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If the first few days of April are any indication, the MMA community is going to have quite a month on its hands.
First, the news came that UFC on Fuel 9 headliner Alexander Gustafsson had sustained a serious cut a week before fight night. There was some will-he-or-won't-he footsie. Wanderlei Silva played a hilarious April Fool's Twitter joke.
The UFC then announced, four days before the event, that Gustafsson would not, in fact, be fighting, and that Ilir Latifi would replace him. Delightful!
Who could have predicted that? Not me. But I do know what a bold prediction looks like in general. Here are eight such predictions for a month that holds plenty of promise for boldness as it thunders out of the gate. Let the wild speculation begin.
Pictures: Bold MMA Predictions for the Month of April | Bleacher Report
First, the news came that UFC on Fuel 9 headliner Alexander Gustafsson had sustained a serious cut a week before fight night. There was some will-he-or-won't-he footsie. Wanderlei Silva played a hilarious April Fool's Twitter joke.
The UFC then announced, four days before the event, that Gustafsson would not, in fact, be fighting, and that Ilir Latifi would replace him. Delightful!
Who could have predicted that? Not me. But I do know what a bold prediction looks like in general. Here are eight such predictions for a month that holds plenty of promise for boldness as it thunders out of the gate. Let the wild speculation begin.
Pictures: Bold MMA Predictions for the Month of April | Bleacher Report
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Emigrating to Singapore put New Jersey native Jake Butler in an unfamiliar situation.
No, not the culture shock of moving to a new country in a new hemisphere.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve had a good bagel,” said Butler, who moved to Singapore 15 months ago. “The pizza is, in my opinion, not so good either.”
So it goes for Butler, who didn’t need to be near all those carbohydrates the past few weeks while training for his second professional MMA fight for One FC. Butler, a former wrestler at Princeton, fights Swain Cangco in a light heavyweight bout that can seen in the States via livestream at OneFC-com on Friday.
The initial and most obvious question for Butler is a simple one: Why does a Wall Street analyst with an Ivy League degree and wrestling pedigree leave the States to teach wrestling and train for a mixed martial arts career in Singapore?
The simple answer: “I was interested in giving it a try living out here in Asia,” he said.
The more in-depth answer begins with a question many college graduates wrestle with in those first few years in the real world: “What am I going to do with myself?”
Butler worked as an analyst at real estate investment company in Manhattan after graduating college in 2006. He lived the typical city life: fancy suits, big office, small apartment.
Even before the housing market collapsed in 2008, Butler was looking for a way out. That, however, expedited the massive career change from Wall Street finance to Evolve MMA trainer and fighter in Singapore roughly 9,500 miles away.
After leaving his job, he traveled through Asia, with stops in Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore, to name a few places. Butler said it was Evolve MMA’s desire to bring in wrestlers to expands its fight team’s skills that really cemented his decision to move.
“In the U.S., wrestlers like myself, they’re everywhere,” Butler said. “The wrestling isn’t a unique skill set, where as out here, it certainly is.”
Butler, captain of the wrestling team when at Princeton, had no background in martial arts. But he had that itch again. That itch to compete.
It grew stronger as Butler watched people he wrestled against or at the same time as, begin to excel in MMA. Fighters such as Baldwin’s Chris Weidman, or Phil Davis or Jake Rosholt. They were All-American wrestlers in college at the same time Butler wrestled at Princetion. They were all making a name for themselves in the UFC and other fight promotions.
“Seeing them do well and go into MMA,” Butler said, “I was kind of thinking to myself, ‘Man, I wish that’s what I was doing. These guys made the right choice. I don’t know what I’m doing sitting here at this desk.’”
Still, there’s nothing easy about walking from a good-paying job with benefits in uncertain economic times for the unsurety of not knowing what the next move will be, when the next paycheck will arrive.
Butler went from a world where MMA meant money market account to one where it stands for mixed martial arts.
“It’s still a tough thing to actually go and do it,” Butler said. “There’s a certain amount of pressure I felt with the degree I had, like almost an obligation that I needed to use the degree for what you would consider a good job.”
OneFC's Jake Butler went from Wall Street to MMA
No, not the culture shock of moving to a new country in a new hemisphere.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve had a good bagel,” said Butler, who moved to Singapore 15 months ago. “The pizza is, in my opinion, not so good either.”
So it goes for Butler, who didn’t need to be near all those carbohydrates the past few weeks while training for his second professional MMA fight for One FC. Butler, a former wrestler at Princeton, fights Swain Cangco in a light heavyweight bout that can seen in the States via livestream at OneFC-com on Friday.
The initial and most obvious question for Butler is a simple one: Why does a Wall Street analyst with an Ivy League degree and wrestling pedigree leave the States to teach wrestling and train for a mixed martial arts career in Singapore?
The simple answer: “I was interested in giving it a try living out here in Asia,” he said.
The more in-depth answer begins with a question many college graduates wrestle with in those first few years in the real world: “What am I going to do with myself?”
Butler worked as an analyst at real estate investment company in Manhattan after graduating college in 2006. He lived the typical city life: fancy suits, big office, small apartment.
Even before the housing market collapsed in 2008, Butler was looking for a way out. That, however, expedited the massive career change from Wall Street finance to Evolve MMA trainer and fighter in Singapore roughly 9,500 miles away.
After leaving his job, he traveled through Asia, with stops in Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore, to name a few places. Butler said it was Evolve MMA’s desire to bring in wrestlers to expands its fight team’s skills that really cemented his decision to move.
“In the U.S., wrestlers like myself, they’re everywhere,” Butler said. “The wrestling isn’t a unique skill set, where as out here, it certainly is.”
Butler, captain of the wrestling team when at Princeton, had no background in martial arts. But he had that itch again. That itch to compete.
It grew stronger as Butler watched people he wrestled against or at the same time as, begin to excel in MMA. Fighters such as Baldwin’s Chris Weidman, or Phil Davis or Jake Rosholt. They were All-American wrestlers in college at the same time Butler wrestled at Princetion. They were all making a name for themselves in the UFC and other fight promotions.
“Seeing them do well and go into MMA,” Butler said, “I was kind of thinking to myself, ‘Man, I wish that’s what I was doing. These guys made the right choice. I don’t know what I’m doing sitting here at this desk.’”
Still, there’s nothing easy about walking from a good-paying job with benefits in uncertain economic times for the unsurety of not knowing what the next move will be, when the next paycheck will arrive.
Butler went from a world where MMA meant money market account to one where it stands for mixed martial arts.
“It’s still a tough thing to actually go and do it,” Butler said. “There’s a certain amount of pressure I felt with the degree I had, like almost an obligation that I needed to use the degree for what you would consider a good job.”
OneFC's Jake Butler went from Wall Street to MMA
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What was supposed to be a night all about a comeback instead became an evening all about emergence.
This was supposed to be Cris "Cyborg" Santos's night. And for one minute and 19 seconds, it was—the crowd at Kansas City's Ameristar Pavilion for Invicta 5 was on its feet, cellphone cameras held high—as the former queen of women's MMA returned to the ring after a 16-month drug suspension and delivered the most potent—and downright frightening-- punches to the face of Australia's admirable but overmatched Fiona Muxlow (6-3).
This was supposed to be about what we'd see from the fallen star and what we could project in a future battle with UFC women's bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey. Because, as one quickly learns, almost everything in women's MMA is about the elusive Rousey-Santos matchup.
But then former-scientist-turned fighter Barb Honchak emerged to challenge Vanessa Porto for Invicta's inaugural 125-pound belt, and what was 'supposed to be' went out the window.
Honchak and Porto turned a boisterous crowd revved up by Cyborg's power into a quiet one, riveted by the technical skill and strikes of two well-trained fighters. It was, as the overused expression goes, a chess match full of level changes and strategic striking, skill and smarts ultimately won by a 50-45, 49-46, and 48-47 for Honchak (8-2) and title-holder for the legendary Militech Fighting Systems.
The main event of the evening, the atomweight title fight between champion Jessica Penne (10-2) and Michelle Waterson (11-3), assumed the same skilled, dignified tenor. Penne almost submitted Waterson with an armbar in the middle of the third, but a gritty Waterson wouldn't tap. The titleholder entered the fourth round against an exhausted Waterson, gassed by the isometrics of the ground game that had played out for most of the previous three rounds. But then Waterson, as she said after the fight, refused to give in, eventually trapping Penn in an armbar 2:31 seconds into the fourth.
After the fight, Waterson fells to her knees and sobbed.
"You just really gotta believe in yourself and don't let nobody take that away from you," Waterson said between sobs at center cage. "You definitely gotta believe the hype."
What was supposed to be a one-fighter night ended up as a night the emergence of an entire class of them, each proving the viability and talent of a gender of fighters. Each believing the hype.
