To Replace Rafael dos Anjos vs Conor McGregor at UFC 196 Jose Aldo Rejects Offer

It's been revealed that Jose Aldo will not be the man to step in and take Rafael dos Anjos' place opposite Conor McGregor at UFC 196 on March 5 after his coach asserted the fighter isn't in any shape to take a rematch.

Aldo's coach and manager, Andre Pederneiras, spoke to Brazilian outlet Combate after MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani reported on Tuesday that dos Anjos had broken his foot last Friday, just 15 days prior to his scheduled meeting against The Notorious.     
Pederneiras said, per Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting: "Dana [White] called me, telling what happened and asking if Aldo was in shape to fight. I said he wasn’t and that there wasn’t enough time, and unfortunately he wouldn’t be able to fight next week."

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Aldo lost to McGregor in 13 seconds last November.

It was, of course, Aldo who McGregor defeated at UFC 194, stopping the former featherweight champion in 13 seconds. According to Cruz, Scarface would only return to the Octagon for a title fight, and a rematch with McGregor is reportedly on his agenda for the future.
As far as replacements go, the UFC could do a lot worse than a rematch between Aldo and McGregor, a fixture some feel still has questions unanswered following their first bout.
Earlier on Tuesday, Fox Sports commentator Jon Anik spoke of his interest at seeing a second fight between the pair, one which would hopefully last more than 13 seconds:
There was a sense of deja vu involving McGregor when the news surfaced about dos Anjos' withdrawal. The Irishman was scheduled to take on Aldo at UFC 189 in July, but only 12 days prior to their scheduled bout, Aldo pulled out because of a broken rib. This time it was Aldo's Brazilian compatriot bowing out a similar time from the date.
Dos Anjos' exit from the card marks the fourth time in McGregor's eight UFC fights that he's faced a different opponent than the one originally scheduled, provided he still fights at UFC 196.

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Cerrone has registered interest in fighting McGregor.

True to style, Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone was quick to register his interest in taking dos Anjos' place in the fight, Damon Martin, and his manager, Josh Jones, has already contacted the UFC.
The UFC's options regarding who to elect as a dos Anjos replacement are limited, especially with featherweight contender Frankie Edgar currently injured—the man who would appear next most likely to take the spot.
Former UFC fighter and Irish compatriot Cathal Pendred ran through some of the other likely contenders to step up to the plate, with Nate Diaz and Cerrone the most viable candidates:
We may one day see McGregor and Aldo do battle once again, but the Brazilian may have to be prepared to take an opportunity such as this. As things stand, he isn't likely to top McGregor's wish list until Notorious feels he's had his fill of whatever other challenges lie on his horizon.
For now, McGregor and the mixed martial arts community as a whole waits to discover the identity of his UFC 196 opponent.

About Steroid Use in UFC White Diaz Is Wrong

UFC Prez Dana White has lashed out at fighter Nate Diaz, telling TMZ Sports Diaz is not only wrong when he says "all UFC fighters are on steroids," he's also hypocritical. White tells us, "The UFC unquestionably has the best drug testing program in all of sports.

After UFC 193 Knockout by Holly Holm Ronda Rousey's Medical Suspension Released

Former UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey has been medically suspended for up to 180 days in the wake of her knockout loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193.

News of the layoff for Rousey came via MixedMartialArts.com earlier this week. She will not be able to fight in the sport again until mid-2016 unless her CT scan comes back clear. Additionally, the former champion cannot have contact for 45 days or fight inside the next 60 days.
The 180-day limit is the most severe on the list of suspensions released by the UFC in the wake of the showpiece in Melbourne, Australia.

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Rousey was well beaten by Holm at UFC 193.

Rousey was knocked out in the second round by the former world champion boxer following a thunderous kick and a flurry of punches. Holm had outclassed Rousey throughout the early stages of the fight, tagging her opponent with a lot of heavy blows.

Chelsea Transfer News: Roman Abramovich Eyes £130M Rebuild Amid Manager Rumours

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Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich will reportedly give his new manager £130 million to rebuild the Blues squad this summer, with possible targets including Bayern Munich's Arturo Vidal and Everton's John Stones.

According to an exclusive from Andrew Dillon in the Sun, Italy manager Antonio Conte is the "front-runner" to get the job, and talks with the former Juventus boss have been "planned," with Abramovich hoping the spending power will not only persuade Conte to take the job but also see him recruit four new star players.
According to football journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Blues will meet with Conte on Thursday—though they haven't given up on Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone, either:

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Chelsea have fallen well short of their usual standards this season—which saw Jose Mourinho sacked in December just seven months after winning the Premier League title—and find themselves in 12th place.
After doing relatively little noteworthy recruitment last summer, the Blues will likely be hoping to bring in marquee reinforcements, as Dillon indicates.
With Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas both struggling for much of the season and the uninspiring John Obi Mikel their first-choice backup, a new central midfielder is surely on the cards—which could be where Vidal comes in, with Dillon reporting the Blues scouted him on Tuesday in the Champions League.
The dynamic, box-to-box star is still in his first season at Bayern Munich but has drawn criticism both on and off the pitch, as football writers Stefan Bienkowski, Raphael Honigstein and Clark Whitney demonstrate:
Indeed, because of this, journalist David Amoyal believes Vidal could be on the move again this summer:

Conte managed Vidal successfully at Juventus for three years, so he could help mitigate any potential attitude problems the Chilean may bring to Stamford Bridge. Further, his arrival could tempt Vidal into pursuing a move in order to reunite with his former manager.
Despite the criticism he's received, Vidal has still been a fairly effective contributor in Bavaria. To go along with three goals and seven assists in all competitions, according to Squawka, he has won 48 tackles and 32 headed duels in 22 Bundesliga appearances for Bayern as well as creating 39 chances.
Further, per WhoScored.com, while Vidal may not quite have the level of technique expected from a key player in a Pep Guardiola side, he's still highly comfortable in possession:
Vidal would be able to provide a level of steel and tenacity that's missing from Chelsea's midfield, and his physicality see him fit in well in the Premier League.

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As for Stones, as Dillon notes, a centre-back is also on the agenda, with captain John Terry set to depart in the summer and Kurt Zouma enduring a lengthy layoff through injury.
After pursuing him so doggedly last summer, it can be expected that Chelsea return for him anew this year. However, they could face stiff competition from Manchester City, as the Guardian's Dominic Fifield notes, per BT Sport Football:
The ball-playing defender is still learning his trade and making mistakes along the way but, with polish and experience, has the talent and potential to become an exceptional Premier League player in the future—not in the same mould as Terry, but a worthy candidate as his long-term replacement.
Everton have already proved admirably resilient to Chelsea's advances, but with each passing summer, it could well get harder and harder to keep him at Goodison Park.
The saga looks set to run on for some time, and if City should get involved, that will only increase.

The Pivotal Bad Guy of 'Captain America: Civil War' (Spoilers!) Meet Crossbones:

Frank Grillo on ‘Civil War’ set as Crossbones (Photo: AKM-GSI)As Marvel and Disney have teased relentlessly, Captain America: Civil War finds the Avengers divided, with Captain America and Iron Man leading rival factions of heroes in a dispute over federal regulation of superpowers.But that doesn’t mean there aren’t real bad guys amping up the conflict. And today, we got our first official look at one of the piece’s chief new antagonists via Empire magazine: Crossbones, played by Frank Grillo.More: Huge ‘Captain America: Civil War’ Spoiler Reviews Via ToysWhile you can’t tell by the hockey mask and body armor, you’ve seen this guy before. He’s Brock Rumlow, one of the rogue S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives on the take for H.Y.D.R.A. in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. He’s the guy who leads the attack on Cap (Chris Evans) in the elevator. At the end of that film, Rumlow suffered severe burns in the helicarrier crash; hencethe facial cover-up.

(In case you’re wondering what he looks like under the mask, we got a good view via a new Funko figure. It’s the kind of a face only a mother — or a Deadpool — could love.)

While his movie backstory differs from the comics (where he’s a former gang member who becomes a henchman for Red Skull), Crossbones ultimately serves a pivotal role in Marvel’s Civil War storyline. He’s the one responsible for the assassination of Captain America. We’ll have to wait until the film comes out on May 6 to see how closely the cinematic version tracks to the comics.

Clinton 'dishonest,' Sanders 'socialist,Top reactions in Gallup poll

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The top reactions to Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in a new Gallup poll are "dishonest" and "socialist," respectively.

In a word list of what comes to mind about Clinton, 21 percent of respondents described the former secretary of State as "dishonest/liar/don't trust her/poor character" in the survey released early Tuesday. 

 

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The next closest word associations are "dislike her" (9 percent), "like her" (8 percent), "capable of being president/qualified" (7 percent) and "criminal/crooked/thief/belongs in jail" (7 percent). 

 

For Sanders, 12 percent listed "socialist" as the word to describe him. Another 6 percent said "older/aged," while "favorable" and "fresh face/new ideas/change for the better" both received 5 percent.

 

The survey broadly underscored the findings of other polls of the Democratic race, where Clinton is generally viewed as qualified while Sanders is viewed as more trustworthy.

 

The perceptions of Clinton come after she edged out Sanders in Iowa and Nevada, while Sanders picked up a big win in New Hampshire. The pair are battling ahead of the South Carolina primary on Saturday.

 

Gallup noted that "dishonest" was also the most frequent response when they asked the same question about Clinton in 2008. And most references to "socialist" for Sanders in the latest survey came from Republicans.

 

The survey of 1,014 adults was conducted Feb. 13–14 with an overall margin of error of 4 points.

Wall St. money talks, but voters aren’t listening Michael Isikoff Chief Investigative Correspondent February 23, 2016 (Photo Illustration: Yahoo News, photos: AP, Robert F. Bukaty/AP) In the latest sign that hedge fund gurus have little influence over the political marketplace, Wall Street billionaire Steven Cohen and his wife pumped another $2 million into a super-PAC backing Chris Christie’s presidential candidacy less than three weeks before the New Jersey governor flamed out in the New Hampshire primary, according to newly filed campaign finance reports. The Jan. 22 contributions by Cohen and his wife, Alexandra Cohen, to the pro-Christie super-PAC, America Leads, amounted to 55 percent of the $3.6 million raised by the group last month, the reports show. The fresh contributions brought to $6 million the amount the Cohens had invested in America Leads over the past year in an effort to elect Christie president, making the couple by far the largest bankrollers of his failed candidacy. The role of Cohen was highlighted in a recent Yahoo News article disclosing that the hedge fund kingpin had principally financed an America Leads TV ad during the New Hampshire primary deriding rival John Kasich as a one-time “Wall Street banker.” This would seem an ironic line of attack, given that Cohen was long one of the most well-known and controversial figures on Wall Street and, in recent years, the focus of an insider trading investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney in New York, Preet Bharara. The investigation resulted in Cohen’s now defunct firm, SAC Capital, paying a $1.8 billion fine and, just last month, shortly before his latest six-figure contribution, reaching a final settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission that bans him from investing money for others until 2018. Cohen’s financial largesse did Christie little good: He finished in sixth place in the New Hampshire primary, with 7.4 percent of the vote, and suspended his candidacy the next day.

(Photo Illustration:  AP, Robert F. Bukaty/AP)In the latest sign that hedge fund gurus have little influence over the political marketplace, Wall Street billionaire Steven Cohen and his wife pumped another $2 million into a super-PAC backing Chris Christie’s presidential candidacy less than three weeks before the New Jersey governor flamed out in the New Hampshire primary, according to newly filed campaign finance reports.The Jan. 22 contributions by Cohen and his wife, Alexandra Cohen, to the pro-Christie super-PAC, America Leads, amounted to 55 percent of the $3.6 million raised by the group last month, the reports show. The fresh contributions brought to $6 million the amount the Cohens had invested in America Leads over the past year in an effort to elect Christie president, making the couple by far the largest bankrollers of his failed candidacy.The role of Cohen was highlighted in a recent Yahoo News article disclosing that the hedge fund kingpin had principally financed an America Leads TV ad during the New Hampshire primary deriding rival John Kasich as a one-time “Wall Street banker.” This would seem an ironic line of attack, given that Cohen was long one of the most well-known and controversial figures on Wall Street and, in recent years, the focus of an insider trading investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney in New York, Preet Bharara.The investigation resulted in Cohen’s now defunct firm, SAC Capital, paying a $1.8 billion fine and, just last month, shortly before his latest six-figure contribution, reaching a final settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission that bans him from investing money for others until 2018.

Cohen’s financial largesse did Christie little good: He finished in sixth place in the New Hampshire primary, with 7.4 percent of the vote, and suspended his candidacy the next day.