Lesnar Back to the UFC?

By Thomas Albano

A report came out today that current WWE Universal Champion and former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar is reportedly back in the USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) Testing Pool, and rumors have begun to circulate that Lesnar may attempt a full-on UFC comeback.

In addition, to fuel that rumor, there is heavy speculation that Lesnar may be dropping the Universal Championship at SummerSlam in August.

The speculation and reports first began when an MMA insider with the Twitter account @TalkMMA claimed that he had been told about Lesnar’s return to the USADA pool by two sources.

I just had a 2nd person tell me that Brock Lesnar is back in the USADA testing pool. Rumor around WWE is Brock is dropping the belt at SS.

— #Dizz © (@TalkMMA) July 19, 2017

However,Jeff Novitzky, UFC vice president of athlete health and performance has refuted this report.

“If he ever re-entered the program, he’d have to serve [the duration of the suspension] before he’d be able to compete,” Novitzky told MMA Fighting.

Lesnar made a one-time return appearance at UFC 200 in July 2016, when he took on Mark Hunt. Originally winning via unanimous decision, Lesnar tested positive for a banned substance. His win would be overturned to a No Contest, and USADA would suspended Lesnar until July 15, 2017.

Lesnar previously teased a return to the UFC in early 2015, when he was reportedly in negotiations with both the UFC and WWE (this was right before WrestleMania 31, which Lesnar headlined as the defending WWE World Heavyweight Champion). Despite the UFC offering him a contract worth “ten times more” than his previous deal, he took a three-year deal with the WWE, which supposedly extends to WrestleMania 34 on April 8, 2018.

Supposedly, Lesnar was allowed to perform the UFC 200 bout with WWE’s approval, or there may be a clause in his contract that allows him to do functions such as UFC bouts when he wants to.

Since his suspension from the MMA cage, Lesnar has been involved in several high-profile bouts within the past year in WWE. From SummerSlam 2016 to the most-recent event (Great Balls of Fire 2017), Lesnar has feuded with the likes of Randy Orton, Goldberg and Samoa Joe. At WrestleMania 33, Lesnar defeated Goldberg in the co-main event to win the WWE Universal Championship, the main championship of WWE’s Raw brand.

While the UFC executive’s quote deals a blow, many still hope with this new rumor of a return, Lesnar could be able to perform at the next UFC event in Madison Square Garden, which is currently scheduled to be UFC 217 on Nov. 4. However, as Novtizky noted, Lesnar officially retired from MMA back in February; when a retirement happens, the USADA suspension clock essentially freezes.

As reported by Fightful.com’s Sean Ross Sapp on Twitter, Lesnar would need to complete the suspension and re-enter the testing pool before being allowed to fight again.

Lesnar retired with 5 months to serve of a USADA suspension. He has to re-enter the testing pool & fulfill that time before fighting in UFC

— Sean Ross Sapp (@SeanRossSapp) July 19, 2017

Now, as this Forbes article states: “Lesnar has yet to undergo any USADA drug tests in 2017, but there is also speculation that he could receive yet another exemption in order to bypass the fourth-month notification requirement (for retired fighters to notify UFC of their intent to come out of retirment) and make his way onto the MSG card, much like he did for his UFC 200 fight against Hunt. While that would be unprecedented, the thought is that Lesnar is such a draw (he helped UFC 200 generate an estimated 1.2 million pay-per-view buys) that anything is possible because, well, money talks.”

So, let’s hypothetically say Lesnar does come back for a UFC bout. If he re-enters the testing pool ASAP, his suspension could be up right before Christmas. While that would be too late for the tentative UFC 217 at MSG in November, there would still be one more pay-per-view event to go for the UFC in the calendar year. Currently scheduled for Dec. 30, 2017, is UFC 219 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The UFC has been having a supercard event around New Year’s time every year since 2011 (with the exception of 2014). In fact, Lesnar headlined the 2011 card right before heading back to WWE. With that in mind, if Lesnar does come back for at least one more fight, maybe Lesnar is a headliner for the final UFC card of 2017.

Maybe what the UFC can do is something like they’re doing with UFC 213 and 214 this month. That would be UFC 217 in November (regardless of if it’s in NY or Vegas) and UFC 218 in early December can be treated like 213 this month — pretty good cards but not too stacked.

