Author: By Jordan Newmark

In the discussion of the most highly touted UFC prospects, Stephen Thompson is easily at the very top of that list, and rightfully so. Here are the quick facts: Thompson is the owner of a combined 57-0 record in professional and amateur kickboxing, a 6-0 pro MMA record, he scored a first round “Knockout of the Night” in his UFC debut against Dan Stittgen in February, and UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre has said “Wonderboy” is the best striker he’s ever seen. But what separates him from other possible Octagon icons are Thompson’s goals both in and out of the cage, as he wants to be an MMA star and spokesman for the next generation.

“What I want to show is not just that I can fight or that I’ve been training since I was three; I want to show what karate brings to you,” asserts Thompson. “How it can help your lifestyle, how it can help you stay positive, how it can help you show respect to people. As MMA is building, the UFC should want moms and dads to want their kids to watch it, to want to be a part of it, to want to practice it, to want to come into the martial arts. I want to bring positive role modeling to MMA and that’s what martial arts is all about.”

At 29 years old, the self-professed “dojo rat” from Simpsonville, South Carolina is as concerned with winning his next UFC fight as he is being the head kids’ instructor at his father’s gym, Upstate Karate. The son of the “Toughest Man in South Carolina,” Ray Thompson, he grew up learning Kempo karate, alongside his two brothers and two sisters, from their father. Thompson explains that these lessons were as much about fighting as they were about building character, saying “It’s not just about kicking and punching and punching and kicking. It’s about courtesy, respect, indomitable spirit, perseverance – it’s a good lifestyle.”

Just over two months removed from his first Octagon appearance, Thompson is scheduled to bring his talents and ethos to UFC 145 in neighboring state Georgia. “It’s pretty cool, especially after my last fight, which was a spectacular knockout, but I think it is good for me to fight close to my hometown because I think I can bring in a lot of people to this fight in Atlanta,” tells Thompson, who alone teaches 650 – 700 students, which should garner quite a thunderous ovation from his cheering section(s) in the Philips Arena. “I want to show people in the world and my hometown that this is what I do. I want to rep this sport. It’s the fastest growing sport in the world, but I want more of my hometown people to get involved.”

Although Thompson is a famous name in many martial arts circles, most fight fans got their first taste of “Wonderboy” at UFC 143 when he took on the then 7-1 Stittgen. “At first, I felt really nervous about it because there’s a lot of hype and everybody has wanted to see me fight and they’re expecting big things for me,” admits Thompson, noting that even a seasoned veteran of combat sports like himself experienced some UFC “jitters.” But a few words of encouragement from his father steadied him. “Right before I went out there, my Dad looked at me and said, ‘Just go out there and do your thing, don’t worry about anyone else, and just do what you do.’ I took that to heart. I didn’t go out there to look for a knockout – I just let it happen.”

With all the pressure of being known as a knockout artist (40 KOs in kickboxing), Thompson still delivered a textbook headkick finish in the opening round, as most hoped. “When I throw my hands, I like to finish up with a kick, and when I throw my kicks I like to finish up with my hands and one of those are going to land,” says Thompson, who displayed his technical, methodical, and ultimately fight ending striking power in that one round. “When I threw it, I figured it was going to hit, but I didn’t know it was going to do what it did. I’ve hit people with that combination many times before – it’s just a jab, cross, roundhouse – and with that kick coming right behind that right hand a lot of people don’t see it and those are the ones that hurt you – the ones you don’t see.”

Up next for Thompson is a stern test if there ever was one at UFC 145 against The Ultimate Fighter 7 alum Matt “The Immortal” Brown. A seasoned standup fighter with 10 UFC fights under his belt, Brown last fought on the same card as Thompson at UFC 143, scoring an equally impressive second round TKO of TUF 13 alum Chris Cope. The Ohio native is known for his in cage intensity, which is highlighted by his powerful Muay Thai style that includes a dangerous clinch game featuring a bevy of knees and elbows. In the UFC, climbing up any weight class’ ladder means battling the rough and tumble head on, and Brown is the prime example of that.

“Matt Brown‘s tough and he gets on you,” affirms Thompson. “he’s a veteran of the game and he is ready to throw. To be honest, I am excited to fight him. I’m glad that it has happened so quickly and I haven’t had any time to rest. That last fight wasn’t one of those brawls where you need weeks off. I was back to training in two days, and they said, ‘do you want to fight Matt Brown?’ I was like, ‘okay, let’s do it.’ I like the way he strikes. He’s a Muay Thai guy, he likes to throw knees and I’ve heard he’s very good on the ground. I think it’s good. He’s a step-up for me. I’m training hard for him.”

