Italy's Latest Match-Fixing Scandal

Europe's latest soccer match-fixing scandal comes from Napoli of the Italian Serie A League. According to the Italian Football Federation Napoli was handed a two-point deduction, fined €70,000 and had three players banned over bets placed in 2010 on a match with Sampdoria which they lost 1-0. Defenders Gianluca Grava and Paola Cannavaro were banned from play for six months for their knowledge of the activity without reporting it while former goaltender Matteo Gianello was banned for 39 months after confessing to prosecutors that he attempted to fix the match.

FIFA Executive Mohamed bin Hammam Receives Second Lifetime Ban

Already fighting a separate lifetime ban, FIFA executive committee member Mohmad bin Hammam of Qatar was handed another lifetime ban from all organized soccer events and activities earlier this week. Facing corruption charges, allegations he offered bribes and tampering with bank accounts during his presidency of the Asian Football Confederation all of which are violations of the FIFA Code of Ethics led to his lifetime bans. These allegations prompted Hammam's resignation from all his positions in soccer effective immediately. Not too often will you see executive members being caught but this is a step in the right direction for soccer which has been embroiled in corruption over the past few years.

Four 2004 Olympians Stripped of Medals for Steroids

Last week the International Olympic Committee officially stripped medals from four 2004 Olympians after new analysis confirmed traces of steroids. Yuri Belonog of Ukraine was stripped of the shot put gold medal, Ivan Tikhon of Belarus was stripped of the hammer silver medal, Svetlana Krivelyova of Russia stripped of the shot put bronze medal and Irina Yatchenko of Belarus was stripped of her discus bronze medal. The IOC recently had a laboratory reanalyze 105 tests from the 2004 Athens Olympic Games which has the most failed dope tests in Olympic history.

Luck of the Irish?

Love them or hate them, the Fighting Irish are headed to the BCS National Championship football game on January 7, 2013. For those who watched most of their games this year you might recall a close game against Stanford and a mythical comeback against Pitt. I recall watching some ridiculous calls by the officials at these two games but the guys at "The Fix Is In" lay it out perfectly. Click here to see the luck of the Irish or the fix. What do you think?

Speed Skater Sergei Lisin Failed Test for Blood Doping

Russian speed skater Sergei Lisin recently failed a drug test for blood doping with the use of the blood booster EPO. Lisin is currently facing a two-year ban if found guilty but has the option for a B sample or appeal. Seems like every sport has someone using the juice or messing with their blood.

World Discus Champion Darya Pishchalnikova Tests Positive for Steroids

2011 world discus champion and 2012 Olympic silver medalist Darya Pishchalnikova recently tested positive for an anabolic steroid and now faces a lifetime ban if found guilty. Already suspended once before for almost three years after Pishchalnikova and six other female Russian athletes manipulated drug samples prior to the 2008 Olympics. Currently Darya has the right to have her B sample tested and appeal the findings. The list of Olympic athletes using steroids and other banned substances continues to grow. Who will be next?

Youth Football Gambling Ring Busted

A gambling ring in South Florida has recently been shut down by authorities. This gambling ring wagered on youth football in the South Florida area, yes you read that correctly youth football. Guess you can gamble on anything these days. Nine men pictured above were arrested including several coaches. Coaches met prior to games to set point spreads while parents were gambling in the stands. This was  not your friendly wager of five dollars between parents who know each other but rather full on gambling with the youth football championship game bringing in a total of more than $100,000 wagered on this game alone. There was no evidence that players were encouraged to play one way or another or even knew about the betting. If the coaches set the lines who is to say they didn't influence play calling. It was reported that several of these coaches have criminal histories so I wouldn't be surprised if they swayed things one way or another depending on the money being bet from side to side to further their own winnings. Hope this serves as a lesson to the kids, parents and coaches, gambling does not belong around children!

Rookie Padres Catcher Yasmani Grandal Suspended

San Diego Padres rookie catcher Yasmani Grandal burst onto the scene this past June which included two home runs in his first career start. Grandal tested positive for testosterone and has been banned for 50 games which will begin with the start of the 2013 season. Grandal accepted responsibility for his actions. Someone was in a rush to make the bigs and make a statement but unfortunately he got caught.

