Tag: UFC 158

Diaz Camp to File Complaint over GSP Drug Test, Wants Rematch or Title Vacated

Nick Diaz is becoming an itch Georges St-Pierre can’t seem to scratch.Looking back on his UFC 158 loss to St-Pierre, the candid welterweight star isn’t happy with the Quebec athletic commission’s handling of the bout.In fact, MMAFighting.com recently r…

Nick Diaz is becoming an itch Georges St-Pierre can’t seem to scratch.

Looking back on his UFC 158 loss to St-Pierre, the candid welterweight star isn’t happy with the Quebec athletic commission’s handling of the bout.

In fact, MMAFighting.com recently received an email from Jonathan Tweedale, a Diaz camp representative, claiming an official complaint will be filed regarding the administration of St-Pierre’s post-fight drug test:

Further serious irregularities including, inter alia, the Quebec Commission’s failure to supervise fighters’ provision of samples in connection with testing for Prohibited Substances and Prohibited Methods (under sections 71.1 to 71.6 of the Regulation), will be set out in an official complaint that will be filed imminently.

Let the conspiracy theories begin.

Some will undoubtedly chalk this up as Diaz expressing sour grapes over a loss, but these accusations remain consistent with things he has said in the past regarding St-Pierre.

During the week of the fight, Diaz made an appearance on Toronto’s Fan 590 (via BloodyElbow.com), where he accused St-Pierre of using “steroids” and the athletic commission of turning a blind eye.

He doesn’t believe anyone is actually standing over St-Pierre monitoring his tests.

Along with the drug-test issues, the Diaz camp is also upset with the weigh-in rule adopted by the commission. On Tuesday, MMAFighting.com was informed by a commission representative stating decimals were not counted at the official weigh-ins for the championship bout. 

Typically, fighters are expected to weigh in exactly on the mark or under to qualify for a UFC title bout, but the rules implied by the Quebec commission are different.

Both St-Pierre and Diaz could weigh in at 170.9 pounds and still be cleared to compete for the UFC title.

Tweedale argues that the commission’s rules bypass the original bout agreement signed by both fighters:

Section 168 of the Regulation respecting combat sports provides that the maximum weight that a fighter must achieve at the official weigh-in shall be determined in advance by contract – and if the fighter does not make the contracted weight – in this case 170 pounds – then 20% of his purse or “the contestant’s remuneration” will be deducted and paid to his opponent (subsections (7) and (8)). The contracted weight for this fight was 170 pounds. 170.9 is not 170, anywhere in the world, for a title fight. There is no question what “170 pounds” means, in the bout agreement, as a matter of contractual interpretation.

Unfortunately for Diaz, the Quebec commission’s rule to exclude decimals has been ongoing for the past five UFC events held in Montreal. This wasn’t something thrown together overnight.

UFC 83 was the only event without the current rules in place. Instead of excluding decimals altogether, every fighter’s weight was rounded off to the nearest half-pound.

With this complaint, the Diaz camp hopes to stir up enough controversy to warrant an immediate rematch, and they don’t plan on budging until St-Pierre either accepts or vacates the welterweight title:

“In the circumstances, Mr. St-Pierre remains legally and ethically obligated to fight Mr. Diaz at 170 pounds or else vacate the belt in favor of those prepared to fight at welterweight.”

Tweedale is a Vancouver lawyer whose only affiliation is with Nick Diaz. He does not rep Cesar Gracie or anyone else on his team.

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Quebec Commission Responds to Nick Diaz vs. Georges St-Pierre Conspiracy Theory

We no longer live in a trusting culture. To some, nothing can be taken at face value. The moon landing, the Sandy Hook shootings—nothing is what it seems at first glance, especially for MMA’s growing class of professional paranoids.And, in their …

We no longer live in a trusting culture. To some, nothing can be taken at face value. The moon landing, the Sandy Hook shootings—nothing is what it seems at first glance, especially for MMA‘s growing class of professional paranoids.

And, in their defense, a hidden-camera video that purportedly revealed a conspiracy to allow welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre to compete in his hometown without making weight, for a title fight that’s generally 170 pounds on the nose, looked a little suspicious at first glance. You’ll have to picture the scene, because the UFC has had the video pulled from YouTube twice, only adding fuel to the fire.

