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Written by James Ryan
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“Growth begins when we begin to accept our own weakness.” - Jean Vanier. The past couple of years have been really spectacular in terms of growth and development in the UFC. With any rapid expansion however, it is not unreasonable to expect a few “growing pains” along the way. Thus far, MMA fans have done a very good job in policing their own sport, making it quite clear on what they feel are acceptable levels of behavior, and what is not. Looking back on some of the more recent controversies surrounding the UFC, it is easy to understand why so many fans have been openly critical of the negative attention that has been garnered by the sport that they love. After all, the MMA's reputation affects us all. In retrospect however, some of these issues seem pretty meaningless when compared to the greater problems that exist in the world. Some of the following topics are even quite hilarious and insignificant. Others are quite disturbing and tragic. You be the judge. No. 13: Lyoto Machida Narrowly defeats Shougun Rua at UFC 104 
Lyoto Machida was originally scheduled to face off against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in his first-ever light heavyweight title defense, but Jackson opted to coach the 10th season of The Ultimate Fighter instead. As a result, Pride Fighting Championships' 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix winner, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, was selected as Machida's opponent. The fight took place on October 24, 2009 at UFC 104. Machida went on to win a unanimous decision victory, 48–47 from all three judges, with one judge even stating that Machida had "landed the more damaging strikes throughout the fight" and was the more "effective aggressor." The crowd in attendance and millions of astonished fans watching the action on pay-per-view adamantly disagreed with the decision. The rematch at UFC 113 settled the controversy once and for all, as Rua beat Machida in the First Round to become the new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Justice was eventually served, but not until major flaws in the current judging system were exposed. No. 12: Tito Ortiz Fired from TUF show, Replaced by Rich Franklin 
In December 2009, it was announced that Tito Ortiz would be a coach on the 11th season of The Ultimate Fighter, with the opposing coach being Chuck Liddell. The two were scheduled to fight each other again for the third time at the end of the season, however, Ortiz was forced to pull out of the bout due to a chronic problem with his neck, which later required surgery to repair the damage. Since Ortiz was unable to compete in the main event at UFC 115, Rich Franklin was brought on to finish the show, and as a result, Ortiz was the first coach in the history of The Ultimate Fighter to be fired. Throughout the airing of the TUF show, rumors were flying around about Ortiz’s replacement, but UFC President Dana White denied any such occurrence and adamantly maintained that Ortiz was still going to fight Liddell at the live event in Vancouver, Canada. In other words, Dana White lied. Big shock! Ortiz also gets “Dis-honourable” mentions for marrying a porn star, getting arrested for domestic violence (charges that were later dropped), and chastising a homeless man (on video) for not having a job. “I work for my money, Dogg.” No. 11: Paul Daley's Late Hit on Josh Koscheck at UFC 113 
Paul Daley fought Josh Koscheck at UFC 113, with the winner destined to become the next challenger against Georges St. Pierre for the UFC welterweight championship, and the opportunity to coach against St. Pierre on the 12th season of The Ultimate Fighter. After the final bell had sounded and the fighters were separated, Daley threw one final punch that hit Koscheck in the face. No real damage occurred, but certainly the intent to injure was evident. In an interview at the conclusion of the event, Dana White announced that Daley would never fight in the UFC again. White was also quoted as saying, "he'll never come back, I don't care if he's the best 170-pounder in the world. He's never coming back here. There's no excuse for that. You never hit a guy like that after the bell.” Maybe if White hadn’t denounced the Strikeforce Brawl on CBS a few weeks earlier, he could have gotten away with giving Daley a suspension and perhaps even a fine. It makes no sense that the UFC would blackball Daley, but remain open to negotiations to sign Jake Shields, particularly since Shields was a major factor in the brawl on CBS. That seems a bit hypocritical to me. No. 10: Ken Shamrock Admits to Using Steroids 
