Author: Mike Chiari

Chuck Liddell Comments on Ronda Rousey’s Mentality Ahead of UFC 207

Ronda Rousey will make her long-awaited return to the Octagon against Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 on Dec. 30, but former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell has questioned her mentality and choice of opponent. 
As seen in the following video,…

Ronda Rousey will make her long-awaited return to the Octagon against Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 on Dec. 30, but former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell has questioned her mentality and choice of opponent. 

As seen in the following video, courtesy of TMZ Sports, The Iceman is unsure if Rousey’s state of mind is where it needs to be in order to return to her dominant ways:

Rowdy hasn’t competed since she was knocked out by Holly Holm at UFC 193 in November 2015 for her first career loss. In addition to taking a lengthy hiatus, she admitted to Ellen DeGeneres (via Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com) in February she contemplated suicide after the defeat.

Liddell compared Rousey’s situation to that of Jose Aldo, who was quick to look for redemption after his loss to Conor McGregor, per TMZ Sports (h/t Milan Ordonez of Bloody Elbow): “A guy like Aldo gets knocked out, he wanted to fight that day. He wanted a shot at (McGregor) that day. That’s a fighter. That’s a guy that’s got it together up here (mentally). ‘I made a mistake, I know what I did, I want to win now.’ She folded. I don’t know what happened.”

In facing Nunes, Rousey will be going right after the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship that she dropped to Holm.

Liddell believes that may be a major mistake due to the stiff challenge that Nunes presents: “It’s hard for her at her stature to come back at a smaller fight. But (as a coach), I would’ve gotten her a warm-up fight, just to get mentally back in the game. (Nunes) is a tough, tough opponent. If you want to come back, that’s the one to come back and show you’re back.”

In a November interview with DeGeneres (via Michael Blaustein of the New York Post), Rousey revealed the Nunes bout is likely to be “one of” her “last fights” in the UFC, which may play into her sense of urgency to go after the championship.

Rousey was once viewed as a mythical, unstoppable force, but much of that aura was eliminated with the loss to Holm.

Her comments and actions in the aftermath has led many to question if the confidence she once had will ever return, but a return to form against Nunes would go a long way toward proving that the Holm fight was a speed bump rather than the new norm.

       

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Brock Lesnar Suspended 1 Year, Fined for Failed Drug Tests Around UFC 200

Brock Lesnar has been suspended for one year and fined $250,000 for a pair of failed drug tests that were revealed after UFC 200. 
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was the first to report the official punishment Thursday.
Lesnar returned to the Octagon for th…

Brock Lesnar has been suspended for one year and fined $250,000 for a pair of failed drug tests that were revealed after UFC 200. 

ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was the first to report the official punishment Thursday.

Lesnar returned to the Octagon for the first time in nearly five years at UFC 200 and scored a unanimous-decision victory over Mark Hunt to boost his career record to 6-3, but the win was changed to a no-contest Thursday, per Okamoto.

According to Shaun Al-Shatti of MMAFighting.com, the 39-year-old tested positive for the banned substance hydroxy-clomiphene, which resulted in a temporary suspension by the Nevada Athletic Commission.

Lesnar was still under contract with WWE at the time of the fight, and he has since competed in matches against Randy Orton at SummerSlam and against Bill Goldberg in November at Survivor Series.

The Beast Incarnate is one of two Superstars, along with Goldberg, who have been announced for participation in January’s Royal Rumble match.

While Lesnar’s UFC future is unclear, he will be eligible to compete in the summer of 2017 should he and the promotion reach an agreement.

       

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

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Brock Lesnar Suspended 1 Year, Fined for Failed Drug Tests Around UFC 200

Brock Lesnar has been suspended for one year and fined $250,000 for a pair of failed drug tests that were revealed after UFC 200. 
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was the first to report the official punishment Thursday.
Lesnar returned to the Octagon for th…

Brock Lesnar has been suspended for one year and fined $250,000 for a pair of failed drug tests that were revealed after UFC 200. 

ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was the first to report the official punishment Thursday.

Lesnar returned to the Octagon for the first time in nearly five years at UFC 200 and scored a unanimous-decision victory over Mark Hunt to boost his career record to 6-3, but the win was changed to a no-contest Thursday, per Okamoto.

According to Shaun Al-Shatti of MMAFighting.com, the 39-year-old tested positive for the banned substance hydroxy-clomiphene, which resulted in a temporary suspension by the Nevada Athletic Commission.

Lesnar was still under contract with WWE at the time of the fight, and he has since competed in matches against Randy Orton at SummerSlam and against Bill Goldberg in November at Survivor Series.

The Beast Incarnate is one of two Superstars, along with Goldberg, who have been announced for participation in January’s Royal Rumble match.

While Lesnar’s UFC future is unclear, he will be eligible to compete in the summer of 2017 should he and the promotion reach an agreement.

       

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Daniel Cormier Injury: Updates on UFC Star’s Knee and Return

Daniel Cormier is out of UFC 206’s main event due to injury, and the timeline for his return is unclear.
Continue for updates.
Latest on Cormier’s Fighting Status
Friday, Nov. 25
According to Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com, Cormier will be unable to …

Daniel Cormier is out of UFC 206’s main event due to injury, and the timeline for his return is unclear.