In the bowels of the Bell Centre in Montreal, Nick Diaz and his crew are lounging, waiting for the weigh-ins later that day. A man, identified by Middle Easy.com as the UFC’s Senior VP of Business and Legal Affairs Michael Mersh, approaches the group and the following conversation goes down (transcription by MMA.TV):

“Here, they’re going to allow you and Georges to have an extra hour,” Mersch says. “Just in case somebody doesn’t make it.

“But the good news is, they don’t count the decimal. If you’re 170.2 it’s 170. If it’s 170.9. it’s 170.”

A member of the Diaz camp responds, asking, “Why didn’t we know that before?”

Mersch continues.

“Should be fine, hopefully, other than that. Just so you guys are in the loop, if there’s…”

Again, a member of the Diaz camps responds, asking, “Why didn’t you tell us that yesterday?”

Mersch continues.

“Well, no,” he says. “It’s just something to keep in mind. That’s kind of an off the record type of thing. But keep that in mind. As long as he’s under 171, we should be good.

“But there is a time period afterwards, for you and Georges only. All the other fighters have to make it the first time. Just letting you guys be in the loop, okay?

“Good luck.”

A member of the Diaz camp quips, “That’s a loophole…A Canadian loophole.”

Bloody Elbow’s Brent Brookhouse, a noted Commission watchdog, was not pleased:

Obviously, certain things here stand out. Like the use of words like “off the record.” The rules for weigh-ins should never be “off the record,” not in any case ever. And for that to be said at least gives the impression of something not quite being on the up and up.

Was St-Pierre allowed a special advantage in his hometown? Was he allowed to come in heavy against a smaller opponent who once competed at 155 pounds? Bleacher Report contacted the Quebec Boxing Commission to find out.

“Currently, the Régie does take into consideration the maximum weight determined by contract when it carries out the weight-ins before a bout,” spokeswoman Joyce Trembley wrote. “However, our regulation on combat sports does not take decimals into account. Their consideration is a question of interpretation likely to be debated between the two parties under contract.”

According to the commission, Quebec only considers the first three numbers on the scale. The decimal point, unlike in most jurisdictions, is not a factor, allowing a fighter contracted to make 170 pounds to weight up to 170.9 pounds, a huge margin when the going gets tough at the end of a weight cut.

We went back to watch previous weigh-ins conducted in Montreal and couldn’t find any indication that this was not true, that it was a rule specifically concocted for Georges St-Pierre’s benefit in this fight. But thanks to the UFC’s decision to have the video pulled, this will be a conspiracy theory that lingers.

 

Lead image courtesy of MMAjunkie.com.

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Hayabusa Pulls Georges St-Pierre Rising Sun Gi After Korean Zombie Complaint

On Sunday, UFC featherweight Chan Sung Jung aka “The Korean Zombie” released a public letter addressed to welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and his use of the Rising Sun symbol of Japan on his gi worn before he fights. Jung, who is a native of So…

On Sunday, UFC featherweight Chan Sung Jung aka “The Korean Zombie” released a public letter addressed to welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and his use of the Rising Sun symbol of Japan on his gi worn before he fights.

Jung, who is a native of South Korea, spoke out via his Facebook page about the use of the symbol when addressing St-Pierre publicly.

Dear Mr. Georges St. Pierre

Hi, My name is Chan Sung Jung from South Korea. As one of many Koreans who like you as an incredible athlete, I feel like I should tell you that many Korean fans, including myself, were shocked to see you in your gi designed after the Japanese ‘Rising Sun Flag’. For Asians, this flag is a symbol of war crimes, much like the German Hakenkreuzflagge. Did you know that? I hope not.

Just like Nazis, the Japanese also committed atrocities under the name of ‘Militarism’. You can easily learn what they’ve done by googling (please do), although it’s only the tiny tip of an enormous iceberg.

Furthermore, the Japanese Government never gave a sincere apology, and still to this day, so many victims are dying in pain, heartbroken, without being compensated. But many westerners like to wear clothes designed after the symbol under which so many war crimes and so much tragedy happened, which is ridiculous.

I know most of them are not militarists. I know most of them do not approve unjustified invasion, torture, massacre, etc. They’re just ignorant. It’s such a shame that many westerners are not aware of this tragic fact. Wearing Rising Sun outfits is as bad as wearing clothes with the Nazi mark on it, if not worse.