Ken Shamrock was scheduled to fight fellow WWE alum Bobby Lashley, but unfortunately, he tested positive for multiple steroids after the Ross Clifton fight, resulting in a one-year suspension. Shamrock's manager and attorney said that the fighter had adamantly denied the allegations. Shamrock’s camp tried to blame the failed drug test on over-the-counter products that they concluded may have triggered a false positive test. Shamrock eventually admitted to taking the steroids and even commented that it was easy for MMA fighters to acquire the banned substances. Even MMA veteran Dennis Hallman went on record claiming that as many as 50 percent of active MMA fighters use steroids. Shamrock placed some of the blame on the fans, whom he said wanted to see “muscled-up” athletes, but then ostracize them if they fail a test or endorse the drugs. "When they find out about it, they want to stick their heads in the sand," Shamrock said. "No one wants to take responsibility, but everyone wants to see [bigger athletes]." Good point. What makes this story controversial isn’t necessarily that Shamrock admitted to steroid use. It’s that he’s completely right in his observation about how indifferent the fans can be about it. Shamrock was a first-ever UFC Hall of Fame inductee in 2003 and still acts as an ambassador for MMA around the world. No.9: Anderson Silva Disrespects the fans in Abu Dhabi at UFC 112 
Demian Maia was selected to fight for the middleweight championship against Anderson “The Spider” Silva at UFC 112. In the first two rounds, Silva appeared to mock his opponent while employing quick, precise striking. In the third round, however, Silva's tempo appeared to change as he looked to Maia to be the aggressor, while he largely circled and taunted his opponent. In the fifth and final round, Silva's lack of action prompted referee Dan Miragliotta to warn Silva for his conduct. Eventually the crowd began to side with Maia, who was the only fighter attempting to engage. Silva was declared the winner via unanimous decision but was widely criticized for his overall performance. In the immediate post-fight interview, Silva apologized and said that he didn't know what had gotten into him and said that he should have been more humble. However, in the official post-fight press conference, Silva back-pedaled and said that he "owed nobody an apology" and that "he couldn't please everyone." Very odd and contradictory behavior from a man who is arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. No. 8: Brock Lesnar Loses Control of His Emotions at UFC 100 
Brock Lesnar won the postponed rematch with Frank Mir at UFC 100 on July 11, 2009, via a technical knockout, after dominating Mir for the entire bout. During his post-match celebration, Lesnar flipped off the crowd who had been booing him all evening, and he made a disparaging comment about the pay-per-view’s primary sponsor, Bud Light, claiming that they "won't pay me nothin’," and began to promote Coors Light instead. Lesnar then stated that he might even "get on top of [his] wife" after the show. He would later apologize for his actions in his post-fight press conference, where he held a bottle of Bud Light, but it was too late. The damage had been done and Lesnar was condemned as a villain (and a bully) by many. No. 7: Frank Mir Wishes Death on Brock Lesnar 
“I want to fight Brock Lesnar. I hate who he is as a person. I want to break his neck in the ring. I want him to be the first person that dies to Octagon-related injuries.” Mir created controversy after commenting that he wanted to break Brock Lesnar's neck. Mir later made an apology for his comments, which he then retracted the next day by stating something to the effect, that the fans were overreacting. Bottom line: Mir learned very quickly that MMA fans don’t care much for the whole “WWE Entertainment” bull-crap that he tried to blame it on. Professional athletes have a social responsibility to act in a way that should not be deemed illegal or as a detriment to their sport. Particularly a growing sport. Mir’s sincerity was definitely compounded by his obsessive behavior leading up to the incident. No. 6: Brock Lesnar Survives Hurricane Carwin at UFC 116  Brock Lesnar was absolutely brutalized in the first round of his fight with Shane Carwin at UFC 116, only to come back and win the fight in the second by way of arm triangle submission. Many questioned whether or not referee Josh Rosenthal should have stopped the fight in the first round and given Carwin a first-round technical knockout win. Here is Rosenthal’s explanation: "[Lesnar] took some hard shots when they were against the fence. He was looking for a way out. He was blocking some punches. At one point he tried to spin to push Shane away and took a couple shots. And then again, went for a deep half guard position and took a couple more shots. When he curled up after that is when I commanded him to fight back, which at that point he did, and then he went for feet on the hips to push Carwin away and was able to get to his knees. He pretty much ran with it. He heard—he responded to my commands." Like it or not fight fans, Rosenthal had it exactly right. No. 