Author: By Frank Curreri

Fill in the blank: The oldest UFC fan I have ever met is __ years old.

63? 67? 72?

You can stop scanning your brain. I got ya beat.

I’m confident that the man who would set the record for oldest UFC fanatic lives right here in the fight capital of the world, Las Vegas.

He is a native New Yorker and World War II Army veteran. He has worked extensively as an ad exec, painter and sculptor. And, in his spare time, his daring choice of television programming has prompted his wife of 62 years to ask him on many a night: “Why are you watching that again?”

“Cuz’ it’s the best thing on television!” he responds in an affable tone, citing humor as paramount to his long-lasting union.

The name of this unique superfan: Mr. Sam Chinkes. Born in 1923. 88 years young. And living proof that although the UFC impressively reels in the male 18-34 demographic, and has hooked a surprising number of female fans on the sport as well, that the elder statesmen among us are not immune to the allure and artistry of a cagefight. After all, a fascination with fighting is in every human being’s DNA.

Since the early 1990s, Chinkes said, he has been faithfully watching UFC. Back when Royce Gracie put UFC on the map with mind-blowing victories over 250-pound Goliaths.

“My wife doesn’t care for it,” Chinkes confided, “but she has her own TV. I watch (UFC) whenever I can and most of the time I find it’s the best thing on TV … except for some old movie favorites of mine. I watch movies about the mafia all the time. I mean, I’m from New York. But I’ll still watch UFC instead of my favorite movies because I’ve seen the movies many times before. I make sure to catch the statistics before all of the fights. I’m crazy about the announcer, Bruce Buffer. He’s terrific! Very dramatic. He’s a real pro.”

Track and field was Chinkes’ forte in his prime, though he was always smitten with the sport of boxing. As a child growing up in the Bronx, he and some friends would test themselves on a makeshift punching bag made from a potato sack. They donned gloves and lightly sparred under a fire escape stairway.

“We never hit each other hard – though I saw stars one time,” Chinkes reminisced.  “I’m not a fighter. I’ve never been in a fight in my life. But if the UFC were around when I was younger, I would have liked to have coached a fight. I’m absolutely sure I could have done it. I would understand my fighters, be a good strategist. I was a survivor of World War II, so I think in those terms.

“So I’ve always liked the sport. It’s athletic. There’s an art to keeping your balance, hitting someone and avoiding getting hit. The strategy involved is the most amazing part. It’s also very mentally challenging for anyone to enter the ring or the Octagon.”

I ask Mr. Chinkes to name his favorite UFC fighters.

“The Canadian guy … what’s his name? … GSP,” he replied. “The heavyset guy who was beat recently… the heavyweight champ … Brock Lesnar! Yeah. He’s a guy I got to like for awhile. But then I saw that as tough as he is, as big as he is – he can’t take a punch. Am I wrong?”

Bonus Material: How I (Accidentally) Met Sam Chinkes

Good stories, like $100 bills, aren’t supposed to miraculously fall from the sky and into your lap. Cosmic luck caused mine and Mr. Chinkes’ paths to cross. I was reading alone at what seems like the world’s last bookstore when a gentleman sat down at the table next to me. For as long as I can remember I’ve had a soft spot for most of my elders, particularly those of upbeat energy and the glass-is-half full cheer. The laid-back but self-assured stranger beside me fit the bill. I asked what he was reading and the conversation flowed easily from that point on, as if I had known this man for many years.

He seemed super-sharp, showing off a very agile mind.

“You must read a lot,” I presumed.

“As a matter of fact, not all that much,” he countered.

That veered us in to more interesting turf: He’d been married 62 years to the same woman. 62 years! How many things, other than food and water and a toilet, do you think you’ll enjoy a 62-year relationship with?

