Bleacher Report - Articles by MMAMadness.com

Acting Bug Bites UFC Star Rashad Evans in 'Death Warrior'

MMAMadness.com — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:17:33 -0500

Rashad Evans learned a little something about how difficult it is to be an actor when he was filming the movie Death Warrior.

The former UFC light heavyweight champion learned that throwing fake punches can just be as difficult as throwing a real punch.

“I didn’t think (acting) would be hard,” Evans admitted.

The movie was Evans’ acting debut, and he said that the acting bug has bitten him. He has already signed on to do another project with the executive producer, writer, and actor in the film, Hector Echavarria.

Evans is just one of many mixed martial artist featured prominently in the Lionsgate film, which was released on DVD on Dec. 1. The others involved: Evans’ teammates Georges St. Pierre and Keith Jardine, and Evans’ rival coach from The Ultimate Fighter Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

The movie features a story revolving around a fighter who was thrown into a underground fighting circuit in order to save his wife and family. As the plot unwinds, he discovers the true mastermind behind the organization and prepares for a showdown with him.

For St. Pierre and Jackson, it marks a return to working with Eschavarria after the two worked with him on another MMA film, Never Surrender , which was released earlier this year. Never Surrender , another Lionsgate film, also features other MMA stars such as Heath Herring, Anderson Silva, and B.J. Penn.

In that film, Eschavarria played a champion lured to the appeal of the underground fight scene and is found fighting for his life.

Eschavarria is well known among fighter circles, and has been training in martial arts since he was 4-years-old. He has worked with some of the fighters in the film including Jackson, who he trained prior to the fights with Chuck Liddell and Dan Henderson.

It’s all part of Eschavarria’s plan to help grow the sport of MMA and do what he considers giving back to the sport that helped him.

As for Evans, fans shouldn’t fret that one of their favorite fighters is leaving the cage fulltime to pursue an acting career.

“I’m not going to quit fighting to act,” said the 30-year-old fighter, who is slated to return to the Octagon on Jan. 2 as part of UFC 108 in Las Vegas against Thiago Silva.

For more information about Death Warrior visit deathwarriormovie.com . You can also purchase the movie through the Web site.

The Free Roll Review: Miguel Torres

MMAMadness.com — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:27:22 -0500

Written by Cameron Gidari

Miguel Torres did not have a conventional beginning to his fighting career.

"The way I learned, I didn't have an instructor for the first couple years, so we learned through video tapes and watching fights," Torres told the Free Roll Radio Program.

Torres stopped by the show to discuss his gym, his last fight, and his new approach to training.

"I'm the only top pro fighter in my gym," Torres said. "My last fight when I fought Brian Bowles, I had a great training camp, but I didn't have a proper training camp."

As a result of his last loss, Torres brought in Mark DellaGrotte and Kurt Pellegrino to help with training.

"For one thing, it boosts your confidence, because you know you're training with a guy who is at an elite level," Torres said. "Kurt trains different then I train, so when we get together we come up with the most insane workouts you can think of, and it's just good to have a different look."

While Torres is reaping the benefits of training with fighters from other gyms, he is also wary that those fighters might train with a future opponent one day.

"I'm very selective with who I choose to work with," Torres said. "Me and Kurt are really good friends, and if he went and trained with someone I was going to fight, I would hate him for the rest of my life, and I would try to kill him one day."

Coming off just his second professional loss, Torres is even hungrier to get back to work.

"[Brian Bowles] didn't knock me out. He woke me up," Torres said. "If anything, he awoke a sleeping giant."

Torres did not let the loss discourage him. Instead, he looks at it as an opportunity to improve himself as a fighter.

"If anything, this catapults me, it puts the spotlight on me for my next fight," Torres said. "How am I going to do in my next fight?"

Torres says that his next fight should be in February. No opponent has been announced yet, but whoever it is will face a Miguel Torres that is better than ever.

The Free Roll airs every Saturday at 4 PM ET, and is hosted by MMAMadness.com Assistant Managing Editor Cameron Gidari and renowned MMA trainer Keith Florian. Listen live at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mmamadnessradio, or download previous episodes to hear everything we couldn’t fit in the recap. To make sure you never miss an episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes by searching MMAMadness.

Matt Mitrione Setting the Record Straight

MMAMadness.com — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:59:15 -0400

Written by Paul Delos Santos

Matt Mitrione was fully aware that he wasn’t liked in The Ultimate Fighter house, and added that he didn’t have many friends in it.

Through the magic of Spike TV editing, Mitrione has become the villain of the season, and it was made perfectly evident in the latest episode of the show.

“It was Team Rashad versus Team Jackson versus Team Mitrone,” he said.

So far this season, Mitrione has been called “the rat,” “the snitch,” and “meathead” by various members of the cast, and has been featured prominently in four of the seven episodes.

“I’m the source of drama,” Mitrione said. “I get three comments from fans: ‘You’re hysterical,’ ‘[Your strategy is] a good idea,’ or ‘I think you’re an asshole.’”

His strategy came into play when he told Scott Junk that Mike Wessel was afraid to fight him.

Mitrione said he wanted to get inside of Junk’s head, but the rest of the house didn’t see it the same way.

“I’m doing stuff to mess with Junk and take away preparation,” Mitrione said. “[When news of the note spread,] you get a room full of high school girls. He said this. He said that.”

Another key point in the episode was when Mitrione was talking about hearing voices in his head and listening to birds and talking his wife in his dreams.

He reassures everyone that he hasn’t gone mentally insane, or as Rashad Evans put it, "the cheese hasn’t fell off of the cracker."

Mitrione is doing what keeps him sane—having fun and making jokes.

“I’m just having the time of my life,” he said. “I’m saying whatever I want. I do what I want to do. I didn’t have any friends there, so I made the best of a bad situation.”

He added that when he told Evans about speaking to his wife in his head, the producers edited out when Mitrione revealed it was just a joke.

“I start cracking up with a big smile,” Mitrione said. “The look Rashad shot me was worth four million dollars … That’s funny. The people who know are going to think it’s hysterical.

“There is no way a rational human being can say the things I say and mean it. I like to believe that I’m a fairly intelligent kid. I have to do things to keep me calm.”

Like the media’s phrase surrounding Los Angeles Dodgers player Manny Ramirez, Mitrione said the people who truly know him will see it similarly.

“Like Manny being Manny, it’s just me being me,” Mitrione said.

Mitrione fought Team Rampage fighter Scott Junk, walking away with a majority decision victory, which kept Team Evans undefeated on the season.

Throughout the first round, Mitrione dominated the stand up for the first four minutes, knocking Junk down three times.

Each time, Mitrione refused to jump into Junk’s guard, and Mitrione credits his inexperience on that facet of the MMA game.

“The first four minutes were just me kicking the [expletive] out of Junk,” Mitrione said. “It was like me fighting a fifth grader. I didn’t want to finish him on the ground … I had limited ground experience.”

By the second round, both men were visibly gassed, but unlike the second fight of the season, Mitrione and Junk weren’t holding their hands on their hips and top of the cage, but rather attempting to move forward and at least connect some shots.

“It sucked we got gassed,” Mitrione said. “We put on a show. Both of us had a great show of heart. I think that the fans should appreciate it.”

Mitrione credited Junk for being a difficult fighter to finish.

“Junk is a tough dude,” Mitrione said. “He kept getting up and he just kept coming … I punched him really hard in the face, and he kept coming back.”

Matt Mitrione joins 'The Ground & Pound **Powered by Jaco Clothing**' radio program live every Tuesday at 9:30 pm EST (6:30 pm PST). The show is hosted by MMAMadness.com’s Hector Castro and Fight! Magazine’s Johnny Dunn. For more information, or to download previous episodes, go to www.blogtalkradio.com/mmamadnessradio or available on ITunes.

The Free Roll Review: Dave Camarillo and Matt Mitrione

MMAMadness.com — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 12:52:08 -0400

Written by Cameron Gidari

Dave Camarillo works with some of the top fighters in the world.

As the head Brazilian jiu jitsu coach at American Kickboxing Academy, Camarillo has been tasked with turning wrestlers like Josh Koscheck and Cain Velasquez into complete mixed martial artists.

Before he is able to teach them, though, Camarillo has to break them.

“You’ve got to build rapport with your fighter,” Camarillo said on the Free Roll Radio Program.

“I remember when the first day Koscheck came in… I submitted him over and over again, and again that immediately in their minds built that report. Number one, Dave knows what he’s talking about. Number two, it gives them a connection with me so that everything I say they really listen to.”

As Camarillo explained, being a good jiu jitsu fighter does not necessarily translate into being a good jiu jitsu fighter in MMA.

