Author: By Frank Curreri

FAIRFAX, VA, May 15 – If Korea needs an MMA superstar, they have found their man.

“The Korean Zombie,” as 25-year-old Chan Sung Jung is affectionately known in the sport, choked out Dustin Poirier in the fourth round Tuesday night to cap a thrilling UFC on FUEL TV main event at the Patriot Center that was certainly Fight of The Night and which stands a strong chance of being one of the most entertaining scraps of 2012.

“I want to thank all the Korean fans and the Korean community that came here to support me today,” the exhausted featherweight said after winning his third straight. “He had me in trouble at the beginning of the third round. The thought of giving up was in my head but I just kept going …”

While Poirier began to take control in round three, repeatedly cracking a barely-able-to-stand Jung with hard left hands, it was Jung (13-3) who delivered in most other moments of the fight. He jumped on Poirier early, catching a kick for a takedown and immediately cutting Poirier’s forehead with an elbow strike. Typically relentless in his attacks, Jung suffocated Poirier (12-2) with pressure and punches and takedowns in the second, even dropping the highly-regarded Louisianan with a punch. The crowd chanted “Zombie! Zombie!” as he ravaged the “Fightville” documentary star with flying knees and threatened with deep armbars and triangle chokes.

After Poirier’s resurgence in the third round, it was proper to wonder if Jung had enough in his tank to survive and keep from squandering his lead. But he put any such thoughts to rest in round four by rocking Poirier with punches and then finishing him on the mat with a D’Arce choke, ending the bout at the 1:07 mark and leaving the wondering to center on what’s next for the charismatic Korean warrior, who fights in the mold of an in-his-prime Wanderlei Silva but also has a fearsome ground game to go with it.

Jung’s plans?

“I want Jose Aldo.”

A month after his fights, Dan Hardy walks around north of 200 pounds. After his fight with welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre, the heavy-handed Brit tipped the scales at a muscular 218.8 pounds! And yet, when it’s time to step on the scales for the official weigh-ins, Dan Hardy always makes the weight, and his cardio is always on point. So don’t let the punk rocker hairdo and cocky soundbites to the media fool you: Dan Hardy is extremely conscientious and scientific about his profession and what goes into his body. The eight-year veteran has experimented with a wide range of diets and supplements, including weeks training with Shaolin Monks.

Curreri: When you stayed with the Monks, what did you eat?

Hardy: That was the same every day. They have a very consistent diet. In the morning we would have powered milk, hot water, white rice and boiled eggs. That was breakfast every day the whole time I was there. The funny thing is, when you were having breakfast you knew what you would be having for your next meal because you could hear them out back killing it. They would be out there ringing the necks of chickens, or killing a pig, whatever, it was quite an experience.

Lunch and dinner, we would sit around a table, probably eight of us, and there would be a big bowl of rice in the middle. Then there would be six bowls: four of them would vegetable based and two would be meat. Chicken, eggs or pork was popular. They didn’t eat beef all that often. All the food steamed, pan-fried stuff, very clean. And it was all grown locally from a nearby village. And you could taste that. The volume of the food was the only issue I had. They were feeding us the amount that the monks were eating. I went out there at 180 and I came back weighing 152 pounds.

Curreri: These days, tell your fans – and some of the haters – about the top secret Dan Hardy Diet.

Hardy: I have a system. Every morning I get all of my supplements out and put them in a little pot. I get two fruit juices – a fruit juice and coconut water – and mix them in a big mug with a scoop of branch chain amino acids and 20 drops of chlorophyll. I stir that up and take my supplements with that. Then I have a vegan protein bar with about 10 grams of protein, just something to get my stomach going.

My supplements: Vitamin C, Vitamin B Complex; Green tea, fish oils, probiotics. I don’t want my stomach working too hard during training. If your stomach is digesting food during training then it carries nutrients away from your stomach and it makes me feel nauseous when I train.

So I’ll take my supplements, my vegan protein bar, then I’ll check my emails and watch a fight before heading off to training.

Curreri: What fight videos do you watch each morning?

Hardy: I usually have a fighter whose game I want to study each week. There is something about his style that I want to learn. So I might watch a guy that has something in his grappling game that I want to use. Or a boxer or a Thai boxer. Then I’ll do repetitions of whatever that particular fighter did in my mind. Then when I get to training I’ll put that into practice.

Curreri: Who and what have most influenced your diet?

