You are hereFeed aggregator

Feed aggregator

Froch vs Kessler II, Bellew vs Chilemba II, Narvaez, FNF, more: Boxing TV schedule for May 24-26

Badlefthook.com - Mon, 05/20/2013 - 15:10

Friday, May 24

TV Publica (Argentina), 8:00 pm EDT, Carolina Raquel Duer vs Sabrina Maribel Perez.

ESPN2, 10:00 pm EDT, Delvin Rodriguez vs Freddy Hernandez, Issouf Kinda vs Chris Howard. A decent FNF double-header, with a couple of familiar veteran fringe contenders in the main event. Both Rodriguez and Hernandez are credible, solid fighters, but short of the top level. So this is pretty well-matched, and looks to have good action potential on paper. BLH will have live coverage.

CadenaTres (Mexico), 11:00 pm EDT, Abdiel Ramirez vs Jorge Martinez, Miguel Roman vs Rafael Urias.

Saturday, May 25

HBO (US) / Sky Box Office (UK), 3:00 pm EDT, Carl Froch vs Mikkel Kessler II, Tony Bellew vs Isaac Chilemba II, George Groves vs Noe Gonzalez Alcoba. HBO will pick up coverage at 6:00 pm EDT for the main event. We'll be here for the full card, of course. Bellew-Chilemba was a pretty lousy fight the first time around, a draw if ever I've seen one, in that I didn't think either guy really wound up earning the win. Armchair quarterback blah blah. Froch-Kessler could really be terrific, though; personally, I can see it being better than the first fight. Kessler has been aggressive since his return, and Froch is never in a truly dull fight. Groves is keeping busy against Alcoba. BLH will have live coverage.

TyC Sports (Argentina), 8:00 pm EDT, Omar Narvaez vs Felipe Orucuta. This is actually a good fight. Narvaez is now again the clear No. 1 in the division, for our money anyway, and Orucuta is an actual contender. This is Omar's best matchup since that paycheck turd he laid against Donaire.

Direct TV (Argentina), 8:00 pm EDT, Marcelino Nicolas Lopez vs Sergio Javier Escobar, Diego Gonzalo Luque vs Martin Antonio Coggi.

Televisa (Mexico), 11:00 pm EDT, Zulina Munoz vs Soledad Macedo.

Sunday, May 26

Rossiya-2 (Russia), 12:15 pm EDT, Oleg Maskaev vs Jason Gavern. Finally, an exciting heavyweight fight.

Categories: StandThemUp.Org MMA Feed

UFC 163 official for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Aldo vs. Pettis and Maia vs. Koscheck confirmed

Bloody Elbow - Mon, 05/20/2013 - 15:00

During the UFC on FX 8 post-fight press conference, UFC executive Marshall Zelaznik confirmed that UFC 163 will take place on August 3rd in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Featherweight champion Jose Aldo will defend his title for a 7th consecutive time (dating back to the WEC era) against lightweight contender Anthony Pettis, who is making his featherweight debut. Pettis joins Frankie Edgar and Kenny Florian as 145 lbs title challengers who previously had 1 or no fights in the division.

Also official for the card is a long rumored welterweight fight between Demian Maia and Josh Koscheck. The resurgent Maia is 3-0 in his new weight class, and recently sent Jon Fitch out of the UFC with an impressive decision win at UFC 156. Koscheck was defeated by TKO vs. Robbie Lawler at UFC 157, giving the former #1 contender consecutive defeats for the first time in his MMA career.

More details such as tickets, additional fights, etc. will be announced over the next few weeks. Anthony Perosh and Vinny Magalhaes are looking to fight each other at UFC 163, but the matchup has to be finalized.

Latest From Our Partners

Categories: StandThemUp.Org MMA Feed

Peterson vs Matthysse - full card results and more

Badlefthook.com - Mon, 05/20/2013 - 14:59

Lucas Matthysse just might be the best junior welterweight in the world.