Then, UFC 219 — the final card of 2017 — they go all out with a massive card akin to UFC 200 or UFC 205. I’m talking Lesnar’s return, three title bouts, and a massive undercard. Now, what could main event this bout? Maybe not Lesnar considering he didn’t main event his first return bout at UFC 200.

BUT, Conor McGregor supposedly wants to return and have one UFC bout in 2017, defending his Lightweight Championship. And I could see it happening at this event — it could be against Khabib Nurmagomedov, against Tony Ferguson, or even a trilogy bout with Nick Diaz (yes, this time at lightweight and with the title on the line).

Either way, the sound of it looks sick. So, maybe patience needs to win out here. And maybe, if Lesnar comes back, it should be for the end of this year, not November.

Shane McMahon Involved in Helicopter Emergency

By Thomas Albano

WWE Smackdown Live Commissioner and son of Vince and Linda McMahon, Shane McMahon, is known for taking extreme risks and dives in the ring. But not even he could expect what happened to him earlier today.

“Shane O’Mac” was in a helicopter that needed to make an emergency landing off the coast of Gilgo Beach — in Long Island, New York. Neither McMahon nor the pilot of the aircraft were injured in the landing.

The Robinson R44 helicopter came down into the Atlantic Ocean at about 10:30 this morning, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

“We heard some noise, and it became very clear to me that I could no longer continue flying the helicopter,” pilot Mario Regtien told ABC. “So I decided to do an auto-rotation landing in the water.”

Retigen sent out an emergency call before the plane came down, and it was picked up by a flight going towards John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York. That plane then relayed the message to the FAA, while two lifeguards went out in kayaks to assist McMahon and Retigen.

According to the FAA, the plane took off from Westchester County Airport in White Plains, New York, and made a stop in Manhattan. McMahon had chartered the flight to go from Manhattan to Westhampton to visit family.

“It’s very unsettling when all the sudden you have something happen,” McMahon said. “You hear a bang, and then you start saying, ‘We’re going to do an emergency landing in the water.’ So yes, it was very unnerving. But again, Mario was super calm, which made me super calm. And we landed perfectly.

“First of all, I’d like to thank the pilot, Mario. He did an amazing job. He was cool under pressure. I couldn’t have been in better hands. He explained everything as it was happening. I’d also like to thank the Coast Guard, who was there instantaneously, Suffolk County Marine, a bureau that was there, the lifeguards that came to the beach. Just thankful that everything worked out well and that we’re here.”

McGregor vs. Mayweather costs HOW MUCH?

By Thomas Albano

So, if you want to watch that big Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor superfight on pay-per-view, you’re going to have to cough up quite a bit of dough. Lance Pugmire of the LA Times has revealed the price of the event will be $89.95 ($99.95 for HD broadcasts).

The @FloydMayweather @TheNotoriousMMA pay per view price will be $89.95 — same as the Pacquiao fight – $10 more for HD.

— Lance Pugmire (@latimespugmire) July 10, 2017

To compare, a normal UFC PPV is about $50 ($60 for HD broadcasts). A pay-per-view boxing card can vary in price depending upon things like star power, title bouts, etc. And so, with one of the best in boxing against arguably the face of the UFC today, there’s no surprise this pay-per-view is more expensive than normal.

But…THIS much of an increase? I get it’s two big names, but this one fighter being taken out of his discipline and put into the other’s.

And then, the Mayweather tax situation happened.

Mayweather: *holds a cheque* “That’s a 100 million dollars,”

McGregor; “That’s for the taxman.”

😂😂😂😂 #MayweatherMcGregor #maymacworldtour pic.twitter.com/EU7zQgEDkJ

— Quentin (@QuentzG) July 11, 2017

For those of you who want a simplified summary, a Law360 report recently revealed that Mayweather still owes the IRS taxes from 2015, not to mention he has had run ins with the government agency plenty of times over the decade. ESPN just recently reported (a little while ago as of this article’s posting) the IRS’ claim that Mayweather still owes them $22.2 million from 2015.

