Last week, as I was sitting around half-naked at the local Outback Steakhouse enjoying a feverous plate of coconut shrimp I posted a tweet on my official Twitter page that would shake the very fabric of the sexy community. Before I discuss the details …
Last week, as I was sitting around half-naked at the local Outback Steakhouse enjoying a feverous plate of coconut shrimp I posted a tweet on my official Twitter page that would shake the very fabric of the sexy community.
Before I discuss the details of said tweet, I am sure you are wondering how I was able to sit down topless in a public restaurant and not get thrown out like a common street animal and the reason for that is quite simple.
You see when you’re as good looking as Mitch Ciccarelli you can get away with murder. I know this because I killed every chance you will ever have of hooking up with that girl you’ve been crushing on since high school when I got right up in her grill and put her under my love spell. Sorry, kid.
Anyway, the tweet I posted was an announcement that starting this month I will be featuring a sexy female in the MMA industry with a monthly column titled “B/R MMA’s Hottie of the Month”.
Each month a new beauty will be featured and at the end of the year, you the fans will vote on all previous monthly hotties to determine who will be crowned Ms. B/R MMA 2012.
The only catch is, MMA ladies will have to submit exclusive pictures or video to myself in order to be considered for the month.
After posting this, it certainly did not take long for my email to blow up with a tremendous amount of sexy photos.
However, when I saw photos from MMA ring girl/fighter Ashley Salazar in my inbox, the choice was simple as far as who I would name as B/R MMA’s hottie of the month for January.
If you have a heart condition, you probably shouldn’t read this article. Otherwise, click next slide and let’s begin.
In every high school across the country there are two types of guys; those who spend their days fantasizing about the cheerleaders and those who spend their nights being with the cheerleaders. Any way you slice it, cheerleaders are awesome.As sexy as t…
In every high school across the country there are two types of guys; those who spend their days fantasizing about the cheerleaders and those who spend their nights being with the cheerleaders.
Any way you slice it, cheerleaders are awesome.
As sexy as they were when I was in high school, none of them could have physically beaten me up. But Jordan Nicole Gaza certainly can.
Gaza is a 19 year old ex-cheerleader turned fighter, sporting a 4-2 record as an amateur. Fresh out of high school, Gaza is a former Tuff N’ Uff women’s 115-lb. champion looking to make her professional debut sometime this year.
Here is her story.
An Athlete Since Day One
“I was born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, and it was pretty much a small town where everyone knew each other. I started cheerleading when I was, like, five years old but I was also always involved in other sports too,” Gaza said.
“I’ve been a cross-country runner my whole life, and then I played basketball and volleyball so I’ve always been athletic.”
“I was a cheerleader all throughout high school and I graduated last year so that was the end of it, sadly.”
Found Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at age 13
“I don’t even think my friends knew what [jiu-jitsu] was at first. I started training because I had this boyfriend in middle school and he did it and I thought it was karate or something so I used to make fun of him about it,” Gaza said.
“Then one day I went to go try it and at first I didn’t take it too seriously and was just doing it along with all of my other sports but then I competed in my first NAGA tournament and beat a boy. I thought it was like the best thing ever so ever since then I’ve competed every month [in jiu-jitsu competitions].”
“My coach was an MMA fighter but I would only train in jiu-jitsu, even when they would ask me if I wanted to do some MMA I would say ‘definitely not’ because [back then] I was afraid of getting hit in the face.”
“Eventually my coach took a trip out to Albuquerque, New Mexico to train at Greg Jackson’s gym and when he came back he completely changed the gym into a full on MMA gym.”
“I actually ended up getting invited to go train at Jackson’s when I was about 15 or 16 years old and I stayed there for about a week at Leonard [Garcia] and [Donald] “Cowboy” [Cerrone’s] house. They were really nice and showed me the ways of MMA and I got really into it to the point where the following year I started getting really serious about it.”
Rough struggles before making amateur debut
“When I used to spar, I would literally run away from people because I hated getting hit. Eventually I started getting better and more comfortable with it and the next year I went back to New Mexico with my coach to train at Jackson’s again in the summer.”
“I was 17 at the time and things went wrong and my coach and I actually started dating. We stayed up at the ranch with Leonard and “Cowboy” for about two months and when we got back [to Texas] there was so much drama going on.”
“He ended up cheating on me and was just a horrible guy and he was the guy I grew up with and learned everything from. We broke up and I ended up switching gyms and right before we broke up it was around the time when I was supposed to have my first MMA fight.”
