Author: By Rhett Butler

When you are a traveling athlete, competing in your own country and close to home can only be a boost to your confidence.  This is true for Mark Bocek, who meets Brazilian Rafael dos Anjos in Montreal at UFC 154 this Saturday.  Not too far from his Toronto stomping grounds, Bocek has gone 3-1 in Montreal and has even garnered a Submission of the Night victory over Dustin Hazelett there at UFC 124.  Needless to say, Bocek feels a bit sentimental on his return to Montreal, where the mix of wins and losses remind him of his previous UFC inexperience and eventual ascension.

“Yeah Montreal is close to my home,” he said. “My loss here to Mac Danzig, I was still starting. It was my seventh MMA fight and I was still learning.  I still am (learning), but I was extremely green at the time. But my last time here I got Submission of the Night and I’d love to get a repeat. I’d love to end this fight in the first round but Dos Anjos is kind of a dark horse under the radar, and he’s a very tough opponent.  I’d love to get a finish in the first round but I’m prepared to go all three.”

Currently on a two-fight winning streak, Bocek has quickly rebounded from a unanimous decision loss following the Hazelett win to Ben Henderson.  Defeating Nik Lentz at UFC 140 and John Alessio at UFC 145, both via unanimous decision, Bocek is ready to extend that streak to three in his home country.

“Those were my first two fights with Tristar (Gym).  Lentz is a tough guy with a tight guillotine and he actually had me in a tight guillotine in the second round but I was able to kind of control the top position and squeak out a victory.  It wasn’t maybe the most fan friendly fight, but I was coming off that decision loss to Benson (Henderson) and just winning was the priority for me at the time,” said Bocek soberly.  “Alessio was a last minute replacement for my first opponent, Matt Wiman, but I’ve seen him around for many years, never looked at him too closely but knew he’d be a tough guy.  I knew he’d be a good striker so I figured I’d just out wrestle him because I knew I’d have the edge in the wrestling and jiu-jitsu areas.”

Bocek is one of the rare athletes that can claim instructing both Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which in retrospect is undoubtedly an ironic factoid now that he fights for their organization.  As a submission specialist, he had a chance to prove himself to the owners of the UFC way before actually competing for them and perhaps even opened their eyes to the possibilities of the ground game.  

“They were already MMA fans at the time, and they were already diehard about the sport.  Maybe they didn’t understand the intricacies about grappling or about what it takes to be efficient in that area.  I wasn’t their first instructor but I was kind of there during their brief introduction you can say.  Like I said, they were already fans, but I think I opened their minds a little to the subtle nuances of grappling.”

Bocek’s next challenge lies in dos Anjos who also is on two-fight winning streak after a decision loss to Gleison Tibau at UFC 139.  His last two bouts, against Kamal Shalorus and Anthony Njokuani, resulted in a first round rear naked choke and unanimous decision victory, respectively.  However, Bocek kept it real with expressing his feelings about dos Anjos’ submission prowess, and that his last two wins were far from an indicator of the Brazilian’s problematic status and were less challenging fights in comparison to him.  

“I think his biggest weakness is going to be jiu-jitsu, but that’s just me looking at it from one BJJ guy to another.  Another person might look at that as a kind of crazy thing to say but that’s kind of how I look at it.  (Kamal) Shalorus is at the end of his career pretty much so it’s hard to get much from that win.  (Anthony) Njokuani, most people that have cardio and can wrestle and avoid strikes with Njokuani are going to out wrestle him and beat him.   Now that he’s paired up against a guy that can wrestle and grapple as well, I think people are going to start to see his weaknesses.”

However, Bocek does recognize the strengths of his opponent while still letting his confidence ring through.

