UFC 207: Nunes vs. Rousey – Fights to Make

UFC 207 was a huge event when it comes to storyline development. Ronda Rousey didn’t just lose her comeback fight, but she lost more definitively and less competitively than in her bout against Holly Holm. And while Nunes putting the stamp on Rousey may have been the night’s big narrative, Cody Garbrandt defeating Dominick Cruz was even more impressive. Off wins like that, there’s a lot of planning to be done, a lot of cool fights to be booked.

I’m making my fantasy fight booking using the classic Shelby method (since we’re done with Silva now) of putting winners against winners, losers against losers, and similarly tenured fighters against one another. This week, to help me in that planning, I’m joined by BE reader Yourroleandyou. If you want to join in for the next event and make your own picks, start a comment below with “HEAD MOVEMENT! HEAD MOVEMENT! HEAD MOVEMENT!” I’ll pick one lucky winner to make fight picks from the comments below. Now, let’s get to the fights!

AMANDA NUNES:

Roley – Well. A dominant, spectacular performance against one of the biggest stars in UFC history. Maybe Holm doing it first took some of the shine off her win, but from the reactions I saw at the bar and in the media, it couldn’t have been that much. They already have a #1 contender’s fight between Valentina Shevchenko and Julianna Pena lined up at the UFC on Fox in a month’s time, so let’s roll with Amanda Nunes vs. Shevchenko/Pena winner.

Zane – This is a good easy one as Roley set up above. Shevchenko vs. Pena was the no. 1 contender fight to book as long as Rousey was taking the title shot first. Rousey got her shot, Pena and Shevchenko are fighting soon, the idea of a 145 vs. 135 belt should be firmly in the rear view mirror. So, let’s get Nunes vs. the Shevchenko/Pena winner.

RONDA ROUSEY:

Roley – Ronda is unquestionably the most dominant and most important figure in WMMA history, but she is done. In many ways, she’s like Mark Coleman. They had a style that nobody could counter and that brought them unprecedented success at the top levels of the sport, but they found somebody who trained specifically to beat them in one of the biggest upsets ever, and after that the decline was swift and brutal. Maybe in a few years Ronda will come back and kick around the upper echelons of the division as well, but for now, she’s off to Hollywood and WWE. I could bore you with a fantasy booking excursus, but for now let’s just say Ronda Rousey vs. Stephanie McMahon

Zane – Well, I will bore you with at least one fantasy booking, but only one… Well, maybe two. If the UFC was really willing to throw some money at them both, there’s a lot to be said about the possibility of booking Rousey vs. Tate III right now. Tate’s already retired and Rousey is probably on her way out the door, but that fight still has good heat, especially now that Rousey’s dominance is no longer a factor. If, somehow, Rousey decides not to retire and take bookings with the WWE, Hollywood, and some ranch in Idaho, then I’d suggest a rematch with Liz Carmouche. Carmouche has improved since their first fight, which was a massively important bout for Ronda’s career and the UFC. Doing it again right now is probably the best bout the promotion could put together. Although, if Julianna Pena loses to Valentina Shevchenko, Rousey/Pena would be a new fight and one that has some history building up to it.

CODY GARBRANDT:

Roley – “TJ Dillashaw, come try me motherfucker.” Cody Garbrandt vs. TJ Dillashaw

Zane – It’s always nice when there’s a super obvious title challenger right there waiting. Cody Garbrandt vs. TJ Dillashaw.

DOMINICK CRUZ:

Roley – I guess all my actual analysis for the fight goes here. It was a shocking upset and a huge night for Cody, to be sure, but it also seems like a fight that will go down as much more one-sided than it actually was, a la Jones/Cormier and Nate Diaz/Michael Johnson. Cruz clearly took two rounds, and it’s possible the accidental headbutt rattled him as well (it certainly cut him wide open). In any event, he’ll take a step back here but still face a top competition, and the best way I can think of to split that difference is by taking on the winner of the Jimmie Rivera/Bryan Caraway fight at the very next UFC event. Dom Cruz vs. Rivera/Caraway winner.

Zane – If Rivera wins that bout against Caraway, he’s probably more likely to be next in line for a title shot (after Dillashaw) than he would be to fight Cruz. And in general, I don’t think the UFC should be running potential near title challengers through Cruz if they can help it. To that extent I think there are two obvious fights right now, one that I really really want. The first is John Lineker, just for the fun action potential, but really honestly, the fight I want is Dominick Cruz vs. John Dodson. Dodson is still a force at 135 and he’s a longtime veteran talent suited to big, if not always necessarily meaningful fights. A bout between he and Cruz would be perfect right now.

