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UFC 146: Junior Dos Santos Feels Fight Against Alistair Overeem Would Be Unfair

Since UFC heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem was popped for having elevated testosterone levels, it seems as if almost everyone has offered their opinion on the subject; everyone but the main players in the drama. At this point, we have not heard from the UFC, nor have we heard from Alistair Overeem, and until recently, we had not heard from Junior dos Santos.

As the man that is scheduled to defend his UFC heavyweight title against Overeem in the main event of UFC 146, his thoughts on Overeem’s drug test and the upcoming fight should be heard.

Dos Santos did take a shot at Overeem via Twitter shortly after it was revealed that Overeem’s testosterone-to-epitestosterone levels were 14:1, far above the allowable limits of the Nevada State Athletic Commission:

After that tweet, Dos Santos was silent on the subject.

Recently, that changed when Dos Santos spoke to Tatame.com about the possibility of facing Overeem knowing that he tested for such high levels of testosterone:

If the Athletic Committee and UFC want to, I’ll fight him. I’m a fighter and I’ll always be there to fight, but it sure is disrespectful to MMA and how serious the sport is. It’s also unfair, it’s unfair to me. I have never used these devices to gain strength.

Overeem has filed for a license to fight Dos Santos on the May 26 fight card, which will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. The hearing for that license will take place on April 24 in Las Vegas.

Opting to have a hearing is a somewhat risky proposition for Overeem. If he is not granted that license, he won’t be able to apply for another license to fight in Nevada for a year. With the UFC honoring the NSAC’s decisions across all of their events, Overeem, if he would remain under the employ of the UFC, would effectively be forced to sit on the sidelines for that year. Not an ideal situation for a fighter that joined the UFC and immediately sent former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar into retirement.

If Overeem is licensed, expect the fight to go on as planned. If he is not licensed, the UFC will not have a very long time to find a replacement to face Dos Santos. With that being said, they should not have a problem on that front, as Frank Mir, Mark Hunt and Dan Henderson have all expressed interest in taking the fight.

For his part Dos Santos did not seem thrilled about the prospect of fighting and possibly losing to Overeem:

“In case I lose, it’s unfair. He won’t have fought better than me, he will have fought on drugs.”

The NSAC can license Overeem and the fight can go on as planned. To be honest, if he is licensed, the fight needs to take place; there’s no reason that it shouldn’t. However, a license from the NSAC won’t alleviate the concerns of Dos Santos or those of many fans that will feel that Overeem will enter the Octagon with an unfair advantage.

Yes, Overeem will most likely be tested before and after UFC 146, but even if he passes those tests, in the minds of many, a win over Dos Santos will be tainted. There’s just no way to avoid that thought from creeping into the minds of MMA fans.

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Alistair Overeem vs. Mark Hunt Video: Hunt Isn’t Ready for Junior Dos Santos

With Alistair Overeem’s potential removal from a UFC 146 title fight against heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos, Mark Hunt has become one of the most popular suggestions to serve as a replacement.While the former K-1 World Grand Prix champion would…

While the former K-1 World Grand Prix champion would make for a very entertaining opponent in a stand-up fight with dos Santos, Hunt simply isn’t ready to step into the Octagon for a MMA fight with the world’s top heavyweight.

Though Hunt is in the midst of a three-fight winning streak, fans seem to have forgotten quickly that the New Zealand native had recently been finished in six straight fights and was offered money to back out of his UFC contract.

“When we bought Pride, [Hunt] came as part of the Pride deal,” UFC president Dana White said at the UFC 135 post-fight press conference. “It was back-and-forth and basically I was just like, ‘We’ll just pay you off. We know you’re in the Pride deal.’ Mark Hunt said, ‘No, I want to come. I want to fight.'”

Hunt’s subsequent turnaround has been one of the best stories of the past year, but that alone doesn’t make him a legitimate option as a top contender for the heavyweight crown.

The former kickboxer has been excellent on his feet in his past three fights, knocking out Chris Tuchscherer and Cheick Kongo. However, Hunt has still not successfully proven that his ground game, which was mostly to blame for his six-fight skid from 2006 through 2010, has improved enough for him to be capable of a competitive fight with best heavyweight in the entire sport.

