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Whether or not 34-year old legend B.J. Penn will ever fight again remains to be seen. However, if “The Prodigy” does make his return to the Octagon it sounds like the clash will come at 155 pounds where he held UFC gold before dropping the belt to Frankie Edgar in 2010. Penn hinted at the possibility on his Facebook page in an update to fans on his condition after undergoing surgery to repair a cataract, assuring readers the procedure “wasn’t fun but it was painless.”

“Already the glare is gone and my depth perception is improving,” wrote Penn, addressing interested followers’ inquiries about coming back as a lightweight.

“First I gotta spar and check my depth perception. Lightweights will eat me up with their speed if I don’t judge the distance right,” replied Penn, showing a clear openness to the idea of slimming back down for one final run for the sport’s top prize.

The 16-9-2 Penn has lost the majority of his match-ups at welterweight (or heavier). Meanwhile, he holds a number of impressive wins as a 155er including those over Diego Sanchez, Sean Sherk, and Kenny Florian.

No timetable was offered for his decision on continuing his career or calling it quits for good.

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Coach of Russian Olympic gold medal winner blames gay conspiracy for wrestling's possible removal from games

Ugly statements from the coach of a 2012 Olympic gold medalist blaming gays for the potential removal of wrestling from the games reminds that homophobia is still strong in the sports world.

While much of the outcry over wrestling's potential removal from the Olympics has been reasoned concern, there has been a darker, far more negative side to the reaction. Many have reacted with claims of this being another sign of the "pussification" of the world, or other such ignorant statements about some perceived "loss of masculinity."

Unfortunately, Vladimir Uruimagov, coach of 2012 Greco-Roman gold medalist Alan Khugaev and 2004 gold medalist Khasan Baroev, took it a step further, directly blaming "gays" in a sort of conspiracy:

"If they expel wrestling now, that means that gays will soon run the whole world," coach Vladimir Uruimagov said, calling the decision "a blow to masculine origins."

He added: "It turns out this committee is headed by representative of these minorities," clarifying that he meant sexual minorities.

"It is necessary for millions around the world who understand that this is a man’s sport and who understand the need to continue the human race to go out and explain their position to the Olympic Committee," he said. "We should prove and explain that in any other case there is no future."

The story has been picked up by sites such as Daily Kos and Huffington Post. Almost all sites have pointed out that the Olympic Committee's willingness to accept countries which criminalize homosexuality with little to no pushback has led to much criticism from gay rights activists.
Huffington Post explained more about the climate in Russia:

Meanwhile, Russia's anti-gay propaganda bill, which is expected to pass the legislature, may be indicative of the pervasiveness of homophobia in Russia.

Homosexuality was a criminal offense in the Soviet Union from 1934 until 1993, according to The Moscow Times, resulting in thousands of jail and asylum sentences for members of the LGBT community.

Gay rights advocates have protested the bill, which would ban the "distribution of 'gay propaganda' to minors," the Washington Post reports. However, as the news outlet writes, "opponents fear [it] would make gay pride marches, demonstrations for gay rights and public displays of affection by same-sex couples illegal." The country is hosting the upcoming 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, which has caused some gay Olympic hopefuls to wonder if they should be concerned, USA Today notes. The Russian Ministry of Justice has already decreed that Sochi will not feature a Pride House the way recent Olympics in Vancouver and London have.

There were 21 openly gay and lesbian athletes (also two coaches and two gay Paralympians) at the 2012 games, up from 11 in Athens and 10 at Beijing. As Jim Buzinski wrote last year at SB Nation "Simple math dictates that there are many more gay and lesbian athletes in London than who are publicly out. With 12,602 athletes set to compete, just 1 percent of them being gay or lesbian would be 126."

Aside from the criminalization of homosexuality in many countries, the prevalence of attitudes such as that of Uruimagov lead to many athletes feeling as though they can't be "out" until well after their careers are over. If ever.

