Joanna Jedrzejczyk’s reign atop the strawweight division has been bloody, to say the least. The Polish striking phenom made former foes Carla Esparza and Jessica Penne look like victims ripped straight out of a horror flick, battering their faces with a dizzying array of precision strikes. But Jedrzejczyk’s next challenger, Canadian veteran Valerie Letourneau, isn’t afraid of the challenge that awaits on Nov. 15 at UFC 193.
“I’m not impressed,” Letourneau said Tuesday on The MMA Hour. “I like [Jedrzejczyk’s] style, I like her as a fighter. Like I said in other interviews, I was looking at her more as a fan. If my memory is good, I think even when she fought (in the UFC) at first, I wasn’t fighting at 115. I was not even looking at her like a future opponent.
“So, I’m not impressed because I fought such tough girls in my career. I’m never going to go in there scared or anything. I’m just doing my best, and I prepare myself the best that I can for my opponent. I have an awesome coach, I have every tool here, and I know I’m capable of doing anything.”
Letourneau isn’t the challenger many expected to face Jedrzejczyk next. That honor goes Claudia Gadelha, the No. 1 ranked contender who was promised a shot at the belt after dispatching Jessica Aguilar at UFC 190. But a lingering hand injury to Gadelha and the UFC’s desire to pair Jedrzejczyk alongside Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 necessitated a search for a new opponent, and Letourneau fit the bill.
It’s an unexpected turn of events for the former bantamweight who just two years ago faltered in her first opportunity in the big show.
Back in 2013, Letourneau fell victim to a first-round submission at the hands of Roxanne Modafferi in the opening round of The Ultimate Fighter 18. The season marked the first time women were ever featured on the UFC’s flagship series, and Letourneau was forced to return to the regional circuit for one more fight after failing to make it onto the show proper.
“I had to get over it right after, because I knew that fight doesn’t represent me as a fighter at all,” Letourneau said. “To lose against Roxanne, (there’s) no shame in that because she’s a fighter who I really respect and I’ve been watching her for a long time.
“It’s just the way I fought there. I almost gave up before the fight. I didn’t feel like I wanted to be there. I was not comfortable there. I was uncomfortable in that environment. I could barely speak English. That is something that, imagine you go there and you cannot communicate with people, you don’t know anybody there, and I don’t know, I was really not in the place I wanted to be, and I didn’t deal well with it.
“I never give up on anything, and I just gave up, I didn’t fight my fight there. So that was what I was ashamed of, because that doesn’t represent me and that’s not what I want to show. But it looks like I’m catching up right now.”
Letourneau rebounded from her TUF setback to win four straight fights, the last three of which were contested inside the Octagon. In a curious slice of irony, Letourneau actually bested Jessica Rakoczy — the woman who knocked Modafferi out of the TUF 18 tournament — for her strawweight debut, then upset highly-touted prospect Maryna Moroz at UFC Fight Night 74.
The win over Moroz vaulted Letourneau’s name into the top-10 of the UFC’s media-generated rankings and ultimately paved the way for her shot at Jedrzejczyk, though she couldn’t help but notice the tepid reaction the announcement received.
“I saw that, especially when they started to talk about it before they officially announced it,” Letourneau said.
“I just stopped reading it, because most of the people I see who are writing this stuff, they don’t know anything about my career. Some people didn’t even see my last fight. So people talk (about me being an) easy (opponent), they have no clue who I’ve fought, saying I have a record of 8-3. Do you know who I’ve fought?
“Even when I got signed by the UFC,” Letourneau continued, “I saw so many comments saying like, ‘this girl is nothing, she doesn’t know how to fight, she lost a fight to get into the (TUF) house.’ And look where I’m at today. So it just gives me an extra reason to train twice as hard and prove them wrong.”
Letourneau’s résumé is indeed intriguing when given a closer look. The 32-year-old’s only losses have come against top-five ranked fighters Gadelha, Alexis Davis, and Sarah Kaufman — the latter two of whom are bantamweights, and the former two fights of which were lost in split decisions.
So when Letourneau says she believes she belongs, she means it. And she’ll hope to prove it by beating Jedrzejczyk at her own game on the biggest stage in UFC history.