MMA Fighter Stephan Bonnar Fails UFC 153 Post Fight Drug Test

MMA fighter Stephan Bonnar has reportedly failed his post fight drug test from UFC 153 on October 13th. Sources state Bonnar tested positive for the anabolic steroid drostanolone. Bonnar also failed a post fight drug test for boldenone back in August 2006 at UFC 62. Bonnar lost both fights and recently retired from the sport of MMA following his loss at UFC 153.

Boxer Erik Morales Fails Drug Test then Passes on Third Attempt

Boxer Erik Morales, a former four weight class champion failed two drug tests prior to his super light-weight title fight against Danny Garcia last weekend but then passed on a third test. Morales failed the drug tests for clenbuterol which is classified as a performance enhancing drug which he claimed he ingested through contaminated meat. Some question if he should have been allowed to compete but the fight went on as planned and Morales lost via fourth round knock out.

Lance Armstrong Teammates Suspended Six Months

Last week American cyclists Tom Danielson, George Hincapie, Levi Leipheimer, Christian Vande Velde and David Zabriski who all testified against Lance Armstrong for their roles in blood doping and usage of performance enhancing drugs have now been suspended from competition for six months. They recently painted a picture of Armstrong as the doping ring leader.

Speed Skating Equipment Tampering

U.S. speed skating coach Jae Su Chun has recently been accused of sabotage. Chun allegedly ordered U.S. speed skater Simon Cho (pictured) to tamper with the skates of rival Canadian speed skater Olivier Jean at the 2011 World Short Track Team Speed Skating Championships in Warsaw. Prior to the 5,000 meter relay finals Jean had skate problems and was unable to compete costing the Canadian team a chance at gold or silver.

Football Outcome Determined from Above?

A few weeks ago the largest point spread in sports betting history was set at 70.5 for Florida State over Savannah State in college football. With 8:59 left in the third quarter and a Florida State lead of 55-0 the game was called due to lightening. Even with the astronomical spread the majority sided with Florida State so was this truly stopped due to an act of God or did Vegas have its hand in this one? I wasn't there to judge the weather but curious if the game could have been resumed. Generally 58 minutes of a game have to pass in football or wagers are cancelled so I am assuming people go their money back but once again Vegas takes no loss to Florida State bettors.

NFL and the Replacements

If you follow American football then you know the first three weeks of the NFL season have been marred by horrible officiating by replacement referees. The most controversial call would have to be this past Monday nights touchdown by the Seattle Seahawks to end the game victorious 14-12 over the Green Bay Packers. Just to note, the Packers were a three point chalk and according to one website had 70% of bettors on their side. Time and time again when bettors are that lopsided funny things tend to happen come game time. One sports book estimated that $250 Million worldwide flipped from one side to the other on this play. Look closely at the offensive pass interference, which player has control of the ball, the two referee's different calls and you be the judge. Was is fixed?

Europa League Match-Fixing Investigation

July's Europa League qualifier soccer match between Albania's KF Tirana and Norwegian side Aalesund is currently under investigation by Europe's soccer governing body UEFA for possible match-fixing. After a 1-1 first leg, Aalesund blew out KF Tirana 5-0 on the second leg to advance to the next round on a 6-1 aggregate score. Seems like every month we hear of some sort of match-fixing in soccer. As soon as I hear more on this investigation I will post it in the comments.

Baseball Player Bartolo Colon Suspended for PEDs

Oakland Athletics pitcher Bartolo Colon was recently suspended for 50 games after testing positive for testosterone. Colon is the fifth player suspended in the big leagues this year. With Oakland in the playoff hunt this may have some consequences on his team later this season.

Melky Cabrera Suspended 50 Games for PED

San Francisco Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera was recently suspended 50 games after testing positive for a performance enhancing drug (PED). At the time of Cabrera's suspension his batting average of .346 was second in the National League which could show a correlation between these drugs and performance advantages.

Lance Armstrong Banned for Life and Stripped of Tour Titles

After a long battle to prove his innocence over blood doping accusations, Lance Armstrong will be banned from the sport of cycling for life and stripped of his seven Tour de France titles according to U.S. Anti-Doping Agency chief executive Travis Tygart. Picture courtesy of GQ.com.

Belarus Shot Putter Nadzeya Ostapchuk Stripped of Olympic Gold Medal

The International Olympic Committee confirmed that Belarus shot putter Nadzeya Ostapchuk was stripped of the gold medal she recently won at the 2012 London Olympic Games for a positive test of a banned anabolic steroid. Only time and tests will tell if more Olympic athletes cheated.

