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How WWE is emulating Antonio Inoki’s vision a decade later

By Zach Arnold | April 9, 2012

Last week on this web site, I discussed how many MMA writers are practically gleeful to talk about Brock Lesnar’s return to the WWE under the label of being the former UFC Heavyweight champion. Things got so carried this weekend that there were arguments about whether or not Brock Lesnar deserves to be placed in the UFC Hall of Fame.

In last week’s article, I stated that the reason so many WWE fans were cheering Brock Lesnar’s return is because he is viewed as an icon of legitimacy for wrestling fans. WWE fans are a tortured lot given all the ‘comedy’ crap (like The Three Stooges this week) they’ve had to endure for so long and how the WWE vision of wrestling has deviated so far from what the wrestling business used to look like. Because Lesnar won the UFC Heavyweight title, in the eyes of many wrestling fans this is viewed as a symbol of making pro-wrestling legitimate. Lesnar is not a cartoon character. He’s a pro-wrestler who can do real fights. Therefore, this plays right into the paranoid & manic psychology that so many wrestling fans have today.

A lot of people laughed at this notion when I initially trotted it out. If Monday night’s edition of RAW was any indication, my assessment was deadly accurate.

“The man who will bring legitimacy back to the WWE.” – Johnny Ace

“He went on to conquer the UFC.” – Michael Cole

These phrases were used multiple times by the TV announcers during the show (via Vince McMahon in the earpiece) to put over a confrontation between Lesnar & John Cena. In many respects, this is utterly fascinating to watch. First, it’s a grave admission by Vince & company that much of their audience does in fact watch & support the UFC’s PPVs. We already knew this but this point of logic is something WWE has desperately denied for many years. Second, it’s revealing in that even WWE recognizes that their fans view UFC as a ‘real fight’ sport and therefore Lesnar’s success there can hopefully give them a rub for credibility. Third, I can’t imagine what the feeling is right now at UFC HQ seeing that their number one PPV draw is about to go back to being the WWE’s number one PPV draw. It’s hard to reconcile to ‘real sports’ people that your top guy is Vince McMahon’s top guy. It’s quite a unique conundrum that has developed here.

So, if you’re an MMA fan, why should you care about this story? From a historical standpoint, what we are seeing today with Brock Lesnar’s return to WWE is an experiment we saw over a decade ago in Japan with the Japanese MMA scene & Antonio Inoki trying to integrate his pro-wrestlers in the movement.

Inoki used New Japan wrestlers like Naoya Ogawa, Shinya Hashimoto, Yuji Nagata, Kendo Ka Shin, Kazuyuki Fujita, and Tadao Yasuda in curiously booked MMA fights. In the case of Nagata, his KO loss to Mirko Cro Cop hurt his career for many years. In the case of Kazuyuki Fujita & Tadao Yasuda, their inexplicable initial MMA success led them to get big pushes back in New Japan because they won ‘real fights’ in PRIDE or K-1. Both men became IWGP Heavyweight champion. Inoki saw the MMA wave coming in Japan through PRIDE & K-1 and tried to save New Japan’s mainstream appeal by integrating pro-wrestlers into the MMA world. On the whole, it backfired in some respects but also kept Inoki’s name relevant as a pitchman for years to come. His vision of blurring the lines has existed for 40+ years.

Which takes us to April 2012. Brock Lesnar is the former UFC Heavyweight champion. His last opponent, Alistair Overeem, failed a urine drug test… but Nevada won’t change the result of the Overeem/Lesnar fight to a no contest. Lesnar returns to WWE to a jubilant pop to kick the ass of the ultimate WWE corporate boy in John Cena. WWE decides to go full tilt in pushing Lesnar by talking about all of his ‘real fighting’ accomplishments in the UFC.

A great irony in all of this is that when Lesnar had his initial dispute with WWE, he would end up getting booked by… Antonio Inoki. Lesnar got the IWGP strap and ended up no-showing a title match in Sapporo against Hiroshi Tanahashi when the possible prospects of him dropping the belt suddenly occurred. Lesnar would go on to wrestle Kurt Angle in Inoki’s own promotion before signing with the UFC.

It really is a small world after all.

Topics: Japan, Media, MMA, Pro-Wrestling, UFC, Zach Arnold | 21 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

Keith Kizer: Sensitive, sanctimonious speech

By Zach Arnold | April 6, 2012

“I like being on your show but I don’t like the falsehoods you spread.”

LISTEN TO MAURO RANALLO’S INTERVIEW WITH KEITH KIZER HERE (6 MIN TO 24 MINS) BEFORE YOU READ THIS POST IN FULL.

I make this request to you for a sound reason.

Important links of note/reference:

Voluntary Anti-Doping Association
World Anti-Doping Agency
US Anti-Doping Agency
How Carbon Isotope Ratio testing works (New York Times)

Continue reading this article here…

Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 26 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

Is this the kind of acting career Rampage wants to give UFC up for to pursue?

By Zach Arnold | April 5, 2012

“How to Pick Up a Gurl – Fast.” Wonder when he recorded this — before or after testosterone usage? (Someone go ask Karyn Bryant.) Before or after his claims of double knee surgery with Dr. Steve Mora?

Yesterday, Victor Conte pondered if Rampage Jackson is now the Jose Canseco of MMA in terms of exposing the floodgates of testosterone usage in MMA. After watching this video, you might actually think that the Canseco comparison is a little too accurate when describing Rampage as a man who is not exactly a genius of judgment.

If acting and UFC careers go awry for Rampage, he’ll always have his induction into MMA’s Testosterone Hall of Fame to put on his résumé. With such fellow luminaries as Alistair Overeem (allegedly), Dan Henderson, Todd Duffee, Shane Roller, Nate Marquardt, Chael Sonnen, Dennis Hallman, Bristol Marunde, and Ken Shamrock.

Mark April 24th on your calendar

That’s the date set for the next Nevada State Athletic Commission hearing where the fate of Nick Diaz will be determined. It will be fascinating to see what kind of impact Ross Goodman (of the royal Vegas family) has on the outcome of the proceedings.

I think this hearing is a huge test for Keith Kizer’s credibility in many ways. Why? He’ll be sending one hell of a message if Nick Diaz, a second time marijuana ‘offender’, gets punished on the same (if not higher) level as current steroid users are getting punished at. Will the book get thrown at Nick here?

Josh Gross: How did Overeem fail the most expected random drug test ever?

While I’m not a cheerleader for guys getting into a cage high as a kite, I also do not consider marijuana to be a significant Performance Enhancing Drug when compared to anabolic steroids/testosterone. Call me crazy, I just don’t see someone having marijuana metabolites in their system to be the same as someone getting caught for, say, elevated levels of testosterone at fight time.

Since Keith Kizer loves to be a politician in the media, I would love to see someone confront him on the marijuana issue. If somebody can get past the boilerplate ‘a banned substance is a banned substance’ rhetoric, I’d love to see him get grilled on the following questions:

Do you consider marijuana to be a performance enhancing drug for fighters in combat sports?
If you consider marijuana to be a PED, do you consider the effects of marijuana to be of similar enhancement to anabolic steroids & testosterone?
Would you treat someone equally if they applied for a marijuana Therapeutic Use Exemption the same way you claim to treat guys who ask for testosterone TUEs?

