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Shane Carwin on Roy Nelson Heading into TUF 16: ‘I Hate That Guy’

In the lead-up to a Shane Carwin fight, you usually don’t hear a lot of chatter from him. He’s a blue-collar man from Colorado who lives by the saying “speak softly and carry a big stick.”But when it comes to discussing Roy Nelson, Carwin changes …

In the lead-up to a Shane Carwin fight, you usually don’t hear a lot of chatter from him. He’s a blue-collar man from Colorado who lives by the saying “speak softly and carry a big stick.”

But when it comes to discussing Roy Nelson, Carwin changes that tune rather quickly.

Carwin had to deal with Nelson a lot over the last six weeks, and on Friday, we get to see how it all played out as The Ultimate Fighter Fridays: Carwin vs Nelson premieres on FX, starting at a special time of 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Before the trash talking ensued between the two coaches, Carwin had some reservations when approached about coaching the 16th edition of TUF.

“It’s a lot to do,” Carwin told Bleacher Report. “You have to change your lifestyle. But once you find out it’s against Roy Nelson, somebody that I dislike so much, I was on board. There was nobody I wanted to coach against more than that guy, and to kick his a** in not only coaching, but in the fight as well.”

When Carwin accepted the coaching role, the trash talk started. Carwin and Nelson went at each viciously in the media and on social media platforms like Twitter. Carwin didn’t appreciate that Nelson was trying to portray himself as a person who has had it rough in his life.

“(Nelson) bi***es and complains all the time,” Carwin said. “He always has an excuse for everything. He claims to be this average, normal guy and that’s who he tries to reach too, the blue-collar workers.

“Well, that’s me. That’s where I came from. I was the one working at 15 years old and working concrete in construction, working at meat packing plants, throwing boxes and things like that. He hasn’t had a job in his life. This is the only thing he has ever done. He’s the farthest thing from a blue-collar worker that he claims to be,” he said.

Carwin did enjoy coaching the guys on the show, as it brought him back to when he was going through the grind of trying to get into the UFC.

“I’ve been there,” Carwin said. “I know what these guys are going through. Just to be able to be there and try to help those guys. It was life changing for me. There’s a lot of things that happen this season that I thought would never happen, especially in that short amount of time. It shocked me by the end in what happened and just how the show went on.”

Usually when you get close to a fight or the premiere of a show like TUF, it is just a way to hype it up and the guys are respectful to each other afterward. Carwin says that this isn’t hype—it has gotten personal.

“There’s that much animosity there (between us),” Carwin said. “All of that stuff is real. The only thing I’ve ever had to hype for my fights is to just watch my style. My fights are exciting. There doesn’t need to be any hype or talk, but this real.

“I hate the guy (Nelson). I dislike him. I hate him as a person. That’s just it. I’ll be vocal about it.”

You can follow me on Twitter @fightclubchi.

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Michael Chandler Excited to Prove He’s One of the Best Fighters in the World

Michael Chandler is a man on a mission.The former wrestling standout from Missouri University entered Bellator’s Season 4 lightweight tournament as an unknown amongst a field of veterans and the weight class’s most talented field to date.In an impressi…

Michael Chandler is a man on a mission.

The former wrestling standout from Missouri University entered Bellator‘s Season 4 lightweight tournament as an unknown amongst a field of veterans and the weight class’s most talented field to date.

In an impressive run, Chandler not only claimed the tournament title, but submitted Eddie Alvarez to become the Bellator lightweight champion in a “Fight of the Year”-caliber performance. While his story of going from dark horse to champion was one of 2011’s best, it was simply the next step in a greater plan.

In his first title defense he made short work of Akihiro Gono by dispatching the veteran in impressive fashion. It is his goal to become the world’s best 155-pound fighter and while his young career has been impressive thus far, Chandler believes he’s just scratched the surface on his true potential.

“Beating Eddie Alvarez was a statement but there are going to be bigger statements around the corner,” Chandler told Bleacher Report. “Obviously, beating Alvarez was the first step to getting my name out there. Now people now know who I am and see, at least in some part, that I’m the real deal. I have to continue to make statements every time I step into the cage.

“I believe I did a good job of that by going in and putting away Gono in less than a minute, but I want to go in every single fight and put on a dominant performance. I want to put on a good show for the fans and there are definitely more statements to come. That’s the game plan because every time I step in the cage it is violent and fun to watch.”

Chandler’s path through the MMA landscape has been accelerated in every sense of the word.

