(Courtesy of UFC)

UFC 237 covered a vast expanse of emotions, both in front of the public eye and behind it in the backstage area. 

Anderson Silva collapsed in agony in the Octagon, clutching his leg, causing many to have flashbacks to several years ago when he broke both bones in his lower leg. That didn’t happen at UFC 237, but Silva was feeling the pain of Jared Cannonier’s fight-ending leg kick.

Jessica Andrade was ecstatic, as she slammed her way to the UFC strawweight championship, leaving Rose Namajunas in a disappointed heap on the canvas. 

Meanwhile, longtime UFC veterans Clay Guida and BJ Penn shared a long embrace following their three-round battle earlier in the night. 

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Check out this clip from UFC 237 The Thrill and The Agony, which takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions as fighters win, lose, and succumb to heart-wrenching injury.

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/anderson-silva-collapses-in-pain-grasping-leg-ufc-237-thrill-agony-video

Former UFC fighter Anthony “Rumble” Johnson pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of Domestic Battery on Monday in Florida, according to TMZ Sports.

Johnson was arrested on May 6 following a domestic dispute in Florida. MMAWeekly.com confirmed the arrest by the Boca Raton Police Services. 

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ Sports, a woman called police to report an altercation with Johnson, her boyfriend at the time. The woman claimed that she was packing Johnson’s belongings when he picked her up and “put her in a football hold” and carried her to another room.

The report went on to say that Johnson admitted picking her up and carrying her, but said that he never had any intent to hurt her.

The nature of the incident warranted Johnson being taken into custody and charged with misdemeanor battery (touch or strike), which occurs when a person touches or strikes another person against their will or intentionally causes bodily harm to another person.

Police indicated that the woman did not appear to have any visible injuries.

In confirming the not guilty plea to MMA Junkie, Johnson’s attorney, Michael Walsh, disputed the idea that the incident be characterized as domestic violence.

“Anthony Johnson, if he hits you, your grandkids are going to feel it,” Walsh said on Wednesday. “He’s trying to deescalate her verbal argument. So he simply picks her up gently and puts her down. He simply did not want to argue anymore and put her in another room. That happens every day in America in domestic relationships. … It might be a domestic dispute, but it’s not domestic violence.”

Johnson will now await a case disposition hearing, according to MMA Junkie, where Florida officials will determine whether or not to pursue charges, ask for more time, or drop the case. He is currently under a no-contact order and must stay away from the woman, as well as refrain from possessing a weapon and using drugs or alcohol.

This wasn’t the first time that Johnson had been arrested on an alleged domestic violence charge. He was also arrested in 2009, stemming from an incident with an ex-girlfriend. He was eventually convicted on a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence and sentenced to three years of court probation, eight hours of community service, one day of county jail, and ordered to undergo 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling.

Anthony Johnson hasn’t fought in the Octagon in more than two years

Johnson, 35, hasn’t fought mixed martial arts since losing to Daniel Cormier in a battle for the light heavyweight title at UFC 210 on April 8, 2017. 

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He initially made an impact in MMA in the welterweight division, but never fully hit his stride until he moved to light heavyweight and heavyweight, where he defeated the likes of Andrei Arlovski, Alexander Gustafsson, Ryan Bader, and others. 

Johnson twice fought and lost to Cormier, each time with the UFC light heavyweight championship on the line. He has said that the lone bout that he has considered returning to MMA for is a heavyweight fight with Jon Jones.

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/anthony-rumble-johnson-pleads-not-guilty-domestic-battery-florida

Neil Magny has come forward to reveal that he was flagged for a potential doping violation by USADA, which led to his exit from his upcoming fight against Vicente Luque at UFC Fight Night in Rochester this weekend.

Magny was pulled from the fight on Monday with no reason given at the time as the UFC began the search for a new opponent to face Luque on Saturday night.

Ultimately, LFA veteran Derrick Krantz was tapped as a replacement to face Luque.

As for Magny, he took to Instagram to reveal details regarding his current standing after receiving word from USADA that an out-of-competition drug test had been flagged for a banned substance.