5: Harold Howard Arrested for Attempted Murder On December 22, 2009, Harold Howard was charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with a weapon, attempted breaking and entering, failure to remain, flight from police, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, mischief, and two counts breach of recognizance after being captured by police and crashing his pick-up truck through the front windows of the Fallsview Casino. Howard is currently serving a five year sentence in a Canadian prison (about 15 minutes away from my house). What does this have to do with the UFC? Howard remains a historical part of the famous alumni from the early days of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Howard is more widely known for competing in the UFC where he made it to the final of the company’s third tournament. What a waste! No. 4: Matt Wiman Defeats Mac Danzig at UFC 115 Matt Wiman defeated Mac Danzig via First Round submission at UFC 115. The stoppage was considered controversial by many as Wiman had Danzig in a guillotine choke, and referee Yves Lavigne called a stoppage despite the fact that Danzig had not submitted and was still conscious after the fight had been stopped. Luckily, Danzig is expected to face Wiman again on September 15, 2010 at UFC Fight Night 22. After speaking with referee Yves Lavigne in one of my more recent interviews, it is clear that Danzig did not fulfill his responsibility to communicate effectively with the referee. This left Lavigne with no option but to stop the fight, as fighter safety holds the highest priority inside of the cage. No. 3: Penn Accuses St. Pierre of Cheating at UFC 94 Following a one-sided loss to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 94, UFC Lightweight Champion B.J. Penn's camp filed a formal complaint with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, alleging that St-Pierre's cornerman was applying Vaseline to GSP’s back between rounds. Throughout the fight, Keith Kizer, the Executive Director of the NSAC, was entering the cage and assessing the actions of each fighter's corner. According to UFC President Dana White, the commission was "flipping out," as they noticed one of Georges' cornermen rubbing Vaseline on his back between rounds. "The guys from the Athletic Commission went up there and started screaming at them—knocked the Vaseline and kicked the Vaseline out of the Octagon," White said. "Some Vaseline on a guy's back didn't change the outcome of that fight, but you don't do it." At the very least, Penn deserves a rematch. No. 2: Say Good-bye to Fedor’s TapouT T-Shirt TapouT produced a Fedor Emelianenko shirt that will probably never see the light of day under threat of a lifetime ban from the UFC. Co-owner and President of M-1 Global, Vadim Finkelchtein, was told by TapouT that they were contacted by UFC President Dana White, and that under the threat of tearing up all the contracts with their organization, demanded that TapouT stop producing all the shirts from the Fedor Emelianenko line. When asked about it, White made no denial stating that it’s “just business.” Sounds more like “sour grapes.” No.1: Relaxed Steroid Testing in Nevada  Nevada apparently reserves the right to call up fighters a month before a fight and insist that they submit a urine test. The standard fight-weekend drug tests have been described by many as “a joke,” and out-of-competition testing is a great way to catch guys who rely on timed steroid cycles to test clean. The only problem is that the State never seems to exercise that option. Out of all of the fighters who competed on the two recent UFC events in the state of Nevada, none were asked to take out-of-competition drug tests prior to the events, according to Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director, Keith Kizer. A total of 20 fighters competed on the UFC’s “Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale” in Las Vegas on June 19, including one fighter who had previously tested positive for anabolic steroids (Chris Leben). None of those 20 fighters had to take an out-of-competition test. A total of 22 fighters competed at UFC 116 in Las Vegas on July 3, including two fighters who had previously tested positive for anabolic steroids (Chris Leben and Stephan Bonnar), but none of those 22 fighters had to take an out-of-competition drug test. The perception is that most Commissions are doing the bare minimum that is required of them to catch steroid cheats. Unfortunately, a sudden shift towards effective testing could result in far more damage than the UFC is prepared to handle, so I guess for now it’s going to be business as usual for steroid users and cheaters in the state of Nevada. www.mrjamesryan.com Begin Slideshow No. 6: Brock Lesnar Survives Hurricane Carwin at UFC 116
