This week saw the beginning of the quarterfinal match-ups with the two battles certain to ensue this hour being Jesse Taylor vs. Dante Rivera, as well as Amir Sadollah vs. Matt Brown. So yet again, we had two fights in one action packed hour of entertaining television.

At the top of the hour, Dana had Forrest choose which of his two teammates to corner, as every man facing off this week was from his side. Opting to flip a coin as opposed to picking favorites, it turned out that it would be Taylor and Sadollah having their very own coach in their corner, thanks to the luck of the toss. The remaining two combatants would have Rampage in theirs.

The house footage this time began with Jesse Taylor microwaving cheeseburgers and discussing his diet, as well as stating that he enjoys eating junk food even if there is the possibility of detriment to his cardiovascular health. Tim Credeur and others would also give their opinions on Taylor’s diet, stating that he will eat anything and everything he gets hands on, still remain in shape and keep a better endurance level than everyone else in the house. Later on, Taylor could be seen chilling out in the hot tub, then ascending out of it, proceeding to urinate in his swimsuit before jumping back in; being followed in by his opponent Rivera who was none the wiser of his immature action. Also to cut weight, Taylor was observed donning the “plastics” or the jogging suits used to basically de-hydrate the body, thus cutting the weight needed to fight. But instead of sitting in the sauna for a spell, Taylor decided that it would be beneficial to play ping-pong to cut the weight needed, instead. Low and behold, it seemed to work out for the student of Team Quest, Temecula.

Next, the fight would begin on Ref. Rosenthal’s command. It began with a missed left hook by Rivera, with Taylor following up with a take down into guard; soon passing to half. Taylor, grabbing for wrist control and attempting to open up Rivera’s defense, would work on shots from there. Taylor then landed three solid shots to Rivera’s face while still trying to maintain wrist control. Rivera though being dominated strength wise, would defend well and manage to control Taylor’s posture off and on during the round, whilst on the bottom. Rivera made his way back to closed guard with Taylor posturing up but not doing any damage to Rivera before falling back into guard. Taylor would once again work on strikes before standing up, immediately jumping back into the guard of Rivera. Landing hammer-fists, Taylor would posture up yet again, attempting to land strikes before falling back into closed guard before the sound of the horn. Round 2 began with a “deja vu” if you will, of round 1. Rivera maintained a closed guard for a moment but then seemed to be looking for submissions, but with his corner’s guidance Taylor would easily defend these with ease. Rivera would eat some shots for his troubles. Once again looking for the arm-bar, Rivera wouldn’t manage to secure the submission before being stood up by the ref. Taylor would once again shoot for a takedown, once again succeeding to bore fans everywhere. Pushing towards the cage with Rivera controlling his posture, Taylor would execute some decent shots before passing to half-guard, which would not be kept for long as Rivera once again moved back into a closed guard, soon after. Taylor would work on shots before the horn and would gain the judges decision thereafter for his pure dominance, boring as it was.

We then heard the predictions by various members of the cast, as to what to expect in the upcoming fight between Sadollah and Brown. Matthew Riddle predicted that it would be a “bloodbath”, with everyone else conveying the same basic opinion . Then we heard Brown and Sadollah, both claiming to be truly good friends due to the fact that they are roommates on the show. I myself could see an oncoming, explosive battle of epic proportions looming on the near horizon.

Round 1 began with Brown throwing fists as well as low kicks at Sadollah. Squaring off soon after in a stare down, both men pondered a plan of attack. Brown threw a knee that missed. Sadollah clinched with Brown, pushing him up against the cage and landing a solid knee to Brown’s side that would greatly affect him, as we heard more about following the fight from the man’s own lips. While being pushed against the cage by Sadollah, Brown secured momentary Thai clinch that seemed pretty useless from my vantage point, at that exact point in time. Although he would then use it to push off the cage, returning the favor to Sadollah, pushing him to the cage. Both men showing great take down defense they would step off to intensely exchange hands, once again. Sadollah connected with a leg kick, followed up with a body kick connection from Brown, who would follow up with a missed high kick. Brown would then cage clinch briefly, then squared off. Sadollah defended a take down attempt rather well, being pushed to the cage once again by Brown. Sadollah managed to escape, throwing an intense flurry that looked like it wobbled Brown a bit, and who covered his face immensely from the brutal barrage. Soon regaining his composure, Brown attempted another takedown, with Sadollah once again defending it tremendously well. The horn sounded bringing an end to this round, which had already far surpassed both rounds of the first fight as far as excitement was concerned. Round 2 began with as much action as the first, with Amir landing a body kick on Brown. After another heated hand swapping, Amir seemed to land a knee to Brown’s face, which obviously didn’t connect very well. Brown worked for a takedown, with Sadollah showing great defense, yet again. Soon after, it would be Amir getting the first takedown of the match. With Brown utilizing butterfly guard, Sadollah postured up, passing to mount with seemingly little effort. Landing elbows and body shots from mount, Sadollah continued to rigorously rain down blows to Brown’s face. Brown using his feet to roll to the top, found himself inside of a triangle choke that forced him to submit, allowing Amir Sadollah’s hand to be raised as the victor and recipient of a spot in the semi-finals to come.

