Allegations Against Stephens Show He Beat A Man To Critical Condition
(blogs.desmoinesregister.com)
Des Moines police emphatically denied allegations by the agent of a mixed martial arts fighter arrested on felony assault charges last week that authorities deliberately arrested him before a nationally televised fight.
Jeremy Dean Stephens, 26, a Des Moines native, was arrested in Minnesota last week on a Des Moines warrant for willful injury and assault causing bodily injury. Authorities arrested Stephens, who is a veteran lightweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, hours before a nationally televised fight, causing him to miss his bout despite the best efforts of fight promoters to see him released.
While his agent accused authorities of acting in bad faith and deliberately waiting until just before the fight to arrest Stephens, police officials insisted the fight was their only chance to serve a warrant on the San Diego man.
“It wasn’t personal. We gave him several opportunities to turn himself in. He’s had a year to take care of it,” said Des Moines Police Sgt. Joe Leo. “
The crime Stephens was arrested for reportedly occurred almost a year ago, on Oct. 15, 2011.
According to police reports, the victim and his wife were at Fat Tony’s, 1500 SE 1st St., with Stephens and Dustin James Bachman, 27.
The victim had reportedly been asked to leave the bar and was still in the parking lot when Stephens and Bachman emerged soon after.
According to the victim’s wife, Stephens punched the victim in the left eye. The victim leaned against the building and Bachman punched him on the head and face several times, police said.
The victim’s wife helped him get into their car and was trying to lock the doors when Bachman reportedly pulled the victim out of the vehicle by his feet. Stephens and Bachman then allegedly punched and kicked the victim on his head and body for about a minute, authorities said.
The suspects fled. The victim was unconscious and stopped breathing twice, police reports show. He was intubated and taken to the hospital in critical condition.
UFC 153 weigh-in results: Anderson Silva (202), Stephan Bonnar (205) set for main event
(mmajunkie.com)MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
-Anderson Silva (202) vs. Stephan Bonnar (205)
-Dave Herman (244) vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (243)
-Fabio Maldonado (203) vs. Glover Teixeira (204)
-Jon Fitch (170) vs. Erick Silva (169)
-Phil Davis (206) vs. Wagner Prado (204)
-Demian Maia (170) vs. Rick Story (170)
PRELIMINARY CARD (FX, 8 p.m. ET)
-Rony "Jason" Mariano Bezerra (145) vs. Sam Sicilia (146)
-Gleison Tibau (155) vs. Francisco Trinaldo (154)
-Diego Brandao (144) vs. Joey Gambino (146)
-Renee Forte (169) vs. Sergio Moraes (169)
PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook, 7 p.m. ET)
-Chris Camozzi (185) vs. Luiz Cane (184)
-Reza Madadi (155) vs. Cristiano Marcello (155)
UFC's Jake Shields says he's suspended six months for banned substance
(mmajunkie.com)The Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies' Boxing Commission has issued UFC fighter Jake Shields a six-month suspension for using a prohibited substance prior to his fight at UFC 150, the fighter today announced.
Shields' reps at Authentic Sports Management emailed MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) a prepared statement from the fighter.
In it, Shields acknowledges to using a banned substance and accepting the commission's half-year suspension.
However, he didn't reveal what the substance was, and the commission hasn't specified what was detected in his post-fight drug test.A source told MMAjunkie.com the Association of Boxing Commissions' database currently doesn't list any information about Shields' failed test, though it'll likely be added soon...
Strikeforce cancels Nov. 3 event in Oklahoma City, plans January return
(mmajunkie.com)Strikeforce has canceled its Nov. 3 event in Oklahoma City, the organization today announced.
Injuries to headliner Frank Mir, as well as co-headliner and middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, prompted the cancellation, officials stated in today's release.
While rumors of the organization's potential demise have swirled in recent weeks, Strikeforce and Showtime officials stated they plan to host the next Strikeforce event in January at a location to be announced.
However, officials said the card will be "stacked," and details will be announced in the coming days.
Jon Jones interested in a potential fight with Chael Sonnen
(mmafighting.com)Perhaps we'll get that Jon Jones-Chael Sonnen fight after all.
As any mixed martial arts fan who hasn't been living under a rock the past few months could tell you, Jones, the UFC light heavyweight champion, refused Sonnen as a short-notice replacement opponent at UFC 151 after his scheduled challenger, Dan Henderson, dropped out due to a knee injury.
In the aftermath of Jones' decision, UFC president Dana White pulled the plug on the Sept. 1 event, the first fight-card cancelation in Zuffa history.
But on Thursday night, Jones sent out a hint on Twitter that he's coming around on the notion of fighting the mouthy former middleweight.
"The more I realize how bad the fans want me to fight Sonnen the more I am beginning to disregard whether he deserves it or not," Jones tweeted out to his nearly 483,000 followers.