“As many of you know, I had to withdraw from my scheduled bout against Vicente Luque on Saturday, May 18th. I want to apologize to him, as I know how difficult it is to lose an opponent days out from a fight,” Magny wrote on Instagram. “Throughout my MMA career I have been very transparent. I am not afraid to admit when I am in the wrong. On Saturday, May 11, 2019, I received an email from USADA stating that I have been flagged due to an “out of competition drug test”. The flag was due to a metabolite of the substance “Di-Hydroxy-LGD-4033”.

“I have fully cooperated with USADA thus far to determine how this substance was found in the sample I provided them on May 5, 2019. I have always been an advocate for the strict drug testing in the UFC, even to the extent of opting for my collected samples to be used for research purposes by USADA. I know without a doubt that I have done everything according to the standards set by USADA. I have faith in USADA that this situation will resolved in a timely manner and that I will be cleared of any wrong doing. To all of my fans and supporters, thank you. I assure you that I have not let you down.”

As many of you know, I had to withdraw from my sceduled bout against Vicente Luque on Saturday, May 18th. I want to apologize to him, as I know how difficult it is to lose an opponent days out from a fight. Throughout my MMA career I have been very transparent. I am not afraid to admit when I am in the wrong. On Saturday, May 11, 2019, I recieved an email from USADA stating that I have been flagged due to an “out of competition drug test”. The flag was due to a metabolite of the substance “Di-Hydroxy-LGD-4033”. I have fully cooperated with USADA thus far to determine how this substance was found in the sample I provided them on May 5, 2019. I have always been an advocate for the strict drug testing in the UFC, even to the extent of opting for my collected samples to be used for research purposes by USADA. I know without a doubt that I have done everything according to the standards set by USADA. I have faith in USADA that this situation will resolved in a timely manner and that I will be cleared of any wrong doing. To all of my fans and supporters, thank you. I assure you that I have not let you down.

A post shared by Neil Magny (@neil_magny170) on May 14, 2019 at 3:23pm PDT

LGD-4033 is banned at all times under the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) banned substances list. It’s the same drug that NBA player Joakim Noah tested positive for back in 2017, which led to a 20 game suspension. 

As part of an updated set of rules and regulations between the UFC and USADA, fighters who are flagged for potential doping violations are not exposed publicly any longer until the adjudication process has played out.

Athletes are allowed to speak out on their own behalf, which is what Magny did by revealing his current standing with USADA in the wake of the positive drug test.

With Magny being flagged for a potential doping violation, he will be placed on a temporary suspension as the adjudication process plays out.

Meanwhile, Luque will still compete this weekend against Krantz, although the final bout order for UFC Fight Night in Rochester hasn’t been revealed.

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/neil-magny-reveals-failed-drug-test-led-to-exit-from-ufc-rochester-co-main-event

While he didn’t have quite the proper UFC debut he would have liked this past March, featherweight Grant Dawson is nonetheless pleased have come out with a victory.

Facing Julian Erosa at UFC on ESPN+ 4, Dawson was able to overcome a year and a half layoff to pick up a unanimous decision victory.

“I got the win and that’s all that matters,” Dawson told MMAWeekly.com. “I’m always hard on myself. I wish I would have gotten the finish. It’s the first time I’ve won without getting a finish. I’m happy it happened, but I would have liked to have finished.”

While such a long layoff was far from intentional, Dawson was able to use it to his advantage and improve his overall game.

“My coach (jokingly) said one of the worst things that could have happened was they gave me 365 days to get better, and he was right,” said Dawson. “I feel like my game overall has improved.

“The cool thing about having so much time off was that I didn’t have to focus on anybody but myself. I wasn’t preparing for anybody in specific, so it was okay for me to do really whatever I wanted in training. I feel like that really helped me get better as a full blown well-rounded mixed martial artist.”

On Saturday in Rochester, New York, Dawson (13-1) looks to pick up his fifth win in a row when he faces Mike Trizano (8-0) in a featherweight preliminary bout at UFC on ESPN+ 10.