“[Some jiu jitsu fighters are] just not channeling what they know properly because the game is different and the rules are different,” Camarillo said.

While part of that blame is on the student, Camarillo says that jiu jitsu coaches attempting to train MMA fighters are also to blame.

“The people that have trouble transitioning BJJ into the MMA scene are so conditioned and do delusioned… it’s difficult to crack that nut,” Camarillo said, “It’s being reinforced by coaches that don’t understand MMA, but everyone’s getting into MMA so you’re going to have that."

"This is a new art, and all of these BJJ instructors are all getting into it and thinking that it’s a jiu jitsu match. When you have a coach like that, its’ even more difficult.”

Former NFL player and Ultimate Fighter 10 contestant Matt Mitrione also joined the program to talk about his nutrition company, Engineered and Designed Nutrition (EDEN).

Mitrione designed EDEN Recovery to help refuel athletes after their workouts.

“Post workout nutrition is probably the most important [thing] for an athlete, and nighttime and morning nutritions are pretty important as well,” Mitrione said.

Mitrione took a greater interest in supplements after his rookie season in the NFL, when he needed foot surgery.

“My bones weren’t healing the way I thought they should,” Mitrione said. “I felt like there was something I could do that would make my body healthier and heal faster.”

Mitrione eventually developed EDEN Recovery, and athletes like MLB outfielder Jayson Werth have given the product rave reviews.

Part of the supplement’s success comes from Mitrione taking the necessary steps to ensure top quality.

“Every day you hear about athletes getting popped for supplements they didn’t know were tainted or they blame something on the supplement,” Mitrione said. “We decided to go through the governing body that the NFL and Major League Baseball go through.”

The results are clear, as universities and pro sports teams alike have taken to the supplement.

As it says on the website’s front page (www.whatsyoureden.com), part of EDEN’s goal is to educate athletes, so that they can make informed decisions about the supplements they take. Mitrione takes that very seriously.

The Free Roll airs every Saturday at 4:00 PM ET, and is hosted by MMAMadness.com Assistant Managing Editor Cameron Gidari and renowned MMA trainer Keith Florian. Listen live at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mmamadnessradio, or download previous episodes to hear everything we couldn’t fit in the recap. To make sure you never miss an episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes by searching MMAMadness.

The Free Roll Review: John Howard & Mike Dolce

MMAMadness.com — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:01:28 -0400

Written by Cameron Gidari

(Sponsored by Fightceuticals.com)

John Howard began his mixed martial arts career by submitting four of his first five opponents.

Back then, Howard was strictly a ground fighter, and it took a loss to turn him into the well-rounded fighter that he is today. A guy [from my school] came up to me and said, ‘You’re a good grappler, but what happens when you meet someone that’s as good a grappler as you and you can’t submit them?’” Howard told the Free Roll Radio Program.

That day came in his sixth pro fight, when he met Alexandre Moreno. “He was a brown belt and I was a blue belt, and he, like in 30 seconds, submitted me with an armbar,” Howard said. “I was like, ‘I better work on my striking because if I meet someone like him, I don’t want to go to the ground again.’ I just improved my game to the point where I’d rather strike than go to the ground.”

Howard has improved his striking game to the point where he says he would rather stand and trade with opponents than take the fight to the ground. He credits his school and training partners for his transition.

This well roundedness has served him well, as he has compiled a 12-4 record as a pro, including a 2-0 mark since moving to the UFC.

Howard says he is honored to be fighting for the largest organization in the world. “I’m just proud to be a part of it, it’s a dream come true,” Howard said. “I was just a normal guy watching the UFC on TV, and then one day I thought I could be there, and I tried it, and surprisingly I got there, which is awesome. I’m living the dream right now.”

Also on the show, former contestant from The Ultimate Fighter and nutrition specialist Mike Dolce talked about his diet regiment, the DOLCE diet.

The diet has earned rave reviews from fighters and non-fighters alike, and Dolce explains that a lot of its success has to do with the science and research behind what he recommends.

“Number one is the science behind the nutritional style plan that I’m kind of passing on to these guys,” Dolce said. “They immediately feel the difference in the energy in their body. They can feel the nutrients doing their job But I don’t just go, ‘Here’s the food’ and give it to them. I teach them. I take them to the supermarket and I go to their house. I teach them why they can’t eat this and why they need to be doing that.”

Mixed martial artists are known for having strict diet regiments, but Dolce explains that many fighters are actually doing more harm than good with what they put into their bodies.

“I’ve found the MMA guys to be the worse off in their nutrition for their sport,” Dolce said. “Unfortunately, the demands for MMA are so much higher than the demands for any other sport, so the MMA guys I’ve found relying almost solely on body building science and body building nutrition to fuel their bodies. They were extremely malnourished and their bodies were just breaking down. Their joints, their ligaments, everything was just popping and pinging all over the place, muscle spasms, cramps.”

Dolce recognizes that not everyone is as well informed about proper nutrition as he is. As such, he simplified his diet into an easy to remember slogan.

“Part of my diet program is, if it wasn’t around 200 years ago, you shouldn’t be eating it today,” Dolce said. “When you go to the grocery store, when you go to the restaurant, whatever you’re going to order, whatever you’re going to buy, just this one simple sentence. If it wasn’t around 200 years ago, you should not be eating it today.”

The Free Roll airs every Saturday at 4 PM ET, and is hosted by MMAMadness.com Assistant Managing Editor Cameron Gidari and renowned MMA trainer Keith Florian. Listen live at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mmamadnessradio, or download previous episodes to hear everything we couldn’t fit in the recap. To make sure you never miss an episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes by searching MMAMadness.

Eddie Bravo: Never a Dull Moment

MMAMadness.com — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:04:59 -0400

Written by Samantha L. Johnson

From the moment his lips start moving, you know you’re going to get nothing but a laugh and some insane comments from rubber guard inventor Eddie Bravo.

On Sept. 3, he joined us for a brief talk about 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu, advocating the legalization of marijuana, the California wild fires and how he was a musician first.

“I don’t know, have you guys heard of these massive fires going on [in Southern California]?” asked Bravo. “I’m sitting on a roof top right now in Hollywood. The sun is setting and the moon is up. It’s like a scene from ‘Mad Max’ right now.”

“Mad Max”… seems fitting for one of the craziest personalities in MMA.

After giving me a lesson of how to annunciate “jiu-jitsu” (you have to say it slowly), Bravo went on to describe which areas are welcoming 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu locations.

“We just opened up Morgantown, WV,” said Bravo. “Delaware, Indianapolis and Hartford, CT is coming up next week.”

When asked about how someone goes about opening and 10th Planet affiliate Bravo couldn’t give a serious answer.

“All you need is a picture with me,” said the man also known as “The Twister.” “Me and the school owner in the picture and you can open up a school. That’s it.”

Eddie credits his invention of the Rubber Guard with his habitual marijuana usage.

He states the marijuana gave him the freedom and creativeness to be able to master such a technique. However, he wasn’t always the High Times subscribing, chronic smoking, fun loving guy he is now.

“Well, I started smoking weed when I was 28,” said Bravo. “I hindered it my whole life. I smoked it like once a year through out my teens and my 20’s and always got paranoid, freaked out and hated it. I totally believed that it gave you brain cancer and it killed your head and your lungs got corrupted from it. I believed all that [expletive].

“Then at 28, I read the book ‘The Emporer Wears No Clothes’ and I finally smoked weed and I didn’t have a paranoid episode.”

Now that he knows there’s no need to fear marijuana, or its effects, Bravo is a frequent user and has become quite open with his usage — even mentioning it in his book, “Mastering the Rubber Guard”.

However, he’s still concerned with the number of people each year arrested and prosecuted due to marijuana usage and distribution. Since the age of 28, Bravo has become a major marijuana activist and is constantly working to make medicinal marijuana usage legal in all 50 states.

“I’m high right now, and I can get thrown in jail,” Bravo said. “I’m going to keep preaching, keep speaking the truth until we’ve got all states on board with the legalization of marijuana. Right now we have 13. I’m going to keep going until we have 50.”

Bravo’s marijuana usage affects him in not just his jiu-jitsu realm of life.

He is also a musician and lets it influence him in that aspect also. Playing the guitar since an early age, Bravo has been in bands since he was a teenager.

Now that 10th Planet is gaining popularity Bravo is being rewarded for all of his hard work. He is letting his disciples take over his L.A. branches and he is going on tour—a musical one.

“I’ve been producing music since I was 10 or 11 years old,” Bravo said. “I moved to Hollywood at 21, got into jiu-jitsu at 24, after seeing UFC 2 because I didn’t want to be a fat rock star. Got obsessed with that, I thought, ‘what a wonderful way to stay in shape.’ That just kind of [expletive] blew up. This [music] has been my mission the whole way through.”

