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Andrew Craig Looking to Make a Statement Against Markes in Brazil

Taking a fight in hostile territory has proven to shake even the most experienced fighters, but it is becoming routine for Andrew Craig. The middleweight upstart made his UFC debut defeating Australian Kyle Noke in front of the TUF alum’s countrymen, a…

The bout will be the biggest of his young career. While facing the Nova Uniao-trained grappler presents an interesting challenge, fighting in front of a passionate Brazilian crowd will only serve to up the intensity of the moment. That being said, victory is the only thing that matters to Craig, and he intends to get the job done by any means necessary.

“Winning is what matters,” Craig told Bleacher Report. “I don’t care what it looks like. It can be a clean win, slow win, fast or ugly; winning is what matters the most. I don’t care. I’m just out there to win fights. I know it’s going to be a little wild going down there, but it doesn’t change anything. He’s still just a man and all we are doing is fighting in a cage.

“I think this fight is like a lot of other matchups I’ve had, but Markes is just a little bit better in all areas. I’ve fought against big, strong grapplers in the past, the only difference is this guy is a little bit bigger and a little bit stronger of a grappler. But I’m confident going into this fight. I’ve been training with Tim Kennedy since October, helping him get ready for his fight, and there aren’t many guys in the 185-pound division as good as he is. I’m feeling confident man. I don’t think this guy is going to bring much to the table I’m not used to.”

Success on the regional MMA scene in Texas earned the 26-year-old the opportunity to fight inside the Octagon, and he’s made the most of every step. Following his victory over Noke, Craig squared off with Rafael Natal at UFC on Fuel TV 4. Despite a rough start where Craig found himself on the business end of exchanges with Natal, he landed a stunning head-kick knockout to claim the come-from-behind victory in the second frame.

While back-to-back wins and an unblemished record have the Texan continuing to build momentum in the UFC ranks, Craig acknowledges there is still much work to be done. Fighting on the sport’s biggest stage can be an overwhelming experience, but Craig is starting to settle in and is looking to put himself on the divisional map by getting the win this weekend in Brazil.

“I absolutely believe I can make a statement with a victory over Markes,” Craig said. “I think my two wins in the UFC have kind of gone under the radar. My first was against Kyle Noke, an Australian in Australia. It was on a Fuel undercard and the one against Natal was on Facebook. There are a lot of people who aren’t familiar with me and my fighting style. I think beating a guy like Ronny will make a big statement for me.

“I’m coming off a win but I still got my ass beat during the fight. Even though I won, I was still a little down about my performance. It’s obviously a little bit louder in the Octagon and there is more pressure, but I’m learning to take those things in stride. This next fight should be the biggest one yet. It will be against a Brazilian in Brazil, but I’m feeling more and more comfortable in there. I’m getting to the point where I’m more excited than I am nervous. I’m getting there man.”

A victory over Markes this weekend, will put Craig among the next wave of fighters looking to make an impact in the middleweight division. While the weight class is ruled by the most dominant champion in UFC history in Anderson Silva, the climb to the top of the 185-pound weight class has proven to be a slippery slope.

Potential contenders continue to rise and fall in high frequency, and with the Strikeforce middleweights set to enter the picture, Craig believes the weight class is about to heat up.

“I think this division is wide open,” Craig said. “There are so many tough guys in this division and guys like Tim Kennedy, Jacare and Rockhold coming in from Strikeforce are only going to make it that much more competitive. A lot of people used to scoff at the 185-pound division, but now I think it is the best it has ever been.”

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Jose Aldo: ‘This Fight Is a Chance to Prove What I Can Do’

The term “superfight” has been thrown around the MMA scene a lot over the past several months.Potential bouts between the sport’s pound-for-pound best have certainly created a buzz, but with the majority of the matchups never material…

The term “superfight” has been thrown around the MMA scene a lot over the past several months.

Potential bouts between the sport’s pound-for-pound best have certainly created a buzz, but with the majority of the matchups never materializing past the rumor stage, it appears fans will have to put those hopes on hold.

