MMA News Thread
- Thread starter Shogun Locc
- Start date
Strikeforce's Scott Smith was on crutches one week before Showtime win
For Scott Smith (15-5), a KO artist from Elk Grove, Calif., the bumps and bruises that follow the bright lights are just a byproduct of his exciting stand-and-bang style.
Smith, who came from behind in the third round to knock out Benji Radach (19-5 MMA) at this past Saturday's "Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz" event, provided an inside look into just what drives his fighting style while a recent guest on MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio).
"That's what the fans like to see – that's what I like to do – is go out there and have wars," Smith said.
Smith, known for his one-punch-KO power, believes his propensity to "bang it out" with his opponent comes from an understand of what he believes the fans pay to see.
"That's the whole reason I got into it," said the 29-year-old fighter. "I like fighting, and [I hope] people enjoy watching that.
"I was a fan before I was a fighter, and I know what I like seeing, and that was people go at it. And that's what I want to provide to the fans."
For Smith, going for broke against the heavy-handed Radach proved to be a dangerous game; his opponent nearly ended the fight by knocking down "Hands of Steel" in both the first and second frames.
"There was one point when I was coming forward, and he just clipped me, and I was seeing double vision," Smith said. "I was rocked at least three times where [the fight] was close to being stopped. One of the times is when I was holding on to his leg, and I was stalling out just to recover."
Down two rounds, Smith entered the third stalking and timing his opponent and knowing that a stoppage was his only way to secure the win.
"It was a sense of urgency; I knew I was down in that fight," Smith said. "In the third round, I knew I had to keep coming at him, and luckily I was able to not get hit as much as the first two rounds and finish him off."
Along with a desire to entertain, a pre-fight knee injury also forced Smith into making adjustments to keep the fight standing. The middleweight admitted he probably couldn't have taken the fight to the ground if he had wanted to.
"I was coaching a junior high wrestling team for my oldest son, and two of the heavyweights crashed into me, dislocating my knee," the Capital City Fighting Alliance product said.
"(A month prior to the fight) I was on crutches for about a week," Smith said. "I considered not even taking the fight because of it."
An MRI revealed that he also stretched out many of the ligaments in his knee.
"I think that's why I was a little flat-footed and not coming forward as much," Smith said. "I was really worried about him taking me down because I hadn't really worked on my ground game like I should have."
Fortunately for Smith, the fight with Radach never hit the mat, and the two traded shots for nearly 13 minutes before Smith finally delivered the fatal blow.
"Man, we beat the hell out of each other," Smith said. "It was a good exciting fight."
Which, according to Smith, is exactly what he wanted.
For Scott Smith (15-5), a KO artist from Elk Grove, Calif., the bumps and bruises that follow the bright lights are just a byproduct of his exciting stand-and-bang style.
Smith, who came from behind in the third round to knock out Benji Radach (19-5 MMA) at this past Saturday's "Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz" event, provided an inside look into just what drives his fighting style while a recent guest on MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio).
"That's what the fans like to see – that's what I like to do – is go out there and have wars," Smith said.
Smith, known for his one-punch-KO power, believes his propensity to "bang it out" with his opponent comes from an understand of what he believes the fans pay to see.
"That's the whole reason I got into it," said the 29-year-old fighter. "I like fighting, and [I hope] people enjoy watching that.
"I was a fan before I was a fighter, and I know what I like seeing, and that was people go at it. And that's what I want to provide to the fans."
For Smith, going for broke against the heavy-handed Radach proved to be a dangerous game; his opponent nearly ended the fight by knocking down "Hands of Steel" in both the first and second frames.
"There was one point when I was coming forward, and he just clipped me, and I was seeing double vision," Smith said. "I was rocked at least three times where [the fight] was close to being stopped. One of the times is when I was holding on to his leg, and I was stalling out just to recover."
Down two rounds, Smith entered the third stalking and timing his opponent and knowing that a stoppage was his only way to secure the win.
"It was a sense of urgency; I knew I was down in that fight," Smith said. "In the third round, I knew I had to keep coming at him, and luckily I was able to not get hit as much as the first two rounds and finish him off."
Along with a desire to entertain, a pre-fight knee injury also forced Smith into making adjustments to keep the fight standing. The middleweight admitted he probably couldn't have taken the fight to the ground if he had wanted to.
"I was coaching a junior high wrestling team for my oldest son, and two of the heavyweights crashed into me, dislocating my knee," the Capital City Fighting Alliance product said.
"(A month prior to the fight) I was on crutches for about a week," Smith said. "I considered not even taking the fight because of it."
An MRI revealed that he also stretched out many of the ligaments in his knee.
"I think that's why I was a little flat-footed and not coming forward as much," Smith said. "I was really worried about him taking me down because I hadn't really worked on my ground game like I should have."
Fortunately for Smith, the fight with Radach never hit the mat, and the two traded shots for nearly 13 minutes before Smith finally delivered the fatal blow.
"Man, we beat the hell out of each other," Smith said. "It was a good exciting fight."
Which, according to Smith, is exactly what he wanted.
Fitch vs. Thiago, Danzig vs. Miller official for UFC 100 in July
Already sold-out, the historic UFC 100 card now has 11 official bouts.
The organization today officially announced a long-rumored welterweight contest between Jon Fitch (18-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) and Paulo Thiago (11-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) as well as a recently discussed bout involving lightweights Mac Danzig (18-6-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC) and Jim Miller (13-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC).
UFC 100 takes place July 11 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
After being relegated to the preliminary card in his January bout with Akihiro Gono, Fitch's bout with Thiago has been scheduled for the UFC 100 main card, which will air live on pay-per-view.
Fitch will be looking to extract a measure of revenge against the undefeated Thiago. The Brazilian scored a surprise TKO win over Fitch's teammate, Josh Koscheck, at UFC 95 in February.
Danzig and Miller will each be looking to rebound from recent losses.
Danzig was submitted by Josh Neer in February's UFC Fight Night 17, the former "TUF"-winner's second consecutive defeat. Meanwhile, Miller dropped a hard-fought unanimous decision to Gray Maynard at UFC 96 in March.
The Danzig vs. Miller bout is scheduled for the evening's un-televised preliminary card.
Headlined by a heavyweight title unification match between current champ Brock Lesnar and interim champ Frank Mir, the full card for UFC 100 now officially includes:
MAIN CARD
* Champ Brock Lesnar vs. interim champ Frank Mir (heavyweight title unification)
* Champ Georges St. Pierre vs. Thiago Alves (for welterweight title)
* Jon Fitch vs. Paulo Thiago
* Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson
* Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Alan Belcher
PRELIMINARY CARD
* Stephan Bonnar vs. Mark Coleman
* Jon Jones vs. Jake O'Brien
* Jonathan Goulet vs. Dong Hyun Kim
* Mac Danzig vs. Jim Miller
* C.B. Dollaway vs. Tom Lawlor
* Matt Grice vs. Shannon Gugerty
Already sold-out, the historic UFC 100 card now has 11 official bouts.
The organization today officially announced a long-rumored welterweight contest between Jon Fitch (18-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) and Paulo Thiago (11-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) as well as a recently discussed bout involving lightweights Mac Danzig (18-6-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC) and Jim Miller (13-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC).
UFC 100 takes place July 11 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
After being relegated to the preliminary card in his January bout with Akihiro Gono, Fitch's bout with Thiago has been scheduled for the UFC 100 main card, which will air live on pay-per-view.
Fitch will be looking to extract a measure of revenge against the undefeated Thiago. The Brazilian scored a surprise TKO win over Fitch's teammate, Josh Koscheck, at UFC 95 in February.
Danzig and Miller will each be looking to rebound from recent losses.
Danzig was submitted by Josh Neer in February's UFC Fight Night 17, the former "TUF"-winner's second consecutive defeat. Meanwhile, Miller dropped a hard-fought unanimous decision to Gray Maynard at UFC 96 in March.
The Danzig vs. Miller bout is scheduled for the evening's un-televised preliminary card.
Headlined by a heavyweight title unification match between current champ Brock Lesnar and interim champ Frank Mir, the full card for UFC 100 now officially includes:
MAIN CARD
* Champ Brock Lesnar vs. interim champ Frank Mir (heavyweight title unification)
* Champ Georges St. Pierre vs. Thiago Alves (for welterweight title)
* Jon Fitch vs. Paulo Thiago
* Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson
* Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Alan Belcher
PRELIMINARY CARD
* Stephan Bonnar vs. Mark Coleman
* Jon Jones vs. Jake O'Brien
* Jonathan Goulet vs. Dong Hyun Kim
* Mac Danzig vs. Jim Miller
* C.B. Dollaway vs. Tom Lawlor
* Matt Grice vs. Shannon Gugerty
Strikeforce's Melendez not comfortable waiting on Thomson for return
The main card of this past Saturday's "Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz" took a major hit when lightweight champ Josh Thomson was a late scratch.
Gilbert Melendez (15-2) saved the show with a stunning knockout of Thomson's replacement, Rodrigo Damm, earning the organization's interim lightweight title in the process.
But like so many interim title holders before him, Melendez, recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) there's still work to be done before he'll truly feel like a title holder.
"I'm glad that I got my collectible back, but I don't feel like a champion," Melendez said. "They tried to put that (interim belt) around my waist. It's not very easy to accept.
"I'm down to fight five rounds all day, but Josh is the true champ. Until I beat him, I won't be the world champ."
The former lightweight belt holder, Melendez lost his title to Thomson via unanimous decision in June 2008. While avenging that loss is imperative to "El Nino," Thomson isn't the only target on his radar.
And while Melendez earned the right to face Thomson with the win over Damm, the 27-year-old won't necessarily wait for "The Punk" to heal his broken leg before returning to action.
"I'm ready to go when [Thomson] is ready to go," Melendez said. "But I wouldn't even mind getting a fight (before then).
"If he's ready to go tomorrow, I'll fight him. But supposedly he's not going to be ready for five months. I don't want to wait five months to fight right now. I'm feeling good. If I wait five months, that will give me two months to do [expletive] I don't need to be doing."
In fact, Melendez wouldn't mind a rematch with the first man to ever hand him a defeat, Mitsuhiro Ishida.
"I want to get back those losses I got," Melendez said. "Ishida and Josh are the guys I really want to fight right now.
"I'll fight him tomorrow if I could."
The main card of this past Saturday's "Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz" took a major hit when lightweight champ Josh Thomson was a late scratch.
Gilbert Melendez (15-2) saved the show with a stunning knockout of Thomson's replacement, Rodrigo Damm, earning the organization's interim lightweight title in the process.
But like so many interim title holders before him, Melendez, recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) there's still work to be done before he'll truly feel like a title holder.
"I'm glad that I got my collectible back, but I don't feel like a champion," Melendez said. "They tried to put that (interim belt) around my waist. It's not very easy to accept.
"I'm down to fight five rounds all day, but Josh is the true champ. Until I beat him, I won't be the world champ."
The former lightweight belt holder, Melendez lost his title to Thomson via unanimous decision in June 2008. While avenging that loss is imperative to "El Nino," Thomson isn't the only target on his radar.