Olympic Hurdler Disqualified for Doping

Last week at the Olympics the IOC disqualified 400-meter Syrian hurdler Ghfran Almouhamad for a positive test of the stimulant methylhexaneamine and confirmed with a "B" sample. Almouhamad was disqualified and stripped of her Olympic accreditation.

2008 Irish Olympian Investigated for Illegal Betting

With the Olympics under way an unnamed Irish Olympic team member from the 2008 squad is being investigated for placing bets against themselves and instead on an opponent as reported by the BBC. The unnamed athlete is believed to be competing at the current 2012 Olympics and has been informed of the current allegations. This will be a story to follow up on once the Olympics conclude and more information becomes available. This just goes to show that every level of competition can be corrupted but even more sad because this is for his or her country in this case.

Olympic Badminton Match-Fixing

The latest sporting scandal at the 2012 Summer Olympics involves the sport of badminton. Yes you heard that one correct. Four women's doubles teams have been disqualified for intentionally playing bad and losing matches in the knockout stage to gain more favorable quarterfinal matches. China's Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang, South Korea's Jung Kyung-eun and Kim Ha-na, South Korea's Ha jung-eun and Kim Min-jun and Indonesia's Greysia Polii and Meiliana Jauhari have all been disqualified for these actions and face disciplinary action along with their coaches.

More Tour de France Doping

Although the 2012 Tour de France ended last weekend it still brought controversy this year as RadioShack-Nissan cyclist Frank Schleck of Luxembourg failed a doping test for the diuretic Xipamide. Schleck was in 12th place at the time the news broke which prompted his withdrawal from the race. A few days later Schleck's B sample also came back positive but he maintains his innocence and determined to find the cause of his contact with Xipamide. RadioShack was the team Lance Armstrong previously rode for and who is now under doping investigations by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

NCAA Football and Sports Books Ready to Rake it in!

NCAA football fans will finally get what they asked for with a new four team playoff for the national championship starting in 2014. Are the fans the true winners here though? Sports books are the biggest beneficiaries of this change as they estimate these additional games could bring in a total of $6 billion worldwide between the two semifinals and the championship game. Get ready for a couple of extra games to throw your money away on but just remember you the fans asked for it.

Tim Donaghy The Sports Handicapper

Ex-NBA referee Tim Donaghy has now teamed up with sports handicapping website Sportsconnectionwins.com to offer his insights on the fix in NBA. What more do people need to see and hear to realize how crooked this sport is.

Marlon Byrd Tests Positive for Banned Substance

Baseball player Marlon Byrd has been suspended for 50 games for a positive test of Tamoxifen which is on the list of banned substances and classified as a performance enhancing drug by Major League Baseball. Tamoxifen increases testosterone and reduces the side effects of steroid use. Byrd has apologized and stated a medication he took for a previous condition resulted in the positive test. Interesting to note though, Bryd had a close working relationship with BALCO founder Victor Conte from 2008 to 2011.

Lance Armstrong Faces New Doping Charges

Cyclist and triathlete Lance Armstrong avoided criminal charges in February but a new round of doping charges are being brought against him by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Due to the new charges Armstrong is now currently banned from participating in World Triathlon Corporation sanctioned events which bans athletes under investigation for alleged doping offenses. If found guilty Armstrong may also face losing his Tour de France titles.

MMA Fighter Rafael 'Feijao' Cavalcante Tests Postive for Steroids

MMA fighter Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante failed a recent drug test following his win over Mike Kyle in May. The failed test was due to the synthetic anabolic steroid Stanozolol which is commonly used by athletes. The California State Athletic Commission overturned his latest victory on May 19th over Mike Kyle to a no-contest, fined him $2,500 and suspended Cavalcante for a year. Cavalcante's camp has appealed and awaiting a hearing date.

The Day Boxing Died

Crooked judges, top fighters avoiding each other and greedy promoters. Yes I am talking about the further decline in boxing. Last week's split decision victory for Timothy Bradley over Manny Pacquiao has the boxing world in an uproar and for good reason.

Last Saturday's fight saw Pacquiao connect on 253 of 751 punches thrown (34%) while Bradley landed only 115 of 839 (19%). Pacquiao's punches at times stumbled Bradley while Bradley was pretty much ineffective except for staying in the center and challenging his opponent. In a poll of ringside reporters not one gave the decision to Bradley and even Bradley himself admitted to promoter Bob Arum that he came up short just before the decision was announced. Most unofficial judges and reporters gave Pacquiao anywhere from 9 to 11 rounds out of the total 12.

