Filed under: UFC, News”The Tiger” will meet “The Gazelle” north of the border at UFC 140.
Yves Jabouin, nicknamed “The Tiger,” will take on Walel Watson, nicknamed “The Gazelle,” on the Dec. 10 card in Toronto, the organization announced Friday aftern…
“The Tiger” will meet “The Gazelle” north of the border at UFC 140.
Yves Jabouin, nicknamed “The Tiger,” will take on Walel Watson, nicknamed “The Gazelle,” on the Dec. 10 card in Toronto, the organization announced Friday afternoon.
Jabouin (16-7) is 2-3 in Zuffa. The Montreal-native won his UFC debut at UFC 134 when he defeated Ian Loveland via unanimous decision. Prior to making his UFC debut in April, he fought for WEC.
The 5-foot-11 Watson looked impressive in his Octagon debut earlier in the month at UFC Live on Versus 6 when he defeated Joseph Sandoval in just 77 seconds via TKO.
UFC 140, headlined by Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida vs. UFC light heavyweight title, will air live on pay-per-view from Toronto’s Air Canada Centre.
RIO DE JANEIRO — MMA Fighting spoke to Yves Jabouin after UFC 134 to discuss his split decision win over Ian Loveland, his improvements in the wrestling department, why he made the drop to bantamweight and more.
RIO DE JANEIRO — MMA Fighting spoke to Yves Jabouin after UFC 134 to discuss his split decision win over Ian Loveland, his improvements in the wrestling department, why he made the drop to bantamweight and more.
Filed under: UFCUFC 134 in Brazil promises to be memorable for a variety of reasons. Here are just a few of them, in no particular order or importance.
I. “Yushin Okami is not only the biggest middleweight I’ve ever fought,” Mike Swick told me once, “…
UFC 134 in Brazil promises to be memorable for a variety of reasons. Here are just a few of them, in no particular order or importance.
I. “Yushin Okami is not only the biggest middleweight I’ve ever fought,” Mike Swick told me once, “He might be the biggest middleweight I’ve ever seen.” In fact, it was a decision loss to Okami that convinced Swick he was in the wrong weight class, since he just could compete with Okami’s size and strength. It may not always come across on TV, but Okami isn’t just a good wrestler — he’s a powerhouse. He’s the kind of fighter who can, if he has to, take you down and lay on you until the judges declare him the winner. For a champion whose biggest weakness is his takedown defense, that’s a legitimate problem.
II. But how much time will Okami get to work on the ground, anyway? Let’s be honest here: if Okami tries to go all human blanket on Silva for five full rounds, the Brazilian crowd is going to let him have it. No referee is going to admit it, but a continuous stream of boos has hastened more than one ref stand-up in MMA history. It shouldn’t, of course. The third man in the cage should remain oblivious to everything outside of it. That’s easier said than done, however. Sure, Bob Dylan had the fortitude to get booed every night when he went electric, but does Mario Yamasaki have that same iron will that Dylan had? Could Herb Dean power through “Like a Rolling Stone” even as the hate poured down on him? I’m not so sure. Let Okami get a couple rounds of takedowns and ground control under his belt, and we may find out.
III. There are two ways to beat Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. One is to be a vastly superior fighter, as Jon Jones was. The other is to deal with his bull rush in the early going, absorbing and/or deflecting his aggression as best you can, then turn it up in the later rounds when he’s burned through his jetpacks. The latter is what Forrest Griffin did the first time they met, whether intentionally or unintentionally, and it’s his best chance in the rematch. He’s bigger, stronger, and if he can make Rua carry some of that weight and wear himself out, that’s when Griffin can put him away. Skill-for-skill, Rua is probably the more gifted fighter, but Griffin has a way of just hanging around. Some nights, that’s enough.
IV. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira hasn’t fought in a year and a half. During that time, he also had knee and hip surgery. Now he’s coming back to fight Brendan Schaub, who’s looking to continue the legend-slaying tour he began with a knockout of Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic in March. Anybody else seeing disaster in the works for Big Nog? He’s the kind of fighter who seems to have crammed three careers worth of action into the last decade, and now he’s not looking quite so spry or resilient anymore. Schaub is a big, young, hungry heavyweight. Unless Nogueira can pull off a hail mary submission off his back — possibly after being knocked there by a Schaub right hand — it’s hard to see how he wins this.