“I was just freaking out but I found a gym, I wasn’t too comfortable there but I had my first fight and I won. I wasn’t happy with that fight though, I won with a first round TKO but my technique and everything was just crazy.”
Evolving as a young fighter
“I started becoming more and more serious about MMA and this was all going on during my senior year of high school. I missed out on a lot of fun things during my senior year but it all ended up for the better. I found a really good gym and I train everyday and I love it there.”
“Once I get the fight to the ground and get on top of my opponent, I feel like I’m in a different world. I was talking to my coach about it and he always wants me to stand up more in my fights because now I am just as good with my standup as I am on the ground.”
“I’m afraid to use my standup though because I’m afraid of messing up all the time so whenever I get a chance to go to the ground I take it. I feel like, as far as an amateur, I have pretty good jiu-jitsu.”
Losing her Tuff N’ Uff championship
“The way I trained for that fight (against Jillian Lybarger) was just completely different to the way I looked out there. I didn’t even make weight. I came in four pounds over and just didn’t take it as serious as it was. Every time I watch that fight I think to myself ‘that’s not me’ and my coach hates it just because he wasn’t there.”
“I can’t make any excuses though because she was awesome and I felt like she tagged me right from the first punch. I just know now that I need to keep my mind on the fight and the fight only and not have my mind all over the place like it was in that fight.”
Turning professional in 2012
“I don’t even care [who my opponent is], I’m just waiting for a fight and hopefully I can get one sometime in February. I don’t really care who I fight because, like you were saying, on the amateur level you can have as many wins as you want but I just want to go pro, hopefully by the end of the year. I’m just looking for any kind of a fight and someone with a record similar to mine.”
“I’m thinking I will take two more good fights at amateur before I go pro. I was saying that right before my fight with Julie but after seeing how horrible I did and how bad my performance was, I decided to take a few more fights at amateur.”
“I’m trying to break my habit of immediately taking my fights to the ground before I go pro. I want to have a good, three round standup fight or just an all-around MMA fight instead of just taking it to the ground all of the time. I’m just waiting for when the time is right and hopefully this year I will make my professional debut.”
Mitch Ciccarelli is the sexiest columnist in all of MMA. The man could walk around town in nothing but a leopard thong and a cowboy hat and have women begging for his body. Currently engaged to Bellator ring girl Mercedes Terrell, Ciccarelli is still engaging in mud wrestling competitions with other women behind his wife’s back. Follow him on Twitter @ mitchciccarelli
For the past several years, wrestling has been considered the most efficient base for MMA competition. Recent UFC main events, however, seem to shine a new light on that theory entirely as the sport continues its rapid evolutionary process. It nev…
For the past several years, wrestling has been considered the most efficient base for MMA competition.
Recent UFC main events, however, seem to shine a new light on that theory entirely as the sport continues its rapid evolutionary process.
It never used to matter too much if you couldn’t strike, or your jiu-jitsu wasn’t on par, because if you had truly great wrestling, you could beat fighters who possessed those well-rounded skills simply by dictating the pace of the fight.
NCAA Division I standouts such as Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez, Matt Hughes and Rashad Evans utilized their wrestling bases to capture UFC gold in their respective weight classes.
Whether they used their takedowns offensively like Lesnar and Hughes, or defensively like Velasquez, it was the bread and butter that finished the job.
Additionally, countless other collegiate wrestlers have double and single legged their way into the top 10 of their divisions, both in the past and present.
Some say it’s a mixture of the incredible work ethic and strength developed from years of drilling takedowns on the mats that make wrestlers so effective in MMA, and that is certainly true, but it also has to do with their opponents.
Not long ago, a powerful collegiate wrestling standout could enter the octagon and defeat a more well-rounded opponent using just his wrestling and top control alone to win the fight.
It didn’t matter how versatile his opponent was, if he couldn’t defend the takedown, the wrestler would either grind out a decision, or finish the fight with ground and pound or a submission.
Take, for example, the welterweight bout between Nick Diaz and Sean Sherk at UFC 59 in 2006.
Diaz is clearly a better overall fighter than Sherk, yet “The Muscle Shark” was able to earn a victory using his wrestling to smother Diaz.
While the wrestlers were certainly impressive, what was being overlooked was how terrible the rest of the fighters were at defending the takedowns.
This is something that seems to be changing as of late.
As we approach the end of the first month of 2012, it appears that this may be the year where wrestling is no longer spoken of as the premier base for mixed martial arts.
This could be the year where, finally, the art of MMA is considered its own best base.
