Thursday, April 30

Making the Case for Ronda Rousey as the Pound-for-Pound Best in MMA

Over the past few years, only Jon Jones and Jose Aldo have been nearly as dominant over their divisions in the UFC as Ronda Rousey has.

Despite recent off-the-Octagon issues, Jones is still undeniably the best mixed martial artist in the organization. While Aldo is just a monster when he steps into that cage.

Before Jones’ car accident, those two were, respectively, No. 1 and No. 2 in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings. Rousey, on the other hand, was stuck in sixth place, behind Demetrious Johnson, Chris Weidman and Cain Velasquez.

Now, why should Rousey be ranked above all these champions?

The answer is simple: Because none of them takes care of business like she does.

It takes only a glimpse at her fighting record to understand how dominant Rousey is.

Since touching ground with the UFC in Feb. 2013, the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist relentlessly took out every obstacle Dana White sent her way.

In UFC 157, the first women’s title bout the organization ever hosted, it took less than one round for Rousey to defeat Liz Carmouche with an armbar submission. It was the same fate for all of her six previous opponents (and Jimmy Fallon) she faced.

In Carmouche’s defense, she was the first fighter not named Miesha Tate to survive more than a minute against the champ.

After claiming the belt, Rousey defended it four times.

Her first title defense was a rematch against Tate, who proved to be as close to a test as Rousey would ever get. They went three rounds, but in the end Tate’s fate was the same as all those who preceded her. An armbar submission.

After that Rousey seemed to dislike the idea of staying in the octagon for more than a round. So she made quick work of those who came after Tate.

Sara McMann went down in a minute. Alexis Davis in 16 seconds. And Rousey’s latest hit, Cat Zingano, fell to an armbar in 14 seconds.

How can anybody deny Rousey’s greatness?

Now here is where some would question and say that because she fights in a women’s division, Rousey shouldn’t be featured in a pound-for-pound ranking with the men’s divisions.

For those who have that mentality, reading at least the beginning of this Jeff Wagenheim SI.com article might do some good.

With that out of the way, time to analyze the other contenders.

Aldo has moved up to No. 1 since Jones was taken out of the rankings.

The Brazilian’s greatness, like Rousey’s, is undeniable. His 25-1 record speaks for itself.

However, he had to go all five rounds over his last couple fights. And this upcoming July 11 bout against the notorious Conor McGregor is raising many eyebrows.

Mighty Mouse Johnson has been on the rise as of late. The flyweight champ showed UFC fans how speed kills.

Since earning the belt in a split decision against Joseph Benavidez in 2012, Johnson defended his title six times. Four of those fights reached the fifth round.

Even though his eye-opening Round 1 knockout of Benavidez in their rematch was entertaining, Johnson’s dominance is still not as undisputed as Rousey’s.

Chris Weidman did take Anderson Silva out twice. But after going five rounds with Lyoto Machida, it might be better to wait and see how he does against Vitor Belfort on May 23 before throwing him in a pound-for-pound No. 1 conversation.

Same goes for Cain Velasquez. The last time the heavyweight champ stepped inside the Octagon was October 2013.

Velasquez has an upcoming bout against red-hot interim champion Fabricio Werdum June 13. The result of that matchup will make or break the champ’s pound-for-pound stock.

Taking all of that in account, it might be time to recognize who, in the absence of Jones, is really the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC.

"Rowdy" Ronda Rousey.

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After 2-Year Absence, Opponent Sought for Prospect Frodo Khasbulaev's WSOF Debut

It has been called one of the saddest stories in mixed martial arts.

That may be a bit of an overstatement, but not by a huge margin. Now, after two years in contractual and bureaucratic purgatory, Dagestani Russian featherweight Magomedrasul "Frodo" Khasbulaev finally has a chance to crawl up from between the cracks and resume his promising fighting career.

World Series of Fighting officials have confirmed (via MMAJunkie.com) that Khasbulaev has signed a multi-fight deal with the promotion. They are now seeking an opponent for Khasbulaev's WSOF debut at WSOF 21 on June 5 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

In 2013, Khasbulaev, who hails from the same region of the North Caucasus that spawned hot names like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Rustam Khabilov, defeated Mike Richman to win Bellator's featherweight tournament in the promotion's eighth season. Then 26 years old, Khasbulaev was 21-5 as a pro and in position to challenge then-champion Pat Curran for the featherweight title.

It was all looking good until Khasbulaev's visa was revoked under mysterious circumstances. The resulting complications were messy and murky and took two years to resolve.

As Khasbulaev and his camp attempted to re-secure his traveling privileges, Bellator—then under the leadership of Bjorn Rebney, who has since parted ways with the organization—evidently refused to let Khasbulaev out of his contract, a move that would have allowed him to stay busy competing for promotions in Russia while he waited for the United States to restore his visa.

In January, Bellator, under the new leadership of Scott Coker, finally released Khasbulaev, at which time details emerged that seemed to point to Bellator as the party responsible for discontinuing his visa, potentially because Khasbulaev refused to sign a big contract to stay with the promotion.

"They said his original petition was revoked by the petitioner, by Bellator," said Khasbulaev's current manager, Rizvan Magomedov in a January interview with MMAFighting.com. "That's what he was told by the consulate."

Bellator officials have denied the claim. 

It is, if nothing else, a strange situation. But with Khasbulaev now apparently cleared to fight under the WSOF banner, hopefully any problems are behind him and an innocent person can return to making an honest living as a fighter.