I’ve always been fascinated by seniors, by the wisdom they’ve accrued that could save the rest of us the suffering of wisdom by Trial & Error. I’ve always been irked by what seems, in my opinion, a society that treats seniors as second-class citizens. There are other cultures where seniors are treated with reverence. Here we tend to treat them with deference, as if they are all senile, all something none of us wants to be.

And I’ve always, always, always been fascinated by people that can make their marriage work for a long time. 30 years. 40 years. 50 years. And not suffer the marriage, but enjoy it. A divorcee myself, I perk up when marriage marathoners share their secrets and advice.

“You want to know what it is?” he tells me. “It’s humor. We’re always making each other laugh. I used to think that the younger years would be the best. But the truth is, our older years are the best. We laugh more now than ever.”

He asks me to guess his age. I concentrate on his face and build. I’ve always possessed a whacky (and incredibly useless) skill of being able to guess how much people weigh within two or three pounds. I get it from my wrestling background. People’s ages stump me more, because some people age prematurely and others so gracefully.

“76,” I tell Mr. Chinkes.

Stumping me makes him smile.

“88.”

We talk some more and somehow or another we start discussing television programming. I live in a four bedroom home and have 20-inch television that I have never, not once, turned on or watched. My instant friend watches his fair share of television.

“You know the best thing on television these days?” he asks rhetorically. “It’s UFC.”

I didn’t instantly perk up. I didn’t make the connection. UFC? That must be three initials that stand for some senior citizen organization.

He couldn’t be referring to the UFC I know and love – Ultimate Fighting Championship.

But just to be sure … “What do you mean by UFC? You don’t mean cagefighting UFC, do you?”

“Yeah, the cage fights! I love watching that!”

And there you have it. Apparently every demographic on the planet is susceptible to the UFC, which is one of the few places left on earth that is truly a meritocracy. Unlike almost every other business, UFC isn’t a who-you-know industry. It isn’t about who has the most money, or the best lawyers, or the prettiest mug. It’s mano y mano. May the best man win. Sam Chinkes “gets it,” reminding me – reminding all of us – that we should learn and evolve and stay open-minded for as long as we are here.

I walk him to his car. He wants to show me something. He opens the trunk of his car. There are dozens of black shirts in a box. He holds one up: It is a sketch of one fighter front kicking another to the face. Reminscent of the breathtaking technique that Anderson Silva used to knockout Vitor Belfort.

“I drew that sketch right off the top of my head in seconds,” Chinkes said.

Sam Chinkes gave me one of his shirts. And I thought so highly of this extraordinary fan, and his love of UFC, that I wrote a story about him.

Sam has never been to a live UFC event. The UFC and myself are going to change that very soon.

Do you know a UFC fan who breaks the mold, or are you one? Email a picture and description to [email protected] to be considered for a future feature!

LAS VEGAS, February 4 – Dustin Poirier ran his win streak to four in a row in UFC 143 prelim action Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, tapping out Hawaii’s Max Holloway with an armbar from a mounted triangle at 3:23 of round one.

Holloway, the youngest fighter on the UFC roster at 20, was the aggressor early on the feet, but he was unable to stop a Poirier double leg slam that forced the action to the canvas.

“I’m happy. You know, I’m 4-0 in the UFC now. I’m for real now,” said Poirier, who keeps inching his way into title contention against UFC featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo. “(Max Holloway) is tough. He’s a great kickboxer. A lot of people don’t know him but I trained for him like I would train for Anderson Silva.”

Watch Poirier’s post-fight interview

EDWIN FIGUEROA VS. ALEX CACERES

Edwin Figueroa walked away from the Octagon holding his crotch. Alex Caceres walked away wondering … well, who really knows? Surely the 23-year-old bantamweight could learn a valuable lesson after controlling Figueroa for much of their scrap – but he was unable to overcome a two-point deduction for the second of two killer low blows that made Figueroa collapse to the canvas, writhing in pain and requiring minutes to recover.