While the collection of Anderson Silva, Jon Jones and Georges St-Pierre have yet to work out a timeline for their eventual showdowns, two UFC champions, one current/one former, are set to handle business in a matter of weeks when featherweight title holder Jose Aldo squares off with Frankie Edgar at UFC 156 on Feb. 2 in Las Vegas.

During his title reign in the lightweight division, the Toms River, N.J., native showed an unbreakable resolve as he collected victories over two of the sport’s best 155-pound fighters in BJ Penn and Gray Maynard.

But after his win over “The Bully” at UFC 136, Edgar dropped back-to-back close decision losses to Benson Henderson. The final setback came at UFC 150 in Denver, and shortly after, “The Answer” decided to test the waters in the featherweight division.

Edgar was rumored to make his 145-pound debut against Ricardo Lamas, but after No. 1 contender Erik Koch dropped out of his bout with Aldo at UFC 153, the UFC tapped the former lightweight champion to step in against the Brazilian phenom.

Unfortunately, the fight would ultimately be scrapped due to Aldo suffering a foot injury. But with the buzz over the long-awaited superfight between Aldo and Edgar still high, the UFC decided to reschedule the bout for UFC 156 on Super Bowl weekend.

“Frankie Edgar is a great athlete,” Aldo told Bleacher Report through a translator. “It will be an honor to have the chance to fight against him. He is a great fighter, and if the victory comes, it will be a big achievement. As always, I’m going to keep the fight moving and trying to do my best. This fight is a chance to prove what I can do.”

In past matchups, Edgar had a definitive speed advantage. The 31-year-old has made a career out of using elusive footwork to set up both his striking and wrestling attacks.

Facing Aldo will present a unique set of challenges. The Nova Uniao product is undoubtedly one of the sport’s quickest fighters, and his diverse striking game is as dangerous as they come.

Aldo has worked to prepare for every threat Edgar brings to the table, including having friend and Edgar rival Maynard come to Brazil to train with his team at Nova Uniao on multiple occasions. While “Junior” isn’t overlooking the skills his opponent possesses, he is hoping to showcase a few new tools in this fight.

“Maynard is a great guy,” Aldo said. “It was an honor to train by his side. I also train with the Brazilian wrestling team doing a specific job for a long time. I will do my best to surprise everybody. I am training very hard. Anything can happen in a fight, and I can’t underestimate my opponent.”

Aldo is commonly referred to as one of the sport’s pound-for-pound best, and it is a status that comes with merit. The 26-year-old is in the midst of a 14-fight win streak which includes victories over top competition such as Urijah Faber, Kenny Florian, Cub Swanson and Chad Mendes.

During his title reign, the division has started to take shape. With former lightweight champions and contenders like Edgar and Clay Guida dropping down to 145 pounds, the weight class is only going to become more competitive.

It is a challenge Aldo is looking forward to, and he welcomes the lightweight fighter coming down to the featherweight division.

“Yes, for sure,” Aldo replied when asked if he was excited to see big names come down to featherweight. “I love fighting, and with the division growing, more challenges are going to appear.”

Duane Finley is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

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Michael Chandler Ready for Hawn, Excited for Next Chapter on Spike TV

The wait is almost over for Michael Chandler.After blitzing his way through the Bellator lightweight tournament and toppling one of the world’s best at 155 pounds in 2011, the following year was at the opposite end of the spectrum. The former Missouri …

The wait is almost over for Michael Chandler.

After blitzing his way through the Bellator lightweight tournament and toppling one of the world’s best at 155 pounds in 2011, the following year was at the opposite end of the spectrum. The former Missouri wrestling standout had only one showing in 2012, a non-title bout against Akihiro Gono, where it only took Chandler 54 seconds of work to get the job done.

