It’s rare to find a woman fighting it off on the octagon; even rarer to find a woman with communications degree to get her message across with hard-hitting fists. But that’s the way it is with Emily Thompson. The 23-year old communications degree holder is making a living out of talking fists and flying knees.

And since the prospects for her are looking good – as she is now one of the new female recruits of the American Fight League – makes the case of Thompson even more remarkable.

Thompson is game to talk about the path that had led her to the sport of MMA and eventually to the AFL.

“Originally, I’m from Anchorage, Alaska,” Thompson explained. “They would put shows on there monthly. It always was exciting for me to go and watch. I was always like, ‘Man, if they had this for girls I would totally sign up. Where do I sign? Let’s get this going.’

“At one of the intermissions, actually, during one of those events, they were saying how they were looking for females to get started. So I was one of the few that went down and piqued my interest. I actually took a fight two weeks after that.”

The determined Thompson had found time for the sport. In 2005, when she had a time off from her studies, she was able to fight twice at the Alaska Fighting Championship. Her fighting instincts and athleticism (she played soccer in college) compensated for her lack of proper martial arts training, winning the two bouts that summer of 2005.

“If you call having an older brother and a bunch of friends beating you up martial arts, then yes (I had experience),” Thompson said of her status before her debut. “I didn’t have any real training background, which may not have been very smart. Or it could have been the smartest thing I’ve ever done because now it’s kind of what I’m doing for a living.”

Thompson knew that smarts do not make winners in MMA – nothing replaces real, arduous MMA training. Her next step was to seriously train for future bouts.

“I went to school at Sonoma State, where I just graduated,” Thompson explained. “I played soccer there all four years. I never had time to really make [MMA] a priority because playing a college sport is kind of like a full-time job anyways.

“But as soon as I graduated and finished soccer, I found Nor-Cal Fighting Alliance, which is where I train now. It’s kind of been history ever since. I threw myself right into the mix. I didn’t waste any time.”

“The way that we train up there is unlike any other gym I’ve ever seen before,” Thompson said. “I basically have a gym full of coaches. I don’t have just one coach. I learn from everybody in there. Dave Terrell is actually the owner of the gym and my main coach. He is the most knowledgeable person in jiu-jitsu in the world, if you ask me.”

After the two bouts in 2005, Thompson made a comeback to the ring this year. It’s a long break but the hiatus did not negatively affect Thompson as she earned a victory via TKO.

“I was still training periodically throughout that time off,” Thompson explained. “I just never had the time to actually get a fight and totally prepare for it. But it’s not like I wasn’t training or doing anything those three years — like I went off to Africa or anything to do nothing.

“I’m always active. I was always training in some sort of way. If it was soccer or anything, I was always active. I consider that I was off working out.”

Now, with college studies and sport behind her, Thompson is concentrated in getting top-notch training at Nor-Cal Fighting Alliance. As for her new contract with AFL, Thompson is eager to fulfill her three-fight deal with the organization.

“I was pretty happy with this signing,” Thompson said. “It’s a three-fight deal, and it’s 18 months. That’s what I look forward to — to know that I’m going to have three fights in the next year and a half.

“That’s the one thing that’s been so hard. It’s so unpredictable. I’m a very punctual person. I like to know when I’m going to be here or there, my training schedules. And having this kind of contract laid out it gives me a good heads-up of what’s going to be happening in the next 18 months of my life.”

And Thompson has a clear-cut fighting goal and philosophy, a testament that she is a no-nonsense fight artist.

“My goals are basically to beat every opponent that they put in front of me,” Thompson said. “That’s what I’m going to train to do. And that’s my job, to go and win.”

Tags: Alaska Fighting League, American Fight League, Emily Thompson, female fighter, MMA, Nor-Cal Fighting Alliance

Posted in steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in MMA, Steroids in Sports, Steroids in UFC

It looks like Randy Couture and the Ultimate Fighting Championship is finally patching things up.

It was reported that Couture, the UFC’s reigning heavyweight champion, could fight for the promotion by year’s end, an indication that their legal battle is reaching a resolution.

Couture’s future fight could be a part of an out-of-court settlement with UFC. One source close to the fighter said that the fight could be Couture’s ticket to walk away from the organization without legal entanglements.

It is unclear at this time, however, if UFC will be amenable to Couture’s concession.

The 45-year-old fighter resigned from UFC in October 2007 based on several issues. Apparently, Couture was dissatisfied with the treatment and compensation he received from the organization. Also, Couture has also some issues over UFC’s failure to sign Fedor Emelianenko, who was a free agent then. Couture had wanted to fight Emelianenko, the number one ranked heavyweight champion. Zuffa LLC, UFC’s parent company, believed that Couture has two more fights as per his fight contract.

