Tag: UFC 200

Brock Lesnar’s UFC Return Could Impact Mark Hunt’s Lawsuit

Mark Hunt is still going after Brock Lesnar and the UFC, and this could affect it.

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Brock Lesnar is back in bed with the UFC, and that could be to the benefit of Mark Hunt.

Lesnar’s last Octagon appearance came back in July of 2016 when he faced Hunt in the co-main event of UFC 200. “The Beast” picked up a unanimous decision win on the judges’ scorecards, but it was later revealed that Lesnar tested positive for a banned substance in two drug tests – the first being 11 days prior to his fight with Hunt, and the other on fight night itself.

This came as little surprise to the mixed martial arts (MMA) community, as the WWE star was given special treatment of sorts in the early stages of setting the fight up. After partnering up with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), the UFC’s drug testing policy is now one of the strictest professional sports has to offer.

Lesnar hadn’t competed in the UFC since December of 2011 heading into his fight with Hunt. Because of this, the UFC argued that Lesnar didn’t have to comply with its policy of having fighters spend four months in the drug-testing pool before returning. Due to the fact that Lesnar came to an agreement with the UFC only one month before the fight, and that Lesnar’s nearly five-year layoff extended back to before the UFC partnered with USADA, Lesnar didn’t have to wait the four months before competing again.

After it was revealed that Lesnar failed his in-competition drug tests he was suspended for one year by the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) and given a $250,000 fine, which was 10 percent of his guaranteed purse. His victory over Hunt was also reversed to a no contest.

Shortly thereafter, Hunt launched a lawsuit against Lesnar, the UFC, and Dana White, alleging that the trio committed racketeering, fraud, battery, civil conspiracy, and more in regards to Lesnar’s fight against him at UFC 200.

In December of 2016 Lesnar retired from MMA competition, freezing his one-year suspension.

That all changed earlier this month when Lesnar returned cage-side at UFC 226 to witness Daniel Cormier make history by knocking out Stipe Miocic to become the second fighter to hold two UFC titles simultaneously. After the fight, he entered the Octagon and engaged in a physical confrontation with “DC” before UFC President Dana White announced later in the night that Cormier vs. Lesnar is the next heavyweight title fight he intends on making.

Lesnar re-entered the USADA drug-testing pool on July 3rd, which is one of the requirements of serving out his 2016 suspension, and will be eligible to compete again on January 8th of 2019.

In the wake of Lesnar’s UFC heavyweight title opportunity, Hunt’s lawyer, Christina Denning, believes this could be helpful to “The Super Samoan’s” case. She told MMA Fighting they are considering amending their complaint:

“We debated whether or not to, while the motion to dismiss is pending, to alter the complaint again, to keep adding more facts regarding the way that the organization works and perhaps the unfairness of it,” Denning said.

“So, that’s something that we have not done yet, but we definitely [might] with all the buzz around [Lesnar] coming back.”

Denning’s initial amended complaint, which was filed in January of 2017, reads as follows:

“LESNAR, WHITE, and UFC, acted in concert as set forth fully above, to defraud HUNT and commit a battery against HUNT by a scheme to knowingly pit HUNT, a clean fighter, against LESNAR, a doping fighter, to the wrongful benefit of Defendants and to the detriment of HUNT.

“On information and belief, WHITE and UFC were intentionally delaying the announcement because LESNAR was using banned substances and needed additional time in order to circumvent testing procedures.”

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10 Worst Weight Cuts In UFC History

These 10 fighters had the worst weight cuts in UFC history:

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Weight cutting has been an integral issue at the forefront of the conversation in MMA lately.

It seems like every card is ruined by a fighter missing weight, and usually by a large margin. Main event fighters like Darren Till, Yoel Romero, and Kevin Lee have soiled recently featured bouts, and fight fans are rightfully getting frustrated.

Solutions from more weight classes to eliminating early weigh-ins have been considered, but thus far, nothing substantial has been done to address this glaringly obvious issue in MMA.

You won’t believe the amount of weight some fighters have clocked in at. Even worse, many of them are repeat offenders, making every weigh-in a gamble as to if they will actually make weight.

However, some of the fighters on this list who struggle with their weight cuts have been champions; for example:

 

10. Renan Barao – UFC 177

The former bantamweight champion had some serious difficulty making the 135-pound limit and didn’t even come close at UFC 177. Barao was attempting to take the title he had lost to TJ Dillashaw beforehand, but the rematch didn’t end up happening at UFC 177.

Rumor has it that he was cutting down from 163 pounds, making it a nearly 30-pound weight cut.

Barao’s weight cut was so bad that he actually passed out while in the sauna as he tried to sweat out water weight in an effort to make the bantamweight limit. Barao smacked his head on the bathtub upon blacking out and was forced out of the fight as a result.

Joe Soto ultimately filled in for Barao, making this a seriously messed up weight cut on Barao’s part. Blacking out and not even making it to a title fight is as bad as it gets.

Barao now fights at featherweight, which is still likely a difficult cut, but at least it hasn’t caused him to blackout.

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10 Most Shocking Moments In MMA History

Take a look back at the 10 most shocking moments in MMA history:

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Over the past nearly 25 years, the UFC and the sport of mixed martial arts as a whole has provided fight fans with countless shocking, compelling moments, but some memories stick out as much more shocking than the others.

Fighters have had their legs snapped like a twig mid-fight, thrown sucker punches after the bell, and done several other seriously jaw-dropping occasions inside the octagon.

Check out the 10 most shocking moments in MMA history:

10. Paul Daley Punches Koscheck After Bell

It’s kind of funny that punches and kicks thrown within regulation time don’t raise any eyebrows, but one strike errantly thrown after the bell is enough for a lifetime ban.

