UFC fighter Irina Alekseeva won’t have to wait long to be cleared to fight again after the saga surrounding a failed drug test finally came to a conclusion on Tuesday.
During a monthly meeting with the Nevada Athletic Commission, Alekseeva received a one-year suspension after she tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone “consistent with the administration of testosterone of exogenous origin” from a sample collected all the way back on June 21, 2023.
The commission made the one-year suspension retroactive to Oct. 14, 2023 based on the date she was first notified about the test failure. Alekseeva’s one-year suspension ends on Oct. 14 so she’ll be cleared to fight again as early as Oct. 15.
She was also fined $157.04 by the commission for prosecution fees.
Advertisement
The strange timing surrounding Alekseeva’s suspension comes after the Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) — the in-house governing body overseeing the UFC’s anti-doping policy — placed blame on the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for delays in reporting the initial results that actually allowed the bantamweight fighter to compete after a failed drug test.
“Alekseeva tested positive for values consistent with the administration of testosterone of exogenous origin in a urine sample collected by the United States Anti-Doping Agency on June 21, 2023, while USADA was still the independent administrator of the UFC’s Anti-Doping Program (UFC ADP),” CSAD officials said back in June. “However, USADA failed to report the results of this sample to her and to UFC until Oct. 31, 2023, more than four months after the sample was collected and after Alekseeva was allowed to compete in a UFC event in Las Vegas, NV, on Oct. 14, 2023.
“USADA collected two additional samples from Alekseeva before her Oct. 14, 2023, fight, (Aug. 8, 2023, and Sept. 13, 2023) that were both negative. It should be noted that when CSAD took over the independent administrator role of UFC ADP from USADA on Dec. 31, 2023, it requested additional, more specific testing of those two samples that USADA had not. The results of this additional testing facilitated by CSAD were negative. Alekseeva was also tested by the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) on October 14, 2023, the date of her last UFC fight, and was negative. All three of these subsequent negative samples were collected from Alekseeva before she was informed of her June 21, 2023, positive sample.”
In the end, CSAD suspended Alekseeva for one year, which was also made retroactive to the day after her last fight in the UFC, which meant she would be eligible to return on or after Oct. 15.
Advertisement
Now the Nevada Athletic Commission has matched that same punishment with Alekseeva cleared to return once her suspension is lifted on Oct. 15.
The result in Alekseeva’s fight remains the same because she ultimately lost a decision to Melissa Mullins, which dropped her UFC record to 1-1 overall.
At the same meeting on Tuesday, Bellator fighter JayJay Wilson was also handed a nine-month suspension after testing positive for metenolone — an anabolic steroid — from out-of-competition drug test. His suspension is set to end on Jan. 1, 2025 and he was also handed a $157.04 fine by the commission for prosecution fees.
A former UFC interim lightweight champion, the past few years have been especially unkind to Ferguson. “El Cucuy” is currently on an eight-fight losing streak and has not won a bout since 2020. Most recently, Ferguson was submitted by Michael Chiesa at UFC Abu Dhabi back in August, after which he laid one glove down in the cage and teased a possible retirement. But that is no longer the case.
“I only put half the f*cking glove in there, and I got it back, so that just tells me I’ve got both pairs of gloves,” Ferguson said on Demetrious Johnson’s YouTube channel. “So yep. We’re going to probably take the rest of this season, figure things out hard, and we’re coming back either January or February. Stayed tuned.”
One of the more popular fighters in the sport, Ferguson’s calamitous run in recent years has led to increasing calls for his retirement from fans and fellow fighters. But despite his bad run, Ferguson is simply not ready to walk away from the sport he loves and has a plan to change things up moving forward.
Advertisement
“F*ck no I’m not retiring,” Ferguson said. “I’m too old to retire. I’m 40 years old. I’m halfway to 80, I’ve been competing since I was five years old in multiple sports. I wrestled in college, I’ve done all the other stuff, and you know what? It’s not like I don’t know anything else. I do. I’m still able to compete. When somebody is able to run or sprint faster than me then maybe I will start to consider it. But what I really need is to find that coaching, that discipline around other people, being uncomfortable in practice so that way you’re not miserable in the fight… That’s where we’re at right now.”
As for when he’ll return and who it might be again, Ferguson doesn’t have any specific plans at the moment. Instead, he plans to called up UFC CEO Dana White sometime next year and let him figure it out.
