Tag: PED’s

Read Lyoto Machida’s Apology For USADA Violation

In this day and age where the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) oversees the UFC’s drug testing strategies, it seems as if drug test failures are coming every other week. The latest was a bit of a surprise, however. It was reported earlier today (April 13, 2016) that long-time veteran and former light heavyweight champion

The post Read Lyoto Machida’s Apology For USADA Violation appeared first on LowKick MMA.

In this day and age where the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) oversees the UFC’s drug testing strategies, it seems as if drug test failures are coming every other week.

The latest was a bit of a surprise, however.

It was reported earlier today (April 13, 2016) that long-time veteran and former light heavyweight champion Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida had admitted to using a banned substance ahead of his scheduled UFC on FOX 19 (April 16, 2016) rematch with Dan “Hendo” Henderson from Tampa, Florida.

As a result, the UFC has pulled him from the card, and Machida will likely face consequences after further details are provided by USADA.

In the wake of the news, Machida took to his official Facebook page to explain himself, apologizing to his fans, and noting that he didn’t know that the substance had been banned:

Are you buying Machida’s explanation, and what type of punishment do you expect to be given to “The Dragon”?

The post Read Lyoto Machida’s Apology For USADA Violation appeared first on LowKick MMA.

And The Latest UFC Fighter to Be Busted for Banned Substances Is…Lyoto Machida?!!


(Say it ain’t so, Lyoto…)

The UFC’s recently-implemented, USADA-partnered drug-testing program has been quietly gaining steam at a predictable-but-still-scary rate since it was officially implemented last October, most recently catching Frank Mir in what may very well be a career-ending mistake earlier in the month and busting Viscardi Andrade just earlier in the week for a similar violation.

While the anti-doping agency’s settlement with Yoel Romero shows that the system is not exactly fool-proof yet, it’s still doing a respectable job of cleaning up the sport’s dirtiest fighters and hitting them where it hurts the most.

One of the last fighters that you would ever expect to be lumped into that category, however, is former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida.

The post And The Latest UFC Fighter to Be Busted for Banned Substances Is…Lyoto Machida?!! appeared first on Cagepotato.


(Say it ain’t so, Lyoto…)

The UFC’s recently-implemented, USADA-partnered drug-testing program has been quietly gaining steam at a predictable-but-still-scary rate since it was officially implemented last October, most recently catching Frank Mir in what may very well be a career-ending mistake earlier in the month and busting Viscardi Andrade just earlier in the week for a similar violation.

While the anti-doping agency’s settlement with Yoel Romero shows that the system is not exactly fool-proof yet, it’s still doing a respectable job of cleaning up the sport’s dirtiest fighters and hitting them where it hurts the most.

One of the last fighters that you would ever expect to be lumped into that category, however, is former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida. Over the course of his near-10 year career in the UFC, “The Dragon” has displayed nothing less than the epitome of class and professionalism both inside and outside of the octagon, serving as a true ambassador for a sport with only a handful of guys that you’d ever want to give such a title to. But just as Anderson Silva did before him, Machida once again reminded us that

Scheduled to rematch Dan Henderson in the co-main event of this weekend’s UFC on FOX 19 card — a card which has already taken its fair share of hits, for what it’s worth — Machida shocked the MMA world this afternoon by admitting that he had used a banned substance while being administered an out-of-competition drug test.

“The UFC organization was made aware today by U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, that Lyoto Machida declared the usage of a banned substance during an out-of-competition sample collection last week,” UFC official stated on Wednesday.

“Machida stated that he was unaware that the substance was prohibited both in and out of competition and, in accordance with the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, his disclosure of usage will be taken into consideration by USADA during any potential results management and adjudication process.”

And this right here is why my only heroes are ghosts, Nation. I guess we could give props to Machida for being up front with his banned substance use (though which one he used specifically has not been revealed yet) instead of belittling our intelligence by blaming his positive test on the sauna or the guy testing your samples, but at the same time, Machida is the one guy I would have believed was the victim of some crazy mix up. WHY YOU GOTTA BREAKA MY HEART, LYOTO?! WHYYYY!!!!

As a result of his admission, Machida’s scheduled bout with Henderson has been pulled from UFC on FOX 19, and Henderson is PISSED.

Take it easy, Dan.

The post And The Latest UFC Fighter to Be Busted for Banned Substances Is…Lyoto Machida?!! appeared first on Cagepotato.

Quote: Conor McGregor Is Stuck At 170 Because He Got On Steroids

In the aftermath of the blockbuster UFC 196 event from Las Vegas, Nevada, featherweight champion the “Notorious” Conor McGregor sited fatigue and inefficient use of energy as the catalyst in his shocking submission loss to late replacement Nate Diaz. McGregor, competing two weight classes above his usual home at 145-pounds, appeared to have tired himself

The post Quote: Conor McGregor Is Stuck At 170 Because He Got On Steroids appeared first on LowKick MMA.

In the aftermath of the blockbuster UFC 196 event from Las Vegas, Nevada, featherweight champion the “Notorious” Conor McGregor sited fatigue and inefficient use of energy as the catalyst in his shocking submission loss to late replacement Nate Diaz.

