Tag: MMA

Brock Lesnar Opens Up About Returning To The UFC

In an exclusive interview Brock Leanar sat down with Megan Olivi to discuss his return to MMA.

The last time we saw Lesnar compete inside of the Octogan was at UFC141 in 2011 when he lost to Aliatar Overeem via TKO in the first round.
In the interview Lesnar explains that his last fight took place took place just 4 months after his surgery to correct his diverticulitis.

He says that he didn’t take enough time to recover and that diverticulitis defeated him, but in the 5 year layoff he was always hungry for returning to the Octogan.

What was the co main event is now the main event as Brock Lesnar will be taking on Mark Hunt in a 3 round heavyweight bout.

Lesnar is still under contract with the WWE and will be making his return to the company as part of the WWE Draft when smackdown goes live on Tuesday July 19th

You can check out the full interview below and to see Brock Lesnar take on Mark Hunt you can order UFC 200 live on PPV.

UFC 200 takes place live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and it also fetuses two title fights as Miesha Tate defends her battemweight title against Amanda Nunes and Frankie Edgar and Jose Aldo go to war for the 2nd time as the interim featherweight title is up for grabs.

All of this and more goes down this Saturday July 9th 

Jon Jones Comments On His Removal From UFC 200 For Possible Failed Drug Test

Source: WrestlingINC

Jones made his first public appearance Thursday, addressing his removal from UFC 200 due to a possible failed drug test. The USADA informed the interim light heavyweight champion that his June 16 test came back for a violation of the policy.

Despite his past, this failed drug test was not due to recreational drug use, as it was an out-of-competition one that does not fall under the recreational banner.

Jones was asked by Chael Sonnen during the press conference in Las Vegas about the test in question, stating, “I would never take anything that would enhance my game. I wouldn’t cheat.”

A possible two-year ban from MMA stands in front of Jones if he is found guilty of using a banned substance. He stated that he would return to fighting even if given the suspension.

Breaking News: Jon Jones Out Of UFC 200

It what is being called the biggest card in the UFC to date, it seems that it’s taken a major hit.

The anticipated rematch between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier for the light heavyweight title is now off due to the USADA flagging him for a possible dopping violation.

The UFC has issued this statement on the situation.

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.

Does this news surprise you or did you see this coming? Weigh in on the comment section below.

UFC Veteran Ryan Jimmo Dead After Hit-And-Run Incident

Source: MSN

Canadian light heavyweight Ryan Jimmo is dead at 34.

 MMAjunkie on Sunday confirmed with a person with first-hand knowledge of the accident who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter that Jimmo was the victim identified in an initial CBC News report of a fatal hit-and-run collision.

Edmonton Police Service officials were not immediately available for comment when contacted by MMAjunkie.

According to CBC News, “an altercation occurred between the drivers of two vehicles at around 2:15 a.m.” this morning in the parking lot of H2O Lounge in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

The report continues that “the 34-year-old driver of one vehicle walked up to the occupants of the other vehicle. When he began to walk away, police say the suspects’ vehicle accelerated and struck him before leaving the scene.

“The suspects’ vehicle, a dark-colored pickup truck police say was occupied by two Caucasian males, then fled … and nearly hit a red car.”

The suspects are reportedly still at large.

A lifelong martial artist, Jimmo (19-5) began his professional MMA career in 2007, initially fighting exclusively in Canada and eventually rising to the rank of Maximum Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion.

He made his UFC debut in July 2012, scoring a “Knockout of the Night” bonus in a seven-second win over Anthony Perosh. Jimmo would fight six more times under the UFC banner, earning two victories in that span, including a “Performance of the Night” knockout win over Sean O’Connell in April 2013 at The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale.

Jimmo fought most recently in May 2015, losing a unanimous decision to Francimar Barroso. He was released from the promotion shortly after.

CM Punk To Make anticipated UFC Debut At UFC203

According to UFC.COM the former professional wrestler Phill “CM Punk” Brooks will make his long awaited UFC debut against Mikey Gall at UFC203 in Cleveland Ohio on September 10th in a welterweight bout.

