UFC Will Not Fine Brock Lesnar For Failed Drug Tests, Bonuses May Not Be Touched

Fines Brock Lesnar potentially faces for reportedly testing positive for clomiphene in drug tests related to his fight at UFC 200 will have to come from the Nevada Athletic Commission, and not from UFC itself.

According to an article by Marc Raimondi on MMAFighting.com, UFC vice president of public relations Dave Sholler stated the MMA promotion will not be fining Lesnar. Any fines will be left up to the state athletic commission.

The Nevada Athletic Commission's guidelines state the penalty for a first violation of its drug policy related to the use of anabolic steroids is 50 to 70 percent of the participant's purse. Whether or not the NSAC categorizes clomiphene as an anabolic steroid, its guidelines state, "We will continue to follow WADA's Prohibited List, for both prohibited substances and prohibited methodologies."

Clomiphene is specifically named as a prohibited substance by WADA. None of the other three drug categories in the NSAC guidelines (sedatives, diuretics, stimulants) seem like a more accurate fit for clomiphene.

Lesnar's publicly-disclosed purse for fighting Mark Hunt at UFC 200 was $2.5 million. He's likely due even more in pay-per-view bonuses. MMAFighting.com says the money Lesnar made beyond his disclosed purse is likely to go untouched. A fine on 50 to 70 percent of $2.5 million would come out to $1.25 million to $1.875 million.

It's unclear yet whether WWE, which he's under contract to, will take any action to penalize Lesnar.

Brock Lesnar Reportedly Fails Second UFC 200 Related Drug Test

According to MMAFighting.com, in addition to failing an out of competition drug test taken by USADA from a June 28th sample prior to his UFC 200 fight, Brock Lesnar also failed an in-competition drug test prior to defeating Mark Hunt at UFC 200.

To clarify, in-competition is a window of 12 hours before and after a fight.

The report added Lesnar failed both tests for the same banned substance, and the name of the substance will not be revealed unless Lesnar first reveals it himself.

The second test will very likely be folded into the first one and be considered a single potential doping violation.

UFC’s anti-doping policy states two positive tests could be considered aggravating circumstances, potentially leading to further sanctioning.

Lesnar passed multiple drug tests before failing the one taken from a June 28th sample, and as we noted he was tested eight times in the month leading up to the fight and passed the first five tests. Lesnar has now failed at least two of the last three tests. As noted, Lesnar faces a possible two year ban from UFC.

New York State Statement On Brock Lesnar's Participation At WWE Summerslam

The New York Department of State, the body that governs the New York State Athletic Commission, issued the following statement to WrestlingINC.com in regards to questions about whether the NYSAC would prevent Brock Lesnar from performing at WWE Summerslam in Brooklyn, New York, on August 21. Due to a potential violation of USADA policy, related to drug-testing for his fight at UFC 200, Lesnar may be suspended by the Nevada Athletic Commission. There have been questions about whether New York, which also regulates pro wrestling, would enforce that suspension at Summerslam.

In 2002, New York State passed legislation that scaled back the regulation of "professional wrestling" in many respects based on a recognition that the activity is entertainment rather than bona-fide athletic competition. Under current New York State law, "professional wrestling" is defined as wrestling "primarily for the purpose of providing entertainment to spectators and which does not comprise a bona fide athletic contest or competition" (NY Unconsolidated Laws section 8928-b[1]). As such, the State does not license individual wrestlers, and Mr. Lesnar is not a licensee of the New York State Athletic Commission. In the context of "professional wrestling," as defined above, the State licenses only the promoter, such as the WWE. Per New York law, among other health and safety requirements that apply to the licensing of a promoter, the event promoter is required to have a physician examine each wrestler and determine whether each wrestler is medically fit to participate.

The question of whether Mr. Lesnar is fit to participate in a "professional wrestling" event is one that will be determined by the application of the professional medical judgment of the examining physician, the policies of the WWE, and the choices made by Mr. Lesnar with regard to his own participation leading up to the event date.

