Author: Nathan McCarter

Dana White: Rousey Will Return in 2016, Remains Highest-Paid UFC Athlete

UFC President Dana White appeared on Sports Illustrated’s SI Now program and stated right off the top that Ronda Rousey will “100 percent” fight in 2016.
Early speculation was that the former champion was going to return at UFC 200. I…

UFC President Dana White appeared on Sports Illustrated’s SI Now program and stated right off the top that Ronda Rousey will “100 percent” fight in 2016.

Early speculation was that the former champion was going to return at UFC 200. It seemed the logical returning point for Rousey as it should be one of the biggest cards in UFC history, but it will not happen. Yahoo Sports reported that she requested more time off from the cage

White reasserted the belief that a rematch with Holly Holm will be the “biggest fight in UFC history” during the appearance.

The UFC president also stressed that Rousey will remain the highest-paid UFC athlete upon her return regardless of losing the title. That is a strong statement with Conor McGregor’s comeuppance over the last year as a box-office draw. It shows how committed the UFC is to Rousey and the power of the mainstream attention she brings to the company.

While Rousey’s return was essentially guaranteed by White, he was asked if he was concerned if Rousey wouldn’t want to return to fighting. He responded that he would be “cool with that” outcome as well.

The crossover superstar has movie projects in the works and will host an upcoming episode of Saturday Night Live. The former champion is expanding her brand in her absence from the UFC.

White told SI Now in the interview that he believes the best reason for her to keep fighting is to avenge the loss. After how UFC 193 ended, she has a lot of work to put in to close the gap against the reigning champion.

Standing in the way of the possible rematch for the title is Miesha Tate. The No. 2-ranked bantamweight contender will challenge Holm for the crown in the co-main event of UFC 197. If Holm is upset she will still be the one who knocked out Rousey, and interest will remain high for the fight. Would the UFC still pull the trigger?

As Rousey takes time off, the division will move forward, and the rematch with Holm gets pushed further back on the UFC’s schedule. Here’s to hoping a revitalized and evolved Rousey shows up in her return to thrill the audience.

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USADA Informs Yoel Romero of Potential Out-of-Competition Anti-Doping Violation

Yoel Romero ended 2015 with a split decision win over Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza to set himself up for a possible middleweight title shot in 2016, but that may have just come to a screeching halt.
On Tuesday evening, the UFC issued a release st…

Yoel Romero ended 2015 with a split decision win over Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza to set himself up for a possible middleweight title shot in 2016, but that may have just come to a screeching halt.

On Tuesday evening, the UFC issued a release stating the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) notified Romero of a possible “Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collection.”

MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani reported USADA officials randomly tested Romero just days after UFC 194. He reportedly has two weeks to appeal the potential violation:

Steven Marrocco of MMA Junkie reports Romero was busted for a designer steroid:

Tim Kennedy, the No. 6-ranked middleweight contender and an extremely vocal anti-doping advocate, was not in the least bit surprised:

Romero is potentially the second member of American Top Team to be popped by USADA since the implementation of the program. Romero’s teammate, Gleison Tibau, also came up a with violation in December. Hector Lombard, another member of ATT, was already suspended for testing positive in early 2015 after UFC 182.

The potential infraction may make the UFC’s decision about an immediate rematch between middleweight champion Luke Rockhold and No. 1 challenger Chris Weidman much easier. Rockhold’s long-standing feud with Vitor Belfort also puts the Brazilian in play. In the wake of Romero’s controversial decision over Jacare and now a possible Anti-Doping Policy violation, it would be difficult for the UFC to move him into the title shot over either Weidman or Belfort.

If USADA confirms the violation, Romero may have just cost himself the only shot at UFC gold he will ever have.

Full details regarding the violation and its potential penalties have not yet been released. USADA handles the entire process, and the UFC will abide by its decision. Bleacher Report will keep you up-to-date with information as it becomes available.

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One More Fighter, This Time a Champion, Is Fined for Dress Code Violation

First it was Donald Cerrone. Then it was Nate Diaz. And now we have the third offender, and he is the champion of the 155-pound division.
Rafael dos Anjos was the third fighter fined at UFC on Fox 17 for violating the UFC’s Athlete Outfitting Policy,&n…

First it was Donald Cerrone. Then it was Nate Diaz. And now we have the third offender, and he is the champion of the 155-pound division.

Rafael dos Anjos was the third fighter fined at UFC on Fox 17 for violating the UFC’s Athlete Outfitting Policy, sources told MMAFighting.com. The sum of the fine was said to be “significant.”

Cerrone was featured on The MMA Hour on Monday and said his fine was “quite a bit more” than $5,000, and that he could purchase a new car for the amount he was dinged. It would be logical to assume the champion got fined an equal or greater amount than the challenger.

Champions make $40,000 per defense under the guidelines of the deal.

When did Dos Anjos stray from the Athlete Outfitting Policy?

He was wearing his championship kit on Saturday, but on Friday at the weigh-in, he sported an Evolve MMA t-shirt before tipping the scale. Dos Anjos has been with Evolve MMA since it opened in 2009 and is listed as one of its primary instructors. The champion does most of his training at Kings MMA with Rafael Cordeiro.

Other than the three lightweights who had fines levied against them, 12 others will be receiving warning letters from the UFC, according to MMAjunkie’s John Morgan.

There is still a question of where the money from the fines goes. The NFL donates all money from fines to charitable programs for former players, but no one quite knows about the UFC’s practices.

