Tag: UFC 143

Nick Diaz Faces Temporary Suspension for Positive Marijuana Test

According to MMAWeekly, Nick Diaz is now facing a temporary suspension for testing positive to marijuana metabolites following his unsuccessful interim title clash against Carlos Condit at UFC 143. The Nevada State Athletic Commission voted unanimously…

According to MMAWeekly, Nick Diaz is now facing a temporary suspension for testing positive to marijuana metabolites following his unsuccessful interim title clash against Carlos Condit at UFC 143.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission voted unanimously in favor of temporarily suspending the former Strikeforce welterweight champion until a disciplinary hearing decides his fate later this year, which could be as soon as April.

When the next hearing takes place, Diaz and his team are obligated to present information regarding his 2007 meet with Takanori Gomi at Pride 33 (the bout was overturned to a no contest), where he first tested positive for marijuana, and as such was subsequently banned for a six-month period.

In addition, the NSAC requires evidence of his entire fight purse as well as any bonuses he may have received for the UFC 143 co-main event. Diaz is also compelled to produce his complete application that was handed in preceding the fight.

Albeit the Stocktonian is licensed to use marijuana for medicinal purposes in the state of California, NSAC will conduct their own investigation apropos the authenticity of his medication and will have the reports at hand when they reassemble sometime this year.

In light of his temporary suspension, Diaz was initially heading for a straight 12-month ban or more, with a hefty fine in tow. However, that could still be the case when the hearing convenes again at a date yet to be decided.

 

For additional information, follow Nedu Obi on Twitter.

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[VIDEO] UFC 144 Danavlog #1

You know the deal by now, Potato Nation. Dana White’s first video blog for UFC 144 takes a look back at the aftermath of UFC 143, as has become the norm. So we’re going to skip the fancy introduction and get right into it.

(1:43) –  Matt Riddle has to be one of the nicest guys in the UFC, bar none. Talk about a guy that loves his job. And a metaphorical fist bump is due to Henry Martinez for putting on a hell of a fight on such short notice. DW states that he originally thought this match-up was “the worst mismatch in UFC History.” How quickly we all forgot Silva/Leites.

(2:36) – Poor Edwin Figueroa‘s testicles.

(2:44) – Apparently Bruce Leroy kicked Figueroa so hard in the balls that he forgot how many times he kicked Figueroa in the balls. Irony? Either way, we agree that a two point deduction seemed a little harsh. Then again, Caceres likely destroyed any of Figueroa’s future plans to have children, so we’ll call it even.

You know the deal by now, Potato Nation. Dana White’s first video blog for UFC 144 takes a look back at the aftermath of UFC 143, as has become the norm. So we’re going to skip the fancy introduction and get right into it.

(1:43) –  Matt Riddle has to be one of the nicest guys in the UFC, bar none. Talk about a guy that loves his job. And a metaphorical fist bump is due to Henry Martinez for putting on a hell of a fight on such short notice. DW states that he originally thought this match-up was “the worst mismatch in UFC History.” How quickly we all forgot Silva/Leites.

(2:36) – Poor Edwin Figueroa‘s testicles.

(2:44) – Apparently Bruce Leroy kicked Figueroa so hard in the balls that he forgot how many times he kicked Figueroa in the balls. Irony? Either way, we agree that a two point deduction seemed a little harsh. Then again, Caceres likely destroyed any of Figueroa’s future plans to have children, so we’ll call it even.

(4:26) – The doctors felt the wound on Mike Pierce‘s head was bad enough to warrant staples. Pierce, on the other hand, simply doesn’t have time to bleed. Little did they know who would be next in line…

(5:10) – My God that cut on Roy Nelson’s face.

(5:30) – It appears that temporary amnesia ran rampant at UFC 143, because Nelson must have blacked out during his entrance to believe he won two rounds against Fabricio Werdum. He did share a locker room with Nick Diaz, so perhaps something was in the air.

(6:00) – Has anyone read the transcript of Nick Diaz’s corner during UFC 143? It is without a doubt the most incoherent collection of boisterous claims wrapped in obscenities you will ever read. It’s also the funniest thing you’ll ever read at BloodyElbow.

(7:00) – Diaz thinks that he lost the fourth round. Maybe. 

(7:49) – Nelson’s cut, all stitched up.

(9:00) – Nelson, pleading his case to Lorenzo Fertitta, who can only smile at the notion that Nelson won two rounds. I feel you, Big Country. You totally got robbed in the Junior Dos Santos fight as well.

-J. Jones 

Quote of the Day: Matt Brown “I Can Go 100-0 Beating a Bunch of Idiots”


(Well, maybe 100-1.)

