After Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic was knocked out by Brendan Schaub at UFC 128, UFC president Dana White stated, “I have all respect for Mirko ‘Cro Cop,’ but yeah, I’d have to say tonight is probably the last time we’ll see &lsqu…
After Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic was knocked out by Brendan Schaub at UFC 128, UFC president Dana White stated, “I have all respect for Mirko ‘Cro Cop,’ but yeah, I’d have to say tonight is probably the last time we’ll see ‘Cro Cop’ fight again.”
Cro Cop has one fight remaining on his UFC contract and despite White’s talk following UFC 128, Cro Cop has neither announced his retirement or been released by the UFC.
The very popular former PRIDE Grand Prix champion recently heard his name invoked by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira’s boxing coach Luis Dorea, who told Tatame.com:
“I would like so much to see a bout between Nogueira and ‘Cro Cop.’ If it is not in August, it could be in September, October…They’re two legends, two names. It really would be very interesting for the MMA world.”
Cro Cop was subsequently contacted by Fighters Only, who asked the Croatian fighter his opinion of the suggested bout: “I saw the comments made by Nogueira’s boxing coach and I agree,” Crop Cop revealed via text message.
“I am ready to fight Nogueira any time, even in Brazil in August.”
Cro Cop has lost his last two fights via knockout; Nogueira’s last fight was also a knockout loss, as he fell in the first round to Cain Velasquez in February 2010.
UFC 134 will take place on August 27 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The fight fight card will be headlined by a middleweight title bout between the champion Anderson Silva and the last man that secured a victory over him, Yushin Okami.
May 2, 2011 is a significant date to a lot of Americans, as this is the day Osama Bin Laden was killed. Though there has been extensive debate on the moral victory of his assassination, according to MMAWeekly’s Damon Martin, MMA fighters Br…
May 2, 2011 is a significant date to a lot of Americans, as this is the day Osama Bin Laden was killed. Though there has been extensive debate on the moral victory of his assassination, according to MMAWeekly’s Damon Martin, MMA fighters Brian Stann and Tim Kennedy reflect and share insight on the current events.
Tim Kennedy, a Strikeforce middleweight, joined the military forces when he saw the September 11th events unfold. He eventually worked his way into the Army Special Forces and was directly involved in searching for Bin Laden.
Upon hearing the news of Osama’s death, Kennedy felt sincere, unexpected emotions:
“It was a lot of really weird emotions. One of course a feeling of finality, of closure, for something that has been going on for such a long time. By no means is the war over, but in the sense of I’ve been in Afghanistan and Pakistan and Iraq, and some of those trips were specifically looking for that guy. The book has not been written, but it’s a chapter that’s seemingly been closed.”
Always a fighter, whether in the ring or representing his beloved country, Kennedy explains that he’s always ready for battle:
“It makes me want to, like right now, I just want to get on a plane and go back over there. I know that the spring forward Taliban movement and Al-Qaeda is happening, so every time it starts getting warm all the foreign fighters start coming back into Afghanistan and get really excited about fighting for their cause, and now they have even more fuel to their flame is that their leader has just been killed.”
Brian Stann, a teammate and close friend of Tim Kennedy, is a UFC 185-pounder, who was a decorated Marine Captain who fought in Iraq, and a graduate of the United States Naval Academy.
As many Americans feel the Al-Qaeda leader’s death is a moral victory, Stann doesn’t want people to lose sight of the continuing mission for freedom in the Middle East, as he explains on MMAWeekly Radio:
“It takes a lot to get me excited. It’s not like the death of Osama Bin Laden can bring any of my Marines back, or any of my friends or any of those family members from New York City that day or the Pentagon, but it’s definitely a positive thing for us.”
“There’s still troops that are deployed overseas, there’s still a battle to be won, and we still need to remain vigilant against terrorists in this country. It’s not like we can let our guard down just because Osama Bin Laden’s dead.”
“We have to remember and it’s very unfortunate, but there are people out there that their main goal is to kill Americans. It’s just a fact. They’ve just been brainwashed that it’s the right thing, and they have no problems whatsoever killing innocent people. They have no problem killing children. I’ve seen it first hand, and it’s very unfortunate.”
