Thomas Gerbasi, UFC – When Jason Brilz dropped a three round unanimous decision to Eliot Marshall last September in Dallas, it wasn’t losing for the first time since 2001 that baffled the light heavyweight up and comer, it was the way things played out at American Airlines Center, as Marshall, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, kept matters standing throughout the bout.
Thomas Gerbasi, UFC – Things couldn’t have been going better for Brendan Schaub on December 5, 2009. The unbeaten heavyweight prospect was boxing well, tagging his veteran opponent Roy Nelson with shots and even showing off some good ground defense as he escaped the veteran’s side control position with ease. He even ate a couple flush shots from ‘Big Country’ and brushed them off.
Thomas Gerbasi, UFC – The walk into the Octagon. For some, the trek up those final four steps presents ample time to panic; for others, it’s a signal that it’s time to perform. For Daniel ‘Ninja’ Roberts, it’s when he flips the switch from nice guy to fighter, and by the time he steps through the doorway, he’s not walking into competition – he’s jumping in.
Frank Curreri, WEC – Roughly 2,800 people attended UFC 1 at McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Co. One of those intrigued spectators was a 10-year-old Tae Kwon Do student named Tyler Toner. The boy didn’t find the spectacle – which happened to be unregulated at the time — to be disturbing or violent. In fact, the only thing that shocked him, as would be the case for many who watched that night on Nov. 12, 1993, was witnessing a skinny Brazilian named Royce Gracie repeatedly conquer Goliaths to win the 8-man tournament.
Martins Denis, UFC – Despite being in a whirlwind since his UFC debut, Brazilian knockout artist Junior “Cigano” dos Santos still has an amazing recall of all the dates and important happenings in his life that he can pull out at a moment’s notice.
Martins Denis, UFC – Brazil’s Fabricio ‘Morango’ Camoes is going to make his second Octagon appearance on March 27th against ultra-talented Kurt ‘Batman’ Pellegrino at UFC 111 in Newark, New Jersey. The lightweight match has the same implications for Camoes as when he arrived in the UFC last November to face Caol Uno, but without the nuances that he encountered on that day at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
Frank Curreri, WEC – Matt Hume has coached numerous fighters with “UFC champion” and “world champion” on their resumes, yet none possessed athletic gifts on par with Demetrious Johnson.
Elliot Worsell, UFC – Ross ‘The Real Deal’ Pearson couldn’t have looked better in winning season nine of The Ultimate Fighter. He defeated Richie Whitson, Jason Dent and then teammate Andre Winner in the final, more than living up to his audacious nickname. Fast-forward five months and Pearson incredibly looked even better, this time mauling veteran American Aaron Riley in his official UFC debut in Manchester.
Elliot Worsell, UFC – If you stand and strike with Andre Winner, you’re likely to lose. That’s the mantra the Leicester lightweight carries into the Octagon each and every time out. Blessed with blazingly quick hands and feet, Winner’s punch expertise is matched only by his confidence.
The hottest ticket in New Jersey just got hotter, as it has been announced that Playboy cover model and UFC All-Access host Rachelle Leah will be returning to her old gig as Octagon Girl for one night only on Saturday, March 27th at UFC 111 in Newark, New Jersey’s Prudential Center.
It’s the first world championship fight of 2010, and as March 27th’s welterweight title bout between Georges St-Pierre and Dan ‘The Outlaw’ Hardy approaches, Spike TV is going to take you behind the scenes and into the lives of these 170-pound stars with “UFC Primetime”, which premieres tonight at 10pm ET / PT.
At 22, Jon ‘Bones’ Jones may be talked about as the Next Big Thing in the UFC, but the phenom’s eye-popping abilities aren’t an accident. The 6-foot-3, light heavyweight phenom and former All-American Greco-Roman wrestler has a training regimen as unorthodox as the kicks and strikes for which he’s known. Each exercise is designed to push his muscles to the limit while training them to respond explosively.
Some people summit mountains. Others conquer triathlons, sky dive, or chase giant waves around the world. Whether it’s the adrenaline rush or a personal affliction, everyone has a passion that drives them. For me, that passion manifests itself in the form of physical combat.
Really, I can’t really explain the reasons. Five years or so ago, my Judo coach, Steve Sanford, said you had to be mentally bereft of all your senses to be a Judo player. Of course, this point of view came from a man that used duct tape instead of sports tape because it was less expensive, but the argument stands. Steve was a 5th dan and played Judo until a medical condition told him to take it easy. Even then, he still visited the gym from time to time. Another coach, Harry Doherty, the guy who took over the club, was strictly prohibited from fighting after neck surgery. One throw and he could be paralyzed from the neck down. Harry explained his time on the mat to his wife by telling her he never fought, which was a small lie, to say the least. He did significantly minimize the risk by never being thrown. Indeed, I’ve never seen Harry off his feet. I asked Harry once why he risked so much to spend time on the mat. He just smiled and said it was better than anything else.
After knee surgery and a long period of rehabilitation, I have recently returned to Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I have yet to return to boxing, but that’s coming soon. My time away from the mat and the gym was a period of deep reflection and personal misery. I found myself missing the little things I used to take for granted: the smell of the gym, the bruises that are inevitable after training (especially when drilling technique with less experienced athletes), the smack talk and camaraderie. What I missed the most, however, was fighting. I found little relief in other forms of physical exercise – mentally, every leg extension was a low kick, every bench press rep a punch, every medicine ball exercise a tai otoshi or uchi mata. I feared I would go insane. The day I returned to the mat, a 10-ton weight was lifted off my chest.
During my period of inactivity, my personal interest in Mixed Martial Arts grew. Certainly, this is also related to my involvement in Rupture and the interactions I have with professional and amateur MMA fighters, promoters and managers. However, there was something else nagging at me. And then, though a friend, a BJJ brown belt, I met Matthew Hickney. This young film maker was the director and producer of ”Walking To The Cage“, an award-winning documentary about Mixed Martial Arts. I watched it three times in one day, and many more times after. The subjects of the film – coaches, amateur and professional fighters, all shared different periods of adversity, injuries, pain and suffering – and above everything else, a genuine love for the sport. I found that I shared their joy when they won, sorrow when they lost, distress and anger when they were hurt. I also knew, then and there, that despite being a competitive Judoka and Jiu-Jitsu player, a piece of me wanted something else.
In the next few months, my footsteps will lead to a cage, where someone will wait to engage me in an officially sanctioned Mixed Martial Arts fight. I have no idea who this person will be, or when the event will take place, exactly. I’ve been preparing for this moment for a long time; maybe since the moment I put on a gi for the first time as a young boy, maybe even longer than that. I expect to walk in the cage and have my hand raised at the end. Maybe that will happen, maybe it won’t. But, barring another serious injury, I know it’s something I absolutely have to do. Why, exactly? To be honest, I find most words to be inadequate. I think the title of this story, aptly borrowed from Matt’s documentary, explains it much better than I ever can.
Martins Denis, UFC – Every fighter that steps into the Octagon has a particular quest inside his mind, and even if climbing the mountain to earn a fight for the title is a mutual goal, each combatant still has his own formula to grab it.
Las Vegas, NV (USA) – UFC® today announced it has reached a long-term agreement with ASN, the first 24-hour HD sports channel in Asia to distribute UFC programs in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Macau, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.
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