Tag: UFC 197

Jon Jones Goes Off With Another Incendiary Callout

Awaiting the results of his February 27 hearing before the CSAC for alleged steroid use, troubled former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones appears to be ramping up a social media campaign against his doubters. He recently tweeted to his haters that his greatness was “blamed on things they would simply never understand” before telling […]

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Awaiting the results of his February 27 hearing before the CSAC for alleged steroid use, troubled former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones appears to be ramping up a social media campaign against his doubters.

He recently tweeted to his haters that his greatness was “blamed on things they would simply never understand” before telling them to “suck one,” and now he’s back with another callout of those who would pile on his latest of many falls.

With his manager stating there is a “95 percent chance” “Bones” still fights in 2018 if USADA is a respectable organization, Jones appears rather cocksure that he will return, and soon. He posted another message on Instagram insisting he wasn’t on steroids with some more foul language.

Check it out:

A post shared by Jon Bones Jones (@jonnybones) on

Just whom he is calling a “p***y” is unclear at this point, or if it is directed at an overall group of people who accused him of using steroids and/or performance-enhancing drugs – of which he’s failed for twice already during the USADA era.

Jone tested positive for anabolic steroid Turinabol during his UFC 214 win over Daniel Cormier last July, resulting in his original third-round knockout of his rival “DC” being overturned to a no contest.

As protocol states, Jones denied using steroids like every fighter who has failed a drug test has, similar to how he did when he was caught using clompihene and Letrozol prior to his scheduled UFC 200 rematch with Cormier. For what it’s worth, there are some odd inconsistencies with the timing of Jones’ failure being that it was after the UFC 214 weigh-ins and that he had passed all his many other tests for the fight in addition to passing a polygraph test.

We’ll see what all that amounts to on February 27. From the looks of things in “Bones’” corner, however, he believes he’ll be back for his latest comeback soon.

Do you?

 

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Jon Jones Targets Online Haters In Brutal Callout

Jon Jones’ future in the UFC or any kind of MMA may be in significant jeopardy, but the troubled former champion is choosing to put the focus on his online detractors. And he’s done so in a not-too-subtle fashion. Earlier today, Jones, who will appear before the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) on February 27 to face […]

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Jon Jones’ future in the UFC or any kind of MMA may be in significant jeopardy, but the troubled former champion is choosing to put the focus on his online detractors.

And he’s done so in a not-too-subtle fashion.

Earlier today, Jones, who will appear before the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) on February 27 to face potential punishment for his UFC 214 drug test failure for anabolic steroid Turinabol, issued a Tweet saying he was going to ‘talk to his haters’ who ‘blamed his greatness on things they don’t understand’ before an emphatic ending statement.

Check it out:

Pure class from the troubled former champion, who would almost assuredly be the finest competitor in MMA history were it not for his litany of drug and alcohol-related issues.

But they are there tainting his legacy nonetheless, and even though his manager recently claimed there was a “95 percent chance he fights in 2018” if the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) was a respectable organization.

After Jones was given a one-year suspension for testing positive for clomiphene and Letrozol before 2016’s UFC 200, that could be a difficult proposition to attain, however, considering we’ve never seen a fighter get off completely scot-free in the more stringent USADA testing era.

Jones has shown an almost uncanny ability to avoid major punishment and come back, so it’s anyone’s guess if he’ll somehow return this year. Based on the brash manner in which he’s told his fans to “s**k it,” it would seem he’s betting firmly on himself to indeed make an umpteenth comeback to the Octagon.

Does he deserve it? Or is he simply digging himself a bigger hole by blurting out the callout online?

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Jon Jones’ Doping Hearing Officially Announced

The next step to finding in Jon Jones’ latest drug-related trouble is set. The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) listed on their official agenda (via MMA Fighting) that Jones will attend a hearing on February 27 for his in-competition failure for anabolic steroid Turinabol the day before his UFC 214 win over current champion Daniel […]

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The next step to finding in Jon Jones’ latest drug-related trouble is set.

The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) listed on their official agenda (via MMA Fighting) that Jones will attend a hearing on February 27 for his in-competition failure for anabolic steroid Turinabol the day before his UFC 214 win over current champion Daniel Cormier. The win, which was originally a third-round KO via head kick, was overturned to a no contest.

At the time, the win put Jones as most fans and media members’ number-one choice for the greatest MMA fighter of all-time, but as has been the case for years, problems involving drugs and alcohol interfered with Jones’ illustrious fighting accomplishments. He’s expected to be handed a suspension and fine for his current case with the CSAC, his second anti-doping violation after he tested positive for clomiphene and Letrozol before his scheduled rematch with Cormier at 2016’s UFC 200.