“I’m always looking at the stand-up. That’s the thing I like to do,” Letourneau said. “So everybody has holes in their game, whatever you do. And I’m looking at holes in her stand-up, of course, because that’s my game also.”
Joanna Jedrzejczyk’s reign atop the strawweight division has been bloody, to say the least. The Polish striking phenom made former foes Carla Esparza and Jessica Penne look like victims ripped straight out of a horror flick, battering their faces with a dizzying array of precision strikes. But Jedrzejczyk’s next challenger, Canadian veteran Valerie Letourneau, isn’t afraid of the challenge that awaits on Nov. 15 at UFC 193.
“I’m not impressed,” Letourneau said Tuesday on The MMA Hour. “I like [Jedrzejczyk’s] style, I like her as a fighter. Like I said in other interviews, I was looking at her more as a fan. If my memory is good, I think even when she fought (in the UFC) at first, I wasn’t fighting at 115. I was not even looking at her like a future opponent.
“So, I’m not impressed because I fought such tough girls in my career. I’m never going to go in there scared or anything. I’m just doing my best, and I prepare myself the best that I can for my opponent. I have an awesome coach, I have every tool here, and I know I’m capable of doing anything.”
Letourneau isn’t the challenger many expected to face Jedrzejczyk next. That honor goes Claudia Gadelha, the No. 1 ranked contender who was promised a shot at the belt after dispatching Jessica Aguilar at UFC 190. But a lingering hand injury to Gadelha and the UFC’s desire to pair Jedrzejczyk alongside Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 necessitated a search for a new opponent, and Letourneau fit the bill.
It’s an unexpected turn of events for the former bantamweight who just two years ago faltered in her first opportunity in the big show.
Back in 2013, Letourneau fell victim to a first-round submission at the hands of Roxanne Modafferi in the opening round of The Ultimate Fighter 18. The season marked the first time women were ever featured on the UFC’s flagship series, and Letourneau was forced to return to the regional circuit for one more fight after failing to make it onto the show proper.
“I had to get over it right after, because I knew that fight doesn’t represent me as a fighter at all,” Letourneau said. “To lose against Roxanne, (there’s) no shame in that because she’s a fighter who I really respect and I’ve been watching her for a long time.
“It’s just the way I fought there. I almost gave up before the fight. I didn’t feel like I wanted to be there. I was not comfortable there. I was uncomfortable in that environment. I could barely speak English. That is something that, imagine you go there and you cannot communicate with people, you don’t know anybody there, and I don’t know, I was really not in the place I wanted to be, and I didn’t deal well with it.
“I never give up on anything, and I just gave up, I didn’t fight my fight there. So that was what I was ashamed of, because that doesn’t represent me and that’s not what I want to show. But it looks like I’m catching up right now.”
Letourneau rebounded from her TUF setback to win four straight fights, the last three of which were contested inside the Octagon. In a curious slice of irony, Letourneau actually bested Jessica Rakoczy — the woman who knocked Modafferi out of the TUF 18 tournament — for her strawweight debut, then upset highly-touted prospect Maryna Moroz at UFC Fight Night 74.
The win over Moroz vaulted Letourneau’s name into the top-10 of the UFC’s media-generated rankings and ultimately paved the way for her shot at Jedrzejczyk, though she couldn’t help but notice the tepid reaction the announcement received.
“I saw that, especially when they started to talk about it before they officially announced it,” Letourneau said.
“I just stopped reading it, because most of the people I see who are writing this stuff, they don’t know anything about my career. Some people didn’t even see my last fight. So people talk (about me being an) easy (opponent), they have no clue who I’ve fought, saying I have a record of 8-3. Do you know who I’ve fought?
“Even when I got signed by the UFC,” Letourneau continued, “I saw so many comments saying like, ‘this girl is nothing, she doesn’t know how to fight, she lost a fight to get into the (TUF) house.’ And look where I’m at today. So it just gives me an extra reason to train twice as hard and prove them wrong.”
Letourneau’s résumé is indeed intriguing when given a closer look. The 32-year-old’s only losses have come against top-five ranked fighters Gadelha, Alexis Davis, and Sarah Kaufman — the latter two of whom are bantamweights, and the former two fights of which were lost in split decisions.
So when Letourneau says she believes she belongs, she means it. And she’ll hope to prove it by beating Jedrzejczyk at her own game on the biggest stage in UFC history.