Only Figueroa can say how much those devastating illegal kicks to the groin weakened him. But Texas’ Figueroa was performing early in round one – finding “Bruce Leroy’s” chin on a few occasions, even though Caceres did momentarily drop him with a shot.

Then came a brutal low kick from Caceres. Upon the first infraction, referee Herb Dean warned Caceres but did not deduct a point.

After taking minutes to regroup, and visibly miffed, Figueroa fought on and landed a hard kick to the face that dropped Caceres, who absorbed some ground and pound shots but later turned the tide, forcing a ground war and hanging on Figueroa like a backpack but unable to finish him with a rear naked choke.

Caceres was finding his groove early in the second, scoring with a front kick and a hard right hand. Then came a second, hard blow to the crotch. Again Figueroa lay on the canvas in agony.

When they resumed, referee Dean signaled for the two-point deduction, and urgency set in for Caceres to make up the deficit on the judges’ scorecards. The Miamian was impressive for the remainder of the bout against a weakened Figueroa, whom he dominated in the grappling realm. But at every turn Figueroa fought off Caceres’ choke attacks, triangles and armbars.

In the end judges scored it 28-27, 28-27 and 27-28 for Figueroa, now 9-1. Caceres fell to 6-5. Hear what “El Feroz” had to say after the fight

CHRIS COPE VS. MATT BROWN

A right-hand missile from Matt Brown put Chris Cope on the deck in their welterweight bout, and four blistering ground and pound shots sealed the deal at 1:19 of the second round.

The right hand that rocked Cope (5-4) caught him behind the ear.

“That’s exactly what I need to be doing,” Brown said of his knockout. “I got away from who I am. I’m back. I had always been trying out new things and this ain’t really the place to be trying them out. So enough of that. I got a right hand that will knock out anybody so I believe you’ll see more of that.” Watch Brown’s post-fight interview

MATT RIDDLE VS. HENRY MARTINEZ

Sometimes you have to think that Matt Riddle just doesn’t give a damn about strategy and doing whatever it takes to win. Foremost for the free-spirited welterweight, is to put on a show for fans, snatch a Fight of The Night bonus and be involved in the bloodiest battle possible. The more damage, the better – even if Riddle is the punching bag. And that he was for most of the first round, when the much speedier Henry Martinez repeatedly cracked him with hard punching combinations, bloodying Riddle’s eyes, ears and nose.

Interesting to note is that Riddle is the much larger fighter, 6’1” to Martinez’s 5’7”. While Riddle is eating punches – and apparently enjoying it – you can’t help but wonder, “Why not throw more kicks?” “Why not mix it up with a little Muay Thai clinch or even some wrestling?” Why not put that much bigger body on the smaller fighter and make him carry your weight and maybe get tired down the stretch?”

Well, Riddle did adapt in round two, unloading with a much greater volume of hard kicks to Martinez’s body and head. Finally the Las Vegas transplant had broken the groove of Martinez, a very crisp boxer, who countered punches very well but could not stop the array of kicks coming his way. As a now-bleeding Martinez began to tire, Riddle amped up his assault and the two southpaws treated fans to toe-to-toe exchanges as the second round ended. Riddle did his best Ray Lewis impersonation on the way to his stool between rounds, screaming at the top of his lungs and imploring fans to get fired up.

In the third round, Riddle suddenly employed strategy, whacking Martinez with hard kicks to the leg and liver. Then he finally decided to put that big body on Martinez, taking him down and taking his back. Riddle would score another takedown and rain down with ground and pound as time expired, earning a split decision from judges by scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 28-29. Watch the post-fight interview here

MICHAEL KUIPER VS. RAFAEL NATAL

There were moments when Rafael Natal, a BJJ black belt, repeatedly outstruck newcomer Michael Kuiper, popping The Netherlands’ standup specialist with some solid right hands, scoring with leg kicks and even a spinning backfist. But it was Natal’s bread and butter – grappling – that cemented his unanimous decision victory and dealt Kuiper (11-1) his first professional loss.

