Sixty-four months removed from her first professional fight and defeat at the hands of Lisa Ward-Ellis, Jessica Aguilar is primed to avenge that loss. With 15 fights and 11 victories to her credit, Aguilar’s a far different fighter than the lady …
Sixty-four months removed from her first professional fight and defeat at the hands of Lisa Ward-Ellis, Jessica Aguilar is primed to avenge that loss.
With 15 fights and 11 victories to her credit, Aguilar’s a far different fighter than the lady Ward-Ellis faced in 2006.
“There’s a huge difference between the fighter before in me and the fighter now,” Aguilar recently told BleacherReport.com. “I respect Lisa, she’s a top athlete and she has a lot of skills. Now, I have five and a half years under my belt and I have a lot of experience now too, so it’s going to be a way different fight (on) Saturday November, 19 and I’m excited about this fight. (I’m) looking forward to Saturday.”
For Aguilar, the opportunity to avenge her first career loss comes in arguably no larger stage for female fighters.
Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney allowed the fans to cast votes in order to decide the fourth and final main card bout which airs on MTV 2. Aguilar is thankful for each vote cast.
“Well, first of all I’d like to thank all of the fans for all of the support I got on Twitter in voting for my fight to be televised Saturday the 19th. That’s why I got the TV spot, so I want to shout out and say thank you to everyone who was a part of that.
“I’m so excited, so excited to showcase my skills in the cage on MTV 2, so all my friends, family, and fans can see that we women train and fight as well as the men. For them to ask for more fights and hopefully this will help bring more female fights to the main card.”
A perfect record in 2011 and seven victories in her past eight fights is what Aguilar’s shooting for on Saturday night, and she’s prepared for the task at hand.
“It’s very exciting, I’m honored and grateful for the opportunity to be back in the cage and to work. I’m excited for this fight and this is actually the most important fight of my career. So, I’m focused and ready for Saturday and I’m just excited to also be showcasing my skills and avenge my loss on live TV.”
If she’s successful in defeating Ward-Ellis, she’ll be in line for the number one ranking in the division and a shot at Megumi Fujii.
“Lisa’s number three and I’m number two and my goal is to be number one. Megumi’s number one, so right now my focus is on Lisa and after my victory I’m focused on being in the number one spot and that’s Megumi.”
For additional information, follow Joshua Carey onTwitter.
Fresh off his impressive first-round knockout victory over Tyson Griffin at UFC 137 this past October, Bart Palaszewski (36-14 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has another top-10 opponent in his sights. Hatsu Hioki (25-4-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who defeated George Roop in his o…
Fresh off his impressive first-round knockout victory over Tyson Griffin at UFC 137 this past October, Bart Palaszewski (36-14 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has another top-10 opponent in his sights.
Hatsu Hioki (25-4-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who defeated George Roop in his organizational debut the same night as Palaszewski’s victory, is whom the Team Curran featherweight would like to face next in the Octagon.
As for how both fighters performed on Oct. 29, it’s fair to say that it was Palaszewski, who scored the more impressive victory and he couldn’t be happier with his performance.
“I was super excited,” Palaszewski recently told BleacherReport.com. “Tyson was a tough competitor at ’55, so coming off a big win against Manny (Gamburyan), he’s a big name and I didn’t take him lightly at all. I prepared well and it paid off.”
His payoff may come in the form of Hioki, who’s currently on a five-fight win streak with 48 percent of career victories coming by way of submission.
However, with countless hours of training time devoted to honing his wrestling and submission skills combined with 47 percent of his career victories coming courtesy of knockouts, Palaszewski has supreme confidence that Hioki won’t stand a chance of fight night.
“It’s a fight I want, I thought that it’s the fight that was going to happen. I heard that the winner of my fight and the winner of Hioki (and) Roop was going to fight to kind of move up the ranks, so I want that fight. He’s a tough dude, but I think (that) I’m gonna whoop him. I just don’t see any way that he can beat me and I saw his performance and I think there’s more than one way I can beat him.”
Hioki was expected to make a splash in his Octagon debut, but he failed to do so in picking up the split-decision victory over Roop. Nonetheless, the Japanese star was victorious and he’s widely considered the No. 2-ranked featherweight in the world.
Palaszewski feels he has the skill set to defeat Hioki and continue his climb up the ladder towards an opportunity at championship gold.
