No “Silva” Lining for Diaz as Both Fail Drug Tests: The return of UFC mainstay Anderson (The Spider) Silva took an unfortunate turn following his January 31, 2015 decision victory over Nick Diaz when it was revealed that he tested positive for Drostanolone and Androstane metabolites in a pre-fight drug test. Unfortunately for Diaz, the positive test will likely be of little benefit to him, as he himself tested positive for marijuana following a post-fight examination. The double positive, following an exceptionally high profile fight, was the latest drug-related public relations blow for the UFC, which had just recently had another of its elite competitors, light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, test positive for cocaine during a random drug test by the Nevada State Athletic Commission in December. Not all of the news has been negative for UFC lately, however. Indeed, it was announced in early December that UFC had signed a six-year partnership deal with Reebok for Reebok to become its exclusive outfitter and apparel provider. It was reported at the time that much of the revenue generated from the deal would be distributed to the athletes, a move that should help alleviate some of the criticism about how comparatively little UFC fighters make on a given card versus professional boxers on similarly publicized cards despite the UFC’s perceived edge in popularity.
Athletic Commission Reveals It Has No Time for Overtime: What happens when you take a world championship fight between featuring the massive punching Gennady Golovkin and add an additional minute to one of the rounds such that his opponent, Daniel Geale, could receive 60 seconds of further punishment (and sustain a cut)? Well, according to the New York State Athletic Commission, a double suspension is what happens. In early January, the Commission suspended two of its timekeepers for six months for allowing the first round of Golovkin and Geale’s middleweight title fight, which ultimately ended via a third-round knockout of Geale, to go an extra minute. The Commission found evidence of negligence in the time-keeping and issued the rare suspension by a 3-0 vote.