So why then did judges Jerry Roth score it 115-113 Pacquiao, Duane Ford 115-113 Bradley and C.J. Ross 115-113 Bradley? As soon as this was officially announced the boxing world went crazy and even promoter Bob Arum who repped both fighters said, "I'm ashamed for the sport." How can professional judges be that incompetent? I think it's more like corrupted judges. Many are calling for an investigation into this result.

With all the problems boxing already has this definitely worsened things for the sport. With Pacquiao being defeated and aging a match up with Mayweather seems less important. Fans including myself have just had enough.

Match Fixing in Italy's Serie A Soccer League

Last week another Soccer match fixing scandal broke in Italy, this time affecting the top level Serie A league. 19 people including players, coaches and officials have been arrested and the training site of the national team was raided by police. Prosecutors stated that a Hungarian gang with funding from Singapore is likely the group behind recent match fixes at all levels in Italian soccer leagues and elsewhere.

F1 Team McLaren's Costly Penalty

Last month at the Spanish Grand Prix the McLaren F1 team of driver Lewis Hamilton was penalized for a fuel irregularity. Once qualifying is complete all cars require enough fuel to return to the pits and provide a one-litre sample per the mandatory rules of the governing body of F1. Running lower levels of fuel can provide a performance advantage and regardless of that proof Hamilton did initially capture the pole position. After qualifying was complete McLaren ordered Hamilton to stop on the track due to lack of fuel caused by a fueling mistake from the team. The stewards rejected the reasoning and stripped Hamilton of the pole and had him start at the back of the field. Hamilton did finish on the lead lap and finished eight overall for the race but lost out on important season points by not finishing higher. Minimal race car tweaks can make all the difference but you have to make sure to follow all the rules or risk penalty.

Positive HGH Test for Top American Weightlifter

HGH testing is often found to be ineffective due to the limited detection window but technology is catching up. The most recent high profile athlete to test positive for HGH use is the top ranked American weightlifter Pat Mendes. Two positive tests back in February cost him a shot at the Olympics because of the two year suspension he picked up cheating his way to the top.

Saints Eavesdropping Scandal

A few weeks ago it was alleged that New Orleans Saints G.M. Mickey Loomis had in-game audio of opposing coaches from 2002 to 2004 at the Superdome to eavesdrop. The allegations have been denied but if the FBI investigation proves true it could be a state and federal crime and of course a violation of NFL rules. Records of 9-7, 8-8 and 8-8 during those years don't indicate any type of major turnaround accompanied by such cheating but who knows. You would think knowing the plays ahead of time would create quite the dominant team and ensured more wins. Whether it was used or not, only time will tell how this one plays out.

More Nascar Violations

This time Team Penske are the culprits of illegal modifications discovered during inspections last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. Chad Walter, crew chief for Sam Hornish Jr and Jeremy Bullins, crew chief for Brad Keselowski were both fined $10,000 and put on probation for the rest of the Nascar season. The tiniest modifications can make a huge impact at these types of speeds and therefore highly scrutinized and inspected but also sometimes difficult to spot.

Cyclist Denis Galimzyanov Admits to Doping

Another cyclist has tested positive for doping. A couple of weeks ago cyclist Denis Galimzyanov tested positive for the blood booster erythropoietin (EPO). Galimzyanov admitted his wrong doing and said his team had nothing to do with it and was all his doing. Galimzyanov has been provisionally suspended and could face a ban from the sport of up to two years.

Henrik Lundqvist Hints at Fix

On Monday of this week the New York Rangers won game six of the first round NHL playoffs 3-2 to force a deciding game seven so why was Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist up in arms? With the Rangers leading 3-1 with less than a minute remaining the Senators scored after what Lundqvist claimed was interference and an illegal kick of the puck. After a lengthy review officials upheld the call which Lundqvist called an, "absolute joke" and "someone wanted them back in the game, for sure." This hint of collusion sounds similar to comments made by coach John Tortorella after the Winter Classic. Interesting to note that one source showed close to 62% of bettors on the Rangers and roughly 63% on the under which happened to be 5. Bettors were already winning on the side so maybe they did let this extra goal slide to salvage a push on the total and not have a complete loss on the game for Vegas sports books.

