MMA News Thread
- Thread starter Shogun Locc
- Start date
you had some good picks.
heres mine only picked 5 fights =29 pts
http://www.mmaplayground.com/league2/picks.aspx?UID=21046&EID=49
heres mine only picked 5 fights =29 pts
http://www.mmaplayground.com/league2/picks.aspx?UID=21046&EID=49
CSAC'S ARMANDO GARCIA TALKS NICK DIAZ
The controversy surrounding Nick Diaz’s sudden exit from Saturday’s Elite XC and Strikeforce co-promoted fight card continues to swirl even after the event has ended. MMAWeekly spoke to California State Athletic Commission executive officer Armando Garcia about the decision to remove Diaz from the card and the consequent fallout.
According to Garcia, it was all a matter of timing with Diaz and his medical testing prior to the fight, and the commission was not given enough time to respond and investigate.
“For this particular case, I did not have sufficient time from the 25th or 26th until the fight on the 29th or the weigh-in on the 28th to be able to properly evaluate all of the necessary licensing documents and give him a license,” said Garcia.
“I know that is very frustrating for Mr. Diaz and many of his friends that wanted to see him fight. But as a state agency we have a mandate to protect health and safety and we have licensing requirements. It behooves the applicant to turn those things in a timely manner and in a complete manner.”
He went on to explain that the exit of Diaz was not an attempt to block him from fighting in the state of California or to deny him a license, simply said they did not have ample time to review all necessary documentation.
“Nick Diaz is not suspended. Nick Diaz’s license is not denied. Nick Diaz will be licensed very, very soon,” Garcia stated. “I want to see him licensed. I am going to be talking to him and hopefully I can guide him to be able to resolve this.
“With that said, in this particular case, the commission did not receive the necessary licensing documents, particularly medical documents, for us to be able to clear him on time. We did not, No. 1, receive them in a timely manner, and No. 2, in a case we did not actually receive them.”
In a recent interview with MMAWeekly Radio, Diaz’s trainer, Cesar Gracie said, “We offered for (Diaz) to take a urine test to show that he was going to be negative. He was not smoking, so he would be negative for this fight … they never gave him that opportunity.”
“We do not have the authority to ask applicants to do that,” Garcia said regarding testing prior to a fight. “Now let’s just say that in a hypothetical case, the person would be licensed, perhaps we could test that person. However, if you admit that you have ingested something in a certain time frame that particular individual, common sense and medical science would dictate, that that person is going to be positive.
“So in that hypothetical situation, it wouldn’t be prudent for the commission to allow the person to fight and then later test them. Because if that person is allowed to fight, becomes injured in some way or injures their opponent, and now that it comes back that it’s positive and you have all of this other side information, that would not be a prudent decision to make.”
In this particular situation, as Garcia stated, if a competitor has already admitted to using an illegal substance during the testing process and they are allowed to fight, it could come back legally against the commission for allowing the person to compete.
Another factor that many people have been speaking about since the situation broke is the confusion over the medicinal marijuana rules in the state of California.
“The Compassionate Use Act of 1996 decriminalized and outlined the law in a certain way that caregivers could provide medicinal marijuana to their patients and that would eliminate their prosecution if they provided or cultivated marijuana for a patient and it was prescribed by a doctor,” commented Garcia.
“However, the Compassionate Use Act does not shield a licensee from using marijuana when the commission’s regulations state that you can not use any drug. So the fact that you have a medicinal marijuana recommendation does not shield you from testing positive or violating a commission rule.”
The following is taken from the section of the state law that references medical marijuana as it relates to licensees of the State Athletic Commission:
“Accordingly, the Act grants patients who use marijuana for medical purposes a limited immunity from criminal prosecution. It does not shield patients, who are also licensees of the State Athletic Commission, from the prohibition articulated in California Code of Regulations section 303, which states:
‘The administration or use of any drugs, alcohol or stimulants, or injections in any part of the body, either before or during a match, to or by any boxer is prohibited.’
The Act was enacted by the people of California to address the medical needs of certain people within its population, and to decriminalize behaviors associated with the use of marijuana. However, since any action taken against a licensee by the Commission is not a criminal prosecution according to State law, the Commission will continue to enforce the prohibition against the administration or use of drugs by a licensee, which is consistent with the Commission's mission to protect and serve California consumers.”
In the interview with MMAWeekly Radio, Gracie indicated that they would be pursuing legal action on Diaz’s behalf following the weekend’s events.
The controversy surrounding Nick Diaz’s sudden exit from Saturday’s Elite XC and Strikeforce co-promoted fight card continues to swirl even after the event has ended. MMAWeekly spoke to California State Athletic Commission executive officer Armando Garcia about the decision to remove Diaz from the card and the consequent fallout.
According to Garcia, it was all a matter of timing with Diaz and his medical testing prior to the fight, and the commission was not given enough time to respond and investigate.
“For this particular case, I did not have sufficient time from the 25th or 26th until the fight on the 29th or the weigh-in on the 28th to be able to properly evaluate all of the necessary licensing documents and give him a license,” said Garcia.
“I know that is very frustrating for Mr. Diaz and many of his friends that wanted to see him fight. But as a state agency we have a mandate to protect health and safety and we have licensing requirements. It behooves the applicant to turn those things in a timely manner and in a complete manner.”
He went on to explain that the exit of Diaz was not an attempt to block him from fighting in the state of California or to deny him a license, simply said they did not have ample time to review all necessary documentation.
“Nick Diaz is not suspended. Nick Diaz’s license is not denied. Nick Diaz will be licensed very, very soon,” Garcia stated. “I want to see him licensed. I am going to be talking to him and hopefully I can guide him to be able to resolve this.
“With that said, in this particular case, the commission did not receive the necessary licensing documents, particularly medical documents, for us to be able to clear him on time. We did not, No. 1, receive them in a timely manner, and No. 2, in a case we did not actually receive them.”
In a recent interview with MMAWeekly Radio, Diaz’s trainer, Cesar Gracie said, “We offered for (Diaz) to take a urine test to show that he was going to be negative. He was not smoking, so he would be negative for this fight … they never gave him that opportunity.”
“We do not have the authority to ask applicants to do that,” Garcia said regarding testing prior to a fight. “Now let’s just say that in a hypothetical case, the person would be licensed, perhaps we could test that person. However, if you admit that you have ingested something in a certain time frame that particular individual, common sense and medical science would dictate, that that person is going to be positive.
“So in that hypothetical situation, it wouldn’t be prudent for the commission to allow the person to fight and then later test them. Because if that person is allowed to fight, becomes injured in some way or injures their opponent, and now that it comes back that it’s positive and you have all of this other side information, that would not be a prudent decision to make.”
In this particular situation, as Garcia stated, if a competitor has already admitted to using an illegal substance during the testing process and they are allowed to fight, it could come back legally against the commission for allowing the person to compete.
Another factor that many people have been speaking about since the situation broke is the confusion over the medicinal marijuana rules in the state of California.
“The Compassionate Use Act of 1996 decriminalized and outlined the law in a certain way that caregivers could provide medicinal marijuana to their patients and that would eliminate their prosecution if they provided or cultivated marijuana for a patient and it was prescribed by a doctor,” commented Garcia.
“However, the Compassionate Use Act does not shield a licensee from using marijuana when the commission’s regulations state that you can not use any drug. So the fact that you have a medicinal marijuana recommendation does not shield you from testing positive or violating a commission rule.”
The following is taken from the section of the state law that references medical marijuana as it relates to licensees of the State Athletic Commission:
“Accordingly, the Act grants patients who use marijuana for medical purposes a limited immunity from criminal prosecution. It does not shield patients, who are also licensees of the State Athletic Commission, from the prohibition articulated in California Code of Regulations section 303, which states:
‘The administration or use of any drugs, alcohol or stimulants, or injections in any part of the body, either before or during a match, to or by any boxer is prohibited.’
The Act was enacted by the people of California to address the medical needs of certain people within its population, and to decriminalize behaviors associated with the use of marijuana. However, since any action taken against a licensee by the Commission is not a criminal prosecution according to State law, the Commission will continue to enforce the prohibition against the administration or use of drugs by a licensee, which is consistent with the Commission's mission to protect and serve California consumers.”
In the interview with MMAWeekly Radio, Gracie indicated that they would be pursuing legal action on Diaz’s behalf following the weekend’s events.
BOETSCH READY TO MEET EXPECTATIONS
by Mitch Gobetz - MMAWeekly.com
Boetsch is looking to extend his winning streak in the Ultimate Fighting Championship to two when he faces Ultimate Fighter season three alumnus Matt Hamill on April 2.
Exploding onto the scene at UFC 81, Boetsch overwhelmingly obliterated David Heath. Having taken the fight on short notice, he wasted no time impressing with an effecting striking display featuring his Muay Thai skills. The Pennsylvania native took Heath by the head and threw him to ground, dazing him before finishing him with strikes.
Since that fight, there has been a solid buzz around Boetsch and building anticipation for his next fight.
Fans won't have to wait long as he was called upon to replace the injured Stephan Bonnar to fight Hamill. Without thinking twice, he accepted. MMAWeekly Radio caught up with Boetsch to discuss his feelings about the fight, among other things.
“I'm pumped,” he said. “Training has been going great. Everything has been right on schedule. I think it's gonna be a good fight.”
While many fans would love to see another headfirst throw into the canvas, Boetsch won't promise anything. “If I can, I will,” he laughed. “But I can't make any promises at this point.”
The last time that Boetsch took a fight on short notice, it was only a few days in advance. Fortunately, this fight was given to him two months prior, which was plenty of time for “The Barbarian.”
“Two months for me is plenty of notice. I actually had to take a little time off, because I over trained. I'm right on schedule now.”
Hamill is known for his strong wrestling ability, but Boetsch also considers himself a very good wrestler and sees areas in Hamill's game that he can exploit. “There are definitely some weak points in his game. He always comes forward,” he explained. “If you have good striking ability and good footwork, that's definitely something to take advantage of.”
Boetsch is confident in all aspects of his game, regardless of if he gets taken down or not. “I don't feel I'm that vulnerable, even if he gets the takedown, but I don't think it's going to come down to that.”
The best way for Boetsch to put pressure on his opponent is to make him feel uncomfortable in the cage. “I want to make the guy uncomfortable everywhere. Whether it's pushing the pace of the fight, crowding him, or just doing different techniques that he's not used to seeing to make him uncomfortable.
“Anytime you can get your opponent out of their comfort zone and thinking they're going to tire quicker, they're going to have to think more about what weapons they're going to use or counter strikes they're going to do, that's what my game is,” Boetsch continued. “If I can get in there and push the pace, my cardio is great and I'll go to the later rounds if I have to, and push the whole time.”
There are a lot of high expectations for Tim Boetsch coming into this fight, but he doesn't let himself get pressured. “I just want to go out there and do what I'm capable of doing and let everybody see that this Boetsch guy is for real and wants to hurt people in the Octagon.”
Another impressive victory over a tough, well known opponent would be very helpful to the further progression of Boetsch's career in the UFC.
While he didn't have a specific finish in mind, Boetsch did offer a prediction. “The only thing I can say is that it will not go to the judges' decision. I think they can expect to see more of the same things they have seen. I'm planning on coming out there and finishing this fight. I'll put my best up against his and see who comes out on top.”
by Mitch Gobetz - MMAWeekly.com
Boetsch is looking to extend his winning streak in the Ultimate Fighting Championship to two when he faces Ultimate Fighter season three alumnus Matt Hamill on April 2.