“It was a close fight, obviously, but I think they were just extremely, evenly matched. I think Hioki faded a little bit, he’s got a weird style. I’ve seen him fight before, he fought a good friend of mine, Jeff Curran, he beat him, but I just don’t see him being able to finish me and he won’t be able to grind me out. He had some good showings in the past, but I look at you as you’re as good as your last fight pretty much, and that’s the fight I’m going to analyze. Obviously, I’m going to see what he’s done in the past, I’m going to get fights from the past and see how much of his style changes and was it Roop making it difficult and making him look bad or was it his style.
We’re going to break him down just like we did with Tyson. The last couple of years I’ve been putting everything together, before we kind of just trained and fought. Now, we’re kind of getting into the behind the scenes of fighting, breaking guys down, watching footage, sitting down with coaches, and things like that. That’s what I’m going to do with Hioki and I’m going to put him away.”
For additional information, follow Joshua Carey onTwitter.
JS: Hi Alex, thanks for taking the time to talk today. I couldn’t seem to locate a nickname for you online. Do you have one? If so, is it awarded or self-entitled, and can you elaborate upon its significance?
AS: Yes, my nickname is “extrem…
JS: Hi Alex, thanks for taking the time to talk today. I couldn’t seem to locate a nickname for you online. Do you have one? If so, is it awarded or self-entitled, and can you elaborate upon its significance?
AS: Yes, my nickname is “extremo,” “extreme” in Spanish. My gym awarded me that nickname, my team members and my coach because I’m always doing extreme things, as are my family. I used to jump out of planes in the military, I was deployed in Afghanistan, and now I train dolphins for a living for the US Navy. I train the dolphins full-time, that’s my primary job. It pays my bills. Now that I’ve got a shot in the UFC, let’s see what happens. Working with animals is special, and something I’ve wanted to do since being a kid, but fighting is my passion and I believe I can go far.
JS: Okay, so given your penchant for extreme activities and situations, do you feel that MMA was the natural progression for you following your military service?
AS: Yes, absolutely. Even during my time in the military, I would box with other soldiers and fare very well, so martial arts came naturally to me. On top of that, it’s a great sport with which I’ve fallen in love.
JS: Having faced life-threatening situations, does stepping into the cage seem a comparatively less daunting prospect?
AS: Well, in Afghanistan, you didn’t necessarily know who your enemy was. The enemy could have been all over the place. In those situations, you have your military brothers at your side to support you. In a cage, at least you know who you’re fighting, who’s standing in front of you the entire time. So there are certainly differences. But there are also similarities. You’re out there exposed, and it’s a battle, it’s life or death.
JS: You were drafted in to feature on UFC 139 against Michael McDonald once Johnny Eduardo pulled out injured. Were you signed to the UFC anyway?
AS: It was a last-minute opportunity that presented itself. The UFC made the call, they needed a fighter to face Michael McDonald, who is a very, very tough opponent. Without hesitation I accepted. My coach and my management company also played a big part in securing me this great opportunity.
I’m excited about the fight. I think it’s going to be an awesome spectacle, a battle between two bantamweights. I’m hoping for a brawl. It’s such a stacked card, with numerous legends and ex-champions featuring, so I think the calibre of our fight will fit in with the rest of this quality event.
JS: I think it’s fair to say that you’re a relatively inexperienced mixed martial artist, having been competing professionally for just two years. Do you feel ready for this opportunity?
AS: In life, whenever somebody presents an opportunity, you take it and you make the most of it. That’s exactly what I plan on doing. I’ve never been more ready for a fight in the UFC as I am now.
JS: Great. And do you believe you are ready to make a legitimate run at the Bantamweight strap?
AS: Absolutely. I’ve always believed that I could hang with these guys and that I could be the champion one day. Not only do I have an opportunity to fight in the UFC, but I also have an opportunity to fight someone in Michael McDonald who is making a lot of noise within the bantamweight division. If I get through McDonald, it catapults me towards the upper tier of the division. I’m willing to fight anyone the UFC throws my way.
JS: You came up slightly short in your bid to make it onto TUF 14. In hindsight, given that you’ve now made it into the UFC directly, was this a blessing in disguise?
AS: Yeah absolutely. Not being in “The Ultimate Fighter” didn’t break my heart. I accepted it, and I was moving on ready to take on other fights. That’s what it’s all about, keep fighting until the UFC gives you the call. If you stay the course, and continue to believe that you’re going to get there, you can achieve anything. That’s exactly what happened. I never lost faith.
JS: Obviously, this is the big leagues, and you’ll be fighting in front of thousands of eyes live, and millions worldwide. What’s the biggest crowd you’ve fought in front of thus far in your career?