Brock Lesnar was absolutely brutalized in the first round of his fight with Shane Carwin at UFC 116, only to come back and win the fight in the second by way of arm triangle submission. Many questioned whether or not referee Josh Rosenthal should have stopped the fight in the first round and given Carwin a first-round technical knockout win. Here is Rosenthal’s explanation: "[Lesnar] took some hard shots when they were against the fence. He was looking for a way out. He was blocking some punches. At one point he tried to spin to push Shane away and took a couple shots. And then again, went for a deep half guard position and took a couple more shots. When he curled up after that is when I commanded him to fight back, which at that point he did, and then he went for feet on the hips to push Carwin away and was able to get to his knees. He pretty much ran with it. He heard—he responded to my commands." Like it or not fight fans, Rosenthal had it exactly right. No. 5: Harold Howard Arrested for attempted Murder 
On December 22, 2009, Harold Howard was charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with a weapon, attempted breaking and entering, failure to remain, flight from police, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, mischief, and two counts breach of recognizance after being captured by police and crashing his pick-up truck through the front windows of the Fallsview Casino. Howard is currently serving a five year sentence in a Canadian prison (about 15 minutes away from my house). What does this have to do with the UFC? Howard remains a historical part of the famous alumni from the early days of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Howard is more widely known for competing in the UFC where he made it to the final of the company’s third tournament. What a waste! No. 4: Matt Wiman Defeats Mac Danzig at UFC 115 
Matt Wiman defeated Mac Danzig via First Round submission at UFC 115. The stoppage was considered controversial by many as Wiman had Danzig in a guillotine choke, and referee Yves Lavigne called a stoppage despite the fact that Danzig had not submitted and was still conscious after the fight had been stopped. Luckily, Danzig is expected to face Wiman again on September 15, 2010 at UFC Fight Night 22. After speaking with referee Yves Lavigne in one of my more recent interviews, it is clear that Danzig did not fulfill his responsibility to communicate effectively with the referee. This left Lavigne with no option but to stop the fight, as fighter safety holds the highest priority inside of the cage. No. 3 Penn Accuses St. Pierre of Cheating at UFC 94 
Following a one-sided loss to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 94, UFC Lightweight Champion B.J. Penn's camp filed a formal complaint with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, alleging that St-Pierre's cornerman was applying Vaseline to GSP’s back between rounds. Throughout the fight, Keith Kizer, the Executive Director of the NSAC, was entering the cage and assessing the actions of each fighter's corner. According to UFC President Dana White, the commission was "flipping out," as they noticed one of Georges' cornermen rubbing Vaseline on his back between rounds. "The guys from the Athletic Commission went up there and started screaming at them—knocked the Vaseline and kicked the Vaseline out of the Octagon," White said. "Some Vaseline on a guy's back didn't change the outcome of that fight, but you don't do it." At the very least, Penn deserves a rematch. No. 2: Say Good-bye to Fedor's Tapout T-shirt 
TapouT produced a Fedor Emelianenko shirt that will probably never see the light of day under threat of a lifetime ban from the UFC. Co-owner and President of M-1 Global, Vadim Finkelchtein, was told by TapouT that they were contacted by UFC President Dana White, and that under the threat of tearing up all the contracts with their organization, demanded that TapouT stop producing all the shirts from the Fedor Emelianenko line. When asked about it, White made no denial stating that it’s “just business.” Sounds more like “sour grapes.” No. 1: Relaxed Steroid Testing in Nevada
Nevada apparently reserves the right to call up fighters a month before a fight and insist that they submit a urine test. The standard fight-weekend drug tests have been described by many as “a joke,” and out-of-competition testing is a great way to catch guys who rely on timed steroid cycles to test clean. The only problem is that the State never seems to exercise that option. Out of all of the fighters who competed on the two recent UFC events in the state of Nevada, none were asked to take out-of-competition drug tests prior to the events, according to Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director, Keith Kizer. A total of 20 fighters competed on the UFC’s “Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale” in Las Vegas on June 19, including one fighter who had previously tested positive for anabolic steroids (Chris Leben). None of those 20 fighters had to take an out-of-competition test. A total of 22 fighters competed