Desperate times call for desperate measures.Tim Sylvia is on a mission to get another shot in the UFC. After his initial pleas were recently shot down by UFC President Dana White, the former two-time UFC heavyweight champion has been backed into a corn…
In an interview on The Hammerfisting Podcast, Sylvia was asked if he would consider competing on The Ultimate Fighter for a UFC contract.
“Absolutely. I helped coach Season 2 with Matt [Hughes] and Rich [Franklin] because it was half heavyweights,” said Sylvia.
“They needed some help with the big boys, and those are two of my best friends in the fighting industry, so I went out there and stayed with those guys and helped them with their heavyweights and stuff like that, and made some pretty good friends. I watch The Ultimate Fighter, and I would definitely do it if I needed to.”
Sylvia competing on TUF would certainly draw more viewers, but it may not be enough to convince White.
Despite everything Sylvia has offered to do, White still isn’t budging on his decision to pass on the former heavyweight star. Sylvia has even offered to fight for free.
Why no love for the former UFC champ?
Sylvia believes he may be blackballed from the UFC thanks to his decision to jump ship to Affliction and challenge Fedor Emelianenko in July 2008. Unfortunately, it proved to be a terrible decision, seeing as the promotion folded shortly thereafter.
What say you? Should the UFC give Sylvia another shot or is it time to leave the past behind and move on with future stars?
As confusion surrounds the possible scenarios that could take place next week at Alistair Overeem’s hearing, we wait in growing anticipation to learn his explanation.Since his testosterone to epitestosterone (T:E) ratio was found to be 14 times t…
As confusion surrounds the possible scenarios that could take place next week at Alistair Overeem’s hearing, we wait in growing anticipation to learn his explanation.
Since his testosterone to epitestosterone (T:E) ratio was found to be 14 times that of the average man, he must present an excuse to the Nevada State Athletic Commission to explain such a high result.
According to his manager, Glen Robinson, there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for his ratio being so out of proportion. He told Inside MMA’s Ron Kruck that although Overeem’s T:E ratio was “off,” his testosterone level was not high.
Until this point, media sources have speculated that for his ratio to be so abnormal, his testosterone must be significantly higher than allowed.
His massive physique and the missed urine test last December have led many to believe he will claim to be utilizing Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) and simply hasn’t reported it yet.
TRT is now widely believed to be a loophole in the system that athletes use to excessively raise their testosterone levels during training and lower them before the predetermined urine exam.
But these statements from Overeem’s manager insinuate the possibility that Overeem’s epitestosterone level is exceptionally low.
There are few known circumstances where epitestosterone may be lower than normal. Jake Young, a Behavioral Neuroscience MD/PhD student and Stanford graduate, analyzed a similar situation in 2006 in which Floyd Landis blamed a low epitestosterone level to be the cause of his high T:E ratio.
Landis was found to be guilty of abuse after a carbon isotope ratio test was used to determine that his testosterone was synthetic rather than natural. But prior to the conclusive testing, Landis’ situation was similar to Overeem’s.
Prior to the exam, Young speculated on the possibilities that could cause Landis to have a low epitestosterone level. He points out that we should not only look at what can alter levels of epitestosterone, but also what can alter the excretion of epitestosterone.
One possibility he noted was that during a controlled experiment, it was shown that ingestion of alcohol “always resulted in a significant increase in the ratio between testosterone and epitestosterone.” Changes in the ratio scaled up to 90 percent in some of the subjects studied.
This change is dependent upon the amount of alcohol consumed. According to the calculations in the study, Overeem would have had to consume about five two-ounce shots of highly concentrated liquor for his urine levels to change so significantly.
While it would be surprising to find that Overeem consumed alcohol in this quantity during training, it is nevertheless plausible.
Other examples Young explicated were benign prostatic hypertrophy and individuals with naturally low epitestosterone levels. The former generally occurs at ages 60-70, and the latter is a rare occurrence, but these are also nevertheless plausible.
If Overeem alleges to have naturally low epitestosterone levels, the commission may request further testing to prove his claim.
While they don’t put Overeem in the clear, these examples show that there are possibilities that haven’t been considered. For several years, spectators have constantly attributed Overeem’s growth in size to steroid use despite the lack of evidence to support such allegations.
On UFC Tonight, Chael Sonnen points out that Overeem has not tested positive for any illegal substances. He has simply been tested to have an abnormal ratio and, as Michael Schiavello pointed out, did not fight with that high ratio.
My point here is that fans and other speculators should not jump to conclusions because of the general perception of a fighter or their situation. With Robinson’s statements and Valentijn Overeem’s claims that he would know if his brother utilized TRT, it’s difficult to persecute Overeem when analyzing the facts.
Since Overeem has officially applied for licensure in Nevada, he is now subject to refusal of licensure and/or disciplinary action from the NSAC, per a 2008 memorandum from the commission.
Confidence from the Overeem party, exemplified by Robinson’s statements and Overeem’s application for licensure, show that there may be a viable explanation for all of this. Of course Landis had similar confidence in his statements that concluded to not be true.
But until April 24th, we can only speculate on the possibilities. Hopefully everyone can get their facts straight.
Here it is, my friends. The dream heavyweight matchup between former UFC bad boy Brock Lesnar and former No. 1 heavyweight in the world Fedor Emelianenko is finally coming to life.Well, in these slides anyway. Just two short years ago, this …
Here it is, my friends.
The dream heavyweight matchup between former UFC bad boy Brock Lesnar and former No. 1 heavyweight in the world Fedor Emelianenko is finally coming to life.
Well, in these slides anyway.
