The MMA Ten keeps you updated on the latest news from the world of the UFC and beyond. Read it and you’ll feel like the bear from The Revenant.

When PEDs Don’t PE

Kimbo Slice vs Dada 5000
(Photo Credit: Bellator MMA/Facebook)

It’s safe to say that the Kimbo Slice vs. Dada 5000 fight is the biggest cluster-you-know-what in MMA this year. Dada 5000 nearly died after the fight when his heart stopped, and he also suffered from renal failure and dehydration. He spent over a week in the hospital before being released.

As if that wasn’t enough, Kimbo Slice tested positive for steroids after the bout, which was arguably the worst professional MMA fight in history. Slice and Dada 5000 resembled two drunk bar patrons that entered the cage to fight, except that two drunks would have put on a much better show.

Slice getting busted for PEDs was simply hilarious since they did absolutely nothing to enhance his performance. He ended up being fined $2,500 by the Texas Athletic Commission, as well as having his fight license revoked. Slice will fight again on July 16 in England, taking on James Thompson at Bellator 158.

 

Cyborg Still Wants Rousey Fight

Cris “Cyborg” Justino will finally fight in the UFC when she goes up against Leslie Smith at UFC 198. But Cyborg still has one particular opponent she would like to throw hands with: Ronda Rousey. While she can’t throw hands just yet, she can throw shade.

“I watched her last training, and she was doing shadow boxing on the beach… and her shadow won,” Cyborg said in an interview with Power 106 Los Angeles.

Cyborg also said that Rousey always runs from her, citing the fact she initially competed at 145 lbs., just like Cyborg did. “She always says she wants to fight me, but she never wants to fight me at catch weight so we can meet each other and fight.”

This is a fight that MMA fans have been pining for since Rousey began her reign. Now that both are in the UFC, it should be much easier to put together, especially since the UFC is more willing to put on superfights. Let’s just hope we get this fight while it still means something, not like the overly tardy Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight.

 

Jean-Claude Van Damme Trains with Nate Diaz

Steven Seagal has remained slightly relevant by riding the coattails of some big-name MMA fighters, and by taking credit for their handiwork. Another famous martial artist/movie star recently trained with some MMA fighters when Jean-Claude Van Damme met with Nate and Nick Diaz. Unlike Seagal, Van Damme made no claims of teaching them techniques or mentoring them to greatness.

 

Conor McGregor Still Talking About Nate Diaz Rematch

Conor McGregor recently found out that no matter how big you get, if you have a boss, he is still the boss. McGregor’s bluff was called when Dana White removed him from UFC 200 after McGregor failed to meet his promotional duties, then fake-retired on Twitter.

McGregor is still trying to get back on the card, and with good reason: He was reportedly set to make at least $10 million in the rematch with Nate Diaz.

“Who else can call a shot like the rear hand uppercut on a big 6 foot lurch and then go out and dig that baby repeatedly into the nose? Anyone? Didn’t think so,” McGregor said on the Instagram post. Notice how he makes mention of Nate Diaz’s size, something that McGregor has referred to often after losing to him. That’s quite a change from the guy who said he would fight anyone, anywhere.

McGregor also recently said that his rematch with Diaz is the only fight people care about on the UFC 200 card. “Nobody gives a f**k about these other fights until this one is settled. Cut the bulls**t. Run it back. #Realfight.” That’s not even remotely true. There’s only one person that needs to cut the BS here and it’s McGregor.

 

Lower Than Low

Lavar Johnson was a heavyweight MMA fighter, 6-foot-4, 265 pounds, with extreme power in his right hand. Now he’s in the process of changing cages, moving from the MMA cage to the confinement of a prison cell after being sentenced to five years in prison for beating up his girlfriend.

According to MMAFighting, “Johnson allegedly slammed his girlfriend’s head against a wall and the ground, and struck her repeatedly with knees and a closed fist.” Johnson confessed to the beating, and he was also charged in 2007 for another domestic violence incident. Johnson was also shot at a family party in 2009, and it nearly killed him.

When he made his return to health and fighting, it was a great story. Unfortunately, it turns out the ending sucks.

 

Wake and Break with the UFC

The UFC heads to the Netherlands for UFC Fight Night 87, televised here in the States on Sunday morning, beginning at 10:30 ET on UFC Fight Pass, then moving to FS1 at noon. While the card is not necessarily pay-per-view caliber, it does have some interesting fights that you’ll want to watch.

  • Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve stands 7-feet tall, and he’ll fight in his home country for the first time as a UFC fighter. He’ll battle Antonio “Big Foot” Silva, who is afflicted with acromegaly, a form of gigantism. These are two big heavyweights and someone is getting knocked out.
  • The main event features veterans Andrei Arlovski against Alistair Overeem. The two have a combined 90 pro fights, and this is an important fight in the heavyweight division. Overeem is the No. 3-ranked heavyweight, and Arlovski is ranked fifth.
  • Karolina Kowalkiewicz could be the next big thing in women’s MMA. The Polish fighter dominated Randa Markos in her UFC debut in December, and she has a favorable matchup against veteran Heather Clark on Sunday.

 

#MoreThanMean, MMA Edition

#MoreThanMean trended last week when video of sports personalities Julie DiCaro and Sarah Spain went viral. In the video, DiCaro and Spain sat and listened as men read vile tweets that had been directed at them. MMA fans are passionate, but they can also be vicious. Ronda Rousey was training at Venice Beach the other day, and some photos made their way to a popular MMA forum. It’s no secret that Rousey cuts weight to make 135 lbs. and so without a fight coming up, is back to her normal weight. #MoreThanMean was on full display in the comments. A sampling:

“Where are her ankles?”

“She’s very butch-looking. Second pic she looks like (Brock) Lesnar.”

“She has the most awkward hips. So square and tiny. Make it look like she’s all cramped up or something.”

“I’m thinking she ate all the cake.”

“So she’s recovering from her surgery obviously; looks like the operation for the removal of her ankles was a complete success.”

While #MoreThanMean went viral because of the video featuring DiCaro and Spain, DiCaro says it also applies to athletes, as exhibited in the examples above.

“#MoreThanMean was never intended to apply just to people in media,” she said. “Obviously, this kind of anonymous internet trolling happens to just about anyone in the public eye. I think we all have those certain sore spots that people intentionally target when they are being mean. It could be your weight, your intelligence, your family, how you were raised, etc.”

It’s easy to say that media personalities and athletes should simply dismiss the vicious comments, consider their source, and/or just toughen up. But that would be missing the point.

“The problem isn’t getting a thicker skin, the problem is people who derive some kind of pleasure from hurting and demeaning others. We, as a society, have to find a way to let these people know it’s not okay to hide behind a keyboard and sling mud at others,” DiCaro said.

I wonder how many of these internet tough guys would make these types of statements to Rousey’s face. My guess is the number would likely be the same as the amount of times they have sparred or even thrown on a set of boxing gloves: zero.

 

MMA Celebrations: You’re Doing It Wrong

Let’s lighten the mood a bit. MMA fighters celebrate wins just like NFL players celebrate sacks and touchdowns. One of the go-to moves for the victorious MMA fighter is the backflip off the cage. Sometimes, these don’t go as planned. This here is an all-timer. You’d almost think there was a sniper in the building.

 

Let’s Talk About Sex, D.C.

UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier joined Colin Cowherd on The Herd to talk about his rematch with Jon Jones at UFC 200. Cowherd wanted to talk about sex, specifically if DC abstains from sex during training camp.

 

Sharknado 4 Is a Go

Sharknado 4 Poster
You read the headline and peed yourself a bit, didn’t ya? That’s perfectly understandable. Sharknado 4, real title Sharknado: The 4th Awakens, is a go and the cast is amazing, as you might expect.

Here’s a rundown of some of the celebs and actors making appearances in the film: Shark Tank‘s Robert Herjavec, Corey Taylor of Slipknot, David Faustino, aka Bud Bundy, Duane Chapman of Dog: The Bounty Hunter fame, Baywatch hotties Alexandra Paul and Gena Lee Nolin, and In Living Color‘s T’Keyah Crystal Keymah.

So why is this in an MMA piece? Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir has been cast as the head of security for the “Shark World Hotel.” You can catch the film July 31 on SyFy — and you know you will.

About Matt Lo Cascio

Matt Lo Cascio has been covering MMA since 2009, mostly in the midwest for ChicagosMMA.com. He also writes UFC previews for Draft Kings, and is the play-by-play announcer for the XFO, seen on UFC Fight Pass.