Tag: UFC 183

Can John Lineker Kelvin Gastelum Be Contenders at Their New Weight Classes?

Selecting a weight class is a big deal in mixed martial arts. Most athletes want to cut down to the smallest size possible, while retaining the physical abilities that will allow them to excel over their opponent. However, some struggle with maintainin…

Selecting a weight class is a big deal in mixed martial arts. Most athletes want to cut down to the smallest size possible, while retaining the physical abilities that will allow them to excel over their opponent. However, some struggle with maintaining that competitive weight. John Lineker and Kelvin Gastelum are two men who face the challenge of competing in new divisions due to issues with weight cuts.

Lineker and Gastelum were poised for big fights at UFC 183. Lineker was supposed to face off against Ian McCall in a bout that could have positioned him to challenge Demetrious Johnson for the UFC flyweight title. Gastelum, on the other hand, was going to battle Tyron Woodley, who was the highest ranked opponent that he was slated to face at that point in his career.

Unfortunately, both men were unable to reach their mandated competition weight. Lineker weighed in at 130 pounds while Gastelum hit the scale at 180 pounds (via Sherdog). Both were forced to forfeit 30 percent of their purse to their opponent as penalty.

Yet, the more important punishment was revealed by UFC President Dana White, when he made it known that both men will have to move to different weight classes.

“Lineker will never fight at flyweight again. He will have to move up to bantamweight,” White said after UFC 183 (via Combate). “Same thing with Kelvin Gastelum. This was the last time he will fight at welterweight.”

The question now is whether or not both men can stay competitive when facing bigger athletes. More often than not, the story is that fighters will look to drop a weight class in order to reinvent their careers when facing a tough skid in another division. Frankie Edgar is a recent and popular example of someone who has moved down a group and attained success.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that these two won’t be successful as they venture into new divisions.

Anthony Johnson is perhaps the most relevant example of a fighter who has saved his career by avoiding weight cuts. The No. 1 ranked light heavyweight is poised to face Jon Jones at some point in 2015 for a shot at the belt just three years after being cut from the UFC for repeated weight issues.

During Johnson’s first run in the Octagon, he failed to make the 170-pound limit on multiple occasions. After failing to make weight for UFC 142, he was released from the UFC, as that was his third strike (via MMA Junkie).

Instead of continuing to struggle as a welterweight, he went in the opposite direction, competing as a light heavyweight and heavyweight in other promotions. After winning multiple fights in a row, he was welcomed back to the UFC and now finds himself in a position to battle for a title.

Gastelum and Lineker should use Johnson as motivation for this next phase of their careers. Competing at a higher weight class is not ideal, but both men have shown that their struggles to make weight are a serious concern. Continuing their success against larger opponents is not a long shot, but they are both in for a true challenge.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

What Was More Heartbreaking: Anderson Silva’s Leg Break or Positive Test?

By Nasir Jabbar

After a couple nights spent crying into a pillow and questioning everything I have come to know about this (occasionally) great sport, I’ve finally mustered up some courage to write about the whole Anderson Silva positive drug test.

To be honest, UFC 183 had a freakshow feel to it the moment the main event was announced, then it was just a straight up fiasco which included botched weight cuts, a fighter collapsing on fight night, and most notably, both main-eventers failing their drug tests.

Silva has been involved in huge back-to-back fights and the post-fight aftermath has proved to be even bigger. Both situations are unforgettable, but it got me thinking, which was more heartbreaking?

By Nasir Jabbar

After a couple nights spent crying into a pillow and questioning everything I have come to know about this (occasionally) great sport, I’ve finally mustered up some courage to write about the whole Anderson Silva positive drug test.

To be honest, UFC 183 had a freakshow feel to it the moment the main event was announced, then it was just a straight up fiasco which included botched weight cuts, a fighter collapsing on fight night, and most notably, both main-eventers failing their drug tests.

Silva has been involved in huge back-to-back fights and the post-fight aftermath has proved to be even bigger. Both situations are unforgettable, but it got me thinking, which was more heartbreaking?

Leg Injury


(Photo via Getty.)

As you remember, UFC 168 was the event where the horrific leg break occurred. During their main-event title fight Silva went for the leg kick which Chris Weidman checked and, well, the rest is history. Brutal, brutal history.