During the longest losing streak of his career, Hunt met none other than Overeem, the fighter many believe he should replace at UFC 146. Though he looked good in the short time the fight remained standing, the quickness in which Hunt was submitted once the fight hit the canvas showed how far he was from being able to compete with the world’s best heavyweights on the ground.

Now, even being submitted by an Overeem who took the fight on less than one week notice is not something to be embarrassed about. Despite being known for his accomplishments in kickboxing, Overeem is very dangerous on the ground and has also submitted the likes of Igor Vovchanchyn and Vitor Belfort.

What did become concerning for Hunt was the fact that he proceeded to lose his next three fights in 80 seconds or less, culminating in an embarrassing submission defeat against Sean McCorkle in his UFC debut.

It was that 63-second armbar loss to an opponent who was recently knocked out by the relatively unknown Brian Heden that leaves this writer wanting to see more from Hunt before he is thrown into the cage with an athlete like dos Santos.

The potential for a stand-up war and Hunt’s likable I’ll-fight-anyone-anywhere attitude seem to be blinding some fans from the clear fact that there are other heavyweights out there who are more deserving of a title fight and more capable of competing with the champion in all areas.

While we haven’t seen much of it during his UFC career, dos Santos’ ground game has to be expected to be good enough to easily deal with Hunt on the canvas.

The Brazilian took Shane Carwin, an NCAA Division II champion wrestler, to the ground with a textbook double-leg takedown in June 2011. If dos Santos’ wrestling was good enough to ground Carwin nearly one year ago, it would be safe to say the 27-yer-old has continued to improve and should have little problem putting Hunt on his back.

Once on the ground, dos Santos’ extensive training with the Nogueira brothers would come into play and should certainly have molded him into a fighter capable of replicating something McCorkle was able to do.

At the end of the day, fighter’s like Frank Mir and Fabricio Werdum have done a better job of proving themselves over the long haul to be more deserving of a championship fight.

If Hunt continues to improve and beats a top-level heavyweight, he could fight for the belt before his career comes to a close, but his time is not now.

Of course, considering the fact that the UFC has still not announced a replacement for Overeem, there is probably more to the former Strikeforce champion’s failed drug test than we are aware of. Don’t be surprised if, after all of this discussion, it is Overeem who is standing across the cage from dos Santos next month.

Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, Follow Sean Smith on Twitter

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[VIDEO] Michael Schiavello, Joe Rogan, and Josh Barnett Weigh in on Alistair Overeem’s UFC 146 Positive Drug Test

(Overeem likes his pecs like his K-1 trophies: abnormally large.)

On a recent episode of Inside MMA, commentators Joe Rogan and Michael Schiavello sat down alongside Josh Barnett to discuss the topic that has thrown the MMA world into chaos over the past few days: Alistair Overeem’s positive drug test. Barnett wisely chose to remain silent for the duration of the conversation, likely because his last positive test was responsible for destroying the Afflicition promotion before it could spend itself into its own grave.

But it was Schiavello, a long time friend of Overeem, who took an interesting stance on the issue, basically saying that, if a fighter pisses hot anytime other than fight week, why should they be held accountable? Here’s what he said:

You know, while we’re talking about the subject, Kenny, I just wanna chime in here on a couple things that have been playing on my mind, the last week or so, since the news of Alistair (Overeem) broke. Alistair doesn’t have a license with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), so how are they testing him in the first place when he doesn’t have a license with them? By what jurisdiction are they testing him? And ‘B,’ everyone seems to be hanging Alistair out to dry. They’ve been nailing him to the cross and crucifying him, but it’s still two months away from his fight. You know, he hasn’t technically cheated. Because, unless he pisses hot on the fight night, how could he possibly have cheated? There’s still an opportunity he can get from the 14:1 down to the allowed 6:1 level by fight time. But we’re calling him out as a cheat, two months out from a fight?

Yes, Michael, we are calling him a cheat. Probably because he fucking cheated.

Check out the video, along with Mark Hunt’s reaction to the news, after the jump.

(Overeem likes his pecs like his K-1 trophies: abnormally large.)

