Tag: Interviews

Frank Trigg: Fighter, Commentator And Now the Dr. Phil of MMA

Disclaimer: This article is graphic in some tones, but this is word for word from the mouth of Frank Trigg.When hear the name Frank Trigg, you think of the UFC veteran who has fought the likes of Matt Hughes, Matt Serra and Josh Koscheck just to n…

Disclaimer: This article is graphic in some tones, but this is word for word from the mouth of Frank Trigg.

When hear the name Frank Trigg, you think of the UFC veteran who has fought the likes of Matt Hughes, Matt Serra and Josh Koscheck just to name a few. When thinking of Trigg, you also think of the announcing he does with Michael Schiavello on HDNet.

An expert on women and relationships? That is the last thing you would think of when it comes to any fighter. Trigg isn’t most fighters though.

Trigg recently launched a dating and relationship blog for women, which started on ProMMANow.com and has also been picked up recently by USA Today.

A guy who travels the world commentating events and  doing various different adventures, Trigg explains how he found time to start the blog entitled “Ask Trigg.”

My PR girl Melissa Ingram kept hitting me up, and she was like, ‘Hey, my friend needs this advice.’

My other friends are coming up to me about dating advice, this friend about their marriage breakups, girlfriend breakups. What was going on, yeah I went through that same thing, too. Jack Bratcher over at ProMMANow.com, he goes ‘Hey, why don’t you do a blog on my website?’

He was thinking we could do a MMA blog, and then Melissa cross-checked me saying, ‘Why don’t we do a relationship blog?’ That is something Frank is trying to branch into, and we will go and put this together.

Once it hit ProMMANow.com, USA Today picked it up the first two weeks it was out. USA Today picked it up as the No. 1 relationship blog, and that was a big deal.

Last week, it didn’t get picked up because with the holidays, no one’s at work. Most of us are at our computers at work, and that wasn’t going because everyone was on vacation, so the next week, hopefully coming out with one and be back as the No. 1 blog for USA Today and see what happens.

It all came about because I have had so much history with women and failing, actually really, with women. That’s my No. 1 thing: having to realize why did I fail, why is this thing falling apart, why did this thing not work, or why did this one thing work, why is this thing working for me, what’s going on? Just being able to express to my friends, and just turn it into this blog.

With any type of blog like this, you are going to get some weird and confusing stuff from people. Trigg explains the weirdest advice he has been asked.

We haven’t done a blog on it yet. I don’t think we will at this point. The weirdest thing I’ve gotten is that, ‘Hey, I really want to be tied up, and I’m really into role pay and folk scar play and blindfolds. All that stuff gets me off, and my boyfriend will not. I’ve tried everything. I bought all the products. I’ve put all the wrist ties, the ankle ties, all the little scarves, all the blindfolds and all that stuff and had everything available. Told him exactly. Gave him the DVD, gave him everything, and he will just not do what I do. How do I convince this guy to make him want to be this kind of person? To make him want to do this with me.’

And how to approach my boyfriend who wants to have anal sex, but I’ve never done it before. How do I approach that with him? How to approach getting it together and doing it together.

The two weirdest things that are multiple—not just one person—emailing me that question. Multitudes of people emailing me that question. What to do and how to go about it.

Check out new “Ask Trigg” blog updates every Wednesday on ProMMANow.com. Ladies can send their dating and relationship questions to [email protected].

You can listen to the two-part interview with Frank Trigg here.

You can follow me on Twitter @fightclubchi.

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UFC 140: Mark ‘The Machine’ Hominick Is ‘Coming out Guns Blazing’

In a perfect example of the constant evolution and growth of a mixed martial artist, Mark “The Machine” Hominick has some very different things in store for “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung on Saturday night. “I’m coming out guns blazin’.” Hominick s…

In a perfect example of the constant evolution and growth of a mixed martial artist, Mark “The Machine” Hominick has some very different things in store for “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung on Saturday night.

“I’m coming out guns blazin’.” Hominick stated as a new improvement to his game.

“I’ve made mistakes in the past in my fights. If you look at any of my losses, they’ve been early losses like in the first round, and it’s because I think a lot of times I pace myself to gain momentum as the fight goes on. Especially with a fighter like Korean Zombie, I have to be ready to go right off the first bell.”

It is an essential element in martial arts to be humble and truthful with yourself and correct your weaknesses, and Hominick is a master of mixed martial arts. When I asked him what he felt was the main issue that he had to correct from the Aldo fight, he was crystal clear.