Exploding onto the scene at UFC 81, Boetsch overwhelmingly obliterated David Heath. Having taken the fight on short notice, he wasted no time impressing with an effecting striking display featuring his Muay Thai skills. The Pennsylvania native took Heath by the head and threw him to ground, dazing him before finishing him with strikes.
Since that fight, there has been a solid buzz around Boetsch and building anticipation for his next fight.
Fans won't have to wait long as he was called upon to replace the injured Stephan Bonnar to fight Hamill. Without thinking twice, he accepted. MMAWeekly Radio caught up with Boetsch to discuss his feelings about the fight, among other things.
“I'm pumped,” he said. “Training has been going great. Everything has been right on schedule. I think it's gonna be a good fight.”
While many fans would love to see another headfirst throw into the canvas, Boetsch won't promise anything. “If I can, I will,” he laughed. “But I can't make any promises at this point.”
The last time that Boetsch took a fight on short notice, it was only a few days in advance. Fortunately, this fight was given to him two months prior, which was plenty of time for “The Barbarian.”
“Two months for me is plenty of notice. I actually had to take a little time off, because I over trained. I'm right on schedule now.”
Hamill is known for his strong wrestling ability, but Boetsch also considers himself a very good wrestler and sees areas in Hamill's game that he can exploit. “There are definitely some weak points in his game. He always comes forward,” he explained. “If you have good striking ability and good footwork, that's definitely something to take advantage of.”
Boetsch is confident in all aspects of his game, regardless of if he gets taken down or not. “I don't feel I'm that vulnerable, even if he gets the takedown, but I don't think it's going to come down to that.”
The best way for Boetsch to put pressure on his opponent is to make him feel uncomfortable in the cage. “I want to make the guy uncomfortable everywhere. Whether it's pushing the pace of the fight, crowding him, or just doing different techniques that he's not used to seeing to make him uncomfortable.
“Anytime you can get your opponent out of their comfort zone and thinking they're going to tire quicker, they're going to have to think more about what weapons they're going to use or counter strikes they're going to do, that's what my game is,” Boetsch continued. “If I can get in there and push the pace, my cardio is great and I'll go to the later rounds if I have to, and push the whole time.”
There are a lot of high expectations for Tim Boetsch coming into this fight, but he doesn't let himself get pressured. “I just want to go out there and do what I'm capable of doing and let everybody see that this Boetsch guy is for real and wants to hurt people in the Octagon.”
Another impressive victory over a tough, well known opponent would be very helpful to the further progression of Boetsch's career in the UFC.
While he didn't have a specific finish in mind, Boetsch did offer a prediction. “The only thing I can say is that it will not go to the judges' decision. I think they can expect to see more of the same things they have seen. I'm planning on coming out there and finishing this fight. I'll put my best up against his and see who comes out on top.”
RAMPAGE JACKSON: "I KNOW FORREST GETS KNOCKED OUT AT PRACTICE SOMETIMES"
By Percy Crawford | March 31, 2008
"I did not say Forrest Weakchin and Wanderlei Chump Murderer. I did not say those words, but I said along the lines that Forrest probably does…I know inside stuff that people don't know. I know Forrest gets knocked out at practice sometimes; I know Jardine knocked him out real quick," stated UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson as he clarifies his recent comments regarding Forrest Griffin and Wanderlei Silva. Check out what else he had to say as he shares his disappointment in fans who "nitpick about every lil' damn thing we do." read more
http://www.fighthype.com/pages/content2334.html?PHPSESSID=697f6e00942c0995f5ddb330c8481ca4
By Percy Crawford | March 31, 2008
"I did not say Forrest Weakchin and Wanderlei Chump Murderer. I did not say those words, but I said along the lines that Forrest probably does…I know inside stuff that people don't know. I know Forrest gets knocked out at practice sometimes; I know Jardine knocked him out real quick," stated UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson as he clarifies his recent comments regarding Forrest Griffin and Wanderlei Silva. Check out what else he had to say as he shares his disappointment in fans who "nitpick about every lil' damn thing we do." read more
http://www.fighthype.com/pages/content2334.html?PHPSESSID=697f6e00942c0995f5ddb330c8481ca4
Refocused St. Pierre set for rematch with Serra
By STEVE SIEVERT
For the Chronicle
Maybe Georges St. Pierre was too good.
In a span of three years, the mixed martial arts pride of Canada had taken down some of the best fighters in the game, including champion Matt Hughes, BJ Penn, Sean Sherk and Karo Parisyan. UFC president Dana White labeled the uber-talented St. Pierre the future of the sport.
However, the future was put on hold a year ago in Houston at UFC 69, when Matt Serra stopped St. Pierre by first-round technical knockout. Serra, a 10-1 underdog, pulled off the biggest upset in MMA history, and St. Pierre was back at scratch.
It didn't take long for St. Pierre to refocus, make wholesale changes to his training camp and put together victories over Josh Koscheck and Hughes. With his edge back, St. Pierre goes into the rematch with Serra at UFC 83 in the familiar role as favorite.
"He refocused after that fight (against Serra)," said Greg Jackson, St. Pierre's lead trainer. "I think a little bit went through him when he was that good, that 'I really don't need to train as much, I don't need to do my homework as much, I'm going to kill everybody.' And he had a huge wakeup call."
St. Pierre and Serra headline the UFC's first event in Canada — April 19 at Montreal's Bell Centre
By STEVE SIEVERT
For the Chronicle
Maybe Georges St. Pierre was too good.
In a span of three years, the mixed martial arts pride of Canada had taken down some of the best fighters in the game, including champion Matt Hughes, BJ Penn, Sean Sherk and Karo Parisyan. UFC president Dana White labeled the uber-talented St. Pierre the future of the sport.
However, the future was put on hold a year ago in Houston at UFC 69, when Matt Serra stopped St. Pierre by first-round technical knockout. Serra, a 10-1 underdog, pulled off the biggest upset in MMA history, and St. Pierre was back at scratch.
It didn't take long for St. Pierre to refocus, make wholesale changes to his training camp and put together victories over Josh Koscheck and Hughes. With his edge back, St. Pierre goes into the rematch with Serra at UFC 83 in the familiar role as favorite.
"He refocused after that fight (against Serra)," said Greg Jackson, St. Pierre's lead trainer. "I think a little bit went through him when he was that good, that 'I really don't need to train as much, I don't need to do my homework as much, I'm going to kill everybody.' And he had a huge wakeup call."
St. Pierre and Serra headline the UFC's first event in Canada — April 19 at Montreal's Bell Centre
Monson vs. Russow to headline June 14 Adrenaline MMA debut
PRIDE veteran and former UFC contender Jeff Monson (24-7) will meet established veteran heavyweight Mike Russow (9-1) in the main event of Adrenaline MMA's debut the show.
The event takes place June 14 at the Sears Centre, an 11,000-capacity arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill., just outside Chicago.
Adrenaline MMA, formerly known as M-1 Global, recently changed names after the organization split ways with Fedor Emelianenko. On this past Friday's edition of "Inside MMA," Ceo Monte Cox announced a new direction for the upstart fight promotion, as well as the signings of heavyweights Tim Sylvia and Ben Rothwell.
Cox shared his vision of building an organization from scratch and "to identify exciting fighters, up-and-coming fighters, and give them a chance to perform on a big stage." However, the debut show will have veteran talent.
Monson, 37, had won 16 consecutive fights before earning a title shot with then-UFC heavyweight champion Sylvia back at UFC 65. Monson dropped a unanimous decision and then left the organization. He's 2-1 since then, which includes a unanimous-decision victory over Hakim Goram in his most recent fight.
Russow, a one-time PRIDE fighter based out of Chicago, is riding a five-fight win streak that includes stops in the Xtreme Fighting Organization and the "Yarennoka!" New Year's eve show in Japan. The 31-year-old submission specialist most recently defeated Roman Zentsov (16-12) with a first-round tapout via north-south choke.
PRIDE veteran and former UFC contender Jeff Monson (24-7) will meet established veteran heavyweight Mike Russow (9-1) in the main event of Adrenaline MMA's debut the show.
The event takes place June 14 at the Sears Centre, an 11,000-capacity arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill., just outside Chicago.
Adrenaline MMA, formerly known as M-1 Global, recently changed names after the organization split ways with Fedor Emelianenko. On this past Friday's edition of "Inside MMA," Ceo Monte Cox announced a new direction for the upstart fight promotion, as well as the signings of heavyweights Tim Sylvia and Ben Rothwell.
Cox shared his vision of building an organization from scratch and "to identify exciting fighters, up-and-coming fighters, and give them a chance to perform on a big stage." However, the debut show will have veteran talent.
Monson, 37, had won 16 consecutive fights before earning a title shot with then-UFC heavyweight champion Sylvia back at UFC 65. Monson dropped a unanimous decision and then left the organization. He's 2-1 since then, which includes a unanimous-decision victory over Hakim Goram in his most recent fight.
Russow, a one-time PRIDE fighter based out of Chicago, is riding a five-fight win streak that includes stops in the Xtreme Fighting Organization and the "Yarennoka!" New Year's eve show in Japan. The 31-year-old submission specialist most recently defeated Roman Zentsov (16-12) with a first-round tapout via north-south choke.
Houston Alexander Reader Q&A
MMAjunkie.com's Eric "Performify" Foster recently sat down with UFC fighter Houston Alexander and his coach, former Muay Thai world champion Mick Doyle, to discuss Alexander's preparation and focus for his upcoming fight against James Irvin at UFC Fight Night 13.
We also brought along some of our fellow MMA junkies, in the form of reader questions submitted through the MMAjunkie.com MMA Forums.
Read on for Alexander's take on what went wrong in his last fight, his thoughts on facing Irvin, and whether or not he's interested in dropping to fight at 185 pounds.
MMAjunkie.com: Start us off with your take on James Irvin as an opponent.
Houston Alexander: He's a really athletic guy. Before he got hurt in his last fight, he had good leg strikes, great strength, looks like a good wrestling background, a solid guy.
Mick Doyle: And he's very good looking. <laughs> My feeling about any guy with a UFC contract is the same: they're all dangerous. On any given night, any guy can win.
MMAjunkie.com: What are you focusing on in your training for this fight? How much extra time are you spending on the ground game? (from reader "warwand")
Mick Doyle: Houston hasn't missed a day of training since the Thiago (Silva) fight. We spent a lot more time with Bob Schirmer, working with his jiu-jitsu team. We also had other jiu-jitsu guys come in to the gym, local guys... Certainly, you know, Bob is a huge help. His team just won the (North American Grappling Association competitions) again. And we're headed out to train with Bob again before the fight.
MMAjunkie.com: Houston from your perspective, have you changed anything with this camp compared to the past?
Houston Alexander: Nothing has changed, just more reps -- a lot more than what we were doing. Things we were already doing -- just a lot more reps.
MMAjunkie.com: Have you guys given any thought to what you want to do after the Irvin fight? (from reader "DougDrex")
Houston Alexander: Just completely focused on this fight. When they say one game at a time, here it's just one fight at a time. We don't want to make a mistake like we did last fight.
MMAjunkie.com: OK, speaking of "last time." We spoke briefly after your loss at UFC 78 (see: "Houston Alexander Back in Gym After UFC 78 Loss") and Mick said that your "head wasn't in it." Can you expand on why you feel your focus was off in the last fight?
Houston Alexander: You know a lot of the media attention helped, when you're doing 50 interviews in a month, it kind of took away some of the intensity I should have had. So we've turned away from a lot of the media stuff and just focused on the fight. If I'm not winning the fight, the rest of the guys don't give a s***. No one cares if a guy loses and continues to lose; no one is going to cover me. So we have to focus on winning. Is that a fact or not?
