighter from another promotion and the results can vary once they face the stiff competition in the Octagon.

“You can’t ever look at a guy as a mistake,” White said about Lombard when speaking to the media on Thursday.   “If a guy gets to a certain level and you bring him in, and just because you were great in all these other shows.  Like when people try to compare all these other shows to the UFC, it’s like you might be great in all these other shows, but when you fight here, you never know how great or not great a guy is going to be.”

White didn’t say if there was any chance Lombard would potentially be released or at risk of losing his job should he lose his next fight, but it’s hard to ignore the contract numbers if he can’t come away with a victory to bump his record to 2-2 overall in the UFC.

Lombard’s next fight has not been scheduled yet, but all signs are pointing toward him at least getting one more shot to prove himself in the UFC.  Who he faces and how he performs will likely seal the deal on his future with the promotion.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Dana White: Matt Riddle Got Cut ‘Because He’s a Moron,’ Won’t Ask Him to Return

Matt Riddle recently found himself on the outside looking in when the UFC released him following his second positive test for marijuana after winning his fight at UFC on Fuel 7 in England. The former The Ultimate Fighter competitor first tested positiv…

Matt Riddle recently found himself on the outside looking in when the UFC released him following his second positive test for marijuana after winning his fight at UFC on Fuel 7 in England.

The former The Ultimate Fighter competitor first tested positive for the banned substance in 2012 at UFC 149. After facing a brief suspension, he returned to action and a win at UFC 154 last November.

Riddle is a legally licensed medical marijuana user in his home state of Nevada, but the drug remains on the banned list for all athletic competitions. After he tested positive for the drug a second time, the UFC opted to release him from his contract.

Addressing the subject on Thursday, UFC president Dana White said the reasons behind Riddle’s release go beyond simply testing positive for marijuana.

“Everybody’s going to have an excuse of why they were cut. Matt Riddle did an interview before that fight where he said ‘I smoke weed so that I don’t beat my children’ then he tests positive for it. He’s a f—king moron,” White said following the UFC 158 pre-fight press conference.

“That’s why he’s not here. He’s cut because he’s a moron.”

The interview in question comes from Riddle in early February, when he spoke to MMAMania.com about his marijuana use.

“It makes me happy. Honestly, it probably keeps me from beating my three kids because they’re always screaming and crying at me and my wife’s crazy and you know what life’s like,” Riddle stated.

The end result of Riddle’s pre-fight commentary along with his positive drug test results have landed him with a pink slip from the UFC. Following his release, Riddle stated in an interview that he would not return to the UFC even if he were asked to return after a few fights outside the organization.

“What I see happening is, a year or two from now the UFC calls me back after I’ve won probably like five or six fights, hopefully. And I’ll probably, at the time, say, ‘No,'” Riddle revealed.

White said he has no problem with Riddle’s choice and he’ll solve Riddle’s dilemma of choosing whether or not to return to the UFC.

“I’ll make it real easy for him, we just won’t ask him (to come back),” said White.

Since being released from the UFC, Riddle has recently signed a multi-fight deal with Legacy Fighting Championships.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Dana White Would Like to See TRT Banned; Addresses Vitor Belfort Situation

UFC president Dana White is taking an even stronger stance in his opposition for the use of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), to the point where he’d like the controversial treatment to be banned from the sport of MMA completely.In a recent move …

UFC president Dana White is taking an even stronger stance in his opposition for the use of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), to the point where he’d like the controversial treatment to be banned from the sport of MMA completely.

In a recent move that contradicted his earlier feelings on the subject, White had a change of heart regarding TRT and now plans on testing any fighter in the UFC using the therapy to a much greater level than before.

All fighters who use TRT have to apply for a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) through whatever state athletic commission they are fighting under, and now the UFC will do additional testing throughout the fighter’s training camp to verify their testosterone levels never spike above the legal limits.

“TRT is legal.  I told you guys that I don’t like it, there’s people out there that are cheating on it and I’m going to do everything I can to lobby against TRT and see if we can get athletic commissions to change their position on it,” White told reporters after the UFC 158 pre-fight press conference ended.

“I would like all athletic commissions to stop giving TRT exemptions.”

One particular name that came up during the conversation on Thursday was former middleweight contender Vitor Belfort, who is a user of TRT currently.

Belfort fought and defeated Michael Bisping at UFC on FX 7 in January, and it was revealed post-fight that he was a prescribed user of TRT, as allowed by his doctor.  The question then became, should Belfort be allowed to use TRT considering his 2006 suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission after testing positive for steroids?

In an interview with Bleacher Report earlier this month, Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer said he doesn’t see Belfort being granted an exemption from them because of his prior conviction for steroid usage.  While it may not be the cause for Belfort‘s low testosterone, abuse of performance-enhancing drugs can lead to that issue, and it’s a slippery slope to walk down to allow a fighter to use TRT after being suspended for steroid usage.

“I don’t see Vitor Belfort getting a TRT exemption from us,” Kizer told Bleacher Report.  “I really don’t, and I feel kind of bad for him in some ways because if he has learned from his mistakes and now he’s trying to do it the right way and his levels are low with the treatment, good for him, and I hope he is doing that.”

White says that if Belfort is going to insist on continuing his usage of TRT, he will be strenuously tested like any other fighter on the roster that tries to participate in the promotion while using the treatment.

“I don’t care where he fights. We’re going to test guys all the way up till they fight,” White said about Belfort.  “It doesn’t matter where he fights.  If you ask for a TRT exemption, you are going to be tested brutally.”

White’s point was made even stronger when discussing TRT and it’s alleged fountain-of-youth effect on older fighters.

“If he can’t stop taking it, maybe it’s time to hang them up,” said White.

Belfort‘s next fight will take place in Brazil in May, when he faces former Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold.  It’s unknown at this time if Belfort has continued his TRT treatments or has stopped the procedure since his fight against Bisping in January.

 

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com