Daley learned the hard way that the UFC does not tolerate cheap shots. The scene was indeed quite jarring, as no one has thrown a cheap shot so blatantly before or since.

The sucker punch caused complete pandemonium and the fallout forced “Semtex” out of the UFC for good. The scene was truly shocking and caused a great deal of confusion before “Big” Dan Mirgliotta quickly stepped in.

Definitely a shocking moment for UFC fans.

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Jon Jones Declares He’s Still UFC Champion

Jon Jones says he’s still the UFC light heavyweight champion:

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Jon Jones may be facing a likely lengthy suspension from USADA, but he doesn’t think that prevents him from still being the UFC light heavyweight champion.

But knowing Jones, he could wiggle out of the situation if everyone could, and indeed he believes (or claims to) that he’ll be proven innocent when it becomes apparent he never knowingly used the anabolic steroid Turinabol he tested positive for during his UFC 214 title bout with Daniel Cormier last year.

That’s kept the champ extremely active on social media in his attempt for his latest and now-countless comeback, and he did just that today. When presented with a fan’s opinion that he was still the champion, Jones said he didn’t need to physically have to hold the belt to be the 205-pound champion, and the top five of his division knows that:

Jones then followed up on his opinion by stating why he believed he was the champion and how he still had great things to do:

The legendary former champion certainly still has time to live up to his all-time greatest potential, but he may be slowly running out of it as his outside-the-cage issues with drugs both performance-enhancing and recreational in addition to alcohol.

Jones had his fighting license revoked and was fined $250,000 by the State of California in February this year after testing for Turinabol prior to his third-round knockout over archrival Daniel Cormier in the main event of UFC 214. He returned to fight on the card less than a month after he was suspended before his scheduled rematch with Cormier at 2016’s UFC 200 for testing positive for two other banned substances.

He now awaits punishment from USADA, who could hand him a very significant sit on the sidelines. Cormier, meanwhile, will go on to face heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic in the main event of July 6’s UFC 227, a bout Jones was most likely headed for if he stayed out of trouble.

Unfortunately for him, he’s been unable to accomplish anything resembling that in the last few years.

He still feels he’s the champion nonetheless. When will be able to prove in the octagon?

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Six Biggest Controversies Of Dana White’s UFC Career

UFC President Dana White has undoubtedly taken the sport of MMA to levels that were once incomprehensible in the early 1990s. What was once essentially a tough man competition with submissions is now backed by FOX and Reebok, and White’s efforts have arguably turned the UFC into a household name. But for every success Dana […]

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UFC President Dana White has undoubtedly taken the sport of MMA to levels that were once incomprehensible in the early 1990s.

What was once essentially a tough man competition with submissions is now backed by FOX and Reebok, and White’s efforts have arguably turned the UFC into a household name.

But for every success Dana White has had, there’s a controversy that follows. White is known for his brash and mercurial temper, and some of his behind-the-scenes dealings have tarnished both him and the UFC.

Let’s take a look back at the six biggest controversies in Dana White’s UFC career!

6. Dana White’s Mom Writes Tell-All Book About Son

Imagine your mother writing a book about how back of a person you are. Well, that’s exactly what June White did to her son, UFC President Dana White.

June wrote about Dana’s penchant for heavy gambling and womanizing, but perhaps the most damning evidence she produces is the way he treated his family after his ascent to fame and fortune. Dana’s mother says he skipped out on his grandmother’s funeral and had made promises to visit her in Florida prior to her passing.

June White says Dana never made that trip. The rest of the book seems like a bit of a mean-spirited campaign against him, but no one knows you better than your own mother.

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Jose Aldo Almost Retired After Second Max Holloway Loss

Former WEC and UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo nearly hung up his gloves for good after his second TKO loss to current champion Max Holloway. Holloway has defeated Aldo twice in a row by TKO, most recently at lasts December’s UFC 218, and the second time almost pushed Aldo to retirement. Aldo discussed his thoughts following […]

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Former WEC and UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo nearly hung up his gloves for good after his second TKO loss to current champion Max Holloway.

Holloway has defeated Aldo twice in a row by TKO, most recently at lasts December’s UFC 218, and the second time almost pushed Aldo to retirement.

Aldo discussed his thoughts following UFC 218 and why he’s continuing to fight as he prepares for his first non-title fight in nearly a decade (via MMA Fighting):

”After the fight, I took some time for myself, to think and stay with my family. Two weeks later, I met with my coaches, sat down with everyone. I asked what they thought, if it was time to stop or not. We decided to move forward. The next day I was in the gym.”

”I think I still have much wood to burn, full capacity to go there and fight for the title again. I still have four fights left in the contract. I want to do at least three this year. I want to get to the third fighting for the title, be champion again. Then, in the future, I think about retiring or not.”

Aldo entered the UFC and was immediately crowned as champion of the 145-pound division after the UFC bought and absorbed the WEC back in 2010. Aldo had been featherweight champion in the WEC and managed to reign over the weight class for six years in total.

Aldo lost his belt following a 13-second knockout loss at the hands of rival Conor McGregor at UFC 194 but managed to recapture the interim featherweight title after defeating Frankie Edgar for a second time at UFC 200.

Aldo has gone winless since the Edgar rematch and has now lost three of his last four fights by some form of knockout.

Thankfully, Aldo found his motivation to fight again after meeting with his team and coaches and is now set to fight Jeremy “Lil Heathen” Stephens in his first non-title fight in years.

Aldo and Stephens will meet in the co-main event of UFC on FOX 30 on July 28 in Calgary.

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