Hardy: Different scientists, nutrition experts and other athletes. I went through a stage, around UFC 95 when I fought Rory Markham, I was working with an expert who was very knowledgeable. He took diet to another level, to where it was almost more important than the training. I was soooo overwhelmed, it was like a full-time job. I was taking 72 pills a day. All different kinds of things: Beef liver, L-Carnitine, which was the worse one because it makes your skin smell like fish. It interfered with my training sessions. Funny enough, that was my quickest fight in the UFC, but I think it was circumstantial. I don’t think it had to do with the diet because I felt exhausted for that fight and I didn’t look right on the scales, either. So after that fight I pulled it back a lot. I really focus a lot on getting nutrients from food instead of supplements.

During training camp I stay away from anything that is acidic, like dairy products.

Curreri: What’s on your shopping list?

Hardy: I went shopping yesterday … I buy as much organic as I can. I buy lots of different types of fish, chicken breast, turkey, avocado, lots of free-range, organic eggs. All my meat is cage-free. But when I get close to the fight I rely on a lot more drinks.

Last night I had fish and broccoli. My carbs are very low. I eat sprouted wheat bread as one of my main carbohydrates. Today I’ll go home, have a shake and then eat four eggs with two slices of wheatberry sprouted bread. I might have apples, bananas, watermelon, cantaloupe or grapes. Obviously I only eat bananas right after training – I wouldn’t eat them at any other time of the day.

I like to get as many fiberous, natural carbs as I can as opposed to complex carbs. Occasionally I’ll have brown rice but not often. Quinoa is quite a popular complex carb at the moment.

I’ll probably have a couple Sushi rolls once a week – I might have some raw tuna with avocado — and that is as close to a cheat meal as I get during training camp. Usually Monday and Tuesday are pretty tough days. Wednesday I do a conditioning session in the morning and a technical session in the evening. I know Thursday and Friday will be hellish days as well, so I like to have some extra carbs on Wednesday just to carry me through those sessions.

Curreri: How many of your meals do you prepare yourself?

Hardy: I actually prepare quite a lot of them myself. My girlfriend is very good, too. She used to be vegan so a lot of the dishes she cooks are vegan-conscious, though I like to add a good protein to them as well. Sometimes I’ll get home and she has prepared a meal, like, say, turkey meatballs or a vegan gravy that is fantastic. With that I’ll have carrots, green beans or asparagus.

Curreri: So many fighters are eating clean, organic, free-range meat, etc..Is it the American fighters that are leading the charge on this or do you think fighters in other countries are becoming much more sophisticated about their diets and relying on organic foods? How much has the American diet influenced your dietary decisions?

Hardy: There definitely is a difference. I’m a lot more conscious about eating organic when I’m in the U.S. – without a doubt. Organic food is easier to get and it’s cheaper in Europe. You can consistently go into supermarkets (in Europe) and you can find most of the stuff that you need that has been locally farmed and organically produced. It’s good, clean food. There’s no craziness in it, no additives, it’s not been transported 10,000 miles to get to the U.K. and all that stuff. The food generally in Europe I think is, across the board, of higher standard.

I mean, in the U.S. you can get good food, it just comes at a much higher price tag. So my food costs for a training camp in the U.S. are a bit more expensive, and that’s saying something given the (Euro versus the dollar) exchange rate. Over here, if I walk into a regular supermarket chain … I walk around the supermarket in despair, because I cannot face most of the food that’s on the shelves. It’s just very, very highly processed and it’s got a lot of stuff in it that people don’t need to be taking in. The meat is very low quality and produced on huge farms with 800,000 cattle just crammed into little fences. It’s just not the quality of food that I would like to put into my body. Short-term, being an active athlete, it concerns me. But also long-term it concerns me.

I think a lot of the illnesses in the U.S. are down to the regular food you can get. When I was growing up (in the U.K.) there were a lot of people in their late 50s and early 60s dropping dead of heart attacks and stuff like that. That has dropped off considerably. But those people grew up on a diet of cigarettes and bread and dripping. I don’t know whether you have (bread and dripping) over here, but basically it’s just highly processed white bread and dripping, which is beef fat. This came from rationing during (World War II) when basically you ate everything you were given because you didn’t know when you would be eating again. So when you cooked meat, you would save the fat that came out of it and put it in a little pot and spread it over your bread like it was butter. And that was a regular thing. There was also a lot of “Black Pudding,” which was basically fat blood. Basically everything was used during the second World War because of rationing. And later on you could see the effects of it later in peoples’ lives as they got older.

