Author: By Jordan Newmark

It is said one learns more about themselves with each and every fight – win or lose. Some go as far as saying one learns even more from a loss than a win. While both are generalities and blanket statements, they are correct in response to by far the majority of the slugfests featured in the Octagon a hundred times over every year. But there is always that rare exception, and UFC heavyweight Dave Herman experienced that in the form of a 51 second knockout loss to Roy Nelson in May.

“I just got caught,” admits Herman. “It happens. In that fight, that was pretty much all I could take away from it. In the fight against [Stefan Struve], I learned a lot. Not enough happened in this fight to really learn anything.”

At UFC 146, less than a minute into a battle of two heavies who like to stand and trade, Nelson tattooed Herman with a “Big Country” fist missile and the fight was over. While he may have not learned anything noteworthy from his cameo cage appearance, the UFC and its fans can take away that Herman comes to fight whoever, whenever, and wherever as he took the Nelson fight on three weeks’ notice, replacing an injured Gabriel Gonzaga. Taking fights on short notice usually doesn’t fare well for that particular fighter, but it does speak volumes about their mindset of capitalizing on opportunities offered and willingness to prove themselves, whether at a disadvantage or not.

In essence, a fighter fights.

This Saturday night in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a slew of the UFC’s proudest banded together to take to the Octagon with little to no preparation because they want to do what they love: fight. It came down to five men standing up when their name was called to put on a show when others couldn’t. The fearsome fivesome are UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, Stephan Bonnar, Fabio Maldonado, former UFC interim heavyweight champion Minotauro Nogueira, and Herman. When injuries ravaged the original card like a plague, these fighters saved it, and UFC 153 will be an event to remember.

As the co-main event, the 28-year-old knockout artist will lock horns with the near-mythical, Brazilian minotaur Nogueira. The former PRIDE heavyweight champion hasn’t fought since the rollercoaster rematch loss against Frank Mir in December 2011. Prior to the bout ending submission, Nogueira had clearly rocked Mir with several punches and looked on his way to back-to-back first round knockout victories. At 36 years old with a professional record of 33-7-1, 1 NC dating back to 1999, there is possibly no MMA fighter more seasoned and respected than “Big Nog” and Herman is thankful for the chance of tangling with him.

“I’m really excited about it,” affirms Herman. “First thing, I get the chance to fight an MMA legend, which is awesome. I’m not turning down an opportunity like that. He’s a great opponent to have. You want to fight the biggest names out there and he’s definitely one of them. I’m just excited to fight the guy, period. Standing or on the ground – whatever. I’m down for anything. Second thing, it’s in Brazil. It’s a beautiful place, I’ve never been, and I’m excited to go.”

Besides Herman’s opponent being beloved the world over, Nogueira is a national icon in Brazil and the crowd will be cheering for him, but that isn’t an issue to the well-traveled Indiana native. “When I’m fighting, I can’t even hear the crowd,” tells Herman, who has competed several times overseas in Japan, Hawaii, and Abu Dhabi. “You can move the cage anywhere it doesn’t really make a difference. It doesn’t bother me. And they’ll probably be speaking Portuguese, so I won’t know what they’re saying anyway.”

With an overall pro record of 21-4 with only three UFC bouts under his belt, obviously, the lion’s share of Herman’s career has been outside the Octagon, where one isn’t accustomed to long training camps for concrete future fights. “It’s been pretty nice actually knowing you have a fight ahead of time and who it is with in the UFC,” says Herman, who when called to fight was rehabbing his elbow from surgery earlier in the year as well as enjoying off-season hobbies like leisurely drinking. “People are like, ‘four weeks? That’s short notice.’ That is ‘short notice’ for the UFC, but for me four weeks’ notice is one of the longest notices I ever got prior to the UFC. So, I’m like this isn’t that bad – this is normal.”

In preparation for Nogueira, the UFC 131 Fight of the Night winner has been training with Team Quest in Temecula, California. Just before his Octagon debut in June 2011, Herman enjoyed a month and a half long road trip/vision quest to find the right MMA gym to join, which ended at the doors of Team Quest. Previously, Herman’s career was more or less built on the natural athleticism and fight finishing instincts of the 6-4, 233 pounder. It’s been noted many times over Herman’s disdain for grappling and its “trickery”, so it was Team Quest’s striking coach Daniel Woirin and his accomplished Muay Thai background that truly sold Herman on the gym.

“I was looking to improve upon my striking – that was one thing,” explains Herman. “The people, everyone is really friendly. They’re nice and I felt welcome. It was a good atmosphere. The striking is really technical, which is good. Technique has always been my weakest area. It’s what I need to work on and it’s been really helpful. I think I’ve gotten a lot better since I’ve come out here. I get along with everyone at the gym and I think this has been one of my best camps so far.”

This Saturday in the HSBC Arena in Rio, Brazil, with only a month of training in them each, Nogueira and Herman will collide to give the fans the show they deserve. One can say it’s a classic “striker vs. grappler” and/or “young vs. old” matchup, but, for sure, it’s two big heavyweights set to rumble because this is what they love to do and are paid to do. The Octagon is not continually about self-discovery and strategic gameplans; sometimes one steps in there because a former champion needs a dance partner to entertain 15,000 Brazilians and possibly millions watching on pay-per-view, and that’s a fight Herman is always ready for.