“I think the wrestling. The takedowns he scored changed the pace of the fight, and without that I think I would have won the fight, so you definitely have to constantly improve and be humble knowing that you have to improve.”

“If you look at the best fighters in this sport, like Georges St-Pierre, every fight he comes in he re-invents himself, guys like Rashad Evans, they come in with a new skill set and that’s the constant evolution that you have to be working at.”

With all due respect to Georges St-Pierre, Hominick is the best pure-precision striker that our country has, and I can’t wait to see him get it on with The Zombie on Saturday.

See the full video to see hear much more from “The Machine,” as he talks about his crazy year, his tribute to his coach, Shawn Tompkins, on Saturday night but….he would not say what he has planned for his walk to the cage!

 

Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA and correspondent for MMACanada.net.

Catch him on Facebook and Twitter at wakafightermma.

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Eddie Bravo: Joe Rogan ‘A 10th-Degree Black Belt in Speaking’

“Joe Rogan was my first MMA coach ever” —Anonymous.Like many sports’ fanbases, the MMA community is a knowledgeable, educated bunch with high expectations when it comes to all facets of their contest of choice.  The fighting arts…

“Joe Rogan was my first MMA coach ever” —Anonymous.

Like many sports’ fanbases, the MMA community is a knowledgeable, educated bunch with high expectations when it comes to all facets of their contest of choice.  The fighting arts attract a rare breed, indeed.  Most anyone can watch a ball game, but MMA is an acquired taste, without a doubt.

Over the years, as the landscape of MMA has changed drastically, the sport has become more appealing to the masses than it was many years ago as an unregulated and more openly brutal form of combat arts.

The result of this change has been countless fans being captured in the deep rear-naked choke of MMA, unable to escape and being forced to tap out to the allure of this one-of-a-kind, world-class display of heart, technique, athleticism and good old-fashioned violence.

As the sport of MMA evolves, so too do its athletes and fanbase.  That evolution comes through the understanding and awareness of various angles and aspects which perpetuate forward movement in both the participants and the viewers.

Education is paramount to this evolution.  While all of us simply do not learn and absorb what is placed in front of us at the same rate, learning is still the very heartbeat of the evolution of MMA.  Regardless of one’s level of awareness within MMA, the fighter and the fan can never stop learning—or else the roots of what we have built together will wilt and wither.

With the recent development of the UFC being featured on FOX, more fans than ever will be tuning in to get their taste of this sport.  With that in mind—with so many new eyes training on MMA for the first time—it is crucial that viewers have what they are seeing explained to them.

Not too many people on the planet are educated enough, articulate enough or involved enough in MMA to do that better than commentator Joe Rogan. 

Like the sport of MMA, Rogan can be an acquired taste in himself.  There are more than a few critics of the long-time UFC color commentator, but most would agree the man knows this business and talks a sharp game.

Say what you will about the Joe Rogan UFC drinking game, or his delivery, but many an MMA fan has learned more by listening to Rogan than through any other outlet the sport has had to offer.  Rogan’s education of the average MMA fan has been crucial to awareness and knowledge within the MMA community.

There are plenty of experts out there who are no strangers to MMA and its techniques, but for every fully-aware fight fan, there are a hundred people who tune in simply looking for a train wreck.  If they leave the scene of the accident, if you will, with a better understanding of the sport through Rogan’s delivery and explanation, then we all have won.

One of the top MMA minds on the planet, Eddie Bravo, could not agree more.  A dear friend of Rogan’s and a man who himself has done his own share to influence the forward movement of MMA, Bravo is nothing short of an expert on the subject matter.

To hear Bravo tell it, there is no better man for the job of educating the world on MMA with the mic than Joe Rogan.  Bravo took some time out from masterminding his 10th Planet jiu-jitsu system to speak with Todd Jackson of Hurtsbad MMA.

He raved about the talents of one of MMA’s greatest icons outside the Octagon, Joe Rogan

Eddie Bravo told Todd Jackson, “No doubt Joe Rogan is the best commentator in the business.  He is probably the best fight commentator period.”

“He is a 10th-degree black belt in speaking.” Bravo said.  “He has been doing comedy since he was 19.  He can speak well under pressure.  He is a great speaker, and he is super smart.  He is very knowledgeable about the game.”

There are quite a few commentators in the business of MMA.  Many are very talented and well-versed in what they do.  Even so, Bravo feels that Rogan takes the cake.  “I don’t think anybody can touch him, with his enthusiasm, his delivery, his informative commentary.  It would be hard to beat.”

