Author: By Jordan Newmark

Jared Hamman loves to fight.

If there is one thing that UFC fans can assume about a two-time “Fight of the Night” winner, it’s that. But for “The Messenger,” that’s not enough. In his next trip to the Octagon, Hamman wants to show that not only does he love to fight, but that he knows how to fight like a professional and he’s good at it. The next opportunity for him to prove himself in the cage is this Sunday against CB Dollaway. Yet before that can happen, Hamman’s first true opponent is the scale, and dropping 20 pounds to become a UFC middleweight.

“I just enjoy fighting,” exudes Hamman. “I don’t how to explain it, but I just want to keep fighting until they tell me I can’t anymore. Whether it is 185 or 205. I didn’t think I was feeling much pressure at 205, like I was getting held down or getting thrown around; the change was for me. It was about being a professional in every aspect of the game and right now that is cutting weight. I just thoroughly enjoy the process. Fighting is awesome and it is fun. Heavyweight, light heavyweight or now middleweight, it’s just the enjoyment of fighting.”

At 29 years old, Hamman is preparing to weigh-in at the lightest he’s been since he was a junior in high school to square off with The Ultimate Fighter season 7 finalist, Dollaway. “I feel absolutely amazing,” says Hamman, who gives most of the credit to his dietician, P.R. Cole, for this new him. “At 205, I thought I had a great gas tank. At 185, my gas tank is awesome. My strength and conditioning has been off the charts.”

The idea to drop from light heavyweight to middleweight had been in the back of Hamman’s mind. But it wasn’t until his jiu-jitsu coach, Henry Akins, suggested it while Hamman was injured following a loss to Kyle Kingsbury last September that the plan was put into motion. Although he began his fight career at heavyweight, Hamman was only 220 pounds and he forced himself to eat to even make that. To be a 205er, Hamman never had to cut more than a couple pounds or keep to a diet. The move to middleweight was as much about taking every advantage as he could as it was for Hamman to feel like he was a professional fighter by forcing himself to cut weight.

“After that loss to Kyle, I was like what can I do to get better and what can I do to improve,” said Hamman. “With my diet, I’ve never had to eat strictly. I wouldn’t eat junk food, but I wasn’t on a diet plan or calorie counting. With 185, this is going to force me to be more disciplined as a professional athlete. I can’t take any shortcuts if I want to cut down to 185. I have to do it in a professional manner. I need every advantage I can get and cutting weight was going to make me disciplined and I liked that.”

The next step for the University of Redlands alum was to make a trial run with his weight cut. “We set a date, I dieted down, and we did every single thing as close to the way the UFC would do it,” explains Hamman about how meticulous his coaches, Akins and former UFC heavyweight Antoni Hardonk, were with the project. “We did weigh-ins at 4pm, I drove around that morning. I made 185 and then re-hydrated and the next day we did a fight simulation to see how I would react. We did sparring and grappling and I felt great.”

For the 12-3 Hamman, this weight cut to 185 is about the professionalism he wants to display in this fight, inside the cage as much as outside the cage. “My coaches have taught me a lot and I’m not just using that brawl mentality,” asserts Hamman, who believes what he’s shown UFC fans in his two “Fight of the Night” performances is his heart, but not his skills. “The year layoff has been great because I’ve been practicing and practicing and practicing. In this fight, I want to use those tools in my tool belt and I want to show more than just sheer effort. I’m still going out there to fight to win and not to fight to not lose, but I want to be more technical this time.”

Hamman will get the opportunity to do so against “The Doberman” Dollaway at UFC Live on August 14th. “My first thought is that I know he is a wrestler, but he likes to stand and kickbox,” says Hamman of his 12-4 opponent, an All-American wrestler at Arizona State University. “What I like about him is that he likes to fight and he doesn’t like to lay and pray. He likes to bring it and that’s exciting for me. That’s why I liked fighting Kyle because I enjoy fighting those types of people and I think CB is the same way.”

The preparation for this bout has been a long one for “The Messenger”, but a fulfilling one, as it has allowed him a lot of needed training with his three revered coaches. For Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Hamman has Rickson Gracie black belt Akins, who he has been working with for a year and a half. For striking, Hamman has the K-1 and UFC experienced Hardonk. Finally, Hamman’s overseer/wrestling coach is the UFC veteran, Vladimir “The Janitor” Matyushenko. On top of that, Hamman found time to get some time in at both Grudge Training Center and at Team Quest.

