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Jon Jones Interview: Machida or Rampage? Who Is the Man That Can Beat Him?

The undisputed champ of the mixed martial arts world these days, Jon “Bones” Jones was in my neighbourhood yesterday appearing at the MMA Expo Show as part of MMA Live 1 London. Bones talked to all his fans, signed every autograph and posed for every p…

As I stood there and waited for a word with the champ, he spoke pleasantly to everyone that came up to him. The MMA Expo was holding a jiu jitsu competition in the main bowl and I could hear Jones ask each little guy that came up to him if they were competing today, because he was excited to catch some of the action.

Imagine how jacked up these kids were to know that Jon Jones was interested in watching them grapple. After his appearance session was done, Bones was kind enough to speak with me on one condition.

“Can we go out there and do this because I want to watch some jiu jitsu?” he asked. Well who am I to argue with the champ?

Right before we went out, his manager had already told me, “Sure, you can have a minute, but no Rashad questions, and no injury questions.” I soldiered on.

DW: So Jon, with the new announcement involving Twitter bonuses, and as a martial artist, do you see that Twitter is a good thing?

JJ: Absolutely, it gives the fighter a real opportunity to connect with and also reward fans through Twitter.

DW: And for you, you know, going from a hero recently and now you seem to be taking some heat on the airwaves and twitter heat, how are you doing there? Are you ok dealing with that?

JJ: Oh for sure man. You know, I look at those people and I feel that they are upset or talking about Bones you know, the character, they aren’t talking about me the person. My friends and family all know me and that’s the important thing.

DW: Speaking of that, who would win a fight in your family? Your family dinners?

With that question I got a chuckle out of Jon’s manager and a weird look and smile from Bones but also a quick and honest answer.

JJ: Arthur. Yeah, I would say he would probably still be the man. He’s big man, he still wrestles. He’s a tough guy I would say. He’s strong and could hold me down.

DW: But you have the strikes though right?

JJ: Yeah, I have the strikes for sure.

I was expecting Bones to say he himself is the toughest and would win, but his brother Arthur is a defensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens, as well as an accomplished wrestler. Now I know Jones can be beaten, and I know the man he thinks can do it.

DW: So Machida or Rampage? What do you think?

JJ: It doesn’t matter to me at all, they are both tough fighters and I’m here to fight the best.

DW: And you were just here for UFC 129 as well, did you enjoy the week?

JJ: I had a great time man, I love Canada and all the fans.

DW: Will you please push to be a headliner up here so we can see it live?

JJ: I’ll fight anywhere man. Wherever they want me to go I go.

Jon Jones is a champion who clearly knows how to be a champion. He was a pleasure to talk to, even though he is an absolute nightmare to fight.

I want Jones vs. Machida soon, and I’m greedy—I want the fight in Canada so I can try to see it live.

Dwight Wakabayashi is a Correspondent for Bleacher Report. (Also a Correspondent for MMACanada.net.) All quotes were obtained first-hand.

Catch me on Twitter at wakafighter

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MMA Live 1 Results: Ryan Ford Cuts, Beats Karo Parisyan, Jon Jones Steals Show

Ryan “The Real Deal” Ford scored a huge victory for his career tonight as he stopped veteran fighter Karo Parisyan with a vicious knee to the head that cut Parisyan deeply, causing the ringside doctor to put an end to the bout.
The fight was a rea…

The fight was a real battle of strength between the two fighters with some on hand calling it the “Fight of The Year” in Canada so far for 2011. While I would still tip my hat to Aldo-Hominick from UFC 129 for that crown, this was a fight with two tough and hungry men both going for broke for two solid rounds.

Parisyan showed up, folks, and he brought his judo arsenal with him, throwing Ford around a few times with his textbook technique and strength. Ford countered with a huge slam in the second round, and the two were in close quarters all night.

Parisyan held most of the advantage in the clinch and gained dominant position on Ford for most of the second round and I had him winning the fight before the explosive knee put a sudden halt to the affair.