A common literary technique is for the hero to first stumble and fall when within reach of their goal to only make it more triumphant when they return and succeed in their second attempt when the stakes are that much higher. While that always works out great for fictional characters, it takes a lot of sacrifice and effort for a real athlete and a real fighter to accomplish such a storybook ending. That’s the simplified plot outline UFC lightweight Marcus “The Prospect” LeVesseur is entrenched in as he lost his debut, but is coming back stronger to win in his hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota at UFC on FX 5.

“For me as a mixed martial arts fighter, to fight at the highest pinnacle – the UFC – in my hometown, it feels like it was scripted,” tells LeVesseur. “I’m just excited to get a chance to fight again, and then my hometown adds an extra bonus and extra fire. It’s a dream come true. I’m just looking forward to it. It’s a fight, 15 minutes to go the distance. I fought the majority of my fights here, in state, and I’m used to my routine. Yes, it’s for the UFC, it’s a big show, it’s X amount of thousands of people that are going to be there, but it’s a home fight for me. I don’t know if I’ll have a clear advantage because it’s a home fight, but that’s how I feel. I couldn’t script it any better for my bounce back opportunity.”

At 30 years old with a professional record of 21-6, LeVesseur’s initial appearance inside the Octagon was all too quick and disappointing in a first round submission loss to Cody McKenzie in May. Stepping up for an injured Aaron Riley on three weeks’ notice, he fully admits that the infamous UFC “jitters” hit him hard entering the cage, which he did not expect given his plethora of past experience in MMA and, prior to that, wrestling. Although the “McKenzietine” is a powerful weapon, ultimately, LeVesseur didn’t defend against it properly, as his nervousness exceeded his preparedness.

“Obviously, he has that one move that is very successful for him,” believes LeVesseur. “Nothing to knock him at all, he is very talented with that particular situational position. I didn’t overlook him, we trained for that position. But I think the ‘jitters’ got caught in my head and my judgment. When he first had it on, I felt good and safe. Then he repositioned, got me off balance, and, boom, it was over. Looking back at that, you have to have a clear mind and you have to be mentally moving as well as keeping your body physically moving, whereas in that position at that time, my mind was moving, but not my body. I just kind of froze.”

On a ten scale, LeVesseur rated his own performance a 2 out of 10, but recognizes that it got his feet wet in the UFC and he’s ready to show off who he really is as a fighter. “I’m pretty explosive, I’m fast, I’m powerful, I’m strong, a pretty good wrestler with high impact takedowns, and I like to think that I’m a pretty intelligent, well-rounded fighter,” says LeVesseur, who is not one to brag, but is underselling himself in almost every one of those mentioned areas. As a “pretty good wrestler”, LeVesseur was a 4x NCAA Division III National Champion and cultivated a perfect 155-0 winning streak at Augsburg College in Minneapolis. In addition, “The Prospect” won 4 state championships in high school and with that combined, “the streak” was 296-0.

“It was kind of like a videogame,” explains LeVesseur. “If you master a character on a videogame, and you go to compete against your friends or online, you’re going to win a lot of those battles. Same thing applied with me and wrestling. I mastered my wrestling style and I knew what my opponents had against me and that I could stop it. I knew if my opponent had his right leg forward or his left leg forward I knew what I could do against them. I’ve pretty much mastered my own wrestling style, which was a huge advantage for me compiling the streak.”

Being that wildly successful in any endeavor requires sacrifices. Wrestling was like a full-time job for LeVesseur in both high school and college. He trained endlessly regardless of wrestling being in season or not. LeVesseur sacrificed his opportunity of going to the University of Minnesota to instead go to a smaller school to wrestle more. Those choices were difficult to make, but LeVesseur believes they were for the best and, now, he is applying that same mindset to his cagefighting career.

“Maybe two or three years ago, I remember being in the MMA world, not knowing if I was going to make it, trying to make it, wanting to make it,” discloses LeVesseur. “You get kind of sidetracked, or at least I did. As of lately, I thoroughly understand the sacrifices. I’m doing the things I should be doing now, and I’m not doing the things I shouldn’t be doing. My biggest opportunity now is being in the UFC and I’m fully aware of that. My sacrifice now, I need to make as much time for training, so I can perform well when they call my name. Life is about sacrifices. We have the option to walk down the straight path or to turn right or left onto an incorrect path. To stay on that path, you have to sacrifice all the other influences.”

Up next is an October 5th hometown showdown with Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Carlo Prater at UFC on FX. The Brazilian veteran is looking to rebound from his own unfortunate loss at the May event against Canadian grappler TJ Grant. A BJJ black belt with 16 of his wins via submission, Prater has a wealth of MMA experience, with notable wins over several UFC stars like Melvin Guillard, Spencer Fisher, and Carlos Condit in smaller organizations. Prater is an obvious threat on the ground, but LeVesseur is ready to take the fight to him on the mat in front of a Minnesota crowd.

