MMA WeeklyManager sure Nick Diaz will return to the UFC in 2021
A few months ago, footage of Nick Diaz training for a UFC comeback surfaced on social media. His manager, Kevin Mubenga, insisted that Diaz was aiming to make a comeback. Several months into Diaz's training, in recent comments to Fanatics View, Mubenga once again reiterated that Diaz will be back in the Octagon in 2021. "The guy has been training. He’s been training for at least four months now," said Mubenga. "He took a little break (in November) and now we’re going to pick it back up in December and go into the new year hopefully with a new deal done. Make sure the money is right and the opponent is right and we’ll be able to move forward with all of this." The last time Diaz set foot in the Octagon was opposite Anderson Silva in the UFC 183 main event in January of 2015. Silva initially won the bout, but the results was later changed to a no contest after Silva tested positive for steroids and Diaz tested positive for marijuana. He has since been watching from the outside looking in, while many fans of his and brother Nate have been clamoring for his return. Nate hasn't been much more active than his older brother, having fought just four times over the five-year span since Nick faced Silva. Nate did, however, fight two times in the latter half of 2019. UFC president Dana White has been skeptical of Nick's return, but considering that he has such a strong fan base, he would surely welcome it. The UFC and the Diaz brothers coming to terms has always been a struggle, however, and that is certainly something that could hinder a Nick Diaz return in 2021. Mubenga believes there is little chance of that, though, believing there is a 99.99 percent chance that Diaz fights next year. "We just got to get everything else right with the organization and everything. We’ll be able to move forward." TRENDING > Khabib has no interest in fighting Conor McGregor again, reveals new fight promotion Trending Video: YouTuber Jake Paul believes fight with Conor McGregor will happen (Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube)
MMA WeeklyUFC featherweight Yair Rodriguez suspended by USADA
USADA announced on Thursday that Yair Rodriguez, of Chihuahua, Mexico, has accepted a six-month sanction for a violation of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy resulting from three Whereabouts Failures during a 12-month period. Like all UFC athletes, Rodriguez, 28, is a member of the UFC Registered Testing Pool and is therefore subject to certain Whereabouts responsibilities, which allow him to be located for testing. Accurate Whereabouts information is a crucial component of an effective out-of-competition testing program because it enables anti-doping organizations to conduct no-notice sample collections, which helps maintain effective doping deterrence and detection. Rodriguez failed to update his Whereabouts information and was unavailable for testing at locations provided in his Whereabouts Filings on three occasions. He accrued a Whereabouts Failure in each of the first three quarters of 2020. The accumulation of three Whereabouts Failures within a 12-month period constitutes a policy violation under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy. Rodriguez was eligible for a reduction in the period of ineligibility because his conduct did not raise suspicion that he was trying to avoid being available for testing. He received reductions based on his degree of fault and for his Full and Complete Cooperation. Rodriguez’s six-month period of ineligibility began on September 8, 2020, the date on which his third Whereabouts Failure was declared against him. TRENDING > YouTuber Jake Paul claims he’s in talks to fight Conor McGregor Trending Video > Mike Tyson: UFC was kicking Boxing's Butt (Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube)
MMA WeeklyLeon Edwards releases statement after COVID-19 KOs him from UFC Vegas 17
The UFC's final event of a pandemic plagued 2020 could not go unscathed by COVID-19. Leon Edwards and his UFC Vegas 17 headlining bout opposite Khamzat Chimaev became the latest casualties of a trying year. Edwards contracted COVID-19, which negated his ability to train for the fight and resulted in him losing 12 pounds over four days. He was subsequently removed from the UFC Vegas 17 main event, which the fight promotion hopes to reschedule in early 2021, possibly as soon as January. While readily identifying the fight's postponement as a hit to him, Edwards was quick to acknowledge that things could have been much worse for him, and things are much worse for many other people. "Another setback, but when you come from the mud you learn to put everything in perspective. This virus has affected many lives and families much worse than mine. Looking forward to getting this rebooked soon, thank you all for the well wishes."Leon Edwards on Twitter https://twitter.com/Leon_edwardsmma/status/1334162543263305729?s=20 The UFC updated its website on Wednesday showing a welterweight bout between Stephen Thompson and Geoff Neal elevated to the UFC Vegas 17 headlining spot. The bout was already slated for the UFC Vegas 17 fight card. TRENDING > Khabib has no interest in fighting Conor McGregor again, reveals new fight promotion Trending Video > Mike Tyson: UFC was kicking Boxing's Butt (Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube)
