Charles McCarthy, a man that contested 15 professional bouts before retiring from mixed martial arts competition a few years ago, has never been one to back down from a fight. Since walking away from professional competition in 2008, McCarthy, who has …
Charles McCarthy, a man that contested 15 professional bouts before retiring from mixed martial arts competition a few years ago, has never been one to back down from a fight.
Since walking away from professional competition in 2008, McCarthy, who has shared the Octagon with David Loiseau and Michael Bisping, has focused much of his energy on a new challenge—the world of mixed martial arts journalism.
With mixed martial arts journalism, an industry that is run largely amateur sports-writers and big-league shills, McCarthy’s newest challenge is going to be, well, challenging.
McCarthy, who launched www.CageJunkies.com a few months ago, is both well-aware of the industry’s unfavourable conception and confident that the state of mixed martial arts journalism will only improve over time.
“I think journalism in the sport has that reputation because it’s new—it’s a new industry,” McCarthy said over the telephone from his home in Florida. “Any time you have a new industry—especially in the media—people tend to do it for free before the industry builds up to the point where they’re able to make a living. Whenever you have people doing work for free, they probably won’t have the same sense of urgency for quality that they would if their lifestyles depended on it. In MMA journalism, you have a lot of guys that are new to journalism—they’re not seasoned journalists—so you’re not seeing the same quality and consistency that you’ll see in other areas. I think it’s a temporary problem, though. Just like we’ve seen the sport and the fighters develop over the years, I think MMA journalism will evolve, as well.”
With the advent of Cage Junkies, McCarthy is hoping to speed up the industry’s evolution process.
“At Cage Junkies, we’re trying to build a viable business-model where writers can get paid so it increases the urgency for quality. At the same time, we’ve only brought on people that are very passionate about the sport. I’m the CEO of the website and I’ve fought in the UFC, we’ve got Heath Herring, who runs one of our radio programs. Instead of trying to start this from scratch, we’re trying to bring in people that are already established in the industry that have a unique perspective.”
“There’s really not a lot of that in MMA. In other sports, athletes transition really well from their playing-days to the media, because they’ve been through the sport and have a perspective that fans don’t have access to. That’s what we’re trying to do with Cage Junkies. A lot of great fighters have retired and are looking for new opportunities—those are the guys that we want. We want the guys that have been in there and know what the sport is and what to contribute based on their vantage point.”
In the future, McCarthy, who also owns Boynton MMA in Boynton Beach, Florida, has some lofty aspirations for his site.
“We’re working on putting together a TV program package that we can sell to a network. We’d like to run an insider’s TV show—like what we’re doing with Cage Junkies. We’re looking to build the Cage Junkies radio network,” McCarthy said. “There are a lot of talented radio hosts in MMA out there, but we want them all in one location so these guys can find success by working with one audience. There are a lot of talented journalists on the radio, but they’re spread out through dozens of different websites. We want to bring everyone together and say, ‘Well, if you’re into MMA talk radio, then you can come to Cage Junkies and listen to any number of the best MMA shows.’”
“I want to be the premier location for UFC and MMA news,” McCarthy said.
To be certain, Gilbert Yvel, a mixed martial artist with more than 50 professional matches on his resume, isn’t the type of man to back down from a fight. While Yvel has made a living off the fight game for more than a decade, the former UFC heav…
To be certain, Gilbert Yvel, a mixed martial artist with more than 50 professional matches on his resume, isn’t the type of man to back down from a fight.
While Yvel has made a living off the fight game for more than a decade, the former UFC heavyweight contender insists that he has been a fighter since well before he ever entered a ring.
“I got into a lot of fights in my younger years,” Yvel said with a laugh. “I realized that I was born to fight when I was in my mama’s belly—I was boxing and kicking [laughs]. When I walked out of there, I was fighting the nurses—I was fighting everybody. I was born to fight.”
Some 15 years ago, Yvel discovered mixed martial arts and, since that fateful day, is yet to look back.
Since making his professional debut in early-1997, Yvel has registered 36 professional victories—including wins over Semmy Schilt, Gary Goodridge, Cheick Kongo, and Pedro Rizzo—and is regarded by many as one of the most exciting heavyweights in the sport.