If Keith Kizer wants to run to his media friends whenever he wants to get his side of a story in public, then let’s see the tables get turned on him here and actually answer some serious questions about the way drugs are currently weighted in terms of testing for performance.

By the way, I’m not the only one who has serious questions about Nevada’s Director. Victor Conte is on the warpath about what’s going on right now with all the positive drug tests in MMA. Take a look at what he’s had to say recently:

As soon as you start to use drugs you become a liar RT @ShokoAsahara: thought he said he got yolked from eating horse meat?

If UFC’s Overeem had a 5:1 T/E ratio, then he would have been negative under Nevada rules, but positive under California rules. BIG PROBLEM!

The 6:1 T/E rule in NEVADA needs to be CHANGED! Period. California & most of the world have been using a 4:1 limit over 5 yrs. GET REAL!

When is @danawhite going to wake up and smell the UFC testosterone abuse party! How much more obvious can this rampant problem become?

@danawhite needs UFC to use an independent anti-doping entity like VADA. Does MMA need the fox guarding the hen house? Hope you don’t plan to have a UFC anti-doping program that will be run by a UFC employee.

The protocol is for an elevated T/E ratio is confirmed by B sample testing w/ witnesses. Follow up CIR testing for “synthetic” test confirms. Simple. CIR (Carbon Isotope Ratio) testing for “synthetic” testosterone as a screen test would quickly reduce testosterone abuse in the UFC.

@danawhite The answer to cost effective drug testing for the UFC is right there in Las Vegas. VADA is on stand by. So do the right thing.

Keith Kizer. Answer the 64K ? Why does NEVADA use a 6:1 T/E ratio when the Olympics, MLB, NFL all use 4:1. Is it to help athletes cheat?

Poor excuse. RT @Rick_Guy: @VictorConte To attract big fights. Vegas is hurting and a stringent testing policy would only deter promoters.

Is @danawhite more mad because Overeem tested positive or because he lied to him about it? Still trying to sort that one out. Could @danawhite have possibly thought Overeem was not juicing before he tested positive?

On April 9th, there’s a hearing in Sacramento over what to do regarding Therapeutic Use Exemptions and the testosterone issue. MMA fans who want the sport cleaned up need to make a vocal stand now so that the commission and George Dodd hear you loud and clear. For commissions, money talks but so does political pressure and the testosterone issue is a loser for everyone.

This right here is the rule up for debate to amend. If you would like to send a public comment (e-mail), the guidelines are right here. The primary person to contact to send comments is: Kathi Burns ([email protected]) & back-up contact is Elizabeth Parkman ([email protected]). Make sure to title your e-mail like this or with the identifying key words:

Public comment re: Amend section 303 (TUE) for testosterone

Be professional in tone & content when sending e-mails to the DCA on this matter. The two PDF links I placed up above will tell you the information you need to know on what’s up for debate.

Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 22 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

“We’re the most tested sport in the world” ain’t cutting it no more

By Zach Arnold | April 4, 2012

What’s that, you say? MMA doesn’t have a major drug problem? MMA doesn’t have a major scandal brewing over testosterone usage?

Alistair Overeem reportedly tested over a 10/1 T/E ratio for high testosterone levels on a Nevada drug test today. He’s out of his upcoming fight against Junior dos Santos in late May. Since Overeem hadn’t been licensed yet by Nevada, he can’t be suspended — he just can’t get licensed. As Victor Conte recently noted, 6:1 T/E levels is practically rolling out a red carpet. To fail that standard is utterly confounding.

You can look at this development in one of two ways: a) the current drug testing protocols being used are working or b) if this many fighters are failing a standard IQ test, imagine what the hell would be revealed using a combination of blood testing & Carbon Isotope Ratio urine testing.

I choose door B. Keith Kizer will go around parading that his ‘out of competition’ drug testing works when basically he did the minimum by waiting for a bunch of fighters to show up in Nevada for a presser and then bringing out the urine collectors there. That’s not exactly ‘out of competition’ testing by traditional standards.

No wonder guys are crying foul about hypogonadism and trying to get a proverbial hall pass from athletic commissions to use testosterone as opposed to taking their chances just using a standard Vitamin S diet. The S means… Strikeforce… yeah, that’s the ticket.

Rich Hansen (MMA Torch): Let’s level the playing field in MMA by having mandatory testosterone usage

A person I respect very much tried to make the argument to me the other day in defense of TRT passes from AC’s and it can be paraphrased like this: “We know guys are using and aren’t getting caught, so we might as well encourage guys coming forward for some sort of regulation.” I view this as the ‘let’s legalize prostitution, let’s legalize marijuana use’ viewpoint. The problem with this is that those activities are about your personal activity. If you want to do those activities at your own risk, then so be it. But using testosterone and getting into a cage to beat the hell out of another fighter? That’s an issue of public safety and not simply individual responsibility.

There’s a very simply solution for fighters, promoters, and athletic commissions who want to clean up the sport – work with associations like USADA & the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association, two organizations that do have the tools to test for the proper drugs that should be scrutinized. Trying to mete out punishment for a guy over marijuana metabolites on the same level as a steroid user is preposterous.

The biggest change in terms of drug testing for combat sports needs to be a tactical change. There should be a heavy emphasis on drug testing before a fight happens as opposed to simply waiting until after the fight actually occurs. If this is a health & safety issue (which it is), then out-of-competition drug testing combined with CIR/blooding testing protocols is the responsible method of drug testing. The current pre-fight/post-fight urine drug testing standards being used now simply is more about routine than it is about really attacking the problem of drug usage itself. The whole point of drug testing should be to keep the drug users out of the ring/cage and from brutalizing opponents while using PEDs.

As for what the media can do to help shine a light on drug use in the sport? Simple — start naming names of mark doctors who are hooking the fighters up with drugs. Put the spotlight on the drug fixers. If they want to be mark doctors, then call their bluff and out them. Give them the spotlight and let’s see if the old adage ‘be careful what you wish for’ applies for these doctors who like the fame of being associated with their favorite fighters.

However, will that happen? I have my doubts. The most common headline for today’s developments? “UFC boss irate with Alistair Overeem over failed drug test.”

There was an interesting quote from Dana White in this Kevin Iole article at Yahoo that just went online:

“We have to have a rapport with these guys,” White told Yahoo! Sports Wednesday. “We’re not the police, we’re not the commission, we’re not their mothers or their fathers. If you do something stupid, at least be honest with us so we can help you deal with it and fix it.

“He lied straight to our faces. That has me so [expletive] angry, I can’t even tell you. He said to us, ‘The last thing you have to worry about is me popping. I’m the most-tested athlete in the world.’ Yeah, [expletive] right.”

Interesting that Dana says he’s not the commission because, guess what, for many shows UFC is the commission. One of the major poster boys of testosterone usage, Chael Sonnen, is fighting in Brazil this Summer against Anderson Silva. Notice Chael’s not fighting in California, Nevada, or New Jersey? Rampage admitted that he fought at UFC Japan while using testosterone. Other guys who are using TRT also fought on overseas UFC events.

Bottom line — it’s getting harder by the day for people in the sport to MMA to defend the drug culture that currently exists. As Beau Dure adroitly noted, the MMA media’s stance of legalizing PED usage is in stark contrast to how writers in major sports feel about the issue. There’s great irony in seeing boosters of baseball get worked up over someone using testosterone in order to hit a homerun while boosters of MMA shrug at PED usage in a sport where one punch or kick could permanently disable an opponent.

Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 50 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

ABC letter expresses concern over quality of New York regulation

By Zach Arnold | April 3, 2012

ASSOCIATION OF BOXING COMMISSIONS

April 2, 2012

Dear Membership:

Recently, the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board has made me aware of some matters that I wish to share with the membership. In New Jersey’s neighboring State of New York, amateur and professional kickboxing and Muay Thai is overseen by sanctioning bodies, not the state athletic commission. Reportedly, as of May 2012, New York has seen fit to also now allow amateur MMA under the direct control and supervision of sanctioning bodies.

While the below examples just involve New Jersey and New York, it is an important issue for the entire membership because contestants frequently travel to various jurisdictions. In addition, it is important because many sanctioning bodies are regional or national in nature, so that their actions/inactions are likely standard policy regardless of contest location.

In the past few months, combat sports competitors have been allowed to compete in the State of New York while underage, well past age 40, and under drug, medical or disciplinary suspension in New Jersey. All of the New Jersey suspensions in place were listed and denoted on the ABC’s official MMA record keeper database, mixedmartialarts.com, and also sent to FightFax, the ABC’s official boxing record keeper database.

In short, it is concerning that combat sports contestants have very recently been granted eligibility to compete in New York while under suspension in New Jersey for reasons such as positive Hepatitis C results, the need for retinal surgery, failed stress echocardiograms, and MRI scans. A contestant on permanent suspension for a history of subdural hematoma was also granted clearance and fought in New York without any testing.

Furthermore, the sanctioning bodies have not reported the results of any of these competitions in New York. Thus, absent voluntary and complete disclosure from the contestant, or attendance at each event, there is no way of knowing whether a contestant has competed in New York and the results of such competition. The sanctioning body, as it fails to report results, also fails to list any medical suspensions. Thus, it is difficult to determine whether a contestant was KO’d last week, and it is also difficult to determine whether a contestant has the experience of 5 or 15 combat sports competitions.

As Commissioners, we need to suggest that sanctioning bodies register their events and check for yellow labeled suspended fighters, and follow up with the suspending commission regarding the suspension. Sanctioning bodies should also report results to the proper registries. In the absence of that, Commissioners need to be aware of the need to directly inquire as to the contestants last competition, as such may not show on the database if regulated by a sanctioning organization.

It is strongly suggested that Commissions who allow and utilize sanctioning bodies consider requiring minimum medical testing, medical insurance, on site safety precautions, drug testing and weigh-in controls. Currently, in New york, such are, at times, not even required or can simply be waived on fight night. Despite detailed operating procedures denoted in some sanctioning body manuals, these procedures are frequently waived. It may be prudent to have the sanctioning body advise the appropriate athletic commission of proposed event dates in advance, so that the state, province or tribal agency can send a representative to the event or follow up on the receipt of bout results and suspensions.

All combat sports have inherent medical risks and safety concerns, and proper regulatory oversight is needed at all levels. We should always remember that the health and safety of the contestant, and the fairness and integrity of the contest are our primary goals.

Thank you for your consideration of these concerns.

Very truly yours,

Tim Lueckenhoff
President

Topics: Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 6 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

MMA Link Club: Brock Lesnar’s return to WWE reveals a lot about MMA writers

By Zach Arnold | April 3, 2012

As our friend Jack Encarnacao noted on Sunday night, Twitter timelines exploded with Wrestlemania chatter from… many MMA writers. There was a similar timeline explosion on Monday night when Brock Lesnar returned to WWE and laid out John Cena. Anyone who saw Lesnar’s return saw grown men practically lose their minds, screaming like cavemen scoring raw meat when Lesnar started bouncing up and down on the ramp way.

Jack’s point about how most MMA writers/reporters are, in fact, huge (closet) wrestling fans is interesting when you juxtapose it to the hardcore MMA fans online who populate message boards. They hate anything involving a scent of the wrestling business to MMA. And, yet, it was Lesnar who was easily the #1 PPV attraction for UFC. Only Georges St. Pierre even came close to matching his showings business-wise in the last couple of years.

My initial takeaway from watching WWE fans explode when Lesnar showed up was a relatively simple one. It goes to show you that MMA, for many wrestling fans, is a substitute and not replacement product in their lives. Wrestling fans always are paranoid about legitimacy. Brock Lesnar is their symbol of legitimacy. UFC gave him the rub to come back to wrestling as, pardon the pun, The Ultimate Fighter. WWE fans are often tortured souls with crappy matchmaking and even crappier disdain from the promotion. The promotion has a nasty habit of punishing those the hardest who are the most loyal supporters while doing everything it can to win over people who look at the product as a circus.

So, Lesnar is a huge breath of fresh air for WWE fans. He’s their vessel to support someone who was involved in real fighting and is back to take over their world. This is why you will have to endure non-stop Lesnar talk in both pro-wrestling and MMA circles. Hell, I had a couple of well-respected people involved in MMA on a high level this weekend ask me on the phone about Brock Lesnar being at Wrestlemania in Miami. It was the subject most discussed this week in MMA circles offline.

When the media went nuts for Wrestlemania on Sunday night, it also give me pause to the whole drug issue in MMA and why most MMA writers cover the drug subject the way they do. If most of the MMA writers are big wrestling boosters, it would certainly help explain why so many of them are conditioned to guys who are hardcore PED & pain killer drug users. No business has had more high-profile tragedy on this front than wrestling in the last 30 years in the States. It’s ridiculous the amount of guys who have died under the age of 50 due to the abuse they’ve put themselves through. You would naturally think that drug-related tragedy would strength the resolve of those who want to clean up the drug culture but, instead, it’s basically made a lot of wrestling supporters numb. They throw their hands up in the air, give up, and say that everything should be allowed… which makes WWE’s position of not allowing Therapeutic Use Exemptions for testosterone all the more remarkable while athletic commissions regulating MMA are giving it the green light.

Beau Dure, who used to write at USA Today, summarized his thoughts over the weekend on why the MMA media reacts so differently to the issue of drug usage in the sport as compared to writers in sports like baseball & football:

How many sports, when faced with time of reckoning on drugs, have fans/pundits argue they should be legal?

I don’t know of any. In baseball, some argued that stats aren’t tainted. But then McGwire (has) nowhere (been voted) near (the) Hall of Fame.

Yes — I’m referring to the “nobody cares, dude” backlash against anyone writing about TRT in mixed martial arts.

But we’re talking about sports now. Plenty of Americans are on painkillers, steroids, etc. Olympic athletes rarely get TRT TUE. (Only two granted for over 10,000+ athletes.)

Fighters’ pleas that they all have low T should draw skepticism. But the doctors prescribing TRT for all these fighters have no agenda and no reason to benefit, right?

WADA’s far from perfect. But on specific issue of TRT, no other group of athletes I know has challenged it. Why MMA?

Most drugs have side effects. We make tradeoffs if drug helps us lead “normal” life. Fighting isn’t “normal.” Are you at all suspicious that so many fighters claim levels of 80 [year olds], while (Don) Catlin says he found two legit TRT TUEs in Olympics? (The) standard for getting TUE should be reasonably high. But I still find it strange that fighters, more so than other athletes, have this great need.