“It has been weeks and weeks of hard training, dieting, not eating ice cream, being a pain in the butt to my wife, and I’m ready to stop practicing and go compete,” affirms Hamman. “I’m ready to go out there and be free and have fun. The hardest part is training and getting your butt kicked every day. The fighting is the fun part. I’m looking forward to the fun part.”

On Sunday, he enters the Octagon for the first time in almost a year to battle a game opponent, Dollaway, in a new weight class. “I think the fans know I’m not the most skilled or technical fighter, but I will fight to my very last breath and fight with every last ounce of energy that I can,” says Hamman, who has already shown he has the spirit to be a fighter. Now he wants to show he’s got the tools too. “I’m not just a caveman. Winning the ‘Fight of the Night’ is great, but I have these skills that I’ve been taught and I am going to use them. I do have skills.”

Joseph Rolando Benavidez has earned himself a litany of names over the years. “President Jobama”, “Jokozuna”, “The Beefcake” and, on March 19th, Bruce Buffer introduced Benavidez to the UFC faithful as “Joe B Wan Kenobi” as he made his Octagon debut against the rough and ready Ian Loveland. At the end of the fight, Benavidez maintained two other names that have become synonymous with this bantamweight: “winner” and “#2 ranked in the world”.

In Newark, New Jersey at UFC 128, the WEC veteran successfully made his highly anticipated inter-company transition with a unanimous decision over Loveland.

“That fight will always be special to me for being my first UFC fight ever,” says Benavidez, who distinguished himself as one of the best and brightest during his seven fights in the WEC before making the jump to work on his new legacy. “It was honestly awesome just to get to fight in the UFC. It’s been a dream of mine. I’m happy I came away with the win.”

Although, he ended the fight with his hand raised, Benavidez, now 14-2, did receive his fair share of adversity from his opponent, “The Barn Owl”.

“He was really a lot tougher than I thought he was and I think he is going to make some noise in the future and get some good wins,” admits Benavidez, who previously had only two decision victories amongst his staggering 11 finishes. “I think my cardio and just my will to win were big factors in the fight. In the first round it was tough. In the second and third round I ground him out and kept the pace up on him.”

Regardless of the how, Benavidez proved yet again he is a nearly unstoppable bantamweight force. At 28 years old, “Jonan the Barbarian” has not only defeated, but finished a who’s who list of 135ers like the pair of ultra impressive guillotine chokes that took care of Wagnney Fabiano and Miguel Torres or the TKO over Rani Yahya. It’s not just that Benavidez is a winner, it is his relentlessness in the cage that typifies the best of this division and that will create more “Jomosapians” with each fight of his in the UFC.

“For anyone that didn’t know me from the WEC, you can watch those fights and know that I go out there and go 100mph at all times. At all times I’m trying to rip my opponent’s head off. At all times I’m trying to never give my opponent a chance to breathe. I think you also saw that in the first fight in the UFC. People can see that not only in me, but in the weight class as a whole. These guys are fast, they never stop, they do things technically on the ground that you don’t see heavyweights and 205ers do. I think the fans saw a guy who is never going to stop and never give up, and who is going to go 100% until I finish the guy. I think I have so many finishes because I’m always going for the kill. I take risks like in the Wagnney Fabiano fight. I jumped to a guillotine three times on that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and he’s awesome on top. That’s how I do it. I’m a risk taker and I always go for the finish.”

Seemingly, the only man that has solved the riddle of “Quadzilla” is the current UFC bantamweight champion, Dominick Cruz. Before the belt came into the picture, the two fought a three round decision in August of 2009 at WEC 42, which was awarded “Fight of the Night”. A year later at WEC 50, Cruz made his first title defense against Benavidez, scoring a five round split decision win. These two were simply born to fight each other in neck-and-neck, to the final bell, absolute wars for the ages, which truly demonstrate what great talents they both are.

“It was an honor to fight him in both decisions. I think he’s a great champion and I don’t think he gets enough respect in the pound-for-pound rankings. He’s beaten some awesome guys and he has a unique style that I think is cutting edge. No one fights like Dominick Cruz. I had fun in those fights and I think we gained a lot of respect for each other in both of them. Of course, it would be fun to fight him again. Both of those fights are good fights that I can look back on and be proud of.”