After being signed by the UFC in late-2009, Yvel subsequently lost his first three—and at this point his only three—matches in the Octagon, a fact that doesn’t sit well with “The Hurricane.”
“Everyone loses, but losses are very tough to deal with in this sport,” Yvel said. “I hate to lose—I seriously hate to lose. I wasn’t made to lose, so I can’t believe that I lost three in a row.”
After his most recent match—a first-round loss to Jon Madsen at UFC 121—Yvel, citing personal reasons he prefers not to discuss, took a brief hiatus from professional competition. It didn’t take too long, however, for Yvel to return to the gym.
“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life. I didn’t really do anything during my time off from the sport,” Yvel said with a laugh. “I sat on the couch playing video games and watching movies until I got the urge to go to the gym again.”
“I was done with it for a moment. It’s hard to explain, but fighting is my life. I started to itch, again. I can’t sit on the couch all day—I mean, it’s pretty good to sit on the couch all day—but I just love going into the gym, sparring, and beating people up. That’s what I love. I realized that fighting is what I want to do,” Yvel said. “Fighting is what I do. This is my passion and I love it.”
Since returning to his academy, Yvel’s passion for mixed martial arts has been re-ignited and, after dropping over 30 pounds from his heavyweight-frame, is eyeing a run as a light-heavyweight.
“I’ve done a lot of cardio, I’m eating healthy. I’m down to 230. In two weeks I’ll be down to 220 and then I hope to get to 215 and, from there, cut down to 205 and destroy all of the light-heavyweights,” Yvel said. “I’m very excited to get back to action.”
Moving forward, Yvel has his sights set on making a serious run in the UFC’s light-heavyweight division—a prospect that only excites the 35 year old mixed martial artist.
“This will be the best Gilbert Yvel that people have ever seen,” said Yvel, who claimed he was tentatively scheduled to fight a yet-to-be-determined opponent in early-December. “I’ve got a few more good years in me and I want to go out with a bang. I want to be back in the UFC. I want the opportunity to show the world what’s up.”
“A UFC championship would be the best thing ever,” Yvel said. “I would cry—I would definitely shed a lot of tears. I would cry like a little girl. I watch these guys on TV and they cry when they win and I’m like, ‘C’mon, man,’ but I would cry like a little baby.”
Regardless of what he accomplishes in the sport—Yvel half-joked that he would be more than happy with earning fifty million dollars in mixed martial arts pay days—the fact that “The Hurricane” is back in the game at all is enough to satisfy the former Pride FC heavyweight at this point.
“I can’t look back on my career in five or 10 years and think that I didn’t give it everything that I had. I can still do way more,” Yvel said from his home in Las Vegas, Nevada. “If I wasn’t going to come back to the sport, I would always be wondering, ‘What if I did that?’ or ‘What if I did this?’ I need to do it right now and then in five or 10 years look back on my career and smile and be happy.”
In the weeks leading up to Sean McCorkle’s first bout since parting ways with the UFC, the man they call “Big Sexy” is confident going into his next match, but nevertheless realistic when assessing his options in the sport after July …
In the weeks leading up to Sean McCorkle’s first bout since parting ways with the UFC, the man they call “Big Sexy” is confident going into his next match, but nevertheless realistic when assessing his options in the sport after July 23rd.
Prior to his run in the Octagon, McCorkle, with nine wins in as many opportunities on Indiana’s regional circuit, earned a spot in the UFC’s heavyweight division.
Although McCorkle won his first match in the Octagon—a first-round submission victory over Mark Hunt at UFC 119—the Indianapolis native went on to drop bouts against Stefan Struve and Christian Morecraft and was, to the surprise of many, subsequently released by the promotion.
While McCorkle, a self-proclaimed “glass-half-empty kind of guy,” was doubtless disappointed in his run in the UFC, he is looking forward to his first match outside of the Octagon—a main-event bout against Mike Hayes on July 23rd under the Championship Fighting Alliance banner in Miami, Florida.
“I only fought for the UFC three times for a total of about 14 minutes, so I didn’t really get a chance to get too used to it,” said McCorkle in an exclusive interview with Ed Kapp, “Well, hopefully the nerves will be gone for the most part for this match—at least to the level they are before a UFC fight. When you fight in the UFC, if you don’t perform, every fight could be your last with them—the pressure in the UFC is enormous.”