AS: In Mexico, I headlined some shows defending my title at UWCM. It gets packed, around 5 or 6 thousand people in the crowd. But never in the category of the UFC. I think I’ll adapt just fine to the magnitude of the UFC. The punches are the same, no matter who is there to watch it.
JS: Was becoming part of the Alchemist MMA family a natural choice for you given the management company’s multiple ties to the US Army, and obviously your involvement with the military?
AS: Yes, absolutely. Being ex-military is something we are all proud of. And furthermore, ex-military men are always trying to help each other out. The way I found out about Lex McMahon (President of Alchemist Management) was through the apparel brand “Ranger Up”, which is one of my sponsors. Ranger Up contacted Lex on my behalf and put us in contact. Lex was able to sign me, he’s been my manager for 18 months now and it’s been a wonderful experience.
JS: Also, the UFC strongly supports the US military, in particular through events such as “Fight for the Troops.” Looking ahead, is featuring on one of these cards something which potentially interests you?
AS: Absolutely, I always want to give back in whatever way possible. I’d love to be a part of something like that. I understand what the troops are going through when they’re deployed abroad, away from their families. It’s a tough situation, and I know where they’re at because I’ve been in their shoes. A lot of the troops are young kids also. When I was in Afghanistan, Robin Williams came out to do a stand-up comedy show, which was incredibly funny, and also touching that he came out of his way to entertain us. That’s special.
JS: Okay, and Alchemist is also renowned for the involvement of CEO, MC Hammer.
AS: I mainly deal with Lex, as he’s more involved with the daily needs of the fighters. But Hammer and I have been in contact through Twitter and email. Hammer carries a massive marketing value. He understands the fight business, having managed Evander Holyfield back in the day. I remember growing up in Mexico, rapping along to MC Hammer songs. He’s a huge cultural icon and a part of my childhood in Mexico.
JS: I recently interviewed Lex, and I joked with him about one of the Alchemist fighters entering the Octagon to “Can’t Touch This” in order to pay homage to the Alchemist CEO.
AS: Hahaha. I think that would be awesome. To have Hammer in my corner and to walk out to one of his songs. It would certainly add to the show. I’m not sure if Hammer is in attendance on Saturday, I’ll have to ask Lex.
JS: Are you in contact with any of the other high-profile fighters that occupy the impressive Alchemist roster?
AS: Ah, yes. I’ve been up to Denver, Colorado to train with the Grudge team. The Grudge training centre is ran by the awesome Trevor Wittman, and I got to train and meet a lot of the Alchemist guys up there, including Brendan Schaub. Nate Marquardt also called me prior to my June fight in Japan, and he gave me some great advice about what to expect out there, particularly in regards to the food and jetlag. So, it’s been pretty special to draw upon the advice of some very experienced fighters who are part of the same management team. It’s a useful tool at my disposal.
JS: Okay, moving onto your fighting style, in order to introduce you to those who may not yet be familiar with you. Your record boasts both KOs and submissions. Would you label yourself as predominantly a striker or grappler? Or are you well-versed in all facets of the game?
AS: I’m a well-rounded fighter. I like to say that I can do everything. And at this level of the game, you have to be able to do everything. Mixed Martial Arts is a new martial art in itself. Before I came to mixed martial arts, I had done some boxing and kickboxing in the army, but I didn’t have a solid background. Everything has flown naturally for me. I have a natural talent for fighting, and that inspired me to take it more seriously and perfect my craft. I think I typify the modern mixed martial artist, who begins by learning all elements of the game simultaneously rather than training one art as a base.
JS: Absolutely, Dana White talks about the influx of this type of mixed martial artist. A lot of your fights have been concluded in Round 1…are you generally an explosive fighter, seeking the early finish?
AS: Yes, that’s exactly my fighting style. I categorize myself as explosive and chaotic. Purposeful accidents. It’s going to be an exciting, non-stop fight, because both Michael and I have great cardio.
JS: Haha, kind of like “organised chaos.” Where do you currently train?
AS: San Diego Combat Academy with Team Hurricane Awesome. The gym has produced one of the top-ranked female fighters in Liz Carmouche. The UFC fighter Walel Watson also trains out of there. It’s a great gym.
JS: Do you ever spar with Liz?
AS: Liz is a great sparring partner, she’s super tough. You can’t go easy on Liz during sparring, because she will knock you out. You have to go hard. I’ve seen guys come to the gym and have their ass handed to them by Liz, and after that, you never see them again.