For a long time I wasn't convinced. His resume previously left a lot to be desired. His best "wins" were actually losses to Zab Judah and Devon Alexander. Zab had seen better days, Devon was weight drained, and both fights were close enough to steal. They were not robbery of the year candidates (at least for those of us watching more than 2000 new fights a year). He couldn't even finish a "4 round" "glass jaw" Judah after dropping him in the 10th round.

I've questioned Matthysse's punching power because his better opponents always seemed to last longer than they should have. But after witnessing him destroy Lamont Peterson in 3 rounds, I no longer have doubts. Matthysse's the biggest puncher at 140 right now, and referee Steve Smoger agrees with me. After the fight Smoger told me it was "without question" that Matthysse has the most lethal hands in junior welterweight division.

Later, renowned trainer Nazim Richardson told me, paraphrasing from memory, "There are guys who can punch, there are guys who can box, and then there are guys who are special. Matthysse is a special fighter." Richardson thinks Matthysse hits so hard that opponents must avoid getting hit completely because he'll break through whatever guard they have. Too bad there's no Winky Wright at 140 right now to test that theory...

But I digress. I'm sold on Matthysse's power but let's not crown him as the terminator just yet. This is going to seem counter intuitive, but, the Peterson fight only lasted 3 rounds. Back when Peterson fought Victor Ortiz I remember thinking that Peterson wouldn't survive that round 3 either (where he was also dropped twice). But the referee let that fight continue. Peterson regrouped and did enough to earn a draw, albeit controversially. Matthysse had a history of taking rounds off in the past, so I don't know if he would have fought the rest of the fight as good as rounds 2 and 3. There could have been a lot more rounds like the 1st, which 2 of the 3 judges gave to Peterson. Peterson told Smoger that he wanted to continue and still felt that way during the post-fight presser. Peterson said, "I believe I can weather any storm."

Maybe Peterson has a point. Soon after getting dropped and hurt in round 2 by a left hook Peterson finished strong by landing a big left hook of his own. Matthysse grinned, effectively acknowledging that it was a good shot. In round 3 Peterson was hurt even more by another left hook, which landed because he was throwing one of his own, but he beat the count and the referee let it go on. I would have preferred a stoppage then to be honest. I didn't think the knockdown that immediately followed that had Peterson any worse off, which was my opinion from deep in press row and when I watched the fight again on Showtime. The last knockdown occurred pretty much due to poor balance and weak legs. If Peterson was OK to continue before, he was still OK to continue then.

That being said, it wasn't a bad decision, just a debatable one. I, like just about anyone, would have expected Matthysee to finish the job more emphatically had the fight continued. And as much as I like Danny Garcia, who Matthysse considers "slow" and "wide open", I'll expect Matthysse to finish him off too should they ever meet. Matthysse was a little ironic with his comments about Garcia, but I agree that he wouldn't be any harder to hit than any other opponent Matthysse has already faced. And whatever Matthysee hits, he at least puts down.

But can Garcia come off the floor to win? Hopefully we'll find out. Promoter Richard Schaeffer said he wants to make a Garcia-Matthysse / Judah-Peterson double header. Then again, Schaeffer also said that Alexander is top 3 or 4 pound for pound, that "Shane Mosley is back" following a hard fought win over Pablo Cano, and that the official "AC Fight Night" attendance was 4215. If any of that is true it's probably the attendance. However, when I ‘googled' Boardwalk Hall's capacity I got 10,500. Let's just say there's no way in hell the seats were 40% filled for any fight on the card.

Moving on, in the co-main event Devon Alexander dominated Lee Purdy, a late replacement for Kell Brook, and stopped him after 7 completed rounds. The fight was supposed to be for Alexander's IBF welterweight title but Purdy didn't make weight. CompuBox reported that Alexander was 176/625 (28%) while Purdy was 87/336 (26%). When Purdy let his hands go, he was competitive. But ‘when' is clearly the operative word. Alexander was there to be hit and willing to trade, without holding, despite injuring his left hand in the 1st round. But Purdy just didn't let his hands go enough. If Purdy won any round it was the 5th, which judge Waleska Roldan awarded him. Meanwhile judges Philip Edwards and John Poturaj had it a shutout for Alexander. To be clear the scorecards didn't actually matter; Alexander won by TKO/RTD.