Despite the fact that McCorkle still has to cut nearly 30 pounds to meet the 265-pound weight-limit—a weight-cap that admittedly mystifies “Big Sexy”—the former UFC-heavyweight is more than confident that, come July 23rd, Hayes won’t have anything to special to offer the near six-year veteran of professional mixed martial arts competition.
“I don’t think he poses anything that I haven’t faced before. With only four losses—all coming by decision—in 20 fights, he’s obviously not an easy guy to finish. Which will make it that much more impressive when I do it early.”
Although McCorkle insists that he feels he belongs in the UFC, he is nevertheless aware that there are no guarantees in mixed martial arts and further insists that to get “Big Sexy” back into the Octagon, the circumstances would have to be right.
“I think an impressive win over Mike is definitely a big indicator that I belong in the UFC. I believe he’s close to breaking in the UFC, himself,” said McCorkle. “I think I’m just a few wins away from getting back to the UFC, though. The big thing for me will be the matchup—if and when I’m invited back. I’m not interested in coming back for a terrible matchup, just to lose and get cut, again. I want to make sure that I can stay for a while before I come back.”
Even if he doesn’t get the call, McCorkle insists it’s not his loss.
“Absolutely, [releasing me was the biggest mistake the UFC has ever made],” joked McCorkle. “If they’d kept me, Dana White and the Fertittas would be millionaires by now.”
For mixed martial arts fans on Twitter, don’t forget to follow Sean “Big Sexy” McCorkle at http://twitter.com/#!/bigsexymccorkle and Ed Kapp at http://twitter.com/#!/EdKapp
Riding high on a four-match win-streak, Brendan Schaub, who is slated to take on mixed martial arts legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 134 in Brazil, is currently preparing for, arguably, the toughest fight of his young career. A collegiate footbal…
Riding high on a four-match win-streak, Brendan Schaub, who is slated to take on mixed martial arts legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 134 in Brazil, is currently preparing for, arguably, the toughest fight of his young career.
A collegiate football player at Colorado State University, a professional with the Utah Blaze of the Arena Football League and a member of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills’ practise roster, Schaub didn’t start mixed martial arts training until he was well into his twenties.
After starting his professional career on a four-fight win-streak, Schaub was invited to compete on ‘The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights’ and was subsequently picked to train under Rashad Evans’ squad.
During his time on the show, Schaub, en route to getting a spot in the final match of the season, bested Demico Rogers, Jon Madsen, and Marcus Jones.
Although Schaub was stopped by Roy Nelson in the tournament’s finale, the man they call “The Hybrid” was brought back to compete in the Octagon and has, since March of last year, registered victories over Chase Gormley, Chris Tuchscherer, Gabriel Gonzaga, and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic.
Now, in what many believe to be the biggest challenge of his career, Schaub is slated to take on Nogueira at UFC 134 on August 27th, in “Big Nog’s” native-Brazil.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Brendan Schaub about, among other topics, his days in football, his time on “The Ultimate Fighter,” and what he would like to accomplish in mixed martial arts.
When did you start playing football?
Football? Shoot, man, when I was little. Second grade, first grade…maybe.
You don’t remember your first day?
No—not at all.
Where you always passionate about the game?
I was just an athletic kid, man: I played football, basketball, lacrosse—I was into everything. I just kind of did everything. I was definitely the best at football, but as I started to grow up, I was better at lacrosse.
How do you feel about what you were able to accomplish in football?
It paid my way through college, so that was a big feat for me. Competing at such a high-level was also a cool experience for me.
Was it difficult to walk away from the game?
Not at all, man. It’s a different game in college, especially playing at the Division I level—it was a fulltime job. I had some pretty bad injuries that were building up and by my junior year, I knew it wasn’t something that I wanted to do for a while. I don’t know if my body could’ve dealt with it for much longer, either.
Were you involved in any martial arts growing up?
Yeah, I did some Tae Kwon Do and some boxing.
What do you think made you gravitate towards martial arts?
My dad was a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and in karate. He enlisted us in martial arts, and for us, it was just more of a discipline-thing [laughs] and to teach us that it wasn’t about fighting each other—just a way to have discipline and set goals.