Last night at UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, featherweight champion Jose Aldo absolutely annihilated Chad Mendes with a brutal knee in the first round.
When it comes to wrestlers in the 145-pound division, it doesn’t get much better than Mendes.
The Team Alpha Male product was supposed to dump Aldo on his back and threaten the champion with smothering top control like many great wrestling-based fighters of the past, but the Californian was completely unsuccessful.
When Aldo stuffed every takedown attempt, you could tell just from looking into Mendes’ eyes that he was finished.
If that fight took place a few years ago, perhaps things would have went differently for Mendes, but elite MMA fighters are beginning to develop superb takedown defense.
One-dimensional wrestlers aren’t going to win championships in this sport anymore.
Similar outcomes occurred in the heavyweight championship bout between Junior dos Santos and Velasquez back at UFC on FOX 1 in November, and Alistair Overeem vs. Brock Lesnar from last month’s UFC 141 fight card.
Velasquez and Lesnar are the two best takedown specialists that the heavyweight division has to offer.
Both of these fighters were expected by many to put dos Santos and Overeem on their backs and unleash a barrage of ground and pound until the referee pulled them off.
That didn’t happen at all; both heavyweight wrestlers were viciously knocked out in the first round.
They could not bring the fight to the ground and were forced to stand up with extremely dangerous strikers.
Wrestling is still one of the most important aspects of the MMA game, but those who rely only on takedowns will not find success in this sport anymore.
The best wrestlers in MMA today are the ones who have evolved into prominent competitors beyond just their wrestling alone.
Fighters such as Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, Jake Ellenberger, Daniel Cormier and Johny Hendricks are all perfect examples of wrestlers who have evolved past their takedowns.
You’re still going to see the occasional lay and pray snooze-fest, but at the end of the day, those fighters are not going to make it to the very top.
Strikers are learning how to stop the takedown, jiu-jitsu specialists are evolving their guard game and wrestlers are figuring out how to finish fights from all positions.
It’s beautiful watching this sport rapidly evolve every day and, barring that the world doesn’t end this year, 2012 should be amazing for MMA.
Mitch Ciccarelli is the sexiest columnist in MMA today. Currently married to Bellator ring girl Mercedes Terrell and fathering the child of multiple other ring girls who’s names escape him, Ciccarelli is B/R MMA’s premier bad ass. Follow this American God on Twitter @mitchciccarelli
If you are one of the 71,839 individuals that read my piece on the 25 sexiest MMA girls of 2011, you are fully aware of the fact that Bellator Fighting Championships Ring Girl Mercedes Terrell and I are newlyweds. You are also aware that she assaulted …
If you are one of the 71,839 individuals that read my piece on the 25 sexiest MMA girls of 2011, you are fully aware of the fact that Bellator Fighting Championships Ring Girl Mercedes Terrell and I are newlyweds.
You are also aware that she assaulted my incredibly good-looking face with a lead pipe, after I finished enjoying a lovely oriental dinner at PF Changs, and refused to cease her attack until I agreed to be her husband.
Do not be fooled by her breathtakingly amazing looks, my wife is a violent woman.
However, joking aside, Terrell is one of the many reasons why the Bellator Fighting Championships have acquired such a tremendous fanbase in such a short period of time.
She is everything you can hope for and more in a ring girl.
She’s super beautiful on the outside and one of the coolest chicks imaginable on the inside.
By the way, please do not insert a ‘’that’s what she said’’ joke at the end of that last sentence. I may have been forced under my will but Mercedes Terrell is still my wife so don’t make me get my bear claws out on you clowns.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Ms. Terrell about a wide variety of interesting topics, here are a few highlights.
On growing up in the desert and launching her modeling career
“I was lucky as a child, and still am lucky today, to have the privilege of spending time in the desert every year playing in the sand with our quads, sand rails, and dirt bikes. I also spent a lot of time skiing, snowboarding, boating and jet skiing. My parents are the ones who deserve the credit for keeping us girls out of the house and active,” Terrell told B/R MMA’s Featured Pimp Mitch Ciccarelli.
“I totally agree with you that kids spend way too much time indoors. The whole fun of being a kid is having the energy and confidence to be active and attempt to do things that you might get injured while doing.”
“Growing up I never once thought I would become a model, it just happened. My childhood dream was to become an artist but I also wanted to be a fashion designer. Today I draw, paint, and design my own clothes so I guess those childhood dreams came true,” Terrell said.
On finding MMA
“I grew up with five sisters and no brothers. Needless to say I didn’t grow up as a ‘guy’s girl’ watching sports or having favorite teams. I was never in any sports in school, I took art classes instead,” Terrell said.