Since you’re influenced by Japanese Martial Arts, your wearing a headband designed after Japanese flag is understandable. But again, that huge ‘Rising Sun’ on your gi means something else.

Many people say GSP is the best Welterweight fighter throughout history, to which I totally agree. This means you have a great influence on every single fan of yours all around the world. And I do believe your wearing ‘the symbol of War Crime’ is a very bad example for them, not to mention for yourself.

The Japanese Rising Sun flag was used primarily by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II and during their conquest of East Asia during the war in the Pacific.   The United Nations banned the symbol after Japan was defeated in 1945 during World War II.

Since that time, Japan has begun using the symbol again with their Self-Defense Force that was established in 1954, but many countries still view the flag as highly offensive because of its association with Japan during those times of war and occupation.

On Monday just a day after Jung’s passionate letter was released, the makers of St-Pierre’s gi uniform responded and said they will no longer produce the product for public consumption.

Craig Clement, the co-president of Hayabusa Fightwear, responded on Facebook to apologize to any that were offended by the use of the Rising Sun symbol by his company.

Since Georges St-Pierre wore our walkout gi at UFC 158 we have received attention surrounding the negative connotation of the rising sun graphic used. The last thing we want is to offend or alienate anyone with the choice of design on our products.

We at Hayabusa have the utmost respect for culture and history and appreciate all of our customers worldwide. As such, we accept full responsibility for this design and are taking all complaints and comments very seriously.

The gi worn by GSP will not be brought to market. In addition, we will be very conscious of this specific design element when developing future communication materials and products.

Please accept our sincerest apology for any offense this has caused.

Jung’s initial post didn’t appear to take any personal issue with St-Pierre on the subject matter, but obviously was meant in a way to educate the Canadian on the controversial nature of the symbolism he was using. 

Over the years, St-Pierre has routinely worn a traditional Gi to the cage as he prepares for his bout.  Since his sponsorship with Hayabusa, they had produced a new Gi that he wore to the Octagon when he faced Diaz at UFC 158.  It appears that will be the last time he will wear that particular design however after this latest controversy.

The Rising Sun symbol has run into controversy on several other occasions at major sporting events in the past as well.

The Japanese Rising Sun flag caused a similar stir at the 2012 Olympic games when a South Korean soccer player brought up the fact that some of the uniforms being worn by Japanese competitors were marked with the familiar symbol.

Japanese fans were also warned in 2008 when the Olympics were held in Beijing that the flag could stir controversy due to its wartime heritage. Many major companies and brands still use the recognizable symbol in Japan to this day.

St-Pierre is currently on vacation following his win over Diaz and has yet to make any kind of public statement about the use of the symbol on his Gi or the letter from Jung. 

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report 

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Korean Zombie: ‘Georges St-Pierre ‘Rising Sun’ Gi Equal to Wearing Nazi Mark’

Georges St-Pierre was almost flawless from the moment he stepped inside the cage at UFC 158, taking Nick Diaz to the ground at will early on and even out-striking his opponent for the most part to retain the welterweight championship.While St-Pierre’s …

Georges St-Pierre was almost flawless from the moment he stepped inside the cage at UFC 158, taking Nick Diaz to the ground at will early on and even out-striking his opponent for the most part to retain the welterweight championship.

While St-Pierre’s fighting performance was hard to critique, the Canadian titleholder may have angered many Asian MMA fans with his walkout apparel. Korean featherweight Chan Sung Jung brought attention to that fact through a Facebook post on Sunday.

Hi, My name is Chan Sung Jung from South Korea. As one of many Koreans who like you as an incredible athlete, I feel like I should tell you that many Korean fans, including myself, were shocked to see you in your gi designed after the Japanese ‘Rising Sun Flag’. For Asians, this flag is a symbol of war crimes, much like the German Hakenkreuzflagge. Did you know that? I hope not.

Just like Nazis, the Japanese also committed atrocities under the name of ‘Militarism’. You can easily learn what they’ve done by googling (please do), although it’s only the tiny tip of an enormous iceberg. 

Furthermore, the Japanese Government never gave a sincere apology, and still to this day, so many victims are dying in pain, heartbroken, without being compensated. But many westerners like to wear clothes designed after the symbol under which so many war crimes and so much tragedy happened, which is ridiculous.