Following the match, appearing on camera, Brown would show great class stating that he was glad that it was his friend who got the win but, as anyone would be, was disappointed at losing the fight. Next week, the quarterfinals continue on the Ultimate Fighter.

by Joshua E. Ottley of mma-underground.com

BJ “The Prodigy” Penn vs. Sean “The Muscle Shark” Sherk

I predicted this fight to be a unanimous decision victory for Sean Sherk. I was very wrong. BJ Penn was declared the victor in the third round of the fight due to referee stoppage. Sean Sherk started the fight going with a single leg takedown but BJ defended it well. The rest of the round was basically a standup battle. Penn did rock Sherk in the middle of the round but Sherk recovered quickly. The combination delivered by Penn opened up a cut under Sherk’s eye but didn’t seem to affect Sherk too much. The second round was fairly similar to the first. Penn was taking control of the fight with his jab but Sherk was holding his own with small, quick flurries. This was probably the closest round of the fight. Sherk could have easily stolen this round by getting a takedown. The third round was really where Penn took over the fight completely. Both fighters continued to use their jabs to give their opponents trouble. Sherk looked like he broke his right hand in the round. He was shaking his right hand after each exchange. However he continued to throw punches with the right hand. Penn ended the fight with hard right knee under the chin of Sherk and the referee stepped in as the bell sounded for the end of the round. Mario Yamasaki decided Sherk was unable to continue. Sean Sherk had a bad strategy in the fight and seemed to give up on trying to takedown BJ Penn. Sherk was unable to find his range standing up and BJ Penn dominated standing. BJ Penn will probably move up to fight Georges St. Pierre in a rematch of a highly contested split decision victory for St. Pierre. I would expect Sean Sherk to take on a middle of the road fighter in the lightweight division. It will most likely be a guy like Kurt Pelligrino or Rich Clementi.

Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva vs. Keith “The Dean of Mean” Jardine

Wanderlei Silva knocked Keith Jardine out cold in just 36 seconds. Jardine started out the fight throwing a right kick and Silva countered with a hard right hook. The right hook knocked Keith Jardine down to the canvas and Silva went down and finished the fight with right hands. Jardine was out and noticably staring at the ceiling as the referee stepped in to save Jardine. Jardine was reported to have a CAT scan after the fight and everything turned out fine. Wanderlei Silva showed his old school fighting style and finish. He showed flashes of how he looked before he went on his losing streak. I would expect to Silva fight someone in the caliber of Thiago Silva or Matt Hamill. Jardine lost for the second time via brutal knockout such as in his fight with Houston Alexander. He seems to have a lot of trouble with strikers that push the pace. I would expect him to fight a potential UFC newcomer or a bottom of the ladder fighter such as Stephen Bonnar.

Wilson Gouveia vs. Goran Reljic

Goran Reljic took this fight via KO in the second round. The first round started out by Reljic kicking the legs of Gouveia and landing a nice straight left. Reljic did a really good job of mixing up kicks to the leg and body of Wilson Gouveia. Just as soon as Goran Reljic was starting to get comfortable, Gouveia landed a hard right to the body of Reljic. The right hand affected Reljic and the round ended with Reljic pulling guard to recover from the body shot. The second round started out with Gouveia landing a strong left and right hand that dropped Goran Reljic. The fight ended up getting back to the feet and Reljic knocked Gouveia down to the canvas by hitting Gouveia in the temple. Referee Herb Dean was forced to save Gouveia 3:15 into the second round. I think Gouveia drops back into the middle of the pack in the light heavyweight division. Reljic looked really good and I am interested in seeing him fight in the future.