Before he could get comfortable wearing the prospect tag in the sport, he was already a champion. Following his victory over Alvarez, Chandler’s name began to appear on top 10 lists across the sport. While the sudden rush of recognition and fruits of fame can be somewhat difficult to handle, Chandler has appreciated the rise but his focus on personal growth has never wavered.

“I’ve been in this sport a little over three years now,” Chandler said. “It’s cool to be someone who people actually know now. When people talk about the lightweight division they will probably mention my name a little bit. Whether they believe I don’t deserve to be up there or I do, they are at least going to mention me. November 18, the day before I fought Eddie, no one would have ever mentioned my name when talking about the best of the lightweight division.

“There are a lot of people who don’t believe I deserve to be recognized as one of the top-10 best and I don’t necessarily disagree with them. I want to continue to perform at a high level. I want to continue to show people I’m here to stay and that I’m only going to get better. I’m trying to be the best lightweight fighter in the world. That’s my main objective. I just have to keep my head up, keep training and enjoy this awesome ride that I’m on.”

“The one word that sums up this journey thus far is ‘growth.’ You and I talked before the first round of the tournament before I fought Marcin Held. He was a tough prospect who had only lost one fight. I told you I was going to win and went out and did it. Since then I’ve had the opportunity in a 13-month period to get six fights under my belt. It’s not just time that goes by, it’s time in the cage that matters. Going out there against Held and being put in a bad situation, proving to myself I can keep calm, and still coming back to win after almost getting my leg ripped off was a learning experience. Then going through a three-round war with [Lloyd] Woodard and another three-round war with Patricky [Freire] were more lessons.

“Being in a bad situation against Alvarez not only proved something to the world, but also to myself. From my days in wrestling I knew I could do it. I knew I deserved it but hadn’t truly proved it to myself until the third round of that Alvarez fight when 99 percent of the people watching it thought I was about to go down and get finished. But, I proved to myself I can be in a bad situation and still have what it takes to bounce back.

“Next, I came out against Gono and got a real quick finish over a seasoned veteran. Those are all things I can be proud of. I don’t spend a lot of time patting myself on the back and telling myself I’m the man, but those little victories inside the victories make the difference to me personally. I’ve only been in the sport for three years and it has all been a growing process for me mentally, physically and spiritually as well. It’s been awesome.”

For Chandler to continue his rise towards being recognized as one of the world’s best lightweights, he understands it is going to take facing a certain caliber of competition. With the majority of top 155-pound fighters currently competing under the Zuffa banner, Chandler isn’t blind to the situation. As one of Bellator‘s brightest stars, he puts full confidence in the organization’s ability to produce to level of competition he is going to need in order to accomplish his goals.

“If you look at Bellator now compared to a year ago you’ll see a difference,” Chandler said. “If you look at Bellator six months from now there are going to be some big changes coming up and big things going down. There is the move to Spike and all kinds of cool things. I obviously don’t have to say anything about Viacom because people know how huge of a corporation they are and the type of money they posses. I believe Bellator is going to have the opportunity to go out and snag some great talent.

“That’s what I want and I’ve talked to Bjorn Rebney about that. I think out of anybody in this organization I’m talking to Bjorn more than anyone else, telling him that I want to fight the best in the world. I can’t be known as the best fighter in the world if I don’t fight the best guys in the world. I believe in my training, my training partners and my coaches. I believe I’m going in the right direction to become the best lightweight fighter in the world but without me proving it, then it doesn’t mean anything.”

Chandler is eager to face tough competition and that is what he will get when he squares off with Season 6 tournament winner Rick Hawn. He plans on bringing the same mixture of intensity and forward pressure all the while unveiling the improvements he has made since moving his training to Alliance MMA in San Diego. While the exact date is yet to be determined, Chandler is excited to show the world his continued progression.

“I work hard at every aspect of my game,” Chandler said. “I’m an entire year older than I was during the Alvarez fight and I was only able to showcase about 56 seconds of what I bring to the table in the Gono fight. Honestly, I followed him around for about 20 seconds and then threw about 15 punches. I don’t believe I’ve really been able to show anything this entire year so far. I’m excited, man. This move has been really good for me and I’m excited to show the world I’m a more well-rounded fighter.

“I’m always going to come forward. I’m going to keep people guessing and in this fight with Hawn, I will definitely look like a different fighter. My striking is better. I have more take downs and submissions. I’m better in every aspect. People can expect me to come out with a fire under my butt, moving forward and putting pressure on Rick Hawn.

