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MMA: Champion Ben Askren on Jay Hieron, Roufusport and Being the Best

Ben Askren entered Bellator’s season two welterweight tournament with little more than a world class wrestling pedigree, a 3-0 MMA record and a talent that many fight promotions may have, in hindsight, undervalued.

The brass at Bellator Fighting Championships instantly recognized what Askren could bring to the table for their organization. The investment they made in an inexperienced fighter has paid off ten fold.

This Saturday night, over a year later, “Funky” Ben Askren will enter the Bellator cage with a record that stands at 8-0. With him he will bring that absolutely devastating grappling game a BJJ purple belt and an ever evolving striking game.

Most importantly, Askren will bring into the cage with him the Bellator welterweight strap, which he now looks to defend against a crafty and dangerous MMA veteran Jay Hieron. Askren has been on quite a roll inside the Bellator cage, and this will mark his first title defense.

To defeat Jay Hieron, he will have to be the best Ben Askren he has ever been. And, after having transitioned to the world renowned Roufusport camp, where some of the game’s greatest talents call home, Askren feels confident that he has indeed become the best he can be.

While the title will be his greatest motivation when he takes his corner on fight night, this upcoming bout between Hieron and Askren has seen its share of bad blood boil over between the two welterweight combatants.

Askren sat down and spoke with Todd Jackson of Hurtsbad MMA to discuss his opponent, his progress as a fighter and where he sees himself among all welterweights in the sport of MMA. As for his opponent, Askren pulled no punches and has lost no love when it comes to Xtreme Couture’s Jay Hieron.

The champ told Hurtsbad MMA, “He just kind of rubs me the wrong way. I guess people could say this about me too, but he just comes off with the ‘my [expletive] doesn’t stink’ kind of thing, like he is better than other people. I just really don’t like that type of mentality.”

And while bad blood is what it is, Askren does see potential threats posed by Hieron, but overall did not sound impressed with his opponent. “He has a strong wrestling background. He has some pretty good stand up. But from what I see, he doesn’t really excel in any certain area except his wrestling, which becomes null and void due to my level of wrestling.”

Askren has finished half of his opponents while defeating the other half by decision. When it comes to Hieron, he shared his thoughts on the possibility of ending his night early.

Askren said, “I think I will finish him. But, at the same time, I’m going to let the fight run its course. I’m not going to try to force something that isn’t there and go out there and make a stupid mistake and maybe lose to someone like him when it’s not necessary.”

The champ added, “I think I have the ability to finish Jay and I think I will, but I’m not going to go out there swinging for the fences like some kind of clown.”

Askren is known for his wrestling, which he feels is a clear cut advantage over Hieron. Hieron is known to be a grinding type of fighter who will drag fighters into the deep waters, so surely Askren expects his wrestling to play a big part in this fight.

With his wrestling prowess being a given, Askren realizes that to excel in this game it takes an entire MMA package. Training under Duke Roufus, he feels he is well on his way to becoming that package.

Askren talked about his transition back to Wisconsin to train at Roufusport. “The main reason I moved back to this area is because I knew how good of a coach Duke Roufus was. He just does a great job with all of his fighters. On top of that, they’re progressive.”

Askren went on to explain, “They know it’s mixed martial arts, they know it’s not kickboxing, they know it’s not boxing, not wrestling, not jiu jitsu, it’s mixed martial arts. They know it’s everything combined and they are on the cutting edge of that.”

The pedigree of the stable of fighters competing out of that camp speaks for itself. Askren is proud to represent that. “They have a bunch of young hungry fighters who want to be the best. We are a very tight team, we practice every single day together and we all help each other out.”

Working out under Roufus holds many benefits for a champion looking to sharpen every weapon he carries, especially the striking game. “Duke’s camp is a perfect camp for me, because where I struggled was in my stand up. The have great coaching here for stand up, and then every single day we spar I have to go up against some of the best stand up fighters in MMA, some of the most cutting edge stand up fighters in MMA.”

Askren offered the obvious examples of warriors he bangs it out with daily. “Whether it’s Alan Belcher, Anthony Pettis, Danny Downs or Eric Koch. They all have good kicks, punches, knees and good elbows. They’re not one dimensional stand up fighters, they have everything. That really helps get me prepared for anything I have to face inside the cage.”

