MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

Torres Talks Impressive Win in Las Vegas
videolink:http://sherdog.com/videos/recent/Torres-Talks-Impressive-Win-in-Las-Vegas-1845
TJ De Santis spoke with WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres just minutes after his stoppage of Manny Tapia.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Tapia: Torres Fight Stopped Prematurely
videolink:http://sherdog.com/videos/recent/Tapia-Torres-Fight-Stopped-Prematurely-1844
Sherdog.com spoke with Manny Tapia shortly after his bout with Miguel Torres Wednesday night in Las Vegas.

 

[Shogun Locc]

McCULLOUGH VS. HICKS WEC 38 FIGHT IS OFF

Almost as soon as it was revealed "Razor" Rob McCullough's fight with Marcus Hicks has been scratched from WEC 38 on Jan. 25 in San Diego, Calif.

McCullough's manager, Ken Pavia of MMA Agents, informed MMAWeekly.com of the change. Citing a grueling 16-week camp the former lightweight champion went through in preparation for his last fight with Donald Cerrone at WEC 36, Pavia said McCullough would not be ready to face Hicks.

In a fight widely considered to be a fight of the year candidate (for those who saw it), McCullough came up short in his three-round war with Cerrone, who will next face lightweight champion Jamie Varner on the Jan. 25 card.

Pavia said McCullough would likely return in the WEC's next show, scheduled for sometime in March.

 

[Shogun Locc]

DIEGO SANCHEZ CONSIDERING WEIGHT CLASS MOVE

The Ultimate Fighter season 1 winner, Diego Sanchez, is healthy again and looking for a fight, but despite previous reports, it has not been decided whether it will be at 170 or 155 pounds.

Sanchez posted recently on his MySpace page saying, " I'm training hard and will be dropping down to fight at 155."

When reached for comment by MMAWeekly.com, Sanchez' manager Jeff Clark from NCFC Fight Management, confirmed that his fighter is healthy and recovered from a rib injury that kept him out of his last fight. But while he has made it no secret he has a desire to move to 155 pounds, the UFC has not offered him a fight currently and he would be open to a match-up at either lightweight or welterweight.

The New Mexico native last competed in June when he defeated American Top Team fighter, Luigi Fioravanti, by TKO in the third round of their fight at The Ultimate Fighter 7 finale show.

Sanchez was slated to face top welterweight contender Thiago Alves at UFC 90 in October, but the aforementioned injury forced him off the card at the last minute.

Now healthy and training again, Sanchez is ready to get back in the Octagon and compete, but according to Clark there has been no set timeline from the UFC for his next bout.

 

[Shogun Locc]

K-1 World Grand Prix Final 2008 to air live on HDNet featuring Kimbo Slice as guest commentator

Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG) and HDNet are partnering once again to bring North American fans LIVE coverage of the K-1 World Grand Prix Final 2008 from the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan starting at 3:00am ET on Saturday, December 6.

Joining the broadcast team of Michael "The Voice" Schiavello, four-time K-1 WGP Champion Ernesto Hoost and FEG USA’s Mike Kogan will be none other than Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson.

Kimbo was invited by FEG and HDNet to be a guest commentator for K-1’s stateside debut.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Report: Jon Fitch vs. Akihiro Gono bout still set for UFC 94

A previously reported welterweight matchup between Jon Fitch and Akihiro Gono signed to take place at UFC 94 on Jan. 31 in Las Vegas is still on tap, according to a report by MMAjunkie.com’s John Morgan.

Morgan was present while Fitch made the revelation as a panel member during this week’s taping of “Inside MMA” on HDNet.

The Fitch vs. Gono fight had come into question following Fitch’s release last month that results in his subsequent re-signing just 24 hours later. However, it’s been reported that amid the chaos, UFC Vice President of Talent Relations Joe Silva began to inquire about replacement opponents for Gono.

The fight vs. Gono will mark Fitch’s first bout since a unanimous decision UFC welterweight title loss against defending champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 87 this past August.

