Chael Sonnen may not be mixing it up inside the Octagon these days, but that doesn’t mean his opinion doesn’t resonate throughout the MMA community whenever a hot issue arises.
His career may have been mired and eventually ended in controversy inside a…
ChaelSonnen may not be mixing it up inside the Octagon these days, but that doesn’t mean his opinion doesn’t resonate throughout the MMA community whenever a hot issue arises.
His career may have been mired and eventually ended in controversy inside and out of the cage, but one thing the silver-tongued Oregon native could always be counted on was his work behind the microphone.
Simply put: “The Gangster From West Linn” calls things as he sees them, and whether or not that perspective is slightly skewed is left up to interpretation by the listener.
Ever the showman, Sonnnen has never been one to pull his punches where his opinion is concerned. The former two-divisional title challenger stayed true to form during a recent appearance on the Louder with Crowderpodcast (h/t MMA News).
During his appearance on the show, the ESPN MMA analyst discussed the careers and legacies of former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and former middleweight king Anderson Silva.
In the aftermath of “The Spider’s” failed drug test leading up to his return at UFC 183, Silva’s “greatest of all time” status has been called into question.
For Sonnen—who faced the Brazilian phenom on two occasions and became the former champion’s greatest rival—the pound-for-pound great category has already changed, and he shared his thoughts on the matter during the podcast:
I don’t think there’s any argument. It definitely goes to GSP. And GSP was ranked No. 1 in the world pound-for-pound. There was a press conference done and they said ‘No, Anderson’s the best’, and our president Dana White argued that. And that is his opinion, but the entire media shifted. They dropped GSP from No. 1 to No. 2, then moved Anderson to No. 1. Anderson’s a fantastic fighter. This isn’t a commentary on him, but if you want to talk about the greats, I’ve fought Anderson twice, I’ve worked out with Georges, I’m just calling it like it is. It’s Georges.
While Sonnen‘s take is simply a matter of the former contender’s personal opinion, there is no way to deny Silva’s once-prominent legacy is in jeopardy of being permanently damaged due to the failed test.
Silva has denied taking performance-enhancing drugs, and the former champion plans to fight the allegations. Should the current results remain, it would put the stamp on an ominous chapter for a once-proud champion.
Furthermore, it would cast a shadow of doubt over Silva’s entire run in the UFC.
It would also forever tarnish his place as the longest-standing champion in the promotion’s history and make the argument between Silva and St-Pierre’s placement on the all-time list a lopsided debate.
The French Canadian star made his exit from MMA when he was on top of the sport and holds recognition as the best welterweight to ever compete in MMA.
The 33-year-old Tri Star leader went into pseudo-retirement after edging out Johny Hendricks via split decision at UFC 167 in November of 2013, which was St-Pierre’s ninth consecutive successful title defense and 12th straight win overall.
Should Silva’s failed drug test stand, his victory over Nick Diaz at UFC 183 will be likely changed to a no-contest, and that would make the 39-year-old unsuccessful in his past three outings.
When compared to how St-Pierre left the sport, it would be difficult to argue Sonnen is wrong.
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
Brandon Thatch’s name may be relatively new to the UFC stage, but that doesn’t mean there is anything untested about him.
The Colorado-based smashing machine hovered in obscurity for the past few years as one of the best fighters fans had yet to hear o…
Brandon Thatch’s name may be relatively new to the UFC stage, but that doesn’t mean there is anything untested about him.
The Colorado-based smashing machine hovered in obscurity for the past few years as one of the best fighters fans had yet to hear of, but that’s a status he’s changing one violent finish at a time.
The welterweight knockout artist put a thunderous stamp on his Octagon debut by dusting Justin Edwards at Fight Night 27 and then crumpled seasoned veteran Paulo Thiago with vicious knees three months later in the Brazilian’s native country.
Both were first-round finishes and brought Thatch’s running total to 11 victories without seeing the second round. Simply put: Thatch doesn’t show up to mess around. He’s there to put his opponent away and get on to the next. He doesn’t need much room to capitalize when opportunities are presented, and his aggressive style immediately resonated with a fanbase that is drawn to the ruckus.
While there may be a slight difference in the spelling (Rukus), Thatch’s connection with the fighting faithful makes a suitable nickname for the promising 170-pound talent. He couldn’t be happier to be competing on the biggest platform in MMA where he can put his versatile striking arsenal on display.