Even with the understanding of his need to constantly move forward and improve in every aspect of MMA, Askren feels confident in his place among the best welterweight fighters in the world. Competing in a division with names like Georges St. Pierre and Nick Diaz, Askren feels he is right up there with the best in the game.

The champ explained, “I really think I can compete with anyone in the world. Obviously I haven’t been given a chance to prove that yet, but in time I will be given that chance. I will show everyone that I am one of the best fighters in the world at my weight.”

“I know that I’m a very tough and threatening matchup for anybody.”

Anyone who has seen this guy put it down, knows that he indeed can smother and control anyone he fights at will. He can manipulate and dictate where a fight takes place, which is a key element of any MMA bout. His chin has been tested and passed so far, and his hands are being honed with some of the best in the business.

So go ahead and argue with the man if you like, but it is extremely hard to say with a straight face that his formula inside the cage is not working. To say that he is indeed one of the best in the world, and could compete as such given the opportunity, is no stretch whatsoever.

Standing ready to face the toughest test of his career, Askren sounds confident and ready to prove that he is one of the best, and he can and will put his money where his mouth is.

This article originally featured at Hurtsbad MMA.

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UFC 137: George Roop Discusses Being the UFC’s Welcoming Party for Hatsu Hioki

George Roop, “The UFC must hate me.” When you look at the list of fighters the UFC has asked George Roop to cage up with over the last two years, it is hard to blame him for joking around about the UFC’s thoughts about him. But in actuality…

George Roop, “The UFC must hate me.”

When you look at the list of fighters the UFC has asked George Roop to cage up with over the last two years, it is hard to blame him for joking around about the UFC’s thoughts about him. But in actuality, what goes without saying is how highly Roop is revered by Joe Silva and the rest of the UFC brass.

With names littered across his fight record like Eddie Wineland, George Sotiropolous, Leonard Garcia, Chan Sung Jung, Mark Hominick and Josh Grispi, it is clear where the UFC sees Roop in their featherweight pecking order.

Simply put, they see him as one of their top fighters in the division. It is a reputation he has more than earned.

His ability to compete with top fighters in the division has earned him the right to remain in elite company because win, lose or draw, Roop comes to scrap. That is exactly what the UFC is looking for to help sell the lighter weight divisions to the casual fan.

The UFC couldn’t express their confidence in Roop more loudly than they did when his phone rang and he was asked to fight on one of the biggest fight cards of the year, UFC 137. Not only was he asked to compete on such a prestigious event, but he has been asked to welcome into the UFC one of the top featherweights in the world.

Roop embraces the opportunity to be the first in the UFC to face Hatsu Hioki, former Shooto lightweight champion and Sengoku featherweight champion. He took some time out to speak with Todd Jackson of Hurtsbad MMA and discuss what he sees as a tremendous test, but equally motivating opportunity.

Roop gave his thoughts on Hioki in general. “Hioki is a stud. I think he is ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the world, depending on where you look. The guy is real tough. He holds titles in two promotions, one in Shooto and one in Sengoku.”

Hioki’s wizardry on the mat is something Roop pointed to in particular as a clear threat. “The ground game is off the chain, especially his top position. I’m going to have to fight the best fight I have ever fought for this one, and I will be ready.”

Obviously, with Roop being put against recent No. 1 contenders Hominick and Grispi, the topic came up of a run at the title. Having a strong performance over Grispi was one thing. Another strong showing over the highly ranked Hioki would surely catapult Roop somewhere towards the top five in many people’s perception.

Roop disagrees and has a more humble and realistic outlook on his title run opportunities. “I think every fighter takes it one fight at a time. That’s all you can really focus on. I don’t think a win would put me in any type of title shot contention. Let’s keep it real. I need to get on a good win streak.”

Roop explained his perception. “There’s a lot of good featherweights in the division. Chad Mendes, I think he deserved a title shot before Kenny Florian. But I think Chad Mendes is up there, Erik Koch is just a stud, Tyson Griffin just dropped down to 145. So there are some serial killers in the division.”

