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Brock Lesnar’s MMA future remains uncertain, but the results of his doping case no longer are.
The former UFC heavyweight champion was suspended one year by USADA for failing two drug tests in relation to UFC 200 in July, the UFC’s anti-doping partner announced Wednesday in a press release. Lesnar is eligible to return to the Octagon on July 15, 2017, one year after his provisional USADA suspension began.
I know, I know, we’ve heard this before... and even before that. But this time he really means it.
We think.
Mirko Filipovic, 42, who rose to power under the PRIDE FC banner over a decade ago, recaptured some of that former glory by winning the RIZIN FF open-weight grand prix last weekend in Saitama, Japan.
That’s what we call leaving on a high note.
“That was definitely my last tournament. I have health problems and this is definitely the end of my career,” Cro Cop told Nova TV (via Croatia Week). “I know I have announced my retirement before, but this is definitely it.”
Filipovic (35-11-2) retires on the strength of a seven-fight winning streak.
Ryan Bader has yet to ink a new contract with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) after he opted to fight out his existing deal rather than sign an extension last year.
A move that proved to be the right one for "Darth," knocking out Antonio Rogerio Nogueira last November to secure his second straight win, seven of eight overall. Whether or not that equates to big bucks for Bader, remains to be seen. One thing is certain, though, if his longtime employers don't pay him, he'll gladly go to a company that will.
Bellator MMA included, as he recent told Flo Combat.
A former UFC heavyweight is being accused of kneeing his girlfriend in the head, dragging her by the hair, and threatening to kill her 10-year-old son, per a police report obtained Tuesday by MMA Fighting.
Johny Hendricks' days of fighting at welterweight are about to come to an end.
Hendricks, who failed to make the 171-pound limit on Thursday, prior to tonight's UFC 207 fight against Neil Magny, told MMAFighting.com that he's not going to cut to welterweight anymore.
"I'm done fighting at welterweight," he said, just hours before the fight. "Unless they open up a 175-pound division, I'm moving up to middleweight."
Johny Hendricks’ struggles on the scale continue.
The former UFC welterweight champion missed weight once again on Thursday at UFC 207’s early morning weigh-ins. Hendricks weighed in at 173.5 pounds for his 170-pound contest against Neil Magny — 2.5 pounds over the division’s limit.
The UFC’s final event of 2016 will reportedly double as the final broadcast for Mike Goldberg. Following a report from EntImports, MMA Fighting’s Luke Thomas confirmed on Wednesday that Goldberg will depart the company following this Friday’s UFC 207: Nunes vs. Rousey pay-per-view in Las Vegas, Nevada. There has been no official comment made by the UFC.
Josh Barnett’s issues with banned substances continue.
The former UFC heavyweight champion failed an out-of-competition drug test stemming from a Dec. 9 screening, the UFC announced Tuesday. Barnett has been flagged by USADA and is facing a UFC anti-doping violation.
Cain Velasquez will not be licensed to fight at UFC 207.
The Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) has pulled Velasquez from his bout with Fabricio Werdum on the Dec. 30 card in Las Vegas, commission executive director Bob Bennett confirmed Saturday with MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani. The situation follows Velasquez telling ESPN.com last week that pain from a back and leg injury, which requires surgery, is so bad that he has been using cannabidiol oil to remedy it during training camp.
"Based on the medical records, interviews with Mr. Velasquez and best judgment of our chairman, chief representatives, executive director and physicians, and to protect the health and safety of the fighter, we've determined Mr. Velasquez is unfit to fight,” Bennett told Helwani.
ESPN was the first to report Velasquez’s inability to get licensed to compete.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight champion Conor McGregor, who also held gold at 145 pounds before relinquishing that title to Jose Aldo, is no stranger to the welterweight division.
“Notorious” made two trips north to fight Nate Diaz.
The power-punching Irishman was subbed by Diaz at UFC 196 — because the savage Stocktonite was clearly three times his size — but was able to battle back and capture a unanimous decision win in their UFC 202 rematch.
