UFC Hall-of-Famer BJ Penn is out of UFC 199 in roughly two weeks because he admitted to using an IV back in March. Yes, you read that right.
Originally scheduled to fight against Dennis Siver and then Cole Miller on the June 4th event, Penn has been provisionally suspended by USADA for using an IV “in excess of 50 ML for more than a six-hour period” which is now banned in or out of competition except while used in a hospital, surgical procedure, or as part of a diagnostic clinical investigation.
As you’ll see below, Penn said he was unclear that IV use was now banned year-round, saying it had changed since his last fight which was in July 2014. As FloSports’ Jeremy Botter pointed out on Twitter, Penn was talking about IVs being for “wimps” last year.
The 37-year-old was looking to make a comeback after a near two year absence and three straight lossses.
On his website, Penn released the following:
“I voluntarily disclosed to USADA that during a non-fight period that I had an IV administered under the care of a doctor. The rule for IV usage had changed since my last fight in the UFC and was unaware of the change and voluntarily disclosed the information to USADA. I had no idea that IV use was banned 365 days a year. At no time in my career in martial arts have I ever doped and anticipate all test results from USADA will come back clean and will be working with the UFC to get the matter cleared up and return to fight as soon as possible.”
The UFC released the following:
“The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) informed BJ Penn of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation. Penn disclosed the usage of a prohibited method – the use of an IV in excess of 50 ML in a six-hour period – during a March 25, 2016, out-of-competition sample collection. In accordance with the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, Penn has received a provisional suspension, and has been removed from his scheduled bout against Cole Miller on June 4 in Los Angeles UFC will announce a replacement opponent for Miller shortly, and additional information will be provided by USADA and UFC at the appropriate time as the process involving Penn moves forward.”
Bleacher Report’s Chad Dundas is the guest on this week’s Josh Nason’s Punch-Out, talking about a myriad of topics ideal for a non-UFC event week.
A few of the alleys Josh and Chad went down include:
– Leftover thoughts on UFC 198 including Fabricio Werdum’s overuse of his funny face, Stipe Miocic riding for Cleveland, and Lady Cyborg
– The stunning story of how he met Ben Fowlkes, his partner on the Co-Main Event Podcast
– How living in Montana has affected his MMA coverage
– Thoughts on Michael Bisping getting a title opportunity against Luke Rockhold and why the haters need to chill out
– Discussion about his wrestling themed novel “Champion Of The World” and what inspired him to write it
As usual, we get geeky about the process of writing and other media matters. It’s another solid hour of JNPO, so get your weekend kicked off right….now.
Click below to listen or right-click to save on your computer, tech-heads.
This season both the women’s strawweight division and the men’s light heavyweight division will be competing. At the end of the season Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Claudia Gadelha fight on the TUF 23 Finale with Joanna Champion defending her strawweight title. Last week, Gadelha’s team won again and took a 3-0 lead. She picked Lanchana Green (Gadelha) vs. Helen Harper (Jedrzejczyk) for this week’s bout.
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Green opens up the show talking about her roots in England, how getting beat up as a girl inspired her to be a fighter, and how nobody’s beaten her up ever since. “We’ve been working on takedown defense. I’m not giving Helen a chance to even get close to me.” Dana White says she’s the single best striker on Claudia’s team.
Jedrzejczyk brings in Carla Esparza to talk to her fighters and hopefully give the team some inspiration. She takes Helen Harper and the rest of the fighters through catching kicks and throwing opponents to the mat. Jedrzejczyk says Harper is a “little tornado” and will show everybody how tough she is. Harper: “I’m kind of a rhino. I have the refuse to lose attitude. I want it more.”
Harper talks about how being in an abusive relationship made her want to learn self-defense even though she was in denial and still tried to stay with her tormentor. “It was just a bully, a nasty person, trying to get into my life and ruin it day by day.”
Abdel Medjedoub called the house and even though fighters are supposed to be isolated and not take outside calls, she tells the producers it was an emergency and gets them to take it. They try to tell her if they take the call it’s being recorded and she starts cussing them out. Then she threatens to divorce Medjedoub if he doesn’t leave the show and come back to Montreal immediately. It sounds like he’s going to quit.
* Lanchana Green (Team Gadelha) vs. Helen Harper (Team Jedrzejczyk)
Green is in the black trunks, Harper is in the red. You can hear Jedrzejczyk barking out to Harper not to wait and to be aggressive. The ref warns them to watch their fingers. Harper closes the distance but eats some hooks and knees in the process. Harper nearly has a takedown at 1:30 but Green keeps her balance. They break at 1:59. Harper charges at her and gets her on the fence again at 2:15. Green’s height and strength are making the takedowns difficult and she’s punishing Harper with big knees to the body. Harper tries so hard to get a takedown she actually lets Green on top pounding her in the face. She’s only had one strategy all round and it doesn’t work.