At the time, it was unaware whether Silva would ever fight again, so the thought of the greatest middleweight of all time to potentially go out on that performance was just downright unfair. It was genuinely heartbreaking to see Silva, a fighter who’s done the unthinkable inside the cage having given the fans so much joy and amazing memories, in such severe pain. The images of him lying on the canvas holding onto this shattered leg, then seeing him stretchered off while screaming in agony was just devastating.

As fans, we don’t just invest our time into this great sport, but for some, we also invest emotionally in particular fighters, whether it’s because you come from the same city, you are inspired by a certain individual, or you just really like the way they fight. (Ed note: Lytle for State Senator!!!!)

We don’t just watch this sport as a medium of entertainment. For some, these fighters are more than that, they are a viewers outlet for escapism, almost like a hero, and seeing such a hero crumble in front of your eyes can understandably leave you grief-stricken. Considering that so many were willing to write off Silva’s previous loss to Weidman as a fluke, it seemed as if the MMA Gods themselves were punishing us by allowing the Greatest of All Time to end his career on such a dour note.

Positive Test

Of all people, Anderson Silva. For someone who’s name has never even been used in the same sentence as drug use throughout his storied career (and one who’s actually been an advocate of harsh penalties for PED users), the news that he had tested positive for two (count ‘em, two) types of PED’s has hit MMA fans hard, and for good reason.

Silva has tarnished his incredible legacy. There’s now two ways about it (unless he can miraculously clear his name). Is it feasible to think that steroids were an aid in Silva’s rehab? Maybe, but what we do know is that one ill-fated decision has now left his whole MMA career suspect. Every discussion of Silva’s legacy moving forward will undoubtedly revolve around the idea that PEDs were at least partly responsible for his ability to maintain such a high level for so long. It would be a bit cynical to think that, as there are fighters out there who have accomplished such great heights as Silva while remaining clean. Boxing legend Bernard Hopkins is 50 years-old, who recently fought in a world title unification bout. He, like Silva, has been clean throughout his career and at a high level for a very long time. Is Hopkins a truly clean fighter, or just someone who was lucky enough to never have been caught? It’s open for debate.

“If you’re a highly-paid fighter at the end of your career, why *wouldn’t* you use PEDs to go out strong?” The pressure Silva must of been under is incomprehensible — from the UFC brass, managers, fans, the pressure he puts on himself on wanting to return and the fact he was coming back from a broken leg. By no means am I condoning his actions, however in a sport where steroids exist, this is nothing short of the norm.

The thought of Silva’s accomplishments effectively going to waste is a depressing one, but a real one. Seeing a hero cheat in front of your eyes can, again, understandably leave you grief-stricken.

One minute he’s being hailed as the GOAT, the next he’s being branded a cheat. This sport, you guys. This damn sport.

What say you, Nation? Which moment left you more heartbroken? 

NSAC’s Bennett Says Anderson Silva’s UFC 183 Win over Diaz Likely to Become NC

Anderson Silva secured his first victory in over 26 months at UFC 183, defeating Nick Diaz via unanimous decision. 
According to a recent report from Brazilian newspaper Folha de S. Paulo, however, that win will soon vanish, and his triumph over D…

Anderson Silva secured his first victory in over 26 months at UFC 183, defeating Nick Diaz via unanimous decision. 

According to a recent report from Brazilian newspaper Folha de S. Paulo, however, that win will soon vanish, and his triumph over Diaz will be ruled a no-contest. 

Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Bob Bennett delivered the news to the Brazilian outlet, and Bloody Elbow’s Roy Billington provided the translation: “Yes, it will be ruled a NC (no-contest). I don’t know if he will receive the win bonus after this change. That’s (the) UFC’s call, but a percentage of his purse will be held because of this episode.” 

For Silva, this news is not entirely unexpected, as it comes on the heels of a serious offense. 

His victory parade was halted just days after UFC 183, when a pre-fight drug test came back showing traces of drostanolone and androstane, two anabolic steroids. Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole first reported the news, and it’s been a hot topic in the MMA space since.

Drostanolone and androstane are banned both in and out of competition, so the no-contest will be warranted when it is officially delivered.