Roop does see himself on the path to the top, but he explains it is farther away than one strong performance over one of the best featherweights in the world. After all, he does still have to beat Hioki to even discuss anything beyond that.

“I do feel like I’m coming into my prime as a mixed martial artist. I’m going to be ready for a title shot in the next year to two years.”

The opportunity to fight Hioki is an honor in itself. But this fight poses multiple layers of opportunity. This is an event that features some big names in the business of MMA. B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz are marquee names.

The fight nerds of the world have always had Roop on their radar. They remember his stunning finish over “The Korean Zombie” last year or his war with Leonard Garcia. Some even remember his days in the WEC, or further back, Rage In The Cage.

But the fact of the matter is, many fans will tune into this fight simply to watch the stars. The casual fan will watch UFC 137 having never heard of George Roop or Hatsu Hioki before. Roop sees a chance to snag the unsuspecting casual fan and stamp his name on their MMA psyche so they will never forget it again.

Roop told Hurtsbad MMA, “It’s a very big opportunity for the whole world to see who I am and what kind of fighter I am. I feel like I am an exciting fighter. One of my biggest assets is that I show up to fight. There are some guys who can be world champions inside the gym, but for some reason, they just don’t show up to the fight.”

The UFC featherweight went on to explain, “I feel like I am very good at showing up to the fight. It’s going to be a great fight. I feel that I have matured as a fighter, and I am going to go in there and get the win. That’s all I am concerned about. I’m going to fight my fight and get that win.”

Facing one of the most highly touted featherweights in the world might intimidate some athletes. For Roop, it has not put him in a place where he will look up to Hioki and bow to his greatness. No, Roop is looking to bring his war to Hioki and show that he too is one of the very best in the world.

He explained his intentions for fight night. “I’m going to make it an ugly fight for Hioki. He has never fought anybody as tall as me. He has always been the taller fighter. Once he gets hit with some of my shots, he will be shooting in for the takedown, and he is going to get stuffed. He is going to be out of his element in that cage.”

As confident as can be, but yet equally humble, cool and collected, Roop sounds more than ready to face this challenge at the height of his MMA career. Once again, there will be an entire world of fight fans tuning in Saturday night to watch Penn vs Diaz.

Sunday morning, do not be surprised if what they are talking about is Roop vs Hioki.

This article originally featured at Hurtsbad MMA.

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M-1 Challenge: Magalhaes vs Zayats Full Event Review

M-1 Global paid a visit to the Grand Canyon University Arena Saturday and blasted Arizona fight fans with many stunning finishes across a very entertaining fight card. It was not just fans in Phoenix, Arizona, that were able to catch these scraps, as …

Hurtsbad MMA was in the house to catch this sick night of fights.

The card was originally slated to feature a main event bout between Guram Gugenishvili and Kenny Garne, but due to a late injury to Guram, Garner was instead put across the ring from Maksim Grishin.

To be quite honest, the replacement bout was a far cry from what was expected in the original match up. It was an absolute debacle, as clearly neither Garner nor Grishin were in any kind of shape for a five-round title fight.

In what was a shameful blemish on an otherwise spectacular fight card, both men engaged in repeated clinches looking for breaks in the action to recuperate what little energy they brought with them to fight night. While Garner wound up winning an interim M-1 Global heavyweight title, neither man fought like they deserved a title.

Surely the brass at M-1 are counting the days for Guram to heal and set the heavyweight division right again. And if Saturday’s performance by Garner was any indication of what he will bring to the table when Guram returns, he may very well be hoping it that never happens.

All that aside, both the undercard and televised portions of this event were simply explosive. The first fight of the night between Fredrick Lumpkin and Ryan Crouch set the tone. Both fighters showed well and exchanged momentum in striking and grappling, but it was clear the technical prowess of Crouch gave him the upper hand.

In the second round, the grappling of Crouch proved to turn the fight in his favor, as he attempted a rear naked choke that opened the door for Crouch to eventually rain blows and earn a TKO victory over Lumpkin.

The second undercard bout of the evening was not a bout at all. It was an all-out open war between two extremely talented and game welterweight scrappers. Joe Martinez and Michael Chavez easily put on a fight-of-the-night performance. For fans in attendance, it was quite a treat;for those at home watching Showtime, you don’t know what you were missing.

