It’s been a great year for The Body Lock.
The site has been at the forefront of MMA journalism, breaking fight announcements and promotional news while also covering some of the biggest and most adversarial stories in the sport.
Our work has been cited by some of the biggest and most influential names in the sport, including ESPN’s Ariel Helwani and Showtime’s and SiriusXM’s Luke Thomas.
The Body Lock has reported on incongruencies between a promotion’s stated policies and reality, multiple alleged non-payment scandals involving MMA promotions, the most significant lawsuit in mixed martial arts history, criminal cases involving MMA figures, and some of the most controversial figures in the sport.
Our determination to provide hard-hitting and insightful content led us to surpass lofty goals for viewership, published articles, social media impressions, and brand recognition, as we ended the year with 1,280,172 page views.
We don’t fear losing access thanks to your support and viewership. For that, we can’t thank you enough. You help us to report the news — even the news that those in power don’t want to see printed.
Let’s take a look at some of the best The Body Lock had to offer in 2019.
Ali Abdelaziz and the PFL’s extraordinarily controversial past and present
The Body Lock investigated the outsized relationship between controversial MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz and the Professional Fighters League following the latter’s re-branding from the World Series of Fighting:
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WADA distances itself from ONE Championship drug testing claims
The Body Lock reached out to the World Anti-Doping Agency, who distanced themselves from claims about anti-doping policies issued by the Singaporean-based ONE Championship:
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The remarkable story of Kamaru Usman’s father
The Body Lock analyzed the legal circumstances that led to the incarceration of Muhammed Usman, the father of UFC welterweight champion Kamaru and Titan FC standout Mohammed Usman:
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ONE Championship threatens UFC veteran Will Chope with lawsuit over alleged defamation
The Body Lock examined a legal threat issued by ONE Championship to former UFC fighter Will Chope, who had criticized the promotion’s perceived lack of transparency and anti-doping policies on Facebook:
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Assessing the ONE Championship suplex rule controversy
The Body Lock explored the legality of suplexes in ONE Championship and the promotion’s perceived arbitrary enforcement of its rules in the wake of Angela Lee’s winning effort against Xiong Jing Nan:
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Battlefield FC reportedly fails to pay fighters... again
The Body Lock covered a non-payment scandal that rocked troubled South Korean promotion Battlefield FC:
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Bare Knuckle FC “in talks” with Russian heavyweight Aleksander Emelianenko
The Body Lock reported on ongoing negotiations between Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships and veteran Russian heavyweight Aleksander Emelianenko, including a detailed look at the crimes and controversies that have followed the fighter. The Athletic reported in an interview with BKFC President David Feldman that the promotion ceased pursuing Emelianenko in light of the report:
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Despite livestream, ONE Championship’s first semi-open weigh-ins raise more questions than answers
The Body Lock reported on the questions and concerns surrounding the transparency of ONE Championship’s weigh-in and hydrating testing system that remained following the promotion’s first live-streamed weigh-ins:
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ONE Century will be behind a paywall in the US: Is it the right call?
The Body Lock analyzed what ONE Championship’s decision to promote its historic ONE: Century event behind a paywall meant for the event and promotion as a whole.
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Nate Diaz vs. USADA: Everything you need to know
The Body Lock took a look at the high-profile dispute between the UFC, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, and star fight Nate Diaz that stemmed from the latter’s adverse drug test and subsequent denial of using performance-enhancing drugs:
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Original referees pulled out from Battlefield FC 2 over non-payment concerns
The Body Lock reported on Battlefield FC's last-minute decision to replace promotional officials before their July 25 Battlefield FC 2 event in Macau, China, and examined the impacts of the unforeseen change:
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What you need to know about the UFC antitrust lawsuit hearings
The Body Lock explained the circumstances that lead to, details of, and implications of the ongoing anti-trust lawsuit facing the UFC in 2019:
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UFC Russia: A case study on entering a new market
The Body Lock looked into the UFC’s attempted foray into Russia, focusing on the ways in which the global martial arts leader sought to break into new markets:
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Marijuana, recreational drug penalties reduced in recent UFC anti-doping policy changes
The Body Lock broke down the major changes adopted by the UFC’s anti-doping partner, the United States Anti-Doping Agency, in 2019:
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Family of UFC veteran Tim Hague sue Edmonton, commission for roles in Hague’s 2017 death
The Body Lock covered a legal action brought by the family of former UFC fighter Tim Hague against the city of Edmonton, the Edmonton Athletic Commission, and other implicated individuals stemming from Hague’s fatal 2017 boxing bout:
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The intriguing inner workings of modern-day bare-knuckle boxing
The Body Lock explored the Wild West of combat sports, taking a close look at the newly-legalized sport of bare-knuckle boxing and the business side of the emerging spectacle:
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Walt Harris: Ligandrol-tainted supplement “cost me thousands”
The Body Lock examined the anti-doping case of UFC heavyweight Walt Harris, whose positive drug test for a Ligandrol-tainted supplement cost him ‘thousands’ and months of his career:
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IMMAF postpones landmark anti-doping legal case after ‘assurances’ from WADA
The Body Lock published an article on the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation’s decision to postpone its landmark lawsuit against the World Anti-Doping Agency over perceived slights in the former’s bid for Global Association of International Sports Federations recognition:
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