“I don’t have a bad thing to say about Hawn. He’s a good guy and the way he carries himself is admirable. He’s very professional and he’s an Olympian for my country. Anyone who has represented my country in the Olympics, it doesn’t matter which sport, I have a ton of respect for them. I’m excited to get in there, put on a great show for the fans and come out of there with the win. Hopefully, it will be some time this fall or if it has to be in January, then we’ll get to it then.”

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Rumor: Wanderlei Silva vs. Chael Sonnen Being Eyed as Potential UFC 153 Main Event Replacement

(“What kind of backwards country is this? The game is called Whac-a-Mole, not Whac-a-Capybara, and the animals aren’t supposed to be alive!”)

Just a few hours ago, we promised that a few beautiful knockout videos would successfully help us all blissfully drift into a world where injuries no longer determined both the content of every other CP article and the makeup of every other UFC card, but it seems our vision of an impossibly awesome MMA utopia is merely that…an impossibility.

Be that as it may, some of you might be pleased to hear that amidst the UFC 153 clusterfuck of injuries lies a potential silver lining. According to FightersOnly, who have sited several anonymous sources, a grudge match years in the making between Wanderlei Silva and Chael Sonnen is being looked at as a possible replacement for UFC 153 now that Jose Aldo — or perhaps, the general incompetence of Brazilian drivers — has massacred our dreams of a featherweight title superfight.

Details remain sketchy at the moment, but in a recent interview with Portal do Vale Tudo, Silva stated that he would be more than willing to step up for the good of the UFC and his home country’s fans if asked to do so:

I think fighting in Rio would be great. Under no circumstances could I turn that down. I would love to fight for the crowd in Rio, and if it were against that guy who everybody wants me to face, it would be beautiful.

Spoiler alert: Chael Sonnen is “that guy who everybody wants me to face.”

More on this potential showdown after the jump.

(“What kind of backwards country is this? The game is called Whac-a-Mole, not Whac-a-Capybara, and the animals aren’t supposed to be alive!”)

I think fighting in Rio would be great. Under no circumstances could I turn that down. I would love to fight for the crowd in Rio, and if it were against that guy who everybody wants me to face, it would be beautiful.

Spoiler alert: Chael Sonnen is “that guy who everybody wants me to face.”

Rumor has it that the bout is being considered at a catchweight of 195 pounds, which might sound familiar to the three of you who actually paid for UFC 147. At this point in his career, Wandy is basically the go-to guy for any Brazilian MMA card that is circling the drain.

Wanderlei also stated that although he wasn’t exactly in fighting shape at the moment, he is on weight and healthy enough to fight if needed:

From experience, a fighter always has to be ready. I am not in a competition training schedule but I am training, on-weight and feeling good. It’s just a case of if I am offered the fight.

I accept to fight any one and with him it would be tasteful. It would be a bout that people would like to see. I wasn’t offered it yet, but if the boss needs me and I can contribute to make the fans happy, I would feel so glad.

Without opening up a whole new can of worms (or perhaps a can of worms that just won’t close), we’d just like to say that we wish every MMA fighter had this attitude. But there we go again, dreaming of a world that will never exist.

Sonnen has yet to comment on the potential matchup, and is still scheduled to face Forrest Griffin in his return to the light heavyweight division at UFC 155.

We will have more on this potential matchup as things develop, but in the meantime, here’s a video (courtesy of MMAFighting) in which Dana White laments over UFC 153 and how frustrating it is to be poor Frankie Edgar these days. Without trying to sound like a kiss ass, I must say that I honestly feel sorry for both guys in this situation, as both of them can’t seem to catch a fucking break lately. Oh well, I guess the fact that DW is richer than most, if not all Central African countries combined should help him sleep tonight. That, and the custom orthopedic Serta Sealy memory foam angel cloud mattress he sleeps on, of course.

So, Potato Nation, would Sonnen vs. Wanderlei be enough to quell your disappointment over the loss of Edgar vs. Aldo? Pick the less obvious answer here.

–J. Jones

Martin Kampmann Focused on Johny Hendricks, Fires Warning Shot at GSP

Martin Kampmann has built a reputation for being one of the most dangerous fighters in the UFC welterweight division.The Danish striker is undoubtedly one of the weight class’s most well-rounded competitors, and his ability to finish the opposition at …

Using a mixture of forward pressure, well-placed power and a slick submission game; Kampmann has earned victories over some of the division’s best. During his current three-fight win streak Kampmann has earned a lop-sided victory over Rick Story, submitted Thiago Alves, and knocked out surging contender Jake Ellenberger.