“He’s shown some versatility, and he comes from BJJ like myself.  He’s shown a good evolution in his game, he’s on a two fight win streak just like me, and he seems to be pretty well-rounded, so it looks like it will be a tough test but I’ve been training very hard.  I’ve been at Tristar for the past five weeks, so I’ve had a lot of southpaws to work with and a lot of BJJ guys to work with and I plan on edging him out in every area.  He’s used to being in bad positions and fighting out of them, but when I look at it, my analysis overall is that there is nothing aside from his kicking ability that stands out to me as something that he is incredible at.  I think he is good all-around but I don’t think he’s great at anything. I think I’m better in every area than he is.”

Having now been on the big stage for over five years consistently, Bocek is at a good place in his life.  With a winning streak and the opportunity to extend it in front of his countrymen on a card that boasts the return of Georges St-Pierre, Bocek is ready for Saturday.  

“I feel good.  I got in the UFC really early and pretty green in my career and I’ve never lost two fights in a row.  Every loss I’ve had I’ve taken something from it, I’ve improved, gotten motivated, and gotten hungrier.  I’ve taken this one very seriously and I’m very happy where I’m at right now and I look forward to this one. This one’s going to be very fun.  I want to put on an exciting fight, I want to get the ‘w’ and that’s first and foremost why I’m here. And I feel with a win here I deserve to be in the top ten.”   

It was a hot Las Vegas eve within the hallowed halls of the MGM Grand Garden Arena when Patrick Cote made his return to the Octagon this past July.  As a fighter on the stacked main card of the most anticipated rematch in years between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen, the desert wasn’t the only factor in the heat radiating throughout the city that day.  The lights were brighter and the pressure was high and, as usual, Cote’s return would not be against just any middleweight.  He was given Cung Le and a chance to reignite a career that had pitted him against the night’s headlining champion almost four years prior.

The result: a unanimous decision loss. However, despite the undesired end result, Cote sees the brightness amid the murk.

“In my mind I think I did 90% good in this fight, but some details cost me the fight,” he said. “Once again, I get back in the UFC with a very tough match against Cung Le, but you never have an easy fight in the UFC.  I was happy to fight him; he is a legend in this sport.  I didn’t hit the target like I thought that I should do, my footwork wasn’t great, I didn’t catch the angles well, and these three major things cost me the fight.  Still, I think that it was a very entertaining fight; the UFC was happy, the crowd was happy and I was happy – not that I lost, but with my performance.”

The return was after an almost two year absence from the Octagon and prior to that a knee injury sustained in the fight against Anderson Silva that left him with an almost two year lapse from the sport in general.  Still, his first return from injury saw him jump right in against a game Alan Belcher and then Tom Lawlor, some of the toughest competitors in the middleweight division.

“A lot of people advised me not to fight Alan Belcher right away in my first fight back after a long layoff, but I just fought Anderson Silva and I wanted to get back on top of the world right away.  I never chose any of my opponents. I fought the guys that they put in front of me and it took me a couple of minutes to get comfortable inside the Octagon, but I think I was winning the fight until the thing happened with Belcher and all that.  This rule (about pile drivers) is in the gray zone, but after that I had a pretty bad fight against Tom Lawlor and I received my walking papers from the UFC.  I wasn’t surprised. I wasn’t happy, but I wasn’t surprised.”    

Three consecutive losses in the UFC saw “The Predator” go the way of the wandering warrior.  Taking four fights outside of the UFC, Cote displayed a hunger for big show resurgence that amassed him four consecutive wins even when faced with precarious circumstances.

“I’m undefeated outside of the UFC and I wanted to fight the best fighters available, but it was hard to find a great fighter that wanted to fight me in a smaller show.  Three of the four wins were against former UFC fighters and the last one was against Gustavo Machado in Brazil in his backyard, and I’m talking deep in the middle of nowhere in a forest.  I went down there to prove that I wanted to do everything possible to get back in the big show so I went to Brazil to fight this guy.  I won the first round and it was my second stoppage in the first round in a row and then the UFC called me back to fight Cung Le.”

