MMA News and UFC Betting Odds

Josh “The Baby Faced Assassin” Barnett (23-5) — currently ranked number three on the WAMMA top 10 list for heavyweights — is set to face Dutch striker Gilbert “The Hurricane” Yvel (35-12-1) in a number one contender eliminator match on January 24 in the co-main event at Affliction: “Day of Reckong” at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

Barnett sat out all of 2007 after the Japanese promotion Pride FC was sold to the UFC and eventually closed down. In early 2008 he came back onto the Japanese MMA scene, fighting twice on Sengoku cards, defeating training partners Hidehiko Yoshida with a third round heel hook submission and Jeff Monson via unanimous decision.

Then in July he competed on the first ever Affliction MMA card, avenging an earlier loss in his career to Pedro Rizzo by knocking him out cold with a left hand in the second round.

With WAMMA champion Fedor Emelianenko out due to a hand injury, The Baby Faced Assassin was booked to fight Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski in the main event of the second Affliction card in October. The winner of the match would get the first crack at Fedor in early 2009.

But for whatever reason that card fell through and now, three months later, Barnett is basically left as the odd man out. Regardless, he remains only one fight away from a shot at the title. Affliction higher ups have already guaranteed a shot at the winner of Fedor and Arlovski for Barnett if he can get past Yvel.

However, that won’t be an easy task.

Yvel is a fantastic striker with 48 professional fights to his credit and 30 of his 35 wins coming by knockout or technical knockout. Not to mention he has a bad reputation in the sport as a dirty fighter. Affliction certainly isn’t making the path to a title shot a walk in the park for Barnett, but he feels confident that’s exactly where he’ll end up.

We recently sat down with Josh and discussed his upcoming fight, his friendship with WAMMA champion Fedor Emelianenko, his future and several other topics about him and MMA in general. He’s a true professional and as confident as they come.

Check out the conversation below:

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): How are you feeling man? Any nagging injuries or anything heading into this fight?

Josh Barnett: I’m just one big nagging injury.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): (Laughs) How has your training camp been?

Josh Barnett: It’s been going really well actually. I’ve had great sparring partners like Rampage, JP Fletcher, Ben Jones and they’ve been a real big help getting prepared for this.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Are you training at the same place?

Josh Barnett: Yep, same place I always train at — CSW in Fullerton.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Your opponent, Gilber Yvel, is a very dangerous striker, perhaps even more so than your last opponent, Pedro Rizzo, which is scary. Do you plan on using the same approach in this fight as you did in July by trying to win the fight on your feet?

Josh Barnett: I’m going to try to take him out in any way shape or form possible. I don’t like decisions and I don’t intend to let this one go to one.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Well it’s no secret that perhaps your biggest strength, your ground game is his biggest weakness. Wouldn’t it be easier to just attack that weakness instead of trying to win at his game?

Josh Barnett: Sure, but if your gameplan is so exposed right away then it makes the balance easier for them to defend it. The thing is I’m not looking to pass up a knockout just to forward through and get a takedown. There’s no guarantees in anything, but when I have opportunities I take them.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Do you feel like you have any weaknesses in this fight or do you feel like you’re better than Yvel in most areas?

Josh Barnett: No, I don’t consider anybody in the world to be at a level that I can’t compete at or I’m not better than. I’m really not concerned with anybody. It’s all about not allowing them to establish what they want to do. If they can’t dictate the fight, if they can’t find their rhythm, then whatever it is they want to affect in the fight isn’t going to be of much use to them because it’s going to be under my control.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): There were rumors of you facing both Brett Rogers and Aleksander Emelianenko before Yvel was officially announced. Which of the three would you fight if it were your choice?

Josh Barnett:Brett Rogers was I guess a possibility, but because of all the legal aspects of the Elite XC scenario right now, it couldn’t happen. I was fine with that. Aleksander was absolutely never a consideration. That was just some sort of propaganda that he or somebody else was trying to put out there. He can’t even be licensed in the state of California so it’s an impossibility for him to be an option for anyone at this point. And Gilbert Yvel was the only solid offer I got, you know, besides Brett, and Brett, well I guess I can’t acknowledge because he could never fight.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): You mention Aleksander having some trouble getting cleared to fight in California. Yvel also had problems getting licensed in Nevada for Pride 33 a couple of years ago and some people believe he’ll have similar problems getting cleared for this fight. Do you know anything on that?

Josh Barnett: He’s absolutely cleared to apply for his license. And the only thing that would keep him from getting it, I would imagine, would be if he failed one of his medicals.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): He’s got a pretty bad reputation for his actions inside the ring. He’s been caught eye gouging, biting, kicking to the groin and even striking an official. What are your thoughts on facing a guy like that and what are you going to do if he starts in with the dirty stuff on you on January 24?

Josh Barnett: Well if he knocks the ref out there’s not much I can do about that (laughs). And if he tried to bite me, you know, I don’t really know. It’d be ugly, that’s all I can say. I don’t really have the same mercy for my opponents as maybe other people do and that just goes for within the rules.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): I’m sure Affliction has a back up plan in case Yvel doesn’t get cleared. Have you heard of any possible replacements just in case?

Josh Barnett: No, I haven’t heard any particular names at all at this point. All I know is I’m going to be ready for them … don’t know if they’ll be ready for me.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): (Laughs) Right on. This is obviously a huge fight for you because a win secures you a match against the winner of Fedor and Arlovski for the WAMMA championship in your next fight. I imagine you’ll be keeping a close eye on that one. How do you see it going down?

Josh Barnett: I think it’s really going to come down to Fedor’s ability to put the fight on the ground. Once Arlovski’s on his back I don’t think he’s going to be able to execute very well and the fight is over I think. I think Fedor’s going to establish that control and he’s never going to let it go.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Do you have a preference as to which one you face?

Josh Barnett: I don’t care about who I fight so much, but I want Fedor to win, he’s my friend. I want to see him do well.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Can you elaborate on that friendship a little bit for us and maybe talk about how you guys became friends and what it might be like fighting a friend?

Josh Barnett: Well, I never had any trouble fighting friends before. I fought Jeff Monson who was in some ways a person I’ve always, I’ve kind of coached him for the most part, you know. I’ve been in his corner for a lot of big fights. I’ve worked with him in the past as been training partners. We just went out there and fought. Yoshida was a training partner as well. I had no problem fighting him, either. I’ll fight anybody. I’ll fight family if I have to if that’s what it comes down to. In terms of Fedor, we just really got along after we just sat down on a night of me, him and Roman Zentsov just hanging out. It turned out that we got along very well and he’s a very caring and cool guy. We keep in touch and we want the best for each other. But at the same time we’re competitors in the same sport and none of that really overlaps as far as being an issue.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): So if your friendship isn’t holding you guys back why haven’t we seen a fight between you two yet?

Josh Barnett: Timing and the promoters is what that really comes down to.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): How do you feel you match up with either Fedor or Andrei? Are both of those fights you feel like you can win?

Josh Barnett: Yeah, I think on the feet I can knock either one of them out. I think that Fedor is actually more dangerous because of his ability to mix it up so well between striking and then initiating grapples and taking you down. He keeps people on their toes and he keeps them off balance. It’s really a cool thing to see him implement it. As far as the grappling aspect, I think that Fedor would be a much more difficult fight for me on the ground than Arolvski. Arlovski’s a very strong, capable heavyweight and when he’s doing well he gets stronger as he goes. That’s always something to keep in mind, but when things are going tough you usually test the faith.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): What are your thoughts on the rumors of poor ticket sales for this event?

Josh Barnett: They’re just that, rumors. I’ve not heard or seen anything to substantiate them. Unfortunately, a lot of things that people like to point out is the negative. I’ve read some of the negativity in terms of — not just Affliction — but any promotion besides the UFC that’s trying to get off the ground. Everybody’s got an opinion and they all think they can do a better job. Instead of being happy for the possibility of seeing more great fights and sometimes the match ups you’ve been wanting to see for a while, I don’t know, people are just very, very hard to please nowadays. But, you know, the economy is hurting things and the UFC has a huge lock on the market so it’ll be hard to establish your brand amongst that. But you do what you can and if you can put on the kind of fights that get people talking then that’s what’s going to keep bringing them back.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): You mention the UFC basically having the market locked down. When Affliction had its first show in July, the UFC — on short notice — put together the fight night card with Anderson Silva. What were your thoughts on that counter programming, I mean, is that the UFC using dirty tactics?

Josh Barnett: It is, but I mean all is fair in love and war, and apparently business. Personally, I don’t think the demise of Affliction would help them in the least. I think what it does is it makes your market, your pool, bigger from which to draw from. Therefore, they would see an increase in funds with a bigger viewing audience for the sport as a whole. And appreciate that Affliction is going to go and do things that UFC either won’t or actually couldn’t because they weren’t interested in dealing with the UFC’s particular image, you know, however the view that. But I think if the UFC is a one man show, I guess things will survive, but it’s going to be a lot rougher for not just the UFC but the fighters as well. Just maybe the people at the top will get rich, but in the end everybody’s out for their own anyhow.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Do you think the second Affliction show in Las Vegas getting canceled had anything to do with the UFC?

Josh Barnett: I’m not entirely sure. I mean it very well could have, but it was very disappointing nonetheless.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Right, you were supposed to fight Arlovski then for the number one contender slot. There are some people who believe you’re more deserving of the first shot at Fedor than Arlovski. Do you agree?