Now we know all three fined individuals from UFC on Fox 17. Perhaps the lightweights need a crash course to remind them of the rules of the deal. We shall see how strong of a deterrent these fines are for the rest of the roster as we still get used to the Reebok deal moving into 2016.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

One More Fighter, This Time a Champion, Is Fined for Dress Code Violation

First it was Donald Cerrone. Then it was Nate Diaz. And now we have the third offender, and he is the champion of the 155-pound division.
Rafael dos Anjos was the third fighter fined at UFC on Fox 17 for violating the UFC’s Athlete Outfitting Policy,&n…

First it was Donald Cerrone. Then it was Nate Diaz. And now we have the third offender, and he is the champion of the 155-pound division.

Rafael dos Anjos was the third fighter fined at UFC on Fox 17 for violating the UFC’s Athlete Outfitting Policy, sources told MMAFighting.com. The sum of the fine was said to be “significant.”

Cerrone was featured on The MMA Hour on Monday and said his fine was “quite a bit more” than $5,000, and that he could purchase a new car for the amount he was dinged. It would be logical to assume the champion got fined an equal or greater amount than the challenger.

Champions make $40,000 per defense under the guidelines of the deal.

When did Dos Anjos stray from the Athlete Outfitting Policy?

He was wearing his championship kit on Saturday, but on Friday at the weigh-in, he sported an Evolve MMA t-shirt before tipping the scale. Dos Anjos has been with Evolve MMA since it opened in 2009 and is listed as one of its primary instructors. The champion does most of his training at Kings MMA with Rafael Cordeiro.

Other than the three lightweights who had fines levied against them, 12 others will be receiving warning letters from the UFC, according to MMAjunkie’s John Morgan.

There is still a question of where the money from the fines goes. The NFL donates all money from fines to charitable programs for former players, but no one quite knows about the UFC’s practices.

Now we know all three fined individuals from UFC on Fox 17. Perhaps the lightweights need a crash course to remind them of the rules of the deal. We shall see how strong of a deterrent these fines are for the rest of the roster as we still get used to the Reebok deal moving into 2016.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Holly Holm’s Head Coach Hopes Ronda Rousey Has the Guts for Rematch at UFC 200

The possible Holly Holm vs. Ronda Rousey rematch at UFC 200 is still very much in play. And the champ’s coach, Mike Winkeljohn, hopes Rousey has the guts to step up for the rematch.
In an interview with Submission Radio, as transcribed by MMA Mania, Wi…

The possible Holly Holm vs. Ronda Rousey rematch at UFC 200 is still very much in play. And the champ’s coach, Mike Winkeljohn, hopes Rousey has the guts to step up for the rematch.

In an interview with Submission Radio, as transcribed by MMA Mania, Winkeljohn stated bluntly, “Let’s have her fight, go fight whoever they give us. Show the world that it’s not one-and-done with Holly Holm, that she can destroy the next person. And then, if Ronda has the guts to do it again, let’s do it again for some big money.”

Early signs pointed to an early rematch between the two top-ranked bantamweights, including but not limited to UFC President Dana White suggesting he and Chief Executive Officer Lorenzo Fertitta should have their promoter’s license revoked if they were to not sign an immediate rematch.

The champion had other ideas as she did not want to sit and wait for Rousey to finish up her many entertainment projects before a redo. And Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter broke the news that she will not wait. Instead, Holm will face No. 2-ranked contender Miesha Tate at UFC 197 on March 5.

None of that removes Rousey from getting an immediate title shot upon her return, and should Holm be successful in her title defense, UFC 200 would seem like the logical choice to run that title tilt back.

Rousey is a mainstream success, and her star continues to ascend outside of the Octagon. Rousey recently booked a hosting gig on Saturday Night Live to add to her already-busy schedule. That level of outside interest, along with Holm’s stunning knockout upset, only makes the rematch that much more enticing.

Does Rousey have “the guts”? Of course, the former Olympian does. As long as Holm retains the belt and comes out of UFC 197 unscathed, you should pencil in this blockbuster for the UFC’s biggest show of 2016.

UFC 200 is scheduled to take place on July 2 at the brand-new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Nate Diaz Fined for Not Wearing Reebok, ‘U Should’ve Just Kept the Whole Check’

The UFC-Reebok deal is still taking body blows from the fighters affected by its implementation.
MMAJunkie first reported that three fighters were fined following UFC on Fox 17 in Orlando, Florida, for violating the UFC’s Athlete Outfitting Policy. Tho…

The UFC-Reebok deal is still taking body blows from the fighters affected by its implementation.

MMAJunkie first reported that three fighters were fined following UFC on Fox 17 in Orlando, Florida, for violating the UFC’s Athlete Outfitting Policy. Those fined were kept confidential by the UFC, but the fighters themselves have not been as mum on the subject.

UFC lightweight title contender Donald Cerrone was the first to come forward on social media to admit he was one of the three who were fined. Cerrone confirmed it to one of his followers and then told another that the fine amount was not small.

The second of three athletes came forward on Sunday evening. The ever-vocal Nate Diaz had some choice words about his fine.

(Warning: tweet contains NSFW language)

In the tweet, Diaz stated that the jeans he was wearing were Reebok-branded. MMAJunkie reported that Diaz and his camp sported the brand Represent throughout fight week, including a Represent-branded bottle at the post-fight press conference. Represent is a Diaz-owned clothing brand.

Diaz defeated Michael Johnson by unanimous decision in his UFC return and picked up a Fight of the Night bonus check for the 15-minute bout.

Following the action, Diaz had his post-fight remarks largely censored by Fox as he went on an expletive-filled tirade targeted toward Conor McGregor. Diaz moved up to No. 7 in the lightweight rankings, one spot behind Johnson, following the event.

The precise amount of the fines is still unknown, and the third and final fighter who was fined at UFC on Fox 17 has not made him or herself public.

There is rarely a dull moment with the outspoken Diaz, and he made his thoughts about Reebok and the deal very well known. The fallout of this apparel deal is still very much ongoing as fighters continue to be unhappy.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com