In February this year, Couture signed a contract with HDNet Fights promotion, which later filed a suit against UFC in a Dallas district court to obtain a declaratory judgment regarding the contractual status of Couture, nicknamed “The Natural”. A Texas appeals court, however, decided in favor of Zuffa earlier this month. The court conditionally granted UFC’s request for a stay against the motion.

For those of you who don’t know, Randy Couture claims to the name, Randy “The Natural” Couture, but with his big head he’s obviously abusing human growth hormone (HGH). It’s easy for him to use a lot of HGH since there was to real testing for human growth hormone (HGH) for many years, and there is no real tests for HGH to this day. HGH testing is not like anabolic steroid testing.

Tags: Couture comeback to UFC, Couture-UFC legal battle, HDNet, MMA, Randy Couture, UFC, Zuffa LLC

Posted in steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in MMA, Steroids in Sports, Steroids in UFC

Another explosive battle between welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and B.J. Penn might take place next year, according to St. Pierre’s manager Shari Spencer.

In a recent radio interview, Spencer confirmed that a repeat encounter could happen on Jan. 31 in Las Vegas.

“That’s my understanding,” said Spencer. “I know [UFC President] Dana [White] has been announcing it publicly. We haven’t officially signed a bout agreement, but everything is pointing toward January 31 in Vegas against B.J. Penn.”

In March 2006 at UFC 58 USA Versus Canada, St. Pierre won via a split decision over Penn.  The 29-year-old Penn currently holds UFC’s lightweight championship belt and fans want to see these two fighters deliver classic octagon action.

Spencer confirmed news of the planned 170-pound title bout on the heels of intensive renegotiations with Zuffa LLC, parent company to the UFC, to retain St. Pierre’s services.

“We’ve been in long discussions with the UFC for several months,” said Spencer. “I am not at liberty to say anything right now. But there should be some news coming out regarding that very shortly.”

St. Pierre’s recent bout earned him a unanimous decision over Jon Fitch at UFC 87 Seek and Destroy last August 9. After that match, the Canadian fighter had one fight remaining on his contract with UFC. And there had been rumors the “Rush” might end up with opposing promotion, particularly Affliction Entertainment. Now that St. Pierre’s services had been retained by UFC the rumors have been dispelled.

BJ Penn is coming off a win over Sean Sherk, who was suspended from the UFC and lost the UFC lightweight title due to testing positive for anabolic steroids.  He denied using steroids and stuck to his story.  The anti-steroid BJ Penn slammed Sean Sherk for steroid use, but couldn’t go further.  He defeated Sean Sherk but didn’t defeat the rumor about Sherks’ steroid use.  Of course in MMA/UFC and every other sport, HGH is widely used because there is no test for it – and judging by BJ Penns’ big forehead, he’s a HGH lover!

Tags: Affliction entertainemen, anabolic steroids, bj penn, Georges St. Pierre, GSP, lightweight, MMA, rematch, Sean Sherk, steroids, UFC, welterweight

Posted in Steroid Cycles, steroid nation, Steroids in MMA, Steroids in Sports, Steroids in UFC

Robbie Lawler (16-4) might not go ahead with his plan to take a personal time off from the cage for the remainder of the year. Following his win over Scott Smith in July, he  said he intended to take a break but now MMA fans will likely see “Ruthless” in action again as soon as November.

There have been reports that Lawler will face off again with Joey Villasenor (26-6) for EliteXC event slated for November 8. Same reports say the bout is “pretty much a done deal.” The card will broadcast on Showtime cable network.

EliteXC Vice-President Jared Shaw’s has hinted of the possible rematch with his recent interview.

“Joe [Villasenor] will definitely be appearing sometime in the fall,” Shaw said. “And he’s definitely in line for a world title shot.”

Villasenor is currently riding on a three-win streak but he still has to get his revenge on Lawler. Villasenor was knocked out by Lawler via a flying knee at PRIDE 32 Real Deal on October 2006. The 6-foot Albuquerque native says he’s looking forward for the chance to fight it out again with Lawler.

“[Lawler] caught me with his first right, he dazed me, and the rest is history,” Villasenor said. “Ever since that night I think about it and him all the time. … I would really like the opportunity to compete against him again.”

The opportunity to fight in his hometown has been lost when EliteXC’s card was cancelled. Said card was supposed to take place on Sept. 20 in New Mexico. But it looks like it’s a scenario of opportunity lost and opportunity gained for Villasenor as he has now the chance to grapple the title from Lawler.

