Tag: UFC 156

Alistair Overeem: Questions Remain Despite ‘Reem’s’ License to Fight in Nevada

Alistair Overeem stood before the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Tuesday, and to the surprise of no one, he was granted a license to fight in that state. The Commission gave Overeem a unanimous thumbs up, and the UFC heavyweight contender wil…

Alistair Overeem stood before the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Tuesday, and to the surprise of no one, he was granted a license to fight in that state. 

The Commission gave Overeem a unanimous thumbs up, and the UFC heavyweight contender will waste no time in putting that shiny new license to use when he steps into the Octagon on February 2 to face Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva. 

I’m sure Overeem would like to think that the hearing and the approval by the Commission will allow him to put all the questions surrounding his impressive physique and the 14:1 ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone he was popped for back in April behind him, but if he thinks that’s going to happen he’s dreaming. 

In fact, I would say that Overeem is in for even more scrutiny as his fight with Silva nears.

With a win over Silva, it’s very likely that Overeem will be next in line for a shot at Cain Velasquez and Velasquez’s heavyweight title and if Overeem does secure the win over Silva he better be ready to be the focus of many within the MMA community. 

The UFC, Overeem and Overeem’s handlers really need to start thinking about what they can do to change the public perception of Overeem, and yes, the Overeem problem will become a UFC problem if he defeats Velasquez and becomes the heavyweight champion.

The question now is how do you solve a problem like Overeem? 

The deck is stacked against him in the public eye. He’s put on a huge amount of muscle during his career, he’s fought in locales where testing procedure was nonexistent in the past, he’s missed a drug test and offered a questionable excuse when he did test over the allowable percentage for T:E.

The fact that Overeem passed random drug tests leading up to his licensing hearing is a start, the submission of five voluntary tests during that same period also looks good, but again that’s just a start.

Overeem and the UFC need to keep heading down the same path, but they need to step it up a notch and have him undergo rigorous and true random testing from this moment until he steps into the cage with Cain Velasquez.

Is that fair? On the surface I guess you could answer that with a simple “hell no, that’s not fair,” but when you have a fighter that has come in with elevated levels of T:E in the past and that fighter may be in line to become the heavyweight champion of your organization and “The Baddest Man on the Planet”, you probably want to be sure that he’s on the up and up. 

So, while it may not be fair, it is certainly the right thing to do and it will help to calm the waters if Overeem does become champion. 

You can bet that the mainstream press will come crawling out of the woodwork the minute UFC president Dana White wraps UFC gold around Overeem’s waist, and they won’t be there to hear the story about how he overcame harsh odds to become UFC champion. They’ll want to know how Overeem went from the relatively scrawny kid who fought Chuck Liddell in 2003 to the beast of a man that sent Brock Lesnar packing from the UFC in 2011.

The UFC needs to get in front of all this and start planning for those questions and showing that an effort was made to ensure that the man that they will trot out as one of the faces of the organization is a clean fighter.

Fair has nothing to do with this, it’s about growing the sport and protecting a business and if one man’s feelings get hurt along the way, well, that’s just too bad.

Now, before you trot out the argument that the government testing of fighters should be enough to satisfy any doubts, please be aware that the same government you’re praising for their testing protocol is the one that continuously hires Kim Winslow, Steve Mazzagatti and Cecil Peoples to work their MMA events. 

That government, the Nevada State Athletic Commission, is also the one that during fiscal year 2010-11 had a budget of $0 to administer out of competition drug testing for all the sports it oversaw.

Some steps were taken to provide a larger pool of funds for out of competition testing in Nevada when the state passed Senate Bill No. 498, which uses a portion of ticket sales to fund an out of competition testing program, but to think that will provide for a robust program is foolhardy.

In short, the government administering drug tests shouldn’t give anyone a warm and fuzzy feeling that they are actively searching out cheaters—they just don’t have the money to do so.

Questions are going to follow Overeem and the UFC and those questions are only going to get louder and louder if he ends up fighting for the UFC title. Acting like there isn’t a problem or pointing to NSAC testing isn’t going to make those questions go away. 

