Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum’s incendiary comments about Reebok are having serious repercussions.
As was reported by MMATorch earlier this week, Werdum published an Instagram post where he praised Nike and blasted Reebok. “I’m not generic, I’m Nike since I was a kid,” he said. He finished the post with hashtag that read “suck my balls.” As a result of those comments, Werdum has been fired from his position as a UFC broadcaster, as confirmed by MMAFighting.
In spite of this punishment, Werdum stands by his behavior. “I won’t go (back) after this,” Werdum said. “If I had lost it because I was doing a poor job and nobody likes me, fine, but I know it’s not the case.”
Werdum last fought at UFC 203, defeating Travis Browne via decision.
Cervantes Analysis: Since its inception, the Reebok deal has been criticized almost universally by fighters because of its payout structure. What’s worse is that when fighters express their dissatisfaction with a deal they had no say in, they are punished in ways similar to Werdum was. I really hope that with all the overhauling the new management is doing that it also addresses the fighters’ complaints about this ridiculous deal and takes fighters opinions into account if it decides to renegotiate the terms of the contract.
SATURDAY NOTEBOOK ITEMS…
-Jon Jones and Matt Mitrione got into a heated back and forth exchange on Twitter after Mitrione criticized Jones’ troubled past.
I've never had a public figure who was clearly doing better than me go out of their way to harass me on the Internet.
— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) October 28, 2016
-Michael Bisping told TMZ he’ll beat George St. Pierre “with one arm… but bring on Nick Diaz!” He said, “I don’t want to fight, GSP wanted to fight me.” He said if he wants to get his ass kicked in his hometown, he’ll oblige. He said GSP “got everybody excited for nothing” and there’s six weeks left and he’ll gladly fly to Toronto. “I heard they couldn’t get a deal done; I didn’t hear any specifics.” He said to try to make the fight happen, he’d fight with one arm. He said he liked the idea of fighting at UFC 206, and if GSP can’t get a deal he likes, he offered to fight Nick Diaz instead. He said all of the other top Middleweights are busy, “so let’s make some money. Bring the heat and make some money.” He said Nick’s tough, but he can take him out pretty easy. Check out the video clip here.
-Bloody Elbow reports that after being flagged for five banned substances ahead of UFC on Fox 21, UFC middleweight Adam Hunter has been banned for two years.
-T.J Dillashaw called the UFC’s booking of Dominic Cruz vs. Cody Garbrandt “a mockery of the sport” in an interview with FanSided.
After making a comment about wanting to commit suicide after a loss in an Instagram post earlier in the week, UFC welterweight Matt Brown clarified that he “is not suicidal in any way,” according to Bloody Elbow.
-Alliance MMA announced they are launching a Southern California promotion. Here’s some details from the press release they sent to MMATorch: “Alliance MMA, Inc., a mixed martial arts organization offering premier promotional opportunities for aspiring mixed martial arts fighters, today announced their plan to launch a regional MMA promotion in Southern California by partnering with Eric Del Fierro, who will spearhead the formation of the promotion. Alliance MMA, who earlier this month announced the successful completion of their IPO and listing on NASDAQ, intends to acquire regional promotions around the country and become the leading feeder organization that will identify and develop the next generation of fighters and champions for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Bellator MMA, ONE Championship and other prestigious MMA promotions. The company plans ultimately to promote over 125 events a year, showcasing more than 1,000 fighters, through regional promotions operating under the Alliance MMA umbrella. “While we plan to grow through acquisition, launching a regional promotion in Southern California will help accelerate our positioning,” said Paul K. Danner. “Our mission remains the same – to build a national footprint that includes all the major media markets to attract name brand sponsorships. We are thrilled that Eric Del Fierro has agreed to join our team to head the formation of the new promotion and oversee expansion into the Southern California region. MMA is extremely popular in Southern California, and Eric’s extensive knowledge of the region and industry-renowned success in promoting MMA events make him the perfect fit to lead the charge.”
NOW CHECK OUT YESTERDAY’S UDPATE: FRIDAY NEWS DIGEST 10/28: Bisping calls for a fight at UFC 206 against Nick Diaz, by passing deserving contenders (w/Cervantes Analysis)
(Jonathan Cervantes has been an avid fan of MMA since 2009 when he saw GSP vs. B.J. Penn 2. He has practiced tae kwon do, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling in the past and is currently a student majoring in entrepreneurship at the University of San Francisco. He writes the MMATorch News Digest on Fridays and Saturdays. Michael Hiscoe writes MMATorch News Digests Sunday through Thursday each week.)
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