This is not meant as disrespect towards Che Mills. I’m sure he’s a dedicated athlete and a fine fighter. But millions will tune into his bout Saturday night in Atlanta, the semi-main event of the evening no less, and ask themselves and their buddies a …
This is not meant as disrespect towards Che Mills. I’m sure he’s a dedicated athlete and a fine fighter. But millions will tune into his bout Saturday night in Atlanta, the semi-main event of the evening no less, and ask themselves and their buddies a single, pertinent question.
Who the hell is Che Mills?
Less important than who Mills is, although for the record he’s a British striker with solid standup and a limited ground game, is what he represents. For years, the UFC has thrown its prospects straight into the deep end of the pool to sink or swim on their own merits. No more.
Mills is a creature thought to be extinct in the modern UFC—an opponent.
An opponent isn’t the same thing as a tomato can, but there’s no doubt that diminutive is being tossed towards Mills right and left on MMA message boards the world over. No, an opponent is a different sort of fighter altogether.
He’s solid and dangerous and could conceivably even win the fight. But that’s not why he’s there. The opponent is usually a legitimate fighter picked out from the crowd to allow the star to shine. He will have a weakness that can be exposed. If the going gets tough, this can be used against him, a real-life Konami cheat code of sorts.
For Mills, that’s the ground game. Tap “Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, A, B, A” and Mills will find himself in world of hurt, at the star’s mercy.
Here, the star is Rory MacDonald. Just 22 years old, the Canadian prospect has all the potential in the world. The UFC rushed him a bit early in his career and Carlos Condit took advantage. This time, they want to do it right. His potential is too vast to do anything else. His coach, Firas Zahabi, believes he could be the next Georges St-Pierre, and Zihabi knows a little bit about that—he’s been Georges’ lead trainer for years.
For the UFC, this is smart business. It’s important to build fighters into stars, marketable commodities who can sell tickets and pay-per-views. That doesn’t happen organically by winning some and losing some on the undercard. A star is born when a fighter wins, often and impressively.
That’s what this fight is. A high-profile opportunity for MacDonald to work some magic and win in impressive fashion. That will allow him, down the road, to step into the main event without anyone asking that awful question—who the hell is Rory MacDonald?
Jonathan Snowden: It’s always interesting to see the fighters walking around the city before the big bouts. Think there is a PED problem in MMA? Maybe. But the guys that really need to be tested are the corners and entourages. I haven’t seen this m…
Jonathan Snowden: It’s always interesting to see the fighters walking around the city before the big bouts. Think there is a PED problem in MMA? Maybe. But the guys that really need to be tested are the corners and entourages. I haven’t seen this many swollen muscles since my last WWE show.
Today we hit the press conference. The UFC isn’t even trying to present this as a deep card. Two fighters will be there—Jones and Evans. It’s fitting. This is a one fight card, but man, what a fight. Can Jon Anik squeeze a little more out of Jones and Evans, who have been talking about each other for months? Hopefully both men have saved some A-material for the big day.
Jeremy Botter: Fight week doesn’t really kick off until Wednesday. Nearly all of the fighters participating on the card are already here, having arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport and then whisked away to the airport by a Zuffa shuttle. Tuesdays are…
Jeremy Botter: Fight week doesn’t really kick off until Wednesday. Nearly all of the fighters participating on the card are already here, having arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport and then whisked away to the airport by a Zuffa shuttle. Tuesdays are used to check in with the Zuffa staff at the host hotel, make a trip to the grocery store for food to sustain them through a difficult weigh cut and fill out all of the necessary paperwork required by the promotion and the local commissions.
Wednesdays are different, though. That’s when the hype machine kicks into full drive, usually with a press conference or open workouts.
Here in Atlanta, the press conference comes first. Later on today, Jon Anik will host a unique press conference featuring Jon Jones and Rashad Evans. Pre-fight pressers usually involve four to fix fighters on the main card, but this one is different. All eyes are focused solely on Jones and Evans, and rightly so. And for the first time ever, the UFC put out a call for questions from the fans via Twitter, which gives the hardcore fans a chance to get their burning questions answered directly by the fighters.
