(If this man does not strike you as the kind of person who spends most of his free time getting stoned, playing Xbox, and waxing poetic about the flaws of Jiu-Jitsu, then we don’t know who does.)
When we first heard word that Stephan Bonnar and Dave Herman failed their UFC 153 drug tests — for Drostanolone and Marijuana respectively — we couldn’t help but reflect on the timeless words of George W. Bush when he stated, “Fool me once…..shame on………..shame on you. Fool me, I can’t get fooled again.” Unfortunately for Bonnar and Herman, they failed to fool the piss test even once while in the UFC (at least to our knowledge) and have felt the unforgiving wrath of the Interwebs as a result of their insolence. Hearts were broken. Tears were shed. Butts were hurt.
(If this man does not strike you as the kind of person who spends most of his free time getting stoned, playing Xbox, and waxing poetic about the flaws of Jiu-Jitsu, then we don’t know who does.)
When we first heard word that Stephan Bonnar and Dave Herman failed their UFC 153 drug tests — for Drostanolone and Marijuana respectively — we couldn’t help but reflect on the timeless words of George W. Bush when he stated, “Fool me once…..shame on………..shame on you. Fool me, I can’t get fooled again.” Unfortunately for Bonnar and Herman, they failed to fool the piss test even once while in the UFC (at least to our knowledge) and have felt the unforgiving wrath of the Interwebs as a result of their insolence. Hearts were broken. Tears were shed. Butts were hurt.
Go figure, the general sentiment seems to be that penalizing a fighter for smoking marijuana is overkill. That being said, no one is exactly quick to forgive a so-called professional like Herman who has tested positive for marijuana twice now in just a four fight UFC career.
When asked on the issue of Mary J, Tyrone Spong can only nonchalantly remind us that “I’m from Amsterdam,” with a smile. Point taken, Tyrone. Eddie Alvarez, on the other hand, couldn’t give a fuck if your were huffing cat piss and lighting off fire crackers in your ass before you fought him, because it probably wouldn’t improve your chances anyway.
Although the general public reaction to Bonnar’s second failed test has been that he was simply going honey badger for his final UFC fight, you have to imagine that “The American Psycho” suffered some undisclosed injury in training that forced him to hit the juice. Why else would he cheapen the value of the final fight of his career, especially when he asked for such a big fight to begin with? If it turns out that Bonnar was just juicing for the hell of it, it will really call into question what exactly he was thinking heading into UFC 153.
Look at me, trying to to understand the mind of this man. It’s like asking your dog why he chases his own tail. Or why your favorite prostitute will never say “I love you” back.
Radio show host Jim Rome had the dubious honor yesterday of informing UFC President Dana White of the Nevada State Athletic Commission‘s denial of a license for heavyweight Alistair Overeem and their ruling that he would not be allowed to reapply for nine months. White responded by saying he assumed Overeem would have gotten a more severe punishment and that he is unsure if Alistair will still have a job with the UFC.
“I thought he would get a year. Easily a year,” White said. “I’m not a fan at all. You’re not going to hear me today on your radio show defending Alistair Overeem. Believe me.”
Luckily for Alistair, White has brought back plenty of guys who have failed drug tests or otherwise violated the law. Hell, Alistair has already failed a drug test so he might be a felony away from receiving a title shot when and if he returns. But for Overeem to blow it so epically when so much was on the line? That might be unforgivable.
“I know he lied to me,” White told Rome. “I don’t like it…if they’ll sit in front of you and lie to your face, [they’re] not the kind of guys I want to do business with.”
Check out audio from Rome’s interview with Uncle Dana after the jump.
Radio show host Jim Rome had the dubious honor yesterday of informing UFC President Dana White of the Alistair Overeem Denied License by NSAC, Can Reapply in Nine Months” href=”http://www.cagepotato.com/alistair-overeem-denied-license-by-nevada-state-athletic-commission-can-reapply-in-nine-months/” target=”_blank”>Nevada State Athletic Commission‘s denial of a license for heavyweight Alistair Overeem and their ruling that he would not be allowed to reapply for nine months. White responded by saying he assumed Overeem would have gotten a more severe punishment and that he is unsure if Alistair will still have a job with the UFC.
“I thought he would get a year. Easily a year,” White said. “I’m not a fan at all. You’re not going to hear me today on your radio show defending Alistair Overeem. Believe me.”