Kampmann embraces the battle and wherever the opposition wants to meet, suits him just fine.

“I definitely feel I’m one of the most well-rounded fighters in the division,” Kampmann told Bleacher Report. “I can finish you on the feet and I can finish you on the ground. If anyone makes a mistake in either place, I can get the submission or I can knock them out. If people overlook me, that is on them. If you get me as an opponent, you should know it is going to be a tough fight.”

In the realm of popular opinion, Kampmann should actually be riding a four-fight win streak. He battered Diego Sanchez throughout their bout but rather than seeing his hand raised upon the fight’s conclusion, Kampmann found himself on the losing end of a controversial decision.

It is an issue which still rubs Kampmann the wrong way to this day, but there are bigger targets to focus on and he has his sights set on the top of the division.

All for good reason as Kampmann has put himself within reach of a title shot. He will square off with fellow contender Johny Hendricks at UFC 154 to decide who will move into the No. 1 contender position. Kampmann intends to keep the momentum rolling against Hendricks, and the preparation for their November matchup has officially begun.

“I feel confident about the fight with Johny,” Kampmann said. “We’ve trained together in the past. Obviously we know each other well and are aware of each other’s strong points. Johny is a great wrestler, has knockout power, but he’s not super technical. I have to watch out for the big left hand and his wrestling is always a factor. I feel I can win this fight in a lot of different ways, and I have a lot of confidence going in.

“After my last fight, I had a knee surgery done. I had a meniscus tear that had been bothering me for about a year. It wasn’t anything too bad but it was bugging me during training. I had that fixed and went on a vacation to Denmark. I did my rehab there and spent time with my family. Then it was back to Las Vegas and back to getting in shape. Now that I have my opponent, I’m excited to get to work.”

While the division has certainly heated up in the absence of reigning king Georges St. Pierre, Kampmann believes he’s been amongst the best in the weight class for some time. If Kampmann is able to defeat Hendricks at UFC 154, it will clearly carve out his place as next in line to fight for the welterweight title.

“For sure I believe a win over Hendricks gets me the title shot,” Kampmann said. “I feel I should have been given the shot a long time ago. I have fought some of the best welterweights in the world and every single fight I get is against one of the top contenders.

“I’m doing GSP a favor because I’m beating all the tough guys in the division. He should be sending me thank-you letters.”

On the same night Kampmann faces Hendricks, St. Pierre and Carlos Condit will battle to unify the divisional titles. With GSP on the sidelines, the UFC instituted an “interim” title which Condit currently holds. Kampmann doesn’t give any validity to the interim strap and he’s happy the belt he wants, is finally going to be back in play.

“GSP is coming back and is going to fight Condit in November,” Kampmann said. “They are going to connect the two belts but obviously GSP has the real belt. He has the one that counts. Obviously I want to fight for the belt, but I’d rather fight for the real one. That is the one I want.”

Kampmann also doesn’t believe St. Pierre has “cleaned out” the division and offered an alternative solution to the proposed “super fight” with Silva.

“I don’t know why GSP is so anxious to get knocked out by Anderson Silva,” Kampmann said. “If he wants to get knocked out, he can just take a fight with me.”

In the recent era of “win at all costs” where fighters are some times willing to take the less exciting road, Kampmann is the rare exception. Make no mistake about it, he wants to win more than anything else, but he holds a greater desire to earn the victory in decisive fashion.

It has been a lesson learned the hard way as Kampmann has found himself on the short end of several judges’ decisions. It is an outcome he puts on his own shoulders. Kampmann believes it is his responsibility to take the power away from the judges and should he perform up to his talent level, everything will work out in his favor.

“I’m just happy I have a good string of wins behind me,” Kampmann said. “I want to keep that going and get the title. That is my goal. I’ve had some fights go to the judges’ decision but if it was up to me, I’d fight for five rounds every time. I don’t want to fight three rounds where the judges can have a say in it.

“For me you could take the time limit and throw it away. I’ll keep fighting and I’m not quitting. I would prefer the fight with Hendricks to be a five-round fight but I’ll have to finish him in three. That’s what I’m going to do.”