Baylor University on Probation for Infractions

Earlier this week Baylor University was put on probation for three years by the NCAA and self imposed quite a few penalties of their own for recruiting violations. The men's and women's basketball teams violated recruiting policies by making hundreds of impermissible telephone calls and text messages. The women's program just completed the first 40-0 season ever and won the national championship and the men's had a successful run in the tournament up to the Elite Eight before losing to eventual champion Kentucky. Illegal recruiting obviously played a hand in getting these players to make these great teams. Although not fixing games the people behind these teams cheated in recruiting which more or less fixed the success of its current programs. Success brings in money which it always seems to boil down to these days in sports.

Gambling Ads and the NFL

The National Fix League (NFL) is at it again. Ok so this isn't necessarily about fixes in sports but something worth mentioning. The NFL always claims to be the most responsible sport and strongest opposed to gambling on its games but just informed its teams this past Thursday they will now allow limited casino and state-licensed gambling advertisements. The ads will be limited to inner concourses and upper bowls of stadiums, local radio broadcasts and game programs. The NFL still claims to maintain a strong opposition to gambling on it's games but then why would they encourage advertising of other forms of gambling then? As always it's always about money, the NFL wants you to gamble so they make more money.

UFC Fighter Alistair Overeem Tests Positive for Elevated Testosterone Levels

Two weeks in a row discussing steroids or testosterone issues in mixed martial arts. Random testing might be doing it's job of weeding out some of the cheaters in this sport. The latest to test positive for elevated levels of testosterone is UFC fighter Alistair Overeem just weeks before his title shot against Junior Dos Santos at UFC 146. Although the fight has not been officially taken off the card it looks doubtful as Overeem would have to appear before the Nevada State Athletic Commission to explain his elevated levels to obtain a license for the fight. Overeem's testosterone to epitestosterone (T/E) level was greater than 10/1 far above the allowable 6/1 in the state of Nevada. Disappointed to see this fight canceled but good to see this caught beforehand in case Overeem won by illegal means to become a new champion.

Do You Believe Cyborg?

It's good to see an athlete take responsibility for their mistakes but they never admit to knowingly taking anything illegal and always make an excuse or play dumb and say they had no idea. I just don't buy it, do you? Just admit you cheated and move on. In this case Cris "Cyborg" Santos, a mixed martial arts fighter claims she had no idea she was taking steroids and thought it was something for weight loss. Then she goes on to state that steroids don't make you stronger or give you an advantage. What, are you kidding me? Cyborg is a beast that completely destroys any opponent that she faces and many believe it was obvious she has been on steroids for a long time. I guess there is no certain proof of that and you have to give someone the benefit of the doubt but you have to question cases like this. Her recent positive test for steroids resulted in a one year ban from mixed martial arts and stripped of her title belt.

Tennis Player Daniel Koellerer Banned for Life for Match-Fixing

Tennis player Daniel Koellerer lost his appeal yesterday and is now banned for life from tennis for match-fixing. Koellerer allegedly approached other tennis players from October 2009 to July 2010 to fix matches. The tennis governing bodies found enough evidence to uphold its original ruling and handed down the first lifetime ban in the sport.

FBI Investigating Point Shaving at Auburn

News broke last week that the FBI has been investigating point shaving at Auburn University. Specifically the FBI has been investigating point guard Varez Ward with special attention to Auburn's 68-50 loss to Alabama on February 7th and a 56-53 loss at Arkansas on January 25th. As soon as Auburn officials learned of the information they reported it to the FBI, NCAA and the Southeastern Conference. Generally point shaving schemes involve more than one player so I will definitely be monitoring this case to see if anything else is discovered from this investigation.

2010 Soccer World Cup Warm-up Matches Controlled by Referees

FIFA reported earlier this week that the South African Football Association was duped into allowing an Asian match fixing syndicate managed by Wilson Perumal to appoint certain referees for certain warm-up international matches played in 2010 prior to the World Cup hosted by South Africa. Perumal has been convicted of match fixing charges in Finland since then. While matches and referees are investigated it just goes to show once again you never know where the fix is being controlled but almost certainly has to do with money. It appears all teams and countries show no evidence to manipulating games.

Soccer Match-Fixing Widespread in Eastern and Southern Europe

The BBC recently reported that match-fixing and other issues in Eastern and Southern Europe are more widespread than most believed. As reported by a survey by FIFPro, 23.6% of players are aware of match-fixing in their league and as high as 43.5% in Russia who will host the 2018 World Cup. They also stated 11.9% of players and as high as 30.3% in Greece have been approached to fix the results of games. The common link found was between players not being paid and fixing games. No matter the reason or level of play it always comes down to money as I always say.

