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There are varying opinions on Anderson Silva’s steroid controversy heading into “The Spider’s” return against Israel Adesanya at tomorrow’s (Sat., February 9, 2019) UFC 234 from Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia.

Some, like UFC President Dana White, feel that the legend has done what was needed to clear his name. White believes Silva is still a clear Hall of Famer after he retires.

But others believe Silva’s sordid past with PEDs in the past four years has indeed put a shroud over his otherwise historic legacy. Not surprisingly, Adesanya’s coach Eugene Bareman is among them. He recently told Submission Radio (via MMA Fighting) that ‘The Spider’ was the ‘Lance Armstrong of MMA.’ He claimed to hold a grudge and want nothing to do with the star:

“He’s the Lance Armstrong of MMA. For me, he cheated. And I’m a very stand up guy. MMA fans, for one or another reasons, they’re not the same as cycling fans. MMA fans forget quickly when someone cheats. But I’m not like that. If you do something wrong and it’s proven and factual, then I hold that against him about it. I don’t hold it against you like I wanna beat you up, I just want nothing to do with you.”

Used In Training

Possessing obvious similarities to the former champion, ‘The Last Stylebender’ has called Silva the reason he got into MMA. Bareman isn’t so sure that’s who his student should be looking up to, however. He admitted to using that in training to make sure Adesanya wasn’t starstruck by fighting his onetime hero:

“Truth be told, I’ve used my position to try and help break down any possible hangovers he has with fighting someone who’s his idol,” Bareman said. “I said, ‘Well, I don’t know about him, why should he be your idol? He cheated.’ I’ve intentionally used that. That’s just the way I feel. And he might not have needed it, to be honest. He’s got a very powerful mindset himself, so he might not have needed it but if there was that one percent of doubt and stuff that was creeping into him, then I made sure that I needed to eliminate anything through the use of that.

“It was maybe a little cunning or whatever, but that’s just how I feel. And he’s perfectly right, he lulls you. Anderson lulls you, but make no mistake, he is ruthless. He will do anything it takes to win. Anything. He will go to extreme measures to win.”

Nowhere For GOAT

As of right now, Silva’s spot in the ongoing debate for MMA’s GOAT seems to be wholly uncertain. Many feel he’s up there with the greatest of all-time, and many others feel his career is tarnished. As expected, Bareman is among the latter. The coach put Silva in the same ranking spot as Armstrong is in his sport – not ranked:

“He sits nowhere, as far as I’m concerned,” said Bareman. “He sits the same place as Lance Armstrong sits, but it’s a different sport, different community. I completely dismiss him. I find it – I think weird is the best way to describe it – I find it weird that people talk of him in that manner.

“You can’t cheat in this sport, or else it brings everything you did into complete disrepute, like Lance Armstrong. How are two people who are basically guilty of the same thing treated so differently in the sporting world. Well, it’s because of the different responses that each of those fanbases give to that crime.”

The post Israel Adesanya’s Coach Calls Anderson Silva ‘Lance Armstrong Of MMA’ appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Moments ago, UFC President Dana White guaranteed Israel Adesanya a title shot if he can beat Anderson Silva at UFC 234 from Melbourne.

The admission made the high stakes bout even higher. We already knew Silva will get a title shot if he is able to hand the heavily favored ‘Last Stylebender’ his first UFC defeat. It wasn’t all too hard to surmise that Adesanya would also get one, but White made it official at the UFC 234 press conference.

True to his blunt, confident, and brutally honest personality, Adesanya took it in stride. He said he had been talking to White about it for some time. Now that it was out in the open, however, he was going to be champion in 2019:

“Uh, like I said when we had the meeting, he had other ideas. After 230 he said, you know I texted him like, ‘I wanna fight this guy.’ He was like, “pump the brakes, oh, pump the brakes the kid. Yeah. When we had a meeting, we talked face to face.

“I let him know this ain’t my first rodeo, I’ve been doing this for a long time as well. So yeah, the cat’s out the bag. I’m about to be champion, 2019.”