Josh Barnett: Uh, I just don’t care. I just want to fight. Eventually the fights that are going to be the most important will come my way. And no matter what, I got to win. You never know, the fight that I have with somebody that everybody wants to pass off and just casually dismiss, that might be the fight that’s the most exciting one they’ve ever seen me fight. You just never know what’s going to happen until you get into the ring. Gilbert Yvel is a veteran with well over 40 fights. I really think that there could be a really great match up out of this. I don’t strive to make my name off beating anybody in particular. I’ll make my name off my own merit, my own skills and my own accomplishments. I don’t need to be in any specific organization and I don’t need to fight any specific fighter. I just need to do the best I can do out there.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Do you think Affliction is going to survive as a mixed martial arts promotion, honestly?

Josh Barnett: Uh, well yeah. If I didn’t I wouldn’t have signed with them.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): What is your contract status with Affliction?

Josh Barnett: Uh, good (laughs). I’m able to fight for both Affliction and Sengoku if I want, and Pancrase. I’m pretty open to being able to fight most places.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): You’re also into the pro wrestling scene over in Japan. What are your thoughts on some of the WWE guys like Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley making the move to MMA?

Josh Barnett: Well, if they got the talent then I absolutely support it. I just hope that they can keep some of that persona and ability to personalize and make a character out of themselves when they come to MMA. It gives somebody out there in the fans and the audience somebody to really latch onto. Someone that sticks out — that’s an individual and is interesting and that makes people think or hate or love or whatever the case may be to get some sort of emotion out of them. Instead of being carbon copy, tribal tattoo, goatee, shaved head, board short wearing yahoo that you see on every card.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Right, you mention that if they have the talent then you support them. Do you thin Brock Lesnar is the real deal and worthy of the UFC title or is he just a flash in the pan that veteran fighters will eventually figure out?

Josh Barnett: He’s new, I mean, he’s green to fighting, I’ll give you that. But he’s got the gold and he beat somebody that whether you think he could beat the best out there is one thing, but I’ll tell you what, any newcomer with three fights getting into the ring would be hard pressed to beat a guy like Randy Couture.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Can Frank Mir beat him again?

Josh Barnett: I put my money on Lesnar, but then again it just really depends on what kind of preparation he’s going to do. I think that if he wants to beat Mir, he needs to come out to Fullerton and train at CSW with myself and Erik Paulson. I think if he goes in again he could possibly hit him with those ham hocks and put him out on the ground. The thing is that Mir’s dangerous and explosive and he could very easily end up with another leg submission and there goes his new found title.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Do you still wrestle at all? Is there any chance we’ll see you in the WWE one day?

Josh Barnett: I don’t have any interest necessarily in wrestling in the states so much, but I continue to wrestle over in Japan for the IGF on a fairly regular basis — at least four matches maybe five matches a year. I even have student named Eric Hammer I have working over there, too. In my mind, whether I’m over there in Japan in the IGF or in the ring in Affliction, they’re all pro wrestling to me. I’m fighting for the entertainment of the fans.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): What are some of the differences with fighting over in Japan as opposed to the states? And which do you prefer?

Josh Barnett: I in general prefer to fight in Japan. I’ve been doing it for a while. The way everything is put together with the promotion, there’s a lot less hassle. Even just some of the simpler things in terms of there’s food and blankets and pillows and mats and everything and it’s all laid out for you backstage. They just really make sure that the fighter is taken care of and that they’re as comfortable as they can be to fight the best fight that they can. But also, I love the events themselves. They seem bigger and larger than life.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): After you defeated Rizzo in July, Mirko Cro Cop is now the only man you have faced in your career that you haven’t beat. Is a fourth fight with him and a win over him something that’s important to you for your legacy?

Josh Barnett: Uh, I don’t really know. Sure I would love to beat him. I would love to have a win over him — a very decisive, clear cut, you know, straight up finish. But it seemed to me that it was always a bad omen fighting Cro Cop. Whether it was dislocating my shoulder, to anything else that may have impeded my ability to be at my best. And that guy, when I fought him he was amazing. He fought incredible fights and he was a world champion. He’s tough. He’s tough as nails when he’s on. And a win like that would always look good on my record.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Where do you see yourself on the list of top heavyweights in the world?

Josh Barnett: I don’t give a shit about rankings. I just take a look at the list, you know, it doesn’t matter where they place, I just know I can beat them all.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Is there bad blood between you and the UFC and is there ever a chance we’ll see you back there? I mean, you never really lost your title.

Josh Barnett: Right, well I don’t see it happening anytime soon, especially with the way that I’m able to fight in different organizations as it is right now. Dana White or whoever else it is out there seems to have a real issue with me beyond business. It doesn’t matter who I like or dislike in terms of what organization. I just know that when it comes to doing business, I do business unless you are unethical or try to do something grievous to me through the rest of the contract or through business, then we can’t work together. But I don’t have to like anybody, I just have to do my job.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Do you want to make a prediction for the fight against Yvel?

Josh Barnett: Sure, I predict that Gilbert is going to be wishing he left his finger in the dike instead of coming over here and getting in the ring with me.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): (Laughs) Nice, thanks man. It was an honor getting a chance to talk with you. Is there anything else you want to talk about or anybody you’d like to thank?

Josh Barnett: Just my Web site and my MySpace page.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Cool. Thanks again Josh and good luck to you in the future.

Josh Barnett: Thank you, too.

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Josh Barnett, MMA News, UFC Fighter Interviews

What a difference massive nationwide exposure on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) can make in the life of a mixed martial arts fighter … just ask season five alum, Joe Lauzon.

“It was ridiculous,” Lauzon explains about the difference before and after the Spike TV reality-based fight program. “You’ll be going out and just get stopped by random people who say, ‘I watch you fight and I saw you fight.’ It’s just kind of weird. It’s kind of unreal.”

Lauzon is used to the real world — he is self-proclaimed computer geek who was working full-time as a network administrator prior to his Octagon debut against Jens Pulver at UFC 63: “Hughes vs. Penn 2″ back in 2006.

The Wentworth Institute of Technology graduate from Brockton, Mass., was supposed to serve as a sacrificial lamb for the former lightweight champion. “Lil Evil” was supposed to challenge for the 155-pound title, which the promotion recently resurrected after it was dissolved in 2002.

Lauzon apparently didn’t get the memo, drilling Pulver in the first round with a punch that basically ended the fight. Life as he knew it would never be the same.

“I had just started a full time job,” Lauzon explained. “I’d only been training for like two years … but I was training all the time. I was very ready to fight Pulver. I was doing all the motions. ”

He had the option after surprise win, which was one of the biggest upsets at the time in the history of the sport, to either continue competing in the UFC or become a TUF contestant. He chose the show and was among the early favorites to win the 16-man tournament-style series.

Lauzon was selected by coach BJ Penn to compete on the blue team against Pulver’s yellow-colored squad. And it appeared that he was on the road to the finals before being overwhelmed by the takedowns and wrestling of Manny Gamburyan in the semifinals.

It was a bitter pill to swallow. But sometimes in defeat fighters learn more about themselves than in victory. Lauzon certainly used the loss to his advantage.

“After I came off the Ultimate Fighter reality show I went back to work for a little bit,” he explained. “But I just couldn’t take it. I was training twice a day on the Ultimate Fighter reality show and it was driving me nuts not to be able to go to boxing or be unable to train in the morning. The fact that I had to go into work first and then I could train after. I just couldn’t take it. I couldn’t handle it. It was like, I’d be sitting there: Oh this is a waste of time. It sucks. I want to fight. This is what I should be doing. I don’t want to slip behind. I quit my job and have been at full-time ever since.”

It appeared to be the wise move — Lauzon was enjoying a six-fight win streak (three inside the Octagon). But, of course, in the UFC no good deeds go unpunished, Accordingly, the promotion rewarded Lauzon with a fight against perennial top division contender Kenny Florian in the main event of UFC Fight Night 13 in April 2008.

Unfortunately, the fight did not go according to plan. In fact, when we asked him about it, he revealed that nothing really went right that night in Broomfield.

“Kenny is good,” he said. “He beat me up pretty good. I thought I was going to win that fight. I thought I had the first round. I thought it was really close. I don’t know if it was nerves that got to me. Maybe altitude played a role in it. There was a whole mess of things that went wrong. I get fouled, the ref takes away my take down and I don’t understand why. I’m not going to hype up, ‘Oh I want to fight him again,’ but I wouldn’t mind it at all.”

He’ll have to wait — Florian is expected to challenge for the lightweight title once again after going on to defeat Roger Huerta and Joe Stevenson after besting Lauzon. In the meantime, he’ll have to settle for another former number one contender Hermes Franca.

The two aggressive fighters are slated to headline UFC Fight Night 17 in Tampa, Fla., on February 7. It’s another opportunity for him to shine and leap to the next level, but Lauzon knows that it won’t be easy.

“It’s a huge fight — Hermes is super dangerous,” Lauzon remarked. “He plays possum pretty much the entire fight. He pretty much just sits back and lets you do your thing then he comes with a vicious overhand or a ridiculous arm lock. He has always got cardio through the whole fight. He is dangerous.”

He knows he needs to be at the top of his game and prepared 100 percent to knock off the feisty Brazilian.

“I’m working with guys who are heavier than me, who have that style, but can explode and stuff,” he said about he pre-fight training. “Lots of boxing, trying to deal with the different combinations that he is going to throw, that he is going to come with. I’m trying to make sure my defense is good. I don’t want to get hit with any of those crazy bombs.”

Bombs indeed — Franca has demonstrated his punching power, which is somehow overlooked because of his jiu-jitsu prowess. But as Spencer Fisher, Ryan Schultz and even Gabe Ruediger could attest, Franca hits hard. He’s without a doubt one of the most well-rounded and experienced fighters in the division.

Lauzon, however, is no slouch himself.