The bout will be Lawler’s third title defense in less than six months. Lawler, currently WAMMA’s fifth-ranked middleweight, is holding on to the title with tenacity as this bout will be Lawler’s third title defense in less than six months. Lawler’s record now shows a five-bout winning streak.

Also a note, a lot of EliteXC athletes have tested positive for anabolic steroids, so don’t be suprised to see the november even full of steroid accusations.   MMA’s Antonio Silva disproves steroid use

Tags: anabolic steroids, EliteXC, Joey Villasenor, MMA, rematch, Robbie Lawler, steroids, title defense

Posted in steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in MMA, Steroids in Sports, Steroids in UFC

Mixed martial arts heavyweight champion Antonio Silva pleads innocence to steroid use allegations. The allegations stemmed from the California State Athletic Commission’s release of Silva’s doping results on Thursday.

According to the CSAC, the fighter’s urinalysis showed traces of the anabolic steroid boldenone. The test was conducted during the Brazilian’s bout against Justine Eilers at the EliteXC card on July 26. As a result, Silva was immediately suspended for one year and fined $2,500.

Alex Davis, Silva’s manager, is planning to contest the disciplinary action and to request a hearing before NSAC.

“It’s a false positive. He got tested positive for something he didn’t take,” said Davis from his home outside Rio de Janeiro. “I will not let my fighter sit back and be wronged like this. I just won’t.”

In a statement, Silva also denied he committed any wrongdoing. “I did not use the steroid Boldenone, or any other steroid of prohibited substance. I don’t agree and never have agreed with the use of this kind of product in order to win, for this is cheating. I will go to the full extent of my power and the law to prove my innocence in this matter.”

Boldenone is an anabolic steroid approved for veterinary use only. Equipoise is one of the popular brand names of boldenone which is used mainly to treat conditions of horses, such as injury and diseases. This steroid also reportedly improves the well-being of horses as it increases protein synthesis.

According to Sherdog.com, Silva has been denied licensure in the state of California in June 2007 because “an abnormal brain scan of the athlete showed signs of a tumor.” Silva reportedly suffers from the condition known as acromegaly, which causes enlargement of the extremities and face due to an overactive pituitary gland. The 6-foot-4 Brazilian underwent medical treatment two months later to surgically remove the tumor and fought three times since.

From Sherdog.com:

Silva was notified of the positive test result Wednesday via a phone call from the CSAC, though Davis said rumors of his fighter’s results had been circulating during a prolonged testing period, which included independent tests of two separate samples conducted by Quest Diagnostics and the World Anti-Doping Agency-approved Laboratoire De Controle Du Dopage in Montreal.

Davis said Silva has taken legal nutritional supplements during his training, but that the use of steroids in light of his fighter’s medical condition could prove fatal.

“He can’t take stuff like that because he has acromegaly,” said Davis. “All of his hormone levels are a problem regularly, so he wouldn’t be able to for risk of his life.”

Davis…which has groomed Silva as a professional fighter since his arrival in the U.S. nearly two years ago, have already set the wheels in motion to hire a toxicologist and legal representation to shepherd Silva’s appeal.

Silva was the first-ever heavyweight champion crowned by the fledgling promotion following his second-round pummeling of Eilers on July 26. Silva’s impressive showing capped off four wins for the heavy-handed competitor in EliteXC’s cage, and Davis said the organization will not be quick to jump to conclusions.

“They’re being very fair. What they’re saying is they won’t strip him of his title until he’s proved guilty,” said Davis.

Jeremy Lappen, EliteXC’s Head of Operations, refrained from comment, but said a public statement from the promotion would be forthcoming.

Tags: acromegaly, anabolic steroids, Antonio Silva, boldenone, California State Athletic Commission, EliteXC, equipoise, MMA, urinalysis result

Posted in steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in MMA, Steroids in Olympics, Steroids in Sports, Steroids in UFC

In sports like MMA, a career plan is better than a fight plan. This seems to be the belief of Mark Dion, KJ Noons’ manager.

EliteXC Vice President Jared Shaw has issued a 5 p.m. PT deadline for Noons’ camp to sign a bout agreement to face off again with Nick Diaz on an Oct.4 CBS broadcast. Dion isn’t submitting to Shaw’s demands.

“The update on [the deadline] is nothing is going to happen with it,” Dion said. “That’s what’s going to happen with that. I don’t care about how many threats [Shaw] wants to pull. We’ll be doing a press conference if EliteXC doesn’t see the light here pretty soon and if Shaw doesn’t stop talking [expletive].”