Looking back to those days, if someone would’ve said that you’d be fighting for a living, what would you say?
I wouldn’t call it too crazy: I was always a gifted athlete and whatever I put my mind to, I excelled at it. Even playing with the older kids; I was just a step above a lot of guys. Once I put my mind to fighting, I knew that I could go pretty far in this sport.
How did you first come across mixed martial arts?
I first ran into it at ’93. The first UFC was here in Denver and my uncle talked about it all the time. I’d fake like I was sick in elementary school and he’d rent us the videos of all the UFCs and we’d watch them nonstop. For me, it was early, man.
When you were watching those videos, were you ever thinking that you could do this?
Yeah—I always thought that I could do it and I wanted to do it. It was always something that I wanted to do…when I was in college, I did some jiu-jitsu and some boxing because I knew that I wanted to be a fighter. The only reason that I started doing that was to pursue mixed martial arts.
Once I was out of college, I kept boxing and entered the Golden Gloves tournament. I never thought about going pro in boxing or having a career in the sport; I was just doing it to prepare myself for mixed martial arts. Shoot, man, I’ve been around mixed martial arts royalty since I was young: Nate Marquardt and Shane Carwin were the first ever guys that I met when I walked into the gym. Those guys took me under their wing and directed me and my career.
When you first started training, what were your intentions?
My intention was to get to the UFC—that was the only reason. It wasn’t something that I wanted to do part-time or beat up local guys on smaller shows; the only reason that I got into it was to live the life that I’m living now.
Is that what inspired you to try out for “The Ultimate Fighter?”
I didn’t have to try out for “The Ultimate Fighter.” At the time, I was 4-0 and I had just won the Ring of Fire heavyweight belt here in Denver, and I come from a pretty impressive line of training partners: I’ve got Rashad Evans, Keith Jardine, Eliot Marshall.
Those guys heard that they were doing heavyweights, and I can’t remember who it was, but one of those guys put in a call and said, “Hey, we’ve got this heavyweight out here and you guys may want him for the show.” The next thing that I knew, I was getting a call from the UFC and Spike TV producers and they were asking me about being on “The Ultimate Fighter” and they flew me out the next day for medicals. I never had to try out.
Were you at all apprehensive about going on to the show?
No—not at all. I’m very aware of show—I’ve watched every season—and I was stoked: I couldn’t believe that it was actually happening.
Was trying out for the show in the future something that you had thought about?
No, I think I would’ve made the UFC with or without the show. Coming off the show, though, puts you on a bigger stage; I don’t think there’s a better way to get into the UFC than through “The Ultimate Fighter.” At the time, Shane Carwin had just had his first or second fight in the UFC, so I was around the UFC—I was around UFC-calibre guys a lot. I knew that I could compete at that level—it was just a matter of time until I got my foot in the door.
Have you ever thought about how much longer it would’ve taken you to get to the UFC—had you not taken the “The Ultimate Fighter”-route?
Not really, but I don’t think it would’ve taken me too long. I was 4-0—all knockouts—and I was familiar with the UFC personnel, so I thought it was just a matter of time.
How did you like your odds going onto the show?
I loved my odds. I didn’t know anyone except for two guys in the house—I only knew Roy Nelson from his IFL-days and I knew Kimbo Slice—but I liked my odds, man.
Was there anything that surprised you during your time on the show?
Not really. Before I went on the show, I was training with Rashad Evans, Keith Jardine, and Eliot Marshall, and they had all been through the experience, and all three of them had good turnouts on the show, and they told me what to expect. I just knew that if I stayed focused for those six weeks in the house, I would make a good name for myself. Win, lose, or draw on that show, you’re going to give yourself an opportunity to make something of yourself.
Did you ever think that it may end poorly?
No—I wouldn’t have went on the show if I didn’t think that I could win it.
How do you feel about what you were able to accomplish on the show?
I had a great time in the house; I won all three fights and had three finishes. You only get paid if you finish guys, so I made the most money out of everybody in the house. I did what I expected to do, so I wasn’t surprised. I worked harder than anyone in the house and I think it showed.
How different do you think your experience would’ve been had you been selected by Quinton [Jackson]?