The next challenge for Cote is Alessio Sakara on yet another stacked and highly anticipated card.  UFC 154 is headlined by the return of fellow French-Canadian Georges St-Pierre vs. Carlos Condit, and takes place in Cote’s backyard of Montreal.  With both Cote and Sakara coming off losses, the time to turn the tide has never been more serious for both competitors.

“I think he’s a really good boxer, a very technical boxer,” said Cote of his foe. “He always goes forward, and you can see from the majority of his record in the UFC that he lost or he won in the first round, so I think right away I have to be ready.  He’s a black belt in BJJ, so he’s pretty well rounded, and he just lost his last two fights, so he’s going to come very prepared and I’m looking for that. I know it’s going to be a very entertaining fight for the crowd.”

Switching gears a bit, Cote went to New York and worked with Matt Serra’s crew of Pete Sell and Costa Philippou before returning back to his regular Canadian training regimen.  The switch aided him in preparation for what Cote believes will be a striking match.

“I did a lot of sparing with Costa Philippou over there.  He’s a great boxer, a powerful boxer that has the same style as Sakara but ten times more powerful.  I went there for a couple of weeks and then I came back to Montreal for the rest of my training camp to train with Fabio Holanda and the national wrestling team here.”

Styles make fights, and Cote feels that this challenge is just the right stylistic matchup to make for great viewing and a stellar performance on his part.

“I like this matchup.  He’s a righty and I fought six southpaws in the UFC but my style is way better when I fight an orthodox guy instead of a southpaw.  He’s a boxer, so he’s going to probably stay on his feet with me.  He’s been stopped a couple of times in the UFC so maybe his chin is not his best weapon, but I can’t count on that.  I’m going to touch his chin for sure, but if he doesn’t go down with the first power punch I give him I have to continue to put pressure on him and I think that is the key to this fight.”

There is a fervor slowly brewing that has been amassing strength for a decade now and it’s beginning to sonically boom into the ears and eyes of the masses.  This rising fever pitch is the UFC debut on FOX on Saturday, November 12th, in which millions who have yet to experience mixed martial arts at its highest competitive level will have the opportunity to do so on free TV.  

With the event centered around the storied heavyweight division’s two standouts – champion Cain Velasquez and number one contender Junior dos Santos – it is fitting that in the background lie those who have literally laid the foundation on which this momentous occasion can stand.  One such soul is Javier Mendez, the head trainer for Velasquez, whose personal history in the sport goes far beyond his work with the young champion.  

“If you look back in the history I’m probably the only guy that’s been involved in UFC since 1996 that’s still there.  No one knows that I bet but I’ve been there since 1996,” said Mendez.  

Mixed martial arts began for Mendez in July of 1996 at UFC 10 in Birmingham, Alabama, with his first MMA fighter, Brian Johnston.  It was an event that resulted in Johnston advancing to the semifinals of that night’s tournament after a first round submission due to strikes victory over Scott Fielder, only to lose to Don Frye in the same manner in his next bout.  The event however, marked a change in the career direction of Mendez, a former kickboxer.

“Brian Johnston made an impact for himself, so as a result I met (former UFC 205-pound champion) Frank Shamrock,” said Mendez.  “Then Frank Shamrock came to my gym and wanted to know if he could train there. Under my direction Frank never lost a fight.  He was the first UFC middleweight (205-pounds at the time) champion, then he became WEC champion and then he was the Strikeforce champion.  Frank never lost with me, and as a result of Frank coming to me, BJ Penn basically was around the gym and says to me ‘hey, one day Javier, when I’m done with the (Jiu-Jitsu) Mundials, that’s what I want – I’m going to focus on my jiu-jitsu and win that world title, then I’m going to want to come talk to you about doing MMA.’  I said sure, and of course BJ wins the Mundials and then he comes and asks me to train him.  So I started training BJ and as a result of BJ, then a lot more attention started coming to the gym and its pretty much history that everybody started coming in little by little and migrating.”

The word ‘migrate’ took a different meaning for Mendez growing up in San Jose, California.  One of five boys growing up under parents who were migrant workers, the life of a gym rat was never in sight as a youngster.