That makes them tied at one apiece.
So, when can mixed martial arts (MMA) fans expect their highly-anticipated rubber match? Never, according to promotion president Dana White, because fighting a MASSIVE guy like Diaz could be a career killer.
The UFC’s decision to leave Invicta FC champ Cristiane Justino out of the promotion’s first title fight at the newly-created women’s 145-pound division raised some eyebrows.
Now, in light of Justino’s possible U.S. Anti-Doping Agency violation, it just looks like they dodged a bullet. At least that seems to be the sentiment for UFC president Dana White, who spoke to TMZ approximately 30 minutes after hearing the news.
Cris Cyborg did not test positive for a performance-enhancing drug.
The top UFC female fighter said in a statement Thursday on Facebook that her failed USADA drug test was due to a diuretic called spironolactone. USADA spokesperson Ryan Madden confirmed that Cyborg did indeed test positive for that drug, which is banned in- and out-of-competition under the UFC’s anti-doping policy and the WADA Code.
A diuretic is considered a specified substance in the UFC’s anti-doping policy, which means Cyborg is facing at least a one-year suspension from USADA.
The UFC announced on Thursday that the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) notified Cris Cyborg of a potential violation stemming from an out-of-competition drug test administered on Dec. 5.
Cyborg, who is one of the most tested UFC fighters in the USADA era, talked briefly to MMA Fighting after the promotion made the announcement.
The Brazilian fighter declined to reveal which substance she popped up for, but said that it was something to recover from her recent brutal weight cut for UFC Fight Night 95 on Sept. 24, when she defeated Lina Lansberg.
Velasquez recently told ESPN that he will be undergo surgery five days after the fight to correct a lingering health issue.
It’s a pain that also forced him out of his previous scheduled fight with "Vai Cavalo" at UFC 196 earlier this year.
Pulling out this time around was not an option for Velasquez. That’s the reason Velasquez turned to Cannabidiol (CBD) — one of the compounds that makes up cannabis — to help ease the pain. As of now, CBD is not prohibited by United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), so he can take it with a clear mind ... though he intends to ease up come fight week.
Gegard Mousasi is apparently getting tired of the polite approach to his fighting career.
At 31 years old and with a four-fight winning streak in his back pocket, Mousasi continues to implement an outspoken strategy to booking his next fight.
Today, Mousasi asked former UFC middleweight champ Chris Weidman why he “disappeared” since receiving a verbal offer from the promotion.
A former UFC fighter was arrested on domestic violence charges Sunday.
Cody East, recently released by the promotion, was taken into custody in Albuquerque, N.M., on three separate charges: aggravated battery against a household member, false imprisonment, and aggravated assault against a household member, per jail records.
He was being held at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center on $30,000 bail as of Sunday night.
The MMA Fighters Association started up nearly a decade ago. The Professional Fighters Association kicked off in August. And last week, the MMA Athletes Association launched via a conference call with significant buzz.
All the groups want to represent the interest of fighters against promoters. Most have similar goals, though there are many conflicts on how to achieve them. The MMAFA and MMAAA are associations, while the PFA is a prospective union.
On Wednesday, a group of lawyers representing fighters in an antitrust case (many of whom are in the MMAFA) against the UFC sent a cease-and-desist letter to the MMAAA. The MMAAA responded with a statement hours later.
The MMAFA and PFA have been at odds, too, on social media. The conflict between the groups have been public. And none of that is good news for the fighters, according to PFA founder Jeff Borris.
UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor once wished the Nevada State Athletic Commission luck in trying to get a $150,000 fine from him. Now he’ll see them in court.
According to the Clark County (Nevada) civil court records, McGregor has filed a petition for judicial review naming NSAC Executive Director Bob Bennett and the NSAC as respondents.
Bennett did not immediately respond to a request for comment from MMAjunkie. A hearing date has yet to be scheduled.