“The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz vs. Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida

Lyoto Machida took this fight via unanimous decision. The first round started out with low leg kicks on Ortiz’s lead leg. Tito later shot in for a takedown from a long distance and Machida stuffed the takedown fairly easily. Lyoto Machida used his fine foot movement to stay away from Tito to frustrate him. Machida ended the round by slamming Ortiz down to the canvas and establishing side control. The second round started out with Machida landing a left body kick and straight left. Machida continued to use his smooth foot movement to move away from Ortiz’s strikes. The round ended with Tito shooting for a takedown but was forced to end up in full guard. The third round bell sounded and the round started out with referee Yves Lavigne slipping and falling onto the canvas. Tito Ortiz shot in for another single leg takedown but Machida defended the takedown once again. Later in the round Tito was knocked down to the canvas by a hard knee to his liver. Machida hurried down to the ground to try to finish the fight but he failed and fell into Tito’s full guard. Tito locked in a triangle with about 30 seconds left in the fight but Lyoto rolled out of the triangle and survived to win a unanimous decision. Tito Ortiz is expected to leave the UFC and sign with either Elite XC or Affliction. Lyoto Machida is expected to get the next title shot against the winner of Quinton Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin.

Thiago Silva vs. Antonio Mendes

Thiago Silva took this fight via TKO in the first round. The round started with Antonio Mendes landing a head kick on Silva that knocked him to the canvas. Silva recovered quickly and clinched up with Mendes. Silva took down Mendes and quickly transitioned to the mount. Thiago continues to throw punches as the referee stopped the fight just 2:24 into the round. Thiago Silva is climbing up the ladder in the light heavyweight division and is just a couple wins away from a title shot. Mendes looked like he had a lot of trouble on the ground. He can definitely strike but he needs to train obtaining guard.

Ivan Salaverry vs. Rousimar Palhares

Rousimar Palhares took this fight via armbar in the first round. The round started out with Palhares getting a body lock takedown and obtaining the full mount quickly into the round. Ivan Salaverry ended up giving up his back and fighting off a rear naked choke for more than a minute. As Salaverry attempted to get out of the body lock. Palhares quickly transitioned into a smooth armbar. Salaverry was forced to tap out just 2:36 into the fight. Rousimar Palhares looked very good in his UFC debut and looks like a good young up-and-comer in the middleweight division.

“The African Assassin” Rameau Sokoudjou vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura

Sokoudjou took this fight via TKO in the first round. The first round started out with Sokoudjou landing a hard leg kick on Nakamura. Sokoudjou followed the kick with two more leg kicks and a hard kick to Nakamura’s ribs. Nakamura missed badly with two hard right hands. Nakamura had trouble getting a takedown and had very stale and predictable striking. With a few seconds left in the fight, Sokoudjou landed a tough right kick to the body and a stiff right jab to Nakamura’s chin. Nakamura clearly injured his right knee and might be out for a while. In the post fight interview Sokoudjou called out Shogun. However I would be surprised if he gets the Shogun fight that he wants. The fight really doesn’t make any sense right now.

Jon “War Machine” Koppenhaver vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida

Yoshiyuki Yoshida took this fight via anaconda choke in the first round. The fight began with the two fighters clinching up and Yoshida performing a beautiful judo throw. As Koppenhaver tries to scramble he gets caught in a tight guillotine choke. Yoshida rolled over the tight guillotine and turned the choke into an anaconda choke. The choke put “War Machine” completely out and and Herb Dean was forced to end it just 56 seconds into the fight.

“The Hungarian Nightmare” Christian Wellisch vs. Shane Carwin

Shane Carwin took his UFC debut via KO on the first round. The round started out with Carwin throwing a lot of aggressive punches. Shane landed a tough right hook to Wellisch’s face. Wellisch was out cold and his mouth piece was knocked out of his mouth. Yves Lavigne was forced to stop the fight just 44 seconds into the fight.