He’s manipulating his extensive following of MMA fans and turning them onto his music career.

Many of his MMA fans view his music career as a “side project” and give it about as much respect as Shaquille O’Neal’s last album got.

For Bravo it’s a double-edged sword, his fans that have been following his music since he was young don’t believe he can do anything in MMA, leaving Bravo is in a rut with fans.

“I’ve very hard to go from sports to music,” said Bravo. “It’s so hard, almost impossible, but I’m making it happen.”

Samantha L. Johnson is the News Team Lead for MMAMadness. She is also the co-host of "Sans the Gloves" every Thursday at 10EST/7PST. Listen live on www.blogtalkradio.com/mmamadnessradio Feel free to e-mail her with questions or comments: samantha@mmamadness.com Also, be sure and follow us on Twitter. www.twitter.com/mma_madness

Exclusive: Cub Swanson to Face John Franchi

MMAMadness.com — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:59:55 -0400

MMA Madness sources have confirmed that Cub Swanson and John Franchi will be fighting on a WEC 44 card in November at an unknown venue. The card will feature the main event bout between Jose Aldo and featherweight champion Mike Brown.

Swanson (13-3) is coming off of a loss to No. 1 contender Jose Aldo in a brutal eight second knockout. Prior to the defeat, Swanson had won 13 of his 14 fights, with his only defeat coming at the hands of Jens Pulver.

Franchi (5-1) suffered his first career defeat at the hands of Manny Gamburyan by unanimous decision at WEC 41.

Shane Carwin Gets Title Shot Vs. Brock Lesnar at UFC 106

MMAMadness.com — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:28:20 -0400

Sources close to MMAMadness.com are reporting that negotiations are underway for Brock Lesnar to make his first official title defense against Shane Carwin at UFC 106 on Nov. 21, at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, NV.

Carwin had been scheduled to take on AKA fighter Cain Velasquez in October at UFC 104. But the UFC has opted to change course.

Velasquez is reportedly healthy, and his management, Zinkin Entertainment, has not heard any news regarding the bout being scratched.

Minnesota MMA confirmed our sources by tweeting the news Wednesday night.

UFC 106 takes place Nov. 21 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas NV.

Here are other rumored matches for the event:

Tito Ortiz vs. Mark Coleman

Jon Fitch vs. Ricardo Almeida

Ground & Pound Radio Recap: Cung Le

MMAMadness.com — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:23:15 -0400

Written by Mitch Ciccarelli

(Sponsored by FightCeuticals.com)

Strikeforce middleweight champion and actor Cung Le recently made an appearance on the Ground N’ Pound Radio Program to discuss both his acting and MMA careers. Le also talked about his new line of Cung Le action figures from Round Five.

“I feel so blessed” Le told the show. “I thank God everyday that I wake up. Just to be alive and to have all of this is a blessing.”

The Cung Le action figure looks almost identical to Le except for one minor flaw—his hair. Le recently shaved his hair shooting a film in China and found it funny that his figurine has more hair than he does.

“They gave me a lot more hair than I have now,” Le said. “I just came back from China about three weeks ago shooting a Chinese film and my hair was completely shaved so it’s funny to see my figurine with so much hair.”

Le is one of few fighters who have transitioned well into Hollywood. He discussed his upcoming role in the film Pandorum, which stars Ben Foster and Dennis Quaid. Le lists former UFC champion and UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture as another fighter that has a successful acting career.

“Randy Couture is doing it a little bit out there too and he’s still fighting and doing movies at the same time,” Le said.

“This movie is like a 40 million dollar budget movie. I know they went over-budget because they put a lot into this movie. The set they built for this was amazing and for my early budding acting career it was awesome. To be on set with Ben Foster, Denis Quaid and all these big name actors was definitely exciting.”

With the constant growth of MMA, it comes to no surprise that Hollywood has attempted to make money off of MMA-themed movies. While movies like Never Back Down appeal to the casual observer, they do not represent what MMA is all about. They take the fights to the street and backyards instead of sanctioned events and it gives a poor representation of the sport.

Le says that despite that, it is still good to see that MMA has made its mark in Hollywood and things can only get better from this point.

“MMA is so popular right now and they use a lot of MMA moves in [Never Back Down],” Le said. “It’s good to see that MMA has made such a good impact in Hollywood now.”

When asked which he thought was harder, acting or fighting, Le made it known which profession he feels is more difficult.

“MMA hands down is much harder,” Le said. “That’s why I was able to deliver on such a high level with these films.”

Le hasn’t fought in MMA since winning the Strikeforce title from Frank Shamrock back in March of 2008. He has been spending most of his time on his acting career but the desire to fight is still within him and he talked about his plans to compete at the next CBS show for Strikeforce.

“I already talked to Scott Coker and we’re talking about [a return] at the next CBS show” Le said. “If all goes well he’s thinking the end of this year or next year he’s going to figure everything out with CBS and then he’ll come and talk to me.”

He has yet to defend his Strikeforce title and Le feels it isn’t fair to the other fighters in the division to have to wait for him.

“I told him that right now I’m finishing up with Chinese movies and it’s not fair for the other fighters to wait for me. I got to either vacate [the belt] or we’re going to do an interim.”

Ground & Pound Radio broadcasts live every Tuesday at 9:30 pm EST (6:30 pm PST). The show is hosted by MMAMadness.com’s Hector Castro and Fight! Magazine’s Johnny Dunn. For more information, or to download previous episodes, go to www.blogtalkradio.com/mmamadnessradio.

Pat Miletich & Dana White Settle Differences

MMAMadness.com — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 23:54:06 -0400

Written by Cameron Gidari

Over the past few months, UFC president Dana White has reconciled with Tito Ortiz and Affliction. Now, White has mended another burned bridge.

White spoke with Pat Miletich at the UFC 101 weigh-ins, and the result could be Miletich back in the octagon.

“We were finally able to talk and get some things out of the way so it was good,” Miletich told MMAMadness.com.

“We touched on me potentially fighting in the UFC again, but nothing was concrete,” Miletich said. “The door was left open, so that was good.”

Miletich has not fought in the UFC since 2002, when he suffered a TKO loss to Matt Lindland.

Much of the bitterness between Miletich and White resurfaced when a recent E:60 piece on ESPN, where Miletich was quoted as saying that nothing White had ever told him was true. White responded by calling Miletich a “(expletive) dummy.”

However, Miletich explained that ESPN’s use of that interview was misleading.

“The interview from the E:60 piece was really, really old,” Miletich said. ”It was like a year and a half old at least. It was just something that got brought back out and aired.”

“That just kind of put gas on fire,” Miletich said. “Obviously he's going to react negatively to that, so I said, ‘we've got to squash this.’”

With the relationship apparently healed, Miletich is now mulling over whether to return to fighting. He is certain that a repaired relationship is beneficial to everyone.

“I think it's always good for all of us to at least coincide as best we can and get along because it's for the benefit of everybody,” Miletich said. “It's always better to have friends than enemies.”

Cameron Gidari is the Associate Editor at MMAMadness.com. He can be reached with questions and comments at cameron@mmamadness.com.

"The Free Roll" Recap: Josh Koscheck, Tim Kennedy, and Justin Wilcox

MMAMadness.com — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 02:08:22 -0400

Written by Cameron Gidari (Sponsored by PerformanceMMA.com)

With Keith Florian away at UFC 101 on Saturday, UFC fighter Josh Koscheck joined the Free Roll Radio Program as a special guest host.

Koscheck was not shy about giving his opinions on Strikeforce, an organization that many people think signed its death warrant by snatching Fedor Emelianenko away from the UFC. Koscheck doesn't see it that way.

"I've known [Strikeforce President] Scott Coker a long time," Koscheck said. "It's not in Scott's interest to pick fights. He just wants to do his business and do his job."

It's no secret that the Emelianenko/UFC deal breaker was M-1 Global's insistence on co-promoting any show Emelianenko was on. While it's a smart business move for M-1, Koscheck doesn't see the UFC taking that deal.

"The UFC's in such a different league that I don't think they need to do that right now," Koscheck said. "I don't think it’s in the UFC business model to do that."

Koscheck also talked about his new gym, the third American Kickboxing Academy. The gym opened Aug. 1 with a slew of high-profile mixed martial arts fighters, including Chuck Liddell.

"We had about 1,000 people lined up, it was good, a good event," Koscheck said. "I'm very fortunate that I have a lot of people supporting me."

Strikeforce fighter and former Green Beret Tim Kennedy joined the program to discuss his upcoming fight with Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos and his difficult decision to leave the military to pursue a fighting career.

