Author: Mike Chiari

CM Punk Tweets After Announcement of UFC 225 in Chicago

CM Punk tweeted Saturday after the UFC announced that UFC 225 will be held in Chicago on June 9.
With the following post, Punk suggested he might have interest in being part of the card:

Punk is a Chicago native who hasn’t competed since UFC 203 in Se…

CM Punk tweeted Saturday after the UFC announced that UFC 225 will be held in Chicago on June 9.

With the following post, Punk suggested he might have interest in being part of the card:

Punk is a Chicago native who hasn’t competed since UFC 203 in September 2016. He lost that bout to Mickey Gall by submission in the first round.

Since that defeat, the 39-year-old Punk’s UFC career has been in flux.

Shortly after Punk’s loss, UFC President Dana White said on UFC Tonight that he didn’t envision the former WWE Superstar having another fight in his promotion (h/t Tristen Critchfield of Sherdog.com): “Is CM Punk going to be a guy who is going to stay in the UFC and continue to fight? Probably not. But he wanted to try it. I like the guy. I respect the guy. He wanted to fight in the UFC. He wanted to do it. He trained for two years, and he did it.”

In January, however, White seemed to have a change of heart.

He told the Associated Press he was “working on” the second fight for Punk and added (h/t ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto), “I like that guy. He’s a good dude. He wants to give it another shot. I’m going to give it to him.”

UFC 225 will be the first UFC pay-per-view held in Chicago, and getting a hometown favorite like Punk on the card could help generate interest regardless of who else is set to fight.

Punk is still searching for success inside the Octagon, but as a five-time WWE world champion, he has big-time name recognition despite his limitations as a fighter.

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Anderson Silva Reportedly Tested Positive for Steroid, Diuretic in October

UFC star Anderson Silva reportedly tested positive for both a steroid and a diuretic in October. 
On Friday, MMA Fighting’s Marc Raimondi confirmed a report that was first publicized by Combate. Per Raimondi, Silva tested positive for methyltestos…

UFC star Anderson Silva reportedly tested positive for both a steroid and a diuretic in October. 

On Friday, MMA Fighting’s Marc Raimondi confirmed a report that was first publicized by Combate. Per Raimondi, Silva tested positive for methyltestosterone in addition to the diuretic.

Since methyltestosterone is an anabolic agent, it could yield a two-year suspension.

Silva tested positive for anabolic steroids following a UFC 183 tilt with Nick Diaz in 2015, which resulted in a one-year suspension. 

The 42-year-old veteran was supposed to headline UFC Fight Night with Kelvin Gastelum in November 2017, but Silva was pulled from the fight due to his most recent positive test.

According to Raimondi, Silva could be suspended for as many as four years if the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency considers his previous positive test.

The Brazilian star hasn’t fought since beating Derek Brunson at UFC 208 in February 2017. That win broke a string of five consecutive outings without a victory.

Silva is considered one of the greatest fighters in UFC history, as his 2,457-day run with the UFC Middleweight Championship still stands as the longest title reign in the history of the promotion.

Since Silva was already slipping in recent years, a suspension of any length could potentially spell the end of his illustrious career in the Octagon.

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Ronda Rousey Says She Won’t Be at WWE Royal Rumble 2018 Amid Rumors

Ronda Rousey squashed rumors Wednesday that she will be involved in the first ever women’s match at Sunday’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
Rousey shut down the speculation in an interview with TMZ Sports, saying, “I’m actually leaving to Colombia righ…

Ronda Rousey squashed rumors Wednesday that she will be involved in the first ever women’s match at Sunday’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

Rousey shut down the speculation in an interview with TMZ Sports, saying, “I’m actually leaving to Colombia right now to finish shooting Mile 22 and I won’t be back until mid-February.”

The former UFC Women’s Bantamweight champion added that she hasn’t signed any deal with WWE yet either.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Johny Payne of Sportskeeda) reported this week that Rousey was “likely” to win the Rumble match.

In December, Martin Rogers of USA Today reported that a deal between Rousey and WWE was “imminent.”

On Jan. 9, TMZ Sports captured video of Rousey and Triple H—WWE’s Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative—as they left the same restaurant after what was presumed to be a business meeting.

Rousey is a lifelong wrestling fan, and it has long been assumed she would do something with WWE following her UFC career.

After losing consecutive fights at UFC 193 and UFC 207, it is unknown if Rousey will step foot inside the Octagon again.