These attitudes have taken a new focus in the sports world with situations such as San Francisco 49er cornerback Chris Culliver saying ahead of the super bowl:

''I don't do the gay guys, man. I don't do that. got no gay people on the team. They gotta get up outta here if they do. Can't be with that sweet stuff ... Can't be ... in the locker room, nah...You've gotta come out 10 years later after that.''

There is, however, some good news as the group Athlete Ally has been in the news lately. The group, which exists to raise awareness, end homophobia in sports and promote a message of inclusiveness, has seen several professional athletes come on board. Most recently was the announcement yesterday that NBA star Kenneth Faried had joined the group, strengthening a quickly growing group:

As an Athlete Ally, Faried joins Brendon Ayanbadejo of the Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens, Chris Kluwe of the Minnesota Vikings, Scott Fujita of the Cleveland Browns, Connor Barwin of the Houston Texans, Australian rugby star David Pocock, Australian Rules Football player Brock McLean and scores of college athletes who have already signed on.

Faried also made news last year with this PSA about his two moms:

Of course, there is also a major milestone approaching with Liz Carmouche set to be the first openly homosexual fighter to compete in the UFC when she challenges for Ronda Rousey's 135 pound title at UFC 157.

So attitudes are slowly changing in the sports world, but, as Uruimagov's statements remind us, they're not changing everywhere and there will probably always be a massive level of ignorance based around perceptions of masculinity in the sports world.

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The demise of wrestling could lead to the evolution of MMA as an Olympic sport

Olympic wrestling isn't dead, it's simply undergoing a metamorphosis!

If you thought the end of wrestling as an Olympic sport meant the door was closing on medals for mixed martial arts (MMA), then I have some surprising news for you.

It may instead be the catalyst to get cage fighting on a global stage.

That's according to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White, who thinks combat sports can succeed where wrestling failed because MMA not only draws eyeballs, but money, too, and that's what the Olympic Games are all about these days.

From this week's media scrum (via MMA Weekly):

"The problem is nobody wants to watch it. Any sport, especially these days, it's about selling tickets and eyeballs and viewers and all these other things. And there's been a lot of people saying, 'You've got to f---ing do something.' What this could be is the evolution of mixed martial arts becoming an Olympic sport. We bring spectators, eyeballs ... whether it's TV or whatever it is. This sport draws. Wrestling doesn't. I can't be the guy to run out and try and save wrestling. I've been doing it for years. You know how many wrestling programs I funded over the past five, six years? A lot. Yeah, I don't want to see wrestling go away either. It's such a big part of the sport. But, something's going to happen here. It's going to evolve into mixed martial arts or something. I don't know. I don't think wrestling is going to go anywhere, but competitive wrestling definitely is."

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board voted on Tuesday to have amateur wrestling cut from future games in an effort to overhaul the entire program, focusing on "popularity, finances, tickets sold and governance."

Also known as "pay to play."

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Receiving a golden medal for MMA and representing MMA for your country would be such a trip.

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This weekend, UFC bantamweights Renan Barao and Michael McDonald will meet in the main event at UFC on Fuel 7 with the winner exiting as the division’s interim king. While the fight is sure to produce fireworks and both men are deserving competitors, the moment lacks the same gravity as it would with the presence of linear champion Dominick Cruz. Unfortunately, Cruz has been sidelined since late 2011 with a series of injuries as well as time off to tape the Ultimate Fighter 15. Cruz is currently in the process of rehabbing the second of two consecutive ACL tears with the latter occurring in December while he was healing up from the first. UFC President Dana White was recently asked about Cruz’s future and, though “The Dominator” is likely to be out for nearly two years by the time he sees action again, the company’s chief executive made it clear Cruz will return with his title-reign intact.

“If he starts training again and gets another injury that’s going to take him out for a year – and I hate to even say this about the kid since he’s a really good kid – but he should seriously probably look at retiring. But I’m not taking something like (the title) from somebody,” said White to MMAJunkie. “The way that it works in the fight business is you beat the man who beat the man. Obviously, though, if he had to retire, then (the interim titleholder) would automatically become the champion.”

“We expect him to come back. Everything is going as well as can be expected, and hopefully he comes back soon. But that’s really all I can say,” White concluded.

