How many more fights are left for Rich Franklin & Wanderlei Silva?
By Zach Arnold | June 23, 2012
Date: Saturday, June 23rd
Venue: Mineirinho Gym (Belo Horizonte, Brazil)
TV: PPV
Dark matches
- Featherweights: Felipe Arantes and Milton Vieira went to a draw after 3R.
- Featherweights: Marcos Vinicius defeated Wagner Campos in R3 in 1’04 by TKO.
- Middleweights: Thiago Perpetuo defeated Leonardo Mafra in R3 in 0’41 by TKO.
- Featherweights: Hugo Viana defeated John Teixeira after 3R by split decision.
- Middleweights: Francisco Trinaldo defeated Delson Heleno in R1 in 4’21 by TKO.
- Featherweights: Rodrigo Damm defeated Anistavio Medeiros in R1 in 2’12 by submission (choke).
Main card
- Featherweights: Hacran Dias (+215) defeated Yuri Alcantara after 3R by unanimous decision.
- Heavyweights: Fabricio Werdum (-500, 5 to 1 favorite) defeated Mike Russow in R1 in 2’28 by TKO.
- Featherweights: Rony Mariano Bezerra (-300, 3 to 1 favorite) defeated Godofredo Pepey after 3R by unanimous decision.
- Welterweights: Cezar Ferreira (-260, 13 to 5 favorite) defeated Sergio Moraes after 3R by unanimous decision.
- Catch weight (195 pounds): Rich Franklin (-170) defeated Wanderlei Silva after 5R by unanimous decision (49-46 three times).
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Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 107 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Dana White: I think Spencer Fisher beat Sam Stout 30-27
By Zach Arnold | June 23, 2012
After spending a few minutes pontification on the horrible game plan Clay Guida used against Gray Maynard for their Friday night Atlantic City fight, along with some praise for the New Jersey commission as being the best in America, Dana White took some time to rip into MMA judging. Nothing gets him more worked up than this topic, so enjoy the text of his rant about the Sam Stout/Spencer Fisher fight (Stout won a 30-27 unanimous decision).
DANA WHITE: “Yeah, I got to ask you… I’ll ask you a question. I thought Fisher won that fight.”
ARIEL HELWANI: “I disagree. I thought the takedowns sealed it for Sam Stout.”
DANA WHITE: “And I think that’s [expletive]. I think that if you get your head punched in for four minutes of a round and you take a guy down and lay on him for a minute, does not win you the fight.”
ARIEL HELWANI: “And that’s a big problem in MMA, right?”
DANA WHITE: “He didn’t do any damage on his takedowns. I mean, he literally, did you see his face at the end of the face? I mean he literally, um, got busted up I thought every round of that fight and then I said, during the fight this is what I said to the guy sitting next to me, I said he’s trying to take him down at the end of the round to try to steal the rounds. But if you take the guy down and there’s a minute left in a round and you’re raining elbows and punches and doing tons of damage, then I could see that. But he did none of that. I was actually pretty blown away that it was 30-27.”
ARIEL HELWANI: “So, you scored it 30-27 for Spencer?”
DANA WHITE: “Yeah, exactly.”
ARIEL HELWANI: “Do you think a lot of judges put too much stock in takedowns, where a guy takes him down, doesn’t do anything. I’m not saying Sam didn’t do anything and they give that, you know, they put too many points on that as opposed to what’s happening on the feet.”
DANA WHITE: “I do. But it’s different. If a guy gets a takedown with a minute left or two minutes left or a minute and a half left of a round and he does a ton of damage from that top position, completely different story, you know, because that’s the last thing that’s in your mind is this guy was on top for the last minute and a half, raining punches and elbows down. That’s a big difference and he’s doing damage but when no damage is being done? The guy who was on his feet was wrecking the guy for four minutes wins that round. It just makes no sense whatsoever to me. Um… you know, and funny because coming into that fight, um… Stout said, you know, I fought Spencer when Spencer was in his prime and I was still green. Spencer Fisher is shot now, now I’m in my prime or whatever. I thought Spencer Fisher looked as good tonight as he ever has. I thought the guy looked awesome and I thought he won that fight.”