I know most of them are not militarists. I know most of them do not approve unjustified invasion, torture, massacre, etc. They’re just ignorant. It’s such a shame that many westerners are not aware of this tragic fact. Wearing Rising Sun outfits is as bad as wearing clothes with the Nazi mark on it, if not worse.

Since you’re influenced by Japanese Martial Arts, your wearing a headband designed after Japanese flag is understandable. But again, that huge ‘Rising Sun’ on your Gi means something else.

Many people say GSP is the best Welterweight fighter throughout history, to which I totally agree. This means you have a great influence on every single fan of yours all around the world. And I do believe your wearing ‘the symbol of War Crime’ is a very bad example for them, not to mention for yourself.

So, what do you reckon? Do you want to wear the same Gi next time as well?

The Rising Sun Flag was used by the Imperial Japanese Army, which was responsible for the conquest of Eastern Asia and much violence through the late 1800s and early 1900s. So, it is understandable why Jung would take such offense to St-Pierre displaying the flag on his gi as he approached the Octagon at UFC 158.

Having worn a gi during his walkouts throughout his UFC career, this is not the first time St-Pierre has been adorned with the Rising Sun Flag—however, UFC 158 does mark the first occasion where the welterweight champion displayed a red version of the symbol.

At UFC 154, prior to his bout with Carlos Condit, St-Pierre wore a gi that was decorated with a black Rising Sun Flag. Prior to that appearance in November, St-Pierre’s outfits had almost always been solid colors with sponsor logos patched on top.

This is not the first time an athlete has come under fire for utilizing the Rising Sun Flag on a uniform.

Olympic uniform designer Hiroko Koshino included the Rising Sun image on the uniforms of 2012 Japanese Olympic athletes, and he was criticized for doing so. South Korea, Jung’s home country, has even begun to push for laws banning the display of the Rising Sun Flag during Olympic sporting competitions. 

Obviously, there’s a good chance St-Pierre was unaware that his gi would offend any groups of people. The long-reigning titleholder has said he doesn’t run his own Twitter account, so it’s equally possible he’s not involved in the design of his walkout clothing.

That being said, it’s clear that the display of the Rising Sun Flag during walkouts brings unneeded negative attention to MMA and should probably be eliminated in the future.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Chan Sung Jung Explains to Georges St. Pierre Why His Rising Sun Gi Is Offensive to Asian Fans on Facebook


The Rising Sun Flag – war flag of the Imperial Japanese Army – is considered offensive to many Asian fans.

I’ll be honest: Like many Westerners, I had absolutely no idea until today that the above flag is considered offensive. From seeing it displayed on t-shirts and white people’s “Japanese” tattoos, I’d become so used to seeing it that I never actually questioned what it meant. As it turns out, that flag is still considered very offensive in countries that were victims of Japanese war crimes, the same way that the Rebel Flag is offensive to many people in the United States.

So when Georges St. Pierre walked to the cage at UFC 158 wearing a gi depicting the Rising Sun Flag, I was completely indifferent towards it. I saw it as yet another tribute to Japan from the Shidokan Karate blackbelt, and thought nothing else of it.

Earlier today, UFC featherweight contender Chan Sung Jung took to his Facebook page to explain to GSP that his walkout attire was offensive to many Asian fans and urged him not to wear the design anymore. The Korean Zombie’s post makes for a very interesting read, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the history behind the flag. In his own words:

Dear Mr. Georges St. Pierre

Hi, My name is Chan Sung Jung from South Korea. As one of many Koreans who like you as an incredible athlete, I feel like I should tell you that many Korean fans, including myself, were shocked to see you in your gi designed after the Japanese ‘Rising Sun Flag’. For Asians, this flag is a symbol of war crimes, much like the German Hakenkreuzflagge. Did you know that? I hope not.


The Rising Sun Flag – war flag of the Imperial Japanese Army – is considered offensive to many Asian fans.

I’ll be honest: Like many Westerners, I had absolutely no idea until today that the above flag is considered offensive. From seeing it displayed on t-shirts and white people’s “Japanese” tattoos, I’d become so used to seeing it that I never actually questioned what it meant. As it turns out, that flag is still considered very offensive in countries that were victims of Japanese war crimes, the same way that the Rebel Flag is offensive to many people in the United States.

So when Georges St. Pierre walked to the cage at UFC 158 wearing a gi depicting the Rising Sun Flag, I was completely indifferent towards it. I saw it as yet another tribute to Japan from the Shidokan Karate blackbelt, and thought nothing else of it.