JOHN LINEKER:

Roley – I am torn on who Lineker should fight next. The part of my brain that screams FACEPUNCH FACEPUNCH FACEPUNCH says Thomas Almeida, but the part that makes fights on a somewhat more logical basis says to give him the Raphael Assuncao vs. Aljamain Sterling winner. This whole setup also means you could just run Cruz/Lineker and the winners of the two fights next month against each other, but now I’m talking myself into a conundrum and I’ll just say John Lineker vs. Assuncao/Sterling winner.

Zane – See, even Roley eventually falls into the Cruz/Lineker trap, but I do like his Assuncao/Sterling winner pick as both fighters still have something left to prove if they’re going to be in line for a title shot. Hell, he could even fight the loser of that bout. But, I’ll say he should fight the Caraway/Rivera loser. If Rivera loses, Lineker/Rivera is one hell of a hot bout. And if Caraway loses, then that’s exactly the kind of matchup that can keep testing whether Lineker can maintain his status as an elite action fighter, even more so than AlJo could.

DONG HYUN KIM:

Roley – An uninspiring performance (one that I personally scored for Saffediene), but a win’s a win. He had a fight scheduled with Neil Magny, who also eked out a close win on this card, at UFC 202, and it seems like the logical fight to book is that one. Two guys on the fringes of the top ten, both lanky guys with wild striking and interesting grappling, let’s do it. Dong Hyun Kim vs. Neil Magny

Zane – DHK vs. Magny is such an obvious right fight to make. It’s hard to argue against it. So, I’m going to try. Looking at the un-booked welterweights right now, I think the best option is for DHK to wait for Gunnar Nelson to come back from injury and make that fight. It’d be a great grappling battle, and likely a super weird striking battle too. There’s also a good potential scrap with Alan Jouban… Anything to keep from the ‘two slightly underwhelming top tier WWs’ bout that would be Magny vs. DHK. Nelson vs. DHK is pick one for me, but Jouban would be a solid second.

NEIL MAGNY:

Zane – So, Roley picked Magny vs. DHK, and I gave my feelings on that. On my end, I’d also be interested in seeing Magny vs. Jouban. Since Magny is willing to fight all the time, you can really just say Magny vs. whoever, whenever. And if that’s the ethos, how about Magny vs. the winner of Cerrone vs. Masvidal for the ‘guys who will fight anyone, anytime’ trifecta?

TIM MEANS:

Roley – We were supposed to pick the winner of this fight, and it was a no contest but probably should have been a DQ. Means was winning the fight prior to the knees and ended the fight standing tall, so I guess I’ll take him as the winner. I threw out Means vs. Alan Jouban after Jouban took apart Mike Perry at UFC on Fox two weeks ago, which will be a spectacularly violent affair. Tim Means vs. Alan Jouban

Zane – I see a trend here, and it’s mostly that any fight with Alan Jouban in it ends up looking like a pretty cool fight. So yeah, Means/Jouban would definitely be cool. But, since I’ve fully explored the Alan Jouban options already, let’s see Tim Means vs. Rick Story. Story’s coming off a loss, but Means didn’t exactly get a win, and it’d be a great battle of two dudes who want to fight in the clinch as much as possible, but with totally different styles there. Otherwise, I’d also be up for Tim Means vs. Yancy Medeiros, when Medeiros comes back from injury. But, Means will probably want to fight sooner than that. Means vs. Story is my fight.

OTHER BOUTS: Tarec Saffiedine vs. Erick Silva, Ray Borg vs. Brandon Moreno, Louis Smolka vs. Zach Makovsky, Johny Hendricks vs. Lyoto Machida, Antonio Carlos Jr. vs. Andrew Sanchez, Marvin Vettori vs. Oluwale Bamgbose, Alex Garcia vs. Peter Sobotta, Niko Price vs. Razak Alhassan, Alex Oliveira vs. Colby Covington

Fabricio Werdum insinuates that JDS is gay, urges him to ‘get out of the closet’

You know that old saying, that nothing good ever comes after “I’m not anti-[insert classically marginalized group here], but…”? Fabricio Werdum may need a refresher course. The former UFC heavyweight champion had been looking high and low for a last minute opponent for UFC 207 (he’s since been removed from the event), but that search seems to have led him into some strange beef with Junior dos Santos instead.