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 25 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
DCA outlines potential CSAC fraud; Dodd out as Executive Director
By Zach Arnold | June 22, 2012
DOWNLOADABLE/PRINTABLE PDF (9 pages)
- Investigation: The future of combat sports in California (May 6th)
- Investigation: How did (then) 80 year old scandal-plagued politician John Frierson get an important job promotion? (May 9th)
- The politics of MMA’s testosterone push & California’s coming collapse (June 7th)
- California State Athletic Commission on a path towards insolvency, could get shut down (June 10th, 2012)
- PDF report now online – Blame game: DCA, CSAC civil war (emergency 6/26 meeting set by DCA) (June 16th, 2012)
- DCA/CSAC civil war: Taxpayers & promoters get a raw deal in California (June 19th, 2012)
Update (Friday night): Multiple sources have told us that George Dodd has resigned from the commission. We’ve had one source claim that the DCA has no legal ground to stand on right now to threaten Dodd with personal liability for CSAC debt, even though that threat was made in the insolvency letter.
*****
We’ve exhaustively written online about the on-going civil war between the California State Athletic Commission and the Department of Consumer Affairs, which oversees the CSAC. Politically speaking, the CSAC is low on their totem pole. However, the CSAC finances are a mess. The DCA fired off an insolvency letter to the members of the CSAC on May 31st, only days before their June 4th hearing in San Diego. At that June 4th hearing, the CSAC members expressed their disgust at being caught flat-footed by the insolvency letter. The CSAC’s Executive Director, George Dodd, blamed the high inspector & in-state travel costs on the fact that inspectors are often stuck in traffic. Stunningly, Dodd agreed with CSAC Chairman John Frierson’s assertion that the amount of inspectors per combat sports event in California should be cut from 6-7 to 3 per show unless a show is a major event with a title fight. Appallingly, Dodd agreed with Frierson’s assertion. Furthermore, he allowed Frierson to take over the duties of assigning inspectors to each show in the state. On top of that concession, Dodd agreed with Frierson’s assertion that referees should sign-off on the hand-wrapping process for fighters. The problem with hand-wrapping inspections is not the signing off process, it’s the actual inspection process. Cutting corners does nothing for improving the quality of regulation.
As we’ve demonstrated in our recent reports, cutting the amount of inspectors per show from 6-7 to 3 is outrageous. Given the duties that the inspectors have to perform at the shows (managing the box office, hand-wraps, drug testing, medical licensing & paperwork), it is absolutely asking for a disaster to have only 3 inspectors per show as standard policy. God forbid if a major scandal or accident occurs. Both the CSAC & DCA are putting themselves at risk for major liability by not properly regulating shows under their banner. Furthermore, as we demonstrated in our June 19th report, not all inspectors are treated equally at the CSAC.
The real issue is which inspectors get which gigs and which inspectors are getting paid overtime by the state of California because they work for the state during the day, as opposed to inspectors who hold private sector jobs.
So, what we have right now in the on-going DCA/CSAC civil war is a situation where revenues have plummeted because less combat shows are happening in the state. You have the DCA & CSAC essentially pushing for inspectors to be cut in half for shows, which increases the chances of something bad happening at an event. You have the DCA preparing to replace George Dodd with a bean counter who will tow the DCA line and not aggressively clean up the incompetence and/or corruption in the Sacramento office. The irony in this maneuver is that Dodd was hand-picked by the Department of Consumer Affairs (Brian Stiger). Now that everything is spiraling out of control, DCA wants everyone to believe that the bureaucratic mess is simply George Dodd’s fault. As we exposed in our June 16th budget analysis review, the financial problems at the CSAC started after the departure of Armando Garcia and well before the appointment of George Dodd.
In other words, the DCA attempting to convince the public that Dodd is the sole reason for their financial troubles simply won’t fly. The DCA is counting on fans, fighters, promoters, and media not shining a spotlight on what is happening right now at the Sacramento office.
This is why the contents of the DCA’s insolvency letter to the California State Athletic Commission board members are so damaging. The insolvency letter (dated May 31st), was released online yesterday. The letter uses innocuous bureaucratic language that most people, at first glance, would simply skim over and not analyze. However, what’s listed in the insolvency letter is staggering and troubling. The admissions made by the DCA in the insolvency letter, along with a threat made to George Dodd, must be dissected for public consumption.
