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Roxanne Modafferi: We're not WMMA fighters, we're MMA fighters
MMA is unusual in that the rules are identical for men and women, as are the contracts in the UFC; there's a WNBA, but no WUFC, and the #5 ranked flyweight Roxanne Modafferi thinks there no WMMA, just MMA: "It was hard to hear [Dana White say women would not fight in the UFC]. I knew I had to just keep plugging along. I thought someday it would happen and I just prayed it would happen during my career. My dream was to be the first female in the UFC. Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche got that. I cried, but I was happy that it happened. I wished it was me. I'm happy because it happened, but sad because it happened, you know? It was my dream for 10 years. ... I will admit that a number of years ago, female fighters were not on the same level as men. We were struggling to have everybody believe in us. We're not 'women MMA fighters.' We're MMA fighters! I hate the term WMMA. It's female fighters. We're all MMA fighters. That term is starting to die, and I'm happy about that." h/t ESPN
Jon Fitch wrote a book
Failing Upward/Death by Ego (BUY at Amazon): Book One - The journal entries start while Jon is still in college wrestling for the Purdue Boilermakers, head coach Tom Erickson, where he was a team captain. Then he travels across the country with his English bulldog, Bricks, to pursue a fighting career in a sport most people had never heard of at the time, MMA. After arriving in San Jose, California, he helped to build the American Kickboxing Academy into one of the greatest powerhouses in MMA. Fitch fight Rory MacDonald at Bellator 220 on 4/27, live on DAZN.
Dana White expects Conor-Khabib mutual respect after rematch
“I don’t think these guys are going to be friends and hanging out and going to dinner stuff. But listen. When you get in there with another guy and you fight it out for what would end up being seven, eight, nine, ten rounds between these two, there ends up becoming a sort of mutual respect. And I think that we will get to a point someday where these two have a mutual respect for each other. They don’t have to like each other.” h/t The Express
ONE CEO responds to Joe Rogan comments
“I appreciate the way ONE FC handles things," said Rogan. "They just concentrate on fighters being honorable and fighting their best, and fighting the best fighters they can fight. They don’t emphasize that s*** talking at all. They emphasize the martial arts aspects of it.” CEO Chatri Sityodtong responded in kind: “He’s a lifelong martial artist too, a taekwondo blackbelt, a BJJ blackbelt. I have the utmost respect for him. I think because he’s a lifelong martial artist, he understands the deep authenticity of martial arts and he totally understands what we’re trying to do at ONE Championship, and what we’ve already achieved at ONE Championship in terms of mixed martial arts. It’s the sport of mixed martial arts done the right way, in terms of martial arts values. Honor, respect and humility, none of the trash talking or violence or anger.” h/t BJPENN.com • Watch JRE MMA Show
Nicco Montano responds to 6 month USADA suspension for tainted supplement
NSAC fines Pedro Munhoz $2,500 for jumping out of the Octagon at UFC 235
Pedro Munhoz defeated Cody Garbrandt at UFC 235 in Las Vegas and celebrated by leaping out of the Octagon. However, the Nevada State Athletic Commission prohibits such exultant exhibitions in an attempt to protect fighters from harm. So Munhoz was fined $2,500 and must pay an additional $327.06 in fees. Munhoz next fights face Aljamain Sterling at UFC 238 on 6/8 in Chicago.
Slowdown in growth of Jameson's attributed in part to rise of Proper No Twelve
Sales of Irish whiskey in the US rose 12% last year passing the $1 billion milestone for the first time. However, Jameson, which has led the Irish whiskey renaissance, is seeing a slowdown in growth in the US with analysts attributing it in part to the launch of Conor McGregor’s Proper No Twelve brand last year. McGregor launched Proper No Twelve last September, initially in Ireland and the US. The brand, which is now also available in the UK and Australia, sold out a six-month allocation in its first 10 days and has now shipped about 200,000 nine-litre cases since its launch. h/t Irish Times
Latest 10 UFC fight announcements, today's in bold
•Kevin Holland vs. Alessio Di Chirico at UFC on ESPN+ 12 in 6/22 in Greenville
•Siyar Bahadurzada OUT vs. Nordine Taleb at UFC on ESPN+ 9 on 5/4 in Ottawa
•Devin Clark vs. Darko Stosic at UFC on ESPN+ 11 on 6/1 in Stockholm
•Priscila Cachoeira IN for Yanan Wu vs. Luana Carolina at UFC 237 on 5/11 in Rio
•Molly McCann vs. Ariane Lipski at UFC on ESPN+ 11 in 6/22 in Greenville
•Ivan Shtyrkov ill, fight vs. Devin Clark canceled at UFC on ESPN+ 7 on 4/20 in Saint Petersburg
•Jessica Penne OUT, Angela Hill IN vs. Jodie Esquibel at UFC on ESPN 3 on 4/27 in Miami
•Deron Winn vs. Markus Perez at UFC on ESPN+ 12 in 6/22 in Greenville
•Cole Smith vs. Mitch Gagnon at UFC on ESPN+ 8 on 5/4 in Ottawa
•Charles Oliveira vs. Nik Lentz 3 at UFC on ESPN+ 9 on 5/18 in Rochester
Augusto Mendes USADA experience 'frustrating, disappointing'
USADA was supposed to catch drug cheaters like T/J. Dillashaw but it has ended up catching more innocent tainted supplement user, like Augusto Mendes, who's not impressed, after he had a test flagged 13 months ago, and was suspended this week for 6 months, after spending $20k on attorneys and testing. ”I had to ask them for my release because it was a way to make money outside the UFC. ... I got the money competing in jiu-jitsu, things were happening for me, so I was able to pay the costs of the process and prove my innocence. ... I understand what they are trying to do, trying to clean the sport and everything else, and I agree with it. I was always tested and never had any problem. I was tested after that and again, no problem. It’s frustrating, disappointing. I had highs and lows over the last 13 months, at moments I thought it would never end. I was working in the gym, seeing my evolution every day in training, but couldn’t actually fight. It was really upsetting. But what can I do? It was out of my control. USADA will do her part. Unfortunately, my case took longer than it should have, but I have to be grateful that it’s over now and I have more time to fight.” h/t MMA Fighting
Choose the GREATEST Brave 23 KO of the Night 1-4
Tom Lawlor has a really good question for USADA
Alan Belcher launches Combat Business Tribe consulting service
Retired UFC fighter Alan 'The Talent' Belcher, 35, is venturing into the world of business consulting through his own company, Combat Business. His business revolves around consulting for martial artists to help them master business skills apart from working on their MMA careers, or as he dubbs it “hustlejitsu.” Since its launch two year ago, Combat Business has served more than 1,000 clients. 90% of the customers are from the MMA industry, and most are looking forward to selling their skills as instructors through online training materials, while some are trying to acquire customers for their training gyms. There are also clients who use Alan’s consulting service to make their existing training gyms a franchised property where they can expand in various areas in the country. Belcher is also active in doing several kinds of consulting. There are programs specific to gym owners, and then there are clients who do not want to operate a brick-and-mortar business. Instead, these clients want to focus on online businesses. Contact Belcher HERE.
