Tag: UFC 173

UFC 173: Lyoto Machida Faces Chris Weidman After Belfort Withdraws

On the heels of Nevada’s surprising and historic Thursday ban of testosterone replacement therapy in combat sports came something a little less surprising: Vitor Belfort, long considered the poster child of the controversial TRT movement, has been repl…

On the heels of Nevada’s surprising and historic Thursday ban of testosterone replacement therapy in combat sports came something a little less surprising: Vitor Belfort, long considered the poster child of the controversial TRT movement, has been replaced by Lyoto Machida at UFC 173.

Belfort willingly withdrew from the title fight and told Fox Sports Live he would be dropping the testosterone replacement therapy program and would be competing without it. He said that given the time constraints between now and his next fight, he was opting not to apply for a license to fight in Nevada.

The UFC quickly moved to find a replacement opponent for Chris Weidman at UFC 173. Lyoto Machida, the former light heavyweight champion who is 2-0 since dropping to middleweight, was tabbed and will face Weidman on May 24.

The news was announced on Thursday night’s episode of Fox Sports Live.

Earlier on Thursday, Bleacher Report attended a meeting of the Nevada Athletic Commission, where the panel made the surprising decision to ban therapeutic usage exemptions for testosterone replacement therapy. TRT was on the agenda for the day, but few expected them to issue such a sweeping and forward-thinking ruling. The ban included not only future applications for TRT, but current fighters given exemptions as well.

Stay tuned for continuing updates to this story.

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Chris Weidman: ‘I’m Concerned Vitor Belfort May Fail a Drug Test’

UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman is set to defend his strap against surging contender Vitor Belfort at UFC 173 on May 24, assuming everything goes according to plan. 
That’s a lot to ask according to “The All-American,” considering Belfort …

UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman is set to defend his strap against surging contender Vitor Belfort at UFC 173 on May 24, assuming everything goes according to plan. 

That’s a lot to ask according to “The All-American,” considering Belfort is a well-known user of testosterone replacement therapy and will have to pass multiple drug tests leading up to the title clash. 

As a matter of fact, Weidman isn’t completely confident the matchup will even happen, based on what he told the Power MMA Show on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. 

“Honestly I’m kind worried he’s going to fail a drug test now that he’s getting tested all the time,” said Weidman. “Supposedly at the [World MMA Awards] ceremony a couple of weeks ago in Vegas, they supposedly just randomly drug tested him. Like a (urine) test. So now I’m getting worried he’s going to fail … It’s all fun and games when I’m talking about him on TRT and how I don’t like it and then all of a sudden I don’t have a fight.”

Belfort, an ex-UFC light heavyweight champ who boasts a three-fight win streak (all knockouts), has been criticized for not fighting on U.S. soil since August 2011, five fights ago. 

During that roughly two-year span—all of which “The Phenom” obtained a TRT usage exemption for—the Brazilian slugger posted a 4-1 mark, with his only loss being a short notice 205-pound title fight against Jon Jones in September 2012. 

While Belfort is in a large, growing sample size of professional fighters using TRT, per ESPN, he gets the brunt of the criticism for the controversial treatment due to his muscular physique and stunning finishes at his age (36 years old). 

Whether or not the matchup occurs without a hitch, Weidman has yet to lose a fight inside the cage (11-0) and is the only competitor to ever post back-to-back wins over longtime titleholder Anderson Silva. 

Both victories elicited some level of debate among fighters and fans, to the point where Belfort called Weidman‘s UFC 168 victory “an accident,” per Yahoo! Sports. 

Will Weidman vs. Belfort go down as scheduled or will a misstep by Belfort bring this anticipated title fight to a screeching halt? 

 

John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.

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Chael Sonnen Calls Out Daniel Cormier, Instead Gets Silva Fight Moved to Brazil [TWIST!]

Depending how you look at it, Chael Sonnen‘s offer to step in for Rashad Evans against Daniel Cormier at UFC 170 was either an act of extreme bravery or extreme cowardice — further proof that Sonnen is the most fearless man in the UFC or that he is one desperately trying to get out of Brazil in one piece A.S.A.P. Personally, I choose to believe the former, because if Chael Sonnen was brave enough to march head first into enemy territory to promote a reality show that no one watches, there’s no way a little on-set scrap would be enough to scare him away.