These men put on a show of trading strikes on repeated occasions over the three-round tilt and traded position for position through submission attempts to reversals over and over again. For fifteen minutes they displayed tremendous heart, highly technical skill, and relentless aggression as they lit up the M-1 ring and thrilled those fortunate enough to have seen this scrap.

In the end, the blazing stand up exchanges were very close. On the ground Martinez looked slightly more technically proficient but fought off his back for much of the three rounds. Even the judges could not agree, as they offered a split decision in favor of a Chavez. But in the end, in a fight like this there really are no losers. Both men should be proud of the show they put on, and in hindsight M-1 might have done better to televise this bout, as opposed to that nonsense mentioned earlier.

Moving on with the night, welterweight Daniel Madrid kept the momentum of amazing fights going as he wasted no time, straight knocking the mouthpiece of Tom Gallicchio clear out of the ring before taking him down and slapping a lethal armbar on and ending the fight early in the first round.

Blackout, as he is known, had a rabid fan base in the crowd, and they went absolutely nuts when he collected that arm for his trophy wall. It was a very impressive performance for Madrid and one that should come as a message to other M-1 welterweights—this guy is the real deal.

The speed with which Madrid finished his opponent must have been contagious, because it only took welterweight Yasubey Enomoto little more than a minute in the next bout to end his fight. His opponent Josh Thorpe closed the distance on his longer opponent with a very impressive takedown.

Unfortunately for Thorpe, that takedown would spell disaster, as it led to him finding himself on the business end of a very slick triangle choke by Enomoto. It was very impressive.

Two fights, two submission finishes, little more than two minutes into the televised portion of the event. Not bad M-1. But it wasn’t over yet.

Eddie Arizmendi Jr. is known for his warlike MMA ability. He has a reputation that speaks for itself in fight circles—as does his opponent from Saturday, Artur Guseino. Both men have had recent stunning finishes for M-1 and fight fans expected a war.

What they got was another lightning fast finish by Guseino, as he snatched the leg of Arizmendi and put on a vicious ankle lock, which forced the proud Native American Arizmendi to tap instantly. The fight had not even begun before it was over, and while the finish was impressive, fight fans in the arena knew they had been robbed of the war they expected between the two.

Fifty seconds was counter climactic to what was thought to be a fight of the night potential match up. In a tremendous display of sportsmanship, Guseino picked Arizmendi up and carried him around the ring as if to show the amount of respect he carried for the warrior he had just finished.

Lord help the next guy to face Guseino, as he has proved to be a lethal combatant on repeated occasions. And lord help the next man to face Eddie Arizmendi, because anyone who knows him knows this will light a fire under him that will elevate the already deadly mixed martial artist.

Three fights, three submission finishes, little more than three minutes. Seriously M-1, really? Was this headed for the shortest MMA event on record? This event was absolutely rocking the house and then Garner vs Grishin happened but we have already covered that.

Once that was over, the momentum of the evening was regained, as Mikhail Zayats looked to strip Vinny Magalhaes of his M-1 light heavyweight title.

It appeared early that if the fight went to a decision that Zayat was in position to do just that. While the first round was fairly uneventful, as the fighters felt each other out, it was in the second that Zayats seemed to find his rhythm.

Systematically attacking the legs of the champ, Zayats punished Magalhaes with leg kicks and seemed to have won the round, as he ended it with a nice flurry of strikes before the bell sounded. His ability to set up attacks with leg kicks and to stuff repeated take down attempts had turned the momentum of the fight in his favor.

Momentum is a funny thing in MMA. It would appear to be more of the same in the third round for Zayats, as he stuffed another takedown and slapped a couple more leg kicks on the champ. Then something clicked for Magalhaes, as he snapped a couple stiff jabs in Zayats face—this is where the momentum swung.

Shortly after the stinging jabs of the champ, an open hand strike by Magalhaes was followed up by a devastating high kick that dropped the challenger to his knees and equally swept the champ off his own feet.

As the two were face to face on the ground, Zayats was clearly stunned, and Magalhaes closed the deal, attacking with a flurry of crushing blows that ended the fight in the third by TKO. Magalhaes proved why he is a champ as he fought through adversity, found his moment, and turned the fight in his favor in spectacular fashion.