Over the weekend, we announced that TUF 7 alum Matt Brown, who most recently starched Chris Cope at UFC 143, would be squaring off against world renowned kickboxer Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson at UFC 145. Thompson, who is coming off a brilliant head kick KO victory in his octagon debut over Daniel Stittgen, also at UFC 143, amassed an incredible 57 victories as a kickboxer without a defeat before transitioning into MMA, where he has gone 6-0 thus far in his career. Well it seems that Brown isn’t too impressed with “Wonderboy’s” list of credentials, mainly due to a lack of name power in Thompson’s past opponents. Here’s what he told MMAWeekly in a recent interview:

I don’t know what he’s about in MMA. It looked to me he was doing the same old karate, and the karate’s the same thing, like who did he fight in karate? I don’t know. Name me one guy, name me one guy that he fought. I can tell you the guys I train with [have fought] Saenchai [and] Joe Schilling, guys that are well known in the kickboxing/Muay Thai world, on a world level…I’m not too concerned with this guy’s kickboxing. I can go 100-0 beating a bunch of idiots, but that’s not my style. 


(Well, maybe 100-1.)

Over the weekend, we announced that TUF 7 alum Matt Brown, who most recently starched Chris Cope at UFC 143, would be squaring off against world renowned kickboxer Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson at UFC 145. Thompson, who is coming off a brilliant head kick KO victory in his octagon debut over Daniel Stittgen, also at UFC 143, amassed an incredible 57 victories as a kickboxer without a defeat before transitioning into MMA, where he has gone 6-0 thus far in his career. Well it seems that Brown isn’t too impressed with “Wonderboy’s” list of credentials, mainly due to a lack of name power in Thompson’s past opponents. Here’s what he told MMAWeekly in a recent interview:

I don’t know what he’s about in MMA. It looked to me he was doing the same old karate, and the karate’s the same thing, like who did he fight in karate? I don’t know. Name me one guy, name me one guy that he fought. I can tell you the guys I train with [have fought] Saenchai [and] Joe Schilling, guys that are well known in the kickboxing/Muay Thai world, on a world level…I’m not too concerned with this guy’s kickboxing. I can go 100-0 beating a bunch of idiots, but that’s not my style. 

Ouch. The verbal back-and-forth between these two apparently started after Thomspon was awarded the $65,000 Knockout of the Night bonus following his UFC 143 win over Stittgen. Upset that he didn’t receive the award, Brown stated that Stittgen didn’t really deserve to be in the octagon with Thompson in the first place, whereas he fought a tougher guy in Chris Cope, and therefore should have earned the bonus.

And to a degree, we agree with him. Stittgen was brought in on just over a week’s notice to take on Thompson, whereas Cope had a full training camp to prepare for Brown. Then again, Thompson was only given four weeks himself to prepare for a fighter whose strengths were the exact opposite of his, whereas Brown was given basically a less talented version of himself in Cope. In either case, Thompson didn’t take kindly to Brown’s criticism, and it’s looking like we will be in for a good old fashioned ATL throwdown at UFC 145, which is headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans (finally), as well as a battle of top welterweight prospects Che Mills and Rory MacDonald.

To be fair, Brown did complement Thompson’s fighting style, saying it was puzzling and Machida-esque in its appearance, but at the end of the day, believed “it’s the same old shit to me.”

Check out the rest of Brown’s interview below.

-J. Jones

Josh Koscheck v. Johny Hendricks Set For UFC on Fox 3 in May


(Trust fall: You’re doing it wrong.)

If anything, UFC on Fox 3 is looking like it has the potential to surpass that of its first two cards in terms of excitement. Dana White announced via his Twitter last night that a battle between top welterweight contenders Josh Koscheck and Johny Hendricks has just been booked for the UFC’s third go-around on Fox, which is already set to feature a lightweight clash between Jim Miller and Nate Diaz, as well as a heavyweight sure to be slugfest pitting Pat Barry against Lavar Johnson. Yes, it’s looking like there is little stopping this card *cough* Jon Jones’ commentary *cough* from finally delivering a good lineup to the masses. The first Fox card had the fights, but failed to showcase enough of them, whereas the second card was simply too underwhelming to reel in any new fans, but the addition of Hendricks/Koscheck to this card will surely push it over the top.

Hendricks is coming off a 12 second knockout over former #1 contender Jon Fitch, which snapped a 5-0-1 streak Fitch had put together since dropping a unanimous decision to Georges St. Pierre back at UFC 87. Koscheck, however, is fresh off a controversial split decision victory over Mike Pierce at UFC 143. Despite being outsruck for the majority of three rounds, Koscheck was able to secure the decision by converting on two of his three takedown attempts, because that’s apparently all it takes these days.


(Trust fall: You’re doing it wrong.)

If anything, UFC on Fox 3 is looking like it has the potential to surpass that of its first two cards in terms of excitement. Dana White announced via his Twitter last night that a battle between top welterweight contenders Josh Koscheck and Johny Hendricks has just been booked for the UFC’s third go-around on Fox, which is already set to feature a lightweight clash between Jim Miller and Nate Diaz, as well as a heavyweight sure to be slugfest pitting Pat Barry against Lavar Johnson. Yes, it’s looking like there is little stopping this card *cough* Jon Jones’ commentary *cough* from finally delivering a good lineup to the masses. The first Fox card had the fights, but failed to showcase enough of them, whereas the second card was simply too underwhelming to reel in any new fans, but the addition of Hendricks/Koscheck to this card will surely push it over the top.