Green is winning the striking war for the first minute of R2, but Harper gets her on the fence again and digs hard for a single leg. She can’t get it. Green is teeing off with the right hook repeatedly. Harper finally body locks Green and drags her to the ground at 2:01. She’s quickly warned to stay busy on top. She slowly inches her way to a full mount but gets another warning with 90 seconds left. Once she clears her foot from between Green’s hips she really starts to hammer on Green’s face, who tries and fails repeatedly to buck her off. This one’s going to a third round.
As you’d expect Harper is looking for a takedown in the opening minute of R3 but can’t get it. She closes the distance again at 1:30 and manages to get Green’s back and throw her to the ground at 2:05 but can’t keep her down. Green bloodies up her face once she gets loose. Harper finally drags her to the ground at3:53 but that may be too little too late – and Green gets back up at 4:08 anyway. Harper goes for one last leg trip late to no avail. I’ve got Green two rounds to one.
Green gets a unanimous decision and Team Gadelha goes up 4-0. Jedrzejczyk is insulted that Gadelha didn’t shake her hand after the fight. Harper is emotionally broken but she should be happy she had her team’s best fight this season.
Next week’s fight chosen by coach Claudia Gadelha is Eric Spicely (Team Gadelha) vs. Elias Urbina IV (Team Jedrzejczyk). We will see you then!
Wednesday’s UFC Tonight was full of news on upcoming fights, some of the ‘Wow!’ variety and some of the ‘Meh’ variety.
UFC 201
With UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler set to return to action at Atlanta’s UFC 201 (July 30) against Tyron Woodley, the rest of the main card is starting to take shape with a new title match and another catchweight fight featuring a female destroyer of worlds.
In the co-main event, flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson will defend against #6 ranked Wilson Reis, he of the one-fight win streak. 3-1 as a flyweight, he’s essentially filling a role here as Johnson wants to continue to fight frequently in an effort to break Anderson Silva’s consecutive title defense streak. He’s at 8 right now and with Reis and a December title defense against a TUF winner on the docket, 10 looks to be an easy bet.
While the flyweights haven’t done much for the box office, UFC is hoping their next female breakout star will help as they are working on Cris Cyborg vs. Germaine de Randamie at a 140-pound catchweight fight on that Atlanta show. Cyborg wasted no time in dispatching Leslie Smith at UFC 198 in her Octagon debut while de Randamie picked up a big win in front of her hometown fans in Rotterdam a few weeks ago.
Assuming those are the top three fights and considering the event falls in the UFC 200 afterglow, there’s not going to be a lot of buzz for this show with this promotionally low-key cast of characters involved.
UFC Fight Night South Dakota
The July 13th event headlined by an awesome lightweight tilt in Michael Chiesa vs. Tony Ferguson got a sweet co-main event as bantamweight contenders Michael McDonald and John Lineker will do battle. McDonald returned after a two-year absence in January and submitted Masanori Kanehara in the second round, while Lineker won an entertaining decision over Rob Font at UFC 198 last Saturday.
Other Stuff
UFC is looking to bring an event to Cleveland, OH, this September and have heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic as the headliner. If that comes to pass and Alistair Overeem gets the opportunity, there goes The Reem’s plans to be on the November MSG show.
Less than 24 hours after losing their title challenger for middleweight champion Luke Rockhold at UFC 199, UFC found someone to fill in — someone that has been fighting his entire professional career to get a title opportunity.
Michael Bisping, the sometimes controversial British star, got the nod Wednesday and will get his first UFC title shot on June 4th, facing Rockhold for the second time in a memorable career in less than three weeks time. Chris Weidman was supposed to face Rockhold in a rematch, but had to pull out with herniated discs in his back.
UFC president Dana White announced the news on ESPN, adding that Jacare Souza was their first option. However, Souza is looking at meniscus surgery after his recent quick victory over Vitor Belfort Saturday in Brazil. Fomer top contender Yoel Romero was also not in consideration as he is still on suspension after testing positive for a banned supplement.
The 37-year-old (28-7) has won three straight and is coming off the most notable win of his career in February, a decision victory over Anderson Silva. He faced Rockhold in November 2014 and lost via second round submission. Just a week ago, he was filming on the set of the new ‘XXX’ action movie, so he hasn’t been in the gym training for a fight. However, given the opportunity, it’s safe to assume he’ll be as ready as possible in a few weeks.
Given the other options, the fight is, ahem, best for business given the vitriol between the two and that Bisping knows how to sell a fight.
When it was announced that Chris Weidman was going to rematch UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold at June’s UFC 199, there were many among the MMA fanbase who groaned due to a) the way the first fight ended and b) rematch fatigue.
Haters of the Weidman/Rockhold rematch got their wish Tuesday as the former UFC middleweight champion had to withdraw from the event due to an undisclosed injury — widely speculated on Twitter today and confirmed by both Jeremy Botter and Ariel Helwani a short time ago.
The Los Angeles, CA, show still has plenty of interesting fights (bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz vs. Uriah Faber, Dan Henderson vs. Hector Lombard, BJ Penn vs. Cole Miller, and more, but you know UFC would love to keep the other California kid on that show.