"My company is in Iraq, my best friends are in Afghanistan," Kennedy said. "It's kind of torture getting e-mails from them, but on the same token I was going insane every single time I'd see the guys that I was training with for years and years start winning their belts, and knowing that that could be me."

Koscheck, an avid military supporter and gun enthusiast, also compared gun collections and shooting tips with Kennedy.

"I'm a gun nut," Kennedy said. "I've been to every single shooting school Special Forces could attend."

Justin "The Silverback" Wilcox, a teammate of Koscheck, also stopped by to break down his next fight against David "Tarzan" Douglas.

The match, dubbed the "Rumble in the Jungle" for the great matchup of nicknames, presents Wilcox with an interesting variable: his opponent’s hair. Douglas earns the nickname "Tarzan" in part because of his massive head of hair.

Koscheck's solution was simple.

"I would grab a hold of that wig and start beating him," Koscheck said.

Wilcox actually thinks that the hair is a disadvantage to his opponent.

"The hair doesn't bother me," Wilcox said. "Submission-wise, it's just a little tighter grip."

Wilcox also expressed his thanks to the Cesar Gracie camp, where Douglas trains, for taking this fight. As Wilcox and Koscheck both explained, it can be difficult for AKA fighters to get fights, since the school has a reputation for producing top talent.

"I went almost a whole year without getting fights," Wilcox said. "For these guys to step up and fight, it puts a smile on my face. I've got someone in there who's willing to trade leather and get down."

The Free Roll airs every Saturday at 4 p.m. EST, and is hosted by MMAMadness.com Associate Editor Cameron Gidari and renowned MMA trainer Keith Florian. Listen live at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mmamadnessradio, or download previous episodes to hear everything we couldn't fit in the recap. To make sure you never miss an episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes by searching MMAMadness.

To reach Cameron Gidari with questions or comments, email him at cameron@mmamadness.com.

MMAMadness Exclusive: CB Dollaway To Return Versus Dan Miller at UFN 19

MMAMadness.com — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 00:26:02 -0400

CB Dollaway will face Dan Miller at UFC Fight Night 19 on Sept. 16, a source close to the event told MMAMadness.com.

Miller’s original opponent, Aaron Simpson, was moved up to UFC 102 to face Ed Herman, leaving Miller with no opponent.

Dollaway (8-2) will look to bounce back from a disappointing loss at UFC 100 to Tom Lawlor, which saw him choked unconscious just a minute into the fight.

Miller (11-2) is also looking to return to the win column after dropping a unanimous decision to Chael Sonnen at UFC 98. The loss ended Miller’s streak of 10 straight fights without a loss.

MMA Madness Exclusive: Aaron Simpson Replaces Gouveia Against Ed Herman

MMAMadness.com — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 00:21:29 -0400

Aaron Simpson will replace Wilson Gouveia and face Ed Herman at UFC 102 on August 29.

Sources close to the event have told MMAMadness.com. UFC.com has confirmed the report as well by updating their UFC 102 fight card.

Simpson was scheduled to face Dan Miller at UFN 19 in September, but an injury to Gouveia left Herman without an opponent.

Simpson is 5-0 in his mixed martial arts career, with all five of his fights ending by KO or TKO. Only one of his fights made it past the first round.

Herman (15-7) will be looking to build off his unanimous decision victory over David Loiseau at UFC 97. Before that victory, Herman had lost two straight.

LC Davis Vs. Javier Vasquez Moved to WEC 42

MMAMadness.com — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:18:07 -0400

Featherweights LC Davis (13-2) and Javier Vasquez (13-2) will face each other at WEC 42 on August 9.

Davis confirmed the fight via text message to MMAMadness.com. Davis and Vasquez were originally supposed to face each other at Affliction: Trilogy, before the company folded its fight operations.

Davis is looking to bounce from a unanimous decision defeat to Michihiro Omigawa in March. Vasquez defeated Mark Kergosien in just 19 seconds in June, his first fighter after an 18 month layoff.

M-1's Charlie Brenneman Finds True Calling

MMAMadness.com — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:59:11 -0400

Written By Tim Vreeland

Charlie Brenneman was teaching Spanish at his old high school for three years, but he felt like his true calling lay elsewhere.

In 2005, Brenneman appeared on the first season of Pros vs. Joes, where he went on to win the entire competition. He notes this as his first claim to fame, and it quenched his competitive thirst for the time being.

He felt compelled to return to competition, and with a strong wrestling background from his time at Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania, he sought out the challenges of the MMA world.

After a few months of training he had his first amateur fight in November 2006.

“I had a little Brazilian jiu-jitsu and no standup skills at that point, but I knew after that first bout this was what I wanted to do,” Brenneman said. “I figured, if I could make as much fighting as I did teaching, then I would be happy. I had a few more amateur fights then went pro in July of 2007.”

Having found his calling, Brenneman has showed a nice talent for the sport. He has compiled a 9-1 record.

After spending some time at The HIT Squad with Matt Hughes, Charlie is now training out of AMA Fight Club in New Jersey with the likes of the Dan and Jim Miller and Frankie Edgar. Brenneman is in no hurry to rise through the ranks of the MMA world.

He prefers to grow and evolve naturally, giving his MMA game time to fully develop.

Brenneman trains five days a week, and likes to be ready to fight on at least two weeks notice. He is ready for any opportunity, and said he walks around at about 180 lbs.

In his most recent bout at the Broad Avenue Brawlers event on July 24th, he tested himself against veteran Mitch Whitesel (12-13), in which he won in a unanimous decision.

“I knew he was a big guy, he’d been in with some tough guys and he’s a veteran of the sport. He came out guns blazing caught me with a few shots that woke me up,” Brenneman humbly recalled. “I realized I was in with a real experienced fighter and had to keep on my toes. I consider my MMA game a work in progress and this fight gave me a solid learning experience. He had me thinking. I was happy with my performance and see that my training is paying off.”

“The Spaniard” will next fight Ray Jarman (9-10) at M-1 global challenge on Aug. 16th, in the Netherlands, which will be available on HDnet.

Brenneman eagerly related his thoughts on his upcoming bout.

“Fighting in M-1 means a lot to me. I get to fight in a bigger organization. It’s like a dream getting to do this for a living,” he said. “I get to travel to a new country, experience new places and fight in a venue that can give me more exposure. My opponent Ray Jarman is a skilled guy. After studying some tape I feel my team and I have a solid game plan for this bout. My manager/brother and the rest of my team look at each fight objectively looking to give me challenges that will help me grow.”

Brenneman is a driven fighter with a solid plan to grow in the sport of MMA and take it to the top.

There is no doubt that he is a serious competitor, with a humbleness and determination that will take him wherever he wants to go.

Tim Vreeland is a feature writer at MMAMadness.com. To contact or ask him a question, please e-mail him at Tim@MMAMadness.com.

'Public Enemies' Cast Gets A Taste Of Don Frye & MMA

MMAMadness.com — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:00:25 -0400

Written by Samantha L. Johnson

Don Frye explains his role in the newly-released "Public Enemies" as “luck of the Irish.”

Frye has known Michael Mann (Director of "Public Enemies") for years. That relationship led to Frye being cast as Texas Ranger, Clarence Hurt. The name is too fitting.

On a cast full of actors from the A-list to D-list, Frye fit right in.

“[Frye is] a character, one of a kind type of guy,” said Adam Mucci, who plays FBI Agent Harold Reinecke in the movie. “He’s intimidating, but definitely seemed like the guy you’d want in your corner. A no ‘B.S.’ type of guy.”

That “intimidating” character and his MMA background led to some entertaining nights while filming.

“A couple of the nights in Little Bohemia, we were playing around and a couple of the boys took a nap,” Frye said, as he tried to act nonchalant about choking out fellow actors and stunt men on the set.

Once actors in the movie learned of Frye’s past career, they couldn’t help but be curious and want to “play around.” One-by-one, Frye demonstrated to the willing men how you can submit somebody via a choke hold (if performed correctly). No one got hurt and Frye later described it as, “boys playing in the woods.”

Frye will look to use his past MMA experience as he takes on a confirmed opponent this August on an M-1 promotion card. “The Predator” Frye will face “King Mo” Lawal; Lawal is 16-years Frye’s senior. Frye commented on his age, and that of his friends who are in the business that have kept going at previously-unheard-of-ages.

“Age is just a number,” Frye said. “These guys [Randy Couture and Mark Coleman] are real athletes they can whoop most of these fighters out there.”

This August, Frye will look to “whoop” on “King Mo” and really prove that age is, in fact, just a number. Keep checking MMAMadness.com for confirmation of the bout.