If you’re a fight fan, fighter, or promoter in California, the contents of the DCA’s insolvency letter should concern you about the future of combat sports in California.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: Boxing, CSAC, Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 9 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Dana White: “I’m not a normal patient, OK?”
By Zach Arnold | June 20, 2012
“I went to the specialist for Meniere’s Disease, which I have — which is basically damage to the nerve inside the ear that tells the brain ‘you’re moving’ when you’re not moving and it is… the most horrible thing you could ever go through, believe me when I tell you and… I wanted the surgery but the doctor, being a doctor, doctors want to treat you. They don’t want… they want surgery to be the last option. Well, I’m not a normal patient, OK? I’m not some guy who works 9-to-5 and goes home. I fly all over the world, every day of the week and my thing is if I’m flying on a 14 hour flight to Brazil and what happened to me happened to me a few weeks ago happens to me on the plane… and I have to land in Brazil or some other country where they probably don’t understand this thing… it’s just I’m a different case, so I’m lobbying hard for this surgery and the surgery isn’t the cure. The surgery, they go in and they basically cut the nerve so you have to learn to walk again and you have to go through serious rehabilitation to learn how to do everything again. But I’m willing to have that done, go in, I’ll go hardcore rehab for the next three weeks and, you know… that’s my plan and what I plan to do. The doctor has other plans, so it’s going to be a battle of wills over, you know… I think I’m a special case in that the surgery makes sense for me where it might not for other people my age. It’s something that has to be done. I have to fix this problem. I can’t do what I do and have that happen to me again. I mean, just that one incident… I was lucky that I was in Las Vegas and my doctor is familiar with it and knew what to do and I was still down for four days. If that happened to me somewhere else… I’m telling you, it’s just… people who have this understand where I’m coming from. I’m afraid that that’s going to happen again, let me put it to you that way.
“I’m on a ton of medication right now and only 50% of the people respond to medication, you know, so we’ll see what happens.”
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 11 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
DCA/CSAC civil war: Taxpayers & promoters get a raw deal in California
By Zach Arnold | June 19, 2012
DOWNLOADABLE/PRINTABLE PDF FILE ONLINE (10 pages)
- Investigation: The future of combat sports in California (May 6th)
- Investigation: How did (then) 80 year old scandal-plagued politician John Frierson get an important job promotion? (May 9th)
- The politics of MMA’s testosterone push & California’s coming collapse (June 7th)
- California State Athletic Commission on a path towards insolvency, could get shut down (June 10th, 2012)
- PDF report now online – Blame game: DCA, CSAC civil war (emergency 6/26 meeting set by DCA) (June 16th, 2012)
When the news broke on Saturday morning (June 16th) about the DCA & CSAC preparing to emasculate, verbally castrate, excoriate question current California State Athletic Commission Executive Director George Dodd at an emergency meeting in regards to the financial crisis at CSAC, we were not surprised to learn that the mood amongst promoters & power brokers in the fight business about the current regulatory climate in California is sour. The same can be said for those who are on the inside right now at Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) headquarters, where the environment has been described by one source to us as ‘toxic.’ We’re not surprised by this — the same atmosphere developed after Armando Garcia left the CSAC and left a power vacuum behind that was filled by AEOs Bill Douglas & Dave Thorton.
There is plenty of media interest in the story, just not entirely in combat media circles. It is funny to see many writers publish comment from the CSAC about a fighter failing a drug test… but refusing to acknowledge that the person they’re talking with is basically on trial right now at the DCA.
As our Saturday report revealed & detailed, the budget issues at the DCA & CSAC are nothing new. Before George Dodd came to Sacramento (hand-picked by then-Governor Schwarzenegger’s right-hand man Brian Stiger), the condition of the CSAC was rather tumultuous. We looked at the budget data for 2009 and it revealed the exact same problems as we currently see with the CSAC’s budget today. The difference? The revenue was coming in at around $1.8M-$1.9M a year in ’09. Today? $1.2M to $1.3M with potential for an even steeper decline in the coming years.