It was no doubt an impressive performance against a seasoned veteran, but Chandler was eager to keep his progress rolling. When Olympic judoka Rick Hawn emerged as the winner of Bellator’s sixth lightweight tournament, the 26-year-old champion finally had his next assignment. But with the promotion’s preparing to roll out a new format with Spike TV in 2013, the organization’s two top lightweights were put on the shelf until the new year.

The young champion will finally get the opportunity to defend his title when he mixes it up with Hawn this Thursday night at Bellator 85.

“I had a great camp and I’ve made a lot of improvements,” Chandler told Bleacher Report. “I haven’t really taken any time off since my last fight and I’ve spent a lot of time in the gym. I’m still healthy, happy, and young. I’m feeling better than ever and believe I’m going to be the best fighter I’ve ever been.”

While both men have progressed to become well-rounded mixed martial artists, the matchup will potentially boil down to their respective pedigrees. Chandler is a former All-American wrestler who has transitioned his mat skills to become an aggressive takedown artist inside the cage. When you add in his continued progression in the striking and submission aspects of the game, it is easy to see why there is so much buzz surrounding the Missouri-native.

The same can be said for Hawn. The 36-year-old has added a powerful striking game to his world-class judo skills, and has proven to be dangerous wherever the fight takes place. That being said, Chandler believes his overall skill set will be too much for the Oregon-native to handle, and is looking forward to locking up with the Team Tri-Star fighter.

“Not to discredit Rick, but I feel like I’m more talented in every aspect of fighting,” Chandler said. “He’s a great competitor, and a tough guy, but I feel like I’ve progressed and my stand up and wrestling skills are just a little bit better. I’m in great shape and prepared to push the pace for 25 minutes if I have to. I’ll be looking for the finish and I don’t see why I won’t be able to beat him up pretty bad, wear him down, and hopefully get the finish later on in the fight. That is kind of the plan. Again, not to discredit him at all. He does have Olympic level judo, but that is something I believe my wrestling is going to be able to counteract very well. Obviously he has a good right hand he’s been able to knock a couple of guys out with. I need to stay away from that, stick and move, get in and out, and win the fight.

“I was never an upper body wrestler. I am a shooter. I get in on your legs and take you down. I think overall body awareness and knowing exactly where I need to be makes a big difference. Knowing how much weight to put on each foot or where I need to put my hands are things I’m very good at. Obviously with the wrestling background those are things that come naturally.

“His judo is great but I don’t see him using it a ton against me,” Chandler added. “It’s not like he’s throwing everybody on their heads. Granted it happens, but he isn’t out there dumping people on their heads every single fight. He does get some good take downs with trips, but I just don’t see those things happening to me with the amount of wrestling I’ve had. I’m excited to see. I could talk to you in two weeks and say, ‘how bout that time he threw me on my head.’ Who knows what is going to happen?”

Since winning the Bellator lightweight title, Chandler has made the transition of switching his training from Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas to Alliance MMA in San Diego. In a sport of constant evolution like mixed martial arts, it is crucial for a fighter to continue to progress his talents. Often times, that requires getting new looks and insights and Chandler felt the move was necessary to keep his growth as a fighter rolling in the right direction.

“It’s been a great experience,” Chandler said. “Training in Las Vegas at Xtreme Couture was awesome and I was there for almost two years. But now I’m training at Alliance and there are new coaches and training partners I have to work with. There are always a ton of different people to learn from and people that are pushing me to get better. No one takes it easy on me at all. It’s been a great fit for me and I feel like it was a great decision to come down here. I haven’t looked back since and I definitely feel like it was the right decision. I’ve gotten a ton better and I can’t complain one bit.”

When Chandler and Hawn step into the cage this Thursday night in California, it will be the premier showcase of Bellator’s debut on Spike TV. Both the promotion and the network have big plans for the coming year, and are looking to make a major impact on the MMA landscape in 2013. For a surging fighter like Chandler, the partnership presents many interesting opportunities and he’s excited to reach a the new audience Spike TV presents.