“He’s a tough dude,” admits LeVesseur. “He’s a veteran, he’s well-rounded, and on the ground with his jiu-jitsu he’s a shark. We have done a lot of good gameplanning to counteract his jiu-jitsu. I’m not going to be afraid to take this down, but when I take him down I need to make sure I land in proper position, so he won’t be able to sweep me, toss and turn me, or do any offense from his back. Other than that, he’s a tough dude and it’s going to be a good fight. Hopefully he thinks I’m a wrestler and I’m going to take him down because, yeah, I’m going to take him down. But before I take him down, I’m going to try and punch him in his face as hard as I can.”

As all UFC bouts are unique like pristine snowflakes, LeVesseur has added confidence that he can take advantage of Prater on the ground as Grant did. “We watched that fight, we’ve watched that fight probably over 100 times, and we see a lot of openings and things that he was able to do well, but we see things that he wasn’t about to do well because of TJ Grant’s positioning and his control,” says LeVesseur, who knows he cannot simply mimic what Grant did because it’s likely Prater has learned from his own mistakes. “I’m positive he’s watched his own fight as well and has made sure to correct those things, especially going against another wrestler, but anything can happen and it’s my job to make him revert to those bad habits and it’s his job to not allow me to. He’s very talented on the ground and I’m a good wrestler. A lot of times, those two disciplines cross each other and this might be a standup fight and we’re totally prepared there too.”

Keeping LeVesseur sharp are the skilled martial artists of The Cellar Fight & Fitness gym in St. Anthony, Minnesota. On the feet, Chris Cichon is a multiple IKF kickboxing champion and has represented the USA multiple times in international competitions. On the ground, Marcelo Nunes is a BJJ black belt under Robert Drysdale. The eventual goal is for LeVesseur to feel like a videogame character again in the Octagon as he once did on the wrestling mat. It’s a process that requires him to make sacrifices both in and out of the cage to remain on that correct path to success.

“I’m not there and I’ve got a lot of growing to do in this sport,” reveals LeVesseur. “But I feel very confident where I’m at right now. I have a good idea of what I do best. With my offense, there are just some things I like to do naturally. With mixed martial arts, the biggest thing you need to do is to be able to adapt. We’ve been working on a lot of adapting because nothing is going to go as perfectly as it is planned, and if it does, then amen and thank God for that. You have to adapt; I think that’s the biggest thing in this sport. Once you adapt, how fast can you find your path back? We’ve been working on the worst possible situations ever and how we can get back on course and fighting the fight I want to fight. I think that’s going to be the biggest key here is to knock [Carlo Prater] off his course and to keep him off his course.”

This Friday in the Twin Cities, “The Prospect” will square off against Prater in a second chance to make a good first impression in his hometown. “For his sake, hopefully he doesn’t overlook me,” states LeVesseur, who knows his debut was a box office disaster and is aiming to make the sequel a blockbuster hit. “I’m hoping he’s not resting on his laurels thinking this is going to be an easy tap out because he will be in for a rude awakening. I’m pumped about it. It’s going to be like New Year’s Eve that Friday in the city and I get to be one of the fighters that is making it like that and I’m thankful and I’m ready to give it my all.”

An exciting win at UFC on FX will be the ideal ending to this part of LeVesseur’s story. Fade to black, roll credits, and fight fans will look forward to the next one.

Il est temps!

Over the past year, the UFC has ballooned into a global presence, adding regular events to an enormous market like Brazil, re-establishing itself in Japan, verging on a groundbreaking show in China, making inroads to the subcontinent of India, and, above all, the monstrous seven year deal with the FOX network. Fighters from a myriad of weight classes have benefited and emerged as new stars, with household names like UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos and, most definitely, UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones. But one name has been absent from the Octagon for these highly publicized past 19 months, one who previously was the undeniable face of elite mixed martial arts: Georges “Rush” St-Pierre.

On November 17th, GSP is back.

At UFC 154, at the Bell Centre in his hometown of Montreal, Canada, the UFC welterweight championship will become undisputed again as St-Pierre will meet the man who carried the crown in his absence: “The Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit.

On April 30, 2011, the UFC held its largest event in company history, with 55,000+ screaming Canadians in attendance packing the Rogers Centre in Toronto for UFC 129. The headliner was, of course, St-Pierre successfully defending his belt for a sixth time against grappling ace Jake Shields, and it would be the last time UFC fans would see GSP in the cage for more than a year. With the champ on the shelf due to an ACL injury, Condit stepped up to take on Nick Diaz for the newly minted interim title at UFC 143 in February, which Condit won with a memorable unanimous decision.

That is the main event’s predicament. Two belts, two champions. As tickets for UFC 154 go on sale this week, St-Pierre and Condit met with the media Thursday at the Montreal Science Centre with each of their 10 pounds of gold gleaming in front of them. While neither combatant has shown any real penchant for trash talk in the past, both “Rush” and “The Natural Born Killer” spent the press conference lauding the other with praise while presenting themselves as the even more humble cagefighter.

Up first is the 28-year-old former WEC welterweight champion, who was born, raised, and still fights out of Albuquerque, New Mexico. With a professional record of 28-5 and a perfectly mirrored 13 knockout and 13 submission victories, Condit has quickly become everything fight fans had hoped for and more since joining the UFC. Condit’s early stumbles in the Octagon are long forgotten, with his three-fight KO/TKO bonus winning streak followed by his claiming of the interim title against Diaz earlier this year. Nevertheless, Condit fully believes that a victory in a hostile arena in Montreal is what separates him from truly acknowledging his accomplishments.