Two possible replacements: Jacare Souza who ran through Vitor Belfort this past Saturday at UFC 198 in less than a round, and Michael Bisping who already tweeted that he wants the opportunity. Bisping faced Rockhold in November 2014, a fight Rockhold won via second round submission. Bisping is coming off a unanimous decision over Anderson Silva earlier this year.
For a name that casual MMA fans know and for the story of him getting his first-ever UFC title shot, Bisping would be the call but from the sporting aspect, Souza has done more than enough to earn the shot. However, the short turnaround to June 4th might not be in the cards. However, given the ease of his fight last Saturday, he may just be up for it.
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Additionally, UFC confirmed that welterweight champion Robbie Lawler’s next title defense will indeed be against Tyron Woodley (he of the long, long layoff) on July 30th in Atlanta.
Welcome to our live coverage of UFC 198: Werdum vs. Miocic from the Arena de Baixada in Curitiba, Brazil. The UFC brings their biggest event to Brazil as they visit a soccer stadium, the fourth stadium show in company history, with a headline bout featuring UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum defending against Stipe Miocic. The co-main event is a pivotal bout in the middleweight division as Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza takes on Vitor Belfort. Also on the card is the UFC debut of Cris Cyborg as she takes on Leslie Smith. Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6:15 PM eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.
ROUND 1- This is an interesting battle of young prospects. The huge crowd is already very loud. They trade punches and Moicana comes back with some leg kicks. Tukhugov complains about a low blow but there is no break. They trade again and Moicano lands a nice left hand. Tukhugov misses a head kick and Moicana lands a couple of leg kicks. Tukhugov lands a left hand. Tukhugov lands a left and Moicano stumbles to the mat and Tukhugov goes into his guard. Moicano goes to rubber guard. Moicano is looking to go for a triangle choke. Not a lot happening as Moicano abandons the triangle attempt. Tukhugov with some strikes and eats an upkick from Moicano. They scramble and Moicano has a brief look at a choke from the back but they get to their feet. Crazy end to the first. Close round. 10-9 Moicano.
ROUND 2- Moicano with a right hand early. Tukhugov looking for a head kick but eating the jab from Moicano. Moicano with some leg kicks and then a stiff jab. Tukhugov misses a big left hand. They trade punches. Moicano lands a low blow but the referee doesn’t see it. Moicano looks to pressure but Tukhugov fires back with punches. They each land in a wild exchange. Tukhugov shoots for a takedown but Moicano stuffs it and looks for a choke but Tukhugov scrambles out. Each man landing but Moicano controlling the center with leg kicks. Moicano lands a nice right hand. Tukhugov with a left hand and misses a spinning attack. Moicano with some leg kicks and goes high. Moicano with an uppercut and a high kick. 10-9 Moicano, 20-18 Moicano.
ROUND 3- They trade as this fight is close and could come down to this round. Tukhugov has a cut under his left eye. Moicano lands a big punch on Tukhugov. Tukhugov goes for a takedown but Moicano scrambles out of the position and they are on their feet. Moicano with a jab. They call timeout to check the cut but fight continues. They trade punches as Tukhugov lands a nice left hand. Tukhugov with a quick takedown but they get up to their feet. Moicano with a big knee to the body. Tukhugov lands a punch but Moicano comes back with a series of punches. Moicano with a spinning head kick and then a quick left hand. Tukhugov shoots for a takedown but it is stuffed. They scramble to their feet. 10-9 Moicano, 30-27 Moicano.
Official Result- Renato Moicano def. Zubaira Tukhugov by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
ROUND 1- Chagas makes his UFC debut on short notice. Chagas looking to land early and Moraes goes for a takedown but the fence gets in the way. Chagas with a combo and a series of leg kicks. Chagas misses a spinning head kick. Chagas with a head kick that was blocked. Chagas with a leg kick and one to the body. Moraes with a leg kick. Moraes with a nice uppercut. They scramble. Chagas with a hard inside leg kick. Moraes with a big right hand. They trade leg kicks. Chagas drops Moraes with a head kick but lets Moraes back up. Moraes is still stunned after the head kick with under a minute left in the round. Chagas with a front kick to the body and then drops him with a left hand. Moraes inviting him down but Chagas gets away and they are on their feet. Chagas with a head kick and some punches to end the round. 10-9 Chagas.
ROUND 2- Chagas lands a combo to start the second. Moraes with a big right hand and then misses a big swing. Left hook from Moraes. Chagas with a right hand and then two leg kicks. Chagas with another leg kick. Chagas with a combo and Moraes counters with a big right hand. They clinch and Chagas with a knee. Chagas misses a spinning wheel kick. Moraes with a kick and Chagas goes to the mat for a moment as he may be tired. Moraes with a right hand against the fence. They trade punches. Moraes grabs the neck and drops down for the guillotine and looking for the submission. Moraes has it tight but Chagas somehow gets free and is in the guard. Moraes landing some punches from the bottom as Chagas doing nothing from the top. They are stood up from the referee. Moraes goes for the takedown and they scramble to the mat. Chagas looks for mount but they scramble with Moraes on top and he lands an elbow and some punches from the top. 10-9 Moraes, 19-19.