In addition to Gono vs. Fitch, UFC 94 will be headlined by St. Pierre defending his title against current UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn. Additional matchups include the return of Stephan Bonnar vs. light heavyweight prospect Jon Jones, Lyoto Machida vs. Thiago Silva, Christian Wellisch vs. Jake O’Brien, Manny Gamburyan vs. Thiago Tavares, and Dan Cramer vs. Matt Arroyo.

A rumored welterweight matchup between Karo Parisyan and Dong Hyun Kim could be added to the card as well.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Dave Meltzer: UFC Wants Couture-Liddell, Management for Fighters Does Not

In the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that while the UFC wants Couture and Liddell to fight each other next, their management is against the fight, and have come to believe it is a fight nobody wants to see.

In these kinds of situations, when both sides don't want it, the UFC generally backs down. Chuck doesn't want to wait until June to fight either, so we'll likely see him in early-mid spring.

 

[Shogun Locc]

MMA, UFC An Avenue for 3D HD

Broadcasting & Cable has a bit of information on the nascent technology of 3D HD and what may be in its future as far as content offerings. One of the content leaders who would most likely spearhead the technology are the leaders in programming for pay per view:

Fox Sports may push live 3D HD sports closer to everyday reality with its plans to broadcast the BCS college football championship game in Miami, Fla. on Jan. 8 to 3D-equipped projection screens at the Consumer Electronics Shows in Las Vegas and select movie theaters across the country.

Fox’s 3D HD gambit, announced by Fox Sports Chairman David Hill at the 3-D Entertainment Summit in Los Angeles yesterday and reported by B&C sister publication Variety, is the second high-profile 3D HD sport event to be introduced in as many weeks.

Another possibility, say industry insiders, is for sports with established pay-per-view businesses, such as boxing, wrestling and mixed-martial arts, to adopt the technology.

There are high per event costs associated with offering the 3D HD content, and industry insiders see dedicated customers of these PPV stalwarts as a way to defray costs. Much the same is done now with an additional surcharge for the HD broadcast of UFC events, usually an additional $10.

It should also be interesting to see what role Mark Cuban and his HDNet channel play in offering the technology in relation to their HDNet Fights programming. I’m sure it wasn’t a coincidence that his Dallas Mavericks were one of the first sports programs offered in the new format. With both the UFC and Cuban as vehicles, MMA could very much be on the cutting edge of this new and exciting technology.

 

[Shogun Locc]

More Trouble for Station Casinos

Reuters reports that holders of Station Casinos’ bonds have rejected a proposed debt restructuring:

Station Casinos Inc, which is fending off bankruptcy, said on Wednesday it has a received a letter from a lawyer representing its bondholders saying they view terms in a proposed debt exchange as inadequate.

The statement leaves the casino operator in a precarious position and could result in the company tripping terms in its bank loans, which could lead the company to file for bankruptcy protection, said Barbara Cappaert, analyst at KDP Investment Advisors.

The news comes on the heels of the company’s announcement earlier this week that it was suspending its 401(k) matching contribution. That move has the potential to inflame what is already a tense labor environment for the company thanks to its staunchly open shop policy.

 

[Shogun Locc]

MMA Movies Still Moving to Market

The mainstream has seen the first of a slew of MMA-themed movies, with Redbelt and Never Back Down both already hitting the big screen. The pipeline for additional projects looks to be in place as well, as we have written in the past about Gavin O’ Connor’s MMA-themed Warriors.

Another possible group looking for silver screen glory is looking to secure financing for an independent feature film called Tap Out. The budget is estimated at six million U.S. dollars ($6,000,000). Here is a a look at the project and possible actor attachments to the project:

The Synopsis:
The extreme and unforgiving sport of cage-fighting sets the stage for a long-standing bitter rivalry between cousins Bobby and Leo, until they are forced to come together as an MMA team to fight in a tournament that will ultimately save their family’s boxing gym.

