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  • Dana White says Daniel Cormier will fight at UFC 200 & Jon Jones’ issues may just be starting

    Dana White said this afternoon that Daniel Cormier will be fighting at UFC 200, and in speaking off the cuff, seemed to intimate Jon Jones may be in even more trouble than previously thought.

    “There are tons of guys that are interested. We’ll get a fight done,” White said to Colin Cowherd on FS 1 today.

    Later, White said Cormier would fight this weekend, would get the same money* as he would have against Jones, and that they hope to have the fight finalized and announced by the end of the day today.

    *Cormier’s money is based on a percentage, but the amount is expected to be lower since the number of buys will likely be lower.

    Cormier had said he was willing to fight anyone up to 220 pounds, saying that because he’s dropped so much weight he wasn’t willing to fight a big heavyweight.

    White nixed the talk of Michael Bisping, which would be the most marketable potential fight for storyline reasons.

    “Bisping just won the 185 pound title,” he said.  “Let me tell you what Bisping does in his off season.  When Bisping’s not training, he goes on a bender. He’s in no condition to fight Daniel Cormier. I promise you that. I don’t even have to ask him.”

    Bisping was the third name after Gegard Mousasi and Tom Lawlor who publicly asked for the fight when word got out that Jones was off. He would make the most sense given it would create an historical champion vs. champion fight, and there is a storyline situation with Bisping having just beaten Luke Rockhold on June 4 to win the middleweight title.

    Even if odds would be against it, it would make for a remarkable story if Bisping could win two titles on short notice.  In fact, if such a thing would happen, it would probably go down as something that would be a huge part of the history of the sport that would be talked about for decades as the perhaps the most remarkable feat in UFC history.

    Mousasi was already scheduled to fight Thiago Santos on Saturday. For fighters who have trained and are in top condition, Mousasi is really the only choice, but there is no story built around that fight. Mousasi was to fight at middleweight, but has fought at heavyweight in the past and fought for years at light heavyweight.

    Glover Teixeira said today it would be impossible for him to make weight to fight Cormier, but Alexander Gustafsson said he could make it and do the fight. In the case of the former, Teixeira is set to face Anthony Johnson later this summer in essentially a #1 contender’s fight while Gustafsson and Cormier had a Fight of the Year candidate in 2015.

    Onto the Jones story, White confirmed that Jones did not test positive for a recreational drug.

    Also, when saying how it’s virtually impossible the B sample will come back clean, White mentioned two different agents in the A sample test failure. It is possible testing positive for two agents could lead to a suspension longer than two years.

    Jones held a press conference Thursday morning where he denied taking any performance enhancing drugs.

  • UFC 200: Jon Jones denies knowingly taking performance-enhancing drugs

    Additional notes by Dave Meltzer

    A visibly distraught Jon Jones denied knowingly taking performance-enhancing drugs at a press conference Thursday morning after being flagged by USADA for a potential out of competition drug test failure on Wednesday night.

    The emotional Jones had to leave the press conference to gather himself briefly before coming back. He apologized for the fans, the UFC, and Daniel Cormier for being removed from the fight. 

    “I want to apologize to Daniel Cormier. I know that this fight means a lot to him. The fight means a lot to me and the fight is not happening. So I just want to apologize to everyone sincerely.”

    The interim light heavyweight champion and top pound-for-pound fighter in the world was joined by agent Malki Kawa and said that he had never even heard of the substance that led to him being removed from the main event of UFC 200 against Cormier. Kawa said that it is possible that the failure could’ve come from a tainted supplement.

    “I’ve been taking the same supplements for the majority of my career and I’ve been so outspoken about being against any type of performance enhancers,” Jones said. “The whole thing sucks because being labeled someone who would ever cheat just really hurts more than anything else I’ve been through in my whole career.”

    Both Yoel Romero and Tim Means were able to prove to the satisfaction of USADA officials that it was a supplement they had taken which caused a positive test. In those situations, the fighters were suspended for six months, rather than the usual two years for a first offense.

    If such a thing happens here Jones would be eligible to fight on the New Year’s show, but would miss the Madison Square Garden show that he was expected to be part of, whether he won or lost against Cormier.

    Kawa said that Jones’ B sample will be tested tonight in Salt Late City, Utah, but that chances the test would come back negative weren’t good.

