Tag: MMA

Thiago Silva Suspended Six Months After Positive Test for Marijuana Metabolites

Thiago Silva has been suspended for six months for testing positive for marijuana metabolites following his third round submission victory over Stanislav Nedkov on November 10.  If you are keeping track, that’s two suspensions over the cours…

Thiago Silva has been suspended for six months for testing positive for marijuana metabolites following his third round submission victory over Stanislav Nedkov on November 10.  If you are keeping track, that’s two suspensions over the course of Silva’s last three UFC fights.

The suspension was announced on UFC.com:

Thiago Silva tested positive for marijuana metabolites following his bout at UFC on FUEL TV in Macau. The UFC organization has a strict, consistent policy against the use of any illegal and/or performance-enhancing drugs, stimulants or masking agents. Silva has admitted to taking the banned substance and has agreed to participate in an approved drug-rehabilitation program and serve a six-month suspension retroactive to the November 10 event. He must pass a drug test upon completion of the suspension before receiving clearance to fight again.

 

Silva is the fourth UFC fighter to get popped for marijuana this year. Nick Diaz tested positive following his UFC 143 loss to Carlos Condit. Matt Riddle tested positive following his submission win over Chris Clements at UFC 149 and Dave Herman tested positive—his second positive test for marijuana—following a loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 153.

Riddle served a 90-day suspension for his positive test. Herman is in the process of serving a six-month suspension, while Diaz remains suspended until February 4, following his 12-month suspension.

Silva’s earlier suspension came following a unanimous decision win over Brandon Vera at UFC 125. That suspension was for one year after Silva handed in a urine sample that had been tainted by an adulterant.

The UFC’s statement does not indicate if Silva’s victory over Nedkov will be overturned to a no-contest, which is often the case when a fighter fails a drug test following a victory.  If the win is overturned it will move Silva’s record to 1-3-0-2 in his last six fights after beginning his career on a 13-0 run.

One curious thing about all the aforementioned marijuana related suspensions is the varying time frames, from 90 days for Riddle to one year for Diaz. This discrepancy speaks to the fact that there is not one single body or set of rules overseeing the sport of mixed martial arts when it comes to positive drug tests, something that may prove problematic as the sport grows on an international scale.

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Thiago Silva Reportedly Suspended 6 Months After Failing Another Drug Test

Thiago Silva is an extremely talented UFC fighter, but he can’t seem to stay out of trouble.According to a press release by Zuffa officials, Silva failed a post-fight drug test after his light heavyweight fight versus Stanislov Nedkov:
Thiago Silva tes…

Thiago Silva is an extremely talented UFC fighter, but he can’t seem to stay out of trouble.

According to a press release by Zuffa officials, Silva failed a post-fight drug test after his light heavyweight fight versus Stanislov Nedkov:

Thiago Silva tested positive for marijuana metabolites following his bout at UFC on FUEL TV in Macau.The UFC organization has a strict, consistent policy against the use of any illegal and/or performance-enhancing drugs, stimulants or masking agents. Silva has admitted to taking the banned substance and has agreed to participate in an approved drug-rehabilitation program and serve a six-month suspension retroactive to the November 10 event. He must pass a drug test upon completion of the suspension before receiving clearance to fight again.

 

This is the second time this has happened. After UFC 125 in 2011, Silva got caught submitting a false urine sample. He was forced to forfeit his win over Brandon Vera, was suspended for a year and had to give up 25 percent of his purse, according to Bohn‘s report.

When you look at it that way, six months seems like nothing. For a second-time offender, UFC could have cracked down harder on him to really teach him a lesson. Since he didn’t learn his lesson the first time, that would have been ideal.

Bohn also mentions that rehab isn’t uncommon for UFC lately. Dave Herman was forced to go after testing positive for the same thing last month.

Silva is 14-3-2 in his UFC career. He’s a jiu-jitsu specialist who has picked up 11 knockouts and two submission wins along the way.

Having a good record is nice, but Silva now has two overturned victories attached to his name. That’s a reputation that he will never shake. Couple that with losses to Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida in the past, and it’s hard to tell if this talented fighter will ever get over the hump.

Hopefully for his sake, his stint in rehab, and this suspension, will straighten him out and allow him to reach his full potential in the Octagon.

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Dan Henderson to Face Lyoto Machida at UFC 157 in February

Some late news before everyone leaves their computers to hangout with friends and family for Thanksgiving. Dan Henderson was slated to face Jon Jones at UFC 151 for the UFC light heavyweight title. Henderson went down with an injury and the e…

Some late news before everyone leaves their computers to hangout with friends and family for Thanksgiving. 

Dan Henderson was slated to face Jon Jones at UFC 151 for the UFC light heavyweight title. Henderson went down with an injury and the event was subsequently cancelled when the UFC was unable to create a suitable replacement bout. 

Jones took all the heat for the cancellation at the time, but then news began to trickle down that Henderson suffered the injury a few weeks before the fight and didn’t notify Zuffa. 

Henderson was offered another crack at the champ at UFC 152 but had to turn down the fight. The title shot went to Vitor Belfort, who lost by submission in the fourth round. 

When it was announced that Jones would be coaching the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter opposite Chael Sonnen, Henderson was quick to cry foul. After all, he never received his shot at the UFC light heavyweight title.

Well, it appears that the UFC is a two-strike organization, as Henderson will be facing Lyoto Machida in his return bout. 