“My game plan was to you know stand up and knock him out but well you know me I’m kinda stubborn,” Ford said, smiling.

“I got in there, you know, I got dumped a few times but I knew that was gonna happen, I just wanted to see what it was like because I know I’m gonna be stepping up and facing some tougher guys and some guys with the same judo skills as Karo.”

He did agree when asked if it was the biggest win of his career. “Yeah you know I would say so,” he said. “It’s Karo Parisyan, right, tough guy, fought the who’s who, and I beat him.”

Ford did beat him. He got the win and it was a very solid fight.

As for Parisyan, he came ready. He fought for the fans and gave a beautiful display of how judo can be implemented in a fight to gain a victory. He was winning the fight. It says here that he would have won had the doctor not stopped it, but the doctor did stop it and it was a justified stop due to a horrible gash.

Parisyan brought his game and some class with him to the John Labatt Center, as he stood in the ring and spoke to the fans after all the while with a towel pressuring the cut.

“I wanted to come here and prove to myself that I could still get in here and fight and I did that,” he said, and I would agree. “I was winning the fight and he caught me with a good knee, I wanted to continue fighting but the doctor stopped the fight because the cut is too deep.” He went on to show some great class, and gave a sign that he is a bit of a changed man.

“I’m taking nothing away from Ryan Ford. He won and hey Canada, I want to say thank you to all of you for coming out, and I want to thank you all for supporting this sport.”

I want to say thanks to Parisyan for coming in and putting on a great performance.

The biggest buzz in the building and the loudest roar of the night came at the intermission when UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones made a special appearance in the octagon (see video).

Jones was also on hand all day at the MMA Expo and was signing autographs, posing for pictures and being extremely pleasant and accessible to fans young and old.

In the co-main event of the evening, veteran Brazilian fighter Marcus Aurelio pulled out a lightning fast arm bar submission after being slammed heavily by a game late replacement Matt McGrath of P.E.I. He won at 1:29 of the first round.

The rest of the results from the show:

Lyndon Whitlock defeated Daniel Longbeen via triangle choke first round.

Bo Harris defeated Brent Franczuz by unanimous decision.

Allan Wilson defeated Theo Toney via rear naked choke second round.

Chuck Mady defeated James Haourt via arm bar 2:22 first round.

Jason Saggo defeated Derek Boyle via rear naked choke 2:18 third round.

Dwight Wakabayashi is a Correspondent for Bleacher Report. (Also a Correspondent for MMACanada.net) All quotes were obtained first-hand.

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MMA Live 1 London: Live Fight Play-by-Play, Catch It Here, Starts 7:30

MMA Live 1 London goes down tonight from the John Labatt Center in London, Ontario starting at 7:30. It is London’s first live mixed martial arts event and only the fourth in Ontario. The fight card features a headline bout with much on the line as vet…

MMA Live 1 London goes down tonight from the John Labatt Center in London, Ontario starting at 7:30. It is London’s first live mixed martial arts event and only the fourth in Ontario.

The fight card features a headline bout with much on the line as veteran fighter Karo “The Heat” Parisyan looks to start a comeback against top welterweight, Edmonton’s own Ryan “The Real Deal” Ford. Ford is looking for a win to catapult his name and status to the upper echelon of mixed martial arts.

There will also be a special appearance by UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones.

Catch the action live here starting at 7:30pm.

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Chris "The Polish Hammer" Horodecki: Working Hard to Get to the Big Show

MMA Live 1 Parisyan vs. Ford takes place tonight in London, Ontario. It is an exciting time in the local mixed martial arts scene. This will be the first ever mixed martial arts event held in London, even though the town is home to one of the top train…

The Adrenaline MMA Training Center in London is owned and operated by three of the best fighters in the country; two are currently employed by the UFC and one is working hard to make his way to the big show.

Chris “The Polish Hammer” Horodecki is officially the No. 7 ranked lightweight fighter in Canada but it says here that he should be in the top five. He holds a professional record of 17-3 and is coming off headlining the first mixed martial arts event ever held in Ontario with a submission win over American fighter Danny Castillo.