“So with that said, it would take an awe inspiring sport to capture my attention and I found that in MMA. Not only was it thrilling to watch two guys in the cage try to rip each other’s heads off but once I began to learn more about the sport I could recognize the different fighting styles and moves being used in the cage, which made it all the more entertaining.”
On Working with Bellator
“When I first signed with Bellator, the organization was so new that I had no idea what to expect, all I knew was that I just scored the best job ever. Front row seats to the best MMA action in the business every weekend, traveling the country and having a blast while doing it all is definitely not a bad gig.”
“As the season passed I became extremely close with the entire Bellator family and began learning more about the sport. I have a true respect for what we are doing for MMA and I am so stoked to be part of a company that is helping diversify and grow this sport on the rise.”
“I love being a Bellator girl and will continue to be their cage girl for the time being. I’m always working on what’s next but that doesn’t necessarily mean I would venture away from Bellator or MMA. I’d love to continue to grow within the industry.”
On Potentially Posing for Playboy
“I’m not sure that will ever be something I’m comfortable doing. I don’t feel I need to take my clothes off in order to promote Bellator, we are a thriving organization with some of the best fighters in the world and we put on top notch shows on a weekly basis.”
“Furthermore, as my ‘husband’ I’m surprised you would be at all interested in me exposing myself to the world in that manner! I’m shocked really!”
On what she looks for in a guy
“I’m sure by now you can tell that I have a sense of humor and that’s the number one thing I look for in a guy. If we can’t laugh together than what’s the point?
“As far as looks go I wouldn’t really say I have a type, good looking is a plus but if you are too good looking I might have to worry about you hogging the mirror in the mornings. I like learning from other people so it’s always nice when a guy has a good head on his shoulders and can hold up a conversation with anyone.”
“Another biggy for me is confidence and security; I’m gone at least 3-4 days a week and sometime I’m not home for a month at a time with the work I do.”
“Being with a guy who can truly deal with my absence and will support me in what I do for a living without giving me a bunch of grief is a must! With me being away from home so often, whoever I’m with has to be able to trust in me completely and I in him.”
There are some things in this world that men like that women don’t and things that women like that men absolutely hate. For example, men love to drink lots of beer, yell at their television screens and burp in public, but women (usually) don&rsqu…
There are some things in this world that men like that women don’t and things that women like that men absolutely hate.
For example, men love to drink lots of beer, yell at their television screens and burp in public, but women (usually) don’t.
Women, on the other hand, love to watch soap operas and gossip about every single person they know behind their backs, but men are not the same way.
After sex, men just want to roll over and eat a sandwich (I prefer peanut butter and fluff), but women want to cuddle and talk about their feelings.
Believe it or not, though, there are some things that both men and women share an interest in and MMA is one of them.
The sport is no longer the massive sausage-fest that it once was. MMA is quickly becoming a hotbed for some of the sexiest women on the planet, from ring girls to fighters to reporters.
With that said, let’s take a look at the 25 sexiest MMA girls of 2011.
Despite what a certain Disney film will have you believe, the lion is not the true king of the animal kingdom. Certainly, a lion possesses extraordinary power, but it wastes over a half of its day sleeping while the female lion is out bringing home the…
Despite what a certain Disney film will have you believe, the lion is not the true king of the animal kingdom.
Certainly, a lion possesses extraordinary power, but it wastes over a half of its day sleeping while the female lion is out bringing home the bacon…or the zebra intestines. This is why, for as much strength as a lion has, it will always pale in comparison to the true king of the jungle—the bunny.
Who doesn’t love bunnies? Bunnies make the world go round. They are cute, cuddly and fun to pet, but at the drop of a carrot they will waste no time in biting your head right off your shoulders and hopping their cotton tail down the yellow brick road with Dorothy and Frankenstein.
Horrible metaphor aside, Jessica Leigh is one of the sexiest models to ever be featured in a shoot with Playboy. Known in the Twitter world as “Fight Club Bunny”, Leigh is an actress, dancer and model that is absolutely gaga over the sport of MMA.
Yours truly spoke with this bad ass chick for over an hour about a variety of different topics. Here is her story:
On getting involved with acting, dance and modeling
“As early as I could remember I’ve always liked being the center of attention and performing. Dancing was my first love, I grew up doing that and then I got into acting, modeling and then cheerleading,” Leigh told unbelievably attractive columnist Mitch Ciccarelli.