In Europe, the food is a better quality because if it’s not, it puts a strain on the healthcare system. They don’t want more patients, so the food is better quality. Even fast food is healthier! I’ll have cheat meals in the U.K. a lot more consistently than I would here. In the U.K. my cheat meal would be fish and chips. The fish are line-caught (as opposed to farm-raised), it’s fried in healthy fats and all the potatoes are organically made and it’s made in the restaurant. I feel nauseous just seeing (some fast food) commercials on TV. I couldn’t eat a meal like that.

Curreri: A month after a fight how heavy are you?

Hardy: 205 is about right. If I try to gain muscle and lift a lot of weights – like I did after the GSP fight – when I weighed 218.8. I find my body functions best around 200 pounds. I do most of my training camp at around 192, 194. And then when we get close to the fight I drop it down more than that. Usually, on the Monday before a fight, I’ll be around 186.

I tend to eat very small amounts throughout fight week. I always have a handful of almonds with me for little nuggets of energy. Or I might have a few grapes or blueberries, or an apple occasionally. I avoid any dairy or red meat. I know a lot of people cut water the week of the fight; well I don’t. I try to drink as much as I can up until the Thursday night before the weigh-in. I’ll stop drinking water about 6 p.m. at night. Then I’ll drink green tea, Vitamin C and apple cider vinegar for my natural diuretics. Sometimes I use dandelion root as well. That’s a really good supplement when I’m trying to lose water weight.

Friday morning I’ll take the Green Tea, Vitamin C and apple cider vinegar and that gets my body going and the weight cut starts.

Curreri: Unlike a lot of top fighters, you don’t shun fruit juices.

Hardy: I’ve always got a bottle of water with me and in the house at all times. Because dehydration can be caused by laziness. I usually drink a gallon and a half a day of water. On top of that I’ll have a couple of cartons of coconut water. I do drink fruit juice. I know a lot of athletes don’t like that. But I never drink it from concentrate, it’s all organic. After training I’ll usually have a shake. Today I’ll go home and have beet juice, apple juice and carrot juice. Then I’ll mix a raw protein – which is pea protein, rice protein, chia seeds, hemp protein I use quite a lot and then a green and red powder mix.

Curreri: Why a vegan protein?

Hardy: The thing I like about vegan protein is – you know they’re clean. Because vegans are the most serious about nutrition that I’ve ever met. To be healthy and vegan, you have to really know what you’re doing with your diet. I mean I know a lot of vegans don’t eat healthy, but among the upper echelon of vegan athletes they know what they’re doing. I’m not a big fan of artificial sweeteners, or a lot of stabilizers and flavorings that are added to foods and drinks. I’d rather have something that tastes disgusting and has a weird texture but feels clean and makes my body work better.

If the UFC ever hosted a Best Physique competition, Kyle Kingsbury would probably be AT LEAST a semi-finalist. 220 pounds on a 6’4” frame, and just ridiculously ripped and shredded. Turns out, the former The Ultimate Fighter cast member (2008) sounds like a scientist when discussing his super-strict diet. On the menu: lots of freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices, plenty of grass-fed red meat and whole eggs, and exclusively gluten-free grains.

The 30-year-old light heavyweight became conscientious about his diet after graduating from Arizona State University, where he was a 253-pound defensive lineman on the football team. Today the 11-3 (1 NC) fighter trains out of the vaunted American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif., and admits to having engaged in a few friendly dietary debates with vegetarian training partners such as Jon Fitch (vegan) and Aaron Simpson (whenever Kingsbury trains in the Phoenix, Ariz., metropolitan area). Talking to Kingsbury, his passion for food constantly shines through. This is a man with an encyclopedic and thorough analysis of everything he eats. Even if you are a seasoned and educated eater, chances are high you will learn something from Kyle Kingsbury.

“I eat pizza and that sort of thing when I’m not in camp,” Kingsbury said, “and when I train the next day, let me tell you, I can feel the difference in a heartbeat. It really comes down to what octane of fuel you’re going to put into your body. That’s why I eat the way I do.”  

Here is the diet fit for a Kingsbury:

Curreri: Give us a crash course on a day in the life of Kyle Kingsbury’s grubbing habits.

