Though details on UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber’s return to the Octagon are still scarce, Faber did confirm over the weekend that he is returning and has added the name of his comeback opponent. Faber told UFC veteran and commentator Dan Hardy that he would be facing Ricky Simon in his comeback fight.

Faber posted on social media mid-March, teasing that he was interested in a UFC return bout to help keep him feeling young. The post sounded somewhat serious, but it was unclear if he truly intended to return to fighting following a two-and-a-half-year retirement that included induction into the UFC Hall of Fame.

Turns out, Faber was serious and has already inked a deal for his UFC return bout. “I just accepted a fight yesterday, I don’t know if that’s supposed to be put out yet,” Faber told Hardy over the weekend, while in England for a grappling bout with Nicky Ryan, which he lost.

Faber hasn’t confirmed the date or location – although it is highly likely that he’ll return at UFC on ESPN+ 13 on July 13 in his hometown of Sacramento, Calif. – and was initially hesitant to unveil his opponent in an initial video interview with Hardy. In a subsequent video posted by Hardy, Faber revealed that he would be facing Simon and detailed his initial thoughts for a return opponent and how that led to Simon.

“I was gonna fight Kron (Gracie) and Kron said no, as the main event at 145. Then I was pitching Cub (Swanson). (Matchmaker Sean Shelby) said no because (Swanson) is on a four-fight losing streak and didn’t do anything for the division,” Faber recounted.

“Then they said Ricky Simon wants it. So I said alright. There’s so many guys out in the division. I took some time off, started a family, which is one of the reasons why I stopped. I felt like I needed to slow down in order to progress.”

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Though Simon isn’t one of the men battling for a title shot just yet, he has been impressive in his three UFC starts in the bantamweight division. He holds victories over the likes of Merab Dvalishvili, Montel Jackson, and Rani Yahya. A win over the likes of Faber would certainly make his case for inclusion in the UFC bantamweight rankings. 

With Faber having been out of mixed martial arts competition for two and a half years, Simon should prove to be a good barometer for him to determine where his skill level is at and whether or not he wants to commit to making another run at a UFC championship.

Urijah Faber reveals UFC comeback opponent to Dan Hardy

(Courtesy of Full Reptile)

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/urijah-faber-unveils-ufc-comeback-opponent

UFC middleweight contender Yoel Romero received a massive financial award in a lawsuit he filed against a supplement company following a failed drug test back in 2015.

Romero filed the lawsuit against Gold Star Performance, a New Jersey based company and according to his manager Abraham Kawa the courts awarded him $27.45 million in damages on Tuesday after taking a supplement that was tainted with a banned substance.

The lawsuit was uncontested by the supplement company, who failed to answer to the court or make an appearance to defend themselves.

According to Romero’s manager, the 42-year old former Olympic silver medalist was awarded approximately $3 million in lost wages, $3 million in reputable harm and another $3 million for emotional damage. The penalties were then tripled as part of the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act, which brought the total settlement to more than $27 million in damages.

“We feel justified,” Kawa said in a statement on Tuesday following the hearing. “Yoel, even if no money is made, would’ve been happy with a ruling that exonerates him. The award was icing no the cake.”

He looked me in the eyes and said “ Ibra! I don’t do nothing! “ I told him I’d fight with him all the way through. Today we won and we won big, sure $27.45mil is a lot of money and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t. That was not what we expected going into this thing but as I told @yoelromeromma after, God is always good and always on time! So we stopped and he got himself a watch before we headed back home #frm

A post shared by Abe Kawa (@abrahamkawa) on May 28, 2019 at 3:23pm PDT

Romero and his team filed the lawsuit after he received a six month suspension from USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) after failing a drug test in 2015 for the banned substance Iburtamoren.

USADA ultimately handed down a reduced sentence after it was discovered that Romero was a victim of a tainted supplement that contained the banned substance but was not listed on the product’s ingredient’s label.

While the massive award was handed down on Tuesday it remains to be seen just how much of that $27.45 million settlement will actually end up in Romero’s bank account.

The crippling financial verdict could force Gold Star Performance to file for bankruptcy, which means Romero could end up receiving some kind of money in the settlement but it remains unclear if he’ll actually get the full $27.45 million in damages.

