Tag: UFC 210

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 […]

The post Jon Jones’ Doping Hearing Officially Announced appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

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?

The post Jon Jones’ Doping Hearing Officially Announced appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

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 […]

The post UFC 220 Salaries: Stipe Miocic Banks Big Payday appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

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)

The post UFC 220 Salaries: Stipe Miocic Banks Big Payday appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

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 […]

The post Cain Velasquez Teases Light Heavyweight Move With Cormier Going Up appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

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.”

The post Cain Velasquez Teases Light Heavyweight Move With Cormier Going Up appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

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 […]

The post Cain Velasquez Reacts To Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

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?

 

The post Cain Velasquez Reacts To Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier Set For Huge Superfight At UFC 226

A fight that UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier said would happen because he ‘can’t beat Cain Velasquez’ is happening. News arrived from the UFC tonight that Cormier will coach the next season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) against heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and the two will fight at July 7’s UFC 226 from the […]

The post Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier Set For Huge Superfight At UFC 226 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

A fight that UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier said would happen because he ‘can’t beat Cain Velasquez’ is happening.

News arrived from the UFC tonight that Cormier will coach the next season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) against heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and the two will fight at July 7’s UFC 226 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Cormier successfully defended his reclaimed title with a second-round TKO over Volkan Oezdemir in the main event of last weekend’s UFC 220 from Boston, Massachusetts, a card where Miocic broke the UFC record for most consecutive heavyweight title defenses at three with a dominant five-round decision win over hyped contender Francis Ngannou.

Talk after UFC 220 was that Miocic may face Cormier’s AKA teammate Cain Velasquez, who is rumored to be making his return sometime soon, and Cormier was linked to a rematch with top contender Alexander Gustafsson – even if UFC president Dana White teased a Miocic vs. Cormier superfight.

But with “The Mauler” still healing from a recent surgery and the UFC perhaps not keen on the idea of booking Velasquez in another main event after yet another two-year absence from the octagon, they instead chose to book the biggest fight they could for both divisions by pitting the two champs against one another for the heavyweight title.

It’s an interesting pairing considering Cormier was given the title back after losing to archrival Jon Jones by third-round KO in the main event of last July’s UFC 214, only to see “Bones” fail for yet another head-scratching issue with performance-enhancing drugs and have his belt stripped. If Jones had tested clean, he could very well be facing Miocic for the chance to become the fifth two-weight titleholder in UFC history and the second concurrent two-weight champion of all-time.

Instead, it’ll be Cormier, who’s paid his dues over a grueling combat sports career and could cement his spot as one of the greatest fighters in UFC history, but he’ll have to get through the upcoming season of TUF 27, which will feature undefeated lightweights and featherweights.

The finals of the show will take place the day before UFC 226 on July 6, 2018.

The post Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier Set For Huge Superfight At UFC 226 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Daniel Cormier Admits He ‘Can’t Beat’ Cain Velasquez

Leading up to – and especially after – Daniel Cormier’s one-sided win over Volkan Oezdemir in the co-main event of last weekend’s UFC 220 from Boston, Massachusetts, there was a decent amount of talk about Cormier moving back up to his original division of heavyweight. UFC president Dana White, who claims he ‘doesn’t make fights’ […]

The post Daniel Cormier Admits He ‘Can’t Beat’ Cain Velasquez appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Leading up to – and especially after – Daniel Cormier’s one-sided win over Volkan Oezdemir in the co-main event of last weekend’s UFC 220 from Boston, Massachusetts, there was a decent amount of talk about Cormier moving back up to his original division of heavyweight.

UFC president Dana White, who claims he ‘doesn’t make fights’ right after fights ended, teased a potential match-up between Cormier and record-breaking heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic, who beat formerly surging hype train Francis Ngannou at UFC 220. Cormier quickly shot that hype down, however, instead pointing at his good friend and longtime American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) teammate Cain Velasquez as the man who should face the dominant Miocic next.

Former champion Velasquez has been out of action since a 2016 TKO of Travis Browne at UFC 200, and countless injuries have rendered him unable to build any sort of consistency. It’s an unfortunate situation for a man many were billing as potentially the greatest heavyweight of all-time, but the 35-year-old Velasquez apparently isn’t done yet after teasing his return earlier this year.

On this week’s edition of UFC Tonight (quotes via Bloody Elbow), Cormier offered the stance he still wouldn’t favor anyone against a healthy Velasquez. Based on his extensive training history with the former champ, he’ll be staying at his more suitable weight class of 205 pounds because he ‘can’t beat’ Velasquez:

“You know, I still wouldn’t favor anybody against Cain Velasquez but obviously I’m a bit biased. But man, you got to look at those big dudes and know that that’s really not my weight class. I’m not as big. I mean, I know my face looks really fat right now compared to last weekend but those are heavyweights and heavyweights, those are the lands of the giants, man and i’m going to steer clear of those boys. And if somebody beats Cain Velasquez, just know that they’re probably going to beat me too because I can’t beat Cain *laughs*.”

Loyalty and comradery aside, Cormier doesn’t have too many legit contenders left in the shallow light heavyweight landscape outside of a rematch with top-ranked Alexander Gustafsson, whom he beat in a razor-thin slugfest at UFC 192 that was one of 2015’s best fights, making a move back to heavyweight an exciting prospect.

But with only a few fights left in him and a target date for his retirement, the soon-to-be 39-year-old isn’t going to change anything big heading into what could be the final year of his MMA career, so expect to potentially see Cormier vs. Gustafsson and Miocic vs. Velasquez in the near future.

The former should be another match to remember; let’s just hope Velasquez can make it to the octagon for the latter.

The post Daniel Cormier Admits He ‘Can’t Beat’ Cain Velasquez appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.