Mayweather has asked the IRS to hold off payments until after the fight with McGregor, when he’ll have enough cash on hand to pay everything off. The government, meanwhile, argues that Mayweather has the ability to pay via selling off or liquidating assets; Mayweather just doesn’t want to, they say (which is believable when you consider how much money Mayweather has earned over his career).

So, this guy wants to avoid his tax paying and then use fight fans’ and loyal taxpayers’ money to pay off his own debts? As a member of the MMA community and an MMA journalist, I’d like to take a stance in that I don’t want to purchase this bout to help someone pay off Uncle Sam when he has the means to do so already and just doesn’t want to.

Plus, the last time a boxing pay-per-view cost $100, it was Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao, billed as the “Match of the Century” and then as one of the worst bouts of the century. So, that’s the same price as Mayweather vs. an MMA fighter who has never had a boxing bout before…brilliant.

So, to recap, here’s what this is like…

“Oh I wonder what the price of McGregor vs. Mayweather is going to be”
*Price revealed*
“What?!? For a boxer coming out of retirement vs. someone who has never had a pro boxing bout before. I mean, OK I gu-”
*Mayweather tax situation revealed*
“Oh no! He’s not getting away with this on my dollar! I’ll find a way to stream this PPV”
*That’s illegal*
“So…what Mayweather is doing isn’t right, but I can’t do that?”
*Yes*
“So, I’m supposed to not buy this pay-per-view?”
*But this is a Once in a Lifetime kind of fight*

AUGUST 26TH @FloydMayweather vs @TheNotoriousMMA #maymacworldtour pic.twitter.com/5vY3TQaZz8

— Jalen Rose (@JalenRose) July 11, 2017

So, there’s really no win here for fight fans, is there? It’s like when someone is trying to decide who to vote for and everyone in their life clutters together and rants no matter who they pick.

This situation just wants me to hope McGregor proves me and everyone else wrong and KO Mayweather.

Impact/GFW, WWA and Mae Young Classic

By Thomas Albano

You may not have noticed, but the second half of last week was somewhat newsworthy in pro wrestling.

For starters, the biggest news piece is that Impact Wrestling (previously known as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling) is officially done after exactly 15 years and two weeks — at least as a brand. Last night’s Slammiversary XV was the final event in the history books of Impact/TNA as we know it.

The company has merged with and acquired Global Force Wrestling (GFW), founded in 2014 and headed by Jeff and Karen Jarrett, the former of whom, ironically, co-founded Impact. And while the original reports were that Impact would absorb GFW, it now is officially going to be the other way around. Impact Wrestling (formerly TNA Impact), which airs on Thursday nights on Pop, will now be rebranded as GFW Impact Wrestling.

As much of the internet wrestling fan base has stated, Jeff Jarrett must be the smartest wrestling promoter alive. As he has taken back the company he originally founded with a three-year plan. And the irony that it all started with Jeff Jarrett and everything ends and changes with Jeff Jarrett.

When asked about the merger last week, Jeff Jarrett told The Tennessean: “We’re a global brand. We have partnerships in Mexico, Japan, other places. Collectively coming together, we’ve combined forces and basically the rebrand final touches happen at Slammiversary.”

Slammiversary saw positive to mixed ratings across the board, a good sign considering Impact’s troubling times in recent years. In the main event, GFW Global Champion Alberto El Patron defeated Impact World Champion Bobby Lashley to become unified champion. Sienna unified both companies’ women’s belts, the Latin American Xchange (LAX) — entering as the tag team champions of both promotions — retained their titles, and Sonjay Dutt retained the Impact X-Division title.

It is unknown what the fate is for the X-Division and Impact Grand Championship, the two titles to not be unified at Slammiversary.

In other news:

World Wrestling All-Stars reborn?

The World Wrestling All-Stars (WWA), a touring wrestling organization that has been inactive and defunct since May 2003, has new ownership. Andrew McManus, an Australian concert promoter who founded the company, has sold WWA to a man named Wade Brewer.

The WWA was founded in 2001, following the closure of WCW and ECW, bringing the biggest names from said companies, and other noted independent workers and future stars, together for several tours in different continents. For a more in-depth look at the organization, check out this video from Brian Zane (Wrestling with Wregret):

“At the moment, the focus needs to be placed on brand awareness,” Brewer told 411Mania.com. “We’ve re-released our first two pay-per-view events for online streaming on our pivotshare account, and formed a partnership that also makes them available on the Highspots Wrestling Network. As for future events and tours, get connected with our social networks and when the time is right, you’ll be the first to receive the big announcements.”

