Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson returns to the Octagon on May 28 where he meets Matt “The Hammer” Hamill in a light heavyweight slugfest. The fight now takes on even more meaning. A few short days ago, Frankie…
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson returns to the Octagon on May 28 where he meets Matt “The Hammer” Hamill in a light heavyweight slugfest. The fight now takes on even more meaning.
A few short days ago, Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard each suffered an injury in training and were forced off the card. The Jackson vs. Hamill matchup now has become the main event for UFC 130.
Rampage is coming off a lackluster fight in which he won a decision over Lyoto Machida. The last three fights he has participated in have gone to the judge’s scorecards for a decision. The fact of the matter is that Matt Hamill is not nearly as big of a name as Lyoto Machida or Rashad Evans, however Jackson said that he will take this fight seriously.
“If Matt Hamill thinks I’ll take him lightly, he’s mistaken this time,” Jackson said. “My coach won’t let me take my opponents lightly. I like to finish people. I want a devastating finish.”
He went on to say, “I’m a fighter in the true sense of the words Ultimate Fighter. I have the fighter’s spirit, and I’m not afraid to do anything. I’m not afraid to fight anybody.”
It is clear that if the fight remains standing, Jackson will be at a great advantage, but wrestling has been used to wear Rampage down before. He will have a constantly open to watch for a take down attempt so he can sprawl and get back to his boxing. Jackson remains confident that he will win the fight regardless of the course the fight takes.
“I’m gonna try to do to Matt Hamill what I try to do to all my opponents: Whoop his ass,” Jackson said. “There’s not one doubt in my mind that I can whoop Matt Hamill.”
The CEO of Strikeforce Scott Coker has made serious moves with the California-based organization. Since 2007, Strikeforce has grown into a top mixed martial arts organization, second only to Ultimate Fighting Championship. He has brought in such t…
The CEO of Strikeforce Scott Coker has made serious moves with the California-based organization. Since 2007, Strikeforce has grown into a top mixed martial arts organization, second only to Ultimate Fighting Championship. He has brought in such top mixed martial artists as Nick Diaz, Frank Shamrock, Alistair Overeem, Jake Shields, Dan Henderson and Fedor Emelianenko.
CagePotato recently reported a huge change to the composition of the Strikeforce leadership. The 2011 Fighter Summit agenda included one leadership shuffle that was not widely discussed. It’s now revealed that Coker has been removed from his position as CEO of Strikeforce and is now Executive VP and General Manager. Now that Coker is not the CEO, is it possible Dana White will become President of Strikeforce as well? Reed Harris would be another popular choice to fill the role as the head of Strikeforce.
Whatever the end result, Strikeforce will now be ran with less influence and decision making from Coker. His removal as CEO is shocking, however the UFC’s choice to not draw attention to the move is not. This move seems to be a far cry from the UFC’s stance that everything would be business as usual. More moves will surely be made over the coming years as the UFC and the sport of mixed martial arts continues to grow at a ever more rapid pace.
Matt Coakley (9-4) Team Roc, Raleigh, NC is the proud new owner of the previous vacant Bantamweight Title, which he quickly captured at “Rock at the Dock III” on May 14th during the co-main event. Matt truly was rocking the dock last night in Moo…
Matt Coakley (9-4) Team Roc, Raleigh, NC is the proud new owner of the previous vacant Bantamweight Title, which he quickly captured at “Rock at the Dock III” on May 14th during the co-main event. Matt truly was rocking the dock last night in Mooresville, NC by defeating Antonio Woodard by KO close to two minutes into the first round.
Matt was calm, cool and collected before entering the cage, after being given a pep talk by his trainers Billy Dowey and Jason Culbreth. Matt stated that his trainers lit a fire in his eyes that could not be controlled by a very inspiring pep talk prior to the fight.
Matt came out to “Welcome to the Jungle” and did his pre-victory dance to establish his dominance and to show he was ready to do work. His trainers told him no eye contact until your attack begins, and Coakley followed the directive to the letter. This upset his opponent because when it was time to touch gloves before the bell rang, Coakley said he felt disrespected because his opponent did not take the touch up seriously.