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Minnesota MMA: Patrick Delgado Looks to Stay Perfect at Throwdown at the Crowne

Saturday night’s Driller Promotions/Sterling Entertainment Group event in St. Paul, MN could be the biggest regional MMA event of the year for the state of Minnesota. The stacked card has the area buzzing in anticipation for what could be a histo…

One of the fighters competing on the card is a top up-and-comer in the area, Patrick Delgado, whose undefeated record as an amateur transferred over smoothly into a pro career this past July when he defeated Roland Larson.

As a jiu-jitsu expert, Delgado has mostly dominated his fights by utilizing his superior skills on the ground to control and later submit his opponents, none of whom have even made it out of the first round against him.

That’s not exactly what happened against Roland Larson, though, as Delgado still won in the first round—but this time, rather than using a jiu-jitsu hold, Delgado forced his opponent to tap out due to the relentless elbows he was landing.

“I love to tap people out, but I’d rather be as safe as possible,” Delgado told Bleacher Report MMA regarding the fight. “[Roland] is a brown belt jiu-jitsu fighter as well, so there was no way that I was going to try go for a submission that would be a lower percentage for me to finish and have him see an opening.”

Earning the first pro victory of his career was important, but it’s not necessarily the most memorable moment for him thus far in the sport. Instead, that title has to go to his performance on May 14, 2011, when he subdued Jahmale Maxwell with a rarely seen hold called the Nutcracker Choke.

Though it’s practically unprecedented in MMA, Delgado has added it to his regular arsenal on the ground and has been working on it for quite some time now.

“It’s one of my bread and butter moves, actually,” he said. “I tried to work it into my MMA game right away because no one expects it. It comes on so fast and if worst comes to worse, it opens up other submissions.”

Delgado learned the choke from his jiu-jitsu coach Luiz Claudio, a black belt under the great Rickson Gracie. Delgado himself earned a brown belt in December 2011 and can be considered one of the best in the state when it comes to utilizing those skills in MMA competition.

However, given his expertise on the ground, Delgado knows that his opponents have been working on ways to keep their fights against him on the feet. To counter that, Delgado has been working extensively on his own standup game.

“I think [my striking] might catch people by surprise a little bit,” he said. “We have a Golden Gloves boxing champion [at Fearless Mixed Martial Arts Academy] that I train with almost every day. He’s a really fast guy and all I do is soak it all up.”

Not only is Delgado getting experience with a high-level technical boxer, but he has also been working regularly with UFC heavyweight Ben Rothwell who trains at another Wisconsin gym only about an hour away from Fearless MMA.

All that preparation has Delgado confident heading into his fight on Saturday night against Derrick Smith, who is a veteran with experience that far exceeds his own.

“I’m expecting a really tough fight against Derrick. He’s the toughest opponent I’ve had so far,” Delgado said. “I know he’s going to give me some new problems that I’ve never had to deal with in the past, so I’m hoping I’ll be able to find a way to work my way out of them.”

Although he acknowledges that Smith won’t be an easy win by any means, Delgado is actually looking at the fight as an opportunity to prove himself.

“I’m always looking for a challenge and hopefully I can demonstrate a bit more of my standup game in this fight,” he said. “We’re probably going to exchange in the standup game for a little while, but the fight is probably going to take place mostly on the mat. I’m confident in my jiu-jitsu game, so hopefully I’m able to catch him, maybe something off my back, although I’d prefer to be on top.”

With Derrick Smith coming off of a controversial 11-second knockout loss, Delgado knows that his opponent has only gone to a decision once in his career and has looked a bit worn out late in some fights. Given that, he’s looking to test Smith’s cardio against his own even though Delgado himself has never even been out of the first round in any of his fights.

“I don’t want to get Mike Tyson fever where he finished everyone early,” Delgado said. “I’ve adjusted my training a lot so I won’t gas, and I honestly expect this one to go the full three rounds. That’s what we’ve been training for.”

As a former construction worker, Patrick Delgado is now living his dream of becoming a professional mixed martial artist. At 32 years old, he still has a few years of prime conditioning remaining before his body starts to wear down. Even then, though, he doesn’t see himself fully walking away from the sport.

“Once my career is over, I plan on staying involved in the sport, teaching and training,” he said. “I love jiu-jitsu, it’ll always be number one to me. But I feel like I’m a fighter and I feel like I always need to expand my knowledge. Jiu-jitsu was just the beginning for me.”

Delgado and Smith will compete at the Sept. 8 Sterling Entertainment Group/Driller Promotions “Throwdown at the Crowne” event at the Crowne Plaza in St. Paul, MN.