Not that much different, because the thing about being on Team Rashad was his best friend in the house was [James] McSweeney, and most of the match-ups would favour McSweeney. I think the best thing about our team was that we had the best guys: we had Roy Nelson, myself, McSweeney, [Matt] Mitrione, Justin Wren—our team was pushing each other every day. I think that would’ve been the biggest difference; Quinton’s team didn’t exactly have all the talent.
How beneficial do you think it was for you to have some of your teammates be a part of your experience on the show?
Really, I didn’t have a lot of my teammates on my team. I knew Rashad—I’ve trained with him a few times—but we haven’t really hung out other than that; not like him and McSweeney. Him and McSweeney were best friends—I think they lived together for a little bit.
Everyone thought that I had a big advantage because of that, but I’d say that my biggest advantage would be when they brought in Trevor Wittman. Trevor was a familiar face, someone I could just talk to. It wasn’t so much the coaching; it was just having someone that I could relate to and to have someone that knows where I really come from.
How much of an impact has Trevor had on your career?
Trevor has been great. I’m known as, kind of, a knockout-artist and he is my boxing coach. He’s led me along the way—he’s been crucial to my success.
How would you describe the environment at Grudge?
It’s a great environment. When I was younger, I just followed what Nate Marquardt and Shane Carwin did; I would just jump in and get my ass whipped all the time. Now that Nate is down at 170, I don’t train with him at all anymore—we just talk a lot. Grudge is a great environment; it’s a great place to be from.
To what do you attribute the early success of the academy?
I think the success comes from the hard-work that we put in. Nate’s been around the game for a long time, Rashad was down with us for a long time, Carwin is one of the smartest guys I know—I think it’s just the smart training that we do. Those guys have had success and I’m starting to have success, so I just think it’s the mixture of being smart about training and our training camps.
How do you feel about Nate’s situation?
Ed, to be honest, I’ve received that question a ton lately. I’m not too knowledgeable about it—I was just as surprised as everybody else when things went down. My heart goes out to Nate and it’s an unfortunate circumstance.
What do you feel the future holds for Nate?
Nate is one of the best fighters in the world, so he’s going to continue doing that. Hopefully he gets back into the UFC soon—Nate is still one of my best friends.
How much of an impact do you feel Nate has had on your career?
Oh, man. I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I’m at today without Nate.
What does fighting in the UFC mean to you?
Fighting in the UFC is the pinnacle of the sport. There couldn’t be a better time to fight in the UFC than right now; the division is stacked and there are a lot of great match-ups for me. Fighting in the UFC is a dream-come-true and I know I’ve got a lot of work to do, but I never take it for granted.
How do you feel about what you’ve been able to accomplish in the UFC so far?
I’ve had some great fights and that’s what I expect. I’ve got a long way to go, but I’m getting closer to that title each and every fight. Obviously, that’s the plan, and I have a huge fight coming in August—it will be my third legend in a row and I’m just so honoured to be able to fight these guys.
How are you feeling going into your upcoming match?
I feel good. I’m one of those guys that’s always training; I’m a martial artist and I’m always in shape, always training, and always getting better. For this fight, it’s the same protocol as usual.
Does fighting a legend of the sport—as you said—alter the way that you approach a fight?
No—not at all. Not only am I fighting a legend, but probably one of the greatest heavyweights of all time and I’m fighting him in his backyard. I think that adds a bit more pressure when you’re fighting guys of this magnitude, but they’ve got what I want and the only way to get that is by going out and beating these guys. I don’t let the persona or the legend-stuff get in my head.
What do you think Nogueira’s game-plan is going to be come fight-night?
I think it will be the best Nogueira that we’ve seen in the Octagon. He’s had some time to correct some stuff and he’s fighting in his hometown—I expect one heck of a fight. Obviously, he likes to box and he’s probably one of the best heavyweights in the world—in terms of ground-games—so he poses a lot of threats.
Do you feel that you’re going into hostile territory?
It can’t get any more hostile. That’s the reason that I wanted this fight: that’s as close as you can get, pressure-wise, to a title-fight. I want to prepare myself for the day that I fight for a title and this is a step in the right direction—this is as close as you can get to it. It’s going to be hostile as heck down there, man.
Does that alter the way you approach your fight?
Nope—not at all. If anything, it fires me up even more and makes me train even harder—I think it’s a benefit for me.
Are you looking forward to making the trip to Brazil?