Bravo explained, “When you look at all the commentators, Joe is definitely the most knowledgeable when it comes to jiu-jitsu.  He is knowledgeable about striking as well—he was a striker his whole life before he got into jiu-jitsu.”

Even as a close friend of Rogan’s, Bravo, of course, sees room for improvement.  “His wrestling terminology maybe needs some work.  He understands the basics and all that, but the technical stuff, maybe not.”

Bravo pointed to other commentators who may edge Rogan out in the wrestling department.  “I think Pat Militech or Frank Shamrock might have the edge on Joe when it comes to wrestling, clinches against the cage, with certain exotic takedowns or setups.  Or Randy Couture, he is the best commentator when it comes to wrestling.”

In the big picture, Bravo made it clear, though, “When it comes to jiu-jitsu, enthusiasm, being able to say the right stuff and the best stuff, no one comes close to Joe Rogan.  He just smashes everybody.”

So in the eyes of one of MMA’s greatest minds, Joe Rogan is the heavyweight champ of the world with a microphone.  And honestly, fight fan, are you going to argue with Eddie frickin Bravo?  He might slap a twister on you—watch out.

So for every guy with world-class jiu-jitsu, every kimura or fighter who gets rocked, Joe Rogan truly is the godfather of MMA education for the masses.  Whether you’re sitting on a high horse knocking how he runs his game, or you’re a first time MMA viewer, then listen up—you might just learn something you didn’t know yesterday.

This man truly has become the voice of our sport; take it or leave it, but show some respect for what he is doing for the sport.  MMA is better for having brought Rogan into the picture, without a doubt.

 

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand or from official interview materials.

 

This article originally featured at Hurtsbad MMA. Follow us on Twitter @hurtsbadmma.

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Melvin Guillard: "I Was a Kid When I First Got in the UFC, Now I’m a Grown Man"

Since the very beginning of Melvin Guillard’s run in the world of mixed martial arts—which began nearly 15 years ago—the man they call “The Young Assassin” has had one constant goal in the sport. “My intentions were …

Since the very beginning of Melvin Guillard’s run in the world of mixed martial arts—which began nearly 15 years ago—the man they call “The Young Assassin” has had one constant goal in the sport.

“My intentions were to be a world champion—a UFC champion—from the very beginning,” Guillard, 28, recently told Bleacher Report. “Ever since I first saw the UFC, I’ve wanted to be a UFC champion.”

After a year of amateur wrestling, Guillard, who was born in Louisiana, first tried his hand at mixed martial arts at 14.

“I used to have all of the old UFCs on VHS, but I lost them in Katrina,” Guillard explained. “I was always into fighting. My mom couldn’t afford to put me in karate or tae kwon do and when I started wrestling, it was free. My wrestling coach in high school was fighting MMA at the time and he got me into it. I just fell in love with it, man.”

A professional in the sport since the tender age of 16—he routinely fought opponents twice his age in his early days; Guillard, who also competed in boxing and kickboxing, notched victories over Joe Jordan, Diego Saraiva and Kyle Bradley before appearing on The Ultimate Fighter in 2005.

Since leaving the TUF house, Guillard has won 11 of 16 matches in the Octagon—including victories over Marcus Davis, Dennis Siver, Gleison Tibau, Jeremy Stephens and Evan Dunham—and is regarded by most as one of the world’s top lightweight contenders.

In Guillard’s most recent match—likely the closest he has thus far gotten to a title-shot in the UFC—the explosive lightweight was submitted by Joe Lauzon at UFC 136.

Despite his most recent outing, Guillard is, perhaps not surprisingly, still on a mission to one day claim UFC gold.

“I know in my heart that I’m going to be the champion soon, I just have to put in the work,” Guillard said.

“I’m a person that cares about life, and right now, that belt determines where my life is going to go from this point on…Becoming a world champion is the ultimate goal—that’s why we do this.”

Although his aspirations in mixed martial arts have stayed the same, Guillard, who has been a mainstay in the UFC since 2005, is quick to insist that he has consistently been evolving outside the sport throughout the course of his career.

“I’ve matured over the years, of course,” Guillard, who is married with pair of canine companions, explained. “That comes with age. Of course you’re going to mature and start settling down and start thinking things through before you go out and always act crazy. That comes with maturity—that has nothing to do with fighting.”