“It is a great opportunity to fight on a big stage,” Chandler said. “It’s the biggest stage I’ve ever been on and it’s exciting. I’m ready to go out there and perform. It’s exciting to go out there and fight for the fans who have been with me since the start, the fans I’ve picked up along the way, and the new ones who haven’t really watched a ton of Bellator because it has been on ESPN Deportes, Fox Sports, and MTV2. Now it is on Spike. When you talk about being able to reach a ton of people, Spike TV makes that possible. I’m pretty excited about the situation.”

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Eric Prindle: ‘I Don’t Like When Guys Cross a Certain Line When They Talk’

Eric Prindle, a professional mixed martial artist for nearly five years, loves almost everything about the sport that he has taken on as a career.But “almost” is the operative word for Prindle.“It’s up to the individual, but I don’…

Eric Prindle, a professional mixed martial artist for nearly five years, loves almost everything about the sport that he has taken on as a career.

But “almost” is the operative word for Prindle.

“It’s up to the individual, but I don’t like when guys cross a certain line when they talk,” the 36-year-old Prescott, Arizona, native said. “There’s hyping up a fight, then there’s talking crap about other people’s kids and stuff like that—I don’t like that.”

For Prindle, who served in the United States military for nearly a decade before diving head-first into the world of mixed martial arts, fighters should put an emphasis on being respectful, especially when in the public eye.

“When so much is riding on something—a career, more money, a bigger shot for the guy who wins—of course you have someone who has to lose, but I don’t think you should be disrespectful,” he said. “There’s no reason for doing that. I’m not certain, but I doubt any of the samurais back in the day did that kind of stuff.

“Honour breeds honour and disrespect breeds disrespect. If more of us took the honourable route, then more kids are going to want to emulate it and the Earth might be a nicer place to live.”

Prindle noted that he would continue to uphold a high level of respect in his career—both in his own fighting and as a coach when he hangs up his gloves—but he isn’t certain if his peers will follow his lead.

“In Erik Paulson’s time, there was more respect. People weren’t doing it for the paycheck; it was about respect,” Prindle said. “People were fighting to be the absolute best, but there’s way more money involved now. And with everything, the more people you have, you’re going to have more walks of life—different people—and things may change.

“A lot of us respect people and show respect to everybody. Hopefully it will spread versus going the other way.”

Ed Kapp is a Regina, Saskatchewan-based freelance journalist. Unless otherwise noted, all quotations were obtained firsthand.

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Pat Healy: ‘I Don’t Think He (Gilbert Melendez) Was Really That Hurt’

When you get so close to achieving your dream and then have it taken away from you, it is hard to not be frustrated. But when it keeps happening, then you start to question what is really happening. Welcome to Pat Healy’s world the last six months. Hea…

Healy was originally supposed to face Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez Saturday night, but Melendez had to bow out of the fight due to a shoulder injury. Healy will now be facing off with Kurt Holobaugh headlining the preliminary portion of the final Strikeforce show.

“Bam Bam” was supposed to face Melendez on the September and November Strikeforce events, but the shoulder prevented the champion from competing. The January card was announced with Healy facing Melendez again in the headlining position. After Melendez bowed out of the fight again, Healy started to question whether Melendez was really that injured and was waiting to fight in the UFC.

“This time (Melendez bowing out of the fight) was way more different because they (Strikeforce) announced this was pretty much the last Strikeforce show,” Healy told Bleacher Report. “He (Melendez) knew he was going to the UFC, so when he pulled out of the fight this time, I felt a bit different about it. I think he made a business decision. I don’t think he was really that hurt. It was a lot more frustrating and irritating this time.”

After Melendez had to bow out of the fight, Strikeforce then paired Healy with Jorge Masvidal. Then it was announced about two weeks ago that Masvidal was injured and wouldn’t be able to fight. Healy was once again without an opponent until it was announced he would be Holobaugh about 10 days ago. The Strikeforce veteran was still more than happy to fight on Saturday’s card, but just wanted to be assured he would have a spot in the UFC.

