Author: Ben Fowlkes

The Unsolicited Advisor: Seek More Regulation, Not Less For Strikeforce GP

Filed under: StrikeforceHere’s a question for all you problem-solvers out there. Say you’re an MMA organization that has decided to go all-in on a high-profile heavyweight tournament. Say you really, really need this thing to run smoothly, if only to p…

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Here’s a question for all you problem-solvers out there. Say you’re an MMA organization that has decided to go all-in on a high-profile heavyweight tournament. Say you really, really need this thing to run smoothly, if only to prove to people that you are capable of making something run smoothly.

Now say one of the biggest favorites from the less star-studded part of the tournament bracket doesn’t have a license to fight in the state where your organization is based. Say that same licensing problem puts him at odds with many of the more reputable state athletic commissions around the U.S.

What do you do?

Evan Dunham: Guillard’s New Style Is One Way to Fight, but Not My Way

Filed under: UFCOf all the people who were outraged over the judges’ decision that gave Sean Sherk a win over Evan Dunham at UFC 119, the first one to let it go and move past it might have been Dunham himself.

Others – including UFC president Dana Whi…

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Of all the people who were outraged over the judges’ decision that gave Sean Sherk a win over Evan Dunham at UFC 119, the first one to let it go and move past it might have been Dunham himself.

Others – including UFC president Dana White – can put a mental asterisk next to the defeat in the record books if they want, but don’t expect Dunham to join in.

“I definitely had a period where I thought a lot more about it, but it’s over. It’s done,” said Dunham. “I don’t think [Sherk] won that fight, but I see it for what it is. I don’t think about it too much anymore. I’ve got better things to do, like get ready to fight on the 22nd. It was a good experience, and it felt good to perform well against someone of his caliber, but when you look at it on paper, whether it’s now or five years from now, it’s a loss.”

My First Fight: Pat Miletich

Filed under: FanHouse ExclusiveIn 1995 Pat Miletich had one long-term goal: getting into the UFC. His short-term goal? To make at least enough money so that he didn’t starve in the meantime. Something called the “Battle of the Masters” could help him a…

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In 1995 Pat Miletich had one long-term goal: getting into the UFC. His short-term goal? To make at least enough money so that he didn’t starve in the meantime. Something called the “Battle of the Masters” could help him achieve both, or so he hoped.

Battle of the Masters was a one-night, eight-man, no-holds-barred (with the exception of biting and eye-gouging) fighting tournament at St. Andrew’s Gym in Chicago.

It was also winner-take-all. The prize for second place was little more than a pat on the back and a free bag of ice for your swollen face.

“I needed the money worse than any of those guys,” Miletich says now. “I don’t think they knew what they were getting into.”

Jens Pulver: I’m Trying to Put Lil’ Evil to Bed

Filed under: FanHouse ExclusiveSome aging fighters continue on in this sport because they want to. Others do it because they have to.

If you’ve looked at the state of Jens Pulver’s career lately and wondered which category he falls into, you’re not a…

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Some aging fighters continue on in this sport because they want to. Others do it because they have to.

If you’ve looked at the state of Jens Pulver‘s career lately and wondered which category he falls into, you’re not alone. The thought has crossed his mind from time to time, too.

In fact, the more he thinks about it, the more the 36-year-old former UFC champion is starting to wonder if maybe that’s been his whole problem lately, and if there might still be time for him to fix it.

Amanda Nunes: ‘I Want to Fight Cyborg Tomorrow’

Filed under: Strikeforce, FanHouse ExclusiveIt was inevitable, once you stop and think about it. An aggressive Brazilian fighter in the Strikeforce 145-pound women’s division comes in and knocks out her opponent in the first round of her Strikeforce d…

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It was inevitable, once you stop and think about it. An aggressive Brazilian fighter in the Strikeforce 145-pound women’s division comes in and knocks out her opponent in the first round of her Strikeforce debut, and the questions about (not to mention comparisons to) Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos start up before the cheers even die down.

That part didn’t particularly surprise Amanda Nunes. But after putting away Julia Budd in just fourteen seconds at last Friday’s Strikeforce: Challengers event, the irony is that now she has to learn a little patience.

“I want to fight Cyborg tomorrow, but my manager and trainers feel like I need to gain a little more experience before I fight for the championship,” Nunes told MMA Fighting via email this week. “I’ve only been training MMA for three years and I am still learning every day. The day I step in the cage with Cyborg, I will be 100% prepared.”

Jon Jones Studying Ryan Bader ‘Like a Spy’ in Preparation for UFC 126

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse ExclusiveWhen UFC light heavyweight Jon Jones sits down to watch tape on a future opponent, it is an exercise in excess. In fact, that’s kind of the point. For Jones, there’s no such thing as too much time spent studying the …

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When UFC light heavyweight Jon Jones sits down to watch tape on a future opponent, it is an exercise in excess. In fact, that’s kind of the point. For Jones, there’s no such thing as too much time spent studying the man he’s about to fight.

Take Ryan Bader, for instance. To prepare for their fight at UFC 126 on Super Bowl weekend, Jones has procured tape not only of Bader’s fights, but also his interviews and even a recent fan Q&A session. Now he “can’t watch them enough.” As he told MMA Fighting recently, he already feels like he knows what’s going on inside of Bader’s head.

“When you watch someone’s interviews, you can tell where they’re at mentally,” said Jones. “There’s certain words people use, keywords that show their level of confidence. Like, if I win this fight. Or, I hope. I might be able to do this. For instance, when [Bader] says, ‘When Jon does that spinning back elbow he has his back open for a split second and maybe I can take his back.’ Just the fact that he mentioned that in a Q&A tells me that’s on his mind and that’s a move that frustrates him, that’s bothering him, so I should work on it and make it even faster and harder for him to see coming. People give a lot away in everything they say.”