The PPV will be headlined as hometown hero Stipe Miocic defends his newly won heavyweight title against Alister Overeem and in the Co main we will see Fabrico Werdum take on Ben Rothwell.

CM Punk Not Debuting At UFC 202 This August?

Source: WrestlingINC

It appeared CM Punk’s UFC debut vs. newcomer Mickey Gall was set for UFC 202 in late August but according to MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, the fight will not be taking place during WWE’s SummerSlam weekend.

Helwani tweeted that the fight date is far from a done deal but it’s looking like it will happen at UFC 203 on September 10th in Cleveland. Helwani wrote the following on Punk, who signed with UFC in December 2014:

UFC Denies Report Of $4.2 Billion Sale

Source: WrestlingINC

Jeremy Botter of FloCombat reported yesterday that Zuffa has accepted a $4.2 billion bill to sell the UFC to a group consisting of WME-IMG, the Dalian Wanda Group, The Kraft Group and Tencent Holdings. It was noted that while the bid was accepted, the sale hasn’t been completed.

The UFC sent an email to employees denying the report. The email read (h/t to MMA Junkie):

“A report today by FloCombat.com indicating that the company has been sold is false. This follows other false speculation in the press recently.”Such misrepresentation of facts in the media negatively impacts our business, staff members and athletes. We have instructed our attorneys to investigate and take all appropriate legal actions against the parties publishing and contributing to these false stories.

“With International Fight Week and the historic UFC 200 rapidly approaching, we look forward to once again delivering a series of events that our fans won’t soon forget. We appreciate your hard work, diligence and commitment, and thank you for your focus as we continue to take the sport to new heights.”

UFC Lifts Ban On MMA Journalist

Source: WrestlingINC

The UFC reinstated the media credentials of MMA Fighting and Ariel Helwani Monday night after being removed from UFC 199 and subsequently ‘banned for life.’

UFC’s statement is below:

“Following a conversation with the editorial team at SB Nation, UFC will not prevent MMAFighting.com from receiving media credentials to cover live UFC events. We respect the role the media plays in our sport and beyond, including MMAFighting’s ability to report news. However, in our opinion, we believe the recurring tactics used by its lead reporter extended beyond the purpose of journalism. We feel confident our position has now been adequately communicated to the SB Nation editorial team.

UFC’s goal as the world’s leading mixed martial arts promotion is to cultivate interest in its world-class athletes and events, and deliver for the fans. We will continue to introduce this sport and its athletes to new fans across the world, and we will do so by working alongside media across all platforms.”

WWE Trying To Get Ronda Rousey For WrestleMania 33?

Source: WrestlingINC

As if CM Punk, Brock Lesnar and potentially Paige VanZant weren’t enough for potential UFC and WWE crossovers, it appears as if the WWE is hoping to land Ronda Rousey for next year’s WrestleMania 33 event.

According to a report by Forbes, the WWE is looking to angle the Brock Lesnar UFC fight to potentially get Rousey on WrestleMania. As you may remember, Ronda Rousey participated in WrestleMania 31, working an angle with Stephanie McMahon, Triple H and the Rock.

As we mentioned earlier, the WWE is also hoping to get UFC stars to appear at Summerslam.

WWE reportedly interested in UFC’s Paige VanZant

At just age 22, Paige VanZant is arguably one of the best fighters in the ever growing Strawweight division. With just two losses under her belt in her professional MMA career many would say she’s the next huge crossover star.

She’s already been endorsed by Reebok and was in the finals of Dancing with the Stars this past season, and now according to MMA Junkie the biggest company in professional wrestling known as the WWE has an interest in “12 gage”

VanZant has reportedly been in talks with the WWE about appearing at their biggest PPV of the summer, SummerSlam, says her manager Mike Roberts.

No word has been said what type of role PVZ will play in the PPV if she does indeed appear. Still it’s interesting to think about especially with the news that broke this past weekend of WWE’s Brock Lesnar competing at UFC200. Let’s not forget the appearance by Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 31.

All of this begs the question of could it be possible that the WWE and the UFC be in some type of under the table partnership? We here at WNB sure think so.