“I’m dangerous everywhere,” he said. “I think I’m pretty unpredictable. I think I do quite a few different things well. I think I adapt very, very well. There has been certain times where I have done something in a fight or a grappling tournament that I have never done in training — never — and I’ve gotten a win with it. So it’s dangerous when you are fighting somebody like that. I think I’m a lot bigger than him. I’ve got a reach on him. I think there will be a pretty noticeable size difference and that is tough, too.”

If his record is any indication, than Lauzon is right on the money. He has never gone the distance in 21 professional bouts win or lose. He either finishes or gets finished. It’s that “balls to the wall” mentality that more than likely is the reason he is featured in high profile bouts.

February 7 will be no different.

“I really like to get in and get out,” he explained. “I like to be the aggressor. I like to push the pace. I want to have an exciting fight. I don’t like putting things in the judge’s hands. I like to go out and push the pace. I’d rather lose, if the other guy is better, rather than try to squeak out a decision.”

Spoken like a true engineer.

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Joe Lauzon, MMA News, UFC Fight Night 17, UFC Fighter Interviews, UFC Ultimate Fight Night (UFN), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

After winning a unanimous decision over Paul Taylor at UFC 89, Chris Lytle (26-16-5) called out Marcus Davis (15-4) in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.

“There’s a guy on the card tonight, I really like the way he fights. He’s a stand-up banger like me, Marcus Davis. I’d like for me and him to get it on after this. Maybe in Ireland in a couple months “The Irish Hand Grenade” responded, saying he wasn’t sure if Lytle “deserved” a shot against him, referring to “Lights Out” as a “gatekeeper” in the welterweight division.

Harsh words for two guys who say they are friendly with one another.

But Lytle got his wish. The UFC penned him in against Davis for UFC 93: “Franklin vs. Henderson” on Saturday, January 17, 2009. The event takes place at the O2 in Dublin, Ireland.

Both men are bangers. Both are former professional boxers. Both are no strangers to earning UFC’s bonus honors Knockout of the Night, Submission of the Night and Fight of the Night.

Truly this has all the makings of a must-see fight. Talk about getting 2009 off to a great start.

We caught up with Lytle before he crossed the pond for the big event to ask him how amped he was when he first learned he had gotten his wish to fight Davis in Ireland, how he sees the two fighters’ boxing styles measuring up, and to see what he has in store for the “Irish Hand Grenade.”

Here we go:

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You last fought Paul Taylor at UFC 89 in Birmingham, England. First off, great fight.

Chris Lytle: Thank you.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): MMAmania.com recently named it one of the year’s best. It was a very close fight. Did you expect to win by unanimous decision?

Chris Lytle: Well, it was a tough one ‘cause I’ve had a lot of fights over in other countries. Usually when you’re fighting in someone else’s hometown, you lose a lot of close decisions. I had seen a guy I knew from — like I said, I fought in Japan a lot and lost some fights I thought I won there — and one of the guys I knew from (Japan), a guy named (Akihiro) Gono, fought on the same (UFC 89) card. I personally thought he won his fight, but he was fighting a British guy (Dan Hardy), and (Gono) lost the decision.*

* NOTE: Hardy defeated Gono via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)

So after the fight, I kinda thought it was going to be close. But I’ve learned from a lot of my fights to do some little things to try to win each round. Like for example, each round I tried to make sure I got at least one takedown and didn’t give up any takedowns. I tried to always be the aggressor, pushing him back, keeping his back against the fence. If he tried to spin me around, I’d spin him right back around, put him in the fence, be more aggressive and try to land the heavier shots.

I definitely felt like I did the little things to win the fight, but when it comes down to it, you’re looking at three other guys who are going to decide if you win. I really didn’t know.

It was a real close fight. He’s a lot tougher than I had anticipated. I knew he was going to be fast and quick, but, man, he was a tough guy, and I thought it was a great fight.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Absolutely, it was. After the fight, you called out Marcus Davis to fight in Dublin. How stoked were you to find out you had gotten your wish?

Chris Lytle: Ah, I was real excited. That’s the type of fight I’ve been wantin’ — stand-up guys, guys who just like to sit there and bang it out. Marcus and I have known each other for a while, just ‘cause we’ve both been in the UFC. Just knowing that’s his style and that’s what he likes to do, and that’s what I like to do, I think we both kinda thought that this would happen at some point, and it hasn’t. So now that it’s happening, I think we’re both pretty happy about it.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Yeah. So there wasn’t anything personal there …

Chris Lytle: No, no, no. Right now, you know, some of the guys who I want to fight are guys who I’m actually friends with — not really friends, but who I’m friendly with. I really don’t have anything against most of the guys. I just think those are the types of fights I love.

Even like when I have guys come into town, and I’m sparring in the gym with them or whatever, just certain types of people, I don’t really care if there’s five people watching or 50,000 people watching. I really enjoy certain types of sparring or fighting. That’s what I’m looking for right now. That’s what motivates me — being involved in fights like this.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): So are you hoping for a stand-up battle, or do you expect this fight to be all over the cage?

Chris Lytle: I always plan for it to be a little bit of everything, but without a doubt, I’m wantin’ a stand-up battle. That’s kinda what we both like to do. I don’t foresee it going any other way.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You’ve never been finished in a fight. Davis has only been finished once in 19 fights. Do you see this fight going the distance?

Chris Lytle: You never really know in a fight, but it wouldn’t surprise me just in the fact that he’s been a pro boxer for a long time, as I’ve had pro boxing experience. When you’ve had probably 10,000 punches thrown at your face, you get pretty good at not taking direct shots — just glancing blows here, this and that there, etc. So it’s going to be a lot harder to land that devastating punch than I think a lot of people think.
But, that being said, everyone has that place where if you get hit the fight’s over. A lot of people talk about this guy has a great chin — it’s true — but anybody can be knocked out, myself included. So you really don’t know, it could go either way.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Speaking of the fact that both of you have boxed professionally, how do you see your boxing in comparison to his?

Chris Lytle: Well, we definitely have different styles, you know. He’s more of a calculated fighter — he’s gonna try to more or less out-box you. And I’m more … I’m just going to be in your face the whole time and try to overwhelm you. So we do have boxing, but we have contrasting styles, which I think makes (this fight) even neater.

If you have two guys who try to out-box each other, sometimes that can be a great fight to the fans who really appreciate the art and the sport of it. But to your common casual fan, they might not like it. So I think it’s good we have a couple different styles here. We’ll see who can impose their will on the other guy.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Both of you have faced Paul Taylor. Do you think watching tape against common opponents is a good way to judge what to expect from a fight?

Chris Lytle: It can be. But in this case I really don’t think it was, because really Paul Taylor was able to land a head-kick and knock (Davis) down pretty quick — maybe within a minute. So that was all the stand-up we got to see. The rest of the time was Paul Taylor trying to jump on top of him and finish him, and then Marcus reversing (Taylor) and using his submissions to finish him.

I don’t anticipate this necessarily being a battle of submissions, so I really don’t think (watching that tape) is going to help out too much. But it’s pretty interesting though.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You fought in Birmingham and are now fighting in Dublin. What’s it mean to be fighting overseas? Do you like that?

Chris Lytle: Yeah, I really do. I’ve fought overseas a lot. To be honest with you, personally I kinda like getting away. It helps me focus a little bit. If I’m somewhere around here, it seems like I have friends or family or whatever. People are in town.

I just like it when I feel like I’m away. I don’t have any distractions. I don’t have anything to think about besides the fight. So personally, I like it. I enjoy going to other countries and checking things out there. Kinda helps you appreciate what you have here.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): How’s your conditioning?

Chris Lytle: I feel great. I know a lot of people last time … Last time I felt great. But I think I just threw such hard punches the whole time that I kinda wore myself out at the end. I definitely wouldn’t say I might have over-trained, but I was doing a lot of different plyometrics and spreads, and just a lot of stuff that, after a couple of days of training, I would just be totally worn out everyday.

I think I’ve been a little smarter this time. I’m feeling better than last time, better than my last fight. But you know, I felt like I was in great shape then too, so who knows (laughs).

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You’ve won honors in at least four of your UFC fights — you’ve earned all three: Submission, Fight and KO of the Night. Davis has won each of these honors as well. Does that make this fight any sweeter, knowing that there’s a chance to earn some extra scratch?

Chris Lytle: Oh yeah, without a doubt. Don’t get me wrong, I love fighting, but money is an important factor as well (laughs). I’ve won the Submission of the Night award back in the day when you didn’t win any money, you just got a little plaque for it. And it was still a great honor to me.

That’s one of my goals right now. I want to be in lots of fights. I want everybody when they think of my fight that they want to get the pay per view, you know? “Well I’ll get it if he’s fightin’.” That’s kinda my goal for everybody to really be excited about seeing me fight.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Well again, I appreciate you taking the time to talk with us. Would you like to thank any sponsors or do you have any parting words for your fans?

Chris Lytle: For my fans I’ll say 2009 is going to be my year. I think you guys are really going to see what I bring to the table. I’m coming to bring it, and people are going to love it. I just want to thank my guys at MMAagents and TapouT for always sticking by my side.

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Chris Lytle, MMA News, UFC 93, UFC Fighter Interviews, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

Josh Koscheck doesn’t like losing.

After back-to-back wins over Dustin Hazelett and Chris Lytle , Koscheck came off the bench to replace an injured Diego Sanchez on just two weeks notice to battle rising star Thiago Alves at UFC 90 back on October 25.

He didn’t win.

Now — less than six weeks removed from the loss — the former collegiate national champion wrestler is slated to headline UFC Fight Night 16: “Fight for the Troops” against the very dangerous Japanese fighter, Yoshiyuki Yoshida.

That’s a tough fight for anyone in the welterweight division … much less someone coming off a loss to the bruising Brazilian.