The first round wasn’t a barnburner, but Natal scored five takedowns. He was reversed late in the round and ate a few shots on the bottom, but seemed to have done enough to win the round. In round two, fatigue seemed to afflict both fighters in what was mostly a standup battle that saw Natal possibly get the better of the exchanges (Kuiper just kept coming forward, with little head or lateral movement, and ate quite a few right hands as a consequence).

Seconds into the third, a Kuiper uppercut dropped the New York transplant to his knees. Kuiper swarmed on top but could not find the shots that would put away his woozy adversary. The second half of the round belonged to Natal, who somehow mustered the strength for an explosive slam, dominated with top position and threatened with an arm triangle as time expired.

After the fight, Natal spoke of the wicked right uppercut that rocked him.

“It was bad because it was the beginning of the round. I felt everything was dark,” said Natal, a Brazilian native who is now 14-3-1 and has won two straight in the UFC. “But my jiu-jitsu saved me again (when) I got him in the half-guard.” More from “Sapo” Natal

STEPHEN THOMPSON VS. DAN STITTGEN

For one fight at least, Stephen Thompson was as good as advertised. The highly-touted kempo karate and kickboxing ace showed remarkable poise and grace in his UFC debut, essentially toying with Dan Stittgen before putting him out cold with a roundhouse kick to the jaw. Unorthodox throughout, the lanky South Carolinian (6-0) patiently picked Stittgen (7-2) apart with a wide variety of kicks. Most interestingly, Thompson held his hands very low, almost daring Stittgen to be aggressive so he could counterattack. Yet Stittgen maintained a low punch volume. When the Illinois fighter did attack, he threw a left hook and stepped to his left – unwittingly walking right into a perfectly placed roundhouse to the jaw.

At 4:13 of round one, it was a wrap.

“No words can really describe it,” said the 28-year-old Thompson, unbeaten in 50-plus kickboxing fights as well. “Those round kicks, we use them a lot in Karate. They can pack a lot of power and people don’t see ‘em.” Watch Thompson’s post-fight interview

Watch the UFC® replay now

LAS VEGAS, February 4 – In a battle of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts, Fabricio Werdum brutalized and bloodied Roy Nelson in the Muay Thai clinch for most of their UFC 143 co-main event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center Saturday night, winning a unanimous decision. And yet a slimmed down “Big Country” never stopped coming forward, even briefly dropping Werdum with his signature overhand right in what was otherwise a grossly lopsided first round.

The whuppin’ Werdum delivered also featured high kicks, front kicks to the face and crisp punching combinations. The world champion grappler’s unpredictability served notice to future heavyweights that Werdum, after nearly 3 and ½ years away from the Octagon, can beat opponents in so many different ways.

“This was the strategy. I know Roy Nelson is a tough guy, but I do Muay Thai every day,” said Werdum, whose closest call came when Roy Nelson trapped him in a tight standing guillotine choke.

Scores for Werdum were 30-27 across the board. Watch Werdum’s post-fight interview

MIKE PIERCE VS. JOSH KOSCHECK

Up and coming welterweight Mike Pierce called out longtime contender Josh Koscheck and did his best to back it up, but it was “Kos” who grinded out a split decision in UFC 143 main card action Saturday.

In what was predominantly a standup affair between two high-level wrestlers, a couple of Koscheck takedowns, some timely right hands and being busier down the stretch likely proved to be the difference. Koscheck bled from the mouth and Pierce from the nose by the end of the fight.

As they often do, when “Voice of the Octagon” Bruce Buffer announced the winner, fans indulged the opportunity to massively boo Koscheck, which didn’t faze the welterweight contender too much.
 
“You guys boo me all the time. I’m the most hated man in MMA,” he said nonchalantly. “Guess what? I win. Deal with it, man. I win.”