MMAjunkie.com: That's definitely a fact.
Houston Alexander: That is definitely a fact. No one would have cared if I'd lost against (Keith) Jardine. But those fights are over. Now it's time to start fresh, and start over in 2008, and start off on a good note, and continue to win.
MMAjunkie.com: Continuing on the topic of Thiago Silva, there was a bit of controversy after your recent interview with Kevin Iole on MMAjunkie.com's content partner site Yahoo! Sports, people thinking you were calling out the New Jersey State Athletic Commission. Anything else you want to say on the topic?
Mick Doyle: We are not making an excuse for Thiago Silva beating Houston. That's a fact. That happened. (In the interview at Yahoo! Sports) Kevin (Iole) asked me a question, what things we experienced that were different. I told him that I didn't think that Houston's head was in (the fight). He asked what was different, and I told him one, certainly the amount of media attention from the first two fights was different, and Houston didn't get yanked out of the dressing room an hour before the fight by commission people to be explained the dangers of MMA... That's all I said. I'm not blaming the commission. I think they could have handled it differently. But it's done. It doesn't take away the fact that Houston lost, or that Thiago was better on the night, anything like that. I just want to make it clear: I'm not making an excuse. In a perfect world, that should have been handled differently. Did it affect the fight? I don't know. I was asked, as a coach, what may or may not have affected my guy. It's purely my opinion only.
MMAjunkie.com: Please talk to us specifically about what you're doing training jiu jitsu under Bob Schirmer. Are you working primarily takedown defense. Are you working from your back? (from reader "NineOne1")
Houston Alexander: We were working on all that before the last fight. Nothing's changed. We're working on all of it. That's what the people need to know. We've been working on it. We'll continue to work on it all.
MMAjunkie.com: The elevation in Colorado is of course a big factor in fights out there. Have you done anything special to prepare? (from reader "DumbOut")
Mick Doyle: Oh, yeah. One of our sponsors for this fight is Colorado Altitude Training. They have given us an altitude training tent that he's been sleeping in for about three weeks, and then there's a running mask that we use hooked up to the machine. He puts that on while on the treadmill to mimic running at altitude. We're doing that plus we'll be in Colorado a week before the fight training at Grappler's Edge, Sheldon Marr's gym. I know. I've fought in Denver. It's a bitch if you're not ready for it. We're just making sure that we leave nothing to chance.
Houston Alexander: I'm sleeping in it now at Denver's altitude, at 5280 feet. It took a while to get used to the machine, but I feel like I'm golden now. It definitely did its job. With the experience Mick has, that's the first thing he spoke about -- not Irvin's fighting style, but the altitude. Just having that knowledge and having that sponsor really helped us out.
MMAjunkie.com: We talked last time that Quinton Jackson's camp had invited you to come out and train, and we speculated that was maybe so they could get a good look at you. Has anyone else invited you to train? (from reader "BTay")
Mick Doyle: You know, I really don't want to train in a camp against a guy we could end up fighting. Over the years we've become pretty good friends with Marco Alvan of Team Link, Gabriel Gonzaga's coach. And he used to coach Thiago (Silva). After that fight, we talked about going up there and me helping him with some of his guy's Muay Thai, and while we're up there letting him work with Houston on BJJ. I think there's a big network of coaches. We all kind of know each other, but I just don't think it’s a good idea for guys who are potentially fighting each other to be training alongside each other, so if I can avoid that, I will.
MMAjunkie.com: Houston, we talked about this in our last interview, but you're still walking around not much heavier than 205 pounds. Is that right?
Houston Alexander: That's right. About 210 right now. That's about right.
MMAjunkie.com: Have you guys given any thought to trying to fight at 185, or is that way too much weight to cut? (from reader "B_roc")
Houston Alexander: I'm not thinking about 185 right now. I'm worried about 205. I'm thinking about what I can do in that 205-pound division and eventually about that championship. I'm naturally a 205. I possibly could go down a little bit more, but I'd rather stay at 205 because that's my natural weight.
MMAjunkie.com: We'd last read that you guys had signed a new three-fight deal after defeating Keith Jardine. Are you still on that same contract?
Mick Doyle: He's actually got two fights left on his current contract.
MMAjunkie.com: How is the MMA scene in Nebraska, and are there any other fighters from Nebraska we should look out for? (from reader "woooburn")
Houston Alexander: The scene has actually picked up over the last two or three years. There's a fighter we're working with now, Alonzo Martinez. He's a good up and comer at 155 pounds. A guy, Roberts, what's his name?
Mick Doyle: The guy filling in for the Aurellio fight.
MMAjunkie.com: Ryan Roberts?
Houston Alexander: Yeah, he was just here, rolling with us just now. You've got a lot of guys coming out of this area now -- a lot of guys picking up the pace.
Mick Doyle: There's a heavyweight who's been coming up from Kansas City to train with us, Dan Gilmore. We've been working with him quite a bit. I think in about six months he's going to make a damn good pro. He makes the trip up here from your neck of the woods once or twice a week.
Mick Doyle: It's been nice because we've been able to bring in guys who have kind of a different look, a different height, a different weight, a different speed, to be able to spar. When we need something in particular, we just go get it and bring it in.
MMAjunkie.com: You guys being based out of Omaha, is it difficult finding training partners there, or have you been able to find everything you need? (from reader "BTay")
Mick Doyle: We've can find everything we need. For me, the problem is trying to get them to come back.
MMAjunkie.com: Houston is too rough on them?
Houston Alexander: I'm not too mean to them, but the workout is something they have to endure. I don't know if the people who come to the gym realize it's that serious.
MMAjunkie.com: What do you do to relax, rest up, and chill out when you're not working at being a father, fighter or DJ? (from reader "squib")
Houston Alexander: Sleep. Sleep is my very best friend. Just resting the body man. After doing so much mentally and physically each day, you've got to get your eight hours in. So I'm in bed by 9:00, 9:30.
MMAjunkie.com: We know you're a really passionate family man. What do you feel is the most important lesson a father can teach his kids? (from reader "Pokerwolf")
Houston Alexander: To be responsible. I tell my kids that all the time: be responsible for your actions. Be responsible in life. Just think about it. Anything you do you have to be responsible. You're responsible for all the readers you have on your website. Mick's responsible for everyone in his gym. I'm responsible for my family. To me, that's the most important thing in life, to be responsible.
MMAjunkie.com: What's your favorite of your tattoos (if any), and who did your ink? (from reader "Squib")
Houston Alexander: My favorite one is the one with the first initial of all my kids' names on my wrist. Big Brain, Little Bro's, and Granite. Those are the three people I've worked with over the years.
MMAjunkie.com: We know you're a DJ and you're passionate about music. A reader asks if you could use any song for your entrance music, what would you use? (from reader "Ray_Jackson")
Houston Alexander: Right now: Welcome to the Jungle, Guns and Roses. I love that song. It's a pretty good build up song from the beginning to the end.
MMAjunkie.com: Continuing on the music theme, the same reader asked if you could you give us a short list of some of your favorite groups or MCs all time. (from reader "Ray_Jackson)
Houston Alexander: Run DMC of course has to be up there, one of the best groups coming out of the era. Tupac is going to be one of them; he touched everyone emotionally. NWA, they actually changed the game overnight. They changed the whole outcome of hip-hop overnight. Rakim, another artist that changed everything overnight. And KRS-one. All those guys changed hip-hop overnight.
MMAjunkie.com: Where do you rank the Wu-Tang Clan?
Houston Alexander: Definitely up there. They were like a late NWA, the east-coast version of NWA. Think about it. (They had) all the different personalities... all the different styles.
MMAjunkie.com: If we were to grab your iPod while you were training and shuffle off a few tunes, what would we hear?
Houston Alexander: A lot of instrumentals, actually. A lot of the rap music that's coming out now I don't like, so I listen to a lot of the instrumentals. A lot of the music being played right now doesn't have the significance it had back then.
Mick Doyle: I have him listen to a lot of Irish music. Really screws his head up. <laughs>
MMAjunkie.com: What type of training should a person who has no experience in MMA begin with? (from reader "Pokerwolf")
Mick Doyle: I would say probably Muay Thai. The reason I say Muay Thai is because it's probably the most difficult to learn, but if you understand the basics of footwork and position, how to hit, how to set up hits, for the MMA game, the conditioning of Muay Thai is going to help MMA. The positioning will help your wrestling. The leg strength will help your wrestling and your guard game. I think there are things that boxers can get away with, like bobbing and weaving real low, that you can't do with a MMA game. I think Muay Thai gives you better fundamentals. You'll make less mistakes, then you add the jiu-jitsu and wrestling in to that, and you have a good foundation. Plus, Muay Thai will get you out of a pinch in a hurry, you know?
MMAjunkie.com: With you having the big win over Keith Jardine, he's got the big fight coming up with Wanderlei Silva. What's your take on that fight? (from reader "Bushswinger")
Houston Alexander: Should be an interesting fight. I think Wanderlei is going to want to get inside, and Keith's not going to try to give him the opportunity to do that. If Keith can do the same thing he did against Liddell, he's got a great chance. That's a tough call. Both of those guys have a puncher's chance. It should be an interesting fight.
MMAjunkie.com: I know you never want to talk too much about specific strategy or specific gameplan, but can you comment on what we should expect to see from you guys this fight? Are we going to see anything different? (from reader "Riley")
Mick Doyle: Expect to see gogoplatas and flying armbars.
MMAjunkie.com: <laughs>
Mick Doyle: No, it's just back to doing our thing.
Houston Alexander: Back to basics, buddy. Come out and smash his face.
MMAjunkie.com's Eric "Performify" Foster recently sat down with UFC fighter Houston Alexander and his coach, former Muay Thai world champion Mick Doyle, to discuss Alexander's preparation and focus for his upcoming fight against James Irvin at UFC Fight Night 13.
We also brought along some of our fellow MMA junkies, in the form of reader questions submitted through the MMAjunkie.com MMA Forums.
Read on for Alexander's take on what went wrong in his last fight, his thoughts on facing Irvin, and whether or not he's interested in dropping to fight at 185 pounds.
MMAjunkie.com: Start us off with your take on James Irvin as an opponent.
Houston Alexander: He's a really athletic guy. Before he got hurt in his last fight, he had good leg strikes, great strength, looks like a good wrestling background, a solid guy.
Mick Doyle: And he's very good looking. <laughs> My feeling about any guy with a UFC contract is the same: they're all dangerous. On any given night, any guy can win.
MMAjunkie.com: What are you focusing on in your training for this fight? How much extra time are you spending on the ground game? (from reader "warwand")
Mick Doyle: Houston hasn't missed a day of training since the Thiago (Silva) fight. We spent a lot more time with Bob Schirmer, working with his jiu-jitsu team. We also had other jiu-jitsu guys come in to the gym, local guys... Certainly, you know, Bob is a huge help. His team just won the (North American Grappling Association competitions) again. And we're headed out to train with Bob again before the fight.
MMAjunkie.com: Houston from your perspective, have you changed anything with this camp compared to the past?
Houston Alexander: Nothing has changed, just more reps -- a lot more than what we were doing. Things we were already doing -- just a lot more reps.
MMAjunkie.com: Have you guys given any thought to what you want to do after the Irvin fight? (from reader "DougDrex")
Houston Alexander: Just completely focused on this fight. When they say one game at a time, here it's just one fight at a time. We don't want to make a mistake like we did last fight.
