Author: By Mike Straka

Daron “Detroit Superstar” Cruickshank understands the fight business as well as any veteran in the game, and coming into his UFC 185 bout against Jiu-Jitsu specialist Beneil Dariush, his outlook is all confidence in both his fight game and his showmanship.“My basic mindset when I get into the Octagon is ‘this is a fight,’ sure, but I also understand that I want to put on a show,” he said. “If my opponent is going to kick me in the leg, I’m not only going to kick him back in the leg, I’m going to kick him in the head. I’m always goin … Read the Full Article Here

Jared “The Big Show” Rosholt hates losing more than anything. The former three-time All-American wrestler at Oklahoma State University – who owns the record for the most wins as a heavyweight in the university’s history – has proven that sentiment over and over again.But coming off a KO loss at the hands of 37-year-old Ukrainian Alexey Oliynyk at UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs Swanson in November of last year, Rosholt is on a mission to erase the sting of defeat from his memory.That’s bad news for any opponent, but even worse news if the opponent happens to be a form … Read the Full Article Here

Soft-spoken and beyond deferential to his opponents, UFC heavyweight Josh Copeland couldn’t have a more fitting nickname than “Cuddly Bear.” In fact, you can expect a big smile on his cherubic face when he greets his friend and future training partner Jared Rosholt inside the Octagon at UFC 183 in Dallas’ American Airlines Center on Saturday night.“It would be huge to get my first win in the UFC,” he said. “It’s a dream to be here, but it’s hard to stay here. I don’t plan on getting this far in MMA and losing a couple of fights and ge … Read the Full Article Here

Raquel “Rocky” Pennington is 2-1 in the UFC, and while the biggest challenge of her young fight career to date may have been a brawling win over Jessamyn Duke during the TUF 18 competition, she next faces one of the most decorated boxers to enter the women’s bantamweight division in the undefeated Holly Holm. After much anticipation, Holm is finally making her Octagon debut at UFC 184: Rousey vs Zingano on Saturday, February 28 inside Los Angeles’ STAPLES Center. But the former number one pound-for-pound boxing champion is not walking into any sort of tune-up fight. N … Read the Full Article Here

“Absolutely not.” The answer hangs in the air and it’s the last question I will pose to Frank Mir for this piece. He faces Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in a UFC Fight Night main event this Sunday in Porto Alegre, Brazil.For Mir, this fight is a test after a year sabbatical from fighting.Ranked 13th in the world, the former UFC heavyweight champion is unlike any other fighter in the UFC. Sure, there are other comeback stories, like Matt Brown, who was once brought back to life after a drug overdose and who fought his way all the way to a title elimination bout against … Read the Full Article Here

Michael Johnson has just one thing on his mind as he prepares to enter the Octagon to face Edson “Junior” Barboza at UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs Mir on February 22nd in Brazil. “A win over Edson is huge for me,” Johnson says. “I think it should catapult me into the top five, and hopefully put me in a title fight by the end of the year. I look at the 155-pound division, and not a lot of people stand out except for the champ. So if I go out there and win in impressive fashion, I can’t see how they can deny me a title shot by the end of the year.”Johnso … Read the Full Article Here