The Denver native will get his biggest showcase to date at Fight Night 60 when he faces former lightweight- champion-turned-welterweight Benson Henderson.
“I feel very honored that I have such hype behind me and such an amazing following,” Thatch told Bleacher Report. “The fans have been great, and I just want to continue to live up to what is expected out of me.
“This is a great opportunity for me. Benson is a great athlete, and the better my opponent is, the more things I’m going to have to pull out and the better I’m going to have to fight. It’s going to bring out the best in me.”
The card in Broomfield, Colorado, was originally slated to be headlined with a bout between Matt Brown and Tarec Saffiedine, but the former Strikeforce champion suffered an injury in training and was forced to withdraw. Next, The Immortal was pulled from the card entirely when the UFC scheduled him to face former champion Johny Hendricks at UFC 185 in Dallas on March 14.
This shift bumped the Denver native’s bout with Stephen Thompson up to the main event slot, until Wonderboy also suffered an injury in training and was put on the sidelines just a few weeks out from the event. In a sudden turn, the promotion tapped former 155-pound champion to move up a weight class and face Thatch and suddenly a new main event was formed.
While it was certainly a strange chain of events, Thatch was simply happy he was still going to get to fight.
“Oh, I’m into it,” Thatch said of his new opponent. “I didn’t care who I fought at that point. I could have fought my mother in the backyard. Hopefully I would have won, but I think she would whoop my ass. I was very excited to still have a fight. I was worried my fight was going to get scrapped and was just very grateful Benson stepped up to the plate like he did.”
With his new opponent in place, Thatch could keep his focus on returning from an extended layoff that kept him out of action since defeating Thiago in November 2013. He had notched back-to-back impressive stoppages that put him on the map with the UFC’s fanbase, but an injury kept him on the shelf for all of last year.
Thatch admits it was a difficult thing to endure and a period he’s happy to see come to an end.
It was terrible,” Thatch explained. “I sat on my couch, and I was depressed. Anytime you are not training or doing what you love, it’s going to be hard on you mentally. It was a sickening feeling to be laid-up like that, and I felt like a Border Collie that was stuck in a cage all day.”
Nevertheless, his time on the sidelines will officially come to an end at Fight Night 60 on Feb. 14 against an opponent Thatch is excited to mix it up with. He appreciates the talent Henderson will bring to the Octagon in Colorado, but believes the physical aspects of the matchup—in addition to Denver’s mile-high elevation—will be too much for Smooth to handle.
“Benson is a great athlete,” Thatch said. “I just think my size and length are going to be very difficult for him.
“If he’s not used to it, then absolutely,” he added in regard to elevation being a factor. “It’s a real thing, and those lungs are going to be burning.”
Duane Finley is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
There is an art to matchmaking in combat sports.
While some fights come together with natural ease, most bouts are formed through a hectic process of evaluation. Several aspects need to be graded on each side of the table before committing to the match…
There is an art to matchmaking in combat sports.
While some fights come together with natural ease, most bouts are formed through a hectic process of evaluation. Several aspects need to be graded on each side of the table before committing to the matchup.
Whether or not a fight makes sense in the divisional scheme, timing and making sure both fighters stand to gain similar rewards are the most pressing issues that come to mind. Then, of course, there is the most important aspect of a potential fight: Will both competitors be willing to mix it up and put on a show?
The unfortunate part of the process comes when all of these criteria are met, but the fight fails to deliver. That said, the UFC showcases far more exciting tilts than flat fights these days, which goes to show just how good the matchmakers, Joe Silva and Sean Shelby, are at their jobs.
When last month’s installment of this series was published, there was an ominous shadow cast over MMA due to pound-for-pound great Jon Jones having tested positive for cocaine metabolites prior to his bout with Daniel Cormier at UFC 182.
But hey…there was no time to really worry about drugs and all that mess because Anderson Silva was on deck to make his return in a highly anticipated (wink) bout with Stockton’s finest bad boy Nick Diaz at UFC 183.
There was going to be some good, old-fashioned violence to be had, and The Spider vs. Diaz was bound to lift dark clouds hovering over the sport. What could possibly go wrong?