Chris Evans and Kurt Russell have been approached for roles in the film. They also have a quite a few professional fighters attached already including former UFC champion turned fight commentator Bas Rutten. Over the past few years MMA has exploded. Pay per views have generated over 30 million per event, with their primary audiences being men 18 - 34 years old.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Bustamante analyzes Palhares vs. Horn

Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Rodrigo Minotauro, Anderson Silva, Forrest Griffin, Renato “Babalu”, Ricardo Arona, Frank Shamrock, Jorge Santiago... Those are only nine opponents that Jeremy Horn, next to face of Rousimar Palhares at UFC 93, faced in the 103 times he step in a ring. Ready to fight another tough opponent, Palhares is training in a strong rhythm at Brazilian Top Team, and Murilo Bustamante is confident in the recuperation of the athlete, who comes from a loss to Dan Henderson. “This is good for him. Jeremy has a good game, knows ground, and I think “Toquinho” (Palhares) is better trained now than the last time (against Henderson). He’ll not have the problems he had, he fought injured, he won’t make the same mistakes and I think that he’ll have a better performance”, bets Murilo. With a great ground game, Rousimar faces an opponent that also understands about the thing, after 49 of his 80 victories coming from submission. “Horn has total condition of fight anyone in the ground, so I think that he won’t run away. The strategy is to prepare himself for everything. Rousimar is improving in the striking part, doing Muay Thai and preparing himself for where the fight develops itself. If he doesn’t take him down, he’ll fight standing”, finished.

 

[B-Buzz]

Un-aired footage from The Ultimate Fighter

Al "Stankie" Stankiewicz steps in the cage for one last stand against Efrain Escudero.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Bloody Elbow Exclusive: Lyoto Machida Talks Challengers, Title Shot

Lyoto Machida has become one of the most polarizing figures in MMA today, and somehow, he's done it without opening his mouth. (Take note, Tito.) His incredible fighting ability coupled with a defensive style has stymied opponents and unnerved fans alike. He now takes a moment to address these issues among others in a Bloody Elbow exclusive. Enjoy the interview; he doesn't give many.

BZ: Did you expect to receive the title shot if Liddell had beaten Evans?

LM: As I keep winning, I will get the title shot.

BZ: But you have to be disappointed, considering you beat Tito Ortiz and Rashad didn't...

LM: Rashad Evans is a great fighter, have you checked out his record lately? He hasn't lost either. He has fought more in the UFC than I have, maybe that is why they are letting him have a shot at the title. He had a great knockout over Liddell.

BZ: Has the UFC talked to you about a title shot and what you would need to do in order to receive one?

LM: They will give me the opportunity, my time will come soon. I've been prepared for this all my life to become a champion. When the talent meets the opportunity: BOOM, new champion. I have the desire, I have the talent, I put all my efforts into this, the opportunity will come soon and I will be there READY.

BZ: Is there anyone other than Thiago Silva that you would like to face?

LM: I can face anyone. Rampage is a tough guy and some people feel he beat Forrest in their last fight and should be the champion. How do you think the fans would react if I finished Rampage when Forrest did not? But I will fight against anyone. Give me the job and I will get it done. Rampage, Couture, Liddell, Vanderlei, Shogun, I work hard to win and will keep winning. Who thought they would see Tito with his back on the floor? Tito is a Great fighter but when he faced me, Lyoto, you know the ending.

BZ: Tell us a little bit more about your training regimens.

LM: My training is very versatile. My life is training, I just make some adaptations for each opponent. They need to worry about me. Look at my past, when I finish the fight I go dinner and have some fun and the other fighters go to the hospital.

BZ: What do you say to fans who say your style is boring?

LM: Everyone has their own opinion and I really respect that. I am a martial artist, there is a lot of thought and strategy that goes into the way I fight. Give me time and in the future every one will understand my style. It is like jiu-jitsu in the beginning (UFC 1, 2, 3...), it was boring but now it is necessary. If you don’t like it, sorry. I always try to win. For some that is boring, I know, but I am beating the best in the world. After my fights I do not have nothing on my face, no scratches, no bruises. I am like a ghost they can not find me. If that is boring, that is their opinion. But I will be there for long time WINNING. Let everyone underestimate me. I will always be training ready for the next.

BZ: That's all for now. Thanks so much, Lyoto.

LM: Thanks for the opportunity to speak with you, thanks for all my American fans and my fans in Brazil. I will make you a promise that I will always give 110% in my fights. Keep watching!