And while Melendez earned the right to face Thomson with the win over Damm, the 27-year-old won't necessarily wait for "The Punk" to heal his broken leg before returning to action.
"I'm ready to go when [Thomson] is ready to go," Melendez said. "But I wouldn't even mind getting a fight (before then).
"If he's ready to go tomorrow, I'll fight him. But supposedly he's not going to be ready for five months. I don't want to wait five months to fight right now. I'm feeling good. If I wait five months, that will give me two months to do [expletive] I don't need to be doing."
In fact, Melendez wouldn't mind a rematch with the first man to ever hand him a defeat, Mitsuhiro Ishida.
"I want to get back those losses I got," Melendez said. "Ishida and Josh are the guys I really want to fight right now.
"I'll fight him tomorrow if I could."
FILHO SAYS NO TO BELLATOR; SILVA READY TO FIGHT
Unarguably one of the busiest men in the business, Los Angeles’ own Ed Soares manages a who’s who of MMA talent. Some of the most recognized fighters of our era call Soares manager and friend.
After a short-lived stint with the WEC, former middleweight champion Paulo Filho has been out of action since his lone loss to current UFC fighter Chael Sonnen, in what was mired in confusion, as Filho appeared to be talking to himself within the Octagon during the fight.
Now after having overcome his demons and back on track, the still valued middleweight fighter is now training out of Ludlow, Mass., with Team Link featuring Gabriel Gonzaga. He is set to make his return soon, but where? “Right now we’re in negotiations with some different organizations, but I believe he’ll be fighting by summertime somewhere,” explained Soares.
Previously reported to be in negotiations with the new Bellator Fighting Championships organization, it appears the possibility of Filho fighting there is a no go. “The contract (Bellator) was offering was too restrictive. It was unreasonable.”
Seemingly destined to join the UFC ranks once the WEC did away with its shallow middleweight and light heavyweight classes, Filho was not picked by the promotion after his last performance. Soares, however, chooses to remain confident in the decisions made by the UFC brass and looks forward to future endeavors with his client. “It’s very clear that Zuffa and the UFC, they’re the guys. Whoever says they aren’t, are in denial. Of course we would like to be back there, but right now we take it one fight at a time.”
Former Pride and UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira is returning Aug. 29 against Randy Couture. As of now, the fight is UFC 102's main event, likely to be held in Portland, Ore. After suffering his lone TKO loss to current interim champ Frank Mir this past December, Nogueira has undergone surgery and appears to be back in good spirits.
“He’s started training. His knee feels great, better than before," said Soares. "He had knee surgery and it's recovered well. He’ll be up in Canada with Anderson (Silva at UFC 97) and then everyone is coming back at L.A. because we just opened up a training facility called Black House.”
Twin brother Antonio Rogerio Nogueira has been successful as of late, riding a four-fight win streak, his last performance being against the first man to defeat him in Vladimir Matyushenko at Affliction: Day of Reckoning this past January. Though still waiting on an opponent to be announced for his next fight under the Affliction banner, Rogerio appears to have some room to field some offers. “He fought for Sengoku too, so we’re hoping an opportunity comes up soon, but we’re in talks with a few people also.”
One of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport today, Anderson Silva has garnered his fair share of criticism as of late. Though most fans were critical of his last performance at UFC 90 this past October against hard nosed Canadian Patrick Cote, Soares believes that fans tend to favor knockouts rather than technique and the intricacies of MMA.
“People are expecting him to come in and knock people’s heads off in the first round. So now all of the sudden people are questioning who Anderson Silva is, because he went to the third round? It’s a five-round fight. He hasn’t even went half the fight in the UFC. Not even half the time allowed,” explained Silva’s’ manager.
With the past behind him, Silva has completed his training camp, winding down in preparation for his fifth title defense, against fellow Brazilian Thales Leites at UFC 97. All the hard training is done, and the prize is the fight inside the Octagon. “The training is done. There’s nothing that’s going to be figured out in this last week that he hasn’t already prepared himself. Now it’s just relax, let the body recuperate, and be ready to put on a world class performance like he always does on April 18.”
Unarguably one of the busiest men in the business, Los Angeles’ own Ed Soares manages a who’s who of MMA talent. Some of the most recognized fighters of our era call Soares manager and friend.
After a short-lived stint with the WEC, former middleweight champion Paulo Filho has been out of action since his lone loss to current UFC fighter Chael Sonnen, in what was mired in confusion, as Filho appeared to be talking to himself within the Octagon during the fight.
Now after having overcome his demons and back on track, the still valued middleweight fighter is now training out of Ludlow, Mass., with Team Link featuring Gabriel Gonzaga. He is set to make his return soon, but where? “Right now we’re in negotiations with some different organizations, but I believe he’ll be fighting by summertime somewhere,” explained Soares.
Previously reported to be in negotiations with the new Bellator Fighting Championships organization, it appears the possibility of Filho fighting there is a no go. “The contract (Bellator) was offering was too restrictive. It was unreasonable.”
Seemingly destined to join the UFC ranks once the WEC did away with its shallow middleweight and light heavyweight classes, Filho was not picked by the promotion after his last performance. Soares, however, chooses to remain confident in the decisions made by the UFC brass and looks forward to future endeavors with his client. “It’s very clear that Zuffa and the UFC, they’re the guys. Whoever says they aren’t, are in denial. Of course we would like to be back there, but right now we take it one fight at a time.”
Former Pride and UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira is returning Aug. 29 against Randy Couture. As of now, the fight is UFC 102's main event, likely to be held in Portland, Ore. After suffering his lone TKO loss to current interim champ Frank Mir this past December, Nogueira has undergone surgery and appears to be back in good spirits.
“He’s started training. His knee feels great, better than before," said Soares. "He had knee surgery and it's recovered well. He’ll be up in Canada with Anderson (Silva at UFC 97) and then everyone is coming back at L.A. because we just opened up a training facility called Black House.”
Twin brother Antonio Rogerio Nogueira has been successful as of late, riding a four-fight win streak, his last performance being against the first man to defeat him in Vladimir Matyushenko at Affliction: Day of Reckoning this past January. Though still waiting on an opponent to be announced for his next fight under the Affliction banner, Rogerio appears to have some room to field some offers. “He fought for Sengoku too, so we’re hoping an opportunity comes up soon, but we’re in talks with a few people also.”
One of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport today, Anderson Silva has garnered his fair share of criticism as of late. Though most fans were critical of his last performance at UFC 90 this past October against hard nosed Canadian Patrick Cote, Soares believes that fans tend to favor knockouts rather than technique and the intricacies of MMA.
“People are expecting him to come in and knock people’s heads off in the first round. So now all of the sudden people are questioning who Anderson Silva is, because he went to the third round? It’s a five-round fight. He hasn’t even went half the fight in the UFC. Not even half the time allowed,” explained Silva’s’ manager.
With the past behind him, Silva has completed his training camp, winding down in preparation for his fifth title defense, against fellow Brazilian Thales Leites at UFC 97. All the hard training is done, and the prize is the fight inside the Octagon. “The training is done. There’s nothing that’s going to be figured out in this last week that he hasn’t already prepared himself. Now it’s just relax, let the body recuperate, and be ready to put on a world class performance like he always does on April 18.”
UFC Quick Quote: Steve Cantwell plans to submit Luis Cane then celebrate … calmly
e throws big, hard punches and kicks from the left side. So I’ve just go to avoid his left and see how good his ground game is…. They’re actually a lot alike, but Brian Stann is right-handed and Luis Cane is southpaw. So as far as my strategy on the feet goes, same strategy, (but) different combinations that I’m looking for, as far as right-handed versus southpaw. … I’m definitely going to put him on his back and see how he works from there…. I’m a really nice guy. I am trying to go out there and trying to break the guy’s arm every single fight, (but) I’ll just refrain from celebrating like that. That wasn’t necessary. It actually ruined a really good fight. I’m going to go out there and be more humble and win like a champion now, try to get a fresh new start.”
e throws big, hard punches and kicks from the left side. So I’ve just go to avoid his left and see how good his ground game is…. They’re actually a lot alike, but Brian Stann is right-handed and Luis Cane is southpaw. So as far as my strategy on the feet goes, same strategy, (but) different combinations that I’m looking for, as far as right-handed versus southpaw. … I’m definitely going to put him on his back and see how he works from there…. I’m a really nice guy. I am trying to go out there and trying to break the guy’s arm every single fight, (but) I’ll just refrain from celebrating like that. That wasn’t necessary. It actually ruined a really good fight. I’m going to go out there and be more humble and win like a champion now, try to get a fresh new start.”
M-1 Challenge: EliteXC veterans Shane Del Rosario and Giva Santana join Team USA West on April 29
Amsterdam, Holland — Usually the term “revamping” in team sports is reserved for rosters that are under-performing. However, while Team USA West is 1-0 in the “M-1 Challenge Presented by Affliction” (www.M-1Global.com) following February’s upset victory over Team Brazil Naja, owners Steve Bash and Roy Engelbrecht have made major changes at welterweight, middleweight and heavyweight.
Set to join Team USA West for its next head-to-head matchup during the third edition of the M-1 Challenge on April 29 at Shinjuku Face in Tokyo, Japan are former EliteXC veterans Giva “The Arm Collector” Santana and Muay Thai standout Shane Del Rosario as well as Affliction veteran Fabio “Negao” Nascimento.
Showing that it means business, Team USA West’s change to Santana at middleweight is surprising when you consider that Reggie Orr — the man Santana is replacing — delivered for his team during the 2009 M-1 Challenge opener held on Feb. 21 in Tacoma, Washington. Facing Juliano Belgine, Orr improved to 8-5-1 following a split decision victory but now finds himself on the bench so that a roster spot could be created for Santana.
By going with Santana, Team USA West adds a jiu-jitsu black belt to its squad who is 11-1 in his pro MMA career with 10 wins coming via armbar. His lone defeat was a split decision loss to multi-time Gladiator Challenge champion Jaime Jara in his last fight this past September at a ShoXC event held in Santa Ynez, Calif. For his career, Santana holds notable wins over Jun Soo Lim, Matt Lucas, and Jaime Fletcher.
Bash understands that the switch from Orr to Santana is perhaps a little cut throat but believes the change increases Team USA West’s chances of winning the 2009 M-1 Challenge Championship.
“When Roy and I first met with M-1 Global to discuss ownership of the USA West team, we told them that we were in it to win it,” he said. “And we believe the starting and reserve rosters we have assembled reflect that commitment from top to bottom. We were the underdogs against the Brazilians during the first M-1 Challenge (and) for the next M-1 Challenge in Japan, we feel we are now the favorites.”
Del Rosario replaces Carl Seumanutafa, who lost a split decision to Edson Franca during the ‘09 season opener. While Seaumantuafa remains a top heavyweight prospect, the change could be viewed as an upgrade as Del Rosario defeated Seamanutafa when the two went head-to-head during this past September’s ShoXC event.