“I’ve always been in love with acting. I was a theater nerd/cheerleader in high school which makes no sense at all but I actually went to acting school in New York City. I had a photographer approach me that saw my pictures online and wanted to do a shoot. Everything just kind of happened from there.”
On MMA Hosting Ambitions
“There’s too much drama in the entertainment industry. Right now I am much more interested in hosting an MMA show than I am in acting. I love acting and I’d love to do a role but I love sports and I love MMA,” Leigh said.
“To me, it would be an absolute dream job to go to all of these different MMA events and interview the fighters and host some sort of show where I am reporting on the fights. I love talking about MMA and I’m not afraid to give my opinion.”
On Getting Involved with Playboy
“One of my friends was in Playboy in a Girl’s Next Door feature and she suggested that I send in my pictures. I thought about it and I decided to go for it but of course I had her take the pictures because you can’t just trust anyone with these kinds of photos,” Leigh said.
“We took the pictures and sent them in and they had me do a shoot in New York and they loved me. We did another shoot in Chicago and then we filmed the Real Girls of Jersey Shore in Jersey. I also was given the opportunity to write an MMA blog for (Playboy) back at UFC 111 for Dana White’s party.
“I tried getting Playboy to start up a whole blog about the UFC but I guess politically and financially it didn’t work out. I love Playboy and everyone there and it really is like a family.”
On falling in love with MMA
“This is probably going to sound pretty typical but when I was younger, about 18 or 19 years old, I was working at Hooters and they play all of the fights,” Leigh said.
“I started watching it instantly and then with my modeling work I eventually started working as a ring girl for a few local promotions around New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia. I started getting really into it and MMA became my love affair. It’s my favorite sport, next to football.
“I remember when I was little, and this will sound weird because I am a girl, I used to like professional wrestling because back then MMA wasn’t that big. I had a wrestling doll of Hulk Hogan but then as I grew up a little bit I started to realize that [pro wrestling] isn’t real. I think it was destined that I fall in love with MMA.
“I just love that there are so many forms and aspects that go into it. With all of the techniques that are utilized both standing up and on the ground, it’s just non-stop action. It’s so real and highly unpredictable.”
On being a ring girl
“I’ve been a ring girl for Ring of Combat and XFE and I’ve also worked some boxing shows but it’s just not as fun to watch. As far as landing a gig with larger promotions such as Bellator, Strikeforce and the UFC, I definitely wouldn’t turn down the chance but I’m friends with a couple of those ring girls,” Leigh said.
“All of those girls are gorgeous and I wouldn’t want to step on any toes or take anyone’s job. I see myself now as someone that would prefer to be talking about the sport and interviewing fighters and being more involved in that aspect.”
On sleaze balls in MMA
“It comes with the territory. Sometimes professional athletes think that they can just get any girl they want and talk to them however they want to. It doesn’t really work with me because I don’t care who you are or what you do because everyone needs to have a certain level of respect,” Leigh said.
“I know a lot of different fighters, most are very respectful but some think that just because they are a huge athlete and are in all of these commercials and have these sponsors that they can just get whatever they want.
“It probably does work for them a good amount of times but I really think girls today need to have more self respect and not buy into that.”
On Frankie Edgar vs. Benson Henderson
“Frankie Edgar is an amazing fighter that has incredible heart. He never gives up and his stamina is amazing. He actually trains about five minutes away from my house at Ricardo Almeida’s gym so I’m always going to root for the hometown fighter. He definitely has my vote for fighter of the year for sure,” Leigh said.
“I think [Benson Henderson] is going to be a tough fight and possibly tougher than some of Frankie’s most recent ones. I definitely feel that Frankie has a good chance of winning against Henderson though.
“The way that he moves is just crazy and I honestly would love to see Frankie fight Clay Guida at some point. That would be a UFC fight on crack with how fast they would be moving around.”
On surprising guys with her MMA knowledge
“When I’m at a bar and I’m talking about MMA, it’s like I don’t shut up. All of the guys are like ‘this little girl is talking about the UFC and she knows more than I do’, they are shocked,” Leigh said.
“I can be very girly and obviously I dress very girly but then I can go to the bar with the guys and drink beers and watch sports. I’m just all around randomness and the best of every world. I’m from Jersey so I’ll tell it how it is without thinking first so it is what it is.”
Mitch Ciccarelli is, by far, the sexiest columnist in MMA today. This man snaps his fingers and every bra within 10 miles pops off. Follow this American God on Twitter @ mitchciccarelli
In every high school across the country there are two types of guys; those who spend their days fantasizing about the cheerleaders and those who spend their nights being with the cheerleaders.