UFC 132 Preview: Ryan Bader Says He Expects to Face "The Best Tito Ortiz"

It is no secret that Ryan Bader has been eager to square off against Tito Ortiz this weekend at UFC 132. The UFC light heavyweight prospect, who is coming off a loss to Jon Jones at UFC 126, will be looking to reenter contention and it wouldn’t be more…

It is no secret that Ryan Bader has been eager to square off against Tito Ortiz this weekend at UFC 132. The UFC light heavyweight prospect, who is coming off a loss to Jon Jones at UFC 126, will be looking to reenter contention and it wouldn’t be more fitting to earn the victory over a legend like Ortiz.

Bader spoke to Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting,com following the UFC 132 pre-fight press conference, and spoke highly of his opponent. Although “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” has yet to win inside the Octagon since 2006, Bader expects Ortiz to put on a competitive fight against him and put on a good performance.  

“I expect to face the best Tito Ortiz that’s ever came out and fought,” Bader said. 

“A lot of people aren’t giving him the credit he deserves and I sure do, and I trained my butt off for this fight and I’m ready for the best Tito Ortiz that has ever come out.”

Bader is not only ready for Ortiz, but he is prepared for what Ortiz’s gameplan is. A gameplan that Bader seems to have figured out after reviewing some of his opponent’s past fights.

“In the first two minutes, he’s trying to bully you, trying to land punches, trying to maybe land a takedown, push you on the fence. I believe that’s gonna’ happen and I’m going to throw my hands at that point and he’s going to start tiring out a little bit,” he said of Ortiz.

UFC 132 is live this weekend, live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

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MMA: Is TRT Becoming the Default Excuse for Cheating in MMA?

I’m going to do something in this article I once thought I’d never do.I’m going to agree with BJ Penn.Recently, the pride of Hilo took to Twitter to vent his frustration about the Nate Marquardt/TRT scandal. In his usual measured, dip…

I’m going to do something in this article I once thought I’d never do.

I’m going to agree with BJ Penn.

Recently, the pride of Hilo took to Twitter to vent his frustration about the Nate Marquardt/TRT scandal. In his usual measured, diplomatic style, Penn explained that the recent rash of TRT (Testosterone Replacement Therapy) cases in MMA was, in his educated opinion, “B.S.”

Amen, brotha (editor’s note: the author of this article is not BJ Penn’s “brotha” in either the biological or Hulkamaniac sense of the word).

It was a little surprising to find myself siding with the vitriolic Hawaiian. I remember the last time Penn made so public an outcry—the seemingly endless BJ/GSP “Greasegate” fiasco—I spent pretty much the whole time doing this.

It was just a three-month long biblical rain of facepalms. It sucked.

Yet here I am, shaking my clenched fist of indignant rage right alongside him.

Maybe it’s because I’m starting to feel like I’m caught in MMA “Groundhog Day” every time another fighter gets busted for having enough testosterone in their system to fuel a high school basketball team.

The script reads something like this: suspicions are raised after Fighter X takes a piss test that melts the Daisy cup (or whatever) faster then a lougie from this guy. Fighter X breaks out the violin to tell one of the two default excuse stories for steroids in MMA.

The first story revolves around Fighter X somehow not knowing that one of the many “supplements” he grinds into his morning bowl of Wheaties each day contains enough testosterone to kill a Centaur.

The second story—and the one that has become the du jour favorite—usually starts with a heart-wrenching story about misspent puberty’s, failing personal lives and the all-important symptom of “not feeling like myself” lead Fighter X to seek out medical advice.

Usually, this comes from a trench coat wearing “doctor” who’s degree is neatly scribbled on the back of a napkin from Harvey’s (which also doubles as his office).

The problem? Low testosterone levels, of course! The solution? Some nice, totally legal, medically approved shots of liquid cheating in your left ass cheek, stat!

Am I being cheeky here (OK, pun intended)? Of course I am.

Yet in both Chael Sonnen’s case and Nate Marquardt’s (the two most recent high profile cases of TRT in MMA) there is considerable suspicion to be cast on their respective physicians.

In Marquardt’s case, his application was all wrapped up except for the minor problem of his doctor being not USADA approved and being reg-flagged in the state of New Jersey. Whoops.

In Chael Sonnen’s case, well, he brought this guy to his CSAC hearing. This guy didn’t bring an M.D.

Let me be clear: I don’t mean to completely discredit the millions of people who take TRT for sound, medically justifiable reasons.

I just find it hard to believe so many of those millions chose to pursue Mixed Martial Arts as a career path.

Look at Chael Sonnen, possibly MMA’s most (in)famous TRT case. The normally abrasive Sonnen told quite a sad story when he was dragged in front of the CSAC to explain why he had taken testosterone in advance of his UFC 117 fight with Anderson Silva.

