Matthew Riddle weighs in during the UFC weigh-in on Feb. 15 at Wembley Arena in London. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Following the release of welterweight Matt Riddle for a second failed drug test for marijuana, the UFC on Wednesday afternoon issued an official statement regarding their actions.

The company said that the positive test for marijuana metabolites was a breach of contract and violation of their conduct policy. For these reasons, Riddle was terminated.

“The UFC organization is exercising its right to terminate Riddle for breach of his obligations under his Promotional Agreement as well as the UFC Fighter Conduct Policy,”  the UFC posted on their website.

“The UFC organization has a strict, consistent policy against the use of any illegal and/or performance-enhancing drugs, stimulants or masking agents. The outcome of the bout against Che Mills was changed to a no-contest and the results of the positive test will be reported to the official Association of Boxing Commissions MMA record-keeper.”

As GRACIEMAG.com reported Wednesday morning, Riddle tested positive for marijuana after his UFC on Fuel TV 7 fight with Che Mills. The failed test was his second, the first one coming after his UFC 149 fight with Chris Clements.

Both fights have been turned to no-contests.

Matt Riddle (right) was released from the UFC following a positive drug test for marijuana. Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Following a second positive test for marijuana, welterweight Matt Riddle has been cut by the UFC, according to reports on Tuesday evening.

Riddle failed his drug test following his UFC on Fuel TV 7 fight with Che Mills in London, where he won a split decision over the homecountry fighter.

Typically, the local governing body, or athletic commission, oversees the drug testing for UFC events. England, however, has no such commission, so the UFC supervised the drug testing for the Fuel event where he subsequently failed his test.

Riddle first tested positive for marijuana following UFC 149 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The second failure in London, apparently, was enough for UFC brass to handle and Riddle was let go from the company.

Riddle’s name is added to the growing list of former UFC fighters that have been cut from the promotion. Last week, news broke that 16 fighters, including top-10 ranked Jon Fitch, were let go from the promotion. Riddle’s opponent last opponent, Mills, was included on that cut list.

UFC president Dana White went on to say that Fitch’s cut made sense for a number of reasons, including being too expensive.

News of Riddle’s release was first reported by MMAjunkie.com.

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Renan Barao successfully defended his interim bantamweight title to beat Michael McDonald Saturday night in London. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Renan Barao successfully defended his UFC interim bantamweight title, submitting Michael McDonald in the fourth round of the UFC on FUEL TV 7 main event at Wembley Arena in London on Saturday night.

The defending interim champ brought the fight to the ground and sank an arm-triangle choke, forcing McDonald to tap out at 3:57 of the round.

“I feel great,” Barao said following his win in the United Kingdom. “That was a lot of hard work.”

Barao got the takedown early in the first round, working in guard until McDonald was able to get back to the feet. Both fighters had moments of punching flurries, going back and forth halfway through the frame. McDonald stunned his opponent, letting free with a combination, but was taken down shortly after. The round finished on the ground, and was razor-close for the entire five-minute period.

McDonald continued pressuring the interim champ, opening up a cut over Barao’s right eye, but the Brazilian scored a takedown thereafter. Once back on the feet, an eye-poke by Barao paused the action, but they continued and traded strikes. Barao landed a front kick that backed his opponent up, but McDonald responded with a flurry before the end of the round.

Barao pressured the challenger, moving side to side and forward with a combinations of punches. He got the takedown and tried to gain mount, but McDonald bumped him off and returned to a standing fight. The champ landed a spinning-back kick in the final 30 seconds of the third round that sent McDonald reeling backwards.

McDonald stuffed a takedown in the first minute of the fourth round, but Barao kept moving forward to land combinations of strikes. McDonald had a bloody nose, and Barao continued throwing punches and kicks. Barao clinched and tossed McDonald, getting the fight to the ground where he secured the American’s back. From there, Barao transitioned to mount, wrapped up his opponent’s head and arm, and sank in the arm triangle for the finish.

“Domincik Cruz, I’m waiting for you,” Barao said, pleading for the current 135-pound champ to return from injury soon.

With the win, Barao retains the interim bantamweight title and maintains a 30-fight unbeaten streak.

Cub Swanson (pictured) won his bout at UFC on FUEL TV 7 on Saturday in London. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Cub Swanson (18-5) vs. Dustin Poirier (13-2) 

Cub Swanson went the distance to beat Dustin Poirier by unanimous decision in the co-main event at UFC on FUEL TV 7 on Saturday.

Swanson used a mixture of strikes on the feet, as well as superior ground technique to earn the decision with scores of 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27.

Swanson was active early on, throwing several haymaker punches. Poirier began to counter then went for a single-leg before clinching against the cage. Swanson landed an uppercut that shook Poirier, but was taken to ground again in the final minute of the round.