Controversial win: Sarah Kaufman, part of the UFC's first class of women to fill out its women's bantamweight division, was welcomed into the cage with a warm rush of cheers and exited with a win—and the crowd's (misdirected) wrath. Kaufman walked away with a split decision win over up-and-coming Leslie Smith (5-3-1). The fight featured a blistering exchange of punches meant for the masses. Kaufman most likely moves on to face her next opponent in The Octagon.
Controversial move: Miriam Nakamoto, in just her second MMA fight, delivered a knee to the face of the Invicta 'it girl' Jessamyn Duke. And then another knee. And that's where Nakamoto's second fight of the night began: proving that her second knee wasn't an illegal blow. Nakamoto says referee John McCarthy told her the first blow delivered the knockout. Nakamoto says she kneed Duke again, unsure her opponent was done. "Telling me to stop was like trying to tell the driver of a car that's about to collide, to stop." It was simply too late.
Replay, please: Missed just how entertaining Rose Namajunas' flying armbar of Kathina Catron proved to be? You're not alone. The 115-pound needed just 12 seconds to execute the move, what is thought to be the fast submission by a female in professional MMA history. The move is worth a watch here, GIFed.
No Love Lost: Yasminka Civa approached Bec Hyatt after Hyatt's win the same way you might approach a rabid dog. . . that has your car keys in its mouth. Civa tentatively stuck out her hand, then loosely wrangled her internet nemesis into an awkward hug. It was, perhaps, meant to squeeze out the explosive tensions between the two fighters.
But Hyatt (5-2) did more to settle their score by defeating Cive (5-1) in three minutes, thirty seconds into the first round via an stomach-to-the mat armbar. She set herself up as a legitimate contender, nudging fight fans suspicions of her talent to conformations of it. Hyatt set up the move after raining strikes from the mounted position, her blue strip of hair flapping with the thrust of every punch. When it was over, she was paced away from Cive and screamed in her face. This might not be over.
Stars return, others emerge at Invicta 5 - MMA - Melissa Segura - SI-com
This was supposed to be Cris "Cyborg" Santos's night. And for one minute and 19 seconds, it was—the crowd at Kansas City's Ameristar Pavilion for Invicta 5 was on its feet, cellphone cameras held high—as the former queen of women's MMA returned to the ring after a 16-month drug suspension and delivered the most potent—and downright frightening-- punches to the face of Australia's admirable but overmatched Fiona Muxlow (6-3).
This was supposed to be about what we'd see from the fallen star and what we could project in a future battle with UFC women's bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey. Because, as one quickly learns, almost everything in women's MMA is about the elusive Rousey-Santos matchup.
But then former-scientist-turned fighter Barb Honchak emerged to challenge Vanessa Porto for Invicta's inaugural 125-pound belt, and what was 'supposed to be' went out the window.
Honchak and Porto turned a boisterous crowd revved up by Cyborg's power into a quiet one, riveted by the technical skill and strikes of two well-trained fighters. It was, as the overused expression goes, a chess match full of level changes and strategic striking, skill and smarts ultimately won by a 50-45, 49-46, and 48-47 for Honchak (8-2) and title-holder for the legendary Militech Fighting Systems.
The main event of the evening, the atomweight title fight between champion Jessica Penne (10-2) and Michelle Waterson (11-3), assumed the same skilled, dignified tenor. Penne almost submitted Waterson with an armbar in the middle of the third, but a gritty Waterson wouldn't tap. The titleholder entered the fourth round against an exhausted Waterson, gassed by the isometrics of the ground game that had played out for most of the previous three rounds. But then Waterson, as she said after the fight, refused to give in, eventually trapping Penn in an armbar 2:31 seconds into the fourth.
After the fight, Waterson fells to her knees and sobbed.
"You just really gotta believe in yourself and don't let nobody take that away from you," Waterson said between sobs at center cage. "You definitely gotta believe the hype."
What was supposed to be a one-fighter night ended up as a night the emergence of an entire class of them, each proving the viability and talent of a gender of fighters. Each believing the hype.
Controversial win: Sarah Kaufman, part of the UFC's first class of women to fill out its women's bantamweight division, was welcomed into the cage with a warm rush of cheers and exited with a win—and the crowd's (misdirected) wrath. Kaufman walked away with a split decision win over up-and-coming Leslie Smith (5-3-1). The fight featured a blistering exchange of punches meant for the masses. Kaufman most likely moves on to face her next opponent in The Octagon.
Controversial move: Miriam Nakamoto, in just her second MMA fight, delivered a knee to the face of the Invicta 'it girl' Jessamyn Duke. And then another knee. And that's where Nakamoto's second fight of the night began: proving that her second knee wasn't an illegal blow. Nakamoto says referee John McCarthy told her the first blow delivered the knockout. Nakamoto says she kneed Duke again, unsure her opponent was done. "Telling me to stop was like trying to tell the driver of a car that's about to collide, to stop." It was simply too late.
Replay, please: Missed just how entertaining Rose Namajunas' flying armbar of Kathina Catron proved to be? You're not alone. The 115-pound needed just 12 seconds to execute the move, what is thought to be the fast submission by a female in professional MMA history. The move is worth a watch here, GIFed.
No Love Lost: Yasminka Civa approached Bec Hyatt after Hyatt's win the same way you might approach a rabid dog. . . that has your car keys in its mouth. Civa tentatively stuck out her hand, then loosely wrangled her internet nemesis into an awkward hug. It was, perhaps, meant to squeeze out the explosive tensions between the two fighters.
But Hyatt (5-2) did more to settle their score by defeating Cive (5-1) in three minutes, thirty seconds into the first round via an stomach-to-the mat armbar. She set herself up as a legitimate contender, nudging fight fans suspicions of her talent to conformations of it. Hyatt set up the move after raining strikes from the mounted position, her blue strip of hair flapping with the thrust of every punch. When it was over, she was paced away from Cive and screamed in her face. This might not be over.
Stars return, others emerge at Invicta 5 - MMA - Melissa Segura - SI-com
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If Gegard Mousasi seemed slow and deliberate in his unanimous decision victory over Ilir Latifi in Saturday's UFC on Fuel 9 main event, he had a good reason.
The former Strikeforce and Dream champion revealed following the event that he suffered a knee injury during his training camp, which will require surgery.
Mousasi, who improved to 34-3-2 on his career, didn't want to get into the specifics of the injury, but elaborated as best as he could at the post-fight press conference.
"I don't want to talk a lot about my injury, but I can tell that this injury, I'm pretty sure 95 percent wouldn't fight, from other fighters. You know, I stepped up, I didn't cancel the show, you know, I don't know, we go from here, you know.
Asked how long he'd be out of action, Mousasi said "I don't want to say anything yet, but it's nothing small."
UFC president Dana White, for his part, praised Mousasi's efforts this week, as he came to Sweden to fight Alexander Gustafsson in Gustafsson's homeland, then accepted the fight with Latifi after Gustafsson had to withdraw due to a cut suffered in training.
"Mousasi could make it to this fight, and then have surgery after the fight, the kid comes here because he wants to fight the No. 3 ranked light heavyweight in the world," White said."He doesn't want to give up this opportunity, he wants to fight. Shows up here to fight him, [Gustafsson] gets stopped on a cut ... then we throw this guy who was training for a tall striker, ends up fighting a short, strong, southpaw wrestler and still accepts the fight and takes it."
"Much respect to the guys in the main event," White added.
Gegard Mousasi fought Ilir Latifi on injured knee, will undergo surgery - MMA Fighting
The former Strikeforce and Dream champion revealed following the event that he suffered a knee injury during his training camp, which will require surgery.
Mousasi, who improved to 34-3-2 on his career, didn't want to get into the specifics of the injury, but elaborated as best as he could at the post-fight press conference.
"I don't want to talk a lot about my injury, but I can tell that this injury, I'm pretty sure 95 percent wouldn't fight, from other fighters. You know, I stepped up, I didn't cancel the show, you know, I don't know, we go from here, you know.
Asked how long he'd be out of action, Mousasi said "I don't want to say anything yet, but it's nothing small."
UFC president Dana White, for his part, praised Mousasi's efforts this week, as he came to Sweden to fight Alexander Gustafsson in Gustafsson's homeland, then accepted the fight with Latifi after Gustafsson had to withdraw due to a cut suffered in training.
"Mousasi could make it to this fight, and then have surgery after the fight, the kid comes here because he wants to fight the No. 3 ranked light heavyweight in the world," White said."He doesn't want to give up this opportunity, he wants to fight. Shows up here to fight him, [Gustafsson] gets stopped on a cut ... then we throw this guy who was training for a tall striker, ends up fighting a short, strong, southpaw wrestler and still accepts the fight and takes it."
"Much respect to the guys in the main event," White added.
Gegard Mousasi fought Ilir Latifi on injured knee, will undergo surgery - MMA Fighting
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CFL star Chad Owens made his mixed martial arts debut a winning one.
The Toronto Argonauts receiver/kick returner earned a unanimous decision against Junyah Tefaga in Honolulu late Saturday night. The two fought as amateurs and battled through two three-minute rounds in their MMA debuts.
