There are fights we as fans would like to see but never will. Either for cross-promotional reasons or because of Father Time, these fights are forever relegated to being “what ifs” discussed at the water cooler (or dinner table if you’…
There are fights we as fans would like to see but never will. Either for cross-promotional reasons or because of Father Time, these fights are forever relegated to being “what ifs” discussed at the water cooler (or dinner table if you’re fortunate enough to have a wife/family into MMA). So which fights that transcend promotional […]
(Leben might need to pray that MMA fans and the UFC don’t turn their backs on him in the next year while he serves his latest suspension. Ask Karo Parisyan.)
Anyone who says that the UFC isn’t policing its own athletes when it comes to drug use needs to talk to Chris Leben.
The troubled UFC middleweight, who blamed a massive weight cut on his sluggish performance, tested positive for Oxymorphone and Oxycodone in tests administered by the promotion following his UFC 138 loss on November 5 to Mark Munoz. As a result, he has been suspended by Zuffa for a year.
For those keeping track, this is the second time “The Crippler” has been popped for pissing dirty by the UFC. The first time was after his UFC 89 decision loss to Michael back in October 2008 when he tested positive for Stanozolol. Between these incidents, he also got picked up for DUI for the second time in October 2010, which clearly reveals a pattern of someone who needs help for a substance abuse problem or someone who really needs a hobby during the winter months.
(Leben might need to pray that MMA fans and the UFC don’t turn their backs on him in the next year while he serves his latest suspension. Ask Karo Parisyan.)
Anyone who says that the UFC isn’t policing its own athletes when it comes to drug use needs to talk to Chris Leben.
The troubled UFC middleweight, who blamed a massive weight cut on his sluggish performance, tested positive for Oxymorphone and Oxycodone in tests administered by the promotion following his UFC 138 loss on November 5 to Mark Munoz. As a result, he has been suspended by Zuffa for a year.
For those keeping track, this is the second time “The Crippler” has been popped for pissing dirty by the UFC. The first time was after his UFC 89 decision loss to Michael back in October 2008 when he tested positive for Stanozolol. Between these incidents, he also got picked up for DUI for the second time in October 2010, which clearly reveals a pattern of someone who needs help for a substance abuse problem or someone who really needs a hobby during the winter months.
At any rate, Leben’s boss, UFC president Dana White issued the following statement on the TUF 1 vet’s current lapse of judgment via UFC.com:
“I like Chris and I want him to do well, but based on his actions, he’s been suspended for one year,” White said. “If he needs professional help, we are going to be there for him. We want to see him succeed not only in the Octagon, but in his personal life.”
Leben issued a statement of his own, accepting responsibility for his mistake and pledging to do better for the sport, his fans, his family, his friends and his employer.
“I would like to make it known that I fully accept this suspension and apologize for embarrassing the UFC, my friends and family, and sport of mixed martial arts,” Leben said. “I’m learning that I’m my own worst enemy sometimes. I can’t succeed in the Octagon or in life behaving this way. I’ve got to make some real changes over the next year and I’m going to focus on getting my life and career back on track. Again, I’m sorry to the UFC and fans that’ve supported me since my days on The Ultimate Fighter.”
According to the UFC each of the remaining 19 fighters on the card all passed their drug tests.
Takanori Gomi‘s run in the UFC has resulted in an underwhelming 1-3 record, marked by submission losses to Kenny Florian, Clay Guida, and Nate Diaz. But it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the UFC is giving the Fireball Kid one more try in front of his home country’s fans — or at least the ones who will be dragging ass to the Saitama Super Arena early enough to catch the prelims.
The UFC has confirmed that Gomi will return at UFC 144 on February 26th, against Aussie grappling specialist George Sotiropoulos, who’s also had a rough go of it lately. After going 7-0 in the Octagon following his stint on TUF 6, Sotiropoulos is now riding back-to-back losses against Dennis Siver and Rafael Dos Anjos. In other words, jobs could be on the line here.
Gomi vs. GSots brings the UFC 144 card up to 12 star-studded fights, including the lightweight title headliner between Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson, and bouts featuring Quinton Jackson, Cheick Kongo, Jake Shields, Joe Lauzon, and Yushin Okami. Check out the current lineup after the jump, before injuries blow it all to hell.
Takanori Gomi‘s run in the UFC has resulted in an underwhelming 1-3 record, marked by submission losses to Kenny Florian, Clay Guida, and Nate Diaz. But it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the UFC is giving the Fireball Kid one more try in front of his home country’s fans — or at least the ones who will be dragging ass to the Saitama Super Arena early enough to catch the prelims.
The UFC has confirmed that Gomi will return at UFC 144 on February 26th, against Aussie grappling specialist George Sotiropoulos, who’s also had a rough go of it lately. After going 7-0 in the Octagon following his stint on TUF 6, Sotiropoulos is now riding back-to-back losses against Dennis Siver and Rafael Dos Anjos. In other words, jobs could be on the line here.
Gomi vs. GSots brings the UFC 144 card up to 12 star-studded fights, including the lightweight title headliner between Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson, and bouts featuring Quinton Jackson, Cheick Kongo, Jake Shields, Joe Lauzon, and Yushin Okami. Check out the current lineup after the jump, before injuries blow it all to hell.
