Morning Droppings

- Gracie fighter and TUF 5 season winner Nate Diaz will will reportedly make his next UFC appearance as part of the September 19 UFC Fight Night event against Junior Assuncao.

- The Chuck Liddell vs. Keith Jardine headlining fight for UFC 76 is now official.



- Iowa Silverbacks middleweight Ryan McGivern will not be competing in the August 2 IFL semifinals East Rutherford, NJ. McGivern will be replaced by former Portland Wolfpack fighter Gerald Harris.



- The Fight Network is reporting that Royce Gracie did not submit a written appeal to the CSAC to contest steroid use allegations after testing positive for Nandrolone Metabolite, an anabolic steroid, following his June 2 win over Kazushi Sakaraba. Gracie has instead decided to pay the fine and sit out a because he doesn't want to pay the legal fees.

Straight Talk

"In reality, Royce pushed himself out of the family a little bit. He's being more independent, if you realize Royce doesn't have a school, doesn't teach nobody. I have under my roof at least 6 Gracies training. I brought them from Brazil, I brought them from Hawaii, from California, from everywhere that I could get a hand on, someone of my family and get them under my roof to teach them and to make them better and to make sure that our legacy will expand for other generations.

"And Royce, in reality, he trains at his garage. He lives out of seminars, teaching seminars on the weekends. So in reality he's not working towards nothing to perpetuate our name and our art. And this saddens me. So definitely for sure I can see someone, the people that are around him convinced him to go to steroids..to go 'this is your way to win.'"

- Renzo Gracie commenting on Royce.

Morning Droppings

- The California State Athletic Commission released details yesterday that the legendary Royce Gracie tested positive for such a copious amount of the anabolic steroid nandrolone, that the testing lab couldn't even register it. I don't like hearing news like this.

- Ken "The World's Most Ridiculous Goatee" Shamrock has confirmed that he’s in negotiations with the UFC for a return to the Octagon, but made no mention of who his next opponent will be. As for Shamrock, Shamrock explained, "That time will come when fans don’t want to watch me any longer and my body can't get ready to be at the top level." Check your watch, Ken.

- Now that Zuffa owners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta have completed their purchase of Pride Fighting Championships, UFC president Dana White is reportedly toying with the idea of dissolving Pride and bringing many of its fighters into the UFC. "There's a lot of different things we could do right now. That is definitely one of the possibilities," White explained. I 'm not sure how I feel about this, so I reserve judgement until more facts are available.

- "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler's recently separated shoulder has pushed back ICON Sport's June 30 fight card to Sept. 15. Lawler, who became 185-lb. ICON champ after knocking out Frank Trigg in March, was injured while training and will be sidelined four to six weeks.

Morning Droppings

- UFC Hall of Famer and MMA legend Royce Gracie has been suspended for one year and fined $2,500 by the California State Athletic Commission after testing positive for nandrolone metabolite, an anabolic steriod, after his June 2 K-1/EliteXC fight against Kazushi Sakuraba.

- BJ Penn stinks at ping-pong.

- Johnny Morton, a former NFL star and burgeoning mixed martial artist, declined to take a post-fight drug test after his June 2 K-1/EliteXC beating at the hands of Bernard Ackah and was immediately placed on indefinite suspension by the CSAC -- which has withheld his $100,000 purse! Morton faces the revocation of his license and a maximum $2,500 fine.

- Michael "The Count" Bisping will take on Matt "The Hammer" Hamill at UFC 75 on September 8 in London. I like Bisping in this fight.

- Joe "Daddy" Stevenson is rumored to be fighting Kurt Pellegrino in either August or September.

- Rumor has it that American Top Team product Denis Kang (pictured), one of my favorites, is close to signing with bodogFIGHT.

- Don't look now, but Rio-based Black House (Casa Preta) is quickly becoming one of the scariest fight teams around: Big Nog, Vitor Belfort, Anderson Silva, Paulo Filho, Lyoto Machida, Assuerio Silva, Antonio "Nino" Schembri, Carlos Barreto, and Rafael Feijao. Hot damn!