Round 2 began with Swanson landing body shots. He continued to pressure his opponent until Poirier clinched him up against the cage. After a failed spinning-back fist by Swanson, Poirier scored a double-leg takedown. The fight returned to the feet, however, where the fighters traded punches and kicks through the end of the round.

Poirier began to land more strikes as the third round began, landing combinations on the feet. Swanson scored a takedown, working in his opponent’s guard and landing elbows before transitioning to the back. Poirier attempted shaking his opponent off, but Swanson scrambled to mount. Poirier recovered and got back to his feet, but Swanson got him down again with a head-and-arm toss in the final minute before time expired.

With the win, Swanson scores his fourth win in a row and will likely be in talks about being the No. 1 contender to Jose Aldo’s featherweight title.

Jimi Manuwa vs. Cyrille Diabate

Cyrille Diabate injured himself in the first round and was unable to continue before the second to give Jimi Manuwa the TKO-win in their UFC on FUEL main card fight on Saturday.

Manuwa got the takedown early in the first round, keeping top control for a lengthy time before returning to the feet. He continued to pressure Diabate, landing a mixture of strikes before getting another takedown prior to the round ending.

Diabate was unable to answer the bell before Round 2 began due to a leg injury, giving Manuwa the technical knockout and 13th win to add to his undefeated record.

Gunnar Nelson vs. Jorge Santiago

Gunnar Nelson shut out Jorge Santiago to earn a unanimous decision at UFC on FUEL in London on Saturday.

Nelson kept his hands low, but scored a takedown in the first round while his opponent tried to find his range. The second round had Nelson apply another takedown just past the first minute, landing strikes from top position thereafter and passing the guard to mount before the round ended. Santiago found success landing strikes on the feet in the third, but Nelson reacted well and landed punches to earn the win.

Judges scored the bout 29-28, 29-28, 30-27.

James Te Huna (15-5) vs. Ryan Jimmo (17-1) 

James Te Huna defeated Ryan Jimmo by unanimous decision in their main card fight at UFC on FUEL TV 7.

Te Huna recovered from a first-round headkick, taking down Jimmo in the second and third rounds which opened up a heavy ground-and-pound assault. Judges scored the fight 29-27, 29-28, 29-28.

Che Mills vs. Matt Riddle

Matt Riddle won a split decision over Che Mills in the UFC on FUEL opening main card fight. Riddle neutralized Mills’ stand-up, bringing the fight to the ground on numerous occasions and controlling from that position.

Judges scored the fight 29-28, 28-29 and 30-27, giving the American a win over the homeland fighter.

Preliminary Bouts (on Facebook):

Renee Forte def. Terry Etim by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Danny Castillo def. Paul Sass by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Andy Ogle def. Josh Grispi by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Tom Watson def. Stanislov Nedkov by TKO at 4:42, Round 2
Vaughan Lee def. Motonobu Tezuka by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Phil Harris def. Ulysses Gomez by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

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Renée Forte. Foto: Divulgação

No  próximo sábado, dia 16 de fevereiro, Renée Forte terá a missão de representar o Team Nogueira em mais uma edição do UFC. O cearense, ex-participante do The Ultimate Fighter Brasil, fará sua estreia entre os leves da organização contra o inglês Terry Etim pelo UFC on Fuel TV 7, que será realizado em Londres, na Inglaterra. Dono da casa, Etim ficou conhecido pelo o público brasileiro após sofrer o nocaute mais bonito de 2012 para Edson Barboza no UFC Rio II, realizado em janeiro do ano passado.

Com um cartel de sete vitórias e duas derrotas, Renée tentará sua primeira vitória no maior evento de MMA do planeta. Para isso, ressaltou a importância do trabalho desempenhado no Team Nogueira nos meses que antecederam ao duelo.

“Minha preparação foi muito bem feita, estou me sentindo muito bem. Fui muito ajudado por meus companheiros de treinos aqui no Team Nogueira. O planejamento não poderia ter sido melhor, treinei todas as partes, estou pronto para fazer uma grande luta. É isso que o público deseja, e é isso o que eu quero para mim”, afirmou.

O lutador, que disputou o reality show TUF Brasil entre os médios (até 84 kg) e fez sua estreia no evento pelos meio-médios (até 77kg) também comentou sobre sua ida para os pesos leves (70 kg). Forte garante que a transição não irá o atrapalhar e que o trabalho de perda de peso já vem sendo desenvolvido há alguns meses. Além da questão corporal, o brasileiro deixou claro que não teme o forte jogo de chão de Etim, e que confia em suas habilidades para frustrar o adversário.

“Eu já venho perdendo peso há bastante tempo, vou descer cerca de 23 kg. Estou bem mais rápido e com a força na mesma medida de antes. Vou entrar a mil por hora, com toda a certeza. Reconheço a qualidade do Eitm no chão, mas também acredito no meu potencial, vou desenvolver o que eu treinei. Acho que faremos um bom combate,é uma luta muito importante para a minha carreira”, disse o também faixa-preta de Jiu-Jitsu.

Antes de desembarcar em Londres, o atleta do Team Nogueira participou de duas semanas de treinamentos na França ao lado do também lutador Cyril Asker, e revelou que o período foi muito importante na parte de adaptação e finalização dos treinamentos.

“Esses dias foram muito importantes para me aclimatar, e buscar ainda mais conhecimentos e informações de um modo geral. Treinei bastante a parte de wrestling e boxe, o trabalho foi muito bem executado. Estou confiante para mais este desafio, só tenho a agradecer por todo o suporte que me foi dado durante todo este tempo”, concluiu.

Renée Forte (publicity photo)

On Saturday Feb. 16, Renée Forte will have the mission of representing Team Nogueira at yet another UFC event. A former Ultimate Fighter: Brazil contestant, Forte will be making his debut in the lightweight division against England’s Terry Etim at UFC on Fuel TV 7 in London. Hometown fighter Etim is best known for being at the wrong end of what is widely regarded as the greatest knockout of 2012–Edson Barboza’s spinning head kick at UFC Rio 2 in January of last year.

With a record of seven wins and two losses, Forte underscores the importance of the work he’s been doing at Team Nogueira in the months leading up to the encounter.

“I did a good job of preparing,” he said. “I’m feeling great. I had a lot of help from my teammates here at Team Nogueira. I couldn’t have done a better job of planning it. I trained in everything and am ready to put on a great fight–that’s what I want.”

The fighter, who competed in the TUF Brazil reality show as a middleweight and made his promotional debut at welterweight, also commented on his departure for the lightweight division. Forte guarantees that the transition won’t hinder him and that he factored the weight cut into his plans months ago. Besides the issue of his body, the Brazilian made it clear that he is unafraid of Etim’s ground game and that he trusts in his skills to frustrate his opponent.

“I’ve been cutting weight for some time now,” he said. “I’m much quicker now and just as strong as I was. I’m going in there full blast for sure. I recognize Etim’s ground skills but I have faith in my own potential. I’m going to put what I did in training to practice. I feel it will be a good fight, one that will be major turning point for my career.”

Before disembarking in London last Tuesday, the Team Nogueira fighter spent two weeks in France training with Cyril Asker, and revealed that the stint there was very important in his adapting and finalizing his training.

“The days I spent there were really important in helping me to aclimate and seek further understanding and overall information,” he said. “I worked a lot on wrestling and boxing. It was a job well done. I’m really confident for this fight. I’m very grateful for the support I’ve received this whole time.”

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Dennis Siver reacts after the conclusion of his three-round featherweight bout against Nam Phan at UFC on FOX 5. Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images.

Dennis Siver and Cub Swanson will face each other in a featherweight showdown as the co-main event at UFC on FUEL TV 7, otherwise know as UFC London, the company announced on Wednesday.

The bout will lead into the main event, which is a bantamweight interim title fight between the interim champ Renan Barao and challenger Michael McDonald.

Siver (21-8) was most recently seen winning in a one-sided affair with Nam Phan at UFC on FOX: Henderson vs. Diaz, last Saturday. The German striker hit his opponent with numerous strikes on the feet, and secured several takedowns that led to lengthy sessions of ground and pound in the win. Siver got the judges nod with 10-8 scores in multiple rounds.

Swanson (18-5) is on a three fight win streak with the most recent win coming at UFC 152 in September against Charles Oliveira. The veteran finished his opponents in all three of those wins, scoring TKOs over George Roop and Ross Pearson, and knocking out Oliveira in the first round.

UFC London takes place on Feb.16 at Wembley Arena in London, England.

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Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

The U.K. is getting its first taste of 135-pound UFC gold.

UFC London, also known as UFC on FUEL TV 7, will be headlined by Renan Barao defending his interim bantamweight title against challenger Michael McDonald, the UFC announced early Thursday.

The card, which is just beginning to get filled with fights, will take place at Wembley Arena on Saturday, Feb. 16.

The announcement of the interim title fight headlining the card comes just two days after UFC president Dana White said Barao and McDonald will meet some time in 2013.

The company also announced several other bouts for the U.K. card, including a welterweight fight between Matt Riddle and English fighter Che Mills.

The UFC London card to date is as follows:

• Renan Barao vs. Michael McDonald
• Che Mills vs. Matt Riddle
• Terry Etim vs. Renee Forte
• Paul Sass vs. Danny Castillo
• Billy Harris vs. Ulysses Gomez
• Vaughan Lee vs. Motonobu Tezuka
• Andy Ogle vs. Josh Grispi

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