Black breaks down historic Submission of the Year contender
Why Roxy smiles
Demetrious Johnson: Henry Cejudo doing a great job
The future of the UFC flyweight division is in doubt, and the new division champ Cejudo fought first vs. 135 champ T.J. Dillashaw, and now moves up to fight Marlon Moraes at UFC 238 for the vacant bantam belt. Inaugural flyweight champ and G.O.A.T. contender Johnson, now signed with ONE Championship, has no problems with the matchmaking: “I think the division is doing great, [ I think Henry Cejudo is doing a great job. I think the division is in a great spot. At the end of the day, the athlete’s got to make as much money as possible. I’ve been there before. I’ve been defending champion 11 consecutive times, but I still wasn’t getting the pay I wanted. Maybe if I had went up and fought at bantamweight, a dual-weight champion, maybe I would have had more say, so that’s probably what Henry Cejudo’s thinking. You can’t tell an athlete what’s best for his career, because he knows. He knows what he’s [getting paid] and he knows where his heart lies. It’s a very short amount of time he has in his career, and he wants to make the best of it.” h/t Sherdog • Watch
PFL's Louis Taylor wants to win $1 million again, at welterweight
Taylor, 40, won $1 million in the PFL middleweight belt, and wants to do it again, at welterweight, because a million dollars isn't what it used to be: “I’m hoping I win it this year so I can get something special. I’ll tell you honestly, a million’s not that much money. It’s not chump change, but once you get done paying $400,000 to taxes, $200,000 on your home, you’ve got to pay your manager $100,000, your camp another $50,000, you’re left with, like, one investment. That’s where I’m at now. I’ve got a chance to make one good investment, and I’m not even mentioning retirement and this and that that I need to put away. So he’ll be cutting down to 170 pounds for the first time since high school for his season-opening fight with Chris Curtis on May 9. h/t MMA Fighting
Gymkata eclipsed, Sage Northcutt, Seth Petruzelli to appear in Street Fighter: Genesis
Jeff Novitzky: USADA still evaluating Paulo Costa
Paulo Costa was recently fined by the NYSAC for use and disclosure of non-performance enhancing substances while licensed, which would put it at UFC 217 in November of 2017; the fighter has said it was something in a common stomach medication in Brazil. However, UFC vice president of athlete health and performance Jeff Novitzky says USADA also has an ongoing investigation: “I don’t have any comment on that. My understanding is that New York has issued him a fine or a sanction and that USADA is still evaluating this. It’s not until cases are adjudicated and resolved that we comment on them. So I’m not gonna comment on that one right now.” h/t MMA Fighting • Listen to UFC Unfiltered Podcast
Four fighters suspended 6 months for trace elements of Ostarine
Nicco Montano, Sean O’Malley, Augusto Mendes, and Marvin Vettori have each been suspended for six months by USA for historical, trace elements of ostarine, consistent with a contaminated supplement, rather than intentional use: “The trace amounts of ostarine found in each of the athlete’s samples was made possible by sensitive laboratory detection capabilities. However, as detection windows increase and the potential time between ingestion and detection lengthens, it has become more difficult for athletes to identify a contaminated product that may be the source of their positive test. As a consequence, the investigation period in ostarine cases is frequently relatively long, as has been the case in each of the cases announced today.” Montano is eligible to return to on 5/15, O’Malley on 9/19, Vettori can fight immediately, and Mendes can fight immediately, but is longer with the UFC. h/t USADA
Stephen Thompson not pushing return: ‘You can’t condition the brain’
Wonderboy was knocked out for the first time ever at UFC on ESPN+ 6 on 3/23. He had hoped to headline UFC on ESPN+ 12 in his hometown of Greenville, SC on June 22, but wisely isn't push it: "I’ll be able to have some contact with sparring at the end of June. I’m staying in shape, but I still want to keep this [brain] right. Where I can get some good sparring in and a good training camp, possibly August I’m thinking. Michael Bisping, in one of his last fights, he stepped out there too soon. He had a brutal fight with Georges St-Pierre and then real quick jumped in against Kelvin Gastelum and just got put away. If you do that, if you step out there too soon... this is your livelihood. If you want to do this for years to come, you have to take care of yourself. You can’t condition the brain. You can condition the body, but you can’t condition the brain. You have to take it slow.” h/t BE • Watch interview