All in all, this entire night of fights was extremely impressive. Only two fights went the distance: one was an undercard war, and the other, well, what else is there to say? With one fight being the exception, M-1 hit a grand slam home run in Phoenix, and their athletes deserve high praise for putting on a hell of a show.

This article originally featured at Hurtsbad MMA.

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Anderson Silva’s Manager Responds to Chael Sonnen and Silva’s Critics

When you sit atop the mountain, not just the divisional mountain of mixed martial arts, but the whole damn thing, you are bound to draw the jealousy and undivided attention of more than a few critics and potential opponents.Potential opponents meaning …

Potential opponents meaning those you have yet to face, as well as those you have already laid to waste wanting another chance. There will always be guys who wish it was still ’82. They know with a second chance if Dana White would put them in, there is no doubt in their mind they would take state.

When your name is Anderson Silva, being the greatest active fighter in the sport pound-for-pound, not to mention one of the best ever, criticism and jealousy is par for the course.

Nowhere was that more apparent lately than this past weekend at UFC 136 after Chael Sonnen put on a stellar performance over a lethal Brian Stann to become the man many consider the favorite to challenge Anderson Silva next for his title. Unless you live under a rock on Mars you know this is Sonnen’s second quest towards the UFC middleweight strap.

Sonnen laid down the gauntlet telling the world and “The Spider” alike, “Anderson Silva…YOU SUCK!” He proceeded to call out Silva, stating if Sonnen won Silva would leave the division, and if Silva won that Sonnen would leave the UFC forever.

As is to be expected with Sonnen, the buck certainly did not stop there, with him later going on to directly insult not just the fighter he wishes to face but his family as well, specifically Silva’s wife. This has created quite a buzz in the MMA community and drawn the fire of Anderson Silva’s manager Ed Soares.

Soares sat down with Todd Jackson of Hurtsbad MMA and went into detail about both his respect for Sonnen, and frustration with Sonnen’s coloring outside the lines when it comes to fight promotion.

Soares first talked about his thoughts on Sonnen’s relentless trash talk and the difference between promotion and disrespect.

The Black House manager explained, “I don’t know if people listen to what he says, they hear it, but I don’t know if they listen. Hey man, he has a mouth, he has a right to say what he can, he has that right to say what he wants to say.”

Soares discussed the line he feels Sonnen crossed. “I find some of the things, whether he is marketing a fight or not, I feel some of the things he says are disrespectful. You shouldn’t go and talk about other people’s families. If you want to talk about Anderson, talk trash about his training, his coaches, talk trash about me, that’s fine.”

According to Soares that’s where the leeway ends. “But when you start talking about slapping his wife on the ass and having her cook him a steak, I just find that disrespectful.”

Even as classless as he sees the comments, he was sure to explain this is business. “I really don’t think Chael Sonnen is a bad guy. He has always been real respectful to me. Once in awhile in he tends to talk a little trash. But I really don’t take that too seriously. But I just think he starts crossing the line when he talks about his Anderson Silva’s wife.”

“Insulting an individual when it pertains to that individual, that can help promote a fight.” Soares said, “But I don’t see where he should be talking about Anderson’s wife or Anderson’s kids. Which he didn’t talk about his kids but who knows, maybe that is next. There are no boundaries with Chael.”

When asked if he sees this as a tactic on Chael’s part to ride Silva’s momentum, Soares decisively stated, “I can guarantee you that. Who ever listened to a word Chael Sonnen had to say before the Silva fight? The only reason he talks about Anderson Silva is because that is the only time people will pay any attention to what he has to say. When he doesn’t talk about Silva no one will listen.”

Soares added, “He has figured out that by talking about Anderson Silva that people are going to hear what he has to say. That is his only vehicle really. Other than talking trash, he never really has too many interesting things to say.”

Sonnen calling out Silva in such a Sonnenesque brash and in your face style did not surprise many analysts or fans. He clearly feels that regardless of a loss to Silva, and his questionable testing issues, that he is the rightful heir to the number one contender’s position in the UFC middleweight division, if not the throne itself.

