Ramblings

UFC 158 is going down on Saturday, March 16 with a main event between welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and contender Nick Diaz.

This is going to be an extremely hard fight for Diaz to win.  GSP has excellent striking, wrestling and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, so it’s going to be tough to find a way to drag the fight to the ground.  Even if Diaz manages to do so, passing GSP’s guard to get in a more dominant position will be an extremely difficult task.

I’d love to see Diaz finish GSP, but feel a five-round unanimous decision win for the French-Canadian fighter is in store.  Lacking a true killer instinct, GSP will use his jab and slick combinations to batter Diaz, while the Stockton native looks to use punches in bunches.

Also on the fight card:

Rory MacDonald vs. Carlos Condit
Johny Hendricks vs. Jake Ellenberger
Nick Ring vs. Chris Camozzi
Patrick Cote vs. Bobby Voelker
Jordan Mein vs. Dan Miller
Rick Story vs. Sean Pierson
John Makdessi vs. Daron Cruickshank
Yves Jabouin vs. Jonny Eduardo

The event press conference takes place on Wednesday, January 23 at the Bell Center in Montreal, Canada – and it’s open to the public. 

Following an extremely successful Bellator debut on Spike TV, Bellator proudly announced an extension to its partnership with Everlast.

Here is what Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said in a press release:

“We’ve had a tremendous amount of success with Everlast over the last four years, so extending this partnership was a very easy decision. As the worldwide leader in combat sports equipment, Everlast has been a tremendous partner to Bellator since our start and I look forward to our relationship’s continued growth and expansion as we move to Spike TV.”

Here are Matt Cowan, Everlast EVP of Sales, Marketing and Product Development said:

“Having world class athletes compete in our product is at the core of our brand’s authenticity. With Bellator’s move Spike TV, we are excited for the continued growth of our partnership, as well as the sport of MMA.”

Honestly I am glad to see Bellator has another long-term partner — but I’m not a big fan of some Everlast training gear.  

The Lance Armstrong confession to Oprah has reopened a can of worms that many people don’t like to discuss: PED use in mainstream sports.

I recently wrote a story on Full Contact Fighter about fighters in mixed martial arts (MMA) and the “tainted supplement” excuse that many of them try to use.

Here is additional information not included in the story, via Dr. Margaret Goodman, President and CEO of VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping Association):

There are organizations the athlete can consult. For example, VADA partners with Drug Free Sport’s Resource Exchange Center. VADA athletes can contact them directly for information regarding whether or not something they are taking could contain or does contain prohibited substances. They can also advise them if a specific company has previously been found to have tainted substances or misleading labeling. A fighter can also contact the athletic commission where they hold a license for information.

Oh. Wow. It’s not like VADA and other anti-doping groups are a mystery; if an MMA fighter is truly concerned enough, they should be able to sort out their priorities and double check their supplements.  

As mentioned by Goodman, a fighter can also consult the state athletic commission and ask for their input, which is something I’m going to discuss again in the future. 

Let’s be real here: Trying to plead ignorance never – nor will it ever – be a legitimate excuse for a failed drug test.  

Come on folks, get yourselves fixed up!