Not long after the opponent search ended JDS went public, saying that he’d stepped up for the bout, but that Werdum had turned it down. Werdum is not only denying that claim, but in an interview with MMA Fighting he made some strange insinuations about why JDS wanted to fight him at all:

“What ‘Cigano’ said was a bit weird,” Werdum said. “‘Cigano’ has been chasing me for a long time. You usually go after the belt, not a fighter. I think that’s weird. I wasn’t offered this (fight). He’s saying I turned it down. I’d fight him just to end this story of him chasing me.”

“Some people think he’s jealous because I became champion beating his ‘dad’ Cain Velasquez, but I don’t think that’s the case,” he continued. “I think he didn’t come out of the closet yet. I don’t have anything against homosexuals, but ‘Cigano’ needs to get out of the closet. He must have something because he won’t forget me. I already told him I’m married. Nothing against gays, but everyone does their own thing.”

Is that the truth behind it all? Guys that want to fight Fabricio Werdum are secretly gay? Seems unlikely.

Maybe ‘Werdum Face’ is an undeniable aphrodisiac to some men. Maybe Cain Velasquez has a spot on Maury incoming (I really don’t think he’s the father). Or, maybe a spot on a NYE PPV with Ronda Rousey and a fight that would very likely put JDS at the front of the title challenger list is worth enough to risk making Werdum a little bit uncomfortable. We may never know.

Video of Chael Sonnen drubbing Tito Ortiz in college wrestling match surfaces

Back in September former UFC middleweight champion contender Chael Sonnen signed a multi-fight exclusive deal with Bellator MMA. And one of the first potential bouts he started talking up under his new promotional banner was a match with former UFC light heavyweight champ Tito Ortiz.

To hear Sonnen tell it, his desire for a fight was born over some longstanding jealousy. Tito Ortiz brought himself to MMA stardom first, and as Sonnen revealed that drove him green with envy:

“Tito is a legend,” Sonnen said at a recent conference call. “Tito is great. Tito is even a friend of mine, but the bottom line is, he’s been around and I was jealous for a long time. Jealousy is a hell of a thing. There’s a reason it’s one of the deadly sins.”

“Tito was on TV and having the crowd cheer, doing the appearances, doing all these things that I fantasized and wanted to do. And there really never an opportunity to go against him.”

“We were in the same division in college, same weight class, same conference,” he said. “I’d see him around at the events. I still see him around at the events, but he looks at me the same way I look at him. I look at him like, ‘Tito, you know I could whip your ass’. And he gives me that exact same look.”

For his part, Ortiz sounds like he’s 100% down with the idea. But not for any jealousy, or MMA career related competitiveness. Instead, it’s all down to that thing Sonnen mentioned about being in the same conference in college, and a fateful wrestling match.

“We wrestled against each other in college and he pinned me in 30 seconds on my birthday.” Ortiz told Sub Radio in regards to Sonnen’s callout. “I got caught in a headlock, got put on my back and he almost choked me out unconscious and he pinned me and he won the match, and I’ve never forgot about that match. So I’ve always thought, will there be a way for me to fight Chael Sonnen? And all of a sudden we look back almost 21 years later that this fights going to happen. I’m really, really excited.”

And now, you can watch that moment that started it all for young Tito. Tito Ortiz getting thrown down, nearly choked out, and pinned, on his birthday, courtesy of FloCombat.

Enjoy!

The MMA Depressed-us: Penn vs. Edgar I

It’s somehow not a fight week, which means we need some filler programming. And what better way to fill dead time than by watching some really really bad fights? So, on that note, the MMA Depressed-us is back with the worst bouts we can find.

We’re joined by BE’s own Phil Mackenzie this time around, for his first stint on a BE webcast. And we’re talking about a “good bad fight” between Fredy Serrano and Ryan Benoit, a “bad bad fight” between Cathal Pendred and Augusto Montano, and a major disappointment between BJ Penn and Frankie Edgar (the first time around).

For those following along at home, we’re watching the Fight Pass versions of all these bouts, and starting them at the very beginning. Makes it easy to sync. And, as is the way around here, we’re starting out full of verve and joy and slowly getting more and more depressed by the slog of ugly MMA.

Enjoy!!!… or, you know, don’t.