Hopefully the approaching headaches are being felt by all involved and steps are being taken to avoid them, if not, UFC brass may want to invest in some extra strength Excedrin.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Alistair Overeem Licenced to Fight Antonio Silva at UFC 156

His wait is over. After serving out a nine-month suspension for failing a drug test last year, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) has given Alistair Overeem a licence to fight Antonio Silva at UFC 156 this February. Overeem was suspended ahead…

His wait is over. After serving out a nine-month suspension for failing a drug test last year, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) has given Alistair Overeem a licence to fight Antonio Silva at UFC 156 this February.

Overeem was suspended ahead of a planned UFC heavyweight title fight against Junior Dos Santos last May due to an elevated testosterone, epitestosterone ratio, which he claims was due to the actions of an unscrupulous doctor.

Still sticking to that explanation, the fighter told a commission hearing (H/T MMA Junkie):

“I think we’ve done everything we could to correct ourselves from the errors that were made, and I’m just ready to get my life back on track… I’m ready to get back to fighting.”

According to MMA Junkie, Overeem submitted five voluntary tests during his suspension and was also subjected to NSAC-administered blood and urine testing on Nov. 16 and Dec. 21—all of which came back negative. After the hearing, the NSAC voted unanimously to grant him a licence.

Overeem has been dogged by steroid rumours for years, especially after putting on a dramatic amount of muscle mass while he was fighting in Japan under Pride. When he joined the UFC in 2011, those rumours grew after he missed a scheduled drug test in the run-up to his debut fight against Brock Lesnar.

It was his subsequent agreement to submit to two random tests before his title fight against Dos Santos in the run-up to UFC 146 that led to him getting popped back in April.

Overeem told MMA Junkie that he was now looking forward to getting back in the gym and back to training. “I’m already basically in shape, so it’s just a couple more weeks of grinding it, and then it’s going to be showtime again,” said Overeem. “I just invested in getting to the next level; 2012 was not a lost year… It was a year of learning from mistakes and preparing for a better 2013.”

UFC 156 takes place on Feb. 2 at the Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

After Passing Seven Drug Tests in the Last Nine Months, Alistair Overeem Gets His License Back


(We now return to your regularly-scheduled maulings. / Photo via MMAWeekly)

Due to the comically-elevated levels of testosterone he produced during a random drug test last March, Alistair Overeem has spent the last nine months unable to re-apply for licensure with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Overeem’s time-out came to an end this morning, when the Dutch heavyweight appeared at a Nevada State Athletic Commission hearing to seek the re-instatement of his license, and was unanimously approved, making his scheduled UFC 156 bout against Antonio Silva official.

What’s particularly interesting is what Overeem had to accomplish to make that happen. Here’s MMAWeekly with the details:

According to Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer, in the last nine-plus months, Overeem has submitted a total of five drug tests of his own accord, all of which came back negative. In addition, the commission tested Overeem randomly on Nov. 16 and Dec. 21, 2012, with those tests also returning negative results.

“I’m ready to get my life back on track,” said Overeem when speaking to the commission.

Following his failed drug test last year, Alistair Overeem denied that he used performance-enhancing drugs and claimed ignorance, blaming his high T-levels on an “anti-inflammatory medication that was mixed with testosterone,” prescribed by his doctor to treat a rib injury. Though Overeem wasn’t subject to the standard fine and suspension that he would have received from the NSAC if he pissed hot for steroids, the Reem lost out on an imminent UFC heavyweight title shot against Junior Dos Santos, and was forced to do appearances in Gainesville, Florida as penance. Jesus. Who says the UFC isn’t hard on cheaters?


(We now return to your regularly-scheduled maulings. / Photo via MMAWeekly)

Due to the comically-elevated levels of testosterone he produced during a random drug test last March, Alistair Overeem has spent the last nine months unable to re-apply for licensure with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Overeem’s time-out came to an end this morning, when the Dutch heavyweight appeared at a Nevada State Athletic Commission hearing to seek the re-instatement of his license, and was unanimously approved, making his scheduled UFC 156 bout against Antonio Silva official.

What’s particularly interesting is what Overeem had to accomplish to make that happen. Here’s MMAWeekly with the details:

According to Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer, in the last nine-plus months, Overeem has submitted a total of five drug tests of his own accord, all of which came back negative. In addition, the commission tested Overeem randomly on Nov. 16 and Dec. 21, 2012, with those tests also returning negative results.