MMAjunkie.com: OK, speaking of "last time." We spoke briefly after your loss at UFC 78 (see: "Houston Alexander Back in Gym After UFC 78 Loss") and Mick said that your "head wasn't in it." Can you expand on why you feel your focus was off in the last fight?
Houston Alexander: You know a lot of the media attention helped, when you're doing 50 interviews in a month, it kind of took away some of the intensity I should have had. So we've turned away from a lot of the media stuff and just focused on the fight. If I'm not winning the fight, the rest of the guys don't give a s***. No one cares if a guy loses and continues to lose; no one is going to cover me. So we have to focus on winning. Is that a fact or not?
MMAjunkie.com: That's definitely a fact.
Houston Alexander: That is definitely a fact. No one would have cared if I'd lost against (Keith) Jardine. But those fights are over. Now it's time to start fresh, and start over in 2008, and start off on a good note, and continue to win.
MMAjunkie.com: Continuing on the topic of Thiago Silva, there was a bit of controversy after your recent interview with Kevin Iole on MMAjunkie.com's content partner site Yahoo! Sports, people thinking you were calling out the New Jersey State Athletic Commission. Anything else you want to say on the topic?
Mick Doyle: We are not making an excuse for Thiago Silva beating Houston. That's a fact. That happened. (In the interview at Yahoo! Sports) Kevin (Iole) asked me a question, what things we experienced that were different. I told him that I didn't think that Houston's head was in (the fight). He asked what was different, and I told him one, certainly the amount of media attention from the first two fights was different, and Houston didn't get yanked out of the dressing room an hour before the fight by commission people to be explained the dangers of MMA... That's all I said. I'm not blaming the commission. I think they could have handled it differently. But it's done. It doesn't take away the fact that Houston lost, or that Thiago was better on the night, anything like that. I just want to make it clear: I'm not making an excuse. In a perfect world, that should have been handled differently. Did it affect the fight? I don't know. I was asked, as a coach, what may or may not have affected my guy. It's purely my opinion only.
MMAjunkie.com: Please talk to us specifically about what you're doing training jiu jitsu under Bob Schirmer. Are you working primarily takedown defense. Are you working from your back? (from reader "NineOne1")
Houston Alexander: We were working on all that before the last fight. Nothing's changed. We're working on all of it. That's what the people need to know. We've been working on it. We'll continue to work on it all.
MMAjunkie.com: The elevation in Colorado is of course a big factor in fights out there. Have you done anything special to prepare? (from reader "DumbOut")
Mick Doyle: Oh, yeah. One of our sponsors for this fight is Colorado Altitude Training. They have given us an altitude training tent that he's been sleeping in for about three weeks, and then there's a running mask that we use hooked up to the machine. He puts that on while on the treadmill to mimic running at altitude. We're doing that plus we'll be in Colorado a week before the fight training at Grappler's Edge, Sheldon Marr's gym. I know. I've fought in Denver. It's a bitch if you're not ready for it. We're just making sure that we leave nothing to chance.
Houston Alexander: I'm sleeping in it now at Denver's altitude, at 5280 feet. It took a while to get used to the machine, but I feel like I'm golden now. It definitely did its job. With the experience Mick has, that's the first thing he spoke about -- not Irvin's fighting style, but the altitude. Just having that knowledge and having that sponsor really helped us out.
MMAjunkie.com: We talked last time that Quinton Jackson's camp had invited you to come out and train, and we speculated that was maybe so they could get a good look at you. Has anyone else invited you to train? (from reader "BTay")
Mick Doyle: You know, I really don't want to train in a camp against a guy we could end up fighting. Over the years we've become pretty good friends with Marco Alvan of Team Link, Gabriel Gonzaga's coach. And he used to coach Thiago (Silva). After that fight, we talked about going up there and me helping him with some of his guy's Muay Thai, and while we're up there letting him work with Houston on BJJ. I think there's a big network of coaches. We all kind of know each other, but I just don't think it’s a good idea for guys who are potentially fighting each other to be training alongside each other, so if I can avoid that, I will.
MMAjunkie.com: Houston, we talked about this in our last interview, but you're still walking around not much heavier than 205 pounds. Is that right?
Houston Alexander: That's right. About 210 right now. That's about right.
MMAjunkie.com: Have you guys given any thought to trying to fight at 185, or is that way too much weight to cut? (from reader "B_roc")
Houston Alexander: I'm not thinking about 185 right now. I'm worried about 205. I'm thinking about what I can do in that 205-pound division and eventually about that championship. I'm naturally a 205. I possibly could go down a little bit more, but I'd rather stay at 205 because that's my natural weight.
MMAjunkie.com: We'd last read that you guys had signed a new three-fight deal after defeating Keith Jardine. Are you still on that same contract?
Mick Doyle: He's actually got two fights left on his current contract.
MMAjunkie.com: How is the MMA scene in Nebraska, and are there any other fighters from Nebraska we should look out for? (from reader "woooburn")
Houston Alexander: The scene has actually picked up over the last two or three years. There's a fighter we're working with now, Alonzo Martinez. He's a good up and comer at 155 pounds. A guy, Roberts, what's his name?
Mick Doyle: The guy filling in for the Aurellio fight.
MMAjunkie.com: Ryan Roberts?
Houston Alexander: Yeah, he was just here, rolling with us just now. You've got a lot of guys coming out of this area now -- a lot of guys picking up the pace.
Mick Doyle: There's a heavyweight who's been coming up from Kansas City to train with us, Dan Gilmore. We've been working with him quite a bit. I think in about six months he's going to make a damn good pro. He makes the trip up here from your neck of the woods once or twice a week.
Mick Doyle: It's been nice because we've been able to bring in guys who have kind of a different look, a different height, a different weight, a different speed, to be able to spar. When we need something in particular, we just go get it and bring it in.
MMAjunkie.com: You guys being based out of Omaha, is it difficult finding training partners there, or have you been able to find everything you need? (from reader "BTay")
Mick Doyle: We've can find everything we need. For me, the problem is trying to get them to come back.
MMAjunkie.com: Houston is too rough on them?
Houston Alexander: I'm not too mean to them, but the workout is something they have to endure. I don't know if the people who come to the gym realize it's that serious.
MMAjunkie.com: What do you do to relax, rest up, and chill out when you're not working at being a father, fighter or DJ? (from reader "squib")
Houston Alexander: Sleep. Sleep is my very best friend. Just resting the body man. After doing so much mentally and physically each day, you've got to get your eight hours in. So I'm in bed by 9:00, 9:30.
MMAjunkie.com: We know you're a really passionate family man. What do you feel is the most important lesson a father can teach his kids? (from reader "Pokerwolf")
Houston Alexander: To be responsible. I tell my kids that all the time: be responsible for your actions. Be responsible in life. Just think about it. Anything you do you have to be responsible. You're responsible for all the readers you have on your website. Mick's responsible for everyone in his gym. I'm responsible for my family. To me, that's the most important thing in life, to be responsible.
MMAjunkie.com: What's your favorite of your tattoos (if any), and who did your ink? (from reader "Squib")
Houston Alexander: My favorite one is the one with the first initial of all my kids' names on my wrist. Big Brain, Little Bro's, and Granite. Those are the three people I've worked with over the years.
MMAjunkie.com: We know you're a DJ and you're passionate about music. A reader asks if you could use any song for your entrance music, what would you use? (from reader "Ray_Jackson")
Houston Alexander: Right now: Welcome to the Jungle, Guns and Roses. I love that song. It's a pretty good build up song from the beginning to the end.
MMAjunkie.com: Continuing on the music theme, the same reader asked if you could you give us a short list of some of your favorite groups or MCs all time. (from reader "Ray_Jackson)
Houston Alexander: Run DMC of course has to be up there, one of the best groups coming out of the era. Tupac is going to be one of them; he touched everyone emotionally. NWA, they actually changed the game overnight. They changed the whole outcome of hip-hop overnight. Rakim, another artist that changed everything overnight. And KRS-one. All those guys changed hip-hop overnight.
MMAjunkie.com: Where do you rank the Wu-Tang Clan?
Houston Alexander: Definitely up there. They were like a late NWA, the east-coast version of NWA. Think about it. (They had) all the different personalities... all the different styles.
MMAjunkie.com: If we were to grab your iPod while you were training and shuffle off a few tunes, what would we hear?
Houston Alexander: A lot of instrumentals, actually. A lot of the rap music that's coming out now I don't like, so I listen to a lot of the instrumentals. A lot of the music being played right now doesn't have the significance it had back then.
Mick Doyle: I have him listen to a lot of Irish music. Really screws his head up. <laughs>
MMAjunkie.com: What type of training should a person who has no experience in MMA begin with? (from reader "Pokerwolf")
Mick Doyle: I would say probably Muay Thai. The reason I say Muay Thai is because it's probably the most difficult to learn, but if you understand the basics of footwork and position, how to hit, how to set up hits, for the MMA game, the conditioning of Muay Thai is going to help MMA. The positioning will help your wrestling. The leg strength will help your wrestling and your guard game. I think there are things that boxers can get away with, like bobbing and weaving real low, that you can't do with a MMA game. I think Muay Thai gives you better fundamentals. You'll make less mistakes, then you add the jiu-jitsu and wrestling in to that, and you have a good foundation. Plus, Muay Thai will get you out of a pinch in a hurry, you know?
MMAjunkie.com: With you having the big win over Keith Jardine, he's got the big fight coming up with Wanderlei Silva. What's your take on that fight? (from reader "Bushswinger")
Houston Alexander: Should be an interesting fight. I think Wanderlei is going to want to get inside, and Keith's not going to try to give him the opportunity to do that. If Keith can do the same thing he did against Liddell, he's got a great chance. That's a tough call. Both of those guys have a puncher's chance. It should be an interesting fight.
MMAjunkie.com: I know you never want to talk too much about specific strategy or specific gameplan, but can you comment on what we should expect to see from you guys this fight? Are we going to see anything different? (from reader "Riley")
Mick Doyle: Expect to see gogoplatas and flying armbars.
MMAjunkie.com: <laughs>
Mick Doyle: No, it's just back to doing our thing.
Houston Alexander: Back to basics, buddy. Come out and smash his face.
Dr. Johnny Benjamin talks MMA safety -- An MMAjunkie.com Interview
As the sport of MMA continues its remarkable growth in the U.S. and throughout the world, physicians such as Dr. Johnny Benjamin are continually working to assure it remains as safe as possible.
While much of the general public still considers the sport violent and barbaric, Dr. Benjamin says the opposite is true. And he's on a mission to spread the word, even appearing on a recent edition of HDNet's "Inside MMA" program.
Dr. Benjamin is an experienced combat sports specialist who's worked with both MMA fighters and boxers. In fact, his list of boxing clients includes three-time light-heavyweight world champion Antonio Tarver, three-time junior welterweight and welterweight world champion Arturo Gotti, and former welterweight world champion Vernon Forrest.
MMAjunkie.com's David Andrest had a chance to speak with Dr. Benjamin about a number of issues related to safety in MMA ranging from blows to the back of the head and spine to performance-enhancing drugs.
MMAjunkie.com: What are the most common injuries you come across with combat-sports athletes?
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: The most common injuries are usually sprains and strains. These athletes train very hard -- way harder than most people will ever realize.
MMAjunkie.com: Controversial blows to the back of the head and neck have played a big part in at least three higher profile fights lately. What are your thoughts on these types of strikes, and what are the potential problems for the fighters?