Kingsbury: Right when I wake up I drink 20 ounces of water at room temperature, a gram vitamin C and 100 milligrams of iron. About 30 minutes later I’ll have my first meal, which is usually a hot, gluten-free cereal that is whole grain (steel cut oats or quinoa). I’ll add honey and raisins in it. I’ll also make scrambled eggs with spinach, tomatoes or onions.

I’m also big into juicing (in a blender); I juice three times a day. I’ll mix up green apples, ginger, carrots, grapefruit or beets or celery.

Then I’ll go off to train from 12 to 2 at AKA. During training I’ll have 10 grams of glutamine, and a scoop of some kind of electrolyte replacement.

When I finish my workout I’ll drink a whey protein isolate with dextrose and a form of creatine that doesn’t really add water weight.

About half an hour to an hour later I’ll have some form of lunch, which will be some grain – brown rice or quinoa – and lean meats.  A lot of times I go to a market that sells lots of ground game – grass fed bison, venison, wild boar. I’ll put that beef into a skillet with diced onions, mushrooms and my quinoa or brown rice. I also like wild caught salmon.

Then I’ll go back for my workout at 6 p.m. During my workout I’ll have 10 grams of glutamine and an electrolyte replacement. Post workout I’ll eat dinner, which is always some form of lean meat, from chicken thighs. Here’s the thing: I always eat red meat all camp long and I eat whole eggs all camp long. I have bloodwork done all the time and my cholesterol looks perfect. There is this misperception that if you eat those things then you’re going to have a cholesterol problem. If you’re out of shape and you eat that then, yeah, you’re probably going to have a cholesterol problem. But if you’re in shape, cholesterol does a number of good things for your body.

During my 10 weeks of camp I only eat gluten free grains and organic, free-range, grass-fed meat. All the poultry I have is cage-free. I eat super-clean in camp, not a drop of alcohol and everything organic. I don’t eat any wheat at all. Super-strict. I cook all three meals a day myself. I enjoy cooking and I’ve been doing it for a long time.

Curreri: You were a 253- pounder in college when you played for ASU …

Kingsbury: I had to gain as much weight as I could because I was a defensive lineman. But when I was done playing I wanted to learn how to get shredded. So I studied more and more dieting. I had a strength and conditioning coach who taught me a lot about diet. I’ve also read books on diet and nutrition such as “The Paleo Diet For Athletes.” The number one thing I have learned is that no diet is the right diet; everybody is different. One man’s medicine is another man’s poison. So it’s a matter of finding what’s right for you. I’m still fine-tuning my diet and it’s constantly evolving. Every camp I learn more about myself. It’s a work in progress.

In camp I eat Paleolithic but I still have gluten-free grains. So it’s really not the Paleo diet but my diet is heavy in fruits and vegetables and meat, which is very Paleolithic.

Curreri: You don’t consume dairy in camp. What turns you off about dairy from a performance perspective?

Kingsbury: Number one, there’s an inflammatory response that you get from dairy. When you’re working out and grinding that hard you want to stay away from foods that are going to increase rate of inflammation. I take Omega 3 fish oils and they’re really good to control inflammation. Also, a lot of dairy products like cheese are calorie dense so I stay away from that.

Curreri: Why eat grass-fed meat but avoid grain-fed? Talk about the significance.

Kingsbury: Grains aren’t natural to a cow’s diet. That’s why a lot of those cows have to take antibiotics and things like that to fight off infections, things like that.

Curreri: Why the emphasis on red meat? Is that inspired by taste, or do you feel it makes you stronger, or both?

Kingsbury: Protein-wise, as far as biological value goes, vegetable protein is pretty low. Whey Protein, egg protein, beef … have higher biological value. A lot of vegetable protein powders are good but I mean, if you have to get 1,000 peas just to get a gram of protein into your body, then how is that natural for your body? A lot of people that go that route end up with a lot of gas. And if it’s giving you gas, then that’s giving your body inflammation. So I steer clear of that.

Curreri: Talk about blending fruits and veggies three times a day. What got you into that?

Kingsbury: Probably since around 2006. You have pasteurized vegetable juices that sit on the shelves and it’s A) not that good for you and B) it taste like crap. But if you make something fresh it’s incredible how delicious fruits and vegetables are when they’re made fresh. Straight carrot juice tastes amazing, and if you add fruit to it it’s even better. Once you start juicing it’s something you want to keep doing. It makes you feel so good, gives you tons of energy, keeps you hydrated and delivers the highest value of nutrients to your body.