“My goal in this sport is to be the best in the world,” tells Condit. “Georges is the best fighter in the welterweight division and has proven that time and time again. To be the best I have to beat Georges. I’m not the official champ. Until someone beats him, he’s the undisputed champion. Until I beat him then I don’t feel like I’m the true champion.”

On the other side of the Octagon is the 22-2, with 16 of those wins in the UFC, top pay-per-view drawing St-Pierre. At 31 years old, the Montrealer has maintained a nine fight win streak with all but one of those fights involving the welterweight title. St-Pierre has been a fixture in the UFC as far back as 2004, and has evolved as a martial artist throughout the years to be the best of the best in every area, whether it is striking, submissions, wrestling or anything else. Renowned for his athleticism as well as being an exemplary strategist, GSP is widely missed for the competitive gravitas he brings to each and every Octagon appearance.

“I’m fighting the most dangerous guy I have fought,” reveals St-Pierre. “The most well rounded martial artist I have fought. And I’m coming off the longest stretch of inactivity. That’s two challenges. In my contract, I was supposed to defend my title every year. I could not because of injury. It is up to me to take the title from Carlos.”

Adding to the intrigue of this 170-pound showdown will be a lack of Greg Jackson in either competitor’s corner. While Condit’s home gym is Jackson’s, St-Pierre has often trained there as well as had Jackson make the pilgrimage to his Montreal home gym of Tristar. Both are regularly cornered by Jackson, but neither will have him in his corner for this bout.

“Greg told us that he won’t be helping either of us,” explains St-Pierre. “At the tactical point he won’t help either of us. Carlos is training with his guys in Albuquerque, and I’m training with my guys in Montreal. On November 17th, we will be alone in the cage and the best man will win.”

As far as gameplans go, none have been effective on either fighter. While under the Zuffa banner, the two champions have been defeated a combined three times and have won a combined 26 times – neither fighter is accustomed to losing. As each had only complimentary comments about the other, both believed if there was anything to focus on going into this main event, it was to simply make sure they are at their peak because they take for granted their opponent will be.

“His opponents have said this is where he is weak and I think that was a mistake because Georges is one of the best fighters in the world – the best fighter in the world,” asserts Condit. “I am worried about being the best I can be and not worried about what Georges is bringing to the table.”

On November 17th at UFC 154 in “la belle ville” Montreal, the UFC welterweight division is officially back with a classic collision of contending champions between St-Pierre and Condit. “Carlos is a true gentleman, I am a gentleman, but on November 17th we won’t be gentlemen to each other – we will try to knock each other out,” affirms St-Pierre. No need for trash talk or pre-bout extravagances; what is driving this great matchup is once and for all winning this undisputed title, of which Condit simply states, “I’m trying to be the best in the world; that’s motivation enough.”

Certainly motivation enough for fight fans to want to watch it.

Each and every debuting UFC fighter has a myriad of agents possibly working against him heading into that first scrap inside the Octagon. Besides the very real “jitters” of tangling in front of a raucous and demanding UFC crowd, a fighter could be coming off a long time on the shelf or could be battling in their opponent’s home territory, which can only add to the pressures of performing in MMA’s one act play. While these mentionables are all present for featherweight first-timer Akira Corassani’s upcoming debut, there are two factors in his corner keeping him centered and ready for some four-ounce gloved fisticuffs.

“I’m ugly and I have a girlfriend, so I’m set,” boasts Corassani.

The Garden State’s Energizer bunny of singer-songwriting Bruce Springsteen said it best, “Nothing matters in this whole wide world, when you’re in love with a Jersey girl.” Minus a few sha la la la’s, Corassani knows exactly what The Boss means as the born and raised native of Sweden moved to New Jersey all for his new girlfriend and love. As The Ultimate Fighter season 14 alum prepares to finally make his anticipated UFC debut, Corassani wants to entertain the rabid crowd with his come forward and often style, which sometimes allows for little regard to his looks. Thankfully, Corassani knows his UFC on FUEL TV opponent Andy Ogle has the same mindset, which should produce a fan friendly fracas for the fans in attendance.

“I know his team,” asserts Corassani. “He’s training with my old team. I know where he’s coming from. I don’t know him, but I know the team and I know those other fighters. He’s new to that team. But I know if you look at him, he’s not that very good looking of a guy. I’m not very good looking either. There’s not so much to lose, and we love fighting and we’re both entertainers. If you mix that together, that recipe is priceless. I think the fans will understand what I’m talking about. We’re going to both go in and have super fun and be our best. The fans should buckle up. It is going to be a good one. That’s how I always fight; I’m never boring.”

The 30-year-old of Iranian descent began his foray into caged combat as a fan of the sport who just wanted to fight. In his youth, Corassani trained karate and taekwondo, but, eventually, substituted in soccer and school for the trading of fists and feet. While at university, Corassani felt something was missing, which turned out to be the adrenaline rush of mixed martial arts. Well before the Jersey shore or the TUF house, Corassani made his professional debut with little more than guile and tenacity as his strengths against Dion Staring, a former sparring partner of former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem.