Samantha L. Johnson is a staff writer for MMAMadness. Feel free to e-mail her at samantha@madness.com

Lavar Johnson in Stable Condition, Surgery Was Succesful

MMAMadness.com — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:29:43 -0400

Heavyweight Lavar Johnson has suffered a gun shot wound to the abdomen, according to reports.

Bob Cook, Johnson's trainer and manager, said to Sherdog.com that Lavar was "between serious and critical condition."

MMAMadness.com has learned that Johnson underwent surgery this morning for internal injuries and the surgery was successful. Johnson is in stable condition at this time.

Lavar's representation, Zinkin Entertainment, continues to ask for everyone's prayers for his continued recovery.

WEC Setting Up Interim Title Bout between Donald Cerrone and Benson Henderson

MMAMadness.com — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:48:42 -0400

As MMAMadness.com first reported yesterday...

Sources have confirmed that WEC officials are working quickly to set up a possible interim title bout.

The fight would feature top contenders Donald Cerrone and Benson Henderson, and would be held in September.

Cerrone had been awaiting the highly anticipated rematch with WEC Champ Jaime Varner.

Yesterday, Yahoo.com's Maggie Hendricks reported that Varner's injury would not allow him to fight.

MMAMadness.com contacted Varner, who told us, "The hand hasn't healed correctly."

When contacted yesterday on vacation in Colorado, Cerrone stated, "I wanted to fight him before, and I still want to fight him now, but I will fight whoever the WEC puts in front of me."

When asked who he thought could be a possible contender, Cerrone said, "Benson Henderson."

That appears to be accurate, as sources have confirmed to MMAMadness.com that Henderson will step in for Varner and fight Cerrone in September for the WEC Interim title.

The up-and-comer Benson Henderson has won his first two bouts in the WEC in impressive fashion over Anthony Njokuani and most recently Shane Roller.

Jamie Varner Unable to Defend Title, Cerrone Already Looking Ahead

MMAMadness.com — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:01:17 -0400

Written by Paul Delos Santos

The highly anticipated match between WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner and Donald Cerrone has been postponed because Varner is still troubled by a hand injury.

"The hand didn't heal right," Varner said.

Cerrone suggested that an interim title should be created, as Varner takes more time to make sure his hand heals correctly.

Cerrone mentioned Benson Henderson as a potential candidate, if an interim title is created, though Cerrone wasn't sure on how the WEC would deal with the situation.

Henderson's camp said he was training for a fight in September, but the opponent has not been determined.

Cung Le Blessed To Have Round 5 Figurine Opportunity

MMAMadness.com — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 23:59:24 -0400

Written By Paul Delos Santos

The last thing Cung Le expected was to have an figurine made in his image. Well, he will now have one thanks in part to Round 5, which is set to release a Cung Le figurine in July as part of its MMA Champions series.

The company, which has released action figures of other MMA superstars Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Anderson Silva and Wanderlei Silva, announced Le would join Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Matt Serra, Dan Henderson, Fedor Emeliankenko and Gina Carano in their series four release. The six-fighter set is the largest Round 5 has released.

The decision was easy for Round 5 President Damon Lau, "Cung Le's popularity across a wide range of audiences made him an ideal partner for Round 5. Besides his international following in MMA and kick boxing, his growing movie career is gaining him a new set of fans. He was very involved in the process of creating his figurine, and we think the finished product reflects the hard work he put into it."

Le was honored to have a figurine made in his likeness, joining an elite level of fighters who have been immortalized by Round 5.

"I feel blessed," Le said. "Every day I wake up, thank God that I get the chance to be who I am. I'm grateful to live and have all that I have and the people around me. ... It's just awesome."

Le will be spending time at ComicCon in San Diego from July 23-26 to promote the figurine and other the movies he has been working on including "Pandorum," which is set for release on Sept. 4.

"I’m going to be quite busy out there," Le said.

The action figure, the budding acting career are all part of Le's growing stardom in the mainstream. It also has provided him other means to help support his family outside of the cage.

“I count my blessing and I'm happy to provide for my family and two boys,” he said. “I'm getting married in August. I'm very lucky.”

When asked what the coolest thing about his action figure, Le simply replied," It kinda looks like me. That's the cool thing."

Le is undefeated in MMA competition, boasting a 6-0 career record. He has finished all of his fights by knockout or technical knockout. He claimed the Strikeforce middleweight championship, following a three-round epic that saw Le break Frank Shamrock’s arm to win the title.

Le hasn’t set a return date, though he did admit that he was starting to get the itch to fight again and wanted to get back into training for a fight.

Looks like fans will have to wait for Le’s return, but in the mean time, they can get their Cung Le fix by watching his movies and collecting his action figure.

Fans can purchase all Round 5 figures at www.round5mma.com, and at selected Toys R Us locations.

Paul Delos Santos is an associated editor at MMAMadness.com. You can e-mail him at paul@mmamadness.comand follow him on Twitter.com/mmamadpaul.

Frank Lester Prepares to Take on Team U.K.'s Nick Osipczak

MMAMadness.com — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:52:13 -0400

Written by Danny Burnham and Joe Rizzo

Frank Lester was born on an Army base in Germany, served a tour of duty in Iraq with the Army, and now trains in Temecula, California.

This Saturday, however, he’ll be in Las Vegas as part of the card at the UFC’s “The Ultimate Fighter” finale. Lester will compete against Britain’s Nick Osipczak, sources close to both camps have confirmed.

Lester climbed the MMA ladder to a 3-2 record before trying out for TUF’s ninth season. He made it to the show, but not as one of the 16 original fighters picked.

“I went to the TUF tryouts and ended up as an alternate,” said Lester. “Somebody didn’t make weight and I was in.”

Lester, who trains with Team Quest after being invited by Dan Henderson at season’s end, usually fights at middleweight, but won a fight against Kiel Reid to earn a welterweight spot on the United States roster.

While on the show, Lester lost a bout with James Wilkes. Not only did it eliminate him from the competition, but it also caused several injuries.

“My nose was broken, and I had stitches over my eye,” Lester explained. “I had four teeth knocked out, but only one of them was real, anyway.”

After another fighter was removed from the show, Lester was again invited back and became the only competitor ever to be brought back and win a fight, beating David Faulkner.

Faulkner was favored by most to win the fight, which was a few days after Lester’s previous fight.

“I was honestly pretty scared before the fight,” Lester said. “It hurt so bad in training, but once I got in there and got hit, I was fine.”

After two rounds, the judges’ scorecards had the fight knotted up and one round a piece, which brought them to a third or “sudden victory” round.

Faulkner declined to answer the bell, giving Lester the unlikely victory.

“It was awesome,” Lester admitted. “I thought he was gassed, but I didn’t know how bad. I was just glad it was over.”

A desire to compete brought Lester to MMA. A high school athlete who played football and other sports, he watched the UFC and got hooked. After he got out of the Army, a friend that owned a gym invited him to begin training.

Following the matchup with Osipczak, Lester will hit the ground running with Henderson and the Temecula crew.

“I’ve got a lot of things to work on,” he said. “I’m going to get back to training, and see where it goes from there.”

Miragliotta: It Wasn't a Bad Call, I Just Missed It.

MMAMadness.com — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:14:37 -0400

Written by Paul Delos Santos

Dan Miragliotta did not see Mustapha Al Turk get poked in the eye by Mirko Cro Cop until the replay played on the video screens. Then again, neither did all of the fans in the Laxness Arena, including brutally honest commentator Joe Rogan, who admitted to not catching the shot to the eye.

"Everyone gets to see it after the fact becomes a perfect referee," Miragliotta said. "When it happened, I thought he got hit with a left cross. He gets a nice right hook and a few more heavy strikes after that. I thought it was a soft jab. The way he covered and reacted, it was like a hard punch. The position he turned. The way he reacted, you wouldn't have known he was poked in the eye. Unfortunately, I missed it. It happens. I didn't catch it at all."

Given how Al Turk reacted, turning his back and doubling over like he had been hit with a punch was not the standard response to a poke to the eye. Typically, a fighter when poked reacts by holding his hand over his eye and raising his hand, signaling to the referee that he has been struck. By not doing so, Miragliotta had no knowledge that Al Turk had his vision impaired, until he, the fans in attendance, and those watching on the pay per view saw it.

"Him reacting like normal would make it easier," Miragliotta said. "Usually, Joe [Rogan] tells it like how it is. He said, ‘Dan did not see it.’ It was one of the first times he has made a comment like that. I was there for that. That hasn't happen with us. Nobody saw it happen. Even I felt bad. When I’m in the ring, I look at the chest, you can see a strike to the throat, knee to the groin and I wasn't expecting it. So obviously I missed it."

Fight-ending eye pokes are rare, though there have been some high-profile ones in recent times.

