Tag: UFC 185

“Cuddly Bear” is the last nickname you would expect a UFC fighter to have, but Josh Copeland takes pride in it.

According to his UFC fighter profile, Copeland states:

I was driving home from practice with my former coach Trevor one day, and I told him that (my teammate) Alvin (Robinson) called me a “Bear” during wrestling practice. I said I didn’t like that name because I’m more of a “cuddly bear.” Trevor said “I love it, there you go, you’re the Cuddly Bear.

Before getting into MMA, he attended Dallas Baptist University and was studying youth ministry. That is where he met Justin Wren, who was a cast member on The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights. It was Wren who encouraged him to get into the fight game.

Eventually, Copeland became the Resurrection Fighting Alliance heavyweight champion and he made his UFC debut last November in Austin against Ruslan Magomedov. He lost that fight by unanimous decision. 

During the fight, Copeland took a high kick to the eye which temporarily blinded him in the second round. However, he displayed a tremendous amount of heart by continuing to fight. 

Copeland faces off against Jared Rosholt this Saturday on the UFC 185 Prelims on Fox Sports 1. He talked to us about that fight, his fight against Rosholt, and how he separates himself from the rest of the fighters in the heavyweight division.

Bleacher Report: Why should we get to know you?

Josh Copeland: I’m different than most fighters. I don’t really fight for any crazy built-up aggression. I fight for the competition and to make a difference in people’s lives.

B/R: How do you plan on using MMA to inspire others?

JC: In any way I can. We’d go to children’s hospitals and visit kids with cancer. I gave one of my local title belts to a little kid that was battling cancer. For me, it was just a heavyweight belt that was going to go on my closet floor. But to some little kid, it is something they would think is really cool and it would mean a lot more to them.

I’m a normal guy. I’m just Josh. I don’t care if I win another nine fights. It’s fun to live for something more than just myself. 

B/R: How do you distinguish yourself from the rest of the heavyweight division? 

JC: Being a shorter heavyweight, I’d have to deal with guys who are bigger and longer. I’d have to depend on footwork and continue to learn how to use angles. I also had to learn how to counter-punch and have bigger guys come to me.

B/R: Do you see yourself as more of a technical fighter than the rest of the heavyweights in the UFC? 

JC: Yes, until I got into the UFC. But with only 40 active heavyweights, brawling and biting down on your mouthpiece can only take you so far. These are big boys, who know how to set up punches and can turn into them.

B/R: You temporarily went blind during your fight against Ruslan Magomedov. Walk us through what happened and how were you able to keep yourself in the fight? 

JC: I’ve been poked before, but I never had my eyesight go like that. I pulled away from a kick and his toe hit my left eye. It busted a blood vessel and bruised my retina. It felt like I was in a white fog for a couple of weeks. 

That was my first time fighting another counter-striker like myself. And he has some quick kicks. 

I know I could take a punch and I believed that all it takes is one shot. I’ve seen many fights where a guy is down or losing by points and is able to connect that lucky shot. I had five more minutes to catch him and I kept my fingers crossed. But it wasn’t my night that night. The more you do it, the chances one day the stars will align for me too. 

I’m a fighter, but I’m a performer also. I want to put on fights for the crowd. For me, life is about the opportunities we have and I don’t want to be the guy who goes in and quits. That’s just me being a competitor. 

B/R: You’re fighting your friend, Jared Rosholt, at UFC 185 this weekend. Why did you agree to it and how do you feel about going up against a friend this early? 

JC: I didn‘t necessarily agree to it. I was looking going to Team Takedown [where Rosholt trains] and he was the last guy I wanted to fight. 

But sure enough, they offered him to me. My first reaction was not to do it, but I’m 0-1 in the UFC. I don’t have much pull. The UFC doesn’t have to offer me a fight. They could put me on the shelf for nine months or a year, before they offer me another one. 

Justin talked to the other guys at Team Takedown and they understood that with 40 guys in the heavyweight division, they’re bound to fight sooner or later. They’d rather get that fight out of the way now, instead of train together for awhile and then match us up against each other years down the road. So, it gave me a little peace knowing that. 

B/R: Sean Smith of Bleacher Report considered you to be on the hot seat at UFC 185. What are your thoughts? 

JC: I completely agree. The UFC doesn’t like to keep guys around that are OK fighters. They want guys who will make a push for a title. I believe the UFC wants to put out the best, entertaining fights. 

Win or lose, I want to have a fun fight with Jared that the people will enjoy.

B/R: How do you plan on redeeming yourself after losing your debut? 

JC: I’m gonna do what I do every time: do the best I can. That’s just me. I’m not arrogant or flashy. I’m gonna enjoy the ride and go wherever the fight takes me. 