Curreri: You, Aaron Simpson and Jon Fitch talking diet. Ever playfully debate amongst yourselves?

Kingsbury: I’ve debated with Aaron and Fitch about it. I’m big on the proper farming of animals. I think they should be cage-free and able to roam before they’re slaughtered. I’m all for getting rid of chickens that can’t move and die on top of each other and have to be thrown away. That sort of thing is ridiculous. If you have a chance to watch the documentary, “Food Inc.”, if you haven’t already, that’ll change your mind on food. I always tell people, ‘If there’s one documentary to watch, that’s the one to watch.’ So I agree with (Fitch and Simpson) on a lot things. But we are predators like any other animal on this planet, so I don’t think there’s anything wrong with killing an animal as long as it’s for food.

Curreri: Give us an estimate on the number of calories you consume per day.

Kingsbury: It varies. Maybe between 4,000 and 5,000 per day.

Curreri: You sound like a fighter who is so well-versed that you don’t need a nutritionist or dietician, unlike some top fighters.

Kingsbury: Well, I’ve worked with smart people in the past and that’s what got me to where I am. I’ve read a lot of books too, because it’s just something that really interests me.

A man who brews his own beer is probably someone who can cook up a mouth-watering steak to go along with it.

Jim Miller, who could easily be the poster boy for blue collar, hard-hat wearing America, is such a man.

When he’s not throwing down inside of the Octagon, the hard-nosed New Jerseyian can be found throwing down inside of his kitchen. With a penchant for pork bellies, broiled meats and backyard barbequing, Miller’s artistry is as prolific in matters culinary as in matters combative. Winner of eight of his past nine UFC fights, the highly-ranked lightweight/brewmaster is little more than a week away from a nationally televised (UFC on FOX) May 5 main event battle against Nate Diaz. In this one-on-one interview, the 28-year-old Miller may surprise you with the unique diet that has helped make him one of the 155-pound division’s most immovable objects and cardio machines. And you definitely won’t want to miss Miller’s answer to the question, “Do you ever indulge in a beer or two during training camp?”

Curreri: Tell us about a typical eating day in the life of Jim Miller.
Jim Miller: I usually eat a really light breakfast on training days; I just don’t have time to prepare anything like eggs or oatmeal. So I might eat a protein bar (Cliff protein bar or Metabolic Drive protein bar). Maybe some raw almonds or walnuts, or some pistachios, here and there. Or I might grab a piece of fruit, like blueberries, strawberries or a banana.
Then I’m off to lift weights three times a week. After that I’ll drink a protein shake and some natural peanut butter. Then I might have another training session and I’ll go home and have something more significant, like a grilled chicken sandwich on whole wheat bread with lettuce and pesto mayonnaise.

I’m a meat eater. I just love meat, so I eat a lot of protein. For dinner I might broil some chicken, pork chops or salmon. Usually, six weeks out, I’m eating a lot of salads.

Curreri: Where are the veggies?
Miller: Lettuce, salad, cucumbers. I’m not the biggest fan of vegetables, but I choke them down at dinner.

Curreri: How often do you train per day?
Miller: The most I’ll train is three sessions a day totaling 4 or 5 hours.

Curreri: I know you’re one of those fighters who place a premium on weight lifting, and you’re very explosive. Talk a little about the kind of lifting you emphasize.
Miller: We lift heavy weights. We lift to get stronger. If we’re doing push exercises we counter with pull-ups and rows. If we’re doing biceps, we counter with triceps, that sort of thing. I do lot of squats and deadlifts for legs – two exercises a lot of people stay away from — but they’re functional for fighting. One day a week is explosive; we’re moving lighter weights but very fast and explosive.

Curreri: Any rules to the Jim Miller diet?
Miller: Not really. The biggest thing is to eat until I’m full but not totally gorge myself. Just get enough and no more.  I do try to stay away from heavily processed foods but I don’t take it to the level of a lot of guys.

Curreri: So you’re a natural born overeater, like a lot of us?
Miller: Yeah, I am. There will be a piece of something left and I’ll have to eat it, even when I’m full.

Curreri: What is your natural weight for much of the year, before you cut down to 155 or 156 pounds?
Miller: I usually walk mid to upper 170s. Leading up to the fight I try to get to about 170 week of the fight. I’ve been dieting and cutting weight since third or fourth grade when I was wrestling. So I know my body really well. I’ve got the weight cut down to a science.