When the bout started, Coakley circled around Woodard and was hit with a heavy leg kick that was not checked by Coakley. Soon after that Coakley smashed his opponent into the cage and landed some heavy knee and thigh kicks approximately 10 times.
Coakley could tell he had done some damage and knew he was controlling the round. Unfortunately, Woodard suffered an unintentional kick to the groin area and after a recovery period was able to regain his composure and return to the fight.
Coakley observed heavy breathing from Woodard when the fight was restarted, and that was all he needed to go in for the kill. Coakley landed a leg kick to Woodard who then dropped his hands and Coakley came forward with a vicious right hook that landed right on the button, and that should have been the end of the fight, but the referee did not stop it there, so as any good fighter does Coakley dropped down and landed a few hammer fists. Finally the referee saw that Woodard was out cold and called the fight quick, fast and in a hurry.
What is next for Matt Coakley? He will be fighting in the SC ISKA Grand Prix, which will be held May 21st at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. Then on June 25th Coakley puts his 135 TN ISKA and 135 3FC titles on the line against a very tough Len Cook (Absolute Jiu Jitsu, Bristol, TN). This event will be held at the Knoxville Convention Center, Knoxville, TN.
Mr. Coakley is a man on the move and definitely one to keep your eye on. He is one the list of movers and shakers all around the Carolinas and Tennessee. Congratulations on yet another great performance!
According to an unconfirmed report on sportsnet.ca, Brendan Schaub and Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira have verbally agreed to a fight at UFC 134.Brendan Schaub (8-1) is currently on a four-fight winning streak. In his last fight, he knocked out one of th…
According to an unconfirmed report on sportsnet.ca, Brendan Schaub and Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira have verbally agreed to a fight at UFC 134.
Brendan Schaub (8-1) is currently on a four-fight winning streak. In his last fight, he knocked out one of the best heavyweight strikers of all time, Mirko Cro Cop.
Prior to that, he won a unanimous decision over one-time title challenger, Gabriel Gonzaga.
Minotauro Nogueira (32-6-1 [1 NC]) hasn’t been in the Octagon since suffering his first knockout loss at the hands of current heavyweight champion, Cain Velasquez, back in February of 2010.
Nogueira is a legend who has been around this sport for more than a decade. Nogueira has had wars with some of the best in MMA, such as Fedor Emelianenko, Randy Couture, Fabricio Werdum and many, many more.
Schaub had been lobbying hard for this fight, and he wanted the chance to add another legend’s name to his resume. He asked to go into Brazil and fight a fan favorite in Nogueira.
We can only hope that he gets what he wants, because this fight would be incredible.
With all of the injuries that have hit the UFC recently, fans and the organization itself would agree that it’s a welcome change to see someone like former The Ultimate Fighter finalist, Ed Herman, coming back from a long layoff due to an injury …
With all of the injuries that have hit the UFC recently, fans and the organization itself would agree that it’s a welcome change to see someone like former The Ultimate Fighter finalist, Ed Herman, coming back from a long layoff due to an injury of his own.
We last saw Herman at UFC 102, all the way back in August 2009. It was on that night, in a fight with Aaron Simpson, that Herman’s career changed forever.
“I tore my ACL. It was in the first round when Aaron shot in on me and kind of wrapped his leg around mine, and in doing that, it hyper-extended my knee, and I think that’s where the damage was done,” he told me. “I was able to finish the round, but if you watch the fight video, you could see that I was definitely limping as I went back to the corner.”
Indeed he was. The knee looked absolutely horrible, but true to his occupation, he fought through it as much as he physically could.
“The referee came over to me and said, ‘You blew out your knee.’ I said, ‘No way man, I’m fine,'” Herman described the incident. “I came out in the second round and I walked forward just fine. I guess you can walk forward fine with a torn ACL, but moving side to side is the problem.”
He threw a kick and collapsed to the canvas in excruciating pain and the referee called the fight immediately.
