Tag: UFC 146

UFC 146: Removing Alistair Overeem from the Main Event Was the Right Thing to Do

Dana White left Las Vegas last night to head to Atlanta, but only after posting the following message to his Twitter account:Taking off to Atlanta!!!! May 26 th is now Mir vs JDS for the HW title in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand.And just like that, one of…

Dana White left Las Vegas last night to head to Atlanta, but only after posting the following message to his Twitter account:

Taking off to Atlanta!!!! May 26 th is now Mir vs JDS for the HW title in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand.

And just like that, one of the UFC’s biggest controversies of the past few years is over. For the time being, at least.

Removing Overeem from his title fight was, from the very beginning, the only real option the UFC had in this situation. I realize that every person accused of something illegal deserves their day in court. And yes, an elevated testosterone level is absolutely against the rules set down by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. But there is simply no explanation Overeem can provide during his hearing on the 24th that will make absolute sense and clear his name. It’s just not possible.

Testosterone Replacement Therapy isn’t a valid excuse, not when he has recent tests on record showing that his testosterone levels were normal. If Overeem needed TRT, those tests would’ve shown a depleted testosterone range. They didn’t. And you know why? Because he doesn’t need testosterone in his system. He has plenty.

If Overeem had been granted a license to fight dos Santos—and had he gone on to win the heavyweight title—it would have been a significant black eye on the UFC. All of the efforts they’ve gone through over the past 10 years to take the sport of mixed martial arts mainstream would have been significantly damaged, especially to those who aren’t quite ready to accept the sport. It would have hampered their efforts in New York, where they’re still fighting a yearly battle to get this thing legalized.

I must give major kudos to Dana White and the UFC brass for replacing Overeem with Frank Mir. It might make the UFC 146 main event slightly less intriguing, but it was the right thing to do. And doing the right thing is far more important than making money right now.

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UFC 146: Overeem Pulled from Title Fight; Should Dana White Cut Him?

UFC President Dana White has announced via Twitter that Alistair Overeem has been pulled from his UFC 146 title fight with UFC heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos. Former UFC champ Frank Mir will be taking his place.”Taking off to Atlanta!!! May 2…

UFC President Dana White has announced via Twitter that Alistair Overeem has been pulled from his UFC 146 title fight with UFC heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos. Former UFC champ Frank Mir will be taking his place.

“Taking off to Atlanta!!! May 26th is now Mir vs JDS for the HW title in Las Vegas at MGM Grand,” tweeted White.

Though not specifically stated by White, it can be assumed that Overeem’s withdrawal from the fight is a direct result of him failing a surprise pre-fight drug test. His testosterone levels were elevated above 10:1, far exceeding the 6:1 limit.

This is not the first time the UFC has had problems with Overeem. Ahead of the Dutch kickboxing specialist’s UFC 141 bout with Brock Lesnar, Overeem failed to comply to Nevada State Athletic Commission’s request for a pre-fight test, within a reasonable amount of time.

Understandably so, Overeem is in a lot of hot water with the UFC Pres, who has openly expressed his frustration with ‘Reem.

Overeem has now been scheduled for just two fights in the UFC, one he was almost pulled out of and one that he was pulled out of.

This begs the question, should the UFC release Alistair Overeem?

I am a firm believer that performance-enhancing drugs have no place in mixed martial arts, but still the answer is no.

The UFC’s heavyweight division is one of the promotion’s weakest weight classes and so they are not in a position to be throwing away top contenders.

Furthermore, the UFC has shown leniency to other fighters before in similar situations, so it would be unfair for them to cast Overeem aside, while still employing fighters with similar grievances.

For example, Chris Leben has twice tested positive for banned substances and is still in the complany’s employ.

MMA‘s most prominent major promotion will need to keep a very close eye on Overeem from here on out, but releasing him would only succeed in taking more star power out of a division already lacking in contenders.

 

Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for BleacherReport.com and stand up comedian. Check him out on Twitter. @AndrewBarr8.

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UFC 146 Fight Card: Is Alistair Overeem the Biggest Flop in UFC History?

Alistair Overeem blew it. Big time. He destroyed Brock Lesnar in his high-profile UFC debut and was then given a shot at the UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos. And he blew it. At a random drug test performed by the Nevada S…

Alistair Overeem blew it. 