When I’m eating cleaner, I’ll make stuff that’s easier to prepare. When I’m not fighting I have a tendency to get more elaborate with meals, and that usually involves baking. I like to make pork bellies.

Curreri: Do you ever ‘cheat’ during training camp with foods?
Miller: I’ll do a little cheating here and there that will make me happy and relaxed outside of the gym. One of my go-to meals is a London Broil; it’s a lean meat and I enjoy it, and it has a lot more flavor in my mind than chicken. I’ll mix in some Worchester sauce, salt and pepper, and broil it or throw it outside on the grill. I like it medium rare. I’ll add a bed of greens with a little Caesar dressing, so that warm meat warms up the dressing. Man, talking about that just makes my mouth water now.

Curreri: Those who know you well, know you are serious about beer and frequently create your own concoctions. I have heard of some elite athletes who contend that a beer or two is actually a great way to rehydrate after a tough competition. So the million-dollar question is: Do you ever drink beer during training camp?
Miller: Yes, I had a beer a week ago. I do it in moderation, of course. I don’t drink to get drunk and when I drink I’m not usually in social situations. I might have a beer or two with dinner every now and then. Being that I brew it myself it’s better for you because it’s not filtered and there are better nutrients for you.

Curreri: What are some of your favorite beers to brew?
Miller: Brown ales, American red ales. I like variety. I’ll make wine and give it out for the holidays. For the wine cover I kind of depict myself in pink, pretty horribly, put that on the bottles and give away beers, cabernets or pinot noir.  

Curreri: Final question: After a fight, what are some of your main dietary indulgences?
Miller: I’m a fan of sausage, egg and cheese sandwiches on a garlic bagel. There have been weeks after a fight where I have one of those every day. Probably not good for my heart or breath. I’m also a big fan of buffalo wings.

ATLANTA, April 21 – Arguably the best MMA prospect to come out of Hawaii since the great BJ Penn, heavyweight Travis Browne ran his record to 13-0-1 with a speedy annihilation of an overmatched Chad Griggs in prelim action on Saturday’s UFC 145 card at Philips Arena.

In a frightening display of athleticism for a 6’7” 250-pounder, Browne unleashed a flying knee and followed up with a hail of quick knees from the Muay Thai clinch that dropped the Tuscon, Ariz., fighter early in round one. An arm triangle not long thereafter forced Griggs (11-2) to tap out.

“My kids go through so much with me being away for eight weeks,” an emotional Browne, who trains under Greg Jackson and Mike Winklejohn, said afterward. “I have two beautiful boys, man, it’s so hard.”

Browne, now 3-0-1 in the Octagon, issued a message to everyone else in the division: “I belong here. UFC heavyweights, watch out, baby.”

BROWN VS. THOMPSON

The uglier and grittier this fight was, the better it was for welterweight veteran Matt Brown. And so it was early on, with Brown eschewing his traditional brawling instincts in favor of a smothering wrestling style that put Stephen Thompson on the mat, where the Karate phenom proved much less dangerous. Brown controlled the unbeaten South Carolinian with four takedowns in the opening frame, depriving him of the distance needed to execute his potent array of kicks.

But all that suffocating, not normally in Brown’s nature, took a toll on him. By round two, a resurgent Thompson sent a wobbly-legged Brown retreating with a ferocious storm of kicks and punches. Just when he seemed most vulnerable, Brown suddenly turned the tide and made Thompson pay for a habit of holding his hands low, flooring “Wonderboy” with a crisp right hand. An ensuing ground and pound assault opened a gash on Thompson’s forehead that would grow bloodier in the third round. Brown (16-11) ate more punches in the final frame but nevertheless scored another takedown and tormented Thompson (6-1) with ever more ground and pound en route to a unanimous decision victory by scores of 30-27 twice and 29-27. Watch Brown’s post-fight interview

MAKDESSI VS. NJOKUANI

Throughout round one of this lightweight clash, Anthony Njokuani switched stances often and pretty much landed whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. Behind a wide-ranging attack, the lanky standup specialist punished his shorter and stockier foe with left hooks, head kicks and kicks that welted John Makdessi’s lead leg. The one-sided domination left no doubt that if Makdessi was going to rally, it would hinge on a homerun shot or him quickly resorting to Plan B.