Sonnen’s valiance aside, Cormier would have demolished the Gangster From West Linn inside 3 minutes. You know this. I know this. Sonnen knows this. Chael P. was thoroughly overpowered by Evans and Jon Jones at light heavyweight, and against Cormier he’d be fighting an Olympian dropping down from heavyweight. They’d need a spatula to peel him off the canvas by the time all was said and done.

Realizing this, the UFC has denied Sonnen’s request, instead re-scheduling Evans vs. Cormier for UFC 172 (this is unconfirmed) and moving Sonnen vs. Wandy from UFC 173 in Las Vegas to a yet-to-be-named event in Brazil the following weekend.

As Happy Gilmore would say, “Talk about your all-time backfires.”

Depending how you look at it, Chael Sonnen‘s offer to step in for Rashad Evans against Daniel Cormier at UFC 170 was either an act of extreme bravery or extreme cowardice — further proof that Sonnen is the most fearless man in the UFC or that he is one desperately trying to get out of Brazil in one piece A.S.A.P. Personally, I choose to believe the former, because if Chael Sonnen was brave enough to march head first into enemy territory to promote a reality show that no one watches, there’s no way a little on-set scrap would be enough to scare him away.

Sonnen’s valiance aside, Cormier would have demolished the Gangster From West Linn inside 3 minutes. You know this. I know this. Sonnen knows this. Chael P. was thoroughly overpowered by Evans and Jon Jones at light heavyweight, and against Cormier he’d be fighting an Olympian dropping down from heavyweight. They’d need a spatula to peel him off the canvas by the time all was said and done.

Realizing this, the UFC has denied Sonnen’s request, instead re-scheduling Evans vs. Cormier for UFC 172 (this is unconfirmed) and moving Sonnen vs. Wandy from UFC 173 in Las Vegas to a yet-to-be-named event in Brazil the following weekend.

As Happy Gilmore would say, “Talk about your all-time backfires.”

But there is good news. In return for Sonnen’s chances of survival dropping from 90% in America to 0.05% in Brazil, the matchup will be given top billing at the TBA event. So at least Sonnen will be shipped back to America in the nicest casket available (a nice cabreuva, perhaps. Mmmmmm…)

Who am I kidding? Sonnen cannot be killed by conventional weapons or mere mortals. Submitted yes. TKO’d yes. But killed? Not in our lifetimes. Not in anyones. Chael Sonnen is so badass that he will start a fight while starting a fight. He’s like the Xzibit “Yo Dawg” meme wrapped in 200-odd pounds of pure machismo and violence, and the only thing that he’s heard you liked is getting your lily ass kicked. Chael Sonnen would fight Junior Dos Santos with *five* broken ribs, and walk sixteen miles in the snow both ways to get there.

Whether you’ll admit it or not, you would follow Chael to the gates of Hell. And once he had bitch-smacked Lucifer and told the nearest she-devil to make him a rusty nail sandwich, only then would you know true greatness. All hail Chael. All hail Chael.

–J. Jones

Chael Sonnen vs. Wanderlei Silva Moved to Brazil, off UFC 173 Card

Former Pride champion Wanderlei Silva will get to settle his score with Chael Sonnen in his homeland of Brazil after all. 
The UFC announced on its official website Thursday morning that Silva vs. Sonnen has been pushed back by one week and will n…

Former Pride champion Wanderlei Silva will get to settle his score with Chael Sonnen in his homeland of Brazil after all. 

The UFC announced on its official website Thursday morning that Silva vs. Sonnen has been pushed back by one week and will now be held in Brazil at a venue to be determined:

The highly-anticipated showdown between The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 coaches Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva has a new date and home, as UFC resident Dana White announced Thursday that the light heavyweight bout will now headline a show in Brazil on May 31. 

The statement also says the city and venue for the bout will be announced shortly. 

Earlier this month, UFC President Dana White announced that The Axe Murderer would fight Sonnen in the co-main event of UFC 173, behind a middleweight title bout between Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort. 

Moments ago, MMA Fighting confirmed that the fight will headline a card on Fox Sports 1.

Just one day after the matchup was formally announced, The American Gangster told Fighters Only that a “fat” and “stressed” Wanderlei Silva wasn’t ready to fight in May and was trying to pull out of the matchup as a result. 

The two archrivals are still filming The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3 and have proven the bad blood is real by engaging in an impromptu physical altercation just weeks into filming, per MMA Weekly. 

Rumors had swirled on the Internet in recent weeks that Silva would pull out of the bout if the venue was not moved to Brazil. 

The recent change perhaps adds some credence to that theory. 