Scott Smith and Robbie Lawler saw their fight end when a doctor deemed Smith unable to continue following a finger to the eye, and Anthony Johnson was poked by Kevin Burns, which Steve Mazagatti thought was another soft jab.

Miragliotta's missed call happens to fall in the same category, but said there is a challenge in catching eye pokes and calling them accordingly.

"That's the easiest foul to miss," Miragliotta said. "A call like that is something you can miss. It can happen. Once you touch the fighters, you can't tell them to start again. We made mistakes. You try to avoid making them and hope it doesn't happen."

He advocated for instant replay to be used in fights, but details on how it was used were not definite because of the different rules and regulations that come with mixed martial arts.

"It would be tough [to have instant replay in MMA]," Miragliotta said. "It's something you could look at. No fighter wants a loss. A fighter should have an option to challenge a missed call and instant replay should help with that."

It was an unfortunate event, and Miragliotta has had his fair share of criticism, almost all of it from the fans. The fans' complaints don't bother Miragliotta at all, who said he hasn't received a bad word from UFC President Dana White or UFC Director of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner.

Miragliotta wants to protect the fighters, and makes his decisions based on that, even if it is not popular among fans.

"If Dana is mad, he's not going to hold it back," he said. "We're there to stop the fight, and if a fighter is in danger and not defending themselves intelligently, you stop it. You rather have them walk out conscious instead of taking four or five extra shots. It's easier on smaller shows, because most of them aren't televised. Some stoppages could be considered an early stoppage, but it's still a knockout, and it's a concussion. You don't want a fighter to take a few extra shots to make it worse."

Paul Delos Santos is an associate editor for MMA Madness. You can reach him at paul@mmamadness.com, and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/mmamadpaul.

After Loss, Jens Pulver Is Left Asking Questions

MMAMadness.com — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:57:01 -0400

Written By Cameron Gidari

There are few times that anyone will catch Jens Pulver speechless. No matter the question, Pulver always has something to say about it.

When asked on the Ground & Pound Radio Show whether or not he was considering retirement following his first round loss to Josh Grispi, Pulver was uncharacteristically tongue-tied.

“I don’t know,” Pulver finally said after several seconds of stammering. “Maybe it is time to walk away for a little bit and revamp.”

Pulver has spoken at length about the mental aspect of fighting, and how he had trouble capturing the same fire that he had early in his career. Strangley, Pulver admits that he might not have the same fire because this is the happiest he has ever been.

“What I’m dogging with right now is, where is it?” Pulver said. “Where is the animosity, where is the ferocity?”

“I didn’t fight because it let me put on a Tapout shirt, go to a bar and tell everyone how tough I am,” Pulver said. “I fought because I’ve been fighting since the day I was born. Fighting for my life, fighting to protect my mother, fighting to help protect my brothers and sister. I fought because it’s all I ever knew.”

“Now, all of a sudden, I’m as happy as I can be in life,” Pulver said. “I know you guys see the losses in my record, and I know that people see that ‘L’, but what they don’t see is the ‘W’ in life that I’m getting. It’s hard to try and find that again, to find that competitive fighting nature when I’ve fought for so long just to stay alive.”

“It’s tough because you do sit there and go, where does the time go?” Pulver said. “I don’t have a grey hair and I still feel like the old guy going, ‘what do I do?’”

Pulver is quick to point out that he doesn’t want to take anything away from Grispi, who Pulver says could be one of the best in the division.

“[Grispi] has the right kind of attitude, the right kind of gifts and style, and he trains hard,” Pulver said. “He doesn’t take it lightly, he gets after it. At 20-years old, that’s hard to find. He’s a down-to-earth, humble kid, and I like him a lot.”

While Pulver might be unsure about if he will retire, he is certain that when he calls it quits, he’ll mean it.

“I’m not going to be that guy that says I’m going to retire and then come back a year later,” Pulver said. “I’m not saying I’m retiring, but I do need to step back and figure some things out.”

Pulver is also certain that when he does retire, he wants to coach.

“I’m getting kind of excited to start building these guys and helping them overcome the obstacles I overcame,” Pulver said. “More than anything, I want to be there for people and let them know, your doors are not closed.”

“Now it’s my turn to go back and do what my coaches did for me,” Pulver said. “(My coaches) saved my life. Saved it a long time ago.”

For now, that life is treating Pulver well. While it may be harder to find that fire, Pulver is solely focusing on something in three weeks that he calls “just as big as a world title fight.”

In three weeks, Jens Pulver is getting married. The rest can wait.

To listen to his whole interview, please click here

Saunders: My Mentality Is Going To Help Me

MMAMadness.com — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:50:17 -0400

It was Bruce Lee who once said that a fighter should learn multiple styles and mesh them together. He called it Jeet Kune Do.

Ben Saunders has embraced this philosophy.

He's always desired to live his life by the way of the martial arts, and would have found ways to make a living doing something he loved—even if it meant owning his own martial arts academy or fighting professionally overseas.

"It was about living the martial way," Saunders said. "I didn't care if it was banned in the United States and I had to go to Japan to compete. I didn't care if I became rich or famous...Knowing that I could open up my own academy was enough, and I knew I'd be enjoying it. I feel bad for people who wake up every day that hate their job, and I knew I wasn't going to live that way."

Luckily for him, the UFC emerged and provided him an avenue to compete.

His journey has led to the biggest fight of his career against Mike Swick at UFC 99: The Comeback in Germany.

A win over Swick would give Saunders his first victory over a Top 10-rated welterweight, and move him up closer to fighting other top opponents in the division.

"I do believe a win over Mike Swick would give me a fight with another Top 10 competitor," Saunders said. "That in turn would set me up for a title shot. It gives me a chance to prove to everybody, that I have the ability to be in the Top 10."

And when it comes to looking at his advantage over Swick, Saunders didn't point to his hands, feet, clinch or other aspects of his well-rounded abilities.

He looked to something else—his mentality.

"I don't believe anyone can beat me until they've proved it," Saunders said. "I don't think anyone can take that mentality from me. If you beat me on this day, I still think I can beat you nine out of 10 times. My mentality is what is going to help me in all my fights. I'm confident in my skills."

He has no reason not to believe in his abilities.

Saunders holds a perfect professional record (7-0-2). The draws occurred in the first two fights of his career, and he has won seven consecutive bouts and only one has come by decision.

Saunders has experienced defeat before in the UFC, however. It was during his stint on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Serra vs. Team Hughes, where he lost a fight to eventual finalist Tommy Speer by unanimous decision.

It isn't on his official record, because the fights on The Ultimate Fighter are considered exhibition bouts, so the results can be kept hidden until the show's airing.

Saunders admits that he wasn't at 100 percent physically or mentally when he fought against Speer.

He was nursing a broken nose and was on plenty of medication entering his fight. He went through with the fight because it couldn't hurt his chances of getting into the UFC by fighting.

He also didn't want to complain about being hurt on camera, so he didn't make a big deal about his injury.

"I was doomed before I went into that fight. That was the first time, I've ever went into the fight where I didn't think I could [win]," Saunders said. "I was so [expletive] up on three types of medication...It was do or die. I believe I could beat him. In all honesty, I beat myself in that fight."

Speer went on to lose to eventual winner Mac Danzig, and Saunders wouldn't take back the experience, despite the up and down roller coaster that came with it.

"It was one of the most frustrating experiences of my life, but I wouldn't take it back," Saunders said. "I proved something to myself and to the UFC. The UFC gave me the opportunity, and I got my next fight with the company."

Saunders would like to promote Bruce Lee's philosophy in the UFC on a bigger scale, similar to another fighter who is slowly bringing back another thought-to-be-lost martial art.

"Lyoto Machida is bringing Karate back, and I think he's awesome. I'm a huge fan," Saunders said. "I hope I can bring back Jeet Kune Do, the way he's bringing back Karate."

And that return can begin with a win at UFC 99 over Mike Swick.

Paul Delos Santos is an Associate Editor for MMAMadness. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/mmamadpaul. You can also E-mail him at paul@mmamadness.com

Dale Hartt Wins in the Most Unexpected Way

MMAMadness.com — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 22:01:50 -0400

Written by Danny Burnham

Last December, UFC Lightweight Dale Hartt won his first fight in the octagon. At the end of the fight, he stood in the center of the cage and referee Donny Jessup raised his hand. But Hartt’s first win in the UFC didn’t come about quite like he thought it would.

Early in the second round, Hartt’s opponent, Corey Hill, suffered a broken leg after Hartt checked his leg kick.

“People ask me about it all the time. What was I thinking, or how did I feel?” Hartt said. “Of course I wanted a win, but I didn’t want to get it like that.”