Title Awarded in the Mae Young Classic?

A profile on Stephanie McMahon in a recent AdWeek may have spoiled that the winner of WWE’s upcoming Mae Young Classic women’s wrestling tournament may win a championship. This would be similar to last year’s Cruiserweight Classic tournament, where TJ Perkins ended up walking away the first-ever Cruiserweight Champion (not counting the cruiserweight title quietly retired in 2008).

There is also some speculation that with this leak, current NXT Women’s Champion Asuka may be called up to the main roster, with the winner of this tournament becoming new NXT Women’s Champion.

The finale of the Mae Young Classic airs live on Tuesday, Sept. 12, at 10 p.m. — the current time slot of the cruiserweight-exclusive show, 205 Live. There’s no word on if this will result in 205 Live’s cancellation and replacing, or 205 Live being moved to before Smackdown Live — whether for the one night or on a permanent basis.

That Time the Ball Family Got ‘Raw’

By Thomas Albano

Well, this was quite the interesting week in WWE now wasn’t it? From multiple segments on Raw to help build up to WWE Great Balls of Fire, to a Smackdown Live that featured a second women’s Money in the Bank Ladder match (because the first was god damn awful and had an ending that produced more backlash than the pay-per-view named as such), WWE programming was filled with memorable moments this week.

But none may be more memorable, or infamous for that matter, than when the Ball family showed up for a MizTV segment with WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz.

I didn’t know what to expect with this segment, and I did not expect for LaVar and his sons to side with Ambrose and for LaVar to take off his shirt and nearly clash with Miz.

And it was during Ambrose’s entrance, when LaMelo Ball was heard over the microphone, where the figurative s*** hit the fan.

“Beat that n***a a**!” LaMelo shouted twice, picked up over the microphone and going through to and heard by the live TV audience. The video above with the segment was edited, but you can hear the audio in the following clip towards the end:

This, of course, prompted WWE to issue an apology for the incident, stating “The inappropriate language used by a guest during the ‘Miz TV’ segment was not scripted nor reflects WWE’s values.” Of course then the next night, Big E of The New Day makes reference an old Booker-T promo from WCW in which he accidentally used the slur against Hulk Hogan (think about it and you’ll understand the irony there).

Now, there is a good thing and a bad thing here. The bad thing? WWE may have gotten a bit of heat with LaMelo’s uncensored comments. And, well, some WWE personnel (namely Corey Graves and Braun Strowman for this piece) shared some fans’ thoughts in that they wanted the Ball Brand trio nowhere near the ring.

Am I the only one who drew this comparison last night? #lavarball #mamajune #raw @wwe @espn @bigballerbrand

A post shared by Corey Graves (@wwegraves) on Jun 27, 2017 at 12:58pm PDT

The good thing? Well, I guess you can say this is one of those times controversy creates cash and that any publicity is good publicity. People are talking about it. Hell, you’re reading this piece!

But, honestly, as I’ve mentioned on previous editions of The Unspoken Podcast, I just want to see Lonzo play an NBA game. His dad’s the hype man, I get it, but I’ve gotten sick of him.

Let’s see if Lonzo can actually walk the walk in the bigs.

Bellator NYC Predictions

Tomorrow night marks the date of Bellator NYC, Bellator MMA’s first pay-per-view attempt since the disastrous Bellator 120 event in 2014. It also marks the promotion’s debut event in New York City’s Madison Square Garden. Will it be any good? Well, it’s Bellator, so who knows.

But let’s get into my predictions.

