Author: Riley Kontek

TUF 18: Jessamyn Duke Fighter Blog, Episode 10

Note: All quotes and material were obtained firsthand by Bleacher Report through a one-on-one between Jessamyn Duke and Bleacher Report’s Riley Kontek.
 
This week’s episode reminded me of some of my favorite times on the show as well as some…

Note: All quotes and material were obtained firsthand by Bleacher Report through a one-on-one between Jessamyn Duke and Bleacher Report’s Riley Kontek.

 

This week’s episode reminded me of some of my favorite times on the show as well as some of my least favorite. The opening scene showed a few of us doing a shot of liquor to ease the pain of the semifinalists leaving for their tour of the Harley Davidson boot camp. After having a couple of weeks for the sting of our losses to fade, it was a harsh reminder once again that we had failed.

We all felt pretty miserable that day. Luckily though, we had each other to lean on during those times, and we all made an effort to lift each other back up. Just making it as far as we did is an accomplishment in itself and set us apart from all the other fighters who tried out and didn’t make it. It would be crazy to waste an opportunity like we had by just wallowing in our misery. So, we made the best of it!

I’m not gonna lie, after I fought and the pressure was off on the competition, I did really enjoy the rest of my time on the show. I got to eat all the delicious food I wanted. My training opened up immensely. I wasn’t worried about preparing for a fight so I could work on learning lots of new things and really taking advantage of all the things that our coaches had to offer.

I also could really focus on being a good teammate by helping the others cut weight, prepare food and be the kind of training partner they needed without worrying about being selfish. I enjoy being apart of a team like that, and if I’d had the pressure of the competition on my shoulders, I would have missed out on a lot of that. 

Those of us on Team Rousey heard that there was some favoritism happening over on Team Tate and it didn’t really surprise us. But quite honestly, I didn’t really care. It wasn’t my problem, it didn’t affect me, and I was just happy that I didn’t have to deal with anything like that over on our team. Even after our losses, all of us still got attention and felt just as much apart of the team as we did before we fought.

Team Rousey really built a family type environment and we all operated as a unit. Each person was important and valuable to the team and our coaches made it clear that they wanted to help us grow as fighters as much as possible in the time they had with us regardless if we were still in the tournament or not. This is why I’ll always be loyal to Ronda and her staff of coaches. They proved that they genuinely cared about us—not about just winning the competition. Their goal was to send all eight of us away as improved fighters.

And speaking of fighters, the stars of this episode were [Michael] Wootten and [Chris] Holdsworth. Going into this fight, I was super confident that Mike had what it took to win, and I still am! However, Holdsworth really showed up that day to fight. He literally made almost no mistakes in that fight, and I thought it was really impressive.

It was a systematic, sick submission win for sure. But I still absolutely believe in Mike as a fighter. Of the male fighters on the show he was definitely my favorite. Check out his HL reel and see how many teeps to the face this guy lands! He just faced a good opponent that day and losing a fight doesn’t mean you’re not a good fighter.

Next up were Julianna [Pena] and Sarah [Moras]. These two have fought before, and Sarah won via armbar. But at this point in the competition there had been so many surprises that I just wasn’t sure how things would go down. I didn’t know what to think about the matchup honestly. The TUF house experience has a lot of X-factors that none of us had really accounted for. Don’t miss next week’s episode!

 

**Tune in next week to hear Jessamyn’s thoughts on the continued tension between coaching staffs, more in-depth stories from the house and her thoughts on the fight between Sarah Moras and Julianna Pena.

 

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Report: Will Campuzano Steps in to Fight Sergio Pettis at UFC 167

Earlier this week, Vaughan Lee dropped out of his fight with UFC newcomer Sergio Pettis. It now appears that the brother of UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis has a new opponent. 
According to a tweet from Will Campuzano, he has signed with t…

Earlier this week, Vaughan Lee dropped out of his fight with UFC newcomer Sergio Pettis. It now appears that the brother of UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis has a new opponent. 

According to a tweet from Will Campuzano, he has signed with the UFC to take Pettis on at UFC 167 in Las Vegas. That means the former UFC employee will have just about a week’s notice for this bout.

Though it’s not formally announced by the UFC, one would have to assume that this bout will be in the bantamweight division, as Pettis was set to fight Lee there and Campuzano used to compete in that weight class.

Campuzano was in the UFC for two fights that lasted just two months. He lost both of those bouts, a submission to Nick Pace and a decision to Chris Cariaso.

Previous to that, Campuzano was a part of the WEC, which is why he got his first chance in the UFC. He was 1-2 in the WEC, beating Cody Wheeler while falling to Damacio Page and Eddie Wineland.