JS: Haha. Have you been impressed with the footage you’ve watched on McDonald?
AS: I’m very impressed with McDonald. He seems like a good guy with a good head on his shoulders. But he has everything to lose in this fight and I’m going to take advantage of that situation. I’m going to be trying to finish this fight the entire time. Michael McDonald isn’t going to be the man to end my undefeated record. I’ve never been so confident heading into a fight. This is my fantastic opportunity, and I have nothing to lose.
JS: Does his experience advantage, in terms of quantity of fights, calibre of opponent, and experience under the Zuffa banner, render him the favourite heading into this fight?
AS: It’s certainly true that he has an experience advantage over me. He’s a young fighter, and I don’t know where his head is at mentally. Really what it boils down to is when you’re getting punched in the head, experience doesn’t matter. We are both well-rounded fighters so this fight is likely to play out all over the place.
JS: Okay, have a good final week of preparation and many thanks for your time, it’s been a pleasure.
For Chris Weidman, life is all about hard work and striving to be the best in the world. Weidman (6-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) gets another opportunity to achieve that goal this Saturday at UFC 139 at the HP Pavilion, as he will be facing Tom Lawlor (7-3 MMA…
For Chris Weidman, life is all about hard work and striving to be the best in the world. Weidman (6-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) gets another opportunity to achieve that goal this Saturday at UFC 139 at the HP Pavilion, as he will be facing Tom Lawlor (7-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC). This fight was supposed to be aired on Spike TV, but was recently put onto the Facebook portion of the card. Weidman was pretty bummed about the change.
“It’s a bummer, but you know it doesn’t make the fight any different to me,” Weidman told me. “I gotta get in there and fight. But yea, it definitely sucks for people who want to watch me.”
More people watch the fights on Spike than on Facebook, and most people would feel like it’s a lost opportunity, but Weidman has a feeling this will somehow end up on pay-per-view.
“Yea, a little bit, but I have a good feeling it’s going to end up on pay-per-view somehow. So, I’m trying to keep my head surrounded with the positive and just thinking to put on a great fight and better than Spike, it’s pay-per-view.”
Weidman is a prospect that people are really high on ever since his debut in the UFC in March, when he took a fight on two weeks notice and defeated Alessio Sakara. He followed that win with a submission of the night victory over Jesse Bongfeldt in June. How has Weidman dealt with his new found popularity?
“I think just thinking about it right now, not like I dwell on it. I think one of the biggest things is that people don’t see I’m doing this for no reason anymore, family, friends, whoever. Because when you’re in smaller promotions and you’re not making any money, it’s kind of like an aspiring rapper or something. What are the chances of making it to the top? When you get the chance to prove yourself and you do it, now your not trying to justify why you’re actually doing this. Putting your family through some hardships and not having money. I have my masters degree (from Hofstra), I can go out and get a job. So, why would I do that? You know, my hard work is paying off. It’s a good feeling.”
Weidman has been training with Ray Longo and Matt Serra since he started in MMA in 2009. He is beyond grateful for everything they have taught him inside and outside of the cage.
“They help a lot. I’m with Ray Longo pretty much everyday. I’m at his gym, working with him on standup, on cardio, strength, everything. He pretty much is my go-to-guy for everything, all my questions. He not only helps me out with my fighting, which is usually more important than everything else, but he’s there, almost as a psychologist. We’re always talking, we’re close and for like mental confidence and stuff like that, he’s huge. He’s really good with that. So, he’s a big help and Matt is awesome. A bolt of energy, he’s confident, he’s been to the top, he’s been to where I want to head. He helps me a lot by putting me in the right direction and getting me to where he was already once at.”
Lawlor has been saying to various media outlets that he will use experience to beat Weidman this Saturday. Weidman says that Lawlor doesn’t have his experience.
“They can say whatever they want. It doesn’t really bother me. As far as experience goes, look at Alessio Sakara. He had plenty more experience than me. He was in the UFC forever. I didn’t let that get to me. Tom Lawlor, he hasn’t been there as close to as long. I won’t let that get to me. The way I look at it is, I ‘ve been wrestling my entire life. I’ve faced top notch competition for a very, very long time. Tom Lawlor doesn’t have that experience. So, I’ll use the mental side of being in those wars with wrestling, just as effective as I would have MMA.”
You can listen to the entire interview with Chris Weidman here.
When fighting Urijah Faber, there’s a pretty good chance the opponent is an afterthought, since Faber is one of the most popular fighters in the sport, and the fans assume he will roll to victory.