My colleague, Jeremy Botter, addressed those matters in a great column earlier this week, therefore let’s get back to what this column is about. There are plenty of great slobber-knockers and dust ups that could be put together and here are a few potential matchups that could put the focus back on face-punching for a minute.
There is a strange phenomenon that happens from time to time when divisional title races begin to heat up and take shape. Occasionally there will be a fighter who is worthy of title contention, yet there simply isn’t a fight that makes sense for them to take.
This predicament has befallen two competitors at a time when they should be within striking distance of a championship opportunity in their respective divisions, but there isn’t a logical opponent for either one of them to face.
That being said, the timing may finally be right for Frankie Edgar and Urijah Faber to step into the Octagon and let the chaos ensue.
While The Answer and The California Kid are currently competing in two different divisions, both have been cast in the odd-man-out position. Irish sensation ConorMcGregor leapfrogged the entire group of potential contenders ahead of him in the rankings to earn a showdown with featherweight king Jose Aldo this summer in Las Vegas.
As for Faber, the Team Alpha Male leader was slated to face Raphael Assuncao next month in Brazil, but the Brazilian’s broken ankle didn’t heal properly, and the bout was scratched.
This left Faber without an opponent and put him in the perfect position to face Edgar at UFC on Fox 15 in New Jersey on April 18.
The fighting pride of Toms River turned the tides of a career-worst, three-fight skid and bounced back to reclaim his place as one of the best in the 145-pound ranks on the strength of a three-fight winning streak. Victories over Charles Oliveira, B.J. Penn and Cub Swanson put the former lightweight champion back in a position of prominence, with a big-name opponent in his next fight all but guaranteed.
Nevertheless, Chad Mendes would be booked to face Ricardo Lamas at Fight Night 63, and that left the New Jersey native without a dance partner.
With Faber’s schedule opening up, a showdown with Edgar would be an action-packed bout that would certainly register in the fan-friendly department. With his teammate, T.J. Dillashaw, currently holding the bantamweight strap, there is no room for Faber to go up in the 135-pound ranks, therefore a trip back to the featherweight fold would be a logical detour.
Both Edgar and Faber are known to be two of the gamest fighters in the business, and a potential matchup between the two former champions would make a perfect co-main event for the UFC’s return to Newark in April.
Ryan Bader vs. Alexander Gustafsson
It is a strange state of affairs on the current landscape of the UFC light heavyweight division.
With resurgent juggernaut Anthony Johnson’s drubbing Alexander Gustafsson to earn the next shot at Jon Jones, that leaves a bit of a mess where the rest of the pack in the elite tier of 205 is concerned. Both Daniel Cormier and The Mauler are coming off losses, where former champion Rashad Evans and Ryan Bader are currently sitting on winning streaks.
Those circumstances would seem to favor a Gustafsson vs. Cormier and Bader vs. Evans scenario, but UFC President Dana White recently stated the Swedish striker and the former Olympian would not be facing one another in their next outings. That leaves only a few options available, and it’s anyone’s guess as to where the chips fall on this one.
That said, the former Arizona State University wrestling standout squaring off with the former title challenger from Stockholm would be a suitable pairing. With D.C. and Evans originally slated to punch one another at UFC 170 before Suga was forced out with injury, re-making that fight would be an easy route to travel.
Granted, they are friends outside of the cage, but that didn’t prevent the fight from being made the first time around, and it’s doubtful that would affect it from being signed once more.
That leaves Bader and Gustafsson as a solid choice, and it would be an interesting stylistic matchup as well. The Ultimate Fighter Season 8 winner works behind a power-wrestling attack that he backs up with a heavy overhand right. The Power MMA leader also has a solid gas tank that would allow him to push the pace against Gustafsson and take the rangy Swede into deep waters.
On the flip side, Gustafsson has done well against past opponents who choose to blitz him with offense (Vladimir Matyushenko, JimiManuwa)—a trait Bader has been known to employ.
Furthermore, coming off a stunning first-round TKO loss to Rumble in his own backyard at UFC on Fox 14 is certainly a memory Gustafsson would love to make some distance with. A fight with Bader this summer would allow him to do just that.
Losing his long-awaited rematch with Bones and doing it in front of his hometown was undoubtedly a heartbreaker for Gustafsson, and he will want to get things headed back in that direction again. A bout with Bader would be a high-risk, high-reward situation, but it’s necessary if Gustafsson is hungry to regain his position in the light heavyweight divisional hierarchy.
