If you follow women’s MMA, then you know the name Shayna Baszler. If you don’t, come July 26th, you will. Nicknamed “Queen of Spades”, Elite XC’s Baszler (9-4-0) is highly regarded as one of the top female MMA fighters in the world…and for good reason. All of her nine wins have come by way of submission in the first round. She even coined the phrase “shwing” for her signature ‘chicken-wing style’ arm-bar. Her four career losses have come at the hands of female MMA’s elite: Tara LaRosa, Amanda Buckner, & Kelly Kobald. Shayna has clearly worked her way up the ranks and paid her dues. Now it’s time for her star to shine on national television.

On July 26, Baszler will take on Brazilian Chute Box badass Cris Cyborg (4-0), as part of Elite XC’s next telecast, airing live from Stockton, CA on CBS, 9-11pm ET/PT. Although Cyborg, 33, has not fought in almost two years, she was considered a fighter to watch out for back in 2006, due to her aggressive style and vicious striking power. Three of her four wins came via TKO. Cyborg is married to fellow MMA fighter Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos, hence the nickname.

Once again, as with Elite XC’s first CBS broadcast, the featured women’s fight is sure to be a show-stealer. There are already rumors that the winner of this fight will face Gina Carano in a title match for Elite XC’s first women’s belt in the fall. On paper, this fight clearly goes to Baszler, given her overall experience and better ground game. However, the mysterious Cyborg’s striking ability and sheer physical presence has many fans questioning the outcome. In regards to Elite XC’s decision to pick Cyborg as an opponent, aren’t there plenty of other bigger name female fighters more worthy of this opportunity? The names Tonya Evinger (the obvious #1 pick), Roxanne Modafferi (a deserving re-match) and Tara LaRosa (an even bigger re-match) certainly come to mind. One has to ask, given that this will also be Cris’s first time fighting in the U.S.

I’ve had the pleasure of corresponding with Shayna for a few months now, and she is the real deal, determined to leave her mark on the MMA world. Her love for music and guitars translates into the cage, where she is often seen carrying an ESP flying V on her way to battle. It’s no wonder that she and Josh Barnett are such great friends and training partners.

As Baszler prepares for Saturday with Barnett, the MMA world is still reeling from this past weeks events: Rampage Jackson’s “rampage” and arrest, Affliction’s first major event where Josh KO’d Pedro Rizzo and Fedor finished Tim Sylvia in thirty six seconds, and UFC Fight Night, where Anderson Silva at 205 dominated James Irvin in just one minute. The July 26 Elite XC/CBS telecast is sure to be another card chock full of amazing action and surprises. Be sure to tune in and watch QofS do what she does best, win.
War Shayna!

http://www.myspace.com/Shayna_Baszler

http://shaynabaszler.proelite.com/

Sponsors: ESP Guitars, ROOM 101, Sinful Clothing

by Jen Leigh of MMA-Underground.com

Josh Barnett easily falls in the category of MMA legend. He is the youngest UFC champion in history, having won the heavyweight title in 2002 at 24 years old. His opponent was none other than Randy Couture, whom he beat via TKO at UFC 36. Barnett is also the 10th King of Pancrase, something only an elite group of mixed martial artists can take claim to, and a title he is very proud to wear. Other winners have included Bas Rutten, and Ken & Frank Shamrock.

A former PRIDE and K-1 fighter, Josh is also a pro wrestler, having competed in the New Japan Pro Wrestling organization. He holds other notable wins over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mark Hunt, Aleksander Emelianenko, Hidehiko Yoshida, Dan Severn, Jeff Monson and Yuki Kondo. As if that wasn’t enough, he appears in the XBOX360 video game ‘Beautiful Katamari’, and was the inspiration for the personality of the main character in Nintendo Wii’s ‘No More Heroes’ game. Josh is currently the #6 ranked heavyweight MMA fighter in the world. Although his fight record stats surfacing the web show a record of (22-5-0), it should be noted that he has actually competed in at least 47 fights throughout his career. In other words, Barnett is one of the most skilled, accomplished and recognized heavyweight fighters around. You can also add catch wrestling master and a signature t-shirt with Affliction to his long list of achievements.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch_wrestling

On July 19th, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA, Josh will avenge his only KO career loss against fellow former UFC fighter, Pedro Rizzo. AFFLICTION: BANNED, the inaugural event of the newly Donald Trump backed MMA organization/clothing line, is destined to give the UFC a run for their money. This particular fight is a dream rematch for diehard MMA fans. To Josh, it’s just another fight…one he plans on winning in devastating fashion.