“I’m always looking at the stand-up. That’s the thing I like to do,” Letourneau said. “So everybody has holes in their game, whatever you do. And I’m looking at holes in her stand-up, of course, because that’s my game also.”
Joanna Jedrzejczyk’s reign atop the strawweight division has been bloody, to say the least. The Polish striking phenom made former foes Carla Esparza and Jessica Penne look like victims ripped straight out of a horror flick, battering their faces with a dizzying array of precision strikes. But Jedrzejczyk’s next challenger, Canadian veteran Valerie Letourneau, isn’t afraid of the challenge that awaits on Nov. 15 at UFC 193.
“I’m not impressed,” Letourneau said Tuesday on The MMA Hour. “I like [Jedrzejczyk’s] style, I like her as a fighter. Like I said in other interviews, I was looking at her more as a fan. If my memory is good, I think even when she fought (in the UFC) at first, I wasn’t fighting at 115. I was not even looking at her like a future opponent.
“So, I’m not impressed because I fought such tough girls in my career. I’m never going to go in there scared or anything. I’m just doing my best, and I prepare myself the best that I can for my opponent. I have an awesome coach, I have every tool here, and I know I’m capable of doing anything.”
Letourneau isn’t the challenger many expected to face Jedrzejczyk next. That honor goes Claudia Gadelha, the No. 1 ranked contender who was promised a shot at the belt after dispatching Jessica Aguilar at UFC 190. But a lingering hand injury to Gadelha and the UFC’s desire to pair Jedrzejczyk alongside Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 necessitated a search for a new opponent, and Letourneau fit the bill.
It’s an unexpected turn of events for the former bantamweight who just two years ago faltered in her first opportunity in the big show.
Back in 2013, Letourneau fell victim to a first-round submission at the hands of Roxanne Modafferi in the opening round of The Ultimate Fighter 18. The season marked the first time women were ever featured on the UFC’s flagship series, and Letourneau was forced to return to the regional circuit for one more fight after failing to make it onto the show proper.
“I had to get over it right after, because I knew that fight doesn’t represent me as a fighter at all,” Letourneau said. “To lose against Roxanne, (there’s) no shame in that because she’s a fighter who I really respect and I’ve been watching her for a long time.
“It’s just the way I fought there. I almost gave up before the fight. I didn’t feel like I wanted to be there. I was not comfortable there. I was uncomfortable in that environment. I could barely speak English. That is something that, imagine you go there and you cannot communicate with people, you don’t know anybody there, and I don’t know, I was really not in the place I wanted to be, and I didn’t deal well with it.
“I never give up on anything, and I just gave up, I didn’t fight my fight there. So that was what I was ashamed of, because that doesn’t represent me and that’s not what I want to show. But it looks like I’m catching up right now.”
Letourneau rebounded from her TUF setback to win four straight fights, the last three of which were contested inside the Octagon. In a curious slice of irony, Letourneau actually bested Jessica Rakoczy — the woman who knocked Modafferi out of the TUF 18 tournament — for her strawweight debut, then upset highly-touted prospect Maryna Moroz at UFC Fight Night 74.
The win over Moroz vaulted Letourneau’s name into the top-10 of the UFC’s media-generated rankings and ultimately paved the way for her shot at Jedrzejczyk, though she couldn’t help but notice the tepid reaction the announcement received.
“I saw that, especially when they started to talk about it before they officially announced it,” Letourneau said.
“I just stopped reading it, because most of the people I see who are writing this stuff, they don’t know anything about my career. Some people didn’t even see my last fight. So people talk (about me being an) easy (opponent), they have no clue who I’ve fought, saying I have a record of 8-3. Do you know who I’ve fought?
“Even when I got signed by the UFC,” Letourneau continued, “I saw so many comments saying like, ‘this girl is nothing, she doesn’t know how to fight, she lost a fight to get into the (TUF) house.’ And look where I’m at today. So it just gives me an extra reason to train twice as hard and prove them wrong.”
Letourneau’s résumé is indeed intriguing when given a closer look. The 32-year-old’s only losses have come against top-five ranked fighters Gadelha, Alexis Davis, and Sarah Kaufman — the latter two of whom are bantamweights, and the former two fights of which were lost in split decisions.
