Sunday MMA Quick Hits: Gina Carano’s Latest Conspiracy, Logan Paul Sees Slap Fighting-MMA Crossover Potential

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Gina Carano
Gina Carano Credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

More conspiracy theories this week, plus slap fighting, but most importantly, Sam Alvey wants you to know that he’s not done in the UFC just yet!

With the grudge match of the century decade year whatever time frame fits the UFC’s marketing department’s need arriving with UFC 272 on Saturday, there were plenty of combats sports stories that may have been missed in the past week. We’ve got you covered — let’s get to it.

Bobby Green Done Headlining Cards?

Following his loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC Vegas 49 last week, Bobby Green went on record to say he’d rather not headline any more cards.

“Can I be honest? No,” Green stated during the show’s post-fight presser. Later, he’d explain that it boiled down to waiting to go out and compete in the final fight of the evening. And waiting. And waiting…

“I just want to fight and get it over with. Put me on the main card at least, I’ll open it or something like that,” Green said. “It just took so long. I want to fight and get it over and be partying.”

His manager, Green admitted, won’t like hearing him say that.

Curtis Blaydes States the Obvious

Curtis Blaydes has come out and said what we’ve all been thinking: if Conor McGregor was allowed to go and box Floyd Mayweather, just why can’t Francis Ngannou compete against Tyson Fury?

“You opened the door when you let [Conor] McGregor do it,” Blaydes said in a recent interview with MMA Fighting. “I don’t see a real reason why Francis shouldn’t be allowed to do it. I cannot think of a legit reason, because McGregor was able to do it.”

McGregor almost willed his fight against Mayweather into existence back in 2017, defying the odds and managing to get Zuffa to co-promote the fight. Nothing of that nature has happened since, and Dana White’s once-hyped “Zuffa boxing” appears long dead. As for allowing their heavyweight champ to try his luck against Fury, UFC parent company Endeavor hasn’t seemed too keen thus far. Maybe it’s the thought of another MMA loss in the boxing ring — but then, boxers have historically struggled crossing over as well, underscoring that these are two very unique combat sports.

Rodrigo Nascimento Working to Have Overturned Win Overturned Again

Having successfully argued his case following a suspension by USADA, UFC heavyweight Rodrigo Nascimento says he’s working to have a win overturned last year reverted back.

Nascimento tested positive for ritalinic acid last July, and saw his initial TKO win against France’s Alan Baudot changed to a No Contest. The Brazilian would eventually accept a six month suspension from USADA, but after showing a doctor’s prescription for the substance, used to treat his attention deficit disorder, he was granted a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE).

Speaking to Combate (translation via Bloody Elbow), Nascimento explained that “We’ve been trying to appeal, because now we have proof that we did nothing wrong. We’re trying to get the win back because that was a hell of a fight and it’s going to be a No Contest because of some crap like this? I’m trying. I don’t know how it works, it’s hard. It took six months for USADA to accept my documents. I had to accept that I did something wrong because first the Commission offered me a two-year suspension, then it was nine months. I said I was not going to take it because I did nothing wrong.”

Nascimento noted that he’s been on the medication since 2012, and always disclosed it on his USADA paperwork. “Every time USADA comes to test me, I tell them I take medication. There was no ill intention. I’ve been taking that even before I joined the UFC.”

Now, having been granted a retroactive TUE, Nascimento will have to take his case to the athletic commission, as they’ll have final say over reinstating the win.

Guess Who’s Back? Back Again? Alvey’s Back — Tell A Friend

Apologies for the bad Eminem spoof, but it’s no doubt mind-blowing to many that in an era where a two-fight skid can result in being shown the door, Sam Alvey is being allowed to fight out his UFC contract.

Alvey is currently on an 0-7-1 run in his last eight fights, and hasn’t had his hand raised since 2018. That’s B.J. Penn levels of slumping, without the Hall of Fame career that afforded Penn the right to keep fighting well past his expiration date.

Thing is, Alvey is just such a gosh darn nice guy that it’s hard to really say much about this. Sure, it does take a spot away from another fighter. Yes, other fighters that deserved to be kept were let go. But the man and his wife foster disadvantaged kids, and Alvey has been a company man who always shows up to fight. Maybe that’s the real story here: Sam Alvey is living proof that in the UFC, it’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.

Carano Cites COVID Conspiracy As Cause of Russian Attack on Ukraine

Remember when Gina Carano was just a badass women’s MMA pioneer who had made a name for herself as an actor, in major productions like Deadpool and The Mandalorian?

There’s conspiracy theories, and then there’s whatever Gina Carano is spouting here, which apparently boils down to, “COVID is dying down so they started a war.” Whoever “they” are, we don’t know, but it appears to be someone other than Russia in Carano’s opinion. Or maybe it was Russia under the influence of reverse vampires.

No, Gina, Russia’s President — in name only, as he’s essentially just a strongman/dictator at this point — Vladimir Putin has made a habit out of floating puppet regimes (see: Kadryov in Chechnya) and illegally “annexing” territory that isn’t his (see: Crimea). He started a war because, quite frankly, he’s a former KGB agent who once said that the collapse of the USSR was “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century,” and because he’d love to usher in a modern Soviet-style regime, under his control. Which means making sure Ukraine is controlled by a pro-Russian government. Or at least kept in check.

Ukraine immediately broke away from the Soviet system in 1991 following a failed communist coup attempt against Mikhail Gorbachev, and they’ve steadily integrated themselves more with the rest of Europe ever since. Seeing a flourishing, democratic Ukraine becoming part of the EU (and potentially NATO) scares Putin, not because of any legitimate threat to Russia itself, but because it would eliminate any hopes of restoring something similar to the previous Soviet empire. And you know, your everyday Russians might finally tire of the faux democracy Putin has foisted upon them.

What it has zero to do with is COVID. We’ve all had enough of COVID, it’s so 2019, and there’s really no reason to link to two.

Here ends the Sunday Political Quick Hits, we hope.

Logan Paul Sees Crossover Potential Between MMA, Slap Fighting

According to Logan Paul, the Youtube content creator turned boxer turned whatever he’s doing these days, slap fighting is rife with potential and could cross over with MMA.

He’s wrong.

Paul, who is promoting Slap Fighting alongside the iconic Arnold Schwarzenegger on behalf of Polish outfit PunchDown, sees crossover potential because the “sport” is frankly simple.

“I mean, yeah, guys can go to the gym and train five hours a day, learning 12 different disciplines in Mixed Martial Arts, but the slaps one, everyone knows how to do that,” he told MMA Junkie in an interview last week. “Everyone has been slapping their brothers, sisters, siblings, and cousins since they were three years old.”

And that right there is why the crossover idea, and likely the concept, will fail. No one gets into MMA because it’s easy, and most people want to watch the best fighters in the world compete. Which means, you know, learning 12 different disciplines. Or at least two or three.

In a press release promoting the Slap Fighting Championship on March 5 at the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio, Logan Paul was also quoted as saying that “To be able to legitimize a sport like slap fighting, that I think is up and coming, is awesome. We have amazing athletes coming in from all over the world looking to put on a show.”

Chris Leben Back Home After COVID Battle

Let’s leave off with some good news, shall me? Chris Leben has beat COVID-19, and is back home.

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