I recently had the opportunity to hang out for a day at CSW Training Facility in Fullerton, CA, and then interview Josh over lunch. The inspirational quotes that adorn the gym walls are a sign of how passionate Josh and his crew are about everything they do. Watching him run his drills was like witnessing a freight train barrel through a cement wall at lightning speed. At 6′3″ and 250 lbs, Barnett is pure raw power with no quit, and his teammates equaled that drive…even in the 100+ degree heat! It was a privilege to be there and meet everyone.

Also joining us over lunch was MMA fighter Ginele Marquez (8-7-1), who is preparing for next month’s finals of the Smack Girl tournament in Japan. Speaking of female fighters, one of the coolest things about Josh Barnett is the fact that he constantly helps coach them. To date, Josh has trained a long list of respected women: Elite XC’s Shayna Baszler, Ginele, Japan’s Megumi Fujii, Roxy Balboa, & Shannon Hooper, to name a few. I find this extremely admirable and something he should be more recognized for, in my opinion. When asked how he got started doing this, Josh contemplated for a moment before answering.

“It probably started with high school wrestling. We had two girls on our team. It didn’t seem out of touch to me. They were there to wrestle like everybody else, so the same attitude carried over when women wanted to start fighting. I always was a supporter of women’s wrestling anyway.”

In most cases, female fighters have a harder time getting the same respect that their male peers do. At a time when few top organizations even have or develop female divisions, many men still believe they shouldn’t be allowed to fight at all. Josh takes a different approach to that theory.

“It’s not even that so much”, he says. “The promoters themselves treat them like second class citizens. They throw them a bone here and there, use them at their whim.”

With Elite XC finally showcasing women’s fights on SHOWTIME and CBS, one can only hope that we will continue to see a rise in popularity, acceptance, and fairer treatment for female fighters everywhere. Kudos to Barnett for helping those with true love and passion for this sport fulfill their dreams.

In regards to Josh’s catch wrestling prowess, I asked him how he became so involved in the style and if he finds his skills to be a major advantage over his opponents.

“When I started training, whatever was available was available. I would just fight people wherever. Those were the Wild West days of MMA. There was no sanctioning. There were no outlets. I found Matt Hume running fights out of Washington and he was involved in Pancrase. He brought back that catch wrestling style from Japan and I just went from there. I feel that having it as my background gives me a much bigger advantage over ju-jitsu folks because they’re all being taught the same stuff, the same way. In my opinion, a lot of times Jiu-Jitsu restricts itself. Don’t do this, don’t do that. You can’t use these holds. Can’t do that. In catch wrestling I never was restricted in any way, shape or form. There was no “too rough”. There was no “off limits”. Everything was go.”
With the added techniques of catch wrestling, Josh feels he has developed a much broader arsenal and understanding. His favorite submission is the toe-hold.

Outside of the ring, Josh is a passionate music lover known for cranking his favorite heavy metal at shear volume during training sessions. (which I can personally confirm to be true!) Some of his favorite bands include: Arch Enemy, Bolt Thrower, Metallica, Lamb of God, Children of Bodom, Pantera, Slayer, & Megadeth, who will be performing live at the AFFLICTION show next month. His love of metal even helped secure protege Shayna Baszler a sponsorship deal with ESP guitars, a top manufacturer in the U.S. known for endorsing the biggest metal bands in the world. This cross-promotion with the music equipment world is something no other fighter has done and not typically the norm in MMA sponsorships.

