Tag: UFC 148

Dr. Benjamin Irresponsible in His Accusations of Chael Sonnen and Frank Mir

Last week, Stephanie Daniels of Bloody Elbow posted an interview with Dr. Benjamin.Dr. Benjamin is a spinal surgeon and a contributor to MMAJunkie.com, and he uses his medical expertise to speak about fighter health and injuries on the website. In…

Last week, Stephanie Daniels of Bloody Elbow posted an interview with Dr. Benjamin.

Dr. Benjamin is a spinal surgeon and a contributor to MMAJunkie.com, and he uses his medical expertise to speak about fighter health and injuries on the website. 

In the interview, he gave his opinion about Chael Sonnen and Frank Mir‘s usage of Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT). Following his UFC 146 bout against Junior Dos Santos, it came out that Mir had received a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) from the Nevada State Athletic Commission for TRT. 

He concluded that the only reason a 33-year-old fighter (Mir) would need testosterone injections was he abused steroids in the past.

In his own words: “Let’s be honest here. How many people who never wrecked their bodies with past steroid use, naturally need TRT at 33? Less than one or two percent.”

Now, for a medical professional to be accusatory of anyone without having treated them is considered highly unethical by the American Medical Association. 

However, the good doctor goes even further in discussing Chael Sonnen.

Sonnen was recently granted a TUE by the NSAC for his bout on July 7 against Anderson Silva at UFC 147. Sonnen’s reason for needing TRT is a medical one, as he has been diagnosed with hypogonadism. 

Essentially, Sonnen’s body is unable to produced testosterone naturally, and he requires an injection to normalize his body. Chael had previously applied for a TUE in both Chicago and Houston and received approval by both the Illinois and Texas athletic commissions. 

Dr. Benjamin opined that Chael would never have been able to reach the levels of success he has, as a wrestler in college and as an MMA fighter, with such a condition. Again, in his own words:

Was Chael Sonnen a big-time collegiate wrestler? Yes, he was. I’m going to opine and say to you, there’s no way in the world you get to the level of collegiate wrestling that Chael Sonnen was at with hypogonadism. Let me explain to you why. Hypogonadism means that the testes did not produce enough testosterone for one to normally mature. He wasn’t on TRT as a teenager. He became this big, muscled-up monster and NCAA wrestler with hypogonadism? Hell no.

He goes even further when he flat out accuses Sonnen of abusing steroids in the past. 

“If he has hypogonadism, it’s from one thing, and one thing only, because he treated himself with steroids in the past, and wrecked his testes,” he said. “That’s it.” 

This isn’t the first time Dr. Benjamin has been inflammatory regarding MMA fighters either. His irresponsible stories have actually cost certain fighters a considerable amount of money. 

Former UFC welterweight champion and MMA legend Pat Miletich responded to Bleacher Report writer Jonathan Snowden on Twitter regarding Dr. Benjamin. Dr. Benjamin wrote an article about Pat’s neck injuries that had actual consequences. 

@mmaencyclopedia Funny @DrJCBenjamin wrote I shouldn’t fight after neck surgery. Thr was no surgery n cost me 4k 4 extra tests 2 fight.

— Pat Miletich (@patmiletich) June 11, 2012 

Dr. Benjamin is walking a fine line between professional and sensational. While I appreciate that he gives his medical opinion about certain aspects of the sport, accusing fighters of steroid abuse isn’t just reckless, it’s outright slander. 

I hope that he starts to be more responsible with his words and speaks based on facts rather than hearsay. His reputation is dependent on it. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

The UFC 149 Injury Curse Strikes Again: Jose Aldo Out, Faber vs. Barao New Main Event


For the last time, Joe: One of these guys is a fictional character and the other one has a shoulder injury.

At this point, do we even need to update our most cursed MMA events of all time list to include UFC 149? Calling this card “injury plagued” is as brilliant of an observation as saying that airline food is typically not of high quality. For those of you who have lost track of the fighters who have pulled out of bouts on this card due to injury, allow me to quickly refresh your memory: Vitor Belfort, Thiago Silva, Thiago Alves, and Michael Bisping.

And now you can add UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo to that list as well.