The five-foot-eight, 180-pound Owens, the CFL’s most outstanding player last season, fought in the 170-pound class and went by the nickname Mighty Mouse.
“I had fun and the crowd brought so much energy,” Owens told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “One of the things I was looking forward to was I get to focus on one guy and try to let my athleticism take over. I do have a newfound respect for the sport. When I was done, I couldn’t breathe because the adrenaline was unreal.”
Last month, Argos general manager Jim Barker didn’t mince words about not being thrilled that the club’s top player was participating in a potentially dangerous off-season activity.
There was no indication that Owens was injured in the bout, and afterwards the Star-Advertiser reported Owens said he’d be in training camp on time with the Argos in June.
Owens, 31, was an integral part of Toronto’s 2012 Grey Cup-winning squad. He posted a league-record 3,863 all-purpose yards and also was the CFL’s top receiver with 94 catches for 1,328 yards and six TDs.
Owens isn’t the first CFL player to step into the Octagon. Adam Braidwood, a former defensive linemen with the Edmonton Eskimos, won his debut bout in 2007 while Mike (Wolverine) Maurer, a former Eskimos fullback, has also fought.
Former NFL lineman Matt Mitrione and Brendan Schaub, a former Arena Football player who was on the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad, fight as heavyweights in the UFC.
Former NFLers Marcus Jones and Wes Shivers also appeared on The Ultimate Fighter, the UFC’s reality TV show. while former Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker has also fought in Strikeforce.
CFL: Argo Chad Owens wins MMA debut in Hawaii | Toronto Star
The Toronto Argonauts receiver/kick returner earned a unanimous decision against Junyah Tefaga in Honolulu late Saturday night. The two fought as amateurs and battled through two three-minute rounds in their MMA debuts.
The five-foot-eight, 180-pound Owens, the CFL’s most outstanding player last season, fought in the 170-pound class and went by the nickname Mighty Mouse.
“I had fun and the crowd brought so much energy,” Owens told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “One of the things I was looking forward to was I get to focus on one guy and try to let my athleticism take over. I do have a newfound respect for the sport. When I was done, I couldn’t breathe because the adrenaline was unreal.”
Last month, Argos general manager Jim Barker didn’t mince words about not being thrilled that the club’s top player was participating in a potentially dangerous off-season activity.
There was no indication that Owens was injured in the bout, and afterwards the Star-Advertiser reported Owens said he’d be in training camp on time with the Argos in June.
Owens, 31, was an integral part of Toronto’s 2012 Grey Cup-winning squad. He posted a league-record 3,863 all-purpose yards and also was the CFL’s top receiver with 94 catches for 1,328 yards and six TDs.
Owens isn’t the first CFL player to step into the Octagon. Adam Braidwood, a former defensive linemen with the Edmonton Eskimos, won his debut bout in 2007 while Mike (Wolverine) Maurer, a former Eskimos fullback, has also fought.
Former NFL lineman Matt Mitrione and Brendan Schaub, a former Arena Football player who was on the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad, fight as heavyweights in the UFC.
Former NFLers Marcus Jones and Wes Shivers also appeared on The Ultimate Fighter, the UFC’s reality TV show. while former Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker has also fought in Strikeforce.
CFL: Argo Chad Owens wins MMA debut in Hawaii | Toronto Star
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And you wondered why the guy is nicknamed "Meathead"?
Two days after saving his UFC career with a 19-second knockout, Matt Mitrione had his contract suspended Monday evening after unleashing a hateful tirade about transgender mixed martial artist Fallon Fox during an Internet radio appearance earlier in the day.
Mitrione, who ended a two-fight losing streak with the quick finish of Phil de Fries at the UFC on Fuel TV event Saturday in Stockholm, went on the MMAfighting.com show The MMA Hour and called Fox a "lying, sick, sociopathic, disgusting freak."
The diatribe began with Mitrione making Fox, a 37-year-old postoperative transgender female who has won her two pro MMA fights and revealed in March that she was born a man, the butt of an insensitive joke. The former NFL player, who gained entry into the UFC by appearing on the reality show The Ultimate Fighter in 2009, laughingly drew a comparison between Fox and The Silence of the Lambs character "Buffalo Bill," who murders and skins women in order to make a "woman suit" for himself. It was a cruel and thoughtless joke, one for which Mitrione surely would have had to answer to his employers and the public, but a joke nonetheless.
Things only got worse, however, when the fighter stopped kidding around. Asked by host Ariel Helwani why he was referring to Fox as "he" rather than "she," Mitrione turned serious and shot back, "Because she's not a he. He's a he. He's chromosomally a man. He had a gender change, not a sex change. He's still a man. He was a man for 31 years. Thirty-one years. That's a couple years younger than I am. He's a man. Six years of taking performance de-hancing drugs, you think is going to change all that? That's ridiculous."
Mitrione then had a few words for Allana Jones, who is scheduled to fight Fox on a Championship Fighting Alliance card May 24 in Coral Gables, Fla. "The woman that's fighting him: Props to you," said the 34-year-old former member of the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings. "I hope you beat his ass, and I hope he gets blackballed and never fights again, because that's disgusting and I'm appalled by that."
Blackballed. Disgusting. Appalled. Those words and sentiments would soon come back to bite Mitrione.
"The UFC was appalled by the transphobic comments made by heavyweight Matt Mitrione today in an interview on 'The MMA Hour,' " read a statement issued by the sport's leading promotion. "The organization finds Mr. Mitrione's comments offensive and wholly unacceptable, and -- as a direct result of this significant breach of the UFC's code of conduct -- Mr. Mitrione's UFC contract has been suspended and the incident is being investigated. The UFC is a friend and ally of the LGBT community, and expects and requires all 450 of its athletes to treat others with dignity and respect."
This is the first significant enforcement of the company's code of conduct, which was unveiled in January after the UFC had long come under fire for having its president, Dana White, making case-by-case adjudications whenever a fighter stepped over some amorphous, informal line. White himself has a history of irresponsible outbursts, and misogyny and homophobia have run rampant among fighters -- from Miguel Torres and Forrest Griffin rape jokes to a "Rampage" Jackson video that jestfully serves as a primer for raping a woman, to Rashad Evans telling opponent Phil Davis, a Penn State grad, that he was going to "put those hands on you worse than that dude did them other kids at Penn State."
There's been a lot of vile negativity associated with the octagon. This suspension -- levied swiftly and firmly, and with strong message attached -- is a positive development. It's a step forward, a move away from antisocial behavior and toward accountability.
Mitrione is not the only UFC fighter to have weighed in on Fox. But no one has done so with his tactless vitriol. Miesha Tate, a former Strikeforce bantamweight champion who next weekend faces Cat Zingano for the opportunity to coach opposite UFC champ Ronda Rousey on The Ultimate Fighter and then fight for the belt, told ESPN.com recently she would not fight Fox. "I have nothing against transgender people," she said. "You should live your life however you want. It's about fighter safety. I wouldn't feel comfortable getting in with someone who is a woman but developed as a man. I just don't think it would be safe."
That's not a concern for Liz Carmouche, who in February made history by facing Rousey in the first women's fight in the UFC -- and by being the first openly gay fighter to compete in the sport. "The MMA community -- people who work in the gyms, the trainers and sparring partners and the fans -- all openly embraced me as an athlete, and I'm proud to see that also happening with a transgender athlete," the Marine said in a statement issued to GLAAD, the organization formerly known as the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. (Just last month the group opted to be known simply by the acronym as a gesture of inclusiveness of transgender and bisexual people.)
In saying she'd be happy to compete against Fox if the regional fighter's career were to progress to the UFC, Carmouche added, "There may be, understandably, some concerns that she will be stronger than other girls, but our sport is regulated by state athletic commissions who are extremely thorough in terms of fighter safety and medical screening. If a world-regarded respected body like the Nevada Athletic Commission licenses her as a female competitor, and says she has no performance advantage, then that should be good enough for everyone."
Everyone, apparently, except Mitrione. If he weren't such a "Meathead," he might have heeded these words that a crowd of young listeners heard from one of the speakers at an anti-bullying rally the UFC held in Toronto just a little over a year ago: "You can get out and do what you want to do. Believe in it and don't get hustled by anyone else
Two days after saving his UFC career with a 19-second knockout, Matt Mitrione had his contract suspended Monday evening after unleashing a hateful tirade about transgender mixed martial artist Fallon Fox during an Internet radio appearance earlier in the day.
Mitrione, who ended a two-fight losing streak with the quick finish of Phil de Fries at the UFC on Fuel TV event Saturday in Stockholm, went on the MMAfighting.com show The MMA Hour and called Fox a "lying, sick, sociopathic, disgusting freak."
The diatribe began with Mitrione making Fox, a 37-year-old postoperative transgender female who has won her two pro MMA fights and revealed in March that she was born a man, the butt of an insensitive joke. The former NFL player, who gained entry into the UFC by appearing on the reality show The Ultimate Fighter in 2009, laughingly drew a comparison between Fox and The Silence of the Lambs character "Buffalo Bill," who murders and skins women in order to make a "woman suit" for himself. It was a cruel and thoughtless joke, one for which Mitrione surely would have had to answer to his employers and the public, but a joke nonetheless.