It seems the state is confirming it wouldn't prevent Lesnar from participating in pro wrestling events such as WWE Summerslam due to an MMA suspension, because New York doesn't license individual wrestlers, and his participation is merely up to the physician, WWE and Lesnar himself.

New York requires all pro wrestling events to have a medical physician present, who determines whether wrestlers are medically fit to participate. WWE provides their own ringside physicians, such as Dr. Chris Amann.

Brock Lesnar Comments On Possible USADA Violation, Other Tests Came Back Clean, Mark Hunt Ultimatum

As noted, the UFC announced Friday night that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency informed Brock Lesnar of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation from an out-of-competition sample collection taken on June 28, 2016. Lesnar issued a short statement to the Associated Press, saying, "We'll get to the bottom of this."

The Associated Press also reported that they received three letters from USADA to Lesnar informing him that he had passed tests on three other samples collected in mid-June, days before the sample with the potential violation was collected.

Lesnar's opponent at UFC 200, Mark Hunt, said that he wants UFC to "sort" the situation out or he wants his release.

"They say they are trying to clean up the sport, but it doesn't feel like it," Hunt told MarkHunt.TV. "The UFC is basically saying if you cheat you won't be penalised.

"This is the third time I've had to fight a cheater in my career. The other two times I didn't ask for compensation, but this is the third time and I'm sick of them getting away with cheating. I've told Dana that I want a release from the UFC if they don't sort this out."

WWE Issues Statement Over Possible Brock Lesnar USADA Violation, Lesnar Still Set For SummerSlam?

From WWE.com:

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Brock Lesnar of a potential policy violation, stemming from an out-of-competition sample collected on June 28, 2016, according to a statement released by UFC on Friday afternoon and reported on by ESPN and other news sources.

Lesnar successfully returned to the UFC against Mark Hunt 12 days later on July 9 at UFC 200. The results of the sampling were received by USADA on July 14.

UFC released the following statement on the matter via Twitter

Statement by UFC on potential anti-doping violation by Brock Lesnar: pic.twitter.com/oydm46UzC5

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 15, 2016

"Brock Lesnar has not performed for WWE since WrestleMania and is not scheduled to return until Sunday, August 21."

Brock Lesnar Flagged For Potential Doping Violation; UFC Issues Statement

The UFC announced on Friday that Brock Lesnar has been informed of a potential anti-doping violation by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

The possible positive test stems from an out-of-competition sample that was collected on June 28.

“USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case,” the UFC said in a news release. “It is important to note that, under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, there is a full fair legal review process that is afforded to all athletes before any sanctions are imposed. The Nevada State Athletic Commission also retains jurisdiction over this matter as the sample collection was performed in close proximity to Lesnar’s bout at UFC 200 in Las Vegas.”

The results of the test were received on July 14, five days after Lesnar defeated Mark Hunt in his return to the Octagon.

Lesnar will now await the results of a B sample to see if the positive test is confirmed.

Looking back, UFC 200 was supposed to be the biggest event in the history of mixed martial arts and has ended up being a complete disaster. Jon Jones was scratched from the card after he also tested positive for a banned substance. Jones’ fight against Daniel Cormier was supposed to be the main event, replacing the previous main event which was tossed out due to the embarrassing dispute between Conor McGregor and the UFC (read more about that here).

If Lesnar’s B sample confirms he tested positive for a banned substance, he’ll be suspended from future competition.

source: msn.com

Triple H On WWE NXT And The WWE Draft, Bret Hart's Recent Comments, Brock Lesnar, Shinsuke Nakamura

To hear Paul Levesque talk about NXT is akin to hearing a father beam with pride about his firstborn son.

By day, Levesque is the WWE's executive vice president of talent, live events and creative. By night -- though much more infrequently these days -- he's 14-time world heavyweight champion Triple H.

But for all intents and purposes, Levesque is the heart and soul behind NXT, WWE's developmental territory, which has grown to become a legitimate third brand, providing in-house competition for Raw and SmackDown.