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: They're terrible. The fighter cannot intelligently defend this area. The back of the head and neck are too exposed and contain very valuable structure. That, combined with a highly trained athlete striking this area, it's the perfect storm. As a fan, I understand people want to see the fights continue. I'm a fight fan and I love the blood, but (blood) doesn't cause permanent life-changing damage to a fighter.
MMAjunkie.com: Did you see the recent Thomas Denny-Malapait ShoXC fight?
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: Yeah, and I was just sitting next to the guy on "Inside MMA." He was owning Malaipet, and then he took the three elbows to the back of the head. As a fan I wanted to see him continue. As a physician, it was right for it to stop.
MMAjunkie.com: Is it possible for a fighter to take blows to the back of the head and neck and not realize they have suffered a serious injury?
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: Absolutely. They are in the heat of battle. The adrenaline is pumping. They could also have a minor injury and not be aware of it, and one more strike or an accident, and it becomes a major injury. MMA is very quick.
MMAjunkie.com: What are some of the things you think MMA can do to improve fighter safety?
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: The No. 1 thing that can be done is for organizations to have properly trained physicians at ringside -- physicians who are familiar with combat-sport-related injuries. I have seen cards where this is not the case. Also, I think licensed fighters should all undergo neurocognitive testing.
MMAjunkie.com: What is neurocognitive testing? How would that help with safety?
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: Neurocognitive testing helps measure the effects of concussions, giving us the ability to understand them better. I would like to see everyone tested once per year so there would be a baseline result for each fighter. If the fighter competes and is knocked out or has received a concussion, he would be tested again and not allowed to fight until he tests normal.
MMAjunkie.com: Most state athletic commissions issue medical suspensions. Are they long enough? Is the recovery time the same for most fighters?
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: No. It is different for each fighter. The cool-off period from the athletic commissions is a good start, but the fighters should be tested again to make sure they have fully recovered before they fight again.
MMAjunkie.com: So the results after recovery from a KO or concussion should match the baseline result you established in the initial testing for each fighter?
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: Yes. After recovery, they will return to the baseline result. The test itself is only about 15-20 minutes long and very straightforward.
MMAjunkie.com: Concussions from strikes to the head seem to be part of combat sports. What can be done to reduce them if anything?
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: Better mouth guards.
MMAjunkie.com: By better do you mean better materials?
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: No. Fighters need a better mouth guard that positions the jaw properly. Most mouth guards do not do this. www.mahercorlabs.com has done research and makes a mouth guard that aligns the athlete's jaw the way it should be so the effect of a blow to the jaw is reduced.
MMAjunkie.com: What are your thoughts in regards to performance-enhancing drugs in the sport? You briefly touched on this as another way to make things safer when you appeared on "Inside MMA."
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: I think the organizations need to really get serious about steroid testing. Taking someone's bonus away isn't really serious when you consider the downside. If you are a professional boxer and you are caught, not only do you get suspended, you don't get paid at all.
MMAjunkie.com: Could they test better or differently?
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: They could take random blood tests. Show up at the gym and test the fighters. There would be a great chance that this would help the situation.
MMAjunkie.com: To many people who read this, that might seem a little excessive or intrusive.
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: The organizations need to step in and get on top of this issue. The Mitchell Report shows us that the federal government has no problem getting involved in private business. This is an issue that organizations need to step up and take care of themselves, or someone else is going to step in and do it for them. John McCain is running for President. He is a man that views MMA as human cockfighting. It would be best for the sport to be proactive and handle it themselves.
MMAjunkie.com: We often hear fighters who test positive say that they were recovering from an injury. How should that be viewed?
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: Anabolic steroids are not prescribed as a legitimate therapy for injuries, but many athletes use anabolic steroids and (human-growth hormone) for those purposes.
MMAjunkie.com: You have said that you were not a fan of the Fedor Emelianenko vs. Hong Man Choi fight due to Choi's lack of experience. Did you consider that a saftey issue as well?
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: Choi was 1-0 when he entered that fight. He had no business fighting Fedor with his experience. It was almost criminal. Matchmakers need to match fighters of simliar experience or skill. There need to be levels.
MMAjunkie.com: I know your first concern is always fighter safety. Is there anything else that you would like to see?
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: Smaller fights could use better regulation. Instead of putting a new fighter in a fight that has rounds that are five minutes long, have them fight three two-minute rounds. Also, I think the tournament style of fighting is bad. They shouldn't be fighing more than once a night.
MMAjunkie.com: I know you are also a huge fan of the sport. Which fighters do most enjoy watching?
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: Josh Barnett. Why does Josh Barnett get so little love? He is great and can get out of any situation. I also love to watch Urijah Faber. He is a great fighter as well.
MMAjunkie.com: Being as familiar with both MMA and boxing, what is your opinion of the potential fight between Roy Jones Jr. and Anderson Silva.
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: I think it would make a lot of money. <laughs> But it would be a very short fight.
MMAjunkie.com: Who would you pick to win?
As the sport of MMA continues its remarkable growth in the U.S. and throughout the world, physicians such as Dr. Johnny Benjamin are continually working to assure it remains as safe as possible.
While much of the general public still considers the sport violent and barbaric, Dr. Benjamin says the opposite is true. And he's on a mission to spread the word, even appearing on a recent edition of HDNet's "Inside MMA" program.
Dr. Benjamin is an experienced combat sports specialist who's worked with both MMA fighters and boxers. In fact, his list of boxing clients includes three-time light-heavyweight world champion Antonio Tarver, three-time junior welterweight and welterweight world champion Arturo Gotti, and former welterweight world champion Vernon Forrest.
MMAjunkie.com's David Andrest had a chance to speak with Dr. Benjamin about a number of issues related to safety in MMA ranging from blows to the back of the head and spine to performance-enhancing drugs.
MMAjunkie.com: What are the most common injuries you come across with combat-sports athletes?
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: The most common injuries are usually sprains and strains. These athletes train very hard -- way harder than most people will ever realize.
MMAjunkie.com: Controversial blows to the back of the head and neck have played a big part in at least three higher profile fights lately. What are your thoughts on these types of strikes, and what are the potential problems for the fighters?
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: They're terrible. The fighter cannot intelligently defend this area. The back of the head and neck are too exposed and contain very valuable structure. That, combined with a highly trained athlete striking this area, it's the perfect storm. As a fan, I understand people want to see the fights continue. I'm a fight fan and I love the blood, but (blood) doesn't cause permanent life-changing damage to a fighter.
MMAjunkie.com: Did you see the recent Thomas Denny-Malapait ShoXC fight?
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: Yeah, and I was just sitting next to the guy on "Inside MMA." He was owning Malaipet, and then he took the three elbows to the back of the head. As a fan I wanted to see him continue. As a physician, it was right for it to stop.
MMAjunkie.com: Is it possible for a fighter to take blows to the back of the head and neck and not realize they have suffered a serious injury?
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: Absolutely. They are in the heat of battle. The adrenaline is pumping. They could also have a minor injury and not be aware of it, and one more strike or an accident, and it becomes a major injury. MMA is very quick.
MMAjunkie.com: What are some of the things you think MMA can do to improve fighter safety?
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: The No. 1 thing that can be done is for organizations to have properly trained physicians at ringside -- physicians who are familiar with combat-sport-related injuries. I have seen cards where this is not the case. Also, I think licensed fighters should all undergo neurocognitive testing.
MMAjunkie.com: What is neurocognitive testing? How would that help with safety?
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: Neurocognitive testing helps measure the effects of concussions, giving us the ability to understand them better. I would like to see everyone tested once per year so there would be a baseline result for each fighter. If the fighter competes and is knocked out or has received a concussion, he would be tested again and not allowed to fight until he tests normal.
MMAjunkie.com: Most state athletic commissions issue medical suspensions. Are they long enough? Is the recovery time the same for most fighters?
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: No. It is different for each fighter. The cool-off period from the athletic commissions is a good start, but the fighters should be tested again to make sure they have fully recovered before they fight again.
MMAjunkie.com: So the results after recovery from a KO or concussion should match the baseline result you established in the initial testing for each fighter?
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: Yes. After recovery, they will return to the baseline result. The test itself is only about 15-20 minutes long and very straightforward.
MMAjunkie.com: Concussions from strikes to the head seem to be part of combat sports. What can be done to reduce them if anything?
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: Better mouth guards.
MMAjunkie.com: By better do you mean better materials?
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: No. Fighters need a better mouth guard that positions the jaw properly. Most mouth guards do not do this. www.mahercorlabs.com has done research and makes a mouth guard that aligns the athlete's jaw the way it should be so the effect of a blow to the jaw is reduced.
MMAjunkie.com: What are your thoughts in regards to performance-enhancing drugs in the sport? You briefly touched on this as another way to make things safer when you appeared on "Inside MMA."
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: I think the organizations need to really get serious about steroid testing. Taking someone's bonus away isn't really serious when you consider the downside. If you are a professional boxer and you are caught, not only do you get suspended, you don't get paid at all.
MMAjunkie.com: Could they test better or differently?
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: They could take random blood tests. Show up at the gym and test the fighters. There would be a great chance that this would help the situation.
MMAjunkie.com: To many people who read this, that might seem a little excessive or intrusive.
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: The organizations need to step in and get on top of this issue. The Mitchell Report shows us that the federal government has no problem getting involved in private business. This is an issue that organizations need to step up and take care of themselves, or someone else is going to step in and do it for them. John McCain is running for President. He is a man that views MMA as human cockfighting. It would be best for the sport to be proactive and handle it themselves.
MMAjunkie.com: We often hear fighters who test positive say that they were recovering from an injury. How should that be viewed?
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: Anabolic steroids are not prescribed as a legitimate therapy for injuries, but many athletes use anabolic steroids and (human-growth hormone) for those purposes.
MMAjunkie.com: You have said that you were not a fan of the Fedor Emelianenko vs. Hong Man Choi fight due to Choi's lack of experience. Did you consider that a saftey issue as well?
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: Choi was 1-0 when he entered that fight. He had no business fighting Fedor with his experience. It was almost criminal. Matchmakers need to match fighters of simliar experience or skill. There need to be levels.
MMAjunkie.com: I know your first concern is always fighter safety. Is there anything else that you would like to see?
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: Smaller fights could use better regulation. Instead of putting a new fighter in a fight that has rounds that are five minutes long, have them fight three two-minute rounds. Also, I think the tournament style of fighting is bad. They shouldn't be fighing more than once a night.
MMAjunkie.com: I know you are also a huge fan of the sport. Which fighters do most enjoy watching?
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: Josh Barnett. Why does Josh Barnett get so little love? He is great and can get out of any situation. I also love to watch Urijah Faber. He is a great fighter as well.
MMAjunkie.com: Being as familiar with both MMA and boxing, what is your opinion of the potential fight between Roy Jones Jr. and Anderson Silva.
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: I think it would make a lot of money. <laughs> But it would be a very short fight.
MMAjunkie.com: Who would you pick to win?
GRAY MAYNARD LOOKING TO WRONG "THE ANSWER"
Gray Maynard may be the next star in the lightweight division. He has above average wrestling, good strikes and solid submission defense.
On season five of The Ultimate Fighter, Maynard fought his way to the semi-finals where he succumbed to a guillotine choke by Nate Diaz.
After that fight, he was pitted against fellow Ultimate Fighter contestant Rob Emerson. Maynard was doing very well in the fight. In the second round, he picked up Emerson for a slam and knocked himself unconscious as Emerson tapped after suffering a rib injury. The bout was ruled a no contest and subsequently was considered one of the most unusual fights in mixed martial arts history.
After that fight, Maynard knocked out Joe Veras in only nine seconds of the very first round. And in January, he defeated Dennis Siver by unanimous decision.