Following his second round TKO over Seaumanutafa, Del Rosario improved to 5-0 in MMA with all five of his victories coming inside the distance. A former high school basketball star, Del Rosario is also currently 5-1 while competing in professional Muay Thai with all five victories having come via way of knockout.
Like Santana, Del Rosario trains under Team USA West head coach Colin Oyama. According to Bash, the plan from the outset was to bring both of Oyama’s blue chip prospects into the Team USA West fold as soon as they were ready.
“Colin didn’t have enough time to get Giva and Shane ready for the first M-1 Challenge but now Santana is ready to get his next armbar submission and Del Rosario is ready for his next knockout,” said Bash.
Negao replaces Dylan Clay, who suffered the first loss of his professional MMA career during an impressive performance at the Feb. 21 M-1 Challenge opener. Matched up against IFL superfight veteran Eduardo Pamplona, Clay forced a third overtime round after holding even with Pamplona during the initial stages of the fight.
Much like Santana, Negao is considered one of the best pure grapplers in all of MMA. Currently 8-4, he has fought top competitors such as UFC veterans Roan Carneiro, Rousimar Palhares, and Demian Maia. In his last bout during Affliction’s “Banned” event this past July, Negao went the distance against Matt Lindland, losing via unanimous decision.
Joining Negao, Santana, and Del Rosario on the Team USA West roster are Dave Jansen and Raphael Davis, two victorious holdovers from the ‘09 opener.
Jansen, a standout wrestler who trains out of Team Quest in Portland, Ore., improved to 9-0 in his lightweight bout vs. Brazil’s Flavio Alvara. Meanwhile, Davis, a former IFL veteran, improved to 5-1 following his impressive first round TKO victory in a light heavyweight bout vs. Brazil’s Jair Goncalves.
Currently in second place in Group C with an overall record of 1-0 and a head-to-head record of 3-2, Team USA West will look to supplant division-leading South Korea when the two countries go head-to-head on April 29. South Korea got out to an early lead after recording a 4-1 upset in Tacoma over the 2008 M-1 Challenge Champions, Fedor Emelianenko’s Imperial Team.
The third M-1 Challenge of 2009 will see Jansen matched up against South Korea’s Yui Chui Nam in a lightweight bout (154 lbs./-70 kg); Negao taking on Myung Ho Bae in a welterweight contest (167.2 pounds/-76 kg); middleweights (184.8 lbs./-84 kg) Santana and Min Suk Heo going head-to-head; Davis vs. Jae Young Kim in a light heavyweight encounter (204.6 lbs./-93 kg); and a heavyweight tilt between Del Rosario and Doo Hee Lee.
Subtitled “Third Edition,” the April 29 M-1 Challenge event will feature a total of 30 fighters representing six countries in three head-to-head matchups resulting in a total of 15 fights. In addition to Team USA West vs. Team South Korea, host country Japan will headline the event as it takes on the debuting Team United Kingdom in a Group A matchup. The event will open with a head-to-head matchup between the two remaining Group A teams, Team France and Team Spain.
The event will also feature a bonus superfight featuring French phenom Karl Amoussou, who will be taking on an unnamed opponent.
Amsterdam, Holland — Usually the term “revamping” in team sports is reserved for rosters that are under-performing. However, while Team USA West is 1-0 in the “M-1 Challenge Presented by Affliction” (www.M-1Global.com) following February’s upset victory over Team Brazil Naja, owners Steve Bash and Roy Engelbrecht have made major changes at welterweight, middleweight and heavyweight.
Set to join Team USA West for its next head-to-head matchup during the third edition of the M-1 Challenge on April 29 at Shinjuku Face in Tokyo, Japan are former EliteXC veterans Giva “The Arm Collector” Santana and Muay Thai standout Shane Del Rosario as well as Affliction veteran Fabio “Negao” Nascimento.
Showing that it means business, Team USA West’s change to Santana at middleweight is surprising when you consider that Reggie Orr — the man Santana is replacing — delivered for his team during the 2009 M-1 Challenge opener held on Feb. 21 in Tacoma, Washington. Facing Juliano Belgine, Orr improved to 8-5-1 following a split decision victory but now finds himself on the bench so that a roster spot could be created for Santana.
By going with Santana, Team USA West adds a jiu-jitsu black belt to its squad who is 11-1 in his pro MMA career with 10 wins coming via armbar. His lone defeat was a split decision loss to multi-time Gladiator Challenge champion Jaime Jara in his last fight this past September at a ShoXC event held in Santa Ynez, Calif. For his career, Santana holds notable wins over Jun Soo Lim, Matt Lucas, and Jaime Fletcher.
Bash understands that the switch from Orr to Santana is perhaps a little cut throat but believes the change increases Team USA West’s chances of winning the 2009 M-1 Challenge Championship.
“When Roy and I first met with M-1 Global to discuss ownership of the USA West team, we told them that we were in it to win it,” he said. “And we believe the starting and reserve rosters we have assembled reflect that commitment from top to bottom. We were the underdogs against the Brazilians during the first M-1 Challenge (and) for the next M-1 Challenge in Japan, we feel we are now the favorites.”
Del Rosario replaces Carl Seumanutafa, who lost a split decision to Edson Franca during the ‘09 season opener. While Seaumantuafa remains a top heavyweight prospect, the change could be viewed as an upgrade as Del Rosario defeated Seamanutafa when the two went head-to-head during this past September’s ShoXC event.
Following his second round TKO over Seaumanutafa, Del Rosario improved to 5-0 in MMA with all five of his victories coming inside the distance. A former high school basketball star, Del Rosario is also currently 5-1 while competing in professional Muay Thai with all five victories having come via way of knockout.
Like Santana, Del Rosario trains under Team USA West head coach Colin Oyama. According to Bash, the plan from the outset was to bring both of Oyama’s blue chip prospects into the Team USA West fold as soon as they were ready.
“Colin didn’t have enough time to get Giva and Shane ready for the first M-1 Challenge but now Santana is ready to get his next armbar submission and Del Rosario is ready for his next knockout,” said Bash.
Negao replaces Dylan Clay, who suffered the first loss of his professional MMA career during an impressive performance at the Feb. 21 M-1 Challenge opener. Matched up against IFL superfight veteran Eduardo Pamplona, Clay forced a third overtime round after holding even with Pamplona during the initial stages of the fight.
Much like Santana, Negao is considered one of the best pure grapplers in all of MMA. Currently 8-4, he has fought top competitors such as UFC veterans Roan Carneiro, Rousimar Palhares, and Demian Maia. In his last bout during Affliction’s “Banned” event this past July, Negao went the distance against Matt Lindland, losing via unanimous decision.
Joining Negao, Santana, and Del Rosario on the Team USA West roster are Dave Jansen and Raphael Davis, two victorious holdovers from the ‘09 opener.
Jansen, a standout wrestler who trains out of Team Quest in Portland, Ore., improved to 9-0 in his lightweight bout vs. Brazil’s Flavio Alvara. Meanwhile, Davis, a former IFL veteran, improved to 5-1 following his impressive first round TKO victory in a light heavyweight bout vs. Brazil’s Jair Goncalves.
Currently in second place in Group C with an overall record of 1-0 and a head-to-head record of 3-2, Team USA West will look to supplant division-leading South Korea when the two countries go head-to-head on April 29. South Korea got out to an early lead after recording a 4-1 upset in Tacoma over the 2008 M-1 Challenge Champions, Fedor Emelianenko’s Imperial Team.
The third M-1 Challenge of 2009 will see Jansen matched up against South Korea’s Yui Chui Nam in a lightweight bout (154 lbs./-70 kg); Negao taking on Myung Ho Bae in a welterweight contest (167.2 pounds/-76 kg); middleweights (184.8 lbs./-84 kg) Santana and Min Suk Heo going head-to-head; Davis vs. Jae Young Kim in a light heavyweight encounter (204.6 lbs./-93 kg); and a heavyweight tilt between Del Rosario and Doo Hee Lee.
Subtitled “Third Edition,” the April 29 M-1 Challenge event will feature a total of 30 fighters representing six countries in three head-to-head matchups resulting in a total of 15 fights. In addition to Team USA West vs. Team South Korea, host country Japan will headline the event as it takes on the debuting Team United Kingdom in a Group A matchup. The event will open with a head-to-head matchup between the two remaining Group A teams, Team France and Team Spain.
The event will also feature a bonus superfight featuring French phenom Karl Amoussou, who will be taking on an unnamed opponent.
TYLER TONER: YOUNG GUNS RISING STAR
At this past Saturday’s Ring of Fire event at the Broomfield Events Center in Colorado, one of the state's next generation stars made a case for himself to take yet another step forward.
It took just over three minutes for Ring of Fire Young Guns featherweight titleholder Tyler Toner to assert his position as champion and drop contender David Fuentes with a flurry of knees.
As Toner puts it though, there is always room for improvement.
“He was really the first stand-up fighter that’s hit me a couple times in the fight; and kind of woke me up and made me mad a little bit,” said Tyler. “I kind of went after him (after that).
“I’m always pretty critical of myself; there are some things I could have done better, but it turned out well in the end. I did some things right too, so I’m pretty happy with it.”
Having worked his way up from show opener in the past, Tyler essentially co-headlined the event with former “Ultimate Fighter” cast member Mike Nickels after former Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Alvin Robinson was forced off the card due to injury.
The added emphasis for him to perform and bring in the crowd never figured into his fight, according to Toner.
“I’ve fought for (promoter Sven Bean) so many times for Ring of Fire and some of his smaller shows, so I feel welcome there, I feel home there,” he stated. “I don’t feel too much extra pressure there – I just kind of feel comfortable there.”
Aside from being an exciting fighter, Toner is known for his brash personality, which separates him from other Colorado fighters who tend to be more reserved, such as training partner Nate Marquardt.
“We all train together and joke around together and stuff, but none of us really put on too many fronts when we’re doing interviews or whatever,” he commented. “I’m just out there being myself and I’m trying to have fun with it.
“That’s just kind of how everybody is – like Nate’s the super-quiet guy, even in the gym. You’ll talk smack with him and he’ll just be quiet – that’s just kind of the way he is – but that’s just everybody being themselves.”
Having successfully defended his Young Guns title, Tyler is looking forward to staying busy over the coming year to further advance up the featherweight ladder.
“I’ve been talking to Eliot (Marshall), Duane (Ludwig) and everybody about it, and I just want to fight a lot,” he stated.
“I feel like I’m getting better every day. We’re working on my skills, I have such awesome trainers, and I just want to fight a lot, get a lot of experience and start to take bigger steps up toward the top.”
Previously, Toner fought on Strikeforce’s Colorado debut and is looking towards possibly fighting for them again in the future either on their main show or their newly instituted Challenger Series.
“I really enjoyed fighting for Strikeforce,” he said. “I had a great fight there and they treated me well. I felt I put on a good performance and hopefully I can hear from them in the future.
“I figure if I keep winning then it should all kind of take care of itself. Hopefully they’re looking at me and not the other way around.”
If Tyler continues down the path he is headed, it might not be long before instead of looking at opportunities, he is delivered them.