V. If you’ve been looking for a chance to get to know more Brazilian fighters, you’re in luck. In all, fourteen Brazilians are competing on this card, ranging from ones you might know (ever hear of this Anderson Silva guy?) to ones you might not (Erick Silva and Luis Ramos, for instance, who will be debuting in the UFC against one another). In other words, even though he’ll be there to corner his buddy Okami, this might not be the night for Chael Sonnen to regale the boys backstage with his particular brand of cultural insult comedy.
VI. Once more unto the breach for Ross Pearson. The British lightweight was on his way up the ladder until that surprising loss to Cole Miller, then he bounced back with a decision over Spencer Fisher. The time for gradual build-ups is apparently over, because now he gets the Brazilian buzzsaw, Edson Barboza, who’s been known to make audience members cry just from witnessing his brutal leg kicks in person. Okay, so that last part is just a rumor I’m trying to start, but the point is it could be true. Pearson has a seriously tough night ahead of him against Barboza. Even if he pulls off the upset, chances are he’ll be hobbling through the airport in the morning.
VII. How good is Dan Miller‘s leglock defense? We’re about to find out. Miller’s never been submitted in his MMA career, but he’s also never fought an enemy of knee ligaments everywhere quite like Rousimar Palhares. “Toquinho” has won three of his last four with submissions below the waist. As long as he can keep his head in the game and avoid another costly mental lapse like the one he suffered against Nate Marquardt, he has the potential to be a real problem for Miller, who could really use a win right about now.
VIII. Pity poor Ian Loveland and Yves Jabouin. Theirs is the only fight on the card that doesn’t feature at least one Brazilian. Will that make it a novelty for the Rio fans, or just the perfect moment to visit the concessions stand? It is on the prelims, and early on in the night, too. If the crowd is operating on Brazilian time, they may miss it entirely.
IX. There’s just no way Anderson Silva will be anything but one hundred percent serious while fighting in his home country, right? I mean, it’s one thing to screw around in Abu Dhabi, but Rio? No chance he decides to samba for five rounds here. Not in front of family and friends, not to mention his big time corporate sponsors and his reactionary boss. Not on your life, right? Right?
(Garza picking up the first UFC win in Ontario in impressive fashion.)
After racking up nine straight wins in the regional circuit, Pablo Garza suffered the first loss of his career under the bright lights of the WEC. Determined that he belonged in the big show, “The Scarecrow” made his way to Las Vegas to try out for The Ultimate Fighter 12, but failed to make it into the house when eventual finalist Michael Johnson knocked him out of the competition in the qualifying round.
Garza walked away from the show determined to improve. He was given another shot to prove that he belonged in the Octagon at the TUF 12 finale and he took the opportunity and ran with it as he knocked out Fredson Paxiao 51 seconds into the opening frame with a picture-perfect, $30,000 Knockout of the Night garnering flying knee.
Riding the momentum of his impressive UFC debut in December, the 27-year-old Fargo, North Dakota native wanted to make another statement in his follow-up fight last weekend at UFC 129 in Toronto against Yves Jabouin. It took him just 4:31 to silence the Canadian crowd and earn himself another performance bonus — this time for Submission of the Night and to the tune of $129, 000.
We spoke to Garza yesterday and touched on a number of topics including his win over Jabouin Saturday night, what he plans to do with his latest bonus and what his family thinks about his career path.
Check out the interview with the fast-rising featherweight after the jump.
(Garza picking up the first UFC win in Ontario in impressive fashion.)
After racking up nine straight wins in the regional circuit, Pablo Garza suffered the first loss of his career under the bright lights of the WEC. Determined that he belonged in the big show, “The Scarecrow” made his way to Las Vegas to try out for The Ultimate Fighter 12, but failed to make it into the house when eventual finalist Michael Johnson knocked him out of the competition in the qualifying round.
Garza walked away from the show determined to improve. He was given another shot to prove that he belonged in the Octagon at the TUF 12 finale and he took the opportunity and ran with it as he knocked out Fredson Paxiao 51 seconds into the opening frame with a picture-perfect, $30,000 Knockout of the Night garnering flying knee.