With all that said, “The Dapper Strapper” is in a tough position, being 0-2 against the current champ, but undefeated against everyone else.

“No matter how good I am and no matter how badly I beat someone, I can still be the second ranked guy in the world, like I am in most people’s rankings, and not get a title shot,” explains Benavidez, who is caught in a problem some other greats like Rich Franklin have found themselves in. But Benavidez does know the solution: keep winning.

“All I can really do is go from fight to fight trying to demolish the guy in front of me, trying to make a statement with each fight until they give me another title shot. I’m still young in this sport and I have a lot more time left in it. It’s all about putting on exciting fights and putting on a show and giving the fans what they want and I’m going to do that each and every time until I get to the title. If no one beats me up then there is no way I can’t get another title shot.”

Thankfully, the UFC has a near endless string of top fighters at 135 pounds for “Rocky Baljoa” to put on entertaining fights with, including, and especially, Eddie Wineland. On August 14th at UFC Live, the former WEC bantamweight champion will square off with Benavidez, making this Wineland’s second Team Alpha Male opponent in just as many UFC fights. Wineland lost a unanimous decision to Urijah Faber in the co-main event at UFC 128. Prior to that, Wineland was riding high on four fight win streak dating back to 2009.

“I’ve always thought that Eddie was a tough guy and I’ve been watching him fight for awhile. He has awesome hands. He uses that technique of ‘sprawl and brawl’. He wants to beat you up on the feet and he uses his strength and athleticism to stop the takedowns. That’s the kind of fighter he is; his best aspect is his boxing and standup. I look at the matchup and see it’s an exciting fight. Even though he is coming off a loss, he fought a really good fight against a really good fighter in Faber. I realized that’s what they’re doing with me – I’m an exciting fighter and they want to put me against an exciting fighter.”

As for the training for this fight, it certainly can’t hurt that while Benavidez was preparing for Loveland he was also helping Faber prepare for Wineland.

“It definitely helps that Faber already went through the camp and not only saw what worked on him from the video, but he felt what worked on him in the heat of battle in the cage,” explains Benavidez, pointing out that having real hands-on intel on Wineland is a positive, but the majority of his confidence in the fight comes from his own abilities. “I think I can beat him in his best aspect if it came down to it. If he could pick where the fight was going to be, I could beat him there. But he doesn’t get to pick where the fight goes and I’m better than him everywhere else that the fight will go.”

This Sunday, the bantamweight with a thousand nicknames will return to the Octagon looking to improve his stellar record and defeat a former champion in Wineland. Before the fight begins, he may be called “The Juice Box”, “El Pollo Joco” or “Jobocop”, which is all fun and games to Benavidez as long as at the end of the fight he’s called “the winner”.

When did 27 years old become “old”?

Eddie Wineland is not old. Nor is he even slowing down. With this influx of younger and younger talent into the UFC’s lighter weight classes, there seems to be a misconception that a guy having a fight dating back to 2003 on his record must mean he’s ancient. Quite the contrary, it means Wineland is a veteran of cracking skulls and he started doing it when he was even younger than those new recruits are now. And judging by Wineland’s last five fights – he’s getting better at it.

It probably doesn’t help his case that Wineland was the first ever WEC bantamweight champion and won it before most of his current opponents had laced up their first pair of MMA gloves. That’s the danger this Indiana resident presents, as Wineland has all the experience of his 18-7-1 career and the training to go along with it, plus the physical aptitude those who are still in their 20’s always seem to have. After helping blaze a trail for 135ers to the big leagues, Wineland is still looking to fight the best.

“Going into a fight, whether it is the main card or the undercard, it is the same because I always want to go out there and perform,” says Wineland. “I always want to win. I train the same whether it is a main event or I’m the first fight of the night. I’m still fighting top competition and I have to be ready. Every fight I train and prepare as best as I can.”

The UFC has certainly obliged him by pitting Wineland, in his first two Octagon appearances, against Team Alpha Male stars Urijah Faber and Joseph Benavidez. In March at UFC 128, Wineland made his organizational debut versus Faber in the co-main event. In his second UFC fight, Wineland will battle Faber’s teammate Benavidez on August 14th in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. At first glance, many could easily say it’s like Wineland is fighting the same fight twice – a tough one.