“I’m not in any rush for anything,” Ferguson said. “Usually I have little ailments or booboos, hurt, broken. I’m fully recovered from my surgeries. I had two surgeries in January and I fought — not saying I rushed it… The way I’m moving is pretty good. So instead of getting excited and jumping at anything I want, I make the phone call to Dana and tell him, ‘Look, I’m looking for a fight,’ and then they give me one.”
Since AK, didn’t say it yesterday: hope everyone who got the day off for Indigenous People’s Day had a good one. Now it’s full tilt forward towards PFL Superfights: Ngannou vs. Ferreira. Should be fun.
UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones was already a big favorite to defeat Stipe Miocic. Now he’s a massive one.
When the odds were released for the UFC 309 main event after it was officially booked last month, Jones (27-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) opened as a -410 favorite and Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) a +320 underdog via DraftKings on Sept. 16, but those odds have drastically changed in the past month to make Jones a massive favorite, with DraftKings currently listing Jones -550 and Miocic +410.
Those odds are even wider at two other prominent online sportsbooks, FanDuel and BetMGM. FanDuel lists Jones -620 and Miocic +400; BetMGM has Jones as a whopping -700 favorite and Miocic +500. The major shift in Jones’ favor indicates that public money has come in heavy on the champ.
Perhaps Miocic’s age and inactivity are the reasons why. The former UFC heavyweight champion, now 42, hasn’t competed since March 2021 when he lost the title to Francis Ngannou by vicious second-round knockout.
Advertisement
Jones, 37, has competed just once since February 2020. The former longtime light heavyweight champion debuted at heavyweight and submitted Ciryl Gane to win the title vacated by Ngannou in March 2023. Jones is returning from a torn pectoral that canceled the originally scheduled fight with Miocic last November at UFC 295.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
Allen threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score and Tyler Bass made up for an earlier miss by kicking a go-ahead 22-yard field goal with 3:43 left to help the Bills (4-2) snap a two-game skid. They have never lost three straight with Allen starting at quarterback.
Normally reliable kicker Greg Zuerlein missed two potential go-ahead field goals for the Jets, hitting the left upright on both.
The game was filled with yellow penalty flags all night — both teams had 11 penalties.
Advertisement
Allen finished 19-of-25 for 215 yards. Rookie Ray Davis, filling in for the injured James Cook, ran for 97 yards on 20 carries and caught three passes for 55 yards.
Allen and the Bills were able to then run out the clock and seal the win. They are the only team in the division with a winning record.
Rodgers was 23-of-35 for 294 yards with two touchdowns and the INT, and Breece Hall had 113 yards rushing and 56 receiving.
Advertisement
Rodgers’ deep throw on the final play of the opening half had the Jets, their fans — and social media — buzzing.
With the Jets at their own 48 and perhaps hoping to get into field goal range before halftime, Rodgers took a few steps back and danced around a bit before launching the ball toward the end zone. Allen Lazard reached up in front of two Bills defenders and fell on his back.
After a quick huddle, officials ruled it a touchdown.
The Jets got in an early rhythm on offense with Downing calling the plays as Rodgers got New York into the red zone. A drop by Hall on third down made the Jets settle for a 34-yard field goal by Zuerlein — New York’s first points on an opening drive this season.
Advertisement
Buffalo bounced back by running all over New York’s defense, gashing Ulbrich’s unit for 61 yards rushing — including 48 on six carries by Davis — and capping the Bills’ opening drive with a 1-yard keeper by Allen to make it 7-3.
Allen’s 56th career TD run put him one behind O.J. Simpson for second in franchise history.
Garrett Wilson gave the Jets back the lead on their next drive, capping things by catching a 5-yard pass from Rodgers in the back of the end zone and getting both feet down on a play that was initially ruled incomplete but reversed on video replay before Ulbrich needed to challenge.
Allen led the Bills on a 90-yard drive to give Buffalo back the lead, capped by an 8-yard TD pass to Mack Hollins. Quinnen Williams got his hand on Bass’ extra point try that sailed wide left.
Advertisement
Allen sparked the drive when he danced out of the end zone, scrambled to his right and threw across his body down the middle of the field where Davis got his hands on the ball, bobbled it and came down with it for a 42-yard catch.
Allen’s second touchdown pass was a 12-yard throw to Dawson Knox with 21 seconds remaining before halftime to put Buffalo up 20-10.
Bass missed another kick on Buffalo’s opening drive of the second half, pushing a 47-yarder wide right.
