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And Now He’s Retired (Again): Severe Heart Condition Ends Chris Leben’s Bellator Return Before It Begins

If you were one of the almost everyone who thought that nothing good could come of Chris Leben’s unretirement, then boy do we have some good news for you. And by good news, we of course mean “somehow even more terrible news.”

The longtime UFC veteran, who called an end to his 11-year career back in January of 2014 only to sign with Bellator last month, has recently been forced out of his promotional debut according to MMAJunkie…and not for the reasons you might think.

The post And Now He’s Retired (Again): Severe Heart Condition Ends Chris Leben’s Bellator Return Before It Begins appeared first on Cagepotato.

Chris Leben is no longer coming out of retirement to fight for Bellator after doctors found a severe medical condition that left him with just 18 percent of normal blood flow to his heart.

Leben signed with Bellator this past month and was undergoing a physical in order to be cleared for a spring return when he failed several electrocardiogram (EKG) tests, according to the statement sent out by Leben’s management team. Doctors discovered a “life-threatening abnormality” to the left ventricle of his heart, which was “oversized,” “misshapen,” and “not operating properly.”

A combination of life-saving drugs was immediately prescribed to Leben in hopes of preventing “a catastrophic cardiac event.”

Yes, it appears that Leben’s well-documented struggles with alcohol and substance abuse have finally caught up to him in the worst way possible. And it gets worse.

“As of now, the prognosis is mixed: one doctor believes that he should be considered for a heart transplant, while another doctor hopes that medication and a healthy lifestyle will reverse some of the damage over time,” the statement read.

In either case, it’s safe to say that we won’t be seeing Leben fighting again, unless the vultures over at Venator FC sign him. As big fans of the guy, we’d like to wish a smooth recovery to Leben in what may very well turn out to be the biggest fight of his life. Sometimes it takes a wake-up call as big as this to truly open someone’s eyes to the issues facing them, and we hope that this will certainly be the case for the much-troubled TUF alum.

If the statement sent out by his management team is to be believed, it looks like Leben will face his latest setback head-on.

“Leben says that he is grateful to the fans, friends and family that have been there for him throughout his life and career. He will continue to fight the good fight, and has confidence that strict dedication to nutrition and wellness will allow him to succeed in this battle.”

The post And Now He’s Retired (Again): Severe Heart Condition Ends Chris Leben’s Bellator Return Before It Begins appeared first on Cagepotato.

A Former BJPenn.com Writer Has Accused Penn Of Some Pretty Horrific Stuff

(Say it ain’t so, BJ. via Getty.)

If you’ve ever wondered what current day CagePotato would look like with slightly more readers and slightly less credibility, look no further than BJPenn.com. The site that owes its namesake to the former UFC lightweight and welterweight champ has become one of the more ridiculed destinations for MMA news over the years (next to, you know, *us*), having been accused of blatantly stealing videos and entire articles from other MMA sites without attributing the proper credit on several occasions. It’s also been criticized as being regularly prone to grammatical mistakes, which is arguably even more shamful. Shamful, indeed.

But we’re not here to take pot shots at one of our peers, we’re here to talk about the rather horrific accusations that one of the BJPenn.com’s former writers have lobbed at the man himself following a falling out with the website.

Details after the jump.

The post A Former BJPenn.com Writer Has Accused Penn Of Some Pretty Horrific Stuff appeared first on Cagepotato.

(Say it ain’t so, BJ. via Getty.)

Details after the jump.

After parting ways with BJPenn.com back in October, writer Pedro Alex Carrasco took to Twitter yesterday with the recently unretired champ in his sights, claiming to have proof that Penn had sexually assaulted his girlfriend some time before his departure.

For those thinking that this might just be a case of sour grapes, Carrasco followed up by claiming that “Those clamoring for evidence will have to wait, there is an investigation pending with the authorities.I just couldn’t hold my tongue.”

If that weren’t bad enough, MMA photographer Cynthia Vance then took to Twitter as well to corroborate Carrasco’s story, tweeting that “I was on the Big Island when all of this went down. Shit is fucked.”

After receiving some criticism, Vance later clarified her previous statements, writing that:

I was staying with them for nearly a week. And I know what happened to me and what went down around me. I was working on the Big Island shooting a pilot when all of this went down. The whole shoot fell apart. I asked for the first ticket out of there and the show was cancelled.

