General UFC Chit Chat/News

Dean09 wrote: »

Jon Anik just tweeted that it is indeed Boetsch v Lombard. I'm on the iPhone so I can't link to it.

The UFC has lost yet another key matchup. Seriously.

UFC officials announced late Wednesday night that British middleweight Michael Bisping has suffered an injury in training and has been forced to withdraw from a planned matchup with Tim Boetsch (15-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) at UFC 149.

In his place now steps Hector Lombard (31-2-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who had been expected to headline UFC on FOX 4 against Brian Stann, who on Wednesday also withdrew from injury.

UFC 149 takes place July 21 at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo headlines against title challenger Erik Koch.

Boetsch vs. Lombard is expected to remain on the evening's main card.

In his most recent performance, Boetsch delivered a spectacular come-from-behind victory against Yushin Okami at UFC 144. Down two rounds after contending with the onetime title challenger's crisp standup work, he charged back early in the third round and landed a barrage of punches that forced a stoppage.

Lombard, Bellator's longtime middleweight champion, signed with the UFC just this past week. The Cuban-Australian standout enters the UFC on the strength of a 24-0-1 unbeaten streak that dates back to 2006. Lombard, who nearly signed with the UFC in 2007 before visa issues got in the way, most recently knocked out Trevor Prangley at Bellator 58, which fulfilled the terms of his Bellator deal. He concluded his run in the organization with an 8-0 record.

The nature of Bisping's injury and a timetable for his return were not immediately established.

omeatheopian wrote: »

Lads does anyone know hoe to watch tomorrows event McCall v Johnson?
Cheers in advance

Dean09 wrote: »

There does seem to be a lot of injuries lately and some people are saying its because when there was no insurance the fighters just trained and fought through injury but now they're availing of the treatment with the insurance. But that doesn't really wash with me. At the end of the day the fighters still need to get paid so they'll have to fight with injuries whether they like it or not.
Maybe they're just on a bad run lately with injuries and pull-outs.

Strikeforce has released former welterweight title challenger Paul Daley.

Wad Alameddine of Fight Management today confirmed the news via press release.

According to a statement, Daley (29-12-2 MMA, 2-3 SF), who most recently suffered a March loss to Kazuo Misaki via split decision, is pursuing options with other fight promotions, due in part to his inability to fight frequently with Strikeforce.

"I'm happy that Strikeforce has granted my request to be released from their roster as I found it difficult to fight so infrequently," the British striker stated. "My whole career I've wanted to fight as often as possible as it keeps me in the best form and condition.

"I felt that I put on nothing but entertaining fights while at the organization. The KOs of (Duane) Ludwig and Scott Smith were some great memories for me, as well as the back-and-forth fight of the year I had with Nick Diaz. My manager has already started speaking to some promotions about my future today following the official release papers from Strikeforce, and I'm looking forward to the next part in my journey."

Prior to the Misaki loss, the 29-year-old Daley had posted back-to-back decision wins over Jordan Radev and Luigi Fioravanti in outside promotions. However, he went winless in his final three Strikeforce appearances, including a title loss to welterweight champ Diaz in early 2011.

Alameddine insists the split was amicable.

"I am personally disappointed to see Paul leave Strikeforce," he stated. "He's without question one of the most charismatic personalities and talented MMA athletes to come out of the U.K. We have parted ways with Strikeforce on good terms."

Over three stints with the promotion, Daley went 2-3 in Strikeforce.

Daley also has competed with promotions such as the UFC, EliteXC, BAMMA, MFC and Cage Rage during his nine-year career.

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

At the moment I am collecting the various events from the last 3 years, taking the number of fights, events, changed bouts due to injury etc and seeing if it really is happening more now, or does it just feel like it's more because we have a lot more events.

Should be done by tomorrow.

Jun 11, 2012 - It was about two or three years ago when Rich Franklin started being asked about retirement. At the time, the question took Franklin by surprise. He was still in his mid-30s -- not young but not old -- and still performing well, but the query started seeping into interviews until the point came when not a single one would go by without it coming up.

It is so prevalent in these kinds of conversations, he says, that it's conditioned him to understand that when it comes to his days in the octagon, he's down to his final ones. That realization often causes athletes to look for ways to extend their careers, and Franklin is no different.

In fact, on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour, the former UFC middleweight champion admitted that he has looked into the controversial testosterone replacement therapy (TRT).



In response to a question by host Ariel Helwani about prolonging his fighting days with the help of TRT, Franklin offered this response:

"Yeah, I've kicked around that idea and everything, and actually I’ve talked to doctors that work with the UFC and the athletic commission in Nevada and all that kind of stuff," said Franklin, who takes on Wanderlei Silva at UFC 147 later this month. "And at 37, my count obviously is not what it was when I was 25, and I’m a candidate for that kind of stuff. I haven’t started yet.

"I'm not sure if that's something I want to do or how I want to approach that, because TRT is … once you start that process it’s a permanent fixture," he continued. "Once you start putting those hormones in your body -- those synthetic hormones -- then your body is not going to produce its own hormones any more, and so you really have to think carefully. My levels are still decently healthy for a male, but they're not high enough to continue a prolonged career at a top level for many more years."

According to the guidelines of various state athletic commissions that offer TRT therapeutic use exemptions, an athlete must be able to prove that his testosterone level is below normal. Franklin's statement seems to indicate his levels are normal for his age, just not quite as high as they used to be, so while his candidacy for TRT might be contradicted by his statement, it must be noted he has not used the treatment.

If this appears to be another case of an athlete considering gaming the system, given Franklin's voluntary candidness on the topic, it also might be an instance where he is simply gathering information on a treatment that has seeped into popular culture in the last two years.

Either way, the interest in TRT seems to be picking up steam in MMA circles, ramping up attention and setting the stage for those in regulatory positions to more forcefully execute their duties and enforce fair play. Until then, TRT and other treatments are an avenue that even Franklin admitted will continue to be explored by fighters looking for an edge.

"I'm sure that there are people that find ways around things, and cheating and all that kind of stuff but that’s just a natural thing," Franklin said. "The only way to really, really, really cure something like that is to have a 100 percent zero tolerance policy on these kinds of things, but it’s just impossible across the board, because this is how sports operate."

MrStuffins wrote: »

Tito confirmed for the UFC Hall of Fame

http://mmajunkie.com/news/29180/dana-white-says-tito-ortiz-to-be-inducted-into-ufc-hall-of-fame-at-julys-ufc-fan-expo.mma

“Was Chael Sonnen a big time collegiate wrestler? Yes he was. I’m going to opine and say to you, there’s no way in the world you get to the level of collegiate wrestling that Chael Sonnen was at, with hypogonadism. Let me explain to you why. Hypogonadism means that the testes did not produce enough testosterone for one to normally mature. He wasn’t on TRT as a teenager. He became this big, muscled up monster and NCAA wrestler with hypogonadism? Hell no. The truth of the matter is, you could never get to that level, because you’re not going to have the muscle mass and strength to get you there. They’re going to run you over. Your body will not allow you to develop enough muscle and strength to compete at your size. If he has hypogonadism, it’s from one thing, and one thing only, because he treated himself with steroids in the past, and wrecked his testes. That’s it.”