You know, while we’re talking about the subject, Kenny, I just wanna chime in here on a couple things that have been playing on my mind, the last week or so, since the news of Alistair (Overeem) broke. Alistair doesn’t have a license with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), so how are they testing him in the first place when he doesn’t have a license with them? By what jurisdiction are they testing him? And ‘B,’ everyone seems to be hanging Alistair out to dry. They’ve been nailing him to the cross and crucifying him, but it’s still two months away from his fight. You know, he hasn’t technically cheated. Because, unless he pisses hot on the fight night, how could he possibly have cheated? There’s still an opportunity he can get from the 14:1 down to the allowed 6:1 level by fight time. But we’re calling him out as a cheat, two months out from a fight?

Yes, Michael, we are calling him a cheat. Probably because he fucking cheated. Check out the video below and let us know what you think.

You see Michael, just because someone isn’t cheating at the exact time of their scheduled fight doesn’t mean that they should be allowed to freely and openly cheat in the off-season without repercussion. It’s like saying that someone shouldn’t be able to get a DWI if they aren’t holding a beer in their hand the moment a cop pulls them over. Would that be awesome? Of course, but it would result in a hell of a lot more accidents and deaths on the highway. Just like allowing certain fighters to use PED’s during training and step into the octagon against fighters who, you know, actually have some moral compass and want to try and win the natural way would result in the same. And let’s not even delve into how easy it is to cycle off steroids when one knows the test is coming. Bas Rutten backs this argument, so there is really nothing left to say.

But perhaps no criticism of Overeem’s horse-flavored piss was greater than that of Mark Hunt. As we all know, Hunt has been rallying to replace Overeem against Junior Dos Santos via Twitter-blitzkrieg lately, and has received widespread support from the MMA community, so perhaps his recent statements on The MMA Hour had ulterior motives behind them. In either case, when asked his thoughts on Overeem’s positive test, he went as far as to question the validity of Overeem’s entire career:

Drugs in all sports is a big problem. It’s a cutthroat business, people take this shit just to get by. I don’t use that shit, but when Alistair takes that shit or whoever takes it they just screw themselves out. Like when Barnett screwed himself out of the fight with Fedor. But who am I too judge anybody. I don’t take that shit and no one else should. If they do, that’s on them, Alistair got caught,that’s his problem and now he’s dealing with it and everything that Alistair has done is meaningless now. At the end of the day he just got caught cheating, so what’s the deal? I lost to him, so did he use that shit when I was fighting him? That’s on him, he has to live with that shit not me. It’s not my position to judge him, he has to look himself in the mirror. At the end of the day, I don’t give a crap who’s taking what. The steroids are not going to help them when I hit them. Take as much as you like, I don’t care.

It’s safe to say that if you haven’t gotten behind the #RallyforMarkHunt campaign yet, you can eat a bag of dicks. Other notable reactions from around the MMA world include:

Former UFC fighter Jason High, who tweeted: “LMAO…Overeem. Almost as surprising as the Cyborg incident. *looks for sarcasm font*”

Roy Nelson, who took the sarcastic approach: “yea! just found via internet that I PASSED MY DRUG TEST! It was close but I passed. #Nodoubts @ufc @danawhite“

And Joe Duarte, who went with a classic standby: ” ‘It wasn’t me, it was the horses, I swear!’ – Alistair Overeem”

All kidding aside, depending on the outcome of Overeem’s scheduled NSAC hearing on April 24th, it looks like it will be the fans, especially those who’ve already purchased UFC 146 tickets, who will be getting screwed as a result of Overeem’s insolence. Now that the California State Athletic Commission is pushing for the legal, therapeutic exemption of testosterone, we can only expect to see more elevated T/E levels, and the issues therein, in the future.

-J. Jones

Cain Velasquez vs. Frank Mir Will Happen, the Question Is When Will It Happen

There has been much speculation and gross misinterpretation running rampant since Dana White tweeted a response to a fan requesting that Dana not break up the fight between Cain Velasquez and Frank Mir. Dana White’s response was simple: “Mir …

The most important and most noticeable part about that quote is that Dana White said absolutely nothing about this fight taking place at UFC 146. Dana White is a brilliant businessman and knows that fans want to see Velasquez vs. Mir, but he is also aware that a fight between the two can happen in the future.

Other than Alistair Overeem, there is only one fighter left for the UFC management to turn to in their time of crisis, assuming that Overeem’s second blood sample also produces failed results.

That man is none other than the longest-tenured heavyweight in the UFC, 11-year UFC veteran and two-time UFC Heavyweight champion Frank Mir.