Rick Glenn was briefly named as Khasbulaev's first WSOF opponent, but an injury has sidelined the former WSOF featherweight champ. 

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Anthony Johnson Says New Opponent, Same Game Plan for UFC 187: 'Whoop Ass'

Anthony "Rumble" Johnson is still fighting for the UFC light heavyweight title on May 23. He's just not fighting Jon Jones anymore.

After Jones was stripped of his championship and indefinitely suspended earlier this week, UFC officials tabbed Daniel Cormier to replace Jones and face Johnson in the main event at UFC 187.

Jones was considered by most observers to be the pound-for-pound best MMA fighter on the planet, well-rounded and dangerous in every phase.

Cormier is extremely talented in his own right, even if the Olympic wrestler's skill set is more predicated on a grinding method of offense.

Does this swap in opponent and opposing style change anything for Rumble? According to him, it doesn't.

“The game plan hasn't changed,” Johnson said, in an interview published Thursday with John Morgan of MMAJunkie.com. “The game plan is to whoop some ass.”

The decision makes sense.

After all, his own game plan is usually fairly simple. One of the most fearsome strikers in all of MMA, Rumble (19-4) has 13 professional wins by knockout. He earned both of his most recent wins that way, and in the first round no less, knocking out Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in just 44 seconds and then earning the title shot by ending Alexander Gustafsson in just 2:15.

Also in the interview with Morgan, Johnson expressed disappointment over this week's Jones decision, which followed his alleged involvement in a hit-and-run collision in Albuquerque, New Mexico, that left a pregnant woman with a fractured arm.

I was disappointed, but I was never mad. It sucks that I don't get to fight Jon, but eventually, one day, I'll have a chance to fight him. I'm just focused on getting ready. I feel bad for Jon and Jon's family, and I feel bad for the MMA community. He let everybody down, but nobody's perfect. Life goes on, and I still have a great opportunity.

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Jon Jones Warned by Dana White over Future as Chael Sonnen Queries UFC Sanction

UFC President Dana White has admitted Jon Jones has "got some work to do" after being suspended by the organisation for his part in an alleged hit-and-run accident that left a pregnant woman with a broken arm, as reported by Luke Augustus of MailOnline.

Jones was stripped of his light heavyweight title and indefinitely suspended after turning himself in to police, per Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com. White told ESPN's SportsNation (h/t Shaun Al-Shatti of MMAFighting.com) that Jones needs to seriously knuckle down if he's going to make a return:

A lot of people know, Jon's had a lot of chances. This one was his last chance. He's got to handle his business outside of the Octagon and then we'll see where he goes from there.

Obviously he's one of our biggest stars. He was on his way to becoming one of the greatest ever, and he's got some legal problems he's got to deal with now. So we suspended him, stripped him of the title, and he's got some work to do outside of the sport. Then we'll decide when he comes back.

As reported by MMAWeekly.com (h/t Yahoo Sports), drugs were allegedly found in the fighter's car: "But more than just being involved in the accident, Jones was said to have fled the scene with a 'large handful of cash,' leaving behind marijuana paraphernalia with marijuana in it."

Jones was ranked the best pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC before his suspension and has been removed from the listings. His May 23 title defence against Anthony "Rumble" Johnson has been cancelled, with the No. 1 contender now lining up to face Daniel Cormier for the interim belt, as confirmed by White on Fox Sports Live (h/t Mike Bohn and Matt Erickson of MMAJunkie.com).

Former light heavyweight competitor Chael Sonnen believes White's decision to leave the door open is incorrect.

He spoke to Tatame (h/t Lucas Rezende of Bloody Elbow) and suggested a permanent expulsion should be put in place; otherwise, there was no point in acting at all.

"Taking away his belt was one of the options on the table, but I don't think it was well thought through," said Sonnen. "What will they do to Jon Jones now? Put him on preliminary cards? It's weird. You either cut the guy completely or shut up."

Jones' camp remains quiet, per UFC Tonight:

It's unlikely the UFC will pair Jones with a much weaker opponent if he does return. In fact, the organisation could benefit from his reappearance somewhere down the line. If Jones misses a significant amount of time, many fans will be excited to see him step into the octagon once more.

Having won 12 straight before being suspended, per ESPN.com, Jones would likely work himself back into title contention quickly. His situation poses a real dilemma for the UFC, especially as the organisation is moving forward with stricter drug-testing regulations and punishments.

Although Jones' alleged crime doesn't necessarily fall into this category, taking a lenient approach could show weakness on the UFC's part. Permanently cutting a huge moneymaker such as Jones would provide a warning that nobody is bigger than the company, but White seems committed to giving Jones an opportunity to work through his issues.

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TUF 21 American Top Team vs. Blackzilians: Episode 2 Recap and Results

On the heels of the season premiere of The Ultimate Fighter 21, we got our second episode this week in the groundbreaking season, which features American Top Team vs. Blackzilians. It was an episode that continued the tension and competition from last week.

After a recap of the first fight of the season, a critically panned fight that saw Kamaru Usman defeat Mike Graves, we went to a team talk in which Graves expressed his disappointment. His team was there to reassure him and tell him that being undefeated is a lot of pressure and that he will be back.

We got to the fight picks by both teams pretty quickly. American Top Team went with undefeated youngster Uros Jurisic, while the Blackzilians wisely went with experience in the form of Luiz "Buscape" Firmino.

After getting their back stories, we went to a Blackzilian training session where tensions boiled over between teammates Usman and Jason Jackson. Usman stormed off, but he came back a short time later to mend fences with his teammate.