For the last time, Joe: One of these guys is a fictional character and the other one has a shoulder injury.

At this point, do we even need to update our most cursed MMA events of all time list to include UFC 149? Calling this card “injury plagued” is as brilliant of an observation as saying that airline food is typically not of high quality. For those of you who have lost track of the fighters who have pulled out of bouts on this card due to injury, allow me to quickly refresh your memory: Vitor Belfort, Thiago Silva, Thiago Alves, and Michael Bisping.

And now you can add UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo to that list as well.

Yesterday it was announced that Jose Aldo has suffered an undisclosed injury, and has been forced out of his UFC 149 headlining bout against Erik Koch. Taking over the main event slot will be an interim bantamweight title fight between Urijah Faber and Renan Barao, initially set as the co-main event for UFC 148. And not that it matters, but that fight was made possible by an injury to Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz.

For those of you keeping track, this summer has also seen injuries to Chad Griggs, Jon Fitch, Brian Stann, Pablo Garza and Edwin Figueroa shake up future cards. And to think, it’s only June.

While Erik Koch’s title fight has obviously been postponed, it is uncertain whether or not Koch will remain on the card. Perhaps the UFC will have him fight “The Korean Zombie” for an interim title? Oh wait…never mind.

Previously: And Now Michael Bisping Is Injured: UFC 149 Sets Up Lombard vs. Boetsch, UFC on FOX 4 Adds Shogun vs. Vera Headliner

Is UFC Fighter Insurance to Blame for the String of Injuries?

It seems like all I’ve done lately is write about all the injuries that have occurred in MMA in the past two weeks. I find myself in the role of “bearer of bad news,” and quite frankly I’m getting kind of tired of it. I’m tired of getting excited for f…

It seems like all I’ve done lately is write about all the injuries that have occurred in MMA in the past two weeks. I find myself in the role of “bearer of bad news,” and quite frankly I’m getting kind of tired of it. I’m tired of getting excited for fights and cards only to have them unceremoniously called off because of injuries. 

In fact, in all my time as a fan of MMA, I can’t remember the last time that the UFC has suffered such an awful string of injuries. Sure, every so often an undercard fighter would get injured in training, but no one decides to pass on a card because Evan Dunham or Byron Bloodworth pulls out of a fight. I can handle seeing an undercard fight get rearranged. It’s just the nature of the business. 

So, when the UFC gets hit with a plague of injuries, how am I supposed to react? Am I supposed to think that it’s all just coincidental? That all of these fighters just happen to be getting injured all around the same time? Or, is there a deeper reason for fighters such as Vitor Belfort, Brian Stann and now Jose Aldo to pull out of their headlining fights?

Through various talks with friends involved in the industry in some capacity, the discussions always seem to come back to the same thing: Zuffa’s fighter insurance.

When it was first announced, it was praised by fans and detractors as a huge step forward for MMA. Here was a promotion that was looking out for their fighters and ensuring they wouldn’t have a stack of medical bills and debt should they get injured in training. 

It appears now that the announcement that advanced the sport may be the the UFC’s worst enemy. Prior to offering insurance, fighters literally couldn’t afford to pull out of fights.

The cost was just too great—not just because of the medical expenses, but because after paying for an entire training camp, they relied on their fight purses to survive until their next booking. 

Any nagging injuries could be covered up until post-fight when the UFC covered the cost for any nagging injuries. The only catch is that they couldn’t talk about these injuries on social media or disclose them to the commission in their pre-fight medicals. 

With the UFC now covering medical bills, fighters are less inclined to fight hurt. The industry’s advancement in fighter pay and sponsorship has also ensured that fighters can get by longer in between fights without entering the cage. 

Dana White told Ariel Helwani after UFC on FX 3 that he believes fighters are getting injured because they’re training too hard. While that may be the case, they’re also pulling out of fights because the UFC is covering their bills.

As the saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished. The UFC is finding that out the hard way. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 148 Preview: Rickson Gracie, Anderson Silva and an MMA Paradigm Shift

Rickson Gracie, one of the greatest jiu-jitsu artists of this or any time, has laid bare the truth about his art’s efficacy in modern mixed martial arts. And the picture he paints isn’t a pretty one for any of the stalwart fans from Brazil who once cha…

Rickson Gracie, one of the greatest jiu-jitsu artists of this or any time, has laid bare the truth about his art’s efficacy in modern mixed martial arts. And the picture he paints isn’t a pretty one for any of the stalwart fans from Brazil who once chanted “Zhoo Zheetsu” aloud at events worldwide.