“I think Benavidez and Urijah share a lot of similar traits as far as their fight game. With that being said, I think Joseph may be a touch faster, and strength wise I don’t think he is going to be as strong as Urijah, but I could be wrong. I think his wrestling is going to be on par with Urijah. His striking, he’s got really fast hands and he’s unorthodox, so it’s almost basically like fighting Urijah.”

Another similarity between Faber and Benavidez is that they’re just excellent fighters. Outside of fighting the weight class’ champion Dominick Cruz, Wineland couldn’t ask for higher ranked opponents, and he deserves them. At UFC 128, Wineland lost two rounds to one in a close fight to Faber who then fought for the belt against Cruz in a close five round bout. Now, Wineland is looking to improve on his Faber performance by beating Benavidez.

“They’ve got their differences, but I don’t think there are a whole lot of differences,” he explains. “They both have that scramble style mentality. You know when you get in a scruff with them they’re very good at coming out with the top position, but so am I. I think it’s going to make a similar fight as the Urijah fight, but I’m not going to be on my back. I think from the Urijah fight I gained a lot of confidence.”

Funnily enough, Wineland believes he is a better fighter because of Faber, which should spell trouble for the 14-2 Benavidez. “I can wrestle with anyone in the division,” asserts Wineland, who believes he proved he can stop Faber’s takedowns, which gave himself a greater certainty about his wrestling. “I think I surprised myself with how good I was at stopping his takedowns. My takedown defense is top notch and because my takedown defense is so good I should not be afraid to let my hands go.”

Wineland’s major criticism of his fight with Faber was that he fought too conservatively, and he will not make the same mistake twice. “This time it’s going to be different and you’re going to see hands flying around a lot more,” claims Wineland, believing he spent too much time worrying about Faber’s takedowns and not enough on scoring points of his own. “I’m going to let my hands go. Last time, I think I respected his takedowns too much. He does have some of the best takedowns in the business and for that reason I respected them too much and I didn’t let my hands go as much.”

It’s no secret what Wineland wants to do in the cage: “sprawl and brawl”. Wineland is always gunning for the finish with those fists and he does so more often than not with 14 of his 18 wins by KO or submission. Prior to the Faber loss, Wineland had won back-to-back “Knockout of the Night” bonuses against Ken Stone and Will Campuzano. Specifically, Wineland is known for his heavy hands and their devastating consequences when they touch their opponent, like he’s a bantamweight Chuck Liddell.

“I’ve got good hands. They can always be better. I keep doing what I’ve been doing. I change it up a little for every opponent, but I still throw the same combos and the same head movement because you can always sharpen that. No matter how good it is, it can always be crisper. For my Campuzano fight, I moved really well, but if I keep doing those movements over and over I’ll get better at it. Bruce Lee said ‘I don’t fear the man who can throw 10,000 different kicks; I fear the man who’s thrown one kick 10,000 times.’ He’s perfected that kick. I’m trying to perfect my movements. Who knows if they’ll ever be perfected, but I’m such a perfectionist that it’ll probably never be good enough.”

Simply put, Wineland is better with his moneymakers now than he has ever been and that should put some fear in these 135ers, especially Benavidez.

This Sunday at UFC Live, Wineland will get his chance to prove that as he takes on Benavidez in what should be another war for both their esteemed careers. “The only thing I think about is that I have to keep him at distance,” said Wineland, who will stick to his tried and true gameplan of banging it out on the feet. “Obviously, I have a reach. I’m the taller fighter and I’ve got to keep it where I’m comfortable. If I can make him uncomfortable where I’m comfortable then it’s going to be my fight and not his.”

All in all, it’s just another trip to the cage and another opportunity for Wineland to do what he loves to do best: fight. “As sick as it sounds there is such a feeling of punching someone in the face and landing flush on their chin,” expresses Wineland with a scary sincerity. “The feeling you get from that is just something else. Choking someone out is cool, but a solid punch and putting someone out is just a feeling that is unexplainable.” And for Wineland, it’s a feeling that never gets old.

In 2011, Cole Miller has been making changes and he plans to make more of them.

It might not be visible on the surface, but Miller is a changed man. On August 14th in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, when he steps into the Octagon to face TJ O’Brien, on the outside Miller will still be the 6-1, skinny, lightweight with the dangerous submission game. But, on the inside, The Ultimate Fighter season 5 alum will be running high on something he says he hasn’t felt in a long time: motivation.