Just two short years ago, this was a matchup that had MMA fans drooling puddles of anticipation and would have decided the undisputed king of the heavyweight division.
Since that time, each fighter has fallen off the map a bit (Lesnar due to consecutive whippings and retirement; Fedor due to three consecutive beatings in a rough span that began in 2010), but it is fair to say that television sets across the world would still eagerly tune in to see these two legends square off in the Octagon (or ring, if Fedor gets his way).
For those of us still clinging to the notion that this bout remains a future possibility, start the slideshow to see how this fight would shake out.
This weekend’s battle between current UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former champion Rashad Evans was destined to be the biggest fight of the year.Months in the making, this drama between friends turned enemies has turned into MMA’s versi…
This weekend’s battle between current UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former champion Rashad Evans was destined to be the biggest fight of the year.
Months in the making, this drama between friends turned enemies has turned into MMA‘s version of a real life soap opera.
No one could have scripted better the rapid rift between Evans and the Greg Jackson camp or the deterioration of his friendship with Jones. However, like all historic fights, the stars somehow seem to align to create the perfect mix of real drama and an amazing matchup of styles.
The magnitude of the Jones-Evans bout couldn’t have reached this status without some help. Despite the vast amount of events the UFC has scheduled this year, there are very few big-name bouts that can contend with the size of this weekend’s headliners.
One challenger would have been the heavyweight battle between UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos and challenger Alistar Overeem. However, Overeem’s failed drug test has likely doomed this UFC 146 headlining fight.
The next obvious contender, a bout that UFC president Dana White thinks is one of the biggest sporting events of the year, would be a rematch between UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and challenger Chael Sonnen.
Most would agree that this fight, tentatively scheduled for UFC 147, would be the biggest fight of 2012. However, the Silva-Sonnen beef just feels contrived.
Silva, although motivated to defeat his nemesis once again, has never really shown an interest in trading verbal jabs with his loud-mouth opponent. Sonnen, on the other hand, has acted in a manner that clearly was just meant to gain attention.
While his ploy worked, Sonnen’s tactics just feel too WWE and lack a certain realism, a notion amplified by Silva’s lackluster responses to Sonnen’s antics.
Between Jones and Evans, the tension is all too real. If you’ve watched any of the number of overplayed hype videos by the UFC, these guys have never wavered in expressing their disdain for each other.
UFC commentator Joe Rogan noted that the tension in the air was eerie when these two last met in the cage following Jones’ latest title defense.
This intersecting of personal problems with professional aspirations has virtually done the UFC’s work for them in terms of hyping the fight.
While a product of the perfect storm of real-life drama and the falling through of some other premier bouts, Jones versus Evans will go down as the biggest fight of 2012.
This is not meant as disrespect towards Che Mills. I’m sure he’s a dedicated athlete and a fine fighter. But millions will tune into his bout Saturday night in Atlanta, the semi-main event of the evening no less, and ask themselves and their buddies a …
This is not meant as disrespect towards Che Mills. I’m sure he’s a dedicated athlete and a fine fighter. But millions will tune into his bout Saturday night in Atlanta, the semi-main event of the evening no less, and ask themselves and their buddies a single, pertinent question.
Who the hell is Che Mills?
Less important than who Mills is, although for the record he’s a British striker with solid standup and a limited ground game, is what he represents. For years, the UFC has thrown its prospects straight into the deep end of the pool to sink or swim on their own merits. No more.
Mills is a creature thought to be extinct in the modern UFC—an opponent.
An opponent isn’t the same thing as a tomato can, but there’s no doubt that diminutive is being tossed towards Mills right and left on MMA message boards the world over. No, an opponent is a different sort of fighter altogether.
He’s solid and dangerous and could conceivably even win the fight. But that’s not why he’s there. The opponent is usually a legitimate fighter picked out from the crowd to allow the star to shine. He will have a weakness that can be exposed. If the going gets tough, this can be used against him, a real-life Konami cheat code of sorts.
For Mills, that’s the ground game. Tap “Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, A, B, A” and Mills will find himself in world of hurt, at the star’s mercy.
Here, the star is Rory MacDonald. Just 22 years old, the Canadian prospect has all the potential in the world. The UFC rushed him a bit early in his career and Carlos Condit took advantage. This time, they want to do it right. His potential is too vast to do anything else. His coach, Firas Zahabi, believes he could be the next Georges St-Pierre, and Zihabi knows a little bit about that—he’s been Georges’ lead trainer for years.
For the UFC, this is smart business. It’s important to build fighters into stars, marketable commodities who can sell tickets and pay-per-views. That doesn’t happen organically by winning some and losing some on the undercard. A star is born when a fighter wins, often and impressively.
That’s what this fight is. A high-profile opportunity for MacDonald to work some magic and win in impressive fashion. That will allow him, down the road, to step into the main event without anyone asking that awful question—who the hell is Rory MacDonald?
Jonathan Snowden: It’s always interesting to see the fighters walking around the city before the big bouts. Think there is a PED problem in MMA? Maybe. But the guys that really need to be tested are the corners and entourages. I haven’t seen this m…
Jonathan Snowden: It’s always interesting to see the fighters walking around the city before the big bouts. Think there is a PED problem in MMA? Maybe. But the guys that really need to be tested are the corners and entourages. I haven’t seen this many swollen muscles since my last WWE show.
Today we hit the press conference. The UFC isn’t even trying to present this as a deep card. Two fighters will be there—Jones and Evans. It’s fitting. This is a one fight card, but man, what a fight. Can Jon Anik squeeze a little more out of Jones and Evans, who have been talking about each other for months? Hopefully both men have saved some A-material for the big day.
As confusion surrounds the possible scenarios that could take place next week at