    The big question coming out of this is why it took until July 6 to get the result from the A sample for a test on June 16, and yet a B sample test could come back immediately. And if that is the case, if the B
    sample comes back clean (unlikely but it is possible), what that would mean, because in that theory the fight should still be on.

    If Jones is unable to prove that the positive test came from a contaminated supplement, that would mean a two-year suspension from the sport. Jones vowed to continue fighting even if given the lengthy suspension.

  • TUF 23 Season Finale: The finals are set

    Tonight are the final semis before the TUF 23 Finale. Josh Stansbury faces Khalil Rountree in an all Team Jedrzejczyk bout, and Kate Jackson faces Tatiana Suarez in an all Team Gadelha bout. These winners are headed to International Fight Week in Las Vegas. 

    The winner of the all-Gadelha fight gets to face Amanda Cooper, and the winner of the all-Jedrzejczyk gets to face Andrew Sanchez.

    The two coaches can barely tolerate standing next to each other at the weigh-ins for Jackson vs. Suarez. Jackson is 115.5. Suarez is 115.

    Suarez says nobody in the house has put in more time than her and that she’s been working for this goal since she was three years old. She says she skipped her own prom to compete.

    Jackson says she never imagined a UFC contract was possible at the start but now it’s within her reach.

    Kate Jackson (Team Gadelha) vs. Tatiana Suarez (Team Gadelha)

    Jackson is in the red trucks and Suarez is in the dark trunks. Herb Dean is the ref for this fight.

    Suarez charges forward immediately and is firing off jabs with her right hand. She gets a takedown to side control 25 seconds in but it’s in an awkward position against the fence. She switches to the other side and is looking for an opportunity to pass.

    I know Jackson is pale as hell, but it’s still amazing how bright and splotchy the bruises are from the strikes that have already landed. Suarez goes for the neck as Jackson tries to get back to her feet. Once Suarez gets her to the ground though – it’s a wrap. Jackson taps at 2:53.

    So in our TUF 23 Finale for the women, it’s Amanda Cooper vs. Tatiana Suarez.

    Stansbury talks about how he’s facing a replacement fighter in Rountree, who also happens to be his best friend in the house. They play ping-pong together as they discuss how weird the situation is, but Rountree says he definitely won’t make the same mistakes he did last time now that he has a second chance.

    Stansbury says Rountree might be the best striker in the house but his cardio and ground game could be an issue. Rountree says if he gets taken down it could be trouble.

    Weigh-in time. Stansbury is 204.5 and Rountree is 205.5. Fight’s on!

    Josh Stansbury (Team Jedrzejczyk) vs. Khalil Rountree (Team Jedrzejczyk)

    Stansbury is in the red trunks. Rountree is in the black. Jason Herzog is our ref.

    Rountree stuffs the first takedown and Stansbury flops to his back before getting back up. Stansbury momentarily gets knocked down but Rountree is being patient. He’s backing Stansbury up with kicks and power shots.

    Stansbury occasionally tries to connect with the overhand right but he’s getting tagged a lot. Rountree is even having success with the head kick as Stansbury isn’t getting his arms up to block it. The left side of his head is bright red. The danger for Rountree is he’s spending so much energy he could be blown up any second.

    Stansbury grabs a clinch and gets off a few good blows before Rountree breaks away. Rountree looks like he’s breathing hard. He tags Stansbury with a big left and pours it on on the ground – TKO at 4:14.

    Khalil Rountree is advancing to the finals to face Andrew Sanchez.

  • UFC 200 shocker: Jon Jones flagged by USADA; Brock Lesnar vs. Mark Hunt new main event

    During an impromptu press conference Wednesday night, UFC president Dana White announced that Brock Lesnar vs. Mark Hunt is the new main event for UFC 200.

    The reason? Interim light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been flagged by USADA for a potential anti-doping violation. Because the procedure part of this review cannot be completed by Saturday, Jones’ fight with light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier has been taken off the show.

    Lesnar vs. Hunt will remain a three round fight. 

    White said he was informed by USADA that Jones was tested on June 16, but was unclear what the violation was for. He hasn’t spoken to Jones or his agent Malki Kawa as of this point. He also didn’t know why the test results took nearly a month to get back.’

    “This is devastating to Daniel Cormier mentally, physically and financially,” White said.

