The UFC’s first event in New York City is finally set to go down on November 12, 2016 when the long-awaited UFC 205 pay-per-view (PPV) card hits the airwaves. While it’s too early for the promotion to make any fights official for the big-time card, you can expect the biggest names in the game to
The UFC’s first event in New York City is finally set to go down on November 12, 2016 when the long-awaited UFC 205 pay-per-view (PPV) card hits the airwaves.
While it’s too early for the promotion to make any fights official for the big-time card, you can expect the biggest names in the game to be in ‘The Big Apple’ for the colossal event.
There’s little doubting that the promotion wants to have both Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey involved if possible, and there are also some New York-born stars that they definitely want involved as well.
So how about we help Dana White and UFC brass out and start fantasy booking what could be the biggest card of the year? Here are the best matches to make for UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden.
You got USADA’d! ‘The Count’ blasts Yoel Romero and Lyoto Machida, and also reveals his title shot hopes after UFC 199… UFC middleweight contender Michael Bisping has hovered around the top of the 185-pound division for years now. The brash British banger has fought the truly elite of the division, including five former or future
You got USADA’d! ‘The Count’ blasts Yoel Romero and Lyoto Machida, and also reveals his title shot hopes after UFC 199…
UFC middleweight contender Michael Bisping has hovered around the top of the 185-pound division for years now. The brash British banger has fought the truly elite of the division, including five former or future UFC or Pride FC champions during his 10-year tenure for the promotion, but has never quite been able to break in to the much coveted title fight. In terms of fighting fighters with chequered pasts in relation to performance enhancing drugs, Bisping has been there and got the t-shirt too.
Wanderlei Silva (alleged, fled a NSAC drug test), Vitor Belfort, Chael Sonnen, Anderson Silva, Chris Leben and Cung Le (later cleared) are all fighters with failed steroid tests (aside from the otherwise stated) that have fought Bisping over the years. When talking about his losses to Belfort and Sonnen, these were truly costly in his chances of a title fight at the time, making his run of victories in the UFC recently all the more impressive.
For the first time in five years, Bisping has strung together consecutive wins, racking up three straight including the biggest victory of his entire career. Facing former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva in a thrilling February encounter, ‘The Count’ claimed the former pound-for-pound king’s scalp with the unanimous decision in London. Since then, with wins over Thales Leites and CB Dolloway in mind too, the talk has once again turned to the championship picture for Bisping.
With USADA (United States Anti Doping Agency) now keeping a close eye on the state of play in MMA and the UFC, we are seeing fighters finally breaking through in multiple divisions. Is this just a case of co-incidence? Perhaps, or maybe with less enhancements for certain fighters in training we are just seeing the true cream starting to rise to the top.
Which brings us to the subject of Yoel Romero and Lyoto Machida…
Talk all the time centers around Jon Jones moving to heavyweight for “dream” fights with Fabricio Werdum or Cain Velasquez.
But what about if a middleweight – not Chris Weidman or Luke Rockhold – moved up to challenge Jones?
Jones, a former stan…
Talk all the time centers around Jon Jones moving to heavyweight for “dream” fights with Fabricio Werdum or Cain Velasquez.
But what about if a middleweight – not Chris Weidman or Luke Rockhold – moved up to challenge Jones?
Jones, a former standout wrestler at the junior college level, would have a hard time with the mat skills of ex-Olympian Yoel Romero.
Now, before you start thinking about it, the prospects are slim of that bout happening – unless you can make a stop at Jackson-Wink MMA in New Mexico. It appears as if Romero, who was recently given a six-month suspension, is heading to the gym to help prepare Jones for his bout with Ovince Saint Preux at UFC 197.
Jones and Romero are managed by the same firm, which makes sense that they would help each other out.
Things can get heated on Twitter. Yoel Romero found that out the hard way thanks to UFC middleweight Michael Bisping. Romero (11-1) was informed on January 12th, 2016 that he potentially tested positive for a failed drug test taken out-of-competition. His team insisted that it was due to a tainted supplement that caused him to
Things can get heated on Twitter. Yoel Romero found that out the hard way thanks to UFC middleweight Michael Bisping.
Romero (11-1) was informed on January 12th, 2016 that he potentially tested positive for a failed drug test taken out-of-competition. His team insisted that it was due to a tainted supplement that caused him to fail his USADA test, however, and the supplement was indeed found to have had the incriminating substance in it despite not listing it on the label.
USADA announced on Monday that Romero has accepted a 6-month sanction for an anti-doping policy violation after testing positive for a prohibited substance from a contaminated supplement.
Bisping got wind of this and took at shot at Romero via social media:
“Tainted supplement? 6 months? That’s no suspension. He could have killed somebody. What was the supplement? No mention of it. Come on.”
Michael Bisping has been on a crusade to “call-out” any UFC fighter that uses illegal drugs or supplements.
Yoel Romero, a top contender in the middleweight division with Bisping, was recently suspended for six months by the USADA after the two side…
Michael Bisping has been on a crusade to “call-out” any UFC fighter that uses illegal drugs or supplements.
Yoel Romero, a top contender in the middleweight division with Bisping, was recently suspended for six months by the USADA after the two sides reached an agreement. Romero claimed it was a tainted supplement that led to his failed drug test.
Yoel Romero’s UFC career will resume later this year, as the fighter has agreed to a six-month suspension from the USADA.
Romero (11-1) failed a test for a banned substance following his UFC 194 victory over Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. The win, his seventh inside the Octagon, likely positioned the former Olympic wrestler for a shot at the UFC middleweight title.
Instead, he will sit on the sidelines through the first six months of 2015.
Below is the complete statement from the USADA:
“Romero’s period of ineligibility began on January 12, 2016, the date on which he was provisionally suspended from competition. Because USADA was able to confirm, based on a negative fight night test result, that Romero’s use of the contaminated supplement began after he competed at UFC 194 on December 12, 2015, his competitive results from that event were not disqualified.
‘This case clearly demonstrates some of the dangers inherent to supplement use,’ said USADA’s Special Advisor on Drugs and Supplements, Dr. Amy Eichner. ‘When considering whether to incorporate supplements into a training plan, it is vitally important that athletes exercise the upmost care in order to avoid making a decision that could endanger their eligibility, reputation or general health and wellness.’
Yoel Romero’s UFC career will resume later this year, as the fighter has agreed to a six-month suspension from the USADA.
Romero (11-1) failed a test for a banned substance following his UFC 194 victory over Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. The win, his seventh inside the Octagon, likely positioned the former Olympic wrestler for a shot at the UFC middleweight title.
Instead, he will sit on the sidelines through the first six months of 2015.
Below is the complete statement from the USADA:
“Romero’s period of ineligibility began on January 12, 2016, the date on which he was provisionally suspended from competition. Because USADA was able to confirm, based on a negative fight night test result, that Romero’s use of the contaminated supplement began after he competed at UFC 194 on December 12, 2015, his competitive results from that event were not disqualified.
‘This case clearly demonstrates some of the dangers inherent to supplement use,’ said USADA’s Special Advisor on Drugs and Supplements, Dr. Amy Eichner. ‘When considering whether to incorporate supplements into a training plan, it is vitally important that athletes exercise the upmost care in order to avoid making a decision that could endanger their eligibility, reputation or general health and wellness.’