Even though her undefeated aura was erased, she remains a huge draw and a potential crossover superstar, which makes her an ideal target for WWE.

The combat sports world was buzzing when she made a surprise appearance at WrestleMania 31 three years ago by helping The Rock beat down Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.

WWE would receive even more publicity by signing Rousey to a deal that includes matches. While that may yet happen, Rousey’s busy acting schedule apparently won’t allow her to take part in one of the biggest matches in the history of women’s wrestling at the Royal Rumble.

 

 

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

 

 

 

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Chael Sonnen Beats Rampage Jackson Via Unanimous Decision at Bellator 192

Chael Sonnen defeated Quinton “Rampage” Jackson by unanimous decision in the Bellator 192 main event at The Forum in Inglewood, California, on Saturday night.
Sonnen scored a takedown in each round despite giving up 30 pounds to Jackson, and …

Chael Sonnen defeated Quinton “Rampage” Jackson by unanimous decision in the Bellator 192 main event at The Forum in Inglewood, California, on Saturday night.

Sonnen scored a takedown in each round despite giving up 30 pounds to Jackson, and all three judges scored the fight 29-28 in Sonnen’s favor.

The bout was a first-round match in the eight-man Heavyweight World Grand Prix to determine a new heavyweight champion. Sonnen moved on to the semifinals, where he will face the winner of the clash between Fedor Emelianenko and Frank Mir.

The 40-year-old Sonnen improved to 30-15-1. He is on a two-fight winning streak after beating Wanderlei Silva at Bellator 180 in June 2017.

Jackson, 39, fell to 37-13 and has lost consecutive fights following a Bellator 175 defeat at the hands of Muhammed Lawal in March 2017.

After losing to Rashad Evans at UFC 167 in 2013, Sonnen went more than three years before returning to action. He lost to Tito Ortiz in his promotional debut at Bellator 170 last year, but he now has plenty of momentum heading toward the semifinals with consecutive wins over name-brand fighters in Silva and Jackson.

After losing three consecutive UFC fights from 2011 to 2013, Jackson revitalized his career.

He was 5-1 in his previous six outings prior to Saturday’s loss, but it’s fair to question if he is slipping as he approaches the age of 40.

The former UFC light heavyweight champion has been a consistently active fighter for nearly two decades, and that could be taking a toll on him.

Although Jackson’s Bellator future is somewhat unclear, Sonnen can begin preparing for the next step in becoming heavyweight champion.

Emelianenko and Mir are set to fight in April, with the winner of that bout taking on Sonnen for the right to compete for the Bellator heavyweight title, which has been vacant since May 2016.

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Dana White Talks Odds of Brock Lesnar, Jon Jones, More Stars Fighting in 2018

UFC President Dana White spoke favorably Saturday regarding the odds of Brock Lesnar, Jon Jones and Georges St-Pierre fighting for UFC in 2018.
In an interview with TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter (h/t MMAjunkie), White was given the betting odds of whether Les…

UFC President Dana White spoke favorably Saturday regarding the odds of Brock Lesnar, Jon Jones and Georges St-Pierre fighting for UFC in 2018.

In an interview with TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter (h/t MMAjunkie), White was given the betting odds of whether Lesnar, Jones, St-Pierre, Ronda Rousey and either Nick or Nate Diaz will compete for UFC over the next year.

White took the “yes” on Lesnar, Jones, St-Pierre and the Diaz brothers, while taking the “no” on only Rousey.

     

This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.

     

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CM Punk Challenged by Amateur Fighter Willing to Bet Paycheck He’d Win by KO

On Wednesday, amateur fighter Matt Bilella Fitzpatrick challenged former WWE Superstar and current UFC fighter CM Punk to a bout with an added caveat.
In an interview with TMZ Sports, Fitzpatrick appealed to UFC President Dana White and expressed …

On Wednesday, amateur fighter Matt Bilella Fitzpatrick challenged former WWE Superstar and current UFC fighter CM Punk to a bout with an added caveat.

In an interview with TMZ Sports, Fitzpatrick appealed to UFC President Dana White and expressed confidence that he can stop Punk if given the opportunity: “Dana White, if you’re listening … I’ll put up my entire paycheck if I don’t knock him the f–k out.”

In Punk’s MMA debut at UFC 203 in September 2016, he lost decisively by submission to Mickey Gall.

 

This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.

 

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