Though Stann feels Osama’s death is a moral victory for America, it’s also quite integral in destroying global terrorism:
“The enemy does a very good job of publicizing any little success, even if they twist the facts like they normally do, but they publicize the heck out of it via Al-Jazeera and their networks and really ignite the morale of their people and really make it look like they’re winning the war on terror. So something like this is a major blow to their information operation. This is their hero of everything.”
“Something like this can definitely boost your morale for the coming weeks and really move you forward, and keep your spirits high, while you’re really in a very demanding time of your life. I definitely see this as a morale boost. I see it as a morale boost for America and I think it’s great for us in an area that has been weak in comparison to our enemy, which is information operations.”
The American citizens have great reason to be grateful, to be represented by heroes such as Brian Stann and Tim Kennedy, as well as every single person in their military.
It’s an honor to have Stann and Kennedy fight for America, and it will truly be an honor to see them in the Octagon.
-ROLAND RISO MMAIDIOT.COM
Roland Riso is a contributing writer for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained from MMAWeekly.com and MMAWeekly Radio.
Bleacher Report’s Sal DeRose:No one’s doubting Junior dos Santos’ ability going into his UFC 131 matchup with former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. In fact, some may say that he is the favorite going into the fight that will determine the winne…
Bleacher Report’s Sal DeRose:
No one’s doubting Junior dos Santos’ ability going into his UFC 131 matchup with former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.
In fact, some may say that he is the favorite going into the fight that will determine the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 13coaches battle.
Dos Santos was set to face Cain Velasquez for the heavyweight title, but Velasquez’s rotator cuff surgery sidetracked any notion or any shot at a title for dos Santos until the champion is healthy. Instead of sitting around and waiting for Velasquez to heal, dos Santos did the next best thing—he took another fight.
“It was a little bit of a surprise for me,” Dos Santos recently told MMA Junkie Radio. “When my manager told me Cain Velasquez couldn’t the fight against me, I asked for another fight. The UFC invited me to coach ‘TUF,’ and I accepted right away.”
Some may say it’s dumb of dos Santos to take another fight. Others think it’s smart, staving off any ring rust and potentially notching another top-notch win to his resume should he beat Lesnar.
Either way, dos Santos is happy about his June 11th bout with Lesnar.
UFC 131 is set to take place on June 11 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia.The main event on the card will be a heavyweight bout between the coaches from season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter, Brock Lesnar (5-2) and Junior dos Santos (12-1)…
UFC 131 is set to take place on June 11 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The main event on the card will be a heavyweight bout between the coaches from season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter, Brock Lesnar (5-2) and Junior dos Santos (12-1).
The winner of the bout will be next in line to face current UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez. Velasquez has been on the shelf since defeating Lesnar for the title back in October 2010. Velasquez suffered an injury during that bout and was forced to undergo surgery to repair a damaged rotator cuff.
Also appearing on the card will be Shane Carwin, who has not fought since his loss to Lesnar in July, 2010. Carwin who has been out due to back surgery will face off against Jon Olav Einemo, who will be making his UFC debut at UFC 131.
Other fights on the UFC 131 main card:
Mac Danzig vs. Donald Cerrone
Demian Maia vs. Mark Muñoz
Kenny Florian vs. Diego Nunes
Bleacher Report will be your source for news, analysis and opinions on the upcoming fight card.
Check back often as the fight card nears for all the UFC 131 information you need.
Former WEC champion Urijah Faber recently appeared on ESPN1100 to talk boxing. The conversation started off centered around Manny Pacquiao and his fight with Shane Mosley and then turned to more MMA related subjects.The boxing-based conversation didn’t…
Former WEC champion Urijah Faber recently appeared on ESPN1100 to talk boxing. The conversation started off centered around Manny Pacquiao and his fight with Shane Mosley and then turned to more MMA related subjects.
The boxing-based conversation didn’t take long to turn to Nick Diaz, the Strikeforce welterweight champion who has recently signed on to fight former IBF champion Jeff Lacy.
Faber had the following to say about Diaz making the jump to boxing: “Diaz is a good example, when you take a strong mindset, you look at a champion in any sport, it’s the mindset that makes them a champion. If they dedicate themselves to learning the skills then it’s a battle of willpower and heart.”
