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UFC: Carlos Condit Needs to Stay Active

For all of the talk about Carlos Condit’s lack of aggression in his interim title fight with slugger Nick Diaz, he was undeniably successful in claiming the interim welterweight championship for himself. Condit’s lack of aggression in remaining busy wh…

For all of the talk about Carlos Condit‘s lack of aggression in his interim title fight with slugger Nick Diaz, he was undeniably successful in claiming the interim welterweight championship for himself. Condit’s lack of aggression in remaining busy while waiting on champion Georges St. Pierre? Not so much.

Not only does Condit’s inactivity make the interim championship absolutely meaningless (it’s just a glorified number one contender bout without a defense of the title), Condit is neglecting his biggest advantage in a title fight with GSP: his health.

We’ve seen what a long layoff can do to a fighter; “ring rust” has been thrown around as an excuse for poor performance on more than one occasion. By patiently waiting on GSP to make a full recovery, Condit runs the risk of going into the biggest fight of his life with some ring rust of his own.

The pros of taking a fight before taking on GSP in a championship bout far outweigh the negatives of waiting around.

Firstly, Condit could earn himself more money.

With a nickname like “The Natural Born Killer,” you’d better be looking for a finish every time. In the eyes of MMA fans, you are only as good as your fight, and despite coming away victorious, Condit definitely lost himself some fans with his gameplan against Nick Diaz.

With Condit’s new-found “safe” style and GSP’s penchant for playing it safe, the UFC will have a hard time selling hardcore fans on the idea of GSP-Condit being an exciting match.

Condit can do something about that.

By taking a fight with one of the top contenders in the welterweight division, Condit can show that he is not afraid to prove he deserves the title, and that his “safe” game-plan was more of an anomaly then a new trend.

Condit could also use another fight to prepare himself for GSP. The appeal of a GSP-Diaz fight was that Diaz was the antithesis of St. Pierre, both in and out of the cage.

In short, styles make fights, so a win over Nick Diaz has little to do with preparing to beat the long time champion St. Pierre.

St. Pierre possesses elite wrestling and his grappling is unquestionably among the sports’ best. Given Condit’s struggles against Rory McDonald’s strength, Condit would be wise to fight a wrestler before taking on one of the most explosive fighters in the sport.

Lastly, Condit needs to remain active while waiting on GSP to recover because he may be waiting longer than he thinks.

With ACLs, it is impossible to tell how long full recovery will take. Given GSP’s personality, we shouldn’t expect to see him in the octagon until he is 100-percent sure that he is ready to defend his title. While everything we’ve heard has pointed to this fall being the latest for a comeback, one setback could substantially delay his recovery and leave Condit waiting even longer.

Condit must remain active to give himself the best shot at claiming the true welterweight championship.

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5 Reasons Why Nick Diaz Should Not Be Suspended by the NSAC

Yesterday, Nick Diaz’s lawyer responded to the accusations from the Nevada State Athletic Commission that Diaz tested positive for a prohibited substance (Cannibus) after his last fight against Carlos Condit at UFC 143.Diaz’s license to fight in the st…

Diaz’s license to fight in the state of Nevada is currently suspended by the NSAC until a disciplinary hearing can be held at a later date. Some speculate he is facing up to a year suspension if found guilty of failing the post-fight drug test.

Here are five reasons why Nick Diaz should not be disciplined by the NSAC.

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MMA: South Park Characters and Their MMA Counterparts

Rowdy, obnoxious and definitely over the top, Comedy Central’s South Park has provided viewers with a ton of laughs after 15 seasons and a feature length film. With so many characters to draw from, we here at B/R MMA could not think of a better w…

Rowdy, obnoxious and definitely over the top, Comedy Central’s South Park has provided viewers with a ton of laughs after 15 seasons and a feature length film.

With so many characters to draw from, we here at B/R MMA could not think of a better way to honor the upcoming 16th season than with a slideshow comparing these zany personalities with their MMA counterparts.

So sit back and have yourself a laugh before the season premiere.

Special thanks to B/R Featured Columnist Rob Tatum for his help on this slideshow.

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The UFC’s Rogan and Goldberg: No Lampley and Merchant, but Getting There

People often debate the need for good commentary when it comes to the fight game. It seems to be a point of contention that unless the commentary is deadly accurate, then it is nothing more than a hindrance.This kind of thinking is further amplified by…

This kind of thinking is further amplified by those fighters who are contesting what they feel to be a bad call from the judges. “Watch the fight with the sound off!” they cry to the public, “Then tell me who won.”

The idea behind this thinking is obvious: the commentary has influenced the viewing public in the wrong way.

When it comes to the UFC, Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan have experienced this kind of backlash before. Countless times the viewing public has declared their disgust with Rogan and his bias towards one fighter or the other.

If anything, Rogan can take comfort in the fact that he is not alone.

Two of the best commentators in the business, Jim Lampley and Larry Merchant, have also felt the sting of public scorn for perceived bias or the style of their commentary on a given night.

It’s simply going to happen, no matter how good you are.

Jim Lampley and Larry Merchant have been the voices behind some of the biggest boxing matches for over the past twenty years. In the past, both of them have shown they can go fact-for-fact in the sport of boxing history with any boxer or trainer, and they do it with a verve that makes both sides look good.

