The UFC released an official statement on their website regarding the situation:

“UFC lightweight Nate Diaz has received an immediate 90-day suspension and $20,000 fine for violating the UFC’s fighter code of conduct. The language used in his tweet was regrettable, offensive and inconsistent with the values and culture of the organization, and is not tolerated. The money will be donated to charity.”

The suspension stems from a derogatory tweet Diaz put out on Thursday afternoon in reference to Pat Healy’s suspension.

“I feel bad for Pat Healy that they took a innocent mans money and I think the guy who took the money is the biggest f** in the world”

Watch the replay below:

Main Card: (9 pm ET)
Vitor Belfort (186) vs. Luke Rockhold (186)
Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (186) vs. Chris Camozzi (186)
Rafael dos Anjos (156) vs. Evan Dunham (156)
Rafael Natal (186) vs. Joao Zeferino (185)

Preliminary Card: (6 p.m. EST)
Hacran Dias (146) vs. Nik Lentz (146)
Francisco Trinaldo (154) vs Mike Rio (156)
Gleison Tibau (156) vs. John Cholish (156.2) *
Paulo Thiago (170) vs. Michel Prazeres (171)
Yuri Alcantara (136) vs. Iliarde Santos (134)
Fabio Maldonado (205) vs. Roger Hollett (204)

Facebook Prelims: (4:30 p.m. EST)
John Lineker (126) vs. Azamat Gashimov (126)
Jussier Formiga (126) vs. Chris Cariaso (126)
Lucas Martins (153) vs. Jeremy Larsen (155)

Diaz’s tweet was regarding Pat Healy’s marijuana suspension, where he expressed his disappointment in the decision to take away the Strikeforce import’s post-fight bonuses and followed up with a quick insult to Bryan Caraway.

“I feel bad for Pat Healy that they took a innocent mans money and I think the guy who took the money is the biggest f** in the world”

The UFC released a statement to MMAJunkie.com shortly afterwards announcing that they have suspended Diaz pending investigation.

“We are very disappointed by Nate Diaz’s comments, which are in no way reflective of our organization. Nate is currently suspended pending internal investigation and we will provide further comment once the matter has been decided.”

Watch the highlights below:

Belfort has recently been added to the increasingly high-profile list of Testosterone Replacement Therapy users. He now joins the likes of Frank Mir, Dan Henderson, Chael Sonnen and Forrest Griffin. Yes, there are standard arguments one hears from TRT critics but I want to focus more specifically on how this reflects on Belfort’s legacy.

In the main event of UFC on FX 7, Vitor knocked out Michael Bisping early in the second round with a head kick and follow-up punches on the ground. After the fight, the UFC announced that Vitor was on a TRT program, having been diagnosed with hypogonadism. This seemed to correspond with a shredded physical specimen in Vitor Belfort come fight time, a change he attributed to his improved diet and strength training working with Mike Dolce.

In a recent interview with MMAfighting.com, Vitor addressed the controversy circling around him. “It’s no problem,” he said. “I think they should release [the name] of everyone that’s on it. For me, it’s no problem. I’m not doing anything illegal, so I’m not ashamed of anything.” The “problem” with this is that before he was named by the UFC as a TRT user, when previously asked about TRT point-blank by ESPN, Belfort avoided the question, neither confirming nor denying if he was on the therapy. if he’s not ashamed of anything, then why dodge the question? Transparency is the way to win favor with the fans and your organization in this sport, and that doesn’t seem to be the case here, at least not before his TRT use has come to light and it’s essentially after the fact.

Combine this with Dana White’s aggressive change in stance earlier this year, stating that it’s “a way for people to cheat,” and that he is “100 percent against TRT,” and it only adds to the controversy surrounding Vitor, especially if he keeps winning. I believe that Dana’s change in public stance on TRT was in part fueled by Vitor showing up looking like an action figure prior to his fight with Bisping. I also think it is why Vitor’s last two fights have been in Brazil on lesser FX cards, where testing is not as stringent as that of athletic commissions in the U.S, and why he has not fought in the U.S. since August of 2011.

Vitor has urged others to examine the records of fighters on TRT, but that isn’t the argument we are getting at here. TRT doesn’t win fights, but instead creates an uneven playing field, one that really impacts fighters who make a point to compete clean.

There is one other major factor in the Vitor situation, the feelings of his opponents, arguably the most valid out of any other as they are the ones stepping into the cage to face him. After his fight to Vitor, Michael Bisping released this statement on his website.

“Over the past couple years, and even right before the fight, I have made my views on TRT very, very clear. I don’t feel that I need to go into depth about it again right now. All I have to add, about this specific instance, is that it is very disappointing that someone who was caught cheating with testosterone in the past, now gets to use testosterone legally. A well-known side effect of steroids is that it reduces testosterone, so I don’t understand how it would make sense to then grant someone an exemption to then increase testosterone.”

While Bisping did state that he lost because he made a mistake and Vitor capitalized, both he and Vitor’s next opponent, Luke Rockhold, have been very vocal, condemning Vitor’s TRT use.

