Fight week is upon us, as UFC on FOX 18 is slated for this Saturday night (January 30, 2016) live on FOX from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. With pivotal bouts occupying the top portion of the card, the UFC has filled out the event with interesting names and intriguing contests. Are you
Fight week is upon us, as UFC on FOX 18 is slated for this Saturday night (January 30, 2016) live on FOX from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
With pivotal bouts occupying the top portion of the card, the UFC has filled out the event with interesting names and intriguing contests.
Are you considering skipping out on the night’s action?
Let’s take a look at four reasons why you should clear the schedule, and tune into UFC on FOX 18:
19 year old fighting phenom “Super” Sage Northcutt has taken the UFC by storm, compiling two straight stoppage wins, one being a 57 second demolition of Francisco Trevino, since entering the promotion last October. Northcutt was scheduled to make his third Octagon appearance against Andrew Holbrook at this weekend’s (January 30, 2016) UFC on FOX
19 year old fighting phenom “Super” Sage Northcutt has taken the UFC by storm, compiling two straight stoppage wins, one being a 57 second demolition of Francisco Trevino, since entering the promotion last October.
Northcutt was scheduled to make his third Octagon appearance against Andrew Holbrook at this weekend’s (January 30, 2016) UFC on FOX 18 from Newark, New Jersey. After Holbrook suffered an injury, however, it was announced that Northcutt would be moving up to welterweight to take on late replacement Bryan Barberena.
Despite having already started his cut down to 155-pounds, “Super” Sage admits that he feels even more super fighting at welterweight:
“I found out that my opponent that I was going to fight broke his foot, and that was at 155,” Northcutt told MMAjunkie.com. “So now the new opponent that got arranged for me is at 170, welterweight. I had actually cut back the amount of food I was eating. I was already getting close to my weight of fighting at 155, and now I feel great.
“I feel super strong. I feel like a super human getting to eat all this food and going back to welterweight at the last minute.”
Not only does he feel healthy and ready to go for this fight in particular, but Northcutt also touched on a possible future at 170 pounds:
“There is a chance that I might fight another fight at 170 or two more fights and go back to 155,” Northcutt said. “I’m not really sure yet exactly what the plan is, but it’s very possible I’ll have more fights and stay here at 170 and very possible I’ll go back to 155 in the future.”
Will “Super” Sage be able to keep the train rolling this weekend at the Prudential Center?
(Don’t feel bad, Jon. There are insane, misguided women who would pay a lot of money for lips like those. / Photo via Getty)
No, there won’t be an immediate rematch of 2013’s Fight of the Year. UFC president Dana White confirmed to ESPN yesterday that Jon Jones‘s next light-heavyweight title defense will come against Brazilian contender Glover Teixeira. “That’s what the champ wants,” White said. “We’ll probably have that fight on the Super Bowl card in New Jersey.”
With Super Bowl XLVIII scheduled for February 2nd in East Rutherford, the Jones vs. Teixeira bout would go down the night before on February 1st, as per UFC tradition. Though White didn’t name a venue, it seems likely that the fight would take place at the Prudential Center in Newark, where Jones originally won his title from Mauricio “Shogun” Rua back in March 2011, and made his fifth title defense against Chael Sonnen earlier this year. (Hey, remember when we thought this event might happen at Madison Square Garden? That was pretty sweet. Let’s cross our fingers for 2015, guys.)
(Don’t feel bad, Jon. There are insane, misguided women who would pay a lot of money for lips like those. / Photo via Getty)
No, there won’t be an immediate rematch of 2013′s Fight of the Year. UFC president Dana White confirmed to ESPN yesterday that Jon Jones‘s next light-heavyweight title defense will come against Brazilian contender Glover Teixeira. “That’s what the champ wants,” White said. “We’ll probably have that fight on the Super Bowl card in New Jersey.”
With Super Bowl XLVIII scheduled for February 2nd in East Rutherford, the Jones vs. Teixeira bout would go down the night before on February 1st, as per UFC tradition. Though White didn’t name a venue, it seems likely that the fight would take place at the Prudential Center in Newark, where Jones originally won his title from Mauricio “Shogun” Rua back in March 2011, and made his fifth title defense against Chael Sonnen earlier this year. (Hey, remember when we thought this event might happen at Madison Square Garden? That was pretty sweet. Let’s cross our fingers for 2015, guys.)
So where does this leave Alexander Gustafsson? Funny you should ask. Dana White also confirmed that The Mauler’s return fight will take place back in his home country. “Around the same time of the Jones-Teixeira fight, Gustafsson will fight in Sweden,” White told ESPN. “I don’t have an official date for that yet.”
We previously suggested that Gustafsson take on Lil’ Nog for his next outing, although Gustafsson also has some unfinished business with Gegard Mousasi. The two fighters were supposed to face off in the main event of UFC on FUEL 9 in Stockholm, but Gustafsson had to withdraw at the last minute due to a cut suffered in training. Who would you like to see for Gustafsson’s rebound opponent? And can Glover Teixeira give Jon Jones as tough a fight as Gus did?