But subscribe to MMANATIONDOTCOM for all our latest shows, interviews, and analysis. And of course, check us out over on iTunes and SoundCloud for audio only versions of our shows.

Cris Cyborg on failed USADA test: ‘It’s nothing bad. I’m on medical treatment’

News has broken that Cris Cyborg has been flagged by USADA for a failed drug test. For a fighter with a past drug test failure and a long history of criticism for carrying a decided size and strength advantage into the cage, this is especially bad news. Public perception of a second failed drug test isn’t going to be kind, and it appears Cyborg is aware of this as she’s released her own public statement immediately following the UFC’s announcement that she had been flagged for a possible drug test violation.

Speaking to MMAFighting, Cyborg gave a quick explanation of what exactly happened that caused her to fail a drug test:

“What I can say now is that they are talking to my doctor, and I’m calm,” Cyborg said. “Everybody knows I’m sick, that I’m recovering from the weight cut I had to do for the fight. What is happening is post-weight cut. Everybody knows I’m sick. They are talking to my doctor to solve this the best way.

“It’s nothing bad. I’m on medical treatment.”

Her statements were mirrored by her boyfriend, Ray Elbe, in a post on The Underground:

“Not for a steroid, and she has a prescription as part of the post fight therapy she’s been receiving due to the severe weight cut,” he wrote. “This has been known for a few days, and Cris doctor has been in direct contact with USADA turning over all the necessary patient files to document the reasons Cris needs the medication.”

No doubt more information will be made available in the coming weeks and months. Of course, the USADA review process isn’t exactly a short one, so this is likely to drag out for a while before finally reaching any sort of definitive conclusion. In the meantime, stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for more news and updates.

UPDATE: Elbe as made further comments on the UG, elaborating on the exact nature of Cyborg’s treatment:

“Spironolactone. Cris had issues with her kidneys and blood pressure and that’s part of a prescription she’s been seeking for therapy “
…
“Cris dr works with several olympicand ufc athletes who are also under USADA testing and this was part of the treatment given to her the Monday after the weigh ins. Cris has not misused the prescription and has been assisting USADA with every request. I’m not a dr and soI don’t know the specifics of the prescription and the treatment purpose of each ingredient, but this treatment process is the reason cris turned down a fight feb 11, as her dr said the three cuts in 8 months were damaging her body.

“I suspect her Dr to speak to the media about the specifics eventually.”
…
“I don’t believe Cris knew it was banned. She started taking it under the pretense it was prescribed by a dr who understood both the in and out of competition banned list as she works with several. She started USADA athletes. treatment began the Monday after her fight, and was scheduled to last until Jan and her next blood work exam.

“Its really a shame. Cris will inevitably receive some penalty from this. She needed the medicine to recover from the weight cut.—people slammed her for not fighting feb 11—but she was recovering from the extreme weight cut and was in treatment. Her dr told her the 3 cuts in 8 months were becoming dangerous.

“Cris Cyborg already learned the risks of steroids in 2011.

“2016 Cris Cyborg learned the risks of extreme weight cutting.

“She isn’t using a steroid, and her fans can be confident that her intent wasn’t PED but rather health related.”
…
“Unfortunately she forwarded the list direct to the dr. And began treatment once she understood it was not on the banned list or requiring a therapeutic use exemption. Knowing she works with many USADA athletes the website wasn’t checked.”

Max Holloway: ‘If I wasn’t injured’ I’d fight Jose Aldo’s ass ‘any day of the week’

After Max Holloway beat Anthony Pettis at UFC 206 for the interim featherweight title, the promotion put him on the spot. Would he be ready to fight Jose Aldo at UFC 208? A bunch of adrenaline, some fuzzy math, and a minute later and the UFC had their answer: The fight was on. Holloway even went so far as to tell fans to start a #WheresJoseWaldo hashtag on Twitter to call out the Brazilian champ for potentially ducking him.

Only, it turns out that UFC 208 won’t have a featherweight title unification bout at the top of it after all. In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Aldo said that not long after the bout was scheduled, Holloway started making excuses for why he couldn’t take it. “First, I heard he twisted his ankle and wouldn’t have time to heal. Then I heard he had a trip booked to Disney World with his kids and he wouldn’t be able to reschedule. Then I heard his gym is closed during the holidays and he wouldn’t have enough time to train. So he’s basically going around, talking a lot of trash, saying a lot of bullshit, and acting like a punk. He just talking shit.”