“I’d like to thank 5280 Fighter, Rupture Fight Wear and Disorderly Conduct,” he concluded. “Also thanks to my training partners, friends, family and everyone that helps me do what I do.
“I’m going to try to fight a lot this year, so everybody just watch out.”
At this past Saturday’s Ring of Fire event at the Broomfield Events Center in Colorado, one of the state's next generation stars made a case for himself to take yet another step forward.
It took just over three minutes for Ring of Fire Young Guns featherweight titleholder Tyler Toner to assert his position as champion and drop contender David Fuentes with a flurry of knees.
As Toner puts it though, there is always room for improvement.
“He was really the first stand-up fighter that’s hit me a couple times in the fight; and kind of woke me up and made me mad a little bit,” said Tyler. “I kind of went after him (after that).
“I’m always pretty critical of myself; there are some things I could have done better, but it turned out well in the end. I did some things right too, so I’m pretty happy with it.”
Having worked his way up from show opener in the past, Tyler essentially co-headlined the event with former “Ultimate Fighter” cast member Mike Nickels after former Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Alvin Robinson was forced off the card due to injury.
The added emphasis for him to perform and bring in the crowd never figured into his fight, according to Toner.
“I’ve fought for (promoter Sven Bean) so many times for Ring of Fire and some of his smaller shows, so I feel welcome there, I feel home there,” he stated. “I don’t feel too much extra pressure there – I just kind of feel comfortable there.”
Aside from being an exciting fighter, Toner is known for his brash personality, which separates him from other Colorado fighters who tend to be more reserved, such as training partner Nate Marquardt.
“We all train together and joke around together and stuff, but none of us really put on too many fronts when we’re doing interviews or whatever,” he commented. “I’m just out there being myself and I’m trying to have fun with it.
“That’s just kind of how everybody is – like Nate’s the super-quiet guy, even in the gym. You’ll talk smack with him and he’ll just be quiet – that’s just kind of the way he is – but that’s just everybody being themselves.”
Having successfully defended his Young Guns title, Tyler is looking forward to staying busy over the coming year to further advance up the featherweight ladder.
“I’ve been talking to Eliot (Marshall), Duane (Ludwig) and everybody about it, and I just want to fight a lot,” he stated.
“I feel like I’m getting better every day. We’re working on my skills, I have such awesome trainers, and I just want to fight a lot, get a lot of experience and start to take bigger steps up toward the top.”
Previously, Toner fought on Strikeforce’s Colorado debut and is looking towards possibly fighting for them again in the future either on their main show or their newly instituted Challenger Series.
“I really enjoyed fighting for Strikeforce,” he said. “I had a great fight there and they treated me well. I felt I put on a good performance and hopefully I can hear from them in the future.
“I figure if I keep winning then it should all kind of take care of itself. Hopefully they’re looking at me and not the other way around.”
If Tyler continues down the path he is headed, it might not be long before instead of looking at opportunities, he is delivered them.
“I’d like to thank 5280 Fighter, Rupture Fight Wear and Disorderly Conduct,” he concluded. “Also thanks to my training partners, friends, family and everyone that helps me do what I do.
“I’m going to try to fight a lot this year, so everybody just watch out.”
Javier Mendez departs as Strikeforce’s matchmaker
Strikeforce could be in the market for a new matchmaker as FiveOuncesOfPain.com has been informed that Javier Mendez has left the promotion.
Five Ounces of Pain learned of Mendez’s departure late Tuesday night and was able to confirm the development with Mendez himself via text message.
Mendez had been doubling as one of the sport’s most prominent trainers at the American Kickboxing Academy while working for Strikeforce. While speaking with Five Ounces of Pain, he expressed his belief that he was spreading himself too thin.
“I was neglecting my fighters and my love is training them,” Mendez stated via text. “I couldn’t do both. I had to do one or the other.”
There was is no immediate word regarding Strikeforce’s plans towards naming a replacement.
Strikeforce could be in the market for a new matchmaker as FiveOuncesOfPain.com has been informed that Javier Mendez has left the promotion.
Five Ounces of Pain learned of Mendez’s departure late Tuesday night and was able to confirm the development with Mendez himself via text message.
Mendez had been doubling as one of the sport’s most prominent trainers at the American Kickboxing Academy while working for Strikeforce. While speaking with Five Ounces of Pain, he expressed his belief that he was spreading himself too thin.
“I was neglecting my fighters and my love is training them,” Mendez stated via text. “I couldn’t do both. I had to do one or the other.”
There was is no immediate word regarding Strikeforce’s plans towards naming a replacement.
USA TODAY Launches Online Mixed Martial Arts Community
MCLEAN, Va., April 15 — USA TODAY has launched MMA Fighting Stances, an online mixed martial arts community moderated by Sergio Non. MMA Fighting Stances can be found at mma.usatoday.com.
With the addition of MMA Fighting Stances and the recent launch of the USA TODAY/SB Nation Consensus MMA Rankings, USA TODAY becomes the first national newspaper to add mixed martial arts into its regular sports coverage. As a mainstream media brand, USA TODAY offers another point of entry to the growing legions of MMA fans.
MMA Fighting Stances will give hard-core and casual MMA fans a chance to dissect the most important and interesting fights, news, events, personalities, analyses and anomalies of mixed martial arts. In his role as community moderator, Sergio Non tackles the broader questions about the sport’s evolution and gets to know the athletes through original reporting and regular Q&A interviews. Non will also interact with readers as they share their thoughts, swap stories and speak directly to each other using USATODAY.com’s online community tools.
MMA Fighting Stances is the latest addition to an expanding roster of USA TODAY online communities. Recently created are Open Road, a consumer-oriented site for both auto enthusiasts and everyday Americans who love their cars and trucks; Hotel Check-In, a hotel community targeting business travelers; Game Hunters, with a focus on video games and “interactive awesomeness;” The Oval, dedicated to tracking the Obama administration; and Faith & Reason, a conversation about religion, spirituality and ethics. Several new communities will roll out and re-launch through the spring. All can be seen at blogs.usatoday.com.
MCLEAN, Va., April 15 — USA TODAY has launched MMA Fighting Stances, an online mixed martial arts community moderated by Sergio Non. MMA Fighting Stances can be found at mma.usatoday.com.
With the addition of MMA Fighting Stances and the recent launch of the USA TODAY/SB Nation Consensus MMA Rankings, USA TODAY becomes the first national newspaper to add mixed martial arts into its regular sports coverage. As a mainstream media brand, USA TODAY offers another point of entry to the growing legions of MMA fans.
MMA Fighting Stances will give hard-core and casual MMA fans a chance to dissect the most important and interesting fights, news, events, personalities, analyses and anomalies of mixed martial arts. In his role as community moderator, Sergio Non tackles the broader questions about the sport’s evolution and gets to know the athletes through original reporting and regular Q&A interviews. Non will also interact with readers as they share their thoughts, swap stories and speak directly to each other using USATODAY.com’s online community tools.
MMA Fighting Stances is the latest addition to an expanding roster of USA TODAY online communities. Recently created are Open Road, a consumer-oriented site for both auto enthusiasts and everyday Americans who love their cars and trucks; Hotel Check-In, a hotel community targeting business travelers; Game Hunters, with a focus on video games and “interactive awesomeness;” The Oval, dedicated to tracking the Obama administration; and Faith & Reason, a conversation about religion, spirituality and ethics. Several new communities will roll out and re-launch through the spring. All can be seen at blogs.usatoday.com.
BRIAN STANN ENTERS ENEMY TERRITORY AT UFC 97
Former WEC light heavyweight champion Brian Stann will be returning to action this month at UFC 97 following a lengthy layoff. After suffering his first and only professional loss this past August in his last WEC appearance, “The All American” was one of few fighters invited to fight for the UFC after the middleweight and light heavyweight classes were eliminated in its sister promotion.
Originally set to make his UFC debut against the only man to defeat him, Steve Cantwell, this past December at the UFC Fight for The Troops show in North Carolina, the U.S. Marine has been sidelined due to injury.
“I broke a small bone right in the ball of my right foot and I didn’t think it was going to be a very big deal.” He began to explain to MMAWeekly.com. “Then I got the M.R.I. done and the doctors pretty much told me that I was in for quite a circus with that kind of an injury. And just because it’s the foot and it's so far from your heart and your always walking on it, it really took a long time for it to heal.”
Being a veteran of the war in Iraq, Stann thought of the opportunity to fight amongst his fellow troops as not only service, or something necessary, but something much deeper than that. It would have been an honor that only he could ever really understand and appreciate. But being a spectator rather than a participant at the event was frustrating to say the least. “I had to go out to fight for the troops and watch the fights instead of participating, which breaks your heart as a fighter.”
Having lived with his only loss for about nine months now, Stann has used the time effectively to improve his overall game with the world-renowned trainer Greg Jackson and his camp. As hard as it’s been to swallow the loss, he ultimately feels that it was the best thing that could have happened to him in his young career.
“I've made so many changes since (the Cantwell) fight; the loss is definitely the best thing that ever happened to me,” explained the Marine Captain. “I probably wouldn’t have made those changes or realize how many things I was doing wrong at the time. Now it’s been so long I’m just a completely different fighter and I can’t wait to showcase the skills.”
After having suffered his first loss, moving into a new house, new town, and finding new training partners, Stann finally feels acclimated and set with Greg Jackson and his team. What he likes most about his new team is the familiarity to his life as a Marine.
“It’s very similar to a military mentality in the gym and I’ve never met fighters who are so willing to help than here (Greg Jacksons’ camp).” Rashad Evans, Keith Jardine, and Nate Marquardt are a few of the fighters to credit for Stann’s level of comfort in the new surrounding, but it’s New Mexico native “Smoking” Joe Villasenor who has helped him the most. “Joey Villasenor's opened up his house for me to stay for seven-straight weeks for my camp and no matter how much you get along with someone, that’s hard to do to intrude on your life.”
Now back in form, Stann will be ready and entering enemy territory once again when he takes on Canadian native, Ultimate Fighter alumnus, and IFL veteran Krzysztof Soszynski.
Unbeknownst to most, Stann does have a relationship with Krzysztof and members of Team Quest, as he has trained with them in the past in preparation for bouts in the WEC, including his victory over former WEC light heavyweight champion Doug Marshall to become the titleholder.
Although to some the situation may be taxing, Stann has a different look on it. “I have a lot of respect for Krzysztof. I love the way he carries himself. I really love the way he represents the sport; he’s a good ambassador for it. He’s a veteran of the sport for a long time and he’s a great person before he’s a great fighter. At the end of the day, I don’t mind fighting guys that I like. I do that every single day at the gym.”
Though with the cards stacked against him, fighting a friend, and then in Canadian territory carrying the nickname “The All American” into the bout, Stann is zoned in and knows what to expect. “Even if they boo me when my hand is getting raised that’s just fine, because the bottom line with the fans in Montreal, it sells out so quick. I don’t care if they like me or not. The fact that they are such great fans and they’re support, they support all of us, it's an amazing venue and a huge fight card to be on. I’m honored to fight in front of them regardless if they like me or not.”