Riding the momentum of his impressive UFC debut in December, the 27-year-old Fargo, North Dakota native wanted to make another statement in his follow-up fight last weekend at UFC 129 in Toronto against Yves Jabouin. It took him just 4:31 to silence the Canadian crowd and earn himself another performance bonus — this time for Submission of the Night and to the tune of $129, 000.
We spoke to Garza yesterday and touched on a number of topics including his win over Jabouin Saturday night, what he plans to do with his latest bonus and what his family thinks about his career path.
Check out the what the fast-rising featherweight had to say below.
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Have you had to pinch yourself to make sure you weren’t dreaming since notching your impressive win and won a record-setting $129,000 Submission of the Night bonus you received from the UFC Saturday night?
“It feels good. My mind can’t comprehend what I just did and what will probably happen in the future for me.”
What was your reaction when Dana White informed you how much you would be getting for your slick flying triangle submission over Yves Jabouin?
“It sounded awesome and to tell you the truth it still hasn’t even set in. Just last night I was replaying it in my mind and I was like, ‘Geez, I can’t believe what I just did. It’s surreal to me still.”
Was it unnerving realizing that you were facing a Canadian in Canada in front of a partisan crowd of more than 55,000 people?
“I expected the crowd to be against me. I prepared myself for that. It was basically his hometown. He’s from Montreal. It’s close by. I came in knowing that I was going to get boeed, but I wasn’t going to let it bother me. What actually surprised me is that when I came out of the Octagon and was walking backstage, people were actually cheering for me, like ‘Yeah Pablo! Let’s go! Let’s go!’ and stuff like that, so it kind of added to the motivation.”
Your transition to the triangle seemed flawless. Is that a move you work on a lot in the gym?
“I wouldn’t say I work on my flying triangle a lot, but I have done it before. That wasn’t the first time I’ve done it. I’ve actually done them in jiu-jitsu tournaments and it’s a lot easier doing them in the gi. That move is a move that after jiu-jitsu class me and my training partners will just hang out and work on cool moves like that just for the hell of it. I started just messing around with it and I started getting a little better with it and doing it in jiu-jitsu tournaments, but this was the first time I ever did it in a fight.”
What rank are you in BJJ?
“I’m only a blue belt in jiu-jitsu, but I think I’m a little bit better than that. I don’t know. I’ve only been training jiu-jitsu for about two-and-a-half years or so. I’ve just recently started, maybe two months ago training really hard in the gi. Before that I was doing a lot of no-gi stuff and wrestling.”
I think too much attention is paid to belt rank and not enough is paid to experience or skill level. Jason MacDonald, who also fought and scored an impressive submission win and whose ground game is very underrated isn’t ranked because he doesn’t train in the gi. Is that why you’re only a blue when your skill level and experience is much higher, because you haven’t trained with the gi as much?
“The gi definitely helps a lot. At first I was like, ‘Why do I need a gi if I fight and we don’t wear them?’ but it’s all part of being a martial artist. There are benefits of training in a gi that correlate into fighting that you won’t be able to see until you try it.”
You fought and picked up your first loss under the WEC banner and were let go by the promotion so you decided to go another route and try out for The Ultimate Fighter but missed out on your opportunity to get into the house after you lost to eventual finalist Michael Johnson. Would you do it over again if given the opportunity?
“Getting on the show and then fighting Michael Johnson and losing to him, I definitely used that as a learning experience. It definitely motivated me to train harder. I don’t regret it. If anything it pushed me to get better. I used that stumbling block or that loss as motivation to get better. I really can’t say whether or not I would do it again because I never go to experience being in the house like my training partner Dane Sayers. He got into the house. I can’t say I would do it a thousand times over because I didn’t get into the house, but going the way I went about things as far as how the road led me back to the UFC, I’m glad and I feel blessed that things worked out the way they did.”
Have you had the chance to think about a possible opponent you’d like to face next? Not that you have a say in it, but sometimes fighters create a buzz from calling out another fighter and the UFC takes a closer look at the possibility.
“Honestly, there’s nobody I have in mind right now. I haven’t even thought about it. After I fight, I don’t even want to think about fighting. I don’t even want to do anything this week or next week but totally relax. My goal in the UFC isn’t, ‘Oh, I want to fight this guy,’ or ‘Oh, I want to fight that guy.’ My goal is to stay in the UFC. For most fighters, the goal is to get to the UFC, but the hard part isn’t getting there. It’s staying there once you make it because the competition is so high. That’s my goal. My goal is to stay in the UFC and keep my job.”