Yet in round two, Njokuani’s beautiful dancing style continued, with the slower Makdessi kicking more but finding it difficult to land upstairs or close the distance to his liking. Not once did the heavy-handed Canadian (7 KOs, cornered by welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre) attempt a takedown, stubbornly sticking to his strength.

In the final stanza, Njokuani (16-6) further demonized the Firas Zahabi protégé by fighting like a poor man’s Anderson Silva. Makdessi (9-2) never found his groove and Njokuani easily cruised to a unanimous decision nod with scores of 30-27 across the board. Watch Njokuani’s post-fight interview

DANZIG VS. ESCUDERO

In a lightweight battle of past winners of The Ultimate Fighter, Mac Danzig and Efrain Escudero seemed about as evenly matched as it gets. So despite their best efforts and nonstop hustle, neither man was able to impose his will on the other or inflict much damage. You will be hard-pressed to find another fight where both men gamely stood in the pocket, let punches fly, and yet NO punches of great consequence ever landed. When they weren’t exchanging punches, the fighters spent a lot of time grinding away in the clinch. The ugly work may have been what swayed the judges, as it was Escudero, teammate to UFC lightweight champ Benson Henderson, whose back was against the cage much of the time.

Danzig (22-9-1), MMA’s most prominent vegan and also an accomplished photographer, escaped with a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 and 29-28).

Escudero lost his second straight, falling to 19-5. Hear what Danzig had to say after his win

CLEMENTS VS. WISNIEWSKI

When the fight was standing, it was all Chris Clements. When the action hit the mat, it was all Keith Wisniewski. But in a grinding and crowd-pleasing welterweight tussle, it was Clements’ cardio and damaging punches that proved the difference and carried him to a split decision triumph.

The veteran Wisniewski (28-13-1), out of Hobart, Ind., found momentum early with a trip takedown, back control and ground and pound in round one. But his Canadian adversary stole his thunder shortly thereafter with a hard overhand right and a rippling body shot that froze Wisniewski in his tracks and dropped him to the canvas.

Round two played out in similar fashion, with Wisniewski eating hard shots from Clements but retaliating with a takedown, threatening with a rear naked choke and scoring with ground and pound.

Round three was not as suspenseful or close, as Clements (11-4), the fresher fighter, battered his flat-footed opponent with hard right hands and dropped him with a knee.

Wisniewski survived but fell short on the judges’ score cards by scores of 29-28 and 30-27 for Clements and 29-28 for Wisniewski. Hear what Clements had to say about his UFC debut

BRIMAGE VS. BLANCO

In the end, with their three rounds in the books, Marcus Brimage and Maximo Blanco squared off in an unprecedented back-flipping contest – probably the first time that’s ever been done in the Octagon (each man executing three backflips). The brief dance-off, combined with Brimage accusing Blanco of running for much of their fight, was much more entertaining than their 15-minute boxing match.

Neither featherweight fighter seemed to really lay it all on the line, prompting sporadic boos from the live crowd. Brimage, a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 14, emerged as the more assertive fighter in round one, landing 1-2 combos with conviction, though they never seemed to disrupt the composure Blanco displayed in his UFC debut.

In round two, Brimage countered a Blanco low kick with a hard straight left. Blanco would soon land his best blow of the fight, a kick to the face, that did little damage. Despite being unfazed even when on the short end of the exchanges, Blanco was never really able to find his rhythm or string together punches. Brimage, who threw punches with more conviction early and was the aggressor, was awarded a split decision victory via scores of 30-27, 29-28, and 28-29. He improves to 5-1. Blanco fell to 8-4-1, 1 NC.

“I was watching him for a long time and waiting for the right opportunities. It wasn’t the same guy I thought I was going to fight,” Brimage said. “He was running from me a bit. I was trying to pick my shots. I wanted to outdo the main event and even though it’s not the fight I thought it would be, I’m happy.” Watch Brimage’s post-fight interview

Watch the Post-Fight Brimage-Blanco “Dance Off”

ATLANTA, April 21 – Rory MacDonald once again ran roughshod over an opponent and showed the kind of skills that have many pegging the 22-year-old as the future king of the welterweight division, as he stopped England’s Che Mills in the second round of their UFC 145 co-main event at Philips Arena Saturday night.

