Photo Credit: rantsports.com

I don’t know what to tell you, some guys just don’t have their act together. Following failed drug tests at UFC 157 and UFC on FUEL 8, the UFC has cut Lavar Johnson, Ricky Fukuda, and suspended Alex Caceres. The one thing we know for sure is that the UFC is lenient on failed drug tests, Johnson and Fukuda were cut for their performance more than anything else.

Johnson tested positive for a high TE ratio of 6-1 following a loss to Brendan Schaub  at UFC 157. Apparently Johnson was undergoing TRT treatment even though he did not disclose that information to the CSAC. A rep for AKA, where Johnson trains, said he was seeking a TUE at the time.

Ricky Fukuda tested positive for stimulants phenylpropanolamine, norpseudoephedrine, and ephedrine. Supposedly these banned substances were part of medication Fukuda was for an illness he was treating. In the end, they were banned and Fukuda should have consulted a doctor or the UFC prior to taking them.

Alex Caceres’ case shows that the failed drug tests were not the final straws that got the other two fighters cut. Caceres also lost at UFC on FUEL 8 but showed that he can put on exciting fights. The UFC has shown time and again that they are willing to forgive if you are the “right” type of fighter.

Both Johnson and Fukuda are boring fighters that are really one-dimensional. Johnson likes to bang but against Schaub, he was on his back and useless. Fukuda can fight but does not look urgent in his fights which result in boring decisions. The UFC is changing to where it has a plethora of good talent.

Guys that cannot compete will get cut–especially if they are not worth it. A prime example is Jon Fitch, the guy is a big name that demands high pay. When his performance was no longer worth the pay, Fitch was cut. Expect a lot more cuts as the UFC continues to trim its gigantic roster down to size.

While the cuts are sad, its part of the business and I believe will benefit everyone. The lesser fighters will move to smaller organizations where they can grow and flourish. The better fighters can put in their dues and make a return to the octagon at a later point. Other fight promotions will also benefit from gaining more talent and added depth. All in all, its a necessary move for all involved.

Photo Credit: cagetoday.com

It was pretty much the fight we thought it was going to be, Georges St. Pierre mandhandled Nick Diaz Saturday night at UFC 158 to retain his welterweight title. I think even the fans in Montreal were amazed to see how easily the champ disposed Diaz despite all the trash talking the challenger did leading up to the fight.

Nick Diaz did little in the fight to back up his brash words at GSP. The Stockton fighter never threatened the champ although he was able to muster a few combinations in the third and fourth round. Diaz’s performance lacked effectiveness and even more, some urgency. I think credit has to be given to GSP for keeping Diaz off his rhythm.

Even more perplexing than Diaz’s performance was his actions after the fight. In the octagon, Diaz was accepting and even classy in hugging GSP and raising the champ’s hand in defeat. But at the post fight press conference and interviews afterwards, Diaz belittled GSP and demanded a rematch before saying he would consider retirement.

I don’t know what to make of Diaz. He is still a top contender at welterweight even with the loss to GSP. Lets face it, no one will ever look good against the champ. Still, Diaz has options if he chooses to fight. Its up to the guy to decide how his career will go. For GSP, the future is much more certain, a date with Johny Hendricks.

Johny Hendricks and Carlos Condit put on an amazing performance Saturday night. They definitely deserved the Fight of the Night bonus for stealing the show Saturday night. Hendricks showcased not only his hands but also his wrestling pedigree taking Condit down at will throughout the 3 round fight.

A lot of credit has to be given to Carlos Condit for weathering the storm from Hendricks in the first two rounds before unleashing his own onslaught in the third round. It was a little too late for Condit as Hendricks was able to hang on and take the unanimous decision victory. Hendricks has a date with GSP later this year unless a super fight with Anderson Silva is set.

If Hendricks didn’t do enough to make waves, then Jake Ellenberger clearly did. “The Juggernaut” steam rolled Nate Marquardt in a fight I thought was Marquardt’s to win. Riding 7 wins in 8 UFC fights, Ellenberger also has the resume to challenge for a title. With Hendricks already being given the #1 contender status, expect at least one more fight for Ellenberger before he is given a shot at the champ.