ROUND 3- Chagas misses two left hands and eats a right hand from Moraes. Moraes gets a takedown and is in the half-guard of Chagas. He looks to go to full mount but gets back into full guard. Moraes with an elbow from the top. Moraes gets to his feet and lands a big right hand and Moraes goes back into the guard. Chagas is exhausted on the mat. Moraes looking to pass guard. Moraes looking for mount from the half-guard. Moraes gets into side control. Chagas looks to spin out and gives up his back. Chagas attempts to roll out but eats punches from Moraes. Chagas looks for a leg lock. Moraes keeps the back. Moraes has the back but Chagas is defending. They get to their feet but Moraes still has the back. Slow end to the fight. 10-9 Moraes, 29-28 Moraes.
Official Result- Sergio Moraes vs. Luan Chagas scored a split draw (28-29, 29-28, 28-28)
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS- (#10) ANTONIO ROGERIO NOGUEIRA (21-7, 4-4 UFC) VS. (#11) PATRICK CUMMINS (8-3, 4-3 UFC)
ROUND 1- Cummins with a leg kick. Nogueira misses a left hand but defends a takedown attempt from Cummins. Cummins with a leg kick. Nogueira with a left hand. Cummins with a head kick that is blocked but he lands a leg kick and one to the body. Cummins with a leg kick. They trade punches. Nogueira with a big left hand and then another and Cummins is in trouble. Cummins grabs the leg and pushes the fight against the fence. They break. Cummins with two kicks, one high and one to the leg. They trade punches. Nogueira with a big right hook and Cummins is hurt. Nogueira looking for the finish as he lands more punches. Big left hands from Nogueira and he drops Cummins. Nogueira with punches from the top looking for the finish. Cummins gets up and Nogueira lands some more left hands and the fight is stopped! The crowd erupts as Nogueira gets the standing knockout win.
Official Result- Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Patrick Cummins by TKO (punches) at 4:52 of Round 1
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT)
BANTAMWEIGHTS- (#12) JOHN LINEKER (26-7, 7-2 UFC) VS. ROB FONT (12-1, 2-0 UFC)
ROUND 1- Lineker is one of the more exciting fighters in the UFC. Font missing some kicks to start. Lineker lands a right hand and then a left hook. They trade punches as Font is just staying out of range. Font with a front kick. Lineker just misses an overhand right. Lineker lands a left hook. Lineker lands a combo. Font with a leg kick. Lineker with a combo to the body. Lineker with some body shots and leg kicks Font who goes to the mat for a moment. They trade punches and Lineker lands good to the body. Font circling against the cage and they go to the mat and Lineker is in the side position on top. Lineker with punches from the top and they get to their feet. Lineker with more body punches. Font misses a head kick. 10-9 Lineker.
ROUND 2- Lineker with a leg kick and then a huge left hook. Lineker with a series of leg kicks. Font lands some jabs. Lineker with a solid combo. Lineker with a left hook and then lands a combo as Font misses the jab. Lineker with a leg kick. Font with a leg kick. Lineker with a left uppercut and right hand. Font with a leg kick and Lineker fires back with some big punches to the body. Font lands a couple of good punches. Lineker really controlling the center of the Octagon. Font with a leg kick. Lineker with a combo to the body. Font with the jab. Lineker looks for a takedown but Font defends. Font ducks under a punch and goes for a takedown but Lineker defends it as well. Font with an uppercut. Lineker with a high kick but then lands a leg kick. 10-9 Lineker, 20-18 Lineker.
ROUND 3- Lineker with some leg kicks. Font lands a left hand. Font with a leg kick but Lineker counters with some right hands. Lineker with a body kick. They trade punches in close range. Lineker with some good left hands against the fence. Font falls to the mat in an exchange and Lineker is on top next to the fence. Lineker with some big punches from the top. Lineker with some knees to the body on the mat. Font gets to his feet and they are back up. Font just misses a head kick. Font with a leg kick and Lineker catches it and counters with a right hand and they go to the mat. Lineker in the guard of Font and landing punches and elbows from the top. Lineker moves to half-guard and goes into side control. Lineker with some knees. They scramble to their feet. Lineker urging Font to attack. They go to the mat and Lineker is landing big punches as the crowd goes wild to end the fight. 10-9 Lineker, 30-27 Lineker.
Official Result- John Lineker def. Rob Font by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-26)
LIGHTWEIGHTS- FRANCISCO TRINALDO (19-4, 9-3 UFC) VS. YANCY MEDEIROS (12-3 1 NC, 3-3 1 NC UFC)
ROUND 1- Medeiros with a body kick. Trinaldo with a brief takedown but they end clinching against the fence. Trinaldo with double underhooks looking for a takedown. Medeiros reverses and looks for his own takedown but Trinaldo reverses again. They trade knees to the body. Both men battling in the clinch. They break. Trinaldo with a leg kick. Trinaldo with a big left hand and they clinch again. They trade punches as they break. They trade body kicks. Trinaldo with a big left hand. A nice combo from Trinaldo and he lands another big left hand and then a right hand. Another left hand from Trinaldo. He rocks Medeiros with another left hand. Trinaldo with more left hands and Medeiros is in trouble. Medeiros is eating the punches and he will survive the round on wobbly legs. He was close to being done there. 10-8 Trinaldo.