This latest bonus makes two in a row for you since you picked up one for Knockout of the Night for your flying-knee KO of Fredson Paixão at the TUF 12 finale. Have you treated yourself to anything with your winnings?
“I’m going to put the money aside for now until I can talk to some financial advisors. I want to be really smart with my money. Most guys when they get to the UFC, they say their goal is to become champion. I always told myself that if I ever got to the UFC and made enough money to pay off my college loans, I was definitely going to do that. That’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to pay back my college loans and save, invest the rest and be smart about it.”
Where did you go to school?
“I graduated from the University of North Dakota with an exercise science and personal fitness training degree.”
Do you work in the field you studied?
“Yeah. I work at the university teaching classes from Monday to Thursday.”
How has the reaction been from your students who are MMA and UFC fans?
“They’re really proud. They’re really cool. A lot of the students didn’t know what MMA and UFC was. Now they’re fans and watch it. They think I’m a really cool teacher and they’re proud for me.”
Do you integrate any of your MMA training methodologies into your lessons?
“No. I only train muay thai and kickboxing classes, so I guess I do share some of my stand-up training.”
Oh, Okay. When you said you teach at the university, I thought you might have taught kinesiology or something like that.
“No. I’d have to be a teachers assistant or something to do that. I would never have enough time to do that with training.”
Is your family supportive of what you do?
“My fiancee is really supportive and proud. She really encourages me to do well and just all around supports me. She watches my fights. As for my mom and dad, they honestly don’t understand what it is I do. A couple weeks ago I tried to explain to her what I do and I tried explaining my flying-knee win was the first knockout at 145 in the UFC and how important it was and what it meant to me. Her reaction was like, ‘Well, as long as it makes you happy.’ She has no clue what the UFC is. My mom’s old school. She’s like, ‘As long as you like your job, I’m happy for you.’”
My grandma is like that. She still thinks I cover pro wrestling for a living.
“Yeah, my mom thinks I’m a wrestler. She’ll ask me, ‘So do you wrestle or do you box?’ She tries to explain it to a friend and it’s pretty funny hearing her try.”
I know that one of your main sponsors is Rev Gear, which is who we set this interview up with. How important are good sponsors to up-and-coming fighters like yourself?
“I’m just really glad that a company like Rev Gear took the time to invest in me and believe in me. I come from pretty meager beginnings and my family has worked hard for everything we had, yet we were at the lower end of the [economic] scale. I’ve never had a lot of money. I like Rev Gear a lot because they aren’t a huge faceless corporation like some of the other bigger clothing sponsors. They’re a perfect fit for me. They really look after me and we have a great relationship. I’m glad that they believed in me and that I showed them that their investment in me is really beneficial for them.”
Yves Jabouin‘s days of fighting at 145 pounds may soon be coming to an end.
Following Jabouin’s third loss in his last four fights at UFC 129, his head trainer Firas Zahabi said on Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour that it could be time for the exciting featherweight to consider moving down a weight class.
“I’m going to consider dropping him to 135,” Zahabi said. “That’s something I’ve talked to him about, and he could make 135 easily, I believe. He just doesn’t like cutting weight.
“You could see the great size difference between him and his opponent, and I’m a big believer in not giving away any advantages. I felt he gave away the size advantage, that’s why Garza was able to get some knees in and I think Yves’ striking is far beyond his opponent Pablo Garza. Garza is more of a jiu-jitsu specialist, but he is bigger and taller and had a weight advantage, so he was able to work his game.
“But I really believe Yves also has to go more to the drawing board and work more on jiu-jitsu and make some extra time for his jiu-jitsu.”
TORONTO — MMA Fighting spoke to Yves Jabouin about his Octagon debut at UFC 129, fighting Pablo Garza, being a part of the growing Tristar Gym team, picking up his first WEC in his last fight, learning from his friend Georges St-Pierre and more.
TORONTO — MMA Fighting spoke to Yves Jabouin about his Octagon debut at UFC 129, fighting Pablo Garza, being a part of the growing Tristar Gym team, picking up his first WEC in his last fight, learning from his friend Georges St-Pierre and more.
“The Tiger” will meet “The Gazelle” north of the border at UFC 140.
Yves Jabouin