“I didn’t understand anything,” remembers Corassani. “For my first professional fight, I really didn’t understand what it was still. I just went in and fought. My first fight, I fought at heavyweight. I was weighing in at 170 pounds. At the weigh-ins his opponent dropped out, somehow this whole fight turned into a freak show. The promoter made it into an open weight fight and that was my debut. I gave up at least 45 pounds to my opponent. That was my first fight and we fought. Then a guy gave me an envelope, there was money in it, and I didn’t understand what was going on. But I was hooked! The crowd and all that. I knew nothing about techniques. It was just crazy. We just went in there and fought. There was no science behind it. No technique, no training. It was just ‘eye of the tiger’, just go in there and bang.”

Four years later with a pro record of 11-4, Corassani decided to take a vacation to New York City after a disappointing loss in February 2011, which was his first loss in his last eight fights. While visiting the Big Apple, Corassani found out TUF tryouts were taking place in Newark, gave it a shot, and, soon enough, the charismatic Corassani was in the house. Although a memorable personality, Corassani is unimpressed with his showing as a member of Team Bisping, which in part was due to some nagging injuries mixed with the rigorous shooting schedule. With a potential finale spot looming, he kept grinding in the gym, making his small injuries become big ones, and Corassani found himself sidelined for the better part of a year.

“I had injuries going into the house to begin with, small ones,” reveals Corassani. “Small ones that needed rest to take care of. But you get into the house and the regimen is training two times a day and I fought three times in six weeks. That’s a lot of fights in six weeks. A lot of people only fight three times in one year, not six weeks. When I got out of the house, I needed rest, but I knew I had to train because there was a chance I can fight on the finale. It was just me not listening to my body at all and my body gave up on me. One injury after another and I was walking around with three big injuries at the same time. I was training with them and not resting and not taking care of myself physically and it backfired on me. But I’m back now.”

Up next for Corassani is a double debut date with British slugger Ogle on September 29th at UFC on FUEL TV in Nottingham, England. At 23 years old with an 8-1 pro career, Ogle will be entering the Octagon for the first time since leaving the TUF 15 house. Now a member of Team Kaobon, “The Little Axe” has a penchant for throwing heavy leather and pushing the pace in his matches. As far as Octagon dance partners, Ogle is a young and dangerous one who likes a lot of action, which is music to Corassani’s ears, as he wants a tough fight to show off how much he’s improved.

“He’s real decent, he’s real decent in every area,” affirms Corassani. “His striking is decent, his wrestling may be his weaker point, but his ground is decent. I think the way I’ve been training, the people who I’ve been training with, I really don’t think he is going to be able to surprise me in any way. Nothing he will do will be able to surprise me. At the end of the day, I’m focused on what I’m going to do. You train so hard. You’re training to sharpen your tools, your techniques. You’re training to always be the best you. And you’re matched up against someone who is at their best. It’s like a fun video game. I think this is a good fight for me and I’ll win.”

New Jersey isn’t only for finding significant others, it’s home to some of the best MMA talent the sport has to offer, like former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. When Corassani changed residence, he fully admits he didn’t know much about the insane level of training Jersey had in store for him. Corassani fell backwards into good fortune by joining Edgar’s team, which is filled with highly notable coaches like former UFC fighter Ricardo Almeida and boxing coach Mark Henry. If one state wasn’t enough, Edgar/Almeida and company train at Renzo Gracie’s Academy in New York City with Gracie and the ever-enigmatic John Danaher.

“I didn’t know anything when I came to New Jersey,” admits Corassani. “I didn’t know Renzo Gracie existed in New York. I thought Renzo Gracie was in the underground in Brazil. I knew that he had a gym, but I didn’t know it was him and not just his name. I feel blessed. New York is New York. MMA isn’t even legal here. From New Jersey, just an hour drive out, you have animals to train with. And jiu-jitsu wise? Let’s not even go there. Everything is happening here. I feel blessed. Sometimes you don’t even realize how blessed you are until you really think about it. Before I got into the house, I had only been here for a few weeks. I wasn’t training with these guys and I wasn’t training anywhere like these guys. I hadn’t explored training in this way. I’m not even 1% of the guy I was. I would beat that guy in 10 seconds now. The version of me on The Ultimate Fighter, I would destroy that guy. It is comedy watching myself fight back then. I laugh. I laugh at myself. The fans should expect to see a completely different fighter. Improved, upgraded, updated. I’m a machine now.”

It’s been 19 months since Corassani has taken to the cage for a professional bout and almost a year since UFC fans have seen hide or hair of the featherweight on the reality show. In the downtime, Corassani has healed and began anew with a top tier training camp filled with excellent coaches and fighters who he believes with an unflinching confidence has remodeled him into that of a much greater mixed martial artist. The payoff for all this hard work is showing it off in the Octagon in a knockdown, drag out fight with Ogle. For Corassani, the gym is for adding more weapons to your arsenal and the cage is for adding more highlight reel material to your career.