We then went to the weigh-ins, where both men made weight with no trouble. At the staredown, gym owners Dan Lambert and Glenn Robinson had yet another verbal sparring match in a tense situation which could have easily boiled over. It's an intriguing personal vendetta that will continue to be must-see TV this season.

Come fight time, the fight went how many thought it would, as the more experienced Firmino controlled the fight and grinded on the young, inexperienced opponent. A third round was not needed, as all three judges gave Firmino the fight unanimously after two.

The win put the Blackzilians up 50-0 this season, but it again failed to impress UFC president Dana White. He again hated how the two fighters failed to really go for it when this is their stage to show fans they really want it.

 

Season Results

Winner Loser Points Total
Kamaru Usman (BLK) Mike Graves (ATT) 25 Blackzilians lead 25-0
Luiz Firmino (BLK) Uros Jurisic (ATT) 25 Blackzilians lead 50-0

 

Notes and Observations

  • Two episodes, two boring fights. I really hope that's not an indication for the rest of the season because the team vs. team setup is attractive, but if the fights keep being this unimpressive, I feel viewers will again turn on this season of the show.
  • I really question ATT for picking Jurisic this early in the competition. When you're fighting for home-gym advantage and on this point system, and you know they are probably putting up some of their better fighters early, he should have gone with experience and let Jurisic continue to develop and get ready. Putting in a guy like Steve Carl or Nathan Coy would have been the way to go, in my opinion.
  • I know it would never happen, but how awesome would it be if some sort of combat sport was the coach's challenge this season. Imagine Lambert and Robinson, two guys who hate each other, having to box or grapple for the coach's challenge. That would be amazing.
  • I am officially making a position to change Luiz Firmino's nickname from "Buscape" to "You Know." He says it about 571 times per sentence, and the guy writing in the English subtitles made sure to include it every singe time. 
  • If you're a fan of drama, next week looks to be a good one to watch. It appears a fighter misses weight slightly and has to use the other team's sauna, sparking a heated battle between teams.

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Michelle Waterson vs. Angela Magana Signed for TUF 21 Finale

Michelle Waterson has her first fight booked under the UFC banner as she will meet Angela Magana at The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale.

The UFC made the announcement just 24 hours after announcing that Waterson had signed to the 115-pound division.

Waterson holds a 12-4 professional record, and is coming off a loss to Herica Tiburcia at Invicta FC 10. The former Invicta FC atomweight champion has previously fought at 115 pounds, but holds no notable wins at the weight.

Magana enters the fight with an 11-7 professional record. The former The Ultimate Fighter Season 18 cast member is 0-1 in the UFC, and has lost three straight fights overall. Magana is a longtime veteran who has fought a Who's Who of women's MMA. She holds wins over Jessica Aguilar and Barb Honchak, but has lost to Aguilar (twice), Jessica Eye, Stephanie Eggink and Jessica Penne during her lengthy career.

Waterson's debut will be highly anticipated, but with three straight losses Magana will be in a must-win situation. In her UFC debut, Waterson gets a matchup against one of the more moderately sized athletes in the division. She will not be at a stark size disadvantage in this bout.

“The Karate Hottie” is a stellar striker, but has finished most of her MMA bouts (seven) via submission. Magana is not far behind with six submission finishes to her credit.

There is no word yet on where the UFC will place this fight on the card.

This marks the first official bout for the July 12th event. MMAFighting.com has reported that the UFC is working on adding a Benson Henderson vs. Michael Johnson fight as the main event, and BloodyElbow.com has reported a Josh Samman vs. Caio Magalhaes matchup is also eyed for the fight card.

The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale will take place on July 12th in Florida. Keep checking B/R for more UFC fight updates.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov Injured, out of UFC 187 Title Eliminator with Donald Cerrone

UFC 187 was originally considered the crown jewel of the UFC's 2015 slate of events. Now, after suffering two major blows in as many days, it will be a much lesser beast that slouches into Las Vegas on May 23.

Khabib Nurmagomedov, the undefeated Dagestani Russian phenom, is now apparently injured and out of his lightweight title eliminator bout with Donald Cerrone. That's according to a report published Wednesday night by John Morgan of MMAJunkie.com

The injury is in Nurmagomedov's meniscus, and it is unclear whether surgery will be required or when he might return to competition.

If the injury is in Nurmagomedov's right meniscus, that would be a repeat of the injury that scuttled his first scheduled bout with Cerrone last September at UFC 178. Either way, two meniscus injuries could raise major red flags.

In losing this bout, UFC 187 loses the third-largest fight on its card. On Tuesday, it lost its largest when Jon Jones was stripped of his light heavyweight title and suspended indefinitely following his alleged hit-and-run incident from Sunday. Though Daniel Cormier replaces Jones and faces Anthony Johnson for that newly vacant title, the bout has undoubtedly lost major luster as a result of Jones' suspension.

The co-main event is scheduled as a middleweight title fight between Chris Weidman and challenger Vitor Belfort. UFC officials have to be hoping for better luck in that fight.

As for Nurmagomedov, the charismatic and well-rounded 26-year-old is 22-0 and looks to be one of the UFC's fast-rising stars. He has previously beaten current champion Rafael dos Anjos, and had he gotten by Cerrone, probably would have been favored to do so again in a rematch.

Earlier this week, Nurmagomedov told MMAJunkie.com that he finally was back to 100 percent and was ready to challenge for the belt. 

