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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Joilton Lutterbach admitted to taking performance-enhancing drugs prior to getting a short notice opportunity with the UFC, and now, he is dealing with the repercussions.

On Tuesday, Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) announced that Lutterbach accepted a 24-month sanction for violating the UFC’s anti-doping policy. The test was administered June 8, two weeks before Lutterbach was set to face Shara Magomedov at UFC Saudi Arabia.

Lutterbach tested positive “for the presence of 3a-Hydroxy-2a-methyl-5a-androstan-17-one, a metabolite of drostanolone,” which is an anabolic steroid. The 31-year-old was made aware of the positive test on June 20 while at the host hotel two days before the event. According to the release, he admitted to “extensive use” of the prohibited substance prior to his signing, and because he didn’t declare the use ahead of time, Lutterbach received the stronger penalty.

Additionally, Lutterbach’s UFC contract was terminated based on the failed test, and Lutterbach admitting to it — which he also did on social media after he was pulled from the card.

“I actually used juice three months ago and had no idea that I would sign with the UFC,” Lutterbach wrote at the time. “I could have hidden in the mountains or gone to Thailand to hide as many do and are not tested, but I preferred to take the risk and believe I was clean and fit to fight.”

Lutterbach will be eligible to return on June 23, 2026.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

A pivotal lightweight clash is expected for the PFL’s return to pay-per-view

Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed to MMA Fighting that a matchup between former Bellator featherweight champion A.J. McKee and former Cage Warriors star Paul Hughes is targeted for the PFL’s superfight pay-per-view event on Oct. 19. MagicM MMA first reported the booking on Twitter.

Since losing his title to Patricio Pitbull in April 2022, McKee has had a successful shift to lightweight, winning all four of his 155-pound appearances. In his most recent outing, the 29-year-old submitted Clay Collard in 70 seconds at February’s PFL vs. Bellator event. The No. 13 ranked lightweight in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings has won 22 of his 23 pro fights.

Hughes signed with PFL earlier this year as one of the sport’s highly-touted free agents following a nine-fight run with Cage Warriors. In his first promotional appearance, the 27-year-old stopped Bobby King via second-round TKO at Bellator Dublin in June.

The event will be headlined by the MMA return of Francis Ngannou as he faces fellow knockout artist Renan Ferreira.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

The feud continues
| BJPenn.com

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) updated its official rankings in the wake of the UFC Vegas 95 mixed martial arts (MMA) event, which took place last weekend at the promotion’s APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. Heavyweight bruiser Serghei Spivac was the big winner of the night, capturing a submission win over longtime rival Marcin Tybura. The victory not only avenged a previous loss to “Tybur” but also sent “The Polar Bear” into a tie with former champion Stipe Miocic on the 265-pound ladder.

Here’s how UFC compiles its official rankings:

Rankings were generated by a voting panel made up of media members. The media members were asked to vote for who they feel are the top fighters in the UFC by weight-class and pound-for-pound. A fighter is only eligible to be voted on if they are in active status in the UFC. A fighter can appear in more than one weight division at a time. The champion and interim champion are considered to be in the top positions of their respective divisions and therefore are not eligible for voting by weight-class. However, the champions can be voted on for the pound-for-pound rankings.

Take a look at what the latest rankings field looks like courtesy of UFC.com. Note: (+/- = movement in rankings, T = tie, *NR = Not previously ranked).

MEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND

1. Islam Makhachev
2. Alex Pereira
3. Jon Jones
4. Ilia Topuria
5. Belal Muhammad
6. Sean O’Malley
7. Leon Edwards
8. Alexander Volkanovski
9. Tom Aspinall
10. Max Holloway
11. Dricus Du Plessis
12. Alexandre Pantoja
13. Israel Adesanya
14. Charles Oliveira +1
15. Sean Strickland -1

FLYWEIGHT

Champion: Alexandre Pantoja

1. Brandon Royval
2. Brandon Moreno
3. Amir Albazi
4. Kai Kara France
5. Tatsuro Taira
6. Alex Perez
7. Steve Erceg
8. Matheus Nicolau
9. Manel Kape
10. Tim Elliott
11. Matt Schnell
12. Tagir Ulanbekov
13. Bruno Silva
14. Asu Almabayev
15. Cody Durden

BANTAMWEIGHT

Champion: Sean O’Malley

1. Merab Dvalishvili
2. Umar Nurmagomedov
3. Petr Yan
4. Cory Sandhagen
5. Deiveson Figueiredo
6. Henry Cejudo
7. Marlon Vera
8. Song Yadong
9. Jose Aldo
10. Rob Font
11. Kyler Phillips
12. Mario Bautista -1
13. Dominick Cruz
14. Jonathan Martinez
15. Montel Jackson