Things only got worse, however, when the fighter stopped kidding around. Asked by host Ariel Helwani why he was referring to Fox as "he" rather than "she," Mitrione turned serious and shot back, "Because she's not a he. He's a he. He's chromosomally a man. He had a gender change, not a sex change. He's still a man. He was a man for 31 years. Thirty-one years. That's a couple years younger than I am. He's a man. Six years of taking performance de-hancing drugs, you think is going to change all that? That's ridiculous."
Mitrione then had a few words for Allana Jones, who is scheduled to fight Fox on a Championship Fighting Alliance card May 24 in Coral Gables, Fla. "The woman that's fighting him: Props to you," said the 34-year-old former member of the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings. "I hope you beat his ass, and I hope he gets blackballed and never fights again, because that's disgusting and I'm appalled by that."
Blackballed. Disgusting. Appalled. Those words and sentiments would soon come back to bite Mitrione.
"The UFC was appalled by the transphobic comments made by heavyweight Matt Mitrione today in an interview on 'The MMA Hour,' " read a statement issued by the sport's leading promotion. "The organization finds Mr. Mitrione's comments offensive and wholly unacceptable, and -- as a direct result of this significant breach of the UFC's code of conduct -- Mr. Mitrione's UFC contract has been suspended and the incident is being investigated. The UFC is a friend and ally of the LGBT community, and expects and requires all 450 of its athletes to treat others with dignity and respect."
This is the first significant enforcement of the company's code of conduct, which was unveiled in January after the UFC had long come under fire for having its president, Dana White, making case-by-case adjudications whenever a fighter stepped over some amorphous, informal line. White himself has a history of irresponsible outbursts, and misogyny and homophobia have run rampant among fighters -- from Miguel Torres and Forrest Griffin rape jokes to a "Rampage" Jackson video that jestfully serves as a primer for raping a woman, to Rashad Evans telling opponent Phil Davis, a Penn State grad, that he was going to "put those hands on you worse than that dude did them other kids at Penn State."
There's been a lot of vile negativity associated with the octagon. This suspension -- levied swiftly and firmly, and with strong message attached -- is a positive development. It's a step forward, a move away from antisocial behavior and toward accountability.
Mitrione is not the only UFC fighter to have weighed in on Fox. But no one has done so with his tactless vitriol. Miesha Tate, a former Strikeforce bantamweight champion who next weekend faces Cat Zingano for the opportunity to coach opposite UFC champ Ronda Rousey on The Ultimate Fighter and then fight for the belt, told ESPN.com recently she would not fight Fox. "I have nothing against transgender people," she said. "You should live your life however you want. It's about fighter safety. I wouldn't feel comfortable getting in with someone who is a woman but developed as a man. I just don't think it would be safe."
That's not a concern for Liz Carmouche, who in February made history by facing Rousey in the first women's fight in the UFC -- and by being the first openly gay fighter to compete in the sport. "The MMA community -- people who work in the gyms, the trainers and sparring partners and the fans -- all openly embraced me as an athlete, and I'm proud to see that also happening with a transgender athlete," the Marine said in a statement issued to GLAAD, the organization formerly known as the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. (Just last month the group opted to be known simply by the acronym as a gesture of inclusiveness of transgender and bisexual people.)
In saying she'd be happy to compete against Fox if the regional fighter's career were to progress to the UFC, Carmouche added, "There may be, understandably, some concerns that she will be stronger than other girls, but our sport is regulated by state athletic commissions who are extremely thorough in terms of fighter safety and medical screening. If a world-regarded respected body like the Nevada Athletic Commission licenses her as a female competitor, and says she has no performance advantage, then that should be good enough for everyone."
Everyone, apparently, except Mitrione. If he weren't such a "Meathead," he might have heeded these words that a crowd of young listeners heard from one of the speakers at an anti-bullying rally the UFC held in Toronto just a little over a year ago: "You can get out and do what you want to do. Believe in it and don't get hustled by anyone else
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All Felix Pablo Elochukwu wanted was a shot to represent Canada in the UFC.
So, the 35-year-old mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter from Hamilton packed a bag and headed to Port Huron, Mich., for his amateur debut on Saturday.
Tragically, his first match would be his last.
The Nigerian-born athlete died after the third round when the fight was stopped because he was unable to defend himself from his opponent. He initially showed no signs of serious injury, but later became unresponsive.
Paramedics couldn’t revive him and he was taken to hospital. It’s not clear whether he died in the ambulance or at the health centre.
“I remember seeing him a few weeks ago when we were celebrating his birthday, and he was actually talking about this fight,” said Elochukwu’s friend, Jerry Igenu, in a phone interview from New Brunswick Tuesday.
“He was very optimistic. He thought this was going to be his breakthrough match and he would move up to the next level. He wanted to fight for Canada.”
Another friend, Nnamdi Orakwue, from Toronto, said Elochukwu came to Canada from Nigeria as a student at Memorial University of Newfoundland. In 2012, he moved to Hamilton because it was known as a tight-knit community where he could train at the highly regarded Joslin’s Martial Arts and be a part of the Ontario MMA scene.
“He’s a straight-up guy,” Orakwue, 34, said. “He had a huge heart. I don’t think he felt he would have had enough support in Canada to grow his fighting career, so Michigan was there for him to make a name for himself.”
A spokesman for Joslin’s could not be reached Tuesday, but media reports peg Elochukwu as a 265-pound heavyweight with a blue belt in Brazlian Jiu-Jitsu and say he was a three-time gold medal winner on the local grappling circuit.
Elochukwu was close to his family — his mother, father and sister — who still reside in Nigeria, Orakwue said. He recently asked him to help send them a care package consisting of a watch, a pair of shoes, and a handbag.
Igenu, 32, said to the best of his knowledge, his friend didn’t have any medical problems that would put him in jeopardy in the ring.
“He’s one of the guys you love to hang out with,” he added. “People that know him from back home — he always led a very active life. He loves boxing and fighting. He’s got passion.”
According to Sportsnet, the first two rounds of the bout consisted primarily of grappling exchanges. However, Elochukwu showed signs of fatigue going into the third round. His opponent achieved full mount and began delivering “soft” hammer fists.
The event was staged by the Amateur Fighting Club, which confirmed the tragic news on its Facebook page.
“Last night’s event, April 6th, we lost a member of our MMA family and we would like to take this time to honour him,” the message said.
An autopsy was conducted Sunday, but a cause of death has yet to be determined.
Ontario fighter dies after amateur MMA match | Mixed Martial Arts | Sports | Toronto Sun
So, the 35-year-old mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter from Hamilton packed a bag and headed to Port Huron, Mich., for his amateur debut on Saturday.
Tragically, his first match would be his last.
The Nigerian-born athlete died after the third round when the fight was stopped because he was unable to defend himself from his opponent. He initially showed no signs of serious injury, but later became unresponsive.
Paramedics couldn’t revive him and he was taken to hospital. It’s not clear whether he died in the ambulance or at the health centre.
“I remember seeing him a few weeks ago when we were celebrating his birthday, and he was actually talking about this fight,” said Elochukwu’s friend, Jerry Igenu, in a phone interview from New Brunswick Tuesday.
“He was very optimistic. He thought this was going to be his breakthrough match and he would move up to the next level. He wanted to fight for Canada.”
Another friend, Nnamdi Orakwue, from Toronto, said Elochukwu came to Canada from Nigeria as a student at Memorial University of Newfoundland. In 2012, he moved to Hamilton because it was known as a tight-knit community where he could train at the highly regarded Joslin’s Martial Arts and be a part of the Ontario MMA scene.
“He’s a straight-up guy,” Orakwue, 34, said. “He had a huge heart. I don’t think he felt he would have had enough support in Canada to grow his fighting career, so Michigan was there for him to make a name for himself.”
A spokesman for Joslin’s could not be reached Tuesday, but media reports peg Elochukwu as a 265-pound heavyweight with a blue belt in Brazlian Jiu-Jitsu and say he was a three-time gold medal winner on the local grappling circuit.
Elochukwu was close to his family — his mother, father and sister — who still reside in Nigeria, Orakwue said. He recently asked him to help send them a care package consisting of a watch, a pair of shoes, and a handbag.
Igenu, 32, said to the best of his knowledge, his friend didn’t have any medical problems that would put him in jeopardy in the ring.
“He’s one of the guys you love to hang out with,” he added. “People that know him from back home — he always led a very active life. He loves boxing and fighting. He’s got passion.”
According to Sportsnet, the first two rounds of the bout consisted primarily of grappling exchanges. However, Elochukwu showed signs of fatigue going into the third round. His opponent achieved full mount and began delivering “soft” hammer fists.