 

[Shogun Locc]

British Boxing Champ Enzo Maccarinelli Interested in MMA

ENZO MACCARINELLI has fuelled rumours he could quit boxing to move into Mixed Martial Arts after admitting holding talks with UFC president Dana White.
The 28-year-old faces Colombian Francisco Alvarez for the WBO cruiserweight title on Saturday but refused to rule out a switch to MMA later on in his career.

The Welshman revealed tentative discussions with UFC supremo White have already taken place regarding a bout inside the Octagon.

Maccarinelli said: "I went down to watch Michael Bisping against Chris Leben in Birmingham for UFC 89 and I had a chat with Dana there.

"A few things were mentioned and if there ever was an offer I wouldn't mind having a go at it.

"I enjoy the sport, the ground game and the fact that it's a one-on-one fight, so what better way to go?

"It's a long way off in my mind at the minute but I've competed in a couple of jiu jitsu tournaments, just to keep my fitness up and because I like the competitiveness.

"When I haven't got a fight and I'm not training properly, I still like to stay fit and I'm actually not that bad on the ground.

"I trained under a guy called Pedro Bessa, who is a great teacher, but I am a boxer first and foremost and I want to achieve my goals in boxing before I even think about anything else.

"But I'd never rule out putting a pair of the little mitts on and going in the cage.

"I do enjoy the UFC and the sport of MMA in general. I'm quite a big follower of it but boxing will always be my No1."

Fellow British boxing stars Ricky Hatton and David Haye both admit to being fans of MMA but Maccarinelli insists the sweet science is still top dog in the fight game.

He added: "The perception of the UFC is that the people fighting are always the best of the best.

"I think they do it in such a way that the fans think they're seeing the best in the world all the time.

"Most of the amazing fighters are already in the UFC but there are still others elsewhere, such as Fedor Emelianenko, who they would love to have.

"It's promoted very well and the way the show in Birmingham was put on, with the music and everything, was great and each fight is competitive.

"But I think it will be a long time before the UFC takes over from boxing, or even runs it close"

 

[Shogun Locc]

TUF EXIT, SOSZYNKSI HAS NO BAD BLOOD FOR VINNY

Having the tag of being one of the "favorites" going into the eighth season of "The Ultimate Fighter," former IFL fighter Krzysztof Soszynski made his way to the semifinal round before being ousted by former Team Quest teammate Vinicius Magalhaes.

Rumors began to surface after the taping of the show that Soszynski and Magalhaes were at odds during the season and afterwards, but according to Krzysztof, he's not sure where that all started.

"To be honest with you, I didn't know about any bad blood between me and Vinny until I started reading his blogs and started listening to some of the interviews he was saying. I've never had anything bad to say about Vinny," Soszynski told MMAWeekly.com on Thursday.

"Vinny and I got along great before we got into the house; we got along great in the house. Even before the fight, we had lunch together the day before just by ourselves and we even drove in the same van to our fight together. So it was weird to start reading some of the comments that Vinny had made about me and my skills and me, myself personally, and all this stuff."

Soszynski explains that the tension may stem from Magalhaes departure from Team Quest after the show finished filming.

"I think because of what happened when Vinny came back with Team Quest, Team Quest and Vinny had it out a little bit, and obviously Vinny left and went elsewhere," Soszynski commented. "I think that could be part of it. Maybe everybody thought that I was going to beat Vinny and Vinny got kicked off the team for losing or something like that, I don't know. I read about that too.

"There's a whole bunch of rumors out there, but me personally, Vinny and I were great. I'm actually pulling for him in the finals. I don't care what he says in his blogs or his interviews. He was a great teammate. I liked him a lot, but I'm pulling for him in the finals."

Back to the fight in the semifinals, Soszynski talked about the familiarity he felt with Vinny going into the fight and how that played into both of their respective gameplans.

"I knew exactly what he was going to do; he knew exactly what I was going to do," Soszynski explained. "When we sparred at Team Quest, it's very simple – Vinny's a fighter that goes backwards, tries not to take a lot of punishment, doesn't throw very much. When he sees his opening he shoots, takes you down, works his jiu-jitsu. And I knew that was the gameplan for him, and my gameplan would be to try and keep it standing."