Which gets back to my initial [question] — why is this a bigger controversy in MMA than elsewhere? And some MMA fans/pundits go farther, wondering why steroids and other PEDs are illegal. I don’t see that elsewhere.

The UFC Sweden show can’t come fast enough. Neither can ABBA’s new release, either. You know you want it.

Member sites of the MMA Link Club

Fight Opinion – RSS feed | Twitter | Facebook
Five Ounces of Pain – RSS feed | Twitter | Facebook
MMA Fighting – RSS feed | Twitter | Facebook
Fightline – RSS | Twitter | Facebook
Cage Potato – RSS feed | Twitter | Facebook
MMA Mania – RSS feed | Twitter | Facebook
5thRound – RSS feed | Twitter | Facebook
Bleacher Report – RSS feed | Twitter
MiddleEasy – RSS feed | Twitter | Facebook
LowKick – RSS feed | Twitter | Facebook
The Fight Nerd – RSS feed | Twitter | Facebook
MMA Convert – RSS feed | Twitter | Facebook
MMA Payout – RSS feed | Twitter

This week’s MMA Link Club featured stories

Thought I’d point out this item from the dreaded Las Vegas Review-Journal talking about the conviction of Russell Pike for tax evasion. Yes, that Russell Pike of Xyience fame – an early sponsor of UFC.

Five Ounces of Pain: Eddie Alvarez – ‘I need to go in there and I need to perform the way I usually do, then we can talk about other things

Eddie is a -220 favorite, 11 to 5 favorite over Aoki in Cleveland on the 20th.

MMA Fighting: Gil Melendez vs. Josh Thomson rubber match booked for May 19th

When this was announced yesterday, a lot of hardcore fans sighed because it wasn’t Gil vs. BJ Penn or Gil vs. Anthony Pettis.

Fightline: Nevada’s Pat Lundvall says that she asks every fighter what she asked King Mo last week

Cage Potato: Dana White says Jake Ellenberger/Martin Kampmann will be for a title shot, but we call shenanigans

MMA Mania: Retired MLS star Jimmy Conrad fires back at Dana White for anti-soccer tirade

Wait… I thought UFC would overtake the NFL and soccer as the biggest sport in 10 years? 🙂

5th Round: UFC 145 Primetime premieres this Friday at FX

The ratings for The Ultimate Fighter have not done well (so far). The dynamic has been fascinating — hardcore fans online love the show because the match-ups have been notable in quality. However, casual fans are not hot about the show at all. I’ve watched the show with a few casuals and they remark in the difference between what Spike focused on and what FX focuses on. FX focuses on the live fight, making the taped portion largely boring & mundane. And, yet, I think this current format on FX will produce a better result in terms of actually preparing the tournament winner to having some immediate success in the UFC, something that has not happened for a while now on the show.

But is there a way to find the balance between what Spike did and what FX is emphasizing now? Sure. Focus the first 20 minutes of the show on the pre-fight atmosphere & conversation (with some taped highlights from the week), then air the live fight, and then focus on the locker rooms after the fight since that’s where the most verbal action seems to be taking place this season.

Bleacher Report: Why Demian Maia’s move to Welterweight is the right decision

Middle Easy: Don Frye has a voice like an angel, and this video of him singing karaoke proves it

Low Kick: Josh Barnett says he’ll prove he is the ‘best grappler in MMA’ against Daniel Cormier

Josh is a -140 favorite (7 to 5). That sounds a bit low, at least if you use the standard conventional wisdom going into this fight.

The Fight Nerd: Bellator’s Bjorn Rebney confirms next women’s tournament at 125 pounds, names some fighters

For a ‘minor’ promotion, they sure are booking a lot of worldwide talent and I expect that trend to continue. I’d like to see more of the women fighting, though, so hopefully things will be picking up on this front.

MMA Convert: Dan Henderson feels Rashad Evans has what it takes to defeat Jon Jones

He thinks Rashad can put Jones on his back. Wow. He should talk to Luca Fury about the lopsided fight odds for this fight.

MMA Payout: China on the UFC schedule in 2012

When it comes to mainland China and promotions like WWE or UFC making promises… I’ll believe it when I see it.

Topics: Media, MMA, StrikeForce, UFC, Zach Arnold | 37 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

Nevada amends complaint against Nick Diaz, shifts strategy

By Zach Arnold | March 29, 2012

When we last talked about Nevada’s suspension of Nick Diaz for marijuana usage, we noted that Nick’s attorney (the uber-powerful Ross Goodman) used a variation of the now famous Jonathan Tweedale article at Bloody Elbow on how to argue against the complaint filed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

After Team Diaz filed their response to Nevada’s complaint, Keith Kizer telegraphed (in the media) what the response would be. Rather than confront what Goodman & Tweedale are arguing regarding WADA standards & Nevada law, Keith Kizer & company are now shifting to what I call “the Al Capone” strategy. Kizer’s side is now going after Team Diaz over the way the medical questionnaire was answered regarding Nick Diaz & his medical marijuana usage.

I guess it isn’t a total surprise to see Nevada shift their complaint strategy since they hinted this would be the direction they would be heading in, but to see it on paper and the complaint amended is rather interesting.

*********

CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO
Attorney General of Nevada
CHRISTOPHER ECCLES
Deputy Attorney General
555 East Washington Avenue, Suite 3900
Las Vegas, Nevada 89101
Telephone: (702) 486-3105
Facsimile: (702) 486-3416
E-mail: [email protected]

BEFORE THE NEVADA STATE ATHLETIC COMMISSION

FIRST AMENDED COMPLAINT FOR DISCIPLINARY ACTION AND NOTICE OF HEARING

KEITH KIZER, Executive Director for the ATHLETIC COMMISSION of the DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY, STATE OF NEVADA, complains for disciplinary action against NICK DIAZ (DIAZ), as follows:

JURISDICTION

1. DIAZ is now, and was at all pertinent times alleged herein, licensed in Nevada as a professional mixed martial artist by the NEVADA STATE ATHLETIC COMMISSION (Commission).

2. As the holder of a Nevada professional mixed martial artist’s license, DIAZ is subject to the provisions of Chapter 467 of the Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS), and of Chapter 467 of the Nevada Administrative Code (NAC).

3. Pursuant to NRS Chapter 467, the Commission is vested with the sole discretion, management, control and jurisdiction over contests, exhibitions and licensees of unarmed combat, which includes mixed martial arts.

FACTUAL ALLEGATIONS

4. On April 18, 2007, the Commission, by unanimous decision, suspended DIAZ’s mixed martial artist’s license for a period of six months after the presence of Delta-9-THC Carboxylic Acid, the major metabolite of Delta-9-THC (the active ingredient in marijuana), was detected in DIAZ’s urine following his February 24, 2007 mixed martial arts contest in Las Vegas, Nevada.

5. After serving the suspension and paying a fine, DIAZ participated in a professional mixed martial arts contest in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 4, 2012, which he lost by unanimous decision (the “Contest”). The Contest was conducted under the direction of the Commission.

6. The day before the Contest, on February 3, 2012, DIAZ completed his Pre-Fight Questionnaire, attached hereto as Exhibit 1, wherein he answered “No” to each of the following questions:

Do you have any serious medical illnesses, conditions?
Have you taken / received any prescribed medications in the last two weeks?
Have you taken / received any over the counter medication / products in the last two weeks?