After his relatively good round 5 Purdy's already limited activity dropped even more. His corner, most vocally middleweight contender Darren Barker, called the fight off after the 7th round against Purdy's wishes. The "official" reason given to the press was that they were concerned about Purdy's nose, but it was never made clear if it was actually broken. And shouldn't a fighter know whether or not he can continue with a broken nose? Most fight on. But I'm sure Alexander would have won one way or another.

ShoExtreme / Off TV Undercard:

Haroon Khan TKO1 Vincente Medellin

This was a swing bout between the Showtime and ShoExtreme broadcasts. Haroon, brother of Amir, dispatched his overmatched opponent in 57 seconds. Medellin was dropped twice and quit. Khan landed a good left hook to the body to put him down for the 2nd time, but not that good.

Shawn Porter UD10 Phil Lo Greco (99-89, 100-88, 100-88)

At no point was Lo Greco, floored in rounds 8 and 10, in this fight. I'm shocked one of the judges even managed to give him a round. Porter should have knocked Lo Greco out with all the quick combinations he landed. Unfortunately for Porter he's not a puncher. With his aggressive fighting style I can't see him winning at an elite level. But he's a handful regardless and fun to watch. He was criticized for his draw with Julio Diaz, but that doesn't look so bad anymore after what Diaz did to Khan. Many would say Porter out performed Khan against Diaz.

Thomas Williams Jr UD8 Otis Griffin (80-72, 80-72, 79-73)

Williams clearly won but still has a long way before he can be considered "Top Dog" in the light heavyweight division. Two of the three judges gave Griffin round 6. Round 1 was also debatable. Griffin, a 35 year old veteran of 38 fights, proved crafty and elusive but didn't have much to offer offensively.

Anthony Ogogo UD6 Edgar Perez (60-54, 60-54, 60-53)

Ogogo dominated every minute of every round. The final CompuBox numbers read 155/435 for Ogogo and 32/186 for Perez. Even though there were no knockdowns in the bout judge Joseph Pasquale scored the 5th round 10-8 Ogogo. Honestly, with what Ogogo was landing, I'm surprised Perez even finished the fight. I figure Ogogo must not punch very hard or Perez is a really good punching bag. But didn't Luis Arias blow Perez out in 1 round? Maybe the 2012 Olympic Bronze Medalist just needs some time to develop more of a pro style.

Bernard Hopkins Media Roundtable

Before Ogogo-Perez I caught up with Bernard Hopkins at a media roundtable. He talked about his upcoming fight with Karo Murat and discussed his hall of fame accomplishments (featuring a must see rant, embedded above, about his never-ending quest for respect). He also talked about wanting to be involved in one more super fight before retirement (acknowledging that his showdown with Oscar De La Hoya was the last time). In his mind Carl Froch is the leading candidate to make that a reality for him. B-Hop said that fight could take place here (in the US) or the UK, but it's only going to be a major event in the UK. Neither Hopkins nor Froch are big enough draws in the US unless history radically changes.

Anthony Peterson RTD2 Dominic Salcido

Salcido apparently broke his nose and was pulled after 2 rounds despite protest. Sound familiar? Nonetheless Peterson picked up his 2nd win since losing by DQ to Brandon Rios in 2010. I wanted to get his reasons for why he's been so inactive over the last 3 years on video but my interview was cut short. But it's basically a combination of injuries and politics. Perhaps the most important thing I got on video was his desire to fight Ricky Burns. Oddly enough this doesn't even have anything to do with the Burns-Gonzalez fight, where Burns received a boxing lesson before Gonzalez fell apart after the 7th round. Anthony hasn't seen that fight yet. He's confident that he can beat Burns just from seeing him as a super featherweight (where Burns has a career best win over Roman Martinez).

