Tag: Breaking News

Johny Hendricks’ Manager: GSP Turned Down WADA Drug Testing

Upcoming UFC title challenger Johny Hendricks is going on the offensive after a report surfaced that he has yet to fill out his paperwork to commence Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) Drug Testing leading up to his title fight with Georges St-Pi…

Upcoming UFC title challenger Johny Hendricks is going on the offensive after a report surfaced that he has yet to fill out his paperwork to commence Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) Drug Testing leading up to his title fight with Georges St-Pierre at UFC 167, via TVA Sports. 

Hendricks’ manager, Ted Ehrhardt, told MMA Junkie that St-Pierre turned down the opportunity to have testing done by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) before voicing his opinion on the matter: 

GSP’s had a black cloud over him for years (with) people thinking he’s on HGH (human growth hormone) or whatever they think he’s on, and I think he’s trying to clear his name, and we just happen to be the fight that he’s doing it … Probably if we had something to hide, it would bother us more. But we know we’re clean; we’re good. You test Johny, and the only thing he’s going to test positive for is high cholesterol because he eats fast food.

GSP is known for having one of the best physiques in MMA, while Hendricks is one of the largest welterweights in the sport, with nutritionist Mike Dolce stating that “Bigg Rigg” walks around as heavy as 215 pounds, via MMA Junkie.   

Nevertheless, the two top 170-pounders have been drug tested multiple times by multiple commissions and have never failed a drug test. 

Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer also weighed in on the drug testing situation surrounding the Nov. 16 title tilt, backing up Ehrhardt‘s claim that GSP‘s camp balked at WADA testing:

They were asking, “Well, what do you test for?” My answer is always the same: We test for prohibited substances as listed on the WADA list. (They said), “Well, what does that mean? Does that mean HGH, does that mean this, does that mean that?” Yes, it means it all. The answer then should have been, “OK.” … OK, fine, use VADA. That’s not the question. The question is do you want to do outside testing through the athletic commission? And basically, they said we want to know all the tests you do so Georges’ medical advisors can vet the test first before we decide. I said I will take that as a no. We will let you know if we’re going to do any testing on our own. Goodbye.

Kizer added that both Hendricks and St-Pierre have been “great licensees in the past” and wasn’t interested in getting into a “pissing match” with either side regarding outside testing. 

The executive director also noted that the NSAC will randomly test both athletes leading to their pay-per-view showdown, which takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. 

St-Pierre, who has been on top of the UFC’s welterweight division since 2008, has won 11 in a row and is looking to make it nine straight title defenses against Hendricks. 

Meanwhile, the challenger has been victorious in six straight bouts, including knockouts of then-top contenders Jon Fitch and Martin Kampmann. 

 

John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com.

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Belfort Ready to Dominate Henderson for 5 Rounds

Vitor Belfort rarely goes the distance in his fights, preferring to finish early at a blistering pace. However, for his forthcoming showdown against fellow veteran Dan Henderson, the Brazilian says he’s getting ready to dominate his opponent for …

Vitor Belfort rarely goes the distance in his fights, preferring to finish early at a blistering pace. However, for his forthcoming showdown against fellow veteran Dan Henderson, the Brazilian says he’s getting ready to dominate his opponent for the full 25 minutes.

In comments to Brazilian media (H/T MMA Fighting), Belfort said that he’s preparing himself for a “five-round intense fight.”

“That’s the type of fight that the fans will enjoy,” he added. “It’s going to be intense. I have 14 weeks until the fight, and preparation requires dedication and sacrifice. I’ll focus on winning the fight… That’s the way I predict the fight going.”

Both Hendo and Belfort have flitted between 185 pounds and 205 pounds throughout their careers. However, their encounter at UFC Fight Night 32, scheduled for Nov. 9, will be at light heavyweight—making this a direct replay of the pair’s 2006 PRIDE encounter.

Back then, Hendo emerged victorious, taking Belfort the distance, which could be one of the reasons why the Brazilian expects this fight to also go to the judges.

In fact Hendo, who once carried the moniker “Decision Dan,” has gone the distance 21 times in his 39-fight career. More recently, he went the distance in his last three light heavyweight fights, losing the last two to Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida.

The longest Belfort has gone in a fight, on the other hand, was when he got to 54 seconds into the fourth round in his championship match against Jon Jones in 2012. He lost that fight via submission and subsequently dropped back down a division, where he’s been itching for a title shot against Chris Weidman or a rematch against Anderson Silva.