As to why Diaz would want to box, Faber thinks it is based around the desire for a bigger payday: “Nick is a competitor, I’ve been a big fan of Nick Diaz. The bottom line is that guy is a guy that’s been in some serious battles and put in some serious time and has made a decent living, but definitely deserves more money, and I think that’s what he’s really talking about.”
Faber then said that he hoped that UFC president Dana White would “step up” in regard to keeping Diaz out of boxing and just involved with MMA.
Faber then talked about the UFC’s wanting to put Diaz on a dating show when he fought for the promotion in the past, “I remember Diaz telling me years ago how they punished him for not going on that dating show they were having a couple of fighters go on. They would go on this dating show, [the UFC] wanted him on there for publicity. Nick had a girlfriend at the time and he wouldn’t do it.”
Faber is scheduled to meet UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz in the main event at UFC 132, which will take place on July 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
“Never underestimate the heart of a champion.”—Rudy Tomjanovich Last weekend at UFC 129 in Toronto, Ontario, Mark “the Machine” Hominick proved without any shadow of a doubt that he absolutely possesses the true heart of a…
“Never underestimate the heart of a champion.”—Rudy Tomjanovich
Last weekend at UFC 129 in Toronto, Ontario, Mark “the Machine” Hominick proved without any shadow of a doubt that he absolutely possesses the true heart of a champion.
After suffering a serious knockdown in the third round of his fight, Hominick somehow managed to keep his composure intact, and courageously battled his way back by nearly defeating the UFC Featherweight Champion, Jose Aldo, in the final minute of the fifth and final round.
Imagine if you can—55,000 fans, all on their feet, screaming and cheering at the top of their lungs for Hominick to destroy the battered and vulnerable champion. It almost happened.
The energy in the final moments of Hominick’s fight was nothing short of electric and amazing. I can only imagine that if Hominick had actually won the championship belt that night, the roar from the crowd would have certainly blown the roof off of the Rogers Centre (or at the very least, shredded my ear drums).
Today, I was fortunate enough to be able to speak with Mark, now that he has had some time to relax and reflect on the entire experience.
Enjoy.
James Ryan: Hi Mark, how are you today?
Mark Hominick: Doing great, James! What’s going on?
JR: Not too much. Thanks for taking the time to speak with me today.
MH: Not a problem.
JR: Did I catch you at an alright time? I understand that you and your wife are expecting your first child any day now.
MH: Yeah, it’s just any minute right now. We’re gonna go for a walk after this.
JR: Right on. So, do you know if it’s going to be a boy or a girl?
MH: A girl.
JR: A girl, eh?
MH: Yeah, all fighters have girls.
JR: [Laughs] Is that the unwritten rule?
MH: It is the unwritten rule. [Laughs]
JR: Cool. Alright, well then, let’s get right to this…I would love to get your take on your performance from last weekend. Overall, how do you feel about your performance and how things went?
MH: You know what? Obviously, I’m disappointed, you know? I didn’t win the title and that was what I went in there to do. A lot of people are happy by the performance that I put in though. I made it a competitive fight, and almost took it at the end. But I went in there to win, you know?
I know I was the underdog, but I still…there was nothing in my mind that was saying that I wasn’t going to win that fight.
I think I can beat that guy, you know? A few changes and I think I have the tools to do it.
JR: Well, based on your performance, I would have to agree with you.
Does it feel odd when people congratulate you on your performance, but in your mind, you know that you lost and you didn’t maybe fulfill your goal?
MH: Oh, for sure. Like, it’s definitely rewarding to know that the hard work that I put in—into the training camp and into the fight, is getting rewarded even though I didn’t come out on top. And people respect what I put out there, and the performance that I did put out there, but yeah, like I said, I went there to win.
JR: True enough.
Mark, I recently watched a video of your fight preparations. I guess Shawn Tompkins had put it together?
MH: Yep.
JR: I watched it on MMeh Fighter and in terms of understanding your preparations and what you go through, I thought it was a really great video. It gave some really cool insights into how you break the fight down, round by round, and how that might be implemented into an actual game plan.
Looking back, how do you feel about the preparations? Do you feel that you went in there with the best possible game plan?
