Author: By Mike Straka

UFC light heavyweight Ryan Jimmo has an advantage over most of his opponents. It’s not the muscle the 6-foot-1 fighter holds on to as he cuts from a walking weight of about 230 pounds to the 205-pound limit for his division. It’s not even the 22 years of martial arts training he started at age ten, as one of his fifth degree black belt father’s closest students. The youngest of four brothers, “Big Deal” was not only the captain of his high school football team, but also of the chess club. And when I ask Jimmo what his plan for the future is, I expect the standard, “Well, I’ll fight w … Read the Full Article Here

When TUF 14 alum Steven Siler faces off against TUF Brazil 1 winner Rony Jason at UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Henderson 2, you can expect fireworks in this preliminary bout.”He’s throws unique strikes,” Siler, 27, says of his opponent. “He’s fearless, he throws flying knees and it’s good to fight someone like that because he’s not afraid to engage and neither am I. I think he’s really well-rounded and I’m expecting a tough fight.”Well-rounded is something Siler hears often about his own fighting skills. He trains with the likes of Josh Burkman, Ramsey Nijem and Court McGee at The Pit Elevated … Read the Full Article Here

Scottie “Young Guns” Jorgensen is not so young anymore.At 31 years old, he’s had nearly as many professional fights as years, and even more wrestling matches throughout his childhood and college years, not to mention grappling tournaments and the day-to-day wear and tear his body takes just training.These days, he looks at his eight-year-old son Braeten, and marvels at what his son knows as part of renowned wrestling coach Ivan Ivanov’s Team Suples.“He’s learning stuff at eight years old I didn’t even know until I was eighteen and older,” says Jorgensen. “Not to mention the Ivanov brothers, as … Read the Full Article Here

When flyweights Louis Gaudinot and Phil Harris face off at UFC Fight Night: Gustaffson vs. Manuwa on March 8 at London’s O2 Arena, both men will seemingly be fighting to keep their spots on the UFC roster.After all, they’re both coming off losses, and for the Tiger Schulmann protégé Gaudinot, a disappointing performance in his last fight against Tim Elliott after a 19 month layoff due to various injuries puts a ton of pressure on the green-haired machine known as much for his heart as he is for his fighting skills.”I’m taking it like any other fight, but I want to go out there and have fun,” h … Read the Full Article Here

Mike “Quicksand” Pyle doesn’t talk like most 38-year-old professional MMA fighters. There’s never a mention of wear and tear on the body or if his timing is a little off, or how he doesn’t have the cardio he used to.For Pyle, there’s never an excuse. “My last fight against Matt Brown sucked,” he said. “Losing sucks, period. I appreciate my fans and my friends telling my ‘you got caught’ and all, but Matt didn’t accidentally knock me out. He threw a hard punch with the intention of hitting me, and he did. And that was that. There was no ‘luck’ to that at all. If you throw a punch with the inten … Read the Full Article Here

New Jersey’s own Nick Catone faces Tom “Kong” Watson this weekend at UFC 169 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, and for the hometown fighter, it’s a chance to put his recent performances in the rear view and start 2014 off on a right note.“My last fight I tried to do welterweight and let’s just say it wasn’t the best decision,” he said of his bout against James Head at UFC 159 last April, one that got scratched after he was hospitalized for dehydration. “I spent the last ten days of that fight cutting weight, something like 30 pounds and it didn’t feel too great, so I’m back at middleweig … Read the Full Article Here