“I’m not trying to dip into the same resources everybody is taking money from. If you’re fighting on television, all the fight people already know who you are. Find a way to get outside of that.”

Josh and I excitedly talked shop about music and guitars for quite awhile during our interview. I myself, being a professional guitarist, had a blast chatting away about something I am so passionate about. To see that he shared the same passion and respect for music and musicians was very cool, since I have such respect for what he does.
On a side note, if you are a SIRIUS radio subscriber, be sure to tune into Hard Attack Radio 27 with Jose Mangin the week before Josh’s fight. They are due to air his personal favorite metal picks during one of their shows. Some of Josh’s other interests outside of fighting include video games, movies and his muscle car collection, chock full of Mustangs.

When I asked Josh if he gets approached by younger, aspiring male fighters often, of course the answer was yes. His advice to them on the business side of things was as follows:

“Don’t do it for the money. The reality of it is, 85% of you will never make a living at it. A percentage out of that will never go anywhere with it for whatever reasons. It’s not for me to debate why they can’t succeed at it. It’s always respectful and honorable to see a person go out and do the very best they can do, get to be the very best they can be. I’ll never shit on a person for that.”

I say, “It’s a tough business.”

Josh replies, “Absolutely. You gotta do it for yourself to be the best in your eyes, not for external sources.”

Barnett clearly has an “outside the box” mentality in regards to fighting, the business and his sponsorships. Many people have mistaken his confidence for arrogance, but as I sat listening to him speak, I didn’t see Josh in that light. He speaks with the ease and knowledge of a master. You can’t help but respect the guy for his honesty, commitment, and passion. He’s been around longer than most fighters with no signs of slowing down. When asked what his biggest goal was he replied, “I want to be the best fighter in the world.”

Although only 30 years old and nicknamed “The Baby Face Assassin”, those in the music business would emphatically call him ‘vintage’: characterized by excellence, maturity, and enduring appeal; classic. Thanks Josh!

by Jen Leigh of MMA-Underground.com

Josh Barnett would like to thank:
Affliction, Room 101 Silver & LethalPerformance.com

Photos courtesy of Jen Leigh

www.joshbarnett.tv

www.myspace.com/capturedsuplex

The first round begins as both fighters trade punches without any landing. Griffin lands the first strike with a right hand lead. Griffin works the lead leg of Jackson with some leg kicks. Jackson connects with a left hook. Griffin lands a left jab and follows with a leg kick. Jackson throws a combination that contained a left hand that rocked griffin. Griffin responds with a straight right and leg kick. Jackson counters with a right uppercut that knocks Griffin down to the canvas. Rampage jumps on Griffin and lands in full guard. Jackson pushes Griffin against the cage. Griffin gets back to his feet but eats a right hand. The second round begins as Griffin lands a leg kick that hurts Jackson. Jackson’s knee buckles and he is forced to retreat to the fence. Griffin goes for a guillotine and trips Jackson down to the canvas. Griffin gives up the guillotine but is now in top control. Griffin advances to side-control and goes for an Americana. Griffin gives up the Americana but advances to the mount. Griffin connects with some elbows and left hands. Griffin continues to elbow the head but is doing limited damage. Griffin dominates the second. The third round begins as Griffin continues to attack the leg of Jackson. Jackson is avoiding the high volume of leg kicks but Griffin is still landing a few. Jackson is limping badly from the leg kicks but continues to look for the knockout. Jackson rocks Griffin with a right hand. Jackson has trouble following up with the right hand. Griffin continues to stick and move avoiding the power shots of Jackson. Jackson lands a right hook to the body. Griffin takes some punishment but moves away. The fourth round begins as Jackson gets a takedown but is caught in a triangle choke. Griffin has the triangle locked in but has trouble controlling Jackson’s trapped arm. Jackson escapes the triangle but is now fending off an omaplata. Jackson stands and connects with a hard right hand. Griffin now has a cut below his right eye. Jackson connects with a left-right combination as the round ends. The fifth round starts as both fighters look to land a big punch. Griffin connects with a straight right hand. Jackson lands a right hook. Griffin responds with a leg kick. Jackson goes for a big flurry. Griffin lands a leg kick as Jackson loads up for a knockout punch. Jackson is unable to land any shots and the round ends. Great fight for the belt. Three judges score the fight 48-46, 48-46, and 49-46 for the winner and new UFC Light Heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin.