Though Mills tagged him a few early, MacDonald easily scored takedowns and inflicted brutal ground and pound. Mills bled badly and gamely survived the onslaught, but the inevitable referee stoppage came at 2:20 of the second round as MacDonald pounded away.

“I took this fight very seriously and trained as hard as all my fights and I’m very happy,” said MacDonald (13-1), competing in a co-main event for the first time in his young career. “I could tell I was landing big shots and when I hit guys on the ground clean I know they will be hurt. Che was a great opponent. He didn’t get much respect in the media because of his lack of fights in the UFC.”

Asked by commentator Joe Rogan to assess his place in the division, MacDonald (who trains alongside UFC champ Georges St-Pierre) responded humbly.

“I want to be champion one day but I’m still very young,” he said. “One thing I lack is experience and I’m aware of that. I need a lot more fights and need to stay regular with at least three fights a year.”

ROTHWELL VS. SCHAUB

That old and oh-so-true cliché – “Anything can happen with four ounce gloves” – was on display in this one. Especially when the guy wearing four-ounce gloves is 6’4”, 263 pounds like Ben Rothwell.

Embattled early by a hard-charging Brendan Schaub, and seemingly in trouble, Rothwell uncorked a left hook to the temple that instantly shifted his fortunes. At 1:10 of the opening frame, Schaub was out cold and Rothwell was telling the world about how he has rededicated himself to the sport.

“You take a look at me and it speaks for itself,” said the noticeably more svelte heavyweight. “I trained very, very hard for this fight and it showed. I’m not backing down, I know my chin can take some shots. If you’re going to stand in front of me you’re probably going to go down.”

In victory, Rothwell pushed his record to 32-8. Schaub fell to 9-3. Watch Rothwell’s post-fight interview

TORRES VS. MCDONALD

Michael McDonald raised eyebrows before this fight, seemingly downplaying the threat posed by former world champion Miguel Angel Torres. But McDonald backed up his bravado, knocking out the bantamweight pioneer three minutes and 18 seconds into the clash. A short left jab set up a thunderous right uppercut that dropped Torres. The 21-year-old McDonald pounced with punches and the referee rushed in and halted the action.

“I was paying attention to his range and trying to make sure he didn’t get off that jab,” McDonald, 4-0 in the UFC and 15-1 overall, said of the signature win of his young career. “I was just really focused on my power and my accuracy.

“I feel great. I can finally eat some pizza some ice cream. It’s going to be a party tonight.” Hear what “Mayday” had to say in his post-fight interview

YAGIN VS. HOMINICK

For the first eight minutes or so of this tussle, a lot of fans were probably wondering, ‘What happened to Mark Hominick?’

Only one year ago, Hominick was the man who gave Jose Aldo his stiffest test inside the Octagon, the fighter who pounded on the world champ until the final horn in round five. After Saturday night, however, “The Machine” is searching for answers after suffering his second straight setback since the unexpected passing of famed trainer Shawn Tompkins at age 37.

The free-swinging Eddie Yagin dropped Hominick twice in the first two rounds, a battering that bloodied Hominick (20-11) and also caused large welts on his face. Yet after sleep-walking through the bout’s first eight minutes or so, a beat-up Hominick began to heat up and grow in confidence as the war waged on. Showing no quit, Hominick severely busted up Yagin’s nose and it was the stocky Hawaiian who seemed to fade down the stretch. But with three rounds instead of five, Yagin (16-5-1) held on for a split decision win by scores of 29-28 twice and 28-29. Get Yagin’s thoughts on his Fight of the Night performance

BOCEK VS. ALESSIO

John Alessio waited five and ½ years and 21 fights for his return to the UFC. But the seasoned veteran will have to wait a little bit longer for his first victory in the Octagon. Fellow Canadian Mark Bocek deprived Alessio of that precious milestone by executing his trademark gameplan: Secure the takedown, control and inflict punishment from the top position, and take the back.

Alessio (34-15) had his moments in rounds two and three, clearly the aggressor in the striking realm and landing the more effective strikes (even snapping back Bocek’s head a few times with 1-2’s). But every time Alessio would get going, Bocek (11-4) would capitalize on that aggression with takedowns and ground and pound that undoubtedly swayed the complexion of the judges’ scoring.

It should be noted that Alessio, who had won 10 of 11 coming in, had accepted the lightweight bout on short notice due to an injury suffered by Matt Wiman. Judges scored it 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 for Bocek. Watch Bocek’s post-fight interview

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