Tag: UFC Fight Night 52

Michinori Tanaka Tests Positive for Stimulants Following Loss at UFC Fight Night 52, Catches Nine-Month Suspension


(As if that hair didn’t bring enough shame onto his family. / Photo via Taro Irei, Sherdog)

“Michinori Tanaka” is a name that should bring confused looks to all but the most hardcore of MMA fans. A two-fight veteran of UFC Fight Pass, the 24-year-old Japanese prospect suffered the first defeat of his career back in September, when he lost a split-decision to Kyung Ho Kang on the Hunt vs. Nelson prelims. Unfortunately, Tanaka was jacked up on stimulants (or maybe allergy medicine?) during that fight and now he’s been suspended. From an official statement on UFC.com:

At UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Nelson on September 20 in Saitama, Japan, UFC contracted with an independent drug testing laboratory to perform testing on all fighters on the card.

UFC bantamweight Michinori Tanaka tested positive for ephedrine and pseudoephedrine based on a pre-fight urine test administered prior to the event. Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are stimulants banned in athletic competition pursuant to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code. Based on such results, UFC officials decided that Tanaka had violated his promotional agreement and the UFC Fighter Conduct Policy. Accepting the accuracy of the test result, Tanaka has admitted to taking over-the-counter allergy medication prior to the fight, likely causing the positive result, and acknowledges the illegal substances were in his system. Consequently, Tanaka agreed to a nine-month suspension from unarmed combat competition. He must pass a drug test at the conclusion of his suspension in order to return to competition. Tanaka will also forfeit his Fight of the Night bonus he earned at the event. [Ed. note: Zyrtec just cost this dude $50,000. Ouch.]


(As if that hair didn’t bring enough shame onto his family. / Photo via Taro Irei, Sherdog)

“Michinori Tanaka” is a name that should bring confused looks to all but the most hardcore of MMA fans. A two-fight veteran of UFC Fight Pass, the 24-year-old Japanese prospect suffered the first defeat of his career back in September, when he lost a split-decision to Kyung Ho Kang on the Hunt vs. Nelson prelims. Unfortunately, Tanaka was jacked up on stimulants (or maybe allergy medicine?) during that fight and now he’s been suspended. From an official statement on UFC.com:

At UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Nelson on September 20 in Saitama, Japan, UFC contracted with an independent drug testing laboratory to perform testing on all fighters on the card.

UFC bantamweight Michinori Tanaka tested positive for ephedrine and pseudoephedrine based on a pre-fight urine test administered prior to the event. Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are stimulants banned in athletic competition pursuant to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code. Based on such results, UFC officials decided that Tanaka had violated his promotional agreement and the UFC Fighter Conduct Policy. Accepting the accuracy of the test result, Tanaka has admitted to taking over-the-counter allergy medication prior to the fight, likely causing the positive result, and acknowledges the illegal substances were in his system. Consequently, Tanaka agreed to a nine-month suspension from unarmed combat competition. He must pass a drug test at the conclusion of his suspension in order to return to competition. Tanaka will also forfeit his Fight of the Night bonus he earned at the event. [Ed. note: Zyrtec just cost this dude $50,000. Ouch.]

The UFC organization has always been a leader when it comes to testing for performance-enhancing drugs in combat sports. All UFC athletes know they are subject to drug testing by an applicable state athletic commission, an international governing federation, or by an independent laboratory contracted by the UFC when no regulatory body is overseeing the event. In those cases where regulatory oversight is unavailable, UFC voluntarily chooses to adhere to the highest level of athlete health and safety protocols similar to if the event were being held in the state of Nevada.

Nine months without Michinori Tanaka? Will MMA even survive?

Related: ‘UFC on FUEL 8? Drug Tests Nail Alex Caceres (Marijuana) and Riki Fukuda (Stimulants)

Video: Mark Hunt Knocks Out Roy Nelson at UFC Fight Night 52

(Props: Dizz)

Mark Hunt knocked out Roy Nelson in the second round of their UFC Fight Night 52 main event, earlier today in Saitama, Japan. You can see an alternate angle here. Hunt’s right uppercut and celebratory walk-off were eerily similar to his finish of Chris Tuchscherer in February 2011.