Created in 2012, NXT was designed to develop new talent and, in Levesque's words, "bring in a new era of WWE." But even the father of NXT himself has been surprised at how quickly it has grown into something more.

"It's hard for me to imagine that just a few short years ago, NXT was kind of just a concept that we had," Levesque said. "How quickly it has become something so much more than that."

With an old-school feel to the way it's booked and presented, the brand has created a cult following, offering hard-core wrestling fans a much different product from what WWE has traditionally aired on television in recent years. In fact, Levesque outright refers to NXT as the "bedrock" of the WWE Network, where it exclusively airs.

In response to Thursday's announcement that 2K Sports is releasing a collector's NXT edition to their "WWE 2K17" video game, limited to just 50,000 copies on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, Levesque took time to answer questions on a number of topics, including NXT's growth.

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Dana White confirms $4 billion UFC sale to WME/IMG

UFC president Dana White confirmed late Sunday night the accuracy of a New York Times report that the company had been sold for approximately $4 billion to a group headed by talent agency WME/IMG.

White told Yahoo Sports via text message that he would remain with the company. The new group bought the shares of the company owned by Frank Fertitta (40.5 percent), Lorenzo Fertitta (40.5 percent) and White (9 percent).

The Abu Dhabi-based Flash Entertainment, which purchased 10 percent of the UFC in 2010, will keep its share for now. White said he will remain as an owner, president and head of day-to-day operations and the Fertittas have a minority interest in the new company, but he could not disclose specifics.

“I’m obviously bummed about not being in business with my best friend [Lorenzo Fertitta] and my partners of 20 years,” White said. “I am happy about the future of the UFC, the sport and my role moving forward.”

In 2001, White and the Fertitta brothers purchased the company for $2 million from Semaphore Entertainment Group. Each Fertitta had 45 percent at that point and White had 10 percent. In 2010, the Fertitta brothers sold 9 percent and White 1 percent to bring on Flash.

The UFC struggled in those early days and by 2004, the company was more than $40 million in the hole. It funded the entire cost of the first season of the reality series “The Ultimate Fighter” on Spike in a last ditch effort to save the company.

White has said the show was the Trojan horse that allowed the company to reach the 18-to-34-year-old demographic that would become its strongest constituency.

ESPN reported in May that the company was up for sale, which White denied. He said on “The Dan Patrick Show” the day after the ESPN report that the company wasn’t up for sale, but this time added, “if someone comes to us with $4 billion, we’ll talk.”

Last month, FloCombat reported the sale had been completed and that White would stay on. The UFC denied that report too, saying it had written a letter to its employees telling them it wasn’t true.

On Sunday, The New York Times reported that the WME/IMG group also included private equity firms Silver Lake and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, and an investment company owned by Dell Computers founder Michael Dell.

WME/IMG is not expected to play an active role in running the company.

Ari Emanuel, the brother of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, is close with the Fertitta brothers and has represented the UFC in the past. Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is represented by WME.

The sale is expected to close before UFC 202 on Aug. 20.

Brock Lesnar's UFC 200 Purse Revealed

Brock Lesnar's purse for defeating Mark Hunt in the co-main event of UFC 200 last night was $2.5 million, according to Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports.

This is not only Lesnar's biggest UFC payday but the highest guaranteed pay for any UFC fighter in history. Conor McGregor was previously guaranteed $1 million in March for UFC 196.

Lesnar will also receive money for pay-per-view sales.

Triple H and Vince McMahon react to Brock Lesnar's win over Mark Hunt

Brock Lesnar hasn't competed in the UFC for over 4 years, but with his impressive win over Hunt, he managed to still cement himself well within the top 10 best heavyweights in the world. It was an incredible feat, and his performances also had his WWE colleagues excited about the news.

Moments after UFC 200, ESPN spoke to both Triple H and Vince McMahon about the victory.

"To come back after all this time, and put on that kind of performance, speaks to the once in a lifetime type of athlete that Brock is," Triple H said.

Vince McMahon on the other hand, stated that "Brock is the most formidable combat athlete in the history of the country."