Quick Predictions:
– Chael Sonnen def. Wanderlei Silva via bored-crowd-displeasing split decision
– Matt Mitrione def. Fedor Emelianenko via second-round KO/TKO
– Lightweight Champion Michael Chandler def. Brent Primus via second-round KO/TKO to retain.
– Lorenz Larkin def. Welterweight Champion Douglas Lima via unanimous decision to win the title.
– Aaron Pico def. Zach Freeman via first-round KO/TKO
– Ryan Bader def. Light Heavyweight Champion Phil Davis via third-round KO to win the title.
– James Gallagher def. Chinzo Machida via unanimous decision
– Neiman Gracie def. Dave Marfone via second-round submission
– Heather Hardy def. Alice Yauger via first-round KO/TKO
– Ryan Couture def. Haim Gozali via first-round KO/TKO

Thoughts:
Silva vs. Sonnen: I’m going to echo the words of Bloody Elbow‘s Mookie Alexander here: “There is utterly no way to properly analyze this fight.” You have one guy who is famous for running his mouth and failing to get the job done, who has lost four of five and just had his first bout in about four years earlier this year. And then you have another guy who will be having his official MMA bout in four years, and even then has lost eight of his last 12 bouts. But, it’s a grudge bout.

I’m just going to say here that if Sonnen doesn’t get the win here, the bout he’s requested for a long time, maybe it’s time to hang ’em up for good. But, my OFFICIAL prediction is that either it will be a boring fight ending in decision or a quick KO/TKO, and the crowd will boo either way. This three-round bout is main eventing over title fights, because…Bellator.

Fedor vs. Mitrione: My mind wants to say Fedor, because Fedor is the legend of MMA. And it’d suck for me to place my vote against a former New York Giant and Minnesota Viking. But, quite a bit of the MMA community fears for Fedor in that Father Time is right on his heels. And while he and Mitrione haven’t fought in about the same amount of time, Mitrione still has the speed that Fedor doesn’t have. If Mitrione can keep it standing, he can certainly overwhelm the Russian phenom. But if gets to the ground, good night Irene (or, Matt, in this case).

Chandler vs. Primus: Primus is definitely on a roll, but I’m not sure if he’s ready for the title just yet. That said, however, Chandler has struggled against someone similar to Primus — Will Brooks. I’ll go with Chandler for now, but if these two meet for the strap again, don’t be surprised if Primus learns from mistakes and takes the title.

Lima vs. Larkin: This is expected to be the Fight of the Night. Two equally good combatants. Larkin coming over from the UFC, who did not re-sign Larkin despite winning ways, and Douglas Lima, a two-time Bellator welterweight tournament winner and champion. Now, I’m not a fan of guys getting title shots their first night in an MMA promotion. But at the same time, Larkin, even with just five welterweights bouts under his belt, has competed against some of the best. Meanwhile, Lima’s track record shows some struggle when the lights go up and the game is on with the title on the line. #AndNew

Pico vs. Freeman: This is like an exhibition of sorts. Pico is very talented. Prodigy? We’ll have to wait and see. But, he better impress. If he can’t in his first bout, or worse, he loses, then all that hype goes to nothing for Bellator.

Davis vs. Bader: Bader needs to keep the fight standing and go for the KO. Otherwise, it’ll end up being a boring fight that’s completely on the ground with Davis retaining. I’m praying it’s the former. Even then, Bader beat Davis the first time, back in the UFC. I’m feeling same old song and dance here. #AndNew

McGregor vs. Mayweather – FINALLY

By Thomas Albano

So, after months of chatter, months of negotiations and months of anticipation, it will finally happen.

UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor and boxing icon Floyd Mayweather will be having a boxing match on Aug. 26 in Las Vegas. It’s a pay-per-view bout that is certain, with all the hype, build-up and star power, to rake in millions upon millions of dollars.

Mayweather is undefeated inside the squared-circle at 49-0, retiring in September 2015. Mayweather has won 15 world titles and is a five-division world champion.

McGregor is 21-3 in MMA, and he is the only man in the UFC to have ever held two divisions’ titles at the same time (and only one of three to ever hold two different division titles at all). But, McGregor has never had a professional boxing bout.

A lot of people doubted this fight would ever happen, but you know what? It got done…somehow. So, here we are.

Did the UFC want this fight to happen? Probably not. Is the UFC’s reputation damaged if they lose? I don’t think so.

Boxing and MMA are two different sports. The science surrounding boxing and the science surrounding MMA are different. In boxing, you don’t have to worry about kicks, getting taken down to the ground and submissions. But, of course, in boxing you have the bigger gloves.