In preparation for Brown and a future as a UFC welterweight, Thompson’s training always starts where it all began in Simpsonville with his Kempo. As an Americanized martial art, Kempo does incorporate aspects of wrestling and jiu-jitsu besides striking, which obviously became Thompson’s focus during his dominance in kickboxing. To further train his ground game, he works in Dallas, Texas with 9th degree BJJ red and black belt Carlos Machado, who just happens to be his brother-in-law. If that wasn’t enough, he also trains with stars like Nate Marquardt and Rashad Evans. Like all fighters, Thompson’s greatest weapon is what he’s most comfortable with, and that’s his karate.

“From my Kempo karate, I mostly use my movement, my quickness covering distance, and things like that,” reveals Thompson. “With my stance, I’m standing a little more sidewise than most other fighters out there. It helps me use my front leg and helps me change angles better than if I was standing square. The strikes that I’m doing are basic things that boxers are doing and other guys are doing. But I’m applying better movement than those guys. I never go out expecting a knockout. I’m just going out there to do what I do. If he wants to go out there and strike I’ll be ready for him. If he wants to try and take me down, I’m working on my wrestling defense and working my way back to my feet. But all around I’m ready for whatever. I know that he’s going to bring it. I know he’s going to be super tough.”

For Thompson, the hype train only accelerated when scored a bonus check in his debut, and a win over Brown will show it wasn’t a fluke. “It was a good shot, but some people are thinking it was a lucky shot,” says Thompson, who is looking to stand and trade with the hard-nosed Brown, who has never lost an MMA bout via KO/TKO. “My first fight was only four minutes and people still are thinking ‘what does this kid have?’ This next one, I’m fighting Matt Brown and he’s a really good name in the UFC and he’s had a lot of wars with some really good people, so it’s a step-up for me. I feel really confident and I think it’s a very good fight for me.”

On April 21st, the technical Thompson collides with the brawling Brown in a welterweight striker’s duel. “We’re bringing karate back,” states Thompson, who will definitely provide a renewed interest in the martial art with each and every win inside the Octagon. “In the early UFC’s, people kind of bashed the karate thing. There are some good things you can learn from karate. I’m hoping to show everybody that in the UFC.”

The Octagon might need to be reinforced because the big boys are coming to play.

On May 26th at UFC 146 in Las Vegas, Nevada at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, one weight class will take center stage, with an entire pay-per-view card dedicated to their cagefighting combat: the heavyweights. To save time on the weigh-ins, let’s just agree that these guys on the main slate of Octagon action are big – real big. Besides their gargantuan size, it’s a new era of top competition in the UFC, as these scale-tippers are agile, mobile, versatile, and, most importantly, hostile. Simply put, if you like heavyweights, you’ll love UFC 146.

From top to bottom, it’s a who’s who of colossal knockout artists and, arguably, the best and bulkiest submission specialist in UFC history. To set the tone for these plus-sized fighting festivities, the hard-hitting Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva will make his Octagon debut against fan favorite fist-bombardier Roy “Big Country” Nelson. Next up, a contest between two of the most dynamic fighters in the division who are also former UFC champions: Cain Velasquez vs. Frank Mir. Lastly, in the main event, kickboxing sensation Alistair Overeem takes aim at the title against current heavyweight king Junior “Cigano” dos Santos.

Yesterday, these six titans, plus UFC President Dana White, managed to share one stage to promote this literally enormous event and to answer questions from both press and fans alike. A popular query voiced by many in the media was also the most straightforward, why have an entire card of heavyweights? Easily, the most memorable answer came from the longest tenured UFC fighter on the dais, who noted that fellow fighters in all divisions are certainly talented, but the big guys are scary too.

“When you see a 135 pound fighter fighting, he could be the baddest dude at 135, 145, and 155,” tells Mir. “But I think a lot of people when they are watching the fights, in the back of their mind, they kind of feel, ‘Yeah, but I’m 220. Even though he knows how to fight, I can probably kick his ass.’ We’re the heavyweights. If you’re thinking that, you’re stupid.”

A less comical, but just as effective response came from White that these super six are really exciting to watch. “If you look up at everyone who is sitting at this podium and look at their last five or six fights they have had, there are not many boring fights,” says White in a wild understatement, as all of these fighters are revered finishers with punching power and dangerous ground games. “You’re probably going to see a knockout. With this heavyweight show, there can be knockouts, there can be submissions. This isn’t your typical allure of the heavyweights card – these guys can do anything.”

A perfect example of how well-rounded these gigantic gladiators are is the bout is between two BJJ black belts who knock people out: the 16-3 “Bigfoot” Silva will make his Octagon debut against the 17-7 “Big Country” Nelson. Both highly-regarded fighters are coming off losses in their last outings, but a win over the other would easily put them back in the title hunt. As for Silva’s start in the UFC, White referred to “Bigfoot” as a “man on a mission” to get a shot at the crown, which is highlighted by Silva leaving the Blackzillians gym because Overeem joined, believing that the two are on a “collision course”. For “Big Country”, he has at least a few more marquee matchups of guaranteed entertainment before his improbable drop to light heavyweight.