Cesar Seda UD8 Miguel Tamayo

Rau'shee Warren TKO4 Angel Carvajal

Jamel Herring TKO1 Victor Galindo

Robert Easter TKO2 Eduardo Guillen

-------------------------------

Ryan Bivins is a staff writer for BadLeftHook. You can contact him on twitter (@sweetboxing) or through email (rgbivins@gmail.com).

Categories: StandThemUp.Org MMA Feed

Fallon Fox Making The Best Of Her Situation

FightLine.com MMA News - Mon, 05/20/2013 - 14:33

Fallon Fox Making The Best Of Her Situation

Categories: StandThemUp.Org MMA Feed

Matt Riddle Enters Bellator Season 9 Welterweight Tournament

FightLine.com MMA News - Mon, 05/20/2013 - 14:27

Matt Riddle Enters Bellator Season 9 Welterweight Tournament

Categories: StandThemUp.Org MMA Feed

Koji Oishi Fighting For Team Pancraseism Out Of ONE FC

FightLine.com MMA News - Mon, 05/20/2013 - 14:20

Koji Oishi Fighting For Team Pancraseism Out Of ONE FC

Categories: StandThemUp.Org MMA Feed

Andre Ward chooses to drop WBC 'Emeritus' title in disagreement with sanctioning body

Badlefthook.com - Mon, 05/20/2013 - 14:12

Andre Ward, the undefeated king of the super middleweight division, has made the decision to drop his WBC 'Champion Emeritus' title after disagreeing with the sanctioning body about the validity of their stripping him of the 168-pound title in the first place.

Ward, 29, was "moved" to the Emeritus title earlier this year, despite the obvious fact that he was well within the time usually allotted to defend his title against a mandatory challenger. He has been inactive this year after undergoing shoulder surgery, which canceled a fight with Kelly Pavlik.

By comparison, Vitali Klitschko, the WBC heavyweight champ, has not fought since the exact same date as Ward (September 8, 2012), and also has not made any firm indication that he's got a fight in the works. Klitschko has been considering retirement, even. Yet he has not been stripped of his title.

Here's a piece of what Ward said about his decision:

"Without what we feel was appropriate due process, the WBC elected to strip me of my World Title. I think my track record in fighting the best opponents available speaks for itself. I worked extremely hard and dedicated my entire career to win and defend my WBC belt. As a matter of principle, I have chosen to stand up for what I believe is right. I think the fans know and appreciate that I am the Super Middleweight Champion of the World, and I trust that I will continue to be recognized as such."

Ward (26-0, 14 KO) is expected to fight sometime later this year, perhaps in the fall, and it seems would have been able to return before a full year out of the ring. He still holds the WBA "super" super middleweight title.

Categories: StandThemUp.Org MMA Feed

Bryan Caraway releases statements on elbowing Cat Zingano, weed gaffe

Bloody Elbow - Mon, 05/20/2013 - 14:00

Last week Bryan Caraway was getting his share of poor publicity. Initially on the end of some disparaging remarks from Nate Diaz for accepting Pat Healy's lost bonus money and making a few remarks of his own. He was thrust into the spotlight again when reports surfaced from Cat Zingano's fight camp that Caraway had elbowed her in the back of the head during a pre-fight meeting at the Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale. Zingano would go on to defeat Miesha Tate (Caraway's longtime girlfriend) by 3rd round TKO at the event, but the incident stuck with her and her fight camp. Caraway has now made a statement about the incident via Facebook.

"This is a joke and a feeble attempt to jump on the band wagon and get a little publicity. It’s sad that someone would stoop so low. I know if someone elbowed Miesha I would say something about it right then not when conveniently there’s a ton of media involved. Total Lies and BS."

He also gave some followup statements, again over Facebook, regarding his words for Pat Healy following the fighter's failed drug test.

"It was a poor choice of words I got ahead of myself," Caraway said. "I meant you have no tolerance for people who smoke weed knowing its illegal or banned and get in trouble for it. I have plenty of friends who smoke and they are great people. I personally just choose not to use it. Pat Healy is actually my bro and I felt bad because I didn't mean it that way. Sometimes I'm a knuckle head."