We’ll be attending the press conference, which kicks off in a little over three hours. Stay tuned to Caged In for text updates and videos, because we’ll be bringing you plenty of coverage.
Jeremy Botter: I’ve traveled across much of the world over the past three years, flitting here and there to cover Ultimate Fighting Championship events. The mystery of the thing started to wear off roughly around UFC 116. Don’t get me wrong – this is a…
Jeremy Botter: I’ve traveled across much of the world over the past three years, flitting here and there to cover Ultimate Fighting Championship events. The mystery of the thing started to wear off roughly around UFC 116. Don’t get me wrong – this is a fantastic job, and I feel privileged to do it every time I leave for the airport, both coming and going.
What I’m trying to say, I guess, is that it’s been a long time since a UFC main event truly captured my attention the way that this grudge fight between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans has. I’ve wanted to see this fight ever since Jones won the belt, mostly because there are so many interesting storylines going into it. I don’t need to rehash them here. It’s just an intriguing thing on so many different levels.
So yeah, I’m pretty excited about this fight. I just arrived in Atlanta, where I’ll spend the week covering the event with fellow Caged In correspondent Jonathan Snowden. We’re going to provide you with a ton of written content from this week, to be sure, but we’re also going to provide you plenty of video as well. Stay tuned for that stuff starting tomorrow.
What’s this you’re reading, then? It’s our little behind-the-scenes diary of a UFC fight week. Jonathan and I will take you behind the scenes and bring you the little encounters that you don’t see in stories or on video. We’ll update this UFC 145 Fight Week Diary with anecdotes and stories that don’t warrant their own post, and we’ll post the occasional photo of cool stuff you might be interested in.
You can bookmark this post to see the latest updates, or just follow us on Twitter: @jeremybotter and @mmaencyclopedia, respectively.
UFC 145 Fight Week has kicked off in Atlanta, and Caged In authors Jeremy Botter and Jonathan Snowden are in Atlanta to bring you all of the action.In this UFC 145 Fight Week diary, the boys will bring you small stories, photos and videos of all the ha…
UFC 145 Fight Week has kicked off in Atlanta, and Caged In authors Jeremy Botter and Jonathan Snowden are in Atlanta to bring you all of the action.
In this UFC 145 Fight Week diary, the boys will bring you small stories, photos and videos of all the happenings during one of the UFC’s most anticipated events of the year. The goal is to give you, the reader at home, a small look behind the scenes at all of the media events and fighter interactions that you don’t see at home.
You may bookmark this post for the latest updates, or follow Jeremy and Jonathan on Twitter for updates.
Matthew Roth: This weekend you’re facing Shinya Aoki. It’s a rematch from a fight you guys had in DREAM. What’s different in your career right now that makes this a winnable fight for you?Eddie Alvarez: It’s three years ago. Three years ago I was just …
Matthew Roth: This weekend you’re facing Shinya Aoki. It’s a rematch from a fight you guys had in DREAM. What’s different in your career right now that makes this a winnable fight for you?
Eddie Alvarez: It’s three years ago. Three years ago I was just finding myself in the division. I don’t feel like I was confident. I was too insecure in my own abilities and what I was capable of, and mentally I was immature. I didn’t know if I could compete with the top guys.
My beliefs in myself and what I was capable of wasn’t exactly there, and I feel like that’s a huge part of fighting. Not only that, but my skill set has grown tremendously.
I’m out here in Florida with some of the best trainers and fighters in the world, and I couldn’t be more prepared for the rematch. I’ve done my homework and everything I need to do, and I’m ready to go out there on Friday and get the W.
Matthew Roth: This is interesting because you were supposed to face him a little sooner during the DREAM lightweight tournament, but you had the eye injury from your fight with Kawajiri. Were you bummed out in any way that you couldn’t fight him during the tournament and that you had to fight him afterwards at Dynamite!! 2008?