at UFC 116 in Las Vegas on July 3, including two fighters who had previously tested positive for anabolic steroids (Chris Leben and Stephan Bonnar), but none of those 22 fighters had to take an out-of-competition drug test. The perception is that most Commissions are doing the bare minimum that is required of them to catch steroid cheats. Unfortunately, a sudden shift towards effective testing could result in far more damage than the UFC is prepared to handle, so I guess for now it’s going to be business as usual for steroid users and cheaters in the state of Nevada. For more article by James check out his blog at: mrjamesryan.com No. 7: Frank Mir Wishes Death on Brock Lesnar “I want to fight Brock Lesnar. I hate who he is as a person. I want to break his neck in the ring. I want him to be the first person that dies to Octagon-related injuries.” Mir created controversy after commenting that he wanted to break Brock Lesnar's neck. Mir later made an apology for his comments, which he then retracted the next day by stating something to the effect, that the fans were overreacting. Bottom line: Mir learned very quickly that MMA fans don’t care much for the whole “WWE Entertainment” bull-crap that he tried to blame it on. Professional athletes have a social responsibility to act in a way that should not be deemed illegal or as a detriment to their sport. Particularly a growing sport. Mir’s sincerity was definitely compounded by his obsessive behavior leading up to the incident. No. 6: Brock Lesnar Survives Hurricane Carwin at UFC 116 Brock Lesnar was absolutely brutalized in the first round of his fight with Shane Carwin at UFC 116, only to come back and win the fight in the second by way of arm triangle submission. Many questioned whether or not referee Josh Rosenthal should have stopped the fight in the first round and given Carwin a first-round technical knockout win. Here is Rosenthal’s explanation: "[Lesnar] took some hard shots when they were against the fence. He was looking for a way out. He was blocking some punches. At one point he tried to spin to push Shane away and took a couple shots. And then again, went for a deep half guard position and took a couple more shots. When he curled up after that is when I commanded him to fight back, which at that point he did, and then he went for feet on the hips to push Carwin away and was able to get to his knees. He pretty much ran with it. He heard—he responded to my commands." Like it or not fight fans, Rosenthal had it exactly right. No. 5: Harold Howard Arrested for Attempted Murder On December 22, 2009, Harold Howard was charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with a weapon, attempted breaking and entering, failure to remain, flight from police, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, mischief, and two counts breach of recognizance after being captured by police and crashing his pick-up truck through the front windows of the Fallsview Casino. Howard is currently serving a five year sentence in a Canadian prison (about 15 minutes away from my house). What does this have to do with the UFC? Howard remains a historical part of the famous alumni from the early days of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Howard is more widely known for competing in the UFC where he made it to the final of the company’s third tournament. What a waste! No. 4: Matt Wiman Defeats Mac Danzig at UFC 115 Matt Wiman defeated Mac Danzig via First Round submission at UFC 115. The stoppage was considered controversial by many as Wiman had Danzig in a guillotine choke, and referee Yves Lavigne called a stoppage despite the fact that Danzig had not submitted and was still conscious after the fight had been stopped. Luckily, Danzig is expected to face Wiman again on September 15, 2010 at UFC Fight Night 22. After speaking with referee Yves Lavigne in one of my more recent interviews, it is clear that Danzig did not fulfill his responsibility to communicate effectively with the referee. This left Lavigne with no option but to stop the fight, as fighter safety holds the highest priority inside of the cage. No. 3: Penn Accuses St. Pierre of Cheating at UFC 94 Following a one-sided loss to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 94, UFC Lightweight Champion B.J. Penn's camp filed a formal complaint with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, alleging that St-Pierre's cornerman was applying Vaseline to GSP’s back between rounds. Throughout the fight, Keith Kizer, the Executive Director of the NSAC, was entering the cage and assessing the actions of each fighter's corner. According to UFC President Dana White, the commission was "flipping out," as they noticed one of Georges' cornermen rubbing Vaseline on his back between rounds. "The guys from the Athletic Commission went up there and started screaming at them—knocked the Vaseline and kicked the Vaseline out of the Octagon," White said. "Some Vaseline