Two judges scored the bout 29-28 for Koscheck (19-5); the third saw it 29-28 for Pierce (13-5).Hear what a fired-up Kos had to say after the fight

RENAN BARAO VS. SCOTT JORGENSEN

Fast and accurate puncher? Check.

Hard leg kicks. Check.

Distinguished BJJ black belt? Check.

Superb takedown defense? Check.

Future UFC champ? Well, the verdict is still out on whether Renan Barao will reach MMA’s Promised Land, but after stretching his unbeaten streak to 30 fights (tops in the UFC) with a commanding win over Scott Jorgensen, it does not seem far-fetched to think the 24-year-old Brazilian just might follow in the footsteps of teammate and featherweight superstar Jose Aldo.

Through the first two rounds, Barao virtually put on a clinic, loading up on his jabs, low kicks, and cracking Jorgensen hard with combinations that occasionally snapped the Idahoan’s head back. A lesser opponent would have folded, for sure, but Jorgensen is nothing short of a battering ram, and he just kept brushing off the carnage and charging forward (and occasionally landing some hard shots himself).

Jorgensen, a decorated Division I wrestler in his day, tried in vain for takedowns but was always rebuffed. Entering the third round, this much was clear: Jorgensen would need a finish to pull it out. One of his cornermen tried to inspire that sense of urgency in Jorgensen as he stepped off his stool to begin the final round.

“Win this fight right now! Come on let’s go!” he yelled.

Jorgensen (13-5) remained super-aggressive and had his best round, drawing blood on Barao’s face with his punches. Yet Barao, despite losing a little bit of steam on his punches, always retaliated and usually got the better of the exchanges.

Judges handed him a unanimous decision via scores of 30-27 across the board.

“I came here to fight three rounds. He was a very tough opponent and I expected that,” Barao said. “We trained a lot the distance and the kicks. That was exactly the gameplan.”

Before leaving his interview with commentator Joe Rogan, Barao had a message for everyone else at 135 pounds.

“I want the belt!” he yelled. Watch Barao’s post-fight interview

ED HERMAN VS. CLIFFORD STARKS

Ed Herman couldn’t stop the heavy right hand of Clifford Starks. And Clifford Starks couldn’t stop the Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills of Ed Herman.

In the end, it was Herman’s BJJ that triumphed, knocking Starks from the ranks of the unbeaten with a rear naked choke at 1:43 of the second stanza.

“He was landing some good right hands on me; luckily I got a good chin because he was hitting me hard,” said Herman, his left eye swollen and beginning to close. “I was surprised I was getting hit with them. I shouldn’t have been standing right in front of him, but I pulled it off.”

Herman improved to 20-7. Starks, a former Arizona State University wrestler, fell to 8-1. Watch Herman’s post-fight interview

Watch the UFC® 143 replay here

LAS VEGAS, February 4 – Georges St-Pierre longs to punish the only fighter he hates. But instead of facing bitter rival Nick Diaz for the UFC welterweight title, GSP must now mentally prepare to battle a teammate of sorts in Carlos Condit.

With GSP watching cageside, Condit uncharacteristically and methodically danced and kicked his way to a unanimous decision victory over Diaz Saturday night in the UFC 143 main event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. The triumph earned Condit the UFC interim welterweight title, and he will meet St-Pierre for the belt sometime later this year depending on St. Pierre’s pending recovery from a torn ACL.

 “It was pretty sweet. My coaches and teammates prepared me for this fight,” said Condit, the former World Extreme Cagefighting champ who pushed his record to 28-6. “I did what they told me to do and it carried me to victory. Hats off to Nick Diaz. He’s a warrior. I’ve got nothing but respect for how he fights.”

Regarding his future date with GSP, who trains at Tri-Star in Montreal under Firas Zahabi but who has also trained extensively with Condit trainer Greg Jackson, Condit had this to say:

“It is an honor. Georges is a guy I’ve looked up to since I was young and before I was in the UFC. I’m completely honored.”