“I’m doing everything,” he said in the interview. “Wrestling, boxing...I do everything that I did before my injury.”

It looks like that talk unfortunately may have been premature.

As for UFC 187, Cerrone will probably want to stay on the card, and there should be plenty of suitors looking to snap up the high-profile slot. It will be interesting to see what the UFC does to try to salvage a tantalizing high-stakes matchup on a card that suddenly needs one of those in the worst way.

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Michelle Waterson Looking to Do Big Things in UFC's Strawweight Division

Now that one dream is fulfilled for Michelle Waterson, it is time to get on to the next.

The former Invicta atomweight champion checked an item off of her mixed martial arts bucket list by signing with the UFC, as reported by Ariel Helwani on Monday's installment of UFC Tonight (h/t MMAFighting.com's Shaun Al-Shatti).

But simply arriving isn't enough to fulfill her personal goals. The 29-year-old Colorado native is aiming at nothing short of championship gold, and is excited to get the next portion of her journey underway.

Granted, she had to come up in weight to make it all possible, but that was a sacrifice The Karate Hottie was willing to make in order to compete on the biggest stage in MMA.

"It's a very exciting time in my life," Waterson told Bleacher Report. "When I started my career I had this list of things I wanted to accomplish, and being in the UFC was one of those things. I'm glad that it all came together, and I'm very excited to be fighting for this organization."

And while news of the former atomweight joining the UFC's 115-pound roster caused a stir throughout the MMA community, she is fully tuned into the scope of the task at hand. The women's strawweight division may be the newest addition under the promotional banner, but the weight class is already lined with a collection of proven talent who are all currently jockeying to become the next champion.

Those details simply add to Waterson's enthusiasm, as she is confident she'll be able to hang with any fighter in the strawweight collective.

"In order for me to make [the decision to come up in weight] I had to be confident in my ability to fight with any of the other girls in the weight class," Waterson said. "Otherwise I wouldn't have done it. I'm 100 percent confident in my ability to compete with anyone in the division."

While there is currently no official date attached to her inaugural showing inside the Octagon, Waterson guarantees she'll be ready to go when the time comes. By splitting time between Albuquerque and Chicago where she trains with a team of coaches, the former Invicta 105-pound title holder believes she's made steady progression in all areas of mixed martial arts.

She understands becoming a UFC title holder is the pinnacle of accomplishment in MMA, and it will take a well-rounded and diverse skill set to make that happen. Waterson has put in the work to develop a versatile arsenal beyond her already established striking game, and the fighter and her team are aiming for a UFC title.

She's determined to reach the top of the strawweight mountain and will take every step necessary to make that happen.

"A lot of this will have to do with the UFC and where they want to put me and who they want to match me up with," Waterson explained. "I'm just excited to get in with this organization, and I'm comfortable fighting anyone.

"I've been training since my last fight back in December, and I'm more than ready physically. I think it's going to be fun, and I'm very excited to get started here in the UFC. The weight class is starting to get bigger and it's nice to see, and it's a great time to be a part of women's MMA.

"I have a great team of coaches. I have Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn in Albuquerque and Mike Valle and Izzy [Martinez] in Chicago. They are all behind me 100 percent, and they want to see me go far. They don't want me to be just another girl on the UFC roster; they want to see me get to the top. And that's where I plan to go."

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise. 

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UFC's Decision to Strip Jones of Title Could Be the Biggest Moment of His Life

The UFC's decision to strip Jon Jones of its light heavyweight championship, and to suspend him indefinitely, was one of the more difficult and gut-wrenching decisions it's made since Zuffa purchased the promotion in January 2001.

It was also one of the best.

Stripping Jones of the championship and putting him on the sidelines is the kind of decision that grown-up sports leagues make. The UFC is not the same as the NFL, because combat sports is not the same as football. But Roger Goodell's handling of the cases of Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson provided a perfect template for the UFC, because the UFC wants to be seen as a mainstream brand like the NFL.

And though I do not believe mixed martial arts will ever be accepted in the mainstream solely because of its violent nature, that doesn't mean the UFC can't strive to be viewed through the same lens as other major sports.

Some say that waiting for Jones' legal process to run its course before acting was the right thing to do. And we absolutely should allow that to play out before passing judgment on Jones, what he's accused of doing on Sunday morning and how it will affect his future in the long run.

That's how the American justice system works, and it should be honored.

But the UFC had no responsibility to honor the legal process. What it had instead was a responsibility to protect its name value in the public space. If things had gone differently—if it had supported Jones the way it did after his previous vehicular incident and his failed cocaine test earlier this year—it would be absolutely lambasted by the mainstream media it so desperately seeks attention from.

It needed to draw a line in the sand. It needed to say that even its biggest superstars will be held accountable for their behavior outside of the Octagon. It has historically come down hard on those with lesser name value who violate its code of conduct. Miguel Torres was fired for an offensive tweet. Will Chope was fired for not disclosing a domestic violence incident during his time in the Army. Others have been released for drawing negative attention to the company.

But this is the first time that a top-shelf superstar has suffered the consequences of bad decisions made outside the Octagon. And though putting one of its biggest stars (and the greatest fighter in the history of the sport) on the shelf will mean a bunch of lost revenue, it still elected to do it. That is an important thing, and the UFC should be commended for it.

Its decision might also serve as the wake-up call Jones has desperately needed. Instead of coddling him and enabling him as it has previously done, it is forcing him to face his problems head on. We all make stupid mistakes. We all do dumb things. There is not enough time in the day for me to tell you about all the dumb, thoughtless things I've done in my past, and I will absolutely do many stupid things in the future.