It was another successful stop for the UFC in Montreal. Of note, Dana White expects GSP to defend his title in Las Vegas sometime this year. So the welterweight champ will not have his hometown crowd when he has his next fight whether its going to be against Johny Hendricks or Anderson Silva. Either fighter will give the champ all he can handle.

Photo Credit: Mark J Rebillas – US Presswire

There have been so many guys that have tried to trash talk Georges St. Pierre–Matt Serra, BJ Penn, and even Josh Koscheck. None of them were able to get to GSP. For some unknown reason though, Nick Diaz gets to the champ. I guess everyone has their kryptonite and GSP just found his.

The usually calm and professional champ was clearly rattled at the UFC conference call this past Thursday. If you haven’t heard it, you need to do yourself a favor and listen to it. It is the MOST hilarious conference call I have ever heard. When will you ever get another fighter call GSP a “mother-BLEEPER” and GSP call him “an uneducated fool” back?

Not only that, Dana White was dropped from the call so the two guys were just going back and forth without a ref! Truly, you have to check it out. I have never heard GSP so rattled in a call before. GSP is the epitome of a professional and even he couldn’t take it from Diaz any longer.

Originally when this fight was booked, I felt really bad for Johny Hendricks who I felt deserved the title shot more. But after how the conference call went down, I don’t anymore. Hendricks got a raw deal that he can overcome by getting past Carlos Condit. Nick Diaz was the better self-promoter and he got a shot at the champ. You can’t be mad at him for that.

Put Nick Diaz in the same realm as Chael Sonnen. These guys, whether planned or not, are good self promoters and sometimes thats all you need to put yourself in a good position. Sonnen got himself back to back title fights while Diaz got himself a title shot after a 12 month layoff.

The only question now is if the trash talk will affect GSP come fight night. Before all this went down, I pretty much figured GSP would do to Nick what Ben Henderson did to little brother Nate but in a more devastating fashion. Now, I actually think Nick has a good chance to fight his fight and pull off an upset.

Think about it. GSP said Nick Diaz deserves to be beat down and told Dana White he was going to punish him like no man has ever done before. Does that sound like GSP is going to lay and pray Nick Diaz to death? Nope. I think GSP wants to hurt Diaz and wants to finish him.

There are so many fans and critics that have dogged GSP for not finishing fights. I think GSP wants to put on a good performance and do it against Nick Diaz. It may be a big mistake since Diaz can be very dangerous. Either way, I think we are in for a treat Saturday night at UFC 158 when GSP finally looks to put the hurt on his opponent for once.

Photo Credit: bleacherreport.com

It has been so long a part of me was starting to wonder if it would ever happen. Today the UFC announced two title fights for this summer starting with Anderson Silva defending his middleweight title against Chris Weidman at UFC 162 and Renan Barao defending his interim bantamweight title at UFC 161.

Without a doubt, the fight everyone has been looking forward to is Silva vs Weidman. And its not for the obvious reason. I think everyone just loves to watch Anderson Silva fight. The guy is a human highlight reel. If you don’t know, then you should probably youtube him. Its remarkable the things he can do.

The thing I don’t think everyone gets is that Chris Weidman is a very dangerous opponent for Silva. He has the wrestling and submission skills to pose a threat to Silva. That said, I really doubt anyone is in the same league with Silva. Weidman may be a tough opponent but we’ve heard that argument before.

Still, there is this small underlying upset vibe that emanates from Weidman. He is like Clubber Lang and Anderson Silva is Rocky. Weidman has been ducked for so long, he might just actually pull it off. I don’t think Silva has been ducking Weidman but in a way he has by not accepting the fight sooner.

That type mind game may or may not be beneficial, time will tell. There are rumblings Silva took the fight knowing Weidman is still recovering from his shoulder surgery. I don’t think that is true because Silva doesn’t fear Weidman. If Weidman agreed to the fight, he is healthy and will be ready to fight. Period.