Yeah, I was just out there a week ago for the press conference and it’s the most beautiful place that I’ve ever been. I got a great response from the fans—it was a great experience for me. I love it down there.
Do you plan on sticking around for a while after your match?
I think so. That’s the plan, but there’s nothing concrete yet. Hopefully Brazil isn’t too mad at me after this fight, so I can stick around for a little bit after this fight [laughs].
What are you expecting out of the fans?
I’m going to be fighting their boy; I’m going to be fighting their hero. In Brazil, their heroes in sports are Nogueira and soccer players. I expect them to be rooting for their guy and I don’t expect to be welcomed with open-arms, but I expect that stuff.
What would a win at UFC 134 mean to you?
A win at UFC 134 in Rio would be the biggest win of my life. As Dana [White] said in the press conference, the winner of the fight is right up there for a title-shot. For me, that’s why I do this: I want to be the best and I want to fight for a title. This is a huge step in that direction.
Again, assuming you win, what do you feel is the next step in your career?
Assuming I win? I haven’t really thought about that, but I think a win will put me pretty close to that number-one contender spot. That’s not for me to decide, but that definitely puts me up there. If I can go out and beat Nogueira convincingly, I can make a pretty good argument for me being up there.
What would that championship belt mean to you?
It would be a dream-come-true; a championship is why I do this. I don’t do this to be a guy in the UFC, I do this to be the best and put on exciting fights. Those guys that are, you know, .500 fighters or guys that are just in the UFC aren’t going to have long careers. For me, it’s about longevity and being one of the superstars of the UFC—that’s why I do this.
How far do you feel you can go in this sport?
Ah, man—I can definitely hold that title-belt one day. The sky is the limit.
What will you be satisfied with when it’s all said and done?
Going down as one of the greatest ever, man. Being in the heavyweight division, you can do that nowadays; the competition is so stiff and there are so many legends. You can do it, you’ve just got to stay focused and beat these guys one at a time.
For mixed martial arts fans on Twitter, follow Brendan Schaub at http://twitter.com/#!/brendanschaub and Ed Kapp at http://twitter.com/#!/EdKapp
Following a tough loss in late April—which was only the fifth of his professional career—Jake Shields, although disappointed, views UFC 129, its lead-up, and fallout, as positive experiences and is hungry to make his way to the top of the d…
Following a tough loss in late April—which was only the fifth of his professional career—Jake Shields, although disappointed, views UFC 129, its lead-up, and fallout, as positive experiences and is hungry to make his way to the top of the division once again.
The defeat, which came at the hands of UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, albeit disappointing to Shields, was a long time coming.
“I really liked fighting right away. I think, initially, I thought it was a one- or two-time thing, but I think after four or five fights, I thought that I could make it,” said Shields in an exclusive interview with Ed Kapp, “Of course, it took longer than I thought; I thought that I’d be fighting for UFC titles in just a few years. It took a bit longer, though [laughs].”
Despite dropping two out of his first five matches, Shields, from February 2001 to October 2010, only lost a pair of bouts and registered notable victories over Hayato Sakurai, Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit, Nick Thompson, Paul Daley, Robbie Lawler, Jason Miller, Dan Henderson and Martin Kampmann before falling to St. Pierre in Toronto.
“Losing sucks—I broke my huge winning streak—but to go out there and fight GSP for five rounds in front of 60,000 people was quite a cool experience.”
“Of course, it’s a little disappointing; when you go out there and lose, it’s always disappointing. I look back at a lot of things that I did wrong and wish I did it differently, but you can’t dwell too much on the past. All you can do is move forward, try to learn from your mistakes, and get prepared for your next fight. “
As for Shields’ next match, although he is unsure when he will return to the Octagon, the Cesar Gracie student admits that he, once again, is feeling “the itch to compete.”
“I’m starting to feel that again. I was a little burnt out after the last fight from the long training camp and all of the media. Plus the letdown of losing really had me burnt out for a month afterwards, but two months later, I’m ready to call the UFC and ask who they’ve got for me.”
Shields, although ready to make a call to the UFC, in an effort to establish another impressive winning streak and an eventual title shot in the Octagon, is ready and willing to take on all callers.