on a guy's back didn't change the outcome of that fight, but you don't do it." At the very least, Penn deserves a rematch. No. 2: Say Good-bye to Fedor’s TapouT T-Shirt TapouT produced a Fedor Emelianenko shirt that will probably never see the light of day under threat of a lifetime ban from the UFC. Co-owner and President of M-1 Global, Vadim Finkelchtein, was told by TapouT that they were contacted by UFC President Dana White, and that under the threat of tearing up all the contracts with their organization, demanded that TapouT stop producing all the shirts from the Fedor Emelianenko line. When asked about it, White made no denial stating that it’s “just business.” Sounds more like “sour grapes.” No.1: Relaxed Steroid Testing in Nevada Nevada apparently reserves the right to call up fighters a month before a fight and insist that they submit a urine test. The standard fight-weekend drug tests have been described by many as “a joke,” and out-of-competition testing is a great way to catch guys who rely on timed steroid cycles to test clean. The only problem is that the State never seems to exercise that option. Out of all of the fighters who competed on the two recent UFC events in the state of Nevada, none were asked to take out-of-competition drug tests prior to the events, according to Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director, Keith Kizer. A total of 20 fighters competed on the UFC’s “Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale” in Las Vegas on June 19, including one fighter who had previously tested positive for anabolic steroids (Chris Leben). None of those 20 fighters had to take an out-of-competition test. A total of 22 fighters competed at UFC 116 in Las Vegas on July 3, including two fighters who had previously tested positive for anabolic steroids (Chris Leben and Stephan Bonnar), but none of those 22 fighters had to take an out-of-competition drug test. The perception is that most Commissions are doing the bare minimum that is required of them to catch steroid cheats. Unfortunately, a sudden shift towards effective testing could result in far more damage than the UFC is prepared to handle, so I guess for now it’s going to be business as usual for steroid users and cheaters in the state of Nevada. www.mrjamesryan.com Begin Slideshow No. 8: Brock Lesnar Loses Control of His Emotions at UFC 100 Brock Lesnar won the postponed rematch with Frank Mir at UFC 100 on July 11, 2009, via a technical knockout, after dominating Mir for the entire bout. During his post-match celebration, Lesnar flipped off the crowd who had been booing him all evening, and he made a disparaging comment about the pay-per-view’s primary sponsor, Bud Light, claiming that they "won't pay me nothin’," and began to promote Coors Light instead. Lesnar then stated that he might even "get on top of [his] wife" after the show. He would later apologize for his actions in his post-fight press conference, where he held a bottle of Bud Light, but it was too late. The damage had been done and Lesnar was condemned as a villain (and a bully) by many. No. 7: Frank Mir Wishes Death on Brock Lesnar “I want to fight Brock Lesnar. I hate who he is as a person. I want to break his neck in the ring. I want him to be the first person that dies to Octagon-related injuries.” Mir created controversy after commenting that he wanted to break Brock Lesnar's neck. Mir later made an apology for his comments, which he then retracted the next day by stating something to the effect, that the fans were overreacting. Bottom line: Mir learned very quickly that MMA fans don’t care much for the whole “WWE Entertainment” bull-crap that he tried to blame it on. Professional athletes have a social responsibility to act in a way that should not be deemed illegal or as a detriment to their sport. Particularly a growing sport. Mir’s sincerity was definitely compounded by his obsessive behavior leading up to the incident. No. 6: Brock Lesnar Survives Hurricane Carwin at UFC 116 Brock Lesnar was absolutely brutalized in the first round of his fight with Shane Carwin at UFC 116, only to come back and win the fight in the second by way of arm triangle submission. Many questioned whether or not referee Josh Rosenthal should have stopped the fight in the first round and given Carwin a first-round technical knockout win. Here is Rosenthal’s explanation: "[Lesnar] took some hard shots when they were against the fence. He was looking for a way out. He was blocking some punches. At one point he tried to spin to push Shane away and took a couple shots. And then again, went for a deep half guard position and took a couple more shots. When he curled up after that is when I commanded him to fight back, which at that point he did, and then he went for feet on the hips to push Carwin away and was able to get to his knees. He pretty much ran with it. He heard—he responded to my commands." Like it or not fight fans, Rosenthal had it