Jeff Novitzky, who works as the UFC’s Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance, says Brock Lesnar has not re-entered the USADA drug-testing pool, according to comments made to MMAJunkie on Wednesday.
“(Lesnar) is not currently enrolled in the USADA testing pool, nor has there been any inquiry on his part to do so,” Novitzky said.
He added there is “zero truth” to reports, apparently started by the @TalkMMA page that Lesnar had met with UFC officials along with Paul Heyman to discuss a return to the Octagon.
There were reports that Lesnar had re-entered the USADA testing pool in case he wanted to opt to return to MMA instead of re-signing with WWE. Again, that’s something the UFC is emphatically denying.
Brock Lesnar came out of a five year retirement from mixed martial arts to compete at UFC 200 last summer where he beat Mark Hunt by unanimous decision. Lesnar was later suspended by the USADA for testing positive for the banned estrogen blocker clomiphene in an out-of-competition test and in-competition test. As a result, the former UFC heavyweight champion was suspended one year by USADA. When he retired, his suspension was frozen. Lesnar’s victory over Hunt was overturned to a no contest.
Hunt filed a civil lawsuit against the UFC, Dana White and Lesnar himself over the positive drug tests. Motions were made by both parties to dismiss the suits.
Lesnar remains under WWE contract through WrestleMania 34 in 2018. The company approved his fight against Mark Hunt and retain exclusive rights to his services, in the wrestling ring and in fighting competitions for as long as his Performer’s Contract is active.
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar is rumored to be returning to the UFC in the near future. The @TalkMMA Twitter account, which has revealed a few stories in the past, reports that Lesnar and Paul Heyman were at UFC HQ to meet with company officials during International Fight Week earlier this month (h/t to BJPenn.com).
This should be taken as a rumor for now but their report says Lesnar’s return to The Octagon is imminent, likely for the November 4th show from Madison Square Garden. They also state that Lesnar is expected to drop the WWE Universal Title at the SummerSlam pay-per-view in August. @TalkMMA also noted that a second source told them Lesnar is back in the testing pool for the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).
Lesnar was suspended from fighting for one year due to his failed drug tests related to the UFC 200 fight against Mark Hunt but he is now eligible to fight again. It was reported in July 2016 that Lesnar was still under contract to UFC, despite being signed to a WWE deal. It was also reported last July that Lesnar was eyeing another fight for late 2016 or early 2017 but that was before the failed drug tests were announced. UFC rules state that a fighter must inform the promotion 4 months in advance if he or she is coming out of retirement, so they can be placed into the USADA testing pool.
UFC President Dana White spoke with TMZ in December and said he believes Lesnar’s MMA career was winding down but added that “he’s a freak of nature and anything could happen.”
Lesnar’s UFC 200 win over Hunt was later overturned by the Nevada Athletic Commission and ruled a No Contest due to the failed drug tests. Lesnar currently has a MMA record of 5 wins, 3 losses and 1 NC.
As noted, Lesnar’s UFC return should be taken as a rumor for now but we will keep you updated.
Make way for another MMA crossover in professional wrestling, because “The American Psycho” Stephan Bonnar is stepping into the squared circle for the first time … at a bowling alley.
Bonnar sayshe and fellow MMA fighter Phil Baroni are forming a tag team called “The Real Shooters” and will be making their in-ring debut on July 16.
It’s certainly a humble start to the UFC legend’s wrestling career, because the event is taking place at Inman’s Bowling Alley and Recreation Center in Valparaiso, Indiana. Bonnar, however, promises a good show.
“I’m going to be doing flashy spin kicks, slapping submissions on these fools, and Phil Baroni’s going to be doing his thing. ‘The New York Badass.’ So, you’re going to be entertained. I guarantee it.”
The UFC made the announcement today that Megan Anderson is out of UFC 214 and replacing her will be Invicta’s bantamweight champion Tonya Evinger.
In an official statement Anderson had this to say:
“I have been wanting this fight for a long time and finally got the opportunity to showcase my skills on the big stage but unfortunately due to some pressing personal reasons that are out of my control, it is not to be right now. I am no stranger to struggle and this is the biggest struggle I have faced yet, but like I always do, I will come back stronger and better than before and I will be coming straight for Cris, the Title and becoming the face of the UFC 145lb division. I am determined and resolved to make history and shock the world. I’m coming for whoever has that belt.”