Koscheck knows what is at stake — he put himself in this position. And now he feels as if his back is up against the wall. He needs to win or risk dropping farther back in the pack in the very competitive 170-pound title contender chase.

We recently caught up with the former contestant on the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) to get his thoughts on the Alves fight, how he plans to topple “Zenko” later tonight, who he feels is the next 155-pound champion, contract issues and much, much more.

Let’s get to it:

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Josh Koscheck, MMA News, UFC Fight Night 16: Fight for the Troops, UFC Fighter Interviews

Since dropping to welterweight following his first-ever loss in the UFC to Yushin Okami (22-4), Mike “Quick” Swick (12-2) has been looking for that breakthrough performance.

He didn’t get it in his majority decision win over Josh Burkman (18-8) at UFC Fight Night 12. He looked significantly better, but not great, four and a half months later when he outpointed the surging Marcus Davis (15-4) at UFC 85 to earn the unanimous decision.

Accordingly, Swick plans to make an even bigger statement tonight against Jonathan “The Road Warrior” Goulet (22-9) at UFC Fight Night 16: “Fight for the Troops.”

The fundraiser for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund takes place at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, N.C., airing free on Spike TV starting at 9 p.m. ET. Swick vs. Goulet is the co-headliner behind fellow welterweights Josh Koscheck vs. Yoshiyuki “Zenko” Yoshida.

We caught up with Swick just after weigh-ins to see what he has in store for us (and Goulet) tonight, find out what it feels like to fight in front of thousands of screaming U.S. soldiers and much more.

Here’s how it went:

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You’re coming off an exciting win over Marcus Davis that snapped his 11-fight win streak. How important was that win for you, especially when compared with your performance in the Josh Burkman fight?

Mike Swick: Ah … it was definitely important. I trained really hard, and I knew he was a tough opponent, so it was definitely important.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Was it important for you to not only win but also perform well in the Davis fight, as compared to the Burkman fight, where some of your critics came out and said that your loss to Yushin Okami might have temporarily zapped your fighting spirit?

Mike Swick: It was definitely important to prove that the Burkman fight was a one-time deal. And I’m still going to prove that with this fight. I thought the Davis fight was a good fight, but it still wasn’t a finish, and it wasn’t as exciting as some of my other fights. I’m still in that proving stage.

I don’t feel I have to do anything above and beyond what I normally do. I put everything into every fight. I fight every fight as hard as I can, or I try to. The game plan is to fight as hard as I can and to perform at my best. And if that didn’t happen one time, it’s just unfortunate, and it sucks, and I deeply regret it.

But every fight from here on out is no different than every fight I’ve had before that where the priority is to perform at my best. I think if I just do what I do, it’ll come full circle, and people will see that I didn’t change as a fighter, I just had a bad night.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Did you expect Davis to attempt so many takedowns given his boxing pedigree?

Mike Swick: No, as much as he said he was going to stand with me the whole time, I was really surprised the first two rounds that he tried as many takedowns as he did. It really caught me off guard — maybe that was his game plan.

But I countered the ones I could and just worked on beating him up on the ground. I wanted to be dominant anywhere the fight went, so that was my focus.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): I know you had surgery on your elbow after that fight. How much of a factor was your elbow injury in the Davis and Burkman fights? How far back does that injury go?

Mike Swick: My arm’s been injured for over a year, so the confidence and the stability haven’t been there for a while. I don’t use it as an excuse, it’s just really nice to have my arm back and to be healthy and to be able to use it. I’m excited to throw it a lot more in this fight than I have in the past year.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Let’s talk about your opponent for tomorrow, Jonathan Goulet. You two were supposed to fight a year ago, but the elbow injury prevented it from happening. There was some online smack talk going back and forth. Does that make the anticipation for this fight any sweeter?

Mike Swick: I’m definitely looking forward to the fight, regardless of the smack talk. But it didn’t go back and forth — it was just him. He just made a comment basically saying that he could beat me and trying to get the fight. He wanted to get back in the UFC and get an opportunity. That was the extent of it. I never answered back or anything like that.

Even leading up to this fight, every interview I’ve done I’ve said that anytime I’ve described Goulet I’ve said that he’s an exciting, well-rounded, scrappy opponent who’s very tough. All his interviews are like he can beat me at this, and he can beat me at that, and he’s faster than me, and he’s stronger than me. It’s unfortunate that he has to go that route.

I don’t know if his confidence level is low or if he really feels that he’s better at everything. I don’t know why he’s saying that and not giving respect, but the bottom line is we’re going to be fighting Wednesday night, so we’ll see who the better fighter is.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Give me a best case scenario for this fight — not in terms of outcome, but in terms of pace. Do you see this as a stand-up battle, do you think we’ll see a little of everything?

Mike Swick: As a best case, I want to go out there and keep it a stand-up fight and end it in the first round by knockout. I don’t mean like 20 seconds, but I would like to go three or four minutes.

I’d like to get in there and move around and fight. I definitely want to fight. I don’t want to throw one punch and get a knockout. I want to get in there and scrap it up a little bit. I think he’s a scrappy opponent, it could be fun. I want to see the true better striker come out ahead.

If it goes to the ground or turns into wrestling or clinch steps, then I’ll deal with that when it comes. But I don’t want that, because I don’t want the pace of the fight to slow down.

Anytime a fighter clinches, the pace is automatically going to slow down. I can do things, but I can’t end the fight at any given second from the clinch unless I get a knee right to the head. You gotta fight out of the clinch, you gotta get position.

So just for the sake at keeping the fight at a good pace, being able to win it at a moment’s notice, I don’t want to clench, and I don’t want it to go to the ground. I want to keep it on the feet.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): From a conditioning standpoint, is Goulet going to be able to keep pace with you?

Mike Swick: I honestly don’t think he can keep pace with me for this fight. My shape has never been as good as it is right now. I feel like I can go five rounds solid. And I felt solid in the Davis fight, I felt like I could go another round at a good pace. And I wasn’t in as good of shape then as I am now.

I really am in the best shape. Confidence is definitely not an issue. I’m extremely confident, so that’s good going in, because right from the start I’m going to push that fast pace. And if I have to, I’ll be willing to keep it for the whole 15 minutes if that’s what it takes.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Tomorrow’s event, dubbed “Fight for the Troops,” is a benefit for the National Intrepid Center of Excellence. What’s it mean to you to be fighting for such a worthy cause?

Mike Swick: Ah … it’s great to be fighting for this cause. I’m a huge supporter of the military. I love going to the military bases and doing seminars and training with them. We actually came to Fort Bragg a year ago and trained with the troops here, put on a seminar and did some Special Forces stuff. So it’s cool to come back to the base that we were previously at.

Especially for such a great cause, the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. This is a fundraiser that really makes a difference in soldiers’ lives and it’s great to know that we’re fighting to benefit that and to raise money for that.

And lastly, when you walk out, and you hear the crowd and the applause and screams, it’s really cool knowing that everyone you hear is a soldier. They’re all these people who are giving their lives and sacrificing their time, lives and livelihood overseas fighting in these wars for our freedom. It’s humbling and motivating to know that that’s who is cheering you on as you fight live.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): The whole UFC vs. AKA thing has gotten played up in the press as of late. What’s the mood like at AKA? Are there any sentiments, right or wrong, that maybe the UFC is trying to drive a wedge between the fighters and the camp?

Mike Swick: Not at all. We get along better than ever. I mean, everybody was in agreement, so …

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Gotcha — that’s good to hear. Well, Mike, thanks again for the interview. I wanted to give you a chance to plug any sponsors or if you have any parting words for your fans on what they can expect to see tomorrow night?

Mike Swick: I want to thank all the fans and all the troops. It’s going to be a great card, and I think it’s going to be my best performance. I want to thank everyone for their support.

Please check out my Web page at MikeSwick.com. I got my new blog and YouTube page linked up there, and I’m trying to post as much as I can behind the scenes, leading up to the fight, during fight week and post-fight.

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MMA News, Mike Swick, UFC Fight Night 16: Fight for the Troops, UFC Fighter Interviews, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

If all goes according to plan, Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski (15-5) might have a new nickname in store come January. How’s “The Emperor Slayer” sound? Now riding a five-fight win streak and set to challenge for the WAMMA title, Arlovski’s career is on the up and up to say the least.

It’s worth noting that Arlovski, once considered fairly unbeatable himself during his reign atop the UFC’s heavyweight division, hasn’t lost to a fighter who wasn’t named “Tim Sylvia” since March 2002. That’s six-and-a-half years and 11 wins over some of the best heavyweights in mixed martial arts, including Fabricio Werdum (11-4-1), Tim Sylvia (24-5) (the first time) Paul Buentello (26-10) and Vladimir Matyushenko (21-3).

Arlovski recently added two more KO’s to his fighter resume, battering “Big” Ben Rothwell (29-6) in the third round at Affliction: “Banned” in July and knocking out Roy “Big Country” Nelson (13-3) in the second round under the EliteXC banner on October 4. The first fight snapped Rothwell’s 13-fight win streak, while the second fight makes Arlovski the only man to ever finish Nelson in his 16-fight career.

He’s now set to face off against the man many claim is unbeatable, Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko (28-1). The two Sambo Masters of Sport will go head to head at Affliction: “Day of Reckoning” on Saturday, January 24, 2009, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

The superfight is also expected to feature such stars as Josh Barnett, Vitor Belfort, Matt Lindland, Renato “Babalu” Sobral, Chris Horodecki, Dan Lauzon, Vladimir Matyushenko and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, as well as Ozzy “The Prince of F-n’ Darkness” Osbourne, who will be on hand as the musical guest.

We recently caught up with Arlovski to discuss his upcoming fight with Fedor, how his infamously prolonged UFC contract dispute affected him and if there’s any cultural rivalry between him (a Belorussian) and Fedor (a Russian).