As could easily be imagined, Max Holloway didn’t take kindly to Aldo’s insinuations, and fired back with his own version of events in an interview with FOX Sports.

“I don’t know what the hell he’s talking about,” Holloway said. “Telling me I knew before the fight — I didn’t know (expletive) before the fight. When they told me in the cage after I won that they wanted the fight Feb. 11, I thought it was 10 weeks away so I’d take two weeks off and then have an eight week camp to get ready for him. Then after everything, my adrenaline was on high and was going crazy, they got me hyped and I said what I said and then I figured out it was eight weeks so I was like holy (expletive) that’s fast but I said that’s OK we can do this.”
…

Here’s a photo of @BlessedMMA ankle in reference to my interview with him last night. Courtesy of @SuckerPunchEnt https://t.co/XZIUqJi3U6 pic.twitter.com/3Ee0GhHibh

— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) December 21, 2016

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“The next morning I woke my (expletive) ankle was swollen as an elephant’s leg. I told the UFC ASAP what was up and I don’t know why they didn’t announce it, but I went to the doctors as soon as possible and I was told I can’t do nothing for four to six weeks,” Holloway explained. “No contact, no nothing on my ankle. I can’t be kicking, I can’t be doing anything. I found out a re-injured an old injury in my ankle and I let them know I’m out four to six weeks.

“I guess he’s coming out taunting and running his mouth but at the end of the day if I wasn’t injured I’d fight his ass any day of the week. I’d fight him tomorrow.”

Holloway went on to bring up Aldo’s own injury history, as well as his assertion that the originally planned bout for UFC 206 was supposed to be against Aldo and not Pettis, but that Aldo wouldn’t take the fight. And while Aldo says that was down to his coaches, Holloway isn’t having it.

“Maybe this guy’s trying to stay relevant and make noise,” Holloway said about Aldo. “Maybe the UFC told him he could fight Conor (McGregor) and he didn’t get to fight Conor so to make it up to him they’re saying he can try to do the same thing (and win two titles). I don’t care. I’m going to fight him.

“I’ve got my golden ticket to fight him and I can’t wait to go out there and get it done. I know how I worked to get here. I’m the more active one. This guy can runs his mouth as much as he likes but I’m going to see him sooner or later.”

But what does “sooner or later” mean for fans eager to watch Holloway and Aldo throw down? Holloway says that he’s hoping for the “beginning of May or end of April,” if everything heals up right. Either way, Holloway still sounds confident that he’ll be unifying the featherweight belts in 2017.

UFC on FOX 22 medical suspensions: 7 fighters sidelined with potential bone breaks

UFC on FOX 22 had a lot of fun back and forth battles. Even though there weren’t many finishes, fighters like Alan Jouban, Mike Perry, Josh Emmett, Scott Holtzman, Leslie Smith, and Irene Aldana all showed up looking to scrap. And with a lot of long, grueling, tough fights comes a lot of potential injures.

The California Athletic Commission has released their post-fight medical suspensions, and as many as 8 fighters could be out for 180 days, 7 from possible fractures. For Jouban it’s his knee, for Perry and Moontasri it’s the nose, for Covington and Aldana it’s the eye. Throw in a potential broken rib for Josh Emmett and right and left hand injuries for Cole Miller and you could just about build a whole skeleton out of UFC on FOX 22 maladies. Here’s the complete list:

Michelle Waterson: No Suspension
Paige VanZant: 45-day Suspension (no exception) – Fell unconscious

Mickey Gall: 60-day Suspension (or physician clearance) – Right eyebrow laceration
Sage Northcutt: No Suspension

Urijah Faber: 45-day Suspension (no exception) – Hard bout
Brad Pickett: 60-day Suspension (minimum 45 days/30 no-contact for hard bout) – Left eyelid laceration

Alan Jouban: 180-day Suspension (or physician clearance) – Possible left knee fracture
Mike Perry: 180-day Suspension (or physician clearance) – Possible nose fracture

Paul Craig: No Suspension
Luis Henrique da Silva: 60-day Suspension (or physician clearance) – Left eyebrow & right cheek lacerations

Mizuto Hirota: No Suspension
Cole Miller: 180-day Suspension (or physician clearance) – Possible right hand and left pinky fractures

Colby Covington: 180-day Suspension (or physician clearance/minimum 60-days for facial laceration) – Possible orbital fracture
Bryan Barberena: 60-day Suspension (or physician clearance) – Facial laceration