McGregor, competing two weight classes above his usual home at 145-pounds, appeared to have tired himself out by throwing heavy leather early on in the bout.

Diaz’s teammate, Joe Schilling, recently spoke on the matter, saying that any professional would have known better than to use McGregor’s perceived method:

 “You have 12 days’ notice to fight five, five-minute rounds. There is no way that any consumate professional is going to go out there and blow his wad in the first round – unless you’re Conor McGregor and you go out there and blow your wad in the first round,” he told The MMA Underground‘s Jonathan Shrager.

Continuing on, the world class kickboxer confirmed that Diaz’s game plan, which of course ended up being successful, was nearly the polar opposite to that of the Irishman’s:

“So, Nate’s game plan was to go out there, not get knocked-out, but not waste any energy, and pick up as the rounds went on, because you have to go five rounds. You look at Nick and Nate’s style of fighting – they don’t ever do that well in the first round. They set a pace and then they drown you in it and then by the third, fourth round, guys are shooting for takedowns because they can’t stand getting hit anymore.”

Diaz was able to exploit what many had felt had been McGregor’s weakness all along: the ground game. With the two now set to headline July 9’s monumental UFC 200, Schilling feels as if the rematch will be more of the same, although Diaz will be in even better shape this time around:

“I think that’s exactly what happened in the fight, and I think going into another fight thinking that Nate’s not going to be in better shape and come out with an even harder pace in the first round,” he continued.

“I think it’s going to be the same fight. I think it’s so obvious the wholes in Conor’s game, they were all over the place. I think the skillset that Nate has is far superior to Conor’s and Nate having a full training camp is just way different.”

Despite McGregor typical competing at featherweight, and Diaz being a natural 155 pounder, the rematch will once again take place at welterweight, a sign Schilling uses to accuse McGregor of being on steroids, an accusation Diaz has already made:

“If we’re going to talk about weight-gains and why he would want to stay at that weight class I don’t think it’s going to be that different when Nate talks about how you’re on steroids,” he began.

“Now, you can’t get back down to that weight class, you’re stuck at that weight division because you got on steroids, but we’ll wait for Nate to say that, not me.”

This isn’t the first time the “Notorious” one has been called out for possibly cheating, but his UFC 196 drug tests did indeed come back clean.

Do you hold any truth to these statements, and how do you see UFC 200 playing out?

The post Quote: Conor McGregor Is Stuck At 170 Because He Got On Steroids appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Jose Aldo Makes Shocking Accusation About Conor McGregor

After suffering a devastating 13 second defeat to Conor McGregor at December 2015’s UFC 194, Jose Aldo claimed that he would only accept a rematch with McGregor, or a fight for the title. Aldo has since changed his tune a bit, accepting a bout with former foe Frankie Edgar for the interim 145-pound strap at

The post Jose Aldo Makes Shocking Accusation About Conor McGregor appeared first on LowKick MMA.

After suffering a devastating 13 second defeat to Conor McGregor at December 2015’s UFC 194, Jose Aldo claimed that he would only accept a rematch with McGregor, or a fight for the title.

Aldo has since changed his tune a bit, accepting a bout with former foe Frankie Edgar for the interim 145-pound strap at July 9’s UFC 200. McGregor, who has temporarily abandoned the division he owns a title in, will rematch Nate Diaz in the evening’s main event.

The Irishman previously faced off with Diaz, who accepted the bout on short notice, at March 5’s UFC 196, shockingly losing by way of submission.

“Scarface” claims that he was offered the short notice bout, but that the promotion knew he wasn’t ready at the time. The former divisional kingpin also accused McGregor of using performance enhancing drugs (PEDs):

“The fight was not at featherweight. Why would I rematch him in a different weight class with no belt?” Aldo told the assembled media as translated by MMA Fighting. “Now, to make this fight at 155, where he was full of juice in his body, where he hides and nobody tests him, only when he gets to Las Vegas, a week before the fight, and then it’s way easier for you to clean the body and fight. They offered the fight knowing that I wasn’t trained at all.”

As far as whether or not Aldo will eventually secure his rematch with the “Notorious” one, UFC President Dana White has confirmed that no matter what, McGregor will meet the winner of Aldo vs. Edgar after July.

Aldo too feels as if the Irishman will come back down in weight:

“He will come back,” Aldo said. “I don’t know if right after this fight, but he will. I don’t see how he gets too far even at lightweight. He won’t do well at lightweight either.”

We are now just over three months out from UFC 200 where Aldo feels like a fully prepared Diaz will once again come out on top:

“Nate wins again,” he said. “He’s used to this weight. It’s really hard to move up in weight and continue winning. It’s going to be different now that Nate will be more prepared. He can do his thing, anything he wants, from start to end. He can slap him, anything, because he will win. It can be faster this time. Nate will prepare, will have enough time, and it can be faster this time.”