NOTE: If you haven’t already, you might want to check out Arlovski’s Web site, www.arlovski.com. The site is, at least from this writer’s perspective, unlike anything else in the MMA community. More than just a fighter’s personal blog, it’s a full-fledged social networking site that’s translated into 25 different languages and currently sees more traffic than both Randy “The Natural” Couture and Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell’s Web sites. They frequently sponsor a variety of contests and recently flew a contest winner from North Carolina out to Chicago to spend a day with “The Pitbull.” Not too shabby. Not too shabby indeed.

Let’s get after it.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): After eight years and 14 fights, what are your feelings on leaving the UFC?

Andrei Arlovski: I was kind of sad when I left the UFC (implying that eight years is a long time), but I then had the opportunity with Affliction, so, so far I am good. Affliction has the best, I would say, 10 best heavyweights. And right now I have the opportunity to fight Fedor on January 24, so all is good.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Was one of the reasons that you had a contract dispute with the UFC their lack of competition in the heavyweight division?

Andrei Arlovski: That too and I have some other reasons.

[Note: To clarify, Arlovski was implying that there were multiple reasons for not being able to come to terms with the UFC. The fact that Affliction was, at the same time, drawing in a lot of top heavyweight talent made the decision to sign with Affliction an attractive option. I do not think that he was trying to imply that the UFC’s heavyweight roster was lacking.]

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): With the way the UFC handled your contract negotiation — with not letting you fight for a year, and then when you finally did, putting you on the undercard against Jake O’Brien, rather than featuring you against a top contender — did you feel that that was disrespectful?

Andrei Arlovski: I don’t think so. It was discussed before I fought at that UFC, and Dana White discussed what’s good for business. It was good for them, so I am (fine). Of course I was kind of disappointed to not fight for months — it was a hard time for me — but otherwise everything was good.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Dana White has said that losing you “hurt” the UFC. He obviously didn’t want you to leave, at least according to that statement. Do you ever think that a return to the UFC could be possible at some point down the road?

Andrei Arlovski: I have a great relationship with the UFC and Dana White and the Fertittas, and he told me, “When you are ready, you are welcome,” you know. Maybe one day, I don’t know. (When I left the UFC), everything changed according to this world that I know, and after all the fights … I (still) have a great relationship with the UFC.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You’ve had two recent fights now outside the UFC, both of them ending in KOs. Are you getting more comfortable outside of the Octagon?

Andrei Arlovski: There’s not really a big difference if I am fighting inside the Octagon or in a ring, because I do all my sparring in a ring, so I’m really comfortable. Some complain about fighting in a cage or in a ring, but there’s not really a difference for me, because I do a lot of sparring for my boxing, and all the time I’m sparring in the ring, so I’m pretty comfortable.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): What’s it like working with Freddie Roach?

Andrei Arlovski: Great. Yes, I see him about three or four times per year. I will spend a few weeks with Freddie Roach (at the Wildcard Boxing Club) in L.A. But I am still training MMA with another great boxing trainer, Mike Garcia in Chicago. They’re both great. They have different (lessons) for me. So the time that I spend training with (Freddie) I learn something, and every single time when I step in the ring and I look out at Mike in Chicago, he teaches me something new.

I think I’m pretty lucky because I have the best trainers in my camp: Dino Costeas, jiu-jitsu, he’s been with me from day one, almost eight years; my wrestling coaches, Sean Bormet and John Kading — Sean Bormet was a wrestling coach for the last Olympic games — Freddie Roach and Mike Garcia. Great trainers.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): It was reported that you were interested in competing in boxing as well as MMA. Has there been any movement there?

Andrei Arlovski: Right now I am focused on the fight on January 24, so we’ll see after that.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You most recently defeated Roy Nelson via KO. How pleased were you with your performance overall?

Andrei Arlovski: First of all, I don’t like taking fights on short notice — it was short notice, two weeks before the fight. But as far as my game plan, one of my trainers told me, “You have to move a lot in the first round.” But actually I didn’t move a lot in the first round. In the second round, I had to use more of my boxing, my wrestling, my jiu-jitsu.

But actually, I wasn’t happy about the fight, I wasn’t happy with my performance, but I got the victory and I knocked him out. I am happy about that. But after the fight, I watched my fight many, many times, and I understood that I have a lot of work, everywhere, but especially wrestling and jiu-jitsu.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You’re now set to face Fedor Emelianenko — widely considered the best heavyweight on the planet. How do you feel about that?

Andrei Arlovski: Well, I’m very happy that they call him the best fighter on the planet, so it’s good for me. Everybody is, “Oh, Fedor, Fedor.” And it’s okay, it’s fine with me. He deserves it. He’s a great fighter who has fought many, many great fighters.

Yeah, it’s great. I think it’s a great opportunity for me. And we’ll find out on January 24 who’s better, the Belarusian or the Russian.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Is there any cultural rivalry that exists since between the two of you, just because he’s Russian, and you’re Belarusian?

Andrei Arlovski: If you do want to be the best fighter, you have to fight the best fighter. We’ll see January 24 who will be the best fighter. It’s a great opportunity for me. I’ve waited for this fight for a long time, so finally I got it.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): He is tremendous on the ground and has extremely dangerous submissions, armbars, etc. Would you prefer to keep this fight standing as long as possible to avoid a submission?

Andrei Arlovski: Yeah, but ground game is not everything. You have to at least (be) a good striker and kickboxer or Muay Thai striker. We’ll see, we’ll see. Of course I have a game plan. I have a lot of input from all my trainers. We’ll see. I spend a lot of time on wrestling and jiu-jitsu. Yeah, I’ll be ready for him.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Since leaving the UFC, you’ve fought twice in three months. Going forward, how many times per year would you like to fight?

Andrei Arlovski: At least three or four. You know, every fighter likes about a month between. Yeah, three or four times I think is very good for me.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Well, Andrei, I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with us and I know that you have a ton of fans who frequent MMAmania.com. Lastly, would you like to thank any sponsors or do you have any parting words for your fans?

Andrei Arlovski: Thanks to MMAmania.com for the interview, and thanks to all my fans for the support. You should check out my Web site, www.arlovski.com.

Special thanks to Keith Gelman, Andrei Arlovski’s marketing agent, for helping to set up this interview.

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MMA News, UFC Fighter Interviews, fedor emelianenko

Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Bobby Southworth knows a thing or two about playing the villain.

This Friday night at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, the 38-year-old product of American Kickboxing Academy will once again fill that role as he defends his light heavyweight strap against the uber-talented fan favorite Renato “Babalu” Sobral live in the main event of Strikeforce “Destruction” airing live at 10pm ET on HDNet.

Southworth first rose to popularity as one of the founding fathers on season one of the UFC’s hit reality show The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) — and almost prevented history as we know it from taking place after battling fellow contestant Stephan Bonnar to a close split-decision in episode seven.

Bonnar would go on to compete in the finals where he and Forrest Griffin, well, you know the rest.

During his stint on TUF 1, Southworth gave the fans someone they could jeer for with an array of weekly shenanigans that included pranks, weight-cutting issues and the infamous “Fatherless Bastard” outburst toward Chris Leben.

Following the show, Southworth would make his final UFC appearance against Sam Hoger in the Ultimate Fighter Finale in April of 2005. Though he came up short in the decision, Southworth didn’t waste any time feeling sorry for himself and would reappear just two months later at Strikeforce “Revenge”.

After a faulty cage handed him a No Contest against James “The Sandman” Irvin at that event, Southworth plowed forward, going 3-1 in his next four Strikeforce bouts including his victory over Vernon “Tiger” White to claim the vacant light heavyweight title.

Bobby Southworth might have left, but he was never really gone.

During his almost 10-year career, he’s seen enough and been through enough to know what it takes to pull off an upset against a talented veteran like Sobral. It will be interesting to see if he can make this a competitive fight or if Babalu is going to “run through him” like he claims he will.

Despite some of the negative images of his past, Southworth is actually one of the nicest guys I’ve had the opportunity to talk with. His passion about the sport of mixed martial arts is undeniable and he knows the opportunity in front of him this Friday night is perhaps the biggest of his career.

We recently caught up with the champ to find out his thoughts on the Babalu fight, his recurring injury plus a whole lot more.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): How did your camp go for this fight training over at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose?

Bobby Southworth: Good, you know, it was a really good camp. A lot of good training partners, so I’m ready to go.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Who are some of the guys you’ve been working with?

Bobby Southworth: We have a wide variety of styles and stuff. I got a little work in with Trevor Prangley. A little work with Cain Velasquez, Christian Wellisch, Kyle Kingsbury, Jon Jones, Nate James, you know, we got a big stable of fighters there and a lot of different looks that you can get anytime you’re in our gym, so we got a lot of good guys in there.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): When you’re preparing for a guy like Babalu, who’s a stud on the ground, do you train a ton of jiu-jitsu or do you work on your takedown defense and striking?

Bobby Southworth: Well, I’m a little bit of a jiu-jitsu guy myself. I’m always training jiu-jitsu. I’m always on the mat either teaching or training when I’m not in the gym with the fight team. I trained a little bit more on the ground than usual, but we concentrate a lot on all the aspects of the fight in our gym. We’re always working on striking, wrestling, jiu jitsu and submissions, so I feel like I’m prepared.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): The fight was originally scheduled to go down in September at the Playboy Mansion, but you were both pulled out with injuries. Can you tell us a little bit about your injury?

Bobby Southworth: Yeah, I have this recurring problem with my ACL, and I have some other problems in there. I didn’t really have time to get surgery and go in and get it corrected, so I just worked on rehabbing the leg and strengthening the muscle for stabilization, strength and explosion. And you know, we’ve had very good results, and I’m happy.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): What’s the ACL problem? Is there a tear?