“I think for every fight you have to have some type of motivation,” says Miller. “You definitely need motivation, which is something I haven’t had in the past year I would say. I’ve been winning fights, but I think I’ve been getting burned out mentally, and, on occasion, physically, as I’ve been dealing with some injuries.”

The watershed moment for Miller was in January at UFC Fight For The Troops 2 in a decision loss to Matt Wiman. Riding back-to-back wins that were also back-to-back “Submission of the Night” bonus award winners, Miller entered the cage against Wiman trying to put together his first three fight win streak in the UFC. Instead, Miller lost to Wiman in a fight he would simply like to forget. “I sucked that night and I’m trying to pretend that night never happened, like it was a bad nightmare.”

The first change the 27 year old made since the loss was getting back to having fun. “Something I neglected for a long time was personal hobbies,” admits Miller. It may seem obvious, but a fighter needs to give both their body and brain a break from fighting from time to time. “I was just fighting and training and that was it. I didn’t really have things that I liked to do for fun, which is why I was feeling over-trained or burned out. I was like, I need to get some hobbies.”

The American Top Team star’s recreational activities range from playing video games to training for triathlons. Two of the hobbies that eat up most of the 17-5 Miller’s free time are rooted in a desire for completion. The first is his notable background in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Miller is a brown belt under Ricardo Liborio, and rolling with a gi is not just fun for him, but he believes it also helps his ground game for MMA, despite what some critics believe.

“It undeniably helps your jiu-jitsu, period. The more you train in the gi the better your no-gi gets and the better your ground game for MMA gets. I try to think of it as a tool instead of no-gi versus gi. It’s just a tool in your tool box. You might as well use it or it’s going to get rusty. I’m a brown belt and I’m a better than average brown belt for jiu-jitsu. It is something I haven’t mastered yet. It is something I want to get really good at. And when I’m not in a training camp, I can put the gi on and better my jiu-jitsu overall for gi, no-gi and MMA as well. Even when I’m in a training camp, I’ll do one day a week of gi just to keep my game fresh and tight.”

The second hobby for the Georgia native is building out a Honda Civic hatchback into a street monster. “Some people paint, some people write poetry, and this is my canvas,” explains Miller about a 92-95 Civic that he is having a JDM K20A motor swapped into it. This project is especially cathartic, considering Miller was forced to sell the car when he moved to Florida to pursue MMA full-time, but was able to buy back the exact car years later. “I always try to see things through to the end and do them to the best of my ability. It was something that had been nagging at me. I wanted to complete this work of art and sit back and enjoy it.”

These additions have put Miller more at peace overall. Another change is that he aims to keep himself this way specifically concerning his approach to this fight with the 16-4 O’Brien. “I usually like to get to know my opponent and read their interviews and hear what they said and find reasons to hate them,” divulges Miller about what used to give him motivation for a fight, but this time the focus of the fight is on himself. “It’s not really about me vs. my opponent for this fight. It’s more about me vs. myself, which is different for me. For this fight the only person I really hate is myself for that last performance.”

As a fighter, Miller is known to be a finisher with 15 of his 17 wins coming by stoppage. That mentality hasn’t changed, but what he is trying to change is his wrestling. Don’t worry, Miller has no aspirations to grind out decisions, but he does want to be able to dictate where a fight takes place, so he can finish it there. “Magrinho” has 12 submission wins, including three “Submission of the Night” bonuses, and he is adept at using his reach while standing. But wrestling could be the key ingredient that takes his game to the next level.

“I think my standup is pretty good; the problem is that I can’t wrestle. To keep a fight standing you have to have good takedown defense. I feel like I’ll be doing pretty good and then bam I’ll get taken down. I’ll feel like I’m landing powerful strikes, knees up the middle, and boom I get taken down. One thing I’ve been working on lately is my wrestling. I’m trying to evolve and not get left behind. I’m trying to evolve so I can have a little bit more control of where I want to keep the fight going. I want to have to ability put someone on their ass and go use my jiu-jitsu, or keep it on the feet where I can box them.”

The next change Miller plans to make concerns his future in the UFC: dropping to featherweight.

“I would watch the WEC and I wasn’t ever thinking about leaving the UFC and going to the WEC, but I was thinking sooner or later the UFC is going to add featherweights,” confesses Miller, noting that the move to 145 has been in the back of his mind for years. Now, the timing feels right. “I’m thinking about what is best for my career and where I’ll be in contention. I feel like at 145 I’ll have the same advantages I have at 155 and fewer disadvantages. I can compete at 155 and be competitive at 155, but I don’t just want to be competitive.”