Brian Stann will face Krzysztof Soszynski on the main card of UFC 97 "Redemption" in Montreal on April 18 at the Bell Centre.
Former WEC light heavyweight champion Brian Stann will be returning to action this month at UFC 97 following a lengthy layoff. After suffering his first and only professional loss this past August in his last WEC appearance, “The All American” was one of few fighters invited to fight for the UFC after the middleweight and light heavyweight classes were eliminated in its sister promotion.
Originally set to make his UFC debut against the only man to defeat him, Steve Cantwell, this past December at the UFC Fight for The Troops show in North Carolina, the U.S. Marine has been sidelined due to injury.
“I broke a small bone right in the ball of my right foot and I didn’t think it was going to be a very big deal.” He began to explain to MMAWeekly.com. “Then I got the M.R.I. done and the doctors pretty much told me that I was in for quite a circus with that kind of an injury. And just because it’s the foot and it's so far from your heart and your always walking on it, it really took a long time for it to heal.”
Being a veteran of the war in Iraq, Stann thought of the opportunity to fight amongst his fellow troops as not only service, or something necessary, but something much deeper than that. It would have been an honor that only he could ever really understand and appreciate. But being a spectator rather than a participant at the event was frustrating to say the least. “I had to go out to fight for the troops and watch the fights instead of participating, which breaks your heart as a fighter.”
Having lived with his only loss for about nine months now, Stann has used the time effectively to improve his overall game with the world-renowned trainer Greg Jackson and his camp. As hard as it’s been to swallow the loss, he ultimately feels that it was the best thing that could have happened to him in his young career.
“I've made so many changes since (the Cantwell) fight; the loss is definitely the best thing that ever happened to me,” explained the Marine Captain. “I probably wouldn’t have made those changes or realize how many things I was doing wrong at the time. Now it’s been so long I’m just a completely different fighter and I can’t wait to showcase the skills.”
After having suffered his first loss, moving into a new house, new town, and finding new training partners, Stann finally feels acclimated and set with Greg Jackson and his team. What he likes most about his new team is the familiarity to his life as a Marine.
“It’s very similar to a military mentality in the gym and I’ve never met fighters who are so willing to help than here (Greg Jacksons’ camp).” Rashad Evans, Keith Jardine, and Nate Marquardt are a few of the fighters to credit for Stann’s level of comfort in the new surrounding, but it’s New Mexico native “Smoking” Joe Villasenor who has helped him the most. “Joey Villasenor's opened up his house for me to stay for seven-straight weeks for my camp and no matter how much you get along with someone, that’s hard to do to intrude on your life.”
Now back in form, Stann will be ready and entering enemy territory once again when he takes on Canadian native, Ultimate Fighter alumnus, and IFL veteran Krzysztof Soszynski.
Unbeknownst to most, Stann does have a relationship with Krzysztof and members of Team Quest, as he has trained with them in the past in preparation for bouts in the WEC, including his victory over former WEC light heavyweight champion Doug Marshall to become the titleholder.
Although to some the situation may be taxing, Stann has a different look on it. “I have a lot of respect for Krzysztof. I love the way he carries himself. I really love the way he represents the sport; he’s a good ambassador for it. He’s a veteran of the sport for a long time and he’s a great person before he’s a great fighter. At the end of the day, I don’t mind fighting guys that I like. I do that every single day at the gym.”
Though with the cards stacked against him, fighting a friend, and then in Canadian territory carrying the nickname “The All American” into the bout, Stann is zoned in and knows what to expect. “Even if they boo me when my hand is getting raised that’s just fine, because the bottom line with the fans in Montreal, it sells out so quick. I don’t care if they like me or not. The fact that they are such great fans and they’re support, they support all of us, it's an amazing venue and a huge fight card to be on. I’m honored to fight in front of them regardless if they like me or not.”
Brian Stann will face Krzysztof Soszynski on the main card of UFC 97 "Redemption" in Montreal on April 18 at the Bell Centre.
Coleman granted license for UFC 100, planning Las Vegas training camp
LAS VEGAS - With almost three months until his preliminary card bout with Stephan Bonnar (11-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC) at UFC 100, MMA pioneer Mark Coleman (15-9 MMA, 6-4 UFC) has been granted a one-fight license by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
The NSAC elected to grant the limited license to Coleman at Tuesday's monthly commission meeting.
Coleman appeared in person to address the concerns that the commission had regarding the 44-year-old's license application.
"We asked him to appear in order to answer some questions," NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "On his own accord, he came in person, so that was very good of him."
All fighters aged 35 years or older are asked to at least call the commission to discuss any concerns the group may have.
Kizer said Coleman showed up in person and outlined his plans for putting on better performance than he did in a January loss to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 93 – his first bout in over two years.
"We mentioned that [Coleman] had quite a layoff before he fought Rua," Kizer said. "We mentioned that he kind of ran out of gas in the third round and got stopped.
"Obviously with his age and his inactivity and the fact that he's lost four of his past six bouts, there was definitely a concern. [The NSAC] asked, 'What's your plan for this fight?' And to his credit, he owned up and said, 'Look, I need to train harder and be in better shape.
'My plan is I'm moving to Las Vegas this weekend and I have offers to train with Frank Mir's group. I have offers to train with Wanderlei Silva's group. I have offer to train with Randy Couture's group. I definitely plan on taking advantage of that, and I plan to be here from this upcoming weekend through the fight. I'll be Las Vegas, and I'll be training constantly here with one or more of those groups.'
"That was good to see him have a very good gameplan."
While the NSAC granted Coleman a license to fight Bonnar, he did not receive the one-year license generally issued by the commission.
"Because of the age and the inactivity, the commission decided to give [Coleman] the limited license, limited to one bout," Kizer said. "At the end of the day, that's how you best can observe a fighter, is in actual competition. He'll be fighting Stephan Bonnar, and I think that's a fair matchup for both gentlemen. We'll be good to go come July 11."
Kizer said following the July 11 bout, both the commission and Coleman will be able to better determine his future eligibility.
"We'll get to see how he does, and I'm sure he'll be the first to criticize or complement himself," Kizer said. "He'll know better than anyone how he does after the fight."
While "The Hammer" fought Rua in Ireland, the NSAC previously licensed a 41-year-old Coleman to fight Fedor Emelianenko in October 2006. Coleman was submitted by the current WAMMA heavyweight champion in the second round of the PRIDE 32 bout.
Initial attempts by MMAjunkie.com to reach Coleman for comment were unsuccessful.
LAS VEGAS - With almost three months until his preliminary card bout with Stephan Bonnar (11-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC) at UFC 100, MMA pioneer Mark Coleman (15-9 MMA, 6-4 UFC) has been granted a one-fight license by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
The NSAC elected to grant the limited license to Coleman at Tuesday's monthly commission meeting.
Coleman appeared in person to address the concerns that the commission had regarding the 44-year-old's license application.
"We asked him to appear in order to answer some questions," NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "On his own accord, he came in person, so that was very good of him."
All fighters aged 35 years or older are asked to at least call the commission to discuss any concerns the group may have.
Kizer said Coleman showed up in person and outlined his plans for putting on better performance than he did in a January loss to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 93 – his first bout in over two years.
"We mentioned that [Coleman] had quite a layoff before he fought Rua," Kizer said. "We mentioned that he kind of ran out of gas in the third round and got stopped.
"Obviously with his age and his inactivity and the fact that he's lost four of his past six bouts, there was definitely a concern. [The NSAC] asked, 'What's your plan for this fight?' And to his credit, he owned up and said, 'Look, I need to train harder and be in better shape.
'My plan is I'm moving to Las Vegas this weekend and I have offers to train with Frank Mir's group. I have offers to train with Wanderlei Silva's group. I have offer to train with Randy Couture's group. I definitely plan on taking advantage of that, and I plan to be here from this upcoming weekend through the fight. I'll be Las Vegas, and I'll be training constantly here with one or more of those groups.'
"That was good to see him have a very good gameplan."
While the NSAC granted Coleman a license to fight Bonnar, he did not receive the one-year license generally issued by the commission.
"Because of the age and the inactivity, the commission decided to give [Coleman] the limited license, limited to one bout," Kizer said. "At the end of the day, that's how you best can observe a fighter, is in actual competition. He'll be fighting Stephan Bonnar, and I think that's a fair matchup for both gentlemen. We'll be good to go come July 11."
Kizer said following the July 11 bout, both the commission and Coleman will be able to better determine his future eligibility.
"We'll get to see how he does, and I'm sure he'll be the first to criticize or complement himself," Kizer said. "He'll know better than anyone how he does after the fight."
While "The Hammer" fought Rua in Ireland, the NSAC previously licensed a 41-year-old Coleman to fight Fedor Emelianenko in October 2006. Coleman was submitted by the current WAMMA heavyweight champion in the second round of the PRIDE 32 bout.
Initial attempts by MMAjunkie.com to reach Coleman for comment were unsuccessful.
Lyoto speaks...says Anderson would beat Fedor
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On his UFC 98 fight against Rashad Evans
Rashad is a very strategic and calm fighter. Against Forrest he was being punished badly and turned the fight around, but my father and my brother are helping me a lot to bring up my game. I always dreamed for this opportunity and I’m training harder than ever to get this belt.
On the headlining fights for UFC 97,
I’ve already trained with Anderson. He is a fantastic fighter. Besides being very experienced and intelligent, he is dangerous everywhere, even from the bottom. Thales is an amazing fighter and deserves respect, but I believe Anderson is the favorite.
On Chuck vs Shogun
I’m cheering for Shogun. I trained with him at Chute Boxe and he is a great person, but I believe this fight will be pretty strategic. If Liddell can keep it standing up, he will have advantages, but if Shogun can take him to the ground, he has advantages. I would say it is 50-50.
On training with Olympic Judo Medallist Satoshi Isii,
He learns really fast. He improved his striking a lot since he arrived. Ishii is helping me a lot with my grappling game as well. Soon he will be ready to make his MMA debut, and I believe he will do a great job.
On a potential fight between Anderson Silva and Fedor,
Anderson normally weighs (215 pounds). If Fedor fights him weighing (220), I believe Silva would win. Besides being very tactical, Anderson is way superior technically and I truly believe he has the tools to put Fedor in trouble.
Blog: Machida Analyzes Fedor vs. Anderson Silva
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On his UFC 98 fight against Rashad Evans
Rashad is a very strategic and calm fighter. Against Forrest he was being punished badly and turned the fight around, but my father and my brother are helping me a lot to bring up my game. I always dreamed for this opportunity and I’m training harder than ever to get this belt.
On the headlining fights for UFC 97,
I’ve already trained with Anderson. He is a fantastic fighter. Besides being very experienced and intelligent, he is dangerous everywhere, even from the bottom. Thales is an amazing fighter and deserves respect, but I believe Anderson is the favorite.
On Chuck vs Shogun
I’m cheering for Shogun. I trained with him at Chute Boxe and he is a great person, but I believe this fight will be pretty strategic. If Liddell can keep it standing up, he will have advantages, but if Shogun can take him to the ground, he has advantages. I would say it is 50-50.
