Every Wednesday, Administrative Editor Jordan Breen welcomes a member of the mixed martial arts media into “Press Row” on the Sherdog.com blog. This week, Breen is joined by SiriusXM radio personality and Sherdog's “Smartest Guy at the Bar” R.J. Clifford.
In the wake of despiriting performances by Cain Velasquez and Gilbert Melendez at UFC 188, as well as the UFC's expanded drug testing set to kick in on July 1, Breen and Clifford look at the direction of training and preparation in the sport. The two discuss UFC 188 in Mexico City as the important touchstone for environmental factors in major-league MMA, Velasquez's altitude narrative overriding Fabricio Werdum's technical improvements and the irony of Werdum and his old school training taking the title from Velasquez, who UFC boss Dana White had derided for “stone age” training at American Kickboxing Academy.
Breen and Clifford consider how the UFC's imminent expanded drug testing will impact preparation and performance in the cage in the near future, how stiffer penalties for drug test failures could change fighter-trainer relationships and what it means to be “prepared” for a major MMA bout in 2015.
Grab your credential and get a seat in “Press Row.”
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