I’m not here to slander. Just stating facts. There’s no aloha in how I and all involved in that shoot were treated during our stay. Yes. Pedro has tweeted that only his girlfriend and BJ were present. Pedro and I were left in Waipio Valley during all of this. It’s a dead-zone with no internet or cell service.

We learned of everything once we were able to get out of there.

Obviously, this story is still in the early stages, so it’s difficult to discern who’s actually telling the truth here. Penn has yet to respond to the accusations, but we’ll make sure to keep you updated as the information is made available.

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Rampage Jackson Settles Lawsuit With Bellator…By Heading Back to Bellator

Together again at last. (FLAWLESS Photoshop work by yours truly.)

If you’re like us, you’ve not only forgotten that Quinton Jackson has been locked in a bitter contract dispute with Bellator for over a year, but that he in fact violated that contract in order to re-sign with the UFC and take a fight against Fabio Maldonado at UFC 186 last year — a fight which, again, you may have also forgotten ever happened.

Well, he has been, and the falling out has been vicious — like, “Rampage vs. the UFC” vicious — with both parties claiming breach of contract against the other and preliminary injunctions being upheld and overturned seemingly at random. Today however, it looks like Rampage has squashed yet another of his many beefs, and will be heading back to one of his many former promotions as a result.

The post Rampage Jackson Settles Lawsuit With Bellator…By Heading Back to Bellator appeared first on Cagepotato.

Together again at last. (FLAWLESS Photoshop work by yours truly.)

Well, he has been, and the falling out has been vicious — like, “Rampage vs. the UFC” vicious – with both parties claiming breach of contract against the other and preliminary injunctions being upheld and overturned seemingly at random. Today however, it looks like Rampage has squashed yet another of his many beefs, and will be heading back to one of his many former promotions as a result.

Yes, Page is heading back to Bellator, and the latter couldn’t be happier. As Bellator announced in a press release this morning:

Following an amicable agreement to settle the litigation between the two parties, the always entertaining and exciting Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is returning to Bellator.

Bellator MMA is thrilled to have “Rampage,” one of the most recognizable fighters in the history of the sport, joining a very competitive light heavyweight division featuring champion Liam McGeary, Phil Davis, King Mo, Tito Ortiz, Emanuel Newton, Linton Vassell among others.

Call me crazy, but I think Rampage Jackson is a perfect fit for a promotion who has been steadily rebuilding its brand on relics of a bygone era. It’s not like we were going to see him challenging for another UFC title anytime soon, and at least he’ll be re-entering his former promotion on a three-fight win streak. If we’re lucky enough, maybe we’ll get to see him take on his former TUF pupil, Kimbo Slice, in a fight that will no doubt be described by both fighters as “black on black crime.”

According to MMAFighting, Jackson’s contract will consist of two fights, with the first to allegedly take place later this year. We say “allegedly” because unhappy Rampage is easily the most unpredictable Rampage…next to “sleep-deprived and high on energy drinks” Rampage, of course.

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Gallery: Ronda Rousey’s Sports Illustrated Body Paint Photoshoot

(via Sports Illustrated)

Sure, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before, but here it is: Ronda Rousey‘s full photoshoot for this year’s Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition in all its body-painted glory.

Gallery after the jump.

The post Gallery: Ronda Rousey’s Sports Illustrated Body Paint Photoshoot appeared first on Cagepotato.

(via Sports Illustrated)

Sure, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before, but here it is: Ronda Rousey‘s full photoshoot for this year’s Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition in all its body-painted glory.

Rousey, who has been splitting her time between photo shoots, movie roles, and SNL hosting gigs ever since losing her belt to Holly Holm last year, unsurprisingly looks pretty damn great in nothing more than some strategically-placed tiger stripes, leading one to believe that she might just have a backup career in modeling if this whole MMA thing doesn’t work out for her. It’s a move that her mom would probably support, in any case, if only because it would get her away from Edmond Tarverdyan.

As for the former champ’s future, well, it’s a bit of a mystery at the moment. Her proposed return to the cage has been pushed back a couple times already, and here immediate rematch with Holm has since been pushed back in favor of a Holm-Miesha Tate title fight at UFC 196 in March. Still, there’s nothing like a nude photoshoot to keep you in the public eye I always say.

Speaking of Tate, does anyone know when *her* bodypaint issue is set to hit newsstands? Asking for a friend.

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