On training with Olympic Judo Medallist Satoshi Isii,
He learns really fast. He improved his striking a lot since he arrived. Ishii is helping me a lot with my grappling game as well. Soon he will be ready to make his MMA debut, and I believe he will do a great job.
On a potential fight between Anderson Silva and Fedor,
Anderson normally weighs (215 pounds). If Fedor fights him weighing (220), I believe Silva would win. Besides being very tactical, Anderson is way superior technically and I truly believe he has the tools to put Fedor in trouble.
Blog: Machida Analyzes Fedor vs. Anderson Silva
MMAjunkie.com Radio's Frank Trigg offers to "retire" Frank Shamrock
UFC, PRIDE and Strikeforce veteran – and co-host of MMAjunkie.com Radio – Frank Trigg (19-6) is currently on a four-fight win streak, yet he doesn't know where or when his next bout will take place.
But on Wednesday's edition of MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio), Trigg identified one opponent he believes would be easy prey: Strikeforce middleweight Frank Shamrock (23-10-2).
"They can have me fight him any time they want up there," Trigg said. "Put it back at 180 (pounds) again, and I'll put him into retirement. It's not that difficult. Frank Shamrock's only got like two or three fights left in his life."
Trigg fought once for the California-based organization, defeating Falaniko Vitale in October 2008. The 36-year-old said he would love the opportunity to return to the organization in a chance to prove just how far Shamrock has fallen in recent defeats to Nick Diaz and Cung Le.
"How much [expletive] can you talk to Frank Shamrock?" Trigg asked. "He's not that good. The sport has passed him by.
"Do you really want to be seen training on Lamaze balls? Is that really what you want to do? That's what he does. Half of his techniques are done on Lamaze balls. I'm like, 'OK. That's really interesting. That's great. Who's teaching you your takedown defense?'"
Trigg questioned Shamrock's commitment to preparation for his April 11 main event with Diaz at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.
"You live in [expletive] San Jose," Trigg said. "There's like 75 great wrestlers that live right down the street from you. You don't train with any of them? That doesn't make any sense to me.
"You're a great striker, you're incredibly athletic, you have a great ability to talk before the fights, you've got a great ability to sell the fight. But then you're striking hasn't changed. Your ability, your flexibility, your ability to hit your punches hasn't changed. You haven't learned – knowing full well against a guy who's going to do takedowns – how to stop a takedown and how to keep it on your feet where you would have had a shot to win.
"But then, you're on your feet and you got out-punched by a jiu-jitsu guy. It doesn't make any sense."
While Trigg's career has been filled with bouts against the world's top competitors, he last fought in a unanimous-decision win against an unheralded Danny Babcock. While the win certainly wasn't a career-builder, Trigg insists Shamrock's current 1-3 streak proves he's no longer relevant.
"The sport's just passed [Shamrock] by," Trigg said. "It's the same thing I said to Ken (Shamrock). It's the same thing I said to Mark Coleman. It's the same thing I said to Tito Ortiz: The sport has passed you by.
"You haven't adjusted. You haven't learned. You haven't spent the time being in the academy every day trying to learn. You're out there [expletive] around doing other stuff when you're not training. It's not smart anymore for this sport.
"You don't think for a minute I'm not training every day now? And I've got nothing going on. I have nothing coming up. I am basically a stay-at-home dad right now. That's what I am right now. But I have to train every day. Why? Because I've got to keep improving my speed. I have to keep improving my flexibility."
Trigg said he was involved in recent negotiations with World Victory Road's Sengoku, where he fought in 2007, but was currently unaware of when he would fight again.
Shamrock, a San Jose, Calif., resident, has main-evented in Strikeforce's top-three grossing cards, all held at the HP Pavilion. Shamrock lost two of the three contests, including a second-round TKO defeat at the hands of Diaz.
UFC, PRIDE and Strikeforce veteran – and co-host of MMAjunkie.com Radio – Frank Trigg (19-6) is currently on a four-fight win streak, yet he doesn't know where or when his next bout will take place.
But on Wednesday's edition of MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio), Trigg identified one opponent he believes would be easy prey: Strikeforce middleweight Frank Shamrock (23-10-2).
"They can have me fight him any time they want up there," Trigg said. "Put it back at 180 (pounds) again, and I'll put him into retirement. It's not that difficult. Frank Shamrock's only got like two or three fights left in his life."
Trigg fought once for the California-based organization, defeating Falaniko Vitale in October 2008. The 36-year-old said he would love the opportunity to return to the organization in a chance to prove just how far Shamrock has fallen in recent defeats to Nick Diaz and Cung Le.
"How much [expletive] can you talk to Frank Shamrock?" Trigg asked. "He's not that good. The sport has passed him by.
"Do you really want to be seen training on Lamaze balls? Is that really what you want to do? That's what he does. Half of his techniques are done on Lamaze balls. I'm like, 'OK. That's really interesting. That's great. Who's teaching you your takedown defense?'"
Trigg questioned Shamrock's commitment to preparation for his April 11 main event with Diaz at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.
"You live in [expletive] San Jose," Trigg said. "There's like 75 great wrestlers that live right down the street from you. You don't train with any of them? That doesn't make any sense to me.
"You're a great striker, you're incredibly athletic, you have a great ability to talk before the fights, you've got a great ability to sell the fight. But then you're striking hasn't changed. Your ability, your flexibility, your ability to hit your punches hasn't changed. You haven't learned – knowing full well against a guy who's going to do takedowns – how to stop a takedown and how to keep it on your feet where you would have had a shot to win.
"But then, you're on your feet and you got out-punched by a jiu-jitsu guy. It doesn't make any sense."
While Trigg's career has been filled with bouts against the world's top competitors, he last fought in a unanimous-decision win against an unheralded Danny Babcock. While the win certainly wasn't a career-builder, Trigg insists Shamrock's current 1-3 streak proves he's no longer relevant.
"The sport's just passed [Shamrock] by," Trigg said. "It's the same thing I said to Ken (Shamrock). It's the same thing I said to Mark Coleman. It's the same thing I said to Tito Ortiz: The sport has passed you by.
"You haven't adjusted. You haven't learned. You haven't spent the time being in the academy every day trying to learn. You're out there [expletive] around doing other stuff when you're not training. It's not smart anymore for this sport.
"You don't think for a minute I'm not training every day now? And I've got nothing going on. I have nothing coming up. I am basically a stay-at-home dad right now. That's what I am right now. But I have to train every day. Why? Because I've got to keep improving my speed. I have to keep improving my flexibility."
Trigg said he was involved in recent negotiations with World Victory Road's Sengoku, where he fought in 2007, but was currently unaware of when he would fight again.
Shamrock, a San Jose, Calif., resident, has main-evented in Strikeforce's top-three grossing cards, all held at the HP Pavilion. Shamrock lost two of the three contests, including a second-round TKO defeat at the hands of Diaz.
Larson official for UFC 98; Irvin vs. McFedries promoted to main card
"UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida" is once again complete, as Brock Larson (25-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has officially been announced as a replacement opponent for Chris Wilson (14-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC).
The UFC made the announcement overnight on its official website.
UFC 98 is scheduled for May 23 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Wilson was originally scheduled to face Josh Koscheck, but a training injury forced the American Kickboxing Academy fighter out of the bout.
Larson fought earlier this month, earning an impressive first-round submission win over Jesse Sanders at UFC Fight Night 18. Currently riding a four-fight win streak, the bout was Larson's first bout in the UFC since a December 2006 unanimous-decision win over Keita Nakamura.
Wilson, a former Team Quest member now representing Team Nogueira in Brazil, will be returning for the first time since a January split-decision loss to John Howard at UFC 94 - a bout that was awarded the evening's co-"Fight of the Night."
With the change in opponent, the UFC has moved the bout to the preliminary card in favor of a bout between sluggers James Irvin (14-5 MMA, 4-4 UFC) and Drew McFedries (7-5 MMA, 3-4 UFC). With 14 of the pair's 21 combined wins coming by knockout or TKO, the bout is expected to be a stand-up brawl.
The full card for the event now includes:
MAIN CARD
* Champ Rashad Evans vs. Lyoto Machida (for light-heavyweight title)
* Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra
* James Irvin vs. Drew McFedries
* Dan Miller vs. Yushin Okami
* Frank Edgar vs. Sean Sherk
PRELIMINARY CARD
* Brock Larson vs. Chris Wilson
* Pat Barry vs. Tim Hague
* Kyle Bradley vs. Phillipe Nover
* Houston Alexander vs. Andre Gusmao
* Brandon Wolff vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
* David Kaplan vs. George Roop
"UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida" is once again complete, as Brock Larson (25-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has officially been announced as a replacement opponent for Chris Wilson (14-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC).
The UFC made the announcement overnight on its official website.
UFC 98 is scheduled for May 23 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Wilson was originally scheduled to face Josh Koscheck, but a training injury forced the American Kickboxing Academy fighter out of the bout.
Larson fought earlier this month, earning an impressive first-round submission win over Jesse Sanders at UFC Fight Night 18. Currently riding a four-fight win streak, the bout was Larson's first bout in the UFC since a December 2006 unanimous-decision win over Keita Nakamura.
Wilson, a former Team Quest member now representing Team Nogueira in Brazil, will be returning for the first time since a January split-decision loss to John Howard at UFC 94 - a bout that was awarded the evening's co-"Fight of the Night."
With the change in opponent, the UFC has moved the bout to the preliminary card in favor of a bout between sluggers James Irvin (14-5 MMA, 4-4 UFC) and Drew McFedries (7-5 MMA, 3-4 UFC). With 14 of the pair's 21 combined wins coming by knockout or TKO, the bout is expected to be a stand-up brawl.
The full card for the event now includes:
MAIN CARD
* Champ Rashad Evans vs. Lyoto Machida (for light-heavyweight title)
* Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra
* James Irvin vs. Drew McFedries
* Dan Miller vs. Yushin Okami
* Frank Edgar vs. Sean Sherk
PRELIMINARY CARD
* Brock Larson vs. Chris Wilson
* Pat Barry vs. Tim Hague
* Kyle Bradley vs. Phillipe Nover
* Houston Alexander vs. Andre Gusmao
* Brandon Wolff vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
* David Kaplan vs. George Roop
13 Questions for Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller
Jason “Mayhem” Miller probably won’t blame you if you haven’t taken him seriously lately. He’s been feeling the same way about himself.
His loss last June to Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in Dream, during which he engaged the grappling master at length in the jiu-jitsu department, still bothers him. Miller says he “deserved to lose that fight” because of the way he approached it, choosing to ham it up for the live audience before addressing the fact that he was in the clutches of one of the most gifted submission artists on the planet.
Miller, 28, hasn’t fought since the unanimous decision loss. But it appears the stars may be aligning for a career renaissance.