Hartt’s next fight will come against Dennis Siver at UFC 99 on June 13, and he isn’t concerned about anything like that happening this time around.

“Things happen," Hart said. "It was kind of surreal at the time, but it’s really not going to bother me."

Fighting in the UFC has been a goal of Hartt’s for a long time. He has known he wanted to be with the organization since its early days.

“It’s always been a dream of mine” Hartt said. “Ever since the first UFC with Royce Gracie and all those guys I knew, I wanted to be there.”

“I hate to use the same word again, but it’s kind of surreal,” Hartt said. “The UFC is the top promotion in the world. I kind of feel like I’ve made it, so win or lose, I can’t complain.”

Hartt is particularly happy about fighting at UFC 99, as he’ll be joining his friend Marcus “The Irish Hand Grenade” Davis on the card.

“I’m very excited to be fighting in the same event with Marcus,” Hartt said. “He was my coach for a long time, and he’s always been kind of a hero to me. I want to do well for him and myself.”

A veteran of the US Navy, Hartt believes his experience helps him prepare for competition in MMA.

“Training for the Navy is really easy, and training for MMA is very hard,” Hartt said jokingly. “I’m kidding. The Navy is all about minding your P’s and Q’s. They teach attention to detail, and consistency. Those things are key in this sport.”

When it comes to the type of training he is doing in preparation for his meeting with Siver, Hartt seems to be taking a different approach than most.

“I’ve been going to strip clubs and doing a lot of drinking. I just want to try something that no other fighters are doing,” Hartt said.

Seems like fitting training for a sailor.

You can catch Dale Hartt on his web site, combatfitness.ning.com.

Photo courtesy of Fight! Magazine

UK Fans Could Miss Out on UFC 99

MMAMadness.com — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:37:20 -0400

In the UK, UFC programming is exclusively owned by Irish based sports broadcaster Setanta Sports. Events are typically shown live with supporting content on the channel's free-to-air sports news service.

In addition to all UFC programming, the subscription channel has invested heavily in English and Scottish Premier (soccer) League games and England's international (soccer) qualification matches, as well as golf, rugby, and boxing.

This high-risk big-spending approach has left the network on the brink of imminent liquidation, a development which could signal a disastrous blackout on all UFC programming in the UK as early as UFC 99.

The broadcaster is currently locked in crisis talks, with shareholders, who are unlikely (and in all probability unable) to pick up the mounting tab. Huge payments have already been missed, most notably to the Scottish Premier League.

A pending £3m payment to the English (soccer) League (part of an overall package worth over £400million) looks likely to be the final nail in the UFC-rights holding broadcaster's coffin.

Setanta Sports has over a million subscribers, but has fallen well short of the subscriber base required to turn a profit on it's massive investments by as much as 40 percent.

With losses currently in excess of £100million per year, the fast moving situation is going from bad to worse at a dramatic pace. Prominent media company BSkyB is reported to have rejected a "wholesale" bid for the channel's assets earlier today.

And prospective buyers (including British Telecommunications and Disney's ESPN) could follow BSkyB's lead in sitting back and refusing Setanta a rescue deal. Asset prices will continue to plummet, and prospective buyers will look to sift through the wreckage once the price hit rock bottom.

As far as the UFC is concerned, Virgin Media, who currently co-broadcast the Reality TV show The Ultimate Fighter with Setanta, look to be the most likely destination for the Zuffa promotion's programming.

They previously carried free-to-air UFC programming on their men's lifestyle platform Bravo. But as the price of Setanta's Rights packages continue to plummet, a permanent switch to any new broadcaster will be unlikely to happen in time for UFC 99.

The much troubled Irish broadcaster has offered a variety of UFC programming to date (for around $28 USD per month). Coverage has included live UFC events, reruns, highlights packages, and best-of show Unleashed, as well as a regular weekly magazine programme Ultimate Talk. But, the broadcaster has been beset by a variety of technical and service issues.

Ambitious over spending, heavy borrowing, and the rising cost of credit in the wake of the global financial crisis have sealed the Broadcaster's fate, and thrown the UFC's already costly European expansion plans (for the moment) into a tailspin.

Where all this leaves the UFC's pending German debut is (presently) anyone's guess.

Written by Trev Croft

Roy Nelson and Wes Sims Join Kimbo Slice On TUF 10: The Heavyweights

MMAMadness.com — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:21:23 -0400

Former IFL Heavyweight Champion Roy "Big Country" Nelson and UFC veteran Wes Sims will join Kimbo Slice on the cast for The Ultimate Fighter Season 10: The Heavyweights, a source close to the show confirmed to MMAMadness.com.

The show began filming last week and will premiere on Spike TV on September 16th. This season will feature a cast of all heavyweight fighters and will be coached by former Light Heavyweight Champions Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Rashad Evans.

Nelson (13-4) is a former Heavyweight Champion of the now defunct IFL organization. The heavy handed slugger is known for his knockout power and his deadly submission game. He will enter the reality show with back to back losses to heavyweight contenders Jeff Monson and Andrei Arlovski.

"Big Country" should have the experience edge over his fellow TUF 10 cast members and should be looked at as an early favorite in the competition. His cardio and agility are both impressive for a man his size.

Sims (22-12 MMA, 0-3 UFC) is an MMA veteran. Standing 6'10", Sims is one of the tallest fighters in the heavyweight division. He is known for his unorthodox fighting style and strength.

Sims trains out of Team Hammer House with the likes of Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, and Phil Baroni. He will be entering the competition on a three fight win streak with first round victories over Jason DeAngelo, Clifford Coon, and William Clifford.

Sims lost all three of his UFC fights, to Mike Kyle and Frank Mir twice. Expect Sims to be eager to make his return and showcase his improved skills on the UFC's hit reality show.

Sims and Nelson will join ex-NFL players Marcus Jones and Rex Richards along with popular street fighting sensation Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson in one of the most star studded casts in Ultimate Fighter history.

The MMA Q & A: Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy

MMAMadness.com — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:23:27 -0400

Written by Maz Seyf

With Marcus "The Irish Hand Grenade" Davis squarely in his crosshairs, Britain’s charismatic welterweight Dan Hardy took time out from his busy prefight schedule to field 10 questions from MMAMadness.com.

How do you feel going into UFC 99? Tell us a bit about your camp.

Camp’s been really good, six weeks in L.A, one week doing a press tour in Germany, and then back at Team Rough House to finish up. It’s been a real solid camp, plenty of Southpaws so it’s all good.

Davis has beaten three Brits in his last six fights. What will a win at UFC 99 do for Dan Hardy?

It will prove that I’m up there, that I’m not just here to make up the numbers. I think Davis is seen as a bit of a gatekeeper to the top guys in the division, and I want to start chipping away at those top guys.

Much has been made of the fact that Davis is well supported in the UK and Ireland (despite being American). Lyoto Machida was cheered against Evans last month, despite being from Brazil. Do national allegiances matter less in MMA (than other sports)? If so, why do you think this might be the case?

I noticed that actually as well. I think people definitely root for a fighter based on their style or attitude rather than where they are from. Different people appreciate different approaches and attitudes, but I’m not sure why that is. I’ve had support from all over. I’ve had messages from Oklahoma and Canada just this morning. I think to different people, different attitudes appeal, maybe?

You spoke in the past about the aesthetic appeal of fighting, and we know about your academic Arts background. How does this influence your approach to fighting? Are you more creative? Cerebral? Patient?

All three of those hopefully. I’m definitely a cerebral fighter. I don’t tend to get drawn in. I like to think things through, put pressure on my opponents and look for openings, to use my footwork to move around the octagon.

What one quality does an aspiring young fighter need above all others?

Difficult to say just the one. But I guess for me it’s work ethic. I’m not the most athletically gifted, but it’s that high work rate. I’ll put in the effort 24 hours a day. It’s also about the diet, everything being right.

Second, I guess would be heart. But you can’t teach that. It’s fight or flight in there. When you take that shot are you going to crumble, or are you gonna suck it up and fire back with something? A lot of guys find that out when they get in there, and realise it’s not for them. But you can’t teach it, you’ve either got it or you haven’t.

You’ve been based in L.A for a portion of your latest training camp. What did you miss most about the UK?

It’s funny, I feel more English than ever when I’m not in England. I miss all sorts, I miss hearing English accents. Actually, I miss English comedy. American comedy is always like, setup-line, then punchline, and all that canned laughter to tell you when to laugh.

I like the animated stuff, stuff like Family Guy, but I missed the English stuff like The Office (with Rick Gervais), you know. Food-wise, there’s lots of stuff you can’t get here. But I miss fish and chips, not that I’d be allowed any at the moment what with the dieting and that. (laughs)

We know a bit about your love of hardcore, punk, ska etc. What gets you up for training? Any recommendations for the fans?