“I’m ready to get my life back on track,” said Overeem when speaking to the commission.

Following his failed drug test last year, Alistair Overeem denied that he used performance-enhancing drugs and claimed ignorance, blaming his high T-levels on an “anti-inflammatory medication that was mixed with testosterone,” prescribed by his doctor to treat a rib injury. Though Overeem wasn’t subject to the standard fine and suspension that he would have received from the NSAC if he pissed hot for steroids, the Reem lost out on an imminent UFC heavyweight title shot against Junior Dos Santos, and was forced to do appearances in Gainesville, Florida as penance. Jesus. Who says the UFC isn’t hard on cheaters?

If Overeem gets past Antonio Silva at UFC 156 on February 2nd, he is expected to be the next challenger to Cain Velasquez’s title. Will 2013 be the Year of the Reem?

Dana White Says Reports on Ronda Rousey’s Pay Are False

It was widely reported on Sunday that the UFC’s anointed women’s bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey, could make up to $150,000 for her fight against Liz Carmouche in February—an unprecedented sum for someone fighting for the first ti…

It was widely reported on Sunday that the UFC’s anointed women’s bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey, could make up to $150,000 for her fight against Liz Carmouche in February—an unprecedented sum for someone fighting for the first time for the promotion.

On Monday, an authority no less than UFC president Dana White went on the Underground forum to dismiss the rumour.

MMAinterviews quoted an unnamed source close to the Carmouche camp who said Rousey would earn $75,000 to show and $75,000 to win, plus a cut of pay-per-view, for her UFC 156 title defence. Carmouche’s pay, by contrast, would be a meagre $12,000 to show and $12,000 to win.

White had one sentence for MMAinterviews.

“[M]ma interviews whoever the hell they are is full of s***,” he posted under his username, dfw jr, on Underground.

A paycheck of $150,000, or more, is nothing compared to what most UFC champions make. Junior dos Santos, for example, made $400,000 for his heavyweight title defence against Cain Velasquez, who made $200,000 at UFC 155 last month himself. Similarly, welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, on his return to the Octagon at UFC 154 in November, is said to have made $470,000 to beat Carlos Condit, who only made $125,000—including the Fight of the Night bonus.

However, despite being a UFC champion, Rousey’s purported pay of $75,000 to show and $75,000 to win is unheard-of for someone making her debut in the Octagon.

This would be especially true for Rousey considering she never had to beat anyone to become champion but was given the belt based on her dominant performances in Strikeforce.

Jose Aldo is another UFC champion who was given the belt on signing with the promotion. In his first title defence against Mark Hominick at UFC 129, which also happened to be his promotion debut, he was given just $24,000 to show and $24,000 to win.

But, with the Fight of the Night bonus on top of that, Aldo did end up walking away with a cool $177,000. Which means, depending on the kind of fight Carmouche puts up, Rousey’s pay could still top $150,000.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Jose Aldo Happy to Take on Edgar in Vegas for UFC 156

If he had a choice, Jose Aldo would likely love to compete in his native Brazil for every fight. His home country has been the scene of some of his greatest triumphs, including his first-round TKO of Chad Mendes at UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro. But for hi…

If he had a choice, Jose Aldo would likely love to compete in his native Brazil for every fight. His home country has been the scene of some of his greatest triumphs, including his first-round TKO of Chad Mendes at UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro.

But for his upcoming superfight against the Rocky Balboa of MMA, Frankie Edgar, he’s returning to another familiar territory—Las Vegas, Nevada:

“I would have liked it to be in Brazil because of the fan factor. Everybody rooting for us is a very important factor,” Aldo told MMA Junkie. “But Las Vegas is going to be great. I know there’s going to be a very large fanbase, and of course I grew up watching all the boxing fights in Las Vegas. It has a special charm in it for me.”

Edgar, who relinquished his 155-pound title to Benson Henderson in a closely-fought contest in February last year, is dropping down to featherweight for the first time. Both he and Aldo are, in their own rights, considered two of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, and their meeting is being promoted as a superfight.