Big time. 

He destroyed Brock Lesnar in his high-profile UFC debut and was then given a shot at the UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos. 

And he blew it. 

At a random drug test performed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after the UFC 146 pre-fight press conference, Overeem’s T/E (testosterone to epitestosterone) ratio was over twice the limit allowed by the NSAC at 14:1! 

Afterwards, there was a long silence. Overeem was to have a hearing on April 24 to determine his fate, but apparently that wasn’t good enough for UFC president Dana White, who recently announced that the former K-1 champion was out of the fight, replaced by Frank Mir.

UFC 146 was supposed to be an epic clash of the titans. Each fight on the main card was between heavyweights. Each fight would lead up to the main event, the linear heavyweight champ—Alistair Overeem—vs. the UFC heavyweight champ—Junior Dos Santos. 

Forget being just a heavyweight bout, the fight was larger than life. 

But now, it will join Fedor Emelianenko vs. Randy Couture, Nick Diaz vs. Georges St. Pierre, and various other fights that the MMA world will never get to see. Overeem vs. Dos Santos is forever destined to be a maligned topic debated on Internet message boards by armchair fighters and their ilk. 

All thanks to Overeem’s inability to pass a drug test. 

This is one of the biggest flops in UFC history. 

Yes, there were fighters who were flops because they were highly touted “prospects” that didn’t deliver (Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Todd Duffee, Houston Alexander, Gerald Harris, etc.) but this is on a whole different level. 

Not only did Overeem potentially cost the UFC loads of cash in UFC 146 pay-per-view buys, he also killed off the UFC’s most marketable star in Brock Lesnar! 

Overeem came in guns blazing, destroyed the UFC’s most successful marketing gimmick (Lesnar), pissed hot, ruined a card and could now be out of the UFC or at least out of action for quite sometime pending on the NSAC hearing. 

That’s quite a spectacular streak of failure, not matched by many others in the history of the UFC. 

 

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UFC 146 News: Dana White Confirms That Frank Mir Will Replace Overeem

UFC President Dana White has just confirmed via Twitter that Frank Mir will replace Alistair Overeem in the Heavyweight Championship match set to take place at UFC 146.”Taking off to Atlanta!!! May 26 th is now Mir vs JDS for the HW title in Las V…

UFC President Dana White has just confirmed via Twitter that Frank Mir will replace Alistair Overeem in the Heavyweight Championship match set to take place at UFC 146.

“Taking off to Atlanta!!! May 26 th is now Mir vs JDS for the HW title in Las Vegas at MGM Grand,” tweeted White.

Overeem has been in hot water with White since failing a surprise drug test, showing testosterone levels of higher than 10-to-1. The Dutch kickboxing specialist is scheduled to have a hearing with the Nevada State Athletic Commission on April 24th to decide his fate, but it seems like White isn’t interested in waiting for those results.

The UFC president has openly expressed his frustration towards Overeem since the failed drug test, but it has not yet been announced whether or not he will release Overeem from the promotion. More information will likely come to light after ‘Reem’s NSAC hearing.

Some fans will be disappointed by this change, as many were looking forward to seeing Overeem and UFC heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos—who are both striking specialists—go at it.

However, Mir is a former UFC champion and a more than competent replacement. He is currently riding a three-fight win streak, which includes a devastating knockout victory over Mirko Cro Cop and an unbelievable submission victory over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

Mir was originally scheduled to fight Cain Velasquez at UFC 146 in a No.1 contender’s match. As of yet, a new opponent for Velasquez has not been announced.

Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for BleacherReport.com and stand up comedian. Check him out on Twitter. @AndrewBarr8.

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UFC 146 News: Cain Velasquez Says Frank Mir Getting the Title Shot Would Be Fair

Ever since Alistair Overeem, the UFC’s No.1 contender in the heavyweight division, failed a surprise pre-fight drug test, the MMA world has been wondering who will step in to face heavyweight champ Junior Dos Santos at UFC 146.It is worth noting that O…

Ever since Alistair Overeem, the UFC’s No.1 contender in the heavyweight division, failed a surprise pre-fight drug test, the MMA world has been wondering who will step in to face heavyweight champ Junior Dos Santos at UFC 146.