The event was staged by the Amateur Fighting Club, which confirmed the tragic news on its Facebook page.
“Last night’s event, April 6th, we lost a member of our MMA family and we would like to take this time to honour him,” the message said.
An autopsy was conducted Sunday, but a cause of death has yet to be determined.
Ontario fighter dies after amateur MMA match | Mixed Martial Arts | Sports | Toronto Sun
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It will be six to eight weeks before investigators know why a 35-year-old mixed martial artist from Hamilton died shortly after finishing his first fight on the weekend.
The chief forensic investigator for the St. Clair County Medical Examiner in Port Huron, Mich., says Felix Pablo Elochukwu didn’t sustain any fatal injuries during the fight. Mary Palmateer says no signs of trauma were discovered during an autopy performed Sunday.
That preliminary finding would seem to support the stories told by Elochukwu’s coach Jeff Joslin — a former UFC fighter and longtime instructor at his family’s gym on Concession Street — and numerous others that the bout was far from a war and the fighter hadn’t taken anything close to a pounding.
Joslin, who was at the fight held in a faded, orange-brick American Legion hall just off the main drag and near the Black River, 10 minutes from the Canadian border, says it was a relatively tame contest.
Most of the time, both of the 260-pound heavyweights were grappling and wrestling.
“There were no strikes on the feet hardly at all,” Joslin said.
Port Huron Detective-Lieutenant Duane Loxton, who oversees the department’s detective bureau and has witnessed other MMA fights in the area, told The Spectator a similar story. He viewed a tape of the fight and said Elochukwu’s opponent seemingly inflicted no serious damage.
“It wasn’t a brutal fight. They both looked exhausted at the end of it.”
He said both fighters were of similar size, but Elochukwu was far more muscular.
In the third round the two tired fighters went to the mat, where Elochukwu ended up on the bottom and was hit with a number of hammer fists — a downward punch with the baby-finger side of the fist — to the head.
As Elochukwu was unable to defend himself because of fatigue, the referee stepped in and stopped the bout.
The defeated fighter was not knocked out, and was coherent after the fight.
Others who were there tell a similar story.
“It’s kind of funny but the first two rounds, there wasn’t much going on at all,” said LeAnne Kobe, who was ringside.
Kobe, a photographer who regularly shoots for the Amateur Fighting Club which staged the event, added: “I didn’t even think he got hit that hard. I’ve seen much worse.”
Elochukwu stood on his own steam in the cage during the announcement of the winner and then started walking back to the dressing room. Part way there, he stopped and sat down for a rest, citing exhaustion.
Moments after paramedics helped him onto a chair, he fell from it.
Joslin — and a report from the Detroit News — say the medical team gave him CPR, and an ambulance was dispatched at 9:31 p.m.
Elochukwu was treated and pronounced dead at 10:12 p.m.
By the time Joslin arrived at hospital, he was told Elochukwu had passed away.
“I couldn’t believe it,” he said.
Kobe said few people at the fight realized they had witnessed a tragedy, as no announcement was made.
“I don’t think anyone knew what was going on,” said Kobe. “They didn’t want to make an announcement if they hadn’t notified the family.”
The legion has hosted an MMA card in the past, but not for at least a year. Fights have, on occasion, been staged at other venues in the town.
Perhaps as many as 200 people packed the hall on Saturday night.
“There were a lot of young people there, they really believe in that stuff,” said Tom Shay, a 72-year-old legion member who is a veteran and retired police officer.
Shay did not view the fight but he saw Elochukwu warming up before the match from another area of the legion. He saw the huge fighter stretching for about 20 minutes in the low light of the lounge area, where old firearms hang from the wall and Pabst Blue Ribbon is served on tap.
Detective-Lieutenant Loxton witnessed the autopsy and met with two female members of Elochukwu’s family, who came to Port Huron from Chicago to identify the body. Detectives also contacted family members in Newfoundland, England, Nigeria, Ontario and New York.
He said the investigation is essentially finished, pending the final autopsy report. Nothing of a criminal nature is being investigated.
Elochukwu began training at Joslin’s club a year or so ago.
Joslin said he walked in the door one day and said he wanted to be a fighter. He had a white belt in jiu jitsu but had won gold medals in all three competitions he’d entered.
His death has had an instant impact on the lax rules governing amateur MMA fighting in the state of Michigan. The Detroit Free Press reported that the state legislature overwhelmingly passed a bill Wednesday that will regulate the industry.
The bill will require promoters and fighters to be licensed, that they must be at least 18 years old, and that they receive a series of medical tests before competing.
Loxton said he has personally witnessed MMA fights in the area in which 13-year-old boys have competed.
www-thespec-com/news/local/article/916169--tests-continue-after-autopsy-on-city-mma-fighter-finds-no-trauma
The chief forensic investigator for the St. Clair County Medical Examiner in Port Huron, Mich., says Felix Pablo Elochukwu didn’t sustain any fatal injuries during the fight. Mary Palmateer says no signs of trauma were discovered during an autopy performed Sunday.
That preliminary finding would seem to support the stories told by Elochukwu’s coach Jeff Joslin — a former UFC fighter and longtime instructor at his family’s gym on Concession Street — and numerous others that the bout was far from a war and the fighter hadn’t taken anything close to a pounding.
Joslin, who was at the fight held in a faded, orange-brick American Legion hall just off the main drag and near the Black River, 10 minutes from the Canadian border, says it was a relatively tame contest.
Most of the time, both of the 260-pound heavyweights were grappling and wrestling.
“There were no strikes on the feet hardly at all,” Joslin said.
Port Huron Detective-Lieutenant Duane Loxton, who oversees the department’s detective bureau and has witnessed other MMA fights in the area, told The Spectator a similar story. He viewed a tape of the fight and said Elochukwu’s opponent seemingly inflicted no serious damage.
“It wasn’t a brutal fight. They both looked exhausted at the end of it.”
He said both fighters were of similar size, but Elochukwu was far more muscular.
In the third round the two tired fighters went to the mat, where Elochukwu ended up on the bottom and was hit with a number of hammer fists — a downward punch with the baby-finger side of the fist — to the head.
As Elochukwu was unable to defend himself because of fatigue, the referee stepped in and stopped the bout.
The defeated fighter was not knocked out, and was coherent after the fight.
Others who were there tell a similar story.
“It’s kind of funny but the first two rounds, there wasn’t much going on at all,” said LeAnne Kobe, who was ringside.
Kobe, a photographer who regularly shoots for the Amateur Fighting Club which staged the event, added: “I didn’t even think he got hit that hard. I’ve seen much worse.”
Elochukwu stood on his own steam in the cage during the announcement of the winner and then started walking back to the dressing room. Part way there, he stopped and sat down for a rest, citing exhaustion.
Moments after paramedics helped him onto a chair, he fell from it.
Joslin — and a report from the Detroit News — say the medical team gave him CPR, and an ambulance was dispatched at 9:31 p.m.
Elochukwu was treated and pronounced dead at 10:12 p.m.
By the time Joslin arrived at hospital, he was told Elochukwu had passed away.
“I couldn’t believe it,” he said.
Kobe said few people at the fight realized they had witnessed a tragedy, as no announcement was made.
“I don’t think anyone knew what was going on,” said Kobe. “They didn’t want to make an announcement if they hadn’t notified the family.”
The legion has hosted an MMA card in the past, but not for at least a year. Fights have, on occasion, been staged at other venues in the town.
Perhaps as many as 200 people packed the hall on Saturday night.
“There were a lot of young people there, they really believe in that stuff,” said Tom Shay, a 72-year-old legion member who is a veteran and retired police officer.
Shay did not view the fight but he saw Elochukwu warming up before the match from another area of the legion. He saw the huge fighter stretching for about 20 minutes in the low light of the lounge area, where old firearms hang from the wall and Pabst Blue Ribbon is served on tap.
Detective-Lieutenant Loxton witnessed the autopsy and met with two female members of Elochukwu’s family, who came to Port Huron from Chicago to identify the body. Detectives also contacted family members in Newfoundland, England, Nigeria, Ontario and New York.
He said the investigation is essentially finished, pending the final autopsy report. Nothing of a criminal nature is being investigated.
Elochukwu began training at Joslin’s club a year or so ago.
Joslin said he walked in the door one day and said he wanted to be a fighter. He had a white belt in jiu jitsu but had won gold medals in all three competitions he’d entered.
His death has had an instant impact on the lax rules governing amateur MMA fighting in the state of Michigan. The Detroit Free Press reported that the state legislature overwhelmingly passed a bill Wednesday that will regulate the industry.
The bill will require promoters and fighters to be licensed, that they must be at least 18 years old, and that they receive a series of medical tests before competing.
Loxton said he has personally witnessed MMA fights in the area in which 13-year-old boys have competed.
www-thespec-com/news/local/article/916169--tests-continue-after-autopsy-on-city-mma-fighter-finds-no-trauma
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2006/12/07
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Ever since she burst onto MMA headlines, Fallon Fox, has created quite a stir. There's something about a transgender fighter trying to compete with biologically born females that just rubs folks the wrong way.
