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Earlier on Wednesday (May 1, 2024), news released that Ryan Garcia flunked two separate Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) drug tests, which took place before and after his boxing match with Devin Haney. Garcia tested positive for Ostarine, a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) that helps build muscle. He’s not the first in combat sports athlete to pop for Ostarine, joining combat sports stars like Sean O’Malley. In Garcia’s case, he still can request his B sample be tested.

“King” went online almost immediately after news broke to declare his innocence, cite a grand conspiracy, and generally label the tests fake news. Now, Haney has also issued a statement, and he’s understandably bothered to lose his undefeated record (for now) to an allegedly juiced up opponent.

“We learned about this situation not too long ago,” Haney’s statement to ESPN reads. “And it’s unfortunate Ryan cheated and disrespected both the fans and the sport of boxing by fighting dirty and breaking positive not once, but twice. I’ve always been an advocate for clean fighting and this is an example of such. Ryan owes the fans ana apology, and by his recent tweet, he still thinks this is a joke. We pput our lives on the line to entertain people for a living. You don’t play boxing.

“This puts the fight in a completely different light. Despite the disadvantage, I still fought on my shield and got back up! People die in this sport. This isn’t a joking matter.”

In addition, the New York Athletic Commission issued its own statement, signaling that the commission was in touch with VADA and would review the findings as the situation continues to develop.

Before fully throwing Garcia under the bus, it’s important to note that Ostarine has been found in tainted supplements before, and there’s always the chance that his B sample comes back clean. Until then, however, the situation doesn’t look great for Garcia, who might see the biggest win of his career overturned.

Insomnia

Kurt Holobaugh fights are usually pretty fun.

Alright, I’m now fully convinced Merab Dvalishvili is Mexican after all.

Sean Strickland hates flags.

I specifically remember being like 13 years old and having a really hard time opening a coconut with a hammer.

Did I stumble back into 2011? Since when does Nick Diaz look so fit? Book him versus Tony Ferguson before reality returns.

Some throwback scrambles between Diego Sanchez and Karo Parisyan:

Slips, rips, and KO clips

The elbow giveth, the elbow taketh away.

I would agree with Frank Mir here. That’s a solid knockdown, but Reece seemed to still be aware enough to defend himself and was working to stand.

It’s always interesting when an MMA fighter who wasn’t particularly good at boxing in the cage transitions to actual boxing.

Random Land

Pushing someone and then standing there with your hands down is asking for a concussion.

Midnight Music: Indie, 2006

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

We’re just a few days away from UFC 301, the promotion’s first return to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in more than one year. Despite the promotion’s best efforts, however, the pay-per-view (PPV) card itself doesn’t exactly deliver in terms of depth or star power (see it here), particularly compared to recent UFC 300 and UFC 299 events.

Now, the card hasn’t happened yet, so it’s a little early to fully dunk on the event. And it’s fair to say Dana White and Co. emptied its clip, more or less, stacking its historic card last month. And, in all likelihood, UFC 301’s fights themselves will turn out to be really fun and produce some good finishes.

Because that’s what happens when the first three fights of the PPV main card feature a 5-1 Brazilian favorite taking on a foreign underdog beneath the howls of a hostile crowd. There’s also some sneaky good fights on the “Prelims” undercard — I can nearly guarantee Elves Brener vs. Myktybek Orolbai, Jack Shore vs. Joanderson Brito and Joaquim Silva vs. Drakkar Klose will be badass bouts worthy of your attention.

While certainly worth-watching, it’s hard to justify the price tag of UFC 301 in its current state. The three main card mismatches can likely be summed up adequately by a Twitter clip afterward. Do you really need to pay to see Paul Craig pull guard again while getting picked apart? Is Anthony Smith’s patented turtle defense really worth your hundred bucks?

It’s hard not to think about what could have been.

For one, the main event is disappointing, even for a Flyweight supporter like myself. Alexandre Pantoja is an excellent champion, but apparently too excellent, given that he’s already beaten most of the Flyweight Top 10. The division is in its usual state of bizarre, as top contenders repeatedly fight each other to mixed results or are forced to pull out of fights constantly.

Pantoja has known he would fight at UFC 301 for months, and still no suitable foil presented himself. Erceg is a quality prospect and has shown very good skills in his TWO Octagon bouts, but at this point, he’s best-known for resembling Michael Scott.

One half of a pay-per-view (PPV) headliner he does not make.

The co-main, similarly, suffered from uncontrollable circumstances. Bringing Jose Aldo — “The King of Rio” — back to his home turf is a great move, sure to generate electricity in the crowd. His opponent was intended to be Dominick Cruz, a perfect World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) throwback fight between two kings of their era and plenty worthy co-main event.