It is worth noting that Overeem has not yet been pulled from the fight and has a hearing with the Nevada State Athletic Commission on April 24th, but things are certainly not looking good for the Dutch kickboxing specialist.

If Overeem is indeed withdrawn from the bout, many have pointed to Frank Mir as the most logical replacement.

One might think that this news would be ill-received by Cain Velasquez, who is a former champion and is supposed to fight Mir at UFC 146, but according to MMAfighting.com, the former heavyweight champion has no qualms with Mir stepping in.

“I definitely think that’s fair,” Velasquez said. “He’s off a three-fight winning streak, and dos Santos beat me fair and square. I’m definitely mad about mine, but I know with one more fight, I’ll be in the same position. If that did come up, then yeah, I’d be fine with that.”

There’s no doubting that Velasquez wants another shot at the title, but it appears he’s willing to wait in line and earn his second opportunity.

Although Velasquez has been preparing for a No.1 contender’s match with Mir, he is prepared to fight anyone the UFC puts in front of him, as long as the stakes remain the same.

“As far as we know right now, it’s Frank, so that’s what I’m getting ready for,” he said. “But if it turned out to be different, it didn’t matter who it’d be, as long as it’s one more to get in that same position, to fight for the heavyweight title.”

 

Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for BleacherReport.com and stand up comedian. Check him out on Twitter. @AndrewBarr8.

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UFC 146 Fight Card: Are PEDs the Savior of Modern Sports?

People malign performance enhancing drugs, but there’s no reason to. Why?Because PEDs may well be the savior of modern sports.Think about it. The various sports started decades (and in some cases centuries) ago. They were at one time new and diffi…

People malign performance enhancing drugs, but there’s no reason to. 

Why?

Because PEDs may well be the savior of modern sports.

Think about it. The various sports started decades (and in some cases centuries) ago. They were at one time new and difficult. As time went on, athletes became more proficient at them and techniques/theories could be passed on from veterans to rookies, increasing the level of skill in the sport of your choosing and therefore the excitement level as well. 

However, only so many changes are possible. A sport, given enough time, will develop a baseline level of skill that will forever stay static. The quality of talent won’t improve and the sport will stagnate.

PEDs are the answer to such a problem. 

Human athleticism has peaked. We know how many home runs or touchdowns a great, natural athlete is capable of using only the sweat of their brow and the strength of their backs.

Unfortunately, the public always craves more. If records weren’t broken and new, super-athletes didn’t show-up who knows what would’ve happened to sports. People, specifically Americans, have short attention spans. Americans can’t watch soccer, a long, tedious game where 3-0 is considered a blowout.

For a while, baseball could satisfy America’s entertainment needs. Then football (and for a time, boxing) captivated American society. 

An it still captivates American society. Despite being around for decades, the size of the athletes and their overall athleticism has continued to increase like clockwork, making the sport a more high-scoring, thrilling affair. 

So, do today’s athletes just eat more eggs than the athletes of old? 

Of course not. It’s likely that the growth of American sports is due to the use of PEDs, or did you really think that each crop of athletes got dramatically better from eating their Wheaties as a kid?”

Remember the home-run race between Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire in the late 1990s. It was an exciting time for baseball; people love home runs and love seeing records get broken. But it was fueled by PEDs.

Some say that this is shameful, but in retrospect does it make the baseball games we watched any less exciting?

No. Sports, above all else, are about entertainment. They can only be entertaining when the skill level is constantly increasing and records are being broken; nobody wants to waste their precious time away from work or away from their annoying spouse/children watching athletes do what’s been done a hundred times already. 

But what of Alistair Overeem’s recent failed drug test, you ask? 

What’s the big deal? Why should fighters be forbidden from taking PEDs? It helps them train better, which means they’ll fight better which means the fans and promoters—the two groups directly responsible for the success of the sport and employment of the fighters—go home happy.

Health isn’t a concern and it never has been—not in any sport (no matter what the NFL says). If athletes are so concerned over their health, they are welcome to sit at a desk somewhere and let people who want to immortalize themselves and get rich take their place.

Thus, PEDs are not a blight of the sport that needs to be purged by regulatory bodies or the federal government but rather the savior of modern sports. Whereas the athlete of ages past was a tribute to the beauty of the human form, the modern athlete is a creation of and monument to science. Moralizers, critics, and luddites must understand this.

 

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