UFC women's bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey, had some strong views on Fox' eligibility to compete against women which she revealed during a recent interview with the New York Post.
"She can try hormones, chop her pecker off, but it's still the same bone structure a man has," Rousey said. "It's an advantage. I don't think it's fair. … It's not something that happened to her. It was a decision she made. She should be aware in her career after that; it's going to be an arduous path. I don't know why she's surprised by that. It's going to draw a lot of emotions."
Rousey isn't the only female fighter in the UFC who feels that way towards Fox, as Miesha Tate expressed her disapproval a while back. Unlike fellow UFC fighter Matt Mitrione, who made some similar points with a lot of unnecessary insults which earned him an indefinite suspension, Ronda doesn't have to worry about the promotion's brass coming down hard on her as she stayed respectful while raising some valid concerns.
Should Fallon Fox be allowed to compete in MMA?
Absolutely! However, whether she should be allowed to compete against biologically born women in a brutal sport like mixed martial arts, given the fact she was indeed born a male, is a completely different story. Some medical experts claim Fallon's anatomy isn't that much different from that of biologically born females due to the hormone therapy she has had to undergo, but there are others who disagree. The reality is, gender reassignment surgery is still a relatively new procedure, and there hasn't been enough research done on its effects.
Is political correctness ruining the discussion?
Absolutely! While the MMA media deserves a lot of credit for consistently standing up against discrimination, it's possible to go too far. Many who express their views against Fox competing against women are quickly classified as "misinformed," when the reality is: Putting a transgender fighter inside a cage with a woman without making sure that the playing field is truly even is just as ignorant.
Y! SPORTS
UFC women's bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey, had some strong views on Fox' eligibility to compete against women which she revealed during a recent interview with the New York Post.
"She can try hormones, chop her pecker off, but it's still the same bone structure a man has," Rousey said. "It's an advantage. I don't think it's fair. … It's not something that happened to her. It was a decision she made. She should be aware in her career after that; it's going to be an arduous path. I don't know why she's surprised by that. It's going to draw a lot of emotions."
Rousey isn't the only female fighter in the UFC who feels that way towards Fox, as Miesha Tate expressed her disapproval a while back. Unlike fellow UFC fighter Matt Mitrione, who made some similar points with a lot of unnecessary insults which earned him an indefinite suspension, Ronda doesn't have to worry about the promotion's brass coming down hard on her as she stayed respectful while raising some valid concerns.
Should Fallon Fox be allowed to compete in MMA?
Absolutely! However, whether she should be allowed to compete against biologically born women in a brutal sport like mixed martial arts, given the fact she was indeed born a male, is a completely different story. Some medical experts claim Fallon's anatomy isn't that much different from that of biologically born females due to the hormone therapy she has had to undergo, but there are others who disagree. The reality is, gender reassignment surgery is still a relatively new procedure, and there hasn't been enough research done on its effects.
Is political correctness ruining the discussion?
Absolutely! While the MMA media deserves a lot of credit for consistently standing up against discrimination, it's possible to go too far. Many who express their views against Fox competing against women are quickly classified as "misinformed," when the reality is: Putting a transgender fighter inside a cage with a woman without making sure that the playing field is truly even is just as ignorant.
Y! SPORTS
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UFC chief executive Dana White helped turn mixed martial arts into a wildly lucrative industry by engaging fans and embracing show business.
Facing Olympic extinction, wrestling is now listening to its flashy cousin.
Bill Scherr, the chairman of the U.S.-based Committee to Preserve Olympic Wrestling, wrote an essay last week titled "A Shout Out to the UFC!" that signaled something of a seismic shift in the thinking among top wrestling officials.
Wrestling, with its roots in antiquity, trudged along for decades while mixed martial arts soared in popularity. But Scherr, a past world champion and successful businessman, argued that wrestling — which the IOC recently recommended be axed from the Olympics starting in 2020 — has a lot to learn from the path MMA promotion companies took to success.
"Some of the things that wrestling has been criticized (for) by the U.S. Olympic Committee are the very things that mixed martial arts, the UFC, Bellator (MMA) and others do very, very well," Scherr said. "They have vibrant television markets and audiences. They have great fan interest from a grass roots level. They have a very strong presence with all forms of digital media, including Facebook, web sites and Twitter."
It makes sense for wrestling to seek help from mixed martial arts. The two sports have been intertwined since the Octagon was conceived.
Former collegiate and international wrestlers such as Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, Dan Henderson, Chael Sonnen and Jon Jones have provided mixed martial arts with combat-ready athletes who used their skills honed on the mats to blossom into stars. Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney called wrestling the "single most important feeder system" for mixed martial arts.
But while the UFC and Bellator are raking in revenue, wrestling has been forced to re-examine itself or face dire consequences.
"When we heard it was being yanked from the Olympics, I said 'It needs to be more fan friendly. It needs to be more exciting,'" White said.
Wrestling officials have reached out to White, Rebney and others to figure out how to get there.
Any plan for a concrete partnership has not progressed past the discussion phase, with White and top U.S. wrestling officials speaking as recently as a week ago. But it's clear that, at least in the U.S., wrestling has finally acknowledged its shortcomings in the context of the modern sports culture.
"I don't think wrestling needs to compromise the sport in order to do the things we need to do to improve ourselves. The sport is pure," Scherr said. "We don't need to change the essence of the sport. What we do need to accomplish is changing the way we present the sport and the way we connect with our audience and fans."
That could include significant changes both on the mat and in the arena.
Scherr and many other wrestling officials in the U.S. and beyond have long argued for rules changes that spur more action and increase scoring.
Scherr praised mixed martial arts for emphasizing "stand up" action that's easier to follow and usually more exciting to watch than two athletes rolling around on a mat.
But Henderson, a two-time U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman team member, expressed the views of many within wrestling, who fear that tweaking the old sport to appeal to a fickle modern audience could rob wrestling of much of its essence.
Finding a middle ground will likely be a major emphasis moving forward. "Overall, I think sometimes when they've tweaked with the rules they've made it worse," Henderson said. "I'd imagine they can get guys a little more active and more scoring, get a little bit more excitement. But it's hard to compare anything to how exciting mixed martial arts is."
Wrestling officials are also exploring whether they could emulate the way UFC and Bellator put on a show.
While mixed martial arts ramps up the pre-fight ambience with lights, pyrotechnics and loud music, wrestling typically leans on little more than a public address announcer to generate excitement.
The theatrics were ramped up at the recent NCAA championships in Des Moines, Iowa, and the fans seemed to enjoy it. But Rebney, whose organization has flourished in part because of partnerships with MTV and Spike TV, believes wrestling needs to embrace and publicize its strengths rather than simply mimic of flashier aspects of mixed martial arts.
"You focus on the storytelling of the athletes, you focus on creating stars," Rebney said. "You've got to tell those stories. Wrestlers are some of the greatest athletes we've got in this country."
Generating such publicity has long been a problem for wrestling. The sport's limited television appeal compared to others Olympic competitions is a major issue. But for many in wrestling, self-promotion — hyping those personal stories that help make stars — runs counter to everything a sport built on principles of toughness and humility stands for.
Former Missouri star Ben Askren, who competed for the U.S. in the 2008 Beijing Games before joining Bellator, said he was often chided in his wrestling days simply for speaking his mind.
But it's clear that, in the wake of the IOC's recommendation, the wrestling community is trying to connect with the public and shed its somewhat stand-offish reputation.
"It is a blue-collar work ethic, I need to be humble for my sport kind of deal ... it does not lend itself to be fan friendly in certain aspects," Askren said. "My wife, she was never into wrestling until we got married. But she made a great point the other day. She said that wrestling doesn't market itself for what it's worth."
Page 2: Wrestling Turns to MMA in Fight for Olympic Spot - ABC News
Facing Olympic extinction, wrestling is now listening to its flashy cousin.
Bill Scherr, the chairman of the U.S.-based Committee to Preserve Olympic Wrestling, wrote an essay last week titled "A Shout Out to the UFC!" that signaled something of a seismic shift in the thinking among top wrestling officials.
Wrestling, with its roots in antiquity, trudged along for decades while mixed martial arts soared in popularity. But Scherr, a past world champion and successful businessman, argued that wrestling — which the IOC recently recommended be axed from the Olympics starting in 2020 — has a lot to learn from the path MMA promotion companies took to success.
"Some of the things that wrestling has been criticized (for) by the U.S. Olympic Committee are the very things that mixed martial arts, the UFC, Bellator (MMA) and others do very, very well," Scherr said. "They have vibrant television markets and audiences. They have great fan interest from a grass roots level. They have a very strong presence with all forms of digital media, including Facebook, web sites and Twitter."
It makes sense for wrestling to seek help from mixed martial arts. The two sports have been intertwined since the Octagon was conceived.