exactly right. No. 5: Harold Howard Arrested for Attempted Murder On December 22, 2009, Harold Howard was charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with a weapon, attempted breaking and entering, failure to remain, flight from police, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, mischief, and two counts breach of recognizance after being captured by police and crashing his pick-up truck through the front windows of the Fallsview Casino. Howard is currently serving a five year sentence in a Canadian prison (about 15 minutes away from my house). What does this have to do with the UFC? Howard remains a historical part of the famous alumni from the early days of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Howard is more widely known for competing in the UFC where he made it to the final of the company’s third tournament. What a waste! No. 4: Matt Wiman Defeats Mac Danzig at UFC 115 Matt Wiman defeated Mac Danzig via First Round submission at UFC 115. The stoppage was considered controversial by many as Wiman had Danzig in a guillotine choke, and referee Yves Lavigne called a stoppage despite the fact that Danzig had not submitted and was still conscious after the fight had been stopped. Luckily, Danzig is expected to face Wiman again on September 15, 2010 at UFC Fight Night 22. After speaking with referee Yves Lavigne in one of my more recent interviews, it is clear that Danzig did not fulfill his responsibility to communicate effectively with the referee. This left Lavigne with no option but to stop the fight, as fighter safety holds the highest priority inside of the cage. No. 3: Penn Accuses St. Pierre of Cheating at UFC 94 Following a one-sided loss to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 94, UFC Lightweight Champion B.J. Penn's camp filed a formal complaint with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, alleging that St-Pierre's cornerman was applying Vaseline to GSP’s back between rounds. Throughout the fight, Keith Kizer, the Executive Director of the NSAC, was entering the cage and assessing the actions of each fighter's corner. According to UFC President Dana White, the commission was "flipping out," as they noticed one of Georges' cornermen rubbing Vaseline on his back between rounds. "The guys from the Athletic Commission went up there and started screaming at them—knocked the Vaseline and kicked the Vaseline out of the Octagon," White said. "Some Vaseline on a guy's back didn't change the outcome of that fight, but you don't do it." At the very least, Penn deserves a rematch. No. 2: Say Good-bye to Fedor’s TapouT T-Shirt TapouT produced a Fedor Emelianenko shirt that will probably never see the light of day under threat of a lifetime ban from the UFC. Co-owner and President of M-1 Global, Vadim Finkelchtein, was told by TapouT that they were contacted by UFC President Dana White, and that under the threat of tearing up all the contracts with their organization, demanded that TapouT stop producing all the shirts from the Fedor Emelianenko line. When asked about it, White made no denial stating that it’s “just business.” Sounds more like “sour grapes.” No.1: Relaxed Steroid Testing in Nevada Nevada apparently reserves the right to call up fighters a month before a fight and insist that they submit a urine test. The standard fight-weekend drug tests have been described by many as “a joke,” and out-of-competition testing is a great way to catch guys who rely on timed steroid cycles to test clean. The only problem is that the State never seems to exercise that option. Out of all of the fighters who competed on the two recent UFC events in the state of Nevada, none were asked to take out-of-competition drug tests prior to the events, according to Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director, Keith Kizer. A total of 20 fighters competed on the UFC’s “Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale” in Las Vegas on June 19, including one fighter who had previously tested positive for anabolic steroids (Chris Leben). None of those 20 fighters had to take an out-of-competition test. A total of 22 fighters competed at UFC 116 in Las Vegas on July 3, including two fighters who had previously tested positive for anabolic steroids (Chris Leben and Stephan Bonnar), but none of those 22 fighters had to take an out-of-competition drug test. The perception is that most Commissions are doing the bare minimum that is required of them to catch steroid cheats. Unfortunately, a sudden shift towards effective testing could result in far more damage than the UFC is prepared to handle, so I guess for now it’s going to be business as usual for steroid users and cheaters in the state of Nevada. www.mrjamesryan.com Begin Slideshow
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Friday, 09 July 2010 |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 09 July 2010 )
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