Nelson has a famously durable chin and had only been KO’d once before — by Andrei Arlovski six years ago — which just proves how much deceptive power Hunt carries in those fists of his. Full UFC Fight Night 52 results are after the jump…


(Props: Dizz)

Mark Hunt knocked out Roy Nelson in the second round of their UFC Fight Night 52 main event, earlier today in Saitama, Japan. You can see an alternate angle here. Hunt’s right uppercut and celebratory walk-off were eerily similar to his finish of Chris Tuchscherer in February 2011.

Nelson has a famously durable chin and had only been KO’d once before — by Andrei Arlovski six years ago — which just proves how much deceptive power Hunt carries in those fists of his. Full UFC Fight Night 52 results are after the jump…

Main Card
Mark Hunt* def. Roy Nelson via KO, 3:00 of round 2
Myles Jury def. Takanori Gomi via TKO, 1:32 of round 1
Yoshihiro Akiyama def. Amir Sadollah via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
Miesha Tate def. Rin Nakai via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28)
Kiichi Kunimoto def. Richard Walsh via split decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)
Kyoji Horiguchi def. Jon Delos Reyes via TKO, 3:48 of round 1

Preliminary Card
Masanori Kanehara def. Alex Caceres via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
Katsunori Kikuno def. Sam Sicilia via submission (rear naked choke), 1:38 of round 2
Hyun Gyu Lim def. Takenori Sato via TKO, 1:18 of round 1
Kyung Ho Kang def. Michinori Tanaka via split decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)**
Johnny Case* def. Kazuki Tokudome via submission (guillotine choke), 2:34 of round 2
Maximo Blanco def. Daniel Hooker via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

* Earned a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus

** Both fighters earned $50,000 Fight of the Night bonuses

‘UFC Fight Night 52: Hunt vs. Nelson’ Weigh-In Results and Videos — Hunt Makes Weight!

(Tate vs. Nakai and Hunt vs. Nelson — the only weigh-ins you really care about. Complete UFC Fight Night 52 weigh-in video is after the jump.)

Mark Hunt had us nervous yesterday, but he — and everyone else — successfully made weight earlier today for UFC Fight Night 52 in Saitama, Japan. Hunt hit the scales at 264 pounds, which means he cut a full twenty pounds in the 24 hours prior to weigh-ins. (Our sources tell us that he’s already rehydrated up to 385.)

Also, Rin Nakai walked to the scale in some sort of samurai-hooker costume, then stripped it off to reveal an American flag/Superman bikini top. I was hoping for something tentacle-related, but whaddya gonna do. Full “Hunt vs. Nelson” weigh-in results are below…

Main Card (Fight Pass, 3 a.m. ET / 12 a.m. PT)
Mark Hunt (264) vs. Roy Nelson (260)
Myles Jury (156) vs. Takanori Gomi (155)
Yoshihiro Akiyama (170) vs. Amir Sadollah (170)
Miesha Tate (135) vs. Rin Nakai (135)
Kiichi Kunimoto (171) vs. Richard Walsh (171)
Kyoji Horiguchi (125) vs. Jon delos Reyes (125)

Preliminary Card (Fight Pass, 12:30 a.m. ET / 9:30 p.m. PT)
Alex Caceres (135) vs. Masanori Kanehara (135)
Katsunori Kikuno (146) vs. Sam Sicilia (145)
Hyun Gyu Lim (171) vs. Takenori Sato (169)
Michinori Tanaka (135) vs. Kyung Ho Kang (136)
Kazuki Tokudome (155) vs. Johnny Case (156)
Maximo Blanco (146) vs. Daniel Hooker (145)


(Tate vs. Nakai and Hunt vs. Nelson — the only weigh-ins you really care about. Complete UFC Fight Night 52 weigh-in video is after the jump.)