“We actually finish fights,” states Nelson. “Everybody likes the homerun ball in baseball and everybody likes a good dunk in basketball – we’re the guys you just like to see finish.”

The next contest pits two previous owners of the UFC heavyweight belt who have phenomenal, but different, ground skills: Velasquez vs. Mir. On one side of the Octagon, Velasquez is a two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler from Arizona State University and, on the other side, Mir is a BJJ black belt who owns the most submission wins in the UFC heavyweight division (eight). Besides contrasting grappling styles, Mir is riding a three fight win streak topped by his kimura submission of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 140, while Velasquez is coming off the first loss of his career at the hands of dos Santos and his one punch knockout power in November at UFC on FOX

“Implement the game plan sooner,” asserts Velasquez about what he learned in his last fight. “I love what I do. In wrestling, you have a loss and it’s not the end of the world. You have to come back stronger and be healthy. Learn from your mistakes. Move forward and get better.”

Along with Velasquez and Mir trying to reclaim their spot at the top, Mir would like to defeat a skill set that has plagued him in the past. “Wrestling is something I have had a hard time with stylistically,” admits Mir, who has evolved tremendously in his decade plus fighting inside the Octagon, but a win over a top wrestler like Velasquez would be a personal career high point. “I think wrestling is a huge factor in all fights. Typically, the guy who is the wrestler can decide where the fight goes – whether it is standing or on the ground. I just hope to make it where both of those are not viable choices.”

In the main event, punches and kicks will collide as Overeem looks to add another belt to his display case and dos Santos looks to remain undefeated inside the Octagon. “The Reem” recently debuted in the UFC with a memorable TKO of Brock Lesnar at UFC 141, and, before that, Overeem was a champion in several MMA organizations and is a former K-1 kickboxing champion. At the same time, dos Santos has been battering his Octagon opponents with his fearsome fists, including winning the belt from Velasquez. Also very impressive is the fact that neither knockout artist has recorded a loss since 2007.

At 31 years old and with a combined 60-plus MMA and kickboxing matches, Overeem has almost an incomparable amount of standup experience and credentials, but he’s not taking dos Santos lightly at all.. “I definitely see him as the best ‘boxer’ in MMA and UFC these days,” reveals Overeem, which is high praise, but he should be prepared considering he’s the easy choice to be the best ‘kickboxer’ in the UFC. “This is definitely the biggest fight of my career. This is my biggest challenge. I’m training hard every day and it’s going to be a great show.”

Brazilian bomber dos Santos will continue to rely on what recently won him the gold: his fists. “I’m a really confident guy with my hands and I really believe I can knock anyone out,” affirms dos Santos, 27, who won his first and last fight in the UFC by a thunderous single punch. “He has very good standup skills. He’s a striker, I’m striker. I think somebody is going to get knocked out.”

On Memorial Day weekend in sunny Las Vegas, the UFC superstars of the “biggest and baddest” division will tangle to set the new pecking order for the second half of 2012. Opening the Pay-Per-View card will be intriguing showdowns between Mark Hunt and Stefan Struve and Gabriel Gonzaga and Shane del Rosario. Then, the TUF 10 winner Nelson will test chins with debuting Strikeforce slugger Silva, and two former UFC heavyweight title holders will meet in Velasquez vs. Mir. Finally, the gold is up for grabs in a possible “fists vs. feet” striker’s duel when current champion dos Santos clashes with challenger Overeem. By sheer poundage alone, no event this year is bigger than UFC 146, and with the UFC heavyweight belt on the line – none may be more important.

Blame Dragon Ball Z.

For the UFC Featherweights who will soon find themselves on the bad end of a continuous barrage of punches, kicks, and knees from Marcus “The Bama Beast” Brimage, please address all complaint letters to The Cartoon Network and show creator Akira Toriyama. Some credit should go to UFC light heavyweight Quinton “Rampage” Jackson for also inspiring him to start fighting and his first MMA coach, Chris Connelly, for teaching him how to fight. But still to this day, Brimage is picturing Piccolo tearing into Android 17 when he is throwing body blows inside the Octagon, which does little to comfort the opponents receiving them.

“Dragon Ball Z taught me to have a non-stop pace,” affirms Brimage. “When they fight, it’s non-stop. It’s constantly moving and consistently entertaining. I don’t want to have a dull moment in my fights. I don’t want to have a fight where people get up and go get their damn popcorn when I fight. I want people to sit down and be ready to be entertained when I fight. There are a couple of guys out there that you know they’re going to win, but it’s going to be boring. I don’t want you to run to the concession stand when I fight. I want everybody to stop and look at me when I fight and then go back to what they’re doing when I’m done. That’s my time.”