He spoke about his decision to take the short notice fight against Johnny Bedford, which ended up netting him the eventual submission of the night bonus, following Healy's failed test.

"It was the best five-day decision I've ever made," Caraway said of fighting at UFC 159. "There's going to be haters in this sport, but I know I'm a genuinely good person, and I know that's eventually going to shine through. People are going to start seeing my character and that I'm a tough dude. It does feel good to get recognition. It's welcoming."

Caraway made mentioned that he may be getting surgery done to repair injuries to his knee and shoulder, which could keep him sidelined for some time. We'll be sure to keep you updated as more information becomes available.

Categories: StandThemUp.Org MMA Feed

The Juggernaut MMA News Report 05.16.13: Vitor Belfort vs. Luke Rockhold UFC Preview

411 Mania MMA Feed - Mon, 05/20/2013 - 14:00

Luke Rockhold meets Vitor Belfort at UFC on F/X 8! Will Rockhold be able to handle his toughest test to date? 411's Jonathon Solomon takes a look! Plus news and thoughts on Mark Hunt's visa woes, Pat Healy's weed problem and more!

Categories: StandThemUp.Org MMA Feed

Mike Rio Plans to Finish Francisco Trinaldo at UFC on FX 8

411 Mania MMA Feed - Mon, 05/20/2013 - 14:00

Rio never wants to go to the judges in the UFC...

Categories: StandThemUp.Org MMA Feed

Blackzilians owner opens up on Belfort's work ethic, future plans and coaching changes

Bloody Elbow - Mon, 05/20/2013 - 13:12

After Saturday night's display of accuracy, and power, there is no question that Vitor Belfort really is a phenom. His vicious, spinning kick knockout of Luke Rockhold was reminiscent of his recent win over Michael Bisping, and one can't help but dredge up memories of that young lion that was cutting a path of destruction across the early days of the sport.

With his victory following up the wins of Danillo Villefort and Anthony Johnson, the so called 'Blackzilian curse' seems to be showing signs of fading away. Team owner, Glenn Robinson recently made several coaching additions and changes to the staff, and by the looks of things, the adjustments seem to be working.

I spoke to Glenn immediately following the event, and he provided some insight to Belfort's amazing transformation and what may be next for him, and states that without a doubt, the Blackzilians are back on track. Here's what he had to say:

Vitor's Work Ethic

People don't really understand TRT, so they like to make a lot of statements and claims. The truth of the matter is that Vitor has been skilled for as long as he's been in the sport, and TRT didn't make his feet do that spinning kick. TRT doesn't give him his work ethic. TRT doesn't give him his mindset. TRT doesn't give him his coordination. TRT doesn't give him who he is as a fighter.

This is like a rebirth for him. It's a rebirth for his career and for him as a person. This is the best he's looked in years, and when you see him in the gym, you can see why. If you saw him train, there would be no questions asked. The man's work ethic is just tremendous.

He's in the gym 2-3 times a day, and even trains on Sundays. He's dedicated and he gives up his entire life for his camp. Where other people sneak a little food or go out here and there, Vitor doesn't. He shuts off everything in his life except family and training for his entire camp. That's all he does. He dedicates himself like no one I have ever seen before. It's just truly amazing and TRT isn't responsible for any of that.

Possible Plans for Belfort

I don't know what's been discussed in the last hour, but I do know that Vitor didn't want to look past this fight. He didn't want to take Luke Rockhold for granted, so a title shot really has not been part of the discussions thus far. It is obviously his goal to be the champion again, and when the timing is right, he'll be in there again.

If Anderson wins this fight with Weidman, you don't know how long he's going to take off, so if he takes off six more months, I seriously doubt Vitor is going to want to wait that long for another fight. It's really hard to say what the next fight is going to be for him.