    Cormier was going to get a percentage of the PPV revenue which, for a show that may do record numbers, would be several million dollars. White said he was unclear how Cormier would be compensated considering the amount of money that he makes. Cormier was in attendance at the presser, but the press conference feed was cut off after White spoke.

    UFC Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance Jeff Novitsky made a brief statement, saying noted that USADA will handle results management, potential hearings and due process on the matter, and whatever legal review process is necessary before any sanctions are imposed.

    White said they found out just a short time ago and wanted to alert the media to the annoucement as soon as possible. Matchmaker Joe Silva isn’t even aware of the situation as he’s on a flight. White’s hope would be that someone would step up to fight Cormier on super short notice, but isn’t sure what’s about to happen.

    There were no other light heavyweight fighters booked on the show, and the closest thing to a possibility would be Gegard Mousasi, a middleweight contender who is fighting Thiago Santos. However, Mousasi is getting ready for a fight in a 20 pound lighter weight class. Our Tom Lawlor, a Las Vegas resident who fights at 205, has begun petitioning for the fight on Twitter.

    The UFC released the following statement:

    The UFC organization was notified tonight that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Jon Jones of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collection on June 16, 2016. 

    USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case. It is important to note that, under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full fair legal review process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed. 

    However, because Jones was scheduled to compete against Daniel Cormier this coming Saturday, July 9 in Las Vegas, there is insufficient time for a full review before the scheduled bout and therefore the fight has been removed from the fight card. As a result, the three-round heavyweight bout between Brock Lesnar and Mark Hunt will become the UFC 200 main event.

    Consistent with all previous potential anti-doping violations, additional information or UFC statements will be provided at the appropriate time as the process moves forward.

    Ticket refunds available upon request at primary point of purchase.

  • July 11, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Preview for massive UFC weekend, including UFC 200, plus tons of news

    The biggest week in UFC history with four live events takes place with UFC 200, Brock Lesnar, five championship fights, the Hall of Fame and even a potential sale of the company all in the news.

    Current subscribers click here to continue reading.

  • JNPO: MMA Fighting’s Dave Doyle & UFC Fight Week’s 10 most intriguing fighters

    36 fights. 72 fighters. Three shows. Lots of punches.

    That’s what we’re looking at as International Fight Week kicks into full swing Thursday night as the first of three UFC shows in Las Vegas happens, headlined by lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos defending the belt against Eddie Alvarez on UFC Fight Pass. After Friday night’s TUF Finale show on FS1, the big one is upon us: UFC 200 — arguably the greatest card that has ever been assembled…on paper, anyway.

    But with all of those fights and fighters, surely some stand out more than others, right? That’s why Josh brought in special guest Dave Doyle of MMA Fighting to help him preview the week in a slightly different way.

    Both Josh and Dave jotted down 10 fighters competing over the next three days that they are most interested in seeing how this week plays out for. While there was a little bit of crossover, both guys had distinct picks and rationale for why they’re so intriguing to them. There’s a few names you might expect (Brock, Cain), but many that you might not expect.

    Click below to listen to a special 45-minute conversation that will get you ready for all three UFC events!

    Right click save

  • UFC Fight Night 90 DFS Playbook: value picks, who to avoid

    It is UFC International Fight Week in Las Vegas, Nevada and Thursday night brings us UFC Fight Night 90, the first of three straight nights of action inside the Octagon.

    This event will be headlined by a UFC Lightweight Championship bout as champion Rafael Dos Anjos defends against challenger Eddie Alvarez.

    Below are our studs, value plays and fighters to avoid when setting your fantasy lineups for Thursday night’s event.

    STUDS

    Joseph Duffy ($11,100)

    Joseph Duffy is coming off a loss to Dustin Poirier in which he was completely outclassed, so he takes a big step backwards in taking on Mitch Clarke on Thursday.

    Clarke will be fighting for the first time since losing to Michael Chiesa in April 2015. The 2-3 Clarke appears to be a rebound fight for Duffy, who is 14-2 in his career and was ranked in the top 15 prior losing against Poirier.

    Duffy is a finisher and 13 of his 14 wins have come by stoppage. Clarke has only been finished once in his career, but he doesn’t have the same skillset that Duffy does. Duffy is a strong striker, has excellent submissions and good grappling. Clarke is a good grappler as well, but loses this match-up on foot.

    Duffy has the highest salary of all the fighters on the card, but is still a good investment. I expect him to win big on Thursday.