If there ever was a story that was reflective of the current condition of California’s financial crisis, this is a perfect example. It’s a story that combat sports fans in the state should pay close attention to. Despite the state being home to so many talented boxers & MMA fighters, the activity is slowing down in the state for shows. Promoters & fighters have had various issues in regards to communicating with the commission. While most dismiss the prospects of no combat sports shows happening in the state, consider the following…
The turmoil at the DCA, which is full of government lifers, is very nervous right now. People are allegedly pointing fingers at each other in a blame game. Our reports on the DCA & CSAC have opened plenty of eyes. It’s just the start of impending media scrutiny, not only from us but from other media outlets as well. What you have is a political climate at the DCA that is anything but conducive to running business as usual.
Which is why when Wednesday, June 26th rolls around at Noon PST, George Dodd should force the DCA to put their cards on the table. He should absolutely force the DCA to make his hearing for public consumption and not a closed door affair.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: Boxing, CSAC, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 9 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
PDF report now online – Blame game: DCA, CSAC civil war (emergency 6/26 meeting set by DCA)
By Zach Arnold | June 16, 2012
DOWNLOADABLE/PRINTABLE PDF REPORT AVAILABLE HERE (17 pages)
Government gone wild. The battle between elements of the Department of Consumer Affairs & California State Athletic Commission is intensifying. As the financial pressure heats up and revenues decline for combat sports in California, who survives and who gets fired has many people on edge. Take a look at the agenda for the CSAC’s June 26th teleconference meeting where the job security of George Dodd, the CSAC’s Executive Director, is being openly discussed. His fate will apparently be determined in a closed session. Take note that the agenda states that an acting or interim Exec. Director could be appointed.
The June 26th CSAC meeting was just scheduled at the last-minute. It was not previously scheduled until today. A stakeholders conference call on July 15th was supposed to be the next hearing.
- Investigation: The future of combat sports in California (May 6th)
- Investigation: How did (then) 80 year old scandal-plagued politician John Frierson get an important job promotion? (May 9th)
- The politics of MMA’s testosterone push & California’s coming collapse (June 7th)
- California State Athletic Commission on a path towards insolvency, could get shut down (June 10th, 2012)
Our latest article about the California State Athletic Commission being told that it is on the path to insolvency raised a lot of eyebrows. After all, who would ever expect the media to cover a three-hour public hearing and pay attention to what was said? Well, we did — and the response has been overwhelming. We’ve been contacted by fighters, promoters, and boots-on-the-ground about the fallout from the CSAC’s fiscal woes. While every source has their own agenda, we’ve done our best to crystallize what the general issues facing the CSAC are and where the agency goes from here.
To understand how the politics work for the CSAC, consider the following:
Governor Jerry Brown -> Department of Consumer Affairs -> California State Athletic Commission
The CSAC is under the DCA umbrella. The DCA manages many powerful political boards, some of which pay great salaries to its respective members with tremendous benefits. In the case of the CSAC, it’s considered one of the lower echelon political appointments. For politicians like John Frierson, being on the CSAC means a lot to him. For the majority of politicians, the CSAC is considered low on the totem pole. You meet every other month, you get paid hundreds (not thousands) of dollars per meeting, and you’re often not given a full picture as to what is really going on behind the scenes. Whatever you are presented with by the Executive Director in relation to the DCA’s numbers & recommendations, that’s what you are basing decisions on.
The CSAC is a puppet for the DCA. Remember this.
One of the most interesting comments we’ve received in response to our CSAC San Diego hearing report was this comment by someone named Brian. He left a comment on our web site with the following message:
So, we’ve decided to take Brian up on his offer. After spending several days contacting sources on the ground and multiple accountants & lawyers for independent analysis of CSAC budget data provided to them via public agenda documents on the CSAC web site, we are starting to formulate a general picture that gives us a better idea of how the California State Athletic Commission got on the path to insolvency. Furthermore, our research raised some very interesting questions that will need to be addressed in the future — either by the agency or by the media. Whether this means FOIA (Freedom of Information Act requests) or lawsuits, there are certain methods that will need to be utilized to get the full picture about what has happened and what is currently happening with the finances.
For the mean time, however, based on the DCA’s publicly released info we will do our best to fill you in on what our opinion is about the activities transpiring in Sacramento.