“If you add up his amateur record, his pro record, and his record in the fight house, he’s 18-0. He’s never lost before,” Dawson said of Trizano. “That’s a challenge. That’s something I’ve never faced before, and that’s really exciting to me.

“How do we beat a guy who has never lost? We don’t know. I have my game plan set to play, and I think it’s what needs to be done to beat him, and we’re going to find out. I’m excited to be the first man to hand him a loss.”

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Following such a long layoff before he could finally step into the UFC, Dawson is eager to make up for lost time in 2019.

“I have my own road map for myself but I’m ready to go fight by fight,” said Dawson. “Barring nothing setting me back in this fight, I want to fight in July and keep this going.

“Now I finally have the opportunity to do what I love and do it at the highest level. I really want to do it as much as possible. I’m young now, I’m not in my prime yet, so I want to get in as many fights as possible now so when I do hit my prime I’m ready for a title shot and ready to be the best in the world.”

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/grant-dawson-excited-to-head-into-the-unknown-at-ufc-on-espn-10-on-saturday

The MMA world collectively inhaled when Anderson Silva went crashing to the canvas at UFC 237, clutching his leg as he writhed in pain. Luckily, the injury wasn’t as serious as many first worried, especially considering Silva’s history of having had both bones in his lower left leg broken in a fight.

Jared Cannonier fought Silva to perfection in the UFC 237 main event on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, continuously attacking the legendary southpaw’s lead leg throughout the first round. With the clock winding down on round one, Cannonier unleashed a brutal kick just above Silva’s right knee that send “The Spider” to the floor, grasping at his leg as the referee quickly stepped in and waved off the fight.

The scene sparked flashbacks to Silva’s grotesque injury suffered against Chris Weidman at UFC 168 in December of 2013. In that bout, Silva launched a kick with his left leg that Weidman checked. As he did so, Silva’s tibia and fibia snapped and wrapped around Weidman’s shin. 

Silva was immediately rushed to surgery and made a miraculous recovery to continue his career, though he’s not been the dominant fighter he once was. 

TRENDING Anderson Silva recounts recovery from gruesome broken leg (video)

In the fight with Cannonier, it was quickly clear that the injury was not of the same nature as that fateful night in 2013. Silva was cleared of a fracture after the fight, but it took an MRI to show that he had not suffered any severe ligament damage either, according to a report by MMAFighting on Tuesday. 

Anderson Silva’s statement following UFC 237 injury and loss

Even before the MRI that cleared him of any serious injury, Silva seemed to indicate that he would likely return to the Octagon, despite having recently attained the age of 44 and having lost six of his last eight bouts. 

”Until the limit, pain is your friend. It shows you’re not dead yet,” Silva wrote in Portuguese on his Instagram account, as translated by MMAFighting. “They say that great symbols become great targets. Maybe. But the most important thing is not to victimize yourself. If you fall, get up. If it’s broken, fix it. No giving up or thinking that you can’t because you lost one battle.

”The saying is, I’m going until the end and the more they pressure me, the more I’ll want to to go until the end. There’s nothing more wild than feeling sorry for yourself. An old lion, surrounded by hungry hyenas, crazy to eat him, and he stills fights until death without ever giving up or feeling sorry for himself. And it won’t be different with me. Strength and honor.”

Fala meu povo. ATE O LIMITE… A dor é sua amiga … Ela mostra que vc não esta morto ainda. Dizem por aí que grandes símbolos tornam-se grandes alvos, talvez… mas a coisa mais importante é não se vitimizar se caiu levante, se quebrou conserte, nada de desistir ou achar que não consegue porque perdeu uma batalha. O ditado e um só, eu vou até o fim e quanto mais me pressionarem mas eu vou querer ir até o fim, não existe nada selvagem que sinta pena de si mesmo, um leão velho rodeado de hienas famintas loucas para devora-lo e ele mesmo assim luta até a morte sem nunca ter sentido pena de si mesmo, e não será diferente comigo!!!! Foça e Honra!!!

A post shared by Anderson “The Spider” Silva (@spiderandersonsilva) on May 12, 2019 at 3:16pm PDT

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/anderson-silva-not-seriously-injured-in-ufc-237-loss