MH: Oh yeah, my training camp is what made me so calm leading up to the fight. There was such a build up for the fight, and such a build up for the show in general, just because it was such a huge thing for Ontario MMA, and MMA in general.
But I think what kept me so focused and calm, was just the training camp that I went through, because I knew I did everything I could in training camp.
There was no stone left unturned. I put my effort—my heart and soul into training camp, so I knew all I needed to do was to go out there and perform because I knew I had put in the work.
JR: Right. So, in the video, they talked about you going in there and just implementing your own game plan, and not worrying about your opponent so much. Do you feel that sort of…is that how things went? Or as the fight went on, were you…?
MH: Yeah, for sure, like, I mean, I backed him off. I did the things that I wanted to do.
The only thing…the momentum that I was taking over in the second and third rounds, I felt I was really…that it was starting to become my fight.
I thought I was winning a lot of the exchanges, but then there was the knockdown. He had good punching power and that’s something that’s God-given, and he definitely has that, and the knockdown that he scored in the third kinda took the wind out of my sails a bit until I came back in the fifth.
JR: Right, okay. And so how would you compare fighting in the WEC to the UFC?
MH: Oh, the event is just that much more respected. It’s so big, you know? Everybody associates MMA with the UFC and there’s such a build up, and there’s so much anticipation for all the fights.
Meanwhile, with the WEC, it almost felt like you were at a fight club type of thing, you know? There was a cult following, and you know, every time you tuned into the WEC, you were gonna get a great fight, so it was pretty special to be a part of that, but the build up—the media build up and the anticipation for the UFC card is second to none. The UFC has done such a great job at marketing themselves and promoting the events properly.
JR: Definitely.
In terms of yourself, once you were in the cage, did you even notice the difference in the size of the crowd?
MH: No, that’s one thing that I’ve always prided myself on, is that I am always focused on the task at hand, and my opponent.
But with that being said, I’ve never fed off of the crowd like I did in that last minute of the fight.
JR: Is that right?
MH: They were so loud, and they were just cheering me on so much, that I was fighting for the crowd, and they were carrying me through that last round and last minute of that round, trying to finish.
But you know, I remember right when they were calling our names, like right before we started fighting, I was just thinking in my head that this is the same as any other fight. It’s just two guys, fighting in a cage, you know? That’s it!
To me, it doesn’t matter how many people are there. I’m just focused on the job in front of me and the task at hand.
JR: Cool, awesome. Last question—the idea of fighting the Korean Zombie…how did that come about?
MH: You know, a lot of people had been mentioning it to me, and that got me thinking about how it would be a great fight.
He just came off of a big win against Leonard Garcia, and he likes to go to war, you know? I know he’d put on a ‘fight of the night’ type of performance, and we both like to go at it, so it’s a fight that makes a lot of sense—not just from the fans point of view, but also from a rankings point of view.
He’s coming off a win, he’s climbing the ladder, and I want to prove that I’m still there and I’m deserving of another title shot after a couple more fights down the road.
JR: Excellent. Have you had any communication at all with the UFC about the possibility of this fight actually happening?
MH: Well, I’m currently under medical suspension for 60 days, so I know I’m not on the top of their list, but if it’s a fight that they want, I’ll sign tomorrow.
JR: Right on!
MH: So, I mean, it’s a fight that I think we both would like. He has shown interest, and I am definitely interested in that fight, and if the UFC wants to sign that—I think it’s one that makes sense, and let’s get on it!
JR: Fantastic Mark! I couldn’t agree more. I would personally love to see that fight happen.
Is there anything else that you would like to mention before I let you go?
MH: Just that the amount of support leading up to the fight, and after the fight has been overwhelming, and it’s just very much appreciated to know that I have people behind me, backing me, and supporting me in all aspects of the game.
JR: Terrific. Well, have a great night and enjoy your walk. Thanks again for your time, Mark.
Best of luck with the new baby.
MH: Sounds good, James. Thank you as well.
This is my interview. If you don’t like it…I have others. Check them out at www.mrjamesryan.com
After Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic was knocked out by Brendan Schaub at UFC 128, UFC president Dana White stated, “I have all respect for Mirko ‘Cro Cop,’ but yeah, I’d have to say tonight is probably the last time we’ll see ‘Cro Cop’ fight again.”