DIAZ signed his Pre-Fight Questionnaire directly below the statement: “I hereby attest that the above information is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge.”

By answering “No” to one or more of the questions referenced in paragraph six, DIAZ provided false or misleading information to the Commission or a representative of the Commission.

On February 8, 2012, a Complaint for Disciplinary Action and Notice of Hearing was filed against DIAZ.

On March 7, 2012, the Commission received DIAZ’s Response to Complaint for Disciplinary Action. Attached to DIAZ’s Response as Exhibit “A” was his sworn and notarized affidavit, wherein DIAZ swears that he discontinued use of medical marijuana eight days before the fight.

DIAZ used marijuana within the two weeks prior to February 3, 2012.

In his affidavit, DIAZ swears that he is in full compliance with the registry laws for medical marijuana in California.

13. California’s Medical Marijuana Program is codified in California’s Health and Safety Code, Article 2.5, Sections 11362.7 — 11362.83 (“Medical Marijuana Program”).

14. Section 11362.7 (h) of the Medical Marijuana Program, attached hereto as Exhibit 2, defines the term “serious medical condition.”

15. Section 11362.715 (a) (2) of the Medical Marijuana Program, attached hereto as Exhibit 2, requires a person who seeks an identification card to provide to the county health department, written documentation by the attending physician in the person’s medical records stating that the person has been diagnosed with a serious medical condition.

16. Immediately after the Contest, on the same date, DIAZ voluntarily submitted to a urinalysis (the “Urinalysis”) and provided a urine sample for testing.

17. The Urinalysis reflects a positive result for the presence of Marijuana Metabolites, which are prohibited by the regulations of the Commission. The results of the Urinalysis are reflected in the Laboratory Report, attached hereto as Exhibit 3.

18. The administration of or use of any drug that has not been approved by the Commission by a Nevada licensed mixed martial artist is prohibited by the regulations of the Commission.

ALLEGED VIOLATIONS

19. Based upon and incorporating by reference the foregoing Factual Allegations, the Executive Director alleges that DIAZ violated Nevada Administrative Code (NAC) 467.850. NAC 467.850(1), (2), (5) and (6) provide as follows:

1. The administration of or use of any:
(a) Alcohol;
(b) Stimulant; or
(c) Drug or injection that has not been approved by the commission, including, but not limited to, the drugs or injections listed in subsection 2, in any part of the body, either before or during a contest or exhibition, to or by any unarmed combatant, is prohibited.

2. The following types of drugs, injections or stimulants are prohibited pursuant to subsection 1:

(f) Any drug identified on the most current edition of the Prohibited List published by the World Anti-Doping Agency, which is hereby adopted by reference. The most current edition of the Prohibited List may be obtained, free of charge, at the Internet address www.wada-ama.org.

5. A unarmed combatant shall submit to a urinalysis or chemical test before or after a contest if the commission or the commission’s representative directs him to do so.

6. A licensee who violates any provision of this section is subject to disciplinary action by the commission. In addition to any other disciplinary action by the Commission, if an unarmed combatant who won or drew a contest or exhibition is found to have violated the provisions of this section, the Commission may, in its sole discretion, change the result of that contest or exhibition to a no decision.

20. Marijuana Metabolites are not drugs approved by the Commission.

21. NAC 467.886 provides in pertinent part as follows:

1. A person licensed by the commission shall not engage in any activity that will bring disrepute to unarmed combat ….

22. By testing positive for Marijuana Metabolites, DIAZ has violated NAC 467.850 and 467.886.

23. By providing false or misleading information to one or more questions on his Pre-Fight { Questionnaire, DIAZ has violated NAC 467.885 (3).

DISCIPLINE AUTHORIZED

24. NRS 467.157 provides that, “Any license issued under this chapter may be revoked for cause deemed sufficient by the commission upon a hearing provided for in NRS 467.113.”

25. NRS 467.158(2)-(4) provide in full as follows:

2. If disciplinary action is taken against a person pursuant to this chapter, including, but not limited to, a hearing for the revocation of a license, and the disciplinary action relates to:

(a) The preparation for a contest or an exhibition of unarmed combat;
(b) The occurrence of a contest or an exhibition of unarmed combat; or
(c) Any other action taken in conjunction with a contest or an exhibition of unarmed combat, the commission may prescribe a penalty pursuant to subsection 3.

3. A penalty prescribed by the commission pursuant to subsection 2:

(a) Must not exceed $250,000 or 100 percent of the share of the purse to which the holder of the license is entitled for the contest or exhibition, whichever amount is greater; and
(b) May be imposed in addition to or in lieu of any other disciplinary action that is taken against the person by the commission.

4. If disciplinary action is taken against a person pursuant to this chapter, the commission may require the person against whom such action is taken to pay the costs of the proceeding, including investigative costs and attorney’s fees.

26. NAC 467.885(2), (3), and (5) provide in full as follows:

The commission may suspend or revoke the license of, or otherwise discipline or take any combination of such actions against a licensee who has, in the judgment of the commission:

2. Violated any provision of this chapter [467];

3. Provided false or misleading information to the Commission or a representative of the Commission;

5. Conducted himself at any time or place in a manner which is deemed by the commission to reflect discredit to unarmed combat ….

RELIEF SOUGHT

27. Based upon the allegations contained herein which constitute sufficient cause for disciplinary action against the licensee pursuant to the provisions of NRS Chapter 467 and NAC Chapter 467, the Executive Director prays for relief as follows:

A. That DIAZ be fined a monetary sum pursuant to the parameters defined at NRS 467.158;

B. That the Commission take action against DIAZ’s license pursuant to the parameters defined at NAC 467.885;

C. That DIAZ pay the costs of the proceeding, including investigative costs and attorney’s fees;

D. That DIAZ provide the Commission with a negative urine test for prohibited substances upon filing his next application for an unarmed combatant’s license; and

E. For such other and further relief as the Commission may deem just and proper.

NOTICE OF HEARING

THEREFORE, DIAZ is directed to answer in writing the First Amended Complaint for Disciplinary Action within 20 days from service. Thereafter a hearing into this matter will be scheduled at the offices of the Nevada Athletic Commission, 555 East Washington Avenue, Suite 3200, Las Vegas, Nevada 89101, or such other place as may be designated, in writing, by the Commission. The Commission will, at that time, take such action as may be just and proper pursuant to the proof and pertinent laws.

DIAZ is entitled to be represented by counsel of his choice at the hearing. Additionally, DIAZ is entitled to cross-examine witnesses, present evidence and argue on his behalf before a decision is made by the Commission. If DIAZ fails to appear at the hearing, a decision may be reached in his absence.

DATED this 28th day of March, 2012.

Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 52 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

Mr. Ishii would like to make you an offer you can’t refuse

By Zach Arnold | March 29, 2012

The last time we talked about Godfather Ishii, we talked about how he was working as a referee at Korakuen Hall for high-schooler fights.

Now that we meet again, the Godfather has decided to chime in with an article penned under his name to discuss the recent AIJ pension fund loss cover-up scandal. Yes, the Godfather would love to talk to you about money management.