ROUND 2- Trinaldo with a body kick. Medeiros with a body punch and then a body kick. They trade strikes. Trinaldo lands a right hand and then the left hand. More big punches from Trinaldo land. Medeiros lands a right hand and then another. Medeiros with a front kick to the body. Trinaldo takes a deep breath and lands a leg kick. Trinaldo with a body kick and then two left hands. Trinaldo with another left hand. They clinch and Trinaldo with a knee to the body as he sprawls. They get up and Medeiros eats a head kick on the way up. Trinaldo with another series of left hands. Medeiros in trouble again. Trinaldo with a hard body kick. Trinaldo with a nice combo. Medeiros with a right hand to the body and then another. Trinaldo counters with a left hand. Trinaldo with a body kick. Medeiros with a big right hand that drops Trinaldo. Medeiros with punches from the top but the round ends. 10-9 Trinaldo, 20-17 Trinaldo.
ROUND 3- Medeiros might need a finish here and he was close. They trade punches. Trinaldo with a leg kick. Trinaldo lands a counter left hand. Medeiros with a spin kick to the body following a body punch. Trinaldo with a left hand to the body. Trinaldo with a left hand. Trinaldo with a hard body kick. Trinaldo rocks Medeiros with a left hand and then a flying knee. Trinaldo with a left hand and he is looking for a finish. Trinaldo with a combo and a body and then a head kick and a left hand against the fence. More punches from Trinaldo. He drops Medeiros with a left hand and more punches from the top by Trinaldo. Trinaldo in side control with hammerfists. Medeiros not defending much. They scramble to their feet. Medeiros is out on his feet and this should be stopped. More left hands from Trinaldo. Knees to the body and they go to the mat. Hammerfists from Trinaldo. This fight should be stopped. More punches from the top by Trinaldo. Medeiros gets to this feet. Takedown by Trinaldo and more punches from the top. Medeiros scrambles to the half-guard. Medeiros with punches to the body from the top. He somehow survived the fight. 10-9 Trinaldo, 30-26 Trinaldo.
Official Result- Francisco Trinaldo def. Yancy Medeiros by unanimous decision (29-26, 30-27, 30-26)
ROUND 1- Marquardt with a leg kick. Santos with a leg kick. They trade kicks. Santos with a leg kick and then a head kick. Marquardt with a leg kick. Santos with a leg kick and Marquardt comes back with his own. Santos with a body kick. Santos with a body kick. Santos with a left hand that drops Marquardt. They get to their feet. Santos with a left kick and then a combo from Santos finishes Marquardt. Santos with the knockout win!
Official Result- Thiago Santos def. Nate Marquardt by knockout (punches) at 3:39 of Round 1
WELTERWEIGHTS- (#6) DEMIAN MAIA (22-6, 16-6 UFC) VS. (#8) MATT BROWN (20-13, 13-7 UFC)
ROUND 1- Brown got hit by some fans during his walkout and actually threw a punch back at one. Brown with a right hand. Maia shoots for the takedown and gets it and this is his world. Maia moves to the back. They are standing and Maia has the back and putting pressure on Brown’s knees. They go to the mat and Maia still has the back of Brown. Maia looking for the choke but Brown defending. Maia with punches from the back. Maia looking for the choke yet again. Maia with more punches from the back as he looks to get his arm under the neck. Brown looks to reverse and now has the top as Maia looked for an arm. 10-9 Maia.
ROUND 2- Maia goes right back for a takedown but Brown defends. Maia goes right back for another and drives Brown to the fence and has a single leg. Maia gets the fight to the mat. Maia has the back again. They get to their feet but Maia trips them back to the mat and still has the back of Brown and is looking for the choke. Maia with punches from the back. Brown is looking for a stand-up but isn’t going to get it. Maia with more punches from the back. Brown is able to get on top and land punches as the round ends. 10-9 Maia, 20-18 Maia.
ROUND 3- Maia goes for a takedown but it is defended. Maia with a left hand and misses another takedown attempt. Maia with a right hand and goes for a takedown. Brown lands some punches and they get to their feet. Maia looking for a takedown again. They go to the mat and Brown is on top. Maia ends up on top in a scramble. Maia flattens Brown out on the mat and is in the guard. They get to their feet and Maia takes the back of Brown. They go back to the mat and Maia is looking for a choke yet again. Maia still looking for the choke. Brown has defended the choke well all fight. Maia with more punches from the back. Maia has the arm under the chin and the choke is tight. Brown submits! Maia gets the win by rear-naked choke and the crowd goes wild.