Alex Morono: No Suspension
James Moontasri: 180-day Suspension (or physician clearance/minimum 60-days for left eyelid laceration) – Possible nose fracture

Josh Emmett: 180-day Suspension (or physician clearance/minimum 45-days for hard bout) – Possible rib fracture
Scott Holtzman: 60-day Suspension (or physician clearance/minimum 45-days for hard bout) – Right eyelid laceration

Leslie Smith: No Suspensions
Irene Aldana: 180-day Suspension (or physician clearance/minimum 45-days for hard bout) – Possible right eye fracture

Eddie Wineland: No Suspension
Takeya Mizugaki: 45-day Suspension (30 days no contact) – Knocked out

Hector Sandoval: 180-day Suspension (or physician clearance) – Left hip pain
Fredy Serrano: No Suspension

Sultan Aliev: 60-day Suspension (or physician clearance) – Left eyelid laceration
Bojan Velickovic: No Suspension

Holly Holm said yes ‘right away’ to 145 lb title fight, won’t ‘look to far ahead’ to Cyborg

Sometimes career opportunities really are just down to being in the right place at the right time. As one of the biggest fighters in the women’s bantamweight division, Holly Holm was an obvious candidate as a future catchweight (or even featherweight opponent for Cris Cyborg. Still, being on the end of two straight losses put her in a tough spot for a bout where she would have been a sizeable underdog. That’s no longer the case.

With Cyborg on the sidelines recovering from the effects of her last weight cut and the UFC suddenly interested in developing a women’s featherweight division. They needed two title contender worthy, big bantamweights. Enter Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie. Holm recently sat down with Luke Thomas for an interview on the Luke Thomas Show to explain how she ended up getting a shot at the vacant featherweight strap.

“Well, I had a couple of, just talks with other opponents,” explained Holm. “Just kind of talking, nothing was actually set. And then I had a meeting and they had brought up Cyborg at a catchweight and I told them I would do that. We knew she couldn’t go to 136, so we… You know we had told them, ‘Yeah, we’ll see if she can go to, like, 139.’ But, obviously it was probably going to be 140. So, we were kinda waiting for the answer back on that, if we were going to fight at 140. And that didn’t go through. I had another fight that was lined up, it was supposed to be end of January in Denver, and then that didn’t go through. And then we got the call that said 145 with Germaine de Randamie. So, that’s how it kind of, these events took place for me.”

“It wasn’t the phone call that I thought I was gonna get, but it’s definitely… I said yes to it right away.”

“It wasn’t the phone call that I thought I was gonna get,” continued Holm, “but it’s definitely… I said yes to it right away. My coach actually called, he was out of town, he was on his way out of town, and he called. I was still at the gym and he was like, ‘Hey, 145 lb belt, Germaine de Randamie. I’m not gonna say yes without you, but I think that it’s a go.’ And I always… I go with what he thinks to do. I always just follow his guidance, so I said, ‘Lets do it then.’ He said, ‘I know she’s a bigger 135, she’ll be even stronger at 145, but so will you.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, yep.’”

So, with the potential of becoming the UFC’s first featherweight champion in front of her, Holm is definitely ready to face Cyborg as her first title challenger, right? Well, maybe.

“Yeah, I feel like I know that’s probably what they’re likely leaning towards,” Holm said of a potential Cyborg fight. “She’s definitely a very big 145er… And I’m open to whatever fight. I’m always open to whatever challenge comes my way. Like I said, I wasn’t expecting 145 with Germaine and that’s what’s happening now. So, I just said, ‘Yes, lets do it.’”

“I don’t look too far ahead in the future.” Holm continued when asked if that meant she would definitely fight Cyborg at 145. “If you would have asked me before my last fight, ‘Do I want to fight for a 145 lb title?’ I would have said, ‘Well, I don’t know. I have this fight in front of me.’ We take it one fight at a time. That’s the only way I can really look into it. But, I’m always open to whatever comes my way.”

And while Holm may have given some uncertainty to the idea of fighting Cyborg at 145 in the future, she definitely sounded a lot more interested in the idea of dropping back down to become a two-division champ at 135. Or potentially even challenging Ronda Rousey in a superfight.

“How awesome to be able to fight for a belt in two different weight classes, no female has had that chance yet. I want to make the most of it.”