So when Letourneau says she believes she belongs, she means it. And she’ll hope to prove it by beating Jedrzejczyk at her own game on the biggest stage in UFC history.
“I’m always looking at the stand-up. That’s the thing I like to do,” Letourneau said. “So everybody has holes in their game, whatever you do. And I’m looking at holes in her stand-up, of course, because that’s my game also.”
Joanna Jedrzejczyk’s reign atop the strawweight division has been bloody, to say the least. The Polish striking phenom made former foes Carla Esparza and Jessica Penne look like victims ripped straight out of a horror flick, battering their faces with a dizzying array of precision strikes. But Jedrzejczyk’s next challenger, Canadian veteran Valerie Letourneau, isn’t afraid of the challenge that awaits on Nov. 15 at UFC 193.
“I’m not impressed,” Letourneau said Tuesday on The MMA Hour. “I like [Jedrzejczyk’s] style, I like her as a fighter. Like I said in other interviews, I was looking at her more as a fan. If my memory is good, I think even when she fought (in the UFC) at first, I wasn’t fighting at 115. I was not even looking at her like a future opponent.
“So, I’m not impressed because I fought such tough girls in my career. I’m never going to go in there scared or anything. I’m just doing my best, and I prepare myself the best that I can for my opponent. I have an awesome coach, I have every tool here, and I know I’m capable of doing anything.”
Letourneau isn’t the challenger many expected to face Jedrzejczyk next. That honor goes Claudia Gadelha, the No. 1 ranked contender who was promised a shot at the belt after dispatching Jessica Aguilar at UFC 190. But a lingering hand injury to Gadelha and the UFC’s desire to pair Jedrzejczyk alongside Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 necessitated a search for a new opponent, and Letourneau fit the bill.
It’s an unexpected turn of events for the former bantamweight who just two years ago faltered in her first opportunity in the big show.
Back in 2013, Letourneau fell victim to a first-round submission at the hands of Roxanne Modafferi in the opening round of The Ultimate Fighter 18. The season marked the first time women were ever featured on the UFC’s flagship series, and Letourneau was forced to return to the regional circuit for one more fight after failing to make it onto the show proper.
“I had to get over it right after, because I knew that fight doesn’t represent me as a fighter at all,” Letourneau said. “To lose against Roxanne, (there’s) no shame in that because she’s a fighter who I really respect and I’ve been watching her for a long time.
“It’s just the way I fought there. I almost gave up before the fight. I didn’t feel like I wanted to be there. I was not comfortable there. I was uncomfortable in that environment. I could barely speak English. That is something that, imagine you go there and you cannot communicate with people, you don’t know anybody there, and I don’t know, I was really not in the place I wanted to be, and I didn’t deal well with it.
“I never give up on anything, and I just gave up, I didn’t fight my fight there. So that was what I was ashamed of, because that doesn’t represent me and that’s not what I want to show. But it looks like I’m catching up right now.”
Letourneau rebounded from her TUF setback to win four straight fights, the last three of which were contested inside the Octagon. In a curious slice of irony, Letourneau actually bested Jessica Rakoczy — the woman who knocked Modafferi out of the TUF 18 tournament — for her strawweight debut, then upset highly-touted prospect Maryna Moroz at UFC Fight Night 74.
The win over Moroz vaulted Letourneau’s name into the top-10 of the UFC’s media-generated rankings and ultimately paved the way for her shot at Jedrzejczyk, though she couldn’t help but notice the tepid reaction the announcement received.
“I saw that, especially when they started to talk about it before they officially announced it,” Letourneau said.
“I just stopped reading it, because most of the people I see who are writing this stuff, they don’t know anything about my career. Some people didn’t even see my last fight. So people talk (about me being an) easy (opponent), they have no clue who I’ve fought, saying I have a record of 8-3. Do you know who I’ve fought?
“Even when I got signed by the UFC,” Letourneau continued, “I saw so many comments saying like, ‘this girl is nothing, she doesn’t know how to fight, she lost a fight to get into the (TUF) house.’ And look where I’m at today. So it just gives me an extra reason to train twice as hard and prove them wrong.”
Letourneau’s résumé is indeed intriguing when given a closer look. The 32-year-old’s only losses have come against top-five ranked fighters Gadelha, Alexis Davis, and Sarah Kaufman — the latter two of whom are bantamweights, and the former two fights of which were lost in split decisions.
