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Bruno Mars tranes UFC
Dana White: ‘I’m making all my boxing moves after this summer’
“What I don’t like what [boxing] is doing - how they’re not fighting the best guys out there right now. They have [Deontay] Wilder and [Tyson] Fury who just fought to a draw in an incredible fight that people loved. The rematch isn’t happening with those two, and neither one of those two are going to fight [Anthony] Joshua. These guys could do a round-robin fight, fight each other. You know, both guys could fight Joshua and they’d kill it. They’d make so much money and they would bring so much energy and life back to boxing. But these guys just keep shooting themselves in the foot. I am making all my boxing moves after this summer. When this summer is over, you’ll be hearing a lot about what I’m doing in the sport of boxing.” h/t BE • Watch on CNN
Walt Harris gets four-month USADA suspension for contaminated supplement
Harris, 35, tested positive for LGD-4033 as the result of an in-competition urine sample he provided on December 29, 2018 that was collected by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) at UFC 232 in Inglewood, Calif. Following notification of his positive test, Harris provided USADA with information about a dietary supplement product he was using before and at the time of the relevant sample collection. Although no prohibited substances were listed on the supplement label, analysis conducted on both the open and independently sourced, unopened containers of the product by the WADA-accredited laboratory in Salt Lake City, Utah, indicated that the product contained LGD-4033. The product has since been added to the list of high-risk supplements maintained on USADA’s online dietary supplement safety education and awareness resource – Supplement 411. Under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, the determination that an athlete’s positive test was caused by a contaminated product may result in a reduced sanction. Where contamination is established, the sanction for a doping offense involving a non-Specified Substance ranges from a reprimand and no period of ineligibility to a two-year period of ineligibility. h/t UFC.USADA.com
Kenny Florian names the UFC's toughest division
“You look at how damn good Max Holloway is, and how tough this warrior is, I think it’s further proof — and again call me biased because I spent the majority of my career at 155 lbs — but the lightweight division is the toughest division in the whole sport. There’s no question about it. You look at all the guys in that weight class, and you compare it to every other weight class, and how stacked it is. You look at all the 55’ers that have done tremendous at 170 lbs. As good as Max Holloway is, and he’s certainly one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, he did not beat Dustin Poirier. He just didn’t have enough to do it. And Dustin Poirier is one of five guys that could win that belt.” Sounds like a good time to start a 165 division. h/t BE • Listen to the Anik and Florian podcast
Firas Zahabi: Max Holloway made a 'poor choice' vs. Dustin Poirier at UFC 236
“Holloway fought blood and guts, he fought with his heart. So did Poirier, but he fought with heart and brains. He was just more strategic than Holloway. He was playing the game, whereas Holloway was trying to win with pure heart and grit. It was a poor choice. I thought he could have done better. He forgot to move his feet, he forgot to move his head, he forgot to parry. He forgot all these things. Why? Because he was too busy egging on Poirier to hit him. And Poirier was more than willing to hit him. He landed the more powerful strikes, the cleanest strikes, and Poirier was more defensively responsible. Let’s just be honest, at the end of the day, Holloway was defensively irresponsible. I love the guy and I admire him as a fighter. I think he’s one of the greats. He’s gonna go into the Hall of Fame. The man is a brilliant fighter. He just, in my opinion, got too much in the heat of battle. It happens to the best fighters. The man is a brilliant fighter, however, Dustin was strategically superior. I felt that Holloway was getting hit by the same shots and was not adjusting. He didn’t really kick too much, and I just feel like he was boxing with a really good boxer, where he should have been kicking and kneeing and elbowing.” h/t BE
UFC vet killed by Uber Driver in Brazil