Matchmaker Joe Silva explains why he released DaMarques Johnson from UFC
(mmafighting.com)Silva then offered the fight to Johnson, through his manager Monte Cox. When Cox called Silva back to tell him Johnson agreed to take the fight at 170 pounds, Silva said he told Cox about the Attonito release and wanted him to tell Johnson what had just happened as well. Cox did just that.
Later that day, Silva saw Johnson at The Ultimate Fighter 17 tryouts in Las Vegas. He said he thanked Johnson for taking the fight but also noticed that he looked heavier than usual. A couple of hours later, Johnson told Silva that he weighed 210 pounds and didn't think he could make 170 pounds. Silva then offered him a 175-pound catch weight fight against Nelson, which both fighters agreed to.
At the Sept. 28 weigh-ins in England, Johnson ended up weighing 183 pounds, missing weight by 8 pounds. As a result, twenty percent of his purse was given to Nelson. Johnson lost the fight the next day and was released earlier this week.
"I thought it was incredibly unfair to Gunnar Nelson to fight someone that much larger than him," Silva said. "Johnson told me he could make the weight. He's not doing me a favor if he missed weight because I could have gotten someone else who would have made the weight.
"I never pressure anyone to take late notice fights. I got a bunch of guys who want to fight. If one says no, I will find someone else. No problem."
VADA Offers Drug Testing for TUF Finale Main Event, Carwin’s Camp Says That’s News to Them
(mmaweekly.com)Following a season of coaching opposite one another, Roy Nelson and Shane Carwin will finally settle their differences at the Ultimate Fighter finale on Dec 15 in Las Vegas.
The bout will be held under direction from the Nevada State Athletic Commission, who does drug testing prior to fights under their jurisdiction, but it looks like another agency is hoping to do some testing of their own.
VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency) has offered to do additional drug testing for the Nelson vs. Carwin fight, similar to the process they are doing for the Rory MacDonald/B.J. Penn fight at UFC on Fox 5 also in December.
UFC 152 and UFC on FUEL TV 5 drug tests come back clean, one TRT exemption
(mmajunkie.com)All fighters who underwent drug testing at the recent UFC 152 and UFC on FUEL TV 5 events passed their drug tests.
Marc Ratner, the UFC's vice president of government and regulatory affairs, today confirmed the results with MMAjunkie.com.
Ratner said one fighter received a therapeutic-use exemption for testosterone-replacement therapy at UFC 152, but he wouldn't identify the individual, who tested within allowable limits, he said.
UFC 153's Chris Camozzi donates portion of purse to Brazil's Institute Reacao
(mmajunkie.com)UFC middleweight Chris Camozzi will be the enemy when he steps into the cage against his Brazilian UFC 153 opponent Luiz Cane, but on Thursday, he brought smiles to a few hundred Rio de Janeiro youth.
During "UFC Children's Day" at Brazil's Instituto Reacao, Camozzi committed to donate an undisclosed portion of his UFC 153 fight purse to the social project headed by Olympic judo medalist Flavio Canto.
The UFC also agreed to match Camozzi's donation.
Cristiano Marcello Warns “If I Have the Chance to Break His Arm, I’m Going to Do That”
(mmaweekly.com)It was April 2011 when Cristiano Marcello first crossed paths with his future UFC 153 opponent Reza Madadi.
Madadi won the Super Challenge title that night with a win over UFC veteran Rich Clementi, and at the behest of the promoters, former Chute Boxe coach Cristiano Marcello went into the cage to challenge the new champion for the first show at the belt.
Instead of fun stare down or even a mutual respect between fighters, Madadi grabbed the microphone away from Marcello and said ‘you’re not on my level, don’t even try’ before walking out of the cage.
Ever since that moment, Marcello has been on a mission to beat Madadi, and show him a whole new level of pain in the cage.
“At the time they gave him to me, I said thanks to God because at the time you’re a champion you know someone is going to try to take your belt. If you watch the tape I’m so respectful, I said thanks to Reza for being here and telling him he’s a great fighter, and he takes the microphone out of my hands and tells me I’m not on his level,” said Marcello when speaking to MMAWeekly Radio recently.
“He was right at the time, I’m not on his level. I’m better than him, and I’m going to prove I’m better than him on October 13th.”
UFC 'Macao:' Hyun Gyu vs David Mitchell booked with Marcelo Guimaraes injured
(mmamania.com)At UFC on Fuel TV 6, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will venture into China for the first time ever at the Venetian Macau Resort Hotel in Macau on Nov. 10, 2012.
In "Prelims" under card mixed martial arts (MMA) action, Marcelo Guimaraes was supposed to welcome Hyun Gyu Lim to the Octagon. However, now it appears that the honor will fall to David Mitchell instead because Guimaraes has reportedly withdrawn from the fight for an unspecified reason.
UFC champ Jose Aldo says he's done riding motorcycles, anxious for Edgar title fight
(mmajunkie.com)The UFC featherweight champ was supposed to be gearing up for a fight in three days in front of his home fans. Instead, thanks to a spill on his ride, he's in Rio de Janeiro as a spectator.