Bobby Southworth: My ACL is thinning out as I get older so if I tweak it a certain way a little bit of it frays off. So, it’s not that it’s torn, it’s just that little bits of it keeping pinging away kind of like a piano wire or like a rope.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): What have you heard about his injury?

Bobby Southworth: I just heard he had a minor meniscus tear. He got it repaired and was back training like seven days later, so it must not have been too bad.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): In the past you’ve had success using a lot of takedowns and control. Do you think a similar strategy can work against a guy like Babalu?

Bobby Southworth: You know, we’ll find out in the fight. I’m not gonna give away my strategy or anything like that, but like I said we’re prepared for all the aspects of anywhere the fight might go. If I can control Babalu on the ground that’ll be great. If not, then I’m prepared to keep the fight on the feet and strike with him. You can do all the preparation you want for fights, but once the cage door closes and the fight starts, a lot of game plans go out the window because fighters adapt, in their training and they adapt minute to minute in the cage as well. My goal is to, you know, I’m in great shape. I hired a strength and conditioning coach. So, I’m in shape. I’m ready to go five hard rounds, so wherever the fight goes I’ll be ready.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): What are some of the advantages you think you have over Babalu in this fight?

Bobby Southworth: I think most of the advantages go to Babalu. He’s the more experienced fighter. He’s faced better competition. He trains in a gym with twenty black belts in jiu jitsu. You know, I think my striking is a little more precise and a little more accurate than his. I do have those six plus championship fights under my belt. Going deeper into the fight I think that favors me a little bit more. Like I said, I don’t like to make predictions or run my mouth about the fight or my opponent. I just like to go in there and let the chips fall where they may.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): You mentioned a little bit of his credentials. Even as the champ, you’re more than likely going to be the under dog in this fight. How do you feel about that role?

Bobby Southworth: I don’t really think about those things. I think about being prepared and going in and performing. All the hoopla and getting interviews and taking pictures and what the betting line is … those are the things that don’t really concern me. You know, on any given night anybody can beat anybody. I don’t worry about what a fight looks like on paper. I worry about how the fight is going when I’m actually in there throwing leather.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Being that this fight is right in your backyard, it’s for your world title, it’s the main event of a HDNet televised Strikeforce event, it has to be the biggest fight of your career. What is going through your head so close to fight night?

Bobby Southworth: I mean, you pretty much run the whole gantlet of emotions, nervousness, being excited, you know. But I just try to listen to music, watch movies, you know, quiet my mind because the worst part of the fight is the week leading up to the fight. You have a lot of down time, you’re training a little less, your schedule’s a little less hectic. That’s the time I think your mind works against you, so I just try to stay busy doing other things and keep my brain distracted and just wait for fight time.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): I’d imagine having a whole arena full of people and basically and entire city behind you is going to give you a little extra adrenaline on fight night.

Bobby Southworth: I hope it does. I definitely want to perform well for my hometown fans and all the people who are coming over from Santa Cruz to watch the fight. Santa Cruz is actually my hometown. I just live and fight out of San Jose. I want to perform well for them. I’m sure the crowd will be giving me a lot of energy. Hopefully I’ll be able to channel some of that into getting a victory.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): This will be your sixth fight with Strikeforce. What’s your current contract status with them? Do you have more fights or is it a situation where you have to continue to defend your title?

Bobby Southworth: Well my contract was originally a four fight deal, and like you said I’m six fights in. I never actually saw that contract on paper, so I’m not sure. Obviously beating Babalu give a fighter some options in his career, but I’m not thinking about what happens after the fight. I’m thinking about the fight. It’s important for me to retain my title. As long as I have this belt I’m alive in the MMA game, and I have some bargaining power. So that’s my main goal, is get in there, get this victory, and then worry about everything else after the fight.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): I’ve heard rumors of potential network television deals with both NBC and CBS for Strikeforce. Have you heard anything about that? And what are you thoughts about potentially fighting on live network television one day?

Bobby Southworth: I have not heard anything about that. I mean getting mainstream, primetime, major network exposure is huge for any fighter. And that would be an awesome opportunity for me, you know, and any other fighter fighting in Strikeforce. I’m happy fighting for Strikeforce. I think it’s a great organization. With 16 shows in or however many shows they have in without canceling a date or consistently getting attendance in the double digits, consistently in the tens of thousands, I think that’s a great thing. I think they’re a major player in the game with a good business model that will be around for a while to come. Hopefully my relationship with them continues to be a positive one. I have no complaints at this point. The more exposure, the more television time that I can get while I’m with Strikeforce, I think that just benefits me as a whole, so that would be great.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): As the champion, you’re representing the entire Strikeforce 205-pound division. How do you feel you match up against some of the other light heavyweight champs out there like your former cast mate Forrest Griffin for instance?

Bobby Southworth: Well, you know, when I was on the show with Forrest I matched up very well with him. He’s improved as a fighter. He’s had a lot of big time experience and a lot of big time fights. I think I’m competitive with anybody in the 205-pound division. It’s just a matter of coming in having done your due diligence. If you have the right game plan, if you train properly and make sure you’re in shape, you know, anybody can beat anybody on any given night.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Are you still friends with any of the guys from the show?

Bobby Southworth: You know, we’re all real busy, but every so often there’s MySpaces or phone calls or we run into each other at an event and have a beer or something. But it’s not like, you know, a lot of us live in different parts of the country. It’s not like we’re all coming over to each other’s houses for Sunday dinner or anything like that.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): What are your thoughts on Chris Leben testing positive for steroids?

Bobby Southworth: I don’t know what to say about that. I think it’s unfortunate for Chris. I think he’s made huge strides as a fighter and as a person. When we did the reunion he seemed like he was in a real positive place in his life. I just think it’s unfortunate that that happened. You know, I’ve seen … it’s hard to say, you know, there’s a lot of these new emerging supplement companies. Sometimes you read articles or hear rumors that sometimes supplement companies are putting stuff in there to give people a boost. Kind of like trying to get them hooked and then go back and give them regular type supplements. I don’t know what Chris’ situation is. I haven’t heard any formal statements or anything that he made. Steroids in any sport are unfortunate, but I think history has shown that anytime there is opportunity for financial gain, people are going to do anything they can to get an edge to obtain that. I mean, it’s just human nature.
It’s unfortunate, but it’s what is. And I don’t think it’s going to change anytime in the near future.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Ok, you’ve been the champion now for almost two years. You’re 38 years old. What does the future hold for you? What are your goals in this sport?

Bobby Southworth: Day to day, week to week those goals, you know, those perceptions are always being assessed. I’m just a few weeks shy of being 39. I’m just trying to take it one fight at a time. I still feel like I’m improving as a fighter. I’m learning new techniques. I’m making strides in my strength and conditioning. It’s hard to say. I mean, obviously there’s only one Randy Couture. You know, I’m older than Chuck Liddell. I want to stay in this game as long as I can. I’ll have to assess it on a fight to fight basis after this fight and see how my body feels. See how my performance was. Obviously if I win this fight it’s a huge thing for me. Obviously if I lose the fight it’s a huge thing as well. I mean, we’ll just have to see what happens. I want to stay in this game as long as I can and fight the best competition that I can. I leave that up to my management and the matchmakers at Strikeforce. I’ll show up, and I’ll be ready to go for as long as I’m in the game.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): What else do you have going on in your life? Do you have any business ventures or anything else you’d like to talk about?

Bobby Southworth: Yeah, I recently opened a gym with two partners. I opened another American Kickboxing Academy. It’s American Kickboxing Academy Sunnyvale with my partners Javier Mendez and Alex Khanbanian. I’m running the jiu-jitsu and MMA. Alex is running the boxing, kickboxing and kids MMA program. He’s a former two time ISKA world champion. We’ve been open for about six months. We’ve got about a 180 students. We’re doing well considering the state of the economy and we’re happy. I haven’t been in there for a few weeks because I really wanted to concentrate on preparing for the fight. But as soon as the fight is over it’ll be right back in, it’ll be right back to business as usual teaching jiu-jitsu and MMA and hopefully helping the business to grow.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Is there anything you want to say to your fans or anybody you would like to thank in closing?

Bobby Southworth: I’d just like to thank some of my sponsors. I’d like to thank Cage Fighter MMA Authentic. I’d like to thank Sherdog.com, score clinic, my friend Jason at Elite … I can’t remember the name, but he’s my strength and conditioning coach. I call it Elite Performance. And I’d like to thank Shocker Nutrition for giving me all the supplements they’ve given me and that’s pretty much about it.

James Iannotti (MMAmania.com): Cool man. We appreciate you taking the time to talk with us, it was great talking with you and we wish you good luck on Friday night.

Bobby Southworth: Thanks for having me. It was a pleasure.

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MMA News, Strikeforce, UFC Fighter Interviews

To the casual UFC fan, the name Demian Maia might not ring a bell. But the Brazilian middleweight sensation is doing his best to change that … and change it fast.

He’s won more worldwide jiu-jitsu tournaments than most people can pronounce, including the 2007 Abu Dhabi World Submission Grappling Championships, the Mundials World Jiu-Jitsu Championship (twice), the 2006 Pan American Championship, the … you know what, I lost count.

Suffice it to say, you don’t want to roll with this guy unless you want something hyper-extended.

Plus, the undefeated mixed martial artist is 9-0 overall, 3-0 in the UFC and is the only man to earn “Submission of the Night” honors three consecutive times. He also served as an instructor on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Season 8 for Team Mir.

The guy’s keeping busy.