Does Ed Soares agree? “I don’t. I mean he had an incredible performance against Brian Stann. But what you have to ask yourself is, Chael Sonnen was in his most dominant position over Silva for four and a half rounds. What happened?”

“If you can’t finish someone after four and a half rounds and you’re in your most dominant position, you deserve to lose as far as I’m concerned.” Soares stated. “Let Anderson be in his most dominant position for half a round, and I guarantee you you’re going to get finished.”

Sonnen may be the number one topic on the Anderson Silva hype train but there is also the return to the UFC of Dan Henderson. The first UFC fighter to ever pose even an ounce of trouble for Silva before he went on to lose by submission to the pound-for-pound king.

When asked if a fight with Hendo was also on the radar or a concern aside from Sonnen, Soares lit up and emphatically explained why Anderson Silva is worried about nothing more than Anderson Silva. The question clearly struck a nerve.

“To be honest, Anderson Silva is not worried about anything! Anderson is not ducking anybody! It’s funny, guys get their ass kicked by Anderson Silva and all of a sudden they want another shot. And when he feels they don’t deserve it, now he’s ducking them. Ducking them, how could he be ducking them?”

He spoke directly to the men who feel they deserve another shot at that which has already eluded them. ‘Listen, Dan Henderson, you were tapping out at the end of the second round. Chael Sonnen, you had a great performance but guess what? You tapped out at the end of the fifth round. The bottom line is you can say what you want about giving you another shot.'”

To hear Soares tell it, they don’t prefer any particular fighter, their fate is in the hands of the UFC brass. “When Dana White and the UFC want to make that fight happen, we will make that fight happen. We don’t pick our fights. We don’t ever tell the UFC we want to fight this guy or we want to fight that guy. None of our guys have ever chosen any of our fights. The UFC picks them and whatever they say, we take it.”

Soares clearly takes issues with the some of the criticism that is directed at his champion. “That kind of stuff irritates me when they say we are trying to hand pick guys for Anderson. Anderson Silva has fought every top middleweight in the world for the past five years and beaten them. Then he moved up to light heavyweight and knocked guys out in the first round.”

In closing he made the clearest statement he could make regarding the man who draws so much fire for his perceived faults when quite clearly it is his success that truly attracts the attention.

“Anderson has had fourteen fights in the UFC and only two have gone to decision. So I think people are just crazy saying that stuff.”

Enough said, end of discussion, es todo. When you put it like that, it is hard to argue with any rational sense of the truth.

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Dominick Cruz on His Formula To Beat Demetrious Johnson and Defend His UFC Title

Mixed Martial Arts has been called the savage science. If that is indeed true, on a hilltop on the West Coast, in a creepy, dark mansion known as Alliance MMA, there is a mad scientist by the name of Eric Del Fierro, and he has created a monster.That m…

That monster is Dominick Cruz.

That monster is one of the top 10 pound-for-pound athletes competing in the savage science. He has the most complicated footwork in the game, the pace of a humming bird and the aggression of a honey badger.

Dominick Cruz is 18-1 and shows zero signs of slowing at any point in the near future. Be that as it may, the obstacles of a champion are many, and even with all the training, ability and potential in the world, the fall of a champion is one determined challenger away.

So, sure, Dominick Cruz may be a great champion who thrills crowds with a thumbprint approach to the game. But be that as it may, there is one man on the planet who sees 25 minutes inside the Octagon with Cruz as the opportunity of a lifetime.

Demetrious Johnson sees this as his moment to shine and steal that glory, steal that momentum (which Cruz has made his own) and become the next great thing in the sport of MMA.

Cruz recognizes this and has spent that last few months torturing himself in the depths of that creepy mansion mentioned above, being broken down and rebuilt by that mad scientist, Del Fierro.

And he now has told Todd Jackson of The Truth Hurts at Hurtsbad MMA that he feels more than prepared to meet the challenge that is coming in the man they call “Mighty Mouse.”

Johnson carries many tools into the cage with him on fight night. He did not become the No. 1 contender on accident. One of his biggest strengths other than a high-octane, warlike approach is the speed at which he delivers his fight to an opponent.

Cruz talked first about the speed of Johnson. “Speed is definitely a weapon. He is quick. He’s up there with Benavidez and Faber, and I think those are some of the fastest guys in my division. I did just fine with them.”