Whatever side you come down on with Vitor Belfort’s TRT usage, you cannot deny his talent and legacy inside the cage and ring. His only losses in the last six years have been to the Jon Jones and Anderson Silva, which is an accomplishment in itself. However, there will forever be an asterisks next to his name in the records reminding everyone that Vitor was one of the ones operating on an uneven playing field.

Watch the full discussion below:

UFC 165 will mark the UFC’s fourth event in Toronto and its third event in the Air Canada Centre. Its first event in Toronto, UFC 129, holds the record for the highest attendance and live gate in UFC history. Since the inaugural event, which featured Canadian champ Georges St-Pierre defending his welterweight title against Jake Shields, the UFC has held two other PPV cards in the city, both featuring light-heavyweight champ Jon Jones.

At UFC 140, Jon Jones defended his title against former champ Lyoto Machida, finishing him in the second round via guillotine choke. UFC 152 saw the light-heavyweight champ defend his title against Vitor Belfort, finishing him via fourth round submission.

Match-ups for the fight card are yet to be revealed by the organization.

Masvidal made a successful debut back at UFC on FOX 7, defeating Tim Means via unanimous decision. The win was his second straight since a lightweight title loss to Gilbert Melendez back in 2012. Masvidal will be looking to extend that streak with a win over the undefeated Michael Chiesa.

Chiesa is undefeated with a perfect record of 9-0 with 7 submission victories amongst them, including his first two UFC wins. Of the recent TUF winners, Chiesa is arguably one of the top prospects amongst them. He was expected to face Marcus LeVessuer at UFC on FOX 5 but fell ill during fight week and was unable to compete so instead faced Anton Kuivanen at UFC 157, where he finished him with a rear-naked choke. Now Chiesa gets his toughest test to date when he faces Strikefore import Jorge Masvidal.

UFC on FOX 8 takes place July 27 at the KeyArena in Seattle, Washington.

Healy issued a formal statement through Jason House, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Iridium Sports Agency and is available below:

“I would like to start off by apologizing to the UFC, Jim Miller, the MMA community, it’s fans, my family, teammates and coaches for my positive testing for marijuana after my UFC 159 fight with Jim Miller. I was fully aware of the UFC and State Commissions drug policies and made poor life choices. I stand behind the UFC and the State Commission’s disciplinary actions. I support efforts to make MMA and sports a clean, safe and fair place to compete. First and foremost, I would like to acknowledge and take responsibility for my mistake. I made a very poor choice to socially use marijuana and now I must face the consequences of that choice. I can assure you that I will do everything the UFC and State Commission asks of me and beyond. I will also make a conscious effort to be a better role model within the MMA community.”

Healy defeated Jim Miller in the co-main event of UFC 159 several weeks back at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey earning both a submission of the night bonus as well as a fight of the night bonus. According to MMAjunkie.com, Healy’s representative informed them that the fighter was suspended for 90 days by the commission and his win will be overturned to a no contest.

Bjorn Rebney has always stated that he treats his company like a business. As a businessman he looks at the value of fighters and match ups from a “dollars first” perspective, much like a traditional accountant or finance professional. One symptom of this approach is that while the finances of the company are given a priority, they tend to ignore the way their brand is perceived in the eyes of the public. This is due to the fact that you cannot place an actual dollar figure on the “value” of your brand; even though it is vital to the success of any company, especially for a combat sports promotion. The message that your company sends to the consumer is much more than the actual product that the consumer is using (in Bellator’s case, viewing). The thoughts, feelings, and emotions associated with the brand affect not only TV viewership, but also how consumers influence their friends and family. Word of mouth is one of the most powerful forms of advertising, whether it is person or through social media.

In the case of Bellator, they are losing the PR battle on all fronts. The situation with Eddie Alvarez continues to deteriorate. Even if Alvarez’s statements are false or misguided, they are still damaging Bellator’s reputation, so much so that recent fighters cut from the UFC have gone on record saying that would rather not sign with Bellator. The perception for these fighters is that if they sign with Bellator they will be locked into a long-term agreement and unable to sign with the UFC in the future. The general attitude is to sign with a regional promotion and establish a good winning streak to make their way back to the UFC.

What we’re learning from the recent stories regarding Alexandre and Makovsky is that there are other fighters who have issues with the company. A few months back, fighters Tyson Nam and Roger Hollett were involved in contract disputes with Bellator as well. While these stories seem to have been largely forgotten, the picture being painted by former and current fighters is not a bright one. Makovsky was the Bantamweight champion and has stated that he had no prior issues with Bellator. After his fight with Anthony Leone he felt the promotion forced him into accepting a fight for less money, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

And then we have the “Bellator Phantom”. This fictional employee apparently has contacted several fighters over an unknown period of time posing as a matchmaker offering contracts. At first this seems like a desperate act to save face in light of Lenard Garcia revealing he turned down a contract. However Ben Fowlkes from USA Today recently revealed that Bellator did indeed contact some media members to inform them of the situation about a month ago. So while there is some truth to this phantom, there is no way to determine how much of the story is true and how much is false. Which fighters were contacted by the phantom? Which ones were contacted by real Bellator employees? The fact that this conversation even exists furthers the notion that Bellator MMA has a brand perception issue they need to address.

The house brand is starting to smoke, and the company needs to prevent the fire from spreading.