Silva and Sonnen were at one point thought to settle their differences at UFC Fight Night 26 in August, but Sonnen fought fellow former Brazilian champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. 

The high-pressure wrestler won the bout with a guillotine choke in the first round. 

Did the UFC make the right move in changing the date and venue of Sonnen vs. Silva?

 

John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.

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NSAC to Look at TRT Before Vitor Belfort Applies for an Exemption

The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) intends to discuss the use of Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) before UFC middleweight Vitor Belfort submits his application for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) for his forthcoming championship bout a…

The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) intends to discuss the use of Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) before UFC middleweight Vitor Belfort submits his application for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) for his forthcoming championship bout against Chris Weidman.

In comments made to ESPN’s Brett Okamato, the new NSAC chairman Francisco Aguilar said the issue will be on the table during a scheduled meeting on Feb. 27.

Belfort is one of the more controversial users of TRT and since his use came to light early last year, questions of whether he’ll ever be given a TUE to fight in Las Vegas have constantly haunted him.

The situation is more complex for the Brazilian fighter since he failed a drug test in the state in 2006, and the outgoing former NSAC chairman Keith Keizer previously said that Belfort is unlikely to receive an exemption if he chose to apply in Nevada.

However, since his use of TRT came to light, Belfort has been able to avoid having to face the NSAC board by fighting exclusively in Brazil where there is no athletics commission to prevent his supplementation of testosterone.

In fact, he hasn’t fought in the US since 2011 during UFC 133, which happened in Philadelphia, south of New York City.

Of course UFC president Dana White has said that there is nothing controversial about Belfort fighting exclusively in his South American homeland, which is mainly due to his popularity in the country and his ability to sell tickets.

But he is now scheduled to face Weidman for the 185-pound title in Las Vegas in May, and he’s already said that he will apply for a TUE.

Aguilar said he’d rather have the NSAC discuss the issue before that happens:

“It’s the commission’s need and desire to get clarity on the issue before we go into a situation where we have to make a decision immediately. It’s not fair to have that discussion while someone is in front of you. It’s important to have a basis of where you find yourself as a commissioner prior to that—having all the information you need from the experts.”

That could mean the commission bans the use of TRT altogether, although that is an unlikely eventuality.

For better or worse, TRT is a widespread medical intervention for those with low testosterone and is sanctioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Nevertheless, its use is controversial among fighters, particularly among those who have failed drug tests in the past, like Vitor Belfort, and especially since it could mask actual cheating due to the paucity of the commission’s tests.

Belfort is set to face Weidman at UFC 173 on May 24 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

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Chael Sonnen Says ‘Fat’ Wanderlei Silva Wants out of UFC 173 Grudge Match

Like two lions trapped in a shoebox, Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva have been going at one another for what seems to be an eternity.
Known for his ability to get under any man’s skin, tough or not, Sonnen has been wreaking havoc in the Brazilian’s do…

Like two lions trapped in a shoebox, Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva have been going at one another for what seems to be an eternity.

Known for his ability to get under any man’s skin, tough or not, Sonnen has been wreaking havoc in the Brazilian’s doghouse since he first challenged the mixed martial arts legend to Octagon supremacy.

Now Sonnen is the type of cat to do whatever needs doing in order to promote a fight, so sometimes his publicly-driven remarks should be taken as lightly as Richard Sherman’s on-field smack talk. 

But when you cross a true boss like Silva, ill-spoken words will not be forgiven.  Silva will take every word to heart and use them as motivation to take Sonnen‘s head off when the two meet at UFC 173 in May at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV.

The long-awaited showdown is sure to produce legendary fireworks.  Of course, that’s assuming that Silva doesn’t find a way out of the fight.

“Wand is fat,” said Sonnen in a recent email to Fighters Only Magazine, originally reported by MMA Mania’s Jesse Holland.  “He hasn’t taken his shirt off since we have been here. He thought our fight would be in July, but it got announced for May. He’s stressed and trying to get out of it.”

Sonnen is more than likely just attempting to rattle “The Axe Murderer” leading up to their bout, but it is alarming when you consider Silva hasn’t fought since March of last year when he finished Brian Stann in the second round.

Unless you want to consider the brawl that both rival coaches recently partook in on the set of The Ultimate Figher: Brazil, which UFC president Dana White called, “the worst thing that’s ever happened on The Ultimate Fighter in 20 seasons.”

In any case, assuming Silva isn’t too “fat” to compete, this ongoing battle of wits and brawn will finally come to a head on May 24.

 

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