The 26-year old came to prominence last year over the course of three televised bouts inside a UFC cage. It all started with a second round TKO over Bryson Wailehua-Hansen, which gained Brimage entry into The Ultimate Fighter 14 house and, eventually, onto Team Bisping. The next was a disappointing second round sub loss to WEC veteran Bryan Caraway in the first fight of the show. Lastly, Brimage won when it mattered most in his UFC debut against castmate Stephen Bass at the TUF 14 Finale in December.

“It was my UFC debut, so my nerves were a little on edge,” reveals Brimage. “When I was on The Ultimate Fighter, I didn’t get the chance to perform like I wanted to, so this was another opportunity to perform the way I should have performed. I didn’t know about Stephen Bass’ hands that much. I knew that he was an excellent jiu-jitsu practitioner. His wrestling takedowns weren’t so good, but I was so surprised to hear that he was a Golden Gloves champion. I was like, ‘Oh, it’s going to be one of those fights.’ I had my old coach Chris Connelly from Alabama in my corner as well as my brother and my strength and conditioning coach Tommy Elliot. It felt like home because I had them all behind me. Having them and their positivity around me helped my nerves before that fight.”

The battle with Bass was a whirlwind of fists, feet, and flying knees until the final bell, mostly highlighted by Brimage’s dynamic striking and Bass’ granite chin. “The whole gameplan was to stay in his face, hit him, work the body, work his head, and he just would not go down – he was like ‘Rocky’,” says Brimage, who earned a hard fought unanimous decision to improve his overall record to 4-1. “Also, I wanted to avoid his takedowns, so every time he pressed me I was ripping and moving. After that first round, I knew it wasn’t going to be one of those quick knockouts, collect your check, and go party. It’s going to be one of those where I’m going to have to earn this one.”

At points, the action was almost anime-like, with the muscular Brimage tattooing Bass with a knee to Bass’ response of gritting his teeth and readying for another. “Actually, after that fight, I was thinking I’m not hitting hard enough,” tells Brimage, who looked to be hitting plenty hard, but nevertheless sought out a hyperbolic time chamber to reach that next level of power punching. “I found a boxing coach down here in South Florida at a gym called Riskus Boxing Club and I’m hitting about 35% harder. The next person I’m fighting against, Maximo Blanco, I hope his chin isn’t as strong as Stephen Bass’, but it doesn’t matter because I’m now hitting harder than my last fight. Somebody’s about to go to sleep.”

Brimage’s next 145-pound challenge will be on April 21st at UFC 145 in Atlanta, Georgia against Maximo Blanco. The well-traveled Venezuelan striker will be making his UFC debut in what should be a fan-friendly, frenzied, fist-fracas. At 8-3-1, 1 NC, Blanco was enjoying a six fight win streak running through competition in Japan until suffering a second round submission loss to Pat Healy in Strikeforce last September. Blanco should be a great test for Brimage, as he loves to trade, with seven of his eight wins coming by knockout. Plus, he’s never been knocked out.

“The way I was always brought up to fight, you fight anybody that they put in front of you – there’s no draft dodging here,” asserts the nine year member of the US Air National Guard. “After I said yes, I researched him and I was like, ‘Wow, this dude is kind of a badass.’ After watching his highlight reels, his Sengoku campaign, his fight with Pat Healy in Strikeforce, I was able to get me a game plan and I’m going to use that game plan when I fight. Maximo Blanco is a bad boy. Don’t get that twisted. It is going to be a nice little fight. It’s also the first fight. My fight is going to start off everything. I’m already saying that this fight is going to be ‘Fight/Knockout of the Night’.”

Brimage has been busy training with his plethora of coaches from American Top Team in Florida, Chris Connelly from Spartan Fitness in Alabama, his strength & conditioning coach Tommy Elliott, and he has also been focusing on turning a weakness of his into a strength.

“I’ve been making sure that my wrestling defense is off the chain,” says Brimage, who has been getting a lot of ground game advice from a UFC vet because he believes Blanco and future opponents will shoot for a takedown after eating a few of his revamped punches. “Charles McCarthy has taken me under his wing and has been making sure my jiu-jitsu has gotten a lot better. It’s pretty cool because I never thought I could be a jiu-jitsu guy, but now I’ve got a gi and I’m working hard on that.”

In 2011, Brimage made it into the TUF house, debuted with a win the UFC, and met his cagefighting hero “Rampage”, but there is something that eluded him last year, which he hopes to rectify in this one. “My second UFC pro fight and no sponsors yet,” remarks Brimage, who is specifically looking at the US military considering he’s enlisted, his brother is a graduate of the Naval Academy and being cross-trained to the Army, and his dad has been in the Army for almost three decades. “I saw the Air Force Reserve on Ryan Bader‘s butt when he was fighting Quinton Jackson. Who has been in the Air National Guard for nine years? This guy right here. Throw some of that sponsorship money this way.”

On April 21st at the Philips Arena in the ATL for UFC 145, “The Bama Beast” will be revved up on Senzu beans and looking to unload a kamehameha on Blanco.

