Author: McKinley Noble

UFC 158: GSP Fought Nick Diaz with Achilles Injury, Could Be Gone 6 Months

Georges St-Pierre’s training camp is claiming that the champion was injured during his UFC 158 title defense against Nick Diaz and may be out six months.That’s the latest word on “Rush” from Tristar Gym head trainer Firas Zahabi, who told TVA Spor…

Georges St-Pierre’s training camp is claiming that the champion was injured during his UFC 158 title defense against Nick Diaz and may be out six months.

That’s the latest word on “Rush” from Tristar Gym head trainer Firas Zahabi, who told TVA Sports and MMA Fighting that GSP went five rounds against Diaz while suffering from an Achilles injury on the same leg that was hampered by a torn ACL last year.

Moreover, Zahabi suggests that had GSP‘s injury worsened during the match, the outcome of that fight may have been different:

“I was worried it would tear during the fight,” Zahabi told MMAFighting.com. “We had to cut his last sparring [session] short due to his injury. He had a week to rest it and then the fight.”

“He wants to take a couple of months off because his two fights were very close to each other,” he said, “and he wants to enjoy the summer. We haven’t talked to the UFC yet, so we don’t know what their plans are for Georges yet.”

According to MMA Fighting, Zahabi doesn’t want St-Pierre to return to the Octagon for six months, which would see GSP away from competition until August or September 2013.

St-Pierre previously suffered a potentially career-ending ACL tear in December 2011 while training for a planned UFC 143 bout versus Diaz.

That set in motion a roundabout title situation for the UFC welterweight division that saw Diaz face Condit for an interim championship instead where Diaz lost by a controversial decision.

Diaz also tested positive for marijuana metabolites afterward, leading to a one-year suspension and a legal battle with the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

St-Pierre later returned to successfully unify the title against Condit at UFC 154 in a bloody war before returning to Montreal to steamroll Diaz en route to a heavily one-sided decision victory at UFC 158.

That fight marked Diaz‘s first back-to-back losses since a previous UFC stint in 2006, where the Stocktonian dropped a pair of fights to Sean Sherk and former UFC fighter Joe Riggs—whom Diaz infamously confronted afterward in a fight at a Las Vegas medical center (via MiddleEasy).

 

McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist and tech writer. His work has appeared in GamePro, Macworld, PC World, 1UP, NVision, The Los Angeles Times, FightFans Radio, MMA Mania and Bleacher Report. Talk with him on Twitter.

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UFC Betting Odds: GSP Opens as Small Favorite vs. Johny Hendricks

Everything has to line up just right for welterweight contender Johny Hendricks to get his UFC title shot, but at least the odds aren’t heavily against him.According to MMA betting aggregator BestFightOdds, Hendricks open the books as a +175 underdog a…

Everything has to line up just right for welterweight contender Johny Hendricks to get his UFC title shot, but at least the odds aren’t heavily against him.

According to MMA betting aggregator BestFightOdds, Hendricks open the books as a +175 underdog against Georges St-Pierre, who started the line as a -225 favorite.

That’s a far more generous spread than GSP’s past competitors have gotten, although it isn’t the closest line ever offered to one of his opponents.

For reference, here’s how Hendricks’ opening odds stack up against St-Pierre’s past competition, compared with GSP’s betting lines since his 2007 rematch with Matt Hughes:

• UFC 16?: Johny Hendricks +175 (-225)
• UFC 158: Nick Diaz +310 (-430)
• UFC 154: Carlos Condit +225 (-315)
• UFC 129: Jake Shields +350 (-550)
• UFC 124: Josh Koscheck +280 (-360)
• UFC 111: Dan Hardy +300 (-500)
• UFC 100: Thiago Alves +210 (-270)
• UFC 94: B.J. Penn +140 (-180)
• UFC 87: Jon Fitch +180 (-220)
• UFC 83: Matt Serra +350 (-430)
• UFC 79: Matt Hughes +165 (-205)

Looking at the data, betting books haven’t set an opening line for a GSP bout this close since the champion’s UFC 94 superfight with B.J. Penn.

To Hendricks’ credit, underdog status is rare for him—out of his 11 UFC bouts, he has been the favorite against everyone but Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck and Carlos Condit.

Hendricks’ line against St-Pierre hasn’t shifted yet, as online betting site “Sportsbook” is currently the sole betting source being quoted by BestFightsOdds.

Moreover, St-Pierre vs. Hendricks hasn’t even been confirmed yet, as MMA Fighting reports that GSP’s camp hopes for the champion to stay out of combat for six months to recover from an alleged Achilles injury that hindered him at UFC 158.