So when Letourneau says she believes she belongs, she means it. And she’ll hope to prove it by beating Jedrzejczyk at her own game on the biggest stage in UFC history.
“I’m always looking at the stand-up. That’s the thing I like to do,” Letourneau said. “So everybody has holes in their game, whatever you do. And I’m looking at holes in her stand-up, of course, because that’s my game also.”
Whoever says old dogs can’t learn new tricks apparently hasn’t met the “Super Samoan,” because at 41 years young, UFC fan-favorite Mark Hunt will soon add ‘published author’ to his career credentials.
Hunt’s upcoming autobiography, entitled Born to Fight, hits bookstores on Sept. 25. And though he was at first reluctant to spill his story, Hunt eventually came to enjoy the process with ghostwriter Ben Mckelvey, realizing that his incredible journey from rock bottom to UFC title contender could serve a greater purpose than his own.
“When they called me about doing it, I said no about three or four times,” Hunt admitted Tuesday on The MMA Hour. “The only reason why I did the book is because they said ‘you could help others with your story,’ and I said, ‘okay great, I’ll do it.'”
Hunt met with Mckelvey a myriad of times over the course of a few months this spring, recounting old stories about his days in Pride and K-1 and dredging up countless memories that had long been forgotten. In the end, he found the process to therapeutic in a way that surpassed any of his previous expectations.
“It was pretty much like talking to a psych guy,” Hunt joked. “Going to a psych guy and just saying, ‘well, I’m getting feelings of trying to kill people’ and all that sort of jazz. But yeah, it was just like doing that. It was quite cool, actually. It was relieving. I felt really good. They wrote it all in four months, five months while I was in training camp for the Stipe (Miocic) fight.
“So when I go to the airport, instead of saying I’m a punching bag, I’m an author as well now.”
The book tells Hunt’s story up to the present, including his most recent outing against Miocic, which may very well be the most painful fight of Hunt’s entire career, both literally and metaphorically.
The veteran heavyweight met Miocic in his own adopted home of Australia in May and promptly lost one a heart-wrenching bout that saw Hunt not only endure a difficult weight cut, but also suffer a worrying amount of damage.
Miocic ultimately set a UFC record with his monstrous 361-48 strike differential, finishing the fight via fifth-round TKO.
“It was really one-sided. It was all one-sided, actually,” Hunt admitted. “I just got totally hammered and it was hard to swallow because I thought, and I always think, that I’m better. I’m better than the fighter I’m fighting against. But not on that night. But you know, I’ve swallowed the pill and moved on.
“It made me never want to cut (weight) ever again in a fight, so that’s what I’m going to be doing,” Hunt added. “I’m never going to have to cut weight for any fight. It made me a lot more determined about my goals and coming back to the next person. It just made me a better [version of] myself. I’m just angry with myself for how I let that happen.”
If Hunt was hurting afterward, he didn’t let it show. Instead the “Super Samoan” jumped right back into the fray, landing a match-up against Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in a rematch of what may perhaps be the greatest heavyweight fight of all-time.
To make things even better, the bout sits on the main card of what is expected to be the biggest show in UFC history, a stadium show at UFC 193 which could seat up to 70,000 Australian fight fans. And though Silva is still Hunt’s official marching order, recent reports have linked Hunt to a potential fight against MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko as well — a rematch which Hunt would be ecstatic to accept.
“You know me, I’m down to party anywhere,” Hunt said. “We can party anywhere, in your house, in Australia, anywhere.
“I never lose a rematch. I’ve never lost a rematch in my whole career. I want to party with all those guys again, so it’ll be good.”
UFC President Dana White shrugged off the Emelianenko reports last week at the UFC’s “Go Big” press event, though Zuffa remains incredibly invested in ensuring the Russian legend’s return happens inside the Octagon and not elsewhere.
As for Silva, he, like Hunt, has fallen on hard times since the pair’s first meeting in Dec. 2013. Of all the fighters to be affected by the Nevada Athletic Commission’s ban on testosterone replacement therapy, Silva’s case is perhaps the worst as the Brazilian suffers from acromegaly, a disease which affects the pituitary gland and rendered his TRT use necessary.