“I was a kid when I first got in the UFC, now I’m a grown man. Of course, if you’re a kid, you’ve got to grow with the sport and you go through your ups and downs. As a man, you’re going to go through your ups and downs, too, but when I started, I was literally a 14-year-old kid—now I’m a 28-year-old man. That’s years of maturity, mistakes and ups and downs. I’ve really matured a lot.”

Although Guillard doesn’t attribute his maturation to mixed martial arts, he can’t help but reflect “every day” on how important the sport has been in his life.

“Without this sport, I don’t know where I would’ve ended up or what I would’ve been in to,” Guillard admitted.

“I could’ve possibly been selling drugs or something like that, because that’s the kind of stuff that was going on when I was a kid. As much as my parents kept me away from it, I was still around it. I had friends that did it—I never did—but I had friends that were into it. Had I not been a fighter and had my mind set on wanting something out of my life, I could’ve probably ended up like one of those guys that are in and out of jail or in prison for a long time.”

As for the nickname—much like his aspirations to one day hold a UFC championship—Guillard has no intentions of changing that any time soon, either.

“I’ll be 50 years old—like Herschel Walker—and I’ll still be ‘The Young Assassin,’” Guillard, who is to return to action against Jim Miller at UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller on January 20th, said with a laugh.

“It’s not about your age, man; it’s how you feel. I know some guys that are younger than me right now and they get out of bed every morning and they’re hurting like they’ve been in a tragic car accident. It’s all about how you feel when you wake up in the morning and I feel great.”

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UFC 140: John Makdessi Ready to Get Past Dennis Hallman

John “The Bull” Makdessi (9-0-0) a product of Tristar gym, the home of Georges St-Pierre, has taken full advantage of the opportunity afforded to him in his first two UFC fights. A spinning-back-fist-knockout victory over Ultimate F…

John “The Bull” Makdessi (9-0-0) a product of Tristar gym, the home of Georges St-Pierre, has taken full advantage of the opportunity afforded to him in his first two UFC fights. A spinning-back-fist-knockout victory over Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck alumnus Kyle Watson in front of a record breaking 55,000 fans at Toronto’s Rogers Centre for UFC 129 signaled this young lightweight’s arrival in one of the toughest divisions in the sport.

“It was textbook perfect, I was happy I was able to showcase that in the fight,” Makdessi said on his spinning-back-fist knockout of Watson.

Makdessi is ready to continue building on his momentum as he is slated to take on mixed martial arts veteran Dennis Hallman in Toronto once again for UFC 140 this December 10.

Makdessi has showcased his stand up thus far in the UFC and now he has a chance to go up against one of the better wrestlers and submission guys in Hallman.

“I’ve fought some good wrestler before” Makdessi told Bleacher Report. “Fighting is fighting, everything I train at the gym with great grapplers, I had Mark Bocek come down, he’s an excellent ground guy and I spar with him.”

Makdessi does come from a kickboxing base and despite not having seen his grappling skills, he feels he is ready to go wherever the fight goes. Tristar training partner and MFC fighter Kajan Johnson doesn’t even know if Makdessi will have to showcase his ground skills because his takedown defense is so good.

“Makdessi wins [against Hallman] for sure, he’s looking really good, his takedown defense is retarded,” Johnson told Bleacher Report. “When I do go against him man, that guy’s legs are so heavy, it’s unreal.”

Although he works his ground game extensively and is ready to go wherever the fight takes him, he is a stand up fighter at heart.

“I can do Jiu-Jitsu every day for the next 10 years and I know that in my heart I am a striker,” Makdessi said. “I’m there to entertain the crowd and you do what you’re good at I guess.”

“I always want to give a good exciting fight for the fans,” Makdessi said.

Looking for the knockout at all costs isn’t want Makdessi is all about. He wants to fight smart, but if he sees an opening he’ll take it and his attitude and style of fighting is one that the fans will always appreciate. The same cannot be said for some of the other styles out there.

“A lot of guys they stall you know? That’s why me I find it frustrating,” Makdessi said.

When asked about bringing in rules like the yellow card that used to exist in Pride Fighting Championships, Makdessi agreed.

“It makes sense, if it makes a fight more exciting, if it pushes the pace and gives the fans what they want, of course why not?”

Obviously grappling has its place in the sport and if you are a true fan of mixed martial arts you have to appreciate the art of grappling. When a grappler is working towards getting dominant positions to do damage or look for submissions, there is obviously no problem.

Makdessi was getting at the situations where a solid wrestler, for example, just holds you down and does nothing to inflict damage or look for the finish. This depends on the referee because some refs will allow guys to stall a lot longer than others.