“Any time you see Marcus Brimage fight, you are going to see a high-intensity fight and, hopefully, it will end with a knockout,” states Brimage, who is hitting harder and has more confidence in ground game that ever before, which should enable him to really lay into his strikes. If he KOs Blanco then he might go Super Saiyan from sheer excitement over the win and seeing a bonus check with his name on it.

If The Ultimate Fighter season 9 finalist DaMarques “Darkness” Johnson is ever in need of a new nickname, he might want to consider “The Anti-Decision”. Over three years and seven fights inside the Octagon, Johnson has yet to hear a judge’s score card read to choose a victor in one of his clashes. Even more incredible, the 18-9 welterweight has only seen a third round once in his action-packed UFC career. In the never ending debate about how to properly score an MMA fight, Johnson has proven time and time again that the winners and losers in his bouts will solely be decided by him and his opponent.

“Once we get in there to have a fist fight, I’m going to bring it and I’m either going to get finished or finish someone else,” asserts Johnson. “I don’t like going to decisions. It takes too long. It takes forever. If you see DaMarques Johnson‘s name on a card, you know fists will be flying and people will be taking naps. That’s it. Whether it’s me or another dude taking a nap, I’m a realist that way – whatever happens happens. People will be entertained.”

At 29 years old, the Utah native is arguably the unsung hero of fan friendly fisticuffs in the UFC. All seven of Johnson’s Octagon appearances have followed a similar script of the clock starting, him meeting whichever opponent in the center of the cage, and trading punches, kicks, elbows, chokes, and takedowns until the ref stops it. Plenty of fighters, from first-time curtain jerkers to long-standing champions have been criticized about boring styles or trying to win on points, but not Johnson, as each one of his performances has been about testing chins and submission defenses. And it all starts with Johnson’s unabashed love for fighting.

“My job is the best job in the world,” states Johnson. “There is no feeling like hearing Burt Watson saying, ‘You’ve got five minutes, baby!’ It’s the craziest drug high in the world. Whether I’m fighting on the undercard or fighting on TV, it’s the coolest feeling ever and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Everyone should experience that feeling in whatever they are doing.”

This pedal to the metal, a fighter comes to fight style netted him a 2-1 record last year. The first quarter of 2011 saw Johnson winning by a rare body-triangle sub over Mike Guymon followed by a frantically paced slugfest loss to TUF 7 winner Amir Sadollah. Johnson was originally set to tangle with Georgia striker Clay “Heavy Metal” Harvison in September, but a nagging back injury forced him to re-schedule for November on the undercard of UFC on FOX 1.

“I was excited to fight Clay,” tells Johnson. “He’s a tough guy and you know he’s going to come and fight. He’s a scrappy guy who is skilled. No one is in the UFC because they suck. He’s a tough opponent. Like it or not, no matter what the internet says, no matter what the fans think – everybody in the UFC is 100% legit. You have to take everybody seriously.”

With four decisions over their combined nearly 40 fights, it was a no brainer that these two should create fireworks in the cage and they did. It took 94 seconds, half a dozen punches, and one solid uppercut for Johnson to knock Harvison out in the first round. If later that card, Junior dos Santos didn’t KO Cain Velasquez with one punch to win the UFC heavyweight championship, then Johnson would have been a shoo-in for “Knockout of the Night” honors. Previously, he earned back-to-back bonuses with a “Submission of the Night” at 107 and a “Knockout of the Night” at UFC 112.

“It was good and I enjoyed it,” remarks Johnson of his win over Harvison. “I still don’t feel like I’ve shown everything I’ve got and that’s why I think I’m still under the radar, so to speak. I’m okay with being under the radar. I still really need to work on a lot of my game. I can be better equipped with my skills to be ready for any position I could be in in there. I’m not satisfied with a knockout; I’m not satisfied with a submission. I want to perfect my skills. I want to master as many of the disciplines of MMA as I can. I think I’m progressing, but I’m nowhere near where I want to be. I’m getting there. It’s all about steady progress. ‘Slow is smooth, smooth is fast’ kind of deal.”

Up next is a return to how most UFC fans were introduced to Johnson: fighting the English. On April 14th at UFC on Fuel TV 2 for an Octagon first in Stockholm, Sweden, the Utah native will meet British submission specialist John “The One” Maguire. The 17-3 Maguire made his organizational debut in a grappling heavy decision victory over Justin Edwards at UFC 138 in Birmingham, England. Although he didn’t know much about his foe when he signed the contract, Johnson is expecting Maguire to be at his best come fight night and is planning the same from himself.

