The Nevada Athletic Commission issues suspensions to several Dana White Contender Series alumni after failed drug tests.
Several fighters who competed on this past season of Dana White’s Contender Series are facing disciplinary action from the Nevada Athletic Commission.
[autotag]Francesco Mazzeo[/autotag] and [autotag]Abdellah Er-Ramy[/autotag], who lost their respective bouts, were issued suspensions for failed drug tests, while [autotag]Quemuel Ottoni[/autotag], who pulled out of his DWCS bout hours before the fight due to anxiety, was given an extension to his suspension.
The NAC announced its rulings during a monthly meeting on Tuesday in Las Vegas.
Mazzeo (4-1) tested positive for GW1516 and GW1516 metabolites, which are prohibited at all times under the World Anti-Doping Agency, in a urinalysis collected on Sept. 24. The B sample confirmed the prohibited substances.
The Italian fighter was given a nine-month suspension retroactive from collection of the test and will be eligible to return on June 23, 2025. He was also fined $750 with prosecution fees totaling $154.04.
Er-Ramy (7-2) faced a similar fate to Mazzeo. After testing positive for drostanolone and drostanolone metabolites, prohibited under the WADA list, in an Oct. 1 urinalysis, Er-Ramy was issued a nine-month suspension starting the day of the contest. His suspension lifts on June 30, 2025. He was also fined $750 with prosecution fees totaling $154.04.
For Ottoni (12-3), his temporary suspension was extended for the NAC’s January meeting, as the NAC continues negotiations with the fighter and look to “re-establish contact.” Ottoni has tested positive for Clomiphene.
Take a look inside the minds of the fighters involved in a bizarre last-second DWCS cancellation.
[autotag]Kody Steele[/autotag] just about had it when Sean Shelby told him to remove his hand wraps. It was the second time he received such instructions within the hour.
Constant peaks and dips of adrenaline and focus resulted in frustration followed by a crash and then acceptance that, frankly, there wasn’t anything he could do about things.
Scheduled to fight [autotag]Quemuel Ottoni[/autotag] (12-3) in a lightweight bout Tuesday, Steele (6-0) arrived to the locker room and was notified the fight was canceled shortly after. His hand wraps were removed.
That’s when the UFC’s lightweight matchmaker appeared in the locker room.
“He’s like, ‘Hey, the fight is back on.’ I’m like, ‘F*ck.’ I went from feeling like I’m not going to go, to like, ‘Oh my God, I’ve got to jack myself back up again,'” Steele said. “Thinking like, ‘This guy is playing mind games or doing tricks.’ I got all jacked up, ready to go. The cutman does a super fast hand wrap, and I just started cracking pads and warming up. Boom, boom, boom. The fight is getting closer. I’m like 10 minutes before I’m about to make my walk. I’m like, ‘F*cking a. It’s my turn. My turn. Let’s go.'”
That’s when he was notified once again the fight was off – this time, for good.
“Dude, what the f*ck?” Steele remembers he exclaimed.
Less than 48 hours after he dropped that expletive, the situation still hurts. He’s $10,000 richer, but Steele wishes instead he took home the “trophy” he envisioned the entire training camp.
“I thought I’d have a frickin’ contract in hand right now at this point,” Steele told MMA Junkie on Thursday.
The withdrawal didn’t come to Steele as a total surprise, particularly considering five of Ottoni’s previous six scheduled bookings fell through. Steele sensed something was up from the moment the two fighters faced off at weigh-ins Monday.
“I have competed so much in wrestling and jiu-jitsu, sometimes it’s just like crossing paths with someone or the way they step on the mat when they approach the mat, I feel like I can sense this person’s energy and I can sense how confident they are,” Steele said. “This guy was just giving me a lot of craziness. Right after we did faceoffs, I walked right over to my friends and said, ‘That dude knows he’s going to lose. He’s literally here for 15 minutes of fame. After I’m done with him, he’s going to be done with this. He ain’t coming back after this. He knows he’s going to lose.'”
Who knows what Ottoni thought or knew, but Steele’s instinct was somewhat correct. Ottoni, in the other locker room, was having issues.
“It is not up to me to try to define the size of the monster that lives in Quemuel’s head and make any value judgment,” Ottoni’s coach Bruno Murata wrote on Instagram in Portuguese after the cancellation. “… It was a whole day of lots of talking and with great difficulty I managed to convince him to go to the gym. He actually put on and took off the gloves twice. In the last one we almost came to blows. Of course I’m frustrated too. It took months of hard work, a lot of dedication and financial expenses. But I understand that Quemuel’s mental health must come first now. As important as this fight was, this is just a sport. Life and well-being his is the most important.”
For nearly a day, Ottoni didn’t comment on the sudden cancellation. However, on Wednesday, he detailed a fight with anxiety outside the cage nixed his fight inside the cage.
“I ended up not fighting yesterday after really having an anxiety crisis, adrenaline, freezing a bit after seeing all that,” Ottoni said in Portuguese (translated by MMA Fighting). “Watching it from the other side of the screen is one thing, but being there and seeing the cameras, cars, and even people – It was a mix of everything, the anxiety, seeing the camera, seeing the cut man doing my hands, people I’ve seen the most, and that’s it.”
UFC CEO Dana White was not peeved at Ottoni, as many frequent viewers might expect. He actually half-complimented Ottoni’s realization that UFC-level fights might not be for him.
“I’m not sh*tting on the kid at all,” White said. “Listen, it happens. You show up here, and it’s real. You come here and you’re 9-0 or this and that, then the guy you’re fighting is also 9-0, a lot of these kids have hype on them already. You get here, and you realize it’s not for you. I’d rather have that happen here than in a UFC event.”
While he doesn’t begrudge Ottoni as a person, Steele admits the missed opportunity – totally due to circumstances outside his control – is an unnecessary hassle. He also thinks the reputation Ottoni will have going forward makes it unnecessary for him to pile on.
“Honestly, I just feel a little bad for the guy,” Steele said. “He’s going to have to frickin’ live with this for the rest of his life. Any time this dude wants to think about competing in anything, any time he wants to put on boxing gloves, any time he goes to the gym again, any time he watches UFC, any time he sees me on TV, it’s always going to remind him of the day he got here and quit and didn’t do it. I don’t know if he’s got kids, but it’s not good.”
Steele, 29, has made quite the amount of noise during his first six MMA fights, following a standout career in the world of grappling. One of the most anticipated DWCS competitors scheduled to fight this season, Steele will try to maintain that momentum Oct. 8 when he gets another crack on the show against an opponent yet to be determined.
“My game plan for this fight will probably be the same this time around,” Steele said. “I’ve just got to focus on myself and me and my game and whoever the opponent is, I’ll adjust a little bit to him. It’s a little extra motivation. The only thing I’m thinking about is that I’ve got to make this damn weight cut again. I just want my body to be OK.”
Moments before the walk, a 15-fight professional decided he didn’t want to compete for a UFC contract.
LAS VEGAS – When Tuesday’s broadcast began, Dana White’s Contender Series 71 had five fights scheduled in the lineup. The night concluded with one fewer fight having actually taken place.
Moments before his scheduled cage walk, welterweight [autotag]Quemuel Ottoni[/autotag] (12-3) withdrew from his fight vs. Kody Steele (6-0). His decision-making process was not linear, UFC CEO Dana White revealed.
“[UFC matchmaker] Sean (Shelby) came busting in the back room and then went right in the back room and went somewhere,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “Apparently, he went to the locker room. He heard this kid was pulling out. He went back there and gave him a pep talk and the kid said, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah,’ and got his hands wrapped again. Then, halfway through the second fight, Sean got called again that he was pulling out. He rewrapped his hands and then said, ‘I’m out.’ This kid flew in from Brazil. He flew in from Brazil. We put him out here.”