Watch the clip above where former UFC contender Chael Sonnen also reacted to these statements. In case you missed the milestone UFC pay-per-view event, you can still watch video from the heavyweight contest here.

Brock Lesnar Victorious in Return Fight at UFC 200; Addresses Fans in Passionate Post-Fight Speech

The “Beast Incarnate” is back, and he is NOT messing around. Brock Lesnar, the former UFC Heavyweight Champion of the world, returned to MMA this weekend at UFC for his first fight since 2011, defeating “Super Samoan” Mark Hunt by unanimous decision after three rounds.

Wanting to avoid the stand-up game of a knock-out specialist, Lesnar spent the majority of the fight taking Hunt to the ground, reigning down with rights and lefts in the first round as the clock ticked down. The second round was fairly uneventful, with Hunt able to mostly avoid Brock’s ground game, and no significant damage being done. In the third and final round, Hunt came out strong with a right hook, but once again WWE’s most dominant athlete took him down, slowly destroying his opponent with a flurry of rights of rights and lefts to the head to cement his victory.

Following the fight, Lesnar shook off questions about a second fight, instead speaking passionately to the American people, rallying them to come together. Brock thanked the fans in attendance and the men and women in uniform all around the country stating, “from sea to shining sea, from one white boy to all nationalities, we gotta stand together.”

Dana White on WWE Negotiations For Brock Lesnar, Vince McMahon, WWE Promotion on UFC Shows

UFC’s president Dana White spoke to members of the press tonight following the UFC 200 weigh-in for tomorrow’s massive event, live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In a fight many assumed would never happen, the “Beast Incarnate” himself Brock Lesnar will return to the octagon, squaring up against the “Super Samoan” Mark Hunt.

When asked how negotiations went with WWE and who he had to work with to make it happen, White spoke openly and noted that he had a lot of respect for Vince McMahon, despite calling him an “animal” at the negotiating table.

“It was Brock’s team, me, Vince and Triple H. Vince and I have had our ups and down, and Vince is a tough character to deal with. He’s an animal. It’s one of the things I respect about him, and I think he’s loosening up a little bit on the UFC.”

WWE.com streamed the entirety of Brock Lesnar’s UFC 200 weight-in, and has begun promoting the fight on social media heading into the bout. Dana noted that he will be returning the favor, and we will be seeing WWE advertising and promotion coming from UFC soon.

“Yeah. The fact that they did this – I wanted to reciprocate, so yes. And they’re doing [it too]. If you look today, Brock’s weigh-in will be on all social media for WWE. This deal couldn’t have worked out any better.”

Brock Lesnar on Stephanie McMahon Saying WWE Is Not “Necessarily” Supporting His UFC Fight: “I Don’t Care What She Says”, Talks UFC 200

Brock Lesnar recently did an interview with MMAFighting.com and below are some highlights:

Stephanie McMahon saying WWE was “not supporting the fight necessarily”:

“I don’t know, I don’t care what she says.”

How a loss might affect his WWE drawing power:

“I really don’t give a s–t.”

Returning to The Octagon for himself:

“This isn’t about my fans. This is about me living my life, being the person that I want to be. Granted, without the fans and everything, none of us would be able to do this. I get that. But I don’t sit up at night wondering is my drawing power gonna be hurt or are my WWE fans gonna tune in and watch me do this. I don’t give two sh*ts about that. This is about me. I want to get in there and be an athlete again. That’s what this is about.”

Possibly doing another fight and how his current camp is going:

“I don’t know, I feel really good. Training camp is going great. I’m happy. I’m happy with my life. I’m happy with everything. Since I left the Octagon after I got beat by Overeem and kind of forced out of the cage because of my illness it haunted me for a long time. Well what do you do? Well, here I am. And before it’s too late, I want to get back in the cage and have fun with it.”

Stephanie McMahon Talks WWE Not “Necessarily” Supporting Brock Lesnar in UFC, Why UFC is Not Competition to WWE, Social Media

While attending the Cannes Lions advertising festival in France last week, Stephanie McMahon spoke with Lara O’Reilly of Business Insider and below are some interview highlights:

O’Reilly: How much do you listen to what fans say on social media and how much does that influence what you do as a company, but also storylines?

