By MMA Junkie Staff
January 28, 2021 11:05 pm
Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/mma-junkie-radio-3126-special-guest-sam-alvey-jake-paul-vs-ben-askren-more
MMA Junkie Radio #3126: Special guest Sam Alvey, Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren, more
Video: After cutting a Ric Flair-inspired promo, Michael Chandler gets a call from ‘The Nature Boy,’ himself
Michael Chandler is living the dream.
Following his first-round finish of Dan Hooker in the co-main event of UFC 257, Chandler cut an epic promo, honoring one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Ric Flair.
And it appears “The Nature Boy” took notice, giving Chandler a call to congratulate him on his impressive promotional debut. A giddy Chandler shared the clip on his Instagram, thanking the pro wrestling legend for the praise.
“Are you kidding me?! Just got a personal zoom call from @ricflairnatureboy to congratulate me on my win at #ufc257 Living an actual dream. Thank y’all for being on this journey with me. Stay the course. Eventually all your hard work will pay off, you just still have to be standing there with arms wide open when it does. WOOOOOOOOOO! See you at the top! Huge thanks to @theathleteassist for making the connection for me.”
Chandler, who entered the UFC lightweight title picture with his big win over Hooker, immediately called for former interim champion Dustin Poirier next. Though the retired Khabib Nurmagomedov is still the official UFC 155-pound champion, Chandler is hoping to face Poirier for the vacant title that’s expected to be on the line once the promotion accepts his retirement.
The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.
Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/ric-flair-calls-michael-chandler-after-the-nature-boy-inspired-promo
USADA suspends Raquel Pennington for six months following self-report; ‘Rocky’ issues statement
Former UFC title challenger Raquel Pennington has been suspended for six months by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, the UFC’s official anti-doping partner.
Pennington today revealed that a suspension was forthcoming, and the agency shortly after issued a formal announcement, following a self-reported violation of the UFC’s anti-doping policy by the 32-year-old women’s bantamweight.
Pennington was found to be using the prohormone 7-keto-DHEA and the peptide AOD-9064, both of which she said were prescribed to her by a doctor to treat a medical condition. Unfortunately, both substances are prohibited at all times under the UFC’s policy.
According to USADA officials, “after using the substances for a short period of time, she conducted research and learned that they were prohibited substances and immediately came forward about her use to USADA.” While Pennington faced a potential two-year sanction, she was granted a reduced order “based on her forthright declaration prior to sample collection and for her Full and Complete Cooperation” USADA officials confirmed.
Pennington’s period of ineligibility began on Nov. 17, the date she declared the use of the substances, leaving her eligible to return in May.
Pennington (11-8 MMA, 8-5 UFC) last fought in June, picking up a decision win over Marion Reneau at UFC on ESPN 11. She currently sits at No. 8 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie women’s bantamweight rankings.
Pennington’s full statement is below (via Instagram):
I wanted you to hear this from me first. This morning, USADA will be announcing a violation I committed of the UFC anti-doping policy. Here are the facts. I went to my physician about a medical condition I was experiencing and was prescribed several medications to treat the condition. Unfortunately, I took the medications for a brief period of time, before realizing I should have checked on their status under the program. I soon discovered that these medications may be prohibited, so I immediately stopped taking the medication and contacted the UFC to report this potential issue. I want to make it very clear that there was nothing that forced me to report this to UFC, and ultimately USADA. No one knew about this except myself and my physician and USADA had not collected a sample from me since I started the medications. This was simply me realizing a potential mistake and wanting to do the right thing. As USADA’s forthcoming statement will show, I fully cooperated with them and provided them with 100% honesty. I was not trying to cheat, skirt the rules or trying to gain a performance advantage. I was simply trying to treat a medical condition and made the mistake of not timely checking the status of these medications. I want to apologize to all of my fans and publicly make the commitment that I will be much more careful in the future and not let this happen again. I hope that I can serve as a role model in showing that we all make mistakes, but it is what you do after realizing those mistakes that define your true character. I believe that my actions shown in these events show everyone what I am made of, and while I regret making this mistake, I am proud of how I handled this and hope that you are of me as well. Thank you for your understanding and your support. #TeamRocky #BeBackInMay
Following the announcement, UFC senior vice president of athlete health and performance Jeff Novitzky took to Twitter to emphasize Pennington’s willingness to be transparent as her case was investigated, taking a quote from her statement (via Twitter):
Once she realized her potential mistake, Raquel did EVERYTHING right. “Your mistakes don’t define your character. It’s what you do after you have made the mistakes, that make all the difference.” https://t.co/oo00d0SwYm
— Jeff Novitzky (@JeffNovitzkyUFC) January 28, 2021
Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/usada-suspends-raquel-pennington-for-six-months-following-self-report-rocky-issues-statement
Watch Daniel Cormier surprise Khabib Nurmagomedov with his ‘Submission of the Year’ award
Who better to award Khabib Nurmagomedov for his incredible finish at UFC 254 than his teammate Daniel Cormier?
Retired UFC lightweight champion Nurmagomedov, who scored a slick triangle choke submission of Justin Gaethje in his final outing in October, has been awarded the “UFC Honors Fan Choice Submission of the Year” award.
Surprising him with the trophy was his good friend and American Kickboxing Academy captain Cormier, who of course jokingly decided to take credit for all the jiu-jitsu classes he taught Nurmagomedov during their time training together.
A witty Nurmagomedov fired back with a hilarious response as the two exchanged words in their typical banter fashion.
Watch the hilarious clip below:
You voted!
We got @DC_MMA to surprise @TeamKhabib with his #UFCHonors Submission of the Year award! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/L7uy8rt0Fw
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) January 27, 2021
Despite UFC president Dana White trying to lure Nurmagomedov out of retirement on numerous occasions, it appears “The Eagle” still has no interest in coming back. For now, he’ll sit back and enjoy his award for 2020’s best UFC submission.
The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.
Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/daniel-cormier-surprises-khabib-nurmagomedov-with-submission-of-year-award
UFC 257 Fight Motion: Down goes Conor McGregor!
Take a closer look in slow motion at some of the most exciting moments from Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 2 from this past weekend in this edition of UFC 257 Fight Motion.
Conor McGregor returned to the Octagon after a year on the sidelines. The results were not what he had hoped.
Dustin Poirier avenged a loss to McGregor from more than six years prior by stealthily calf-kicking him until his lead leg failed. That opened things up for Poirier’s hands to find the finish.
Not only did Poirier exact his revenge, former Bellator champion Michael Chandler made a splash in his Octagon debut, announcing his arrival with a blistering knockout of Dan Hooker in the UFC 257 co-main event.
Check out all the UFC 257 super slow motion highlights.
TRENDING Dana White no longer thinks Khabib is going to fight again following UFC 257
(Video courtesy of UFC)
Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/ufc-257-fight-motion-down-goes-conor-mcgregor