Official Result- Demian Maia def. Matt Brown by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:31 of Round 3
ROUND 1- Alves with a body kick and takes the fight down and has the neck looking for a guillotine choke. Barberena gives a thumbs up that he is good but Alves still has the neck. Barberena escapes and lands a couple punches from the top. They scramble to their feet. They break and Alves misses a spinning wheel kick. They trade against the fence. Alves with a head kick and then a right hand and combo. They clinch and Barberena with an elbow. They break and Alves with a hard punch to the body. Barberena with a right hook. Alves with a combo. Alves with a big body kick and then a big combo against the fence. Alves with a straight right hand. Barberena with an inside leg kick. Alves with an uppercut against the fence. Barberena with some low kicks and a knee in the clinch. Close round. 10-9 Alves.
ROUND 2- Alves with a right hand and a body kick. Alves with two right hands and another big body kick. Alves is cut under his left eye. Alves with a leg kick and a right hand. Alves with a right hand and then a body kick. Alves with a right hand to the body. Both men trading jabs against the fence and they clinch. They break and Alves takes a deep breath. Both men trading punches and Alves lands a big body kick. They clinch and Barberena lands an elbow on the break. Trading punches again. Barberena with a leg kick and another. Alves is starting to slow down. Barberena lands a solid combination and then another. They trade and Barberena gets the better of it. Barberena with a body kick. Close round again. 10-9 Barberena, 19-19.
ROUND 3- Alves comes out quick with a combo and a body kick. Alves misses a big head kick. Barberena with a leg kick. Alves with the double jab. Barberena slips to the mat and Alves quickly grabs the neck but they get to their feet and clinch against the fence. They trade punches after a break. Both men looking tired, Alves moreso. Both men with front kicks to the body. Alves with a nice combo. Alves with a flying knee. Barberena lands some elbows. They clinch and Alves with some knees to the body. Barberena with a right hand and lands a left hand. Barberena with a good combination but Alves counters with his own. Both men are throwing for the fences. Alves with a left hand. Barberena with a combo. Alves with a body kick. They trade in the clinch. Both men landing and Alves misses a wheel kick. Barberena lands a good combo and is looking to make a closing impression. Alves with a right hand. Both men trade to end the fight. Very close fight. 10-9 Barberena, 29-28 Barberena.
Official Result- Bryan Barberena def. Warlley Alves by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS- (#8) MAURICIO RUA (23-10, 7-8 UFC) VS. (#12) COREY ANDERSON (8-1, 5-1 UFC)
ROUND 1- Rua with an early leg kick. He lands another after both feint punches. Rua with another leg kick. Rua with another followed by an uppercut. They trade punches. Rua with an overhand right. Rua with an uppercut followed with a leg kick. Rua with another big leg kick. Anderson goes for a leg kick and Rua goes for a takedown but it is defended. Anderson goes for a flying knee but Rua lands a right hand. They clinch and the crowd starts to boo. They break and Anderson with a nice right hand. They trade and Rua with a leg kick. They trade in a wild exchange. Anderson with a head kick. Anderson lands a left hook. Anderson with a leg kick. Anderson with a combo. Anderson with a double jab. Rua with a big left hand that drops Anderson and he goes for a finish but the round ends before he can get it. That was close. 10-9 Rua.
ROUND 2- Rua with a leg kick. They trade wild exchanges. Rua with a leg kick and Anderson counters with a combo that was mostly blocked. Anderson scores a takedown and is in the half-guard. They scramble to their feet and are clinched against the fence. Rua with a knee to the body and Anderson lands his own and they break. Anderson with a jab and he shoots for another takedown but Rua defends it. They tie up against the fence. Anderson with short punches. They break and Rua circles away. Rua with an uppercut as he blocks a takedown attempt. Anderson with another takedown but Rua right back up. They trade punches. Rua with a leg kick and he drops Anderson again with a right hand at the end of the round. He lands two punches but again the round ends before he can get a finish. 10-9 Anderson, 19-19.
ROUND 3- Rua with a leg kick. They trade punches. Anderson goes for a takedown and gets it against the fence. Anderson with some punches and elbows from the top. Anderson smothering Rua on the mat. Rua gives up his back as he tries to scramble to his feet. They are up and they break. Rua with a leg kick. Anderson goes for another takedown and Rua defends it. Anderson grabs the leg and finishes the takedown but they get right back up. Anderson with a knee. They scramble to the mat and right back up. Anderson still looking for the takedown but Rua defending and landing some small punches. Anderson digging for the takedown still. They break and Anderson with a flying knee and another takedown attempt as the fight ends. Boring last round. 10-9 Anderson, 29-28 Anderson.
Official Result- Mauricio Rua def. Corey Anderson by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
140-POUND CATCHWEIGHT- CRIS CYBORG (15-1 1 NC, 0-0 UFC) VS. LESLIE SMITH (8-6-1, 2-2 UFC)
ROUND 1- Cyborg is making her long-awaited UFC debut. Cyborg with a right hand to start. A big combo from Cyborg lands. Cyborg with a head kick. Big combo from Cyborg drops Smith and Cyborg looking to finish. Smith is hurt and Cyborg with some punches from the top and this fight is stopped. Cyborg with the knockout win in her UFC debut. Fight was stopped early looking at replays and Smith is not happy about it.
