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UFC Confirms Matt Riddle’s Release, Win Overturned to No-Contest

Prior to UFC on Fox 6 happening last December, the UFC announced that they would be instituting a new fighter conduct policy to oversee the more than 400 fighters on the promotional roster. At the time as it was explained by UFC counsel Lawrence Epstei…

Prior to UFC on Fox 6 happening last December, the UFC announced that they would be instituting a new fighter conduct policy to oversee the more than 400 fighters on the promotional roster.

At the time as it was explained by UFC counsel Lawrence Epstein, many of the rules that were being instituted had already been in place, but now they were in writing and would be upheld for the fighters under contract.

It appears UFC on Fuel 7 fighter Matt Riddle felt the sting of those newly implemented rules after he failed his second test for marijuana in the span of seven months, and as a result he was released from the promotion on Tuesday.

Riddle initially announced the release himself, but on Wednesday the UFC followed up with their own statement regarding his dismissal from the company following the positive drug test.

Matthew Riddle tested positive for marijuana metabolites following his bout at UFC on FUEL TV 7 in London, England on February 16, 2013. This is Riddle’s second failed drug test for marijuana within the past seven months. Riddle previously failed a post-fight drug test due to marijuana following his UFC 149 victory over Chris Clements.

Because of the second infraction in such a short period of time, Riddle was ultimately released from the UFC and his win against Che Mills was overturned to a no-contest. The UFC acts as the governing body when they travel to areas with no recognized athletic commission, as was the case when they traveled to England for UFC on Fuel 7.

The UFC statement about their decision on Riddle confirms that his release is a direct result of the violation of the new fighter conduct policy, and thus his contract was terminated.

The UFC organization is exercising its right to terminate Riddle for breach of his obligations under his Promotional Agreement as well as the UFC Fighter Conduct Policy. The UFC organization has a strict, consistent policy against the use of any illegal and/or performance-enhancing drugs, stimulants or masking agents. The outcome of the bout against Che Mills was changed to a no contest and the results of the positive test will be reported to the official Association of Boxing Commissions MMA record-keeper.

Riddle’s release is one of the first times the UFC has ever dropped a fighter following a positive drug test. In the past some other fighters such as Dave Herman have been offered rehabilitation as part of their agreement with the UFC after a positive drug test result.

In Riddle’s case, however, it appears the second positive test in such a short span of time ultimately led to his undoing.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report

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Jake Shields vs. Tyron Woodley Expected for UFC 161 in June

A former welterweight contender and a Strikeforce import will battle it out as the first confirmed fight for an upcoming card in June that will be UFC 161. Jake Shields, who returns to the welterweight division after a brief stop back at middleweight, …

A former welterweight contender and a Strikeforce import will battle it out as the first confirmed fight for an upcoming card in June that will be UFC 161.

Jake Shields, who returns to the welterweight division after a brief stop back at middleweight, looks to get back into the title race when he faces former Strikeforce contender Tyron Woodley.

Shields vs. Woodley will take place at UFC 161, which is expected to take place June 15, according to MMAJunkie.com, who initially reported the news.

Following a six-month suspension for testing positive for a banned substance in his last fight in August at UFC 150, Shields took some time off and decided a move back to 170 pounds was the best thing for his career.

For several years, Shields was considered the top welterweight in the sport that was not fighting in the UFC while he competed under brands like Elite XC and Strikeforce.

Shields told Bleacher Report earlier this year that he was moving back to 170 pounds and looking to get into title contention sooner rather than later.

“I’m always kind of stuck in the middle, it’s either a big cut or I’m small at the weight,” Shields stated when speaking to Bleacher Report in February. “I was constantly trying to keep my weight up, I was eating all the time and lifting all the time. I never really got over 195 pounds, and even then all the 170-pounders are bigger than that. Basically I got a new diet, a cleaner diet. I’ve got my weight back down into the high 180s.

“I made some changes, my weight came down, my cardio feels better. I feel a lot cleaner with more energy.”

Shields will look to capitalize on the move down to welterweight right away facing a very tough challenge in former Missouri wrestler and Strikeforce title challenger Tyron Woodley.

Woodley let his presence be known on day one in the Octagon when he flattened Jay Hieron by knockout in the first round of their fight at UFC 156.

Now Woodley will get his chance to take out a UFC title contender when he faces Jake Shields in June.

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

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Anderson Silva Not Sold on Facing Chris Weidman; White Knows He Wants Big Fights

It remains unclear when or who UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will next compete against despite rumors of a potential title fight against Chris Weidman looming for July. UFC president Dana White said recently that the promotion was in the beg…

It remains unclear when or who UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will next compete against despite rumors of a potential title fight against Chris Weidman looming for July.