On August 14th at UFC Live, Miller will clash with O’Brien as he looks to get back to his winning ways. “I pride myself on being a finisher and you have to practice what you preach,” says Miller, making it clear that after an introspective year there is one thing that hasn’t changed: wanting to win. “I’ve got to go in there and show what I’m truly capable of and make a statement, especially if I’m going to be dropping down to 145 pounds next year. I really want to put a stamp on this and have a dominant performance.”

The UFC “jitters”. They can affect the best and the brightest, vaunted rookies and seasoned veterans alike. When it’s that first time in the Octagon, fighting on the biggest stage in the world and that cage door shuts, even the toughest of fighters have gotten a taste of the jitters. Simply defined, they’re just good, old fashioned nerves and they come because, honestly, there is nothing that compares to fighting for the UFC.

On March 3rd in Louisville, Kentucky, the jitters got to Danny “Last Call” Castillo… and he still won.

“I think the jitters really hit me,” admits Castillo. “I don’t think it was a sellout crowd, but wearing those black gloves and hearing Bruce Buffer and it was my first fight against a solid UFC opponent. I think I was off to a slow start, but I don’t necessarily think I even lost the first round. He had a big takedown, but after that I think I won that round on my feet.”

After going 5-3 in the WEC, Castillo is candid that he felt that nasty performance anxiety bug in his Octagon debut against The Ultimate Fighter season 2 winner Joe “Daddy” Stevenson.

“I don’t think that I performed to my highest potential, but I came away with the win against a tough opponent and I’m happy about that,” says Castillo, who faced a high profile challenger in his first fight and walked out with a unanimous decision victory. “After watching the fight and reliving the fight, I felt that I was a better standup striker and better on the ground as well. It was really unfortunate to not be able to really compete. It sucks to know that you are better than how you perform.”

It makes sense that the jitters did strike the soon to be (August 25) 32 year old, because Castillo knew exactly how important this fight was for his career. No matter what notoriety and fame that “Last Call” gained while being under the WEC banner, it would certainly pale in comparison to any success Castillo could earn fighting in these new black gloves and inside this new black cage. The lightweights are easily the most talent rich and bloodthirsty division there is to be offered in the UFC and he knows that better than anyone. This was the biggest moment for his career and at the weigh-ins for the Stevenson fight, Castillo dressed accordingly in a tuxedo.

“I didn’t wear the breakaway tuxedo to be a stripper, I wore it to show everyone in the world that I’m all business,” explains Castillo. “My first fight in the UFC is a big deal and you wear tuxedos for big deals. You wear a tuxedo to your wedding, you wear a tuxedo to your prom, to big deals and that was a big deal. I decided to wear a tuxedo to show everyone that I’m all business and it is an important day in my life. That day was the most important day in my life. I was weighing in for the biggest fight in my life.”

The victory over Stevenson makes it a three fight win streak, improving the Californian’s record to 11-3, and adds more confidence going into Castillo’s next fight.

“I feel with each win I start at a higher level as opposed to a loss,” said Castillo, asserting that he uses each win as a jumping off point to improve in training, which in-turn will make him better in the cage. “I started at a higher level for this camp than I was at when I started three camps ago. With each win I have, everything that I did well in that win and everything that I did well in that camp continues to the next camp. After I win this fight, I’m looking to grow as a fighter and looking to fight someone who is in the top 20.”

On August 14th at UFC Live in Milwaukee, Castillo’s next challenger will be the three-time NCAA All-American from the University of Minnesota, Jacob “Christmas” Volkmann. With an overall record of 12-2, Volkmann has been enjoying a three fight win streak of his own since his move down to lightweight. Volkmann trains at the highly regarded Minnesota Martial Arts Academy with many notable fighters like fellow UFC lightweights Nik Lentz and former champion Sean Sherk. Regardless of his nice resume, an infamous interview where Volkmann jokingly mentioned he would fight President Obama has become his claim to fame.

“It kind of sucks because Volkmann’s a really tough fighter and I know that,” tells Castillo. “He’s a talented guy and I know that, but no one else knows that because the only thing they know about him is that he wants to fight Obama. When I told people who I was fighting, I would say I’m fighting Jacob Volkmann. They would say, who is Jacob Volkmann? And I would say, you know the guy that wants to fight Obama? Ooooh that guy. It’s kind of annoying, but I don’t really care what other people think. I only care what I think and I think I’m going to win. I’m hyped up for this fight.”