Noons already beat Diaz and, in Dion’s opinion, fighting it out again with Diaz will accomplish little for Noons, if at all.

“As far as Nick Diaz, he’s not the No. 1 contender out there,” Dion said. “To [EliteXC] he is. He’s the number one (for getting) eyeballs to (watch) them. They’re pushing on eyeballs versus a career move for a champion like KJ. KJ is really not the one who gets anything out of the fight. Diaz does and so does ProElite.”

The two camps are unlikely to see eye to eye – Shaw hints that Noons and Dion’s stance has something to do with contract and pay and Dion, meanwhile, points out the core of the issue is the choice of opponent.

To Dion, his fighter is now the reigning lightweight champion and that position can issue its own demands. Noons is now primed to fight for recognition and that comes only if he’s offered to be pitted against the best EliteXC can offer says Dion.

“I would think Eddie Alvarez is the No. 1 contender,” Dion said. “He’s definitely ranked higher than Nick Diaz. KJ already beat Nick Diaz.”

Alvarez, however, is taking a personal time off and is currently unavailable. Dion feels that is not the reason behind the plan matchup between Noons and Diaz.

“Eddie Alvarez is getting married, but that’s not our problem,” Dion said. “People get married in five or 10 minutes.”

Dion says if the situation is not patched up soon, he will hold a press conference to bring everything out in the open.

“We’ll do a press conference to discuss everything,” Dion said. “But there’s nothing in it for KJ unless [EliteXC] finally wakes up a little bit. That’s why we’ll have a press conference. I don’t like to talk and beat a company that’s already beat down. I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt. Hopefully they’ll see the light.”

That press con can be the venue to explain some issues but, in the meantime, Dion likes to shed some light on his role in the negotiation process.

“I don’t bend over for nobody, and I don’t let my fighters do it,” Dion said. “I’m not a booking agent. I don’t book my fighters and schmooze deals to work for the promoters. I work for my fighters.”

And as for the EliteXC organization, the manager wants to send this message across: “Forget 5 o’clock,” Dion said. “I ain’t waiting until 5 o’clock. If [EliteXC officials] are holding their breath, then someone’s going to pass out.”

Tags: Eddie Alvarez, EliteXC, Jared Shaw, KJ Noons, Mark Dion, MMA, Nick Diaz lightweight champion

Posted in steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in MMA, Steroids in Sports, Steroids in UFC

Mixed martial arts is a kind of sport that requires a high tolerance for pain and maybe James Irvin has a relatively lowered pain threshold than most MMA fighters. So, he opted to use painkillers. Bad, bad idea. Methadone and oxymorphone are scheduled, dude!

And the fact that the Nevada State Athletic Commission conducts post-fight doping screening of athletes under its jurisdiction, Irvin’s intake of these banned compounds screams for the question: What were you thinking, dude?!

Irvin apparently threw caution to the wind when he grabbed the opportunity to fight Anderson Silva on UFC Fight Night on July 19. This despite a recent injury he sustained while he was training for his bout against Rashad Evans on UFC 85: Bedlam. The match-up with Evans did not push through and Irvin lost to Silva. So, all those painkillers he took to speed up recovery of his injury were all for nothing.

Now, Irvin is under temporary suspension pending a disciplinary hearing with the NSAC. His hearing with the NSAC could result to cancellation of his license and/or pecuniary fine for his alleged violations. Bad, bad news for Irvin.

Sherdog.com has the details:

Getting the opportunity to face the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter might not have been worth it to James Irvin in the end.

After getting squashed by Anderson Silva in a minute and one second during their July 19 UFC light heavyweight tilt on Spike TV, the Sacramento native has allegedly tested positive for the non-approved analgesic painkillers Methadone and Oxymorphone according to a post-fight urinalysis conducted by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Irvin’s manager, Mike Roberts, told Sherdog.com Tuesday afternoon that he had not been aware of the allegations and had not been in contact with his client about them yet. Irvin could not be immediately reached for comment.

Irvin, 29, took the Silva bout on the heels of recovery from a broken foot, after the UFC had swiftly organized the July 19 event to counter-program a pay-per-view hosted by the rival Affliction promotion on the same night.

A former star on the central California’s WEC circuit prior to the promotion’s purchase by Zuffa LLC. in 2006, the heavy-handed Irvin had posted back-to-back wins over Luis Arthur Cane and Houston Alexander before his one-sided loss to UFC middleweight champion Silva.