Maynard will have his toughest test, by far, in his career when he takes on Frankie “The Answer” Edgar on April 2 at UFC Fight Night in Colorado. Edgar is 8-0 and has defeated the likes of Tyson Griffin, Mark Bocek and Spencer Fisher.
MMAWeekly Radio recently spoke to Maynard about his upcoming fight. “Oh man, I think it's gonna be a great fight,” he exclaimed. “I had a great camp and I can't wait to get in there.”
Edgar is known for his fantastic wrestling ability, but Maynard is an excellent wrestler as well. The Las Vegas native believes he can take Edgar out of his game and control his opponent's wrestling ability. “I'm gonna sprawl, of course. I'm gonna beat him up.”
Las Vegas' Xtreme Couture gym has become one of the most well-known and talent laden camps in the entire world. This is why Maynard chose to train there. “Every day it's a scrap,” he explained. “Every day you better bring it or otherwise you'll get beat up. I love it.”
The Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 2 will put on the most talent-filled Fight Night card that they have ever compiled. Maynard is very excited to be part of such a stacked card. “There are so many good scraps going on. I'm like, 'I want to watch that fight.' It's cool. I'm pumped about it.”
With a win over Edgar, Maynard would catapult to one of the top contenders in the division. The lightweight division is the most robust division in all of mixed martial arts, and has plenty of talent. Some fighters may be intimidated by the quality of fighters in the division, but not Maynard. “It's stacked. I'm like, 'come on'. I want to fight all these guys.”
He will have an All Star corner, which will contain estranged UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture, as well as top lightweight contender Tyson Griffin. “I'm going step it up for this one. I'm just kind of at the point where I'll grab whatever. I'll just grab the leftovers,” Maynard said sarcastically.
This bout has “Fight of the Night” potential and Maynard knows it. However, he is very realistic about the possible outcome of the fight. “If I don't KO him, it'll be a three-round deal. He's a tough kid and I know it'll be a tough scrap.”
Gray Maynard may be the next star in the lightweight division. He has above average wrestling, good strikes and solid submission defense.
On season five of The Ultimate Fighter, Maynard fought his way to the semi-finals where he succumbed to a guillotine choke by Nate Diaz.
After that fight, he was pitted against fellow Ultimate Fighter contestant Rob Emerson. Maynard was doing very well in the fight. In the second round, he picked up Emerson for a slam and knocked himself unconscious as Emerson tapped after suffering a rib injury. The bout was ruled a no contest and subsequently was considered one of the most unusual fights in mixed martial arts history.
After that fight, Maynard knocked out Joe Veras in only nine seconds of the very first round. And in January, he defeated Dennis Siver by unanimous decision.
Maynard will have his toughest test, by far, in his career when he takes on Frankie “The Answer” Edgar on April 2 at UFC Fight Night in Colorado. Edgar is 8-0 and has defeated the likes of Tyson Griffin, Mark Bocek and Spencer Fisher.
MMAWeekly Radio recently spoke to Maynard about his upcoming fight. “Oh man, I think it's gonna be a great fight,” he exclaimed. “I had a great camp and I can't wait to get in there.”
Edgar is known for his fantastic wrestling ability, but Maynard is an excellent wrestler as well. The Las Vegas native believes he can take Edgar out of his game and control his opponent's wrestling ability. “I'm gonna sprawl, of course. I'm gonna beat him up.”
Las Vegas' Xtreme Couture gym has become one of the most well-known and talent laden camps in the entire world. This is why Maynard chose to train there. “Every day it's a scrap,” he explained. “Every day you better bring it or otherwise you'll get beat up. I love it.”
The Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 2 will put on the most talent-filled Fight Night card that they have ever compiled. Maynard is very excited to be part of such a stacked card. “There are so many good scraps going on. I'm like, 'I want to watch that fight.' It's cool. I'm pumped about it.”
With a win over Edgar, Maynard would catapult to one of the top contenders in the division. The lightweight division is the most robust division in all of mixed martial arts, and has plenty of talent. Some fighters may be intimidated by the quality of fighters in the division, but not Maynard. “It's stacked. I'm like, 'come on'. I want to fight all these guys.”
He will have an All Star corner, which will contain estranged UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture, as well as top lightweight contender Tyson Griffin. “I'm going step it up for this one. I'm just kind of at the point where I'll grab whatever. I'll just grab the leftovers,” Maynard said sarcastically.
This bout has “Fight of the Night” potential and Maynard knows it. However, he is very realistic about the possible outcome of the fight. “If I don't KO him, it'll be a three-round deal. He's a tough kid and I know it'll be a tough scrap.”
Rumor: UFC Partnering With ESPN/ABC
MMAPayout.com has received an unconfirmed report that the UFC and ESPN are discussing a potential strategic partnership. Representatives from each company reportedly met for what were described as extensive discussions last week in New York and Bristol, Connecticut. While Spike is the official cable home of the UFC, there is no longer an ABC Sports division, only ESPN on ABC, leading to speculation that such a partnership could lead to live events on ABC.
MMAPayout.com has received an unconfirmed report that the UFC and ESPN are discussing a potential strategic partnership. Representatives from each company reportedly met for what were described as extensive discussions last week in New York and Bristol, Connecticut. While Spike is the official cable home of the UFC, there is no longer an ABC Sports division, only ESPN on ABC, leading to speculation that such a partnership could lead to live events on ABC.
Davis' Next Test Could Be Much Like The Last
For L.C. Davis, dealing with the first loss of his career was hard enough. The fact that it came on live TV in a fight for the IFL featherweight title, that didn’t help.
“It bothered me for a little while,” Davis admits now. “But I got back into training and tried to move past it. I realized that I made some mistakes. Every fighter makes mistakes. You can’t dwell on it, you just have to move forward.”
Moving forward is exactly what Davis will try and do on April 4 at New Jersey’s Izod Center, when he takes on American Top Team fighter Rafael Dias. The only problem for him is that he’ll be taking on a fighter with many similarities to Fabiano, and he’ll have to avoid making the same mistakes.
One of those mistakes, according to Davis, was getting too caught up in the hype about Fabiano’s ground game.
Since he knew that the submissions specialist was looking to get him to the mat, he based his chances for success on an ability to stay on his feet. It made him too cautious, he says now, and it prevented him from taking the fight to his opponent, as he has done for most of his career.
“With the Wagnney fight I got so caught up in keeping it on the feet. I was thinking so much about him that I didn’t fight my fight. I’m a wrestler. I take people down and ground and pound them. That’s how I got where I am.”
American Top Team’s Dias is another Brazilian import with a top-notch submissions game, as he showed in his IFL debut last month with a first-round submission victory over Santino DeFranco.
Dias put on a ground fighting clinic in that fight, much like Fabiano has done in the past. His quick transitions and ability to dictate the pace and direction of the fight made him seem almost like a carbon copy of the featherweight champ. The similarities between the two are not lost on Davis.
“He’s a lot like Wagnney. He’s a black belt in jiu-jitsu. I know he comes from a good camp in American Top Team. It’s a similar fight, but I don’t think his wrestling or striking is as good as Wagnney’s.
“I know he’s never been stopped. All his losses come from decisions, so I’m guessing he’s pretty tough. I think it’s going to be a war, and I’m training for that.”
For Davis, the importance of this fight is obvious. It’s his first time back in the ring since suffering his first defeat, and the big question is how he’ll respond to the challenge mentally. Many fighters have had their illusions of invincibility crushed after such a loss, and they come back more tentative and less confident.
Davis is determined not to let that happen, and vows to come out looking more polished thanks to the learning experience of his loss to Fabiano.
“I learned that I need to be more patient. In the Wagnney fight I kind of rushed out there and fought like an amateur. I want to fight more like a seasoned veteran. It’s just a matter of getting more experience and relaxing in there.”
Overcoming the defeat and coming back against a fighter very much like the one he just faced is no small task for any fighter.
For Davis, the opportunity to put any lingering doubts to rest might be just what he needs.
For L.C. Davis, dealing with the first loss of his career was hard enough. The fact that it came on live TV in a fight for the IFL featherweight title, that didn’t help.
“It bothered me for a little while,” Davis admits now. “But I got back into training and tried to move past it. I realized that I made some mistakes. Every fighter makes mistakes. You can’t dwell on it, you just have to move forward.”
Moving forward is exactly what Davis will try and do on April 4 at New Jersey’s Izod Center, when he takes on American Top Team fighter Rafael Dias. The only problem for him is that he’ll be taking on a fighter with many similarities to Fabiano, and he’ll have to avoid making the same mistakes.
One of those mistakes, according to Davis, was getting too caught up in the hype about Fabiano’s ground game.
Since he knew that the submissions specialist was looking to get him to the mat, he based his chances for success on an ability to stay on his feet. It made him too cautious, he says now, and it prevented him from taking the fight to his opponent, as he has done for most of his career.
“With the Wagnney fight I got so caught up in keeping it on the feet. I was thinking so much about him that I didn’t fight my fight. I’m a wrestler. I take people down and ground and pound them. That’s how I got where I am.”
American Top Team’s Dias is another Brazilian import with a top-notch submissions game, as he showed in his IFL debut last month with a first-round submission victory over Santino DeFranco.
Dias put on a ground fighting clinic in that fight, much like Fabiano has done in the past. His quick transitions and ability to dictate the pace and direction of the fight made him seem almost like a carbon copy of the featherweight champ. The similarities between the two are not lost on Davis.
“He’s a lot like Wagnney. He’s a black belt in jiu-jitsu. I know he comes from a good camp in American Top Team. It’s a similar fight, but I don’t think his wrestling or striking is as good as Wagnney’s.
“I know he’s never been stopped. All his losses come from decisions, so I’m guessing he’s pretty tough. I think it’s going to be a war, and I’m training for that.”
For Davis, the importance of this fight is obvious. It’s his first time back in the ring since suffering his first defeat, and the big question is how he’ll respond to the challenge mentally. Many fighters have had their illusions of invincibility crushed after such a loss, and they come back more tentative and less confident.
Davis is determined not to let that happen, and vows to come out looking more polished thanks to the learning experience of his loss to Fabiano.
“I learned that I need to be more patient. In the Wagnney fight I kind of rushed out there and fought like an amateur. I want to fight more like a seasoned veteran. It’s just a matter of getting more experience and relaxing in there.”
Overcoming the defeat and coming back against a fighter very much like the one he just faced is no small task for any fighter.
For Davis, the opportunity to put any lingering doubts to rest might be just what he needs.
Miller Returns With Renewed Purpose in Title Fight
Mark Miller has made good use of his time away from the ring. It’s been over ten months since his last bout – a first-round knockout victory over Josh Neer – but now that he’s ready to return to action for a welterweight championship bout against title-holder Jay Hieron on April 4, Miller says he’s a different man in more ways than one.
Two weeks ago Miller became a father for the first time when his wife gave birth to a baby girl. While Miller says he knew what a life-altering occasion it would be, he didn’t realize the full gravity of the situation until recently.
“I can’t compare it to anything. It’s just been this life-changing experience. Everything changes in the blink of an eye.”
“I mean, there was nine months leading up to this where I kept telling myself that life was going to change, but until you see your child for the first time you don’t realize how much it’s going to change. Right at that moment, everything else takes a backseat. You just block out the outside world.”
It’s strange to hear such tenderness from a guy like Miller. Covered in menacing tattoos, the Marine machine-gunner turned MMA fighter strikes an imposing figure when he walks into a room. Men like him aren’t normally the ones you’d expect to go all gooey when talking about their infant daughters, and yet Miller can’t help himself.