Following his departure from the UFC, Campuzano made the drop to the flyweight division and put together a good streak. Notably, he knocked out flyweight prospects Josh Sampo and Jimmy Flick in that weight class, that put him amongst the top of the divisional rankings. 

As for Pettis, he is undefeated and has competed at both 125 and 135. He is just 20 years old, making him the youngest fighter currently on the UFC roster.

Looking at this fight, we could have a Fight of the Night contender on our hands. Both men are strikers that use a wide-range of techniques to hurt their opponents. Campuzano has some sharp knees and boxing, while Pettis is more of a taekwondo stylist with heavy kicks.

One would have to expect that whatever the outcome is of this fight, Campuzano will likely drop to the flyweight division. He has been successful there and is perfectly fit for that class.

We await a formal announcement from the UFC, though there have been some whispers that Campuzano was set for a return.

Stay tuned with Bleacher Report for more breaking news and updates for this card.

 

Follow me on Twitter for MMA news and other random thoughts (@RileyKontekMMA). Or don’t that’s cool too.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC Fight Night 32: Preliminary Card Predictions

It has been a busy week for the UFC, as UFC Fight for the Troops 3 just passed and UFC Fight Night 32 is on the horizon.
Headlined by Dan Henderson and Vitor Belfort, the main event is a rematch of a 2006 fight that Henderson took by unanimous dec…

It has been a busy week for the UFC, as UFC Fight for the Troops 3 just passed and UFC Fight Night 32 is on the horizon.

Headlined by Dan Henderson and Vitor Belfort, the main event is a rematch of a 2006 fight that Henderson took by unanimous decision. This may be a temporary move for Belfort at light heavyweight, as there is a high likelihood he goes back to 185 pounds.

Before the main event, there are a handful of prelims that should be entertaining.

Here are the predictions for those fights.

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UFC Singapore Adds 5 Bouts to January Show

The UFC is heading to Singapore on Jan. 4, 2014, and it appears the card is filling up rather quickly, via MMA Junkie.
The show is headlined by welterweight counterparts Jake Ellenberger and Tarec Saffiedine, both of whom are arguably top 10 in the wor…

The UFC is heading to Singapore on Jan. 4, 2014, and it appears the card is filling up rather quickly, via MMA Junkie.

The show is headlined by welterweight counterparts Jake Ellenberger and Tarec Saffiedine, both of whom are arguably top 10 in the world at 170. This will be the debut of Saffiedine, who comes over as the last champion of Strikeforce in the welterweight division.

This matchup promises to be intriguing, as Ellenberger is a power-punching wrestler, while Saffiedine is a technical kickboxer with sturdy takedown defense. Though Ellenberger could test the Belgian’s defense, he has shown in the past that he is content to bang on the feet.

The winner of this fight is definitely not the top contender at 170, but he will definitely put his name toward the top of the list.

Ellenberger is coming off a lackluster loss to top fighter Rory MacDonald, while Saffiedine is entering the Octagon on a long layoff, as his last fight was a win in the final show over Nate Marquardt.

Also on the card is newly signed Japanese superstar Tatsuya Kawajiri, who makes his promotional debut against the well-respected Brazilian grappler Hacran Dias. 

Kawajiri has long been one of the top fighters outside the UFC, but now, he gets a chance to prove he is world class. Known as The Crusher, Kawajiri has powerful hands, but a more refined ground game has been the trademark of his most recent fights.

He goes up against Dias, who has seen mixed results in his UFC career. After taking a huge win in his debut over Yuri Alcantara, Dias faltered in his last fight due to lack of wrestling chops. That is something that will definitely be tested when fighting Kawajiri.

Three more under-the-radar fights have been added as well, all of which feature talent from Asian countries. 

South Korean knockout artist Hyun Gyu Lim will make his return to the Octagon against Japanese newcomer Kiichi Kunimoto. Lim has been devastating in his two-fight UFC career thus far, brutally KO’ing Marcelo Guimaraes and Pascal Krauss in his short time with the company.

As for Kunimoto, he enters the UFC on the strength of a four-fight win streak, including an armbar of WEC and UFC veteran Edward Faaloloto. The grappler has eight of his 15 wins via tapout, showing that this bout will truly be a striker versus grappler affair.

South Korean bantamweight Kyung Ho Kang is likely fighting for his job in Singapore when he welcomes newcomer and Japanese standout Shunichi Shimizu. Kang lost to Alex Caceres in his debut—though it was turned over to a no-contest—before dropping a decision to Chico Camus in his follow-up.

Shimizu enters the Octagon on a five-fight win streak and is a veteran of the Pancrase and ZST organizations in Japan. Of his 28 wins, 19 have come via submission, so this fight opposite of Kang should be a grappling affair, as Kang is a wrestler himself.