Jimmie Johnson's Car Fails Daytona 500 Opening Day Inspection

A week prior to the big day tomorrow one of the biggest names in Nascar failed his opening day car inspection for the Daytona 500. Jimmie Johnson's car failed pre-race inspection for C-pillars that were found to be out of spec and accordingly confiscated. Car body violations are common at times but this one made news since it came from one of the biggest names in the sport prior to Nascar's biggest race of the year. Who doesn't want to win this race and some will do whatever it takes.

Another Tour de France Champion Banned for Doping

Jan Ullrich, a former Tour de France champion has been banned from cycling for two years for doping. The Court of Arbitration for Sport announced the findings on February 9th and stated he was part of the doping program by Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes that was revealed in 2006. How many former champions will be caught doping? This list keeps getting longer and sure we will see many more cyclists to come.

Soccer Corruption

We all know soccer has had quite a few problems with corruption over the last few years and the latest report will give us an idea just how big the problems are. A Swiss court has ruled that a document identifying soccer officials who took millions in kickbacks from World Cup broadcast deals will be released. FIFA will not appeal the ruling so obviously they have come to terms with the corruption the sport has recently seen and trying to move on. As I always say, it's always about money.

Super Fix Bowl

Well tomorrow is the big day and something I will rant on every year. The Super Bowl, the biggest single betting game of the year! The one game so big that sharps can't even move the line because of the amount of action on it. I have read that some believe this could be the highest bet game beating the $94 million on Super Bowl XL which of course doesn't include offshore books and your local bookies. My yearly statistic, the Las Vegas sports books have only lost minimal amounts in two of the last twenty one Super Bowl's. One interesting thing to note though is the last loss came in 2008 when the Giants upset the Patriots, the same two teams playing this year. If it's not fixed with that amount of action, how is that possible?

Sun Belt Officials Can't Count

Missed this one a few weeks ago in college basketball but thought it was definitely of interest. Host Western Kentucky lost to Louisiana-Lafayette 72-70 on January 5th. One website showed about 60% of the public was backing Western Kentucky and here is where it gets interesting. With second left in the game Louisiana-Lafayette made the winning layup but they did it with six players on the floor. Yes, they had one too many players on the floor and not one referee caught this. I understand mistakes happen but this is at the college level and you have multiple referee's so how would this possibly be missed? My guess, the fix was in. The majority of action was on Western Kentucky as a 1 1/2 point home dog and what do you know Louisiana-Lafayette wins by two to cover the spread while using six players. Something stinks here and have heard the referee's from the Sun Belt conference are expected to be suspended.

Another Blown Call at UFC 142

Usually we see the uneducated boxing scorers fix the outcomes of MMA decisions but this time we blame the referee for the blown call at UFC 142 last weekend in Brazil. Fighter Erick Silva made the most of his UFC debut by throwing a nice knee followed by some ground and pound on opponent Carlo Prater for an early referee stoppage in round one. When the official decision was announced that Silva was disqualified by referee Mario Yamasaki the crowd erupted in anger. Yamasaki DQ'd Silva for illegal blows to the back of the head. Shortly after announcer Joe Rogan went through the replay and strike after strike noted the each hit was legal. UFC president Dana White also criticized the call and continues to urge the commissions to start using instant replay before making these ridiculous errors in judgement and scoring or as we like to say, fixes! Silva was fighting in his home country with a raucous crowd behind him and also a heavy favorite at the sports books, go figure.

MMA Fighter Cris Cyborg Santos Tests Positive for Steroids

Last week news broke that Strikeforce women's featherweight champion Cris Cyborg Santos tested positive for stanozolol metabolites. This had to be a question for quite some time as Cyborg is freakishly strong, ripped physique and dominates anyone who gets in the cage with her. As of now she has been suspended for one year, fined $2,500 and stripped of her championship belt which may also see the dissolution of the weight class at Strikeforce.

More Corruption in Tennis

Although no specified reason has been give at this point, tennis player Lucas Renard has been suspended for six months for violating the sport's anti-corruption rules and fined $5,000 according to the Tennis Integrity Unit. 19-year-old Renard is the 882nd-ranked player and usually plays on the lower level circuits where the lure of a quick buck might be stronger.