Diaz, who stalked Condit nearly all of the fight and had his moments with combinations – including an impressive 8 or 9-punch combo to Condit’s body in round two – surprised everyone in the post-fight interview, effectively announcing his retirement at the relatively tender age of 28.

“I’m not going to accept the fact this was a loss,” said Diaz (27-8), who hadn’t lost in over four years. “I’ve lost fights before…but that (decision) ain’t right. I pushed him back the whole fight, I walked him back …Carlos is a great guy. I think I’m done with this MMA … I had some fun. I don’t need this s—. I pushed this guy backward the whole fight. He kicked me with little baby leg kicks the whole fight. I don’t want to fight this way anymore. I’m out of this s—.”

Diaz had made things very interesting late in the final round when he took Condit down, took his back and tried for a rear naked choke.

To chants of  “Diaz! Diaz!” the usually ultra-aggressive Condit came out in the first round way more mobile than usual, firing away with leg kicks.

In the second half of the round, however, Diaz, ever-stalking and now verbally taunting, scored with his boxing, included a beautiful shot to the body followed up with a crisp punch to the face. By round’s end, Diaz was still sticking out that chin and taunting and Condit was bleeding under his left eye.

In round two, Condit was more reticent and dancing. Greg Jackson’s were fingerprints all over it and Diaz was the one constantly pushing the action. In Diaz’s best sequence of the fight, he caught Condit against the fence and unleashed a volley of eight or nine punches to the body. Condit wasn’t nearly as busy as he had been in the first stanza.

In rounds three and four, Condit started attacking Diaz with more vigor, primarily behind an assortment of kicks to Diaz’s lead leg, midsection and head. Never did it seem as if the charging Diaz was wounded, but perhaps the noted boxer became frustrated by Condit’s constant mobility and refusal to stand in the pocket to exchange. Nevertheless, it was an intelligent and effective strategy, one that allowed Condit to cinch rounds three and four in the eyes of many in media row. Simply, Diaz’s fists had trouble finding any part of Condit’s body.

Judges scored it 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46 for Condit.

Watch Condit’s post-fight Interview

Hear what Diaz had to say during his post-fight interview

Watch the UFC® 143 replay

NASHVILLE, January 20 – Jim Miller weathered an early storm Friday night at Bridgestone Arena that saw him eat some heavy knees from Melvin Guillard, but he turned the tables with a textbook rear naked choke that earned him the victory in the UFC on FX main event, vaulting him right back into title contention at 155 pounds.

Winner of eight of his past nine fights, the New Jersey native rebounded from a tough loss to Benson Henderson, who fights UFC lightweight kingpin Frankie Edgar next month in Japan.

“I don’t get knocked down often and he knocked me down, so he hits hard,” Miller said of Guillard, who dropped his second straight after the choke at 2:04 of round one. “I don’t think there a bunch of people in this weight class or the one above that probably want to fight that kid.”

Miller didn’t lobby for a title shot, but did make it clear he’s ready for any challenge out there.

“I’m confident that I am the most dangerous lightweight in the world and I’m willing to make you guys believe that,” Miller said, before adding, “Everybody, you probably know that my nephew is going through some hard times and I want to thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for your generosity.” Watch Miller’s post-fight interview

LUDWIG VS. NEER

Welterweight Josh Neer notched his second straight UFC win, choking out veteran Duane Ludwig at 3:04 of the opening round in the UFC on FX co-main event. Ludwig, known for his Muay Thai prowess, got the better of the exchanges early, particularly finding a home for his knees in the clinch. But the Kryptonite to Ludwig has always been Brazilian jiu-jitsu, so Neer – one of the sport’s most durable fighters – chose not to press his luck any further and opted to take the fight to the ground.

“I wanted to stand and trade. He was getting the better of me so I wanted to take it to the ground and finish it,” said Neer, who improved to 33-10-1. Hear what “The Dentist” had to say backstage

Ludwig, meanwhile, fell to 29-12.