“We were too poor to get involved in sports, so I just did after school sports with my friends. I never got involved with any activities like wrestling or football or baseball because just getting enough to eat was a hardship within itself.  My dad was a forklift operator for a cannery with fruit.  My mom would work in the summers with all of us in the fields picking cherries, prunes, cucumbers and strawberries, and we would do that every summer after school.”

After an early beginning taking boxing lessons at 12 years old and then Tae Kwon Do after high school, Mendez gravitated towards kickboxing, eventually going pro and winning the light cruiserweight championship and light heavyweight championship.  The success yielded a gym and a departure from a real estate job to pursue in his words, ‘a dream that makes no money.’  However, from that point on, and many successful fighters later, he found and developed Velasquez, a fighter that he admittedly didn’t even want at first.

“The first time I met Cain Velasquez, they’re telling me we got this kid that has an incredible gas tank, he never gets tired but then I heard the word ‘Mexican’ and I was like ‘whatever, I’ve never seen a Mexican that’s a heavyweight that’s extremely athletic.’  I thought he was probably overweight, so I‘m not that interested in him.”

Then Cain popped through the door and I had to take a double look at him.  Then I watched him work out and the unbelievable discipline he had and I said ‘wow, this kid is special.’  Everything he did surprised me and still to this day he has the same discipline; he hasn’t changed one bit.  He’s not the greatest athlete but he’s the greatest fighter I’ve ever trained.”

Since Cain’s meteoric rise through the heavyweight ranks another has emerged with the same aura of invincibility in Junior dos Santos.  The two’s clash will mark a new phase in MMA’s development, and Mendez feels it is a great pairing.

“Junior dos Santos is by far the most dangerous opponent that we have yet to face; Junior is dangerous in every single area of MMA.  I think he chooses to stand more because that’s his preference, but Junior can wrestle, has jiu-jitsu, can kick and is a total MMA fighter.  The UFC is putting together the two best fighters in the world bar none.  That sends a strong message and shows what they are willing to do to make the sport more successful.  The most eyeballs are going to be on this and I call this the American Idol for MMA. The Finals, that’s what I call this.”

With the stage set, Mendez is readying his fighter’s mind for a long battle, but one where the victor where gallantly engage in the ultimate of glories.

“Cain’s focused for a five round war and I believe we’re going to win that five round war.  Anytime we fight someone on the caliber of Junior we’re not going to make any predictions on knockouts because its more of a disrespect to how great of a fighter Junior is, and if we’re thinking we’re going to finish him, that’s a bad mistake on my and Cain’s part to underestimate someone as dangerous as Junior. But I believe 100% we are going to win.”                           
     
   
 

In the crowded world of heavyweights that we have all seen mounds of tape on, fighters like Travis Browne are refreshing.  Sporting an undefeated record of 10-0-1, with just two of those bouts coming in the Octagon, he is both mysterious and a fighter we can be expected to crave more from in the cage.  It’s just part of the progression for the Hawaiian, who grew up free to explore, just as he is now among the other professionals in his weight class.  

“I was born in Oahu, Hawaii, and for me it was a typical childhood, but I was a little rough around the edges,” said Browne. “We had very little supervision growing up, so we were able to do pretty much what we wanted to do as kids.  Growing up in a Hawaiian household that’s a toddler’s dream.  It’s like you’re being raised in a village with all your aunts and uncles, and your cousins are always around, so there’s always that family feeling you get.”

Browne was always athletic, but was not in MMA in the beginning.  At first, hoop dreams and hardwood glory captured his attention, and it took a while to dissuade his interest.  However, once he found the martial arts, he became entranced and changed plans.