I am human, and humans do things that are dumb.

But being forced to face my issues, by my friends and loved ones, is one of the only ways I have ever grown, learned and fixed things. I am thankful for those friends who cared enough about me to sit me down and tell me hard truths instead of overlooking them and pretending everything was OK. Jones may be upset right now, but my instinct tells me he will eventually be grateful for the decision the UFC made.

And he'll be grateful for the circle of friends that is rallying around him right now.

The UFC needed to protect its name. But it is also in partnerships with several big-name sponsors, and those sponsors could not have been happy with Jones' incident and the attention it received.

Reebok, who recently signed Jones to a major endorsement deal (one that existed outside of the upcoming standard UFC uniform deal), cut ties with the former light heavyweight champion on Wednesday morning. That will cost Jones plenty of money. When he returns, it is likely that he'll still be wearing Reebok (under the uniform policy), but instead of receiving the big checks he was getting as one of Reebok's big signees, it is likely that he'll instead find himself under the same policy as the rest of the UFC roster.

That's a big pay cut. And it's going to hurt his pocketbook. But it is yet another opportunity for him to learn a major lesson and to come back from this time away as a better man, one that is more capable of handling the pressures of fame and fortune.

The UFC's decision was a major win. It showed a willingness to do a difficult thing, even when its own revenues are at stake. It gives me hope that the upcoming random drug testing program will be more than lip service and that it is serious about cleaning up the sport.

But most importantly, its decision may be the thing that helps Jones get his act together. We don't know how long he'll be away from the Octagon, and it really doesn't matter; he has far more important battles to face right now. For all we know, his legal battle could end up in jail time that keeps him away from the fight game until his prime years are over.

But if he's able to mature outside the Octagon, to make significant and visible changes and not just pay lip service to the idea of changing, people will root for Jones when he returns. The circus of his own creation could turn into a redemption story.

And if that is the ultimate end result of the UFC's decision to wrest away the UFC title from the greatest fighter in the world, well, it will end up being a far more important decision than we can possibly realize right now.

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Wednesday, April 29

Daniel Cormier to Jon Jones: “Get It Together, Man”

The show must go on.

This has been the commonly used phrase in the last 24 hours, since Jon Jones was stripped of his UFC title and suspended indefinitely. The shocking announcement was made by the UFC on Tuesday, a day after Jones was arrested on a felony charge for a hit-and-run.

In the wake of the suspension, Daniel Cormier was offered a golden opportunity to step in for Jones and fight Anthony “Rumble” Johnson for the vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 187. The decision to take the fight was bittersweet for Cormier, a recent adversary of Jones.

Despite his past drama with Jones, including a media brawl in the MGM Grand lobby, Cormier admitted it was disappointing to see Jones’ title run end this way. During an appearance on Fox Sports’ UFC Tonight, he implored the former champ to “get it together” for the fans that look up to him and want to see him succeed:

More than anything, I think all the stuff that Jon gets into is disappointing. This is a guy that has the world at his fingertips, and he can’t seem to get out of his own way. ...

Just get it together. Get it together, man. There are a lot of people that look up to you and a lot of people that actually want to see [you] succeed. ... Also, you know, I’ll be waiting on the other side with my championship, and he can actually challenge me for it.

Jones, who was widely recognized as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, was only two victories away from tying Anderson Silva’s record for most consecutive title defenses in UFC history. There is no arguing the fact that he is the greatest light heavyweight ever in MMA.

One could even make the case that he’s the greatest fighter of all time, period. Cormier is a realist, and he knows Jones’ tumble from grace is the only reason a new champion is being crowned at UFC 187.

But at the end of the day, we’re all responsible for the choices we make. Jones may be the best light heavyweight in the world, but he no longer represents that coveted spot because of poor life choices, according to Cormier.

I’m a realist. Jon was the champion, and he beat himself. Nobody beat him. I didn’t get the job done on January 3. Jon Jones beat me. But opportunity presents itself, and you have to step up. ... Jon did this to himself. The belt is not his anymore. So, yeah, it is the real championship.

There currently isn’t a timetable for Jones’ return. Appearing on Fox Sports Live, UFC President Dana White admitted even he was unsure of what the future held for the former champ.

Cormier was the logical option as a replacement, given his top-tier status in the division, and he was already in the gym preparing for his previously scheduled fight with Ryan Bader on June 6 at UFC Fight Night 68.  

UFC 187 will take place on May 23 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The card will also feature a middleweight title fight between Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort.

 

Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He also is the MMA writer for FanRag Sports and co-founder of The MMA Bros.

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Josh Barnett in a New Movie, Plans to Return to UFC in Late 2015

Josh Barnett, the popular and controversial UFC heavyweight, has taken another job in Hollywood, which will supersede his job as a fighter for the immediate future.

The news came out Tuesday night on the cable TV program UFC Tonight (h/t Dave Meltzer of MMAFighting.com). 

 

 

There was no word on the film project or Barnett's role in said project, though it is said to involve actor Michael Jai White. However, Barnett is not a newcomer to show business, having previously appeared in Absolution, Steven Seagal's straight-to-DVD gem released earlier this year.

There was, however, word on how long the project will keep Barnett out of the cage. He is apparently aiming for a UFC return at the end of this year, though a specific target does not seem to exist at the moment.