    Gilbert Burns ($10,800)

    Gilbert Burns is looking to bounce back from his first career loss when he fights Lukasz Sajewski on the card’s prelims Thursday night. Burns had won the first 11 fights of his career before dropping a decision to Rashid Magomedov in November.

    That loss is nothing for Burns to hang his head about as Magomedov is 19-1 in his career, but it showed some holes that Burns needs to fill to get back on track inside the Octagon.

    At his best, Burns is arguably the lightweight division’s best submission artist and has the strongest grappling chops. He has scored 10 of his 11 wins by finish, with seven wins by submission. He also trains with a strong camp in the Blackzilians.

    He is a strong favorite over Sajewski, who also lost for the first time in his career when he made his UFC debut in his last fight. Sajewski hasn’t fought the level of competition that Burns has. And if Burns can avoid the slow start that has often plagued him, he should be able to end this quickly. I feel confident in having him as a stud play.

    VALUE PLAYS

    Eddie Alvarez ($8,600)

    Eddie Alvarez is looking to make history when he challenges Rafael Dos Anjos for the UFC Lightweight Championship in the main event of UFC Fight Night 90. And he is also looking to become the first fighter to hold championship gold in both the UFC and Bellator promotions.

    He gets his title shot against Dos Anjos on the heels of wins over former champions in Anthony Pettis and Gilbert Melendez. Alvarez has just two losses in the last eight years, coming to Michael Chandler and Donald Cerrone, so he presents a real challenge in this fight.

    Dos Anjos has looked like a killer the last several years and is the rightful champion at 155 pounds. He finished Cerrone quickly in his last fight, but is coming off an injury and no one knows what he will look like in this new era of the UFC.

    I actually like Alvarez to score an upset as this fight goes the distance and the extra time allows for more point scoring opportunities. He is a risk, but I find a lot of value in Alvarez.

    Alvaro Herrera ($8,500)

    Alvaro Herrera is another interesting fighter with a low salary who has a lot of value on Thursday night’s card. He is coming off a 30-second knockout win in his UFC debut in November, which was his first fight in over three years.

    He gets back to action against Vicente Luque in the opening bout of Thursday’s card, and Luque is looking to score his second straight win.

    Luque has been inconsistent in his career, winning just eight times in 14 career bouts. He is tough to finish, having only been finished twice in his five losses. But Luque has finished opponents in seven of his eight wins, including in his last bout against Hayder Hassan in December. Herrera has scored finishes in eight of his nine wins, but has also been finished in all three of his losses.

    This fight is primed for a finish, and I see Herrera’s punching power being the difference. His salary is worth a good amount of value.

    FIGHTERS TO AVOID

    Anthony Birchak ($10,700)

    Anthony Birchak has one of the highest salaries on the card, and I don’t think he’s worth that high price.

    Birchak is just 1-2 inside the UFC Octagon, and all three of his fights have ended in the first round. He has suffered a submission loss to Ian Entwistle and a knockout loss to Thomas Almeida, and scored a knockout win over Joe Soto in betweeen those losses. Birchak does have 10 wins by finish, but he has been finished in all three of his losses.

    I do like him to get the win over Dileno Lopes on Thursday, but I’m not all that confident in him winning by stoppage. I see him going the distance and getting a decision over Lopes. With his high salary, you have to expect a finish if you have him on your team. Birchak is an easy avoid for me.

    Russell Doane ($9,000)

    Russell Doane is another fighter that should be avoided on Thursday night’s card.

    He hasn’t fought in almost a year and is coming in riding a two-fight losing skid. His last three fights have gone the distance and he hasn’t looked overly impressive in those bouts.

    He gets a tough match-up against Pedro Munhoz, who has been one of the top prospects in the bantamweight division, but has struggled against tougher competition.

    Doane doesn’t land a lot of strikes in his fights, but he is good at takedowns. Munhoz has good takedown defense and is the more well-rounded fighter. And I see that being the difference with him taking a decision. Avoid Doane as I feel he will be fighting a losing battle on Thursday.

    OUR LINE-UPS

    RYAN FREDERICK- Joseph Duffy ($11,100), Gilbert Burns ($10,800), Derrick Lewis ($9,600), Alberto Mina ($9,500), Eddie Alvarez ($8,600)

    I like Joseph Duffy as my top play on the card and I see him having no troubles against Mitch Clarke. I’m expecting him to end it by at least the end of the second round, and probably even in the first.