The same rings true and even more so where Bader is concerned. The Arizona-based fighter has struggled to breakthrough into the championship level of the division. A victory over Gustafsson would be his key to accomplishing that task. And while pairing a fighter coming off a win with one coming off a loss is typically to be avoided, it’s passable in this setting.
Myles Jury vs. Norman Parke
The lightweight division is a shark tank of talent where breaking through into the upper ranks is a difficult task to accomplish. Both Myles Jury and Norman Parke had high-profile bouts as of late, and each were turned back in their respective efforts to climb the 155-pound divisional ladder.
The Team Alliance representative failed to hit the mark against Donald Cerrone at UFC 182 last month and Stormin‘ Norman was bested by savvy veteran GleisonTibau at Fight Night 59 on Jan. 18. Neither fighter looked impressive in their biggest fights to date, and a pairing of the two would provide at least one of them to correct things in swift fashion.
Although his loss to Cowboy was the first of his professional career, the setback and lackluster performance in that fight cost him some serious momentum, which is an unfortunate turn since he beat up Diego Sanchez and knocked out TakanoriGomi to get there. That leaves the Michigan native in a position where regaining his traction is a must. A bout with Parke would present an interesting matchup to do so.
While The Ultimate Fighter: Smashes lightweight winner is yet to crack the top 10 in the lightweight collective, he was on his way to climbing the divisional ladder before being edged out by Tibau via split-decision in Boston.
Although Jury was a bit further up the lightweight hierarchy than Parke was before their respective losses, both need not only an opponent with a solid name but a fight that will pump some blood back into their respective styles.
Jury and Parke have both proven to be versatile fighters with the ability to finish wherever the fight takes place. Furthermore, each man can push a fast pace, and that would make a potential pairing of the two a bout where exciting exchanges—on the feet or the ground—are likely.
A fight between Jury and Parke would also give the winner a chance to resume his quest for bigger things in the lightweight collective while pushing the loser further back for more development.
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
Certain things simply do not matter to Benson Henderson.
Where the current landscape of mixed martial arts is filled with fighters who proclaim they will step in against any opponent whenever the opportunity is presented to them, the truth of the matte…
Where the current landscape of mixed martial arts is filled with fighters who proclaim they will step in against any opponent whenever the opportunity is presented to them, the truth of the matter is that very few fighters actually put forth the actions to back up their claims. Competing at the highest level of MMA is a business plain and simple, yet there are certain athletes who are driven by something outside of the typical scope.
Alongside his close friend and three-time scrap partner Donald Cerrone, the MMA Lab leader envelops a different mind-set to the fight game in the modern era. Both possess a willingness to fight anyone, anytime, anywhere, and their respective track records reflect this aggressive approach.
Even though Cowboy has put an emphasis on the financial aspect of chasing down and making opportunities, there is still an elevate love for throwing down driving him to make those decisions.
Things are similar but different on Henderson’s side of the equation. The former WEC and UFC lightweight champion is fueled by competition and the chance to push and test his skills at their limits. There is certainly a love for the scrap where Smooth is concerned, but the fight in itself is more about overcoming the obstacle directly in front of him.
“I’ve always been willing to fight anyone at anytime,” Henderson told Bleacher Report. “When you are defending a title it can’t be a short notice fight against any random person. Those fights have to make sense in the bigger picture of a division. But I’ve always been willing to go at anytime—same as Cerrone—and that is what made the WEC so exciting and successful or whatnot. When guys have that mentality you are going to have exciting fights. I’ve been that way for a long time, man.
“I’ve asked the UFC plenty of times over the past few years for anything I could get short notice, and I was always surprised how Cowboy gets these fights. I’ve asked time and time again when there was a situation available. I would see someone get hurt then hit up Dana [White] and Joe Silva to let them know I’m willing to take the fight, and the answer was always no.”
That game mentality is what sparked the Arizona transplant to seek out another booking from UFC matchmaker Joe Silva immediately following his razor-thin decision loss to Cerrone at Fight Night 59 in Boston on Jan. 18.
When the UFC slated him to face Jorge Masvidal at Fight Night 63 on April 4, an injury to Stephen Thompson provided an opening in the main event at Fight Night 60 to face Brandon Thatch in Broomfield, Colorado, on Feb. 14.
Two high-profile fights in less than one month is a turnaround the majority of fighters wouldn’t tackle, but Henderson isn’t like other fighters.
“The competitor in you very much despises a loss and wants to get back in there and get a win back underneath you. That was the thought for getting back in there as soon as possible. Originally, Joe Silva said the earliest they had was April 4 against Jorge Masvidal. I said, ‘Sure. Done. Sign me up.’
“I was already bugging Joe about me taking a short notice fight. I told him 155 would be hard for me to make on short notice. Physically I could do it, but I wouldn’t perform well making that weight on one or two weeks’ notice. But if you have a short notice fight for me at 170, I’m all for it. We’ve been thinking about dabbling at 170 for awhile and seeing how it works out for us, and it just so happened that they needed it. Joe Silva text me last Saturday a few fights before Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz fight, and he wanted to know how serious I was about taking a short notice fight at 170. I told him I’ll take whatever he was offering.
“I’m not one of those guys who just talks the talk,” he added. “I actually back it up. Joe offered up Denver, Colorado, against Brandon Thatch in a main event. I said, ‘Cool. Let’s do it.'”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
“I don’t want to see anyone stop until that timer sounds.”
In a sea of weary bodies, Coach Robert Follis is giving his fighters one last push as they head into the homestretch of what has been a grueling two-hour grappling session. The smiles and good …
“I don’t want to see anyone stop until that timer sounds.”
In a sea of weary bodies, Coach Robert Follis is giving his fighters one last push as they head into the homestretch of what has been a grueling two-hour grappling session. The smiles and good nature that existed on the faces of veterans like Gray Maynard and Miesha Tate back when things were just getting underway on the back mats of Xtreme Couture have now been replaced by that unique brand of grit fighters tap into when their bodies are tired but their determination is raging.
Maynard underhooks then drops down before dumping his partner on the ground. Tate shimmies to the left with her back against the wall before turning the tides on her male counterpart. The bodies hit the mat in near unison just as Roy Nelson has to put a spastic and overzealous grappling partner in check. The poor soul didn’t do his homework on just how well “Big Country” moves, and just before the final buzzer of the session sounds, Nelson’s hips and bulk have given the up-and-coming fighter an education in gravity.
With the pro team practice now at an end, a large percentage of bodies are bent over at the waist trying to shake off the wear and strain, while others like Nelson carom over to chat with Follis. On my journey across the country on the MMA Road Trip Project, with time spent in the majority of top gyms in mixed martial arts, the intensity of the practice that went down that Tuesday night had few peers.
It was a packed house at Xtreme Couture—with a mixture of seasoned UFC veterans and emerging talent—and each and every one of them gave everything their bodies could muster during that session. Although the gym’s pulse is now beating stronger than it has in years, a short time back it was a much grimmer picture for the Las Vegas staple.
The core group of fighters who brought the gym to prominence, much like its legendary namesake, had all drifted off to explore other endeavors—leaving longtime striking coach Ray Sefo and his Hawaiian protege Brad Tavares as the two biggest entities on the roster. Yet, much like a rising tide of fortune on the tables several miles away on the Las Vegas strip, new talent would arrive just as founding members decided to make the pilgrimage back to their roots.
Before the practice began, Follis was posed with the question of whether or not the gym he now coaches was experiencing a renaissance of sorts—a query he played off with cool measure.
“I’m not even sure what that word means,” he said as he looked through the cage moments before calling his team to the center of the mat.
Two hours later, as his fighters began to file out of the practice space, Follis strolled over my way once more to reiterate the notion that the term renaissance was still lost upon him. That said, Follis must have forgotten I’d interviewed him several times before and had a grip on his intelligence, or he was just playing sly like the savvy grappling guru he is.
As several fighters were stretching and cooling down from a rigorous workout, Maynard and Jay Hieron were finishing up their night with some comic relief. Alongside Mike Pyle and Martin Kampmann, they were part of the original team at Xtreme Couture and helped (literally) put the place together. When asked if the mats they were standing on were laid with their own hands, Hieron took time to shed light on the real history of how things played out.
“Sh**,” he laughed as he shot a look in Maynard’s direction. “I laid these mats. Pretty boy over there didn’t have to do a damn thing. Ain’t that right, golden boy?”
Although his friend was attempting to call out his “diva” status, through the laughs Maynard added, “Jay is telling the truth, but he’s leaving out the part that he was the only one that had to lay the mats. Randy [Couture] had to make sure he got something out of him to earn his keep.”
While the two seasoned veterans continued to crack on one another well after the practice time had expired, the overall mood in the aftermath of a grueling session was just one more sign that things are rolling better than ever at Xtreme Couture. There is a solid squad of talent under Follis these days, and he runs a tight ship where his athletes are concerned.
Yet, Follis isn’t one to take credit for anything more than providing direction and gives all the due to the fighters who walk through the doors to improve their games.
“The way I look at it is that we only get a limited amount of time on that mat and I want to make the most of it,” Follis told Bleacher Report. “I also don’t want things to drag out. When we are down there for three hours, I’m asking why we are wasting an hour and a half. I want there to be a purpose to what is being done and we are going to work on skills that matter. Let’s work hard and get out and not waste any time in between.
“When we are in private training sessions it’s obviously different, but when we are doing a group practice I’m trying to provide fundamentals that everybody is going to need. We are drilling for solid takedowns and defense…stuff that is generally going to fit everyone’s game or defensive side. Once I get to know my fighters, I show them tweaks to add when they are working in different positions. When we are working one-on-one, we get more specific, but in group practices I try to keep it very vanilla. I call it ‘101’ material.
“I also try to get around and give attention to the people who earn it,” he added. “The legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden used to write his players a letter at the beginning of every year and he would tell them, ‘You won’t all get equal attention, but you will all get the attention you earn.’ The fighters that get attention from me are the ones who are committed, show up every time and are putting in the work.”
In the surge of fighters who have come to call Xtreme Couture home once more, Maynard and Nelson seem to bring particular energies to the team. “The Bully” rose from prospect to title challenger inside the facility located on Sunset Avenue and has returned to inject new life into his career. On the other end, Nelson has historically been a one-man wolf pack, but the recently amplified numbers—especially in the big boy department—give the heavy-handed knockout artist the type of workout partners he needs.
“Big bodies are hard to find,” Nelson said. “That’s not just in Vegas but pretty much anywhere in the country. It’s not just that I need to train with other heavyweights, but I need to get different looks and for that to happen people have to show up on a consistent basis. I’ve been able to get some good work in here and it’s good to see people coming back to the gym.”
Maynard echoed Nelson’s sentiment but added further emphasis on the coaching of Robert Follis and his team at Xtreme Couture.
“Everything here is about structure and that’s awesome,” the former lightweight title challenger added as he slipped on a pair of blue jeans. “You know exactly what time practices are going to start and what you are going to be training that day. It may seem simple, but structure and direction play such a key role in training.”
Throughout his rise from prospect to certified threat in the UFC middleweight division, Tavares has seen the tides of his gym rise and fall then rise again in the ever-changing world of the fight game. The Hawaiian striker came to Xtreme Couture fresh off his stint on The Ultimate Fighter and has become a seasoned vet throughout his time representing the fight team at Xtreme Couture.
While Tavares has always been a steadfast member of the XC squad, he couldn’t be happier with how things are working at the gym in the current realm.
“It’s been great to see,” Tavares said. “When I got out here to Las Vegas there were a lot of fighters at the gym. I was this kid from Hawaii that nobody knew about and one of the first guys who invited me to train and accepted me was Jay Hieron. When I came in he needed help preparing for Joe Riggs and needed a southpaw, and that was my opportunity to get in with these guys so I jumped on the chance.
“At that time there were a lot of big names in the gym and slowly for whatever reason, the gym started to fall apart a little bit. People were leaving for different reasons and the overall team bond wasn’t there. People still fought out of this space, but I wouldn’t necessarily call us a team at that time. Myself and a few other guys stayed there and we made it work. We had to go over to a different gym to get our sparring in, but we stuck it out at Xtreme Couture. Over the last year a lot of big changes have gone down and it’s made all the difference.
“Dennis Davis took over our pro program and that guy has made a lot of sacrifices to revitalize the team,” he added. “He took a cut in his pay so we could have Robert Follis come out and for him to do that shows how much he cares about the team. When you have people like that who truly care about the team and the interest of the fighters; that’s a great building block.”
With a solid core group intact, and other talented fighters returning to train at the gym, Follis is excited to see how the road ahead develops for the fight team at Xtreme Couture. Alongside his team of coaches, the seasoned leader has been a key reason the gym that was one of the most successful collectives in MMA has regained some of its past prominence on the sport’s landscape.
“It feels good but I can’t take all the credit,” Follis said. “This has been a team effort. It’s the fighters buying into it and the other coaches like Dennis Davis providing coaching and backup structure through the gym. Randy [Couture] wanted to back it and get the fight team going again. Ray Sefo being there and donating his time to coach and work with fighters in addition to the guys he has brought in. I feel like I was able to bring a spark and a little bit of leadership to an already amazing environment.
“It’s been growing and growing but it’s definitely been a team effort. I’m very proud that I’ve been able to be a part of it and help them spearhead things. But there is no way I could do all of this by myself. We have some amazing guys who are coming in and helping build things up. We really have that true team feel here and we are going to keep that going.”
On that particular Tuesday night, the practice has long since ended and Follis is readying a group of jiu-jitsu practitioners to take the mat. Maynard nods to Miesha Tate—who would go on to defeat Sara McMann three weeks later and put herself back into title contention—and Bryan Caraway as they make their way toward the exit and Nelson is rolling out the new material in his work-in-progress stand-up comedy routine. Anyone familiar with the TUF 10 winner knows he’s sharp in the wit department, but as it turns out Nelson also has some comedy chops as well.
He drops two of his pre-fashioned punchlines that garner legitimate laughs from the small crowd gathered around him. From the smile he throws back, it is clear Nelson is already thinking about life outside of being punched in the face. But until that day comes, he’s more than willing to hand out some well-timed punishment of his own.
Following his improv set on the practice floor, Nelson exchanges pleasantries with other fighters working nearby and asks a few of the bigger fighters if they are going to be around in two weeks when he gets back from Florida. He is going down to train at American Top Team for a week with his close friend Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal and wants to know who will be around to put in work when he returns.
He has a fight coming up with Alistair Overeem at UFC 185 in March and is going to make sure his camp has no lack of big-bodied heavy hitters for him to line up against.
On the way out, one more pass is made to see if Follis has had the time to remember what the word renaissance means, and he simply shrugs it off and smiles. Two seconds later he’s back to coaching the fighters on his mat with full-steam intensity. On the way out of the gym, Follis‘ voice booms:
“I don’t want to see anyone stop until that buzzer sounds.”
He may be throwing out the same words, but he’ll be damned if they don’t mean something new every time.
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
There are no easy roads to the top of the UFC’s light heavyweight division, and two emerging talents will get their opportunity to take another step toward the elite tier when Ovince St. Preux and Patrick Cummins square off at UFC on Fox 15.
The …
There are no easy roads to the top of the UFC’s light heavyweight division, and two emerging talents will get their opportunity to take another step toward the elite tier when Ovince St. Preux and Patrick Cummins square off at UFC on Fox 15.
The collision between OSP and the resilient grappler was officially announced Wednesday on UFC.com, and will add another solid tilt to the UFC’s return to the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on April 18.
The card is headlined by a clash of top-ranked middleweights as LyotoMachida and Luke Rockhold battle for a potential shot at the 185-pound crown. The race for the next championship opportunity in the middleweight fold has become increasingly competitive over the past year, and the bout between the former light heavyweight champion and the former Strikeforce 185-pound title holder will carry heavy implications on that particular title picture.
St. Preux has won five of his six showings inside the Octagon since joining the UFC back in 2013, which includes a stunning 34-second finish of MMA legend Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in his most recent bout at Fight Night 56 in November. The former University of Tennessee football player put away the former UFC and Pride champion in impressive fashion and will undoubtedly be looking to build off that career highlight in his next outing.
While Cummins‘ introduction to the biggest stage in MMA didn’t result in a successful debut, he’s certainly found his groove in the aftermath. “Durkin” has notched three consecutive victories since his loss to Daniel Cormier at UFC 170 and has begun to claw his way up the light heavyweight ladder on the strength of those performances. The Southern California transplant outmuscled and outwrestled Brazilian standout Antonio Carlos Junior en route to picking up the unanimous decision victory at Fight Night 58 in December.
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. Statistics are courtesy of UFC.com.
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