Ultimately, what Magalhaes was able to do was get the fight to the ground with something his former teammate had not seen from him in the past and shortly thereafter a submission came down the pipe.

"The one thing that caught me off guard to be honest was his pulling guard," Soszynski said. "I wasn't expecting Vinny to pull guard because he's never done it with me before, ever. He's only ever shot on me, very low singles, very low doubles, or just shot for a double and try to walk right through the takedown. So when he pulled guard, I was like, 'whoa, how the hell did I get here?'

"When we clinched together I had both underhooks, so when he pulled guard he had both my hands trapped and immediately I felt his hips spinning around right away and I just didn't have time to react."

Regardless of the loss, Soszynski was happy he did the reality show and looks forward to his next chance in the Octagon against Shane Primm on Dec. 13.

"Me personally, I had a great experience," he commented. "It's definitely done a lot of good things for me and my career. It was a great decision for me to actually send a video and do the interview and meet the people that need to be met to get into the house because at first I wasn't actually thinking about applying at all.

"Overall, the house was great; I had a good time. A lot of boredom, a lot of downtime, but great training and met a lot of great people and great fighters."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Several WEC 37 Fighters Undergo Drug Testing

As is typical for most athletic commissions, the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Wednesday night required WEC 37 main event fighters Miguel Torres and Manny Tapia to submit to the state's drug testing process.

In addition to the main event WEC bantamweight title bout, Nevada also tested several other fighters at random. At WEC 37, these fighters included Shane Roller, Cub Swanson, Bart Palaszewski, Josh Hendricks, Joseph Benavidez, Brian Bowles, and Wagnney Fabiano.

Drug test results are sent to an independent facility for processing and are not immediately available. Results should be known within a matter of days.

 

[Shogun Locc]

M-1 Global to Kick Off 2009 at The Playboy Mansion

According to a report on the M-1 Global web site, the second season of the promotion's M-1 Challenge will begin on Feb. 21, 2009 at The Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, Calif. M-1 Global president Vadim Finkelstein recently inked a contract with the world renowned venue.

Season two will also increase from 10 to 16 teams that will be divvied up into four divisions.

The teams making up season two are: the Imperial Team and the Legion Team from Russia, the World Star Team, the U.S., Spain, Japan, France, Korea, Finland, the Netherlands, Brazil, the U.K., Canada, China, Turkey, and Australia.

Season two will also feature three pairs of teams squaring off at each event. As of the time of publication, the Feb. 21 event at The Playboy Mansion is set to pit the Russian Imperial Team vs. Team Spain, Team Japan vs. Team U.K., and Team U.S.A. vs. Team Brazil.

The event will be broadcast live on HDNet in the United States.

M-1 Global follows in the footsteps of Strikeforce, the first mixed martial arts promotion to hold and event at The Playboy Mansion.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Kimo Leopoldo ‘Can We Get Some Old School Fighters Here?’

Mixed Martial Arts Legend Kimo Leopoldo recently talked with PDG about his career, the resignation of CSAC’s Armando Garcia, the UFC, Kimbo Slice, Ken Shamrock, the history of MMA and the battles that were in the early days of “No Holds Barred’ fighting.

PDG: It's been awhile since most mixed martial arts fans have heard from you; what have you been doing?
Kimo: Nobody has really heard from me for a while because I kind of went all incognito. I have been re-evaluating my priorities and my place in life. I got these two King Corso’s; the male is about 155 lbs and the female is about 105 pounds. So I have spent a lot time training the two dogs and working on getting back to the person I am. As far as my fight career goes....it is currently on hold. I don't know if I will continue fighting but I have the feeling that I have at least one more fight left in me. One more fight that I can totally dedicate myself to and go out with a bang. One way or another I want to get carried out of the cage one more time; either on my friend’s shoulders or on a stretcher. I have also been working with Ron Kort on New Era Fighting; it's not dead yet and we are planning a comeback. We had a lot of problems with the old California State Athletic Commissioner, Armando Garcia.