This will be the first no-contest on Silva’s 40-fight resume. Diaz, on the other hand, is no stranger to this outcome. 

A 2007 win over Takanori Gomi was overturned and changed to a no-contest after Diaz tested positive for marijuana after the fight. 

Coincidentally, Diaz has tested positive for marijuana two other times in professional competition: once against Carlos Condit in February 2012 and most recently against Silva at UFC 183. However, he lost the fight in these latter two cases, so a no-contest was not administered on his behalf. 

It’s important to keep in mind that, while a no-contest appears imminent for Silva’s UFC 183 victory, nothing has been confirmed yet. Stay tuned to Bleacher Report as the situation develops.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

On Anderson Silva, Nick Diaz, and Compounding the Misery of MMA Fans

By CP Reader Farooq Ahmed

The UFC and its “war on drugs” continues.

MMA fans by now know that both Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz failed drugs tests leading up to/after their UFC 183 headlining act. On a fight card that promised so much leading up to the main event, the fight itself turned out to be more of a frustration between the two middleweights than anything to write home about.

But hey, no big deal right? Anderson Silva is back, Nick Diaz gave the people what they wanted and we all felt like we got our money’s worth.

Disaster.

By CP Reader Farooq Ahmed

The UFC and its “war on drugs” continues.

MMA fans by now know that both Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz failed drugs tests leading up to/after their UFC 183 headlining act. On a fight card that promised so much leading up to the main event, the fight itself turned out to be more of a frustration between the two middleweights than anything to write home about.

But hey, no big deal right? Anderson Silva is back, Nick Diaz gave the people what they wanted and we all felt like we got our money’s worth.

Disaster.

The post fight drug test results showed that Silva, 39, had tested positive for two types of performance enhancing drugs, while Diaz’s positive test (to nobody’s surprise) failed for marijuana metabolites with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) director confirming that Diaz came in at double the 150 nanograms per millilitre limit.

If you recall, Silva went on record last October that fighters who test positive should receive lifetime bans:

“When the guys test for the steroids, (they should have) no more fights,” Silva said. “When you use the steroids, you use them for a long time. When you use the steroids for a long time, you have a problem. It’s a drug and it’s not good for the sport.”

Talk about hypocrisy. It’s hard to understand why Silva would risk sullying his reputation under the circumstances of that quote, especially after he had suffered one of the most gruesome sports injuries anyone had ever seen. The whole world was pulling for him.

“(Steroids) make the sport bad,” Silva said. “If you do the sport in a good light, you have a good life. That is my opinion.”

It’s probably easy to have empathy for Silva, he was the greatest we had ever seen in the sport for the best part of a decade — alongside the likes of Georges St. Pierre and Fedor Emelianenko — and the fall from the top was about as quick and strange as they come.

Many Dubbed Silva’s knockout defeat to current middleweight champion Chris Weidman as a ‘fluke’, and the rematch of that fight ended in even more bizarre circumstances. Silva’s leg was snapped in half is a moment that those who bared witness will likely never forget — the images plastered over social media and news outlets the next day, the sound of Silva screaming in agony as he was being taken away from the octagon on a gurney, many assumed for the last time in his career.

It was one of those moments where you’ll never forget where you were when it happened.

It was an unceremonious end to a career that deserved better. But such is the life of a professional fighter. Rarely do they ever go out on top.

So when months later Silva pledged his return, videos of his recovery and training camps circulated. The improbable was going to happen. Silva would return to the Octagon months after a devastating compound fracture and fight again. The MMA community stood arm-in-arm awaiting his triumphant return.

Silva has no previous history of failed drugs tests. For so many years he has embodied the picture of perfect health. But coming off over a year out due to injury, he stated post fight, his son is begging him to stop.

“My son talked to me serious,” Silva said at the post-fight press conference. “When I talked to my son, my son cried. ‘Dad, stop, please. Back home. Please. You don’t need more fights.’”

Clearly despite his best intentions, this is not the end for Silva, who considers himself to be a man of great integrity and honour. His statement went as far as confirming it.

“I’ve been competing in this sport for a very long time. This is my nineteenth fight in the UFC. I have been thoroughly tested many times and have never had a positive drug test. I have not taken any performance-enhancing drugs. My stance on drugs is, and will always be, the same. I’m an advocate for a clean sport.”