McMahon: I think it’s one of the secret sauces to our success if you will is that our fans are a part of our show. They engage, they chant, they cheer, they boo. There’s a problem when they don’t react. So, in essence, every live event is like a focus group. So we are getting that real-time feedback from them, in the arena.

Another reason why I think social media was so successful for WWE is because of that fan engagement, because they are a part of what we do, therefore, even when they are not live in the arena, they have influence through social media. I think that it’s so important. A lot of brands just push messages out on social media, but that’s not what social is about. Social is about engaging, it’s about a conversation, it’s about listening and then responding, it’s an ongoing conversation with our fan base.

So when you consider the fact that our fans influence what happens in a match – a lot of it is improv, so they can dictate the flow if something’s not working, you can make an adjustment on the fly. They dictate what’s being said. They can often chant or you can get a feeling they are not engaged with the content, so you have to find a way to transition around that.

O’Reilly: Brock Lesnar [an NCAA wrestler, turned-WWE star, who is now rising to UFC fame] is a really interesting story right now. You’ve not necessarily ever done cross-brand promotions with the UFC before. Are you realizing there is a place for both UFC and WWE? Do they compete in any way? And also the fact that he’s flipped from one to the other and then back again.

McMahon: Brock is a unique proposition, but just to get to the broader question: UFC is not a competitor to the WWE because we are entertainment and UFC is competitive sport. It’s very different. WWE is all about protagonists and antagonists where ultimately our conflicts are settled in the ring with action that is akin to Hollywood. It’s incredible stunt-like action and the match itself tells a story, but our audience is engaged in the characters and their storyline. It has to be relatable to them so that they care to see the tragedy or triumph and we’re at an advantage because we can script it.

UFC, they can make a big star but the second that person loses, they lose credibility, and how do you continue to make that star rise? So I think we have the best of both worlds and the opportunity to tell the stories in the way we want to tell them.

In Brock Lesnar’s case it was really a special case that we are allowing him to do this fight [against Mark Hunt on July 9]. But like you said it’s not really a cross-promotional opportunity, but we are allowing him to participate in that fight.

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CM Punk Officially Set To Fight At UFC 203

It's official -- CM Punk is scheduled for his first UFC fight, and it'll take place just under two years after he first signed with the UFC.

Punk announced on UFC Unfiltered that he'd be fighting Mickey Gall at UFC 203 in September.

"I've been laying low media-wise, because I have nothing to say," Punk told Matt Serra and Jim Norton. "You can't talk a bunch of s--t until you've been in there, and I haven't been. The instant I got cleared, I got on the horn and nailed everything down, and I'll be debuting September 10 in Cleveland."

Punk said that he had to take care of his injury issues before setting a date for his UFC debut, ones that he's dealt with for years.

"I'm happy to have a date, there's a light at the end of the tunnel. You keep training and keep training until you hit a wall, and that was the point I was at. I found out I've been walking around with a herniated disk for probably years," Punk said.

CM Punk Not Debuting For UFC This August?

It appeared CM Punk's UFC debut vs. newcomer Mickey Gall was set for UFC 202 in late August but according to MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, the fight will not be taking place during WWE's SummerSlam weekend.

Helwani tweeted that the fight date is far from a done deal but it's looking like it will happen at UFC 203 on September 10th in Cleveland. Helwani wrote the following on Punk, who signed with UFC in December 2014:

"Current plan at the moment is CM Punk vs. Mickey Gall at UFC 203, per sources. Far from a done deal but that's the direction as of this AM."

UFC Reportedly Tells Employees That Report of $4.2 Billion Sale is False

UFC Sale Reportedly Finalized For $4.2 Billion, News On Dana White's Future With The Company

What was once thought unimaginable appears to be a reality.