Cyborg vs. Evinger will still be for the featherweight title and It’ll serve as the co the main event for Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones. UFC 214 will take place in Anaheim California on Saturday July 29th 2017
After months of the newly established women’s featherweight division being in limbo the UFC has finally given us a match up and it’s a huge one.
Today the promotion made the official announcement that at UFC 214 Cris Cyborg will return to the octagon to take on rising star Megan Anderson.
This announcement comes after Germaine De Randamie announced that she would be going back down to 135 therefore being stripped of her tittle. Randamie became UFC’s 1st women’s featherweight champion by defeating Holy Holm at UFC208 last February.
The last time we saw cyborg in the octagon was last September when she defeated Lina Lansberg via TKO in the 2nd round. UFC214 will be the first time cyborg fights at 145 inside the UFC.
On the other side we have Megan Anderson who has been on a tear in invicta. With a record of (8-2) the Australian native is coming off 4 straight wins including her most recent win over Charmaine Tweet at invicta 21 last January. On that night Anderson became invicta’s interim featherweight champion and later became its official champion once cyborg decided to vacate the title.
With all of this in consideration this is the fight that many believe should’ve been the first featherweight match up in the UFC to begin with. Both cyborg and Anderson have been very vocal about this fight and now it’s finally happening.
The fight will take place on July 29th in Anaheim California as the co main event for Cormier vs Jones 2.
As far as Anderson’s Invicta title goes that is still up in the air. She was slated to defend her belt at Invicta24 against Helena Kolesnyk on July 15th, that is obviously no longer the case. Kolesnyk will now be taking on Tonya Evinger in a non title fight.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens to Invicta’s featherweight division after the dust has settled. Until then we have an awesome fight to look forward to and we’re definitely excited about it.
Former UFC heavyweight Tim Hague has died following injuries he sustained during a boxing match on Friday.
“It is with incredible sadness, sorrow and heartbreak to report that Tim has passed away today,” Hague’s sister, Jackie Neil, wrote in a family statement sent out on Sunday. “He was surrounded by family, listening to his favorite songs. We will miss him with so greatly.”
Hogue lost by knockout to Adam Braidwood in a boxing match at the Shaw Conference Centre in an event promoted by KO Boxing. He was pronounced dead on Sunday.
Hogue won his UFC debut against Pat Barry at UFC 98 in 2009 but lost his next three fights. His last fight with the UFC was at UFC Fight Night 23, where he lost to Matt Mitrione on January 23, 2011. He finished his UFC career with a record of 1-4.
Via Sporting News, Showtime announced Mauro Ranallo will be the Play-by-Play Announcer for the upcoming Mayweather vs. McGregor fight on August 26. Mauro retweeted the article once the news broke:
Mayweather vs. McGregor: Meet the Showtime TV team that will call the PPV megafight https://t.co/ZM3RbK5Wnc
Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor has been signed for Aug. 26 in Las Vegas, Mayweather and McGregor both confirmed on social media. The fight will air live on pay-per-view.
UFC president Dana White said Wednesday on SportsCenter that the fight will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and be contested at 154 pounds. Both fighters will wear 10-pounce gloves, White said.
The hotly debated boxing match will mark the first time that a current UFC champion challenges a boxer in a boxing match.
The fight, which will be sanctioned by the Nevada Athletic Commission, will be a professional boxing match, meaning if Mayweather wins, he’ll be the first boxer to have a perfect 50-0 record. It is expected to be the most anticipated “mixed” fight since Muhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki in June 1976.
Mayweather Jr. (49-0), considered one of the greatest boxers of all time, announced his retirement from the sport following a September 2015 win over Andre Berto. However, he said recently that he was only interested in returning to action for a fight against McGregor.
McGregor (0-0 in boxing, 21-3 in MMA), the current UFC lightweight champion, has never competed in a professional boxing match, but he is considered one of the best mixed martial artists in the world. He made history in November when he defeated then-lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez to became the first fighter in UFC history to be a champion in two different weight classes at the same time. Since then, though, the UFC stripped the Irish-born fighter of his featherweight title due to inactivity.