 

McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist and tech writer. His work has appeared in GamePro, Macworld, PC World, 1UP, NVision, The Los Angeles Times, FightFans Radio, MMA Mania and Bleacher Report. Talk with him on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC on Fuel 8: Alex Caceres and Riki Fukuda Fail Drug Tests, Fukuda Cut from UFC

Banned substances continue to plague the UFC, as bantamweight Alex Caceres and middleweight Riki Fukuda have reportedly failed their drug tests from UFC on Fuel 8.According to MMA Junkie, Fukuda has been released as a result of testing positive for sev…

Banned substances continue to plague the UFC, as bantamweight Alex Caceres and middleweight Riki Fukuda have reportedly failed their drug tests from UFC on Fuel 8.

According to MMA Junkie, Fukuda has been released as a result of testing positive for several “banned stimulants,” while Caceres will serve an extended suspension due to a positive test for marijuana metabolites:

Fukuda tested positive for banned stimulants (phenylpropanolamine, norpseudoephedrine and ephedrine), and Caceres was flagged for marijuana metabolites.

UFC on FUEL TV 8 took place March 3 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. With the lack of a regulating body in place, UFC officials oversaw the drug testing at FUEL TV-televised event.

Caceres had previously won a close bout with Kyung Ho Kang at UFC on Fuel 8, which marked his third-straight win at 135 pounds.

However, his positive drug test will see that win for “Bruce Leeroy” turned to a no-contest decision.

Fukuda isn’t nearly as lucky, though, as he previously posted news of his release from the UFC on his Twitter account, thanking the promotion and training partner Jon Fitch for his 2-3 stint in the promotion.

Through his five fights in the UFC, Fukuda had never put together a winning streak and lost his last fight to Brad Tavares via unanimous decision.

As MMA Junkie notes, this marks another string of positive drug tests for UFC fighters, as Caceres and Fukuda join Matt Riddle, Thiago Tavares, Rousimar Palhares, Thiago Silva, Stephan Bonnar, Jake Shields and Lavar Johnson on the list of prominent MMA athletes outed for banned substances.

Update: According to MMA Fighting, Riki Fukuda was apparently set to be cut from the UFC following his loss to Brad Tavares.

UFC director of regulatory affairs Marc Ratner tells MMA Fighting that Fukuda’s release was “more a coincidence” than anything else. He also commented on Alex Caceres’ penalty, noting that the young bantamweight will be required to attend rehabilitation classes with a final drug test to complete his suspension.

 

McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist and tech writer. His work has appeared in GamePro, Macworld, PC World, 1UP, NVision, The Los Angeles Times, FightFans Radio, MMA Mania and Bleacher Report. Talk with him on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC Champ Ronda Rousey to Appear on Next Episode of ‘The Ultimate Fighter 17’

Just a matter of months ahead of her own coaching stint on The Ultimate Fighter, Ronda Rousey will once again be featured on the show.As highlighted in the preview tag for Episode 10 of TUF 17, the UFC’s women’s bantamweight champion will make an appea…

Just a matter of months ahead of her own coaching stint on The Ultimate Fighter, Ronda Rousey will once again be featured on the show.

As highlighted in the preview tag for Episode 10 of TUF 17, the UFC’s women’s bantamweight champion will make an appearance as a special guest of Team Sonnen on Tuesday, March 26.

This actually marks the second time that Rousey has been shown on the TUF set during her MMA career, but unlike last time, she’ll enter the show’s spotlight as a full-fledged member of the UFC.

Her visit was set with an early Team Sonnen victory by Kelvin Gastelum, the youngest competitor in TUF history.

As an added incentive for defeating then-opponent Robert “Bubba” McDaniel in an early bracket face-off, Rousey called Gastelum on behalf of Chael Sonnen, wishing Gastelum luck and promising that she would come to Las Vegas to train with him if he won.

With Rousey’s blessing, Gastelum cruised to victory in dominant fashion.

Despite his youth and a massive experience gap in contrast to McDaniel, the match ended with a rear-naked choke submission finish from Gastelum, which also netted him a $5,000 bonus.

Rousey will have the chance to coach her own team of TUF competitors to victory later this year, as UFC president Dana White recently announced that Rousey would headline Season 18 against the winner of the upcoming Miesha Tate vs. Cat Zigano bout.

Both seasoned veterans of women’s MMA, Tate and Zigano’s match will mark the second-ever female fight in UFC history, taking a main card slot during the TUF 17 Finale card on April 13.

 

McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist and tech writer. His work has appeared in GamePro, Macworld, PC World, 1UP, NVision, The Los Angeles Times, FightFans Radio, MMA Mania and Bleacher Report. Talk with him on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

TUF 17 Results: Dana White, Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen Choose the Quarterfinals

After seven matches to whittle down the competition, we now have the full list of quarterfinals contenders for The Ultimate Fighter 17’s next bracket.Seven of the men listed here have registered at least two exhibition wins on the show, first qualifyin…

After seven matches to whittle down the competition, we now have the full list of quarterfinals contenders for The Ultimate Fighter 17‘s next bracket.