Former collegiate and international wrestlers such as Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, Dan Henderson, Chael Sonnen and Jon Jones have provided mixed martial arts with combat-ready athletes who used their skills honed on the mats to blossom into stars. Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney called wrestling the "single most important feeder system" for mixed martial arts.
But while the UFC and Bellator are raking in revenue, wrestling has been forced to re-examine itself or face dire consequences.
"When we heard it was being yanked from the Olympics, I said 'It needs to be more fan friendly. It needs to be more exciting,'" White said.
Wrestling officials have reached out to White, Rebney and others to figure out how to get there.
Any plan for a concrete partnership has not progressed past the discussion phase, with White and top U.S. wrestling officials speaking as recently as a week ago. But it's clear that, at least in the U.S., wrestling has finally acknowledged its shortcomings in the context of the modern sports culture.
"I don't think wrestling needs to compromise the sport in order to do the things we need to do to improve ourselves. The sport is pure," Scherr said. "We don't need to change the essence of the sport. What we do need to accomplish is changing the way we present the sport and the way we connect with our audience and fans."
That could include significant changes both on the mat and in the arena.
Scherr and many other wrestling officials in the U.S. and beyond have long argued for rules changes that spur more action and increase scoring.
Scherr praised mixed martial arts for emphasizing "stand up" action that's easier to follow and usually more exciting to watch than two athletes rolling around on a mat.
But Henderson, a two-time U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman team member, expressed the views of many within wrestling, who fear that tweaking the old sport to appeal to a fickle modern audience could rob wrestling of much of its essence.
Finding a middle ground will likely be a major emphasis moving forward. "Overall, I think sometimes when they've tweaked with the rules they've made it worse," Henderson said. "I'd imagine they can get guys a little more active and more scoring, get a little bit more excitement. But it's hard to compare anything to how exciting mixed martial arts is."
Wrestling officials are also exploring whether they could emulate the way UFC and Bellator put on a show.
While mixed martial arts ramps up the pre-fight ambience with lights, pyrotechnics and loud music, wrestling typically leans on little more than a public address announcer to generate excitement.
The theatrics were ramped up at the recent NCAA championships in Des Moines, Iowa, and the fans seemed to enjoy it. But Rebney, whose organization has flourished in part because of partnerships with MTV and Spike TV, believes wrestling needs to embrace and publicize its strengths rather than simply mimic of flashier aspects of mixed martial arts.
"You focus on the storytelling of the athletes, you focus on creating stars," Rebney said. "You've got to tell those stories. Wrestlers are some of the greatest athletes we've got in this country."
Generating such publicity has long been a problem for wrestling. The sport's limited television appeal compared to others Olympic competitions is a major issue. But for many in wrestling, self-promotion — hyping those personal stories that help make stars — runs counter to everything a sport built on principles of toughness and humility stands for.
Former Missouri star Ben Askren, who competed for the U.S. in the 2008 Beijing Games before joining Bellator, said he was often chided in his wrestling days simply for speaking his mind.
But it's clear that, in the wake of the IOC's recommendation, the wrestling community is trying to connect with the public and shed its somewhat stand-offish reputation.
"It is a blue-collar work ethic, I need to be humble for my sport kind of deal ... it does not lend itself to be fan friendly in certain aspects," Askren said. "My wife, she was never into wrestling until we got married. But she made a great point the other day. She said that wrestling doesn't market itself for what it's worth."
Page 2: Wrestling Turns to MMA in Fight for Olympic Spot - ABC News
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The violence and artistry of mixed martial arts attracts many fans and fighters to the sport’s caged octagon. He took the long flat highway west to the end of his life; past empty fields and arid scenery, two hours from his home in Hamilton.
Ten minutes across the United States border he passed a hospital where his body would be taken in an ambulance.
He passed old buildings in downtown Port Huron, Michigan, and crossed a drawbridge over the Black River.
On Sixth Street, across from Our Saviour Lutheran Church, Felix Nchikwo entered a faded legion hall for his first and last fight.
Mixed martial arts (MMA) events at the professional level, such as those promoted by UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) are grand spectacles: pounding music, coloured lights, thousands of fans, TV cameras, and big money on the line.
Amateur, poorly-regulated MMA events are not so grand. The amateur circuit has been called the sport’s dark shadow, where fighters as young as 13 have been allowed to compete.
A sign inside Legion Post No. 8 says “gentlemen are required to remove hats during dinner hours.” Fish fries and burger nights are the norm here, not an AFC (Amateur Fighting Club) event dubbed Unleash the Beast by its promoter.
But a caged octagon, perhaps most anywhere, is where Felix Nchikwo yearned to be.
It was to be the first step for the heavyweight fighter who arrived in Hamilton last year via Memorial University in New Brunswick, and his native Nigeria. He had come to train under acclaimed MMA master Jeff Joslin.
Joslin said Nchikwo — also known as Pablo Elochukwu — walked in through the doors of his eponymous gym on Concession Street and announced he wanted to be a MMA fighter. The huge, muscular 35-year old had already competed and won medals in jiu jitsu — one of the three disciplines that define mixed martial arts fighting (the other two are boxing and wrestling.)
‘I’m going to take him out’
Nchikwo loved to joke around with other fighters in the gym. But he was mostly serious when he declared in his West African accent that he would one day call out — challenge — famed MMA heavyweight fighter Alistair Overeem.
“I’m going to take him out,” Nchikwo boasted in his good-natured way.
But his dream ended at the Port Huron legion, not long after his opponent, from Michigan, had defeated him in three rounds in front of about 200 people.
About 30 minutes after the fight Nchikwo died.
Police investigated (MMA Fighter Death is the heading on the Port Huron Police Department information release.) Autopsy results won’t be released for about eight weeks but the local medical examiner said death had not come from trauma suffered during the fight.
Nevertheless, Nchikwo is, according to news accounts, the third MMA amateur fighter to die following a bout in less than a year and a half.
The most recent was a 26-year-old who reportedly died after an unregulated amateur bout in South Dakota after having tapped out (declared submission) to a choke hold. He had a seizure shortly afterwards, underwent a brain procedure in hospital and died 12 days later.
Professional MMA fighters have died, too, but it is rare. Hamilton MMA fighter Ryan Dickson says it looks primitive and violent to the viewer, but he believes regulated, professional mixed martial arts is not as dangerous as hockey and other sports he has played.
Others say that while violence is a byproduct of contact sports such as football and hockey, it is fundamental to MMA. Some commentators have likened it to human cockfighting and “degenerate prize fighting” — barbs that incite a torrent of counterpoints from fans and fighters on online comment forums.
A barbaric violence
“It is barbaric,” says Kevin Wamsley, a professor of kinesiology at Western University in London. “Fists are used as weapons, you see the blood, the damage done, fighters are routinely knocked out and injured — the whole point of the sport is to make your opponent give up. (UFC) sells a form of masculinity, it’s about how tough you are, how much pain you can deliver, and resist.”
To others, MMA is controlled violence, a chess match played in a cage, not a brawl but rather a scientific clash of angles and technique, fuelled by courage, athleticism, and strength. Moreover, it is true to life, unlike the theatrics of professional wrestling.
What is not debatable is how popular MMA has become under the UFC banner. Fans, and fighters, cross all demographics. More than 20,000 fans packed the Bell Centre in Montreal last month to see local and international hero Georges St-Pierre compete.
Professional MMA is legal in Ontario and highly regulated.
There are still plenty of no-holds-barred “tough guy” competitions in the U.S. that make UFC look old-fashioned by comparison. In contrast to these fringe events, Wamsley says UFC mastered a marketing machine that has legitimized and normalized professional MMA, drawing fans away from boxing and other sports.
But he believes that couching MMA as a mainstream sport has served to obscure its essential ruthlessness.
One unwarranted criticism is that mixed martial arts is a new concoction. A blend of boxing and wrestling, with minimal rules, was featured at the Greek Olympics in 648 BC called pankration, from the Greek word meaning “all powers.”
Men (and some women) are attracted to becoming MMA fighters for a variety of reasons.
A Sports Illustrated story about a famed gym in Albuquerque, New Mexico, (where Georges St-Pierre trained) likened participants to modern day gladiators engaged in “mysticism and mayhem.”
Fighters speak of pursuing the sport to find redemption in their lives, to see how far they can push themselves, and to channel aggression.
The story described the gym’s founder, Greg Jackson, as a pacifist and philosopher king who inspires fighters by quoting Genghis Khan, Ernest Shackleton, Abraham Lincoln, and Carl von Clausewitz.
As for Felix Nchikwo
Ten minutes across the United States border he passed a hospital where his body would be taken in an ambulance.
He passed old buildings in downtown Port Huron, Michigan, and crossed a drawbridge over the Black River.
On Sixth Street, across from Our Saviour Lutheran Church, Felix Nchikwo entered a faded legion hall for his first and last fight.
Mixed martial arts (MMA) events at the professional level, such as those promoted by UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) are grand spectacles: pounding music, coloured lights, thousands of fans, TV cameras, and big money on the line.
