Former UFC fighter Jason “Mayhem” Miller was reportedly arrested Sunday morning in Costa Mesa, California, on charges of assault and battery, public intoxication and suspicion of assaulting a police officer, according to the Orange County Register…
Former UFC fighter Jason “Mayhem” Miller was reportedly arrested Sunday morning in Costa Mesa, California, on charges of assault and battery, public intoxication and suspicion of assaulting a police officer, according to the Orange County Register‘s Chris Haire.
The 35-year-old allegedly spit on an officer after he was detained following an argument with two women, “one of whom he grabbed and tried to punch before security ‘took him down and handcuffed him,'” Costa Mesa Police Department Sgt. Dan Miles said, per Haire.
“While being detained, he spit on one of the officers, which is disgusting,” Miles added.
Miller is no stranger to trouble with the law, as evidenced by his repeated run-ins with police over the past few years.
In 2012, the former UFC star was arrested in Orange County after he allegedly broke into a church and sprayed a fire extinguisher, according to TMZ Sports. A year later, Miller was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, per the Orange County Register‘s Douglas Morino and Sarah de Crescenzo.
In March, Miller was arrested once again for allegedly vandalizing a tattoo shop. According to the Los Angeles Times‘ Veronica Rocha, Miller “threw a ceramic tile at deputies and threatened them with a fire extinguisher and metal pole during an eight-minute struggle.”
He was subsequently held on $1 million bail.
According to TMZ Sports, Miller’s confrontation with police in March came one month after he was arrested for driving under the influence.
The ownership of the UFC is reportedly changing hands.On Sunday night, TMZ Sports reported WME/IMG bought the company for around $4 billion. Chris Maathuis of KLAS-TV in Las Vegas confirmed the news.The UFC is expected to confi…
The ownership of the UFC is reportedly changing hands.
On Sunday night, TMZ Sports reported WME/IMG bought the company for around $4 billion. Chris Maathuis of KLAS-TV in Las Vegas confirmed the news.
The UFC is expected to confirm the sale Monday morning, per Maathuis.
According to the New York Times‘ Michael J. de la Merced, WME/IMG will be the main investor along with private equity firms Silver Lake and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and an investment firm belonging to Michael S. Dell.
TMZ reported UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta will step down from his post and retain a minority stake, while Dana White will stay on as president.
Shortly after the news broke, White sent out this tweet:
White described the sale as “very” bittersweet, per ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto. He also told Okamoto mixed martial arts “is going to the next level” with WME/IMG on board.
Rumors of the UFC’s sale have been swirling for months. In May, ESPN.com’s Darren Rovell reported four or more bidders were vying to make the best offer. Rovell listed WME/IMG, the Blackstone Group, China Media Capital and Dalian Wanda Group among the strongest contenders and noted the asking price was likely to be $3.5 billion to $4 billion.
The sale represents a massive return on the Fertitta brothers’ investment. De la Merced noted they purchased the UFC for $2 million in 2099. Since then, the company and the sport have grown exponentially.
Along with a packed calendar of pay-per-views, the UFC earns millions of dollars from broadcasting and sponsorship rights along with revenue from its on-demand UFC Fight Pass service.
Of course, WME/IMG will have to deal with a few notable issues as the UFC’s owners.
Some fans argue the product has been watered down by the company’s decision to run a higher volume of events than it did years ago. Reebok’s exclusive apparel deal and Conor McGregor’s standoff with the UFC also highlighted problems with fighters’ pay structure.
Any changes WME/IMG plans to make to the product are unlikely to be immediate. The deal between the Fertittas and WME/IMG could take anywhere from six weeks to two months to become official, per TMZ.
The UFC women’s bantamweight title has proved to be slippery in 2016.
Amanda Nunes became the third woman to hold the belt in the calendar year by upsetting Miesha Tate via rear-naked choke submission in the first round in the main event at UFC 200 on …
The UFC women’s bantamweight title has proved to be slippery in 2016.
Amanda Nunes became the third woman to hold the belt in the calendar year by upsetting Miesha Tate via rear-naked choke submission in the first round in the main event at UFC 200 on Saturday.
MMAjunkie tweeted out the official result:
Nunes has built a reputation for fast starts in her career, and this fight was no different. The Brazilian immediately started chipping away at Tate’s defense with stiff jabs and crosses that found their target.
With her early success came heavier and heavier strikes before Nunes put Tate down. Once there, Nunes didn’t hesitate to go to the ground with Tate and lock in the choke that forced the tapout and put the strap around her waist.
Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting summed up the action:
This win continued a streak of unpredictable title fights in a division that was once ruled by Ronda Rousey. Rowdy took over as the division champion and defended the title six straight times.
But the division’s last three title fights have ended in upsets. Rousey was shocked by Holly Holm, who was then upset by Miesha Tate before Tate fell to Nunes on Saturday.
A division that was once categorized as a one-woman show is now a revolving door of champions.
And it was Tate who said having multiple champions in the division was ultimately a good thing, per Bill Reiter of CBS Sports.