Eddie Alvarez: To fight on Dynamite!! on New Year’s Eve, it’s the biggest event in history in MMA, so just to have the opportunity to fight on Dynamite!! is great. Do I think I would have had a better chance at beating him the night of the tournament? Yes.
The night of the tournament he fought Caol Uno all the way to decision, and he had him in a triangle for like the whole fight so he was tired. I was definitely the most well-conditioned fighter in that tournament at that time.
I only had a seven-minute fight with Kawajiri before the finals. I felt like I was more well-equiped and well-prepared to win that night. I went back at Dynamite!! and I didn’t show up like I should have, and I got caught. I lost focus for a second and I got caught. My hat’s off to him.
Some nights aren’t yours, and Friday night will be mine. That night was his, and he can have it. That was three years ago, and I think it will be different.
Matthew Roth: He’s mostly known as a submission fighter, but he has weak wrestling. Do you think that works to your advantage if you can keep the fight standing?
Eddie Alvarez: Yeah, absolutely. Keep the fight standing or wherever the fight goes, he’s good at creating scrambles to get the fight to the ground. He’s one of the best lightweights in the world because he knows how to use his strength. He gets the fight to go where the odds are in his favor.
You can’t lose focus against a guy like this. We worked on that. We’re prepared and ready to go. I’m excited and can’t wait til Friday.
Matthew Roth: For a lot of American fans, their introduction to Aoki was the fight with Gilbert Melendez. Do you think think they know how good he actually his, or do you think they see him as the guy who got smashed by Melendez?
Eddie Alvarez: I have no clue. I think the hardcore fans know who he is and what he’s capable of. I think your everyday fans only know him as the Japanese guy who Gilbert Melendez beat up. All your hardcore fans know how dangerous of an opponent he can be.
Even Gilbert knows how dangerous of an opponent he can be. If you look at the fight, Gilbert fought very cautious to get the win. Everyone knows he’s a dangerous guy if you let him fight his fight.
Matthew Roth: Alright, so regarding Bellator…What’s the biggest difference with Spike’s involvement now compared to past media partners such as ESPN Deportes and Fox Sports?
Eddie Alvarez: I don’t know any difference. I don’t pay attention to that too much. I have the same relationship I had since the beginning with Bjorn Rebney. We have a good relationship. I don’t know any difference.
I’m sure they’re coming up with a ton of great ideas and a ton of great things for 2013, but right now everything is basically the same on my part. My life doesn’t involve promotions and all of this stuff outside of training in the gym and my family. That’s all I’m really concerned with.
I wouldn’t even be able to answer that question properly because I don’t pay enough attention to that.
Matthew Roth: There were rumors in the late winter/early spring that you were signing with the UFC following the Aoki fight. Did those rumors affect your relationship with Bjorn at all or not really?
Eddie Alvarez: No, those were ridiculous. For someone to even say that I was signing with the UFC makes no sense. People can say what they want to say. I’ve had people tell me I’m great, and I’ve had people tell me that I absolutely suck. I’ve had people tell me the craziest stuff.
You can’t believe what people say. You just kinda have to live your life, man, and go about your day and do what you do. People say crazy things. That doesn’t even make sense.
I’m obligated to a contract that I’ve had with Bellator for the past three years, and I’m a man of my word, and I’ll stick to what I signed. It’s impossible for something like that to happen. It’s just hearsay.
Matthew Roth: Now, from your perspective, you’ve fought in Japan and in Bellator. What’s the big difference between fighting in the United States vs. Japan? And maybe in the promotions as well?
Eddie Alvarez: The biggest difference is the knowledge. Fans [in Japan] have a deeper knowledge of MMA and what it takes such as the conditioning aspect, the courage…the fans seem to have a better grip on MMA in general. The fact that sometimes good fighters lose, they understand it. They get that. They know that champions lose in MMA. It’s not like boxing where you’re 50-0; that’s unheard of.