I do like the Renan Barao vs Eddie Wineland title fight though. Not because Wineland is going to be a good challenge but because it keeps the champs busy. Lets face it, title fights are what we all want to see–regardless of the opponent. The Barao announcement is a little sad though because it means Dominick Cruz is not anywhere near returning.

After Barao had dominated Michael McDonald, I really thought Cruz would be ready for a return in the summer to unify the bantamweight title. This announcement is pretty scary since it means Cruz is not as close to returning as we all had thought he was. Maybe Dana White was right, Cruz might be closer to retirement.

I certainly hope Dominick Cruz is going to return to the ring later this year. A fight between Cruz and Barao would be an amazing fight. I think both guys want it. For now, I am just glad the UFC is keeping its champions busy.

Photo Credit: fightday.com

Wanderlei Silva’s performance at UFC on FUEL TV 8 was everything we expected it to be. Silva came in super aggressive and traded with Brian Stann from the start of the first round. Both guys were rocked rocked early and often throughout the round but both remained resilient heading into the second round.

Suddenly they were both cautious realizing they had another four rounds to go even though everyone knew this fight wasn’t going the distance. Amazingly, Silva caught Stann and immediately swooped in to finish the job for the referee finally jumped in to save Stann. Clearly, the main event lived up to its hype.

The only thing Silva did wrong was that he did not announce his retirement after the fight. Lets face it, Silva is a legend, but at this stage in his career, he no longer has anything to fight for. Silva doesn’t even want to make middleweight anymore which is why Stann had to take the fight at light heavyweight.

Wanderlei should retire with a win, you can’t ask for more than that. Ask Matt Hughes. While I am happy for Wand, I am a little surprised by Stann’s performance. Clearly he was the stronger and smarter fighter. I don’t know why he felt the need to fight Silva’s fight. It doesn’t make sense. At least Stann can say he fought with a legend and the fight had little significance.

Besides main event, the co-main event was the only other fight worth watching last night. Stefan Struve and Mark Hunt put on an amazing performance even though both guys were completely gassed after the first round. Struve put a lot of pressure on himself to get a win and ask for a title shot afterwards, he did not come through.

Struve’s striking looked lethargic even though his ground game more than made up for it. Struve had Hunt mounted several times during the fight and could not pull off an armbar to finish the fight. You have to wonder if Struve checked out Ronda Rousey’s performance last week. He could have learned something.

Mark Hunt was definitely rusty and old. But he was resilient showing off his trademark left hook and walk away. Struve revealed after the fight that he suffered a broken jaw. Struve will need to work on his striking game more. Hunt hits hard, if he can catch you. Hunt wants a top 5 heavyweight up next, you can’t argue with that. But I can see him being outclassed big time, he needs to stay busy.

MMA judging continues to let the fighters down. In a fight I felt would win Fight of the Night honors, Diego Sanchez pretty much did nothing but back-pedal the whole night and still took a split decision victory from Takanori Gomi. I have no idea what the judges are seeing at this point but its certainly frustrating.

Sanchez did nothing! Gomi was pushing the pace and getting the better of the exchanges and still got jobbed. I don’t get it. And then if you looked at the two after the fight, Gomi was fine and Sanchez’s face was roughed up. Its baffling. You truly have to finish a fight because you could get robbed like Gomi did. Let is be a lesson to everyone.

If there is one thing you can say about Hector Lombard its that he is smart. The guy knew he was going to lose to a blanketing Yushin Okami and came up with excuses the whole week. Instead of working on a game plan, he came up with excuses. Sitting on a 1-2 record in the UFC, many are calling for Lombard to get cut–including one Chael Sonnen.

Dong Hyun Kim was his usual self dominating Siyar Bahadurzada. Bahadurzada couldn’t back up his trash talking and had to succumb to Kim’s ground game. The one negative thing you can say about Kim is that he isn’t exciting. There were many times I thought he could have finished the fight but chose to be safe a la GSP.

Overall, a boring fight card that was saved by the main and co-main event of the evening. Good thing we didn’t have to pay for it!