Mark Hunt had us nervous yesterday, but he — and everyone else — successfully made weight earlier today for UFC Fight Night 52 in Saitama, Japan. Hunt hit the scales at 264 pounds, which means he cut a full twenty pounds in the 24 hours prior to weigh-ins. (Our sources tell us that he’s already rehydrated up to 385.)

Also, Rin Nakai walked to the scale in some sort of samurai-hooker costume, then stripped it off to reveal an American flag/Superman bikini top. I was hoping for something tentacle-related, but whaddya gonna do. Full “Hunt vs. Nelson” weigh-in results are below…

Main Card (Fight Pass, 3 a.m. ET / 12 a.m. PT)
Mark Hunt (264) vs. Roy Nelson (260)
Myles Jury (156) vs. Takanori Gomi (155)
Yoshihiro Akiyama (170) vs. Amir Sadollah (170)
Miesha Tate (135) vs. Rin Nakai (135)
Kiichi Kunimoto (171) vs. Richard Walsh (171)
Kyoji Horiguchi (125) vs. Jon delos Reyes (125)

Preliminary Card (Fight Pass, 12:30 a.m. ET / 9:30 p.m. PT)
Alex Caceres (135) vs. Masanori Kanehara (135)
Katsunori Kikuno (146) vs. Sam Sicilia (145)
Hyun Gyu Lim (171) vs. Takenori Sato (169)
Michinori Tanaka (135) vs. Kyung Ho Kang (136)
Kazuki Tokudome (155) vs. Johnny Case (156)
Maximo Blanco (146) vs. Daniel Hooker (145)

Report: Mark Hunt Still Has to Cut 19 Pounds Before Tomorrow’s UFC Fight Night 52 Weigh-Ins


(“They said I was too fat to fight Roy Nelson. That’s when I knew I had a problem.” / Photo via Getty)

I don’t mean to alarm you, but we might have another “Renan Barao hitting his head while getting out of the tub“-type situation on our hands. An unnamed UFC source told Yahoo!’s Kevin Iole that UFC Fight Night 52 headliner Mark Hunt weighed 284 pounds today — a full 19 pounds above the heavyweight limit of 265. Weigh-ins are tomorrow at 4 p.m. Tokyo time. Holy crap.

Iole also mentions that Hunt “began his training camp at an astounding 340 pounds,” although that part of the Yahoo! article is linked to a dead page, so who even knows. Maybe Mark Hunt is trolling us. Maybe Kevin Iole is trolling us, which wouldn’t be the first time.

During his stint in the UFC, Hunt’s weight has floated between 261 pounds (before his UFC 135 decision win against Ben Rothwell in 2011) and 266 pounds (before his UFC on FUEL 8 TKO of Stefan Struve in 2013). Usually, being a heavyweight MMA fighter means you can only eat double-cheeseburgers on the day before weigh-ins, rather than your normal triple-cheeseburgers. A lot of cheat days on the schedule, is what I’m saying. But if Hunt was really coming down from 340, my God, that’s even worse than McCorkle. What happened, dude?

We’ll update you as we know more.


(“They said I was too fat to fight Roy Nelson. That’s when I knew I had a problem.” / Photo via Getty)

I don’t mean to alarm you, but we might have another “Renan Barao hitting his head while getting out of the tub“-type situation on our hands. An unnamed UFC source told Yahoo!’s Kevin Iole that UFC Fight Night 52 headliner Mark Hunt weighed 284 pounds today — a full 19 pounds above the heavyweight limit of 265. Weigh-ins are tomorrow at 4 p.m. Tokyo time. Holy crap.

Iole also mentions that Hunt “began his training camp at an astounding 340 pounds,” although that part of the Yahoo! article is linked to a dead page, so who even knows. Maybe Mark Hunt is trolling us. Maybe Kevin Iole is trolling us, which wouldn’t be the first time.