Looking Ahead

Adesanya was then asked if he preferred to fight fellow Australian favorite Robert Whittaker, who defends his title against Kelvin Gastleum in the UFC 234 main event. He admitted of course he did. But he then may have got a bit ahead of himself when he begun speculating on the stadium it would happen at:

“Yes. Of course. We’re looking at Sydney, maybe Brisbane, somewhere,” drawing a long glare from Silva. “First off, first off, what stadium do you have? Rod Laver? Etihad. Here? We can do it. Talk to this guy (gesturing at White), talk to the boss.”

Respect

But when the crowd began to react with boos at the seeming disrespect to the legendary Silva, ‘The Last Stylebender’ backtracked a bit. Adesanya believed the betting odds for his fight with Silva were quite erratic. He acknowledged that both he and Whittaker had tough tests ahead of them this Saturday. Then, he pointed out that many in today’s MMA may not have the correct respect for what Silva has accomplished:

“First, first, first, 2-3-4, this weekend, Sunday, we both have big tests ahead of us. Everyone, I seen the odds this week, and I was like, ‘man, ya’ll must have forgot.’ Like Roy Jones say, ‘y’all musta forgot.’ I think a lot of you new fans weren’t around during his reign, what it felt like. You might have come around the Ronda Rousey era or the McGregor era. You don’t realize who this guy is.”

Finally, Adesanya looked back at Silva bringing him into the MMA game. He was a revolutionary force and one of the fighters with the most part in bringing the UFC to the position it enjoys now. He may be nostalgic for that, yet ultimately Adesanya said he would be honored to usher ‘The Spier’ away from fighting:

“So, he brought me into this game, you know? This guy inspired me to be able to believe a skinny black guy could just come in here and f*** anyone up. So, he brought me into this game, and it’ll be an honor to take him out of this game.”

The post Israel Adesanya Reacts To Dana White’s Title Shot Promise appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Earlier this week MMA legend Wanderlei Silva admitted that he was suffering from eight out of 10 concussion symptoms after attending a lecture on the subject.

With ‘The Axe Murderer’ still technically fighting for Bellator, the nation’s most progressive athletic commission in terms of MMA understandably wants to look into that. The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) is reportedly taking Silva’s statements “very, very seriously.” Speaking up on the subject to MMAjunkie, CSAC Executive Director Andy Foster said they were going to follow up with Wand:

“We’re going to have to make sure he’s neurologically fit to go. If fighters say things like this in the press, we have to follow up. He’s welcome to fight here if he’s medically cleared.”

Three years ago, the CSAC began neurologically testing fighters with a system called C3 Logix. The data compiled using iPads tracks potential concussions and overall brain function in fighters.

Silva was last seen fighting longtime rival Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at October’s Bellator 206. He was medically cleared to fight and granted a one-year license by the NSAC for the bout. Jackson finished Silva via TKO in the second round of what was their fourth fight against one another. It was his seventh knockout loss, yet he welcomed a fifth fight with “Rampage” immediately after the loss.

Silva has long been known and respected for his violent, brawling style of fighting. In his early Pride days, he ran roughshod over most of his competition with the all-out style. He’s also a longtime member of the famed Chute Boxe team, who have been known to have legendary sparring wars inside the gym.

Advice For Young Fighters

But if he were to leave young up-and-coming fighters with any advice, he would tell them not to go all-out in training and take repeated blows to the head:

“If (I were) to leave a tip … it is not to get beat up every day,” he said. “Those who have young students, do not let the student get very punched in the head. Have the right time to do a stronger training, but it cannot be an everyday thing.”

Sage advice from an MMA great with two decades in the sport. It’s wisdom from a man who has lived it and is beginning to show the effects of long years of hard sparring. Many fighters have begun to take it easier in terms of that archaic sort of training in the hopes of avoiding the situation Silva finds himself in. For some, like former UFC champion Robbie Lawler, they believe it’s added years to their careers.

Silva said he’s working as a volunteer with a Canadian supplement company making a product designed to reduce head trauma. He plans on donating his brain to science after his death for the study of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disease that can only be diagnosed post-mortem.

But regardless of his current struggles with concussions, “The Axe Murderer” isn’t done yet. He’s teased a rematch with longtime rival Vitor Belfort, hoping ‘The Phenom’ will come out of retirement to face him in the Bellator cage.

