Tag: Dana White

NSAC Director Bennett: ‘Very Slim’ Chance Romero Win Gets Overturned

Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Bob Bennett feels the chances are “very slim” that the governing body would overrule a Yoel Romero Round 3 TKO over Tim Kennedy at UFC 178—in the event an appeal is filed by Kennedy’s camp.&nbsp…

Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Bob Bennett feels the chances are “very slim” that the governing body would overrule a Yoel Romero Round 3 TKO over Tim Kennedy at UFC 178—in the event an appeal is filed by Kennedy’s camp. 

Bennett told MMA Fighting that he would be surprised to see the result of the entertaining middleweight scrap overturned. 

“They’re very seldom overruled,” Bennett told Shaun Al-Shatti. “The likelihood of an appeal being overturned is very slim. I’m not going to say it’s not going to happen, but like I initially said, it would be deferred to our legal department.”

Bennett was also complimentary of referee “Big” John McCarthy, who he felt got the fight “to continue as quickly as possible.”

A bloody brawl that netted both competitors “Fight of the Night” checks worth $50,000, the fight was controversial since Romero’s corner stalled after a UFC cut man applied Vaseline over the fighter’s left eye between Rounds 2 and 3. 

The result saw Romero get at least an extra 25 seconds to recover on his stool before McCarthy took it upon himself to wipe off the excessive amount of Vaseline.

Romero was nearly finished at the end of the second frame after a barrage of heavy punches from Kennedy, but “The Soldier of God” was saved by the bell. 

Kennedy has been vocal that the bout should’ve been stopped in between rounds, posting a tweet explaining the NSAC rule on the subject and expressing his displeasure with Romero in a Vine video taken shortly after the fight ended (NSFW language).  

The Greg Jackson’s MMA fighter entered the matchup on the strength of a four-fight win streak, recognized as the No. 6 middleweight in the world, according to the UFC’s official rankings. 

While Romeo only cracked the list at No. 10, he has now won five fights in a row and is unbeaten since cutting down to 185 pounds. 

UFC President Dana White was noncommittal when asked if he would book Kennedy-Romero II, but certainly hasn’t ruled it out either, per ESPN. 

 

John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Dana White Says Wanderlei Silva Has Been ‘Pete Rose’d,’ No Hall of Fame Offers

Following his dramatic exit from the UFC, Wanderlei Silva has officially been blackballed from the Hall of Fame, according to UFC President Dana White.
The legendary MMA fighter took aim at the UFC a week ago in a YouTube video, but surprisingly, this …

Following his dramatic exit from the UFC, Wanderlei Silva has officially been blackballed from the Hall of Fame, according to UFC President Dana White.

The legendary MMA fighter took aim at the UFC a week ago in a YouTube video, but surprisingly, this black and white promo wasn’t the usual melodramatic speech fans had grown accustomed to hearing.

The Axe Murderer announced that he would be dropping the axe on his own 18-year career due to a lack of “respect” and serious discrepancies in UFC fighter pay. Though an early retirement hardly seems necessary at this point, given Silva’s current situation with the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

On Tuesday, the NSAC handed the former Pride middleweight champ a lifelong ban and a $70,000 fine for allegedly running away from a random drug test earlier this year.  

If a lifelong ban wasn’t harsh enough, White added a heap of dirt on Silva’s already deep grave by denying him an opportunity to be honored in the UFC Hall of Fame.

“Nobody has ever run from a drug test before. I didn’t see a lifetime ban coming. Nobody will let him fight. He’s in a very serious situation,” White said about Silva, when speaking to Fox Sports.

“There’s going to be no Hall of Fame,” White continued. “The guy’s been Pete Rose’d. There’s going to be no Hall of Fame offers.”

Silva’s lifelong ban and being denied access to the Hall of Fame is truly a sad ending to one of the greatest careers in MMA history.

Few can lay claim to helping carry the weight of an entire sport on their shoulders, but Silva’s historical significance falls right in line with Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz and Fedor Emelianenko.

He closed out his career back in March 2013 in Saitama, Japan with a second-round knockout win over Brian Stann.

 

Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Dana White: Gina Carano Is ‘The Hardest F—–g Athlete We Have Ever Dealt With’

Looks like UFC President Dana White isn’t particularly excited that women’s MMA pioneer Gina Carano has opted to make more movies instead of stepping inside the Octagon. 
White went off on “Conviction” for her latest decision to film two new major…

Looks like UFC President Dana White isn’t particularly excited that women’s MMA pioneer Gina Carano has opted to make more movies instead of stepping inside the Octagon. 

White went off on “Conviction” for her latest decision to film two new major motion pictures before the end of this year, per David Meltzer of MMA Fighting, telling Damon Martin of Fox Sports:

We’ve dealt with (Brock) Lesnar, Tito (Ortiz), Chuck (Liddell) was f—–g king of the world, Ronda Rousey, we’ve pretty much done deals with everyone on Earth and she is the hardest f—–g athlete we have ever dealt with.