EASTON VS. PAPAZIAN

Overlooked. Underrated. Overmatched.

You could say all of those things about Jared Papazian heading into his matchup with Mike Easton. The little-known California bantamweight admirably stepped in as a late replacement opponent for Mike Easton, a formidable fighter and frequent training partner of UFC champ Dominick Cruz. Instead of being easy prey, Papazian gave Easton all he could handle from start to finish in a back-and-forth affair packed with toe-to-toe exchanges.

Takedowns, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and wrestling were largely non-existent in this Fight of the Night caliber bout. Easton, a BJJ black belt under Lloyd Irvin, scored one takedown but did little with it. The remainder of the bout saw them upright. Their fight seemed to follow a distinct pattern: One man would land combos and/or leg kicks, and the other would answer. Almost every time. Clearly a close contest, it did seem that Easton (12-1) packed more power on his shots, particularly the leg kicks that continually battered Papazian’s lead leg. And, for the first two rounds at least, it was Easton who straightforwardly stalked while Papazian opted to circle and move.

In the third round, with both fighters slowing, fans were treated to sustained phonebook exchanges, with Papazian (14-7) seemingly getting the better of it.

It was perhaps the evening’s most entertaining scrap and it was Easton who inched by via majority decision (scores of 29-28, 30-27, and 29-29).

“Man, he’s a tough dude,” said Easton. “I knew he was going to come and show up. Man, we fought tonight. We the 35ers baby, it’s nothing but nonstop action. We love to fight.” Watch Easton’s emotional post-fight interview

MORECRAFT VS. BARRY

He fought off his back. He fought off an armbar. He shook a 260-pounder off his back.

Heavyweight prospect Pat Barry’s vulnerabilities on the mat are well documented, and Christian Morecraft did everything in his power to exploit them. But Barry’s defense earned him more opportunities on his feet and – after loosening up his adversary with several thumping kicks to his lead leg – Barry went upstairs and dropped Morecraft with a wide left hook. With Morecraft dazed, Barry dove in with a right hand and landed a couple more hard shots before referee Herb Dean halted the action at 3:38 of round one. Watch Barry’s post-fight interview

NASHVILLE, January 20 – As Shakespeare once wrote, “All’s well that ends well.” And so it was for Jorge Rivera, the MMA pioneer who ended his career on a high note Friday night at Bridgestone Arena with a come-from-behind win over Eric “Red” Shafer. The victory capped the 39-year-old Bostonian’s 15th and final trip to the Octagon.
 
Ever grateful, Rivera fought back emotions as he thanked God, the UFC and the inimitable voice of site coordinator Burt Watson for an incredible ride.
 
“It’s been a real nice trip,” said Rivera, whose pro record will rest at 19-9.
 
Fans at Bridgestone Arena showered him with chants of “Jorge! Jorge!” – many of them aware that Rivera’s toughness as a fighter is surpassed by his toughness as a father who also mourned the loss of a teenage daughter in 2008.
 
Rivera got off to a slow start in his farewell fight. Schafer, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, took Rivera down in the first round and held him there for most of it (despite inflicting little damage). In the second stanza, sensing that Schafer was battling through labored breathing, Rivera stuffed a single leg takedown and unleashed a hail of punches as Schafer turtled up beside the cage but did not answer the blows (despite referee Herb Dean repeatedly imploring him to “fight back.”). Hear what “El Conquistador” had to say about his big win – and his UFC career.
 
At 1:31, it was a wrap.
 
SHALORUS VS. NURMAGOMEDOV
 
“The Eagle” has landed, and his name is Khabib Nurmagomedov.
 
Making his debut in both the U.S. and the UFC, the highly-touted Russian upped his record to 17-0 with an impressive dismantling of the typically immovable object that is Kamal Shalorus. The Sambo standout dropped Shalorus in the first round with an uppercut to the jaw, then rained down punches but could not land the shot that would have sealed the deal.
 