Seven of the men listed here have registered at least two exhibition wins on the show, first qualifying for the TUF house and then winning their next bout to move on to the next rung of the season.

Only the wild card pick serves as an exception, as “Bubba” McDaniel earned a second-chance bout after losing a team fight pick made by coach Jon Jones.

Without further ado, here’s the matchups for the rest of the season:

Quarterfinal 1

• Collin Hart (4-1-1)
• Kelvin Gastelum (5-0)

Quarterfinal 2

• Luke Barnatt (5-0)
• Dylan Andrews (16-4-1)

Quarterfinal 3

• Josh Samman (9-2)
• Jimmy Quinlan (3-0)

Quarterfinal 4

• Uriah Hall (7-2)
• “Bubba” McDaniel (20-6)**

Both Team Jones and Team Sonnen have each moved four members of their roster to the next round, with the highest seeded standouts being Uriah Hall (No. 2 Pick, Team Sonnen) and Josh Samman (No. 2 Pick, Team Jones).

As announced by the UFC and FX, Episode 10 and Episode 11 will feature two semifinals matches each, starting with Hart vs. Gastelum and Barnatt vs. Andrews, followed by Samman vs. Quinlan and Hall vs. McDaniel.

 

McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist and tech writer. His work has appeared in GamePro, Macworld, PC World, 1UP, NVision, The Los Angeles Times, FightFans Radio, MMA Mania and Bleacher Report. Talk with him on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

TUF 17, Episode 9 Recap: Kevin Casey vs. Bubba McDaniel Comes to a Shocking End

For once, The Ultimate Fighter 17 had some episode previews that told the story straight—the wild card match ended in a crazy finish.It wasn’t due to some fantastic finish from Team Sonnen’s Kevin Casey, and not by a KO victory from Team Jon…

For once, The Ultimate Fighter 17 had some episode previews that told the story straight—the wild card match ended in a crazy finish.

It wasn’t due to some fantastic finish from Team Sonnen’s Kevin Casey, and not by a KO victory from Team Jones’ Bubba McDaniel either—it ended in a kidney failure.

After two rounds of grappling and a huge momentum shift, it was none other than Casey who went down to injury, quitting right on his stool just before he was set to go into a “sudden victory” round against a suddenly-refreshed McDaniel.

UFC president Dana White, Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen couldn’t believe it, with Team Sonnen having to carry Casey out of the Octagon before he was put on a stretcher.

(Read the full episode play-by-play here.)

• Although the “grudge match” aspect of the fight was heavily downplayed, few of us could’ve predicted that McDaniel would be the one to play a part in sending Casey to the hospital. That portion of the season was actually spoiled for many eagle-eyed watchers fairly early in the season, but none of us knew the circumstances.

• That being said, the fight itself was a textbook case of one athlete over-exerting himself too early during the first round. Casey was the one dishing out most of the punishment, but his health issues came back to hurt him when McDaniel found his second wind and started to turn the tide in Round 2.

• With Bubba’s come-from-behind win, that makes the quarterfinals an even 4-on-4 split between Team Jones and Team Sonnen. Looks like the light-heavyweight champion did alright for himself.

• Many of the fighters had a clear idea about whom they wanted to face, but nothing was more interesting than the “Uriah Hall-Josh Samman-Colin Hart” triangle. Hall wanted to fight Samman next, but Samman and Hart both lobbied to have Uriah fight Hart first. That’s a bad look for Samman—or maybe it’s smart. Here’s how the quarterfinals wound up:

Episode 10 Matches:

Collin Hart (4-1-1) vs. Kelvin Gastelum (5-0)
Luke Barnatt (5-0) vs. Dylan Andrews (16-4-1)

Episode 11 Matches:

Josh Samman (9-2) vs. Jimmy Quinlan (3-0)
Uriah Hall (7-2) vs. “Bubba” McDaniel (20-6)**

• This is also the episode where Chael Sonnen and Jon Jones officially buried their beef during Thanksgiving Dinner. As much as this author hates to see the grudge go away, it was actually kind of touching to see him be so humble.

• Maybe the Jones/Sonnen feud doesn’t matter anymore. But why is Sonnen changing face?

• Poor Bubba McDaniel. At this point, he’s fought more rounds than everyone in the TUF house, and now he only gets a short break before having to fight the monster favorite of the show.

• It’s been a while since Barnatt knocked out Gilbert Smith, and he didn’t look like a No. 1 pick. But he will still have the benefit of the longest stretch between bouts and the most training time.

• Hey! Ronda Rousey’s going to be on the next episode! That should put some buts in seats. And judging by the timing of the taping, this actually takes place before her first title defense.

• Ruh-roh. If Uriah Hall put everyone he fought into the hospital, that means that Bubba McDaniel might be taking a ride in an ambulance in two short weeks. Yeesh. If that’s the case, then Kevin Casey might have gotten off way easier.

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