The ACL, a ligament in the knee, is one of the worst parts of the body that can be injured on an athlete. Herman’s was in bad shape and needed immediate surgery, which would thankfully be covered by the UFC.
But as he recovered from the surgery and got back into the gym, lightning struck twice and the ACL was torn once again, this time in a place where the UFC didn’t have to cover him.
“The UFC took care of everything, paid all the medical bills, for both injuries. The really cool thing was the second one, because they didn’t have to do that,” he boasted of his organization.
It’s true. With the injury taking place outside of the Octagon, the UFC had no legal obligation to pay for anything. Only a morale one. But for the organization that now offers its fighters major medical coverage, it seemed like a no-brainer to help out a guy who put his body on the line for them.
Herman was excited to hear that the company was making the new insurance, though.
“There’s a big deductible with the UFC insurance, but it takes care of major injuries, which is the important thing. If you have something really bad happen, it’s worth it to pay that deductible because you know the UFC is going to cover the rest and you’re going to be seeing all the best people.”
But after moving out to Colorado with his friend Ryan Schultz where the two started their own gym called Trials MMA, Herman is excited to get back in the cage after nearly a two year absence from the sport.
“Things are going great, the knee feels great. I’m just ready to get back in there, you know? I had to go back bar tending for awhile and people were going up to me, patting me on the back, saying, ‘You were the guy who used to fight in the UFC, right?’ I smiled and everything, but it hurt a little bit. I wanted to come back as soon as I could.”
Herman will step back into the cage at The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale in June where he will face Tim Credeur, who has gone 3-1 in his UFC career. Credeur is a very talented fighter, but “Short Fuse” plans on mostly sticking to his usual game plan with some minor adjustments.
“You know, you do kind of change things based on the guys you’re fighting, but I think Chris Leben said it best when he said, “You dance with the lady who got you there.”
“I’ll probably change things up a bit because Tim is great off his back with submissions,” he explained. “He’s a black belt, and I’m aware of that. But at the same time, I’m not afraid to go to the ground with him. I’ve been in fights with some of the best guys in the world off their back and I’ve been caught by some of them, but I’ve caught some of them, too.“
Though Credeur is known for some impressive submissions, he’s also the kind of opponent that Herman wants to face—someone who could have a memorable war with him.
“I’m excited to fight Tim, though, because he’s a guy who’ll fight me. He’s not going to run away in the cage like Michael Bisping.”
“But I definitely look at this as a must-win. There are so many good guys in the UFC, and with them buying Strikeforce, it just makes things that much more competitive. Guys aren’t guaranteed their spots. I look at it as, I mean, if I don’t win, maybe I don’t deserve to be in the UFC.”
The injury he suffered caused Ed to re-examine his career. Now 30 years old, he realizes that his time in the sport is becoming increasingly limited.
“I think what’s changed for me since I fought last is that I’m older and I think I’ve learned how to train smarter. That’s what you’re going to see. I’m still the same Ed Herman, but I’m a smarter Ed Herman,” he proclaimed.
“I think that the goal is always to get back in there and fight as soon as possible after fights. I’m getting older and I need to get as many fights under my belt as I can. There’s only so much time, you know? If I get out of there without any injuries, and if I get a quick win, I’d like to be back in there as early as six to eight weeks, fighting again.”
That timeline would put him on track to fight again sometime in August at any one of the three events that month. But there may actually be a better time for him to fight again not long after that.
“There’s an event coming up here in Denver and I’d love to be on that card,” he revealed. “ I think it’d do a lot for me and for the gym here. We’re only about an hour out of Denver, so I think it’d be great for us to represent locally.”
Though he doesn’t have a specific opponent that he is is dying to fight, Herman does have a few names in mind.
“I’d love to fight Michael Bisping, not because I don’t like him or anything, but because he’s got a lot of hype surrounding him right now and it’d be good for my career.”