Hendricks is coming off a 12 second knockout over former #1 contender Jon Fitch, which snapped a 5-0-1 streak Fitch had put together since dropping a unanimous decision to Georges St. Pierre back at UFC 87. Koscheck, however, is fresh off a controversial split decision victory over Mike Pierce at UFC 143. Despite being outsruck for the majority of three rounds, Koscheck was able to secure the decision by converting on two of his three takedown attempts, because that’s apparently all it takes these days.

Depending on the outcome, this matchup poses an interesting conundrum for Joe Silva. If Hendricks wins, you have to believe he’s done enough to warrant a title shot. He may not have a big name at this point in his career, but knocking off two former title challengers in a row would be enough to earn Urijah Faber title shots in the weight classes of his choosing for the rest of his natural born life, and possibly beyond that. If Koscheck wins, on the other hand, there isn’t really much to give him in return, outside of a possible match against interim champ Carlos Condit, who he was originally scheduled to face at UFC 143, while GSP recovers. Kos has fought the current welterweight champ twice to no avail, and suffered a broken orbital bone in his last attempt at UFC 124, so you can’t imagine that many people will be clamoring for yet another unnecessary trilogy to come to fruition.

That said, who takes this one?

-J. Jones

Jake Shields Knows How to Deal with a Loss Appropriately, Like a True Warrior

Jake Shields, as expected of a teammate, claims to believe that Nick Diaz should have been crowned the UFC interim welterweight champion instead of Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit in their recently concluded UFC 143 main-event tiff….

Jake Shields, as expected of a teammate, claims to believe that Nick Diaz should have been crowned the UFC interim welterweight champion instead of Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit in their recently concluded UFC 143 main-event tiff.

Just the same, he digresses from his controversial training partner in Team Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu—knowingly or not—when it comes to attitude towards a loss.

In the following exchange in his interview with Gregory Chase (B/R Exclusive: Jake Shields Talks UFC Japan, Condit vs. Diaz, and More), the man who will face Yoshihiro Akiyama in UFC 144 shows that he is the consummate sportsman in dealing with a loss—even when fighting fresh off a tragic family situation:

Gregory Chase: It was extremely unfortunate that your father passed last year as well, but even more admirable that you walked into the cage about two weeks after it had happened. Do you feel like the whole situation had an impact on your fight with Jake Ellenberger, and, if so, in what ways?

Jake Shields: You know, there was so much going on at the time. It was tough, but I felt like it was the right decision to go out and fight, and I made that decision to not make any excuse about the fight. I went out there and it wasn’t my night, so all I can do is move forward and try to bounce back with Akiyama.

You read it right: Shields “went out there and it wasn’t (his) night.” Period.

Shields can teach a thing or two to Diaz and the rest of their team about facing one side of the same coin in MMA fighting, which is the bitter opposite of winning.

 

Previous article: What UFC Interim Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit Should Do for the Interim.

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Diaz Camp: Condit Never Wanted Rematch, Accepted Bout After Hearing Test Results

Carlos Condit might have accepted a rematch, but Nick Diaz’s camp doesn’t believe the UFC interim champ ever intended on actually fighting. After a controversial decision at UFC 143, there was talk of an immediate rematch between Condit and Diaz, but C…

Carlos Condit might have accepted a rematch, but Nick Diaz’s camp doesn’t believe the UFC interim champ ever intended on actually fighting.

After a controversial decision at UFC 143, there was talk of an immediate rematch between Condit and Diaz, but Condit’s camp turned down the offer and admitted they weren’t interested in a rematch.

“At this point, [a rematch] is not something we’re looking to do,” Condit’s manager Malki Kawa told MMAFighting. We’re looking for Georges [St-Pierre]. People forget, Carlos waited a long time to get this fight. He was moved around, and shuffled around between fights. He won the fight.”

“It doesn’t interest us at all. I think clearly and decisively, he won the fight. Even [UFC President] Dana [White] scored it for him. All of the opinions that matter scored Carlos as the winner.”

It was a bout that tested the importance of octagon aggression and strikes landed. Condit landed more strikes, but Diaz controlled the octagon throughout the bout by constantly pressing forward and attempting to engage.

With the MMA world in an uproar over the decision, the UFC went to work on setting up an immediate rematch. After turning down the initial offer, Condit’s camp finally gave in and accepted another bout with Diaz.

Everything looked to be a go for the interim championship rematch, until Diaz’s drug test results came in.

The former Strikeforce welterweight champion tested positive for “marijuana metabolites,” which put a dagger in any rematch hopes.

Still, Diaz’s camp believes the bout was doomed from the start. According to a post on Twitter, Condit never intended on fighting Diaz a second time.

“Condit accepts rematch after he was notified by @danawhite @ufc about test result. Never intended to rematch,” the post read on Nick and Nate Diaz’s conjoined Twitter account.

It isn’t known who exactly sent out the tweet, but Condit wasted no time in posting a response to the accusation.

“It’s bull [expletive]. I agreed to the rematch [Tuesday] morning. Ask @danawhite. That’s a fact,” posted Condit.

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report as more information comes in on this unfolding story.

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