Rather then go with the obvious reason (“Because I was fighting Anderson freakin’ Silva, and I didn’t think I could smuggle a baseball bat or a .44 Magnum int the Octagon in m trunks”), Sonnen broke into a long soliloquy about non-functioning gonads and critically low testosterone and a non-existent puberty and the challenges of living with a disability.

Never mind the fact that while Chael was battling this debilitating handicap, he was also winning high school, state and national wrestling championships.

Quite a feat for a man who needed a doctor’s needle to even achieve “normal” levels of testosterone, wouldn’t you say?

Or what about Shane Carwin, a teammate of Marquardt’s at Grudge Training Centre and a man who looks like someone stretched Bruce Banner’s skin over The Hulk’s body. A federal investigation revealed Carwin once had equine growth hormone (yeah, horse steroids) mailed to his house.

Carwin recently said there was “nothing to comment on” in regards to those now year-long steroid allegations. He then stuck his fingers in his ears, stuck out his tongue at Ariel Helwani, and ran away shouting, “La la la la! I can’t hear you!”

And then there’s Marquardt himself, who to his credit has been much more forthcoming and remorseful then either Carwin or Sonnen.

I want to believe his sad tale of failing marriage and lost energy and the dreaded “not feeling like himself”. I do. I really do.

But then I remember his 2005 suspension for PED use and his use of the tried and true “Story A” (the supplements in the Wheaties one) to explain away the infraction. I remember his post-fight scrap with Renzo Gracie in Pancrase, his attempt to piledrive Thales Leites and the accusations of greasing from Rousimar Palhares.

And it all adds up to a plate full of excuses and half-truths I don’t think I can swallow.

You know the old adage about where there’s smoke, there’s fire? Well right now Nate Marquardt’s house is billowing smoke from every door, window and crack, while he stands out front trying to tell people that he merely left the cake in the oven too long. Again.

It almost makes me respect Josh Barnett, MMA’s most despised PED user, for the audacity and the—can I call it honesty?—of his “excuse.”

His explanation (to the extent he even has one) pretty much boils down to, “Yeah, maybe I took steroids. Maybe not. Maybe f**k yourself.” Blunt. Unremorseful. Real.

It beats the multitude of fighters who are pissing in fans ears and telling them it’s rain. Or to use a more fitting analogy, are leaking chemical whatever into commission approved testing cups and telling them it’s piss.

I won’t get into the morality or “rightness” of PED use, which is a whole discussion in and of itself. If we’re going to outlaw them, and react with anger and disappointment as fans when someone gets caught using (which we always do, don’t lie) then we need to not be satisfied with the same lame excuse—or worse, no excuse at all—time after time.

Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, well, better blame your non-functioning gonads.

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UFC Rumor: Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman in “Deep Talks” with WWE

Former UFC champion Brock Lesnar may be back sooner than we first expected—but it might actually be with a former employer, the WWE. Long-time pro wrestling reporter Dave Meltzer wrote today in the Wrestling Observer that Lesnar has  “…

Former UFC champion Brock Lesnar may be back sooner than we first expected—but it might actually be with a former employer, the WWE. Long-time pro wrestling reporter Dave Meltzer wrote today in the Wrestling Observer that Lesnar has  “either made a deal or at least [is] in very serious negotiations to have a business relationship […]

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UFC Rumor: Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman in “Deep Talks” with WWE

UFC 132: Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber Fight for Future of MMA

UFC 132 is nearly upon us, and with so many great matches on tap, it’s tough to refrain from getting excited about the present without wondering what this weekend’s festivities mean for the future of MMA’s most popular circuit.In previous years, fights…

UFC 132 is nearly upon us, and with so many great matches on tap, it’s tough to refrain from getting excited about the present without wondering what this weekend’s festivities mean for the future of MMA‘s most popular circuit.

In previous years, fights involving Wanderlei Silva and Tito Ortiz would easily have carried the day, though current fans might only scoff at such antiquated names and wonder whether UFC president Dana White is partying like its 2003.

Nowadays, monikers like “The Axe Murderer” and “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” have made way for a new generation of budding superstars who have flooded the UFC’s ranks from other, smaller organizations that have either drifted to the margins or gone defunct entirely.

Among that batch of new blood are the two names adorning the marquee at the MGM Grand Garden Theater in Las Vegas—Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber.

The two became part of UFC back in October of 2010, when World Extreme Cagefighting merged with the UFC and brought along with it all of its fighters, including Cruz and Faber, who happened to be two of its top prospects.

Cruz, who is 17-1 in his MMA career coming into Saturday’s bout, has yet to fight since joining UFC, thereby making his rematch with Faber something of a first. At 5’8″ and 134.5 pounds, Cruz, a native of Tuscon, Arizona who now fights out of San Diego, California, tends to switch between boxing while on his feet and traditional wrestling when he’s grounded, and judging by his record, which includes six knockouts, the man known as “Dominator” has done quite well with it.