Luckily for Alistair, White has brought back plenty of guys who have failed drug tests or otherwise violated the law. Hell, Alistair has already failed a drug test so he might be a felony away from receiving a title shot when and if he returns. But for Overeem to blow it so epically when so much was on the line? That might be unforgivable.
“I know he lied to me,” White told Rome. “I don’t like it…if they’ll sit in front of you and lie to your face, [they’re] not the kind of guys I want to do business with.”
Check out audio from Rome’s interview with Uncle Dana after the jump.
(If it weren’t for Lou Ferrigno, Phil would’ve never had to deal with this MMA drug testing bullshit.)
Phil Baroni has never been afraid to speak his mind. Whether he’s dishing on pre-fight abstinence, the fragility of his own mind, or childhood obesity, “The New York Bad Ass” never pulls any punches, and in fact it’s one of the many reasons we love the guy. So perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that, during a recent interview with Fight Sport Asia, Baroni not only came out as a proponent of steroid use in MMA, but more or less admitted that most of his PRIDE cohorts were probably juiced during the Japanese promotion’s heyday. Here’s what he told the publication:
I want to see the best fighters, I want to see who is the strongest the best! Guys should be able to do whatever it takes to be the strongest. Getting choked and kicked in the head is really bad for you, worse than pot , TRT, or steroids. I don’t care who’s the cleanest, I wanna’ see the strongest, the fastest and the most gnarly fighters. I don’t want to see who is the best at passing drug test. Overeem isn’t the only guy taking shit, he just got caught. I wanna’ see the baddest mother fuckers going at it. That’s why PRIDE was the best — I wanna see a 205 (ripped) Wanderlei Silva kill dudes!
Most of you will not likely find this revelation to be all that surprising considering, you know, the above photo of Baroni. It does, however, seem a little inconsistent of Baroni to be advocating a substance that he has vehemently denied using in the past, despite testing positive for Boldenone and Stanozolol Metabolites in the aftermath of his second round submission loss to Frank Shamrock back in 2007. Unfortunately for guys like Baroni and Alistair Overeem, the various athletic commissions regulating the sport don’t seem to agree, as Baroni was suspended for six months for his infraction. And we all know what fate Alistair was sentenced to.
(If it weren’t for Lou Ferrigno, Phil would’ve never had to deal with this MMA drug testing bullshit.)
Phil Baroni has never been afraid to speak his mind. Whether he’s dishing on pre-fight abstinence, the fragility of his own mind, or childhood obesity, “The New York Bad Ass” never pulls any punches, and in fact it’s one of the many reasons we love the guy. So perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that, during a recent interview with Fight Sport Asia, Baroni not only came out as a proponent of steroid use in MMA, but more or less admitted that most of his PRIDE cohorts were probably juiced during the Japanese promotion’s heyday. Here’s what he told the publication:
I want to see the best fighters, I want to see who is the strongest the best! Guys should be able to do whatever it takes to be the strongest. Getting choked and kicked in the head is really bad for you, worse than pot , TRT, or steroids. I don’t care who’s the cleanest, I wanna’ see the strongest, the fastest and the most gnarly fighters. I don’t want to see who is the best at passing drug test. Overeem isn’t the only guy taking shit, he just got caught. I wanna’ see the baddest mother fuckers going at it. That’s why PRIDE was the best — I wanna see a 205 (ripped) Wanderlei Silva kill dudes!
Most of you will not likely find this revelation to be all that surprising considering, you know, the above photo of Baroni. It does, however, seem a little inconsistent of Baroni to be advocating a substance that he has vehemently denied using in the past, despite testing positive for Boldenone and Stanozolol Metabolites in the aftermath of his second round submission loss to Frank Shamrock back in 2007. Unfortunately for guys like Baroni and Alistair Overeem, the various athletic commissions regulating the sport don’t seem to agree, as Baroni was suspended for six months for his infraction. And we all know what fate Alistair was sentenced to.
We’ve had this debate far too many times here at CP ever since Overeem pissed dirty, and the general consensus amongst the nation seems to be that we should create a promotion, a literal “Super Fight League” if you will, in which fighters are allowed to juice, snort meth, and roll their gloves in broken glass before every fight, and leave promotions like the UFC to the “clean,” “natural,” and “morally righteous” fighters of the world. The bums.
