Dana White left Las Vegas last night to head to Atlanta, but only after posting the following message to his Twitter account:
Taking off to Atlanta!!!! May 26 th is now Mir vs JDS for the HW title in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand.
And just like that, one of the UFC’s biggest controversies of the past few years is over. For the time being, at least.
Removing Overeem from his title fight was, from the very beginning, the only real option the UFC had in this situation. I realize that every person accused of something illegal deserves their day in court. And yes, an elevated testosterone level is absolutely against the rules set down by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. But there is simply no explanation Overeem can provide during his hearing on the 24th that will make absolute sense and clear his name. It’s just not possible.
Testosterone Replacement Therapy isn’t a valid excuse, not when he has recent tests on record showing that his testosterone levels were normal. If Overeem needed TRT, those tests would’ve shown a depleted testosterone range. They didn’t. And you know why? Because he doesn’t need testosterone in his system. He has plenty.
If Overeem had been granted a license to fight dos Santos—and had he gone on to win the heavyweight title—it would have been a significant black eye on the UFC. All of the efforts they’ve gone through over the past 10 years to take the sport of mixed martial arts mainstream would have been significantly damaged, especially to those who aren’t quite ready to accept the sport. It would have hampered their efforts in New York, where they’re still fighting a yearly battle to get this thing legalized.
I must give major kudos to Dana White and the UFC brass for replacing Overeem with Frank Mir. It might make the UFC 146 main event slightly less intriguing, but it was the right thing to do. And doing the right thing is far more important than making money right now.
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