The post CSAC Taking Wanderlei Silva’s Concussion Symptoms ‘Very, Very Seriously’ appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

It’s no secret UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has been through some wars.

The rising pound-for-pound force has only fought twice since July 2017. Both match-ups were five-round wars against feared title challenger Yoel Romero. Despite ‘The Soldier of God’s’ reputation as a sort of MMA boogeyman, Whittaker won both fights by decision. He didn’t emerge unscathed, of course, with the titleholder requiring multiple operations for injuries sustained against the Cuban powerhouse.

That has some wondering if he can fight to his full potential heading into his main event bout against Kelvin Gastelum at this weekend’s UFC 234 from Melbourne. But for those questioning him, Whittkaer told the media at the UFC 234 open wokrouts today that he went 10 rounds of Romero’s best and emerged on top (via MMAjunkie):

“I feel they should be worried, but for other reasons. I feel that Yoel gave me his best in 10 rounds and couldn’t put me away, I went 10 rounds with a monster. No one else has.”

Another Lofty Challenge

It’s a fair point from the aptly-named ‘Bobby Knuckles,’ who has somewhat quietly been one of the most dangerous fighters in the UFC the past three years. He reigns as the 185-pound champion and is selling out arenas in his native Australia. The fact he isn’t necessarily a mainstream star may be because of his relative inactivity. It could be because of his resistance to trash talk as well.

Perhaps another highlight reel win over Gastelum this weekend will help him attain that position. The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winner may be a much different fighter than the frightening Romero, but Whittaker doesn’t think it’s a step down:

“It’s definitely not a step down. I respect his abilities. He’s a dangerous fighter. He’s going to come in there hungry, with nothing to lose. That’s one of the most dangerous combinations. I’m giving him the respect he deserves. It is refreshing to have a different opponent other than Yoel, but, you know, here we are.”

‘The Reaper’ admitted Gastelum has some solid wins under his belt. Add those to his dangerous skillset, and he thinks the fight is as even as they get:

“He’s beaten some big names,” Whittaker said of Gastelum. “He’s young, he’s hungry, he’s tough. He hits like a truck. He’s got good, well-rounded skillsets, so I think we go in there very, very, very even.”

No matter what happens, Whittaker is thankful for the ability to fight near his home. Whittaker has wanted to headline a card in Australia for quite a while, and his chance fell apart last year. He’s back the next year, and it’s a special moment for him. He voiced his excitement for the opportunity few MMA fighters achieve:

“It’s a very special moment,” Whittaker said. “I think the biggest thing is that I’ve missed home. I’ve wanted to fight here for a long time. To be able to come home and defend my belt, have, well, I guess in my career one of the biggest fights to date, it’s pretty unreal.”

The post Robert Whittaker: 10 Rounds With A Monster Couldn’t Put Me Away appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

As possibly the most hyped fighter in the UFC right now, Israel Adesanya has the biggest fight of his career this Saturday. ‘The Last Stylebender’ will take on legendary former champion Anderson Silva in the main event of February 9, 2019’s UFC 234 from Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia.

Adesanya may already be looking ahead to bigger and better things. It’s true that the 43-year-old Silva is nowhere near the fighter he was during his unparalleled run. No fighter his age ever would be. So after storming into the UFC with four wins, Adesanya is deservedly a huge favorite here. So it may be looking to the future, but Adesanya is teasing a huge event for the future.

According to ‘The Last Stylebender,’ who lives in New Zealand but hails from Africa, in a conversation with ESPN, UFC Africa is already in the works. He’s talked to UFC President Dana White about the first event on African soil:

“It’s already in the works, we’ve been talking about it for a while. I’ve talked to Dana as well when I had my meeting with him.”

Pressed for a few more details, Adesanya said he couldn’t disclose all the goods just yet. He simply said he was a very persuasive man:

“I can’t disclose that. We just talk about everything. Even this fight [against Silva] right now, it’s happening the way I want it to happen. I can be very persuasive. I am a very persuasive man.”