I had the pleasure of talking with Chris while he was training at Adrenaline this morning, and asked him about how he feels now that MMA is legal in Ontario.

“It’s great. I’m excited for the show tonight in London. The timing of my last fight and a personal commitment to my buddy’s wedding in Cuba did not allow me to be on this card, but I am excited that it is happening in London,” Horodecki said, in a small glimpse of how fight card timing, and commitment to training are key factors in planning and fight prep.

It is clear that Horodecki would have loved to be on his hometown’s first ever fight card, but these guys are extremely professional and smart when it comes to their careers.

“There’s no way I can be on the card and fight when I’m not in proper training leading up to it, and I had committed to the wedding a long time ago. I’m excited though, I will be there.”

It was a real experience to be there while Chris was doing grappling training with some the other high level fighters at Adrenaline, such as Chris Clements, another local fighter and trainer who would have loved to be on the card, and told me that he asked for the headline fight with Karo but was unable to get it sanctioned.

Horodecki was training ground, take downs and take down defense while I was there and clearly had a purpose.

“My focus right now is just train and work man. Work, work to get better. I’m a young fighter already has 10 years in this, and I have time to work and get better and UFC is the goal. I want to get there and I already have my next two fights scheduled and my opponents matched. I have one fight in July and another in November.”

It has been said in the past that Horodecki is a bit of a small lightweight and might be better to move down to 145 pounds and climb and he doesn’t completely rule it out.

“I would only move down to 145 for the UFC, and that’s it.” A pretty clear indication that it would take a big offer.

I asked when we will hear who he has lined up. “There will be an announcement soon,” he stated.

I am looking forward to seeing Horodecki in action. He is one of Canada’s best and has been in the cage with some of the toughest in the world.

I look forward to watching his inevitable rise to the big show, and hope we get to see him make his debut in Canada.

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5 Things to Watch for in Kenny Florian’s Featherweight Debut

Kenny Florian will make his featherweight debut at UFC 131 in Vancouver on June 11, and I for one am looking forward to seeing it. Florian is dropping down after two legitimate runs at the 155-pound title and will face tough Brazilian and WEC veteran D…

It is always interesting when a fighter switches weight divisions and this is no different with Florian. It will be all about adjustments for him and I’m sure he will be in peak shape and ready to roll on fight night.

I am looking forward to this match-up big time and will be in the building that night, and when I zoom in on Ken Flo that night, I will be looking for some specific things that are questions in my mind in regards to his decision to drop down and his game in general.

Here are five things to watch for in Kenny Florian’s featherweight division debut.

5. Will he make this a stand up war?

Florian’s stand up—and Muay Thai in general—is well known and respected, yet that is also the base of Nunes’ game. Will Kenny look to out bang Nunes to try and make a point that he is the new big bully in town?

If so, we could be in for some fireworks here and I must take Florian to prevail on points.

4. Was size a factor for him at 155 pounds or does he really have poor take down defense?

In his big fights against bigger guys he got taken down too many times at crucial times and many believe it was due to a size disadvantage. Nunes will test that too as he has strength, and will look to take Kenny down if he feels he is in trouble on his feet.

If Nunes is successful, then it will be crystal clear that wrestling and take down defense are not strengths of Ken Flo’s game.

3. Will he be aggressive and look to finish fast to make a statement?

Remember when Kenny emphatically stated to Joe Rogan, “I FINISH FIGHTS AT 155!”? Well he isn’t lying and we will see if Kenny can finish and finish quick at 145 pounds as well. I believe he needs a lopsided beat down win to really legitimize his shot at Aldo.

Will Florian rush out, push forward and unleash hell? I sure hope so because if he is cautious in this fight, it will seem that some of the piss and vinegar has been lost from his game.

2. Will he try and implement his GSP-type game plan that didn’t work for him at 155?

Whether it be a jab and push strategy to a take down and top control clinic in Vancouver, if Kenny tries to follow the Firas Zahabi school of safe and secure in his fight with Nunes he will not endear himself to the fans that night or set himself up for any type of demand vs. Jose Aldo.