It’s a treat to listen to experts talk as if they are alone at a corner table, and Lampley and Merchant have the knowledge and background that allows such brilliant boxing minds as Emmanuel Stewart to do that very thing.

If Mayweather Jr. and Pacquiao somehow manage to find their way into the ring at the same time, you can bet it will be Lampley and Merchant that end up calling the action.

And still, no matter how hard they try, some people are never pleased with the job they do.

Well, for the sake of argument, I’ve tried watching the fights with the volume turned down.

It sucks.

So, yeah, maybe Goldie and Rogan are no Lampley and Merchant, but they’re getting there. Goldberg provides a sounding board that manages to keep the ship on course, while Rogan provides a depth of knowledge in the game that comes from actually training in Jiu-Jitsu and talking to countless fighters, who give him access to their world.

But I would really love to see them bring in Jeff Blatnick as a third.

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UFC: Five Viable Opponents for Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

Mauricio Rua has run hot and cold since he debuted under the UFC banner back in 2007, never stringing together more than two wins at a time, though never suffering defeat in back-to-back contests.The inconsistency in performance thus far is attributabl…

Mauricio Rua has run hot and cold since he debuted under the UFC banner back in 2007, never stringing together more than two wins at a time, though never suffering defeat in back-to-back contests.

The inconsistency in performance thus far is attributable to a handful of factors, such as the health of his oft-operated on knees and strength of schedule. But regardless of the variables that have pushed Rua down the road of past glories, the Brazilian is still a relatively young man (30) in what should be the prime of his career.

As a former Pride Grand Prix and UFC champion, Shogun is firmly entrenched in a position that is both enviable and pitiable, facing nothing but top competition from here on out.

Whether or not his body holds up will be the decisive factor in determining whether Rua can transition into his early 30s successfully, trouncing competition en route to another title shot or shutting down and yielding to the next generation of contenders.

While assessing this projection will have to happen over a minimum of a few years, Shogun’s next performance will be a strong indication of what to expect over the course of his next several bouts.

Here, we will examine five possible opponents with whom Shogun can seek to rebuild his star over.

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Nick Diaz Will Totally Win His Marijuana Suspension Appeal

This is possibly the smartest thing Nick Diaz has done throughout his entire mixed martial arts career.By “this” of course, I am referring to Diaz’s hiring of Las Vegas attorney Ross Goodman to handle his suspension for testing positive for marijuana m…

This is possibly the smartest thing Nick Diaz has done throughout his entire mixed martial arts career.

By “this” of course, I am referring to Diaz’s hiring of Las Vegas attorney Ross Goodman to handle his suspension for testing positive for marijuana metabolites following his UFC 143 bout with Carlos Condit.

Goodman filed a response to the suspension with the Nevada commission on Monday afternoon. In the response, Goodman notes that Diaz tested positive for marijuana metabolites and not actual marijuana, thus he cannot be suspended because marijuana metabolites are not a banned substance. As he told ESPN.com after filing the response:

The basis to discipline Mr. Diaz is that he tested positive for a prohibited substance. We know he didn’t test positive for marijuana. So, you look to see at WADA whether marijuana metabolites are prohibited. They do not prohibit it in any category.

Goodman said that Diaz tested positive for THC-Carboxylic Acid, which is a non-active marijuana metabolite.

“You have to test positive for marijuana, as opposed to this inactive ingredient Nick did. If there’s nothing in the rules prohibiting marijuana metabolites, why are we here?”

Goodman’s argument follows the exact line of thinking that Vancouver Athletic Commissioner Jonathan Tweedale laid out in a column last week.

That cannabinoid metabolites are found in a fighter’s sample is consistent with the fighter ceasing to use a month before, a week before, or a day in advance of the contest. Heavy users have been documented as testing positive over 46 days after the most recent use. (See, e.g., Ellis GM, Maun MA, Judson BA, et al. Excretion patterns of cannabinoid metabolites after last use in a group of chronic users. Clin Pharmacol Ther 1986;38:572-578; and Smith-Kielland A, Skuterud B, Morland J. Urinary excretion of 11-nor-9-carboxy-delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabinoids in frequent and infrequent drug users. J Anal Toxicol 1999; 23:323-332.) None of these time periods are instances of use “before or during” the contest – as the psychoactive and physiological effects of marijuana would no longer be in effect.

Accordingly, if the Nevada Athletic Commission’s only basis for issuing a complaint against Nick Diaz is metabolites revealed by urinalysis of a sample collected on fight night, then it is unlikely the Commission has sufficient evidence to prove a violation under a Principled Interpretation of its regulations.

Even if the interpretation of Nevada’s regulation mandated by the Principled Interpretation is mistaken, the rationale-based analysis is still intact. Any disciplinary action levied against Mr. Diaz would have no rational basis in the principles underlying a defensible anti-doping regime unless there is evidence Mr. Diaz was under the effects of marijuana on fight night.

From a legal perspective, Diaz and Goodman appear to have an airtight case. The Nevada State Athletic Commission simply cannot ban Diaz if he merely tested positive for inactive marijuana metabolites because they are not a banned substance.

Perhaps we’ll get to see that rematch between Diaz and Carlos Condit this summer, after all.

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