by Kurt Hall of MMA-Underground.com

Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver

Urijah Faber is coming off a second round submission victory over Jeff “The Big Frog” Curran. He boasts a 20-1 record with his one loss coming to UFC standout Tyson Griffin. He has just 3 wins via decision, while with the other 17 he has finished his opponents (10 via submission, 7 via TKO). He is the clear number one featherweight fighter in the world right now. He is coming into the fight with a 12 fight winning streak obliterating every fighter he has taken on. During this streak not one of his fights have went past the second round. Urijah Faber’s main strengths are his outstanding submissions, amazing takedowns and lightning fast hands. He has one of the hardest rear naked chokes to defend against in all of MMA and has a very tight guillotine. This was shown in his last victory over Jeff Curran. He synched in a tight guillotine choke on Curran who’s main strength is his ground game. Urijah also features some outstanding takedowns. When Faber takes you down, you are going to feel it. He has some of the hardest throw-downs in the featherweight division. He has even been known to create his own takedowns. His atomic butt drop is a good example. Jens Pulver is coming off a submission victory over Cub Swanson. He beat Swanson by guillotine just 35 seconds into the fight. That was Pulver’s first fight in the featherweight division in a couple of years. He moved down to the WEC’s featherweight division after getting beaten by BJ Penn at the Ultimate Fighter 5 finale. Jens Pulver is undefeated in the featherweight division (8-0). Jens Pulver’s main strengths as a fighter are his great left hand, the great opponents that he has fought against, and he is a great grappler. If you need proof of his great left hand just ask John Lewis. He knocked out Lewis with a left hook just 15 seconds into the fight at UFC 28. Pulver has fought some of the toughest fighters in the world. He fought against Din Thomas in his prime, Caol Uno, Takanori Gomi, and BJ Penn twice. Jens is also an outstanding grappler. Only 3 fighters have submitted him and their names just so happen to be Din Thomas and BJ Penn; Two awesome grapplers in their own right. I believe this fight will be an all out war between two of the best fighters in the division. Urijah Faber is an outstanding fighter with almost no weaknesses. Jens Pulver’s only real glaring weakness is that he can be knocked out. I believe that Jens Pulver’s experience will overcome Urijah’s relentless attack. I pick Pulver to win via TKO in the fourth round.

Yoshiro Maeda vs. Miguel Torres

Yoshiro Maeda is coming off a first round KO victory over Charlie Valencia. Maeda has a 23-4-2 MMA record. Fourteen of Yoshiro’s wins are by TKO and 2 of his victories are by submission. Seven of his MMA victories are by decision. Yoshiro’s main strengths are his strong standup game and he has loads of experience. Maeda has 29 fights on his resume and is a Deep and Pancrase veteran. His strong standup is by far his best strength. He has been known to consistently control the fight on the feet and win the fight using his hands to stop opponents in their tracks. Maeda does have some issues as a fighter however. He goes to decision a lot and he isn’t what I would consider a top level grappler. He can handle his own on the ground but he isn’t going to submit most of the people he fights. Miguel Torres is coming off a first round submission victory over Chase Beebe. That fight won Torres the bantamweight title of the WEC. Torres’ main strengths as a fighter are his good striking, his awesome submissions, and good knee strikes. Miguel is probably the most well rounded fighter in the WEC other than Paulo Filho and Urijah Faber. He controls the fight wherever the fight goes and is an elite fighter boasting a 33-1 MMA record. Torres has not lost a fight nearly three and a half years. His striking is really good but he really knows how to use his knees and can knock you out. The ground is where he prefers to have his fight. He will give up a takedown just to get it to the ground and work to get in a better position to win the fight. I do not think that Maeda’s experience will make a huge difference in this fight. I think Torres is a better fighter wherever the fight takes place. I expect Torres to win this fight and keep his belt via submission in the second round.

“The Reverend” Chuck Grigsby vs. Mark Munoz

Chuck Grigsby is coming into this fight on an 8 fight winning streak. He boasts a 13-3 MMA record. He has 5 wins via TKO, 6 wins via submission, and 2 victories by unknown means. Grigsby?s main strength in his fight game is his strong standup game. All of his TKO wins have come within the first round of his fights. He starts out quickly swinging for the big knockout. However he seems to have a couple of weaknesses. He is an average grappler. Two of his losses are by submission in the second round. Mark Munoz is boasting an undefeated 3-0 MMA record. His main strengths are his strong wrestling and good Muay Thai. However he has one thing holding him back in this fight; he has very little experience and has not been tested, especially against a tough guy like Grigsby with 13 more fights under his belt. I expect Chuck Grigsby to take this fight via TKO in the first round.

Kenneth “The Black Ninja” Alexander vs. “Razor” Rob McCollough

Kenneth Alexander is a fighter who boasts a 5-2 MMA record. He has 2 wins via submission, 2 wins via TKO, and 1 win via Decision. Alexander’s main strengths are his outstanding wrestling and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The problem with Kenneth Alexander is that he is an average striker. Rob McCollough is an outstanding fighter who lost his WEC lightweight belt to Jamie “The Worm” Varner. “Razor” Rob’s strengths are his world class striking and his sharp jab. He also is very hard to takedown. However Rob can be rocked in a fight. This is shown in his last fight with Jamie Varner. I expect Kenneth Alexander to struggle in this fight even though he beat McCullough before. I expect “Razor” Rob to take this fight via KO in the third round.