“I would love to go back and fight for the 135 lb belt in a perfect world,” said Holm, when asked about going back to bantamweight. “Even so, that’s definitely… I don’t want to look past this fight. So, right now, 145 lb belt is my goal. And how awesome to be able to fight for a belt in two different weight classes, no female has had that chance yet. I want to make the most of it. I would love to hold both of them at the same time, that’s the ultimate goal. I think anybody that’s in this sport, if they had that option they would want it.”

“I think anybody that has any common sense probably sees that that would be a big fight,” Holm said when asked about a superfight with Rousey. “There’s a lot of people that are not even really that involved, following MMA, that’s still a curiosity they have. So, it’s definitely something that I think people are curious about. It definitely has to pan out, because we have to see how December 30th goes, we have to see how February 11th goes. Between those two fights and whatever the outcome may be, there’s a lot of different roads that that can take, you know?”

Holm also talked about her upcoming bout with de Randamie, revealed the opponent for the Denver fight that fell apart, the challenges of changing weight classes, and what she expects from Ronda Rousey’s return. So check the whole thing out, and stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for more news and updates.

Video: Mighty Mouse gets USADA drug test at a convenience store

You never know when USADA’s gonna show up at your door looking to give you an impromptu drug test. Heck, it may not even be your door, as UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson recently found out. Johnson, fresh off his 5-round title defense against TUF 24 winner Tim Elliott, was down at the corner store, making a beer run, when he got the call to stay put, USADA was on their way.

“What’s goin’ on guys,” Johnson said, in an short live-streamed message after finding out he was about to be tested, “Mighty here. Just got the call from USADA and they’re lookin’ for the champ. I told ’em I’d pick up some brew for the stream tonight, so we’ll do a piss test at a convenience store, see how this goes.”

nothin like USADA deciding to join me on my date night with @mightywife pic.twitter.com/d5qzLrlszX

— Demetrious Johnson (@MightyMouseUFC) December 19, 2016

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Apparently the intrusion wasn’t enough to dampen anyone’s spirits, though.

@CapsFanJon @Jon_Anik @MightyMouseUFC it’s all good 🙂 we believe in clean pic.twitter.com/wFEYyHRGoA

— destiny.johnson (@MightyWife) December 19, 2016

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No word yet on when Johnson plans on being back in the cage or against who. Joseph Benavidez’s recent win may put him back in position as the no. 1 contender, but with two losses to the champ already, the UFC may look elsewhere for the next challenger to Johnson’s belt.

UFC on FOX 22: Waterson vs. VanZant – Fights to make

UFC on FOX 22 ended up being a bit of a strange event, mostly because I get the feeling that it was both a bigger deal going in and a smaller deal going out than people think. Bigger because I think people will actually tune in for the Sage and Paige show, and smaller because I think the UFC doesn’t lose that, that much by neither of them winning. MMA stars have always been a bit organic, and the UFC has survived by being ever willing to play with the hand they’re dealt.

That said, it’s time to figure out just exactly what that hand is. What does the UFC do with Northcutt and VanZant now? Is Waterson going to take off? What about Mickey Gall? Joining me to find out this week is BE reader Rich Perry. If you want next, write “Check the record, bud!” below as the opening line to a comment. I’ll pick one winner to make their fight picks for UFC 207. Now, let’s get to the fights!

MICHELLE WATERSON:

Rich – Michelle Waterson needs a gateway into the top spots in her division. Carla Esparza seems like the fight to book for her. Carla has been on the shelf a while and needs a solid fight to get herself back in the conversation as a legitimate contender. Another option could be Jessica Andrade, but either way the UFC needs a foil for Joanna and Waterson fits the role very well.

Zane – I love the idea of both Esparza and Andrade fights for Waterson, but Esparza’s recent comments about needing a tune-up make me feel like she wouldn’t take a fight with Waterson either. Since Waterson took zero damage against PVZ, she might be ready for an instant turnaround against Andrade. If that timing doesn’t work, however, I say give her Maryna Moroz if the Andrade fight can’t get made. Give Waterson one more mid-level build up before throwing her into a top contender bout for a title shot. Waterson vs. Andrade first, but Moroz as plan B.

PAIGE VANZANT:

Rich – Paige Van Zant should be booked carefully. The UFC needs decide if they want to protect her and give her a tune up fight to get her back on track, or if they want to see if she can sink or swim. For the latter, I think the Herrig/Grasso winner is a good choice for a rebound fight.