I’ve got a bit of Pantera going at the moment actually, Vulgar Display of Power. A bit of Rage Against the Machine is always good, too.

What about your entrance music for Germany?

It’s staying the same, "England Belongs to Me." Too many fans have requested it now, so I won’t be changing it.

Who will be the UK’s first UFC champion?

Well I think of course Bisping has the best chance. I’m confident he’ll beat Henderson. It’ll be a really tough fight but I think he’ll do it. Anderson Silva, wow, I mean he’s gonna be a tough task for anyone. But we don’t know what’s going on with him, whether he’s gonna be fighting, is he retiring and all that.

But Michael definitely has a good chance. Behind Bisping, and I hate to say this, but it’s probably me. I think Terry Etim at some point. He needs to get more comfortable, a bit more experience but I think he’ll be right there in the mix soon.

Any chance of a couple of quick predictions...?

Hardy vs. Davis?

I think I’ll get him with a late second round KO. It’ll take the first round to feel him out. It’ll be a TKO maybe, not like Markham. Davis is a tough guy, he can defiantly take a shot. TKO late in the second.

Wanderlei Silva vs. Rich Franklin?

Franklin by TKO, maybe late in the first? Be interesting to see how Wanderlei looks, the cut might give him a new lease life. I don’t know.

Thiago Alves vs. Georges St. Pierre?

I think it depends on Alves’ takedown defence. I don’t think GSP will want to stand there and bang with him. It’s a tough one, I’ll go with GSP by unanimous decision.

We know you were a big Turtles fan growing up. So which Ninja Turtle was your favourite as a kid?

(Laughs) Raphael. It used be Michelangelo, but as I got older I liked Raphael. I liked his attitude to be the leader and take people on. I guess I've kinda taken on that role at (Team) Rough House a bit. Raphael, he’d definitely do the best in the octagon.

Maz Seyf is a writer for MMAMadness.com and Setana Sports in the UK. He can be reached at maz@mmamadness.com.

Frankie Edgar—The Evolution of a Rising Star

MMAMadness.com — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:17:17 -0400

Mixed martial arts affords fans the opportunity to watch fighters mature and grow in their craft.

One such fighter that has continued to grow is Frankie Edgar. Fresh off a decisive unanimous decision victory over former UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk, Edgar’s professional record now stands at 10-1. Edgar, though, does not think that fans have seen the best of him yet.

“I believe I’m 70 percent of where I could go,” Edgar told MMAMadness.com. “Confidence is a huge thing to take people to the next level, and doing what I did against Sean is definitely a boost for my confidence.”

Edgar showcased an impressive set of boxing skills against Sherk. These skills, however, are just one aspect of an overall fighting style that is constantly evolving.

“I’ve been really working on my jiujitsu with Ricardo Almeda, and I think that’s just another avenue of my game that’s going to get better,” Edgar said.

The Frankie Edgar seen against Sean Sherk was a considerable improvement over the Frankie Edgar that UFC fans have seen in the past, and Edgar credits the improvement in part to the 10-month layoff he faced between Sherk and his previous fight against Hermes Franca.

“I think a lot of times when you’re fighting pretty often, it’s hard to become different because you’re always training for an opponent,” Edgar said. “When you have some time off, you can worry about yourself and your skills and just improve on them.”

This does not mean that Edgar wants to schedule year-long breaks between each of his fights. Edgar is already back in the gym, preparing hard for his next opponent. He doesn’t know who that opponent will be, but the talent-laden UFC Lightweight Division promises to provide plenty of worthy opposition.

“I think [BJ] Penn and [Kenny] Florian are obviously two guys that I would like to fight, and I think the winner of Diego [Sanchez] and [Clay] Guida [as well],” Edgar said. “Obviously, Gray Maynard [too]. I have a loss against him, and he’s gotta be in the mix.”

“There’s a lot of good guys that could fight for the title soon, I just hope to be one of them and I hope I get the opportunity soon,” Edgar said. “I think I’m definitely one of the top dogs.”

It is this level of competition that pushes Edgar to strive for excellence.

“I really want to be a player in this game for a long time, and it’s going to take a lot of hard work,” Edgar said. “I’m definitely happy, but I’m nowhere near satisfied.”

As long as Edgar continues to have that mentality, fight fans can expect to see a new and improved version of him, every time he steps in the ring.

Cameron Gidari is the Associate Editor at MMAMadness.com. He can be reached with questions or comments at cgidari@mmamadness.com.

Photo courtesy of combatlifestyle.com

Ultimate Fighter Dropouts: Top 5 Quitters

MMAMadness.com — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 10:49:34 -0400

In the previous episode of the Ultimate Fighter, we saw Team UK’s Dave Faulkner unwillingly fight the third and final round of his match against American Frank Lester. As a result, the fight was called and Lester was announced the winner, moving on to the semifinals.

Team UK coach Michael Bisping was furious, and rightfully so. The competitors on TUF are given the chance of a lifetime, one that most athletes will never receive. Fighting on the show is a culmination of all the sacrifices a fighter must make to succeed, including time away from their families and friends and years in the gym training.

So, why get there, with a chance to move on to the semifinals, and then quit? Why climb so far only to turn back when the summit is in sight? After the match, Bisping flatly told Faulkner, “you will regret this for the rest of your life.”

What fighters like Faulkner must remember is that, on the Ultimate Fighter, sometimes the guys who lose can still come out winners.

There is an established precedent of fighters who have lost on the show that then become UFC mainstays. Marcus Davis lost in the first round of TUF season two, but took the skills he learned on the show and continued to grow as a fighter. He even lost to Melvin Guillard at the TUF two finale, but Dana White will reward fighters who show determination and a pension for excitement.

Today, Davis is one of the most prominent fighters in the organization.

Perhaps even more perplexing is that Faulkner is not the only fighter to quit while on the show, he’s just the most recent. In fact, it was just one week prior that mopey Jason Pierce Eeyored his way out of a fight with Faulkner, opening the door for Lester to take his place.

At least Faulkner fought two rounds, while Pierce made it clear he wasn’t interested in getting into the ring.

Faulkner and Pierce aren’t the only guys to quit on TUF. In fact, they aren’t even among some of the worst. Let’s take a look back at the top five most infamous dropouts from all nine seasons of the Ultimate Fighter.

5. Eli Joslin (Season Two)

Eli Joslin is one of the strangest dropouts to appear in the TUF Hall of Shame. Joslin lasted for a grand total of one episode, claiming that he could not handle the pressure that the cameras placed on him. Of course, this begs the question: Why try out for a TV show when you don’t like cameras?

4. Joe Scarola (Season Six)

Matt Serra’s top pick just couldn’t seem to get his head on straight. Scarola essentially quit during the middle of the first fight of the season when he allowed Mac Danzig to catch him in an easily-avoidable triangle. Scarola then spent a few days complaining that he wanted to go home, which he eventually did.

The decision not only cost Scarola his shot at the UFC, but it also cost him his job as an instructor at Serra’s school.

3. Gabe Ruediger (Season Five)

While Ruediger may not have technically quit, he might as well have. He showed up for the show 20 pounds overweight, and made very little effort to cut to the required 156 pounds. When selected to fight, Ruediger tried getting a colonic to remove the weight, then flopped around in the sauna until he passed out.

In one of the most dramatic performances in TUF, history Ruediger weakly whispered to his teammates, begging them to drag him back into the sauna. After failing to make weight, Ruediger was promptly expelled from the house.

2. Kristian Rotharmel and Tait Fletcher (Season Three)

When Matt Hammill was declared unfit to fight eventual champ Michael Bisping in the semifinals of TUF Season Three, a golden opportunity was presented to Kristian Rotharmle and Tait Fletcher. Both had lost in the first round but were the only healthy light heavyweights available. Whoever stepped up would be one fight away from the finals.

Amazingly, both men turned down the opportunity, citing a lack of mental preparation. They had lived in the house and trained all the way through, but when Joe Opportunity came knocking, both men told him to take a hike.

1. Noah Inhofer (Season Three)

Inhofer became the gold standard for quitting thanks to his performance on TUF Season Three. He showed some skill in the first round, beating Jesse Forbes with an arm bar, and advanced to the semifinals.

That is as far as he got.

Inhofer somehow received word that his girlfriend thought that he had cheated on her. After several attempts by his coaches and Dana White to talk him out of it, Inhofer gave up his spot in the semifinals and went home.

It was revealed that Inhofer had only been with the girl for approximately five months, yet he still decided to give up on the biggest opportunity of his life to take care of the rumor. He had fought, showed skill and potential, and threw it all away.

Think someone else should have made the list? Email Trevor at trevor@mmamadness.com