When we were trying to get events lined up he just kept coming up with more red tape. We really weren't planning on all of those aspects and so it kind of set us back a little bit. Now that he is out of a job, I am hoping that the new commissioner will be a little more realistic with his demands and regulations. We have a great idea with New Era; it is like the ultimate version of the Tough Man contest. It involves amateur fighters competing in shorter fights than you would find in the UFC. A great example would be Kimbo Slice. He came up out of nowhere, he had a look, he had a presence and he had fighting ability. There are a lot of fighters out there that have similar qualities and that uniqueness that Kimbo brought to the sport. Once upon a time the UFC was based on fighters with specialized skill sets and not what you see more of today; which is just generalized mixed martial arts. The promotion of the individual fighters has decreased over the years and with that some people don't even know who all the champions are from the different major organizations.

That is something that we want to bring back....fighters with enormous persona that all of the fans will remember. It is rare to find a fighter they can perform and entertain at the same time but they are out there and that is who we are looking for.

PDG: It sounds like you have been talking to Frank Shamrock.
Kimo: No, I haven’t talked with Frank (laughs). We have had this idea for a few years and then things just went south when Armando started pulling the plugs at the last minute. Not a week before, not the day before, literally minutes before the tryouts after he already had approved the first two. So like I said we are definitely looking forward to working with the new commissioner.

PDG: You brought up Kimbo Slice earlier; what do you think about him as the opponent for your final fight?
Kimo: I definitely wanted that fight until he lost his last one. I don't feel that he has the same marketability and worthwhile as an opponent as he did before that fight. Kimbo has just been trying to capitalize off of my name anyway. He has been getting all of his publicity by using my name and adding a (b) to it (laughs). I am A and he is B! There is only one original!

PDG: What did you think about the way that EliteXC brought him up through the ranks so fast and basically used him as the face of their organization; which most people would say ultimately caused their collapse?
Kimo: EliteXC apparently didn't recognize the fact that you can't base an entire organization on one fighter because sometimes you could flip a coin as far as who is going to win in a fight. Anything can happen in mixed martial arts and it is not a predictable sport. For one, a lot of upsets happen in this sport and for two; he was a great character for them marketability wise but they needed more than just him. That is one of the things that I hope New Era Fighting can bring is a stable of marketable fighters.

PDG: Tell me a little bit more about what you are talking about.
Kimo: I came from the UFC when it was about styles; tae-kwon-do versus kenpo, karate versus boxing and jui-jitsu versus ‘Tank’ Abbott. No rules, no time limit! I came from that and have evolved through all of the changes in mixed martial arts. During that time I have picked up many things that I can teach fighters to increase their learning curve as opposed to going through so many fights and having to endure losses. Based on the individual talent that a fighter has we can shorten the time of training that it takes to make them a better fighter.

PDG: How has the mixed martial arts scene in California changed over the last few years?
Kimo: It is the new thing; it's the new fad here. Everybody you see is a fighter including the women. I don't want to talk negative about people but there are a lot of wanna be fighters. A true warrior is not out there for the glory and for the people to see them. They fight for reasons that are deeper than money and fame; whether it is being dedicated to a lifestyle, making your parents proud or fighting for your family or God. It seems to me that a lot of the newer fighters put it on themselves and fight for vanity. That is really one of the only things that bothers me about the way this sport has evolved. This sport was built on the blood and tears of the originators before you could even call it a sport. Nowadays you have so many different rules and limitations on what the fighters can do that it makes some of the fights boring.

PDG: So do you think that this influx of new fighters that may be lacking the credentials is watering down the talent pool in mixed martial arts?
Kimo: Yes but that is only part of it; it also falls on the shoulders of the matchmakers and all of the new rules put in place to “protect the fighters”. I know some of this stuff is in place to help fighters build their record up but in the past it was anybody, any place and at any time. Now it's more like let me see if this fight is okay with my coach and manager. Kimbo Slice had that fire, Ken Shamrock had it, Tank Abbott had that fire, Royce Gracie had it and I had it. The old-school fighters know exactly what I am talking about.