He now sets his sights on his next opponent, Nate “The Rock” Quarry (10-2). The two square off tomorrow, November 15, at UFC 91: “Couture vs. Lesnar” at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The fight will be included on the main card and aired on pay-per-view, starting at 10 p.m. ET.

Quarry is a tough competitor who has battled back from spinal surgery that would have ended most athletes’ careers. He’s also won six of his last seven fights, with his lone loss coming from a mean straight left at the hands of then-middleweight champion Rich Franklin (we’ve all seen the highlight).

We recently caught up with Maia to see what he has in store for Quarry, ask him about all those “Submission of the Night” honors and to pick his brain about a potential matchup with current Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva.

Here we go.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): In your fight with Ed Herman, two times you pulled off a technique that was just beautiful, and I think you did it again against Jason MacDonald. I’m referring to when Herman had you on your back and was attempting to pass your guard. Herman tried to push your knee to the mat, but gave up wrist control in the process. When he posted up, he lowered his right shoulder, and you brought up your leg and sunk in the triangle. It seemed like a beautiful bait and switch. Can you talk about that a bit, whether or not your strategy was to intentionally bait him in like that, or if it just fell right into place for you?

Demian Maia: Well it was intentional, but at the same time, when I fight jiu-jitsu I like to flow. Just flow. And I see what is happening, what the guy is doing. I don’t go in and say, “I will do that, or I will do this or that.” I wait and see what the guy will give to me.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Since entering the UFC, you’ve gone on a three-fight tear, with submission victories over Ryan Jensen, Ed Herman and most recently Jason MacDonald at UFC 87. With each fight, you’ve earned “Submission of the Night” honors, making you, I believe, the only man in UFC history to earn that honor three consecutive times. Were you aware of that, and if so, how does it feel to hold that honor?

Demian Maia: It’s a big honor for me to be at the biggest event in the world and get three times in a row the “Submission of the Night.” I’m really, really happy about that. I’m working my submissions a lot and that’s just my work when I go there. I try to do what I do best, and what I do best is submit people. So that’s what I try to keep doing, and let’s hope that I win again.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Despite the accolades, you still aren’t largely well-known amongst the average UFC fan. What do you think needs to happen to give you more exposure? Clearly, your skill set is not the issue.

Demian Maia: I think it’s normal. It takes time. My first and second fights were undercard fights, so they didn’t get much exposure. But they did show my first fight on TV after the main card. And I think my last fight against Jason MacDonald was my first fight on the main card. Secondly, it’s a question of time. If you keep doing well, winning or losing, if you fight well, and you are featured on the pay-per-view, people get to know you, and you grow in popularity.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): It’s been talked about that you, along with Rousimar Palhares, were brought into the UFC because your world-class jiu-jitsu would create problems for the Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, who hasn’t really shown a weakness anywhere except for possibly on the ground. You’re now 8-0 overall and 3-0 in the UFC. How many more wins do you think you’ll need before you’ll get a title shot?

Demian Maia: Actually I am 9-0, because my first fight —

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Oh, I’m sorry.

Demian Maia: No, no, I don’t know why they don’t put my first fight on Sherdog. It was in 2001, my first fight. Anyways, it depends on the UFC. To me it doesn’t really matter. With each fight for me, I learn more. So I know one day the title shot will come if I keep learning and doing well. So it’s good because I will fight this Saturday, where I will have another opportunity to learn more. And then probably fight again. So I don’t know when I’ll get a title shot, but it’s really up to them. They know better than me. I will just wait, and I will be prepared when they call.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): With Anderson Silva intent on retiring sometime in 2009, are you all the more anxious to get a shot at the title before that happens?

Demian Maia: I think he has a lot more time. Five fights, right? So I think I don’t really need to rush. If I keep doing well I will fight him for sure.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Well, you next fight Nate Quarry this Saturday at UFC 91. While Quarry’s no stranger to the Octagon, his ground skills are definitely limited when compared to your own. He’ll clearly want to keep this fight standing for as long as possible. Do you plan to stand long with him, or would you prefer the action to be on the ground?

Demian Maia: Of course I prefer on the ground, but I really don’t care. It’s a fight, I don’t have like a fight plan to go and just put him on the ground. I really, really don’t care. I go there and will start to fight and when I feel it’s good to go to the ground, then I go. But now I’m much more confident in my standup game, so I’m not going to be thinking, “I need to put this guy down, I need to put this guy down.” I just go, fight and see what’s going to happen. If it goes to the ground, even better.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): While he’s very well-respected and a strong striker, Quarry isn’t exactly the fastest striker in the game. What role do you see footwork playing in this fight?

Demian Maia: I think I am able to do that nowadays, because I am better. But if I can’t use my jiu-jitsu, of course I would prefer to, but if not, I am still able to fight where and when I need to.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Do you see Quarry as having any shot at postponing the inevitable takedown?

Demian Maia: No, of course he has. Everybody has. But I think a fight is a fight. I cannot say that I will put him down easy and I will submit him. No, no, no. he’s just as intent as me. He can do a good fight. It takes two. Like 50/50. That’s the fight game.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): In preparing for this fight, have you changed up anything in your training? Have you brought in any new coaches or training partners, or worked on striking more?

Demian Maia: Yeah, I think my last fight was much more professional, and this one I am not teaching anymore like I was before. I am not teaching jiu-jitsu too much, just a little bit. I am just training, sleep, eat, training, sleep, eat. Just these things all the time. I’m doing everything that I could do to stay in the best shape that I can.

My camp is still the same. I work with Andre Lopes on boxing, Rafael Alejarra on conditioning in the ring. He’s helped me out a lot with all the aspects of the fight.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Well, Demian, I really appreciate the time you took to talk with us, and I wanted to give you an opportunity to plug any sponsors or if you have any parting words for your fans.

Demian Maia: I’m really happy now that the people in the United States and people in North America are starting to know me and appreciate my skills in jiu-jitsu, and they appreciate the ground fight. It’s very nice. I’m very happy that I can bring that inside the Octagon. So I love that. I love it when the people come and appreciate what I do there. Not just violence but also submissions. Not just a punch and knee to the face, but different things also. I like to win in a clean fight — no blood, nothing.

I like to say thanks to my managers and agents, like Paulo Vasconcellos and my management team at MMADHOUSE.com. They really help me out a lot.

And I want to say thanks to Eternal Unlimited, who sponsored me, and Warrior, who sponsored me for this fight also. And for everybody who supports me.

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MMA News, UFC 91, UFC Fighter Interviews, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

Dustin “McLovin” Hazelett (11-4) has been steadily climbing the ranks in the UFC since his Octagon debut back in October 2006.

The newly awarded Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Jorge Gurgel has gone 4-2 for the promotion and looked impressive in his wins over Jonathan Goulet (22-9) and Josh Burkman (18-8), and even in his loss to Josh Koscheck (11-3), where the submission master showed significantly improved standup skills.

But it was his most recent win over Burkman that earned him the most attention. As the first man to actually finish Burkman since Jon Fitch did it way back at Ultimate Fight Night 4 in April 2006, Hazelett took home both the “Submission of the Night” and “Fight of the Night” honors, along with $40,000 in bonus bucks.

At just 22 years old, Hazelett is looking to make another splash this Saturday at UFC 91: “Couture vs. Lesnar,” where he’ll take on Tamdan “The Barn Cat” McCrory (9-1), who is also 22 years old.

And with the Amir Sadollah/Nick Catone fight being recently cancelled because of Sadollah’s leg infection, this bout has been declared the swing bout of the night, which means it should be aired along with the rest of the main card. The action kicks off from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view (PPV).

We recently caught up with “McLovin” to ask him about those bonuses, find out what surprises he has in store for “The Barn Cat,” and to see where he thinks he falls in the crowded UFC welterweight division.

Let’s do this.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You recently defeated Josh Burkman via armbar at the TUF 7 Finale in June in what turned out to be a really exciting fight. While Burkman’s been a little inconsistent in the win/loss column, he’s still fought a ton of really high caliber fighters and holds wins over Forrest Petz, Josh Neer and Drew Fickett. That had to feel good to get that win.

Dustin Hazelett: Oh, yeah, definitely. That was a huge win for me, especially not just beating him, but actually being able to submit him. Because he’s a tough guy, and he very rarely gets finished.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): How did you feel about your performance, weighing the good and the bad — things that went as you expected vs. things that might not have gone as you thought that they would have?

Dustin Hazelett: Well, in the second round, I got kinda tired, and for some reason, I just stood there and let him punch me a lot. So that didn’t go as well as I would’ve liked.

But other than that, the fight went really well. I was a little disappointed in myself. When watching the tape, I see a lot of areas where I could have done so much better. But you know, that’s always the case. So I just plan to learn from that and hopefully not make the same mistakes again.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): That fight got you both the “Submission of the Night” and the “Fight of the Night” bonuses, didn’t it?

Dustin Hazelett: Yeah, that was nice.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): That had to have been not only financially a huge bonus, but also just for the honor of getting both of those, that had to be huge?

Dustin Hazelett: Oh yeah, that was real big for me. I had never gotten the “Fight of the Night” bonus before. So that was really good, especially any time you can get any one of the bonuses, let alone two of them together, that’s a big achievement there.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): With the injury to Amir Sadollah forcing him to pull out of his fight with Nick Catone, your next fight is now going to be on the televised portion of the UFC 91 card. Is that correct?

Dustin Hazelett: I am the swing bout now. So there’s a really good chance that it will get aired, but you know how those swing bouts go.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Well that still has to be some great news for you, with the opportunity to get on the televised portion.

Dustin Hazelett: Yeah, that was great for me. I got really excited when I heard that. Especially with this card — it’s a huge card and, they’re expecting to get mass buys on pay-per-view. So to have the ability to be aired now is huge for me, in terms of getting my name out there and showing what I’m capable of.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Does that also get you more excited about the fight and about performing well in front of all the viewers at home?