“John Maguire is a tough guy out of Europe – that’s what I knew,” reveals Johnson. “A lot of people think they know a lot about me from my time on the TV show, but you’ll never really know until you get in there. You have to keep an open mind in your approach to the fight and go from there and take it as it comes. I’m not a big fight watcher of the guys I’m going to fight. It’s not about what he’s going to do to me; it’s about what I’m going to do to him. I would rather focus on me getting better than focus on John Maguire. As long as I do the things that I need to do, the fight will take care of itself. Whether I go in there and knock him out like my last fight or I go in there and get knocked out, that’s going to happen regardless of whatever. Honestly, it’s just a fist fight. It’s a tough guy who is going to punch me in the face and I’m going to punch him in the face.”

In preparation for Maguire, Johnson is training with his normal crew at Elite Performance in his hometown of West Jordan. The two veteran minds that have shaped Johnson as a fighter from the very beginning are still working with him to this day: MMA ironman Jeremy Horn and highly-regarded boxing coach Matt Pena. Besides helping Johnson polish his pre-existing skills, Pena and Horn are also more than capable of working with him to add new weapons to his arsenal from any number of martial arts. Even if it’s something that Johnson’s only just seen online.

“I’m a Youtube researcher,” discloses Johnson. “Honestly, I love fighting. I love all the different disciplines of it. I love grappling. I love boxing. At first, I was watching a lot of Marvin Haggler. I was watching all the Marvin Haggler I could handle. Then I was watching Robson Moura, Jeff Glover and Marcelo Garcia. I’ve been watching a lot of wrestling online. I’ve been lucky enough to have worked with a lot of wrestlers like Dan Henderson, Matt Hughes, Robbie Lawler, Ryan Bader, and a lot of solid wrestlers. All the lessons I’ve learned from those guys get brought up and refreshed. I was watching a bunch of kickboxing too of Ernesto Hoost and Andy Hug. I just love everything about it. From old school boxing to the boxing match the other weekend between Juan Manuel Lopez and Orlando Salido. I’ll go research something and if it is applicable to MMA fighting I’ll go in and drill it and drill it and once it gets to the point where I can hit it and guys are getting mad at me for doing it over and over then I just abandon it and go on and try to learn something new. It’s not really work if you have fun doing it.”

The event in the Swedish capital will be a first time visit for both the UFC and Johnson, but the travel doesn’t bother him as he fought once before overseas. “I felt fine,” deadpans Johnson, who scored a TKO via body kick and punches in his one international UFC bout against Brad Blackburn back in April 2010 in Abu Dhabi. “At the end of the day, it is still punching a dude’s face. You could fight at 100% or you could fight at 70%, but you’re still fighting. It’s just a fist fight.”

On April 14th, his make or break cagefighting budo will be trained on England’s Maguire. “He’s a tough guy and he’s going to come try and whip my ass,” announces Johnson, who has keenly developed the answer for this specific dilemma. “I’m going to have to defend myself and whip his ass first or better. That’s about as simple as it gets.”

And that’s all UFC fans want to see, especially if it doesn’t go to a decision.

It’s become almost impossible to argue with UFC President Dana White’s stance that Canadian fight fans are the best in the world.

The Octagon’s love affair with the Great White North began on April 19th, 2008, with a UFC 83 event headlined by a welterweight title fight between Matt Serra and Georges St-Pierre. Over the past four years, the UFC has held eight events in Canada, in three different cities (Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver), with over 200,000 fans in attendance, and a live gate totaling over $40 million. White’s declaration that Canada is the “new Mecca of mixed martial arts” will be a self-fulfilling prophecy, as the UFC announced the Octagon will be crossing into Canadian territory three times in 2012, including an inaugural event in “The Heart of the New West”: Calgary.

Wednesday, White and Director of Operations for UFC Canada Tom Wright held a press conference in “The Stampede City” to not only address Calgary’s UFC 149 date on July 21st at the Scotiabank Saddledome, but to disclose two additional Canadian shows this year and a promised three return visits in 2013. On hand for this momentous occasion were local UFC favorites Jason MacDonald, Mitch Clarke, and Nick Ring. Also, two of Canada’s biggest cagefighting stars, Mark Hominick and UFC welterweight champion St. Pierre attended live via satellite.

Even though UFC 149’s slate of fights have yet to be determined because it’s still four months away, White was fully prepared to whet the fans’ appetite with a mere mention of one man. “Jose Aldo will be defending his title here,” asserted White to a deafening roar from the crowd that the UFC’s featherweight championship belt will be contested in their fair city. “Just from the turn out today, you know I want to bring a sick card here. We always deliver good fights. I’m so pumped to come back up here with a sick card and blow the doors off that arena.”

If all goes accordingly, UFC 149 should also host a retirement match for middleweight “The Athlete” MacDonald. In December of 1999, MacDonald began his professional MMA career in Calgary with an armbar submission win. With a 26-15 overall record that includes 13 Octagon appearances, MacDonald is scheduled to meet Tom Lawlor on May 15th at UFC on FUEL TV 3 in Fairfax, Virginia. Regardless of the outcome, the resident of the Alberta province would like his farewell fight to be in front of these especially ravenous fans.