“Other than that, I’d love to fight Brian Stann, since he knocked out my buddy Chris Leben. I’ve trained with Brian before and he’s a great guy, it’s nothing personal, but he knocked out my friend. After Chris beat Simpson, he gave me a shout-out, which was awesome. I’d love to do the same thing.”
He would also like to avenge some previous losses.
“I’d love to fight Demian Maia again, I’d love to fight Jason MacDonald, Kendall Grove. But really, there’s so many guys in the UFC, that I just want to fight.”
And fight he will on June 4.
In the meantime, fans can wish Ed luck in his comeback fight by following him on Twitter @EdHermanUFC. He recently cracked 1,000 followers and is looking to add more, with the UFC recently announcing that they will be doing some incentives for fighters who are most active on Twitter.
This interview appears courtesy of Evolve Mixed Martial Arts:One of UFC’s biggest stars, Rich “Ace” Franklin recently came to Evolve MMA in Singapore to train with the Evolve Fight Team, Asia’s most decorated professional fight team with worl…
One of UFC’s biggest stars, Rich “Ace” Franklin recently came to Evolve MMA in Singapore to train with the Evolve Fight Team, Asia’s most decorated professional fight team with world champions in Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, mixed martial arts, boxing and No Gi Grappling.
Rich Franklin: My coach, Matt Hume, and Chatri discussed the opportunity for us to come over here to Singapore.
I had never been to Singapore…It’s been a great experience…to exchange knowledge. I consider myself a martial artist…always looking for ways to add things to my game…we worked a lot with the professional fighters here to help them on the MMA aspect of things and we also learned from the World Champions here.
I get asked to do seminars all the time, but my schedule is super busy with fights, movies, and other projects. So I have to pick and choose the right opportunities…Evolve MMA has been an amazing experience. In many ways.
It’s been an eye-opening one…I’ve been all over the world to a lot of MMA gyms…and I can say…I can tell you that Evolve MMA is the best that I’ve seen…the unbelievable training with all the world champs, the facilities…I plan on coming back, man!
Who is your next fight in the UFC?
Nothing’s been signed yet, but it looks like it will be Little Nog (Antonio Rogerio Nogueira) at UFC 133 in August. Stylistically, it’s a good match up for me. I’ll be heading into training camp in a few weeks…
You’ve had an amazing career. Is there anyone you’d like to fight right now?
Not really, man. Whoever they put in front of me is fine. This is what I love.
What is your typical training routine like?
I’m a martial artist. So I don’t really take time off. For me, I train every day whether I have a fight or not. I eat clean and I live clean.
I mean…most fighters don’t do this, but I weigh all my food. For every meal, I know how many grams of protein I’m having, how much carbohydrates…I read a lot about peak athletic performance…I don’t drink alcohol or smoke…in fact, I’ve never had a drop of alcohol or anything in my entire life.
If I have a fight, I will train six days a week…mixing it up between BJJ, Boxing, Muay Thai…and of course, I do strength and conditioning too…and MMA sparring too. I’ll train twice a day for a big part of the week. When I have a fight, I head into camp usually eight weeks before a fight.
Do you train specifically for an opponent or do you just work on everything?
We’ll review tapes…study my opponent…and come up with a game plan…yeah, we are pretty scientific on how we do things.
We try to impose my strengths onto the weaknesses of my opponents. My coaches plan out the eight-week camp by day. We will work specific things…for the game plan…for my opponent…
How much do you weigh right now? Do you plan on fighting at 205 lbs or 185 lbs?
I walk around 220 lbs. The UFC wants me to fight at 205 lbs. But I can fight at either weight class. We are very scientific on cutting weight too.
It’s a critical part of the game…knowing how to cut weight without affecting performance…we are very scientific in our approach…in the eight-week camp and during the weight cut process and weight recovery process.
Of course, I feel stronger at 185. But the UFC wants me at 205. So that’s where I will be fighting.
What are some of your favorite moments in your career thus far?
Hmmmm, probably the ones where I was in deep waters and I had to…I had to dig myself out of a hole.
