Category: MMA

Conor McGregor Moving Up 2 Classes To Fight Fill-In Nate Diaz

Source: ESPN

With a lightweight championship fight off the table, Conor McGregor has opted to move up two weight classes and now will meet Nate Diaz in a non-title welterweight fight at UFC 196 on March 5.

UFC president Dana White broke the news on SportsCenter. The fight, which will be contested at 170 pounds, will headline the UFC 196 pay-per-view event scheduled to take place at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

The current 145-pound champion, McGregor (19-2) was originally scheduled to challenge defending 155-pound champion Rafael dos Anjos (25-7) on March 5, but that bout fell through when dos Anjos officially withdrew with a broken foot. He is expected to be sidelined six to eight weeks.

Here is the UFC 196: McGregor VS Diaz press conference highlights video:

Huge UFC Fight Is Reportedly Off

Source: WrestlingINC

What was set to be a huge, historic fight next week is now off the books for the time being, as Rafael Dos Anjos has pulled out of his UFC 196 title fight against Conor McGregor.

Kings MMA has confirmed that Dos Anjos broke his foot during a Friday sparring session. Dos Anjos kicked and connected with his sparring partner’s knee, effectively ending his participation in UFC 196.

This is the second straight year McGregor has had a championship opponent withdraw from a fight, as Jose Aldo pulled out of their planned UFC 189 bout last July. Aldo would face McGregor at UFC 194, where he was knocked out.

Former UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis, as well as highly ranked lightweight Tony Ferguson have volunteered to take on McGregor to fill in for the main event fight. It’s unlikely the company would institute an interim title fight, as RDA defended the championship three months ago.

UFC 196 still has a championship fight at the top of the card, with Holly Holm defending against Miesha Tate.

Wanderlei Silva’s Lifetime Ban Reduced

Source: MMAJUNKIE

The Nevada State Athletic Commission today voted to suspend Wanderlei Silva for three years following a re-hearing on a lifetime ban issued 17 months ago.

The NSAC banned Silva and fined him $70,000 for evading a drug test in connection with a proposed fight against Chael Sonnen at UFC 175.

Silva’s suspension is retroactive to the date of his evasion, May 24, 2014, meaning he is eligible to apply for a license on May 25, 2017. He is also required to provide a clean drug test upon applying for a new license.

The NSAC decided against a monetary penalty toward Silva since his proposed bout with Sonnen didn’t take place and he did not receive a purse.

The decision comes nine months after a judge called the NSAC’s lifetime ban arbitrary and capricious, and overturned it, sending the case back to the commission for a re-hearing. The second hearing was delayed on multiple occasions.

Silva was not present at the hearing today in Las Vegas and was represented by his longtime attorney, Ross Goodman, who attempted to reassert his argument that the commission overstepped its bounds by punishing Silva, who was unlicensed at the time of his evaded test. Commission chair Anthony Marnell shot down Goodman’s attempt, arguing it was “irrelevant” to the re-hearing.

The NSAC’s attorney, Caroline Bateman, recommended a suspension in the range of 32 to 48 months based on decisions from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and World Anti-Doping Agency. Former NSAC chairman and commissioner Francisco Aguilar recommended the 36-month punishment after an initial proposal of four years by commissioner Pat Lundvall, who called Silva’s behavior “some of the most egregious actions we’ve seen from an athletes.”

The NSAC’s decision is likely to spur an appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court from Goodman, who in a previous interview said he needed the commission to re-hear Silva as a precursor to additional legal action.

Silva (35-12-1 MMA, 5-7 UFC), 39, retired after his lifetime ban, but this past month was released from his UFC contract after he apologized for accusing the promotion of fight-fixing. Silva is scheduled to appear tonight at the Bellator MMA Fan Fest at Dave & Busters in Houston, TX which is being held the day before Bellator 149, that will air live on Spike TV – Friday, 9/8c.

On Monday, Silva made a mock poster of him opposite Fedor Emelianenko in the upstart Japanese promotion Rizin FF, suggesting his desire to fight the former PRIDE heavyweight champion.

Ronda Rousey Says She Thought About Suicide After Holly Holm Loss

Source: WrestlingINC

It was evident that things were pretty bad for Ronda Rousey following her UFC 193 loss to Holly Holm. She was reclusive, didn’t speak to anyone, wasn’t training and wasn’t making public appearances. Things were much worse than she actually let on.

While appearing on Ellen today, Rousey mentioned that she thought about killing herself following the big title loss.

“Honestly, my thought I was like, in the medical room and I was down in the corner. I was sitting in the corner like, What am I anymore if I’m not this? And I was literally sitting there and thinking about killing myself and that exact second. I’m like I’m nothing, what do I do anymore and no one gives a sh*t about me anymore without this,” she said.

Rousey said that seeing her boyfriend, UFC fighter Travis Browne, helped change her mind and gave her a much more optimistic outlook.

“To be honest I looked up and I saw my man (Browne) was standing up there and I looked up at him and I was like, I need to have his babies I need to stay alive. Really that was it,” she said.

Rousey said that the public had never seen her moments of vulnerability, and now thinks that maybe it was meant to happen. She also explained the mindset of being undefeated and said that even though she lost in the cage, she didn’t want to be personally defeated.

“Everyone has their moment of picking themselves up off the floor, and I’ve had to before, but nobody’s ever seen me go through that before. Maybe that’s what I’m meant for. I believe I’m still undefeated, because being defeated is a choice. Everyone has losses in their life, but I choose to be undefeated,” an emotional Rousey said.

It’s been well documented that Rousey also lost her father to suicide. You can see Rousey’s comments on Ellen below.