Silva lost his first two fights after the ban went into effect, getting knocked out twice in a combined time of just 4:39. Even Hunt admits that Silva “went down pretty easily.”
However Silva was able to right his ship in August with a TKO win over Hunt’s training partner, Soa Palelei, and now “Bigfoot” sits in the same conversation as the “Super Samoan,” fighting to prove he’s still a contender in the UFC heavyweight division.
“I need to win this fight,” Hunt said. “I need to win just to let people know that I’m still in contention here and not on my way out. I just don’t feel it was a good way to fight, the last one, so you know, I’m looking forward to getting the win, whether it be ‘Bigfoot’ or Fedor. Each one, I could party with.”
Whoever says old dogs can’t learn new tricks apparently hasn’t met the “Super Samoan,” because at 41 years young, UFC fan-favorite Mark Hunt will soon add ‘published author’ to his career credentials.
Hunt’s upcoming autobiography, entitled Born to Fight, hits bookstores on Sept. 25. And though he was at first reluctant to spill his story, Hunt eventually came to enjoy the process with ghostwriter Ben Mckelvey, realizing that his incredible journey from rock bottom to UFC title contender could serve a greater purpose than his own.
“When they called me about doing it, I said no about three or four times,” Hunt admitted Tuesday on The MMA Hour. “The only reason why I did the book is because they said ‘you could help others with your story,’ and I said, ‘okay great, I’ll do it.'”
Hunt met with Mckelvey a myriad of times over the course of a few months this spring, recounting old stories about his days in Pride and K-1 and dredging up countless memories that had long been forgotten. In the end, he found the process to therapeutic in a way that surpassed any of his previous expectations.
“It was pretty much like talking to a psych guy,” Hunt joked. “Going to a psych guy and just saying, ‘well, I’m getting feelings of trying to kill people’ and all that sort of jazz. But yeah, it was just like doing that. It was quite cool, actually. It was relieving. I felt really good. They wrote it all in four months, five months while I was in training camp for the Stipe (Miocic) fight.
“So when I go to the airport, instead of saying I’m a punching bag, I’m an author as well now.”
The book tells Hunt’s story up to the present, including his most recent outing against Miocic, which may very well be the most painful fight of Hunt’s entire career, both literally and metaphorically.
The veteran heavyweight met Miocic in his own adopted home of Australia in May and promptly lost one a heart-wrenching bout that saw Hunt not only endure a difficult weight cut, but also suffer a worrying amount of damage.
Miocic ultimately set a UFC record with his monstrous 361-48 strike differential, finishing the fight via fifth-round TKO.
“It was really one-sided. It was all one-sided, actually,” Hunt admitted. “I just got totally hammered and it was hard to swallow because I thought, and I always think, that I’m better. I’m better than the fighter I’m fighting against. But not on that night. But you know, I’ve swallowed the pill and moved on.
“It made me never want to cut (weight) ever again in a fight, so that’s what I’m going to be doing,” Hunt added. “I’m never going to have to cut weight for any fight. It made me a lot more determined about my goals and coming back to the next person. It just made me a better [version of] myself. I’m just angry with myself for how I let that happen.”
If Hunt was hurting afterward, he didn’t let it show. Instead the “Super Samoan” jumped right back into the fray, landing a match-up against Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in a rematch of what may perhaps be the greatest heavyweight fight of all-time.
To make things even better, the bout sits on the main card of what is expected to be the biggest show in UFC history, a stadium show at UFC 193 which could seat up to 70,000 Australian fight fans. And though Silva is still Hunt’s official marching order, recent reports have linked Hunt to a potential fight against MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko as well — a rematch which Hunt would be ecstatic to accept.
“You know me, I’m down to party anywhere,” Hunt said. “We can party anywhere, in your house, in Australia, anywhere.
“I never lose a rematch. I’ve never lost a rematch in my whole career. I want to party with all those guys again, so it’ll be good.”
UFC President Dana White shrugged off the Emelianenko reports last week at the UFC’s “Go Big” press event, though Zuffa remains incredibly invested in ensuring the Russian legend’s return happens inside the Octagon and not elsewhere.