Brian Bowles (10-1, 2-0 UFC) is under that assumption a…
When fighting Urijah Faber, there’s a pretty good chance the opponent is an afterthought, since Faber is one of the most popular fighters in the sport, and the fans assume he will roll to victory.
Brian Bowles (10-1, 2-0 UFC) is under that assumption as well, as the former WEC Bantamweight Champion will square off with Faber (25-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC), the former WEC Featherweight Champion, at UFC 139 this Saturday at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California on pay per view starting at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT.
Bowles and Faber each fought last at UFC 132, in which Bowles defeated Takeya Mizugaki via unanimous decision, and Faber lost via unanimous decision to bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz.
A lot of people thought a good performance by Bowles would have netted him the next shot against Cruz, but after a lackluster win against Mizugaki, Demetrious Johnson ended up getting the next shot.
Bowles understood why he didn’t get the shot after the Mizugaki fight.
“I wasn’t able to finish,” Bowles told me. “I wasn’t very aggressive; he’s a tough guy.
“I mean, he has that kind of style. He’s not easy to finish, and he’s a tough opponent. We both went in there, and if either one of us had been more aggressive, the fight would have been a lot more exciting,” he said.
“I think he was waiting for me to be a little more aggressive and I was kinda waiting for him to be more aggressive,” Bowles continued. “We ended up just standing there looking at each other a lot more than my fights usually are.”
The Bowles-Mizugaki fight was on the undercard of UFC 132, so Bowles was able to take in the Cruz-Faber main event that evening and wasn’t shocked by the champion’s performance against Faber.
“Typical Cruz, you know.” Bowles said. “He does what he does. Faber did a pretty good job getting his hands on him and not getting too frustrated at what he does. Every time you watch the champion fight, you learn a little bit from that. I took a little bit away from that.”
With the title loss, Faber is now 4-4 in his last eight fights, but Bowles thinks Faber still has that mystique about him.
“Once you built something like that, it takes a lot for it to go away. I don’t think he’s lost it yet,” Bowles said. “Just because you lose a fight or two here and there? He’s not out there getting knocked out. He’s not like at the end of his career, he needs to hang it up or he’s just hanging onto it because he can’t let it go.
“He’s still a No. 1-guy contender. He could be champ at any moment,” he said.
As soon as this fight was announced, a lot of people were under the assumption that it would determine the No. 1 contender for the bantamweight title, and Bowles is under that assumption as well.
“Yea, I think (UFC president) Dana (White) announced that the winner between me and him should be fighting Cruz,” Bowles said. “I know they never set anything in stone, but its been said. But that’s what I’m expecting from it.”
Since Faber-Cruz II took place and the fight with Bowles was announced, a lot of people think that Faber will roll past Bowles and secure the rubber match.
Bowles has other plans in mind and relishes the role of the underdog.
“You know, I’m kinda used to that. I’ve been a underdog in almost every fight,” Bowles said. “When I fought Miguel (Torres), underdog; ever since I’ve come into the sport, its been the underdog for me. I kind of feed off that.
“I think true hardcore fans, the other fighters know he’s not gonna walk through me. I’ve heard a lot of people say they think I’m going to beat him.
“It’s mainly the people, average Joes out there. He’s the more popular guy. That’s what they go on. They think it’s a popularity contest and not a fight. That’s what they’re going by. Not going by fighting skills,” Bowles said.
“I’m a quiet guy. He’s out there; his face is out there. He’s more popular, so they think he’s gonna win,” he said.
You can listen to the entire interview with Brian Bowles here.
Prior to UFC 132, Tito Ortiz made major changes to his training, and part of that positive change was the addition of strength and conditioning coach Michael Giovanni Rivera.Rivera, who’s been an elite trainer in the Orange County, Calif., area for the…
Prior to UFC 132, Tito Ortiz made major changes to his training, and part of that positive change was the addition of strength and conditioning coach Michael Giovanni Rivera.
Rivera, who’s been an elite trainer in the Orange County, Calif., area for the past 10 years helped lead Ortiz to a dominant first-round submission victory over Ryan Bader at UFC 132.
Ortiz is in the midst of training camp for UFC 140, where he faces Antonio Rogerio Nogurira on Dec. 10.
Rivera is contributing a series of blogs in anticipation of Ortiz’ third fight alongside the trainer. Here is a look at some of his insights:
Rivera recaps what it has been like to work with Ortiz leading up to present day.
