Tag: News

Cris Cyborg Suspended for Positive Steroid Test

Filed under: Strikeforce, NewsCristiane “Cris Cyborg” Santos, widely regarded as the best female fighter in mixed martial arts, has been suspended for testing positive for steroids.

The California State Athletic Commission announced on Friday that it …

Filed under: ,

Cristiane “Cris Cyborg” Santos, widely regarded as the best female fighter in mixed martial arts, has been suspended for testing positive for steroids.

The California State Athletic Commission announced on Friday that it has suspended Cyborg because her drug test following her most recent fight, a 16-second knockout of Hiroko Yamanaka, came back positive for metabolites of the anabolic steroid stanozolol. The result of the Cyborg-Yamanaka fight will be changed to a no decision.

“Our primary concern is for the health and safety of fighters,” CSAC Executive Officer George Dodd said in a statement. “Anabolic agents and other banned substances put not only the users of those agents at risk, but their opponents as well. The commission simply will not tolerate their use.”

The CSAC’s announcement did not say how long Cyborg will be suspended, but one year is the typical length of such suspensions. She has also been fined $2,500.

This is bad news for Cyborg, Strikeforce, Showtime and for all of women’s mixed martial arts. Cyborg has been the most dominant female fighter in the sport and one of the few women who draws fans to Strikeforce broadcasts on Showtime. It also calls into question whether her accomplishments in the cage have always been tainted by the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Women’s MMA, which is struggling just to survive, just saw one of its highest-profile fighters get a major black eye.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Diaz’s Camp Fires Back at Penn For Yesterday’s Random Twitter Salvo


(“See, where I come from bitching like that will get you backhanded.”)

Well, it didn’t take long for Team Cesar Gracie to return fire on BJ Penn after “The Prodigy” launched a random Twitter attack on Nick Diaz yesterday.

Here’s what they had to say about Penn’s latest bitchfest via a posting made today on Cesar’s official blog, GracieFighter.com.

Say It Ain’t So BJ…

JANUARY 6, 2012

BJ Penn has apparently not come to terms with the beating he received at the hands of Nick Diaz. Below is his latest posting on his Twitter account:

@nickdiaz209 Look how much bigger you are in this pic..I thought you were gonna scrap from the beginning homie? What was that coward fence holding strategy to tire out the smaller man? Street fighter my ass! I made you fight like glass jaw @jonfitchdotnet poser!
I’ll be ready for that weak bs next time we fight!

At some point it is up to those around you to protect you from yourself. To take you aside and let you know you are wrong and help save you from your folly. Unfortunately for Penn he is surrounded by “Yes Men” that are unwilling to do that. The outcome will be predictable, resulting in a fighter that will never push himself to the fullest and will always have excuses for his losses.


(“See, where I come from bitching like that will get you backhanded.”)

Well, it didn’t take long for Team Cesar Gracie to return fire on BJ Penn after “The Prodigy” launched a random Twitter attack on Nick Diaz yesterday.

Here’s what they had to say about Penn’s latest bitchfest via a posting made today on Cesar’s official blog, GracieFighter.com.

Say It Ain’t So BJ…

JANUARY 6, 2012

BJ Penn has apparently not come to terms with the beating he received at the hands of Nick Diaz. Below is his latest posting on his Twitter account:

@nickdiaz209 Look how much bigger you are in this pic..I thought you were gonna scrap from the beginning homie? What was that coward fence holding strategy to tire out the smaller man? Street fighter my ass! I made you fight like glass jaw @jonfitchdotnet poser!
I’ll be ready for that weak bs next time we fight!

At some point it is up to those around you to protect you from yourself. To take you aside and let you know you are wrong and help save you from your folly. Unfortunately for Penn he is surrounded by “Yes Men” that are unwilling to do that. The outcome will be predictable, resulting in a fighter that will never push himself to the fullest and will always have excuses for his losses.

Who knew that Team Cesar Gracie would have the more level-headed response?

2012 is turing out to be some Bizarro World, alternate MMA universe. Next you’re going to tell me that Chael Sonnen is going to go full pro wrestler and get his own Piper’s Pit.

 

Win or Go Home, ‘TUF’ Edition: Mac Danzig vs. Efrain Escudero Booked for UFC 145


(“It kind of feels like my nose might be shoved into my brain. Oh God, is that bad? That’s bad, isn’t it.”)