During his stint in the UFC, Hunt’s weight has floated between 261 pounds (before his UFC 135 decision win against Ben Rothwell in 2011) and 266 pounds (before his UFC on FUEL 8 TKO of Stefan Struve in 2013). Usually, being a heavyweight MMA fighter means you can only eat double-cheeseburgers on the day before weigh-ins, rather than your normal triple-cheeseburgers. A lot of cheat days on the schedule, is what I’m saying. But if Hunt was really coming down from 340, my God, that’s even worse than McCorkle. What happened, dude?

We’ll update you as we know more.

Miesha Tate vs. Rin Nakai UFC Promo: ‘Fighting Queens’

(props: UFC on YouTube)

Outside of the Mark Hunt vs Roy Nelson main event, the most compelling matchup at this Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 52 event in Saitama might be Miesha Tate vs. Rin Nakai — a meeting between an American former title contender and an undefeated Japanese mythical creature best known for semi-nude baking. The oddsmakers have Tate (rightly) pegged as a strong -240 favorite, but with the burly Nakai enjoying home-field advantage, it’s hard to count her out completely.

This “Fighting Queens” promo gives us a closer look at Nakai’s backstory, judo prowess, and training environment, and reveals her as a humble competitor who welcomes the challenge of representing Japanese women in the Octagon. As her trainer Fumio Usami puts it: “In order to make MMA really take off in Japan, I think a Japanese fighter needs to win. I think it’s important that Rin Nakai wins.”

Also, some random pervy dude takes photos of Miesha Tate and her friend at a shrine or something. Check it out.


(props: UFC on YouTube)

Outside of the Mark Hunt vs Roy Nelson main event, the most compelling matchup at this Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 52 event in Saitama might be Miesha Tate vs. Rin Nakai — a meeting between an American former title contender and an undefeated Japanese mythical creature best known for semi-nude baking. The oddsmakers have Tate (rightly) pegged as a strong -240 favorite, but with the burly Nakai enjoying home-field advantage, it’s hard to count her out completely.

This “Fighting Queens” promo gives us a closer look at Nakai’s backstory, judo prowess, and training environment, and reveals her as a humble competitor who welcomes the challenge of representing Japanese women in the Octagon. As her trainer Fumio Usami puts it: “In order to make MMA really take off in Japan, I think a Japanese fighter needs to win. I think it’s important that Rin Nakai wins.”

Also, some random pervy dude takes photos of Miesha Tate and her friend at a shrine or something. Check it out.

Watch This Amazing Japanese Promo For ‘UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Nelson’, And Shed a Tear for the Way Things Used to Be

The Japanese MMA scene lies cold in the ground, leaving us only with fond memories of PRIDE’s pageantry and DREAM’s cartoonish promo videos. And yet, there is hope.

On September 20th, UFC Fight Night 52: Hunt vs. Nelson pops off at the Saitama Super Arena, and it’s (tentatively) loaded with so many MMA legends, wild personalities, and physical behemoths that it almost feels like the lineup to a PRIDE New Year’s Eve card. And so, a YouTube hero named PrideDream2013 has made a 27-minute extended trailer previewing some the bouts and fighters that have been confirmed for the event, and a few that haven’t yet.

Part 2 of the promo is after the jump, which focuses on Rin Nakai and Takanori Gomi. Check it out, and ask yourself: Wouldn’t it be nice if all UFC events were promoted like this?

The Japanese MMA scene lies cold in the ground, leaving us only with fond memories of PRIDE’s pageantry and DREAM’s cartoonish promo videos. And yet, there is hope.

On September 20th, UFC Fight Night 52: Hunt vs. Nelson pops off at the Saitama Super Arena, and it’s (tentatively) loaded with so many MMA legends, wild personalities, and physical behemoths that it almost feels like the lineup to a PRIDE New Year’s Eve card. And so, a YouTube hero named PrideDream2013 has made a 27-minute extended trailer previewing some the bouts and fighters that have been confirmed for the event, and a few that haven’t yet.

Part 2 of the promo is after the jump, which focuses on Rin Nakai and Takanori Gomi. Check it out, and ask yourself: Wouldn’t it be nice if all UFC events were promoted like this?