FEATHERWEIGHT

Champion: Ilia Topuria

1. Alexander Volkanovski
2. Max Holloway
3. Brian Ortega
4. Yair Rodriguez
5. Arnold Allen
6. Movsar Evloev
7. Josh Emmett
8. Aljamain Sterling
9. Calvin Kattar
10. Giga Chikadze
11. Lerone Murphy
12. (T) Diego Lopes
12. (T) Bryce Mitchell
14. Dan Ige
15. Edson Barboza

LIGHTWEIGHT

Champion: Islam Makhachev

1. Arman Tsarukyan
2. Charles Oliveira
3. Justin Gaethje
4. Dustin Poirier
5. Mateusz Gamrot
6. Michael Chandler
7. Beneil Dariush
8. Rafael Fiziev
9. Max Holloway
10. Renato Moicano
11. Dan Hooker
12. Benoit Saint-Denis
13. Rafael dos Anjos
14. Jalin Turner
15. Paddy Pimblett

WELTERWEIGHT

Champion: Belal Muhammed

1. Leon Edwards
2. Kamaru Usman
3. Shavkat Rakhmonov
4. Colby Covington
5. Jack Della Maddalena
6. Gilbert Burns
7. Ian Machado Garry
8. Sean Brady
9. Stephen Thompson
10. Geoff Neal
11. Joaquin Buckley
12. Neil Magny
13. Vicente Luque
14. Michael Page
15. Kevin Holland

MIDDLEWEIGHT

Champion: Dricus Du Plessis

1. Sean Strickland
2. Israel Adesanya
3. Robert Whittaker
4. Nassourdine Imavov
5. Jared Cannonier
6. Marvin Vettori
7. Brendan Allen
8. Paulo Costa
9. Jack Hermansson
10. Roman Dolidze
11. Khamzat Chimaev
12. Caio Borralho
13. Michel Pereira
14. Anthony Hernandez
15. Chris Curtis

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

Champion: Alex Pereira

1. Jiri Prochazka
2. Magomed Ankalaev
3. Jamahal Hill
4. Jan Blachowicz
5. Aleksandar Rakic
6. Nikita Krylov
7. Volkan Oezdemir -1
8. Khalil Rountree
9. Johnny Walker
10. Carlos Ulberg
11. Azamat Murzakanov
12. Anthony Smith
13. Dominick Reyes +1
14. Bogdan Guskov -1
15. Roman Dolidze

HEAVYWEIGHT

Champion: Jon Jones

1. Tom Aspinall
2. Ciryl Gane
3. Alexander Volkov
4. Sergei Pavlovich
5. Curtis Blaydes
6. Jailton Almeida +1
7. (T) Stipe Miocic -1
7. (T) Serghei Spivac +2
9. Marcin Tybura -1
10. Tai Tuivasa
11. Derrick Lewis
12. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
13. Alexandr Romanov
14. Marcos Rogerio De Lima
15. Rodrigo Nascimento

WOMEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND

1. Alexa Grasso
2. Zhang Weili
3. Valentina Shevchenko
4. Manon Fiorot
5. (T) Julianna Pena
5. (T) Raquel Pennington
7. Rose Namajunas
8. Erin Blanchfield
9. Tatiana Suarez
10. Yan Xiaonan
11. Jessica Andrade
12. Kayla Harrison
13. Virna Jandiroba
14. Ketlen Vieira
15. Amanda Lemos

WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT

Champion: Zhang Weili

1. Tatiana Suarez
2. Yan Xiaonan
3. Virna Jandiroba
4. Jessica Andrade
5. Amanda Lemos
6. Marina Rodriguez
7. Amanda Ribas
8. Mackenzie Dern
9. Angela Hill
10. Loopy Godinez
11. Tabatha Ricci
12. Luana Pinheiro
13. Gillian Robertson
14. Iasmin Lucindo
15. Karolina Kowalkiewicz

WOMEN’S FLYWEIGHT

Champion: Alexa Grasso

1. Valentina Shevchenko
2. Manon Fiorot
3. Erin Blanchfield
4. Maycee Barber
5. Rose Namajunas
6. Jessica Andrade
7. Katlyn Cerminara
8. Natalia Silva
9. Viviane Araújo
10. Amanda Ribas
11. Karine Silva
12. Tracy Cortez
13. Ariane Da Silva
14. Jasmine Jasudavicius
15. Casey O’Neill

WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT

Champion: Raquel Pennington

1. Julianna Pena
2. Ketlen Vieira
3. Kayla Harrison
4. Macy Chiasson +1
5. Irene Aldana -1
6. Mayra Bueno Silva
7. Holly Holm
8. (T) Karol Rosa
8. (T) Norma Dumont
10. Yana Santos +2
11. Miesha Tate -3
12. Pannie Kianzad -1
13. Julia Avila
14. Germaine De Randamie +1
15. Chelsea Chandler -1

You can expect these rankings to change around this time next week, particularly in the middleweight division, following the UFC 305: “Du Plessis vs. Adesanya” pay-per-view (PPV) event on ESPN+, scheduled for Sat., Aug. 17, 2024 at RAC Center in Perth, Western Australia.

For much more on that upcoming fight card click here.

