Yet at a press conference for UFC on FX 8, Belfort gave the reporters on hand a straightforward answer about his usage, claiming not only that he tests himself regularly to ensure that his levels stay within the acceptable range, but also that the UFC has always known about his usage. Via Tatame:
“The UFC always knew that I use, do not do it to cheat. I have medical monitoring and UFC also accompanies it. Never broken through anything, always acted cleanly. Do blood tests every week to equal the testosterone levels of a person my age. Many people are averse to treatment. I am not. I am in favor of people being open and fair in what they are doing.”
Yet at a press conference for UFC on FX 8, Belfort gave the reporters on hand a straightforward answer about his usage, claiming not only that he tests himself regularly to ensure that his levels stay within the acceptable range, but also that the UFC has always known about his usage. Via Tatame:
“The UFC always knew that I use, do not do it to cheat. I have medical monitoring and UFC also accompanies it. Never broken through anything, always acted cleanly. Do blood tests every week to equal the testosterone levels of a person my age. Many people are averse to treatment. I am not. I am in favor of people being open and fair in what they are doing.”
Interesting if true. Of course, this statement raises more questions than it answers, but considering how dodgy Belfort has been about even acknowledging testosterone replacement therapy in the past, let’s take pride in the little victories and move forward.
Perhaps just as interesting as Belfort’s comments are the comments made by his UFC on FX 8 opponent, Luke Rockhold:
“I do not use and I see no problems, provided it is within the rules. TRT is part of the sport and now I just want to make sure that the fighters are being tested and are at normal levels. “
So a healthy twenty-eight year old athlete isn’t using testosterone replacement therapy, and we’re supposed to feel…good I guess? In a strange way, yes. As Rockhold pointed out – and as further demonstrated by TRT usage from people who blatantly don’t need TRT – the treatment is as much a part of our sport now as sprawl training. Despite the fact that there’s no reason for Rockhold to need TRT, it is still pretty gutsy of him to compete without it. And to think, some people still stereotype the MMA community as steroid abusing lunatics.
UFC on FX 8 goes down on May 18 from the Arena Jaragua in Jaragua do Sul, Brazil.
UFC veterans Damacio Page and Kamal Shalorus both had fairly similar runs in the Octagon. After showing promise in the WEC, both men were disappointing at best once called up to the sport’s biggest stage. Both men went 0-3 in the UFC before receiving their walking papers during the summer of 2012. Now, they’ve both recently booked their first fights in their post-UFC careers, and neither man has an easy rebound fight lined up.
When we last saw Damacio Page, he was being choked out by Alex Caceres during UFC on Fuel TV 4, marking his fourth straight loss. “The Angel of Death” was released from his contract shortly afterwards, and now, the former UFC bantamweight has decided to sign with Legacy FC. He will make his promotional debut against 4-0 prospect Patrick Ybarra at Legacy FC 20 on May 31.
Before you start screaming “squash match,” know that Ybarra has finished all four of his professional fights by armbar, and that none of those fights made it out of the first round. Combined with the fact that seven of Page’s eight losses have come by submission, Ybarra probably has a better chance at pulling off the upset than you think.
UFC veterans Damacio Page and Kamal Shalorus both had fairly similar runs in the Octagon. After showing promise in the WEC, both men were disappointing at best once called up to the sport’s biggest stage. Both men went 0-3 in the UFC before receiving their walking papers during the summer of 2012. Now, they’ve both recently booked their first fights in their post-UFC careers, and neither man has an easy rebound fight lined up.
When we last saw Damacio Page, he was being choked out by Alex Caceres during UFC on Fuel TV 4, marking his fourth straight loss. “The Angel of Death” was released from his contract shortly afterwards, and now, the former UFC bantamweight has decided to sign with Legacy FC. He will make his promotional debut against 4-0 prospect Patrick Ybarra at Legacy FC 20 on May 31.