According to a report from FloCombat's Jeremy Botter, the UFC has accepted a bid of $4.2 billion to be sold to the ownership group of WME-IMG, the Dalian Wanda Group, The Kraft Group and Tencent Holdings, the owners of the largest internet portal in China. The sale hasn't been completed but isn't expected to be announced until after UFC 200 on July 9.

Many bids were submitted but it came down to two groups: the WME-IMG, the Dalian Wanda Group, The Kraft Group and Tencent Holdings team and the other was China Media Capital. FloCombat also reports the CMC's bid was short of what the UFC was looking for in the deal.

The website also reports that in 2015, Fox, which is their TV partner, made an offer to buy the world's largest MMA organization but the bid was denied when the offer came in at half of what the UFC was looking for.

The majority of the money to broker the deal is being put up by DWG and Tencent Holdings. WMG-IMG and The Kraft Group though would act as the faces of the group, particularly in North America.

Questions have surfaced on whether Dana White would remain in the UFC. FloCombat states that White will stay with the UFC. White owns slightly less than nine percent of the company and his shares will be sold as part of the sale, but he will be getting new shares to stay on as UFC President.

Brock Lesnar's UFC return is uncharted territory for pro wrestling industry

The curiosity that has always been Brock Lesnar's MMA career took another turn on Monday morning when it was announced that Mark Hunt, perhaps the hardest puncher in the UFC, would be his opponent at UFC 200.

The announcement and Lesnar's claim he's coming back due to being unsatisfied with how he was robbed of the prime of his career by diverticulitis came at a convenient time - right before UFC 200, and after Conor McGregor was pulled from the show. UFC 200 was going to do well with a Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones light heavyweight title fight, but it may not have challenged the all-time records.

Lesnar claimed the conversations for his return went back three months, saying he made the first call to Dana White long before the UFC pulled the McGregor vs. Nate Diaz fight from the show.

It's a unique situation because it's the first time Vince McMahon, the billionaire owner of the WWE, has ever put one of his top attractions in a situation totally out of his control. Lesnar, who works a part-time schedule for WWE, mostly big events and does regular television appearances building those events, is next scheduled for SummerSlam, on Aug. 21 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. A UFC win by Lesnar would absolutely strengthen his image and name value to WWE with the eyes that are on UFC 200.

But what about a loss? And there are different types of losses. The intrigue with Hunt, is that he may not be the best fighter in the heavyweight division, but he also may have the highest chance of delivering the worst kind of loss, the walk-off knockout that is his specialty.

From a pro wrestling standpoint, the worst kind of loss opens up unanswered questions. This is uncharted water. Nothing like this has happened in modern American pro wrestling or MMA so there's no precedent as to how the worst kind of loss would resonate to the pro wrestling audience.

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Brock Lesnar talks about prescription drug abuse during first WWE stint

Ahead of his return at UFC 200, Brock Lesnar talks about abusing alcohol and prescription drugs during his first WWE stint and a mid-flight altercation it led to.

Brock Lesnar's return has been far from quiet.

Lesnar, who has been entered into the USADA testing pool, has been controversially granted an exemption to the USADA provision requiring a four-month notice for athletes coming out of retirement. This exemption is a source of much ire for his UFC 200 opponent Mark Hunt who believes Lesnar has likely been using PEDS. But PEDS are not the only drugs to come up recently in discussions with Lesnar.

On Thursday, Lesnar went on ESPN's Highly Questionable with Dan Le Batard and Bomani Jones in a bit of promotion for his return to the UFC. The interview touched on an assortment of topics, including Lesnar's abuse of alcohol and prescription drugs during his first stint with the WWE and what led him down that road.

"That was the early years of me when I was a young performer in the wrestling ring. You go through things in life such as you become rich and you become famous and you're naïve and you're young and to top it all off you're travelling 360 days a year. The wrestling is fake but the things that go on in the ring - the ring is still a very non-forgiving environment to be in so you're dealing with a lot of different injuries at one time.

"Not only that, I'm not a man to be on the highway. I'm not a man to be in a hotel room every night. I'm not a man to be in an airplane every day and it took all that for me to discover that and to cope with all that was my best friends, vodka and Vicodin."

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