Fabricio Werdum Flagged By USADA
Former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum has been flagged by USADA and notified of a potential anti-doping violation stemming from an out-of-competition drug test, the UFC announced. This obviously means his fight against Aleksei Oleinik at UFC Moscow is in jeopardy, and I full expect the UFC to find another opponent for Oleinik now, though Werdum’s management says they will fight this USADA finding. Werdum (23-8-1) is one of the greatest heavyweights in MMA history but after suffering a KO loss to Alexander Volkov and now testing hot, his career could be in jeopardy considering he’s 40-years-old. We’ll see how this plays out, but depending on what the substance was that Werdum tested positive for, he could be suspended for a few years.
Jose Torres vs. Jarred Brooks, UFC Fight Night 131
It’s a long time coming for top prospect Jose Torres, who will replace an injured Hector Sandoval when he takes on Jarred Brooks on very short notice at UFC Fight Night 131, which takes place Friday, June 1 at Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, New York. MMAFighting.com broke the news. Torres (7-0) is just 25 and he’s an undefeated stud who many scouts have seen championship potential in for a while. Brooks (13-1) has gone 1-1 so far in the UFC but has been kind of a disappointment considering both fights went to a split decision. Despite taking the fight on short notice, I see Torres opening up as the favorite here considering the hype behind him.
Belal Muhammad vs. Chance Rencountre, UFC Fight Nght 131
Also pulling out with an injury is Niko Price, who was set to fight Belal Muhammad. Now Chance Rencountre will come in on short notice to fight Muhammad at UFC Fight Night 131. Muhammad himself announce the bout via his social media. Muhammad (13-2) is 4-2 in the UFC and has won three-straight fights including a decision win over Tim Means in his last bout. Rencountre (12-2) is on a four-fight win streak and has competed in organizations such as Bellator, RFA and Titan FC. But I just can’t see this going well for him considering the short-notice factor. I like Muhammad quite a bit here and believe he should be heavily favored to win.