UFC president Dana White said recently that the promotion was in the beginning stages of negotiations to put Silva back in action against the fighter most consider to be the No. 1 contender at 185 pounds.

For the first time since those reports surfaced, Silva is commenting on the bout and how it comes much to his surprise that he’s rumored to fight anyone right now.

“Really? This is a new one for me,” Silva told UFC Tonight on Tuesday when asked about the proposed bout with Chris Weidman.

Now, Silva has been known on more than a few occasions to have fun with the media, not exactly saying what is or isn’t on his mind or what’s going on with contract or fight negotiations, so it’s likely he’s well aware of the fight against Chris Weidman.

Still, it doesn’t appear Silva is any warmer now about facing Chris Weidman than he was last year when he shot down the possible bout after looking at the New York native’s record and overall lack of UFC experience.

Silva believes a fight against Weidman is good for only one person – Chris Weidman.

“It’s good for Chris Weidman, not for me,” Silva said. “He’s a boy, he’s a kid, it’s good for Chris Weidman.”

Weidman has shouted quite loudly about his desire to face Silva in the Octagon once his surgically repaired shoulder is back to full health and he can return to action in the summer.

Is this just another classic game of cat and mouse perpetrated to perfection by Anderson Silva, or does he legitimately have no desire to face Chris Weidman?

UFC president Dana White has been dealing with Anderson Silva for many years, and he knows his champion very well. He describes everything with Silva as “a process” whether it’s for a fight or a new contract.

One point he will concede, however, is that Silva, at 37 years of age, is entering the tail end of his career and what he wants right now are the biggest fights the UFC can put him in.

“It’s always a process with Anderson Silva, but to be honest, he wants big fights,” White told UFC Tonight. “He’s 38 years old, the guy still looks and fights like he’s 25, but you don’t know how much time he has left. He wants that GSP (Georges St-Pierre) fight, he wants that Jon Jones fight and he wants big fights.”

White is confident as they continue to negotiate with Silva on a new multi-fight contract that he will eventually face Chris Weidman. Whether it happens in July or not remains to be seen.

“Anderson Silva still has to sign a new UFC contract. It’s either going to be an eight or 10-fight deal and he’s going to have to fight Chris Weidman in there somewhere,” said White.

Could this latest move by Silva just be posturing to continue building the hype for a fight against Weidman, or will he move to hopefully face someone like Jon Jones later this year instead?

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

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Pat Curran Now Faces Shahbulat Shamhalaev for Featherweight Title at Bellator 95

It didn’t take long for Bellator officials to find a replacement for injured Daniel Straus, and the good news is that the promotion’s featherweight division will keep rolling with a new title fight. Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney announced on Wednesday that…

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney announced on Wednesday that season 7 tournament winner Shahbulat Shamhalaev will now face featherweight champion Pat Curran on April 4 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Shamhalaev steps in and accepts the fight with Curran just a week after defeating Rad Martinez in the finals of last season’s Bellator featherweight tournament.

Shamhalaev was already next in line to face Curran following his scheduled bout with Daniel Straus, but the Ohio based fighter broke his hand in training, pushing back his shot. Now, the Russian knockout artist will take his place.

Holding a 12-1-1 record overall, Shamhalaev has been extremely impressive since joining the Bellator roster in October of last year as part of their featherweight division.

He blasted through all of his three opponents in the tournament, winning by knockout or TKO in victories over Cody Bollinger, Mike Richman and finally Rad Martinez in the finals.

Now the Russian will have a chance to take out Bellator featherweight champion Pat Curran in a highly anticipated bout in Atlantic City on April 4. Curran most recently competed in January, when he defeated Patricio “Pitbull” Freire in his first title defense since winning the belt from former champion Joe Warren in 2012.

The featherweight title fight will lead Bellator 95, which also features one of the top ranked women’s fighters in the world Jessica Eye taking on Munah Holland. The undercard also showcases several familiar names, including former UFC fighter Tom DeBlass, who returns to action months after announcing his retirement from the sport.

Curran vs. Shamhalaev will serve as the main event and featured bout headlining the show that airs on Spike TV on Thursday night, April 4 kicking off at 10pm ET/PT.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Ronda Rousey Staying Focused on Fighting but Won’t Ignore Hollywood’s Calls

The last time women’s mixed martial arts had a legitimate star, her name was Gina Carano, but for as much as she loved fighting, the calls from Hollywood to transition to acting rang louder than anything she was doing inside the cage. Carano soon accep…

Carano soon accepted major acting roles in several films and has since all but retired from the sport of mixed martial arts.

UFC 157 officially introduced women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey to the world in a big, big way. She was featured on the lead of websites all over the world, and even on Monday, two days after her victory over Liz Carmouche on Saturday night, television shows were still buzzing about the historic night at UFC 157.