Before you start screaming “squash match,” know that Ybarra has finished all four of his professional fights by armbar, and that none of those fights made it out of the first round. Combined with the fact that seven of Page’s eight losses have come by submission, Ybarra probably has a better chance at pulling off the upset than you think.
Likewise, when we last saw Kamal Shalorus, he was getting choked out by Rafael dos Anjos in the first round of their fight at UFC on Fuel TV 3. “The Prince of Persia” has recently signed on with ONE FC, and will be facing Eduard Folayang during his promotional debut at ONE FC 9 – which coincidentally also takes place on May 31. Even though both fighters are coming off of losses, this should be a very interesting match-up. Folayang is a very entertaining striker, and one of the top fighters that ONE FC has to offer.
So what do you think? Which fighter has the better chance of ending their losing streak this May?
The UFC has announced an official date for its long-awaited return to Boston. Earlier today, UFC president Dana White took to his Twitter account to release the following statement:
For those uninitiated, Speed TV is set to be relaunched as Fox Sports 1 on August 17. Fox Sports 1 will be available in 90 million homes, and will not only feature its own daily news programs, but also live college football and basketball, soccer, NASCAR and UFC events, with plans of hosting Major League Baseball games starting in 2014. The network also plans to relaunch Fuel TV as Fox Sports 2 on the same day.
The UFC has announced an official date for its long-awaited return to Boston. Earlier today, UFC president Dana White took to his Twitter account to release the following statement:
For those uninitiated, Speed TV is set to be relaunched as Fox Sports 1 on August 17. Fox Sports 1 will be available in 90 million homes, and will not only feature its own daily news programs, but also live college football and basketball, soccer, NASCAR and UFC events, with plans of hosting Major League Baseball games starting in 2014. The network also plans to relaunch Fuel TV as Fox Sports 2 on the same day.
The UFC has only been to Boston one other time: UFC 118 on August 28, 2010. Headlined by a rematch between then-lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and BJ Penn, the main card also featured the American freakshow classic Randy Couture vs. James Toney, as well as Nate Diaz vs. Marcus Davis. Also noteworthy, the last time that the UFC was in Boston, the city hosted the only fan expo that matters.
Currently, there haven’t been any bouts announced for the debut of Fox Sports 1. We’ll keep you up-to-date as the card begins to fill out.
With all of the controversy surrounding the career of transgender MMA fighter Fallon Fox, it should come as little surprise that reporters have been asking athletes — regardless of their sexes — for their take on whether or not she should be allowed to fight. The latest fighter to voice his opinion on the controversial competitor is none other than UFC Heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, who isn’t as open to the idea of allowing Fox to fight against other women as some of us are.
Like many people, Velasquez believes that Fox holds an unfair advantage over her competition, and should only be allowed to fight other transgender athletes. Via MMAFighting:
“I don’t think she should be able to fight women,” Velasquez flatly responded when asked about Fox at a recent media luncheon.
“Having the same bone structure and everything else as a man, I think definitely does give her an advantage.”
“Maybe have a separate [division], I guess,” the UFC heavyweight champion finished. “I don’t know. But I don’t think that’s fair.”
Even though the champion’s comments don’t exactly bring any new ideas to the discussion, they’re interesting due to their timing. Over the course of the past week, Fox has seen one opponent withdraw from an upcoming CFA featherweight tournament bout against her, and her proposed replacement opponent holding off on signing the bout agreement. Her initial semifinal adversary — a 6’1” female named Peggy “The Daywalker” Morgan — has made it very clear that she backed out under the belief that she is at an unfair disadvantage. After discussing her decision on Inside MMA, she has since released a follow-up statement through Relentless Sports Marketing, which includes the following passage:
With all of the controversy surrounding the career of transgender MMA fighter Fallon Fox, it should come as little surprise that reporters have been asking athletes — regardless of their sexes — for their take on whether or not she should be allowed to fight. The latest fighter to voice his opinion on the controversial competitor is none other than UFC Heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, who isn’t as open to the idea of allowing Fox to fight against other women as some of us are.