Earlier today, UFC featherweight contender Chan Sung Jung took to his Facebook page to explain to GSP that his walkout attire was offensive to many Asian fans and urged him not to wear the design anymore. The Korean Zombie’s post makes for a very interesting read, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the history behind the flag. In his own words:

Dear Mr. Georges St. Pierre

Hi, My name is Chan Sung Jung from South Korea. As one of many Koreans who like you as an incredible athlete, I feel like I should tell you that many Korean fans, including myself, were shocked to see you in your gi designed after the Japanese ‘Rising Sun Flag’. For Asians, this flag is a symbol of war crimes, much like the German Hakenkreuzflagge. Did you know that? I hope not.

Just like Nazis, the Japanese also committed atrocities under the name of ‘Militarism’. You can easily learn what they’ve done by googling (please do), although it’s only the tiny tip of an enormous iceberg.

Furthermore, the Japanese Government never gave a sincere apology, and still to this day, so many victims are dying in pain, heartbroken, without being compensated. But many westerners like to wear clothes designed after the symbol under which so many war crimes and so much tragedy happened, which is ridiculous.

I know most of them are not militarists. I know most of them do not approve unjustified invasion, torture, massacre, etc. They’re just ignorant. It’s such a shame that many westerners are not aware of this tragic fact. Wearing Rising Sun outfits is as bad as wearing clothes with the Nazi mark on it, if not worse.

Since you’re influenced by Japanese Martial Arts, your wearing a headband designed after Japanese flag is understandable. But again, that huge ‘Rising Sun’ on your Gi means something else.

Many people say GSP is the best Welterweight fighter throughout history, to which I totally agree. This means you have a great influence on every single fan of yours all around the world. And I do believe your wearing ‘the symbol of War Crime’ is a very bad example for them, not to mention for yourself.

So, what do you reckon?
Do you want to wear the same Gi next time as well?

For the record, I recommend not reading most of the follow-up comments his Facebook post generated – unless you want to feel terrible about humanity today.

It’s worth reiterating how unlikely it is that either Georges St. Pierre or the designers at Hayabusa (or One More Round, for that matter) knew that the design was offensive, so let’s not turn this into Hoelzer Reich part two. That being said, do you think Georges St. Pierre should stop wearing the Rising Sun gi, or is this a case of fans being too easily offended? Please keep it civil, guys.

@SethFalvo

Jake Ellenberger Runs Down His Picks for the Top Wrestlers in MMA

If the goal of UFC 158 was to sort out the top of the welterweight division, it was a success. Well, it was mostly a success. I say mostly because while the card did set up a championship bout it also reminded us that there is another welterweight out …

If the goal of UFC 158 was to sort out the top of the welterweight division, it was a success. Well, it was mostly a success.

I say mostly because while the card did set up a championship bout it also reminded us that there is another welterweight out there that seems to get overlooked a bit when we discuss fighters at the top of the division.

In the evening’s main event, Georges St-Pierre did what we have come to expect from him. The welterweight champion walked into the Octagon on March 16 with a game plan to defeat Nick Diaz and never deviated from that plan on his way to a unanimous decision.

As for the co-main event, Johny Hendricks erased any doubt that he was the true number one contender in the division when he earned a unanimous decision over former WEC / interim UFC champion Carlos Condit in a “Fight of the Night” performance.

Those two victories set up the next welterweight title scrap. Barring injury or any type of freak change of plans, St-Pierre will defend his title against Hendricks.

However, the star of the night and the fighter that may have had his stock rise the most was Jake Ellenberger. Ellenberger had originally been scheduled to face Hendricks on the card, but an injury to Condit’s original opponent, Rory MacDonald, caused the card to be shuffled. Instead of facing Hendricks, Ellenberger faced former Strikeforce champion Nate Marquardt.

Ellenberger made short work of Marquardt, knocking him out in the first round and taking home “Knockout of the Night” honors for his troubles. The win reminded all of us that not too long ago Ellenberger was being discussed as a potential contender for St-Pierre’s welterweight crown. That discussion will surely be renewed if the Division 2 All-American wrestler is able to gain a victory in his next bout.

Ellenberger, a threat on the mat and with his hands, recently took the time to discuss who he feels are the top wrestlers in mixed martial arts right now. Have a look and see if you agree with the Ellenberger.

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