The UFC confirmed yesterday that TUF 6 winner Mac Danzig and TUF 8 winner Efrain Escudero will meet in a lightweight bout at UFC 145 (March 24th, Montreal). Danzig has lost five of his last seven outings, most recently dropping a unanimous decision to Matt Wiman in a rematch of their controversial first fight. Meanwhile, Escudero just lost a decision to #1 Obama-fan Jacob Volkmann at UFC 141, coming in as a short-notice replacement for TJ Grant. It was Escudero’s first UFC appearance since getting booted from the promotion last September.

It goes without saying that contracts are on the line here. If Danzig loses, he might become the fifth Ultimate Fighter winner to be cut by the UFC, following Travis Lutter, Escudero (the first time), Kendall Grove, and Joe Stevenson. If Efrain Escudero loses, he might become the first Ultimate Fighter winner to be fired twice.

UFC 145 still lacks a main event; for more details on the supporting card, go here.


(“It kind of feels like my nose might be shoved into my brain. Oh God, is that bad? That’s bad, isn’t it.”)

The UFC confirmed yesterday that TUF 6 winner Mac Danzig and TUF 8 winner Efrain Escudero will meet in a lightweight bout at UFC 145 (March 24th, Montreal). Danzig has lost five of his last seven outings, most recently dropping a unanimous decision to Matt Wiman in a rematch of their controversial first fight. Meanwhile, Escudero just lost a decision to #1 Obama-fan Jacob Volkmann at UFC 141, coming in as a short-notice replacement for TJ Grant. It was Escudero’s first UFC appearance since getting booted from the promotion last September.

It goes without saying that contracts are on the line here. If Danzig loses, he might become the fifth Ultimate Fighter winner to be cut by the UFC, following Travis Lutter, Escudero (the first time), Kendall Grove, and Joe Stevenson. If Efrain Escudero loses, he might become the first Ultimate Fighter winner to be fired twice.

UFC 145 still lacks a main event; for more details on the supporting card, go here.

Cesar Gracie: B.J. Penn Surrounded by ‘Yes Men’

Filed under: UFC, NewsTrainer Cesar Gracie suggested on Friday that B.J. Penn should direct his anger towards his own camp for his recent troubles instead of Gracie Fighter member Nick Diaz.

“At some point it is up to those around you to protect you f…

Filed under: ,

Trainer Cesar Gracie suggested on Friday that B.J. Penn should direct his anger towards his own camp for his recent troubles instead of Gracie Fighter member Nick Diaz.

“At some point it is up to those around you to protect you from yourself,” Gracie said on his official website. “To take you aside and let you know you are wrong and help save you from your folly. Unfortunately for Penn he is surrounded by ‘Yes Men’ that are unwilling to do that. The outcome will be predictable, resulting in a fighter that will never push himself to the fullest and will always have excuses for his losses.”

Gracie is responding to Penn’s fierce message Thursday towards Diaz on Twitter, questioning Diaz’s approach in their showdown two months ago at UFC 137.

“@nickdiaz209 Look how much bigger you are in this pic,” Penn wrote on Twitter, referring to this post-fight photo.

“You were gonna scrap from the beginning homie? What was that coward fence holding strategy to tire out the smaller man? Street fighter my ass! I made you fight like glassjaw @jonfitchdotnet poser! I’ll be ready for that weak bs next time we fight!”

At UFC 137, Diaz convincingly outpointed Penn through three rounds to eventually earn himself a shot at the UFC welterweight championship.

According to BJPenn.com Editor-in-chief Pedro Carrasco, the Tweet came out of Penn’s frustration with his recent performances. Penn holds one victory in his last five outings.

“… There is a reason why he posted it,” Carrasco said on The Underground Forum. “He is fired up because now that the holidays are over and a lot of his post-fight distractions are behind him, he has nothing to do but think about things and he is not happy with the way he performed in his last several fights.

“I am not here to make excuses for him, but I am pretty sure people, at least with some sense of intelligence, can identify that the B.J. that fought Edgar, Fitch and Diaz was not the same Penn that fought the Diego’s and Florians of the world,” Carrasco continued. “Things changed, but as it sits right now, he is back. That killer mentality and fire is back and it’s been brewing for a while now and today’s tweet is a result of it just boiling over!”