Barnett (33-7) last competed in MMA back in December 2013, losing by first-round knockout to Travis Browne at UFC 168. In the intervening time, his athletic focus has mainly fallen on the grappling side. Last fall, he became heavyweight champion of the Metamoris grappling promotion by submitting Dean Lister. He's scheduled to face Roberto Abreu at Metamoris 6 on May 9.

The 37-year-old heavyweight has failed several drug tests as an apparent result of steroid use. Those failures have arguably stunted a potentially greater career, which spans back to the early days when MMA still shared athletic boundaries with professional wrestling and includes wins over the likes of Randy Couture, Dan Severn and Mark Hunt.

In 2002, Barnett was stripped of the UFC heavyweight title and banned from the UFC after a positive drug test. He fought for various promotions all over the world for years, finally returning to the UFC in 2013. He defeated Frank Mir by TKO before losing to Browne.

If or when he does fight again for the UFC, Barnett has been linked to a bout with another fan favorite, Roy Nelson.

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Jon Jones: Stripped and Suspended, Can the UFC's Best Finally Right the Ship?

In retrospect, perhaps Jon Jones’ dominance over the UFC light heavyweight division was always going to end this way.

It had become increasingly clear that the fight company’s other 205-pounders couldn’t unseat him. If Jones was going to be forced from the throne, it would have to be by his own hand.

After a couple days of indecision, the UFC finally moved on its embattled champion late Tuesday, stripping him of the title and indefinitely suspending him in the wake of an alleged hit-and-run accident in his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, over the weekend.

It was a shocking development, but only because many doubted the organization would have the guts to censure one of its longest-standing titlists and best-established pay-per-view draws. If there's any good to come out of this, it’s the notion that the move might finally force Jones to confront his increasingly destructive personal behavior.

It’s still way too early in the legal process to know how the justice system will end up treating him here. The felony charges against Jones might still be pleaded down to misdemeanors. He might merely pay a fine, be handed some probation and given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement with the woman who reportedly was injured in their Sunday morning crash.

In that way, it was tempting to say this latest public relations snarl was no different from the rest, that things might go on as normal.

In the MMA community, however, it felt like something close to the final straw.

For a while now, the man who would be GOAT has been baby-stepping toward disaster. Viewed in the context of the last few years, it was obvious that Jones’ assortment of smallish personal indiscretions didn’t just constitute a patternthey were actually getting worse.

The Associated Press published a fairly disquieting list of his troubles earlier this week. Fox Sports 1’s UFC Tonight was kind enough to provide a visual to connect the dots, from Jones' driving with a suspended license (2011) to his DWI (2012) to his testing positive for cocaine (2014) to last weekend’s incident:

Altogether, it left the distinct impression that Jones’ life was trending in a bad direction.

Give credit to the UFC for recognizing that, or at least for feeling enough public pressure to realize it couldn’t keep him in his scheduled title defense against Anthony Johnson at next month’s UFC 187.

Here's hoping that Jones is maybe, finally, painfully realizing it, too.

Immediately after meeting with UFC brass in Albuquerque on Tuesday—but still a few hours before the company officially stripped him of the title—he took to Twitter to post the following apology:

Will the sentiment stick? With Jones, it’s impossible to know. We’re talking about a guy who famously handled that recent drug-test failure by checking in and out of rehab in 24 hours. Genuine remorse and personal growth haven't exactly come easily for him.

Prior to Tuesday, however, you could almost understand if Jones considered himself bulletproof. He was still the best in the world at his job, and the worst trouble always seemed to miss him, if only by inches. After that 2014 cocaine incident, Jones still showed up at UFC 182 and beat former Olympian Daniel Cormier by convincing unanimous decision. In the mind of an athlete, maybe that was good enough evidence that there was no problem.

If anything is different this time around, it’s that Jones now actually has a real incentive to change his ways. Now he's been forcibly put on the shelf by his employer and on Wednesday morning lost his individual Reebok sponsorship deal, too, according to ESPN's Darren Rovell. At the very least, a clear line has been drawn. The gravity of what has happened and what he must do to regain his status should be stark enough to get the attention of even the most narcissistic personality.

The UFC stood by him through a lot, and the fact that this episode was a bridge too far should be meaningful, especially since early on it appeared he might just skate once again.

Jones made an initial court appearance Tuesday afternoon and got mostly good news from the judge: His travel wouldn’t be restricted, his bond remained a fairly paltry $2,500 and prosecutors would have 60 days to decide if they even wanted to pursue a case against him.

At the moment, it seemed like his fight against Johnson might go on as scheduled. His bosses flew to Albuquerque to meet with him but flew out again without a decision. UFC President Dana White would say only that it was “a good meeting” and added, “You forget these guys are human, and people make mistakes,” via KOAT TV's Matt Howerton.

The truth is, there’s still an awful lot we don’t know about Sunday morning, when Jones allegedly caused a three-car accident and, according to an eyewitness statement, fled the scene on foot.

At the moment, there is no evidence to suggest he was drinking. There is no evidence to show there were any hard drugs involved. Though a marijuana pipe was found at the scene, we don’t know if Jones was high, or exactly where in the car the drugs and paraphernalia were discovered.

The most damning allegation against him was that he briefly returned to the scene to retrieve a wad of cash, and as of this writing it remains to be seen if New Mexico courts will give it all quite as much attention as people in combat sports circles.

To us, though, Jones had become a habitual offender. The often unwarranted criticisms that plagued him earlier in his career—that he was arrogant and out of touch—had morphed into something far more worrisome.

We’d started to see him as dangerous, to himself and those around him. We’d started to regard him as a person who thought only of himself, one who appeared bent on continually testing the limits of his own greatness in the worst possible ways.

On Tuesday, that limit was reached, and his career was interrupted. Even as Jones steps away from the division he’s ruled since 2011, however, he'll get one final chance to redeem himself.

While he’s out, Johnson will fight Cormier for his vacant title. It will be a fine fight, and the man who emerges with the belt will be a fitting quasi-champion, but he will still one day have to face Jones for the line of succession to be a proper one.

There will be some debate over Jones’ penalty and exactly how many more opportunities he deserves, but most people—at least those whose feelings for him go beyond knee-jerk hate—should now be rooting for him.

With any luck, someday we’ll refer to everything that led up to this point as Jon Jones’ “first” UFC title reign.

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Former UFC Champ Jon Jones Finally Breaks His Silence

Jon Jones is now a king without a throne.

The 27-year-old MMA star was stripped of the light heavyweight title and suspended indefinitely by the UFC on Tuesday in the wake of a felony charge for an alleged hit-and-run, which occurred on Sunday.

Opening up for the first time since the incident, Jones apologized on Twitter and admitted he “had a lot of soul searching to do.”

Jones turned himself in to police on Monday, after an off-duty police officer identified him at the scene of a three-car accident in Albuquerque, New Mexico. MMA Fighting’s Marc Raimondi reported Jones allegedly ran a red light before causing a pileup.

Vanessa Sonnenberg, a 20-year-old pregnant woman, was one of the victims involved. Witnesses claimed Jones grabbed a handful of cash from his vehicle and fled from the scene of the accident on foot. MMA paperwork with the name “Jonathan Jones” was found inside the vehicle, along with a marijuana pipe with marijuana inside.

After posting bail on Monday, Jones had his travel restrictions lifted by a judge on Tuesday, opening the door for the UFC to still allow him to compete against Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in Las Vegas on May 23. However, UFC President Dana White put down the hammer on his top fighter, stripping him of the title and suspending him indefinitely.

Johnson will now fight Daniel Cormier to crown a new UFC light heavyweight champion. When appearing on Fox Sports Live, White admitted it wasn’t an easy decision:

Obviously we have a guy like Jon Jones, who has defended his title as many times as he has, and for us to have to go in and strip him of his title and suspend him, it’s not fun. But you know what they say, the show goes on. Anthony Johnson is ready for this fight, and Daniel Cormier was beyond pumped to get this opportunity.

No timetable has been given for Jones’ return.

 

Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He also is the MMA writer for FanRag Sports and co-founder of The MMA Bros.

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UFC Fight Night 70 Main Event Features Evenly Matched Fighters in Story, Silva

Welterweights Erick Silva and Rick Story are set to headline UFC Fight Night 70—also known as the finale of the fourth season of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil—in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on June 27.

Brazilian combat sports website Combate was the first to break the news, with MMAJunkie.com subsequently translating the report.

The fight pits two 30-year-old fighters against each other, and the similarities go deeper than age. As such, the matchup makes a lot of sense on paper. Given the likenesses and both fighters' fan-friendly styles, the fight should be a good one for the cable TV event.

Though both have enjoyed steady employment in the UFC and some notable wins during that time, neither has quite managed to become a top contender in the crowded 170-pound division.

A win in this main event might change that—or it might not.

An impressive or emphatic victory would be a significant step forward for either man. At the same time, given that neither fighter is or ever has been inside the division's uppermost echelon, a win in and of itself, while impressive, might not be enough to serve as a stepping stone into that stratum.

Story (18-8) is probably the better-positioned fighter coming into the bout. The American college wrestler has won his last two contests and three of his last four. In his previous contest, he notched what may have been the best win of his pro career, taking a split decision over the heavily favored Gunnar Nelson.

Story is known for an aggressive, slugging style that earns him fans. He has become more well-rounded recently, using his formidable strength to good advantage and earning wins as well as admirers.

Silva (18-5-1) has also won two straight and three of his last four. In March, he dominated an aging Josh Koscheck and won by first-round submission. It was his second consecutive submission win.

Nevertheless, Silva arguably does not have a recent win as impressive as Story's defeat of Nelson. Either way, though, the two welterweights are evenly matched. 

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Reebok Terminates Contract with Former UFC Champ Jon 'Bones' Jones

The hits keep coming for Jon "Bones" Jones, as the former UFC light heavyweight champion has lost his endorsement deal with Reebok, according to a tweet from ESPN's Darren Rovell

The news comes one day after Jones was stripped of his UFC title following his involvement in a hit-and-run incident in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As part of his punishment, Jones was also suspended indefinitely by the UFC. 

Now, the Reebok deal becomes the third blow from the fist that is almost certainly not done swinging just yet. 

Previously, Jones stood alongside UFC stars Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey, Johny Hendricks, Anthony Pettis and Paige VanZant as the only fighters on the organization's roster to hold exclusive endorsement deals with Reebok. Interestingly enough, the UFC signed a six-year partnership with Reebok in December 2014, allowing the brand to become its exclusive outfitter. 

The deal goes into effect in July, so when (or, accounting for every possibility, if) Jones returns to the UFC Octagon, it is likely he will be sporting Reebok anyway. 

To that point, though, Rovell notes it "will be interesting" to see if Reebok strikes an agreement to cut Jones out of the UFC's overarching deal. As of now, there is no official word from Reebok or from the UFC on this matter.

What is certain is that Jones will lose the exclusive promotion from Reeboksuch as advertisements and signature gearbut overall, this seems a relatively minor blow in the grand scheme of the former champ's problems right now. 

And just as he set records inside the cage, Jones makes history with the loss of his Reebok deal, becoming the first athlete to lose two shoe and apparel deals in an eight-month stretch, per Rovell. 

Jones was previously inked to a deal with Nike, which he lost due to differences in opinion and direction. 

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report as Jones' situation continues to develop. 

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Jon Jones Releases Statement After Turning Himself in for Alleged Hit-and-Run

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones tweeted an apology on Tuesday after he turned himself in due to his alleged involvement in a hit-and-run.

"Got a lot of soul searching to do. Sorry to everyone I've let down," said Jones on Twitter.

Shortly after Jones released his statement, it was announced that he had been suspended indefinitely and stripped of his title, per FOX Sports Live. MMAFighting.com announced that Daniel Cormier will take his place against Anthony Johnson at UFC 187.

Hours after turning himself in to authorities in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Jones was released from jail Monday night when he posted $2,500 bail, per MMAFighting.com's Marc Raimondi.

The alleged hit-and-run occurred Sunday morning and involved a pregnant woman in her 20s, according to ESPN.com's Brett Okamoto. When Jones had his hearing earlier Tuesday, Okamoto added that Jones didn't enter a plea, and that he can't consume alcohol or drugs if he's to remain out of police custody.

Jones, 27, was scheduled to defend his title belt once again at UFC 187 on May 23 against Anthony Johnson in Las Vegas. Until the legal matter is resolved, it appears Jones' future in the Octagon is up in the air.

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Jon Jones Suspended, Stripped of Title, Replaced by Daniel Cormier at UFC 187

The UFC stripped light heavyweight champion Jon Jones of his title and issued him an indefinite suspension Tuesday. Those actions came as a result of the fighter's arrest on a "felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident involving death or personal injuries," per Marc Raimondi of MMAFighting.com. 

Fox Sports Live provided the details:

The UFC released a statement on the suspension via its official website:

UFC announced that it has suspended Jon Jones indefinitely and stripped him of the light heavyweight title as a result of violations of the organization’s Athlete Code of Conduct Policy. Jones was recently arrested in Albuquerque, N.M. on a felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident involving personal injury. As a result of the charge and other violations of the Athlete Code of Conduct Policy, the organization believes it is best to allow Jones time to focus on his pending legal matters. ...

With this decision, UFC has determined that No. 1 contender Anthony Johnson will now fight No. 3 contender Daniel Cormier for the UFC light heavyweight championship at UFC 187 on May 23 in Las Vegas.

Raimondi delved into numerous details on the arrest. Jones allegedly ran a red light when driving Sunday, struck another car and fled the scene on foot. A pregnant woman was driving that other car and broke her arm in the crash. There was also a marijuana pipe and marijuana in the rental car Jones allegedly fled.

Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com passed along some quotes from UFC president Dana White after news of the suspension broke and pointed out what the fallout will be inside the ring:

While the fight between Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson for the undisputed UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 187 is sure to draw headlines among UFC fans, the sport clearly has other concerns in its immediate future.

Cormier himself suggested as much, per Helwani:

Make no mistake about it, this is a sad day for our sport. One of the best fighters of all time has found himself in trouble again. It sucks. Despite our differences, I truly wish the best for Jon and his family, and I know he can get through this.

But in life, opportunity knocks, and it's up to you to answer the door. So as I've done time again, I'm answering that door. I will be in Vegas on May 23 -- you can count on me -- I will win the belt, and then when Jon is ready to return, I will be happy to give him a shot at my belt.

Jones took to social media as well to offer an apology for the incident:

It remains to be seen if and when Jones will return to the UFC.

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Tuesday, April 28

Twitter Reacts to Jon Jones' Felony Charge

The downward spiral in the career of UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones hit face first into the pavement on Sunday afternoon, and it might take more than a $25,000 fine to get him out of this mess.

MMAFighting’s Marc Raimondi reported that an off-duty police officer in Albuquerque, New Mexico, identified Jones at the scene of three-car accident. Jones allegedly ran a red light, which resulted in the pileup. Witnesses say Jones returned to the vehicle for a handful of cash before fleeing on foot.

Jones turned himself in on Monday and posted bail immediately, when he learned he would be facing a felony charge for leaving the scene of an accident involving death or personal injuries. Vanessa Sonnenberg, a 20-year-old pregnant woman, suffered a broken arm in the collision.

Many of Jones’ peers took to Twitter to give their take on the ongoing situation involving the pound-for-pound king.

This incident comes only a few months after Jones tested positive for cocaine, leading up to his title defense against Daniel Cormier at UFC 182. The 27-year-old champion’s punishment for violating the UFC’s code of conduct policy was a slap-on-the-wrist fine of $25,000.

There were no grounds for the Nevada State Athletic Commission to step in and hand down a heftier fine or suspension since recreational drugs aren’t prohibited out of competition.

During an exclusive interview with Fox Sports’ Charissa Thompson, Jones claimed he voluntarily checked into a rehab facility for a 24-hour evaluation, before being released into out-patient treatment. He also admitted to having experimented with cocaine use in the past.

For now, Jones is still slated to defend his title against Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in the main event of UFC 187. A win would put him one title defense away from tying Anderson Silva’s all-time record for most consecutive defenses in UFC history.

 

Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He also is the MMA writer for FanRag Sports and co-founder of The MMA Bros.

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