(A photo of the mini-pharmacy in question, via MMAMania)
On Saturday evening, World Series of Fighting 5 main card fighter Elvis Mutapcic was pulled from his scheduled bout against Jesse Taylor at the last minute, allegedly for taking a medication before the fight that wasn’t approved in advance. Though a pill-bottle containing several different unapproved medications was retrieved from the middleweight’s warm-up area by New Jersey State Athletic Control Board inspectors, Mutapcic denied taking any of the meds, claiming that the commission inspector who originally reported it might have mistaken him for his manager — who is on medication for a heart condition.
According to MMAJunkie, Mutapcic immediately asked the NJSACB to give him a drug test to prove that he didn’t have any unapproved PEDs, painkillers, or other drugs of abuse in his system, but the commission refused his request. And so, Mutapcic went straight to a local hospital to get a drug test taken on his own. The results came back negative. According to Mutapcic:
“I was told it wouldn’t be a bad idea going to get a drug test after we left here, and even before the co-main event started we were on our way to the emergency room to get another drug test and prove I didn’t take anything. I plan on suing the New Jersey athletic commission for everything they’ve got.
“Right after they told us we couldn’t fight, I said I’d take another drug test from (the commission). And they said, ‘Oh, we don’t have any drug tests, but we won’t suspend you.’ So I wanted to go out of my way to clear my name and prove I never took anything. I’m a hard-working fighter who works his ass off, and I don’t want to be discredited.”
The New Jersey athletic commission stands by their decision to pull the fight; whether or not Mutapcic took the illegal meds, their presence backstage was a violation of the rules. Mutapcic understands this, but he’s still pissed:
(A photo of the mini-pharmacy in question, via MMAMania)
On Saturday evening, World Series of Fighting 5 main card fighter Elvis Mutapcic was pulled from his scheduled bout against Jesse Taylor at the last minute, allegedly for taking a medication before the fight that wasn’t approved in advance. Though a pill-bottle containing several different unapproved medications was retrieved from the middleweight’s warm-up area by New Jersey State Athletic Control Board inspectors, Mutapcic denied taking any of the meds, claiming that the commission inspector who originally reported it might have mistaken him for his manager — who is on medication for a heart condition.
According to MMAJunkie, Mutapcic immediately asked the NJSACB to give him a drug test to prove that he didn’t have any unapproved PEDs, painkillers, or other drugs of abuse in his system, but the commission refused his request. And so, Mutapcic went straight to a local hospital to get a drug test taken on his own. The results came back negative. According to Mutapcic:
“I was told it wouldn’t be a bad idea going to get a drug test after we left here, and even before the co-main event started we were on our way to the emergency room to get another drug test and prove I didn’t take anything. I plan on suing the New Jersey athletic commission for everything they’ve got.
“Right after they told us we couldn’t fight, I said I’d take another drug test from (the commission). And they said, ‘Oh, we don’t have any drug tests, but we won’t suspend you.’ So I wanted to go out of my way to clear my name and prove I never took anything. I’m a hard-working fighter who works his ass off, and I don’t want to be discredited.”
The New Jersey athletic commission stands by their decision to pull the fight; whether or not Mutapcic took the illegal meds, their presence backstage was a violation of the rules. Mutapcic understands this, but he’s still pissed:
“I made the mistake of having my manager in the corner and him not being aware of all the rules of something like that,” Mutapcic said. “That’s on me. But they never asked me if I took anything. She then changed her story later on. She said he, as in my manager, took it. She went back and forth changing her story. I felt disrespected by the New Jersey athletic commission because no one once asked me if I took anything. It’s one of those things that’s really hard to understand. We worked our ass off for eight or 10 weeks, and right before we go in the cage we get pulled off.”
The good news is, Mutapcic and Jesse Taylor will both be paid for the fight that never happened, and their match will be re-scheduled for the near future. As WSOF president Ray Sefo explained:
“It is sad to see this happen. I’ve been in martial arts for 25 years and have never seen anything like this. Elvis has been training for this fight for 10 weeks. But the commission has made its decision and we have to live with it. Because this was an issue with the fighter’s manager, both fighters will receive their show money.”
We’ll let you know if Mutapcic actually goes through with his lawsuit threat. Our prediction — Dan Miragliotta will be working as Mutapcic’s butler by the time this is all over.
Andrei Arlovski showed resiliency for the second fight in a row Saturday night in the World Series of Fighting (WSOF) 5 event in New Jersey, this time coming away with a win. Last March, Arlovski had his jaw broken after taking extra punches from Anthony Johnson when the referee allowed the first round to go on past the bell but fought on for the duration of the bout, ultimately losing a decision.
Saturday night, the recently un-retired Mike Kyle dropped Arlovski twice, once in the first and once in the third round, but “The Pitbull” came back each time and scored enough himself to be awarded winning scores of 29-28 by all three ringside judges. Arlovski took the fight on a month’s notice after Johnson himself was injured and had to pull out of the fight with Kyle.