“I didn’t start doing any kind of martial arts until I was 23 or 24 and that was when I started playing jiu-jitsu,” said Browne.  “Before that I played basketball and I was always an athlete coming up but I wasn’t into any one-on-one sports, it was always team sports.  When I made the switch to jiu-jitsu it was quite different because all you do is depend on yourself as opposed to an entire team.  It was different but also exciting because I didn’t have anyone to put the excuses on but myself.  After about a year of doing jiu-jitsu that’s when I really got into martial arts.  I started doing kickboxing, standup and all that kind of stuff, and then I started putting it all together, so that’s when I started fighting in MMA.  I played the 2, 3 and 4 position so the guard, shooting forward and power forward, and I played one year in college. Then I just stopped going to school, which I regret doing, but it’s led me to where I am now.”       

“A lot of it had to do with just wanting to provide for my kids and that’s where a big part of my drive comes from.  Also, to stay competitive and keep pushing myself on a daily basis and just keep moving forward.”

After a first round TKO of James McSweeney last year at the TUF11 finale, Browne came in like a tornado.  His next bout, however, yielded different results, with a draw against Cheick Kongo at UFC 120: Bisping vs. Akiyama.  It was a fight that is deemed the ultimate learning experience for Browne.   

“I learned that I have a lot to improve in terms of being a mixed martial artist and it was definitely a learning experience. In that fight I learned a lot of what not to do, what to do and how to train for my next upcoming fight.”

Looking ahead, Browne’s next challenge lies in Dutch UFC stalwart Stefan Struve, who is always a bona fide aggressor.  Currently on a two fight winning streak, Struve has a balanced UFC record of two submissions, two knockouts and one majority decision victory.  And with only two losses in his UFC stint and being in the organization since 2009, Struve is a problem for anyone within the heavyweight ranks.  Browne, although an admirer of Struve, sees the matchup as a challenge between youth and age, and with Browne older by five years, he is confident his age and particular experience will overpower the youthful fighter.      

“Everybody knows that he’s a tough kid, he has a lot of heart and he just does not stop,” said the 28 year old Browne. “It’s something that as soon as they told me who I was fighting I got excited because I knew that it would be a great fight and a war.  It’s something that the fans will get a kick out of.  I think his age is a weakness and just experience in general.  He actually has a lot more MMA experience than I do, but I think that being at a certain age in your life it helps to understand certain aspects of MMA and all that stuff.  But I think one of his biggest weaknesses is his not understanding how to use his reach, plus his standup game, and he doesn’t have a lot of power.”  

Living in San Diego now, Browne works with a collage of top talent in the MMA game to keep working towards the top of the heavyweight ranks.  Working out at the Alliance Training Center, he has a litany of big guys to tussle with and he gets energy from a little guy who just happens to be a champion.  

“I’m at the Alliance Training Center and we have Brandon Vera, Phil Davis and even though he is nowhere even close to my weight class we have Dominick Cruz, who is always there to help coach and push us; we have Joey Beltran on board too.  That’s our training group and we have some other guys that the fans don’t know that are up and comers but they’ll know about them soon.”

As Travis Browne marches towards his next big challenge, he can only hope to continue to build his brand of fighting among the fans.  Feeling like a grown man among younger athletes, he is ready to show what he’s got to the world.

“Look for me to always be improving, to always push the pace, and to always give the fans something that is worth watching.”        

In the crowded world of heavyweights that we have all seen mounds of tape on, fighters like Travis Browne are refreshing.  Sporting an undefeated record of 10-0-1, with just two of those bouts coming in the Octagon, he is both mysterious and a fighter we can be expected to crave more from in the cage.  It’s just part of the progression for the Hawaiian, who grew up free to explore, just as he is now among the other professionals in his weight class.  

“I was born in Oahu, Hawaii, and for me it was a typical childhood, but I was a little rough around the edges,” said Browne. “We had very little supervision growing up, so we were able to do pretty much what we wanted to do as kids.  Growing up in a Hawaiian household that’s a toddler’s dream.  It’s like you’re being raised in a village with all your aunts and uncles, and your cousins are always around, so there’s always that family feeling you get.”

Browne was always athletic, but was not in MMA in the beginning.  At first, hoop dreams and hardwood glory captured his attention, and it took a while to dissuade his interest.  However, once he found the martial arts, he became entranced and changed plans.

“I didn’t start doing any kind of martial arts until I was 23 or 24 and that was when I started playing jiu-jitsu,” said Browne.  “Before that I played basketball and I was always an athlete coming up but I wasn’t into any one-on-one sports, it was always team sports.  When I made the switch to jiu-jitsu it was quite different because all you do is depend on yourself as opposed to an entire team.  It was different but also exciting because I didn’t have anyone to put the excuses on but myself.  After about a year of doing jiu-jitsu that’s when I really got into martial arts.  I started doing kickboxing, standup and all that kind of stuff, and then I started putting it all together, so that’s when I started fighting in MMA.  I played the 2, 3 and 4 position so the guard, shooting forward and power forward, and I played one year in college. Then I just stopped going to school, which I regret doing, but it’s led me to where I am now.”       

“A lot of it had to do with just wanting to provide for my kids and that’s where a big part of my drive comes from.  Also, to stay competitive and keep pushing myself on a daily basis and just keep moving forward.”

After a first round TKO of James McSweeney last year at the TUF11 finale, Browne came in like a tornado.  His next bout, however, yielded different results, with a draw against Cheick Kongo at UFC 120: Bisping vs. Akiyama.  It was a fight that is deemed the ultimate learning experience for Browne.   

“I learned that I have a lot to improve in terms of being a mixed martial artist and it was definitely a learning experience. In that fight I learned a lot of what not to do, what to do and how to train for my next upcoming fight.”

Looking ahead, Browne’s next challenge lies in Dutch UFC stalwart Stefan Struve, who is always a bona fide aggressor.  Currently on a two fight winning streak, Struve has a balanced UFC record of two submissions, two knockouts and one majority decision victory.  And with only two losses in his UFC stint and being in the organization since 2009, Struve is a problem for anyone within the heavyweight ranks.  Browne, although an admirer of Struve, sees the matchup as a challenge between youth and age, and with Browne older by five years, he is confident his age and particular experience will overpower the youthful fighter.      

“Everybody knows that he’s a tough kid, he has a lot of heart and he just does not stop,” said the 28 year old Browne. “It’s something that as soon as they told me who I was fighting I got excited because I knew that it would be a great fight and a war.  It’s something that the fans will get a kick out of.  I think his age is a weakness and just experience in general.  He actually has a lot more MMA experience than I do, but I think that being at a certain age in your life it helps to understand certain aspects of MMA and all that stuff.  But I think one of his biggest weaknesses is his not understanding how to use his reach, plus his standup game, and he doesn’t have a lot of power.”  

Living in San Diego now, Browne works with a collage of top talent in the MMA game to keep working towards the top of the heavyweight ranks.  Working out at the Alliance Training Center, he has a litany of big guys to tussle with and he gets energy from a little guy who just happens to be a champion.  

“I’m at the Alliance Training Center and we have Brandon Vera, Phil Davis and even though he is nowhere even close to my weight class we have Dominick Cruz, who is always there to help coach and push us; we have Joey Beltran on board too.  That’s our training group and we have some other guys that the fans don’t know that are up and comers but they’ll know about them soon.”

As Travis Browne marches towards his next big challenge, he can only hope to continue to build his brand of fighting among the fans.  Feeling like a grown man among younger athletes, he is ready to show what he’s got to the world.

“Look for me to always be improving, to always push the pace, and to always give the fans something that is worth watching.”        

The sport of mixed martial arts has exploded globally, but in certain regional areas the sport has always been and always will be a hotbed.  In the United States, no state more exemplifies this fact than California.  Home and birthplace of UFC legends like Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, the state is filled with talent and professional hopefuls looking to climb their way up the arduous ranks of the MMA elite.  

One such competitor is San Francisco-based fighter Chris Cariaso.  Having trained extensively in Muay Thai and owning a gym with a world Muay Thai champion, the Ralph Gracie jiu-jitsu product has become one of California’s standout athletes and businessmen.

“I started out doing martial arts when I was five years old and I’ve been doing it my whole life,” said Cariaso. “I always envisioned owning a martial arts gym.  When I was 22, I took the opportunity to start one up and I was able to open one up.”

From his earliest days, Cariaso experienced success as a professional fighter.   Starting out in 2006, Cariaso went on a six fight unbeaten streak, tearing up the northern California fight scene.  He didn’t lose in his first two years of professional competition, scoring five unanimous decisions and a head kick knockout.

“I attribute my early success to my standup training; I come from a Muay Thai background,” said Cariaso.  “I’ve been training a long time, since I was 11 years old…I actually had my first fight when I was 11 years old, doing Muay Thai. Once I made that step, and made my debut in mixed martial arts, it was an easy transition.”

Since that transition, Cariaso has gone on to produce a record of 11-2 and has compiled another distinction of note, competing in practically every major MMA organization except for PRIDE.  It is a testament to his veteran stature, and Cariaso has accepted these experiences humbly.    

“I think it’s really exciting and I feel blessed that I’ve had the opportunity to be able to fight in all those organizations.  Being in the UFC has always been a dream of mine, and I felt like fighting in those promotions were steps for me to get to where I am today.  Going into the WEC was my UFC and just making it to that level was a dream of mine. Just making it there, and now that the UFC has bantamweights in it, it’s a beautiful thing and here I am in the UFC…it just couldn’t be a better thing.”

In his first outing in the UFC, Cariaso took on Will Campuzano at UFC: Fight For The Troops 2 at Fort Hood.  The three round war saw Cariaso emerge as the victor via unanimous decision, solidifying his entrance onto the biggest MMA stage in the world.

“My first experience fighting in the UFC was definitely very stressful,” said Cariaso.  “I didn’t want to make a mistake, and coming off a loss in the WEC (against Renan Barao), just made it all the more stressful. I wanted to go out there and prove that I wanted to be there, but now I got that win under my belt and I’m definitely going to shine here at UFC 130.”

Cariaso’s next opponent is fast rising former WEC competitor Michael McDonald.  McDonald is riding a five fight winning streak and the distinction of having his first UFC fight yield Fight of the Night honors against Edwin Figueroa at UFC Fight Night: Nogueria vs. Davis.  The fight is a great challenge that Cariaso is definitely game for, and by the look of McDonald’s current record, a win for Cariaso could potentially derail the fast rise McDonald seems to be logically making towards a title shot.  Ironically, McDonald is also a northern California representative.

“I think it’s a great fight,” said Cariaso. “The UFC did a great job matching this fight up, and it’s definitely going to be exciting. We both like to stand up and I’m definitely prepared for him. Pretty much everybody I’ve fought is a tall, right-handed fighter and I don’t think that he’s not going to show me anything that I haven’t seen before.”

Looking for a change of pace for this fight, Cariaso took the journey north for a new training regimen and new training partners.

“I opened my training camp a whole bunch. I went and spent a little time in Montreal and went over to the Tristar gym. And I got some work up there for a little bit. I kind of opened up my camp back home too; I’ve been working with top level pro boxers and top level pro Muay Thai fighters, and I’m kind of diversifying my camp a whole bunch more, and breaking out of that norm that I’ve been used to, just to elevate that game.”

As the day draws near to the matchup between two rising stars within the new UFC bantamweight ranks, it is a sign of the bright future of the division.  What fans can expect is the typical fast-paced action of the lighter weight classes and the march of these California kids, who make up a large percentage of the division, towards Octagon glory.

“I’m going to bring a big win on May 28th at UFC 130,” said Cariaso. “My goal here is to break into the top 10, be known as a top 10 fighter, and in the future, hopefully get a shot for that title.”