Holloway vs. Aldo 2 to headline UFC 218
Jose Aldo steps in for the injured Frankie Edgar and will face Max Holloway for the UFC featherweight title in the UFC 218 main event. Holloway defeated Aldo for the title at UFC 212 by third round TKO.
Edgar announced earlier in the week that he suffered an injury forcing him out of his scheduled fight against Holloway. The injury is not considered to be serious.
Grocke’s POV: While I can understand those arguing for Cub Swanson, this is the fight I was hoping for. Aldo was having success in their first fight. In fact, many had him up two rounds to none, including me, heading into the third. I expect Aldo to go back to throwing a ton more leg kicks and I wouldn’t be surprised if Aldo got the belt back.
Mike Mazzulli releases statement regarding McGregor
Mike Mazzulli, president of both the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation (MTDAR) and the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) has released a statement regarding the behavior of Conor McGregor at Friday’s Bellator 178 event in Dublin, Ireland. Mazzulli’s statement also covers the altercation between McGregor and referee, Marc Goddard.
According to Mazzulli any type of repercussions stemming from McGregor’s behavior would have to come from a commission that regulates and licenses him. These commissions would include New York and Nevada.
The full statement reads as follows:
While the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation (MTDAR) was regulating Bellator 187 in Dublin, Ireland, on November 10, 2017, the following events took place during the Ward vs Redmond bout.
Mr. Conor McGregor who was a spectator at the time, disrupted the event by scaling the cage prior to the conclusion of the bout. Mr. McGregor’s conduct jeopardized the health and safety of the bout participants by delaying necessary medical attention to the fighters that were injured during the round.
In addition, Mr. McGregor assaulted Referee Mark Goddard and a Bellator staff.
The MTDAR has been in consultation with the upper management of the UFC regarding Mr. McGregor’s inappropriate and unacceptable behavior.
The MTDAR has also contacted members of the Association of Boxing Commissioners that have licensed Mr. McGregor in their jurisdictions to inform them of Mr. McGregor’s behavior.
Grocke’s POV: I really hope McGregor is punished for his actions at Bellator 178. Such actions just cannot be tolerated.
Anderson Silva fails an USADA test
Anderson Silva has failed a drug test for the second time in his career. The former middleweight champion failed an out-of-competition test collected on October 26 and has been removed from his scheduled fight against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Fight Night 122. Silva first failed a test for steroids around the time of his UFC 183 fight against Nick Diaz and was suspended by the Nevada Athletic Commission for one year.
While that suspension was before USADA, Silva can still face a longer suspension if the anti-doping agency decides to take his past failure into account.
The full statement reads:
The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Anderson Silva of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collected on October 26, 2017. As a result, Silva has been provisionally suspended by USADA. Due to the proximity of Silva’s upcoming scheduled bout at UFC Fight Night, Shanghai, China on November 25, 2017 against Kelvin Gastelum, Silva has been removed from the card and UFC is currently seeking a replacement.
USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case involving Silva. Under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full and fair legal process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed. Additional information will be provided at the appropriate time as the process moves forward.
Grocke’s POV: More bad news coming out of one of the most talked about UFC events in history. Hopefully this is the end of it.
MMA News Notebook
Grant Dawson has been notified of a potential UFC anti-doing policy violation.
Georges St-Pierre and Stephen Thompson receive 45-day medical suspensions.
Fight Announcements
Ray Borg vs. Brandon Moreno is set for UFC Fight Night 126
Bobby Nash vs. Kenan Song is set for UFC Fight Night 122
Bharat Khandare vs. Pingyuan Liu is set for UFC Fight Night 122
Rolando Dy vs. Wuliji Buren is set for UFC Fight Night 122
Jussier Formiga vs. Ben Nguyen is set for UFC 221
Saparbek Safarov vs. Tyson Pedro is set for UFC 221
Jason Knight vs. Gabriel Benitez is set for UFC Fight Night 123
Michael Johnson vs. Darren Elkins is set for UFC Fight Night 124
Thiago Alves vs. Zak Cummings is set for UFC Fight Night 124
Marco Polo Reyes vs. Matt Frevola is set for UFC Fight Night 124
Alex White vs. James Krause is set for UFC Fight Night 124
Karl Amoussou vs. Dominique Steele is set for Cage Warriors 89
Mauro Cerilli vs. Nills van Noord is set for Cage Warriors 89
Tommy Depret vs. John Maguire is set for Cage Warriors 89
NOW CHECK OUT THIS ARTICLE: Conor McGregor confronts referee Marc Goddard after jumping the cage to celebrate with teammate
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