PDG: Speaking of Ken Shamrock; I got a buddy of mine that is a huge Shamrock fan and he wants to know if maybe there is one more fight between the two of you considering the last few years of both of your careers?
Kimo: Shamrock is a jinx! I don't know what it is about him but he is bad luck and that Clover got me. He got it in my head somehow and jinxed me. He is bad luck and I am not the superstitious type but I don’t have any other explanation for it. I would fight Ken again anytime; it's not like I'm afraid of him but my confidence is at a different level when I am fighting him. Look at our last fight, he hit me with a knee, I went down and got up and started going towards him and before he could land another shot the fight was stopped. I don't understand it, you see fights where people bleed all over the place and get punched 15 times when they're on the ground and those fights aren't stopped. I get dropped, fall on my butt, get back up and try to re-engage and they stop it. That is really the only fight in my career that has a place in my heart that is a very bad place.

PDG: What was the most rewarding fight of your career?
Kimo: All of my fights were rewarding including the losses because I was just grateful to be in that situation and to be able to represent and showcase my skills. For me, each fight was great in its own way. Take my fight against Royce Gracie, it put me on the map as a fighter. I fought Dan Severn in PRIDE 1 and we fought for 30 minutes, I had never fought anybody that long before. Paul Varelans, the guy was beating on me for 15 minutes and I turned around and won the fight by TKO before heading off to the hospital. I fought Pat Smith in the first ‘No Holds Barred’ fight in Japan....a lot of fans have never even seen some of my fights on tape because there are not even tapes of some of those fights available. Some people thought that my fight against Kazushi Sakuraba was a work but that was because he would not fight me in a closed fist match. So the fight took place with full submissions and open-handed slap boxing. I choked him out with the same choke that I used on Tank Abbott and for some reason I don't get the credit for that victory. A lot of the newer fans will never understand what I was capable of as a fighter.

PDG: If you got the chance to choose an opponent for your last fight; who would it be?
Kimo: Bas Rutten because he talks so much smack, I have been looking for him but I have not seen him yet. So it hasn't happened on the street so far and that really only leaves one option, which is to have it in the ring. I know he is still in good shape and trains a lot but other than that I don't really care who it is that I fight. I definitely want it to be a freak show match though. Something along the lines of when I fought Bob Sapp or ‘Bam Bam’ Bigelow because I think that the fans deserve to be entertained.

PDG: How did it affect you mentally and physically to fight a career where it seems like the rules were never really the same from one fight to another?
Kimo: At first the no rules thing was a little bit hairy because I was used to having fought people when emotions were involved. My fights were usually on the street and so there was some emotional connection to my opponent. So when I fought Royce Gracie, it was very strange because I knew nothing about him and had no ill feelings towards him. Eventually though, human nature takes over and you become the same fighter regardless of the situation. I loved head butts and that was definitely my favorite move but also one of the first things that became illegal. My first fight with any real rules was against Sakuraba and even though the rules took away certain things I could do in a fight, it also forced me to think as a fighter. In my previous fights before that one I would just go into the fight and RAGE! But in my fight with Sakuraba, it became a fight of strategy and thought process. I think that really helped my overall level of mixed martial arts knowledge. Eventually, I was able to progress to the point of time frames for fights and actual rules. As a fighter today I am now totally conscious of what I am doing in a fight and also of what my opponent is trying to do.

PDG: What is your training schedule like now?
Kimo: Right now I am training three days a week to maintain my strength and techniques. I have to say I look pretty good and all that is missing is a little cardio. I feel good and I think that I am probably on a seven to eight month schedule if I want to fight. I am not far from fighting shape and I look great like I always do.

PDG: You have been around since basically the beginning of the sport. Especially living in California where they've had several high profile illegal substance suspensions. Do you think that more fighters are using performance-enhancing drugs or is that testing is getting more advanced and just catching more of the users?
Kimo: It is just like any other major sport. Some athletes....and I don't want to be a hypocrite. I was one of them who used performance-enhancing drugs in the past....just want to be at the highest performing level that their body can attain even if that means cheating. Unfortunately, once you start using a drug it has the capability to consume everything about you. Almost to the point where you feel that you have to have it. There are a lot of athletes out there that are using those drugs that are not getting caught because almost any drug test can be beat one way or another. I don't see any benefit for a fighter taking performance-enhancing drugs long-term unless they are hoping for side effects and health issues. Steroids make you heavier and more dense, thus slowing you down as a fighter. You have more muscle but that is going to require that you have more air and other than making you feel better mentally about yourself it is only going to slow you down. If you are a bodybuilder then it is definitely going to help your career but as a fighter I just don't see any positives. There is a big difference between lifting 600 pounds two to three times and getting in a ring and fighting five 5 minute rounds.