The problem is she allows herself to be handled by these Hollywood f—–g idiots. It’s absolutely crazy. … Any time you deal with anyone in f—–g Hollywood it’s a joke. It’s literally a joke, it’s comical. You feel like you’re in a ‘Saturday Night Live’ skit. 

White said that negotiations with Carano had turned him off to the point where he told UFC CEO/co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta to deal with her manager—and according to White, it wasn’t long before Fertitta said he couldn’t take it anymore. 

Carano, 32, hasn’t competed in over five years, but White and UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey were both OK with Carano vying for championship gold in her return fight, per Dave Doyle of MMA Fighting.

Just over a month ago, White stated that the company was “close” to a deal with “Crush,” per John Morgan of MMA Junkie, though obviously, a contract never materialized. 

After suffering the only knockout of her career back in August 2009, a lopsided loss against Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino under the Strikeforce banner, Carano took a long hiatus from the sport to focus on a budding acting career. 

In the past three years or so, Carano has starred in the action flicks Haywire, Fast & Furious 6 and In the Blood. 

While the general public will likely never know the finer points of the contract negotiations between Carano and the UFC, did she make a mistake by passing up on a UFC deal in favor of filming more movies?

 

John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Carano’s Plan to Co-Star with De Niro and ‘Batista’ Likely Ends Rousey Talks

At least for the moment, widespread rumors that Gina Carano plans to return to MMA and challenge UFC women’s bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey have subsided.
That’s because the former Strikeforce women’s featherweight title challenger told MMA Fight…

At least for the moment, widespread rumors that Gina Carano plans to return to MMA and challenge UFC women’s bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey have subsided.

That’s because the former Strikeforce women’s featherweight title challenger told MMA Fighting (h/t Yahoo Sports) that she plans on starring in a pair of movies, one in October and another in December.

In mid-October, Carano will travel to Baton Rouge to begin filming heist flick Bus 657, a film that has a $22,000,000 budget and will feature megastars Robert De Niro and Kate Bosworth.

The UFC’s brass began negotiating Carano’s return in early 2014, and by midsummer, company president Dana White said Carano would get a crack at Rousey in December if the 32-year-old actress could ink a deal before then.

But White has changed his tune in light of Carano’s announcement to devote the rest of her time in 2014 to her acting career.

During an interview this week with Damon Martin of Fox Sports, White griped about essentially coming to a standstill in his negotiations with Carano.

(Carano is) The hardest human being we’ve ever dealt with and I didn’t see it coming. I don’t know, we’ll see how these things play out.  Just incredibly difficult.  We’ve dealt with (Brock) Lesnar, Tito (Ortiz), Chuck (Liddell) was f—–g king of the world, Ronda Rousey, we’ve pretty much done deals with everyone on Earth and she is the hardest f—–g athlete we have ever dealt with.

White then specified his issues with Carano and her management by saying the following: 

The problem is she allows herself to be handled by these Hollywood f—–g idiots. It’s absolutely crazy.  We’ve had all the biggest superstars in the world.  You’re talking about a girl who hasn’t fought in a while.  Any time you deal with anyone in f—–g Hollywood it’s a joke.  It’s literally a joke, it’s comical.  You feel like you’re in a Saturday Night Live skit. This can’t be f—–g real.  In dealing with her people, I don’t know if it can be done.

Dave Bautista, better known in the realm of pro wrestling by his his ring name,”Batista,” also landed a part in Bus 657.

A former World Wrestling Entertainment champ, Batista made his pro MMA debut in 2012, scoring a first-round TKO over the 300-pound Vince Lucero at CES MMA: Real Pain. Lucero entered the bout with 22 pro wins.

The retired Carano, who holds a 12-1-1 pro kickboxing record and an 8-1 pro MMA mark, last fought at Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg in August 2009, where she lost via first-round KO to Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino.

Rowdy, conversely, has racked up a 10-0 record since making her pro debut in March 2011. Rousey has finished seven foes with first-round armbars and another with a third-round armbar and has won by first-round KO/TKO in each of her last two bouts.

While UFC matchmakers have yet to determine her next opponent, according to the UFC on Fox, Rousey said she would like to fight on the Jan. 3 card, which includes the light heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier.

In her last outing, Rousey mauled Alexis Davis with a 16-second KO at UFC 175 in July. For her efforts, Rousey pocketed her second straight “Performance of the Night” bonus.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

What, If Anything, Can the UFC Do to Protect Its Champs from Injury?

The Ultimate Fighting Championship, just like any other major sports promotion, is susceptible to injury-plagued moments. Just like a team in the NFL or NBA can have its season hopes ruined by one misstep, an entire MMA event can be blown up due to one…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship, just like any other major sports promotion, is susceptible to injury-plagued moments. Just like a team in the NFL or NBA can have its season hopes ruined by one misstep, an entire MMA event can be blown up due to one painful moment.

Mixed martial arts is a violent sport—a sport in which the athletes must train hard in order to be ready for high-level competition. Unfortunately, the UFC cannot do more than it is to protect its champions from sudden injury. Yet, it can do more to protect its cards from falling apart when it occurs.