Zuerlein tied it at 20 with a 22-yarder midway through the third quarter.
Advertisement
The Jets appeared to take the lead late on their next possession when Braelon Allen ran up the middle from 4 yards out, but left tackle Tyron Smith was called for holding. Rodgers connected with Wilson in the back of the end zone on the next play, but the wide receiver couldn’t hold onto the ball after being walloped by Damar Hamlin and Taylor Rapp.
Zuerlein then hit the left upright on a 32-yard attempt to keep the game tied. He also missed a potential go-ahead 43-yarder with 9:44 left in the fourth quarter, hitting the upright again.
Injuries
Jets S Chuck Clark was ruled out in the second quarter with an ankle injury. … CB D.J. Reed left in the third quarter with an injured groin.
In England, futsal is an amateur sport so players do not earn salaries for competing.
Across Europe, a futsal player’s earning potential varies greatly. In Spain and Portugal, clubs such as Barcelona, Sporting CP and Benfica are directly attached to their football counterparts and are able to pay lucrative salaries, with elite players thought to have had contracts upwards of £400,000 per year with Barcelona.
While not all clubs are professional, many other players in these leagues earn comfortable full-time salaries.
Advertisement
In England’s top flight, FA National Futsal Series Tier 1, only a couple of clubs have ever been professional – and for short periods. The current extent of financial support offered to players is through expenses.
Manchester Futsal Club covers costs such as travel, kit and overnight accommodation for its squad, but for the vast majority of players in England, futsal is a hobby and an expensive one.
Between kit, monthly subs and nationwide travel, players often look to commercial sponsorship for help covering the costs.
Casual bettors tend to bet on favorites and also love to include them in parlays. But the NFL is one of the most unpredictable professional sports leagues in the world, and this lends itself to several surprising results every week.
Not this week.
Entering the Sunday night matchup between the Bengals and Giants, bookmakers were begging for Giants wagers due to the amount of losses they’d already taken from the earlier games. Week 6 favorites entered that game 11-1 straight up (SU) and 9-2-1 against the spread (ATS), resulting in a massive day for the public.
Joe Brennan Jr., Prime Sports executive chair stated, “What a s— day today in the NFL. If you know anyone who likes the Giants tonight, we have an account ready and waiting for them.” He wasn’t the only one to have those sentiments.
Advertisement
“It’s the worst day of the season so far. This could get really ugly if the Bengals win and cover,” said Zachary Lucas, director of retail sports for TwinSpires Sportsbook.
To his and many others dismay, the Giants did not win or cover, which meant two things: favorites were now 12-1 SU and 10-2-1 ATS, and sportsbooks desperately needed a Jets win against the Bills on Monday night.
Jeff Benson, Circa Sports director of operations, posted this on X, summarizing Sunday/Monday in the NFL:
Advertisement
Enter Monday Night Football.
The Jets trailed 20-10 with just eight seconds left in the second quarter before Aaron Rodgers unloaded a 52-yard touchdown pass to make it 20-17 at the conclusion of the first half.
New York would kick a field goal in the third quarter to tie it up 20-20 headed into the fourth. Field goals were ultimately a huge factor in the outcome of the game, as Greg Zuerlein went two-of-four. After his miss in the fourth quarter, the Bills drove 64 yards down the field in 11 plays and kicked a field goal to take a 23-20 lead.
Rodgers had just under four minutes to get it done for the sportsbooks, but was intercepted on a deep throw after Mike Williams fell just before he was about to snag the ball. Favorites finished the week 13-1 SU and 11-2-1 ATS. BetMGM senior trader Tristan Davis stated, “Bettors got the entire sundae this week, and they deserved it. It had been a rough start to the season for them.”
Advertisement
Buffalo’s win also completed several parlays for the public. BetMGM Nevada’s Scott Shelton is quoted saying, “There are some parlays as long as my arm that will cash on Bills -1.5.”
For perspective, this is just the third time in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) that only one favorite lost SU in Week 6 of the season (1975 and 2005). I’ll leave you with a final quote from Lucas, who was dreading a Buffalo win as mentioned earlier:
“With the Bills’ win, it’s like we have PIN-less ATMs at our sportsbooks. Everyone is cashing out.”
Advertisement
Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He’s based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on Twitter: @PatrickE_Vegas.
Get more from National Football LeagueFollow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
You must be logged in to post a comment Login