“It has been crazy to say the least! I was brought on 7 weeks prior to the Bader fight, I had no idea what physical or mental condition Tito was in at that point. It was a very unique story how I started training Tito. I first worked with his girl Jenna Jameson, he came into the gym to see what I was about…
“Ten minutes later we hit it off, (and he) asked me to train him once and go from there.
“So, I show up to Punishment Training Center in Huntington Beach (California) a couple days later. I was setting up my equipment, I noticed the cameras, but didn’t think anything about it. I just thought maybe they were observing or filming his workouts. That’s when Tito walked in and said that they were going to film the countdown for UFC 132 Ortiz vs.Bader.
“At first, I was like I never trained you before, I took it as a challenge (and) I knew that I could succeed. I told Tito ‘I assume your in shape and can handle this workout, you are an elite athlete.’ A hour into it he killed it and so did I. Tito was impressed by my skills, knowledge, and how I mentally reinforced him to be positive. The camera crew asked, what do you want to credit him as? Tito said he is my strength & conditioning coach, lets train 3-4 times a week. I was like wow, this is a crazy day!
“Ever since then it has been non-stop. Training for Bader, then immediately preparing for (Rashad) Evans in a very short amount of time. He was still in great shape for it, but it would have been a different story if we had 10 weeks to get ready for Evans.
“Many people don’t realize I have been always been well known for my training and packed with clients in LA (Los Angeles) & OC (Orange County) for the last 10 years. This opportunity gave me more elite status and exposure, so the public can see I am the real deal.
“I have been familiar with the MMA industry for awhile, but having the opportunity to work with Tito is incredible. He’s probably the most well known MMA fighter out there. Many opportunities and doors have opened up for me since training Tito, I appreciate it so much and I intend to keep pushing the limits!”
Rivera sheds light on the progress Ortiz has made since the pair linked up.
“After that first initial workout we had some work to do, luckily we had 7 weeks to be ready. He progressed quickly. He has great genetics, is a quick learner, and has heart like none other.
“I think that’s why we work so well together. We both have huge hearts and passion for what we do. Tito sees that in me, and I see that in him. He has improved tremendously physically and mentally in many ways. Such as his core strength, which is really important since his prior injuries and surgeries, footwork speed, hand speed, and his overall muscular endurance.
“I think the biggest improvement since I have linked up with him is his mental outlook. He was down about himself, but who can blame him with the current consecutive losses. I knew I could help him. I kept him in a positive mind set. I reinforced a positive mentality in his head every time we trained and I would text him everyday reminding him that he still has that fire in him to succeed in the cage.
“Little by little I saw a change, he was training harder with me, training harder with Jason Parillo, his boxing coach, training harder with Ricardo Abreu, his ground coach. We all saw the transformation in him for the better in and out of the cage.
“I am so proud to see how he is today, a committed MMA fighter who is hungry again, passion for the sport, and the fans love him. They see the change in him and I am so grateful that I was apart of this transformation and have the opportunity to work with him.”
What the experience was like for Rivera to witness Ortiz defeat Ryan Bader this past July at UFC 132.
“That win was epic! It meant so much to us all. As for me, I had a lot of pressure on me, being the new strength & conditioning coach as well as the mental coach. I knew if he had lost his career could have been over and I wouldnʼt be here writing to you about this.
“I trained him with my heart & soul, I gave everything I had. Planned workouts, planned meals, supplements, etc.. There is so much that goes into it that it is unbelievably time consuming. I had a lot of stress on me during that time, my father had recently passed away with cancer in March. So, getting this opportunity with Tito revitalized me.
“When he had that choke in and Bader tapped out, It was the most emotional experience I have ever felt. You can see it on all of our faces. The whole experience from the anticipation in the locker room, to the walk out, and getting the ‘W’ with his hand raised! It made me appreciate all the hard work we did and it payed off! I knew that he could do it, Tito just needed to believe that he could do it, and he did!
“Being positive and believing in yourself is the key to success. You can overcome anything in life if you work hard enough and have faith.”
The progression of training camp at this stage leading up to Ortiz’ UFC 140 main card bout against “Lil Nog.”
“Training camp has been great. We changed things up a bit, because of his opponent Nogueira. Things I don’t want to mention as of now till after the fight. But all I can say (is) Tito is in beast mode. He has mad heart and (he’s) determined to get that hand raised. We will be ready December 10th for UFC 140 in Toronto.”
To learn more about Michael Giovanni Rivera, he can be reached at:
Sixty-four months removed from her first professional fight and defeat at the hands of Lisa Ward-Ellis, Jessica Aguilar is primed to avenge that loss.