This hasn’t been a problem yet for Makdessi thus far, sporting seven finishes in his nine victories and I’m sure he expects to keep it that way as he continues to build himself in the UFC and work towards an eventual title shot.

The lightweight division is a bit of a log jam right now with a lot of guys hovering around the top looking for a shot at UFC gold, but that doesn’t phase Makdessi.

“My management team, that’s their job, my job is to train and to fight,” said Makdessi. “They know my goals.”

Makdessi is going to keep winning and taking the fights his management sets up for him, which will eventually lead to his shot for the top.

“Right now my focus is on Dennis Hallman,” Makdessi said.

It is still early in his UFC career and in life it is usually a good thing to worry about the task at hand as oppose to thinking too far ahead.

The bottom line is, if Makdessi keeps winning and continues to do it in the way that he wants, which is to put on exciting fights, the UFC will notice and the fans will appreciate it. It won’t be too long before we see him in the upper echelons of the division.

“I really appreciate everybody’s support, every time I fight they are always in my heart,” Makdessi said to the fans, sponsors and everyone who has supported him throughout his career.

 

Leon Horne is a writer for Bleacher Report and is part of the B/R MMA interview team 
 

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Jared Hamman: ‘I Hate Decisions, I Want to Finish Every Fight’

On Saturday, December 10th, Jared Hamman will enter the Octagon to take on fellow middleweight Constantinos Philippou in a 185-pound showdown at UFC 140.UFC 140 will take place in front of a jam-packed Air Canada Centre beginning at 6 p.m. PT and 9 p.m…

On Saturday, December 10th, Jared Hamman will enter the Octagon to take on fellow middleweight Constantinos Philippou in a 185-pound showdown at UFC 140.

UFC 140 will take place in front of a jam-packed Air Canada Centre beginning at 6 p.m. PT and 9 p.m. ET.

Hamman entered the UFC winning 11 of his first 12 fights and currently holds a record of 13-3. Over the course of his career, Hamman has also accounted for 10 knockout victories along with two Fight of the Night awards.

However, as Hamman begins to advance in his career, he is often brought back to what got him hooked to the sport years ago.

“I had an older brother who beat me up all the time. Not in a mean way, but that’s just what older brothers do.” Hamman told Bleacher Report MMA. “I grew up in the country playing football and was just a hard worker. I still remember one day I was watching the UFC on TV and I said to myself, ‘I think I could do that.'”

“Not too long after, a good friend of mine invited me to check out a mixed martial arts class and I began to fall in love with the sport.”

Hamman’s love for the sport continued to grow despite reaching a valley in his career where he had lost two of his three fights as a light heavyweight. It was decision time for Hamman as he could continue to fight in the 205-pound weight class or make the transition to the middleweight division.

When push came to shove, Hamman decided it was best for his career to drop to 185 pounds and give his career a fresh start. Fortunately for Hamman, he doesn’t regret his decision even the slightest bit.

“I Absolutely love it. My body feels so good compared to what it use to. I honestly feel fantastic. You know, it’s more of a lifestyle change than anything. I love it.”

Saturday will mark the second fight of Hamman’s career in the middleweight division as he is coming off arguably the biggest win of his mixed martial arts career in his knockout victory over C.B. Dollaway at UFC Live: Hardy vs. Lytle.

Hamman was asked if he felt he had any advantages heading into his highly anticipated bout with Philippou on December 10th. In respect to his opponent, “The Messenger” addressed the possible excitement their fight could bring to fans.

“I just love to fight and I hate when my fights go to the decision. As a fighter and a fan, I want to see fights finished. I had two decisions where I had won Fight of the Night, but I just couldn’t finish them off. Philippou is a really tough guy and he’s fought some really good opponents over the course of his career.”

As Hamman begins to move forward into his career, he shared his future expectations as a fighter and what fans could expect to see.

“I’ve never really been concerned with being the best in anything. I just absolutely love to fight. I want to step in front of a freight train and see if I can live [laughing]. I want to go in there and I want to end fights and I want to go as hard as I can.”

One things for certain about Hamman, he’ll never take his career in the UFC for granted.

“Nothing is ever guaranteed. Your next breath isn’t guaranteed yet your next fight. I have to make the most of it while I have the opportunity.”

To learn more about up-and-coming middleweight Jared Hamman, you can follow him on Twitter.

For additional information, follow Garrett Derr on Twitter.

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