Jacare

Speaking just for myself, that would make for an interesting fight. Rashad and I were talking about that earlier, while we were watching the fight. Vitor's jiu jitsu is insane and so is Jacare's. This is me talking as myself, and not on behalf of Vitor. He's just not a person to sit idle. He's not going to want to wait 6-9 months for a fight.

I think we'll have to wait to see how things are going to fall out over the next couple months. Anything is possible right now. If he and Jacare ever did fight, it would be an interesting one. I take nothing away from Jacare, but I think Vitor would beat him. He's in the zone right now and I think he's very hard to beat.

Blackzilian Coaching Team

So far, I'm very happy with the changes. Jake Bonacci has been an incredible strength and conditioning coach and he has worked really hard with Vitor. He's put a lot of time and effort into getting him into shape. At the end of five rounds of sparring, Vitor is ready to do another five. His conditioning is just crazy. Watching him train on the Versaflex or his Airdyne is just amazing. Jake was certainly able to bring a lot to the table.

Coach Kenny Monday, well his record speaks for itself. He worked very closely with Vitor. This was Kenny's first fight as a Blackzilian corner, so I know he's very happy right now.

Henri Hooft has proven himself over and over again. The man is absolutely fantastic. He proves himself all the time.

Pedro Diaz coming to our camp has been an enormous addition. Hand speed and coordination - the man has tricks for coordination in training that I have never seen before. He brought all new elements into the game and into the training camp. He was a really big addition to the team and a really big part of the camp.

I'm pretty happy with what I see from the coaches and trainers. Not just with Vitor, but with everyone else, too. Thiago Silva looks great. Rashad Evans looks tremendous. He always looks great, but this is the best I've seen him look in a long, long time. Everyone looks great.

In terms of the Blackzilian curse that everyone has been talking about, you see those people talking about it going backwards now [laughs]. You've got Vitor, Anthony Johnson, Tyrone Spong, and Danillo Villeforte all coming off wins. Everything is starting to gel now. The fighters are putting in the time and it's really coming together. We're back.

You can follow Glenn via his Twitter account @GlennAuthentic

Here is a video of Vitor's pro debut at Superbrawl 2 which serves as a reminder of the ferocity with which he fights. My apologies for the video quality, but it is from 1996. Enjoy!

Latest From Our Partners

Categories: StandThemUp.Org MMA Feed

Luke Rockhold goes back to the drawing board after loss to Belfort at UFC on FX 8

Bloody Elbow - Mon, 05/20/2013 - 12:02

Oh what a difference 2.5 minutes can make.

For Luke Rockhold that's all it took to transform him from a UFC fighter on the rise to just another Middleweight at the back of the pack. The former Strikeforce champ made his UFC debut amidst big expectations. Dana White was talking a title shot. Fans were talking about UFC vs. Strikeforce. Rockhold was talking about the UFC's wack TRT policy.

After less than 3 minutes in the cage with Vitor Belfort, all of that is over.

Rockhold failed to execute his game plan, which essentially boiled down to 'survive the first round.' Now he's back to the drawing board.

Following the fight Rockhold was forthright at the post-fight presser:

"I mean it's hard to say what went wrong. I was feeling good. I was finding my timing. I felt like I was controlling things, and then he landed a spinning heel kick to my head. I felt good in this fight. I had a great camp. I felt good in the fight. I was focused. I don't know if I got overconfident or what exactly happened. I don't know. I thought I had it.

"I felt good. I saw his punches. I saw everything. I was landing some shots. I felt like I was starting to control things, and then I got caught. It happens. TRT had nothing to do with that kick." Rockhold said."It sucks right now. I don't know. I want to get back in there. I want to fight, obviously. Everyone says it, but what can you do at this point? I want to get in there. I want to fight. I want to redeem myself.

"I lost to one of the best guys in the world, and it was something pretty spectacular. I don't know what to really think about anything right now. I just want to get back and fight and beat someone up. That's what I'm focused on. Good job by Vitor. What can I say?"