Pseudo-politics aside, this is a solid matchup of two rugged wrestlers, but Castillo believes it his other strengths that will get his hand raised.

“I think my standup is going to be showcased and I think I’m going to surprise a lot of people with my strength and conditioning program,” declares Castillo, who sees himself as a well-rounded fighter whereas Volkmann is fairly one-dimensional. “I don’t care how long he has had to prepare, I think we’ve had 10 weeks or so for this fight camp, I don’t think he will have turned himself into a dynamic fighter. I feel like if all I have to worry about is his wrestling, then I’m a happy man. I can really let loose in this fight and really showcase what I have to offer.”

To prepare for this fight, “Last Call” trains with what he believes is the best lighter-weight camp in the world: Team Alpha Male.

“It means the world to me to have these awesome world-class training partners that are all ranked in the top 10,” says Castillo of his friends and teammates Chad Mendes, Joseph Benavidez and, head honcho, Urijah Faber. “I surround myself with champions and I surround myself with winners and that definitely comes to play in my fight game as well. There are things that can’t be taught, like confidence and the mental aspect of the game, and with these tops guys, I call them consultants; anytime I have a problem I can talk to them about anything. When you have a lot of guys around you who are motivated and determined, your focus is even stronger.”

In Milwaukee, Wisconsin at UFC Live, Castillo wants to dominate Volkmann and showcase all his abilities as a fighter. “I have good jiu-jitsu, good Muay Thai, good wrestling, and I’m strong as [expletive],” he said. The Californian also wants to make the statement with his second fight in the UFC which he feels he didn’t do in his debut. “I swing for the fences and I try to end fights. I don’t like fighting 15 minutes. In the end, I want the UFC fans to say that guy ‘Last Call’ brings it and I can’t wait to see him fight again.”

As for those pesky jitters, Castillo already has that first win under his belt plus he has a veritable army at his back helping him on his road to another victory.

“After I beat up Jacob Volkmann, that’s not just for me, that’s for so many people: my friends and family, my teammates, my massage therapist, my chiropractor, my hypnotherapist, my sports psychologist. There are a lot of people who invest a lot of time and energy into me, and when I win on August 14th that is going to be my thank you to them.”

And with all those people on Castillo’s side, there will be no room for the jitters.

For the first time, meet Pat “HD” Barry the “mixed martial artist”.

Over the past few years, fight fans have gotten to know and love “HD” as the “kickboxer”. Barry has wowed UFC crowds with exciting striking showcases like his devastating leg kicks against Dan Evensen at UFC 92 or his heavy handed punches against Antoni Hardonk at UFC 104. He has never failed to deliver a gutsy or entertaining performance in his five fights in the Octagon. Amazingly enough, in his three years in the UFC, Barry has relied almost entirely on the stand-up skills he honed previously as a professional kickboxer.

Recently, a change has begun in him that will only spell new and more troubles for his fellow heavyweights, including Barry’s next opponent, Cheick Kongo. As Barry enters the Octagon at UFC Live on June 26th, the UFC faithful will bear witness to his evolution from a superb one-dimensional striker to an altogether truly dangerous three-dimensional MMA fighter.

“I’m definitely becoming more an MMA fighter than just a kickboxer,” says Barry. “At one point in time, I saw the Octagon as huge, but when I got in there and they closed the doors it would get really, really small. But lately, I’ve just noticed this and it’s the truth, that in the Octagon if you’re not afraid to fall on the ground then that is really just a big open space. If you’re not afraid to fall on the ground then there is a lot of room in there to do work.”

The 31 year old has amassed an overall 6-2 record in MMA, firing off his fists and feet all while doing his best to avoid the ground, the cage and the clinch. “For myself, I always had to be a one hit striker for fear of people getting close to me and grabbing me and pulling me onto the ground,” admits Barry, explaining how cautious he had to be in his prior bouts, only allowing himself one powerful strike at a time. “Now without having a fear of falling down and having confidence in my strength and conditioning on the ground, I don’t have to be so cautious with my striking anymore.”

Enabling “HD” to let loose his standup from sniper rifle to automatic assault rifle have been the menacing men of Team DeathClutch. “I’ve been out here with these giant wrestlers – like actual giants,” exclaims Barry of his monstrous teammates and training partners at the famed gym Brock Lesnar founded. “Cole Konrad is a monster. He’s 6’4″ or something and he’s this 300 pound, super stud, extremely athletic, wrestler. You look at him and think that guy won’t be able to make any quick movements and he’ll shoot on your ankles and it’s just ridiculous. Once he gets on top of you he never gets off.”

The New Orleans native is out in the cold mountains of Minnesota shoring up the holes in his game the only way a heavyweight can: battling even bigger heavyweights. “I’m finally training with proper heavyweights and I’m becoming the type of strong I’m supposed to be,” asserts Barry, who will need to have that strength come fight night against the 6’4” Frenchman Kongo. “I’ve got all these wrestlers, plus I’ve got this jiu-jitsu machine, Eric ‘Red’ Schafer, as my jiu-jistu coach who just won’t stop. I’ve been working on a lot of mental focus, strength and conditioning and wrestling – a lot of that. I’m actually going to show up with muscles to this fight.”

One would assume “HD” lost his last fight, considering all the fervent attention Barry has paid to trying to eliminate any weaknesses. To the contrary, Barry won a war of attrition against Joey Beltran in January at UFC Fight for the Troops 2. He landed punishing blows with fists, feet and shins for all three rounds, while Beltran and his granite chin, head, and legs continued to lurch forward. It was an incredible display of heart and durability shown by “The Mexicutioner” as well as a great learning experience for Barry that he can push and win a fight for its entirety.

“Now, I know that I can do 15 minutes and can continue fighting,” tells Barry. “I can be in what seems like an unwinable situation and keep on pushing because anything is possible. I mentally got stronger because of that fight with Joey Beltran. I’ve never run across someone so resilient or so stubborn or who was so unwilling to just stop and fall down in my whole career like Joey Beltran. It was a major test for myself to make sure I kept going and didn’t just say this is pointless. I threw everything at him and the kitchen sink and I shot him and he would keep coming forward. If this was UFC 1 with no time limits, then Joey Beltran would be the heavyweight champion of the UFC. Guaranteed.”

Imbued with a new confidence in basically every facet of his game, the New Orleans native will next be facing a heavyweight stalwart that has undergone a similar transition to Barry’s. A veteran of 13 fights in the UFC, Kongo was also a heralded professional kickboxer before entering MMA. With an overall record of 25-6-2, Kongo has transformed himself from just a striker to an all-around fighter over the years.

Many will hope this fight to be a climatic exchange of perfectly executed strikes, as in a videogame like “Street Fighter II”: Sagat versus… Sagat. “At first, knowing Cheick Kongo is a kickboxer and we’re supposed to have a striking war, that would be exciting, but I don’t think that’s going to happen,” estimates Barry, who doesn’t expect a standup duel, although he certainly would welcome it. “I wouldn’t put Cheick Kongo in a standup guy category anymore. At one time, I would have, but not anymore. He is an MMA guy, a ground and pound guy, that’s what he does.”

What Barry expects from Kongo is where Marty Morgan and Team DeathClutch’s training comes most into play. “In his fights, he pushes forward, he pushes the pressure on people, he’ll push you against the cage and pull your legs out from underneath you with his really long reach,” Barry states matter-of-factly, and clearly, that is what Barry is training to counteract for this fight and fights going forward. “That’s what I expect from him and that’s what I’m looking forward to. He hasn’t gotten any worse at what he does, he’s only gotten better at it. I expect anyone to take me down because I don’t expect anyone to trade punches and kicks with me for an entire fight.”

On June 26th in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at UFC Live, “HD” will take on Kongo in a heavyweight battle between two former kickboxers turned MMA fighters. “It is either I hit him once and he falls down or I hit him a lot and he falls down,” Barry declares, making it clear that he will be looking to unleash the same ferocious striking that won him fans the world over. “Eventually, he will fall down. Eventually, he will stop. I get into every fight knowing that I can stop every human. Joey Beltran doesn’t count.”

And if the fight does go to the ground, Barry has eyes to finish the fight there as well. “I’m getting a submission before the year is over with,” he affirms, and that somebody could be Kongo.

That was unthinkable talk from Barry the kickboxer, but that’s now real talk from Barry the mixed martial artist.