“If I had a dollar for everyone who has texted me and called me in the past two weeks who wanted tickets I wouldn’t need to fight,” jokes MacDonald. “Every time I travel to the UFC, it is a plane full of people from Calgary. Hopefully I will retire from the UFC at the Calgary show. It is special for me.”

The second Canadian event will be UFC 152 on September 22nd in Toronto. There are even scarcer details surrounding the show in the nation’s largest city, but, not to worry, in 2011 alone three UFC weight divisions defended their belts in Toronto: 145, 170, and 205 pounds. Featherweight top contender Hominick took time from his training to publicize UFC 152, but “The Machine” is determined to get back to his winning ways on April 21st in Atlanta against Eddie Yagin. “I have a task at hand at UFC 145 and I’m going to get the job done.”

The Octagon’s final, and possibly the biggest, Canadian event in 2012 will be UFC 154 on November 17th in Montreal. “Hopefully, I will have the chance to fight in front of my Canadian fans in November,” says St-Pierre, who is unquestionably the biggest name in the sport, let alone Canada, and is currently rehabbing his surgically repaired ACL. “Even though I’m feeling 100% right now, I’m halfway through my rehab and I cannot push too much. I’ll be training full out around July.”

Everyone has their fingers crossed, including and especially White and St-Pierre, that the UFC welterweight champ’s rehab and return to full-time training go perfectly for “Rush” to fight at UFC 154 in a title unification bout against interim champion Carlos Condit. St-Pierre’s last match was last April against Jake Shields at the historic UFC 129 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. Following that, he was injured leading into scheduled meetings with Condit and then Nick Diaz, which led to GSP getting surgery, Diaz fighting Condit for the interim belt in February at UFC 143, and Condit being crowned interim champion. St-Pierre’s goals are simple and clear, “Right now, I’m focusing on my knee; after that, I am focusing on getting my title back.”

After four years of great fights and even greater fans, Canadians are being rewarded for their insatiable desire for caged fisticuffs with three UFC events this year and three more in the next. Starting off this MMA madness will be the groundbreaking UFC 149 pay-per-view in Calgary with the headlining human highlight reel Aldo putting his UFC featherweight championship belt up for grabs. If that wasn’t enough for the US’ Northern neighbors, the UFC will return for the 3rd time to Toronto with UFC 152 and mark its fifth time in Montreal with UFC 154.

You’re welcome, Canada.

“We are going to blow the doors off the Izod Center.” – UFC President Dana White

One state’s loss is another across the Hudson River’s gain as the Octagon returns to the Garden State of New Jersey, and this time FOX is coming along for the ride. While the effort to legalize mixed martial arts in New York continues to slowly progress, “Dirty Jersey” fight fans are reaping all the benefits with an event taking place on Saturday, May 5th at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, one that will air live, and free, on FOX. The card features four clashes between high profile contenders who would solidify their place near the front of the pack in their respective weight classes with a big win.

Headlining the Octagon’s third appearance on network TV will be a throwdown between top 155 pound predators Nate Diaz and, Jersey’s own, Jim Miller. In the wake of Frankie Edgar’s rematch for the UFC lightweight championship with Benson Henderson, Diaz and Miller are piling up impressive wins on their individual resumes and could see a shot at the belt in their immediate future with a W on May 5th. Meanwhile, the event’s stacked supporting cast features a pair of elite welterweight wrestlers in Josh Koscheck vs. Johny Hendricks, a duo of atomic bomb dropping heavyweights with Pat Barry vs. Lavar Johnson, and a classic “striker vs. grappler” middleweight melee between Alan Belcher and Rousimar Palhares.

All fighters, minus Palhares, were accounted for at New York’s Radio City Music Hall on Tuesday morning to talk to the always curious press and some early-rising, boisterous fans about these upcoming contests.

First thing first, the lone middleweight combatant, Belcher, assured everyone that the eye injury that sidelined “The Talent” for more than a year is in the past and his future is fighting inside the Octagon. “I really need the top guys to challenge me; I want to find out where I’m at,” says Belcher, who triumphantly returned to the cage last September with a first round submission of Jason MacDonald. “I consider this the calm before the storm. I wouldn’t say what I did before this point was mediocre, but I didn’t give it my all. I’m ready to dedicate myself totally to this sport.”

The missing man on the dais, who was probably too busy practicing his patented heel hook in his native Brazil, was well spoken for by his opponent. “There is no one else unless you want to fight Palhares and no one wants to fight him,” tells Belcher of how UFC matchmaker Joe Silva offered Belcher the matchup with “Toquinho”. With Belcher’s background in Muay Thai and Palhares’ penchant for devastating submissions, it’s no surprise where either fighter wants this bout to take place. To help work on his ground game, Belcher brought in some “secret weapons” to his gym, including UFC vet Dean Lister.