Perhaps it won’t tarnish his image, to many; perhaps he will still be seen as the greatest MMA fighter of all time. The Muhammad Ali of his generation. Perhaps for his next fight, he’ll go fully vegan, gluten-free and still dismantle his opponent, just to prove that he is capable, not to you or me, but to himself. But for many more, questions will always remain in regards to the legitimacy of Silva’s legacy.

For Nick Diaz, getting popped for the old ‘Mary Jane’ is nothing new; this is now the third time he’s been caught in his pro career. But nobody really cares about Diaz right now. It’s unlikely you were in total shock and hysteria when the results came in.

Diaz, who when it came to fight week did the usual Nick Diaz thing of missing his flights and open workouts, then proceeded to shit talk his way through the fight with Silva. And now, he’ll be forced to surrender part of the purse that he spent over a year convincing the UFC he was worth.

Maybe it is time for Diaz to finally once and for all walk away from the sport. He’s stated in the past that ‘he’s done’ with fighting (and did it again recently), only to come back for a paycheck. It was abundantly clear at UFC 183 that was the case.

So where do we go from here? Coming off the high that was UFC 183, only to come to crashing halt a couple of days later. It’s a depressing reality that the UFC has had to deal with following two of its four 2015 events.

When it’s Anderson Silva, one of the most recognizable athletes to grace the sport, and Nick Diaz, one of its most marketable fighters, who are testing positive for banned substances, you see just why the UFC has a long way to go.

Farooq Ahmed is a writer for GiveMeSport and Bleacher Report you can follow him on Twitter @farooq09.

Report: Nick Diaz Didn’t Receive License to Fight at UFC 183 Until Week of Event

The circumstances surrounding Nick Diaz’s failed UFC 183 drug test just keep getting worse. 
News broke yesterday that Diaz, along with his UFC 183 main event co-star Anderson Silva, failed a drug test (per Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports) and wil…

The circumstances surrounding Nick Diaz‘s failed UFC 183 drug test just keep getting worse. 

News broke yesterday that Diaz, along with his UFC 183 main event co-star Anderson Silva, failed a drug test (per Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports) and will likely incur a fine and suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). 

Silva’s failed test indicated the use of anabolic steroids, while Diaz tested positive for marijuana metabolites. Silva won the fight via unanimous decision. 

Now, MMA Fighting’s Marc Raimondi is reporting that Diaz nearly didn’t even get to fight Silva at all due to licensing issues. NSAC Executive Director Bob Bennett told MMA Fighting that Diaz did not provide the commission with a clean drug sample until “days before” the bout, which took place Jan. 31. 

According to Raimondi, Diaz did not receive his license until the week of the fight because of this. 

Unsurprisingly, Diaz then failed his post-fight drug test, indicating the use of marijuana while “in competition,” the period of time 12 hours before and 12 hours after an event. 

“It’s obvious once he provided us a negative one he started smoking again,” Bennett told MMA Fighting.

Bennett also revealed that Diaz‘s test showed 300 ng/ML of marijuana metabolites in his system. The NSAC threshold is 150 ng/ML, half of what Diaz‘s results contained. 

Diaz has tested positive for marijuana twice before—once after his 2007 showdown in Pride against Takanori Gomi and once after his UFC 143 main event against Carlos Condit. Both of those events were also held in Las Vegas. 

Diaz will appear in front of the NSAC for a hearing to learn what exactly this third strike means for his fighting future. This, according to Raimondi, will likely occur “in March or April.” 

For now, Diaz‘s situation is simple: He knowingly broke the rules—again—and will suffer the consequences. Wishful thinking says Diaz will learn something from this and finally exercise more restraint before, during and after a fight. 

Logical thinking says he’ll smoke as soon as his meeting is adjourned. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

The Heavy Issue With Cutting Weight


(Weight cutting is a very serious issue in MMA, so here’s a picture of John Lineker as a fat baby. via Ian McCall’s Instagram)

By CP reader Jessie Lorenty

Before the first fight even started, UFC 183: Diaz vs Silva was already filled with controversy. Not one but two of the night’s fighters missed weight, and both who did were notorious for taking the weight limit as a suggestion instead of maybe the actual amount of weight that they’re allowed to be at. The first was John Lineker, who showed up heavy for a record fourth time in his UFC career — the first was against Louis Gaudinot (127lbs), then against Jose Maria (129lbs) and the third time against Phil Harris (127lbs). The second fighter was none other then the lesser half of the night’s co-main event, Kelvin Gastelum, who previously missed weight in his fight against Nico Musoke.