Cruz injuries cannot be considered unexpected at this stage of the game, but it’s still unfortunate that match up couldn’t come to fruition as planned (details here). Instead, the very talented Jonathan Martinez fills in. It’s still one of the best bouts of the night, but some of the sizzle is certainly gone.

Light Heavyweight kingpin, Alex Pereira, knew the UFC 301 card needed assistance, and he was more than willing to rebound from UFC 300 and fight again just three weeks later. That’s a kickboxing mentality, folks! For a brief moment, it seemed like his flawless knockout of Jamahal Hill — a fight in which Pereira took roughly zero punches (watch highlights) — might actually make that miracle happen.

It wasn’t meant to be.

Pereira’s torque on his left hook is apparently so powerful that it makes his toes shatter, so he’s mildly injured. Even without that problem, he would be in the Pantoja situation of needing a worthy dance partner. Jiri Prochazka might have been convinced to take a short-notice rematch, but both Heavyweight champions were unavailable, while Magomed Ankalaev doesn’t want to fight until October.

On the whole, UFC 301 will still be a lot of fun to watch, but things could have been so much better with just a bit of luck.

“Poatan” is still trying to help, too.

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Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 301 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 301: “Pantoja vs. Erceg” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

More fuel has been added to the whacky and wild saga of Ryan Garcia.

Garcia, 25, reportedly tested positive for the banned performance-enhancing drug (PED), Ostarine, in two Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) tests before and after his recent boxing match with Devin Haney, according to Dan Rafael. Per the report, Garcia’s positive tests state that he failed two urine tests on April 19 and 20, 2024. The latter of which came after his majority decision victory over Haney that day (watch highlights). The April 19 sample via a VADA letter read that it was “screened positive but was not confirmed for 19-Norandrosterone pending IRMS (Isotope ratio mass spectrometry) analysis currently being run.”

The boxer will have a 10-day window to have his B sample tested should he so choose. After seeing the report, Garcia denied any foul play and responded in the embedded video that can be seen above.

“What’s up, everybody? I came on here to address this bull f—king s—t claim that I cheated,” Garcia said in an X video. “Everybody knows that I don’t cheat. What can I say, you know? Why didn’t they come out with this before [the fight] if they found it before? Why would they let me step into the ring as a cheater and then come out with a victory then they post this?

“These are people that are trying to attack me for whatever reason,” he continued. “No weapon against me shall prosper. I never taken a steroid in my life — I don’t even know where to get steroids. I barely take supplements. They’re saying it’s coming from the ashwagandha. That’s f—kin’ r—arded. Big lies. I beat his ass. F—k outta here. F—k the haters!”

Garcia’s win over Haney was the 25th of his 26-fight career and a massive upset in sportsbooks. The build up to the fight drew concern throughout the combat sports world thanks to Garcia’s erratic behavior, including a weight miss (and beer chug) before fight night. Ultimately, he looked arguably better than ever when finally under the lights.

A Twitter tirade from Garcia followed his video response. Amongst the comments, he stated he doesn’t have interest in running back a match with Haney.

The war of words between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway continues.

It’s been an interesting start to Topuria’s reign as Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Featherweight champion. To celebrate his big second round knockout of Alexander Volkanovkski (watch highlights) at UFC 298 this past February 2024, Topuria toured Spain and made several appearances in other sporting atmospheres.

Since the celebrations died down, developments have continued to play out around “El Matador,” like Max Holloway’s coronation as the Baddest Motherf—ker (BMF) champion at UFC 300 last month (April 13, 2024). The former Featherweight titleholder, Holloway, went up to Lightweight for his encounter with the perennial top contender, Justin Gaethje, and came out on top with an iconic fifth round knockout (watch highlights). Therefore, “Blessed” is set up nicely to challenge for his old title once more.

It was recently claimed by Joe Rogan when catching up with Holloway that Topuria turned down a rematch against Volkanovski for his first title defense. Catching wind of the comments, Topuria denied ever being offered the fight.

“I never turned down the rematch with Alex as the UFC has never offered me this fight,” Topuria tweeted. “As I’ve said many times before, I will be the first to knockout Holloway. Let’s keep this simple: Do you want to fight? If the answer is yes, there’s nothing more to discuss. Bring my belt and your pillow.”

Volkanovski has expressed frustrations with Topuria’s alleged fight denials since Rogan first mentioned the notion regarding their potential rematch. When it comes to the Holloway match up for Topuria, the champion has maintained his desire for the BMF crown to also be on the line. Otherwise, he’ll move on to Volkanovski or Brian Ortega.

The BMF champion isn’t having it, though, as he promised another belt for Topuria, after all.

“Bro you’re the one making this hard,” Holloway responded. “Ennnnooouuggghhhh already lol. I’ll ‘bring your belt’ The B—ching Mother F—ker [crying laughing emoji] All you are doing is putting words together now. You’re spiraling. [hang loose emoji]”