Cruz feels he has the antidote to speed, and has proved that he can negate it on more than one occasion as mentioned before. “A bigger weapon than speed is someone that knows how to use their range. Because of the fact that I know how to use my range, it’s going to give him a lot of problems.”

Cruz confidently added, “It doesn’t matter how quick he is, because I’m quick too and range in my opinion is a bigger weapon than speed. Because if he starts showing his shots from too far out, telegraphing his shots, it’s not going to matter how quick they are because I’m going to see them from a mile away.”

Always a master game planner, it appears Cruz and Del Fierro have developed their formula. “That’s the key is just keeping the fight where I want it range wise, and making him uncomfortable throughout the entire fight. That is exactly what I plan on doing.”

While identifying threats is one thing, Cruz sees the big picture with Johnson and realizes he poses much more than a speed threat. Cruz reflected on himself when speaking of his opponent and offered an insightful perspective on other challenges he sees.

He told The Truth Hurts, “I think that some of his biggest weapons are the weapons that people give him. The reason why I say that is because I used a lot of the things he has used to light a fire under his butt, coming up in this sport, and working my way up the ladder, and that is being an underdog.”

The champ went on to explain, “He has got a lot of heart, he knows how to fight, he’s hungry, he never gets tired, and he uses the fact that people don’t think that he can win to light a fire under his butt and prove everybody wrong.”

He knows how dangerous those traits can be firsthand. “That’s exactly what I did, and those are some of the biggest threats that he’s got. On top of that, he’s quick, he has a good technique, and he has got a pretty aggressive pace.”

Once again, the formula is in place and the calculations have been made. “The idea is to use that against him. If he doesn’t set things up I have to make him pay for it. A lot of the things he does, he forces things because he’s trying to keep a high pace. The key is to keep the fight where I want it range wise, keep him on his toes, and keep him uncomfortable.”

While Cruz may be a king in the sport at the highest levels of competition, he respects his opponent and it shows in his preparation leading up to this fight. No stone has been left unturned.

He talked about his camp as well.

Just like everybody else, there are threats in every fight I go into. But I take those thoughts into consideration throughout my entire camp. I think about them every night when I go to bed, I think about them every morning when I wake up to train. I train for every strength that my opponent has to make sure that I’m ready for it and I have seen everything they are going to throw at me.

Spoken like a true champion, Cruz enters fight night with a sense of calm that follows the storm that has been his training camp. He knows he has done everything he can to give himself the best edge he can carry this Saturday in Washington D.C.

“I’m pretty confident in the game plan that I have set, and in the skill set that I carry into the cage. I’m excited to fight. Now I’m at the point where it’s all mental preparation at this point and weight management. And now I get to just get in there and have fun, because the camp was hell.”

Now it is time to unleash that hell inside the cage.

This article originally featured at Hurtsbad MMA.

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Dominick Cruz Reflects on Faber Win, The Ultimate Fighter, Being the Best Ever

There was a time when fighters who roamed weight divisions south of 155 were barely given a second’s thought by the casual fans of MMA. Once in a while Urijah Faber would fight and people would bend an ear but for the most part, the only people buying …

A lot has changed in a short period of time. Along with “The California Kid,” names like Jose Aldo and Dominick Cruz have thrown their hat in the ring and showcased to the world just how competitive and entertaining these lighter-weight fighters can be.

Dominick Cruz in particular has not only made huge waves as a top-10 pound-for-pound fighter in the world today, but he has even stolen a little of that thunder and momentum that once followed Faber like the fortune of the gods. The man has made more than one statement for himself and his division of bantamweight combatants.

It is the momentum of fighters like Dom Cruz, Aldo and Faber that opened the door for the UFC to acknowledge that these divisions could indeed perpetuate the sport as much as any other division. So they opened up the books and welcomed the bantamweight and featherweight divisions into the UFC.

This opened the door for Cruz to become the first-ever UFC BW champion over Scottie Jorgensen. He went on to make his first title defense against bitter rival, and the only man to ever beat him, Urijah Faber at UFC 132. Now Dom looks to make his second UFC title defense against Demetrious Johnson at UFC Live On VS 6.