The fact that it’s taking place over Super Bowl weekend in early February holds special significance for the Brazilian.

“The Super Bowl is a very important championship,” Aldo said. “The whole world is tuned in. For me to be able to fight on that weekend is absolutely amazing.”

Still, he is unlikely to meet the same kind of rapturous and overwhelming support in the stadium in Vegas as he did in his fight against Mendes last year. In that fight, after finishing his opponent, the jubilant Aldo ran into the arms of a 12-thousand strong crowd in an unprecedented scene, marking his 21st career victory.

The UFC was, initially, eager to revisit that site for the Edgar fight, having lined up Rio de Janeiro once again for their contest at UFC 153 this past October. But a motorcycle injury in September left Aldo sidelined for months, and the new venue of Las Vegas, where Aldo captured the WEC featherweight title in 2009, had been booked.

There is no doubt that, despite the travelling Brazilian fans, Vegas will be more hostile territory. Edgar is a fan favourite, and he will likely be carried through the night by a partisan crowd.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Erick Silva Out, Tyron Woodley in Against Jay Hieron at UFC 156


(“Come on, you guys, give him a hand for trying.”)

If you were looking over the UFC 156 fight card and thinking to yourself “Hey, this card is almost too stacked. I could really use a lackluster fight to make a sandwich or go to the bathroom during,” well then do we have some great news for you. Now that Erick Silva has fallen victim to the great injury curse of 2012 (2013 status pending), it appears that Strikeforce welterweight Tyron Woodley has been called over to the UFC in his absence. As was the case with future highlight reel victim Lucas Martins, Woodley will be making his promotional debut on short notice against a much more experienced opponent. However, unlike Martins, Woodley actually finds himself in a matchup that he stands a good chance of winning.

Woodley will be squaring off against Jay Hieron, a Bellator/IFL/Strikeforce veteran who has simply not been able to put it together in the octagon, going 0 for 3 in the promotion thus far. After we hyped the hell out of his UFC return, Hieron put on an incredibly disappointing — not to mention tepid — performance against Jake Ellenberger at UFC on FX 5, resulting in a unanimous decision victory for the Omaha native. You guys remember that fight, right? Anyone? Who am I kidding, not even Hieron’s mom remembers that fight.


(“Come on, you guys, give him a hand for trying.”)

If you were looking over the UFC 156 fight card and thinking to yourself “Hey, this card is almost too stacked. I could really use a lackluster fight to make a sandwich or go to the bathroom during,” well then do we have some great news for you. Now that Erick Silva has fallen victim to the great injury curse of 2012 (2013 status pending), it appears that Strikeforce welterweight Tyron Woodley has been called over to the UFC in his absence. As was the case with future highlight reel victim Lucas Martins, Woodley will be making his promotional debut on short notice against a much more experienced opponent. However, unlike Martins, Woodley actually finds himself in a matchup that he stands a good chance of winning.

Woodley will be squaring off against Jay Hieron, a Bellator/IFL/Strikeforce veteran who has simply not been able to put it together in the octagon, going 0 for 3 in the promotion thus far. After we hyped the hell out of his UFC return, Hieron put on an incredibly disappointing — not to mention tepid — performance against Jake Ellenberger at UFC on FX 5, resulting in a unanimous decision victory for the Omaha native. You guys remember that fight, right? Anyone? Who am I kidding, not even Hieron’s mom remembers that fight.

Anyway, considering he’s fighting one of the most prominent lay-n-pray artists in the sport in Woodley, expect this one to go down in similar fashion to Hieron’s Bellator 56 title scrap against Ben Azzzzkren. In other words, Hieron will spend most of the fight fending off takedowns and scoring minimally from the outside, his jabs doing little to stifle the chorus of boos from the audience. By the end of three rounds, he will have emerged a clear victor, yet the fight will be scored a split decision in favor of Woodley. Hieron will then walk away in disgust and rant and rave in his post-fight interviews that Woodley “Didn’t come to fight” and yadda yadda yadda I’m really tired today.

Who do you like for this one, Potato Nation? And more importantly, how do you plan on entertaining yourself for the loong fifteen minutes this fight will ultimately last?

–J. Jones