Despite Rockhold's outward positivism, Josh Gross spins a scenario of more negative thoughts that may nag at Rockhold in the aftermath of losing to a man enjoying what Rockhold believed to be an unfair advantage:

The 28-year-old American ignored his distrust of various systems that are in place to keep fighters in Belfort's position honest. Rockhold accepted the score coming in. That may or may not prevent his apparent idealism from gnawing away at him. We'll see. As it is, a monstrous KO loss in your most important fight as a professional comes across as challenging enough. This is standard practice for fighters, though. It's a rough existence, full of sky highs and crater lows.

Yet if Rockhold is going to settle on a reality in which he was brutally stopped by a guy he's convinced possessed an unfair advantage, where does that leave him outside of having lots to digest.
...
Should Rockhold stay convinced that Belfort's TRT use isn't above board, how will he handle the "The Phenom" touting, as he has, recent "enhancements" coming from the inside; or newfound physical strength the likes of which he's never experienced; or an ability to push his limits and do things like spar seven seven-minute rounds against rotating partners?

Absent TRT, would Belfort be in position right now to throw KO-capable spinning wheel kicks?

This might be the kind of question that weighs on Rockhold, making bitter more likely than better in the months ahead.

For his sanity's sake, Luke Rockhold is going to need to put the TRT question behind him and focus on himself and his own career. The issues surrounding Vitor Belfort, the UFC's policy on TRT and the behavior of the various athletic commissions regulating the sport should be left to fans, media, the promoters and various state officials to chew through.

Luke Rockhold has plenty to occupy his mind just getting ready for his next fight and finding his place in the UFC pecking order.

SBN coverage of UFC on FX 8: Belfort vs Rockhold

Categories: StandThemUp.Org MMA Feed

Chael Sonnen Sounds Over Wanderlei Silva Fight

FightLine.com MMA News - Mon, 05/20/2013 - 12:00

Chael Sonnen Sounds Over Wanderlei Silva Fight

Categories: StandThemUp.Org MMA Feed

South Florida Mayors Set to Fight MMA Bout for Charity

411 Mania MMA Feed - Mon, 05/20/2013 - 12:00

It started as a joke over dinner...

Categories: StandThemUp.Org MMA Feed

Antonio Silva Says He Will Take Cain Velasquez's Title

411 Mania MMA Feed - Mon, 05/20/2013 - 12:00

Silva faces Velasquez in a rematch at UFC 160...

Categories: StandThemUp.Org MMA Feed

UFC 160: Velasquez Vs. Bigfoot 2 This Saturday, Complete Coverage On FightLine

FightLine.com MMA News - Mon, 05/20/2013 - 11:56

UFC 160: Velasquez Vs. Bigfoot 2 This Saturday, Complete Coverage On FightLine

Categories: StandThemUp.Org MMA Feed

Videos of the three historic catch wrestling matches from the Feb. 2013 MMA World Expo

NHB Boxing News - Mon, 05/20/2013 - 11:25

Phil Doig vs. Mario Perricone - catch wrestling, Feb. 17, 2013, MMA World Expo

Teddy Pericleous vs. Jack Cordero - catch wrestling, Feb. 17, 2013, MMA World Expo

Jorge Martinez vs. Mike Robinson, and John Potenza and Joel Bane on Return of Catch Wrestling at MMA World Expo, NYC

Categories: StandThemUp.Org Boxing Feed

Why the testosterone debate should provoke broader questions about MMA following UFC on FX 8

Bloody Elbow - Mon, 05/20/2013 - 11:04

The career of Vitor Belfort is as inexplicable as it is profound. In a sport where time is unforgiving, here's a man who started in 1997 at UFC 12 when names like Tank Abbott and Scott Ferrozzo could be found on a professional prizefighting card. If you saw those names in a tournament in 2013, it would probably be on the undercard of a mud wrestling tournament in Plfugerville, Texas.

Other competitors, like Don Frye, Mark Coleman, and Gary Goodridge have faded from the cage, but Belfort still remains. It would be one thing if Vitor were competing just to compete; perhaps looking merely to collect a paycheck. But Vitor is still competing with a third title shot in the past two years looming on the horizon.