28-year-old Rodrigo 'Monstro' Goiano de Lima was reportedly in an Uber with multiple other people on Sunday, when the driver demanded silence from one of the passengers. Things then turned physical and when the passengers exited the vehicle and headed for a gas station, and the driver ran over the fighter, killing him. De Lima was married, with two children A suspect has been identified in the killing. h/t OLiberal (Brazilian Portuguese)
Anderson Silva sees no asterisk by his or Jon Jones' name
”I don’t think so. Jon Jones and I went through difficult situations in this sport, and coming back from all those situations we lived is more than just loving what you [do], you have to be a really special person. I like him a lot, we always chat. I’m always giving him some of my experience about living in the fight world, behind the cameras and all that, and Jon Jones has everything to create a big history. He already has a big history in this sport and everything he has done for the sport is unquestionable. Of course that the things he ended up doing, that even I ended up doing, for decisions, sometimes flaws that we had no control, you end up paying the price for that. But we have to think about the good things. There were more good things than bad things. Jon Jones has my utmost respect and I’m sure he’s the absolute champion of this sport.” h/t MMA Fighting
Mounir Lazzez asks for a rematch after Brave 23 historic showdown, Eldarov says 'Let's do it'
Brave 23: Pride and Honor was a historic event, with KO of the year contenders, the emergence of stars including Khamzat Chimaev who gives every appearance of being the future of the sport, and the first world super lightweight title in MMA history, with Eldar Eldarov decisioning the previously undefeated Mounir Lazzez. 'The Sniper' wants a rematch: "Unfortunately, the fight didn't go my way, it was a hard, close battle and my opponent Eldar Eldarov edged it in the final round with the takedown. I want to congratulate him for winning and thank him for bringing it to the cage. This is a new weight class and in the Brave organization so I think it's right that we have a rematch. I feel the fight was close and we need a clear winner." The new champ is willing to oblige: "I wish you a fast recovery and I will be ready and waiting for you anytime. Ask Brave Combat Federation to provide us with a ready dance stage."
Zarrukh and DiBella win ISKA Championship at the MSG on Saturday
Combat at the Garden packed the house with great, great fights, as Lou Neglia returned to the place where he fought numerous times fighting, winning and defending his world the title. Lou and Artyom Sahakyan will be promoting two shows a year at MSG, providing fighters a platform to pursue their passion. Successful fighters from Battle of the Millennium, Combat at the Capital and ROC will have the opportunity to fight at the garden. "I want thank my staff and the numerous fights fans that came to the show and the talented camps who supported the event," said Lou. "All of the fighters gave it their best and when they left the ring regardless of the outcome, they had great moments and great memories for life fighting at the most famous arena in the world." The show streamed live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass, where you can now catch a replay.
Additional bouts announced for ONE: ENTER THE DRAGON in Singapore on 5/17
ONE Lightweight World Champion Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki vs. Christian “The Warrior” Lee • Dutch kickboxing superstar Nieky “The Natural” Holzken vs. countryman Regian “The Immortal” Eersel for the inaugural ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Championship • ONE Super Series 8-man Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix: Two-division Lumpinee Stadium World Champion Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy of Thailand vs. K-1 World Max Champion Giorgio “The Doctor” Petrosyan of Italy; two-division Lion Fight World Champion Smokin’ Jo Nattawut of Thailand vs. 2-time K-1 World Max Champion Andy “Souwer Power” Souwer of Amsterdam; Yodsanklai “The Hero” IWE Fairtex of Thailand vs. WBC and A1 Muay Thai World Champion Samy “AK47” Sana of France; 2-time TNA Kickboxing World Champion Dzhabar “Gengis Khan” Askerov of Russia vs. former K-1 World Champion Enriko “The Hurricane” Kehl of Germany • Sage Northcutt vs. Lion Fight Super Middleweight World Champion Cosmo “Good Boy” Alexandre • ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix semi finals - Costa Rica's Renzo Gracie black belt Ariel “Tarzan” Sexton vs. Turkey's former Russian national Wushu champion Saygid “Dagi” Guseyn Arslanaliev • Singaporean former ONE World Title contender Amir Khan vs. Iurie Lapicus of Italy • Submission grappling superstar Garry “The Lion Killer” Tonon vs. Yoshiki Nakahara of Japan at featherweight.