“I want it to be a good fight to begin with – a spectacular fight,” states Corassani. “I’m not a fan of guys pushing each toward the fence or guys just laying on each other and being inactive. It might be technical sometimes, but, at the end of the day, there has to be some entertainment. If you don’t agree then you must be lying to yourself or the fans. When we train, we go through Hell, which we love, but that’s the sport. That’s how we prepare ourselves for the entertainment part of it, which is the fight. It’s entertaining and fun for us and it’s naturally entertaining to the fans. If you listen to the crowd, they don’t go nuts when two people are grappling. That’s a fact. They go nuts when two people are going at it. I don’t like slow fights.”

This Saturday at the Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, England, a slobberknocker showdown between Ogle and Corassani has potential bonus winner written all over it. “You put two ugly guys in a cage, it’s going to get interesting,” explains Corassani, who is willing to risk his looks for Octagon immortality and betting that his girlfriend will still be attracted to his mug. “You look at all the fighters, all the ugly fighters, and you get two of them against each other it will turn into a Fight of the Night. It’s the recipe for a great fight.”

While fight fans already know flyweight contender Demetrious Johnson as “Mighty Mouse”, another moniker would be just as applicable: “Mr. Positive”.

There’s really no subject involving the Octagon that the 15-2-1 talent cannot see the silver lining in. Dropping from 135 pounds to 125 pounds? Another avenue for a UFC title. Battling to a draw and, in turn, a rematch against the same top-ranked opponent in the span of three months? An opportunity for more experience and better preparation for the next fight. A reshuffling of headlining bouts due to a cancelled pay-per-view results in Johnson’s title shot against Joseph Benavidez being demoted to co-main event status in lieu of the UFC light heavyweight championship fight? A perfect chance to make Jon Jones’ fans “Mighty Mouse” fans.

Whether it’s Johnson’s natural demeanor, being secure with the insightful training guidance he receives daily from “The Wizard” Matt Hume, and/or marrying the love of his life Destiny “Mrs. Mouse” Johnson in May, he keeps on smiling and keeps on winning in the Octagon en route to his first and the company’s first flyweight championship bout. To secure that title shot spot, Johnson had to best Ian McCall once and for all in their rematch at UFC on FX in June. As mentioned, Johnson had no hard feelings about facing “Uncle Creepy” again only a few months after the controversial ending of their first tussle in March. If anything, it was an excuse to get better at cutting weight and at cagefighting.

“I was happy to go and fight a high caliber fighter like Ian McCall again to get ready for a title fight against Joseph,” affirms Johnson. “My feelings were good. The second time, I felt more acclimated, but I think it’s going to take a lot more time to really acclimate. Dropping to 125 is a lot of weight and it’s going to be something I have to get used to. This is going to be a third time doing it within a year’s span. The more times I drop down to 125 the more I’ll get used to it.”

It was just so nice, they had to do it twice. Following their Fight of the Night-winning draw, Johnson and McCall took to the Octagon to settle the score of who would face Benavidez in the flyweight title final. While many sold the rematch being rounds four through six, it was instantaneously clear that Johnson was physically a healthier and more solid looking 125 pounder than in the first meeting. Besides the visuals, Johnson’s defensive wrestling was on point as well as his cardio, which faded the first time. In the original scrap, the highlight moment was McCall in mount ending the third round, whereas Johnson’s first round knockdown of McCall left the most lasting image in the rematch.

“There was a huge difference with my weight,” reveals Johnson. “I felt a lot better and I even looked bigger because my body held on to its water and nutrients better. It was a great fight. I’m glad I had those two fights with Ian McCall because two high-caliber fights like that will get you prepared for anybody you fight next. I wanted to show the world that I had been working on my takedown defense, and if you take me down I’ll get right back up. Obviously, I would have loved to have knocked him out, have him go lights out from that one punch, but Ian McCall is a tough guy. I want to be the best in the world and I think I showed that in that fight. I’m getting better at 125.”

At only 26 years old, Johnson is at the top of the food chain in two weight classes in the UFC. Although the lightning quick, 5’3” standout has moved to flyweight, his last bout at bantamweight was for the gold against Dominick Cruz, and prior to that he was on a four fight winning streak dating back to his WEC days. Under the Zuffa banner, he has become an immediate fixture by making eight trips to the cage in two years, with his second title fight just on the horizon. For Johnson, a fighter’s life is about continually training to be ready, competing as much as one can, and always striving to be better than your previous best.

“I’m young, I’m only 26 years old, and I want to stay active,” he explains. “In mixed martial arts, I love to be active. I would love to take as many fights as I can while I’m young because as I get older the recovery will take a lot longer. I want to be as active as possible now, whether I’m champion or not champion. It’s all about getting the fights. I pretty much train all year long just in case the UFC gives me a call telling me someone dropped out and asked me, ‘do you want to take this fight?’ Hell yeah, I want to take that fight! I’m here to fight. That’s what you pay me to do. Every fight is the same in that you go in there and fight. Whether it is a title fight or a non-title fight, whether you win the fight or don’t win the fight. You wind up back in the gym training to be better for the next one.”

Up next for Johnson, the history-making inaugural UFC flyweight championship bout at UFC 152 on Saturday against Benavidez. While Johnson tangled with McCall, the Team Alpha Male stalwart faced Japanese star Yasuhiro Urushitani in March. After a grappling heavy first, Benavidez crossed the Octagon to deliver a perfect right hook on Urushitani’s button, which closed the struggle out at 11 seconds into the second round. The win earned Benavidez a Knockout of the Night bonus, escalated his record to 16-2, and put him in a spot opposite Johnson in the title final.