On paper, Luke Rockhold was a good opponent. Holding a win over the other brilliant performer of the night in Ronaldo Souza, and possessing an exciting difficult style (with toughness to boot), this seemed like anything but a softball for Belfort. But paper proved pointless, and Rockhold was dispatched in the first round with a supernaturally executed wheel kick.

And now the narrative turns not to Vitor's brilliance, but to his TRT usage. I feel like I'm cheating the Bloody Elbow faithful by writing yet another piece on TRT usage, so bear with me.

The unspoken hypocrisy to any debate about PED's, in my view, is nothing deliberate or sinister on the part of fans and media. But by design, there's the desire on everyone's part to watch human potential realized without ever really asking how that potential is reached.

The body is a frail assembly of carbon. To expect such a piece of hardwire to crash boundaries on a daily basis without the assistance of science would be foolish.

And so performers look for advantages wherever they can, and have been for decades. Nowadays a competitor in the 100 meter race takes just as much advice from his/her coach as his/her nutritionist, who has calculated that beet juice contains just enough nitrates to boost aerobic performance by 2 percent.

After a dismal performance for Australia following the 76 Summer Olympics that saw the country record only 5 medals, Aussies decided to dedicate $20 million to sports research to prepare for the 2000 Summer games they would end up hosting. That research, one might argue, that spent so much on hydrotherapy, compression garments, and motion analysis technology led to 58 medals that year. Coincidence?

The admittedly vague point here is that all performance is calculated, and quantified.

Fighters too are diligent in this regard. You have to know your yogurt because getting 18g of protein from Greek yogurt is better than the 8g contained in the regular. You have to know your mushrooms because you don't want to give your opponent the vitamin D advantage by not eating dried Shitaake*. Plenty of unnatural substances enhance performance, from caffeine to creatine, which helps provide energy to your muscles by increasing ATP production. Yet they are legal.

None of this is to argue that Vitor's TRT use is justified. His bizarre threats to reporters for even asking about TRT is enough to indict him as not just a user, but even better, to remind us of Ben Affleck's caricature of the steroid user. Though even some bioethicists who feel like athletes are better served knowing exactly what they put into their body...might argue for its justification.

On the side of the critics the other night was Brian Stann, who made an interesting comment/tweet following Vitor's victory stating that after having trained with fighters before and after testosterone use, there is a marked difference in speed and power.

So clearly there's an argument that a difference in degree as opposed to a difference in kind, when it comes to advantages, is just an equivocation. Caffeine, and creatine may provide advantages, but they are small by comparison when it comes to TRT.

Ultimately, however, a decision has to be made. Not just by the UFC, who needs to either ban it, or come out in support of it. But by the media and fans. If you want your athletes bigger, stronger, and faster then accept the consequences. If you want justice, then condemn not just Vitor Belfort, but Dan Henderson, Frank Mir, Chael Sonnen, Shane Roller, and the lot of those who reveal the truth about performance in sports; conviction alone is not enough to guarantee success.

*Props to Cameron Conway for his always useful blog.

Latest From Our Partners

Categories: StandThemUp.Org MMA Feed

Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza Wanted To Prove He’s No Joke

FightLine.com MMA News - Mon, 05/20/2013 - 10:29

Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza Wanted To Prove He’s No Joke

Categories: StandThemUp.Org MMA Feed

Rafael Dos Anjos Confident He Won Two Rounds Against Evan Dunham

FightLine.com MMA News - Mon, 05/20/2013 - 10:28

Rafael Dos Anjos Confident He Won Two Rounds Against Evan Dunham

Categories: StandThemUp.Org MMA Feed

Navigation

Poll

Recent blog posts

Active forum topics

Ticket Pre-Order

Connect With Us

New forum topics

MMA News

Complete UFC On FX 8 Quick Match Results

StandThemUp.Org Boxing Feed

What's Popular

Today's:

All time:

Last viewed: