Several days later the news broke that Diaz had tested positive for marijuana use for the second time in his career, the first time came in 2007 following his submission victory over consensus top-ranked lightweight Takanori Gomi.

A temporary suspension of his fight license has been handed down to Diaz on the Wednesday meeting following his UFC 143 positive test.

The request was made by Christopher Eccles, the Nevada deputy Attorney General and the commission unanimously agreed — A follow up disciplinary meeting will be scheduled in the future with Diaz getting a chance to defend his usage of his favorite herb.

Keep it locked to MMASucka.com for more on this story as it develops.

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UFC Undisputed 3 simulates Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson

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UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar is always training and trying to find a way to hone his skills, but how does the champ relax when he is away from the gym.

“I’m always watching ‘Jeopardy,’” Edgar said. “That’s a little unique.”

It seems fitting that the fighter known as “The Answer” would be into America’s favorite quiz show. Just make sure that answer is in the form of a question.

“I’m alright,” Edgar said of his “Jeopardy” prowess. “My wife thinks I’m better than I am. If I was on the show, I’d probably get creamed. I’m good at home. That’s about it.”

So who would Edgar be willing to test his “Jeopardy” skills against?

“Maybe, against some of these UFC fighters,” Edgar said, “but not against these ‘Jeopardy’ guys.”

Edgar never ducks anybody inside the octagon. He has proven to be one of the toughest puzzles

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A win over Japanese fighter Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 144 in Tokyo on Saturday could be the first rung in the ladder back up to a welterweight championship fight. But if Shields, 33, loses, it’s possible that the UFC could give him the pink slip.  

“I definitely do have a lot on the line,” said Shields, who fights out of San Francisco.

Shields’ career was soaring in April. He was riding a 15-fight winning streak that spanned more than six years, landing him a shot at the welterweight championship in only his second UFC fight.  

But the former Shooto, Elite XC and Strikeforce champion fell to Georges St.-Pierre in a unanimous decision. At the time, it seemed like it wouldn’t be too long before Shields would get another crack at the title, but four months later he took the biggest blow of his life: His 67-year-old father, trainer and manager passed away unexpectedly.

“It definitely hit me out of nowhere,” Shields said.

Still, he pushed forward and decided to go ahead with his September bout against Jake Ellenberger at UFC Fight Night 25 in New Orleans. It took Ellenberger only 53 seconds to knock Shields out of the match with a TKO.

“It was hard losing the fight and my father,” Shields said. “I was going  [to the gym], but I didn’t have the motivation.”

But after a couple of months, things started clicking again. Now Shields says he’s in the best shape of his life and that could be the difference in Saturday’s fight.

Akiyama, a judo specialist, likes to knock his opponents out early. He has an average career fight time

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Del Rosario, whose 11-0 professional record put him among the top up-and-coming heavyweights in Strikeforce, will face former contender Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 146 in Las Vegas, the promotion announced Wednesday. The show, scheduled for May 26, will mark the first fight in more than 15 months for Del Rosario, who was sidelined for most of last year after a car accident near his home in southern California.

He last competed Feb. 12, 2011 at Strikeforce’s show in East Rutherford, N.J.

Since parent company Zuffa announced in December that Strikeforce would stop promoting heavyweights later this year, heavyweights from that brand have gone 3-0 in UFC, including former champion Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum and the man Del Rosario submitted in East Rutherford, Lavar Johnson.

Gonzaga is in the midst of his own comeback. Since coming back in October from a retirement that lasted almost a year, he has gone 2-0, including a UFC return last month that saw him submit Ednaldo Oliveira in the first round.

Other fights announced for UFC 146 include:

• Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy vs. Duane “Bang” Ludwig, welterweight strikers coming off losses

• Darren Elkins vs. Diego Brandao, the featherweight winner for Season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter

• Ballyhooed light-heavyweight Glover Texeira entering UFC against Kyle Kingsbury.

• Lightweight Jacob “Christmas” Volkmann taking on Paul Sass.

UFC also hopes to have heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos against former Overeem on the card, but those plans have not been finalized yet.

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TOKYO - 

Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson is done with mixed martial arts.

Well … sort of.

He’s going into boxing.

Well … maybe.

The always-colourful, often rambling Jackson was in full Rampage ramble Wednesday at the UFC open workouts in the basement of the Tokyo Gold’s Gym.

“Honestly, I am tired of fighting a bunch of wrestlers,” said the 32-9 Memphis-born fighter.

“They want to take me down, and I want to fight more striking. That’s why I say I want to go into boxing and try it out.

“I’m getting kind of bored with fighting guys who want to take me down all the time.”

Jackson, who will take on wrestling standout and power puncher Ryan ‘Darth’ Bader at UFC 144 in Japan said he’s proven himself in most other combat sports and now may be the time to lace up some pillowy gloves.

“I want to try boxing. I’ve done wrestling. I’ve done jiu-jitsu tournaments. I’ve done muay thai. I’ve done kickboxing. And I’ve done MMA. But I haven’t done boxing yet,” said Jackson, who has also tried his hand at acting as one of the characters on The A-Team movie.

He says the fear of losing is making UFC fighters boring.

“I just have to be real. You lose two fights in a row, and they can fire you. If I lose this fight, I can be canned. It’s in my contract,” Jackson said. “I don’t care about that, but some people do care about that. I can’t watch fighters that fight boring just to win. I can’t do it. People who come to fight and put on a fight, that’s who I want to fight.”

Jackson also says he’s tired of

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“Obviously there was a serious injury that occurred,” spokesman Charles Pelkie said. “The state’s attorney wants to make certain the citizens of Will County are protected if these (MMA) events are going to be conducted.”

He said the situation was “under serious review” to determine if criminal charges should be filed. Officials are reviewing all aspects of the event, including the promoters, the bar the show was held and any related boxing or MMA laws.

A minute into his fight at Mojoes, a downtown bar in Joliet, Jeff Dunbar tried a desperation move to escape the hold of his opponent. He fell forward and spiked his head into the canvas and his opponent landed on top of him.

It was Dunbar’s seventh fight. Doctors said he will likely never walk again. He remains hospitalized and undergoes physical therapy daily.

Nilo Soto of Berwyn, who owns Fight Card Entertainment, and his business partner, Brian Angelo, did not return messages.

Police Chief Mike Trafton confirmed the state’s attorney asked them to investigate and they are doing so.

Following the state’s attorney’s review, the city of Joliet plans to develop an ordinance that would ensure further safeguards at MMA events, said Mayor Tom Giarrante.

A state law designed to provide better safeguards was signed into law by Gov. Pat Quinn last summer, but specific protections for amateur safety — including requiring promoters have insurance for fighters — won’t take effect until a rulemaking process is complete. Dunbar would have been eligible for the insurance if the rules were in effect, Rep. Skip Saviano, a sponsor of the bill, has said.

Triblocal reporter Mary Owen contributed.

jhopkins@tribune.com

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The Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport announced Tuesday that it will allow sanctioned amateur MMA bouts for competitors as young as 10, sparking criticism and praise.

Mixed martial arts clearly stir up emotions inside and outside the ring.

“It’s exciting,� said Albert Mady, owner of Mady’s Martial Arts Centre which trains members at a variety of disciplines including MMA. “It’s a good thing for MMA enthusiasts. It gives them a chance to compete at a young age, just like any other sport. As long as safeguards are in place, it will be great. And from what I understand, it is a very good governing body.�

In a letter to Kickboxing Ontario, which will sanction all MMA bouts and will appoint a chief official, the ministry confirmed that it would allow an amateur version of the professional sport it legalized last year — after the McGuinty government originally balked at permitting such a brutal competition. Kickboxing Ontario first sought legalization of amateur bouts two years ago.

Mady said martial arts training provides discipline, fitness and self-defence.

“Injuries in martial arts are occasionally there, as with any sport,� Mady said. “But with strict rules, injuries are minimal.�

Entry-level amateur bouts, for competitors aged 10 to 19, occur on mats similar to judo and will not allow head strikes on the ground. Competitors win by accumulating points.

“We want kids who are participating in sports like this to be as safe as possible,� says a question-and-answer paper from the ministry. Right now, (amateur MMA) isn’t regulated, meaning there are no safety standards in place.�

Some critics, however, question the wisdom of allowing youngsters to compete in a such a bloody — some say bloodthirsty — sport.

“If we’re putting kids in

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“I couldn’t give a rat’s ass if I beat Ryan Bader or not, I just want to put on the best show the world has ever seen. I never claimed to be a martial artist or a guy who’s good at everything. I’m a street fighter. There’s a lot of things I don’t care about. I don’t care to know what my opponent’s doing, I don’t care to know his skills or stuff like that, because I’m a brawler. You know, a street fight you just walk up to the guy and start a fight; you ain’t got no tape on this guy. I just want to go put on a great show. Ryan Bader can come and take me down, he can come and try to submit me, he can stand with me, I don’t care. I’m prepared for everything. I’m prepared to be on my back, getting up from my back, defending his takedowns, and try to knock his head off.”

He may have said that, but he cares if he wins or not. All fighters do, even if they want to put on a show. But, I would like to see the old Rampage come out, looking for powerbombs and devastating punches. And I’m sure the Japanese fans would love it.

During his podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Joe Rogan addressed Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s criticisms of his commentary.

“Rampage Jackson’s mad at me. I was watching and he was calling me fake ass. He was saying that all I want him to do his throw low kicks and the reason he doesn’t throw low kicks is because he was fighting a wrestler ‘you dumbass.’

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