I enjoyed the Travis Lutter fight a lot. Travis caught me in a deep submission and I had to fight.
And yes, the Chuck Liddell one too. He broke my arm in the first minute of the fight…he snapped one of my bones completely…so to come back and win like that…it means a lot to me.
Tell us about your experience here at Evolve MMA. How did you spend your time?
I pretty much trained every day, often twice a day. Part of my day was spent…Matt and I trained with the professional fighters here to help them…cage work…transitions…that type of stuff.
Then we would train with the world champions here…the Thai guys, the Brazilians…the level of instruction here is incredibly high.
One of the top world champions here, Orono Wor Petchpun, personally trained me for my Muay Thai. Man, he is lightning fast…he just fought in Lumpinee last month…when we sparred, he was kicking me all over the place.
I picked up a lot of new things. It was my first experience training with a Muay Thai world champion from Thailand…and it’s funny because everyone that walks around here is a world champion…either in Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, and…and it’s kind of mind boggling.
We also trained both Gi and No Gi BJJ with the Brazilian World Champs here…Matt and I enjoyed every minute of it. Chatri also took us to Thailand to watch some Lumpinee fights…what an experience.
I had never been to Thailand and it was fascinating. Matt and I also gave a weekend seminar to the students here at Evolve MMA.
We also worked with Chatri on fighter development strategies and training practices at the UFC level…we passed on some of our experiences to him.
Were there any impressive fighters on the Evolve Fight Team? UFC level?
Yeah, definitely, lots of potential here. Chatri really has the right philosophy. He’s bringing the best of the best from around the world in every discipline. He understands the fight game…at a very deep and technical level…from all sides.
Of course, a lot of the pro fighters here are…still…early in their development as well-rounded MMA fighters. But the potential is there. Zoro is going to be a name to remember…I worked with him a bit and he’s technical…and very big for his weight class.
He’s dropping to 155 lbs this year. The training is excellent and the instructors are fantastic here. Put it this way…if I lived in Singapore, I would be training here too…and I’m not just saying that. Evolve is the real deal.
What do you do for fun?
I love reading books, man. I play the drums. I study languages and acting. I’m a very intellectually curious person.
It must be the math teacher in me or something. I’m the type of person that needs to be learning, progressing, and growing all the time.
Do you spend a lot of time reading about MMA and following the news?
You’d be surprised, but not really is the answer. It’s my job and I really try to do other things in my free time. The last thing you’ll see me doing is surfing the Internet on MMA websites.
When I get back to the US, I’m going on a two-week hike in the Appalachians…it’s going to be grueling and fast-paced. When I am not in the gym, I am doing other things.
How much longer do you see yourself fighting?
I’ll tell you what…you won’t see me fighting into my 40s…nah…I’m 36 now and I’m a young 36 because of how I treat my body. So I have a few years left in me, but I don’t plan on hanging around much more than that.
It would be cool to have the Cinderella story…to get another title shot…and to retire as a World Champion, but it’s not something I need. Even if I retire as a fighter, I see myself still training though.
I love the whole process of traiing and learning…I’m a martial artist…so I won’t walk away from the fight game totally…
Any plans on what you will do after you retire?
Not really, but I’m the type of person that needs a goal. Whatever is next in my life, I want to be consumed by it. I see it as a way to channel my competitive fire in another direction.
Look at Dana (Dana White) for example…his Octagon is the business world. We’re driven by that same competitive fire. So whether it’s movies or the UFC or who knows, I know that I’m going to give it my all.
Is there anything you want to say to your fans?
Thank you for all of your support. My fans are the best in the world…and very important to me…I am able to do what I do because of them. I’m just grateful to do what I love, man. To all my fans, thank you…
Evolve Mixed Martial Arts® is Asia’s premier brand of MMA academies. It is the top martial arts training organization in Asia. Evolve MMA ranks among the best academies in the world for Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Mixed Martial Arts.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson returns to the Octagon on May 28 where he meets Matt “The Hammer” Hamill in a light heavyweight slugfest. The fight now takes on even more meaning.