Missing the weight limit is sadly not an unusual thing in MMA, but could not have occurred at a worse time for either fighter…


(Weight cutting is a very serious issue in MMA, so here’s a picture of John Lineker as a fat baby. via Ian McCall’s Instagram)

By CP reader Jessie Lorenty

Before the first fight even started, UFC 183: Diaz vs Silva was already filled with controversy. Not one but two of the night’s fighters missed weight, and both who did were notorious for taking the weight limit as a suggestion instead of maybe the actual amount of weight that they’re allowed to be at. The first was John Lineker, who showed up heavy for a record fourth time in his UFC career — the first was against Louis Gaudinot (127lbs), then against Jose Maria (129lbs) and the third time against Phil Harris (127lbs). The second fighter was none other then the lesser half of the night’s co-main event, Kelvin Gastelum, who previously missed weight in his fight against Nico Musoke.

Missing the weight limit is sadly not an unusual thing in MMA, but could not have occurred at a worse time for either fighter. With a shallow division at flyweight, the next shot at current champion Demetrious Johnson could always be just one great performance away. Against Ian McCall, Lineker had the potential to prove himself a title contender (and did with his UD victory), but sabotaged his chances of that happening right from the get-go. On the other side of the (tipped over) scale is Kelvin Gastelum, who was undefeated as a pro and currently on a five fight winning streak in the UFC. In his last fight Gastelum ran through the always tough Jake Ellenberger and was hoping on continuing his momentum against his toughest test to date in Tyron Woodley.

Both fighters were coming into one of their most important fights of their career. A win for either of them could have placed them in the category of next title challenger, but instead, the focus point was shifted to their weight. Dana White has since ordered both men to move up a weight class, shattering their respective chances at a flyweight and welterweight title shot.

Luckily for Lineker, he won the fight, as a loss could have seen him cut from the UFC. Anthony “Rumble” Johnson was originally released from the promotion for missing weight time and time again, and after his loss to Vitor Belfort, Uncle Dana had had enough. As for Gastelum, his offense was more egregious than Lineker’s but only the second time it has occurred. With a substantial amount of steam behind him, Gastelum was on the verge of breaking out of the middle of the pack and cementing himself as a potential title challenger. But he nearly killed himself trying to make weight and it showed in his eventual loss to Woodley on Saturday.

Weight is one of the biggest issues in MMA but just like most of the other issues there is no clear cut solution to it (other than same day weigh-ins, of course). Aside from heavyweights and Frankie Edgar, you would be hard pressed to find someone fighting close to their natural weight. Fighters see the weight cut as gaining a potential advantage over their competition but if they damage themselves trying to make the weight they’re doing the exact opposite and giving the advantage to their opponent. Instances like these bring more attention to the issue, as they should, but after it is all said and done nothing will have changed and the MMA community will eventually stop talking about it until it occurs again. (You know, kind of like drug testing.)

Fighters are called disrespectful and lazy for not making weight, but the main focus should be on just how dangerous it is. Prizefighters in general are a special group of people that will put themselves through anything in order to compete. So we can only imagine what their bodies are going through where they finally just give up because they physically can’t go on any longer. Only after pushing themselves to the very end do they finally call it. They need to realize that the damage they are doing to themselves sometimes just isn’t worth it. Instead, they are fined and they still get to compete in most cases, completely forgetting the fact that not 24 hours before they step in that cage their bodies were almost completely shutting down on them.

At the end of the day these men have to pay the bills, the UFC has to sell tickets, and the fans needs to be entertained. But we also have to look further into the issue and understand what these guys are doing to themselves and decide when enough is enough. When that time will come is unclear or maybe even non-existent. It may be that these two men go out there and put on the performance of their lives and somehow the weight thing is overshadowed. But one thing that should never be overshadowed is fighter safety.