Which makes today’s news about shinsei K-1’s 2012 supposed event schedule even more curious. The promotion has no television deal in Japan, which was the basis of the entire financial model of K-1. Unless Ken Imai is back in the fold with his old running mate Ishii, it’s hard to see what exactly is happening here with this new attempt to get back into the game.

In short, the 2012 version of K-1 would feature an event calendar with no scheduled shows in Japan. The year-end prize would somehow be a $2 million USD purse. A big launch show will happen on May 27th in Madrid, Spain at Palacio Vista Aletre. There are promises of events this Summer in Europe and Asia, with the Fall & Winter featuring shows in Los Angeles & New York.

The “K-1 production team” put out this press release from Los Angeles this morning. The phone number listed is a 650 area code, which is… San Mateo (Bay Area).

Your guess is as good as mine if anyone is going to buy into this. Dan Herbertson is not:

$2 million in prize money for the new K-1 in 2012. How about you pay the fighters you already owe before boasting about prize money?

Worth noting that people who sign with the new K-1 get 50% of what they were owed by FEG. People not signing like Aerts, Overeem? Not sure.

Make the argument here to me that there’s a viable financial model here to what K-1 is trying to do with this schedule that doesn’t feature yakuza involvement.

Topics: Japan, K-1, Media, Zach Arnold | 8 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

UFC’s current stance on the testosterone issue: Not much of a plan

By Zach Arnold | March 28, 2012

Testosterone MMA HOF grows as backers ramp up the rhetoric

“If you do steroids and fight in Nevada, don’t expect us to roll out the red carpet for you.” — Keith Kizer, Nevada State Athletic Commission

Except, of course, when the athletic commissions don’t mind letting guys use testosterone under the name of ‘replacement therapy.’

“His 6:1 T/E ratio IS a red carpet.” — Victor Conte (responding to Keith Kizer)

I find it hard to believe that the recent actions of AC’s like Kizer’s is just simply normal protocol. ‘Random’ drug testing a bunch of guys at a UFC presser in Las Vegas looks great on paper but it’s not something that you could consider ‘out of competition’ drug testing on its face, especially when compared to the current Olympic/WADA drug testing programs.

No, the media heat about the testosterone issue is undoubtedly getting to the politicians & the promoters. The fighters who are the face of TRT usage have been rather stupid in handling the topic publicly. Keith Kizer even made the admission recently that Rampage’s campaigning for testosterone usage has only increased interest in said usage as far as trying to get exemptions from various state athletic commissions.

The bottom line is that testosterone usage in combat sports is dangerous and it’s much more prevalent, publicly-speaking, in MMA than it is in boxing right now. Why are all these fighters magically suffering from hypogonadism?

Ask yourself the following question — if low testosterone levels in sports amongst high-level athletes was such an epidemic, wouldn’t you think that we would have had plenty of sob stories in the media about football & baseball players already? Wouldn’t the pro-T spin already be out in full force? There’s a reason it’s not. There’s a reason you don’t see high-profile doctors backing the push for testosterone usage amongst MMA fighters. Don’t believe me? Look at the various media interviews so far on this issue where doctors have been put on the spot. They start out by saying hypogonadism is a very debilitating issue but then all but admit that muscular macho MMA fighters shouldn’t be suffering from these kinds of issues unless there was previous damage caused from anabolic steroid use or other kinds of abuse to the body.

There’s a reason why we’ve seen General Practitioners and chiropractors outed as doctors who have supposedly led MMA fighters to get testosterone prescriptions, not endocrinologists.

The T issue is simmering in big sports media circles. There is close attention being paid to the topic. When fighter X, who is using T, ends up seriously injuring or killing fighter B, that is when all hell breaks loose. Which is why the recent comments made by Dana White (read them here and here) should be cause for concern if you’re a UFC supporter.

Do not misunderstand me here — the testosterone dilemma is a huge industry-wide problem… but UFC is the king in the sport right now and if they want to influence how everyone else behaves, they have the hammer to lay down the message of ‘no T’ if they want to.

Dana White’s previous response to Dan Herbertson was rather enlightening insofar as to show what the new PR strategy would be by Zuffa on the topic of testosterone usage. Here’s Dana backing up this new front-man stance:

“We’ve got 375 guys under contract,” White said. “We’re doing a zillion fights a year, traveling all over the world, all these other things that we’re doing. Now, you really think that we can crack down and [expletive] chase these guys around everywhere they live all over the world and just randomly test these guys all the time?”

In addition, he claims that UFC has increased drug testing protocols by having fighters who sign up for The Ultimate Fighter have to take a pre-contract drug test screening. Newsflash: most companies use this standard. A standard urine test is not exactly a ball-buster when it comes to busting guys for steroids unless you’re really, really dumb — and there are plenty of dumb people in the business, no doubt.

“It’s impossible,” he said. “I want to see [expletive] baseball and football and all these other guys get tested the way we get tested. There would be no baseball or football if they got tested the way we get tested. I don’t want to throw this thing at everyone else, but the point is, we’re the most regulated sport on the planet, and that’s a fact.”

Do you notice what media writers who question Dana don’t ask him on this topic?

Why does your staff allow fighters to use testosterone on shows you ‘regulate’ when there’s no AC in place at the show’s location?
Several boxers have approached promoters about getting independently tested with the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association and are currently undergoing such testing. Why hasn’t this been the case for MMA fighters who are interested in doing so in terms of getting permission?
You’re basically admitting that testosterone usage amongst fighters in MMA is due to past steroid abuse. As Lance Storm noted last year, why should fighters with low testosterone levels be given special treatment because they can’t make it without drug usage in MMA?
If testosterone isn’t a performance enhancer, then why are so many fighters & athletes interested in using it?

Keith Kizer likes to go around saying that the testosterone issue is blown way out of proportion and that he’s only given three guys TUEs. Well, that spin is totally missing the point. There are plenty of MMA shows in foreign countries with no regulatory oversight. There are 49 other states outside of Nevada and only a handful actually know what the hell they’re doing when it comes to standardized, not upgraded, drug testing protocols. Commission shopping is ridiculously easy for guys who are testosterone users who also just happen to be big drawing cards in MMA.

Chael Sonnen is a perfect example. His first fight against Brian Stann was in Texas, a state that just had another controversy this past weekend involving boxer James Kirkland and urine test issues. Sonnen’s next fight, against Michael Bisping, happened in Illinois. His rematch against Anderson Silva this Summer is happening in Brazil, a show that is regulated by… the UFC.

“Which is good, but we want to stop guys from taking steroids when they shouldn’t do it. No matter what short-term effects you have, the long-term effects are much worse. It’s stupid, and that’s what we’re trying to stop right now. But testosterone replacement therapy is legal.

“There isn’t a sport out there that goes above and beyond, whether it’s the safety of the athletes, testing for all this crazy [expletive], and the list goes on and on,” he said.

This new corporate spin of ‘we shouldn’t punish guys for past steroid use’ doesn’t wear very well amongst the public. They see testosterone usage for what it is and for UFC to not be prepared to take a hardline stance against this matter is like lighting a firecracker in your hand and just waiting for your hand to get blown off.

A lot of the testosterone users outed so far publicly happen to be household names. As the list continues to grow with new fighters getting outed, the situation could very blossom into a list as high-profile as the infamous list of 103 MLB players who failed sample drug tests in 2003. It’s been a drip, drip, drip treatment in the press over the years as far as who was on that list and it’s been used as a sledgehammer against the players. As MMA”s testosterone list continues to grow, I would expect a high level of scrutiny towards the T-using fighters.