The final match added thus far is a lightweight bout that pits newcomer Katsunori Kikuno against Quinn Mulhern. Kikuno, a citizen of Japan, comes into the UFC very highly regarded and gets a respectable test in the Strikeforce vet Mulhern.

Kikuno is a striker who owns 12 wins via knockout. At 21-5-2, it is important to note that most of his losses have come with a step up in competition, including falters against Shinya Aoki teammate Satoru Kitaoka, UFC veteran Mizuto Hirota, WSOF employee Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante and Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez.

This, like the Lim-Kunimoto tilt, will be a striker versus grappler matchup. Kikuno loves to bang on the feet, while Mulhern, a BJJ brown belt, loves to use his lanky frame and long limbs on the mat to secure submissions.

With all these additions, the card in Singapore is shaping up to be a must-see event. For more updates and news, stay tuned with Bleacher Report.

 

Follow me on Twitter for MMA news and other random thoughts (@RileyKontekMMA). Or don’t that’s cool, too.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC Fight for the Troops 3: Predicting the Fight Night Bonus Winners

The UFC has a big week coming up with both UFC Fight for the Troops and UFC Fight Night 32 on deck. The events bring a combined 23 high-level MMA events that should satisfy all who watch the bouts.
First up is UFC Fight for the Troops 3, which is headl…

The UFC has a big week coming up with both UFC Fight for the Troops and UFC Fight Night 32 on deck. The events bring a combined 23 high-level MMA events that should satisfy all who watch the bouts.

First up is UFC Fight for the Troops 3, which is headlined by former Strikeforce middleweight contender Tim Kennedy and Rafael Natal. Natal stepped in on late notice when Lyoto Machida moved over to the card in Manchester for the injured Michael Bisping.

The card promises to be solid despite the lack of high-level names. Let’s take a look and make some predictions for the fight night bonuses.

 

Submission of the Night: Michael Chiesa

I doubt we will see any twisters or Peruvian neckties, so don’t expect the Submission of the Night to blow you away.

However, there are some opportunities for tapouts. There are some solid grapplers on the list, which could lead to some subs.

Michael Chiesa is a suffocating top grappler and probably has better takedown chops than Colton Smith. Wrestlers are not typically strong fighting off their back, and I expect that’s the case with Smith.

Chiesa will secure a takedown and outwork Smith from the top. He will earn a tap and potentially a bonus check.

Also in the running: Ronny Markes, Seth Baczynski, Derek Brunson

 

Knockout of the Night: Rustam Khabilov

This was a really tough call to make, as I don’t see many of the fights ending via knockout. There are a lot of grapplers on the card, and for every bout featuring a striker, it features an equally tough striker in it as well.

Rustam Khabilov has been a buzzsaw since entering the UFC. He has suplexed his way into the spotlight, as seen in victories over Vinc Pichel and Yancy Medeiros. 

Jorge Masvidal is as tough as they come, but his wrestling defense isn’t as tight as he’d like it to be. Add to that the fact that he could get tossed around like a ragdoll and we could see yet another suplex showcase that ends in devastating fashion.

Also in the running: Liz Carmouche, Yoel Romero

 

Fight of the Night: Chris Camozzi-Lorenz Larkin

Despite the lack of star power on this card, there is a high possibility that there will be some great fights put on.

The best could be a Muay Thai showdown between heavy banger Lorenz Larkin and technical striker Chris Camozzi. It’s on the Facebook portion of the card, and it really shouldn’t be as this could be a real barn burner.

Camozzi is tough in the clinch and has a granite chin. Larkin can knock any man out with his great punches and kicks.

It will be tough for an undercard bout not on TV to get the Fight of the Night bonus, but the fight will be that good. Be sure to watch the Facebook portion of the card or you may miss a classic.

Also in the running: Jorge Masvidal-Rustam Khabilov, James Krause-Bobby Green, George Roop-Francisco Rivera

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC Fight for the Troops 3: Preliminary Card Predictions

The UFC has decided to give back to the troops with its third installment of UFC Fight for the Troops on Wednesday from Fort Campbell in Kentucky. It is a great event that allows servicemen to enjoy MMA action on a military base.
UFC Fight for the Troo…

The UFC has decided to give back to the troops with its third installment of UFC Fight for the Troops on Wednesday from Fort Campbell in Kentucky. It is a great event that allows servicemen to enjoy MMA action on a military base.

UFC Fight for the Troops 3 is headlined by Tim Kennedy and Rafael Natal in a bout that does not draw much interest from MMA fans. Though Kennedy is a great guy to headline the event, late replacement Natal does not deserve the lead spot in the eyes of most fans. Basically, the UFC could have found somebody better.

Before the main card, we have a solid bunch of prelims. Here are the predictions for those fights.

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