Patrick “The Predator” Cote vs. Ricardo “Big Dog” Almeida

The first round starts as Almeida clinches up and pulls guard with a guillotine. Cote escapes the guillotine and is now in Almeida’s guard. Cote stands up and sprawls out of an Almeida takedown attempt. Almeida ties up with Cote against the cage. Almeida goes for a single-leg but Cote defends well. Almeida switches for a double-leg takedown and Cote is on his back. Almeida tries to advance from half-guard but Cote shows some good ground defense. Almeida stands up in the guard of Cote and connects with some left hands. Almeida sits back down into Cote’s guard. Almeida stands back up in guard and lands more effective strikes. Almeida takes the round with good ground-and-pound. There is an extended break between rounds as Almeida has a torn glove. The second round begins as Almeida goes for a takedown but is forced to pull guard. Cote escapes from Almeida’s guard and stands up. Cote is careful to not get taken down and stays patient with his striking. Almeida clinches up and gets an under hook but has trouble tripping Cote down to the canvas. Almeida attempts to pull guard but fails on the attempt. The crowd begins to boo as the action slows down. Almeida attempts to pull guard with a guillotine. Cote smacks Almeida with a right hand as the round ends. The third round starts as Cote lands a jab and uses good footwork. Cote connects with a right hand and a low kick. Almeida responds with very little offense as he is exhausted. Almeida lands a one-two combination to Cote Almeida scores a takedown with 35 seconds remaining in the fight. Almeida advances to side-control and attempts a choke as time expires. One judge scores the fight 29-28 in favor of Ricardo Almeida. Two judges score the fight 29-28 for Patrick Cote. Patrick Cote walks away with a split decision victory.

Joe “Daddy” Stevenson vs. Gleison Tibau

The first round begins as both fighters trade strikes in middle of the Octagon. A right hand from Stevenson sends Tibau off balance. Stevenson goes for a guillotine and pulls guard. The guillotine is defended well by Tibau. Stevenson stands up and gets a double-leg takedown. Tibau now has a deep omaplata on Stevenson. Stevenson is caught in the submission but seems to be in little trouble. Stevenson relaxes on the canvas and tells referee Steve Mazzagati to stand the fight up. Mazzagati says he won’t stand it up. The round ends as Stevenson is still stuck in the omaplata. The second round begins as Stevenson gets a double-leg takedown on Tibau. Tibau defends the takedown and forces Stevenson against the fencing. Tibau throws a flurry of punches but doesn’t connect and gets a takedown. Tibau quickly advances to side-control and mounts shortly after. Tibau loses the mount as he steps over to attempt a triangle choke. Stevenson gets back to his feet and pulls guard with an arm in guillotine. Tibau is forced to tap quickly. Stevenson wins 2:57 into the second round.

Josh “Kos” Koscheck vs. Chris “Lights Out” Lytle

The first round begins as both fighters are very cautious the first 2 minutes. Koscheck takes Lytle down but Lytle has guillotine choke from his half-guard. Koscheck escapes the choke and attacks the midsection of Lytle with his left hand. Lytle controls the position by holding Koscheck’s head. Lytle attempts to get to butterfly-guard and Koscheck almost advances to the mount. Lytle gets back to full guard and Koscheck connects with a hard right hammer fist as the bell sounds. The second round begins as Koscheck gets a single-leg takedown and is stuck in another guillotine from half-guard. Koscheck gets his head free from the choke and begins to tee off with strikes from the half-guard of Lytle. Lytle now has a cut above his right eye. Koscheck begins to land a large volume of left and right hooks from half-guard. Lytle is stuck against the fencing eating a lot of punches and elbows. Lytle goes for a heel hook but Koscheck defends well. Lytle now has 2 cuts above his right eye and there are pools of blood on the canvas. The third round begins as Lytle is still bleeding from cuts over his right eye. Koscheck gets a takedown on his second attempt in the third round. Koscheck throws more elbows on the ground and the cuts are opened even wider. Referee Yves Lavigne is watching the action but doesn’t stop the action for some reason. The fighters are stood up by Lavigne. Lytle connects with a flurry of punches but the round ends. Koscheck dominates the fight and wins via unanimous decision by the scores of 30-26, 29-27, and 30-28.

