by Jon Luther | May 19, 2011 | BLOGS
It was only five months ago that the Brazilian slugger Thiago Silva took a dominant unanimous decision victory over fellow light heavyweight Brandon Vera at UFC 125. Many felt Silva’s performance was an assertion of his standing among the very best in the 205-pound division. Weeks later, Silva’s performance would be shrouded in controversy following urinalysis test results indicating that he had submitted fake urine to the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). “Well this kind of thing goes all the way back to Kevin Randleman where he basically used a fake penis, put on a pair of bike shorts, had a cup and came in to take pre-fight urine,” says Keith Kizer, NSAC executive director. “He lifted up the leg of shorts, took out the fake penis and did the test. We checked on temperature, sent it to a lab, and we found it was fake urine. We said ‘look, now you guys have to pull down your shorts so that whoever is administering the test can see everything.’ “When Thiago Silva came in he pulled down his shorts and showed his actual penis, but as he turned towards the toilet he palmed a bottle, grabbing his penis in the other hand, pretended like he was urinating but was really putting the contents of bottle into the sample. We know now that Thiago’s sample was fake urine. It took him until the B sample to fess up to that.” The decision win over Brandon Vera was changed to a no contest and Kizer claims the incident prompted a change in the commission’s testing policy: “So the changes that we’re...
by Jon Luther | May 4, 2011 | BLOGS
Not only will Gray Maynard answer any question that’s thrown his way, but he’ll answer it in a refreshingly real way. Gray addresses whether or not he’s a ‘boring’ fighter, if Anthony Pettis deserves a crack at the title and if Frankie Edgar possesses comparable wrestling to his own. Some fans may take objection to Gray’s candor, but he even has an opinion on that, too. Gray took time out of his busy schedule to talk with MMAFA.tv about his upcoming rubber match bout against the UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar. Jon Luther: Thanks for the time, Gray. You’re coming off of the first exciting fight of your career. How does it feel? Gray Maynard: [Laughs] It feels good. But that’s what people say, right? Ever since I fought Edgar almost 3 years ago, I’ve only fought lefties. It’s a different style, a slower pace, and if you watch boxing a lot you know that. And nobody wanted to fight these guys because they were bad style match-ups. I took those fights. For a lot of guys a lefty like Nate Diaz is a bad match-up, Florian and Miller are both bad match-ups, and I also fought [Rich] Clementi at a time where he was on point. For me, I didn’t have an agent at that time to talk for me and decide what’s a good fight for me and what isn’t. I fought who they wanted me to and I asked for the top guys. If you look at it now, in the top ten, I’ve fought about four of them: Miller, Edgar, Nate, Siver. I’ve never had...
by Jon Luther | Feb 9, 2011 | NEWS
Two-time STRIKEFORCE World Lightweight Champion (155 pounds), Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez (18-2), has signed a new, multi-year agreement with the San Jose, Calif. based world championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion. “STRIKEFORCE is my home, they’ve always been like family to me and I’m looking forward to continuing my career with them,” said the talented, exciting, 5-foot-9, 28-year-old protégé of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master Cesar Gracie and Muay Thai legend Jongsanan Fairtex. “There are a lot of great fights out there for me – lots of challenges. I can’t wait to get back into the cage, do my thing and show the world that I’m still at the top of my game.’’ Melendez is seen in most MMA circles as a Top 5 Lightweight, with most placing the Cesar Gracie product only behind the UFC tandem of Frank Edgar and Gray Maynard. Melendez debuted in Oct. 18, 2002, and roared out to a 13-0 record while competing in the WEC, Shooto and Pride Fighting Championhips Organizations. Notable victories for Melendez include Shinya Aoki, Josh Thomson, Clay Guida and Tatsuya Kawajiri. Melendez captured the STRIKEFORCE interim lightweight belt with a second-round knockout (punches) over Rodrigo Damm on April 11, 2009, in San Jose. “I’m healthy again and excited about fighting again real soon,’’ Melendez said. “It doesn’t matter who I fight. I just want to get back in there and...
by Jon Luther | Feb 5, 2011 | NEWS
Many fans would identify Vladimir Matyushenko as a staple in the sport of mixed martial arts. The forty-year-old Belarusian has been in the sport for over a decade and fought some of the most notable fighters it can offer. But make no mistake, Matyushenko claims he is far from done and is eyeing his next bout. Speaking with MMAFA.tv from his ‘VMAT’ gym in El Segundo, Matyushenko shared his plans. “Nothing is official and I would like to fight before Summer, but I want to fight the winner of Tito Ortiz vs. Antonio Rogerio Noguiera. It is a common sense fight for me. Both of those losses still bug me. It would be a way to redeem myself and it would be a great fight for Tito or Noguiera.” It would appear that redemption is big motivator for Matyushenko, who lost at the hands of up-and-comer Jon Jones 6 months ago and went on score a stoppage win over Alexandre Ferreira only three months later. The stoppage win would be the first for Matyushenko in five years. “I didn’t get hurt in the Jones fight. Well, my ego got hurt I guess [laughs]. But that was good for me, and I was healthy enough that when the UFC called me up shortly after I immediately took the fight against Ferreira. I never like walking around with a loss on my shoulders.” Being a veteran of the sport, Matyushenko has seen his fair share of paradigm shifts. Yet Matyushenko claims the rise of younger fighters throughout the years wouldn’t have been possible without the groundwork laid down by him and...
by Jon Luther | Feb 4, 2011 | BLOGS
Many fans would identify Vladimir Matyushenko as a staple in the sport of mixed martial arts. The forty-year-old Belarusian has been in the sport for over a decade and fought some of the most notable fighters it can offer. But make no mistake, Matyushenko claims he is far from done and is eyeing his next bout. Speaking with MMAFA.tv from his ‘VMAT’ gym in El Segundo, Matyushenko shared his plans. “Nothing is official and I would like to fight before Summer, but I want to fight the winner of Tito Ortiz vs. Antonio Rogerio Noguiera. It is a common sense fight for me. Both of those losses still bug me. It would be a way to redeem myself and it would be a great fight for Tito or Noguiera.” It would appear that redemption is big motivator for Matyushenko, who lost at the hands of up-and-comer Jon Jones 6 months ago and went on score a stoppage win over Alexandre Ferreira only three months later. The stoppage win would be the first for Matyushenko in five years. “I didn’t get hurt in the Jones fight. Well, my ego got hurt I guess [laughs]. But that was good for me, and I was healthy enough that when the UFC called me up shortly after I immediately took the fight against Ferreira. I never like walking around with a loss on my shoulders.” Being a veteran of the sport, Matyushenko has seen his fair share of paradigm shifts. Yet Matyushenko claims the rise of younger fighters throughout the years wouldn’t have been possible without the groundwork laid down by him and...