The post Jose Aldo Makes Shocking Accusation About Conor McGregor appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Hector Lombard Moves Back To Middleweight: My Body Stopped Functioning

It sounds like Hector Lombard will exit the UFC welterweight division without getting the title shot many predicted him to when he moved down to the division in 2013. The hulking 5’9″ former Bellator middleweight champion experienced a controversial loss to Neil Magny at last weekend’s UFC Fight Night 85 from Brisbane, Australia, a fight where

The post Hector Lombard Moves Back To Middleweight: My Body Stopped Functioning appeared first on LowKick MMA.

It sounds like Hector Lombard will exit the UFC welterweight division without getting the title shot many predicted him to when he moved down to the division in 2013.

The hulking 5’9″ former Bellator middleweight champion experienced a controversial loss to Neil Magny at last weekend’s UFC Fight Night 85 from Brisbane, Australia, a fight where Lombard had his rising opponent in bad shape in the first round only to gas and suffer an absolutely brutal ground and pound beating that was finally stopped (and much to late, according to many onlookers).

In response to his body failing him, Lombard announced on Instagram today (Sun. March 27, 2016) that he was excited to be moving back to his original weight class, because the recent USADA ban on IV rehydration has made the weight cut too taxing:

“I asked my body to perform, but I got no reply. When your body says no and stops functioning there is nothing you can do about it. I’m very happy to be back fighting at my original weight 185. Now with no IV allowed, I will be able to fight in a healthier weight for me.”

USATSI_7499510_168380322_lowres

It’s a move that makes sense for Lombard, who undoubtedly will find it helpful to no longer drain himself to levels that only give him one good round (or possibly less) of full exertion. Many fighters have benefited from moves up in weight class and found success, most notably Anthony “Rumble” Johnson.

And with IVs no longer allowed after the UFC began increased random testing run by USADA last July, avoiding the dangerous drop in weight is too rough for the 38-year-old “Showeather.”

Of course, he was also coming off of a suspension for performance-enhancing drug use during his UFC 183 win over Josh Burkman, which was changed to a no contest. He then suffered his first-ever stoppage loss to Magny, putting his record at 0-1(1) in his two last fights after he was thought to be a future title contender at 170 pounds.

USATSI_9199134_168382968_lowres

With a decent body of accomplishment but an overall failure to capitalize on the big hype he brought to the UFC in 2012, time could be running out on the Cuban-Australian Lombard’s prime fighting years. His overall UFC record is a lackluster 3-3(1), hardly up to the expectations heaped upon him when he signed for big money after leaving the Bellator title behind.

The good news is he’ll regain a decent amount of his thunderous knockout power without the weight cut, and he should also be able to press the action for more than a round, too.

The bad news (and it’s not all that bad)?

He’ll be jumping right into the middleweight shark tank where bigger fighters await him in a host of potentially exciting match-ups. Who should he fight first back at 185?

The post Hector Lombard Moves Back To Middleweight: My Body Stopped Functioning appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Manager Explains Why Yoel Romero Failed Drug Test

Highly ranked middleweight contender Yoel “The Soldier of God” Romero scored a controversial yet pivotal victory over fellow contender Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza at last December’s UFC 194, a win that many felt had put him next in line for a title shot. Title talks were put on hold, however, when it was reported a few

The post Manager Explains Why Yoel Romero Failed Drug Test appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Highly ranked middleweight contender Yoel “The Soldier of God” Romero scored a controversial yet pivotal victory over fellow contender Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza at last December’s UFC 194, a win that many felt had put him next in line for a title shot.

Title talks were put on hold, however, when it was reported a few weeks back that Romero was flagged by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for a potential violation to their guidelines.

Remaining relatively quiet since, Romero’s B-Sample was sent out for further testing, and although it returned positive, he and his manager, Malki Kawa, appeared on today’s (February 8, 2016) edition of the MMA Hour to explain the mishap.

Kawa explained that Romero tested positive for a substance that was not listed on the label of a supplement he was taking:

“The substance has a label with a bunch of stuff on it,” Kawa said. “None of that is illegal to take. What he got popped for is not on the label. So it’s obviously not his fault that he popped for this.”

Despite the explanation, “The Soldier of God” did indeed fail a drug test, and as a result, he could be facing up to a two year suspension, although Kawa doesn’t necessarily see that happening:

“I don’t expect it to be two years,” Kawa said. “I don’t think two years would be fair.”

In the end, however, the manager, admitted that it is the responsibility of the fighter to know what he’s taking:

“He did take the supplement,” Kawa said. “If you take a supplement, you run the risk of this happening. The responsibility does fall on Yoel.”

Romero reiterated this statement as well:

“I think it’s my responsibility when I take something. But I think maybe a public warning [would be a fair punishment]. I don’t know. … Nobody knows. When you see the supplement, outside it says it’s clean, you can take it.”

USADA also provided a statement on the issue via Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter:

“Given that Mr. Romero has publicly discussed his case, we can confirm that he did test positive for a prohibited substance. At this time we are investigating the circumstances surrounding his positive test to determine the appropriate outcome, in accordance with the rules. It is also to remember that there is a full and fair legal process to handle the adjudication of any case, and all athletes are provided full due to process before any decision is reached.”

What do you think an appropriate punishment for Romero would be?

The post Manager Explains Why Yoel Romero Failed Drug Test appeared first on LowKick MMA.