The 27-year old Cruz holds an overall record of 19-1 with his only loss coming to Urijah Faber as a featherweight. He’s won ten in a row since the stumble including success over Faber, Scott Jorgensen, Ian McCall, Joseph Benavidez, and Demetrious Johnson.

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UFC President Dana White promised the organization would put a show on in Madison Square Garden at some point in 2013 and is in a much better position to deliver on his guarantee this morning than he was yesterday at the same time. Legal representatives from Zuffa and New York met in court yesterday to argue over the State’s ban on the sport where it was determined the two sides should settle rather than continue litigation. According to a report on Fightline, the ruling came after the Attorney General’s office agreed amateur MMA should be allowed in New York with oversight from a third-party commission while Zuffa’s side stated, as such, the same should be true on the professional side of things. The judge seemingly agreed and directed the parties toward settlement.

“We’ll take it. We’d rather have the state lift the ban and we go that route first, but we’ll know in the next two months if that’s going to happen,” explained Zuffa representative Timothy Bellamy, stating they would go the third-party route if necessary.

The loophole in the policy, as well as the admission of the State regarding things, should allow the UFC to promote a card in New York before the end of the year.

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I think the UFC wins a battle in New York once every 3 months. Then the victory seems to fizzle into obscurity.

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I think the UFC wins a battle in New York once every 3 months. Then the victory seems to fizzle into obscurity.

It does seem that way, so much talk about it for years now.

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Constantinos Philippou vs. 'Jacare' Souza targeted for UFC on FX 8 in Brazil | News*–*MMAjunkie.com

A middleweight bout between surging contender Constantinos Philippou (12-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) and former Strikeforce champion Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza (17-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is expected to be part of UFC on FX 8 in May.
A source close to the event told MMAjunkie.com(www.mmajunkie.com) at least one fighter has agreed to the bout. MMAFighting.com first reported the planned matchup.

MMAjunkie.com recently passed along news of UFC on FX 8, which takes place May 18 at Arena Jaragua in Jaragua do Sul, which is located in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina.

The main card, including a Vitor Belfort (22-10 MMA, 11-6 UFC) vs. Luke Rockhold (10-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) middleweight headliner, airs on FX following prelims on FUEL TV and Facebook. Philippou vs. Souza also is expected to be part of the main card.

Since suffering a decision loss to Nick Catone in his UFC debut, Philippou has posted five consecutive wins. The Serra-Longo Fight Team striker most recently replaced injured Chris Weidman and scored a TKO victory over fellow contender Tim Boetsch. The former Ring of Combat champion also has picked up octagon wins over Riki Fukuda, Court McGree, Jared Hamman and Jorge Rivera during his move into title contention.

Souza, meanwhile, makes his UFC debut following an eight-fight stint in Strikeforce. Since losing his title to Luke Rockhold via close decision in late 2011, the world-champion grappler has posted consecutive stoppage wins over Bristol Marunde, Derek Brunson and Ed Herman. He's now 7-1 since a DREAM.9 no-contest with Jason "Mayhem" Miller in 2009.



This is a huge fight and I wouldn't be surprised if the winner gets a title shot.

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Nice. I love Jacare. I have high hopes for him in the UFC.

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Grappler Jake Shields entered the UFC as Strikeforce’s middleweight champion, defeating Dan Henderson in his final fight under the organization’s banner. Shields then slimmed down to welterweight in hopes of finding similar success against opponents closer to him in size. However, he only went 2-2 at 170 pounds and decided to beef back up to compete without the additional strain of cutting weight. While Shields did win his initial encounter in the Octagon at 185 pounds, the triumph was quickly turned into a No Contest after it was discovered he’d use a banned substance prior to the pairing. Now cleared for a return to the ring, Shields has come to grips with welterweight being his best option and will move back down for his next fight.

“I made some changes (to my diet), my weight came down, my cardio feels better, I feel a lot cleaner with more energy,” said Shields to Bleacher Report.

When it comes to his next in-ring offering, Shields doesn’t have a specific opponent in mind for the future fight – he has a few of them. In general, he wants to face one of the top guys on the roster to show he still belongs in discussion for contendership.