If you patiently read our report here, we will reward you with a surprise twist to this story and why we paid very close attention to the comment that ‘brian’ made on our site.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: Boxing, CSAC, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 27 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Testosterone tidal wave keeps gaining energy
By Zach Arnold | June 12, 2012
- Elephant in the room – Dan Henderson’s win over Fedor builds momentum for TRT usage/acceptance (August 2nd, 2011)
- We’re the most tested sport in the world” ain’t cutting it no more (April 4th, 2012)
- A real crisis – the testosterone HOF grows for UFC (June 1st, 2012)
When the Alistair Overeem news broke a couple of months ago regarding his now infamous ‘tetra mix’ shot w/ testosterone, I noted that there were plenty of big MMA name fighters that would eventually be outed as new testosterone users. The reason some in the know can’t reveal who is using what is due to legal reasons. In other words, you have to wait for the fighters themselves or for the proper authorities to make the disclosures.
I had promised that the testosterone drip torture treatment would soon happen for MMA fans and now it’s starting to snowball. Frank Mir was just the latest to get a hall pass from Keith Kizer’s crew in Nevada to use T. Nate Marquardt mysteriously decided that, after proclaiming his need for testosterone to have a normal life, he now suddenly doesn’t want the hassle of using it any longer.
And now we have Rich Franklin floating a public trial balloon to gauge reaction to whether or not he should go ahead and use testosterone. Not because he needs testosterone to function in daily life but because, according to the man himself, testosterone could help prolong his MMA career. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em, right?
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 49 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Thursday a day of action in Nevada over Pacquiao/Bradley
By Zach Arnold | June 11, 2012
So, Keith Kizer has decided to go all-in as far as backing the judges for the Manny Pacquiao/Tim Bradley fight. Here’s an ESPN article laying out the tomfoolery at work.
ESPN has been running quotes from both Kizer and judge Duane Ford on their channel all day long. Their opinion shows have also been weighing in, albeit with uneducated discussion about the Nevada State Athletic Commission and who is doing what. Nevertheless, Keith Kizer had an easy political chance to play politics and announce that an ‘investigation’ would happen soon. He could have announced this at the upcoming NSAC public hearing on Thursday. He’s declined to do so.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: Boxing, Media, Zach Arnold | 8 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
California State Athletic Commission on a path towards insolvency, could get shut down
By Zach Arnold | June 10, 2012
- Investigation: The future of combat sports in California (May 6th)
- Investigation: How did (then) 80 year old scandal-plagued politician John Frierson get an important job promotion? (May 9th)
- The politics of MMA’s testosterone push & California’s coming collapse (June 7th)
Last Monday’s meeting for the California State Athletic Commission in San Diego proved to be full of landmines that surprised the politicians populating the committee. On the agenda, two key items for debate involved modifying rules for hand wraps and allowing Therapeutic Use Exemptions for testosterone usage. The director of the DCA (Department of Consumer Affairs), which technically oversees the CSAC, wants no part of legalizing testosterone usage. Despite the fact that there are no official guidelines for testosterone usage by the CSAC, we know that at least one high profile fighter (Dan Henderson) had TRT for his fight against Mauricio Shogun in late 2011. If you are trying to figure out how this is happening while the commission has no guidelines set in stone for TUEs for testosterone, you’re not alone.
However, the big bombshell that came out of the San Diego meeting had nothing to do with hand wraps or with drug usage.
Early on during the course of Monday’s meeting, Executive Director George Dodd went through the agenda that the commission was going to go over for the many hours they would be in session. Within minutes, Dodd was confronted by the commission over finances. He was pressed by a commissioner as to a letter from the DCA to the CSAC in which it said that the commission was on the path to insolvency.
In other words, broke.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: Boxing, CSAC, Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 46 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Keith Kizer’s worst nightmare with Pacquiao/Bradley is worth your schadenfreude
By Zach Arnold | June 9, 2012
BRADLEY TOPS PACQUIAO IN SHOCKING SPLIT DECISION
Tim Bradley in a wheelchair at the post-fight presser.
Take it away, Skip Bayless:
Dana White is full of love for his boy Keith Kizer:
Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated weighs in:
Fight Ghost: Let me say it again. During live wagering, entering round 12, Manny Pacquiao was a 100 to 1 favorite to win this fight. 100 to 1.