Those performance-enhancing drug-related issues joined his prior drunk driving arrest in 2012 and failure for cocaine in 2015, not to mention his Albuquerque hit-and-run that left a young pregnant woman with a broken arm in April 2015. If it’s starting to sound exhausting; you’re right – it definitely is, and it’s only magnified by the fact Jones would otherwise be the greatest fighter in the history of MMA if not for drugs.

Jones faces a possible four-year suspension for his latest infraction due to it being his second offense; he received a one-year suspension following arbitration with USADA for his UFC 200 failure after USADA didn’t necessarily buy his sexual-enhancement pill defense. His manager seems to think that if USADA is ‘a respectable organization,’ and does their due diligence, then there’s a “95 percent chance” Jones will fight in the UFC in 2018.

For what it’s worth, UFC Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance Jeff Novitzky recently admitted there are some strange timelines in the failure after Jones passed all previous tests for the bout. He took and passed his own polygraph test as well.

While the promotion would most likely like that, it’s now up to the CSAC. It should also be noted that Jones will also undergo another arbitration with USADA in addition to the CSAC hearing.

So the latest chapter in the sad saga of “Bones” has a date, and it’s once again up in the air as to when or if the MMA great will return. Does he deserve another chance to fight in the Octagon?

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UFC 220 Salaries: Stipe Miocic Banks Big Payday

UFC heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic was looking to get paid what he deserved heading into his potentially record-breaking title defense against Francis Ngannou at January 20’s UFC 220 from Boston, Massachusetts. And after he took care of business by dominating the previously-hyped specimen, it appears that Miocic has at least taken a big step in […]

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UFC heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic was looking to get paid what he deserved heading into his potentially record-breaking title defense against Francis Ngannou at January 20’s UFC 220 from Boston, Massachusetts.

And after he took care of business by dominating the previously-hyped specimen, it appears that Miocic has at least taken a big step in that direction after becoming the heavyweight titleholder with the most consecutive defenses in octagon history.

Figures were released via MMA Fighting tonight showing that Miocic made $600,000 for beating Ngannou. “The Predator” made $500,000 in his loss. Also at UFC 220, light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier earned $500,000 for his dominant second-round finish of Volkan Oezdemir, who made $250,000 for his first UFC defeat.

Here are the complete official UFC 220 salaries:

Disclaimer: The figures below do not reflect the fighters’ total earnings, as they may earn other income from the Reebok apparel deal and outside sponsorships, pay-per-view revenues, or discretionary ‘locker room’ bonuses the UFC sometimes gives following events.

Main Card (Pay-per-view):
Stipe Miocic ($600,000 + no win bonus = $600,000) def. Francis Ngannou ($500,000)
Daniel Cormier ($500,000 + no win bonus = $500,000) def. Volkan Oezdemir ($350,000)
Calvin Kattar ($14,000 + $14,000 = $28,000) def. Shane Burgos ($22,000)
Gian Villante ($50,000 + $50,000 = $100,000) def. Francimar Barroso ($27,000)
Rob Font ($30,000 + $30,000 = $60,000) def. Thomas Almeida ($36,000)

Preliminary Card (FOX Sports 1):
Kyle Bochniak ($12,000 + $12,000 = $24,000) def. Brandon Davis ($10,000)
Abdul Razak Alhassan ($20,000 + $20,000 = $40,000) def. Sabah Homasi ($12,000)
Dustin Ortiz ($30,000 + $30,000 = $60,000) def. Alexandre Pantoja ($14,000)
Julio Arce ($10,000 + $10,000 = $20,000) def. Dan Ige ($10,000)

Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass):
Enrique Barzola ($21,000 + $21,000 = $42,000) def. Matt Bessette ($12,000)
Islam Makhachev ($16,000 + $16,000 = $32,000) def. Gleison Tibau ($50,000)

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Cain Velasquez Teases Light Heavyweight Move With Cormier Going Up

Former UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez recently ruffled a few feathers in the MMA world when he said ‘things could get interesting’ if longtime teammate and training partner Daniel Cormier won the belt from current heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic in their champion vs. champion superfight at July’s UFC 226. Many were quick to assume that meant […]

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Former UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez recently ruffled a few feathers in the MMA world when he said ‘things could get interesting’ if longtime teammate and training partner Daniel Cormier won the belt from current heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic in their champion vs. champion superfight at July’s UFC 226.

Many were quick to assume that meant Velasquez would possibly face Cormier for his former title, yet during an interview on today’s (Mon., January 29, 2018) The MMA Hour, Velasquez said it wasn’t necessarily what he meant by his reaction.