“I’d like to fight someone tough. I’d like to fight Jake Ellenberger. That’s the one loss that I felt I’d really like the chance to repeat myself on. Carlos Condit would make a lot of sense. He’s really good or Rory MacDonald, he’s good. Just any of these guys that are good,” explained Shields.

Shields holds an overall record of 27-6-1 with past wins over the likes of Condit, Yushin Okami, Yoshihiro Akiyama, and Martin Kampmann. Ten of his tilts have ended with his hand raised as the result of a submission.

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Heavyweight Daniel Cormier was supposed to fight Frank Mir last November before things fell apart at the last minute due to injury. When Cormier’s spot on the UFC was cemented shortly thereafter, the unbeaten American Kickboxing Academy staple made it clear he still wanted to face Mir based on both the former UFC champion’s accomplishments in the sport as well as it being a bout he was confident in winning. Mir never backed away from the challenge of trying to do what others like Antonio Silva and Josh Barnett could not in beating Cormier, as it appears his future foe’s overwhelming interest in the fight has stoked a fire burning in the Las Vegas native’s gut. According to Mir, he’s not only motivated, but he’s also mixing it up this time around by heading out to Albuquerque to train with Greg Jackson in hopes of extending an ice cold welcome to Cormier at UFC on FOX 7.

“I’ve always felt I have great trainers so there was no reason to leave, but my wife and I were talking about how I needed to change things up. One of the things was maybe I should get out of town and get more focused,” said Mir of moving camp in an interview with ESPN. “I’ve always been impressed with Greg Jackson’s game planning. I figured, before I retire, I want to be a part of that and see what makes this guy so successful.”

Regarding the test in front of him, Mir isn’t buying into the hype surrounding Cormier considering the number of wins he holds over relatively unknown competitors rather than high-level threats.

“Level of competition is important. He’s done most of his damage in Strikeforce. Not to downplay Strikeforce, but it’s not the UFC,” offered Mir on the topic. “I think it’s going to be another one of those things where people are destined to be disappointed. After our fight, he’s already said he’s going to 205 pounds. That doesn’t sound like a confident guy who wants to stay at heavyweight.”

The 33-year old Mir also doesn’t have any problem putting Cormier on the shelf for an extended period of time either, giving the undersized heavyweight a chance to slim down to 205 if so desired, apparently telling one of his trainers, “I’ll sign his cast after the fight,” when first approached about the match-up.

With bad blood starting to simmer between the two, April 20 can’t arrive soon enough. Mir is 16-6 with twelve stoppages including past wins over Brock Lesnar and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Comparably, Cormier holds an 11-0 mark including five TKOs and three submissions.

[Rodja]

Heavyweight Daniel Cormier was supposed to fight Frank Mir last November before things fell apart at the last minute due to injury. When Cormier’s spot on the UFC was cemented shortly thereafter, the unbeaten American Kickboxing Academy staple made it clear he still wanted to face Mir based on both the former UFC champion’s accomplishments in the sport as well as it being a bout he was confident in winning. Mir never backed away from the challenge of trying to do what others like Antonio Silva and Josh Barnett could not in beating Cormier, as it appears his future foe’s overwhelming interest in the fight has stoked a fire burning in the Las Vegas native’s gut. According to Mir, he’s not only motivated, but he’s also mixing it up this time around by heading out to Albuquerque to train with Greg Jackson in hopes of extending an ice cold welcome to Cormier at UFC on FOX 7.

“I’ve always felt I have great trainers so there was no reason to leave, but my wife and I were talking about how I needed to change things up. One of the things was maybe I should get out of town and get more focused,” said Mir of moving camp in an interview with ESPN. “I’ve always been impressed with Greg Jackson’s game planning. I figured, before I retire, I want to be a part of that and see what makes this guy so successful.”

Regarding the test in front of him, Mir isn’t buying into the hype surrounding Cormier considering the number of wins he holds over relatively unknown competitors rather than high-level threats.