“It’s not up to me who I fight—I’m willing to fight whoever—so I’m just waiting for the UFC to call me, so I can get back on the winning track. I’ve just got to get back on track. I still want that belt, so I’ve got to go on to win a couple fights and, hopefully, I can get a title shot, again.”
Although many fighters, following disappointing losses, question their future in the sport, Shields’ lofty ambitions in mixed martial arts, after more than a decade of professional competition and championships in Shooto, EliteXC and Strikeforce, are yet to waver.
“My goal—even though I fell short last time—is to hold the UFC belt. That’s the most honourable belt that anyone can hold in this sport.”
While Donald Cerrone, a three-time championship contender in the WEC, is proud of what he’s been able to accomplish in mixed martial arts so far, now in the UFC, the man they call “Cowboy” is confident in his abilities moving forward….
While Donald Cerrone, a three-time championship contender in the WEC, is proud of what he’s been able to accomplish in mixed martial arts so far, now in the UFC, the man they call “Cowboy” is confident in his abilities moving forward.
After picking up kickboxing in high school and subsequently compiling an undefeated professional record in the sport, Cerrone, in pursuit of bigger paydays and good times, turned to mixed martial arts in 2006.
“I was kickboxing at the time and a promoter offered me some money to take an MMA fight. I thought it would be fun, so I did it,” offered Cerrone in an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report, “I didn’t really have intentions of fighting in MMA; it just kind of fell into place. Once I started fighting, though, I loved it and I walked away from kickboxing right away.”
After putting together a perfect record as a professional mixed martial artist through the first seven matches of his career, Cerrone, thanks in part to a phone call made by the late Charles “Mask” Lewis and an appearance on the TapouT reality television program, was invited to compete at WEC 30 in Las Vegas, Nevada in September of 2007.
“[Charles “Mask” Lewis] called Reed Harris and told them he had this kid. That kid was me and they gave me a chance. I owe a lot to Mask and the TapouT crew. When I got picked up by the TapouT crew and was featured on their reality show, that really jumpstarted my career.”
During his time in the WEC, Cerrone quickly established himself as one of the organization’s brightest stars.
The winner of his first three bouts in the promotion—despite having his first match overturned to a no-contest after testing positive for banned substances—Cerrone was given a title-shot in less than a year-and-a-half with the WEC.
Despite dropping a split decision to Jamie Varner in his first WEC championship bout in January of 2009, over the course of the next year-and-a-half, Cerrone, a veteran of 10 contests in the WEC, was twice involved in lightweight championship matches with the organization.
“My time with the WEC was great for me; it was great to be able to get big-show experience, headline fight-cards, and fight for world titles. I’m pleased with the exposure I received, but I’m in this to be the best.”
After the WEC was absorbed by the UFC in early 2011, Cerrone, unfazed by the depth of the UFC’s lightweight division, knew that he would now have that opportunity to prove to everyone that he is “the best.”
“Hell, yeah—bring that shit on,” said Cerrone, recalling his first thoughts when he learnt that the UFC had absorbed the WEC, “Time for these UFC-guys to eat their words. They talked a lot of smack about us WEC-guys not being on their level.”
So far, following victories over Paul Kelly and Vagner Rocha at UFC 126 and 131, respectively, Cerrone has more than proven that he belongs in the Octagon. Nevertheless, Cerrone claims that this is only the beginning.
“For sure, I’m right where I belong and I’m going to prove that every time that I fight … Fighting in the UFC means that I’m at the top of the sport and it means that I’m able to pursue my goal of being a champion in the UFC. Starting off 2-0 is great, but there’s a lot of work to be done.”
While “Cowboy” is the first to admit that he’s most likely not next in line for a shot at Frankie Edgar’s lightweight championship belt, he is nevertheless confident in the process.
“I’m a few fights away from a title-shot in the UFC. I need to just stay the path and keep grinding. The division is so deep; look at how long it’s taking Jim Miller to get a shot, but I’m young, though, so I’ll be kicking ass for a while.”
For mixed martial arts fans on Twitter, don’t forget to follow Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone at http://twitter.com/#!/Cowboycerrone and Ed Kapp at http://twitter.com/#!/EdKapp
Charles McCarthy, a man that contested 15 professional bouts before retiring from mixed martial arts competition a few years ago, has never been one to back down from a fight.