B/R: How do you want to be remembered as a fighter? 

JC: I just want my life to speak for itself and the way I interact with people. Just a guy who throws down, but yet stops and takes time for everyone. 

I’m just thankful everyone and feel blessed at where I am. I just want to fight hard and put on a show that people want to watch. 

All quotes were obtained firsthand, via interview, unless otherwise noted.

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Keep betting against UFC strawweight champion Carla “Cookie Monster” Esparza. 

She doesn’t mind. She encourages it, even. She thrives as the underdog. 

“I like being the underdog, definitely,” Esparza told Bleacher Report. “It pushes me to prove myself.” 

Since making her professional mixed martial arts debut in February 2010, Esparza has done plenty of proving. 

She’s rapidly ascended the 115-pound ladder, landing atop the tallest peak of the highest mountain range in the game: the UFC. 

After a run with lauded women’s MMA promotion Invicta Fighting Championships that culminated in a world title, Esparza joined 15 other combatants to participate in an all-female cast of the hit reality television show, The Ultimate Fighter. 

Despite holding the Invicta strap—the pinnacle of excellence for strawweights at the time—Esparza still felt underestimated throughout the competition. 

In response, all she did was win. 

Three victories inside the TUF house netted her a finale showdown against Rose Namajunas, a 22-year-old MMA whiz fighting out of Duke Roufus‘ esteemed Roufusport Academy in Milwaukee. 

Like Esparza, Namajunas churned out three straight victories inside the TUF house. Unlike Esparza, however, people were talking about Namajunas and her potential. They were crowning her champion before her inauguration. 

“Everybody basically thought I was going to get crushed in that fight and tapped out in the first round,” Esparza said. “When we were on the show together, they were like, ‘Who do you think is going to win this fight: Rose or Carla?’ and it was like up to 90 percent at one time in her favor.

“But what people think is going to happen in a fight is a lot different. It has nothing to do with what is really going to happen.” 

What really happened was pure domination. 

Esparza exploited a hole in Namajunas‘ defensive grappling, dragging the young prodigy to the mat five times over three rounds before slapping on a fight-ending rear-naked choke to seal the victory. 

Haters be damned, Esparza became the UFC’s first strawweight champion. 

Now, she receives the opportunity to defend her title at UFC 185 Saturday against Joanna Jedrzejczyk, a Polish muay thai extraordinaire with a quirky, polarizing personality. 

Once again, fans are wrapped up in the challenger: her training regimen, scowl and unbridled intensity. Meanwhile, the champion toils away, putting in the hard work that got her here in the first place. 

And she believes that effort, that grind, will be enough to silence the critics once more. 

“I don’t think she’s ever fought anybody like me,” Esparza said. “I feel like I’m a different breed. I come from wrestling, which not a lot of women in our sport do, and I feel like wrestlers just have that nonstop, go-go mentality, and we’re tough and we’re just a different breed. I don’t think she’s ever felt that before.”

Esparza, though, is not one to say much more than that. She’s not in the fight-prediction business. She’s not one for trash-talking or putting down opponents, and she’s not a fan of weaving a web of hyperbole for herself, either. 

While she acknowledges these qualities, when delivered in abundance by one Ronda Rousey, led to the explosion of women’s MMA, she refers her quiet, calm little corner of the MMA universe. The fame and the title won’t change her disposition. 

“I think everybody’s different, and I actually think it’s a good contrast to have us (Rousey and I) as champions, because she has more of an outgoing personality,” Esparza said. “She speaks her mind, she doesn’t care, she does what she wants. And I’m more of a reserved, humble, conservative fighter. I think it’s a good contrast to have both those types of people as champions.” 

Despite this modest outlook, Esparza recently revealed a tinge of disappointment toward the UFC and its marketing efforts.

Fellow strawweight Paige VanZant, a 20-year-old combatant with just one win inside the Octagon, inked a deal with Reebok, receiving all the shoes, clothes, praise and media attention that come with it.

She was everywhere, and she couldn’t even buy a celebratory appletini.  

Esparza was upset. While the UFC did apologize and promise to rev up the marketing machine behind her and her run as champion, she’s since moved on from that moment. The Reebok deal won’t define her, but winning fights will. 

“It’s not super important for me (signing with Reebok),” Esparza said. “What’s super important for me is winning fights and being the champ. I choose that a million times over some big sponsorship deal, because that’s why I’m doing this sport.” 

So overlook Esparza at UFC 185 Saturday evening if you’d like. She doesn’t mind. 

Just know that she has a penchant for proving naysayers wrong, and she has no problem internalizing a proud “I told you so” as she takes her victory lap around the cage. 

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