“Joseph is a great opponent,” asserts Johnson. “He’s one of the best fighters in the world at bantamweight and flyweight. I’m looking to get in there and test my skills against him. He’s got a great skillset and I can’t wait to see how we match up against each other. Joseph is kind of straightforward. He comes out and fights you. He’s a specialist. He has heavy power when he throws his overhand rights and lefts. He can switch back and forth.”

On paper, it’s easy to draw comparisons about two top flight fighters with nearly identical records who have both battled to a close, but losing, decisions against Cruz for the bantamweight championship and, now, find themselves staring across the Octagon for the UFC flyweight belt. And, the two became friends on a UFC publicity tour where they did see a Coldplay concert together. But, the true similarity is that they’re both incredible competitors who, despite giving up a lot of size, win way more than they lose even when fighting the best at a heavier weight division. They’re both strong, explosive, confident, and well-rounded, and should be an amazing test for each other.

“I think we’re both great competitors and we both have a drive to win,” adds Johnson. “We push ourselves. We have fought a lot of bigger guys in our career. Other than that, we have different types of striking skills and different ground skills as well. But we both have that type of determination to win. We know it’s a business. We get along outside of the cage. We’re both chill people. I don’t think that’s going to play any part in us punching each other in the face. We both know it’s a business and we both want to be a part of history.”

In preparation for the Benavidez brawl for the belt, “Mighty Mouse” is busy training at his home gym in Kirkland, Washington with his highly regarded coach Hume at AMC Pankration. It’s the same batch of loyal and knowledgeable fighters that have honed Johnson’s skills for his previous UFC outings like Trevor Jackson, but there was one new face added to the gym: Bibiano Fernandes. The DREAM featherweight and bantamweight champion was in camp for 4-6 weeks in the lead-up to his own bout, and Johnson believes he was a boon to his own training camp, “I had a lot of help from him on my ground game. He’s just a beast on the ground in mixed martial arts and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.”

Regardless of outcome, UFC 152 will be historic as one of the most exciting weight classes thus far in 2012 will crown its first ever champion. “It means the world to me to be fighting for this belt,” says Johnson who has gone toe-to-toe for six rounds already to get this opportunity against Benavidez, and he will not let it slip past him without a helluva fight. “Joseph and I are going to go out there and put on a great fight and it’s going to be one of the best fights of the year. I’m a hard worker and I’m always in the gym training to be better next time. Hopefully, I leave a good impression on the fans and, hopefully, I get that title.”

This Saturday, two of the unquestioned best at 125 pounds will square off for gold in the greatly anticipated first ever UFC flyweight championship title fight. “Don’t miss out on history being made,” states Johnson, who will be the happiest person on the planet if he wins, and, knowing him, will be gracious with his chin held high and be more than ready for a rematch if he loses. Either way, he will be back in the gym with a positive attitude training to be even better next time.

The judges’ unanimous decision read 30-25, 30-25, and 30-26.

It’s very rare that a UFC fighter walks away from a winning performance filled with 10-8 score cards in their favor like that and thinks to himself, “I need to get better”. It’s quasi-understandable that this particular combatant was disappointed in hearing the judges’ input at all, considering all previous nine bouts of Jimy Hettes’ young career were each won by submission well before time had expired. For the featherweight dubbed by some “Judo Jim” and by others “The Kid”, every Octagon appearance is a learning experience, even the ones he dominates.

“I was definitely humble in the victory,” tells Hettes. “Just because at this caliber of opponents, you are going to take the win however you can get it. A lot of the people are saying all the stuff I did good or correct, but I’ve watched the fight a couple times and there are a lot of times that I was sloppy. I’m grateful for that because it showed me what I need to go back and work on to step my game up to another level.”

At 25 years old and 2-0 in the UFC, the pride of Kingston, Pennsylvania is simply not satisfied with his one-sided drubbing of The Ultimate Fighter season 12 alum Nam Phan at UFC 141 last December. Entering into his UFC debut five months earlier, Hettes was undefeated, hadn’t seen a third round, and was racking up sub victories left and right, including armbars, heel hooks, and anything ending in “choke”. Hettes’ first time in the Octagon was on Facebook, on the undercard of the UFC Live event in Milwaukee against another TUFer, Alex Caceres, which had a familiar ending for “The Kid” in the form of a win by rear naked choke in the second. While all fights in the UFC entail pressure, Hettes’ next bout was against the well-traveled Phan and was on the big stage of a pay-per-view.

“I tried not to over think the whole situation,” reveals Hettes. “It was my first time on pay-per-view. I just tried to simplify everything and keep telling myself it was just another fight. Nam, he has a reputation of being a real tough individual. He has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and he has boxing experience. In my head, I tried to tell myself it was just another fight. It was against a tough opponent, but I had prepared for Nam and I didn’t want to over-hype him in my own head. Just let my body do what had to be done that night. My first time against Alex Caceres, I felt real nervous. The second time when I fought Nam, I felt more at home and more relaxed. I didn’t think about it too much and it felt like another practice and everything just flowed.”