Zane – It’s going to be interesting to see just how into the Paige VanZant business WME/IMG is, because they certainly were leaning on her for this card, and she lost quickly and badly. Thing is, Paige, certainly has the talent to be a perennial top-10 fighter for her career, but top-10 and title contender are two different things. The UFC has to keep finding the right balance of notable fights that won’t completely take the shine off her, frankly I thought Waterson would be one. Since she wasn’t, I’d suggest a bout with Cortney Casey, who is big and tough and aggressive, but not nearly the skilled vet that Waterson is.

SAGE NORTHCUTT:

Rich – Sage Northcutt really needs time to develop. I’m hoping the UFC sends him out to feeder leagues to get some time to fight people at his technical level. He’s a plus athlete in a sport where that has a massive impact, but he just isn’t progressing on the ground the way he should be.

Zane – I don’t know that there’s any way the UFC cuts Sage Northcutt, he’s 3-2 and hasn’t lost two in a row. Is this a fight he should have been capable of winning? Yes. Does it strongly suggest he’s not ready for MMA at this level? Yes. Will the UFC cut and run? No. Instead it’s time to go down to lightweight and fight another too-green pretty boy, Claudio Puelles. The UFC could also do a bout with Cesar Arzamendia, otherwise they may be in the position of needing to sign people to fight him.

MICKEY GALL:

Rich – Mickey Gall is in a weird spot right now. He doesn’t seem ready to beat a UFC caliber talent. They’re going to have to go outside the UFC to get some fresh blood or a vet wrapping a career up. Gun to my head pick is Brian Camozzi, but I’m not super sold on Gall as anything other than a project fighter for the UFC at this point.

Zane – I really hope Gall isn’t serious about going to 155. He’s a big, strong welterweight and he’s only probably going to pack on more muscle with time. If he does go down, then give him Martin Bravo (although Bravo is probably going to 145). The Dan Hardy fight is out there as a possibility, and I could easily see the UFC doing it, but I’ll actually wait for Hardy to un-retire officially before I hold my breath on that. If Bravo is at 145 and Hardy is still out, then I’d go with Mitch Clarke. Clarke is a solid vet, but not a dangerous striker and the kind of crafty grappler who could really make Gall work hard on the mat. And if Clarke schools him, then maybe that’s just the development lesson Gall needs. Mickey Gall vs. Mitch Clarke.

ALAN JOUBAN:

Rich – Jouban fought a smart fight vs Perry, and he had a convenient future opponent materialize when Colby Covington took the decision over Barberena. I think they’re on similar trajectories in the UFC, a win could help both of them and a loss wouldn’t lower the stock of either fighter too badly.

Zane – There’s a fight staring Jouban right in the face right now, and it’s Gunnar Nelson. Jouban is a fun, crafty grappler, and an interesting diverse striker who has great creativity and the athleticism to make it work. Both men are 6-2 in the UFC right now and both coming off a win. Would be a great, fun fight to make. If the UFC has bigger plans for Nelson (and they might) then I’d go with another solid mid card action fighter in Zak Cummings, coming off a big win over Alexander Yakovlev. Jouban vs. Gunni is my first choice though.

EDDIE WINELAND:

Rich – Wineland has been fight for 13 years at this point, and one thing that stand out in his resume is his lack of rematches. I want to give him a chance to avenge his 2009 loss to Rani Yahya, if only for sentimentality.

Zane – Yahya is the longtime veteran coming off a win with no next fihgt lined up at 135 right now. And after Mizugaki’s loss, Yahya probably even has a spot in the top 15 as well. John Dodson wouldn’t be a bad fight either, even if I think it’s a fight Dodson would win, but it’d be crazy as long as it lasted. In fact, with most of the rest of the op of the division getting booked up around them, I think Dodson vs. Wineland is the way to go. Book the fun action fight for the action fighters and it’s two big enough names that you could even get a main card slot or prelim headliner out of it. Wineland vs. Dodson is my pick.

OTHER BOUTS: Perry vs. Barberena, Craig vs. Antigulov, Henrique da Silva vs. Cutelaba, Hirota vs. Nover, Covington vs. Moraes, Morono vs. Till, Moontasri vs. Steele, Emmett vs. Polo Reyes, Holtzman vs. Mustafaev, Smith vs. Reneau, Aldana vs. Faszholz, Sandoval vs. Nguyen, Serrano vs. G. Herrera, Aliev vs. Meunier, Velickovic vs. Muhammad