Richard “Cleat” Crunkilton vs. Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone

Richard Crunkilton is coming off a decision victory over Sergio Gomez. He boasts a 16-2 MMA record. He has 7 wins via TKO, 6 wins via submission, and 3 wins via decision. Crunkilton’s main strengths as a fighter are his striking ability and his very good takedowns. However sometimes he doesn’t follow the game plan. This was shown in his fight with Rob McCullough. He decided to stand and trade with “Razor” Rob and got knocked out in the first round. Donald Cerrone boasts an undefeated 7-0 MMA record. All of his wins have come via submission in the first two rounds. His main strengths as a fighter are his decent striking and awesome triangle chokes. Donald Cerrone does have one problem in his fight game, however. He has been known to give up takedowns which will play into the hands of Richard Crunkilton. I would expect Cerrone to give Crunkilton fits on the ground and take this fight via submission in the second round.

by Kurt Hall of MMA-Underground.com

Elite XC & CBS television held a press conference in Los Angeles today to promote their upcoming May 31st mixed martial arts program, entitled “Saturday Night Fights”. This will mark the first time in the history of the sport that it will be on major network television for free. Unless you’ve had cable or paid bi-monthly pay-per-view fees, you haven’t see MMA on TV until now. The exposure to potentially millions of new viewers is what the top organizations have been waiting years for. A primetime slot on CBS of 9-11 pm ET/PT is set for MMA to take over the world, once and for all. And Elite XC are the ones doing it.

I had the pleasure of attending today’s event, and what an honor it was to be there. The overall excitement and energy in the room was undeniable. Workout demonstrations were given by Gina Carano and Kimbo Slice. Jake Shields and Nick Diaz displayed submissions, techniques and the general rules that apply in an MMA match, MC’d by none other than MMA legend Frank Shamrock. Some of the main event fighters on the card then fielded questions from the press alongside head honcho Gary Shaw.

In addition to this being the first time MMA is on a major network channel, it will also mark the first time that a women’s fight will be featured on a main card on TV. That in itself is history. I had the opportunity to chat with Gina Carano (5-0) who will be taking on Kaitlin Young (4-1). In my opinion, this may wind up being the fight that everyone talks about come Sunday morning. I personally view it as a milestone for women in any profession and Gina’s got my vote any day of the week. She was extremely sweet and gracious and realizes what an opportunity this is, not only for herself, but all women in this sport. Amen to that.

The middleweight title match-up between former UFC vets Robbie Lawler & Scott Smith is sure to have the crowd on their feet. Both fighters can brawl and put on a great show.

Phil “NYBA” Baroni, one of my all time personal faves, will take on Joey Villasenor. Baroni’s hilarious comments throughout the Q&A panel kept the media & press rolling with laughter. Regarding the fight, Phil’s exact words to me were “I’m ready. I’m gonna knock his ass out.”

Then there’s the main event. Kimbo Slice aka Kevin Ferguson vs James Thompson in a heavyweight bout of gigantic proportions. Kimbo is the man of the moment, and an Internet phenomenon known for his street fights. Will he be MMA’s next superstar? Will a presence on major network television propel mixed martial arts into the stratosphere? Are the 2012 Olympics in MMA’s future? Gary Shaw would like to think so. Here we go. On May 31st, the world will know about mixed martial arts. Get ready.

(pic) Nick Diaz, Jake Shields, Scott “hands of steel” Smith, Kimbo Slice, Shaw, Gina Carano, Phil Baroni, and “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler.

UFC Veteran, Din Thomas, holds prominent wins over Dokonjonosuke Mishima, Jens Pulver, Matt Serra, Rich Clementi, Clay Guida, and Jeremy Stephens. He is an MMA school owner, fighter, and trainer out of American Top Team in Port St. Lucie, Florida, who was also featured on The Ultimate Fighter 4.

Hi Din, thanks for taking the time to chat with me! 

How did you get involved in MMA and why was it the right career choice for you?

I got involved in MMA pretty much the same way everybody else did – watching it on TV. But I got involved back in late 94 before it was cool. Actually it was cool back then, just not mainstream. I’d say it started off cool then it lost its steam for a while until Zuffa picked it up. But even when it had its black eye, I never lost faith in it. I didn’t and don’t do this to wear cool T-shirts and impress meatheads in a bar. It’s the right career choice for me because it allows me the freedom and luxury to do what I like and make money at it. Even if I wasn’t making money at this, I’d still be training and be involved in this game. My father always told me, “Do something you love and find a way to make a living at it”. I did because I was passionate and determined. Most people lack those qualities.