To him, it signified a decision to be made, one that may involve considering a move down to light heavyweight as Cormier once did to avoid fighting him:

“What did I mean by that?” Velasquez said. “Things could get interesting, man. He’s at heavyweight, I’m at heavyweight. What am I gonna drop down? I don’t know. Things could get interesting, yes. We don’t know how things are going to play out. I think it’s cool what he’s doing, he’s going up in weight, but s**t he’s fought there before at heavyweight so he’s gonna do it again.”

The former champion expounded on that potential, noting that he believed he could indeed make the weight if pushed to it. He won’t make any rash choices, and will remain focused on helping Cormier prepare for one of the biggest fights of his career – in addition to himself for his own rumored comeback:

“If I had to do it, I could do it,” Velasquez said. “I think it would be hard, but it’s just the will of the person. If I really want to do something, I could do it. Again, things could get interesting, so we’re just going off of that and we’re just going to play it by ear. First things first, helping him get ready, me get ready, and then getting that job done in July, both of us.”

Cormier recently detailed the conversation he had with Velasquez before accepting the fight with Miocic, as he had stated he wanted him to get the shot instead after Dana White teased Miocic vs. Cormier right after UFC 220.

Velasquez reiterated Cormier’s statement that he supported his decision, and added he was also trying to get a fight at UFC 226 so they could prepare on the same schedule:

“We talked about it and I’m all for it, I support Daniel 100 percent,” Velasquez said. “I feel like I just have to go back and prove myself. I have to get a fight and show people why everyone should fear me, so I have to go out there, I have to look impressive. I do plan on fighting again, I’ve never had talks of a retirement. Not yet. I still want to do this.

“He called me up, he told me that he had this opportunity. I was just like, ‘Yes, we can do it.’ We can get ready together, that’s the best for us. He’s fighting on that card in July, I’m going to try to get on that, hopefully. I think that would be perfect and enough time for me to get on that card and me and Daniel can train together and get ready together because when we do that, that’s when we are the best.

Velasquez closed by putting any speculation that he would fight Cormier to bed by saying he would not.

And even if they did, he said, it wouldn’t be quite as fun as it sounds:

“Would I ever fight (Cormier)? No, I wouldn’t,” Velasquez said. “I wouldn’t fight him. I think he feels the same way. We’re teammates, we’re friends, we’ve done a lot with each other. I think it would be easy, me and him, just because we spar so much, s**t, it would just be another day at the office.”

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Cain Velasquez Reacts To Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier

The mixed martial arts world was handed one of the biggest fights of the year yesterday when the UFC announced record-setting heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic would be taking on light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier at July 7’s UFC 226 from Las Vegas after the two squared off as opposing coaches on TUF 27. The champion […]

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The mixed martial arts world was handed one of the biggest fights of the year yesterday when the UFC announced record-setting heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic would be taking on light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier at July 7’s UFC 226 from Las Vegas after the two squared off as opposing coaches on TUF 27.

The champion vs. champion superfight had been hinted at, especially by UFC president Dana White, following Miocic and Cormier’s dominant wins at last weekend’s (Sat., January 20, 2018) UFC 220 from Boston, yet the talk was seemingly shut down by “DC,” who said that he would rather his good friend and teammate Cain Velasquez get the next shot at Miocic, even going as far as to admit he ‘can’t beat’ Velasquez.

Something changed very quickly, however, and in a sense, the outcome is much better than giving Velasquez an immediate title shot after back-to-back two-years periods of inactivity. There’s no doubt whatsoever that he’s one of the best heavyweights in MMA when healthy – the problem is he’s rarely healthy and the UFC may not have wanted to risk another title fight on his name only to see it fall apart.

He’s been rumored to be training like a madman and nearing his return, something Cormier himself has discussed of late. The former champ addressed the scene himself on social media, confirming he would be in the gym every day to help Cormier, but that’s when the comradery seemed to take a turn.

Check out what Velasquez said might unfold:

It’s surprising to hear Velasquez say things could ‘get interesting,’  suggesting Cormier may end up fighting his longtime training partner for the heavyweight title.

But it would have to be in Cormier’s most likely final fight, as the 38-year-old 205-pound champion recently set a date of March 2019 for his retirement from MMA. “DC” has also repeatedly stated he would not fight his AKA ‘brothers’ Velasquez and Luke Rockhold.

Despite his support for his friend, Velasquez has at least somewhat different of a view on the situation, however. Could they end up squaring off in a massive superfight themselves?

 

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