Official Result- Cris Cyborg def. Leslie Smith by TKO (punches) at 1:21 of Round 1
MIDDLEWEIGHTS- (#2) RONALDO SOUZA (22-4 1 NC, 5-1 UFC) VS. (#3) VITOR BELFORT (25-11, 14-7 UFC)
ROUND 1- Big fight that could determine next middleweight title challenger. Souza with a body kick. Belfort fakes a flying knee and stuffs a takedown attempt. They clinch against the fence and Belfort lands a knee. Souza gets a takedown and is on top against the fence. Souza with short elbows from the top. Belfort is cut open and bleeding pretty badly right now. They call timeout at a wrong time for the cut to be checked. The doctor clears Belfort and they continue in the position they were in. Souza passes guard and Belfort ends on top and they scramble to the feet. They are clinched against the fence. Belfort pulls guard and Souza lands from the top. Belfort with a couple of upkicks but Souza is landing a lot from the top. Souza in mount and landing big elbows and punches with less than a minute left. Belfort in a lot of trouble. Souza with more punches from the top and the fight is stopped. Souza gets the TKO win in a dominant showing.
Official Result- Ronaldo Souza def. Vitor Belfort by TKO (strikes) at 4:38 of Round 1
ROUND 1- They trade kicks to start. They trade leg kicks. Werdum with a body kick and then one to the leg. Werdum with a right hand. Miocic with a combo. Werdum lands a right hand. Miocic with a leg kick. Werdum looks to grab a leg but Miocic shakes it off. Miocic lands a right hand. They trade leg kicks. Miocic lands a left hand. They trade right hands. Miocic then lands a big right hand and Werdum is out cold! A one-punch knockout and Miocic has won the UFC Heavyweight Championship.
Official Result- Stipe Miocic def. Fabricio Werdum by knockout (punch) at 2:47 of Round 1
The UFC heads to Curitiba, Brazil for the first time, bringing an event to a soccer stadium that promises around 45,000 strong for UFC 198 headlined by UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum defending against Stipe Miocic. Despite the loss of Anderson Silva, it is still a deep card on Saturday. Below are our studs, value plays and fighters to avoid when setting your fantasy line-ups for the event.
STUDS
Cris Cyborg ($11,600)
Cris Cyborg makes her UFC debut and she is obviously the biggest play on the fight card. She is just a vicious knockout artist and fighting her is likely leading to a devastating finish. She is fighting at 140 pounds, the first time in a very long time she has fought below 145 pounds, but she is also going against Leslie Smith, a natural 125-pound fighter who fights at 135 to be in the UFC, and is now going up even more in weight. Cyborg will be cutting to make 140, Smith won’t be cutting so much. This is a showcase fight for Cyborg to get the fans in her hometown a fighter to cheer for, and it becomes an even bigger deal now that Anderson Silva is now off the card. She should make quick work of Smith and you will maximize your points in picking her. The salary is high and you will have to do some good work with the other four selections, but Cyborg is a must own.
Warlley Alves ($10,800)
Warlley Alves enters Saturday’s UFC 198 event with a perfect 10-0 record, and with Anderson Silva now being out, he gets the main card slot on pay-per-view to showcase his skills. Alves has scored stoppage wins in seven of his ten wins, including in three of his four wins inside the Octagon. He is coming off an impressive and dominant submission win over Colby Covington, who was also undefeated at the time. Alves will be facing Bryan Barberena, who is looking to build on the momentum he has as the man to hand young rising star Sage Northcutt his first career loss. Barberena is 2-1 in his young UFC career, but has just fought three times over the course of two years, and Alves is a huge step up in competition for him. Barberena may not be ready for the challenge, and this is made for Alves to score another impressive win as they work to build him up. I expect another stoppage win for Alves, and he will be a good play on Saturday night.
VALUE PLAYS
Stipe Miocic ($9,100)
The challenger for the UFC Heavyweight Championship in the main event of UFC 198, Stipe Miocic, presents some very solid value at a $9,100 price tag. He lands a lot of strikes, especially over the course of 25 minutes, if it were to go the distance. Miocic is a man on a mission to win the gold, and he has a very good chance as he matches up well against Werdum. Werdum has shown improved boxing, but Miocic is better on the feet, so it will be up to Werdum to try and get the fight down. Miocic has good takedown defense, but he hasn’t had to show off a lot of his grappling. That is Werdum’s world. As long as Miocic keeps the fight on the feet, he is going to score points. He also has excellent conditioning. Werdum has a lot of pressure on him, and Miocic has nothing to lose as he goes for the gold. He has an excellent chance at scoring the upset, and his salary makes him very good value.