The long and short of this matchup was Hettes’ relentless takedowns (scoring 11 of 20), guard passes (9), and a never ending barrage of ground and pound (close to 300 strikes thrown) for all 15 minutes. “No matter what round it is, I try to put the forward pressure on and keep implementing my game,” says Hettes, who believes the bout is a testament to Phan’s toughness and never give up spirit that he made the prospect continue to work for all three rounds. “Nam had such good boxing, and the whole training camp it was in my head if I let up for any one moment one of his punches could make it a real short night. When it came time to fight, I just knew that I couldn’t give him the opportunity to really get his punches going or get into a rhythm. There were plenty of times he could have given up or taken the easy way out, but he made me earn every second of that.”

Up next for Hettes is a showdown in Toronto, Canada at UFC 152 against one more TUF alum in Marcus Brimage. Originally, he was scheduled to face Brimage’s castmate Steve Siler at UFC on FX in June, but an injury sidelined the Hettes hype train. As with many of the injuries befalling the UFC roster, Hettes’ was from over-training and not allowing his body the rest and recovery time it needs. Now, he is preparing for his bout with “The Bama Beast” smarter, and is excited to get back to scrapping inside the Octagon.

“It was the first time I had been injured in practice,” explains Hettes. “I tore the intercostal muscles in my ribs and the cartilage along with it. It was kind of a wakeup call for me because I was training three times a day every day. I would be sore, but I was never too bad. After that, I really had to take a step back and assess what I was doing. So now, I take one day off a week and do a few other things to try and maintain a healthy level while training. The day the doctors said I was cleared to come back to training was the same day I was supposed to actually fight Siler. I’ve been training full-time for a while now. The UFC gave me the offer of fighting Marcus Brimage. He’s a tough opponent. He puts on exciting fights, so it should be an exciting night.”

Generally speaking, these two southpaws have diametrically opposite gameplans heading into the cage, with Hettes favoring the ground and his opponent, Brimage, looking to trade knockout punches standing. The 27-year-old prospect from American Top Team has secured back-to-back decision wins in the Octagon since leaving the TUF house, engaging in a three round war against housemate Stephen Bass in December and then in a less than entertaining contest with Maximo Blanco at UFC 145. Brimage is strong, explosive, and hits hard, which should prove to be a solid test for Hettes.

“He’s a good, dynamic striker,” asserts Hettes. “He’s very athletic and has excellent cardio. He doesn’t like to be on the ground and he’s very good at standing up back on his feet. His boxing is real crisp. These are all things we’ve been working on and we’re trying to exploit his weaknesses. I don’t know if it is going to be on the feet or if it is going to be on the mat, but he likes to keep a high pace and so do I, so it’s not going to be a boring fight to watch.”

In preparation for Brimage, “The Kid” splits his training week to week between two gyms in his home state of Pennsylvania, and then he crosses the state line to work with a famous crew of UFC fighters in New Jersey. In PA, Hettes is at Swoyersville Submission Wrestling and World Class Boxing; in NJ, Hettes battles with Frankie Edgar, Ricardo Almeida, Tom DeBlass, and Nick Catone as well as Brimage’s TUF teammate Akira Corassani, just to name a few.

“I’ve been getting a lot of looks and a lot of good advice,” tells Hettes. “It’s just like I’ve been doing it for years. I’m still trying to learn as much as possible. The moves I do know, I’m still trying to perfect or learn a way to counter. It’s not like my glass is full. I’m still improving every day.”

As mentioned, Hettes loves training so much he gets hurt overtraining, whether it’s on the ground, where “Judo Jim” has a brown belt in judo and a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, or in the standup, where he is working with Sean Diggs to add more boxing and Muay Thai skills to his oft-observed “goofy” style. Whatever area of the fight it may be, Hettes’ natural determination is to be in the gym and putting in the work to make himself better at it, which may help explain this undefeated streak, these submissions, and this bright future at featherweight ahead of him.

“When I first started and I made the decision to be a pro, the only reason I made it was because it allowed me to train jiu-jitsu more,” reveals Hettes. “The only way I could train jiu-jitsu multiple times in one day is if I went pro. If I was working a job, I could only train once a day, so I went pro so I could train more judo and jiu-jitsu. To think, that’s where I started. I never really told myself when I started that I wanted to be in the UFC or wanted to be undefeated. I think that’s all a product of what I’ve been training and training so hard. As much as I appreciate the fans, at the end of the day, it is just me fighting someone else. You can never underestimate your opponent and believe your own hype. I just consider myself lucky to be a part of this sport. I don’t think that I’m better than anyone and I don’t think I’ve reached my full potential. It just makes me hungry. I wake up every day just eager to train and learn from the best.”

On September 22nd at UFC 152, two emerging talents coming off successful freshman years in the UFC will travel north of the border to clash in the cage. “Wherever I fight, it’s not like I get to enjoy it and see the sights; it’s a business trip for me, it’s just another place to fight,” affirms Hettes, who takes a monastic approach that hard work pays off in the cage when he takes on Brimage. “Hopefully, fans see that I like to do what I’m doing. I’m not trying to impress anyone or just trying to make money. I just like to fight.”

Whether Hettes wins a Submission of the Night or another tough decision, he will take it, go back to the gym, and make the strides to improve upon it simply because he likes to.