But those thoughts are behind him, for now, as he explained:

“My next mountain is Dan Henderson and that’s the mountain I want to climb. Dana White decides that. There’s a ranking, but I’m not worried about that. I’m only worried about beating Dan Henderson. The more victories I get, the highest [sic] I get.”

Belfort is currently ranked third in the UFC’s middleweight rankings, and a loss to Henderson at a division above might not be too detrimental for his 185-pound title aspirations. Silva, who lost his belt to Weidman earlier this year, will have his second shot at the Long Island native in December, after which Belfort could make another claim for a middleweight title shot.

The 43-year-old Henderson, meanwhile, currently on a two-fight losing streak, could be staring retirement in the face, should he drop another match to Belfort.

Their encounter will take place at Goiania Arena in Goiania, Brazil.

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UFC Featherweight Matt Grice in Serious Condition Following Car Accident

Following a weekend automobile crash, Matt Grice is in a much more important fight than any he has ever seen inside the Octagon.
According to News9.com, Grice was rear-ended while sitting at a red light in Oklahoma. The UFC featherweight now finds hims…

Following a weekend automobile crash, Matt Grice is in a much more important fight than any he has ever seen inside the Octagon.

According to News9.com, Grice was rear-ended while sitting at a red light in Oklahoma. The UFC featherweight now finds himself in serious condition at Oklahoma University Presbyterian Hospital in Oklahoma City.

Currently being held in an intensive care unit, Grice is expected to undergo brain surgery on Monday, according to MMAJunkie.com. A Sunday Twitter post from Grice’s friend, Daniel Rubenstein, did reveal the UFC veteran’s vitals were stable, but he is still in poor health.

Grice last competed at UFC 157 in February. Although the 32-year-old was beaten by Dennis Bermudez on the scorecards, he earned Fight of the Night honors for his efforts. Furthermore, that contest with Bermudez is still considered by many to be one of the front-runners for Fight of the Year in 2013.

In the midst of his second stint on the UFC roster, Grice has won twice inside the Octagon, besting Leonard Garcia and Jason Black.

The Oklahoman was scheduled to fight Jeremy Larsen at UFC 166 on Oct. 19, but he is likely to be removed from that matchup now, which is obviously the least of his worries. Hopefully, Grice will be able to make a full recovery and return to the Octagon at some point down the line, though.

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report MMA for more on Grice’s condition and this unfortunate story as it develops. 

 

Sean Smith is a B/R MMA Featured Columnist. Follow him on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.

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Nate Diaz Doesn’t Want Gray Maynard, Says “F*** That, I’m Fighting Pettis”

The recently-announced matchup between former The Ultimate Fighter season 5 contestants Gray Maynard and Nate Diaz might not be as much of a sure thing as most thought, according to Diaz: 

Nah Fuck that I’m fightin Pettis
— Nathan Diaz (@Na…

The recently-announced matchup between former The Ultimate Fighter season 5 contestants Gray Maynard and Nate Diaz might not be as much of a sure thing as most thought, according to Diaz: 

Anthony Pettis recently became lightweight champion by forcing Benson Henderson to tap from an armbar in the first round of their UFC 164 fight. It was a shocking end that, unsurprisingly, put a target on the back of “Showtime.”

Still, both Diaz and Maynard find themselves far away from a title fight.

Diaz most recently fought veteran Strikeforce import (and de facto rival of Gilbert Melendez, one of his training partners) Josh Thomson in April. Thomson took control of the fight early and did substantial damage to Diaz before he succumbed to a headkick in round 2.

Maynard suffered a similar knockout to a surging TJ Grant. After spending almost a year out of the cage, Maynard was heavily favored against Grant. The Canadian, however, shocked many by knocking out Maynard in just two minutes, showing off surprisingly powerful punches in spite of his grappling background.

The lightweight division is absolutely overflowing with talent right now, especially in the title picture. Grant is currently lined up for a title fight with Pettis, while Thomson is not far behind. Also in the thick of the title hunt are Pat Healy, Rafael dos Anjos and Khabib Nurmagomedov. That makes any push for a title shot by Diaz highly unrealistic at this time.

It will, however, be very interesting to see if this is just chest-thumping by Diaz or if he actually is resisting this fight. 

