UFC: Year in Review

www.fightnewsnow.com — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

What have we learned from in 2010 on the UFC stage? As the end of the year approaches, let’s take a look back at what the biggest and most unexpected storylines have defined a spectacular 12 months in the octagon.Brock Lesnar’s Return and Fall You can’t talk about the biggest stories in MMA without talking about one of the physically largest competitors. In late ’09 Lesnar backed out of UFC 106, where he was all set to square off against Shane Carwin, citing medical issues. It turned out to be a case of mononucleosis, but like many men in the ring, it turned out to be no match for the massive man. Lesnar announced his return in January and fulfilled in at UFC 116, where he submitted Carwin (after much postponement) with a triangle choke. To complete a the year of ups and downs, Lesnar then lost the titles he had unified with his defeat of Carwin by losing to undefeated challenger Cain Velazquez in UFC 121.Rampage Goes Soft in Hollywood Not to take away from Rampage as a person or competitor, it’s simply tough to train when your time is occupied by outside commitments and the good life is at your fingertips. The loss to Rashad Evans, as a result, should’ve come as no surprise (though it did to many onlookers), however, what may have surprised many was last month’s match with Lyoto Machida. Machada is a fine fighter, but by all accounts he simply worked Rampage in the final round, with the fight looking nearly even after two. The real shock came when the judges awarded Jackson with the victory, a decision he even admitted they split the wrong way in a post-fight interview.Chuck Liddell’s Fall from Grace It marked another winless year for Liddell, now losing his only fight in the year 2008, 2009 and 2010. In fact, his last professional win came against Wanderlei Silva in December of 2007, which marked his first win since December 2006, having lost two straight. Yes, Liddell was a great fighter through his first 23 fights, compiling a 20-3 record, but since he is just 1-5. How is a fighter who’s been on the slide losing 1 fight a major storyline? Simply because all signs point to us never seeing Chuck Liddell (still a legend, mind you) in the UFC octagon again.

Josh Koscheck Accuses Georges St-Pierre of Drug UseThen Apologizes

admin — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 15:50:26 +0000

At The Ultimate Fighter 12 Media day in Las Vegas, fighter Josh Kosheck made some remarks about UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre that more or less accused him of illegal steroid use. He further announced that he would be willing to submit random blood tests to ensure both fighters are clean when they head into their fight after the taping of TUF 12.Two days after these accusations, Koscheck issued an apology for pointing his finger. He claimed he was not directly accusing GSP of being a steroid user, and did not intend for it to come across that way. He emphasized that his comments were in no way factual and the rumors were part of his hype for TUF. The two are scheduled to fight after the TUF 12 in December and Koscheck does not want his slip of tongue to invalidate GSP’s hard work or talent. He claims he was simply passing on what he’d heard from other sources.GSP rebutted by saying he would be in favor of Olympic style drug testing (a method more thorough than typical urine teststhey can detect a wider range of performance-enhancing drugs). It should be stated that GSP has never tested positive for steroids of any kind. It will be interesting to see if the governing athletic commission decides to enforce a stricter drug testing procedure for this fight.

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UFC: Year in Review

Josh Koscheck Accuses Georges St-Pierre of Drug UseThen Apologizes