And because of that, Aldo said he's done with that form of transportation – one of the more economical and popular ways to get around in Brazil.
"No more motorbikes for me," Aldo on Wednesday told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "I'm young, so obviously I do mess up once in a while. But I learned my lesson, and I'm not going to ride (motorcycles) anymore."
Though Aldo was supposed to fight Erik Koch (13-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) originally, Koch had to pull out with an injury and that paved the way for Edgar, who decided to drop to featherweight after his lightweight title rematch loss to champion Benson Henderson at UFC 150 in August.
But Aldo said it's Edgar he wants to fight next, regardless of when that is.
"Definitely (I want to fight Edgar)," he said. "I think he's one of the best fighters in the class and will be a big challenge for me. All my career has been challenges, so I want this challenge."
UFC on FX 5 medical suspensions: Danny Castillo suspended indefinitely
(mmajunkie.com)The full list of UFC on FX 5 suspensions included:
Travis Browne: suspended 30 days with no contact during training for 14 days for precautionary reasons
Jay Hieron: suspended 30 days with no contact during training for 14 days due to a laceration
Jussier Formiga: suspended 30 days with no contact during training for 14 days for precautionary reasons
Danny Castillo: suspended indefinitely until cleared by a neurological exam; regardless, suspended 60 days with no contact during training for 45 days for precautionary reasons
Diego Nunes: suspended 45 days with no contact during training for 30 days due to a laceration
Bart Palaszewski: suspended 45 days with no contact during training for 30 days due to a laceration
Aaron Simpson: suspended 60 days with no contact during training for 45 days for precautionary reasons
As is customary in Minnesota, all other fighters received a mandatory seven-day rest period.
Yves Edwards to face John Cholish at UFC on FOX 5
(mmafighting.com)Yves Edwards has a new fight. After his scheduled bout at UFC on FX 5 with Jeremy Stephens fell out, UFC President Dana White promised to get the ATT-trained lightweight a new fight. Edwards will now face John Cholish at UFC on FOX 5 on Dec. 8th.
MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani confirmed the news Wednesday with event sources...
UFC's Jeremy Stephens remains jailed in Minnesota, awaits Oct. 23 court date
(mmajunkie.com)Following a Tuesday afternoon court appearance, UFC lightweight Jeremy Stephens continues to be held in a Minnesota jail – where he is expected to remain until his next court date.
Stephens (20-8 MMA, 7-6 UFC) was arrested Friday morning by the Minneapolis Police Department for warrants stemming from a 2011 incident in Iowa for which the fighter was charged with assault. The arrest came just hours before he was to fight Yves Edwards (41-18-1 MMA, 9-6 UFC) at UFC on FX 5 in Minneapolis.
His fight against Edwards was pulled from the event at Target Center, despite efforts to get him released in time for the bout.
A representative from the Hennepin (Minn.) County court clerk's office on Tuesday told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that Stephens applied for and was granted a public defender and now is being held without bail until his next scheduled court appearance on Oct. 23...
DaMarques Johnson confirms UFC release
(mmajunkie.com)Following a loss at the recent UFC on FUEL TV 5 event, DaMarques Johnson is a UFC fighter no longer.
The welterweight fighter and "The Ultimate Fighter 9" runner-up today confirmed his contractual release via Twitter.
His release follows a three-fight losing streak, though the latest defeat came on late notice with some peculiar details.
Johnson (16-12 MMA, 4-6 UFC), who never went to a decision in 10 career UFC fights, met Gunnar Nelson, and the fight took place at UFC on FUEL TV 5 on just 12 days' notice. The bout, which ended with a first-round loss via rear-naked choke, also came just 56 days after a violent knockout loss to Mike Swick.
Jeremy Stephens' camp releases statement on arrest
(bloodyelbow.com)After a bizarre situation this past Friday that saw Jeremy Stephens arrested the morning of his scheduled UFC on FX 5: Browne vs. Bigfoot fight with Yves Edwards, Stephens' management has released a statement.
As many are already aware, the UFC and president Dana White spent the day of the arrest saying that he was still fighting and trying to get him out of jail, but a deal could not be worked out as Stephens was being held on a felony warrant. White blamed the Polk County, Iowa police for being impossible to work with, something that the Stephens camp maintained in their statement.
Travis Browne out 2-4 months with torn hamstring
(bloodyelbow.com)Following Travis Browne's KO defeat to Antonio Silva, trainer Greg Jackson tweeted that Browne had blown out his knee on the first high kick of the fight. Well ... not quite. Browne went to the doctor today and he went to Twitter to clarify his injury. It's not a blown knee thankfully, but it's still a serious injury.
@travisbrowneMMA
And they said I tore my hamstring, ill be out for 2-4 months. Luckily no surgery. Thank you again for your support. Ill be back stronger!
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