In February, Miller wrapped filming as the host of the MTV show “Bully Beatdown,” which has garnered impressive ratings. He’s ramped up his training since finishing that project, focusing on his boxing under Justin Fortune, who once challenged Lenox Lewis for the heavyweight title and is a conditioning coach for Freddie Roach’s boxers, including Manny Pacquiao. Long partial to submissions, Miller has a newfound confidence in his stand-up.
He’ll have a chance to put it all on display Saturday, when the wacky and charismatic fighter returns to Hawaii, the territory where he first made a splash in the sport. Miller will headline the first “Kingdom MMA” event, which is promoted by longtime Hawaiian MMA purveyor T. Jay Thompson, against EliteXC veteran Kala Hose.
In this Sherdog.com interview, an introspective Miller talks about MTV stardom, still feeling like a 12-year-old inside and his love/hate relationship with Hawaiian MMA fans.
Sherdog: How do you plan to approach Kala Hose?
Miller: I’ll just fight him in a cautious manner and beat the piss out of him. Dude, it’s a fight like any other fight. I got to pay attention to what the hell I’m doing and make shit happen. These aren’t baby games. I got to take care of business the best way I know how. I think I’m stronger in every direction. I’m going to beat him on my feet; I’m going to beat him everywhere. I think that people are underestimating me and my standup game, and think that I’m just going to go and double leg the guy and try to submit him. Well, what the hell? That’s exactly what he’s expecting. I know he’s trained for that. Let’s see if he’s trained his kickboxing.
Sherdog: What is your status with Dream?
Miller: I’m still hooked up with Japan. I’ve still got that going on for me. I’m going to spank some ass here in Hawaii and keep it rolling. I just have been busy, doing a TV show and fixing old injuries. When I fought “Jacare,” I fought him all busted up. Now I’m cool and brand new. So, time to do it again, you know. If everything goes well, you’ll be seeing me in Dream very, very soon.
Sherdog: Who in Dream do you want to fight?
Miller: Who do you think I want to fight? The asshole that beat me the last time. I gave that fight away and I feel like an idiot for it. I was so pissed at myself. I just played into his game and I was a moron for it. I’m fighting with an ego like, “I can tap Jacare out.” Like, that’s [ridiculous]. Why would I do that? I’m stupid. I have a tendency to fight with my heart more than my head. You know, you do some dumb stuff like that, you deserve to lose.
Sherdog: Have you changed anything about your training regimen since that fight?
Miller: Yeah, absolutely: I started training. I wasn’t taking myself very seriously at that point. I don’t know, you’re going to see a brand new Jason Miller in 2009, that’s all. I really think I was selling myself short and I wasn’t really putting in the amount of effort into my training that I did when I was younger. Nowadays, I have this renewed sense of urgency. I feel my fight career is going to be way better now than it ever was before. I’m putting so much more effort into my fighting career and learning more and drilling harder and just really putting my heart and soul into it harder than I ever have. I already was doing OK. But now I’m taking it to the next level.
Sherdog: Have you changed your philosophy about caring more about entertaining the audience than necessarily winning your fight?
Miller: Well, yeah. I mean, my priority is to make this awesome to watch. But at the same time, I just think the way I train now is going to allow me to win a lot better than the way I was training before. I’m bringing it up to the next level.
I’ve focused on the fact that I didn’t really know how to box. I focused on my boxing, and I think that my boxing is coming up leaps and bounds. It’s like another tool in my tool belt. I have brand new skills that weren’t really as pronounced before. Now, all of a sudden, I’m shocked because I’m like, “Oh, I can box now.” I can do some cool shit now that I couldn’t do before. And it just came out of nowhere. It feels like it came out of nowhere, but really where it came out of was me working it and working it every day.
Sherdog: How did the “Bully Beatdown” producers find you to host the show?
Miller: YouTube superstar. They found me doing a funny interview on there with some Mormon kid, and I’m digging into him. They just figured I was the perfect guy for this whole deal. And you know, what other fighters are going to be able to be a fighter and be hilarious? There’s not that many of us. Hopefully, I’m doing a good job being funny … . A lot of the guys from back in the day, Huntington Beach, we used to all train together and everybody was a damn comedian. But for this particular show, I think I’m the best fit for this show.
I’m still 12 years old in my head. Like, what do I do for a living? I beat up kids on the playground. That’s what I’m still doing to this day. And screw you, dad, for telling me that I couldn’t do it.
Sherdog: When it comes to that show, the way it works is that producers put out feelers looking for bullies, right, not for victims?
Miller: They did both. But I think the best ones were when the victims brought us the bully. The best episodes are when it came that way. But if the victim brought us the bully, a lot of times the bully is more unresponsive to the whole thing. I’ve kind of got to goad the guy into it. But if the bully came forward [looking to be cast], he’s pretty quick to say, “Yeah, I’ll do it.” Like immediately. It’s funnier if the guy is like, “I don’t … what? I don’t want to.” And I’m like, “Yo, 10Gs. Come on.”
Sherdog: But it seems that all of the bullies act surprised to see you, even if they applied to be on the show.
Miller: They know I’m coming, but they don’t know when or whatever. So I sneak up on them.
Sherdog: So when you crashed into that one bully’s house and jumped on his couch, he didn’t expect that?
Miller: No. He didn’t understand that someone was going to roll up in his house. His buddy answered the door, and it was game on. He doesn’t know who I am. Not everybody watches Sherdog.com all the god damned time. Nobody knows me. They’re just like, “Who’s this asshole on my couch?”
Sherdog: Do you get noticed a lot more in public because of the show?
Miller: It’s like pandemonium now, I’m not even kidding. Everyone in that age range knows who I am, 14 to 25 I guess. If I’m not wearing a beanie to cover up my ears and my hair, every kid stops and points at me. It’s really crazy. It’s not like being “Ultimate Fighter” famous. It’s like being normal famous. Even if they don’t know who I am, their friend knows who I am, and they slap him and go, “That’s the guy from Bully Beatdown.” I get people screaming, “Bully Beatdown!” and I get it nonstop.
Sherdog: Do you like that?
Miller: Not really. It’s getting into being annoying. It’s cooler when I’m in a room full of girls. I don’t mind. I knew what I was signing up to. I didn’t realize it would be this crazy. But, at the same time, it’s cool too because I’m just training for fights so I’m just kind of hiding in my house all the time. I’m not getting it as bad as I would if I was out partying every night. I was training during filming, too, but only one time a day. Then when I was finished at the end of February, I went back to training two times a day and training real hard.
Sherdog: Was there one bully who actually knew MMA?
Miller: Yeah, I think so. Watch the episode coming up. It’s pretty amazing. You’ll see. I’m not going to ruin it for the people who watch. But the next one, it’s next level. It changes the series. I’m just going to tell you right now, just watch.
Sherdog: What’s it going to be like to return to fighting in Hawaii, where you had several of the formative fights of your career?
Miller: It’s great. People in Hawaii have adopted me. And then the whole thing about this fight is that fact that I feel like people are disrespecting me, saying I’m Hollywood, I’m not coming back to Hawaii and I forgot about Hawaii. Dude, I love Hawaii. To me, Hawaii is such an important place in my life. I’m angry that people are saying that I don’t care about it.
People are just, like, saying I’m disrespecting Hawaii. Hawaii people are insane sometimes. It’s kind of like when you had a band when you’re a kid that you love and you knew the band first, and then they get famous and go just triple platinum or whatever and they “sold out.” That’s what people are acting like to me. I’m like man, screw you guys. Dude, I’ve got to go get paid. I’ve got to go make some money. Because I can’t do this forever.
Jason “Mayhem” Miller probably won’t blame you if you haven’t taken him seriously lately. He’s been feeling the same way about himself.
His loss last June to Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in Dream, during which he engaged the grappling master at length in the jiu-jitsu department, still bothers him. Miller says he “deserved to lose that fight” because of the way he approached it, choosing to ham it up for the live audience before addressing the fact that he was in the clutches of one of the most gifted submission artists on the planet.
Miller, 28, hasn’t fought since the unanimous decision loss. But it appears the stars may be aligning for a career renaissance.
In February, Miller wrapped filming as the host of the MTV show “Bully Beatdown,” which has garnered impressive ratings. He’s ramped up his training since finishing that project, focusing on his boxing under Justin Fortune, who once challenged Lenox Lewis for the heavyweight title and is a conditioning coach for Freddie Roach’s boxers, including Manny Pacquiao. Long partial to submissions, Miller has a newfound confidence in his stand-up.
He’ll have a chance to put it all on display Saturday, when the wacky and charismatic fighter returns to Hawaii, the territory where he first made a splash in the sport. Miller will headline the first “Kingdom MMA” event, which is promoted by longtime Hawaiian MMA purveyor T. Jay Thompson, against EliteXC veteran Kala Hose.
In this Sherdog.com interview, an introspective Miller talks about MTV stardom, still feeling like a 12-year-old inside and his love/hate relationship with Hawaiian MMA fans.
Sherdog: How do you plan to approach Kala Hose?
Miller: I’ll just fight him in a cautious manner and beat the piss out of him. Dude, it’s a fight like any other fight. I got to pay attention to what the hell I’m doing and make shit happen. These aren’t baby games. I got to take care of business the best way I know how. I think I’m stronger in every direction. I’m going to beat him on my feet; I’m going to beat him everywhere. I think that people are underestimating me and my standup game, and think that I’m just going to go and double leg the guy and try to submit him. Well, what the hell? That’s exactly what he’s expecting. I know he’s trained for that. Let’s see if he’s trained his kickboxing.
Sherdog: What is your status with Dream?
Miller: I’m still hooked up with Japan. I’ve still got that going on for me. I’m going to spank some ass here in Hawaii and keep it rolling. I just have been busy, doing a TV show and fixing old injuries. When I fought “Jacare,” I fought him all busted up. Now I’m cool and brand new. So, time to do it again, you know. If everything goes well, you’ll be seeing me in Dream very, very soon.
Sherdog: Who in Dream do you want to fight?
Miller: Who do you think I want to fight? The asshole that beat me the last time. I gave that fight away and I feel like an idiot for it. I was so pissed at myself. I just played into his game and I was a moron for it. I’m fighting with an ego like, “I can tap Jacare out.” Like, that’s [ridiculous]. Why would I do that? I’m stupid. I have a tendency to fight with my heart more than my head. You know, you do some dumb stuff like that, you deserve to lose.
Sherdog: Have you changed anything about your training regimen since that fight?
Miller: Yeah, absolutely: I started training. I wasn’t taking myself very seriously at that point. I don’t know, you’re going to see a brand new Jason Miller in 2009, that’s all. I really think I was selling myself short and I wasn’t really putting in the amount of effort into my training that I did when I was younger. Nowadays, I have this renewed sense of urgency. I feel my fight career is going to be way better now than it ever was before. I’m putting so much more effort into my fighting career and learning more and drilling harder and just really putting my heart and soul into it harder than I ever have. I already was doing OK. But now I’m taking it to the next level.
Sherdog: Have you changed your philosophy about caring more about entertaining the audience than necessarily winning your fight?