As for Silva, he, like Hunt, has fallen on hard times since the pair’s first meeting in Dec. 2013. Of all the fighters to be affected by the Nevada Athletic Commission’s ban on testosterone replacement therapy, Silva’s case is perhaps the worst as the Brazilian suffers from acromegaly, a disease which affects the pituitary gland and rendered his TRT use necessary.
Silva lost his first two fights after the ban went into effect, getting knocked out twice in a combined time of just 4:39. Even Hunt admits that Silva “went down pretty easily.”
However Silva was able to right his ship in August with a TKO win over Hunt’s training partner, Soa Palelei, and now “Bigfoot” sits in the same conversation as the “Super Samoan,” fighting to prove he’s still a contender in the UFC heavyweight division.
“I need to win this fight,” Hunt said. “I need to win just to let people know that I’m still in contention here and not on my way out. I just don’t feel it was a good way to fight, the last one, so you know, I’m looking forward to getting the win, whether it be ‘Bigfoot’ or Fedor. Each one, I could party with.”
Next Monday is setting up to be a big day for the legislative side of Las Vegas. The Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) announced Tuesday that disciplinary hearings for Nick Diaz, Rousimar Palhares, and Jake Shields are all scheduled to take p…
Next Monday is setting up to be a big day for the legislative side of Las Vegas. The Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) announced Tuesday that disciplinary hearings for Nick Diaz, Rousimar Palhares, and Jake Shields are all scheduled to take place on Sept. 14 at the next meeting of the state’s commissioners, starting at 9:00 a.m. PT/12:00 p.m. ET.
For Diaz (26-10, 1 NC), the hearing is one that’s been months in the making. The 31-year-old former Strikeforce champion failed a fight night drug test on Jan. 31 at UFC 183 for marijuana metabolites. The incident marked Diaz’s third such offense in the state of Nevada, following failed drug tests for marijuana in 2007 and 2012.
Diaz’s hearing has been postponed numerous times while the fighter’s representation prepared its defense, which revolves around alleged discrepancies in testing methods for the three tests Diaz underwent that night.
Palhares (18-6) and Shields (31-8-1, 1 NC) will also appear before the Nevada commission, though their infractions are much more recent.
Palhares defeated Shields amid widespread controversy on Aug. 1 at WSOF 22. Palhares was later stripped off his WSOF welterweight title and suspended indefinitely by the promotion for repeatedly gouging Shields’ eyes and cranking on his fight-ending kimura for several ticks after Shields tapped.
Shields, in retaliation for the finishing sequence, threw a late punch at Palhares after the fight had already been stopped.
The incidents were a continuation of a pattern that has followed Palhares throughout his fighting and grappling career. The 35-year-old Brazilian drew a suspension in 2010 for a similar late crank on Tomasz Drwal, then lost his job in the UFC for an even worse incident against Mike Pierce. Palhares also tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone in 2012, and of his other two WSOF fights, both ended in minor controversy due to questionable late cranks.
Of note, the disciplinary hearing of UFC middleweight Caio Magalhaes is also slated to be held at the NAC’s Sept. 14 meeting.
In the aftermath of UFC 191, five fighters received medical suspensions potentially stretching into the new year, including heavyweight co-headliners Andrei Arlovski and Frank Mir. The Nevada Athletic Commission released the event’s official…
In the aftermath of UFC 191, five fighters received medical suspensions potentially stretching into the new year, including heavyweight co-headliners Andrei Arlovski and Frank Mir. The Nevada Athletic Commission released the event’s official medical suspension list Tuesday to MMAFighting.com.
Arlovski and Mir fought to a closely contested decision on the Sept. 5 card, and though Arlovski took home the win, both heavyweights left with potential injuries to their right hands which could keep them out of action until March 5 if not cleared by a doctor. At a minimum, both men will be sidelined until October due to damage taken during the fight.
Three other fighters received similar six-month suspensions for potential injuries sustained during UFC 191: Corey Anderson (loose teeth), Alex Chambers (ACL), and Joaquim Silva (requires orbital CT scan).
UFC 191 took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The event’s main card aired live on pay-per-view.
UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson defended his title with a lopsided unanimous decision win over John Dodson in the night’s headlining bout.
The complete list of UFC 191’s medical suspensions can be seen below.