Injuries within mixed martial arts are going to happen. When they do, the results are going to be catastrophic at times and “minor” in others. The moments that have struck UFC 177 and UFC 178 will ring out as two examples etched in the fight community’s mind.

If the UFC expects these fighters to come in and compete as world-class athletes, then hard training is a must. This hard training will lead to accidental injuries that will keep big-name athletes from upcoming events. The UFC can respond by having a match-making system in place that would help prevent cards from being drastically weakened if major players are forced to back out.

As the UFC moves forward with having all pay-per-view events headlined by title fights, the undercard should also feature title contenders from the same weight class. What this strategy would do is allow the UFC to shift its cards around in the moment of an injury or other change. UFC 158 can be pointed to as an example of how this card structure would work.

Georges St-Pierre was set to defend his title against Nick Diaz, who had been pulled from a previous title shot at UFC 137 due to missing media requirements (via MMA Fighting). If the UFC was forced to do so again, it could have filled his spot with either Johny Hendricks or Carlos Condit, who were in the co-main event. The UFC also booked Jake Ellenberger against Nate Marquardt, both of whom could have stepped in to face other men if needed and would have kept the welterweight division moving forward that night.

Keeping key fighters active within the same time span or on the same cards would help stop injuries from ruining event expectations. This would ensure that specific fighters are training in preparation for the moment in which their number is called.

UFC 146 is another example of a card that was shaken up due to a fighter being taken off the card. When Alistair Overeem was removed because he failed his pre-fight drug test, all of the heavyweight bouts were moved around (via MMAjunkie). Frank Mir was originally supposed to face Cain Velasquez, but instead he was bumped into the main event spot against Junior dos Santos.

Ben Fowlkes of MMA Fighting reported that Mir volunteered his services once it was official that Overeem was pulled from the card. He volunteered to do so at the right moment, and the fact that he was preparing to compete already could have helped the UFC select him to take the spot. Had the company not had any other heavyweight bouts in place, the promotion would have had a much harder time finding a replacement.

Injuries are going to happen in mixed martial arts no matter what the UFC or any other promotion tries to do. However, creating a card development system that books multiple contenders on the same event will help ease the pain of replacements when needed. The UFC will never be able to prevent injuries, but being prepared to face them is its next best option.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Tito Ortiz: ‘The UFC Stopped Bellator from Holding Show in Anaheim’

He claims to have moved on from the company that employed him for over 15 years, but Bellator MMA light heavyweight Tito Ortiz obviously still enjoys feuding with the UFC.
Still in the midst of his never-ending war of words with unabashed UFC President…

He claims to have moved on from the company that employed him for over 15 years, but Bellator MMA light heavyweight Tito Ortiz obviously still enjoys feuding with the UFC.

Still in the midst of his never-ending war of words with unabashed UFC President Dana White, Ortiz took his latest stand against his former employers during an interview on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour (as transcribed by Dave Doyle of MMAFighting).

Ortiz, who’s scheduled to fight fellow UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar at Bellator 131, claims that the UFC essentially nixed the idea of Bellator MMA holding the event near Ortiz’s stomping grounds at Anaheim’s Honda Center on Nov. 15.

“The UFC said no,” Ortiz said. “They tried to get to the Pond and the UFC didn’t let it happen. They wanted to do it at the Pond and the UFC said no.”

So rather than getting to tangle with Bonnar less than 20 miles from his hometown of Huntington Beach, Ortiz will have to settle for a showdown with the runner-up of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter at San Diego’s Valley View Casino Center.

Regardless of the change in scenery, Ortiz seems confident that his fan following will make him feel just as welcome in San Diego.

“We’re in San Diego, I have thousands of fans down there, they get to watch me live in their own backyard,” he said.

The Bellator 131 card, which also includes a rematch between interim lightweight champ Will Brooks and former champ Michael Chandler in the co-main event, will run in concurrence with UFC 180 (the company’s first card to be held in Mexico).

Although Ortiz will have to compete with a heavyweight title fight between Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum at UFC 180 in Mexico City, the former UFC light heavyweight champ embraces the challenge.

I think it’s kinda cool actually to tell you the truth, see how much weight my name can hold. I think the big difference in all of it is, all the fans get to watch free fights instead of having to pay for fight. They get to watch free on Spike, and I think diehard fight fans will be watching no matter what, Tito Ortiz fans will be there no matter what, and Stephanie Bonnar fans will be there no matter what.

Ortiz came out of retirement for his last fight and snapped a three-fight losing skid by submitting Bellator MMA middleweight champ Alexander Shlemenko with a first-round arm-triangle choke at Bellator 120 in May.

Before his win over Shlemenko, Ortiz had dropped six of his last seven bouts, all of which took place in the Octagon.

Akin to Ortiz, Bonnar temporarily retired from competition following a long and volatile career in the UFC.

Bonnar saw his three-fight winning streak snapped with a lopsided TKO loss (knee to the body and punches) to longtime former middleweight champ Anderson Silva in his last outing at UFC 153 in 2012.

Bonnar tested positive for the anabolic steroid drostanolone in his post-fight drug screen following his loss to Silva. Seventeen days later, White announced that Bonnar had retired.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com