Miller: Well, yeah. I mean, my priority is to make this awesome to watch. But at the same time, I just think the way I train now is going to allow me to win a lot better than the way I was training before. I’m bringing it up to the next level.
I’ve focused on the fact that I didn’t really know how to box. I focused on my boxing, and I think that my boxing is coming up leaps and bounds. It’s like another tool in my tool belt. I have brand new skills that weren’t really as pronounced before. Now, all of a sudden, I’m shocked because I’m like, “Oh, I can box now.” I can do some cool shit now that I couldn’t do before. And it just came out of nowhere. It feels like it came out of nowhere, but really where it came out of was me working it and working it every day.
Sherdog: How did the “Bully Beatdown” producers find you to host the show?
Miller: YouTube superstar. They found me doing a funny interview on there with some Mormon kid, and I’m digging into him. They just figured I was the perfect guy for this whole deal. And you know, what other fighters are going to be able to be a fighter and be hilarious? There’s not that many of us. Hopefully, I’m doing a good job being funny … . A lot of the guys from back in the day, Huntington Beach, we used to all train together and everybody was a damn comedian. But for this particular show, I think I’m the best fit for this show.
I’m still 12 years old in my head. Like, what do I do for a living? I beat up kids on the playground. That’s what I’m still doing to this day. And screw you, dad, for telling me that I couldn’t do it.
Sherdog: When it comes to that show, the way it works is that producers put out feelers looking for bullies, right, not for victims?
Miller: They did both. But I think the best ones were when the victims brought us the bully. The best episodes are when it came that way. But if the victim brought us the bully, a lot of times the bully is more unresponsive to the whole thing. I’ve kind of got to goad the guy into it. But if the bully came forward [looking to be cast], he’s pretty quick to say, “Yeah, I’ll do it.” Like immediately. It’s funnier if the guy is like, “I don’t … what? I don’t want to.” And I’m like, “Yo, 10Gs. Come on.”
Sherdog: But it seems that all of the bullies act surprised to see you, even if they applied to be on the show.
Miller: They know I’m coming, but they don’t know when or whatever. So I sneak up on them.
Sherdog: So when you crashed into that one bully’s house and jumped on his couch, he didn’t expect that?
Miller: No. He didn’t understand that someone was going to roll up in his house. His buddy answered the door, and it was game on. He doesn’t know who I am. Not everybody watches Sherdog.com all the god damned time. Nobody knows me. They’re just like, “Who’s this asshole on my couch?”
Sherdog: Do you get noticed a lot more in public because of the show?
Miller: It’s like pandemonium now, I’m not even kidding. Everyone in that age range knows who I am, 14 to 25 I guess. If I’m not wearing a beanie to cover up my ears and my hair, every kid stops and points at me. It’s really crazy. It’s not like being “Ultimate Fighter” famous. It’s like being normal famous. Even if they don’t know who I am, their friend knows who I am, and they slap him and go, “That’s the guy from Bully Beatdown.” I get people screaming, “Bully Beatdown!” and I get it nonstop.
Sherdog: Do you like that?
Miller: Not really. It’s getting into being annoying. It’s cooler when I’m in a room full of girls. I don’t mind. I knew what I was signing up to. I didn’t realize it would be this crazy. But, at the same time, it’s cool too because I’m just training for fights so I’m just kind of hiding in my house all the time. I’m not getting it as bad as I would if I was out partying every night. I was training during filming, too, but only one time a day. Then when I was finished at the end of February, I went back to training two times a day and training real hard.
Sherdog: Was there one bully who actually knew MMA?
Miller: Yeah, I think so. Watch the episode coming up. It’s pretty amazing. You’ll see. I’m not going to ruin it for the people who watch. But the next one, it’s next level. It changes the series. I’m just going to tell you right now, just watch.
Sherdog: What’s it going to be like to return to fighting in Hawaii, where you had several of the formative fights of your career?
Miller: It’s great. People in Hawaii have adopted me. And then the whole thing about this fight is that fact that I feel like people are disrespecting me, saying I’m Hollywood, I’m not coming back to Hawaii and I forgot about Hawaii. Dude, I love Hawaii. To me, Hawaii is such an important place in my life. I’m angry that people are saying that I don’t care about it.
People are just, like, saying I’m disrespecting Hawaii. Hawaii people are insane sometimes. It’s kind of like when you had a band when you’re a kid that you love and you knew the band first, and then they get famous and go just triple platinum or whatever and they “sold out.” That’s what people are acting like to me. I’m like man, screw you guys. Dude, I’ve got to go get paid. I’ve got to go make some money. Because I can’t do this forever.
Bellator Figthing Championships' Damien Stelly is an army of one
Mission First.
When you raise your right hand and swear an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, it means you are a soldier, sailor, airman or a marine first and foremost.
When Uncle Sam calls, your primary function is to complete the mission he gives you, and all your hobbies, interests, and desires are subordinated to the needs of the services.
So if you're the duck-calling champion of western Kansas and you're brigade from Fort Riley gets picked to go to Iraq, then you won't be defending your title this year.
With 150,000 troops overseas and everyone sharing multiple deployments, training for an alternate career as an MMA fighter seems ludicrous. But that's just what Damien Stelly (10-2) is doing.
Following in the footsteps of Marine Lieutenant Brian Stann and Army Sergeant Tim Kennedy, Stelly is looking to make an impact in MMA at this weekend's Bellator Fighting Championships Week 3 middleweight-tournament bout despite being a fulltime soldier.
"I'm a combatives instructor, and it's still hard to find the time to train," Stelly told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "I know there are hundreds of soldiers out there who have it worse than me, too. They'd train and fight if they had the time to."
Stelly is lucky. He's now assigned to the Modern Army Combatives Program (MACP) at Fort Benning, Ga., where he teaches hand-to-hand combatives to troops. It's an assignment that affords him more resources than the average soldier has, so he can stay in fighting shape.
But when his MMA career began, Stelly's only training consisted of the grueling lifestyle of an Army Ranger, which foments a selfless attitude and demands 100 percent and then some.
Born and raised in "TUF" alum Tim Creduer's hometown of Lafayette, La., Stelly enlisted in the Army just before Sept. 11, 2001, in the elite 3rd Ranger Battalion at Fort Benning. Finding the time to sharpen his MMA skills took a backseat to kicking in doors and engaging targets with his M4 carbine. Since then he's had three combat tours, including the initial assault into Afghanistan in 2001.
His life changed in 2004 when the Chief of Staff of the Army, General Peter Schoomaker, made an Army-wide policy that all soldiers would be trained in hand-to-hand combatives. Up until then hand-to-hand was practiced mostly by elite units while the rest of the force abandoned it as a relic of past wars.
Stelly was one of the first men chosen to be an instructor at the MACP, and he used that time to hone his skills and enter local fights. Since then he's amassed a record of 10-2 at a hodgepodge of events across the south and was the Army's over-205-pounds champion in 2005.
But then he went back to the Ranger Battalion for another tour, where the demands of living at the tip of the spear presented Stelly with the same difficult decision that Army Staff Sergeant and Green Beret Kennedy faced: be a soldier or be a fighter. There simply weren't enough hours in the day to be successful at both.
"I loved being a Ranger," Stelly said. "But I enjoy training myself and the troops over at the MACP too. I'd love to have the same deal that Kennedy has now, but we're in different units."
Kennedy recently signed a deal with the Army to fight fulltime and stay on active duty. Kennedy will travel the country training as a professional fighter while assigned to the Special Operations Recruiting Battalion at Fort Bragg, N.C.
On Friday Stelly will have his chance to show he deserves the same deal when he fights in Bellator's middleweight tournament, where more than money is on the line.
"I want to represent the Army and show what we can do," he said. "Soldiers might not train twice a day like pro fighters, but we're just as hungry to win and have just as much heart as anybody. I definitely want to go out there, win the fight, and give a big victory yell. That's my mission."
Mission First.
Mission First.
When you raise your right hand and swear an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, it means you are a soldier, sailor, airman or a marine first and foremost.
When Uncle Sam calls, your primary function is to complete the mission he gives you, and all your hobbies, interests, and desires are subordinated to the needs of the services.
So if you're the duck-calling champion of western Kansas and you're brigade from Fort Riley gets picked to go to Iraq, then you won't be defending your title this year.
With 150,000 troops overseas and everyone sharing multiple deployments, training for an alternate career as an MMA fighter seems ludicrous. But that's just what Damien Stelly (10-2) is doing.
Following in the footsteps of Marine Lieutenant Brian Stann and Army Sergeant Tim Kennedy, Stelly is looking to make an impact in MMA at this weekend's Bellator Fighting Championships Week 3 middleweight-tournament bout despite being a fulltime soldier.
"I'm a combatives instructor, and it's still hard to find the time to train," Stelly told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "I know there are hundreds of soldiers out there who have it worse than me, too. They'd train and fight if they had the time to."
Stelly is lucky. He's now assigned to the Modern Army Combatives Program (MACP) at Fort Benning, Ga., where he teaches hand-to-hand combatives to troops. It's an assignment that affords him more resources than the average soldier has, so he can stay in fighting shape.
But when his MMA career began, Stelly's only training consisted of the grueling lifestyle of an Army Ranger, which foments a selfless attitude and demands 100 percent and then some.
Born and raised in "TUF" alum Tim Creduer's hometown of Lafayette, La., Stelly enlisted in the Army just before Sept. 11, 2001, in the elite 3rd Ranger Battalion at Fort Benning. Finding the time to sharpen his MMA skills took a backseat to kicking in doors and engaging targets with his M4 carbine. Since then he's had three combat tours, including the initial assault into Afghanistan in 2001.
His life changed in 2004 when the Chief of Staff of the Army, General Peter Schoomaker, made an Army-wide policy that all soldiers would be trained in hand-to-hand combatives. Up until then hand-to-hand was practiced mostly by elite units while the rest of the force abandoned it as a relic of past wars.
Stelly was one of the first men chosen to be an instructor at the MACP, and he used that time to hone his skills and enter local fights. Since then he's amassed a record of 10-2 at a hodgepodge of events across the south and was the Army's over-205-pounds champion in 2005.
But then he went back to the Ranger Battalion for another tour, where the demands of living at the tip of the spear presented Stelly with the same difficult decision that Army Staff Sergeant and Green Beret Kennedy faced: be a soldier or be a fighter. There simply weren't enough hours in the day to be successful at both.
"I loved being a Ranger," Stelly said. "But I enjoy training myself and the troops over at the MACP too. I'd love to have the same deal that Kennedy has now, but we're in different units."
Kennedy recently signed a deal with the Army to fight fulltime and stay on active duty. Kennedy will travel the country training as a professional fighter while assigned to the Special Operations Recruiting Battalion at Fort Bragg, N.C.
On Friday Stelly will have his chance to show he deserves the same deal when he fights in Bellator's middleweight tournament, where more than money is on the line.
"I want to represent the Army and show what we can do," he said. "Soldiers might not train twice a day like pro fighters, but we're just as hungry to win and have just as much heart as anybody. I definitely want to go out there, win the fight, and give a big victory yell. That's my mission."
Mission First.