Mayweather, 40, and McGregor, 28, have been flirting with the idea of fighting each other for almost a year, but things seemed to heat up after McGregor defeated Alvarez at Madison Square Garden late last year.
For a while, though, the super fight appeared to be nothing more than a pipe-dream, but McGregor remained steadfast in his desire to challenge the undefeated boxer.
“It’s the fight to make,” McGregor said in January. “It’s the fight the people want. It’s the fight I want. I know I’m confident going in there.
“I’ve got the reach. I’ve got youth. I’ve got the confidence. I’ve got the unpredictable style. You can’t prepare for a style like me. A guy said to me, why conquer one world when you can conquer two? So I’m going to go conquer two worlds.”
In March, while in attendance to support fellow Irishman Michael Conlan in his pro boxing debut, McGregor erupted on the boxing media sitting ringside.
“No one in this boxing game knows what’s coming,” he said. “Trust me on that. When I step in there, I’m going to shock the whole goddamn world. Trust me on that. Look me in the eyes. Twenty-eight years of age, confident as a motherf*cker, long, rangy, dangerous with every hand.
“Trust me, I’m going to stop Floyd and you’re all going to eat your words. The whole world is going to eat their words.”
While his purse has yet to be announced, McGregor is expected to make more for this one fight than he’s ever made in his career. Details of the deal have yet to be announced.
It’s unclear at this time how much the pay-per-view will cost or who will fight on the undercard.
The Nevada commission approved the Aug. 26 date for a Mayweather Promotions card Wednesday during its monthly meeting. At the time of the meeting, it was not fully known that it would be for Mayweather vs. McGregor.
Former WWE SmackDown Live announcer/commentator Mauro Ranallo, who remains under contract with the company until August 12th, has signed with Bellator MMA. They issued the following announcement today:
Bellator Signs Veteran Commentators Mike Goldberg and Mauro RanalloJune 13, 2017
LOS ANGELES — Bellator has signed longstanding MMA commentators Mike Goldberg and Mauro Ranallo to multi-event broadcast agreements beginning with Bellator NYC: Sonnen vs. Silva and Bellator 180: Davis vs. Bader on Saturday, June 24. The move sees Goldberg return to SPIKE for the first time since 2011, while Ranallo reunites with Bellator President Scott Coker, having worked together through 2013. The pair will join a broadcast team that currently includes Jimmy Smith, Jenn Brown and Chael Sonnen.
“Mike Goldberg and Mauro Ranallo are two of the best in our business and I couldn’t be happier about them joining the Bellator family,” said Scott Coker. “In addition to June 24, we look forward to working together to make future Spike broadcasts even more exciting for our fans as we add further depth to an already-exceptional broadcast team.”
“The addition of highly-regarded announcers Mauro and Mike to our fantastic lineup of broadcasters, and our first-rate production led by Scott Fishman, further demonstrates our commitment MMA fans and expanding the global Bellator brand,” added Spike SVP, Sports and Specials Jon Slusser.
Mike Goldberg is best known for his 20 plus years of play-by-play work in professional MMA and trademark calls that made him popular with fans around the globe. In addition to his two decades in mixed martial arts, he has broadcast every major sport at the network level, most notably his 900 games in the NHL, both nationally and with the Minnesota Wild, Vancouver Canucks and Detroit Red Wings. He has also hosted entertainment shows, including Shaq Vs. A graduate of Miami (Ohio) University, Goldberg now resides in Phoenix, Ariz.
Mauro Ranallo gained notoriety with MMA fans during his tenure with PRIDE, and later STRIKEFORCE, where his voice became synonymous with the now-legendary events. Throughout his career, Ranallo has spent time working with various sports outside of MMA, including boxing, professional wrestling, kickboxing and ice hockey, and will continue his work with Showtime Boxing. Ranallo, a native of British Columbia, Canada, now resides in Los Angeles, Calif.
Please visit Bellator.com and BellatorNYC.com for upcoming event information.
About Bellator:
Bellator is a leading mixed martial arts and kickboxing organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 500 million homes worldwide in over 140 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on SPIKE, the combat sports television leader. Bellator is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Hollywood, Calif. and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.
About Spike:
Spike is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike’s Internet address is spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike’s press site at spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.
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