Tag: Global MMA

California Cancels All Combat Sports Events Until June

CaliforniaThere will be no combat sports events taking place in the state of California until June. The decision was made by the California State Athletic Commission on Thursday amid the coronavirus pandemic that has put the world at a standstill. “The Commission didn’t take this decision lightly and understands the potential economic loss to promoters […]

California

There will be no combat sports events taking place in the state of California until June.

The decision was made by the California State Athletic Commission on Thursday amid the coronavirus pandemic that has put the world at a standstill.

“The Commission didn’t take this decision lightly and understands the potential economic loss to promoters and the industry of combative sports,” the CSAC statement said (h/t ESPN). “We had to weigh the best interest of our fighters and the community around us.”

In addition, the CSAC says the decision was based on guidelines from California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Public Health “to protect Californians against the possible spread of COVID-19.”

So what does this mean? For a start, UFC San Diego will not be taking place.

That event was set to be headlined by a lightweight contest between Dustin Poirier and Dan Hooker on May 16. Now it will either be postponed or canceled entirely.

Bellator MMA also had two events set to take place in May in California; however, the promotion recently decided to postpone three of its upcoming events.

With the UFC having plans for other events in May such as in Lincoln and Oklahoma City, it will be interesting to see if other states follow the lead of California.

What do you make of California canceling all combat sports events until June?

‘King Mo’ Lawal Hits Out At People Doubting Seriousness Of Coronavirus

LawalThe coronavirus pandemic has put a halt to life for everyone around the world with mixed martial arts fighters being among the many drastically affected. Former Strikeforce champion and current American Top Team (ATT) coach Muhammed ‘King Mo’ Lawal has seen it firsthand as a number of fighters at the gym have had upcoming fights […]

Lawal

The coronavirus pandemic has put a halt to life for everyone around the world with mixed martial arts fighters being among the many drastically affected.

Former Strikeforce champion and current American Top Team (ATT) coach Muhammed ‘King Mo’ Lawal has seen it firsthand as a number of fighters at the gym have had upcoming fights get postponed or canceled — all of which is affecting them mentally:

“It already started (messing with fighters),” Lawal told MMA Junkie Radio. “Right when it was said cards will be canceled for a while, fighters were wondering, ‘If I’m fighting in June, is that messed up? What about this?’ But June is two months from now. You got people with fights in June wondering if they’re going to be fighting. You have people also on the shelf looking for fights wondering, ‘Will I be on the shelf further, longer?’ So right now, everybody is in limbo.

“Last week, when everything was getting shut down, we had a team meeting last Tuesday or last Wednesday, and said, ‘Things are getting bad. We’re gonna shut the gym down for two weeks, then we’ll have a coaches’ meeting in two more weeks to see what we’re gonna do.’ I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be shut down another two weeks. That’s what I’m thinking. So right now everyone’s stir crazy.”

There are currently over 522,000 cases of coronavirus worldwide with the U.S. having over 74,000 of them at the time of writing.

It is naturally a very serious issue, however, some are ignoring the social distancing and quarantine suggestions while others believe the virus has been made out to be a bigger deal than it actually is. It doesn’t help that UFC fighters like Bryce Mitchell believe it’s a government creation, either.

For all the doubters, Lawal had a simple message:

“First of all, the coronavirus is very real for all ya’ll dumbass Trump supporters,” Lawal added. “Yes, it was real from the get-go. All you dummies posting, ‘Oh, H1N1, this is not that dangerous. We’ll survive like we survived SARS.’

“The COVID-19 virus is a version of SARS – severe acute respiratory symptom. Dummies, it’s real. That’s why Donald Trump went out and declared a state of emergency. It’s real. Y’all be safe, wash your hands.”

What do you make of Lawal’s comments?

Tito Ortiz Responds To Win Over Alberto El Patron Being Overturned

OrtizTito Ortiz was not happy to learn that his win over Alberto El Patron was overturned. The pair competed in a grudge match at Combate Americas 51 in Hidalgo, Texas, back in December in a contest that saw Ortiz dominate on his way to a first-round submission win via rear-naked choke. However, as reported on […]

Ortiz

Tito Ortiz was not happy to learn that his win over Alberto El Patron was overturned.

The pair competed in a grudge match at Combate Americas 51 in Hidalgo, Texas, back in December in a contest that saw Ortiz dominate on his way to a first-round submission win via rear-naked choke.

However, as reported on Wednesday, Ortiz’s win was overturned to a “no decision” by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) who oversaw the event. No reason was given, though an official revealed that the result was changed pending further investigation.

Many speculated what the reason for the change could have been with one belief being that Ortiz may have failed a drug test.

Regardless, the former UFC light heavyweight champion responded to the “BS claim” on Instagram:

“This is a BS claim and will get overturned. I promise you all. Sad way to get attention at my expense. #guiltyuntilproveninnocent“

One should expect more developments in the coming days.