PRELIMINARY CARD Yushin Okami vs. Tim Boetsch (MW)
Riki Fukuda vs. Steve Cantwell (MW)
Norifumi Yamamoto vs. Vaughan Lee (BW)
Takeya Mizugaki vs. Chris Cariaso (BW)
Takanori Gomi vs. George Sotiropoulos (LW)
Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski (FW)
Tiequan Zhang vs. Leonard Garcia (FW)
Filed under: Fighting, NewsA controversial weekend match in Poland that ended with former World Strongest Man Mariusz Pudzianowski on the winning end of a judges’ decision has been changed to a no contest.
A controversial weekend match in Poland that ended with former World Strongest Man Mariusz Pudzianowski on the winning end of a judges’ decision has been changed to a no contest.
According to KSW company officials, a judge’s error led to the incorrect initial announcement of Pudzianowski’s win in the co-main event of their KSW 17 show.
The promotion said that judge Piotr Baginski scored the two-round fight in favor of Pudzianowski’s opponent James Thompson on his official scorecard, but told the in-ring referee he had favored the local fighter. That gave Pudzianowski a majority decision.
Upon review of the scorecards, the fight was in fact a two-round draw, with one judge scoring it for each fighter, and the third having a 19-19 tie. Under KSW rules, a two-round draw is extended into overtime.
“Due to the fact that the overtime round did not happen, KSW owners along with KSW officials have decided to erase this fight from fighters’ records and declare the sixth bout at KSW 17 a no contest,” the promoters said in a statement announcing the change.
Company officials added that they would review scoring procedures to ensure such errors do not occur in future events.
With the new result, Pudzianowski’s record is 3-2 with 1 no contest, while Thompson is 16-14 with 1 no contest.
The bout had been a rematch of their May 2011 fight, which Thompson won with a second-round arm triangle. There was no word given if the inconclusive second bout would lead to a third fight.
Filed under: DREAM, News, Sports Business and Media, ONE FCOn the same day when the UFC officially announced its return to the Asian market with a press conference in Japan, two of the area’s biggest promotions announced that they would team up to incr…
On the same day when the UFC officially announced its return to the Asian market with a press conference in Japan, two of the area’s biggest promotions announced that they would team up to increase their visibility and bolster their star power.
DREAM and ONE Fighting Championship have declared an intention to co-promote events and exchange fighters between them, the heads of both promotions announced on Monday.
The change is effective immediately. In a press release, the sides said fighter exchanges are expected to happen quickly, and that a joint promotional effort has been tentatively scheduled for March 31 at Singapore Stadium with the name “ONE FC/DREAM in Singapore.”
“DREAM and ONE Fighting Championship will work together to lead the sport of MMA in Asia to a better future,” DREAM event producer Keiichi Sasahara said in a release. “DREAM has some of the best fighters in the world and we also have deep experience of putting on world-class events. ONE Fighting Championship has the largest media platform in Asia and many other assets. I see many great synergies with this partnership. It is certainly a new era for everyone in Asian MMA.”
Of the two promotions, DREAM has the longer history, producing over 20 events in its 3+ years of existence. It also has the deeper roster, with highly regarded veterans including Shinya Aoki, Gegard Mousasi, Katsunori Kikuno and Gerald Harris. ONE FC has only been in business since early 2011 and produced just one fight card with other scheduled into early 2012. Thus far, however, ONE FC has swiftly penetrated the Asian market, reportedly signing deals that make its future shows available in 500 million households across Asia.
Filed under: UFC, News, JapanSeveral UFC fighters met the media in Japan over the weekend to promote the Feb. 26 UFC 144 show at the Saitama Super Arena, and one of the big questions facing the promotion is whether it can engage Japanese fans who have …
Several UFC fighters met the media in Japan over the weekend to promote the Feb. 26 UFC 144 show at the Saitama Super Arena, and one of the big questions facing the promotion is whether it can engage Japanese fans who have largely turned away from combat sports in recent years.
One of the Japanese fighters on the show, Yushin Okami, thinks there is no question that the UFC will deliver just the kind of product that Japanese fans want.
“It’s been a while since I’ve fought in Japan, so I’m excited. I would love to bring the heat and atmosphere of the real UFC over to Japan,” Okami said at the UFC’s press conference.
Okami has been the most successful Japanese fighter in the UFC, going 10-3 inside the Octagon and losing only to Anderson Silva, Chael Sonnen and Rich Franklin. But his long-term success in the UFC may actually make him less known to fans in his home country because he hasn’t fought back home in almost six years. While other successful Japanese MMA fighters have been fighting in front of Japanese fans, Okami has been fighting in the United States, with occasional stops in Ireland, Germany and Brazil. And Okami was never a big star in Japan, fighting only a couple of low-profile bouts in Pride.
So Okami’s name won’t move the needle in Japan, but his fight with Tim Boesch is a good middleweight matchup, and the card — headlined by Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson — is very impressive from top to bottom. What the UFC is bringing to Japan is just a very good fight card, the best that Japanese fans have seen in a long time.
A controversial weekend match in Poland that ended with former World Strongest Man Mariusz Pudzianowski on the winning end of a judges’ decision has been changed to a no contest.
On the same day when the 
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