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Gray Maynard vs. Nate Diaz III Set for ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ Season 18 Finale

Two former UFC lightweight title challengers are set to meet inside the Octagon for the third time late this fall. 
Gray Maynard is set to take on Nate Diaz at The Ultimate Fighter Season 18 Finale on November 30, the UFC revealed throug…

Two former UFC lightweight title challengers are set to meet inside the Octagon for the third time late this fall. 

Gray Maynard is set to take on Nate Diaz at The Ultimate Fighter Season 18 Finale on November 30, the UFC revealed through their Twitter page this afternoon. 

Diaz submitted Maynard in the semifinals of TUF 5 in mid-2007, the tournament he would eventually win, though bouts on the show are officially considered exhibition matches. 

“The Bully” evened the score at UFC Fight Night 20 in January 2010, earning a somewhat controversial split decision on the judges’ scorecards.

Maynard got his first crack at UFC gold when he squared off with then-champion Frankie Edgar, an opponent he had already beaten, at UFC 125 in January 2011.

The back-and-forth, action-packed title bout ended in a draw, calling for an immediate rematch at UFC 136 in October of the same year.

While Maynard again had “The Answer” in trouble early, the champion managed to weather the storm and finish the challenger with strikes in the fourth round.

The three-time All-American wrestler at Michigan State University rebounded with a lackluster decision win over Clay Guida last June, only to suffer a TKO loss at the hands of upcoming title challenger TJ Grant at UFC 160 this past May. 

Therefore, Maynard badly needs a win in his trilogy with Diaz, as he is just 1-2-1 in his past four bouts. 

His familiar foe, Diaz, racked up three quality wins in the division between September 2011 and May 2012, earning a title shot against then-champ Benson Henderson. 

Diaz took a beating at their UFC on FOX 5 encounter in December, losing a very lopsided decision. 

He fared even worse against former Strikeforce titleholder Josh Thomson in his next fight at UFC on FOX 7 in April, suffering the first knockout loss of his career. 

Clearly, Diaz also needs a win in this upcoming bout in order to remain a top contender at 155 pounds. 

According to the UFC’s official rankings, Maynard is still the No. 4 lightweight in the world, while Diaz is the seventh-best 155-pounder. 

Prior to his bout with Thomson, Diaz said he would be returning to the welterweight division, but obviously those plans did not come to fruition, per MMA Mania. 

 

John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com.

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Wrestling Voted Back into the Olympics for 2020 and 2024 Games

Seven months after the International Olympic Committee decided that wrestling should be removed from the Games starting in 2020, the sport was voted back in during a meeting held in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Sunday.
The vote was held by the committee …

Seven months after the International Olympic Committee decided that wrestling should be removed from the Games starting in 2020, the sport was voted back in during a meeting held in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Sunday.

The vote was held by the committee to allow one final sport to be included in the 2020 Games. Wrestling won by a wide margin, receiving 49 votes, while baseball/softball got 24 votes and squash had 22 votes.

It was an arduous road for the sport after receiving the shocking news earlier this year that one of the original competitions in the Olympics would be cut.

The news served as a wake-up call to the sport as wrestlers from around the world rallied to help save the sport.

The charge was led in many ways by several high-profile mixed martial arts fighters, who had either competed in the Olympics or aspired to get there during their career. Their effort was matched by promotions like the UFC and Bellator.

Fighters such as 2008 Olympic team captain Daniel Cormier, Bellator champion Ben Askren and a slew of other notable names helped the effort to save Olympic wrestling over the last few months.

The charge also forced FILA (the governing body over wrestling) to examine the sport and make several rule changes to help the matches flow better, as well as scoring changes to make the sport easier to understand for the casual viewing audience.

Other adjustments included more weight classes for women with six divisions now, while the men will lose one weight class in both freestyle and Greco-Roman style competitions.

“Wrestling has changed, wrestling has become a modernized sport ready to compete with other sports,” Nenad Lalovic, president of FILA, said on Sunday during a press conference after the vote was held. “We convinced the IOC members that our sport will support the Olympic movement.”

One of the biggest changes will make scoring for the match a cumulative total instead of a best-two-of-three scenario as instituted previously. Now wrestlers will grapple for two three-minute sessions with the athlete who gains the highest total in points winning the match.

The vote by the International Olympic Committee will now include wrestling in the 2020 and 2024 Games.

 

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

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