“It’s probably been the greatest experience ever,” he says. “It really has.”
With all this on his mind, one wonders if it might not be difficult to give his full attention to his upcoming title fight in New Jersey on April 4. But Miller says he’s working hard to keep the two halves of his life separate to prevent any distractions.
“I break it down. When I go to practice, I’m a fighter. When I leave the gym, I’m a dad. I don’t want to let the two intersect. I’m trying to keep them separate. I still have a job to do. If anything, it’s more motivation to train harder.”
Another motivation might be the man who will be standing across from him in the ring next Friday night. Jay Hieron won the title with a dominating victory over Delson Heleno in the World Grand Prix, and in the process he proved that his rapid improvement in all areas of the fight game makes him an unpredictable opponent to prepare for.
That lesson wasn’t lost on Miller, who trains at no less than three different gyms in an attempt to ensure that he is as versatile as possible going into this bout.
“I have to pretty much expect everything out of Jay. I know he’s a very well-rounded fighter. I don’t want to make too much of a game plan because I want to be open and ready for anything. I know he’s got a strong wrestling background, but he’s also good at jiu-jitsu and he’s good on his feet.”
Fighting for the title against a man of Hieron’s caliber isn’t an easy way to get back into action after such a long layoff. Many fighters worry about their timing being off, or about the pressure of such a big fight affecting their performance.
But Miller, who won several titles from smaller MMA organizations before joining the IFL, says he isn’t concerned about the time off or the nerves getting to him in the locker room beforehand.
“It may sound weird, but I really don’t think about it. I try not to think about it too much because you really end up psyching yourself out. It’s unnecessary added pressure if you think about it. You just have to know that you’ve trained hard every day.
“Anybody that’s been in the locker room with me before a fight can tell you I’m not calm, I’m not nervous, I’m just a complete psycho. I’ve got my headphones on. I’m screaming along with my death metal and I’m just ready to go to war.”
As for whether any of that will change now that fatherhood has imbued him with a different set of motivations, don’t hold your breath.
“Once you’ve fought enough, it doesn’t take long to get back into the swing of it. I’m sure once I get punched in the face a few times I’ll feel right at home."
Mark Miller has made good use of his time away from the ring. It’s been over ten months since his last bout – a first-round knockout victory over Josh Neer – but now that he’s ready to return to action for a welterweight championship bout against title-holder Jay Hieron on April 4, Miller says he’s a different man in more ways than one.
Two weeks ago Miller became a father for the first time when his wife gave birth to a baby girl. While Miller says he knew what a life-altering occasion it would be, he didn’t realize the full gravity of the situation until recently.
“I can’t compare it to anything. It’s just been this life-changing experience. Everything changes in the blink of an eye.”
“I mean, there was nine months leading up to this where I kept telling myself that life was going to change, but until you see your child for the first time you don’t realize how much it’s going to change. Right at that moment, everything else takes a backseat. You just block out the outside world.”
It’s strange to hear such tenderness from a guy like Miller. Covered in menacing tattoos, the Marine machine-gunner turned MMA fighter strikes an imposing figure when he walks into a room. Men like him aren’t normally the ones you’d expect to go all gooey when talking about their infant daughters, and yet Miller can’t help himself.
“It’s probably been the greatest experience ever,” he says. “It really has.”
With all this on his mind, one wonders if it might not be difficult to give his full attention to his upcoming title fight in New Jersey on April 4. But Miller says he’s working hard to keep the two halves of his life separate to prevent any distractions.
“I break it down. When I go to practice, I’m a fighter. When I leave the gym, I’m a dad. I don’t want to let the two intersect. I’m trying to keep them separate. I still have a job to do. If anything, it’s more motivation to train harder.”
Another motivation might be the man who will be standing across from him in the ring next Friday night. Jay Hieron won the title with a dominating victory over Delson Heleno in the World Grand Prix, and in the process he proved that his rapid improvement in all areas of the fight game makes him an unpredictable opponent to prepare for.
That lesson wasn’t lost on Miller, who trains at no less than three different gyms in an attempt to ensure that he is as versatile as possible going into this bout.
“I have to pretty much expect everything out of Jay. I know he’s a very well-rounded fighter. I don’t want to make too much of a game plan because I want to be open and ready for anything. I know he’s got a strong wrestling background, but he’s also good at jiu-jitsu and he’s good on his feet.”
Fighting for the title against a man of Hieron’s caliber isn’t an easy way to get back into action after such a long layoff. Many fighters worry about their timing being off, or about the pressure of such a big fight affecting their performance.
But Miller, who won several titles from smaller MMA organizations before joining the IFL, says he isn’t concerned about the time off or the nerves getting to him in the locker room beforehand.
“It may sound weird, but I really don’t think about it. I try not to think about it too much because you really end up psyching yourself out. It’s unnecessary added pressure if you think about it. You just have to know that you’ve trained hard every day.
“Anybody that’s been in the locker room with me before a fight can tell you I’m not calm, I’m not nervous, I’m just a complete psycho. I’ve got my headphones on. I’m screaming along with my death metal and I’m just ready to go to war.”
As for whether any of that will change now that fatherhood has imbued him with a different set of motivations, don’t hold your breath.
“Once you’ve fought enough, it doesn’t take long to get back into the swing of it. I’m sure once I get punched in the face a few times I’ll feel right at home."
Nogueira-Aldo Scheduled for WEC
An all-Brazilian battle between Alexandre Franca Nogueira (Pictures) and Jose Aldo is set for the June 1 WEC in Sacramento, Calif. Both camps confirmed the bout.
"Pequeno" Nogueira, who reigned for years as champion of Shooto's 143-pound division, was expected to fight Nick Agallar (Pictures). Leonard Garcia (Pictures) was then mentioned as a potential opponent before he was arrested in Texas last week.
Aldo, 9-1, had already signed with the promotion and was also waiting on an opponent. The 21-year-old featherweight trains with Nova Uniao.
An all-Brazilian battle between Alexandre Franca Nogueira (Pictures) and Jose Aldo is set for the June 1 WEC in Sacramento, Calif. Both camps confirmed the bout.
"Pequeno" Nogueira, who reigned for years as champion of Shooto's 143-pound division, was expected to fight Nick Agallar (Pictures). Leonard Garcia (Pictures) was then mentioned as a potential opponent before he was arrested in Texas last week.
Aldo, 9-1, had already signed with the promotion and was also waiting on an opponent. The 21-year-old featherweight trains with Nova Uniao.
IFL ANNOUNCES RETURN TO CONNECTICUT
The International Fight League on Monday announced that three title bouts will headline its May 16 return to the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. HDNet will have live television coverage of the event.
Heavyweight champion Roy Nelson will defend his belt against Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Brandon Lee Hinkle, while Ryan Schultz will face Deividas Taurosevicius in defense of his lightweight championship. Both titleholders are making their second defenses.
Middleweight champion Ryan McGivern will make his first defense, facing challenger Dan Miller.
Two new fight camps will also debut at the event. The Bomb Squad is a Northeast United States-based camp, which will take on Mario Sperry’s World Class Fight Center from Las Vegas. Ohio-based Team Prodigy is the other debuting camp, and will face Matt Lindland’s Oregon-based Team Quest.
Championship Fights:
-Roy Nelson vs. Brandon Lee Hinkle
-Ryan McGivern vs. Dan Miller
-Ryan Schultz vs. Deividas Taurosevicius
Team Matchups:
World Class Fight Center vs. Bomb Squad
-Marcello Salazar vs. John Howard
-Danillo Villefort vs. Mike Massenzio
-TBA vs. TBA
Team Prodigy vs. Team Quest
-TBA vs. Zac George
-TBA vs. Matt Horwich
-TBA vs. Aaron Stark
The International Fight League on Monday announced that three title bouts will headline its May 16 return to the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. HDNet will have live television coverage of the event.
Heavyweight champion Roy Nelson will defend his belt against Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Brandon Lee Hinkle, while Ryan Schultz will face Deividas Taurosevicius in defense of his lightweight championship. Both titleholders are making their second defenses.
Middleweight champion Ryan McGivern will make his first defense, facing challenger Dan Miller.
Two new fight camps will also debut at the event. The Bomb Squad is a Northeast United States-based camp, which will take on Mario Sperry’s World Class Fight Center from Las Vegas. Ohio-based Team Prodigy is the other debuting camp, and will face Matt Lindland’s Oregon-based Team Quest.
Championship Fights:
-Roy Nelson vs. Brandon Lee Hinkle
-Ryan McGivern vs. Dan Miller
-Ryan Schultz vs. Deividas Taurosevicius
Team Matchups:
World Class Fight Center vs. Bomb Squad
-Marcello Salazar vs. John Howard
-Danillo Villefort vs. Mike Massenzio
-TBA vs. TBA
Team Prodigy vs. Team Quest
-TBA vs. Zac George
-TBA vs. Matt Horwich
-TBA vs. Aaron Stark
FLORIAN LOOKS TO TEACH LAUZON RESPECT
Kit Cope, Sam Stout, Dokonjonosuke Mishima, and Din Thomas. Those are the names of the last four fighters to step in against Kenny Florian as opponents for a main event of a UFC Fight Night card. Next up is Joe Lauzon and Florian is looking to keep his winning streak intact on Wednesday night in Broomfield, Colorado.
Understanding how to deal with pressure is a major component of any mixed martial artist’s game, and Kenny Florian is no different.
Facing his fifth Fight Night main event, Florian seems to have the burden of favorite place squarely on his shoulders, but the former “Ultimate Fighter” competitor isn’t feeling any different than usual heading into this bout.
“I really don’t feel any pressure for this fight coming up,” said Florian in an interview with MMAWeekly Radio. “I feel great. This is my fourth or fifth main event now for the UFC, so it’s just another big fight for me. I don’t want to lose any fight and I want to win as much as I do for any fight.”
With his status as one of the top contenders in the lightweight division, many feel that Florian is under the microscope to pull off an impressive win over Lauzon to maintain his ranking in the weight class.
While that argument still holds water, Florian feels that the real pressure in this fight is on his opponent.
“For the lightweight division, for Joe I wouldn’t be surprised if he feels more pressure than I do,” he stated. “Really, I feel as relaxed as I’ve ever been. For Joe this is his first main event in the UFC, for him to lose this fight, he can go down and maybe fight a Joe Stevenson and have to prove himself against a Joe Stevenson to get back into the rankings. And then he faces another loss, that could be the last time he ever fights in the UFC.”
Following his lightweight title loss to Sean Sherk in October 2006, Florian has forged an aggressive style, while promising to not only finish fights, but to work his way back to the title by defeating every top lightweight along the way.
“I’d be more than happy just to keep on fighting top guys before I get a title shot,” he stated. “Obviously, that’s what I want. I want to beat the best guys. I want to be the best guy in the division. Obviously to be a champion in a weight class assuredly you’re going to fight the best, so that’s definitely what I want.”
Motivation has never been at a shortage for Florian, but this fight has taken a special interest to him after some recent comments by his opponent.
“I’ve never felt this focused, never felt this kind of energy leading up to a fight, and I feel like there’s a lot of things going back and forth. I know Joe Lauzon said a little bit of things and it kind of fired me up and I’m ready to go,” Florian stated.
“There was an interview with Lauzon, where he was like ‘who’s Kenny train with? Kenny’s not training with anybody. I’m training with B.J. Penn.’ And then I hear how my buddies are telling me about how B.J.’s already talking about how he’s going to fight Joe Lauzon in a title fight at some point. How he’s going to make him fight. It’s just nonsense. That fires me up, you know, because they’re looking past me.”