Now, we can talk more in-depth about how both sports can stand on their own because boxing can still have some exciting bouts (see Anthony Joshua vs. Wladimir Klitschko) and some MMA bouts can bore you to tears (see Kimbo Slice vs. Dada 3000).

Plus, MMA already has a victory over boxing. In 2010, former boxing champion James Toney faced UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture at a UFC bout. With no ground experience, it went TERRIBLY for Toney. He easily got taken down, and he was defeated in about four minutes.

In fact, I’d argue if Mayweather was facing McGregor in an MMA bout, McGregor would wreck him up badly. But, it’s not. McGregor will not be allowed to kick, grab or takedown Mayweather. Of course, normal boxing clinches are fine.

But, Mayweather is still the clear favorite. How clear? Well, Forbes reports Mayweather as a -1100 favorite, while McGregor is a +700 underdog.

Many people have speculated outcomes, and the top three are the following: McGregor gets KO’d or TKO’d, Mayweather dances around the ring en route to a decision win, or Mayweather dances around the ring and causes McGregor to snap and perform MMA moves en route to a DQ.

While I can see all three happening, especially that third, I’m hoping for the sake of everyone who buys this event, that we see something special in the bout. It’s special enough considering the crossover sport nature of this bout, but I’m hoping we can really see some good competition.

McGregor is really training hard for this bout. So, who knows? Maybe we can see something shocking and McGregor can pull off a win.

And if McGregor does win, does that cement his status as one of the best athletes in the game? Maybe, but I just wish he could defend his title.

I won’t lie, I’m kind of rooting for McGregor considering he’s the more entertaining athlete in my opinion, and he backs his talk up in his action. Plus, as some of you can probably tell, I’m not a fan of Mayweather’s strategy of just doing the bare minimum and then avoiding contact to get the decision.

If McGregor puts on a good showing, and he defends his UFC title, then I will say he can be in the argument of greatest general athlete in the world, not just MMA, today.

Until then, I’m anticipating what this fight will bring.

WWE…Great Balls of Fire?

By Thomas Albano

UPDATE (6/16/17, 11 p.m.): The WWE has put their video trailer for Great Balls of Fire on private. No word yet as to why this has happened, though it could possibly be so they can change the logo to the most recent version (seen above).

The WWE will be holding its next mega event this coming Sunday night, a Smackdown production called Money In The Bank. As for its Raw brand, the next event comes on July 9 for an event whose names has caused speechless shock and outrage across it’s fans — WWE Great Balls of Fire.

I wish I was kidding, but that is the name. Here’s the teaser trailer for it.

I have been a WWE fan for almost my whole life — I am 22 for the record. And this name has to be the most out of left field thing I’ve ever seen the WWE pull off. Why name this show after a Jerry Lee Lewis song?

This event, to be broadcast on the WWE Network, was originally planned to be called Bad Blood — a throwback to a pay-per-view event name the WWE used in 1997, 2003 and 2004.

I mean, it could be worse, they could’ve stuck with Bad Blood and then used that Taylor Swift song. God, I would be pissed if they had done that.

But then, they came up with this idea. I have two theories to how this name came about — either Vince was listening to this song in the office and demanded this event be named as such, or the WWE writers wanted to see if they could get away with using this name.

To some WWE fans, both those theories could be plausible. But what’s funny is that they almost didn’t.

As told by WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler recently, representatives of Lewis tried to sue WWE for using the name without taking it up with Lewis first. Lewis has had a trademark on the term “Great Balls of Fire” since he first sang the song back in the 1950s.

When WWE recently advertised a match for the event on the WWE Network program Talking Smack, they had a different song over it. So, I thought maybe WWE had lost the rights. But, maybe they can only use the song in certain instances.

Anyways, so, goodness gracious, WWE. Great Balls of Fire better be something. I mean, they’re bringing Brock Lesnar in to defend the Universal Championship for the first time, so they’re TRYING, right?

Also, that trailer from the start of this piece looks awesome; I do have to admit I like the 1950s throwback feeling.

But, they have had several logos for this event. Why? Well, let’s see if something catches your eye (Note: the logo from right before the video was just used for the arena when tickets first went on sale).

Watch this somehow not be a bomb, but be an amazing event. Either way it goes, I can see it happening.