PDG: How would you compare your first fight in the UFC to UFC 91 when Brock Lesnar beat Randy Couture?
Kimo: It would be hard to separate the old days of fighting with that fight because that fight was almost what it was like in the old days. That same type of different weights between the fighters and those two guys straight up fought. It is very rare that you see a fight like that nowadays. That is how all of the fights were in the beginning! Blood, sweat, broken bones and just some straight up sick fighters. Back in the day it was dangerous to step into the ring or cage and fight but now it is a safe sport. There is a referee that stops the fights quickly and there are a lot of people watching to make sure that the athletes are protected. Now you can go to your gym before your fight and study your opponent by watching film and having other fighters mimic their styles to prepare you for your match. Not so much in the beginning!

PDG: Thanks for your time; is there anything else he wanted to add?
Kimo: Mahalo to you and all the fans. I definitely want fans of combat sports and mixed martial arts to keep an eye out for the resurrection of New Era Fighting. Our website will be updated soon and you can check it out by clicking below.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Exclusive ChokeHimOut Interview: Ruthless Robbie Lawler

C.H.O: Can you tell me how you got into MMA and how old were you in your first MMA fight?

RL: Well I started in martial arts while I was growing up and I started wrestling when I moved to Iowa. I started training MMA in 1998. I was eighteen years old for my first fight.

C.H.O: What organization was that your first fight in?

RL: Extreme Challenge.

C.H.O: Why did you decide to enter into MMA?

RL: Competing and I'm good at fighting.

C.H.O: In your fight career can you tell me how you've evolved and changed your game plan?

RL: I am just trying to work on every aspect all the time. I don't just dwell on one thing, I just try to work on everything.

C.H.O: Looking back through your fight career, what do you think some of your biggest mistakes were in your fight game?

RL: Probably just in my preparation, just not being prepared.

C.H.O: What kind of cardio training do you put yourself through before a fight?

RL: Short intense cardio sessions. Nothing more than fifteen to twenty five minutes.

C.H.O: When you're getting ready for a fight do you focus more on your stand up or ground game?

RL: I work on everything all the time.

C.H.O: Looking back, who would you say was your toughest opponent so far?

RL: I don't know actually.

C.H.O: If you could re-match any previous opponent, who would that be?

RL: I don't really care about re-matches, I just move on.

C.H.O: Can you tell me about your partnership with Matt Hughes and how the H.I.T Gym is going?

RL: It is going good. We opened the gym almost a year ago and we are just building it up.

C.H.O: How big is your attendance at the gym now?

RL: I am not sure about the numbers, but it grows everyday.

C.H.O: Do you get a lot of fighters from out of state coming to your gym to train with you guys?

RL: Yeah we have fighters from different states and fighters from different countries.

C.H.O: There are rumors floating around that you are going to re-sign with UFC or sign with Affliction. Is there any truth to these rumors?

RL: Yes there is truth. I am looking for a new place to fight and I'm looking, that's all I can say.

C.H.O: Do you think from your past dealings with Dana White things might work out?

RL: You never know, they are not the only organization out there so we will see what happens.

C.H.O: What's your feelings on EliteXC closing their doors?

RL: I don't really have any feelings on that, it is what it is I guess.

C.H.O: Do you think that EliteXc was a headlining organization that brought the Kimbo Slice type of fighters out?

RL: No, I think they just had a hunch on Kimbo and it worked out for a little bit.

C.H.O: What's your feelings on Kimbo Slice?

RL: Really nice guy.

C.H.O: How about his fighting skills?

RL: Needs a little work.

C.H.O: What are your ultimate MMA plans for the future?

RL:Keep competing and keep getting better, that's about it.

You can get the latest news on Robbie at www.robbie-lawler.com

 

[rylor206]

Chuck Liddell on Couture, Silva, Rashad and retirement
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sr1k-GCsRU