According to Kawa, Romero wanted to clear his name more than anything else and prove that he never knowingly cheated and the results of the lawsuit helped to prove his case in court.

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/yoel-romero-awarded-more-than-27-million-in-damages-in-lawsuit-filed-against-supplement-company

Urijah Faber recently turned 40 years old and had his first child. So how does he celebrate? By requesting a UFC comeback fight; a request that appears to have been granted.

Though it was unclear a few weeks ago whether or not Faber was serious when he posted on social media about wanting to make a UFC return, we now know for sure. He was dead serious. Faber recently told former UFC title contender and current commentator Dan Hardy that he “just accepted a fight.”

The talk about a return started when Faber said, “I know my baby is keeping me young… but a good ole fist fight could help the cause… #ufcsacramento on the Horizon @ufc 145 or 135 who would be fun?” on his Instagram account. UFC Sacramento takes place on July 13, so that is likely the target.

Why does Urijah Faber want to make a UFC comeback?

But why now? What is making Faber want to jump back in the Octagon after having stepped away two-and-a-half years ago and being immediately inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame?

“Looking at today’s landscape, I just know that I can compete easily,” Faber told Hardy. “I’ve stayed in great shape. It sounds like fun and the reason I stopped is because I wanted to. The reason I’m coming back is  because I decided I want to.”

Though he failed on four occasions to capture a UFC title, Faber believes that he still has it in him to make another championship run, but he insisted that wasn’t necessarily his goal. But he is coming back, that much is for sure.

“I just accepted a fight yesterday, I don’t know if that’s supposed to be put out yet,” Faber said. And he apparently has the opponent lined up, as he and Hardy said it was a good match-up, but neither was willing to divulge a name until they got the green light from UFC officials. 

Conor McGregor wants Urijah Faber to go after former teammate TJ Dillashaw

One fighter that Faber teased he might want – if he sticks around long enough – is TJ Dillashaw, a former teammate that he and his Team Alpha Male had a very public falling out with. Faber said that even Conor McGregor, whom he talks to from time to time, has pushed him to go after Dillashaw.

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“Conor McGregor and I talk on occasion and he’s always clawing at me, ‘Go get that snake! Go get that weasel!’ and you have other sentiment about that. ‘The story’s not over!’ You know how Conor is. He’s hilarious. We have little private conversations on occasions like that.”

Dillashaw, however, is off the table for the near future. He was suspended for two years after testing positive for the banned substance EPO stemming from his January bout with Henry Cejudo, which he lost. 

Whom Faber will face in his return bout and the date have yet to be confirmed, but the UFC Hall of Famer is headed back to the Octagon.

Urijah Faber’s full interview with Dan Hardy

(Courtesy of Full Reptile)

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/urijah-faber-confirms-ufc-comeback-i-just-accepted-a-fight

Jessica Andrade is so proud of her UFC strawweight championship belt that she didn’t want to distract from its shine with anything, not even clothes.

Andrade posted a picture of herself, apparently fully nude, with nothing but the UFC championship belt draped over her shoulder and carefully placed. The caption accompanying the photo translates to “just a basic picture for a Monday.”

Andrade captured the UFC starwweight title on May 11 at UFC 237 in Rio de Janeiro. Though Rose Namajunas was looking good early in the fight, looking to defend the belt, Andrade scooped her up and slammed her to the canvas in the second round, knocking her out at the 2:58 mark. The bout earned her the Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night.

The victory was Andrade’s fourth consecutive win. Her lone defeat in her last eight bouts was to former women’s strawweight queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk. 

Andrade’s first title defense has yet to be scheduled. Jedrzejczyk has lost three of her last four fights, so she might not get the quick trip to the front of the line despite her past victory over Andrade. The new champ has, however, said that she would entertain an immediate rematch with Namajunas, who has yet to decide whether or not she will continue fighting.

Uma fotinha bem básica para segunda! ? . . . . #agoraétudomeu #campeã #love #corpoperfeito #prvt #prvtgirls #top #cinturão #ufc #ufc234 #luta #mma #wmma

A post shared by Jessica Andrade “Bate Estaca” (@jessicammapro) on May 27, 2019 at 10:10am PDT

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/ufc-champ-jessica-andrade-posts-nude-photo-wearing-nothing-but-championship-belt

(Courtesy of UFC)

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