Former UFC Heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez would apparently be one of these fighters to fall into the latter category, as he told MMAWeekly earlier today that he is all for more drug testing in the sport, as it creates an even playing field for those involved:
All I can say is I don’t do any of that stuff and I’m happy to test. It puts you at ease to know that your opponent is also clean like you are. Puts everybody on the same playing field. And that’s all I hope for, for myself, is to fight somebody on the same playing field as I am. I support [more frequent testing], why not? I’m not doing anything that I need to watch out for, so I’m all for it. It’s no big deal to me.
How’s the weather up on that pedestal, Cain? YOU THINK YOU’RE BETTER THAN US?!
We’re not going to ask you where you stand on this issue, because we’ve already beaten that chemically-altered horse into an early grave. Instead, we’d like you to lay out what exactly we can do to make this “Super Juice League” idea a reality, and what other kinds of crazy stipulations we can throw into the mix. A ring of fire? A mat littered with tacks and dirty needles? Somehow incorporating a jousting element?
Following a hearing held earlier today, the Nevada State Athletic Commission denied UFC #1 heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem‘s request to be licensed to compete in the state. Overeem will not be allowed to reapply for a license in Nevada for nine months.
Because most states respect one another’s rulings and licenses — and because the UFC has a working practice of not circumventing U.S. athletic commission decisions by placing unlicensed or suspended fighters on foreign cards — Overeem will likely not be able to make a living fighting for the next nine months. He already lost out on his chance to challenge champion Junior Dos Santos May 26th because of his recent drug test, in which he came up positive for an dramatically elevated testosterone-to-epitestosterone level.
Overeem was represented at his hearing by well-known attorney David Chesnoff. Chesnoff attempted to make the case the Overeem’s elevated levels were the result not of an attempt to enhance Overeem’s performance but rather of anti-inflammatory injections administered and prescribed by a Dallas-area doctor to help Overeem heal from injuries incurred in training and re-aggravated while fighting that the fighter was not told also contained testosterone.
Following a hearing held earlier today, the Nevada State Athletic Commission denied UFC #1 heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem‘s request to be licensed to compete in the state. Overeem will not be allowed to reapply for a license in Nevada for nine months.
Because most states respect one another’s rulings and licenses — and because the UFC has a working practice of not circumventing U.S. athletic commission decisions by placing unlicensed or suspended fighters on foreign cards — Overeem will likely not be able to make a living fighting for the next nine months. He already lost out on his chance to challenge champion Junior Dos Santos May 26th because of his recent drug test, in which he came up positive for an dramatically elevated testosterone-to-epitestosterone level.
Overeem was represented at his hearing by well-known attorney David Chesnoff. Chesnoff attempted to make the case the Overeem’s elevated levels were the result not of an attempt to enhance Overeem’s performance but rather of anti-inflammatory injections administered and prescribed by a Dallas-area doctor to help Overeem heal from injuries incurred in training and re-aggravated while fighting that the fighter was not told also contained testosterone.
Although the prescribing doctor, Hector Molina, was present at the hearing, Chesnoff requested a rare continuance from the commission so that he could bring in more expert witnesses. Chesnoff requested a continuance of 45-60 days but was denied by the commissioners, several of whom cited reasons of not wanting Overeem to have to wait up to two more months before being able to reapply for a license should his request not be granted, and not wanting the public to engage in months more of speculation.
Commissioners also commented how they did not see how any additional expert witnesses would change the evidence they had before them, namely Overeem’s late March test results. That stance would prove to be telling of the commission’s overall decision to not grant Overeem a license.
The commissioners asked Overeem and his doctor Molina question after question, but ultimately no responses from either could change the positive test’s position of utmost importance to the commission. “[Overeem] fights like a champion and I have no reason to believe he [uses] steroids,” one commissioner said. ”What I do know is that the test reflects a 14:1 ratio…What I do know is that I have a positive test in front of me,” he continued.
The commission did not use language impugning Overeem’s character, but rather his poor judgement in getting injections without knowing their content, from a doctor he said he did not research on his own. Overeem said that he became a patient of Dr. Molina on the basis of a recommendation from his friend and fellow UFC veteran, Tra Telligman, a Texas resident.
Johnny Benjamin, a physician and Association of Boxing Commissions’ MMA Medical Subcommittee member, recently wrote in his MMA Junkie column that Overeem’s defense was dubious.
“It is not uncommon for injured contact- or combat-sports athletes to require anti-inflammatory injections during their training. These injections usually consist of a short-acting anesthetic (lidocaine, xylocaine or marcaine) plus a glucocorticoid (cortisone). This injection immediately numbs the injury, and the cortisone provides longer lasting anti-inflammatory properties.