Tyson Griffin vs. Marcus “Maximus” Aurelio

The first round begins as Griffin connects with a straight right hand to the body. The crowd begins to boo 45 seconds into the fight due to slow action. Griffin loads up on his strikes but is short of his target each time. Griffin pushes Aurelio down to the canvas and is standing over throwing right hands. Griffin tries to avoid the guard of Aurelio but Aurelio has a hold of his left hand. Griffin gets free and connects with some hard punches before standing up. Griffin connects with a hard right to the midsection and a hard low kick. Griffin connects with another right body shot. Aurelio tries to get a single-leg takedown but Griffin easily defends. The second round begins as Griffin scores three body shots in the first 45 seconds. Griffin continues to strike the body to set up a chin shot but Griffin has not been close at all. Aurelio shoots again for another single-leg but Griffin defends easily. Griffin and Aurelio are now clinched up against the fence with Griffin utilizing foot stomps. Griffin slams Aurelio down to the canvas. Aurelio takes Griffin’s back briefly but Griffin advances to top control. Aurelio attempts a triangle but Griffin defends well. The third round begins as connects with a low kick and a right hook. Griffin scores with a left uppercut to the liver. Griffin follows with a left hook counter. Aurelio drops again for another single-leg but Griffin defends well again. Off of the sprawl, Griffin connects with two left hooks and a straight right hand. Griffin continues to dominate the fight with his strikes. Griffin lands a low kick that buckles Aurelio. Griffin takes Aurelio down with a single-leg. Aurelio attempts an armbar but Griffin defends well once again. Aurelio attempts another armbar, this time the right arm of Griffin. Griffin pulls free as the round ends. Aurelio has swelling and bleeding upon the right side of his face. Griffin dominates the fight and takes a unanimous decision. All three judges score the bout 30-27.

by Kurt Hall of mma-underground.com

UFC 86 (JACKSON VS. GRIFFIN, Saturday, July 5th, live on Pay-Per-View from Las Vegas, NV.) is going to be some serious fun for MMA fans! You can view the fight card at UFC.com. Joe “Daddy” Stevenson will be fighting in the lightweight category against Gleison Tibau. Gleison is from Brazil and is now fighting out of American Top Team in Florida. Joe has an impressive mixed martial arts pro record of 33 wins and 8 losses. I asked Joe about his upcoming fight, “I’m fighting Gleison on Saturday. Everyone is pretty much aware of that. What they are not aware of is this will be the first fight that my son Joey will be ever attending. I’m really excited about that. I’m glad to be back in Los Vegas. England was fun but Vegas is my home.” Joe is a happily married father of 4 boys: 2month, 2, 5 and 7 year olds. Joe fought for the Lightweight Title, and lost to BJ Penn, in England at UFC 80 in Jan. of this year.

Some fighters have their own mixed martial arts schools. Joe Daddy is one such fighter. He told me, “I train at Joe Stevenson’s Cobra Kai in Victorville, Ca.” He is managed by Dean Albright. Joe began fighting for the UFC in 2005. Since joining the UFC he has fought 7 times. Before that he fought most of his fights for such organizations as, King of the Cage, Gladiator Challenge and The Bas Rutten Invitational.

After the fight Joe talks about his plan. “I’m going to go immediately and teach next week at my gym and the week after that I’m going to take my family down to the beach and just have a week with them. Then I’ll be back to teaching.”