    I also like Gilbert Burns to bounce back and get a stoppage win, likely by submission as his ground game is so good.

    I have Derrick Lewis on my team as well. He has the size and power edge over Roy Nelson, and I think he can knock Nelson out. Alberto Mina is undefeated with 11 stoppage wins, and is facing Mike Pyle who is nearing the end of his career. I can see Mina knocking Pyle out early in their fight.

    The last fighter on my team is Eddie Alvarez. I believe he will end Thursday night as the new UFC Lightweight Champion, and that it will go the distance, which gives him more chances to score points.

    PAUL FONTAINE- Vicente Luque ($10,900), Reginaldo Vieira ($10,200), Roy Nelson ($9,800), Alberto Mina ($9,500), Dileno Lopes ($8,700)

    All but one of Luque’s career wins have come by finish and his opponent Alvaro Herrera has been finished in all three of his losses. To me, that’s a recipe for some bonus points for Luque.

    Vieira was the TUF Brazil season 4 champion and he beat a guy I also have on my team in his official UFC debut. That win was the first time he’d gone to the judges in one of his wins. I see the fight with Marco Beltran being an all-out balls to the wall brawl with Vieira being the last one standing.

    Roy Nelson should score a late KO or submission over Derrick Lewis. Nelson is tough to finish and Lewis will probably gas out before getting caught by a shot that drops him.

    I’m surprised Alberto Mina is an underdog against the aging Mike Pyle. Mina scored a finish in his UFC debut and then beat a tough vet in Yoshihiro Akiyama in his follow-up. He’s unbeaten and an impressive finish over a another vet like Pyle should move him up the ranks.

    My last pick is more a pick against Anthony Birchak than for Dileno Lopes. Birchak has been finished in the first round of two of his last three fights. And Lopes has a KO or sub in eight of his last nine wins. 

    PEACH MACHINE- Rafael Dos Anjos ($11,000), Alan Jouban ($10,000), Derrick Lewis ($9,600), Alberto Mina ($9,500), Marco Beltran ($9,200)

    I hate this card, but I love Rafael Dos Anjos. He’s really good and will most likely be one of the most dominant champions in UFC history after it’s all said and done.

    Nelson is done and Lewis will KO him. I hate Pyle so I’m picking Mina. Jouban is handsome. I just love Carlos Beltran of the NY Yankees and I assume Marco is related. Play this lineup!

  • Two charged in Ryan Jimmo hit and run homicide

    Two people have been charged in connection with the hit and run homicide of former UFC fighter Ryan Jimmo, Edmonton police posted on their website Wednesday.

    Anthony Getschel, 23, was charged with second degree murder, criminal negligence causing death and fail to stop at scene of accident involving death. Jordan Wagner, 21, is charged with accessory after the fact to murder.

    Edmonton police also stated that the suspects did not know Jimmo and that a brief arguement had taken place shortly before the hit and run took place.

    Jimmo, 34, last fought in UFC in May 2015, losing to Francimar Barroso and hadn’t fought since.

  • July 4, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: NJPW G1 tournament preview, Ali vs. Inoki anniversary, more

    The 26th annual G-1 Climax tournament which, in the last few years, has gained more international interest as the period with a large percentage of what will be the year’s best matches, was officially announced this past week.

    Current subscribers click here to continue reading.

  • Summer Of Brock: Lesnar snags cover of WWE 2K17 video game

    2K Sports today announced that former WWE & UFC champion Brock Lesnar will be on the cover of WWE 2K17.

    The athlete on the cover is a decision based on what 2K considers crossover appeal, but made in conjunction with WWE. They also don’t like to do the same person too often.

    The deal also means Lesnar has agreed to be part of a worldwide marketing campaign.

    The game will be released on October 11th for PS4, PS3, Xbox One, and Xbox 360. Customers who preorder will get the Bill Goldberg character as well as Monday Nitro and Halloween Havoc arenas on launch day.

    “My career has been defined by dominating every opportunity presented to me,” said Lesnar. “I am excited for my newest opportunity representing WWE 2K 17 as the franchise’s ambassador and honored to serve as the WWE 2K17 cover Superstar.”

    Lesnar is currently out of WWE storylines as he prepared to return to the Octagon against Mark Hunt on the main card of July’s UFC 200.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k71T-4SzF8