These injections are legal but must be disclosed on any and all pre-competition or random-screening paperwork.
Cortisone is a glucocorticoid steroid, which is much different than an anabolic steroid such as testosterone (T) and many of the synthetic performance-enhancing drugs (PED) with which the sporting world is unfortunately all too familiar.
Testosterone is never included in these injections for any legitimate purposes.
In the U.S., if a physician, in fact, injected him he with testosterone without his knowledge and consent, he should file a complaint with the appropriate state board of medicine and file charges with law enforcement.
If he is unwilling to do so, it speaks volumes as to the truthfulness of his assertions,” Benjamin wrote.
It is unknown whether or not Overeem has filed such a complaint against Dr. Molina, but the doctor referred to Overeem as a patient during the hearing and Overeem denied having any anger towards Molina when asked how it felt to be sitting next to him at the hearing by a commissioner.
A medical doctor by the name of Hector Oscar Molina practicing in the same area as Overeem’s Dr. Hector Molina was sanctioned in 2004 for not properly establishing “proper physician-patient relationships.” Dr. Molina was fined $25,000 and had restrictions placed on his practice by the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners for prescribing controlled substances over the Internet, according to the Star-Telegram.
During today’s hearing in Nevada, Dr. Molina said that he has served as a ringside physician for the state of Texas since 2005. A Hector Oscar Molina listing his profession as medical doctor in the same Irving, Texas area was also arrested in 2010 on domestic family charges. (We have not confirmed if these are all the same person, but they all share the same name, profession, and area of residence and work.)
Commissioner Pat Lundvall addressed Overeem after the commission’s decision was handed down, telling him that he had to think more carefully about “who it is you have as a manager [and] who it is you have as medical professionals,” she said. “You need high quality advice.”
We will continue to bring you more on this story and the aftermath, as it all develops.
(Hiroko’s ‘long-game’ plan is all coming together now | Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle)
Cris “Cyborg” Santos tested positive for banned substances after her December 17th fight last year in California and was subsequently suspended for one year by the state’s athletic commission. Yesterday an appeal from the former 145 pound champion to reduce her suspension to six months was rejected by the California commission.
MMA Weekly reports that Santos’ team was trying to get clearance to fight on a coming StrikeForce card. “Santos’ appeal was asking for the commission to reduce her sentence from one year down to six months. According to her lawyer, Santos was up for a potential fight on an upcoming Strikeforce show in “late June/early July’ in San Diego,” they wrote.
Ultimately, the CSAC voted unanimously to uphold “Cyborg’s” one year suspension. If things stay that way, she will only be able to re-apply for for a license until December 17th, 2012. It’s been a rough year for MMA’s top female fighter. First she was popped for steroids after her 16 second execution of Hiroko Yamanaka (a win that was then turned to a “No Contest”), and then she announced that her and her husband, the other “Cyborg,” were getting divorced.
Since it might be a long time till you Chute Boxe fans get to see her in action again, we’re putting some highlights of her beating up hapless women (and Tito Ortiz) below for you to enjoy:
(Hiroko’s ‘long-game’ plan is all coming together now | Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle)
Cris “Cyborg” Santos tested positive for banned substances after her December 17th fight last year in California and was subsequently suspended for one year by the state’s athletic commission. Yesterday an appeal from the former 145 pound champion to reduce her suspension to six months was rejected by the California commission.
MMA Weekly reports that Santos’ team was trying to get clearance to fight on a coming StrikeForce card. ”Santos’ appeal was asking for the commission to reduce her sentence from one year down to six months. According to her lawyer, Santos was up for a potential fight on an upcoming Strikeforce show in “late June/early July’ in San Diego,” they wrote.
Ultimately, the CSAC voted unanimously to uphold “Cyborg’s” one year suspension. If things stay that way, she will only be able to re-apply for for a license until December 17th, 2012. It’s been a rough year for MMA’s top female fighter. First she was popped for steroids after her 16 second execution of Hiroko Yamanaka (a win that was then turned to a “No Contest”), and then she announced that her and her husband, the other “Cyborg,” were getting divorced.