Faber, on the other hand, is slightly shorter, at 5’6″, but is almost identical in weight at 135 pounds, with significantly more fighting experience than his young challenger. “The California Kid” has emerged as a star for UFC since he defeated former WEC Bantanweight champion Eddie Wineland by unanimous decision in his UFC debut at UFC 128 back in March of this year.

The two former WEC fighters do have something of a history to fall back on in this bout. In March of 2007, Faber and Cruz fought as Featherweights, though truth be told, it wasn’t much of a fight at all. Faber forced Cruz into submission by guillotine choke at the 1:38 mark of the first round, thereby successfully defending his belt for the second time without even going into the second round.

So who’s to say the outcome will be any different this time around? What’s there to suggest that Faber won’t simply toss Cruz aside like yesterday’s news as he marches onward into UFC stardom? After all, this will mark the second time that Cruz will have faced Faber just after joining a new promotion company, as Faber was also Cruz’s first opponent after joining WEC.

And I’ve already told you how that one turned out.

However, to say so flatly that the result will be the same on Saturday simply because the circumstances are similar neglects the fact that Cruz hasn’t lost a match since that fateful day four years ago and would certainly deny that Cruz, now at 25, is a much more mature fighter just entering his prime, while Faber, albeit still considerably more experienced, would appear to be somewhere on the tail-end of his best years about to fade into the twilight of his career at 32 years of age.

If that were the case, then wouldn’t it make much more sense for UFC to promote Cruz as the next big thing, given his potential for greater longevity?

Sure, of course it does, but again, Cruz hasn’t even competed in a UFC fight yet, much less claimed victory in one, even though UFC was kind enough to promote Cruz to Bantamweight Champion after carrying over his belt from WEC. Thus, if Cruz proves his mettle against Faber at UFC 132, he’ll not only have exacted revenge for himself personally, but also established his brand in the UFC world professionally while defending a crown that he seemingly owns by default.

Then again, if Cruz loses, particularly in the rather rapid way in which he did last time, then the spotlight will shine that much brighter on Faber, who already has some prime face time in the television advertisement for UFC’s Personal Trainer video game for the XBOX 360 and won’t soon lose any luster if he adds the league’s Bantamweight Championship to his resume.

Either way, there will surely be at least one star borne from the slate of fights at UFC 132 this weekend. The question remains: Who’s it going to be? 

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Dana White Addresses Nate Marquardt Release & The Use Of Testosterone Therapy

MMA H.E.A.T.’s Karyn Bryant spoke with UFC President Dana White after the UFC 132 pre-fight press conference, and got his opinion on a number of topics: what he thinks of the Nate Marquardt situation, whether the UFC will initiate policies to govern testosterone replacement therapy and how he feels about being the “bad guy” in […]

Click here to view the embedded video.

MMA H.E.A.T.’s Karyn Bryant spoke with UFC President Dana White after the UFC 132 pre-fight press conference, and got his opinion on a number of topics: what he thinks of the Nate Marquardt situation, whether the UFC will initiate policies to govern testosterone replacement therapy and how he feels about being the “bad guy” in the situation. The two go on to discuss the UFC 132 main event between Champion Dominick Cruz and challenger Urijah Faber, and what that fight means in terms of the WEC’s absorbtion into the UFC. In addition, Dana discusses the possibility of a Masters Division in the UFC, and whether or not they will be persuing a television channel.

UFC 132 Preview: Trainer Rafael Cordeiro Says to "Never Doubt" Wanderlei Silva

As he prepares Wanderlei Silva for one of the biggest fights of his career at UFC 132, head coach Rafael Cordeiro knows how motivated the Brazilian is to return to the Octagon. While training Silva at Kings MMA, Cordeiro told TATAME.com he is impr…

As he prepares Wanderlei Silva for one of the biggest fights of his career at UFC 132, head coach Rafael Cordeiro knows how motivated the Brazilian is to return to the Octagon. 

While training Silva at Kings MMA, Cordeiro told TATAME.com he is impressed with Silva’s final preparations ahead of his bout.

“Wanderlei is ready and really strong since he hasn’t fought for a long time since he was injured. It’ll be a great bout because he’s coming back to his best shape and with no injuries on this final phase of the trainings,” Cordeiro said. 

Silva has not competed in the UFC since last year, when he defeated Michael Bisping at UFC 110. Following the bout, Silva suffered an injury that forced him to undergo surgery and remain inactive for the remainder of the year. 

Despite the long layoff, Cordeiro is confident in Silva’s training and preparations for Chris Leben, and he believes he will knockout his opponent.

“We can never doubt when it comes to Wanderlei,” he said regarding Silva’s knockout ability. 

“We know he can punch really hard, he’s fast and using his speed against Leben will give him a great advantage.”

UFC 132 will be live this Saturday night, from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

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