Mir, who has already expressed an interest in fighting the newly crowned champion Junior dos Santos, would easily be the most logical fill-in replacement for multiple reasons:

Mir is a large draw in the UFC, so pay-per-view buys wouldn’t decrease as much.
Mir is a legit threat to JdS’ title reign. As a multi-dimensional threat, Mir can take JdS into deep waters.
Mir doesn’t have to account for takedowns or any ground game from dos Santos. He is a larger fighter and might be able to bully JdS around the Octagon.
Mir broke Nogueira’s arm. JdS is a training partner and this would be an easy sell for the UFC as a team redemption fight for Junior dos Santos.
Mir is simply the only deserving fighter. With three straight wins over notable fighters, Mir has climbed back into contention, and if Overeem was never signed, Mir would’ve been the first contender regardless.
Fans want to see Junior dos Santos fight an actual contender, not a pretender. We’ve already seen him climb the ranks, now lets see him fight the best fighters available.

The UFC doesn’t have many viable options other than Mir. Other fighters that have been mentioned as replacements for Overeem are Cain Velasquez, Fabricio Werdum, Mark Hunt, Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson.

Cain Velasquez shouldn’t even have his name mentioned at this point in time. He lost his last match against Junior dos Santos by knockout in just over one minute. That is the only fact that needs to be mentioned here.

Fabricio Werdum has been impressive, but he lost to Alistair Overeem while competing in Strikeforce. The fight was largely disappointing, and Werdum did little to show that he can compete against a top-level striker.

It should also be noted that Werdum has already lost to Junior dos Santos, and history is more than likely to repeat itself should these two be pitted against each other again.

Mark Hunt has been on a roll against the UFC’s B-team heavyweights and is a leader in “write-in votes.” Hunt has been collecting wins over the likes of Chris Tuchscherer, a horribly gassed Ben Rothwell and most notably Cheick Kongo.

Mark Hunt has taken his record to 8-7, breaking the .500 win percentage barrier for the first time since December 31, 2008. Giving a title shot to this man is disrespectful to any fighter who has worked his tail off to be ranked in the top five, or top 10 for that matter. Hunt needs to earn his spot and this hasn’t happened yet.

Fedor Emelianenko is another opponent I’m having an extreme problem with getting a UFC title shot. Emelianenko was considered the best heavyweight in the world for many years, but after suffering three straight losses to fringe level top-10 fighters Fabricio Werdum and Antonio Silva, he then a lost to Dan Henderson, a guy fighting two full weight classes above where he should have been, by knockout.

Fedor has reeled off wins over irrelevant 41-year-old Jeff Monson by decision and by knockout over Satoshi Ishii.

Dan Henderson would be an emergency option to fight Junior dos Santos. The emergency would be if Frank Mir couldn’t make the fight either. Henderson has proven he can compete and excel against heavyweight fighters. He has beaten Wanderlei Silva, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Gilbert Yvel and Fedor Emelianenko, all of whom have fought over 206 pounds at times.

Henderson also is on an impressive four-fight win streak and has decided to wait for a title shot. The question is, though, should he be awarded a title shot at heavyweight?

I agree he has the knockout power, and Hendo has never been knocked out before, so it already seems more interesting than Mark Hunt getting a shot but in reality, Hendo should only be an emergency option.

With all of the options available, and after taking a closer look at the “contenders,” it is easy to see that Frank Mir will fight Junior dos Santos at UFC 146 if Alistair Overeem is unable to secure a license to fight.

It’s the most logical fight to make happen, it’s the best fight to make happen, and it’s the right thing to do, for business and for the fans.

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Alistair Overeem’s Positive Test Makes Fedor Emelianenko’s Legacy Shine Brighter

On the rebound with a two-fight winning streak and with little left to prove, Fedor Emelianenko’s unassailable legacy as one of the greatest MMA fighters ever received another boost. No, it’s not another win inside the ring, as The Last Emp…

On the rebound with a two-fight winning streak and with little left to prove, Fedor Emelianenko’s unassailable legacy as one of the greatest MMA fighters ever received another boost.

No, it’s not another win inside the ring, as The Last Emperor’s next fight against a still-unnamed opponent is still two months away. Rather, it comes from Alistair Overeem’s failure of his drug test.