“I’m happy to fight, but all I really asked for was to give me a guarantee of my future,” Healy stated. “Everybody is telling me, “Hey it is a win or lose for everybody on this card. You win, you go to the UFC. You lose, your cut.”

“I just wanted to hear like, “Hey your cool Pat, you’ve done a lot for us, you fought your heart out for us everytime you stepped in (the cage). You’ve got a job at the end of this, no matter what”.

“I could not get that (guarantee of a UFC fight). I tried for weeks to get that and they (Zuffa) would not give that to me.”

Healy is on a five fight winning streak heading into Saturday night and is frustrated that the last four fighters he has beaten are already in the UFC. The Missouri native knows he belongs in the biggest MMA organization in the world.

“It’s pretty frustrating,” Healy stated. “The last four guys I’ve beaten are in the UFC now. Three of them in this Strikeforce deal are directly coming off losses to me. I think I deserve to be in there. I know I deserve to be in there.”

Unless otherwise stated, all quotes were obtained firsthand.

You can listen to the complete interview with Pat Healy here.

You can follow me on Twitter @fightclubchi.

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Gegard Mousasi: It’s Not That Difficult for Me to Stay Focused”

When you see that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, you just want to jump right to it, right there and then. Life isn’t always that easy. When Zuffa purchased Strikeforce in March of 2011, it was assumed that everyone would merge to the UFC. After…

The final Strikeforce event will be taking place tomorrow night, and the futures for a lot of fighters are on the line. It looks like former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi’s future is secure to be in the UFC, as he will be taking on Mike Kyle in light heavyweight action.

Mousasi stated in an interview last month that he never really trained for any of his 37 previous fights. The former champion wanted to clear the air on those remarks.

“I don’t think I wasn’t professional about it (training),” Mousasi told Bleacher Report. “I’ve been fighting for so long without any coaches. I was working with guys for a period and then I would go train somewhere else. I have what I need now to get to the next level. I didn’t have the proper training before. That’s what I have now, a good training camp. I just want to see what the results are going to be, because I feel great, feel stronger. I’m ready.”

Mousasi and Kyle were supposed to face other on two different occasions, but Kyle had to bow out of both fights due to injury. “The Dreamcatcher” knew the fight with Kyle would eventually happen and isn’t underestimating him.

“I thought the fight would happen if Strikeforce would have continued because Mike Kyle is a big man in Strikeforce at 205,” Mousasi stated. “He’s a dangerous opponent, and his kickboxing is underestimated. I think he’s a strong, hard-hitting guy who’s well-rounded and is someone you can’t underestimate.”

Only the hardcore fans knew who Mousasi was before he started fighting for Strikeforce in 2009, when he defeated Renato “Babalu” Sobral to become the light heavyweight champion. Mousasi is 3-1-1 in his Strikeforce run and has fond memories of the promotion that put his name on the map with fans in the United States.

“I think it’s unfortunate (Strikeforce is closing) because Strikeforce has always had great fights,” Mousasi stated. “Great fighters have fought there like Fedor (Emelianenko), (Josh) Barnett, Alistair (Overeem), Nick Diaz and Dan Henderson. You have a lot of great names that have fought there. I think they (Strikeforce) were good for MMA. I think the fighters will go to the UFC. There will be some very exciting matchups for the fans.”

A lot of fighters on the card have uncertain futures of whether they will be in the UFC after Saturday. Mousasi hasn’t been told whether he will be in the UFC, but feels confident his next fight will be there. The native of the Netherlands knows the pot of gold is at the end of rainbow, so staying focused on the task in front of him hasn’t been a problem.

“I think because I’m not going for the title, every fight is the championship fight,” Mousasi stated. “It’s not any different fighting for Strikeforce or the UFC. If I lose this fight, then I will be in back of the line and I have to work all the way up again. It’s that difficult for me to stay focused (on Mike Kyle).”

Unless otherwise stated, all quotes were obtained firsthand.

You can listen to the entire interview with Gegard Mousasi here.

You can follow me on Twitter @fightclubchi.

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