It’s an exciting prospect for MMA, Adesanya claims, because he’s actually the smallest of his people:

“I’m the runt of my people. You go home, you just take away the soccer ball and put some gloves in their hands; we’ve got some good boxers back home as well. We just have to farm, find out where the gyms are back home. But I’m the runt of my people, so if I can be doing great things in what I’m doing, for anyone who’s coming up next it’s going to be crazy.

Adesanya closed on the topic by offering his stance that many elite fighters would be coming out of Nigeria. He pointed to Kamaru Usman and himself as examples:

“Eventually we’re going to have a lot of guys [coming through the UFC]. Kamaru Usman is fighting for the title next; he’s a Nigerian-born fighter [and] he’s going to fight for the [welterweight] title next against Tyron Woodley, so he might be the first Nigerian UFC champion. But I don’t mind. I’ll be the second Nigerian UFC champion. That would be cool, to take it back to Africa.”

The post Israel Adesanya Reveals UFC Africa ‘Is In The Works’ appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Over the past couple months, former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington has been at extreme odds with the UFC.

It all started when ‘Chaos’ turned down a title shot against champion Tyron Woodley at last September’s UFC 228. Covington reportedly required sinus surgery and was unavailable to fight. But turning that fight down has come back to haunt him in the most career-damaging way. Woodley beat Darren Till at UFC 228, hurting his thumb in the process.

In the meantime, top contender Kamaru Usman continued rising up the ranks by handily beating Rafael dos Anjos. Usman was granted the next title shot at the now-healed Woodley as a result. So Covington was left out in the cold for the UFC’s next blockbuster Vegas pay-per-view of UFC 235. He proceeded to go off on Dana White and the UFC at every juncture, even daring them to release him.

Ready To Sue

But he’s taken it to a new level this week. Covington recently told MMAjunkie Radio that he could sue the UFC for how they handled his title fight:

“We may have to go to court, and this may be a lawsuit, because let’s be honest: If (Tom) Brady wins the AFC championship … and just all of a sudden Roger Goodell says, ‘You’re not going to the Super Bowl because we don’t like you’ – no, that’s not how it works.”

It’s tough to argue with Covington’s stance. He’s not the most beloved fighter in the UFC – that much is true. In fact, he’s legitimately one of the most hated.

However, haters and fans alike have mostly been in agreement about this situation online. The UFC screwed Covington over here. He wouldn’t fight on their schedule and may have been tough to deal with. But he won the interim title by defeating dos Anjos before Usman and deserved the title shot. Denying him it only further devalues the already worthless UFC interim straps.

Woodley vs. Covington was a bankable rivalry, too, yet we may not see it right away in the next welterweight title bout after UFC 235. Covington aparently hasn’t been promised a shot at the winner of Woodley vs. Usman. Dana White even said Covington would have to “get back in line.”

Not Backing Down

So Covington believes that’s just corrupt business. He’ll stand up for his beliefs and will not back down:

“If the UFC wants to be a circus and be a corrupt business and go about their business, then that’s their problem,” he said. “I’m standing up for what I believe in. I’m not backing down.

“I don’t care what Uncle Fester has to say. I’m the No. 1 ranked fighter in the world. Go look it up on the UFC website. I had a belt wrapped around my waist by Uncle Fester. I was the only fighter to go the White House. What else do you have to do? What’s the criteria to get a title shot these days?”

What Covington may be off about his drawing power. He’s never headlined a true top-level pay-per-view, but still insists he’s the biggest draw in the welterweight division. Clearly, he’s not quite as vital to the UFC as he believes he is. They want him to fight again in order to work his way back to the top. Covington claims they’ve made him an insulting offer ‘one-fifth of what they promised.’ To the surprise of no one, Covington isn’t taking that offer.

Instead, he claims he’s going to turn the tables on the UFC and make their lives a living hell:

“That ain’t happening,” Covington said. “I’ll sit on the shelf all day. We’ll go to court. I’ll make it a living hell for the UFC. I don’t give a (expletive). They’re already trying to make my life a living hell. The business they’re trying to do right now is ridiculous. It doesn’t make sense.”

The post Colby Covington Hints At Lawsuit For UFC Title Shot Drama appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.