Renato Moicano ($9,000)
Renato Moicano is another solid value play on Saturday’s fight card. He hasn’t fought since December 2014, but he is undefeated in his ten career fights. Five of his nine wins (he has a draw) have come by submission, including his UFC debut win over Tom Niinimaki. He has very solid skills and is a rising Brazilian prospect at 145 pounds. However, he won’t have an easy bout as he takes on another tough rising prospect in Zubaira Tukhugov in the opener of the event. Tukhugov is a perfect 3-0 in the UFC and has won nine straight fights. The big knock on him, despite an impressive 18-3 record, is that he is more of a points fighter as eleven of his 18 wins are by decision, including two of his three UFC wins. He is also coming off a close split decision win against Philippe Nover. Moicano has a good shot at scoring an upset and getting a finish, and he has good value for those looking for their underdog pick.
FIGHTERS TO AVOID
Mauricio Rua ($9,200)
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua is a legend in the sport of MMA, but also one who has seen better days in his career. Saturday night will be a big night for Rua as he fights in his hometown of Curitiba for the first time in 13 years, and that is why he was eager to get on this card. However, he does not have an easy task in front of him in the form of Corey Anderson. Anderson sports an 8-1 record and has won three straight, showing off some impressive wrestling skills and improving striking. However, he does tend to eat some good punches, and he was put down in his most recent loss. Rua has trouble taking punches these days, and his takedown defense hasn’t been at top levels in recent years. Rua can always have a vintage Shogun performance, and perhaps fighting in his hometown will give him that added edge, but his recent performances leave a lot to be desired, though he is coming off a win. As hard as it is to avoid him, with the match-up in front of him, I recommend avoiding Rua.
Matt Brown ($8,900)
Matt Brown holds the record for most knockout wins in UFC welterweight history, and he’s long been one of the most exciting fighters at 170 pounds. He has never been able to make that next leap into a title shot, but he gets a big opportunity to make an impact when he takes on Demian Maia on Saturday. It is a fight that Brown asked for, and it may be a huge mistake. Maia excels in the grappling, and he made Gunnar Nelson, arguably the second-best grappler at 170 pounds, look like a novice on the mat. Brown’s biggest problem has always been defending the takedown, and Maia is going to be looking to get the fight to the mat almost immediately. Brown has never been knocked out in his career, but nine of his 13 losses have come by submission. He has a tall task in front of him, but Brown is coming to bring the fight to Maia. He will be tempting to use, but I recommend passing on Brown in your line-ups on Saturday.
OUR LINE-UPS
RYAN FREDERICK- Cris Cyborg ($11,600), Warlley Alves ($10,800), John Lineker ($9,700), Stipe Miocic ($9,100), Nate Marquardt ($8,500)
I have Cris Cyborg as my top pick, and it is a no-brainer. Unless she has a huge adrenaline dump or the weight cut takes a drastic toll on her, she should run right through Leslie Smith, and pretty quickly. I like Warlley Alves to submit Bryan Barberena with relative ease. John Lineker is another solid pick. He has exciting fights and is a finisher, and 135 pounds suits him better. He has a tough opponent in Rob Font, but Font hasn’t fought someone like Lineker, and I think Lineker gives him a good beating. I’m confidently picking Stipe Miocic to become the new UFC Heavyweight Champion on Saturday, and he should rack up some points whether he finishes Fabricio Werdum or goes the distance. Nate Marquardt is my final pick, and one I’m not overly confident on. He is cheap and is coming off a knockout win, and his opponent, Thiago Santos, can be finished. It is my hail mary pick.
PAUL FONTAINE- Cris Cyborg ($11,600), Fabricio Werdum ($10,300), John Lineker ($9,700), Renato Moicano ($9,000), Matt Brown ($8,900)
I like the champion to retain in the main event. It could be a long fight as both guys can take a lot of punishment but even if it goes the distance, Werdum will rack up a lot of points in five rounds. Cyborg is a no-brainer. That fight has first round finish all over it. The only question is if she loses any power fighting at 140. Brown is a bit of a risk but I just can’t see him giving up and at some point, I think Brown breaks him and scores a TKO win. Lineker/Font should be a great fight. Lineker’s the type of fighter who should be spurred on by the Brazilian crowd and he should put together a flurry that hands Font his first UFC loss. Moicano is a bit of an unknown but he submitted the tough Tom Niinimaki in his first UFC fight. The only time he hasn’t won in his career, he went to a draw with Felipe Froes, who is one of the top Featherweights outside of North America.
Another perfect use of 50k but a few things have to happen for this to be a winning hand. I think they will. Werdum finds a way to win. I don’t care what Miocic has in his hands because he has nothing on the ground, and Werdum is a smart fighter. I had Uriah Hall, but switched to Yancy Medeiros after the Silva injury as I see him defeating Trinaldo. Cyborg is a guaranteed first round KO. Cummins has to score a lot of points and beat Lil Nog. He should be able to, unless Nog gets lucky. Vitor is going to be extremely motivated and he’s got KO potential always looming. Also, I had to take a significant dog to get Cyborg. I think Belfort is a steal. He may get beat but I don’t think it will be in the first round. Souza will respect the phenom and take it slow.
Analytics is a hot topic and area of interest in pro sports and culture in general. Not to be left out of the game, MMA has been slower to the party than some due to several factors. But why?