Continue for updates.

Latest on Cormier’s Fighting Status

Friday, Nov. 25

According to Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com, Cormier will be unable to defend his UFC light heavyweight championship against Anthony Johnson on Dec. 10. Johnson is expected to remain on the card, but it isn’t yet known who will replace Cormier.

During the lead-up to their previously scheduled fight, it was revealed in October that Cormier was dealing with a knee ailment on Toronto morning show Breakfast Television (h/t Stephen Douglas of The Big Lead).

Cormier defeated Johnson by submission last year to win the UFC light heavyweight belt vacated by Jon Jones.

Since then, he has beaten Alexander Gustafsson and Anderson Silva. Johnson is on a three-fight winning streak since the loss to Cormier and has established himself as the top contender.

Johnson may stay in the main event slot depending upon Cormier’s replacement, although the featherweight bout between Anthony Pettis and Max Holloway could move into that spot.

UFC 206 will be contested at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

      

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Kelvin Gastelum Won’t Fight Donald Cerrone at UFC 205 After Not Making Weight

The scheduled UFC 205 welterweight bout between Kelvin Gastelum and Donald Cerrone will not take place Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York, as it was revealed that Gastelum failed to make weight Friday.
Gastelum announced the news on Twitter:…

The scheduled UFC 205 welterweight bout between Kelvin Gastelum and Donald Cerrone will not take place Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York, as it was revealed that Gastelum failed to make weight Friday.

Gastelum announced the news on Twitter:

UFC has yet to announce if a replacement opponent will be brought in on short notice to take on Cerrone at the first UFC event to be held in the state of New York since 1995.

Gastelum further commented on the situation on Twitter and vowed to prevent similar missteps in the future: “I’m sorry to my team, my friends and the people that genuinely care for me. Extremely disappointed. I will have to reevaluate things in my life. No one is perfect. We all have bad days, but I promise it will not happen again. I will come back stronger like I have before. Until next time.”

The 25-year-old native of San Jose, California, is 12-2 in his professional career, and he was coming off his biggest win yet, as he defeated Johny Hendricks by unanimous decision at UFC 200.

Making weight has been an issue for Gastelum during his young career, as he failed to do so against both Nico Musoke and Tyron Woodley, although both of those bouts still took place at catchweight.

The 33-year-old Cowboy Cerrone is among UFC’s most entertaining fighters with a 31-7 record, including 16 victories by way of submission.

His presence on the undercard was a big reason why UFC 205 was being hailed by many pundits as one of the most stacked cards in the promotion’s history.

If Cerrone is out of the picture for UFC 205, there will be even more pressure on Conor McGregor and Eddie Alvarez to deliver in the main event for the UFC Lightweight Championship.

 

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.  

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Bobby Lashley Comments on Potential MMA Fight vs. Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley are currently the two biggest crossover stars in the realm of professional wrestling and MMA, and Lashley is of the belief that a clash with The Beast Incarnate in the cage could be big business for both men. 
In an …

Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley are currently the two biggest crossover stars in the realm of professional wrestling and MMA, and Lashley is of the belief that a clash with The Beast Incarnate in the cage could be big business for both men. 

In an interview with TMZ Sports published Tuesday, Lashley commented extensively on a potential fight with Lesnar and the type of interest it could generate:

“I think it would be really interesting. … I think there’s so much money in that,” Lashley said.

In addition to how lucrative the fight could be, Lashley sees it being a highly entertaining one should it ever come to fruition:

I think it would actually turn into almost a slugfest because I know that Brock isn’t going to get taken down by easy takedowns. … If neither one of us are taken down, then we need to rely on the striking. So, I think it might be a slugfest, which would be really interesting. I think it’d be a fun fight to have.

Lashley also expressed confidence that his hand would be raised at the conclusion of a fight with the Beast.

The 40-year-old Lashley is 15-2 in his MMA career, and he has won eight consecutive fights, including a victory over Josh Appelt at Bellator 162 on Oct. 21.

The Destroyer is quickly rising up the ranks in the Bellator heavyweight division, and the former TNA world heavyweight champion could be in line for a title shot soon.

Lesnar’s MMA situation is a bit more unclear. He returned to the sport at UFC 200 after nearly five years away and beat Mark Hunt by unanimous decision in a dominant showing.

The 39-year-old is under temporary suspension for failing two drug tests prior to UFC 200, and a hearing to determine his official status is pending.

Lesnar has a career record of just 6-3, but he is a former UFC world heavyweight champion, and a battle with diverticulitis impacted his first tenure with the UFC.

He is currently healthy and under contract with WWE, while Lashley is under contract with both TNA and Bellator.

A potential wrestling match between them could be huge if WWE were to pursue Lashley at the conclusion of his TNA deal, but an MMA fight could be even bigger due to the reality aspect.

Both Lesnar and Lashley are physical specimens who excelled as amateur wrestlers and have gone on to become superstar athletes across multiple sports.

Plenty would have to be worked out from Lesnar’s suspension to which company would promote the fight in order for it to happen, but Lesnar versus Lashley is a clash that would almost certainly mean huge business for the MMA world.

    

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Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

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