Since it might be a long time till you Chute Boxe fans get to see her in action again, we’re putting some highlights of her beating up hapless women (and Tito Ortiz) below for you to enjoy:
“Cyborg” taking apart Yamanaka:
Santos beating up Gina Carano (not cool, “Cyborg,” not cool. What if you would have ruined Gina’s movie career?):
Santos beating up various people in a highlight video:
(I bet even those scientists from the future who put me together couldn’t have predicted that old #643227 would become a future champion!)
Success is a double edged sword. On one hand, it brings fame, fortune, and an immeasurable sense of self confidence, one that can only be gained by the awareness that you are truly the best at what you do. On the other, it brings crushing, tireless scrutiny from everyone around you, including those who helped build you up in the first place. And it is when you allow those naysayers to affect your daily routine, your mental state, or, in Christiane “Cyborg” Santos‘ case, your training regimen, that you have begun the inevitable fall from grace that follows.
Ever since her introduction to the public MMA circuit, Santos was looked at as a fighter who was simply on another level than that of her female counterparts. Her strength, striking ability, and general physique was shocking to even the most devoted MMA fans, and after she handled Gina Carano to take the Strikeforce women’s featherweight title, we knew she would be there for a long, long time.
And as with any case of athletic dominance, steroid accusations were immediately lobbed at the champ. Though there was little evidence to suggest any truth to these claims, pundits and keyboard warriors alike ruthlessly pursued them nonetheless. And as it turns out, behind the rumor was a fair bit of truth.
(I bet even those scientists from the future who put me together couldn’t have predicted that old #643227 would become a future champion!)
Success is a double edged sword. On one hand, it brings fame, fortune, and an immeasurable sense of self confidence, one that can only be gained by the awareness that you are truly the best at what you do. On the other, it brings crushing, tireless scrutiny from everyone around you, including those who helped build you up in the first place. And it is when you allow those naysayers to affect your daily routine, your mental state, or, in Christiane “Cyborg” Santos‘ case, your training regimen, that you have begun the inevitable fall from grace that follows.
Ever since her introduction to the public MMA circuit, Santos was looked at as a fighter who was simply on another level than that of her female counterparts. Her strength, striking ability, and general physique was shocking to even the most devoted MMA fans, and after she handled Gina Carano to take the Strikeforce women’s featherweight title, we knew she would be there for a long, long time.
And as with any case of athletic dominance, steroid accusations were immediately lobbed at the champ. Though there was little evidence to suggest any truth to these claims, pundits and keyboard warriors alike ruthlessly pursued them nonetheless. And as it turns out, behind the rumor was a fair bit of truth.
Though the jury is still out on the legitimacy of Cyborg’s “tainted supplements” claims, her temporary absence may have provided women’s MMA with some breathing room, at least at 145 pounds. Let us not forget that this was a division that took over a year and a half to find its champion a match-up, and when it did, the fight was over in less time than it took Jimmy Lennon Jr. to introduce both parties involved.
Now that this otherworldly force has been removed from the scene, it could make for several interesting match-ups in the featherweight division. Depending on how she fairs against bantamweight champion Meisha Tate in March, Ronda Rousey could surely continue her dominant run in her original weight class. Names like Alexis Davis, who is set to take on Sarah Kaufman at 135 lbs at the same event, Amanda Nunes, and Tara Larosa have all fought at 145 before, and could easily shake things up in the featherweight division. Hell, maybe even Gina Carano could come back for a couple of marquee fights. But that pipe dream is more than likely dead, as the early reviews for Haywire have been overtly positive, and are likely the start of a new phase in “Conviction’s” career.
And it was with Carano’s departure from the sport that we saw one of the main problems facing women’s MMA, that of our need for a Xena-like champion who is as dominant as she is beautiful. Despite the fact that Cyborg displayed a supremacy unmatched by any female figure in the sport, not one website, magazine, or other publication mentioned her when discussing this whole “face of women’s MMA” nonsense. Even in a sport in which the competitors put their physical appearance on the line with every fight, we simply didn’t want to accept the fact that someone as…let’s say, homely, as Cyborg would be its representative.
But we’re not here to address issues that are best left for one of Oprah Winfrey’s self empowerment speeches, we’re here to talk shop. As Seth pointed out, Strikeforce’s collapse is as evident as ever, and being that Dana White and the UFC have all but refused to acknowledge women’s MMA as a legitimate investment, it appears that the sport in general is walking on flimsy legs. So what do you think, could Cyborg’s absence help save women’s MMA? Will the 135 pound division provide enough marquee match-ups to keep interest alive? Or are we hearing the fading S.O.S of a sinking ship? Discuss.