“It was a great fight,” Arlovski said after the bout. “[Kyle is] a top fighter, and I really appreciate him for this fight.
In the WSOF 5 co-main event, middleweight David Branch won a decision over Danillo Villefort on the strength of dominating take downs and ground grappling. With the win, Branch has earned a shot at the WSOF middleweight belt. His opponent for the inaugural middleweight title bout has not yet been announced.
In heavyweight action, Derrick Mehmen knocked out Rolles Gracie in the second round. Throughout the first round, Gracie was able to stay safe and use his grappling effectively against Mehmen but in the second stanza, his opponent connected with a clean right hand on the feet that put Rolles out in unintentionally hilarious fashion.
In a strange turn of events, the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board officials called off a middleweight tournament bout between Elvis “The King” Mutapcic and Jesse “JT Money” Taylor just moments before the two were scheduled to hit the cage.
According the commission, Mutapcic took a prescription pill that had not been cleared for use.
(Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski [right] connects with a right on Mike Kyle Saturday night at WSOF 5 | Photo by Lucas Noonan/WSOF)
Andrei Arlovski showed resiliency for the second fight in a row Saturday night in the World Series of Fighting (WSOF) 5 event in New Jersey, this time coming away with a win. Last March, Arlovski had his jaw broken after taking extra punches from Anthony Johnson when the referee allowed the first round to go on past the bell but fought on for the duration of the bout, ultimately losing a decision.
Saturday night, the recently un-retired Mike Kyle dropped Arlovski twice, once in the first and once in the third round, but “The Pitbull” came back each time and scored enough himself to be awarded winning scores of 29-28 by all three ringside judges. Arlovski took the fight on a month’s notice after Johnson himself was injured and had to pull out of the fight with Kyle.
“It was a great fight,” Arlovski said after the bout. “[Kyle is] a top fighter, and I really appreciate him for this fight.
In the WSOF 5 co-main event, middleweight David Branch won a decision over Danillo Villefort on the strength of dominating take downs and ground grappling. With the win, Branch has earned a shot at the WSOF middleweight belt. His opponent for the inaugural middleweight title bout has not yet been announced.
In heavyweight action, Derrick Mehmen knocked out Rolles Gracie in the second round. Throughout the first round, Gracie was able to stay safe and use his grappling effectively against Mehmen but in the second stanza, his opponent connected with a clean right hand on the feet that put Rolles out in unintentionally hilarious fashion.
In a strange turn of events, the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board officials called off a middleweight tournament bout between Elvis “The King” Mutapcic and Jesse “JT Money” Taylor just moments before the two were scheduled to hit the cage.
According the commission, Mutapcic took a prescription pill that had not been cleared for use.
“There were some prescriptions that weren’t given to our doctors during the physicals and that weren’t approved by us, the commission,” a commission official said. “So since we don’t know what they are and what they do, we canceled the fight.
Mutapcic insisted he hadn’t taken any pills and that the inspecting New Jersey state commission officer may have mistaken him for his manager, who is currently using medication for a heart condition.
“I really don’t know what happened, what [the inspector] saw,” Mutapcic said. “She might have been taking some medication, herself. I put in a good 10-week training camp. I worked my ass off. I know Taylor’s ready. I’m not sure if she mistaken me for my manager, who has a heart prescription. He was the one that had it. We’re all dressed the same – same T-shirt, same hat. I mean, there’s four of us, and she’s pointing me out, that I took it. I say I’ll take a blood test. I’ll give a hair sample if they need it. I’ve got nothing in my system. I’m completely clean.”
Full WSOF 5 Results
Main Card
-Andrei Arlovski def. Mike Kyle via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
-Dave Branch def. Danillo Villefort via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
-Derrick Mehmen def. Rolles Gracie via KO, 2:40 of round 2
-Georgi Karakhanyan def. Waylon Lowe via submission (guillotine choke), 3:37 of round 1
Preliminary Card
-Rick Glenn def. Artur Rofi via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
-Jimmie Rivera def. Sidemar Honorio via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
-Richard Patishnock def. Gregor Gracie via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
-Ozzy Dugulubgov def. Andrew Osbourne via submission (achilles lock), 1:12 of round 2
-Neiman Gracie def. Darren Costa via submission (armbar), 3:57 of round 1
Jones vs. Sonnen will follow the fighters’ coaching stints on TUF 17, which will surely put the sport in a good light and won’t at all be an embarrassment to all humanity. So start saving that cash, Tri-State Area residents. You don’t want to miss history.
(Hey, that reminds me…please remember to vote today!)
Jones vs. Sonnen will follow the fighters’ coaching stints on TUF 17, which will surely put the sport in a good light and won’t at all be an embarrassment to all humanity. So start saving that cash, Tri-State Area residents. You don’t want to miss history.