Rickson, who made his reputation spreading his family’s martial system across the world, often selling it at the end of a balled fist, forcing acceptance with a tap, has determined something many of us noted years ago. MMA is no longer about an art. MMA is about the man.

“You may use like 30 percent of jiu-jitsu,” Rickson told Brazil’s Tatame. “You can’t put Royce [Gracie, Rickson’s brother and an early UFC champion] or any other guy only using it… Technology has changed the sport a lot in terms of how much you train, the capacity of losing weight to fight… It’s completely different. You can use many jiu-jitsu things, but the body is your main element.”

The body is you main element. For a sport built on technique, on the principle that a smaller man can beat a larger one with the right tools, this is a paradigm shift of the largest conceivable magnitude.

UFC champions aren’t built with knowledge anymore. There are no more Jeremy Horns, marginal athletes who succeed at the highest levels by being savvier and more skilled than the opposition.

The UFC is an athlete’s game now. Rickson specifically mentions Anderson Silva, who defends his title at UFC 148 against Chael Sonnen, as one of the astounding athletes that didn’t exist in his MMA. Silva and his ilk force a different set of questions for any fighter looking to succeed.

How strong are you? How fast? How much weight can you cut? How easily do you bounce back from that cut? These are physiological factors. And in a sport where you have 15 minutes to succeed or fail, these factors are just as, if not more important than how much you know about fighting.

Of course, Rickson hasn’t completely torn his own legacy to shreds. It’s the time limits, he contends, that have changed the sport so dramatically. “They impose a rhythm to the bout,” is how he explains it, no doubt in delightfully broken English.

In other words, in a world where you fight to the finish, jiu-jitsu is still king. With no artificial time constraints, it’s still possible for pure jiu-jitsu to prevail. Gracie and his contemporaries were playing the long game. In a different atmosphere and environment. With different and more realistic rules.

Rickson Gracie might not have been a champion in today’s MMA. But in the street? With limited rules? With enough time to play his game, spring his traps? Rickson by armbar. Some things never change.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 148: Why You Should Support Anderson Silva as He Takes on Chael Sonnen

At UFC 148, in one of the most anticipated fights in MMA history, Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen will go head-to-head in a grudge match for the ages. However, come fight night, only one of the aforesaid combatants should have the fanzines’ full suppor…

At UFC 148, in one of the most anticipated fights in MMA history, Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen will go head-to-head in a grudge match for the ages. However, come fight night, only one of the aforesaid combatants should have the fanzines’ full support—“The Spider.”

Since the self-proclaimed “American Gangster” inflicted a five-round shellacking of the reigning middleweight titlist, a rematch has been in the works. Hell, a rematch has been inevitable.

That fateful night at UFC 117, Sonnen almost usurped the crown from the perennial champion, but as fate would have it, he succumbed to a triangle armbar in the dying minutes of the final frame.

Las Vegas, Nev. (Rome) will be the setting and the Octagon (Coliseum) is where the drama will play out.

Vae victo (Sonnen).

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UFC 148: Why You Should Support Chael Sonnen

There has never been a more polarizing figure in the UFC than Chael Sonnen.His smooth talking, rhythmic flow of insults and relenting pace in combat separates Sonnen from every other fighter that has ever put on a pair of four-ounce gloves.While he doe…

There has never been a more polarizing figure in the UFC than Chael Sonnen.

His smooth talking, rhythmic flow of insults and relenting pace in combat separates Sonnen from every other fighter that has ever put on a pair of four-ounce gloves.

While he doesn’t hold as impressive of an MMA record as legendary champions such as Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones and his next opponent, Anderson Silva, he’s made just as big of an impact.

Sonnen can talk the talk better than anybody in the business, and he always finds a way to back it up inside the Octagon.

Which is one of several reasons for you to support Sonnen in his highly anticipated rematch against Silva at UFC 148. These are the rest.

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