As of now, there is no official word on Penn’s future in MMA. Following the loss to Diaz, Penn hinted towards retirement from MMA competition. Meanwhile, next for Diaz is a UFC interim title bout against Carlos Condit at UFC 143 on Feb. 4.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Keith Jardine Gets Strikeforce Title Shot, but Weight Cut Not Easy

Filed under: Strikeforce, NewsKeith Jardine will fight Luke Rockhold for the Strikeforce middleweight title on Saturday night, which is surprising for two reasons: One, Jardine’s recent record wouldn’t seem to warrant a title shot. And two, Jardine is …

Filed under: ,

Keith JardineKeith Jardine will fight Luke Rockhold for the Strikeforce middleweight title on Saturday night, which is surprising for two reasons: One, Jardine’s recent record wouldn’t seem to warrant a title shot. And two, Jardine is not a middleweight.

But while Jardine admits that having to get down to 185 pounds at the weigh-in on Friday afternoon makes him uneasy, he’s adamant that he’s a worthy opponent for Rockhold.

“I’ve never been down to 185, since my freshman year of high school probably,” Jardine said at Thursday’s pre-fight press conference.

Asked how much he weighed right then, about 24 hours before the weigh-in, Jardine wouldn’t give a number but said, “I’m big.”

Jardine has only fought in Strikeforce once, a draw with Gegard Mousasi last year, and his record over the last three years is 2-5-1, with the two wins coming against lightly regarded opponents on small shows. So a lot of MMA fans are questioning why Jardine is fighting for a belt. Jardine said he anticipated that reaction, but he’s frustrated by those who believe he’s unworthy of a fight against Rockhold.


“I say ‘Screw you, whoever says that,'” Jardine said. “It’s been a long trip to get to this point. I’m just so thrilled and honored to be here. I’m glad that Luke took this fight. I’m grateful for that.”

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker defended the promotion’s decision to make Jardine the first challenger to Rockhold, who won the Strikeforce middleweight belt by defeating Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in September.

“The thing about a veteran like Keith Jardine is he’s already been in all the wars, he’s already seen all the fights, and the battles that he’s been through, to me, justify and warrant the title fight with Luke Rockhold,” Coker said. “In MMA anything can happen.”

Perhaps Coker is right: If Keith Jardine becomes the Strikeforce middleweight champion on Saturday night, that really would show that anything can happen in MMA.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

UFC Roundup: Mac Danzig vs. Efrain Escudero Set for UFC 145

Filed under: UFC, NewsTwo former Ultimate Fighter winners are set to clash at UFC 124 in Montreal on March 24.

Mac Danzig, who won Season Six of The Ultimate Fighter, and Efrain Escudero, who won Season Eight of the UFC’s reality show, are set to squa…

Filed under: ,

Efrian EscuderoTwo former Ultimate Fighter winners are set to clash at UFC 124 in Montreal on March 24.

Mac Danzig, who won Season Six of The Ultimate Fighter, and Efrain Escudero, who won Season Eight of the UFC’s reality show, are set to square off in a lightweight bout, the UFC announced on Thursday.

Danzig will be fighting for the first time since losing to Matt Wiman on Oct. 1. That loss was Danzig’s fifth in his last seven fights, and there was some talk that Danzig would be released from the promotion. But he’ll get at least one more shot to prove he belongs in the Octagon against Escudero, who’s also on thin ice with the UFC: Escudero was released by the UFC in 2010 before getting another chance at UFC 141, where he lost to Jacob Volkmann. The loser of Danzig-Escudero is probably done in the UFC.

The Danzig vs. Escudero fight is one of several the UFC announced on Thursday.

Others include:

— UFC 145 will also feature Matt Wiman vs. Mark Bocek in a lightweight fight.

— Shane Roller will take on Michael Johnson as part of the UFC on Fox 2 undercard. Johnson had been slated to face Cody McKenzie, but McKenzie dropped out with an injury and Roller has taken his place.

— T.J. Dillashaw will return to the Octagon for the first time since losing to John Dodson at the Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale when he squares off with Walel Watson at the UFC on Fuel event on February 15. The same card will feature a featherweight fight between Jonathan Brookins and Vagner Rocha.

— Dustin Poirier has a new opponent for UFC 143 after both Erik Koch and Ricardo Lamas dropped out with injuries. Poirier will now face UFC newcomer Max Holloway.

— Jake Hecht will face T.J. Waldburger at UFC on FX 2 in Australia.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments