UFC 137 has been somewhat of a moving target this month, as fighters and main events for the card have been flipped, tossed and turned due to fighter irresponsibility and injury.We now have our main event set as “The Prodigy” BJ Penn will face off agai…
UFC 137 has been somewhat of a moving target this month, as fighters and main events for the card have been flipped, tossed and turned due to fighter irresponsibility and injury.
We now have our main event set as “The Prodigy” BJ Penn will face off against former Strikeforce champion, and the best fighter outside the UFC, in Nick “No Show” Diaz. Something or someone was looking out for me in all this activity, as we now have a main event with my two favorite fighters of all time.
I have spent years following the respective careers of these two fighting pioneers, so I thought it would be cool to look at a parallel timeline between these two men and follow the career path that brought each of them to this fight on October 29th, 2011
Penn is 32 years old and Diaz is 28, so it should be interesting to look at the two paths to UFC 137.
Global Warriors Fighting Championships’ second show in Ontario is shaping up to be a very exciting card for local mixed martial arts fans.The card is stacked with the best fighters in the province and is headlined by Adrenaline Training Center sta…
Global Warriors Fighting Championships’ second show in Ontario is shaping up to be a very exciting card for local mixed martial arts fans.
The card is stacked with the best fighters in the province and is headlined by Adrenaline Training Center stalwart Jesse “The Body Snatcher” Ronson who will face The Ultimate Fighter reality show competitor and alum Jeff Lentz.
Global Warriors has created this event as a tribute to the late Shawn Tompkins. Along with Ronson, there are four other Team Tompkins fighters on the card. Jesse Gross, Pete Brown, Rowan Cunningham and Clint Kingsbury are all Team Tompkins fighters chomping at the bit to perform in honor of “The Coach.”
The Team Tompkins fighters are all local favorites, and they will be facing some very formidable foes from a mix of all the other top schools in Ontario, including fighters out of the new Tapout Training Center Burlington.
There will be a silent auction and 50-50 draw organized at the event and all proceeds with go to help the family of the late Shawn Tompkins.
Attached are video interviews with all five Adrenaline fighters; check it out to find out what these guys have to say about fighting for “The Coach.”
Global Warriors II Halloween Havoc: Saturday October 29th, 5 p.m.
Early start designed to avoid conflict with Halloween celebrations as well as UFC 137 which is on pay-per-view at 9 p.m.
Main Event: Jesse “The Body Snatcher” Ronson vs. Jeff Lent
There is no question that in this day and age of promotion and brand awareness, you have to be loud and proud to get your message out to listeners whose ears take in thousands of messages daily.Mixed martial arts and the UFC presents such an inter…
There is no question that in this day and age of promotion and brand awareness, you have to be loud and proud to get your message out to listeners whose ears take in thousands of messages daily.
Mixed martial arts and the UFC presents such an interesting combination in that silence and calm demeanor at the heart of traditional martial arts, yet the ability to trash-talk and promote is equally as important to success in the game at times.
I would prefer each fight to be a little more respectful. It is martial arts. But I’m OK with the other side of it, too. I understand there are two different fan bases. Some people like more of that warrior spirit, discipline and honor, and other people like more of the cage fighter, I’m-gonna-knock-you-out type stuff. So I’m getting more comfortable with both of them, and it is what it is.
Mark me down as a fan in the warrior spirit side of the coin, but I do love the loudmouth characters who entertain leading up to certain fights. You can’t have the yin without the yang, and love them or hate them, here are my top 10 biggest loudmouths in the UFC.
UFC 137 St-Pierre vs. Condit is sitting two weeks out on the calendar and will take place from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in the fight capital of the world Las Vegas, Nevada. This October 29th fight card features welterweig…
UFC 137 St-Pierre vs. Condit is sitting two weeks out on the calendar and will take place from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in the fight capital of the world Las Vegas, Nevada.
This October 29th fight card features welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre defending hs title against number one contender “The Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit. The co-main event will feature a contender match in the same division as “The prodigy” BJ Penn will face former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz as he makes his return to the UFC.
Also on the main card there will be a featherweight contender match between Japanese star Hatsu Hioki and George Roop, as well as two big heavyweight tilts featuring legend Mirko Filipovic vs. Roy “Big Country” Nelson and Matt “Meat” Mitrione vs. French striker Cheick Kongo.
Seven preliminary fights round out the event card:
Denis Siver vs. Donald Cerrone – LW
Tyson Griffin vs. Bart Palaszewski – FW
Brad Tavares vs. Dustin Jacoby – MW
Scott Jorgensen vs. Jeff Curran – BW
Brandon Vera vs. Eliot Marshall – LHW
Ramsey Nijem vs. Danny Downes – LW
Chris Camozzi vs. Francis Carmont – MW
Here is a brief preview and prediction for each and every fight:
There are times when you sit down and talk candidly with a fighter about some cool topics and you just aren’t quite on your game. Such was the case last week at the UFC 140 press conference when I was fortunate enough to sit down with UFC lightweight c…
There are times when you sit down and talk candidly with a fighter about some cool topics and you just aren’t quite on your game. Such was the case last week at the UFC 140 press conference when I was fortunate enough to sit down with UFC lightweight contender and Canadian Mark Bocek.
I asked if I could chat with him about a couple of topics and sat down beside him. I didn’t turn on my video recorder and we just chatted for five minutes. Well I ended up dropping the ball huge on that one because Bocek turned out to be cordial, intelligent, and extremely honest in his words on the questions I asked him.
It is widely known that Bocek teaches jiu-jitsu in Las Vegas to none other than UFC President Dana White and the Fertitta brothers aside from being a formidable fighter in the UFC as well.
He quite frankly turned out to be one of the most interesting guys I have talked to in the game so far, though I have only talked to a few.
Here are some highlights of our conversation
DW: “Can I talk to you a minute about a few things Mark?”
MB: “Sure have a seat.”
DW: “I wanted to ask you first about your opponent at UFC 140 Nik Lentz. Are you OK with that matchup, I mean coming off of Benson at 129, i would expect a bigger guy?”
MB: “Well, people don’t know Nik maybe but he is a tough tough guy. He’s got over 20 wins and he’s undefeated in the UFC. Plus, coming off a loss, it’s not like you can really demand anybody.”
I then switched the topic to that loss to Ben Henderson at UFC 129.
DW: “Were you happy with your performance at 129?”
Bocek looked me dead in the eye and shook his head from side to side.
MB: “I mean, he pushed a pace and not taking anything away he beat me, and he beat Miller whom I have also fought so, he’s a tough guy.”
Then came the zinger…
MB: “Let’s just say that’s what happens when you maybe take a fight lightly…” he looked at my surprise and smirked
DW: “Oh really? well, he beat you in that fight but he didn’t really you know, hurt you.”
MB: “Well, I don’t want to take anything away from him. These guys coming in from other organizations, they are proving they are legit. They are tough but…”
You can tell that Bocek would love another shot at Henderson or a Pettis, or any other top lightweight if he can get past Lentz in December.
I then turned the subject to a dream fight for me and a subject I have been harping on for a while now.
I want to see a fight for the UFC Canadian Lightweight Championship of the world between Bocek and Sam Stout. Many have told me that Mark’s jiu-jitsu and size would be too much for Sam to handle, but I beg to differ. I’m not saying who would win but surely the fight would be a close one in my eyes.
DW: “Is that a fight you would be interested in? I’ve asked Sam Stout about it and he says if the UFC would be interested it would be kinda cool but…?”
MB: “Well, it’s an interesting question for sure, I really stopped fighting in the regional shows up here very early for that reason, you know, the titles don’t mean much. My fourth fight was in the UFC.”
DW: “I agree some local named title is irrelevant but at the level that you and Sam are at, you guys are right up there, surely it could be a UFC Canadian title or something like that.?”
Bocek smirked but disagreed.
MB: “I just can’t see it happening, I mean they just did it with two Brazilian guys I guess but there was no Brazilian official title on the line or anything like that.”
Even if there wasn’t I would love to see that fight done in Canada. Sam Stout and Mark Bocek have both been in the UFC and ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in Canada for a long time now. This Canadian fight fan wants a score settled.
Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA and correspondent for MMACanada.net.
It is interesting times in the world of your local MMA media pit. The press conference for UFC 140 this past week in Toronto saw an emerging trend peaking in a melting pot of media, as the usual internet representatives on hand were now mixing wit…
It is interesting times in the world of your local MMA media pit. The press conference for UFC 140 this past week in Toronto saw an emerging trend peaking in a melting pot of media, as the usual internet representatives on hand were now mixing with the mainstream writers and personalities that have been in the print game for a long time.
I was able to chat with usual suspects like Spencer Miller and Charles Rock from MMACanada.net, as well as James Brydon of Sportsnet.ca. Mixed martial arts journalists, Showdown Joe Ferraro of Rogers Sportsnet and Showdown Productions, Neil Davidson of the Canadian Press and Mauro Ranallo of The Score were also on hand as is the norm.
What was pleasantly surprising for me, was to see such notable Canadian sports journalists as Stephen Brunt of Rogers Sportsnet, Steve Simmons of The Toronto Sun and James Cybulski of TSN Radio on in attendance as well. Brunt has incredible boxing pedigree, and has been covering the sweet science for a long time.
I spoke with Stephen and he confirmed his take on MMA.
“As a spectator, jiu-jitsu is not my thing. I don’t really prefer to see that myself.” He confirmed that it is the stand up aspect that he enjoys.
“But I have seen some very gruesome things in boxing, much worse than MMA.” I told him one of the reasons why I like him most as a journalist is he has an open mind and educates himself to what he is covering.
“I’ve heard some really stupid things said about MMA for sure. Guys like Jon Jones, you can’t help but appreciate what incredible athletes they are.
It doesn’t get any more mainstream media than Stephen Brunt, he has covered every sport you can imagine for The Globe and Mail for most of his career. He is a best selling author and co-host of the top sports radio show in Canada.
Onward and upward for the Ultimate Fighting Championship
Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA and correspondent for MMACanada.net.
There are times when you sit down and talk candidly with a fighter about some cool topics and you just aren’t quite on your game. Such was the case last week at the