Luke Thomas: 100% lock Keith Kizer says tonight’s judges are super competent and this decision doesn’t merit any kind of review.
Bill Simmons: Never been more stunned by a boxing decision. So disgusted right now. Now we know why the odds dropped all week. #future30for30
Pacquiao/Bradley judges: CJ Ross, Jerry Roth, Duane Ford. Ross & Ford scored the fight 115-113 for Bradley, while Roth scored it 115-113 for Pacquiao. The Associated Press scored it 117-110 for Pacquiao. Dan Rafael of ESPN scored it 119-110 for Pacquiao.
Teddy Atlas unloaded on the corruption in boxing during an interview on ESPN (after the fight). He pondered if Pacquiao’s contract with Bob Arum running out was a reason for the way the judges scored the fight. He reiterated his calls for a national boxing commission. While Teddy was ranting, Bob Arum was doing his own ranting after the fight. At the same time, a magical date of November 10th appeared for a potential rematch between Bradley & Pacquiao.
Adnan Virk, in the 1:30 AM Sportscenter opener on ESPN, called Tim Bradley “Avery Bradley.” ESPN chose to bury the Pacquiao/Bradley fight to third-tier status (Celtics/Heat number one story, Devils/Kings number two story). All of this while “#RIPboxing” and Top Rank were trending on Twitter.
Before this debacle on Saturday night, the next Nevada State Athletic Commission meeting was set for this Thursday. Guess what will now get added to Thursday’s agenda?
As for Keith Kizer, no one should feel sorry for him. No one. Given how petulant & vindictive he can be, this flaming turd of a horrible Pacquiao/Bradley split decision is a hell of an ordeal for Nevada. Calling Governor Brian Sandoval…
Update: Keith Kizer defends his men:
Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer said he does not anticipate any discipline or review of Ross or Ford.
“Every fighter who loses a close fight looks at the judges,” Kizer said. “I think every judge should strive to get better.”
Topics: Boxing, Media, Zach Arnold | 34 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
The politics of MMA’s testosterone push & California’s coming collapse
By Zach Arnold | June 7, 2012
John Frierson barely survived a county committee election in Los Angeles on Tuesday
The Octogenarian chairman of the California State Athletic Commission has had a hell of a week.
John Frierson, the four-decade long political ally of Governor Jerry Brown and ally of state senator Curren Price (head of the Senate Business, Professions, and Economic Development committee), has had quite a political battle on his hands. He barely won a seat for a 7-member Democratic county committee panel in Los Angeles on Tuesday. The day before, he presided over an explosive dual hearing session for the California State Athletic Commission in San Diego.
The June 4th San Diego hearing was going to determine what the course would be for the athletic commission in regards to how to handle the testosterone issue for combat sports in regards to handing out Therapeutic Use Exemptions. I voiced my opinion two months ago against such a procedure given that the testosterone scam in combat sports is more or less a legalized method of approving doping. Given the high stakes involved in having fighters on testosterone during bouts and what it means for health & safety, it’s hard to come up with a reason to support testosterone usage in MMA.
There is a civil war going on right now amongst politicians and staff members at top state athletic commissions in regards to the testosterone issue.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: CSAC, Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 29 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
JDS 3-to-2 favorite over Cain Velasquez in UFC rematch
By Zach Arnold | June 7, 2012
Newest edition of MMA Oddsbreakers w/ Case Keefer (Las Vegas Sun) & handicapper Nick Vlass.