MMAmania.com – All Posts

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

It’s been almost a year since Israel Adesanya last competed in the UFC, and he has plenty to prove in his comeback.

Adesanya would likely rather forget his September 2023 bout that served as a shocking upset loss to Sean Strickland and cost him the UFC middleweight title. That setback came after a pair of intense showdowns against longtime rival Alex Pereira, which ended with Adesanya scoring a vicious knockout over the Brazilian to reclaim the belt.

But Adesanya’s reign ended just a few months later with the Strickland loss, which was then followed by an extended break from action. As Adesanya prepares to make his return on Saturday at UFC 305, Daniel Cormier, who is set to call the fights as part of the broadcast team, believes Adesanya actually made the right move to sit out rather than rushing back.

“I honestly don’t hate that he took some time off,” Cormier said on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer. “They were riding this dude so hard. He was riding so hot, for so long.

“I remember right after he lost to Sean Strickland, I posted a picture of the amount of fights he had headlined. I thought to myself, this dude needs a break. It’s not bad that he took some time off. He was fighting a lot. Like, a lot. He was fighting a lot. I don’t know if anyone’s been as active.”

Adesanya was definitely one of the more active champions on the UFC roster, racking up five fights between 2022 and 2023 culminating with his loss to Strickland.

After Adesanya lost the belt, UFC CEO Dana White declared the former champ would compete for a title when he returned, which now comes to fruition with his fight against new UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis in the UFC 305 main event.

Adesanya was actually supposed to defend his title against du Plessis this past September instead of Strickland, but the South African contender wasn’t able to make a quick turnaround following a win over ex-UFC champion Robert Whittaker in July.

The UFC 305 showdown finally brings Adesanya and du Plessis together after the middleweights exchanged plenty of nasty words over the past couple of years. Whatever professional rivalry existed between them eventually turned personal ahead of the title fight in Perth.

Because Adesanya is coming back from a loss and a year off, Cormier knows there’s a lot riding on the former champ’s performance, but that pressure only gets amplified facing a heated rival like du Plessis.

“He don’t want to lose to that dude,” Cormier said of Adesanya. “He don’t want to lose to Dricus. I love how intense it gets between these guys.

“I like bad blood fights. That’s my thing. I’m not going to lie to you, I love when it’s a bad blood fight, and this one has all the shit that I love. Those guys hate each other.”

Despite coming into the fight as the challenger rather than the champion, Adesanya certainly has a lot riding on the results.

At 35, Adesanya is moving towards the latter stage of his career and it’s impossible not to wonder where he would go next if he suffers a second straight loss in a title fight.

Cormier knows du Plessis is actually counting on that after hearing the UFC middleweight champion address the matchup in the days leading up to the fight.

“I think Dricus is almost betting on him not being [the same guy he was before],” Cormier said. “He said it on Countdown. He said, ‘He’s a tremendous fighter but his light is dimming … his light is dimming if it isn’t completely out [already].’ F*cking Dricus du Plessis said that about Izzy.”

“It’s on Izzy to show that’s not the case. It’s [up to him to say], ‘I’m still here and I’m still the man.”

Listen to new episodes of The Fighter vs. The Writer every Tuesday with audio only versions of the podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeartRadio

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Undisputed lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev has laid into a slew of contenders at the lightweight limit – including former foe, Dustin Poirier, and ex-interim champion, Tony Ferguson – questioning their statuses as black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Makhachev, the current undisputed 155lbs gold holder and pound-for-pound number one, has been sidelined since he submitted the above-mentioned, Poirier at UFC 302, defending his crown with a fifth round D’Arce choke submission win in Newark.

And expected to headline UFC 308 at the end of October, Islam Makhachev was ruled from a targeted return in Abu Dhabi, with an unspecified arm injury ruling him from a rematch fight with surging number one contender, Arman Tsarukyan.

Islam Makhachev rips Tony Ferguson’s status as a BJJ black belt

Seeing a title fight at the featherweight limit between the unbeaten, Ilia Topuria and the symbolic BMF champion, Max Holloway take place at UFC 308 in his place, Makhachev has hit out at supposed black belt grapplers in his division – including the previously mentioned, Ferguson – as well as promotional star, Paddy Pimblett. 

“No, he (Tony Ferguson) don’t have [a] black belt,” Islam Makhachev said during an interview with Hosheh MMA. “He has a couple of things on the ground that he did with many fighters. But he is not a real black belt. I work with real black belts; it’s so tough. For the fighters, they get a gift. Some don’t deserve it.”

Setting an unwanted record in his most recent Octagon appearance at UFC Abu Dhabi this month, Ferguson suffered his eighth straight loss in the form of a first round rear-naked choke defeat to Michael Chiesa in the pair’s rescheduled pairing in the United Arab Emirates.

Earlier this month to boot, Makhachev was also linked with a potential move to the middleweight limit in pursuit of a second title – with his coach backing him to be competitive as high as 185lbs. 

LowKickMMA.com