Issue 104
August 2013
3 ROUNDS OF ACTION
1 BELLATOR CHAMP ASKREN CLAIMS STEROID USE ‘EVERYWHERE IN MMA’
Former Olympic wrestler and current Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren recently said he believes steroids are “everywhere in MMA.” Askren made the comments following a tweet in which he said he’d only been subject to drugs testing once in his Bellator career.
Speaking to MMA Junkie, Askren said: “I know in the back of my mind that some people who have been fighting for certain gyms are known for their steroid use, so it does kind of bother me that they weren’t tested. But I figure you’ve got to go in there and beat a guy up, no matter what.”
He added: “I wish people were just honest and just compete fairly, but some people, they’re chicken s**ts, and they’re scared they can’t win on their own.”
FO SCORE: Although no one knows for sure the degree to which the use of performance-enhancing drugs have infiltrated mixed martial arts, if Askren’s claims are accurate it’s concerning the current drug testing procedures have caught so few offenders.
2 TATE REPLACES ZINGANO AS ROUSEY’S TUF 18 OPPONENT COACH
UFC women’s bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey will now coach opposite heated foe Miesha Tate on The Ultimate Fighter 18. As is custom, they will fight at the show’s end. Rousey reportedly first heard of the opponent switch on set. Original opponent Cat Zingano was forced out prior to filming in May due to tearing her ACL and meniscus in training. She can resume training in six to nine months.
FO SCORE: At first glance, this means great business for the UFC, but that might not be entirely true. The promotion now has its marquee match to drive TUF, but that now just means one big fight instead of two. With The Ultimate Fighter as fuel, Rousey vs. Zingano would have pulled in big numbers, and the UFC could have had another box office hit if Rousey then fought Tate. Without TUF to raise the profile of someone other than Tate, in theory there’s less money to be made.
3 NICK DIAZ STARTS OWN MMA PROMOTION
Quasi-retired UFC welterweight Nick Diaz has set up his own MMA organization. The love-hate former Strikeforce 170lb champion has recently went through the appropriate government processes in his native California to start the organization, called War Mixed Martial Arts.
FO SCORE: It would be surreal to see Diaz in a position of order and authority – he’s infamous for incidents such as missing press conference commitments and testing positive for marijuana metabolites. At the same time it’s genuinely intriguing. The changes an unusual mind like Diaz might make to the typical MMA promotion framework will be interesting to see.
ON THE RADAR
Three red-hot prospects worth keeping an eye on...
Scott Heckman, 15-3
The only thing that might be keeping ex Bellator fighter Scott Heckman out of the UFC’s featherweight division is their over abundance of elite 145lb’ers. Any one of them could get a good run for their money against ultra-slick grappler Heckman, who trains with Jim Miller and the like at AMA in New Jersey. Of his 15 wins a massive 11 are via submission (just one of those from punches) and he’s currently undefeated in seven consecutive bouts. Throw in his Division 1 wrestling background and it’s clear ‘The Animal’ is capable of big things.
Dustin Ortiz, 10-2
As you’d expect from any Duke Roufus scrapper, Dustin Ortiz’s striking is sharp, and having fought on Strikeforce undercards earlier in his career, he’s familiar with the big show. His grappling isn’t as advanced as his stand-up, though he is capable on the canvas. With a few more quality wins the five-foot-four flyweight could be looking at a UFC contract next year.
Krzysztof Jotko, 13-0
The aggressiveness and power undefeated Polish middleweight Krzysztof Jotko lacks on the feet (he gives Lyoto Machida competition in the elusiveness stakes) he more than makes up for on the ground. When given the opportunity, his smothering top game inspires his aptitude for landing heavy leather – often with devastating results. A few more highlight-reel KOs could put him on the North American radar.
REWIND ¦ FAST FORWARD
Legend reborn: linking two combatants – one past, one present
Trailblazing MMA females either side of Gina Carano’s prime
ERICA MONTOYA
Was the first female to fight in the UFC: In a video game (UFC Sudden
Impact, 2004)
Special move in the game: Flying armbar
RONDA ROUSEY
Special move in the Octagon: Armbar
Was the first female to fight in the UFC: In real life (UFC 157)
QUOTES
“When I watch film, I watch film normal how I am now. Then I watch film when I’m high on marijuana. I also watch the film again when I have Alpha Brain in my system. I watch film from three different states of consciousness just to get different looks at things. Just to see if maybe I missed a step or a nice little detail.”
What are the chances Team Alpha Male head coach Duane Ludwig just jumped onto High Times’ cover star shortlist?
“If I could change something in the UFC, a square cage that’s smaller so you can corner someone (in) a little better; I think there’s a lot of running going on. Maybe make it, like, 25 feet long each way or 27 feet as opposed to a 32-foot almost like a circle. I also would like one round. One 15-minute round or one 25-minute round. I think that’s the way it should be.”
Gilbert Melendez, train by day, square cages and no rounds by night, all day
“Maybe at the end of this, maybe I made a big mistake. But I’m following my heart and I’m doing what I feel is right.”
UFC-courted Eddie Alvarez on his current legal battle with Bellator
“I want to suck his blood. I want to smell it. Not just fight. Not just fight. I want to hurt him. Chael is a joke, man. He’s going to be second forever. He’s never going to be first.”
UFC favorite Wanderlei ‘Hannibal Lecter’ Silva, via journalist Ariel Helwani, on the prospect of fighting Brazil-bashing Chael Sonnen
“I think the real breaking news there is that Wanderlei Silva put together a coherent sentence that somebody understood. But I can assure you, Wanderlei, I will not be signing a contract for you to suck on any part of me. I suggest you go to a bath and find yourself.”
UFC star speaker Chael Sonnen responds to Wanderlei’s bloodlust
LIL JON - STAR SIGHTING
Who? Rapper, perhaps best known for helping popularize the crunk genre
Where? UFC 160, Las Vegas, Nevada
A massive fan of mixed martial arts, Lil Jon frequently tweets about the UFC, and has been seen ringside at events for several years. At UFC 160 in May, he was shown on camera sharing a joke with original UFC legend Royce Gracie.
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