A win is a win and I’m not saying he’s going to do it, but just watch for it. He might pull it out as a last resort if Nunes gets the upper hand at all.

1. Will he overlook Nunes and make a critical error and lose this fight?

With all the air time that Ken Flo gets, we have all heard of his master plan to fight Jose Aldo and that that was the reason he came down to 145 pounds in the first place. He better be motivated for Nunes and look him dead in the eye because this guy is hungry for Aldo too and he is not to be overlooked.

If Kenny makes that mistake, he will be in an incredibly tough spot in his career where his relevancy at either weight class may come into question. My opinion is if he makes that mistake he deserves all the criticism he gets and he will have to dig deep to come out of the spot he will be in.

Enjoy the fight everyone, it will be a key moment in Kenny Florian’s career.

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MMA Live 1: Parisyan Is Ready to Start His Climb Back, and Will Start with Ford

Karo Parisyan has been to hell and back over the past few years, and will look to his fight this Thursday vs. Canadian Ryan Ford at MMA 1 Live: London to get his career back on track. He spoke about his mental state, battling his demons, his training p…

Karo Parisyan has been to hell and back over the past few years, and will look to his fight this Thursday vs. Canadian Ryan Ford at MMA 1 Live: London to get his career back on track.

He spoke about his mental state, battling his demons, his training progress, and his upcoming opponent in an exclusive interview with hyefighters.com and posted on MMACanada.net.

Here are some of the highlights of the interview, which give a good look at Karo’s frame of mind going into fight week.

How are you feeling Karo, what’s going on?

“Back to square one again,” he stated with a large sigh. “I struggled with demons for three years. A lot of bad stuff, personal stuff. Thank God I am overcoming stuff.”

So, are all the demons behind you now?

“sort of yeah, I’m looking back and they still want to wave at me so I’m flipping them off.” he laughs. “At the time being I’m training, I feel healthier, I look healthier. Today, I was not too happy with my training. I did not get pushed around or anything, I was still throwing guys in the clinch but when I walk in there, I want to be the MAN.”

“I want the other guys to think you clinch with me you are going on a roller coaster ride. I’m not feeling that exact confidence yet but I will.”

When asked if he was all done with the drug addiction that people were accusing him of in the online chat world Karo said that he was not addicted to drugs or pain killers specifically, and went on to state that those pain killers that he was taking for injury were a downward spiral that caused a lot of his anxiety leading up to his fights.

How is the anxiety?

It’s done. Gone. I’m good, I’m fine. I don’t have it.

He then continued on a bit of a rant saying that when you have a little bit of a name in life people like to take a piece of a hamburger and make it into a whole cow, no doubt referring to how people can blow things out of proportion when a little bit of the story gets out.

The focus then turned to his upcoming fight, when he was asked,

Do you know much about Ford?

“I’ve met him in Canada. Big black guy, strong, I thought he was a light-heavyweight. They offered ten to twelve guys in Canada the fight and no one would take it. He took the fight and I want say thank you to him for that.”

“I want to show people that I’m back fighting, I’m back performing. It’s not that Karo that people say, ‘look at him, he doesn’t look right, he doesn’t do this do that. I want people to say dude, he’s back, he’s fighting.'”

He also gave a pretty clear sign of what he thinks Ford’s chances are in this fight.

“God forbid I get hit by lightning and the fight doesn’t go my way, people will still say that’s the Karo we saw fighting Diaz or Serra or Lytle.”

Finally, he was asked if he had anything to prove to himself in his comeback bid?

“First and foremost I want this for myself. It got to the point with me where the smallest things turned into the biggest things and the next thing you know I’m pulling out of fights. I want to get that confidence up there, I’m 29 years old and have at least five more years in me to go out there and bang!

“I’m in a deep hole, but I am crawling out.”

Here’s hoping that crawl fight with Ford can turn into walking fights and then running fights for “The Heat” in his return.

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