Just to refresh our memory on Overeem’s debacle, here are excerpts of Mike Whitman’s April 5, 2012 report on Sherdog.com:

Keith Kizer, Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) executive director, told Sherdog.com on Thursday that Overeem’s testosterone to epitestosterone (T/E) ratio was 14-to-1, more than double the allowable 6-to-1 ratio. […]

The former Strikeforce heavyweight champion may request that his B-sample be tested, but Kizer told Sherdog that Overeem has not contacted the commission as of yet. […]

The Dutchman ran through Lesnar in that [UFC 141] bout…It is currently unknown if that result will be affected by Overeem’s recent positive test.

Last April 9, Overeem was reported to have applied for his fighting license in the State of Nevada, but he has still not requested the NAC to test his B-sample.

Mark Hunt, who is fast becoming a hot replacement prospect in place of Overeem in the fight versus Junior Dos Santos, has already stated that, “Everything that Alistair has done is meaningless now.”

And Hunt is definitely not alone aboard this punitive train of thought. But, allow me to humbly contribute in dousing, in my own little way, the fiery words and thoughts cast at Overeem.

Let us not forget that he may and can still request for the testing of his B-sample. And in case the results turn out clean when he does comply, he may still be absolved and allowed to fight Dos Santos.

Still, the court of public opinion is already irrevocably divided on the honesty and integrity of Overeem, and on all his accomplishments inside the ring.

Conversely, this same court should unanimously judge Emelianenko—with no evidence supporting the contrary—as a fighter who has achieved his greatness by dint of talent and honest hard work like any true sportsman concerned over his influence on the future generation of athletes should.

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Dear Dana White: Give the Fans JDS vs. Fedor

There has never been a better time for UFC President Dana White to bite the bullet and sign Fedor Emelianenko.Thanks to Alistair Overeem failing his pre-fight drug test for UFC 146, the promotion is scrambling to find a suitable replacement to step in …

There has never been a better time for UFC President Dana White to bite the bullet and sign Fedor Emelianenko.

Thanks to Alistair Overeem failing his pre-fight drug test for UFC 146, the promotion is scrambling to find a suitable replacement to step in against heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos on May 26.

Dan Henderson and Mark Hunt appear to be the potential frontrunners for the title shot if Overeem is denied license from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Isn’t the sport about giving fans the fights they want to see?

Fans have been pleading for the UFC to sign Emelianenko for years. Unfortunately, M-1 Global has held up the process in the past with useless hopes of co-promoting with the UFC.

In a recent post on Twitter, UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta was asked if he would negotiate with Emelianenko and his management if they sought a contract without co-promotion.

“I would,” Fertitta tweeted.

Before getting cut from Strikeforce, Emelianenko was coming off three straight losses to Dan Henderson, Fabricio Werdum and Antonio Silva. He has since picked up a pair of wins over Jeff Monson and Satoshi Ishii.

Do wins over Monson and Ishii warrant a UFC title shot?

The answer to that question is a resounding no, but the UFC heavyweight division finds itself in an unusual situation. Every top-10 heavyweight is either already tied up with another fight or not ready to headline a major UFC pay-per-view.

Henderson is an interesting prospect, but considering the significant size advantage he’d be giving up to Dos Santos, it’s a bout that really doesn’t make any sense.

Hunt is probably the most deserving heavyweight. After enduring six straight losses, the former K-1 star has turned his career around with three consecutive wins in the Octagon over Cheick Kongo, Ben Rothwell and Chris Tuchscherer.

A UFC title shot for Hunt at this point in his career could live out one of the grandest Cinderella stories in MMA history.

With that said, the average fan still doesn’t even know who Mark Hunt is.

He has only been featured on two main cards in nearly two years of fighting under the UFC banner. Fans have begun to rally around Hunt as Overeem’s potential replacement, but generally speaking, that group mainly consists of hardcore MMA fans.

The blockbuster fight is Dos Santos and Emelianenko. Regardless of Emelianenko’s recent track record, fans still want to see him fight in the UFC.

UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture was coming off a loss to Chuck Liddell when he stepped in against Tim Sylvia for the heavyweight title back in March 2007.

What say you? Would you rather drop 50 bucks on Dos Santos vs. Hunt or Dos Santos vs. Fedor?

Looking for some more MMA news, and perhaps a couple of laughs? Follow me on Twitter @JordyMcElroy

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