Luca Gomes broke the news on Tatame earlier this week and Ariel Helwani confirmed the news late Wednesday evening on MMAFighting.com. It should be noted that no fight contracts have officially been signed, though it’s expected that it will be made official sometime soon. 

UFC 157 is the promotion’s return to Anaheim, California. This bout is not expected to be the main event.  

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Erick Silva vs. Jay Hieron Confirmed for UFC 156 on February 2nd

An intriguing welterweight match with significant divisional relevance has been confirmed for UFC 156 by the promotion’s Brazilian wing.Erick Silva and Jay Hieron will clash this coming February on the still-growing Las Vegas card, which takes place at…

An intriguing welterweight match with significant divisional relevance has been confirmed for UFC 156 by the promotion’s Brazilian wing.

Erick Silva and Jay Hieron will clash this coming February on the still-growing Las Vegas card, which takes place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Both welterweights are coming off hard losses, but this fight should provide some critical support for the upcoming event.

UFC Brazil just made the call earlier today via its official Twitter account:

 

That makes the fifth official fight for UFC 156, which is currently headlined by a featherweight title fight between Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar. Here’s how the card looks so far:

  • Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar
  • Rashad Evans vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
  • Alistair Overeem vs. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva
  • Jon Fitch vs. Demian Maia
  • Erick Silva vs. Jay Hieron

Erick Silva most recently turned heads with a gritty “Fight of the Night” performance in Rio de Janeiro, battling Jon Fitch to a decision at UFC 153. He put up a solid fight with tight submission attempts but eventually wilted under the pressure of Fitch’s consistent wrestling attack.

Hieron is coming off a loss against Jake Ellenberger at UFC on FX 5, but unlike previous UFC appearances, the former Bellator competitor is not getting bounced after one defeat. Hieron is currently on his third UFC stint with prior runs ending in one-and-done losses against Georges St-Pierre and now-retired Jonathan Goulet.

Both Silva and Hieron are still hot commodities in the welterweight division despite recent setbacks. Silva may even find himself entering the title hunt with a win—the young Team Nogueira fighter entered the UFC on a 10-fight winning streak and hadn’t legitimately lost a fight in the promotion before facing Fitch.

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Todd Duffee Returns to the UFC to Face Phil De Fries at UFC 155

TODD DUFFEEEEEE!!!That was the cry of MMA fans everywhere when Todd Duffee made his UFC debut with a stunning knockout win over Tim Hague at UFC 102. It was assumed that he would go on to become one of the biggest names in the UFC. But just as qui…

TODD DUFFEEEEEE!!!

That was the cry of MMA fans everywhere when Todd Duffee made his UFC debut with a stunning knockout win over Tim Hague at UFC 102. It was assumed that he would go on to become one of the biggest names in the UFC. 

But just as quickly as he became a household name, he dropped off the map. Duffee was handed his first career loss with a stunning late knockout from Mike Russow at UFC 114. Duffee was subsequently dropped from the promotion in September, 2010.

Since leaving the UFC, he has fought twice. 

His first fight outside of the organization was against Alistair Overeem for the Dream Heavyweight title. Duffee was defeated in 19 seconds and it was assumed that his talent was just another flash in the pan. 

But he was able to rebound against Neil Grove in the second Super Fight League show with a TKO victory in the first. 

That win was apparently enough to get another shot in the Octagon. 

The Las Vegas Sun reported the news earlier this afternoon. Duffee will face Phil De Fries at UFC 155. It’s his second chance to make a first impression. 

This is a sweetheart matchup for Duffee. De Fries is a competent grappler, but has only rudimentary striking. Duffee‘s a strong wrestler with knockout power and is absolutely relentless if he puts an opponent on the mat. 

Welcome back, Mr. Duffee. 

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Rashad Evans: GSP’s Takedowns Would Be Too Much for Anderson Silva

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans believes his former Greg Jackson’s MMA teammate, Georges St-Pierre, would defeat Anderson Silva based on his superior wrestling game. On Monday’s appearance on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour, “Suga”…

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans believes his former Greg Jackson’s MMA teammate, Georges St-Pierre, would defeat Anderson Silva based on his superior wrestling game. 

On Monday’s appearance on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour, “Suga” gave his opinion on how the long-awaited superfight would go down. 

“Oh yeah, I definitely think he has a shot against Anderson,” he said. “One thing about Anderson is this right here: Anderson’s a great fighter, but one thing with Anderson is that he has such a problem with defending the takedown. And then on the ground even sometimes he allows people to advance position way too much … You see Chael Sonnen, the second time he fought him,” Evans continued. “He took him down and before the round’s over he had him in mount. You get a guy like Georges St-Pierre in a position like that, Anderson may not make it to another round.”

Sonnen had his second encounter with the UFC middleweight champion at UFC 148, winning the first round decisively with a takedown and top control for the majority of the round. 

However, he was able to do little to no damage from the top position and was eventually TKO’ed in the second round. 

Just to clarify, Evans also stated “I think Georges beats Anderson, yeah, I really do.” 

Shortly before talk of a GSP-Silva superfight heated up again, there were strong rumors that Evans, following a decision loss to UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones at UFC 145, would drop to middleweight to fight “The Spider.” 

This, of course, never came to fruition, and Evans is now booked to face Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, a Black House MMA teammate of Silva’s, at UFC 156. 

Is Evans on the money in believing that St-Pierre’s takedowns would be enough to carry him to victory against Silva?

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