The NAC Punishes PFL Fighters & Alan Belcher Is Stripped Of BKFC Gold: MMA News & Notes For 6/20/23
– The Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) has issued the following punishments to seven of the PFL fighters who have failed drug tests for the 2023 season according to MMA Junkie. The fighters being punished are Mohammad Fakhreddine [12-month suspension; $6,407.50 fine ($6,000 + $407.50 in fees)], Cezar Ferreira [Nine-month suspension; $3,489 fine ($3,000 + $489 in fees)], Will Fleury [Win overturned; nine-month suspension; $3,071 ($2,250 + $821 in fines)], Rizvan Kuniez [Win overturned; 12-month suspension; $9,821 fine ($9,000 + $821 in fees)], Thiago Santos [Six-month suspension; $12,907.50 ($12,500 + $407.50 fees)], Daniel Torres [Nine-month suspension; $2,826 fine ($2,500 + $326 in fees)] and Rob Wilkinson [Win overturned; nine-month suspension; $8,321 fine ($7,500 + $821 in fees)].
– Ilia Topuria says Paddy Pimblett isn’t worth anything as a fighter:
“Paddy, you know what happens with Paddy?” Topuria said at a media day this past Saturday (transcript via Danny Segura of MMA Junkie). “He’s a person that media attention wise, he’s big. But as a fighter we all know he’s not worth anything. He’s not even ranked. He hasn’t done anything.
“So giving merit to a person that’s only where he is because he knows how to sell himself well, I don’t think that’s the right thing to do. We’re athletes. In the UFC, the difference between them and other organizations is that here what’s valued is the sport and Paddy, sporting wise, hasn’t achieved anything. That’s why he doesn’t interest me at all.”
– Cory Sandhagen took to Instagram to reveal why he accepted a fight with Umar Nurmagomedov (transcript via Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie):
“Hey, I know you guys saw the announcement. I’m fighting Aug. 5 against Umar Nurmagomedov. I’m getting a lot of haters saying, ‘Why would you fight this far down in the rankings?’ He’s going to beat my ass, blah, blah, blah.
“Two reasons: One, Umar is a great fighter, and I’m not trying to be world champ if I’m not the actual best in the entire world. So fighting Umar is a great challenge, and I accept it. And No. 2? Because I’m a beast, b*tch, that’s why. Peace, I’ll see you guys in Nashville. Yippee ki-yay, motherf*cker.”
– MMA Junkie reports that Jessica Andrade will replace Virna Jandiroba against Tatiana Suarez at UFC Fight Night Nashville.
– Danny Argueta says he was about to finish Ronnie Lawrence at UFC Vegas 76 before Keith Peterson’s involvement caused a no contest:
“I was about to get that finish,” Argueta told reporters after the event (transcript via Ken Hathaway & Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie). “I threw that shallow guillotine on him. Obviously it’s one of my tricks, and I held it, and I held it, and when I felt the ref pulling him off, I was like, ‘Oh damn, he’s already asleep. I didn’t even start the crank yet.’ There’s two chances to tap. It’s suffocating him, and then all I have to do is kind of crank it a little bit, and usually I’m getting just about everyone to tap.
“So, that was really unfortunate. That was quite a few months of work. That was about 14 months since I was at bantamweight. That’s the weight class that all you guys wanted me to come into the UFC at. And that’s what I can do in, I don’t even know, two minutes? Two and a half minutes?”
– MMA Junkie reports that the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) has granted the UFC a license to hold five more events in the state from September 2023 to December 2023.
– ESPN is reporting that Kai Kara-France will face Manel Kape at UFC 293.
– ESPN is reporting that Henry Cejudo will fight Marlon Vera at UFC 292.
– Jake Paul has taken to Twitter to reveal that his upcoming boxing match against Nate Diaz has now been approved as a 10 round fight.
– Sean O’Malley wonders if the UFC should run the women’s divisions as a separate promotion:
“What if there was a ‘WUFC’?” Sean O’Malley said on the TimboSugarShow podcast (transcript via Jed Meshew of MMA Fighting). “What if they had their own program? Would it last? Would they be able to sell pay-per-views, would they be able to sell out arenas? I’m just asking. What if it was the ‘WUFC’? It’s still the UFC, it’s still Dana, it’s still the UFC pushing these fights and promoting them – would it last?”
– BKFC President David Feldman has revealed on Instagram that Alan Belcher has relinquished the heavyweight title to compete in a boxing match.
– MMA Fighting has reported that the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) has fined Devin Haney $25,000 for shoving Vasyl Lomachenko at the May weigh-ins for their fight.