Methadone is a synthetic opioid used as analgesic to treat chronic and severe pain. It is also used to abate withdrawal symptoms of former drug dependents. Oxymorphone is also classified as a narcotic pain reliever.

Tags: James Irvin, methadone, MMA, opioid analgesics, oxymorphone, steroids, UFC

Posted in steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in MMA, Steroids in Sports, Steroids in UFC

Leonard Garcia, the World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight contender, should thank his lucky stars that he’ll be seeing another action in an MMA cage and not in another kind of cage.

Garcia was arrested last March 27 when he got involved in a sting conducted by federal authorities in Texas. He was suspected of being part of a drug trafficking ring and was subsequently charged with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute around five kilograms of cocaine.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he was cleared of all the charges last week.

“My attorney called me and told me [federal prosecutors] didn’t feel like it was something they wanted to take to trial,” said Garcia. “The federal guys looked at the case and determined they didn’t have enough evidence.”

Garcia, 28, has professed his innocence and said that his entire ordeal was a matter of guilt by association.

“It was a shock,” Garcia said. “There were some times when it looked bad, but I hadn’t been around those guys in two, two and a half years. It was like a nightmare. I went from being on top of the world to being stuck in jail with a bunch of nobodies. It’s definitely something I never want to go back to.”

In April, he was released on a recognizance bond but was put under house arrest for two months. Garcia talked about how difficult it was to be under that situation.

“I couldn’t do anything [on house arrest],” he said. “I tried to run with the ankle monitor on, but it cut into my ankle. Two months of training is a long time [to miss], especially when you’re trying to fine-tune your skills. I feel like I have lost time to make up for.”

An obstruction of justice case could still be a legal obstacle; however, the worst he could get from that is a mere probation.

And the realization hit him hard – harder than anything he had received on the MMA cage – that everything is so transient.

“I feel like they tried to take my life away,” he said. “I went from having everything to losing everything in a matter of seconds. It made me realize that if I have the opportunity to do something, I need to go for it.”

The fighter from Plainview, Texas, known as Bad Boy, has an 11-3-0 MMA record.

Leonard Garcia was known to use regular anabolic steroids, but the new drug charges never had anything to do with that, he is just a lost soul.

Tags: cocaine, drug trafficking ring, Leonard Garcia, MMA, World Extreme Cagefighting

Posted in steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in MMA, Steroids in Sports

Josh Barnett will fight his long time friend Jeff Monson at Sengoku II in Japan. World Victory Road (WVR) is suggesting the fight will happen on May 18, 2008. Barnett is going to fight the guy who he was training with for years, Monson, because WVR couldn’t set up a match with him and another top heavyweight.

Sengoku II will also see Kevin Randleman take on Ryo Kawamura (confirmed match), while Roger Gracie is only said to be a valid fighter on the card with no opponent announced.

Josh Barnett – Jeff Monson and Steroids:

Josh Barnett tested positive for steroids before, so has Jeff Monson. In fact, one of the reasons Josh Barnett stopped fighting in the USA is because of his failure to pass drug tests, mainly for anabolic steroids. We don’t need to discuss Jeff Monson further then he’s a career time steroid user, who’s better off fighting in Japan where there are no drug tests.

Tags: anabolic steroid, anabolic steroids, Jeff Monson, Josh Barnett, MMA, Sengoku II, steroid, steroids, World Victory Road

Posted in steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in MMA, Steroids in Sports, Steroids in UFC

Mark Coleman who went from Hero to Zero has the stupidest celebration after winning the 2000 PrideFC Grand Prix. Mark “The Hammer” Coleman is acting more like an idiot then an fighter. Keep in mind, 2000 is really the last time Mark Coleman was effective, as his years of steroid abuse and poor training led to his eventual losing streak. Mark Coleman became a joke in MMA, calling him the old man on hormone replacement therapy, with him being literally ripped apart 2 times by Fedor Emelianenko. Mark “The Hammer” Coleman, we have some advice for you, retire! Take your ass to an HRT clinic, get yourself some testosterone, some HGH and some skin cream so you can lay back and relax. Don’t keep fighting as you’ll just make more of an ass of yourself, if that’s even possible.

After winning PRIDE’s 2000 Open-Weight Grand Prix, Mark “The Hammer” Coleman, seems to be coming down from a all time crack high and starts bouncing off the
ropes like he’s gone mentally retarded.

Tags: anabolic steroid, anabolic steroids, Mark Coleman, MMA, PrideFC, steroid, steroids

Posted in steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in MMA, Steroids in Sports, Steroids in UFC