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 10: UFC CEO Dana White speaks with Kody Steele after the withdrawal of his opponent during Dana White’s Contender series season eight, week five on September 10, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
White paid Steele his show and win money and guaranteed him a slot on a later episode of DWCS with details on the specific date and matchup still to be worked out.
Despite the headache caused by Ottoni, White said he has no hard feelings toward the 15-fight veteran with a 13-2 record. White would prefer that happened now, as opposed to at the next level.
“That’s what this show is for, too,” White said. “Sometimes you don’t have to step into the octagon to know, ‘This isn’t for me. I can’t take this. I can’t handle this pressure,’ whatever his deal was. I’m not sh*tting on the kid at all. Listen, it happens. You show up here, and it’s real. You come here and you’re 9-0 or this and that, then the guy you’re fighting is also 9-0, a lot of these kids have hype on them already. You get here, and you realize it’s not for you. I’d rather have that happen here than in a UFC event.”
Ottoni, nor his team, have yet to comment on the withdrawal or its exact reasoning. Steele voiced disappointment during a brief interview on the broadcast.
“Certain positions that I found myself in while fighting against him, I would have taken care of business much earlier if I was fighting him today.”
[autotag]Quemuel Ottoni[/autotag] thinks he could have finished [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] even faster with his current skills.
Ottoni (12-3), the only man to beat Pereira (7-1) in MMA, thinks he has grown a lot more since their fight. Ottoni submitted Pereira in the third round in 2015 under the Jungle Fight banner in Brazil.
Since losing to Ottoni in his MMA debut, Pereira went on to win three straight before signing with the UFC in 2021. With his history with then middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, it took “Poatan” only three octagon wins before earning a title shot. He TKO’d Adesanya in Round 5 at UFC 281 to become champion, but Ottoni still sees deficiencies in Pereira’s ground game.
“He definitely got heavier,” Ottoni told MMA Junkie Radio on Pereira. “He built a bigger frame around him and redistributed weight in a better form, but I think that’s it really. I wouldn’t really put much else on his side. I see his jiu-jitsu as something limited.”
He continued, “I feel my jiu-jitsu has improved leaps and certain positions that I found myself in while fighting against him, I would have taken care of business much earlier if I was fighting him today. As well as my boxing. I feel like my boxing, my standup striking has improved a lot.”
Ottoni eventually moved down to welterweight and won Jungle Fight’s vacant 170-pound title in May with a third-round submission of Jose Diaz. He will take part in PFL’s Challenger Series on Jan. 27.
Like Pereira’s rivalry with Adesanya, Ottoni too has history which has pushed his name to the masses. But Ottoni says his goals are more to do with competing in the U.S.
“It didn’t really have anything to do with Pereira,” Ottoni said. “It was more of chasing my dream. I’ve always wanted to fight in the U.S. so the moment my manager called me with this opportunity to fight in the U.S., I was all in and even better with it being an organization like the PFL.”
The PFL’s Challenger Series will return next month with eight events seeking new fighters for the 2023 regular season.
The PFL’s Challenger Series will return next month with eight events seeking new fighters for the 2023 regular season.
The Challenger Series debuted earlier this year with fights across all eight of the PFL’s divisions. At the end of each event, a PFL contract is awarded to one of the winners by a judging panel. This year, Dilano Taylor won a spot in the regular season and went on to reach the $1 million final.
The opening event of the 2023 Challenger Series will take place Jan. 27 and will feature welterweights. Subsequent events will air on Fridays through March 17 on Fubo Sports Network. A location and venue have not yet been announced; 2022 events took place in Orlando, Fla.
In the welterweight main event to kick off the 2023 Challenger Series schedule, [autotag]Lucas Barbosa[/autotag] (0-0), whose resume includes a grappling win over UFC standout Gilbert Burns, will take on [autotag]Itso Babulaidze[/autotag] (2-0).
“The 2023 PFL Challenger Series provides world-class talent a path to the PFL,” PFL president Ray Sefo said in a news release. “The Challenger Series continues the PFL’s commitment to finding the best talent in MMA around the world.”
Also on the card, unbeaten CFFC champion [autotag]Eric Alequin[/autotag] (7-0) takes on [autotag]Thad Jean[/autotag] (4-0), who has fought for LFA and CFFC. His career highlight is a win over Taylor, the aforementioned 2022 Challenger Series contract winner and eventual finalist.
Jungle Fights champ [autotag]Quemuel Ottoni[/autotag] (12-3), the only fighter with an MMA win over current UFC middleweight titleholder Alex Pereira, is set to take on [autotag]Jozef Wittner[/autotag] (16-2), who has won four straight. And [autotag]Mostafa Rashed Neda[/autotag] (7-3), a judo standout, meets [autotag]Nick Alley[/autotag] (7-5), who has five submissions in his seven wins.
The 2023 PFL Challenger Series welterweight lineup includes:
When three fighters were deemed unable to progress to the second round, an alternate bout loser advanced to the tournament final.
A new LFA welterweight champion was crowned as the promotion held a four-man, one-night tournament Friday – but the road to get there was winding, long, and unusual.
In the end, [autotag]Carlos Leal[/autotag] (14-3) took home the title at LFA 112 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil when he defeated [autotag]Junior Marques[/autotag] (11-6) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). While Leal’s road to the top was typical, the opposing side of the bracket was the furthest thing from normal.
The tournament began with two quarterfinal fights of three three-minute rounds. The first matchup was a back and forth brawl, in which [autotag]Gabriel Bonfim[/autotag] (11-0) finished [autotag]Brenner Alberth[/autotag] (8-1) via punches at 0:38 of Round 3. On the other side of the bracket, Leal only needed 69 seconds to finish [autotag]Diego Dias[/autotag] (13-4) with a violent knockout punch.
Bonfim vs. Real was lined up for the tournament final – until it wasn’t. Due to concussion like symptoms, Bonfim was removed from the matchup and the promotion turned to two alternates, [autotag]Quemuel Ottoni[/autotag] and [autotag]Wendell Giacomo[/autotag], who won on the non-broadcasted prelims.
However, neither Ottoni and Giacomo received medical clearance. In an unusual turn of events, Marques, who lost to Ottani, was named the No. 3 alternate and was placed into the final against Leal.
While he lasted all three rounds, Marques ultimately lost his second fight of the night when he was swept on all three judges’ scorecards by Leal.
Say hello to your new LFA welterweight champion!
Carlos Leal closes out #LFA112 in dominant fashion. Thank you, Brazil!
In the co-main event, [autotag]Otto Rodrigues[/autotag] snapped [autotag]Carlos Augusto da Silva[/autotag]’s eye-popping 17-fight winning streak via a unanimous decision that earned six 10-8 rounds across the three judges’ scorecards. Prior to the bout, Rodrigues had not competed since April 2017.
The most violent finish, perhaps occurred when [autotag]Kayan Krushewsky[/autotag] brutally knocked out [autotag]Junior Luiz[/autotag] with a pair of punishing punches. The stoppage came 62 seconds into the fight.
Also on the main card, hyped flyweight standout [autotag]Carlos Mota[/autotag] (6-0) made his long-awaited return to the cage when he won a fairly one-sided unanimous decision over [autotag]Jefferson Oliveira[/autotag] (5-1).
Check out the full LFA 112 results below:
MAIN CARD (UFC Fight Pass)
Carlos Leal (14-3) def. Uyran Carlos (11-6) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Otto Rodrigues (13-1) def. Carlos Augusto da Silva (19-3) via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-26, 30-24)
Rafael Ramos (10-0) def. Filipe Esteves (7-1) via TKO (ground-and-pound) – Round 2, 2:19