Rich Franklin: I wouldn't be a star in today's Trash Talk UFC
UFC Hall of Famer Rich Franklin rose to fame a charismatic, affable, even noble former high-school math teacher. Now a VP at ONE Championship, which enjoys a corporate culture markedly different than the UFC's tody, Franklin doesn't believe his personality would find stardom any longer in his old home: “The way I conducted myself then, no. I would have had to conduct myself in a different manner. I look at times when I could have done quote-unquote trash talk. And there’s a respectful way to create hype around a match. You don’t have to be disrespectful to people. You don’t have to talk about their families or be blatantly rude or whatever, shoving people on stage. There are ways to create hype around a match. ... I couldn’t imagine being a high-profile athlete that puts on this public persona that’s inconsistent with who I am and have to put my head on the pillow at night and have to reconcile with myself how that must feel." h/t MMA Fighting
Joseph Benavidez surprised it took USADA so long to catch former friend, teammate T.J. Dillashaw
“I wasn’t surprised at all that he finally got caught. There’s nothing I can really say that hasn’t already been said. I’m not gonna sit here and say the guy is this and that because if you look at the internet and everyone, it’s already been said. So there’s nothing worse you can say than what everyone already thinks, which I think is warranted. Everything that people are out there giving him, it’s 100 percent warranted for what he did. It just goes to show, there’s consequences for what you do and you can’t hide who you are forever. I’m surprised it took that long for him to get caught, and hid what he’s about this long. But you can’t hide that stuff forever. It’s great that it came out. There are consequences and if anything, I don’t think the consequences are that much. It’s not that bad. Get some surgeries. You got paid the day after the fight anyway. So it’s not like you’re getting suspended for the year. But like I said, it’s all the other things. All the disgrace and everything that is warranted, and maybe hurts more. Like I said ... you can’t hide that stuff forever.” h/t MMA Fighting • Watch MMA Junkie interview
Maycee Barber: PVZ won’t fight me - she ‘doesn’t want to have her face damaged’
“She doesn’t want to fight me, she doesn’t want to lose. She wants to keep building her name and getting wins under her. And this is a fight she could possibly lose — and she knows that. I think that’s why. Also, given my history in fights, I go to finish and I usually cut people up. She also doesn’t want to have her face damaged. Why her? Because she’s already said no and that’s a really good fight, you know? For me, anyway. I know that she doesn’t want to fight me. Last I checked, she was No. 14 in the division of the flyweights. And since we’re both in the flyweight division, I feel like it’s a good fight. She’s a high-paced fighter. She’s got skills and she’s very athletic. But I’m me and I go to finish. There’s one thing about being a fighter who is technically good and then there’s someone who has like a malicious intent to finish a fight and I possess that." h/t MMA Fighting • Watch The MMA Hour
Cris Cyborg: Knife on a plane
Uncle Creepy finds peace at last
Karate Hottie mom makes a rap video
Cyborg responds to Modafferi quip, gets agreement
UFC exec respectfully disagrees with Khabib that UFC not paying attention to Russian fighters
Senior VP of international and content David Shaw: “I think I would probably respectfully disagree with Khabib on that one. If you look at what we’ve done, look back, we opened up the office in Moscow … 10 months ago. And in even 10 months we’ve held an event with 23,000 people at Olimpiysky Stadium in Moscow and now here at Yubileyny, we’re averaging about 15,000 people. Throughout those times, we’ve had a considerable amount on the card that has been occupied by Russian and CIS athletes there was tonight at least one fighter in every fight, I think we might have had out of 22, maybe we had 11 fighters, 12 fighters of Russian, CIS descent. The amount of marketing and promotion that went in, the thoughtfulness that went into creating the card in that we don’t just want to have Russian fighters. We had Dagestani fighters. We had Shevchenko on the card as well, right. We’re trying to get a good representation of the whole area.” h/t MMA Junkie
Robert Whittaker to attend ADCC trials in Tokyo
Champ Khabib Nurmagomedov vows to do to Interim champ Dustin Poirier what he does to everyone
“Before the fight, I thought Holloway was going to beat him. This is my prediction when we talk with fans, with father, with team. But he impress me. Dustin impressed me. I think he has very good boxing, much better than before. Every fight, he becomes stronger and better in boxing, on his feet. And I think he deserves [the] title show. I think because he’s already interim UFC lightweight champion, I am real lightweight champion, we have to fight. And now we’re working on this. ... He have very good background. He have good ground game, not bad. He have good striking game. I follow him a long time. And, versus me? I think I have to maul him, like I do with everybody. This is what I have to do. I respect him like fighter, like human, but when we go to the cage, I have to maul this guy. This is what I want. And right now I’m focused on September, five months before fight.” h/t MMA Fighting