“Level of competition is important. He’s done most of his damage in Strikeforce. Not to downplay Strikeforce, but it’s not the UFC,” offered Mir on the topic. “I think it’s going to be another one of those things where people are destined to be disappointed. After our fight, he’s already said he’s going to 205 pounds. That doesn’t sound like a confident guy who wants to stay at heavyweight.”

The 33-year old Mir also doesn’t have any problem putting Cormier on the shelf for an extended period of time either, giving the undersized heavyweight a chance to slim down to 205 if so desired, apparently telling one of his trainers, “I’ll sign his cast after the fight,” when first approached about the match-up.

With bad blood starting to simmer between the two, April 20 can’t arrive soon enough. Mir is 16-6 with twelve stoppages including past wins over Brock Lesnar and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Comparably, Cormier holds an 11-0 mark including five TKOs and three submissions.

Oh, Mir and his arrogance....

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I really hope Cormier pulls it off. Also, I think it's pretty obvious why Cormier wants to drop to 205 (as long as Cain is champ), that whole lack of confidence comment was ridiculous.

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UFC's Michael Bisping wants rematch with 'f---ing cheat' Vitor Belfort

by Steven Marrocco and John Morgan on Feb 15, 2013 at 2:45 pm ET

LONDON – Middleweight Michael Bisping doesn't have much time to dwell on his loss to Vitor Belfort at this past month's UFC on FX 7 event. He's already training to fight Alan Belcher at UFC 159 in April.

But during a during a Q&A in support of UFC on FUEL TV 7, which takes place Saturday at London's Wembley Arena, Bisping (23-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) said it's a "touchy subject" to talk about Belfort and the permission he received to use testosterone-replacement therapy for the fight.

"He's been busted for that in the past, and now he's allowed to put steroids into his a--hole," Bisping said. "What can I say? He's a f---ing cheat. But I do want a rematch with the guy."

Bisping declined an interview with request with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) following the UFC's disclosure of Belfort's TRT exemption. He subsequently released a statement on his website taking responsibility for his loss despite his opposition to the use of prescribed testosterone.

Belfort, whom the UFC approved to undergo TRT prior to the bout, stopped Bisping in the second round of their headliner when he dropped the Brit with a head kick, which prompted the referee's intervention.

While Bisping's feelings on TRT haven't changed, he thinks the fight was stopped too early and wants another chance to beat "The Phenom."

"The referee stopped the fight," he said. "Fair play to him, congratulations. He was the better man on the night. But I was completely fine went I went down, and I think the referee stopped too soon, and I'd love a rematch someday."

But perhaps the loss stings a little bit more due to the circumstances around it. Had Bisping beat Belfort, he would have earned a title shot against middleweight champ Anderson Silva.

"There's probably like, 0.1 percent of the world that actually have low testosterone," Bisping said. "But for some reason, a s---load of fighters have low testosterone. I don't need testosterone. I'm a bad-tempered bastard in the best of times."

For now, they will walk separate paths. Belfort is scheduled to fight ex-Strikeforce champ Luke Rockhold at UFC on FOX 7. "The Phenom" believes he's made a strong case for a title shot at middleweight and light heavyweight, where he nearly submitted champ Jon Jones at UFC 152 before submitting himself in the fourth round.

Bisping, meanwhile, has decided he won't take a stand against the use of TRT, which remains one of the more controversial topics in MMA.

"That's the way it is," he said. "That's the way it's all set up. For me, I get my ass back in the gym, train my ass off and try and do what I can. I'm not going to stand there and debate the politics of it all."

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From 02/08/13: Bisping says Vitor's TRT not an excuse for loss

Despite being one of the sport's most outspoken opponents of testosterone-replacement therapy (TRT) use, Michael Bisping is apparently taking the high road.

Bisping, of course, suffered a second-round TKO loss to Vitor Belfort at this past month's UFC on FX 7 event in Brazil. Afterward, it was revealed that Belfort had been granted a therapeutic-use exemption (TUE) for TRT prior to the contest.