Ken Shamrock VS Royce Gracie At Bellator 149 On 2/19/16, Fan Fest On 2/18/16

MMA Legends Ken Shamrock & Royce Gracie will face each other again on Friday February 19, 2016 at Bellator 149 at the Toyota Center in Houston, TX live on Spike TV.

Also there will be a Bellator Fan Feast at Dave & Buster’s Thursday, Feb 18 at 8 p.m. CT, with Kurt Angle, Wanderlai Silva, Tito Ortiz, Liam McGeary & Phil Davis.

Fans of all ages are invited to Dave and Buster’s in Houston, TX to meet and receive autographs from some of the greatest and most popular combat sports fighters of all time. Fans will also have the opportunity to win tickets and great prizes, as well as snap a photograph with the Bellator ring girls.
Fan Fest is exclusively for Bellator Nation Members only, becoming an official Bellator Nation Member is simple and FREE. Click here to register and RSVP to Fan Fest. If you are already a member of Bellator Nation you will receive an email invitation to RSVP.

 

 

Kurt Angle Set To Wrestle Post-TNA Match Against Rey Mysterio, MMA And Boxing On The Show

Source: WrestlingINC

Kurt Angle may have finished up his pro wrestling dates with TNA, but he’s not retiring, as he’s said many times. As it turns out, he’ll be in the ring rather soon, and against an old foe in Rey Mysterio.

A promotion called UR Fight is putting on a pro wrestling/boxing/grappling/ MMA card that features several former WWE names. Ken Shamrock is advertised to take on Dan Severn in an MMA fight, while Michael Bisping and Chael Sonnen are set to grapple. Roy Jones Jr will also box on the show…against a fan.

The show takes place March 20 from the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona. The show will be broadcast on IPPV.

Kevin Randleman, Former UFC Champion & MMA Pioneer, Dead At 44

Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Kevin Randleman died of heart failure at age 44. Randleman was also a 2-time NCAA National Champion at Ohio St. in the early 1990’s.

Source: MMA Mania

In Oct. 1996, a 24-year old former Ohio State University (OSU) standout wrestler, Kevin Randleman, entered a one-night tournament in Brazil.

Randleman defeated Luiz Macial, Geza Kalman and future Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pride FC competitor, Dan Bobish, to win the tournament. Eight months later, “The Monster” would make his UFC debut, picking up a big win over former champion, Maurice Smith, to avenge his training partner and mentor, Mark Coleman. Randleman would lose in the finals of that tournament two months later to Bas Ruten in one of the more controversial decisions of the early mixed martial arts (MMA) era, but avenge Coleman once again by defeating Pete Williams to win UFC’s Heavyweight Championship.

That was the crowning achievement of Randleman’s career, but he would not be without other highlights. His most notable one was an astonishing knockout of kickboxer-turned-MMA practitioner Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic with one of the biggest left hooks you’ll ever see. He nearly defeated Fedor Emelianenko in his very next fight, but “Last Emperor” was unbreakable back then, and Randleman’s astonishing highlight-reel suplex of the great Russian, which normally would send wheelchair salesmen into heart palpitations, was merely shrugged off and turned into a kimura one minute later.

It remains a defining moment for both men:

Sadly, word from nearly all segments of the Internet, specifically Sherdog.com, are that Randleman has passed away at age 44, leaving behind his wife and four children.

Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter is reporting that Randleman went to a local hospital with pneumonia and suffered from heart failure while undergoing treatment. A relative of his also made numerous Facebook posts in apparent outside confirmation.

Ryback Makes Snide Remark Regarding CM Punk’s Injury

Ryback got a little dig in at CM Punk after it was revealed today that Punk’s UFC debut would be delayed so that he could undergo back surgery. Ryback wrote on Twitter:

During Punk’s now infamous interview on Colt Cabana’s Art of Wrestling podcast in 2014, Punk accused Ryback of being careless in the ring and said that Ryback had taken “20 years off of his life.” He accused Ryback of injuring him several times, and once confronted him after Ryback press slammed Punk through a table but missed.

“Either you’re doing it on purpose and you suck or you’re dumb as f–k, which is it?,” Punk claimed to have asked Ryback. Punk then said that Ryback replied in a dejected tone, “I’m dumb as f*ck.”

 

CM Punk’s Opponent Responds To Fight Delay, Update On Punk’s Status

Source: WrestlingINC

News broke Wednesday of former WWE Champion CM Punk’s long-awaited UFC debut being delayed due to back surgery. Punk’s scheduled opponent, Mickey Gall, took to Twitter to comment on the injury

“Guys. It’s all good. The fight is still on. Minor surgery. I wish @CMPunk a healthy & speedy recovery. I want you at 100%, check that, #200,” Gall said, indicating that he wanted Punk at July’s UFC 200.

As it turns out, Punk’s surgery is a minor one, and as we’re being told, will likely only sideline Punk for 4-6 weeks. This would give him over three months to prepare for a fight at UFC 200.

CM Punk’s UFC debut delayed once again 

The former professional wrestler turned mixed martial artist can’t seem to catch a break.

CM Punk made the announcement in late 2014 that he would be debuting in the Octogan in 2015 but due to legal issues and a shoulder injury that wasn’t the case.

Last week Mickey Gall defeated Mike Jackson to earn his right to face Punk. The bout was slated to take place at UFC199 but now Punk is telling MMAfighting.com that is not the case.

Apparently the straight edge Chicago native with an (0-0) MMA record has been dealing with some nagging back pains and as per usual found himself working through them. Upon further investigation it appears that Punk has a herniated disk that will require back surgery, pushing his UFC debut back even further.

Injuries are never fun so we here at WNB would like to wish Punk a successful surgery and a speedy recovery.