So it didn’t take long for Rousey‘s name to start popping up in other entertainment avenues, such as a rumored role in the upcoming Hunger Games sequel.

Rousey‘s manager, Darin Harvey, was unable to comment on her potential to star in the Hunger Games sequel, but he says that as opportunities arise, it would be crazy to ignore the possibilities.

“If a film opportunity comes along, we’re not going to say no if it’s the right opportunity. Every big producer in Hollywood has taken interest in Ronda,” Harvey told Bleacher Report on Tuesday.

“Common sense will tell you you’re looking at a young, beautiful girl that’s headlining main events, that people are interested. Ronda has star power. Anyone in the film business can look at this and tell it’s a great opportunity not only for Ronda, but it’s a great opportunity for themselves.”

Rousey has recently signed on with the William Morris Endeavor, a top-flight talent agency headed up by friend to the UFC Ari Emanuel. As excited as Rousey and her manager are with potential Hollywood roles, he assures everyone in the mixed martial arts world that her main goal and focus remains on being a UFC champion.

“Our primary goal is to focus on fighting, that’s what’s got her here,” said Harvey. “She’s a fighter, she has a lot to prove, so she’s going to be fighting. There’s been a lot of interest in Ronda, but her primary goal is training and fighting.”

Needless to say, when the rumors about Ronda Rousey receiving some sort of offer to star in the Hunger Games sequel starting circulating, UFC president Dana White was lukewarm at best to the idea of loaning out one of his stars to Hollywood.

It’s happened before with fighters like Randy Couture and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, but he believes Rousey‘s fight career will be far more lucrative than anything she can do in Hollywood.

“You know how I feel about the movie stuff,” White said when speaking to UFC Tonight on Tuesday. “When Rampage did the movie, it was his dream to be a part of the A-Team. I don’t want to take away any opportunities from Ronda, but at the same time, her window of opportunity as a professional athlete is really narrow. She could make a zillion movies when she retires. Where she’s really going to get the money is here fighting. I don’t care if she’s the lead role in The Hunger Games 2, she would not make anywhere near—I mean, not even in the universe—to the money she makes fighting.”

It’s likely if Rousey did receive an offer to star in the Hunger Games sequel, it would not be a major role considering the franchise has filmed two movies with one already released and the second in post-production with a November date to land in theaters and all of the leads having already been cast.

Still, it’s hard to ignore the fact that if Rousey receives a generous offer to star in that film (or any other), she could find herself in front of the cameras acting instead of in the cage fighting. It doesn’t mean, however, she will be traveling the same path as Gina Carano, because Rousey‘s true passion remains being the UFC women’s bantamweight champion.

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

Urijah Faber Faces Scott Jorgensen in New TUF 17 Finale Main Event

The UFC works fast because it took less than six hours for the promotion to find a new main event for The Ultimate Fighter 17 finale show after flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson suffered an injury, forcing the cancellation of his bout against John …

The UFC works fast because it took less than six hours for the promotion to find a new main event for The Ultimate Fighter 17 finale show after flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson suffered an injury, forcing the cancellation of his bout against John Moraga (per Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com).

Two bantamweight fighters looking to get back into the title race at 135 pounds will meet, as former WEC champion Urijah Faber faces Scott Jorgensen in the new headline fight for the card landing on FX on April 13.

UFC President Dana White made the announcement via Twitter late Tuesday night:

Urijah Faber is fresh off of a first-round submission victory over Ivan Menjivar at UFC 157 last weekend. It marked Faber’s first fight and win since losing in an interim bantamweight title fight against Renan Barao last July.

Faber dispatched of Ivan Menjivar in the first round of their fight at UFC 157, and now he faces a good friend in fellow bantamweight Scott Jorgensen.

See, not only do Faber and Jorgensen occupy the same weight class, they also happen to be close friends, former training partners and managed by the same team at MMA Incorporated.

“Two very close friends are going to show the MMA world that friends can and will compete against each other,” said Mike Roberts in a statement sent to Bleacher Report after the fight was announced. “They will be even better friends after. As their manager and more importantly their friend, I couldn’t be more proud of them for stepping up when Dana needed them.”

Roberts and his business partner, Jeff Meyer, have worked with both Faber and Jorgensen for many years, but now they will see their clients go to battle as the main event for the TUF 17 finale in Las Vegas.

Jorgensen will be looking to build on his last win where he put away John Albert by rear-naked choke in the first round of their fight at UFC on Fox 5 last December.

Faber and Jorgensen will now face off in the main event for The Ultimate Fighter finale, which will also crown a new middleweight winner from the reality show currently airing on FX with coaches Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen.

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