I’m sure your losses to Kenny Florian and Josh Neer have affected you by making you train even harder and want to come back stronger. In what other ways has it affected you and your career?

Life is ever changing and doesn’t move in a straight line. Things happen and the way you react to them determine the reason for why it happened. I never complain about losing or make excuses. I stay positive and try to twist it into my favor. As for now, I moved on from them losses and decided to drop to 145 and see what direction life can take me.

Do you have any plans to return to the UFC or is a drop to 145 a definite?

Immediately after the fight with Josh Neer, I was on my way to the airport and told my manager that I’m going to go down to 145. This has been something that my good friend, Paul Rodriguez was talking to me about for quite some time. He would always say, “man, you cut weight too easy for 155. You should go to 145″. But I hate cutting weight. But in this game, you have to be willing to do things that you don’t want to in order to achieve what you want. This game is all about sacrifices and chances. The more sacrifices you make and chances you take, the more success you will have.

In either division, lightweight or featherweight, who would you like to fight next?

I have fought the best fighters in the world. I have fought clowns. I don’t really care who I fight.

You own a couple of gyms now with American Top Team, right? How is that going? Which do you think is more satisfying, training up and coming fighters or being a fighter yourself?

As of now, I closed one of my schools and consolidated everything into one. Groups are stronger when united. As far as satisfying, it’s all a matter of mental state. There is one thing that you should always be satisfying whether you are fighting, coaching, or just a hobbyist, and that is the training. Training should always be satisfying and fun. As a fighter, sometimes it’s not fun when you’re doing it but when reflected upon it should be fun and satisfying. As a coach it’s the easiest way to separate fighters from posers. If a guy says he wants to be a fighter but doesn’t find the training rewarding then I know right there that he is a poser. And this game is full of Affliction T-shirt wearing posers. One thing is for sure, that is the most dissatisfying aspect of the game.

You have so many fans and fighters who look up to you. Who do you admire and who has influenced you in your career?

I find inspiration in many different places. Early on in my career, different fighters have influenced me. I’d say Jose Pele Landi, Mach Sakurai, Rumino Sato, Renzo Gracie, and Murilo Bustamante had a major affect on me. As I got older, I found inspiration in other sports figures such as boxers like Roy Jones, Prince Naseem Hamed, Bernard Hopkins or more common athletes like Allen Iverson or Kobe Bryant. It’s weird how you can be influenced by different entities if you just watch them. Because today I can watch two seven year olds grapple and say to myself, “I want to be like that”.

Who do you feel is the top all around fighter in MMA today?

That is just too difficult to answer. There are so many flavors of the month and everybody seems unbeatable until they get beaten. Everybody has a weakness.

Can you tell me about your acting role in the movie Owned?

We have yet to film so I can’t tell you much about it. I will tell you that when we do start I will put as much time into that as I would put into a fight.

How did you prepare for this new role and is acting something you would like to pursue?

Hmmm. I have studied acting a bit. Acting and being in movies or being a superstar are two completely separate things. It is no chief pursuit of mine to be a movie star, but I love to act. Acting is something that can be done anywhere.

Are you watching the current season of The Ultimate Fighter? If so, who do you think is going to come out on top?

I’m afraid to say that I haven;t watched The Ultimate Fighter. After going through that experience, I told myself that I would watch because I would owe it to the guys. But it’s like being in jail and telling your cell mate you will write when you get out. You may write once but then you just forget.

What are your thoughts on Rampage and Forrest? Who is the better coach and who do you think will win the fight in July?

As stated, I haven’t watched to know who the better coach is. I don’t know who will win in July. I have an idea of who may be better but I don’t know who will win. This I know from training with the best guys in the world on a regular basis. You can compete 100 times and the outcome will be different each time and the better guy doesn’t always win.

Is there anything else you would like to add or tell your fans about?

I just want to tell everybody to be passionate about something and take chances in life. Keep your nose out of other peoples’ business and make things happen for yourself. Life it too short to spend time criticizing others and pointing fingers because of your mishaps. Nobody wants to hear you crying about what you don’t have. And lastly, never judge a man from your own shoes. I’m out.

Thank you again for taking the time to chat with me. I wish you the best of luck and look forward to seeing you fight again.

Photo courtesy of ATT Port St. Lucie, Florida – by Donna Knoll of mma-underground.com

As we found out last week, we would have our first fight pick from Coach Quinton this season, and it just so happened that it would come at the top of the hour. Rampage would opt to choose his own Gerald Harris to face Team Forrest’s Amir Sadollah. Once again, this week we would be treated to two fights in one hour.