“We always got criticized for not having enough depth,” she said. “And I think having the belt change a couple times is the best thing that could have happened. Instead of singling out one female that has to carry the entire sport, we have to disperse and make more stars, which helps legitimize the sport of women’s MMA.”
For now, Nunes has taken the spotlight. Given the exposure and marketing that went into UFC 200, there should at least be a temporary boost for her stock.
There’s a bevy of options for Nunes, too.
Of course, there’s Rousey. She hasn’t fought since November, but UFC President Dana White said on UFC Unfiltered in June (h/t Erik Fontanezof Yahoo Sports) that he believes she’ll be back:
I just saw her recently, talked to her recently and she’s back in training. This isn’t the first time Ronda’s ever lost. She’s been an athlete her whole life, you know… Obviously Ronda is a very unique individual and has her own way of dealing with things. Apparently, this is the way she wants to deal with it. She’ll be back, though. She’ll be back.
Should Nunes choose to fight before Rousey comes back, though, like Holm and Tate did, there are other options.
Holm still has some momentum, although a rematch with Tate might be in order for her. Then, there’s the looming specter of Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino. Her UFC debut at 140 pounds resulted in a first-round knockout over Leslie Smith in March.
Regardless of whom Nunes fights in her first title defense, it’s safe to say fans can expect the unexpected when it comes to the women’s bantamweight division.
UFC 100 was headlined by Brock Lesnar’s obliteration of Frank Mir.
UFC 200 got its own Brock Lesnar moment when the WWE star defeated Mark Hunt in the evening’s co-main event via unanimous decision Saturday:
Lesnar answered the question of whether he …
UFC 100 was headlined by Brock Lesnar‘s obliteration of Frank Mir.
UFC 200 got its own Brock Lesnar moment when the WWE star defeated Mark Hunt in the evening’s co-main event via unanimous decision Saturday:
Lesnar answered the question of whether he could take down Hunt quickly. After an extensive feeling-out period, the former NCAA wrestling champion took Hunt down. Although the Samoan initially made it back to the fence, Lesnar soon dragged him back to the mat, where he dominated from top position.
MMA writer Josh Gross summed up the big round for the big man:
The second round saw Hunt make a comeback, as Lesnar’s takedown attempts lacked the explosiveness from the first round. The WWE star’s conditioning became a factor, as he was tentative in the stand-up department and couldn’t secure another takedown.
However, Hunt struggled to do much with his opportunity to tag Lesnar as he looked to load up on one punch. Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times provided the outline of the nondescript round:
If Lesnar was tired going into the third, Hunt found out that even when he’s tired, The Beast is still a beast. The former champion walked through a Hunt punch to earn a takedown and proceeded to blast his opponent from the top once again, working from both the half-guard and mount.
MMA Fighting saw the third and final frame as a 10-8 round:
Lesnar’s return was one of the biggest stories heading into UFC 200. At one point, Lesnar was the baddest man in the UFC. His one-of-a-kind combination of staggering size and athleticism was a sight to behold, and he rode that combination to a UFC heavyweight championship just four fights into his MMA career.
Lesnar’s rise to stardom in the MMA world was short-lived, though. His battle with diverticulitis cost him nearly a foot of his colon in 2011, and he didn’t seem to be quite right in the cage afterward.
He was steamrolled by Cain Velasquez and Alistair Overeem after defending his title against Shane Carwin and Mir.
Now—with a successful comeback on his resume—Lesnar is again a fascinating figure in the sport.
Where Lesnar goes from here will be up for discussion. His immediate future is with WWE. According to Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, he’s scheduled to appear at SummerSlam in August.
But projecting whether we’ll see Lesnar in the Octagon again isn’t easy. He says he hasn’t considered anything beyond this fight, per Hill:
Since I left the octagon after I got beat by Overeem and kind of forced out of the cage because of my illness, it haunted me. So, well, what do you do? Here I am, and before it’s too late. I want to get back in the cage and have some fun with it. This is all about having fun. I’m not looking past this fight. I live one day at a time, one training session at a time. And I’m really looking forward to it.
But now that he’s scratched that itch, will it be enough?
“This may be a teaser,” he said, per Hill. “I don’t know. We’ll see what happens.”
The win over Hunt was proof that he can still contend in the shallow heavyweight division. The Super Samoan came into the bout as the No. 8-ranked fighter in the division.
But he’s also one of the hardest-hitting, so the win for the supposedly glass-jawed Lesnar was a positive sign if he’s interested in making a few more UFC appearances.
Regardless of what he decides to do, he took a huge step in answering the questions over what the heavyweight could do if he could regain the confidence he seemingly lost in 2011.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson improved his Bellator record to 4-0 with a split-decision win over Satoshi Ishii in the main event at Bellator 157 on Friday.
MMAjunkie.com tweeted out the scorecards from the controversial decision:
The fight got off to…
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson improved his Bellator record to 4-0 with a split-decision win over Satoshi Ishii in the main event at Bellator 157 on Friday.