Fans here in America still don’t grasp that. They’re getting better at it, but they still don’t grasp the fact that in MMA there’s so many different ways to lose that champions lose all the time in MMA. No one is unbeatable.
I think people don’t account for the conditioning aspect. They just want us to beat each other up at a super-high pace for like 25 minutes. They don’t understand the kind of conditioning it takes to do what we do. I think it’s evolving and people understand it more than what they did five years ago, and eventually they’ll get to the point that they have the same sort of knowledge of the sport as the Japanese fans.
Matthew Roth: You brought up that champions fall and rebound, so I want to talk about the Mike Chandler fight for a second. Looking back on that fight, what do you think you could have done differently to walk away with the W?
Eddie Alvarez: I think I over-thought things. I definitely over-thought things. I was concerned with a lot of things that I shouldn’t have been concerned about and should have fought my fight better.
I feel like I worked too much defensively, rather than fighting my fight and doing what I do strong. I was too concerned with the wrestling and defenses rather than worrying about what I’m strong at and imposing my will. I lost focus for a second, and Mike was able to make me pay for it.
I feel like I had a bad night of fighting, and I made a few mistakes, and Mike was ready to fight. He came after me, and he was able to capitalize on the mistakes. I learned a lot from that fight. I grew tremendously in the past five or six months because of that fight.
It was bad when it happened, but if it didn’t then I wouldn’t have ever made the adjustments that I needed to. I never would have improved.
Matthew Roth: Was there any talk of an immediate rematch, or was it basically if you want to fight him again you have to go through another tournament?
Eddie Alvarez: If I wanted to fight him again I had to go through a tournament. I was the only one who was talking about a rematch. I asked Bjorn for a rematch and was quickly denied. I would have to go through another tournament, and in order to do another tournament, I would have to sign another contract which possibly could have been another three years.
I wasn’t comfortable with doing that at the time, and I’ve been asking for the Aoki fight for a couple years now, so if I can’t get one rematch I’ll take the other.
Matthew Roth: Now is the Aoki fight…for a lot of fighters, it seems like getting losses back is really important. Is that important to you, getting the W in a fight that you lost?
Eddie Alvarez: Yeah, it’s very important. It was my first loss at lightweight. It’s a testament to how much you’ve improved as a fighter and to see where you’re at. It’s a good way to gauge how much you’ve improved by fighting the same opponent again.
Matthew Roth: Finally, you recently made the decision to train down in Florida with the Blackzilians and with Ricardo Almeida in Jersey. What were the factors that led you to leave the Fight Factory in Philly?
Eddie Alvarez: Every once in a while I still train with guys from the Fight Factory when I’m back in Philadelphia. For myself, for my future, for my career, I thought it was a better move to come go down to Florida. First and foremost, I’m here by myself in isolation, which means I can focus better.
There’s not a lot of guys in Philadelphia that train full-time, so during the day I’m by myself a lot. That never happens down here. You get a lot of attention all day long from other pro fighters and trainers. In Philadelphia that was hard to get.
It was hard to find guys who fight full-time or trainers who were able to dedicate their time to it because the money isn’t there yet in Philadelphia. Hopefully at some point it does, and I’ll be able to train full-time in my hometown.
Matthew Roth: Thank you very much; was there anything I missed that you want to say?
Eddie Alvarez: I’d just like to thank the Blackzilians and all my training partners. Ricardo Almeida and the whole group that I train with over there and in Philadelphia.
Most of all my wife for being such a great woman, taking care of the kids while I’m out here in Florida which allows me to stay focused and get ready for one of the biggest fights in my career. And also Authentic Sports Management for being so awesome.
This is not meant as disrespect towards Che Mills. I’m sure he’s a dedicated athlete and a fine fighter. But millions will tune into his bout Saturday night in Atlanta, the semi-main event of the evening no less, and ask themselves and their buddies a single, pertinent question.