Andrei Arlovski: Requires right hand x-ray within three days; if not done within three days or if positive, requires orthopedic doctor clearance or no contest until 03/05/16; minimum suspension no contest until 10/06, no contact until 09/27 due to left eyelid laceration
Frank Mir: Requires right hand cleared by orthopedic doctor or no contest until 03/05/16; minimum suspension no contest until 10/06, no contact until 09/27 due to eyebrow laceration
Corey Anderson: Requires dental clearance or no contest until 03/05/16 due to loose teeth; minimum suspension no contest until 10/21, no contact until 10/06
Alex Chambers: Requires MRI of left knee to rule out ACL injury or no contest until 03/05/16
Joaquim Silva: Requires orbital CT scan and clearance from an ENT doctor or no contest until 03/05; minimum suspension no contest until 10/21, no contest until 10/06
Jan Blachowicz: Suspended until 10/21, no contact until 10/06
Francisco Rivera: Suspended until 10/21, no contact until 10/06
Joe Riggs: Requires CT scan of face/orbital bones, requires clearance by ENT or oral maxillofacial surgeon; minimum suspension no contest until 10/21, no contact until 10/06
John Dodson: Suspended until 10/06, no contract until 09/27 due to small laceration on nose
Jessica Andrade: Suspended until 10/06, no contact until 09/27 due to tough fight
Clay Collard: Suspended until 10/06, no contact until 09/27 due to tough fight
Ron Stallings: Suspended until 10/06, no contact until 09/27 due to facial lacerations
Nazareno Malegarie: Suspended until 10/06, no contact until 09/27 due to facial lacerations
In the aftermath of UFC 191, five fighters received medical suspensions potentially stretching into the new year, including heavyweight co-headliners Andrei Arlovski and Frank Mir. The Nevada Athletic Commission released the event’s official…
In the aftermath of UFC 191, five fighters received medical suspensions potentially stretching into the new year, including heavyweight co-headliners Andrei Arlovski and Frank Mir. The Nevada Athletic Commission released the event’s official medical suspension list Tuesday to MMAFighting.com.
Arlovski and Mir fought to a closely contested decision on the Sept. 5 card, and though Arlovski took home the win, both heavyweights left with potential injuries to their right hands which could keep them out of action until March 5 if not cleared by a doctor. At a minimum, both men will be sidelined until October due to damage taken during the fight.
Three other fighters received similar six-month suspensions for potential injuries sustained during UFC 191: Corey Anderson (loose teeth), Alex Chambers (ACL), and Joaquim Silva (requires orbital CT scan).
UFC 191 took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The event’s main card aired live on pay-per-view.
UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson defended his title with a lopsided unanimous decision win over John Dodson in the night’s headlining bout.
The complete list of UFC 191’s medical suspensions can be seen below.
Andrei Arlovski: Requires right hand x-ray within three days; if not done within three days or if positive, requires orthopedic doctor clearance or no contest until 03/05/16; minimum suspension no contest until 10/06, no contact until 09/27 due to left eyelid laceration
Frank Mir: Requires right hand cleared by orthopedic doctor or no contest until 03/05/16; minimum suspension no contest until 10/06, no contact until 09/27 due to eyebrow laceration
Corey Anderson: Requires dental clearance or no contest until 03/05/16 due to loose teeth; minimum suspension no contest until 10/21, no contact until 10/06
Alex Chambers: Requires MRI of left knee to rule out ACL injury or no contest until 03/05/16
Joaquim Silva: Requires orbital CT scan and clearance from an ENT doctor or no contest until 03/05; minimum suspension no contest until 10/21, no contest until 10/06
Jan Blachowicz: Suspended until 10/21, no contact until 10/06
Francisco Rivera: Suspended until 10/21, no contact until 10/06
Joe Riggs: Requires CT scan of face/orbital bones, requires clearance by ENT or oral maxillofacial surgeon; minimum suspension no contest until 10/21, no contact until 10/06
John Dodson: Suspended until 10/06, no contract until 09/27 due to small laceration on nose
Jessica Andrade: Suspended until 10/06, no contact until 09/27 due to tough fight
Clay Collard: Suspended until 10/06, no contact until 09/27 due to tough fight
Ron Stallings: Suspended until 10/06, no contact until 09/27 due to facial lacerations
Nazareno Malegarie: Suspended until 10/06, no contact until 09/27 due to facial lacerations