The athletic commissions and promoters know this is a losing issue for them. You can’t play Barney Fife by whacking someone over marijuana usage (Nick Diaz), drostanolone (King Mo), and then turning around and acting as if giving passes out to fighters to use testosterone is going to make your drug testing protocols look good. AC’s don’t even use Carbon Isotope Ratio testing for urine testing. There’s no blood testing, either.

The quickest way to influence the drug culture in MMA is by having the promoters come out against it and put some teeth into the anti-drug stand. We’ve already seen proof of this in other sports and other entertainment fields, especially pro-wrestling. When those in charge actually are serious about laying the hammer down on drug usage, guys magically shrink on television over the course of several weeks. The same thing would happen in MMA if the power players wanted to put a stop to testosterone usage. They should consider doing so before somebody gets really hurt and a drug scandal engulfs the sport. That’s not an outcome that anyone wants to see except those who want to bring down the sport in the first place.

WWE already had one guy who was using testosterone as part of a Therapeutic Use Exemption that damn near brought the company to its knees. The combination of brain damage (CTE) & drug usage. Handing out Therapeutic Use Exemptions for testosterone was stopped by WWE because of the abuse by the boys. UFC & various state AC’s have now painted themselves into a corner publicly where their position on testosterone is more lenient than WWE’s stance on the matter.

The media frenzy towards the UFC if a fighter, on a UFC-regulated show, cripples or kills another fighter while using testosterone will be voluminous. Let’s not go down this path in combat sports. Clean up the mess now before someone pays a permanent price. Once a major incident happens, the stain will be hard to erase and the damage will be done.

Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 24 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

Mighty Mouse close to 2-to-1 favored status over Ian McCall in upcoming rematch

By Zach Arnold | March 28, 2012

Guests: Brian Rogers (Bellator MW tournament semi-finalist) & two professional gamblers

UFC 146: May 26, 2012
Las Vegas, Nevada

Fight-1:
Roy Nelson +140
Antonio Silva -170

Fight-2:
Gabriel Gonzaga +135
Shane Del Rosario -165

Fight-3:
Mark Hunt +115
Stefan Struve -145

__________

*Bonus Fight:
Ian McCall +145
Demetrious Johnson -175

Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 8 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

Post-PRIDE five years later: What happened to the main players?

By Zach Arnold | March 26, 2012

On March 27th, it will be the 5th anniversary of the transactional change between Dream Stage Entertainment & Zuffa over the assets of PRIDE. The elaborate press conference in Roppongi Hills, Tokyo was heralded as a chance to finally see ‘the Super Bowl of MMA’ between UFC & PRIDE. Of course, that never happened. When the sale went down, PRIDE marketed a Lightweight tournament featuring UFC & PRIDE names for a May ’07 event at Saitama Super Arena. That never happened.

What did happen was a rather pathetic ending for PRIDE. Their final show was in April of ’07 at Saitama Super Arena and Nobuyuki Sakakibara, the front man for PRIDE, used the occasion and the show as his final goodbye. In addition to having graphics all over the arena with his face on them, he had the fighters on the card come out and talk about what a great man he was and how sad they were to see PRIDE die. It was a pathetic, but fitting spectacle for a man of such character.

Soon after the sale took place, Zuffa hired Spectrum Gaming to run the background check on DSE for ‘due diligence.’ Yes, they did ‘due diligence’ after the transaction instead of before it. I wonder why. This resulted in a legal battle between the two parties over the asset sale agreement. The initial report was that $70M USD was paid but most insiders believe the final total was in the $10-13M USD range.

After PRIDE died, K-1 had the whole Japanese market to themselves. Kato & Shinoda, the right hand men & production power w/ Sakakibara in PRIDE, created DREAM. Of course, as a play on words, the parent company of DREAM is Real Entertainment. Sakakibara & his henchman Noboru Yamaguchi, famously of Kami no Puroresu magazine, continued on with Hustle pro-wrestling. When UFC relocated point man Jamie Pollack to Japan to take over the PRIDE operations, it was the Hustle crew that directed Japanese media to take photographs at said offices while running goofy pro-wrestling angles involving men like Kintaro Kanemura. UFC was completely oblivious to this happening despite the fact that all the major sports newspapers were running items on the angles.

Within a few months of Mr. Pollack’s arrival in Japan, the disgruntled DSE employees made their allegiance clear and ended up with DREAM. What a shocker. UFC was left with no choice but to lay off everyone and post a notice at the office to have the desks cleaned out immediately. This gave the media a chance to portray UFC as the cold-hearted foreign raiders that came to destroy PRIDE, made false promises about keeping things afloat, but then bailed out when no one was looking.

Of course, we saw how well this narrative played out when UFC ran at Saitama Super Arena last month. They won the battle but the media continues the image war against them by selectively not covering UFC despite the Japanese fight fans being desperate for some sort of product to support.

K-1, with DREAM as a tag partner, tried to fill the vacuum due to PRIDE’s death. K-1’s grand plan was to control the TV pipeline. If you wanted to be on TV, you had to play business by K-1’s rules. K-1 split the TV rights fees with you in exchange for you handling 100% of the risk for promoting the live house – the insurance, the salaries, the gate, the building & production rentals. DREAM initially did OK but eventually tanked on Tokyo Broadcasting System.

K-1, meanwhile, suffered declining numbers as well. Their relationship with Fuji TV was not as solid as it used to be and Tokyo Broadcasting System was their main partner. Some fighters were complaining about not getting paid. Alistair Overeem won the World GP 2010 tournament at Ariake Colosseum. He had signed up with talent agency Yoshimoto to make a big run in Japan. Within two months of that proclaimation, his ties with Japan were done. He made a shift to Strikeforce after he revealed that he, too, got stiffed on money.

Overeem’s last Japan fight was against Todd “TRT” Duffee and he vanquished him in 19 seconds on New Year’s Eve. The NYE event all but put K-1 out of financial commission. It was their last gasp.

Continue reading this article here…

Topics: Japan, Media, MMA, PRIDE, UFC, Zach Arnold | 27 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

Upcoming New Jersey Combat Sports Medicine seminar on April 6th

By Zach Arnold | March 24, 2012

The New Jersey State Athletic Control Board (NJSACB), the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) Medical Chair and lead MMA/Muay Thai physician for the NJSACB, Dr. Sherry Wulkan, in conjunction with Atlantic Health of Morristown Hospital, is pleased to announce a CME accredited symposium in Combat Sports Medicine.

“The symposium kicks off the first Combat Sports fellowship elective in the nation. We believe this approach toward proactively training physicians in the nuances of Combat Sports medicine will help meet the need for well versed ringside doctors for these increasingly popular athletic contests now and in the future.” Dr. Wulkan

“In the interest of fighter health and safety, we hope both the symposium and this novel approach to Sports Medicine Fellowship training, sparks interest in incorporating Combat Sports Medicine into medical curricula throughout the country.” Dr. Wulkan

What:

Combative Sports Medicine Symposium – This comprehensive symposium will introduce participants to Combative Sports medical issues from pre-evaluation to post fight.