MMAjunkie.com tweeted out the scorecards from the controversial decision:
The fight got off to an inauspicious start, with Rampage taking the center of the cage and looking for Ishii to engage. When his Japanese opponent finally did, he was able to pin Jackson against the cage, secure a takedown and begin asserting his will from top position.
Jackson didn’t look like he was in great shape, as Josh Nason of Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted:
The second round started more promising for Jackson, but a miscalculation allowed Ishii to control the fight from the clinch. Nathan McCarter of Bleacher Report highlighted Jackson’s questionable decision-making against an Olympic-level judoka:
Still, Ishii wasn’t able to amount much offense in the clinch, while Jackson didn’t do much to improve his position, leading to a difficult round to judge. MMAFighting.com gave it to Rampage but highlighted the ambiguous nature of the round:
The third round was the easiest to score for Jackson. He scored a surprise takedown and was able to land some ground-and-pound blows on Ishii, but he didn’t have the energy to come close to ending the bout.
The former UFC light heavyweight champion returned to Bellator MMA after legal disputes led to a one-fight comeback in the UFC. Before returning to Dana White and Co., Jackson won the Bellator light heavyweight tournament with victories over Christian M’Pumbu and Muhammed Lawal.
Jackson’s win doesn’t mean he’ll be returning to the organization as a light heavyweight contender. This fight was contested at a catchweight of 225 pounds, and if Jackson has his way, that might be a common occurrence.
“I’ve been thinking about going to heavyweight for a while,” Jackson said, per Eric Tamiso of ESPN.com. “I think I’m too small to go against the bigger heavyweights, but I’m too big to be at the 205 weight class; 215 to 220 would be perfect for me.”
A move to heavyweight might have more to do with the fact that he’s 38 years old and well past his prime, but he could be an interesting main event attraction for the organization. The fact that he’s capable of taking on both light heavyweights and heavyweights gives the company more options going forward.
One such option is Matt Mitrione. The two became well-acquainted on The Ultimate Fighter 10, when Jackson was a coach and Mitrione was a contestant. Now, Meathead said he would like a fight with Jackson if he’s down for it, perTristen Critchfield of Sherdog.com:
If Rampage really thinks that he wants to fight me and have the last fight of his career, I would happily try to punch a hole in his face. But I don’t know, for as far as I’m concerned, Rampage is a 205er. I don’t know what he wants to do and how he wants to do it, but if [he’s down, I’m down]. I’m just trying to get paid.
Mitrione is slated to take on Oli Thompson after picking up a first-round knockout in his promotional debut at Bellator 157. However, that’s only if the heavyweight is cleared to fight just one month after his last fight, per Matt Erickson of MMAjunkie.com:
Of course, there’s also the option that Rampage retires. At 38, he could put away his gloves for the pursuit of an Oscar or the big paychecks that come with doing action movies. Jackson recently turned down a role in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, per Andreas Hale of Yahoo Sports.
Regardless, fans are going to tune in to whatever he does. That’s why he’s still a headliner 15 years after his debut in Pride.
UFC fans will not get the opportunity to watch BJ Penn square off against Cole Miller at UFC 199 in Los Angeles on June 4.
According to a statement on the UFC’s official website, Penn was suspended because of a “potential Anti-Doping Policy…
UFC fans will not get the opportunity to watch BJ Penn square off against Cole Miller at UFC 199 in Los Angeles on June 4.
According to a statement on the UFC’s official website, Penn was suspended because of a “potential Anti-Doping Policy violation.”
Here is the extended statement the UFC released Monday:
The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) informed BJ Penn of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation. Penn disclosed the usage of a prohibited method – the use of an IV in excess of 50 ML in a six-hour period – during a March 25, 2016, out-of-competition sample collection. In accordance with the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, Penn has received a provisional suspension, and has been removed from his scheduled bout against Cole Miller on June 4 in Los Angeles.
The UFC also noted it is attempting to find a replacement fighter to go against Miller at UFC 199.
Shaun Al-Shatti of MMAFighting.com explained that using IVs over 50 milliliters in a six-hour period is not allowed by World Anti-Doping Agency guidelines, unless the IV is received at a hospital, during surgery or as part of a clinical investigation.
Penn’s return was one of the primary storylines for UFC 199. The 37-year-old veteran sports a 16-10-2 record in his career and won the UFC lightweight and welterweight titles during his impressive tenure, but he retired after losing to Frankie Edgar in July 2014. Edgar registered a technical knockout against Penn in the fight.
Al-Shatti called Penn a “legend” and noted the UFC Hall of Famer initially announced his plans to return in February. However, that triumphant return will be put on hold following Monday’s news.
UFC 199 will still have two headliner title fights even though Penn’s return to the Octagon will no longer be part of the spectacle. Luke Rockhold will attempt to defend the middleweight championship against challenger Michael Bisping, while bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz will face Urijah Faber.
The ownership of the UFC is reportedly changing hands.