Round one of this first fight would begin with Gerald Harris shooting in for a successful takedown, pushing Amir Sadollah against the cage. After loosening his closed guard, Sadollah worked on some holds, but not securing any control. Amir ate an elbow from Harris for his troubles. Attempting to secure a triangle choke, the slippery wrestler Harris easily powered out of this submission attempt from Sadollah; who would continue to work his guard. Harris once again began to land strikes from the top position, slipping into half guard. Sadollah scrambled and attempt to work his Muay Thai skills before once again being pushed against the cage by Harris, who worked hard for a single leg takedown. Harris lifted Sadollah to ascend above his shoulders, slamming him savagely to the canvas like a child’s plush wrestling toy. Landing in half guard, the two combatants soon rose up to the toes. Harris showed us, once more, his superb wrestling ability by shooting for another single leg, picking up Sadollah and again slamming him to the mat like a rag doll. Half guard would soon become full guard, with Sadollah working the butterfly soon after, which allowed him to scramble back to his feet. Still working for a single leg take down, Harris could not make anything happen before the sound of the horn. Round 2 began with a “shadow” double jab from Sadollah, with a brief exchange shortly thereafter. Harris shot in, attempting to assert his will and wrestling skill upon Sadollah, working for a double leg takedown and succeeding. Sadollah, scrambling, found himself pushed against the cage yet again. Ending up on the ground, Sadollah rolled for an attempt at securing back control, which Harris defended successfully. Rising to the feet again, Sadollah was taken back down with Harris not landing any strikes this time around. Sadollah scrambled and managed to land a solid knee to Harris’ jaw nerve, dropping him like a sack of potatoes. After landing some strikes with Harris in turtle guard he would not be defending, causing Ref. Rosenthal to stop Amir for the T.K.O. victory.

An obviously upset Harris went immediately into a tantrum, clearly conveying his disappointment at being knocked out after almost winning what would have been a clear cut decision victory. After being calmed down by Coach Quinton and Dolce, Harris went on camera stating that he felt as if he had let his young son down, who would soon view his father’s valiant and honorable effort on television.

Before the next fight announcement, Patrick Schultz could be seen in the backyard of the house in conversation with CB Dollaway. Schultz stated his expectation that he would be fighting Cale Yarbough next and, low and behold, Forrest would choose exactly that. This left the remaining semi-final competitors, Nick Klein and CB Dollaway to face off, for certain in the near future, for their own spot in the quarterfinal match-ups.

Round one of the second fight in the hour began with a missed high kick from Yarbough. With some impressive exchanges of legs and hands exerted from both men, Schultz was the first to land a solid connection, dropping Yarbough to the octagon surface. Allowing Yarbough to rise, Schultz landed a push kick to Yarbough’s mid-section with full force. Then there was another missed high kick from Yarbough. Both combatants proved their stand up skills by exchanging hands like wild men, as well as working both low and high kicks rather diligently. Squaring off and landing some solid shots, Schultz proved to be getting the better of the connections causing Yarbough, the self-proclaimed stand up fighter, to shoot in for a successful take down. He landed some elbows and hammer-fists with Schultz utilizing a closed guard. After landing some more strikes, Yarbough brought the fight to the feet. With both men still intent on exchanging blows, Yarbough attempted to score some points on the judges score cards with another successful takedown, working on some strikes from top position before the sound of the horn. Round two began with both men swinging furiously for the fences, entertainingly showing their respective kickboxing prowess, not at all unlike round one. Yarbough diverted away from his stated game plan executing a successful take down into half guard. Yarbough dished out some elbows to the face of Schultz, who began wincing in pain because of this. Working on even more strikes, Yarbough was content with staying in half guard, pushing Schultz against the cage and raining down with another brutal bombardment of blows to the face of Schultz. Remaining stationary against the cage, Schultz stayed on the bottom for quite some time with Yarbough working on strikes and briefly securing wrist control to throw off the Massachusetts native. Yarbough opened Schultz’s defense so that he could land some solid shots from the top. Rolling to his side, Schultz was barely defending against the punishment that Yarbough was dishing out until the sound of the horn, bringing round two to a close. Expecting a third round, both coaches and opponents exchanged words with each other before the official majority decision, which clearly went to Cale Yarbough.