The second bout on FOX features heavyweight hitters Barry and Johnson. “Both Lavar and I are allergic to jiu-jitsu, and allergic to rounds two and three,” jokes Barry about who will put his six knockout wins to the test against Johnson’s 14 knockout wins, which include his UFC debut battering of the granite-chinned Joey Beltran in January. “Does [Johnson] hit hard? I guarantee he does – he’s huge. I shook his hand today and thought, ‘that’s unfair.’”

No nickname could sum up the 6’4” and 250+ pound Johnson better than the one he has – “Big.” “My first fight in the UFC was in Chicago, my knockout got me here and I’m blessed to fight in the best organization and I’m not going to let my opportunity go,” states Johnson, 34, who is looking to follow-up the best win of his eight year pro career by taking out former K-1 kickboxer Barry. “This fight right here is going to put me on the map. He’s not looking to go to the ground and I’m not either. I’m ready to go out there and smash him.”

Part internet hero, part human highlight reel, Barry is unmistakably a fan favorite both in and out of the cage, which is why he’s a perfect fit for a FOX fight with his guaranteed fireworks. “I think all around my entire package is what has given me this opportunity – it has a little to do with everything,” estimates Barry, who rebounded from a two fight losing skid with a “Fight of the Night” knockout over Christian Morecraft in January. “We are going to punch each other a lot on the fifth. I’m going to throw everything possible at him. All punches, all kicks, all knees, all elbows.”

Every UFC event needs a good grudge match, and fight fans can thank two former NCAA Division I National wrestling champions for this one: Koscheck and Hendricks. The resident “black hat” of the welterweight division, Koscheck is also one of its best competitors at 170 pounds. The admitted at times questionably motivated “Kos” is geared up for Hendricks both as a “pride of wrestling” matchup as well as to earn some revenge on Hendricks for his “lucky punch with his eyes closed” 12 second knockout of Jon Fitch, who is Koscheck’s longtime friend and training partner. This will be Koscheck’s first fight training exclusively at his own gym instead of the American Kickboxing Academy, which he believes has reinvigorated him.

“I’m in a new place now,” says Koscheck. “I’m excited about this fight. New coaches, a lot of new training partners. For the first time in three years I have someone teaching me boxing. I have one-on-one jiu-jitsu. I felt like I got a new life. I feel like I’m in a great place. I think you’re going to see the best Josh Koscheck you’ve ever seen and I’m looking forward to it.”

But Hendricks, the heavy-handed, Oklahoma State University wrestling standout, believes his uproarious knockout of the top-ranked stalwart Fitch in December was anything but lucky. “If you watch where my eyes are and watch where my punch lands – it couldn’t have gotten any better,” asserts Hendricks, who is on a three fight win streak and knows a title shot will only be earned through Koscheck. “The whole goal is to get to the belt; second, third, none of that matters. The pressure of winning this fight? I have to win every fight to get where I want to go.”

Lastly, in the main event, two BJJ aces who are just as likely to brawl until they are bloody will square off to determine a possible number one lightweight contender. Despite contrasting body types – “long and lean” Diaz vs. “stout and muscular” Miller – the two have remarkably similar careers, with the majority of their victories by submission, three each by KO/TKO, and that have both won a multitude of fight bonuses (eight for Diaz, four for Miller). Although much can be said about this dynamic duel, Diaz said very little outside of, “It would be great to have someone who comes in and wants to fight.” Diaz will get his wish with Miller for a full five 5 minute rounds on FOX.

Both Diaz and Miller will be entering the cage riding high from arguably the biggest wins of their career. For Diaz, a return to 155 pounds has brought back-to-back one-sided victories and back-to-back bonus checks: “Submission of the Night” over Takanori Gomi and, most recently, “Fight of the Night” over Donald Cerrone at UFC 141. Meanwhile, Miller enjoyed a seven fight win streak inside the Octagon before losing a decision to Benson Henderson last August. The Sparta, New Jersey native got back to his winning ways in his first main event with a rear naked choke on Melvin Guillard in January and, now, he has his sights set on Diaz in his home state.

“It’s an honor,” affirms Miller. “I’m excited to fight in front of my home state fans. Nate and I match up very well together. I’m pretty amped already. I have to calm down because I have two more months to go. I have a ton of respect for him and his camp is a great group of guys. I really have a fire under my ass and I’m looking to come in the best I have ever been.”

Live on FOX from the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, four different weight classes will rumble inside the Octagon for two purposes: to get one step closer to a gold belt and for your entertainment. Belcher and Palhares will continue the age-old struggle of standup vs. ground game. Barry and Johnson are cocked and ready to add the other’s head to their trophy case of knockouts. Koscheck and Hendricks are set to tangle with some added personal interest on the line. And finally, two of the best lightweights in the world, Diaz and Miller, will let their fists do the talking for them in the cage to campaign for a title shot.

Cinco de Mayo cannot come soon enough.