Dustin Hazelett: Yeah a little. I mean, I was already highly motivated. But now, this is like the icing on the cake. It’s not like I wasn’t going to try hard or wasn’t motivated before. But this is kinda like putting the candles on the cake — it’s that little extra special bit.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Both you and Tamdan McCrory are young fighters and both lanky fighters for your division. It seems like an interesting matchup. I’ve actually been hoping to see this matchup happen for a while now. Is this something you’ve also been hoping for?

Dustin Hazelett: Uh, no. I really didn’t know a whole lot about him before this fight was presented to me as a potential opponent. Once I started researching him and looking at his record, I realized how tough he was. Now I’m really excited about the fight, but I’m not one who likes to call out opponents or one who likes to pick his opponents. I just go with whoever (manager) Monte (Cox) and the UFC decide is best for me to fight, that’s who I fight. I don’t like to call out fights or anything like that. But I agree with you, I think this is going to be a really good matchup.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): I was reading McCrory’s stats and saw him listed at 6’4.” I knew he was tall, but I didn’t realize he was that tall.

Dustin Hazelett: Yes, that is correct.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Well this has gotta be one of the few fights where you’re going to be facing someone who is taller than you, I would imagine, just because, at 6’1”, you’re fairly tall for someone in the 170-pound weight division.

Dustin Hazelett: Yeah, this is going to be a rarity fighting someone who’s taller than me. But I think it’s going to be a good fight. It’ll be good experience. He’s one of those fighters who can make any fight a tough fight because of his style.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): What problems do you anticipate that somebody like him can bring to the table?

Dustin Hazelett: Well, he’s very strong. A lot of people don’t realize that because of his build — because he’s tall and skinny. But he’s got a lot of leverage, he uses it well. He’s very strong and aggressive and very well conditioned. He’s not one to gas out or slow down much. So that can be a problem for anybody. And he has a very well-rounded skill set. So you combine his conditioning, endurance and aggression with his well-rounded skill set, and it could prove to be tough. But I think I have the tools to beat him.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): With each fight, your striking seems to get better and better. Is that something that you’ve continued to work on specifically for this fight?

Dustin Hazelett: Yeah, definitely. I’ve been working a lot on my standup. I’ve been working a lot with Dorian Price (of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra season), who’s been helping me out a lot, teaching me a lot of stuff. And he’s also built a lot like Tamdan, but a much better striker. So it’s very invaluable for this fight camp.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Have you been training with Team Jorge Gurgel for this fight?

Dustin Hazelett: Yes, I’m still in Cincinnati at the JGMMA Academy.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Other than Dorian, have you brought in any new coaches or training partners for this fight?

Dustin Hazelett: No, like I said, Dorian’s helping me with my standup now. Other than that, I’ve got all the same coaches.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): From a conditioning standpoint, have you factored in any new practices in order to prepare you for this fight, given that McCrory’s gas tank tends to run a little high?

Dustin Hazelett: I’m not really doing a lot of different stuff, I’m just really pushing myself at the stuff I’ve been doing. I think the methods of conditioning I’ve been doing have been very effective. But I realize that in the past my conditioning has been sort of weaker than my opponents, but you know, most of my opponents have been known for their conditioning too.

But that’s something I’ve definitely been focusing a lot on, because I think that’s (McCrory’s) best chance to win this fight is to take it into deep water and to keep pushing the action. So I’ve focused a lot on my conditioning. My conditioning is better than it’s ever been by far. So I don’t think that advantage is going to be there, like he’s hoping it will.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): While you’ve made huge strides with each fight — you looked great in your fight against Koscheck and now with wins over Burkman and Jonathan Goulet — you’re also in probably the most stacked division in the UFC. Where do you think a win will put you in that division, in terms of hanging with those top contenders, whether it’s Thiago Alves or Karo Parisyan, or Jon Fitch or Josh Koscheck or Diego Sanchez? With a win here do you see yourself right in the mix of things there?

Dustin Hazelett: Um … I don’t know, not necessarily. Like you said, the division’s so stacked, it’s hard to break through that barrier to the top. So basically what I’m doing is I’m not focusing on trying to get to the top the quickest. I’m focusing on bettering myself. I’m not worried about trying to climb to the top the fastest. I’m working on getting myself better in all areas so that I’ll be prepared to be there when I’m there, and I’ll deserve to be there.

I think I have what it takes to be a champion some day. I don’t think that I’m there yet, but I’m working very hard to get there. So if I keep working on getting better, and I get better, and I get better, then I will be there. I’m not worrying about “Will this fight put me there?” I’m just focusing on getting better and getting better, and I know that if I continue to progress, then I will get to the top.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): This will be your seventh fight in the UFC. How many fights do you have remaining on your contract after this one?

Dustin Hazelett: I think I have one more on my contract. I’m not sure. I don’t really worry too much about the contract, because as long as you keep fighting hard and doing good, they’ll keep bringing you back. So I’m not too worried about getting cut or anything like that. The contract’s not a huge issue for me.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Well with a 4-2 record in the UFC, I’d imagine that you’re going to be in the UFC for a long time to come.

Dustin Hazelett: Thanks, I hope so (laughs).

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Well Dustin, I really appreciate you taking the time to talk to us. I’d like to give you an opportunity to thank any sponsors or if you have any parting words for the fans.

Dustin Hazelett: I’d just like to say thanks to my fans for the support. I’d like to thank everybody at the JGMMA Academy for helping me out so much in getting me ready for this fight.

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Dustin Hazelett, MMA News, UFC 91, UFC Fighter Interviews, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

Kenny Florian was widely regarded as the clear cut number one contender in the crowded 155-pound division following his win over Roger Huerta via unanimous decision at UFC 87: “Seek and Destroy” on August 9.

But his second chance at championship gold never came.

That’s because current lightweight champion, BJ Penn, will rematch welterweight kingpin Georges St. Pierre at UFC 94: “St. Pierre vs. Penn 2” at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 31, 2009, putting the division strap temporarily on ice.

Rather than sitting on the sidelines and waiting his turn, Florian decided to keep busy. And he isn’t taking fights with “slouches” or “cans” to ensure that he remains atop the title contender totem pole.

On the contrary, he accepted a very dangerous fight against Joe Stevenson at UFC 91: “Couture vs. Lesnar” at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on November 15. It’s a high profile bout between two fighters who have each missed out on winning the vacant division title.

“I will be fighting Joe Stevenson,” Florian recently told MMAmania in an exclusive interview. “I’m really excited. Joe Stevenson is a phenomenal opponent — very dangerous opponent — one of the best in the world out there as a lightweight.”

Indeed, Stevenson turned professional at the tender age of 16. Since that time he has racked up an impressive record (29-8), ensuring that he has the experience advantage over just about all of his opponents at just 26 years old.

And that includes Florian, who is older (32), but has nowhere near the amount of fights (10-3) as “Daddy.” That’s a reality that is not lost on Boston area native. He views Stevenson as a worthy opponent who is standing between him and his ultimate career goal of one day being champion.

“He is in my way of advancing up the ladder even more,” Florian said. “I want to fight the best guys. Joe Stevenson is not only a nice guy and a very experienced opponent, he is one of the best out there and I’m looking forward to the challenge. I know I’m going to have my hands full.”

Florian knows that extreme dedication and a whole lot of hard work is the life of a fighter — it’s also the recipe for success in a sport the demands it. Accordingly, he trains at his own gym in Brookline, Mass., Florian Martial Arts Center, which he owns with his brother, Keith. In addition, Florian trains at F-15 Training Center with Peter Welch his boxing coach. His Muay Thai and MMA Coach is Mark DellaGrotte.

“I couldn’t ask for a better training camp or better training over all,” Florian said.

Training, fighting and running a gym keep Kenny more busy than he could imagine. But that’s not all. He is also a fixture as a panelist on ESPN.com’s hit weekly program, “MMA Live.”

“I am actually on my way home from ESPN right now,” Florian explained during our interview. “I was in Connecticut filming ‘MMA Live,’ which is a show we do every week on ESPN.com. It’s a great show. It’s great to have the World Wide Leader in Sports covering mixed martial arts the way that they have.”

Perhaps it’s no coincidence that ESPN intends to devote extra coverage this weekend to UFC 91, providing live broadcasts from Las Vegas before, during and after the blockbuster pay-per-view (PPV) event. Florian, however, will be a little busy preparing for his showdown inside the Octagon this fight week and more than likely unable to contribute his witty brand of expert commentary on the ESPN set.

“I train six days a week, two times a day,” he says about his preparation. “Whether I’m training for a fight or not I’m always training six days a week two times every single day. It’s not crazy all the time, but its consistent training all the time. I think that is the key for me to be able to improve and get better and to learn new things, also to consistently get better with your conditioning and technical skills. So there is no offseason for me.”

Spoken like a true fighter. One who is not solely focused on his own wins and losses, but rather the growth of the sport and helping reach new fans.

“The fighting and training, I really do love the most,” he said. “I also love teaching and analyzing fights. I’ve been really blessed, I think, in my life and in my career at this point. I feel like everything I do I truly enjoy, I’m truly passionate about, and it all revolves around mixed martial arts. Something that really moves me, every day I wake up with a smile on my face. I think it’s a gift any time you can love what you do for work. I truly consider it a gift.”

A gift that we all get to watch him unwrap on November 15.

If you would like to hear the audio from this interview check out the homepage on KennyFlorian.com for “Kenny Previews his UFC 91 Fight Against Stevenson.” Simply click the link.

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Kenny Florian, MMA News, UFC Fighter Interviews, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)