Joe describes himself to us, “You pretty much can read my character and my personality on my sleeve. I’m pretty laid back. There are few things I take serious, my training and my family and God. Other than that, I just like to have a good time.”

As we Wrapped it up Joe said, “I hope that everyone tunes in and gets ready for a great show. I’ve taken this fight really serious and I want to finish.” July 4th millions of eyes will look to the sky for the light show but on July 5th look to the Octagon for the real fireworks.

by Penny Buffington of MMA-Underground.com

Joe would like you to visit his Sponsors:

http://www.warriorwearclothing.com/

http://www.sprawl.tv/

http://www.brawlmall.com/Joe-Stevenson-Store-s/23.htm

http://www.rockheadbikes.com/

Penny Buffington’s Audio Clips from Interview with Joe Stevenson:

http://www.youtube.com/v/n615-LRHh3c

With 13 wins and 3 losses in his mixed martial arts career and a fight coming up against Cole Miller at UFC 86 (RAMPAGE JACKSON vs. FORREST GRIFFIN, on Sat. July, 5th live on PPV, from the MANDALAY BAY EVENTS CENTER in Las Vegas, NV), Jorge Gurgel explains to me, “I’m very excited. Saturday can not come any sooner. I’ve been here in Seattle preparing for the last 6 weeks straight. It’s been the best training camp I’ve ever had. I finally have a coach that is going to be my permanent coach. That finally, I think, is going to make me fight to my potential and do what I’ve always planned to do. I’ve been very disappointed with my sub par performances in my UFC career so now, I’m ready. I am mentally ready. I’m physically ready. I have a coach. I have a sport psychiatrist. It’s the best I’ve ever been, so I really can not wait to fight to the level my fans have been expecting me to fight and pretty much myself. I have been very disappointed with my UFC fights. You know, I’ve had great fights up until I got up to the UFC, being a coach and being a fighter at the same time really has not paid any dividends to me and I’ve been separating myself from Ohio. I secluded myself to becoming just a student again. I think it has been the best move I have made in a long time.”

Jorge isn’t leaving Ohio for good. He says, “I have a school with 400 hundred students there. Now, every 2 months, I will have a fight; I will be training with Matt (Hume). Wherever Matt is, sometimes Matt comes to Ohio and trains at my school, sometimes Matt goes to Hawaii, and we’re going to train in Hawaii. I just plan on making my training camp whatever Matt Hume’s decides for me and him to do.” Matt is also Rich Franklins coach.

The school Jorge owns is JG MMA Academy. He described it to me, “I have a 13 thousand square foot facility in Ohio. My gym is extremely successful. I have a full octagon in there. Boxing ring, over 5,000 square feet of mats. Everything I’ve ever wanted is there. I just needed a coach. As soon as I stepped out of that octagon for my last fight I made a call and I made a decision that I was not performing up to my expectations or to anybody’s expectations. ”

On Sat. in the corner for Jorge will be, “Rich Franklin, Matt Hume and I think you always see my little brother. He looks like me. He is little. My little brother, he is always in my corner.” In the audience will be his entire family minus his father, who had his visa denied, even with a letter from the UFC.

To his fans Jorge would like to say, “For some reason I have a humungous fan base. Way more than I think I deserve. They give me the motivation everyday. Every time that I read a message or an email saying how much they like to see me fight and how much they support me, all through the good and the bad times. You guys are what gives me so much motivation so much energy to go out and train and battle through my injuries. You guys are my motivation; you guys are my energy. All my students that believe in me, that’s what drives me. I don’t want to let anybody down. I’m very grateful and appreciative of all the support and the love of my fans, all these years, especially my students. They are my life. They are my family. They’ve been nothing but great and motivation to me through the years.

I can’t imagine as an MMA fan missing UFC 86; RAMPAGE JACKSON vs. FORREST GRIFFIN. Now I also can’t wait to see the new and improved Jorge Gurgel!

by Penny Buffington of MMA-Underground.com

Here are the audio clips from Penny Buffington’s Interview with Jorge Gurgel:

Click here for the audio clips