Ortiz’s initial win over El Patron saw him move to a three-fight winning streak after previous first-round victories over Chael Sonnen and Chuck Liddell.

But if this new result sticks, “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” will have his streak as well as his 21st professional win taken away from him.

What do you think is the reason for Ortiz’s win being overturned?

Tito Ortiz’s Win Over Alberto El Patron Changed To No Decision

Ortiz PatronTito Ortiz’s submission win over Alberto El Patron has been changed to a no decision. The pair competed in the headliner of the Combate Americas 51 event in Hidalgo, Texas back in December. Ortiz quickly took the former WWE star down and dominated en route to a first-round submission victory via rear-naked choke. It put […]

Ortiz Patron

Tito Ortiz’s submission win over Alberto El Patron has been changed to a no decision.

The pair competed in the headliner of the Combate Americas 51 event in Hidalgo, Texas back in December. Ortiz quickly took the former WWE star down and dominated en route to a first-round submission victory via rear-naked choke.

It put the former UFC light heavyweight champion at 21 career wins as well as a three-fight winning streak.

However, that isn’t the case as per the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) which oversaw the event. According to the official results paperwork filed by them (obtained by MMA Junkie), the result is now a no decision.

There is no reason stated as of now why that is the case. However, according to a TDLR official, there is an investigation going on.

“The results of the fight were changed pending further investigation,” a TDLR official told MMA Junkie.

It is certainly possible that something went amiss on Ortiz’s side such as a failed drug test. However, if there is no wrongdoing, “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” will likely get his win back.

We’ll just have to wait and find out.

What do you think is the reason for Ortiz’s win being overturned to a no decision?

Elias Theodorou Granted Exemption For Medical Cannabis

TheodorouElias Theodorou has become the first mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter to be granted a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) for medical cannabis. The former UFC middleweight has been a big advocate of medical cannabis and was previously seeking the exemption while with competing in the UFC only to be denied by the United States Anti-Doping […]

Theodorou

Elias Theodorou has become the first mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter to be granted a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) for medical cannabis.

The former UFC middleweight has been a big advocate of medical cannabis and was previously seeking the exemption while with competing in the UFC only to be denied by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).

However, per a statement from his management group Paradigm, Theodorou has now been granted an exemption by the British Columbia Athletic Commission.

“I am grateful both as a patient and an athlete for the approval of my medical cannabis TUE by the BC Athletic Commission, recognizing my fundamental Canadian right to medicate as prescribed by my medical doctor,” Theodorou said in the statement (via MMA Fighting). “I remain committed to fighting the negative stigma of medical cannabis, not only for myself but for all athletes.”

The TUE allows Theodorou “to continue his doctor-prescribed use of medicinal cannabis and protects him from penalty if he tests above the previous threshold for in-competition use. He will follow the guidelines provided by the athletic commission regarding fight-week medical use.”

Theodorou was released from the UFC following a drab performance against Derek Brunson. He has since competed at a PFC show in Windsor, Ontario, where he defeated fellow ex-UFC fighter Hernani Perpetuo via third-round TKO in December.

What do you make of Theodorou being granted the exemption?

Study Raises Concerns Over Weight Cutting In MMA

UFC Moscow Weigh-In ResultsResearch from Dublin City University (DCU) has raised concerns over the practice of weight cutting in mixed martial arts (MMA) among other combat sports. Weight cutting has been a major topic in the sport with many calls for it to be abolished altogether after seeing fighters regularly drain themselves to make their division’s respective limits. […]

UFC Moscow Weigh-In Results

Research from Dublin City University (DCU) has raised concerns over the practice of weight cutting in mixed martial arts (MMA) among other combat sports.

Weight cutting has been a major topic in the sport with many calls for it to be abolished altogether after seeing fighters regularly drain themselves to make their division’s respective limits.

And the research from DCU — led by Dr Brendan Egan, David Nolan and John Connor from the School of Health and Human Performance — issued concerns over the practice being influenced by coaches and fellow athletes rather than medical and health professionals such as dietitians.

Egan added that there is scope to improve the quality of information provided to athletes who undergo rapid weight loss practices:

“Rapid weight loss practices have been around for a long time in these sports, and as long as there are weight categories, athletes will look to gain a competitive advantage using these practices,” Egan said. “It is important to understand which methods are being used, and how widely they are being used, and in turn understand which individuals are most influential in providing information to athletes about these practices.

“Clearly there is scope to improve the quality of information provided to athletes across a range of sports, but there is also a lot more research needed on the effectiveness and safety of the methods presently being used.”

That’s not to say all MMA fighters don’t use medical professionals to help with weight cutting. After all, Jose Aldo used the help of a nutritionist to help make the seemingly unlikely cut to 135 late last year.

However, it would certainly help if more fighters used medical and health professionals as guides rather than their peers.

What do you think of the concerns from the research?