Rampage was obviously displeased with losing control yet again. He stormed away from cage side in a huff declaring that he would bet his entire fight purse on whether or not his fight with Forrest would go to decision. Both coaches seemed quite irritated with each other. It was obvious that the light-hearted behavior amongst the two “clowns” would soon come to a halt, as their friendly relationship grew increasingly unfriendly by the minute. Dana closed off the show with his disbelief at the situation and predicted that the tension between both Champ and the number one contender was soon going to reach the boiling point. So, besides the certain fact of CB vs. Nick, only time will tell us what’s in store for next week on the Ultimate Fighter.

by Joshua E. Ottley of mma-underground.com

The UFC and most MMA promotions use a steel framed cage with coated chain link fencing around it.  Pride and a few others prefer to use the time honored squared circle or boxing ring.  Some people swear by the cage while others are as heart felt about the boxing ring.  The UFC has certainly made the cage a focal point of MMA.  They were the first to use it and have even trademarked the name “Octagon”.  The shape is showcased in their company logo and it is as much apart of the UFC brand as any of the fighters.  Pride made its mark on the world using a “boxing” style ring.  It was their decision to use the ring and it seems to have worked well for them.  Most fans of Pride preferred the ring over a cage.  To many it seemed like a lot of organizations were basically cloning the UFC.  It also came down to a matter that some just wanted another choice from the UFC.  Pride offered them that.  What are the actual benefits and draw backs of each platform and why do some choose the cage while others won’t try anything other than the ring? 

The boxing ring has been around well over a hundred years.  It is singularly the most recognized symbol of combative sports.  It was this platform that was copied and used in other sports.  A mutated version of the boxing ring has been used for generations in professional wrestling.  Kick boxing adopted its use for their sport as well.  Why is this?  Well it is a solid structure that offers spectators a good view.  It helps to encompass the combatants and set clear boundaries, without those boundaries being used as a tool.  Many proponents of the ring feel that the rope system creates a situation where it comes down to fighter skill.  They point out the fact that many cage fights are won by using the cage sides to pin and opponent and blocking escape routes.  They feel that this is where a fighter’s true skills come into play and no outside interferences to affect the outcome of the match.  The ring has its draw backs as well.  Safety is one matter.  Fighters have fallen from the ring to the floor or onto spectators.  The ropes have been used as tools also.  Fighters can grab the ropes to hold an opponent in place or prevent take downs.  The ropes can also block the view of spectators.  It doesn’t have so much of an affect in boxing where the opponents stay standing.  In MMA it is an up down battle.  The corners of the ring are often used to pin opponents.  Fighters slide out under the bottom rope often and can cause a stop in the action and a restart which can affect the match.  Price is in the rings favor.  They are generally much less expensive, lighter and easier to set up.  Rings are also evolving.  You now see 6 and 8 sided rings coming out.   

The cage is most often associated with MMA.  There are different variations on the original.  An eight sided one isn’t the only option.  There are 5, 6, 7, 8, & 10 sided cages.  There are even cages that are completely round.  It comes down to the promoter’s choice on the style of cage they use.  The cage is an extremely strong platform.  Anything that can take 2 super heavyweights slamming into it without budging is strong.   Beyond the physical strength of the cage it offers a different level of feel.  The cage gives the matches a more “pit fight” feel.  The combatants are locked into the structure with nowhere to run and with no chance of sliding out.  It harkens back to the “2 men enter 1 man leaves” mind set.  They also offer the best view of the match.  The chain link fencing allows for good view from close up and becomes nearly invisible from a distance.  The main reason ring lovers hate the cage is what cage fans like the most.  Many of the fighters I have spoken with prefer the cage.  Fighters have the ability to force opponents against the sides without an escape route.  By closing the gaps there is no space to slide out and stop the action.  In a ring, fighters can use that to stop a serious ground and pound effort.  Cages cost more but seem to have a longer life span. 

As a promoter I have quite a choice to make.  I have been a welder/fabricator for many years.  In my younger days I actually constructed and sold wrestling / boxing Rings.  Wrestling was so huge in the 90’s that I simply made my first one and the orders came flooding in.  I know personally about the inner workings of a ring and am quite comfortable with them.  Yet for some reason, I felt a cage was a better platform for MMA.  Don’t get me wrong, I loved Pride.  It was an even playing field between Pride and UFC.  It was the fact that each had great talent and they were different at the same time.  I decided to do a little research before making my decision.  I went to some events and watched the reactions of the crowd.  At shows, where a ring was used, a lot of people complained.  They expected to see a cage.  The action was not deterred by the platform but it certainly had an impact on the feel of the event.  One friend made it a little clearer to me.  He said, “The ring is more like a gentleman’s thing where as the cage is just down and dirty”.  In the end I made my decision and decided on a cage.  I have no regrets about it.  I feel it will help my promotion in the long run. 

by John Poe of mma-underground.com