Opponents rarely put Shalorus, a world-class wrestler who was born in Iran near the Russian border, on his back. But Nurmagomedov managed the feat several times. The last of those occasions was in the third round, when the Russian escaped a guillotine, passed guard and sank in a rear naked choke that forced the tap out at 2:08.
 
The win puts Nurmagomedov is elite company. The only other fighter to defeat or finish Shalorus is veteran lightweight Jim Miller. Get “The Eagle’s” thoughts on his UFC debut.
 
BRENNEMAN VS. ROBERTS
 
Welterweight Charlie Brenneman tamed Daniel Roberts in his vintage fashion, using his Division I wrestling skills to repeatedly take down Roberts and pound him with punches on top en route to a unanimous decision win. For his part, Roberts threw a couple of scares into the Pennsylvanian, threatening his welterweight foe with two kimuras and a reverse triangle choke that lent some much-needed drama to the affair. But whenever trouble reared its ugly head, Brenneman survived due to gutsiness and the sound of the horn.
 
Judges scored it 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 in favor of “The Spaniard,” a former high school Spanish teacher.
 
“I was able to exploit him on the ground, which I expected,” Brenneman said. Watch Brenneman’s post-fight interview.
 
CAMOES VS. HAYDEN
 
Newcomer Thomas Hayden took control early in the standup realm against returning Fabricio Camoes, scoring with punches and forcing the veteran to switch to Plan B. Unfortunately for Hayden, his Brazilian adversary was able to turn the scrap into a ground war. After a slow start in round one, Camoes turned up the heat, using an oma plata and ankle pick to reverse Hayden and then take the Ohioan’s back. At 4:03 of round one, Hayden tapped out.
 
“I was a little surprised I trained for a left-handed guy and he was southpaw,” said Camoes (13-6-1), a lightweight who. 
 
Camoes (13-6-1), who won his first UFC bout in three tries, gave praise to one of his mentors, Royler Gracie, who was recently awarded a prestigious red-and-black belt for his considerable contributions that helped advance both BJJ and MMA. Hear what Camoes had to say after the victory.
 
PINEDA VS. SCHILLING
 
97 seconds after running into Daniel Pineda, Pat Schilling is unbeaten no more.
 
Pineda (15-7) entered the bout confident that Schilling had never faced anyone of his caliber. So cocksure was the Texas featherweight, he threw caution to the wind and jumped all over Schilling early, and the latter never seemed equipped to stop the bullying. After slamming Schilling (5-1) to the mat, Pineda transitioned to mount and then took his opponent’s back, all the while loosening him up with punches. Desperate to escape the onslaught, Schilling stood up, but with Pineda serving as a backpack and managing to slip in a rear naked choke for the tap out. Watch Pineda’s post-fight interview.
 
SANDOVAL VS. DENIS
 
Montreal’s Nick Denis, one of Canada’s most promising bantamweight prospects, calls himself “The Ninja of Love.”
 
Joseph Sandoval bore witness to the “ninja” part, but may be wondering “Where is the love?” after the 22-second blitz of destruction Denis exacted on him in their bantamweight contest to jumpstart the event.
 
Exactly how many punches Denis threw, I am not sure, but it seemed like every one of them landed. From the opening horn he tagged Sandoval (6-2, Lubbock, Tex.) with several crisp 1-2 combos and a hook for good measure. Then Denis (22-8-1) trapped Sandoval in a Muay Thai clinch, drilling him with four straight elbows to the head. Sandoval crumpled to the ground, and, just like that, a jubilant Denis paraded around the Octagon and celebrated his first Octagon victory.
 
“Actually my gameplan was eventually to take it to the ground,” Denis said, “but once I landed a couple of punches I know he didn’t react well, so I went for it and I finished it.” Hear what Denis had to say in the post-fight interview.