Where:

Atlantic Sports Health Conference Center
111 Madison Avenue
4th Floor
Morristown, NJ 07960

When:

Friday April 6, 2012 from 8:00 AM to 5:45 PM EDT

Attendees may earn up to 7.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits.

Registration: 8:00 AM to 8:30 AM

Agenda:

8:30am – 8:40am: Introduction to Combat Sports Medicine, Damion Martins, MD / Sheryl Wulkan, M.D.
8:40am – 8:50am: Opening Remarks: A Commissioner’s Viewpoint, Commissioner Aaron Davis, NJSACB
8:50am – 9:00am: A Fighter/Trainer’s Perspective On Medical Issues in Combat Sports, Jim Miller and Mike Constantino
9:00am – 9:45am: An Overview of Ringside Medicine, Dominic Coletta, M.D.
9:45am – 10:15am: Legal Issues in Combat Sports, What every ringside physician should know : Nicholas Lembo J.D. L.L.M., Association of Boxing Commissions Legal Committee Chair
10:30am – 11:30am: Facial Lacerations and ENT Issues in Combat Sports Medicine: Kenneth Remsen, M.D., F.A.C.S. and Howard Taylor, M.D., F.A.C.S.
11:30am – 12:20pm: Neurologic Concerns in Combat Sports Medicine, Theodore Conte, M.D.
1:00pm – 2:00pm: Ophthalmologic Concerns in Combat Sports, Steven Rodis, M..D.
2:00pm – 2:50pm: Infectious Diseases in Combat Sports, Robert Smick, D.O.
3:00pm – 4:00pm: Orthopedic Concerns in Combat Sports, Michael Kelly, D.O.
4:00pm – 4:45pm: Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation for Combat Sports Participants, Dr. Sharon Wentworth
5:00pm – 6:00pm: Current Controversies in Ringside Medicine: Sheryl Wulkan, M.D.
6:00pm – 6:30pm: Ringside Acuity: Fight Clips with Discussion: Sheryl Wulkan, M.D.

For further information or registration assistance, please contact Sheryl Wulkan, MD at [email protected].

Topics: Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 3 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

Testosterone MMA HOF grows as backers ramp up the rhetoric

By Zach Arnold | March 23, 2012

Last night, Spike TV aired a segment on Testosterone Replacement Therapy. They had over 500,000 viewers watch it. Josh Gross, earlier this week on ESPN Radio, hosted a roundtable show on testosterone use in MMA. The New York Daily News ran a Victor Conte op-ed on Rampage Jackson’s infamous Fighters Only interview about using testosterone from an ‘age management doctor’ while fighting on the UFC Japan card.

Don’t think the T story is picking up steam in media circles? I told you this was only the beginning. Again, I’ll repeat what I’ve said before — the T issue is a losing one for promoters and it’s an even bigger loser for fighters. Keith Kizer can embarrass himself by talking about how testosterone usage amongst MMA fighters shouldn’t be a scarlet letter and that he doesn’t want to violate basic human rights all he wants. The fact is that his spin, IMO, is not holding up well.

How can you tell it’s a losing issue for fighters? Rampage opened his mouth again and said testosterone critics suffer from a ‘slave mentality’ against such users. He actually managed to outdo Kizer on this front. The hyperbolic responses from both men should tell you a whole lot about who has the losing hand here.

Mike Chiappetta at MMA Fighting has an article talking about the link between concussions & low testosterone. Mike dropped a little item in his article that, reportedly, Shane Roller is the newest member of the testosterone brigade. Given that we don’t know anything about TUE exemptions or PED suspensions from state commissions like New Jersey which don’t release such information, this is the public list so far of testosterone users:

If you had those guys on your roster, you could put on a show tomorrow that draws fairly well. These guys are names in the business. These aren’t undercard nobodies. That’s what makes the development of the T story so damning – the big boys are using it. You can’t cover that up.

Not included on the ‘official’ list – Joe Rogan, who on September 11th, 2007 talked about turning 40 years old:

Now, I don’t “look” or “feel” like the average 40 that I see because I work out constantly and take a fuck load of supplements (including hormone replacement therapy) to keep my body healthy – but the reality is no matter how you slice it, I’m fucking 40.

On one hand our perceptions of what’s possible at an older age have definitely been changed by modern athletes that compete at the highest level WAY later than they did decades in the past because of the advances in science and nutrition. For example, one of the baddest motherfuckers on the planet, the UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture is 44 years old, baseball’s homerun king Barry Bonds is 43, and boxing’s light heavyweight champion of the world and one of the best pound for pound fighters alive, Bernard Hopkins is 42. When I was 15 a 40-year-old athlete might as well be dead.

“40 is the new 30!” Whatever the fuck that means.

Joe has had foot-in-mouth disease on this topic before in relation to Randy Couture.

Ben Fowlkes adroitly noted on Friday that the UFC’s hands-off spin about testosterone usage in MMA is disingenuous given that they’ll pick a fight with anybody over anything – New York MMA legislation, Oklahoma taxes, fan piracy, their own fighters, so on and so forth.

Yesterday on Spike’s TRT segment, Mike Straka gave his second biggest whopper to date on the show (him claiming I work for Cage Potato was the biggest whopper) by claiming that Dana White has come out on multiple occasions against TRT usage. FALSE. As Warner Wolf would say, let’s go to the tape!

“If you take a guy who’s talented enough to be in the UFC, right? he’s talented enough to be in the UFC yet for some stupid reason this guy’s using or abusing [Performance Enhancing Drugs]. What it does is the long terms effect of this… when guys get off it, they stop producing testosterone. It [expletive] with guys mentally, physically, emotionally, it does so much damage to a professional athlete… there’s no way in hell we want guys coming in doing this stuff. The problem is, it happens. It’s happening now and what we want to try to do is stop this before it gets, you know, to a point where, you know… young guys get damaged and could have, you know, gone on and had great careers in the UFC.”

The UFC knows the T issue is a hot potato but hasn’t come out against it. After all, Rampage & Marquardt have fought on foreign UFC shows ‘regulated’ by the promotion during time periods where the men in question said they were using T. Jim Miller, who’s brother Dan fought Marquardt before the fiasco blew up in Pennsylvania with Nate’s situation, called T usage for what it is — a performance-enhancer. Jim’s trainer, Mike Constantino, also came out and blasted TRT usage. Dr. Johnny Benjamin was featured as well in the Spike segment and called testosterone usage in MMA for what it is. Dennis Hallman played the role of being the sympathetic spokesman for TRT usage. Clips of Chael Sonnen proclaiming TRT to be legal were also aired.

However, the most effective part of the Spike TRT segment came from a short two-minute interview between Craig Carton & Dr. Armand Dorian. The good doctor talked about the risk of testosterone usage in relation to increasing your chances of getting cancer. Doc was starting to talk about how serious hypogonadism is but found himself agreeing with virtually all of the premises Craig mentioned regarding how the majority of fans see TRT as PED usage and how testosterone is, in fact, a performance-enhancer that works.

Go out of your way to watch the Spike TRT segment because it was well-done in regards to taking a complicated subject and boiling it down to what your gut told you testosterone usage was (good or bad) in the first place. The issue is a loser for promoters and a bigger loser for fighters, which is why the backers & users of testosterone in MMA are squealing like pigs headed for slaughter.

Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 14 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

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