Florian’s message is clear and he doesn’t feel anyone should underestimate him in a fight.
“When I heard about the fight and the fight was announced, people were talking about Kenny are you going to look past Joe? There’s no freaking way I’m going to do it,” he exclaimed.
“But now here’s a kid looking past me. He’s training with B.J. Penn and apparently he’s become B.J. or whatever it is and they’re looking past me. You know what? If they do that, B.J.’s going to end up sending Joe Lauzon to the slaughter, because I’m not going to have anyone disrespect me like that or anyone going into a fight thinking they’re just going to run right by me.”
The stage is set, the fighters are ready, now it’s just a matter of waiting until Wednesday for Florian to step in and see if he can teach Lauzon to respect him.
Florian will square off against Lauzon on April 2 in Colorado as a part of the UFC Fight Night 13. The event is live on SpikeTV leading into the seventh season of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
Kit Cope, Sam Stout, Dokonjonosuke Mishima, and Din Thomas. Those are the names of the last four fighters to step in against Kenny Florian as opponents for a main event of a UFC Fight Night card. Next up is Joe Lauzon and Florian is looking to keep his winning streak intact on Wednesday night in Broomfield, Colorado.
Understanding how to deal with pressure is a major component of any mixed martial artist’s game, and Kenny Florian is no different.
Facing his fifth Fight Night main event, Florian seems to have the burden of favorite place squarely on his shoulders, but the former “Ultimate Fighter” competitor isn’t feeling any different than usual heading into this bout.
“I really don’t feel any pressure for this fight coming up,” said Florian in an interview with MMAWeekly Radio. “I feel great. This is my fourth or fifth main event now for the UFC, so it’s just another big fight for me. I don’t want to lose any fight and I want to win as much as I do for any fight.”
With his status as one of the top contenders in the lightweight division, many feel that Florian is under the microscope to pull off an impressive win over Lauzon to maintain his ranking in the weight class.
While that argument still holds water, Florian feels that the real pressure in this fight is on his opponent.
“For the lightweight division, for Joe I wouldn’t be surprised if he feels more pressure than I do,” he stated. “Really, I feel as relaxed as I’ve ever been. For Joe this is his first main event in the UFC, for him to lose this fight, he can go down and maybe fight a Joe Stevenson and have to prove himself against a Joe Stevenson to get back into the rankings. And then he faces another loss, that could be the last time he ever fights in the UFC.”
Following his lightweight title loss to Sean Sherk in October 2006, Florian has forged an aggressive style, while promising to not only finish fights, but to work his way back to the title by defeating every top lightweight along the way.
“I’d be more than happy just to keep on fighting top guys before I get a title shot,” he stated. “Obviously, that’s what I want. I want to beat the best guys. I want to be the best guy in the division. Obviously to be a champion in a weight class assuredly you’re going to fight the best, so that’s definitely what I want.”
Motivation has never been at a shortage for Florian, but this fight has taken a special interest to him after some recent comments by his opponent.
“I’ve never felt this focused, never felt this kind of energy leading up to a fight, and I feel like there’s a lot of things going back and forth. I know Joe Lauzon said a little bit of things and it kind of fired me up and I’m ready to go,” Florian stated.
“There was an interview with Lauzon, where he was like ‘who’s Kenny train with? Kenny’s not training with anybody. I’m training with B.J. Penn.’ And then I hear how my buddies are telling me about how B.J.’s already talking about how he’s going to fight Joe Lauzon in a title fight at some point. How he’s going to make him fight. It’s just nonsense. That fires me up, you know, because they’re looking past me.”
Florian’s message is clear and he doesn’t feel anyone should underestimate him in a fight.
“When I heard about the fight and the fight was announced, people were talking about Kenny are you going to look past Joe? There’s no freaking way I’m going to do it,” he exclaimed.
“But now here’s a kid looking past me. He’s training with B.J. Penn and apparently he’s become B.J. or whatever it is and they’re looking past me. You know what? If they do that, B.J.’s going to end up sending Joe Lauzon to the slaughter, because I’m not going to have anyone disrespect me like that or anyone going into a fight thinking they’re just going to run right by me.”
The stage is set, the fighters are ready, now it’s just a matter of waiting until Wednesday for Florian to step in and see if he can teach Lauzon to respect him.
Florian will square off against Lauzon on April 2 in Colorado as a part of the UFC Fight Night 13. The event is live on SpikeTV leading into the seventh season of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
Sapp's Named Surfaces in Balco Case
From the International Herald Tribune's coverage of former Olympic cyclist Tammy Thomas's perjury trial:
Novitzky said 30 athletes were called to testify before the grand jury in 2003. Novitzky didn't identify any of the athletes, but testified there was "some evidence" that professional wrestler Bob Sapp — who briefly played in the NFL — bought steroids from Arnold.
Jeff Novitzky is the lead investigator in the U.S. government's steroid distribution probe. Patrick Arnold is the chemist who pleaded guilty to creating the designer steroids that Thomas and Barry Bonds are accused of taking.
From the International Herald Tribune's coverage of former Olympic cyclist Tammy Thomas's perjury trial:
Novitzky said 30 athletes were called to testify before the grand jury in 2003. Novitzky didn't identify any of the athletes, but testified there was "some evidence" that professional wrestler Bob Sapp — who briefly played in the NFL — bought steroids from Arnold.
Jeff Novitzky is the lead investigator in the U.S. government's steroid distribution probe. Patrick Arnold is the chemist who pleaded guilty to creating the designer steroids that Thomas and Barry Bonds are accused of taking.
Zuffa Executive Speaks Out on International Expansion and Pro Wrestling Crossover
Fighting Spirit Magazine has a very candid interview with Marshall Zelaznik, President of Zuffa's United Kingdom division, Zuffa UK Limited. In addition to overseeing the company's UK expansion, Zelaznik is also responsible for extending the UFC brand internationally. The interview is one of the most revealing and candid ever given by a Zuffa executive and is well worth reading in its entirety. A couple of key quotes:
On Dana White's infamous "I don't think there's anything profitable about the European market right now. We're getting our ass kicked over there" comment:
If you were to read through all the emails and documents on my computer, you’d never find one that said, “Your revenue goals are X,” or “your ticket goals are Y.” This is a product that lives and breathes with every day. When we launched in the UK we had a business plan that, at the end of the year, looked nothing like what we actually did this past year, in terms of the kinds of shows we put on, how we marketed them and the fighters we expected to bring over.
We’d done some forward planning but, at the end of the day, we made decisions kind of from the hip, which ended up putting us in the situation that Dana refers to. But there’s no arguing with selling out events, breaking merchandise records, having good ratings on television, doing good numbers on PPV, and having enough success that just about every significant television network in the UK wanted to licence our rights.
So while the overall profits may not have met the desired goals, I think the amount of revenue we created in this office is about where we thought it would be – it’s just that we spent more money! And we did that because we could see the upside of the market pretty early, based on how UFC 70 tickets were going, so we started spending to make sure we hit it out of the park.
That was an investment that will come back in the next few years, but overall there are no targeted goals here – it’s kind of, you’ll know it when you see it. I’m so optimistic for this year in terms of the measurable things like ticket sales, merchandise sales, total revenue and profits for this office. So for me we’re ahead of targets, when you look at the five-year plan when I sat down with Dana and Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, back when we were flirting about me taking this job.
We’re ahead of the game right now and I’m very happy with the progress, and overall I think Dana, Frank and Lorenzo are as well – otherwise we’d be all packing up and going home. Which isn’t going to happen, because my kid’s in school and I’m not taking him out!
On the pro wrestling crossover theory:
I’m a firm believer in that, as I think all of us in the UFC are. I think there comes a point when a majority of WWE fans, while they may continue to be WWE fans as they get older, they want something maybe a little more real. And they’ll ‘graduate’, which is one of the terms we use, to the UFC from WWE.
For us it’s great. Those fans are loyal – the WWE fan is a loyal, hardcore fan. And they know all the ins and outs of the wrestlers they like – what they’re doing, what their background story is, and they love the nuance of the sport and the entertainment factor. And so those are the kinds of fans that, for all the same reasons, are the core fans of the UFC – they can follow their fighters, they can see how they’re progressing as they get older, and they see how good they really are.
The other thing is that WWE fans are consumers in the biggest sense of the word – they’ll reach into their pocket to get their product, be it PPVs, merchandise or whatever. So for us, because we’re driven by a similar model, they’ve graduated to us and that means they’re used to paying for it on television, they’re used to looking online for information, they’re used to buying a t-shirt, so there isn’t a whole lot of re-education that has to happen.
Fighting Spirit Magazine has a very candid interview with Marshall Zelaznik, President of Zuffa's United Kingdom division, Zuffa UK Limited. In addition to overseeing the company's UK expansion, Zelaznik is also responsible for extending the UFC brand internationally. The interview is one of the most revealing and candid ever given by a Zuffa executive and is well worth reading in its entirety. A couple of key quotes:
On Dana White's infamous "I don't think there's anything profitable about the European market right now. We're getting our ass kicked over there" comment:
If you were to read through all the emails and documents on my computer, you’d never find one that said, “Your revenue goals are X,” or “your ticket goals are Y.” This is a product that lives and breathes with every day. When we launched in the UK we had a business plan that, at the end of the year, looked nothing like what we actually did this past year, in terms of the kinds of shows we put on, how we marketed them and the fighters we expected to bring over.
We’d done some forward planning but, at the end of the day, we made decisions kind of from the hip, which ended up putting us in the situation that Dana refers to. But there’s no arguing with selling out events, breaking merchandise records, having good ratings on television, doing good numbers on PPV, and having enough success that just about every significant television network in the UK wanted to licence our rights.
So while the overall profits may not have met the desired goals, I think the amount of revenue we created in this office is about where we thought it would be – it’s just that we spent more money! And we did that because we could see the upside of the market pretty early, based on how UFC 70 tickets were going, so we started spending to make sure we hit it out of the park.
That was an investment that will come back in the next few years, but overall there are no targeted goals here – it’s kind of, you’ll know it when you see it. I’m so optimistic for this year in terms of the measurable things like ticket sales, merchandise sales, total revenue and profits for this office. So for me we’re ahead of targets, when you look at the five-year plan when I sat down with Dana and Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, back when we were flirting about me taking this job.
We’re ahead of the game right now and I’m very happy with the progress, and overall I think Dana, Frank and Lorenzo are as well – otherwise we’d be all packing up and going home. Which isn’t going to happen, because my kid’s in school and I’m not taking him out!
On the pro wrestling crossover theory:
I’m a firm believer in that, as I think all of us in the UFC are. I think there comes a point when a majority of WWE fans, while they may continue to be WWE fans as they get older, they want something maybe a little more real. And they’ll ‘graduate’, which is one of the terms we use, to the UFC from WWE.
For us it’s great. Those fans are loyal – the WWE fan is a loyal, hardcore fan. And they know all the ins and outs of the wrestlers they like – what they’re doing, what their background story is, and they love the nuance of the sport and the entertainment factor. And so those are the kinds of fans that, for all the same reasons, are the core fans of the UFC – they can follow their fighters, they can see how they’re progressing as they get older, and they see how good they really are.
The other thing is that WWE fans are consumers in the biggest sense of the word – they’ll reach into their pocket to get their product, be it PPVs, merchandise or whatever. So for us, because we’re driven by a similar model, they’ve graduated to us and that means they’re used to paying for it on television, they’re used to looking online for information, they’re used to buying a t-shirt, so there isn’t a whole lot of re-education that has to happen.