Like many people, Velasquez believes that Fox holds an unfair advantage over her competition, and should only be allowed to fight other transgender athletes. Via MMAFighting:
“I don’t think she should be able to fight women,” Velasquez flatly responded when asked about Fox at a recent media luncheon.
“Having the same bone structure and everything else as a man, I think definitely does give her an advantage.”
“Maybe have a separate [division], I guess,” the UFC heavyweight champion finished. “I don’t know. But I don’t think that’s fair.”
Even though the champion’s comments don’t exactly bring any new ideas to the discussion, they’re interesting due to their timing. Over the course of the past week, Fox has seen one opponent withdraw from an upcoming CFA featherweight tournament bout against her, and her proposed replacement opponent holding off on signing the bout agreement. Her initial semifinal adversary — a 6’1” female named Peggy “The Daywalker” Morgan — has made it very clear that she backed out under the belief that she is at an unfair disadvantage. After discussing her decision on Inside MMA, she has since released a follow-up statement through Relentless Sports Marketing, which includes the following passage:
[Fallon Fox] claims that any woman who refuses to fight her is really just scared. This is absolutely delusional.Before the news of Fallon’s sexual reassignment broke, I remember watching her warm up for her March 2nd fight and wondering how she’d finished all her opponents so quickly. I mean, she looked okay, but she definitely didn’t display the sort of technical mastery she claims to possess.
Ultimately, I do not think there is sufficient hard evidence to show that Fallon does not have physical advantages over the women she has fought. I understand why people are advocating for Fallon and I appreciate that it is important to protect her rights, but I think it should be just as important to protect the safety of the other women in the tournament. Until I am presented with conclusive evidence that a fight with Fallon would, in fact, be fair, I will not be entering the cage with her.
Meet Clark Gracie. The decorated BJJ blackbelt is the son of Carley Gracie, the master of the Clarkoplata (Crucifix Omoplata hybrid), and the owner of The Clark Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy in La Jolla, CA. He also happens to be a ridiculously photogenic guy, capable of making a blackbelt grappling match look like an Esquire Magazine photo-shoot. Even though this image has been around for a while now, the jokesters over at quickmeme have finally taken notice and created “Ridiculously Photogenic Jiu-Jitsu Guy” in his honor. We’ve compiled some of the best ones after the jump.
Meet Clark Gracie. The decorated BJJ blackbelt is the son of Carley Gracie, the master of the Clarkoplata (Crucifix Omoplata hybrid), and the owner of The Clark Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy in La Jolla, CA. He also happens to be a ridiculously photogenic guy, capable of making a blackbelt grappling match look like an Esquire Magazine photo-shoot. Even though this image has been around for a while now, the jokesters over at quickmeme have finally taken notice and created “Ridiculously Photogenic Jiu-Jitsu Guy” in his honor. We’ve compiled some of the best ones after the jump.
Overall, a decent start. Some of these are pretty good, some of these are so-so, and, like most memes, most of the others are extremely repetitive knock-offs. Surely, you guys can do better, right? Prove it in the comments section.
Perhaps the third time will be the charm for Nick Diaz.
Following his unanimous decision loss to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 158, Diaz’s camp first accused Georges St. Pierre’s handwraps of being shady in an effort to demonstrate that Nick Diaz was the victim of a massive conspiracy. That didn’t work, so then a video of the “Canadian loophole” was leaked to prove that the champion was allowed to weigh 0.9 pounds over the 170-pound weight limit. Of course, it turns out that Quebec’s athletic commission has consistently allowed this since UFC 83 in 2008, so that option isn’t nearly as scandalous as it once appeared. Now today, Diaz’s camp accused Quebec’s athletic commission of failing to properly supervise St. Pierre during his post-fight drug test.