Bisping has not spoken on the matter since UFC officials first made the announcement, but he today posted an official statement on his website in which he credited Belfort for his performance but also wondered why he would be eligible for a TUE following his 2006 suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after testing positive for the steroid 4-Hydroxytestosterone.

"As I said right after the fight, I lost because I made a mistake, and Vitor took advantage of it," Bisping said. "It sucks. I don't like it, but that was the result. I lost. Bottom line.

"Over the past couple years, and even right before the fight, I have made my views on TRT very, very clear. I don't feel that I need to go into depth about it again right now. All I have to add about this specific instance is that it is very disappointing that someone who was caught cheating with testosterone in the past, now gets to use testosterone legally. A well-known side effect of steroids is that it reduces testosterone, so I don't understand how it would make sense to then grant someone an exemption to then increase testosterone."

Bisping had been expected to earn a title shot with a victory over Belfort, but he instead must settle for a UFC 159 bout A Alan Belcher. A perennial contender, Bisping has just five career losses, and three (Belfort, Chael Sonnen, Dan Henderson) have come against fighters who have been granted a TUE for testosterone use.

Nevertheless, Bisping declined to complain and instead turned his eyes on the future.

"I am not here to make excuses or cry over spilled milk," Bisping said. "I fight in the best organization in the world, the UFC, and am very excited to work and earn a title fight – the right way. That process starts by whooping Alan Belcher's ass at UFC 159 on Saturday, April 27, live on pay-per-view."

As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) previously reported, Bisping will host a UFC Fight Club Q&A session at next week's UFC on FUEL TV 7 event in London.

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I think Mike is trying to Sonnen his way from falling back down the ladder too far, which I don't blame him. I've actually grown to like Mike Bisping and he has lost to 3 fighters on TRT, (Henderson, Sonnen, Belfort), so I could see his frustration after having had some time to stew in the big picture of his loss.

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A few days after Wednesday's surprise ruling that professional mixed martial arts events can be legally run in New York state - outside the purview of the state athletic commission - Luke Thomas has an in-depth explanation of the legal loophole allowing MMA and how the court reached its decision.

We reported on Wednesday about a legal agreement coming out of a mediation session in the UFC's suit against New York state that may allow the UFC to legally run an event in that state. Through a loophole by which professional Muay Thai boxing events have been running at Madison Square Garden. Luke Thomas of MMA Fighting drilled down into the mumbo jumbo and got an in-depth explanation of how this works.

The first thing to know is that Zuffa, parent company of the UFC, and the state of New York are headed to mediation before a judge since the current judge believes they share a fundamental agreement that there is a clear legal road for the promotion of professional mixed martial arts, even a UFC event, outside the jurisdiction of the New York State Athletic Commission.

Secondly, if that hearing blows up, all bets are off and the case goes back to court.

Thirdly, in order to run a UFC in NY, Zuffa would have to get legal authorization via one of organizations named in the original 1997 law which banned all combat sports, then opened exceptions for some. Luke Thomas explains:

According to the 1997 law, "the Ban does not mention MMA explicitly, but makes illegal the performance of 'combative sport,' defined as any 'professional match or exhibition' in which participants deliver 'kicks, punches, or blows of any kind to the body of an opponent or opponents," the plaintiffs contended in their response to the state's second motion to have the lawsuit dismissed.

"The Ban then exempts from the definition of 'combative sport:' 'boxing, sparring, wrestling or martial arts.' The Ban does not define 'martial arts' with reference to any specific activity. Rather, martial arts 'shall include' matches or exhibitions sponsored by one of the listed organizations, such as the World Karate Association ('exempt organizations')."

(Zuffa's attorneys) contend the state hasn't found this to be a loophole, but rather, a plain reading of the law by which the UFC can stage events. While the law likely forbids the New York State Athletic Commission from regulating a UFC event, the door is open for an 'exempt organization' to stage a 'martial arts' event.

While the UFC may prefer to continue its direct attack on the law via the legislative process if they can get this current agreement done they could bypass the always unpredictable goings on in Albany entirely and put on the rumored November 20th anniversary UFC in Madison Square Garden featuring Light Heavyweight champ Jon Jones, a New Yorker.