Strikeforce event on August 18th, 2012
Women’s bantamweight title match: Ronda Rousey (-475) vs. Sarah Kaufman (+325)
Bellator 73 on August 24th, 2012
Bellator Featherweight title match: Pat Curran (-160) vs. Patricio Pitbull (+130)
UFC Welterweight title eliminator
Johny Hendricks (-115) vs. Martin Kampmann (-115) = pick ’em
UFC Heavyweight title match
Junior dos Santos (-150) vs. Cain Velasquez (+120)
***
Bonus lines:
UFC 147 on June 23rd in Brazil
Rich Franklin (-160) vs. Wanderlei Silva (+140)
UFC 148 on July 7th in Las Vegas
UFC Middleweight title match: Anderson Silva (-260) vs. Chael Sonnen (+200)
Faber vs. Barao started as a pick ’em (-115 each)… and all the money has gone on Barao. The new line: Renan Barao (-170) vs. Urijah Faber (+140)
UFC on July 11th at HP Pavilion (San Jose Arena)
Chris Weidman (-135) vs. Mark Munoz (+115)
UFC 149 on July 21st in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Jose Aldo (-500) vs. Erik Koch (+350)
UFC on Fox 4 (August 4th in Los Angeles at Staples Center)
Lyoto Mchida (-300) vs. Ryan Bader (+250)
UFC 150 in Denver, Colorado
Ben Henderson (-160) vs. Frankie Edgar (+130)
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 5 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
A real crisis: The testosterone HOF grows for UFC
By Zach Arnold | June 1, 2012
Frank Mir says getting a TUE for testosterone is like using an inhaler for asthma
Junior dos Santos was furious about what happened with Alistair Overeem and his now infamous ‘tetra mix’ shot from a mark doctor (who is in trouble again) which included testosterone. JDS has come out against testosterone users.
So, thanks to Keith Kizer, JDS ended up fighting Frank Mir while Mir was using NSAC-allowed testosterone usage.
Which, of course, makes this remark from Dave Meltzer today all the more amusing:
–All 24 fighters from Saturday’s UFC 146 PPV tested clean for both steroids and recreational drugs.
You can pass a Nevada drug test for steroids while using testosterone, the base chemical of anabolic steroids. This is now the legacy of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. As Mike Chiappetta reported in the past, the NSAC has a process of three weeks to establish a Therapeutic Use Exemption for testosterone usage for MMA fighters. Three weeks. Not three months. Three weeks.
In the case of Frank Mir, he asked for an exemption starting in 2012. Why didn’t he get an exemption before if he needed it so badly?
When Dan Henderson beat Fedor last year, I stated that his win would start to create acceptance by power brokers in the sport for the usage of Testosterone. Don’t think that’s the case? Look at the testosterone MMA hall of fame:
- Dan Henderson
- Alistair Overeem (not a TRT guy officially as far as having a TUE, it should be noted)
- Chael Sonnen
- Frank Mir
- Todd Duffee
- Shane Roller
- Nate Marquardt
- Dennis Hallman
- Bristol Marunde
- Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
- Ken Shamrock
The scariest part? This is just a partial list of names that we publicly know. There are various state athletic commissions that give out hall passes that do not publicly disclose users given exemptions. On top of that, throw in all the guys currently using testosterone who don’t get caught because standard AC drug tests do not use the Carbon Isotope Ratio standard or blood testing.
The end result is that the biggest names in Mixed Martial Arts are doping. It’s an inescapable conclusion. Can you blame blue-chip companies that don’t want to sponsor fighters given the current doping climate?
As I noted in my crash course article on testosterone usage in MMA, the usage of T for fighters in combat sports is way more dangerous & scandalous than in sports like baseball. The issues of drug usage (PEDs & pain killers), concussions, and bad weight-cutting are all starting to form an interconnected picture that is less than flattering about the health & safety of the sport.
If only 2% of the adult male population legitimately needs to use testosterone due to low levels of T, then why do so many MMA fighters cry for a need for testosterone? For those burying their head in the sand over the issue, there’s a level of cognitive dissonance that is alarming. If the sport is so safe, then why do so many high-profile fighters need to use such a powerful chemical like testosterone in order to function?
The UFC has a giant problem — and it’s one of their own making. As we noted from comments Dana White made last weekend, the UFC claims the PED issue is blown out of proportion and yet says that they want to take drug testing to ‘the next level’ by having a supplemental drug testing program alongside the standard AC drug testing protocols. In the same breath, Dana praises the athletic commissions for the job they are doing when it comes to fighters who are using testosterone. He’s always careful to make sure to emphasize that it’s legal.
As more fighters get outed over their testosterone usage and the public starts to learn what we knew all along about the enablers in this business who have let the drug climate get out of control, the more the media, potential sponsors, and sports fans who could potentially become MMA supporters start to take a second look at MMA and say, ‘no thanks.’
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 41 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |