Jose Aldo Blames Media for Twisting Comments About IV Ban

Jose Aldo has been dominating the ranks of the featherweight division for the past seven years, establishing himself as one of the pound-for-pound best in the process. The Brazilian phenom has steamrolled a long list of elite-level talent during his reign as the 145-pound king, which has put his talent and toughness inside the cage beyond question.

That said, the Nova Uniao standout has also started flexing muscles outside of the Octagon in recent years, and Aldo's stances on fighter pay and a variety of other issues have drawn the scorn of UFC brass on more than one occasion.

The 28-year-old champion's most recent dust-up with his employers came following the announcement that the United States Anti-Doping Agency would no longer allow the use of intravenous methods to rehydrate following weight cuts. 

Aldo addressed a collection of Brazilian media back in July, and when the IV ban became the topic, the Rio de Janeiro-based wrecking machine publicly stated he would not be following the new rules. His comments generated a score of headlines around the MMA community, as one of the UFC's longest-standing champions snubbing his nose at USADA's requirements created immediate controversy:

I will continue to do IV, I don’t care. I’ll tell them I’m going to eat and do it instead. They won’t take me out of the f---ing fight, so I don’t care. They can say whatever they want, but it’s scientifically proved the best way to rehydrate. Only if they put security guard with me 24 hours a day. I don’t care.

That’s what’s going to happen. I will do it anyway, or someone else will do it for me. I will go to a friend’s house, to a different hotel room. I don’t f---ing care about them. They won’t take me out of the fight anyway. They can’t take me from the fight. It’s not doping. They will say they will test me. How are they going to get IV re-hydration from my urine, brother? Only if they got new techniques. They are ninjas. They are f---ing stupid.

While Aldo's stance appeared firm back in July, it appears his tune has changed a bit as of late.

According to Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting, the 145-pound titleholder recently met with UFC President Dana White and the head of the promotion's new anti-doping push, Jeff Novitzky, to talk and learn more about the changes. Following his sitdown with White and Novitzky, Aldo spoke with media in Las Vegas, where he accused the Brazilian media for taking his previous comments about the I.V. ban out of context.

"Sometimes I say something to the journalists in Brazil, and the moment the guys translate that, my interview is almost totally wrong," he told MMA Junkie. "Everybody knows if you have the rules, you need to follow the rules and do exactly what you need to do."

 

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

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Bellator 141 Results: What Went Wrong for Melvin Guillard?

Charismatic, strong, explosive, good wrestling, deadly knockout power—these were the things people used to say about Melvin Guillard. It feels like eons ago that the former UFC lightweight contender was boastfully walking down to the Octagon with a self-assured grin and a pair of sunglasses.

Guillard’s one-punch knockout power, cheeky attitude and bleach-blonde fade made him an instant star. His knockout win over Rick Davis nearly a decade ago is a chilling reminder of the kind of damage Guillard was capable of causing. Gravity pulled Davis’ limp body to the floor quicker than a boulder hanging six feet above ground.

But that was a long time ago.

Guillard, who now competes for Bellator, is a shell of the fighter he used to be. After getting cut by the UFC, he drifted to World Series of Fighting, where he endured one of the most controversial two-fight stints in MMA history.

He missed weight in both fights, including a lightweight title bout with Justin Gaethje. There was also the infamous media conference call (Warning: NSFW Language), where he aired his personal grievances with WSOF Vice President Ali Abdel-Aziz. He also ignored many of his PR duties, according to WSOF President Ray Sefo.

After being granted his requested release from the promotion, Guillard was quickly picked up by Bellator and thrown into a main event bout against Brandon Girtz, a relatively unknown former NCAA Division II wrestler.

Abdel-Aziz was looking like Nostradamus after Guillard’s lackluster performance at Bellator 141.

“We had some sparring sessions in the gym at Greg Jackson’s, and I beat Melvin every time. Melvin is never going to be a world champion,” Abdel-Aziz told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour (Warning: NSFW Language). "All you’ve got to do is just match him up with a wrestler. He’s going to take him down and finish him.”

While Guillard didn’t get finished, he did get tossed around like a rag doll in a fairly one-sided split-decision loss. Apparently one of the judges was snoozing throughout the fight, as the vast majority appears to share the belief that Girtz’s hand deserved to be raised.

Sure, we can talk about Guillard’s broken hand. After the fight, former UFC fighter Din Thomas posted a picture of the swollen mass on Instagram.

A broken hand is always a nasty injury, and it very well could have been the reason Guillard seemed hesitant to exchange. Unfortunately, it’s hard to tell because Guillard has appeared hesitant in all of his recent performances. The one-punch knockout power is still there, but modern-day Guillard bouts typically consist of him bouncing around on the outside and leaping in with a haymaker every 20 seconds.

Girtz, whom Derek Anderson knocked out a year ago in devastating fashion, showed no respect for Guillard’s offense, until the waning moments of the third round. He actually cracked Guillard with a left straight before hoisting him into the air and slamming him on his head. It was an absolute wrestling mismatch.

We can go on and on about broken hands, but the fact remains, Guillard is 3-7-1 in his last 11 fights. With more than 50 professional bouts under his belt, he is still facing the same old conditioning and grappling woes. Perhaps he can turn it all around, but it’s definitely hard to see any changes at this point.

Guillard is a young fighter, with a lot of miles on his body. If things fizzle out in Bellator, we could be looking at his last days in the MMA spotlight.

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Melvin Guillard Injury: Updates on Fighter's Hand and Recovery

Melvin Guillard's Bellator debut was spoiled Friday, as he dropped a split decision to Brandon Girtz, but the 32-year-old veteran has even bigger issues to worry about in the form of a hand injury.

Continue for updates.

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Guillard to Undergo Surgery to Repair Broken Hand

Saturday, Aug. 29

Guillard entered Friday's lightweight bout as the favorite, and while Girtz was more than deserving of being awarded the upset win, he was aided by Guillard suffering a significant injury.

As seen in this Instagram photo from Guillard's coach, Din Thomas of American Top Team, the New Orleans native suffered severe swelling in his hand after breaking it:

According to Mike Bohn of MMAJunkie.com, Thomas revealed that Guillard "shattered" his right hand early in the second round of Friday's bout. That resulted in a cast being applied to his hand, and he is currently scheduled to undergo surgery soon.

Guillard made a late run in the third round and nearly pulled out a miraculous victory despite the broken hand, but his struggles in the first two rounds resulted in Girtz being named the victor.

With the defeat, the former UFC star fell to 32-15-2 as a professional. The loss also likely damaged his chances of challenging Will Brooks for the Bellator lightweight title in the near future.

While that is certainly disappointing for Guillard and his fans, his current focus must be on healing his hand so he can get back in the Octagon regardless of his next opponent.

It is possible that many are down on Guillard currently after he disappointed in what was supposed to be an emphatic debut; however, losing in part because of bad luck and having to battle back from an injury could put a massive chip on his shoulder.

If he uses the injury as fuel rather than getting down on himself, Guillard could be an even more dangerous force when he ultimately returns. 

 

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

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Marine Attracts the Attention of Millions After Asking Ronda Rousey to a Ball

Jarrod Haschert has attracted the attention of millions in seeking out the attention of just one woman—Ronda Rousey.

The 22-year-old Marine, stationed out of Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, asked the reigning UFC women's bantamweight champion to be his date to a ball via a Facebook video, which has garnered nearly 3.5 million views as of Thursday night.

"I love everything you do, and I think that you are a phenomenal person," Haschert said of Rousey, referring to her as his celebrity crush.

He was even considerate of how the December 11 date might conflict with training for her upcoming UFC 195 fight against Holly Holm on January 2 in Las Vegas.

Pretty cute, right?

[Facebook]

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Fedor Emelianenko vs. the UFC's Top 10 Heavyweights: How Would He Fare?

For the better part of a decade, the baddest man on the planet wasn't an angry ex-street fighter with a grudge against the world, or a collegiate wrestling star groomed for athletic glory. He was an ice cream eating, sweater wearing, duck-loving savage from tiny Stary Oskol in Russia. 

Though he never once stepped inside the UFC's Octagon, among serious fans there was no real doubt—Fedor Emelianenko (34-4-1) was the best heavyweight MMA had ever seen.

The lists, both of Fedor's victims and his must-see exploits, are legend. Five former UFC heavyweight champions fell at his hands, as did kickboxing stalwarts Mirko Cro Cop, Mark Hunt and Semmy Schilt. He survived a Kevin Randleman suplex, caught Andrei Arlovski in midair with a knockout blow and exuded awesomeness at every turn.

In 2010, his 34th birthday looming as he entered his 34th professional prizefight, Emelianenko showed the first chinks in his formidable armor. One loss, the first legitimate failure of his career, became three in a row in what felt like the blink of an eye. The king was toppled from his throne and Emelianenko faded into memory.

Now, three years after he last entered the ring, Emelianenko is considering a return to action. With Bellator all but bowing out of the bidding, the UFC has emerged as his likely destination. 

How would the "Last Emperor," now 38, fare against today's best big men? Has Father Time been kind, healing old wounds and providing new-found vigor? Or will the once-great warrior simply be older, slower and punchier than ever before?

Bleacher Report's crack team came together to provide our best guesses. Have some thoughts of your own? Share them in the comments.

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