Tickets are available for as little as $35/ea and can be purchased online or at the door. For those outside the Twin Cities area, the event will also be streamed live for free online at SterlingMN.com!

For more MMA news, fighter interviews and opinions, follow Nick Caron: @NicholasCaron.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Former Pro Boxer Set to Compete for First Minnesota State Heavyweight MMA Title

The Sterling Entertainment Group / Driller Promotions event on Saturday night will be a historic moment for the sport of mixed martial arts in Minnesota. Undefeated heavyweights Raphael Butler and Brett Murphy will headline a card which will see them c…

The Sterling Entertainment Group / Driller Promotions event on Saturday night will be a historic moment for the sport of mixed martial arts in Minnesota.

Undefeated heavyweights Raphael Butler and Brett Murphy will headline a card which will see them compete for the very first statewide heavyweight MMA title in Minnesota.

For Butler, the road to being one of the top heavyweight MMA fighters in Minnesota has been short. In fact, he’s only been competing as a mixed martial artist since late-2010. But that doesn’t tell the whole story.

As a former amateur and professional boxer, Raphael Butler has competed in literally hundreds of fights throughout his career. Though he has only competed in four MMA fights, the advantage he has of having been mentally prepared to fight so many times in the past has helped him make a smooth transition into another sport.

“It was actually just something I wanted to because boxing had started to slow down for me and I just wanted to get in there and fight,” Butler told Bleacher Report MMA. “A fight is a fight. You’ve just gotta find a way to win. So the transition [from boxing to MMA], for me, wasn’t that hard.”

Fighters moving from boxing to MMA is not new, but most of those fighters have struggles with learning other aspects of the game such as jiu-jitsu and wrestling. Although those things didn’t come naturally for Raphael Butler, it wasn’t the physical aspects of MMA that were most difficult for him to learn.

“The hardest thing for me was just remembering what I could get away with. There are a lot more things that I can do in MMA that I couldn’t do in a boxing match,” he said. “In my first fight, I knocked a guy down and I kind of just stood there. I forgot that I could continue attacking him.”

Now, after having less than two years experience as a pro fighter, Butler will battle one of the state’s top heavyweight prospects for the right to call himself the champion of Minnesota. Though Murphy has a lot of hype coming into the fight as being a powerful striker in his own right, Butler believes that his boxing experience could be the difference in the fight.

“I’ve been in the ring with some of the top boxers in the world,” Butler said. “I’m not going to say that [Brett’s] hands aren’t dangerous because anybody over 200 pounds, if they catch you in the right spot, can knock you out. But I’m not as afraid of his hands as his previous opponents have been. His hands don’t bother me at all.”

Butler is confident enough in his hands that he’d be willing to stand with anyone in the sport, even including UFC champion Junior dos Santos who has been credited by many as having the best MMA-boxing in the heavyweight division.

“It doesn’t matter of it’s boxing or MMA, if I hit you right, you’re going down,” he said. “And with MMA gloves… I throw a mean body shot.”

Butler knows that his opponents have looked to take his punching power away early by taking him to the ground. It hasn’t worked out so well for them, though, and he expects the same from Murphy.

“I’m not trying to take anything away from Brett Murphy. He has just as much of a chance of winning this fight as I do,” he said. “But [Brett’s] going to try to capitalize on my inexperience in MMA and he’s going to quickly find out, like all the other MMA fighters I’ve fought, that trying to take my legs out isn’t going to work because I’m more agile than he thinks.”

Most boxers struggle when they end up on the ground in an MMA fight, but Raphael Butler might be the exception. In fact, he shocked everyone in June, when he won his most recent fight by submission with an armbar.

“Nobody was more surprised than me,” he laughed. “I was surprised that I remembered that I can do that. When you’re in the fight, your mind kind of goes. But I remembered, ‘Hey, I can try to break this dude’s arm!’ “

Though he wasn’t willing to make a direct prediction on the outcome, Butler did offer up some interesting pre-fight analysis.

“It’s not going to be the fight that everybody is expecting,” he said. “But, of course, whoever lands the first big punch can win.”

Butler and Murphy will meet as part of the Sept. 8 Sterling Entertainment Group / Driller Promotions “Throwdown at the Crowne” event at the Crowne Plaza in St. Paul, MN.

For more MMA news, fighter interviews and opinions, follow Nick Caron: @NicholasCaron.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com