But that’s not all. In an email sent to MMAFighting.com, Diaz camp representative Jonathan Tweedale explained that they intend to file a formal complaint regarding the events that took place before and after UFC 158. In this email, not only does Tweedale make it clear that Diaz and company were not impressed by the Quebec commission’s performance, but he goes as far as to write that Nick Diaz deserves a rematch against GSP. Via MMA Fighting:
“The Quebec Commission’s statement is a disappointing admission that the March 16 event was not conducted under the rules applicable to a UFC title fight – or under the rules the fighters contractually agreed to, upon which rules Mr. Diaz was entitled to rely under his bout agreement,” stated Jonathan Tweedale, a Diaz camp representative.
Perhaps the third time will be the charm for Nick Diaz.
Following his unanimous decision loss to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 158, Diaz’s camp first accused Georges St. Pierre’s handwraps of being shady in an effort to demonstrate that Nick Diaz was the victim of a massive conspiracy. That didn’t work, so then a video of the ”Canadian loophole” was leaked to prove that the champion was allowed to weigh 0.9 pounds over the 170-pound weight limit. Of course, it turns out that Quebec’s athletic commission has consistently allowed this since UFC 83 in 2008, so that option isn’t nearly as scandalous as it once appeared. Now today, Diaz’s camp accused Quebec’s athletic commission of failing to properly supervise St. Pierre during his post-fight drug test.
But that’s not all. In an email sent to MMAFighting.com, Diaz camp representative Jonathan Tweedale explained that they intend to file a formal complaint regarding the events that took place before and after UFC 158. In this email, not only does Tweedale make it clear that Diaz and company were not impressed by the Quebec commission’s performance, but he goes as far as to write that Nick Diaz deserves a rematch against GSP. Via MMA Fighting:
“The Quebec Commission’s statement is a disappointing admission that the March 16 event was not conducted under the rules applicable to a UFC title fight – or under the rules the fighters contractually agreed to, upon which rules Mr. Diaz was entitled to rely under his bout agreement,” stated Jonathan Tweedale, a Diaz camp representative.
Later in a lengthy statement, the Diaz camp claimed it will file an official complaint regarding the administration of St-Pierre’s drug test.
“Further serious irregularities including, inter alia, the Quebec Commission’s failure to supervise fighters’ provision of samples in connection with testing for Prohibited Substances and Prohibited Methods (under sections 71.1 to 71.6 of the Regulation), will be set out in an official complaint that will be filed imminently,” the Diaz camp stated.
I hate to be “that guy,” but if Diaz’s camp truly believes that the UFC wanted Nick Diaz to lose and that Quebec’s athletic commission is corrupt, then exactly what will filing a complaint accomplish? Eh, never mind. Let’s continue.
“Section 168 of the Regulation respecting combat sports provides that the maximum weight that a fighter must achieve at the official weigh-in shall be determined in advance by contract – and if the fighter does not make the contracted weight – in this case 170 pounds – then 20% of his purse or “the contestant’s remuneration” will be deducted and paid to his opponent (subsections (7) and (8)). The contracted weight for this fight was 170 pounds. 170.9 is not 170, anywhere in the world, for a title fight. There is no question what “170 pounds” means, in the bout agreement, as a matter of contractual interpretation.
“The Quebec Commission deliberately relaxed the rule in this case and, by its own admission, allowed their home-town fighter to ‘make weight’ even if he weighed more than the contracted weight.”
“In the circumstances, Mr. St-Pierre remains legally and ethically obligated to fight Mr. Diaz at 170 pounds or else vacate the belt in favor of those prepared to fight at welterweight.”
It’s interesting that Nick Diaz is handling this loss like he’s the new BJ Penn, especially considering the way that his camp reacted to BJ Penn’s allegations that Nick Diaz cheated during their encounter at UFC 137. Is Diaz caught in the middle of a massive conspiracy involving a corrupt organization, a shady athletic commission and an evil welterweight kingpin? Perhaps. Or maybe Nick Diaz simply lost a fight against the most dominant welterweight on the planet today. What do you think about this, Potato Nation?