Dom was kind enough to speak with Todd Jackson of The Truth Hurts at Hurtsbad MMA, and the champ took a moment to reflect on avenging that one blemish in his loss column across 19 professional fights.

The first question was, did he take extra satisfaction in beating Faber in such a decisive fashion knowing that there was so much bad blood and trash talk leading up to fight night? The champ answered as decisively as he beat his foe.

“Hell yeah, have you seen some of the pictures that came out after I won? I was on top of the world. Even if that fight wasn’t for a title, that was a win that I wanted so bad. He beat me, and I knew that I could beat him and I knew that I had the skill set to do so.”

While earning a unanimous decision over one of the sport’s most celebrated stars over five rounds was quite an accomplishment in itself, it was not Dominick’s only victory that night. The layers to this victory were many.

The champ went on the explain, “On top of fact of all the media, and all the trash talk, there was just a lot of pressure on going in there and performing in that fight. It wasn’t necessarily just going in there and winning. It was going in there and putting on a performance for the entire 135-pound division.”

Sure to not take all the credit, he talked about what he and Faber were able to do as a duo. “We set the bar for that division. If that fight hadn’t gone as well as it did it could have been bad for our division. There was more to it than just going in there and just beating Faber. There was the title, and the entire division as a whole, it was the first time we had ever headlined a UFC card, there was bad blood between us, there was four years in the making of wanting to beat this guy.”

And then he was able to exhale. “Winning was like taking a weight off of my chest, I felt outstanding after the win. I had put a lot of work in and I continue to work so that I can continue to grow and get better. I want to keep learning and keep beating the people that come my way.”

It had become the feather in the cap of an already impressive career. But it is a career that shows no signs of slowing down. Already considered one of the top fighters in the world, where can Cruz go from here?

When asked about the future and the possibility of his greatness transcending weight classes, Dom humbly answered a question about moving back to the division where he started his fight career, featherweight.

He told The Truth Hurts, “I definitely want to put a star on the fact that I’m very focused on the fact that I’m fighting Mighty Mouse and he is nobody to be looking past. But absolutely you have to think in terms of my career, I’m a fighter. I want to do great things. I want to be considered the best fighter pound for pound that ever lived some day.”

He sees a move on the horizon but is currently focused on today. “Moving up in weight would be something that I am going to have to look into and do in the future. Right now though, I’m not too worried about it. There is a ton of guys in my division.”

Probably the most impressive thing the champ had to say was to critique himself not just in relation to his fighting career but himself as an individual. It is not often that a man will offer more than what is asked of him; the champ was happy to share his goals across life as a whole, not just inside the cage.

“Really there is a lot for me to prove as a person even outside of fighting alone. I’m doing all this stuff in fighting, but I’m an underdog in life. So there is a lot of things that I still need to do to grow as a person before I really start looking beyond too far and beyond what is in front of me.”

Said like a true champion.

As for other aspects to the fight game that have his blood pumping, as if another title defense is not enough, Dom lit up when asked about the 14th season of The Ultimate Fighter. This season features both featherweight and bantamweight athletes.

Dom boasted, “It’s exciting to me. Once the 135-pound division makes it to The Ultimate Fighter, it’s out there for the casual fan to see. This is just as respected as any other division in the UFC, and that’s basically what it comes down to. It kind of helps the casual fan respect and understand that there are other weight classes other than 155 pounds and up.”

He sees the potential in these lower divisions being featured by a show like The Ultimate Fighter that really draws a different demographic than the typical hardcore fight fans.

He explained, “I’m excited about it, the sky is the limit now for our division. And the UFC just signed a deal with Fox. I mean you can watch the football game and they are promoting the UFC, that’s unbelievable. I’m just so excited, I’m just amped up. I’m ready to perform and a I really just can’t wait to get out there on October first.”

Looking at that last statement it is hard not to share the champ’s excitement. This sport has been on a roll for quite some time now and the future looks brighter than ever. It is great to know that guys like Dominick Cruz are leading the charge. It reassures us that in the long term the foundation of this sport is being built on class acts and the type of character and ability it will take to make the future as strong as it can possibly be.

This article originally featured at Hurtsbad MMA.

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