Amateur, poorly-regulated MMA events are not so grand. The amateur circuit has been called the sport’s dark shadow, where fighters as young as 13 have been allowed to compete.
A sign inside Legion Post No. 8 says “gentlemen are required to remove hats during dinner hours.” Fish fries and burger nights are the norm here, not an AFC (Amateur Fighting Club) event dubbed Unleash the Beast by its promoter.
But a caged octagon, perhaps most anywhere, is where Felix Nchikwo yearned to be.
It was to be the first step for the heavyweight fighter who arrived in Hamilton last year via Memorial University in New Brunswick, and his native Nigeria. He had come to train under acclaimed MMA master Jeff Joslin.
Joslin said Nchikwo — also known as Pablo Elochukwu — walked in through the doors of his eponymous gym on Concession Street and announced he wanted to be a MMA fighter. The huge, muscular 35-year old had already competed and won medals in jiu jitsu — one of the three disciplines that define mixed martial arts fighting (the other two are boxing and wrestling.)
‘I’m going to take him out’
Nchikwo loved to joke around with other fighters in the gym. But he was mostly serious when he declared in his West African accent that he would one day call out — challenge — famed MMA heavyweight fighter Alistair Overeem.
“I’m going to take him out,” Nchikwo boasted in his good-natured way.
But his dream ended at the Port Huron legion, not long after his opponent, from Michigan, had defeated him in three rounds in front of about 200 people.
About 30 minutes after the fight Nchikwo died.
Police investigated (MMA Fighter Death is the heading on the Port Huron Police Department information release.) Autopsy results won’t be released for about eight weeks but the local medical examiner said death had not come from trauma suffered during the fight.
Nevertheless, Nchikwo is, according to news accounts, the third MMA amateur fighter to die following a bout in less than a year and a half.
The most recent was a 26-year-old who reportedly died after an unregulated amateur bout in South Dakota after having tapped out (declared submission) to a choke hold. He had a seizure shortly afterwards, underwent a brain procedure in hospital and died 12 days later.
Professional MMA fighters have died, too, but it is rare. Hamilton MMA fighter Ryan Dickson says it looks primitive and violent to the viewer, but he believes regulated, professional mixed martial arts is not as dangerous as hockey and other sports he has played.
Others say that while violence is a byproduct of contact sports such as football and hockey, it is fundamental to MMA. Some commentators have likened it to human cockfighting and “degenerate prize fighting” — barbs that incite a torrent of counterpoints from fans and fighters on online comment forums.
A barbaric violence
“It is barbaric,” says Kevin Wamsley, a professor of kinesiology at Western University in London. “Fists are used as weapons, you see the blood, the damage done, fighters are routinely knocked out and injured — the whole point of the sport is to make your opponent give up. (UFC) sells a form of masculinity, it’s about how tough you are, how much pain you can deliver, and resist.”
To others, MMA is controlled violence, a chess match played in a cage, not a brawl but rather a scientific clash of angles and technique, fuelled by courage, athleticism, and strength. Moreover, it is true to life, unlike the theatrics of professional wrestling.
What is not debatable is how popular MMA has become under the UFC banner. Fans, and fighters, cross all demographics. More than 20,000 fans packed the Bell Centre in Montreal last month to see local and international hero Georges St-Pierre compete.
Professional MMA is legal in Ontario and highly regulated.
There are still plenty of no-holds-barred “tough guy” competitions in the U.S. that make UFC look old-fashioned by comparison. In contrast to these fringe events, Wamsley says UFC mastered a marketing machine that has legitimized and normalized professional MMA, drawing fans away from boxing and other sports.
But he believes that couching MMA as a mainstream sport has served to obscure its essential ruthlessness.
One unwarranted criticism is that mixed martial arts is a new concoction. A blend of boxing and wrestling, with minimal rules, was featured at the Greek Olympics in 648 BC called pankration, from the Greek word meaning “all powers.”
Men (and some women) are attracted to becoming MMA fighters for a variety of reasons.
A Sports Illustrated story about a famed gym in Albuquerque, New Mexico, (where Georges St-Pierre trained) likened participants to modern day gladiators engaged in “mysticism and mayhem.”
Fighters speak of pursuing the sport to find redemption in their lives, to see how far they can push themselves, and to channel aggression.
The story described the gym’s founder, Greg Jackson, as a pacifist and philosopher king who inspires fighters by quoting Genghis Khan, Ernest Shackleton, Abraham Lincoln, and Carl von Clausewitz.
As for Felix Nchikwo
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One of the most popular USA Online Sportsbooks is Bovada. Safe and secure sports betting, revolutionary online poker platform that respects player data, racebook and industry-leading customer service are just some of the benefits of joining Bovada. Casino and poker fans get the same great service and odds and wagering on the Kentucky Derby or mma/ufc. It’s all available within a single sign-on process to make playing all areas a breeze.
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WHY Bovada? Competetive bonuses! User friendly betting software! 15+ years of Security and TRUST! The BEST 24/7 customer service in the industry! Bovada Live: Bet on every play!
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In eight years as Albany County district attorney, David Soares has traded blows with steroids dealers, fraudsters and an ample supply of political detractors.
Now he feels compelled to strike one for a favorite sport — mixed martial arts.
Professional bouts of the athletic combat remain illegal in New York and have come under fire for their perceived brutality from other prosecutors, including fellow Democrat Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice
The Republican-led state Senate voted last month to legalize and regulate the fights, and a Siena Research Institute poll released Friday suggests public support for that is growing. A bill that would do the same is again pending in the Assembly, which in past years refused to take the issue up — with former Colonie Assemblyman Bob Reilly leading the moral resistance.
But unlike Reilly and Rice, who argued in a recent Times Union op-ed that the sometimes bloody bouts teach grim lessons to children about the heroism of brutality, Soares contends MMA can be a valuable tool to steer kids off streets that pose more dire threats to their safety — much like the city's oft-touted Quail Street boxing gym.
"Sports has always been a very important part of diversion," Soares told Insider this week. "These are people who are involved in a sport that requires a lot of discipline, a lot of focus. Look how many street kids were saved from lives of crime because they were drawn into boxing in the 1970s. Marvin Hagler was not going to be an accountant."
While not a fighter himself, Soares said he's followed MMA since its earliest years as the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the 1990s, tuning in with friends in his parents' Rhode Island basement.
Since then, he said, the sport has evolved into respectability from its loose, no-holds-barred roots. "The entire sport has changed," he said. "There are a lot of strikes that you cannot do in the octagon."
Ignoring that, he said, "fails to appreciate the just thousands of children that are involved in martial arts or boxing" — including, he noted, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones, who is originally from Rochester.
Still, the prosecutor said he gets that MMA isn't for everyone — the same way his father, a devoted boxing fan, never got football.
"All he would see is the snap of the ball and a pile of bodies," he said, adding of MMA's opponents: "When they're watching these two guys in the octagon, they're not seeing the years of discipline, timing, movement. ... All they're seeing is two young guys pummeling each other. But there are many of us who do see the beauty in these arts."
Challenger for McLaughlin?
Albany Common Council President Carolyn McLaughlin may not get a free pass this summer after all.
While McLaughlin remains the only announced candidate for the post that is next in line to be mayor, John Marsolais told Insider Friday that he is seriously considering a run for the council president's chair that McLaughlin has held since 2010.
Marsolais, who retired two years ago as city clerk and is the former 13th Ward Democratic leader, has never before sought elected office but is no stranger to the council chamber. The clerk is the only department head appointed by the council, and from 2003 to 2011 he sat beside McLaughlin and her two predecessors — Shawn Morris and Helen Desfosses — on the dais.
"I'm very seriously considering it," said Marsolais, who now lives in the 8th Ward, citing his more than three decades of experience in city government, including as deputy treasurer, deputy general services commissioner and top aide to former Mayor Thomas M. Whalen III "I think I'm a steady hand, and I think I can bring different people together for discussion."
Marsolais stressed he has no personal quarrel with McLaughlin but noted that, while not his primary motivation, some Democrats are still sore with McLaughlin for not abandoning her campaign against then-Cohoes Mayor John T. McDonald III after losing last year's 108th Assembly District primary.
"She kind of upset a few people as a party officer not supporting the Democratic candidate," Marsolais said. McLaughlin is secretary to the Albany County Democratic Committee.
McLaughlin fiercely defended her right to do so, noting she had earned the right to be on the ballot on the Working Families Party line.
Marsolais also noted that McLaughlin herself said last week that competition is a good thing when she backed newcomer Vivian Kornegay for Common Council in the 2nd Ward — a seat McLaughlin held for 12 years — over incumbent Democrat Lester Freeman
"I had an opponent every time I ran. All three times," McLaughlin said. "It keeps you accountable."
Soares now in the corner for MMA - Times Union
Now he feels compelled to strike one for a favorite sport — mixed martial arts.
Professional bouts of the athletic combat remain illegal in New York and have come under fire for their perceived brutality from other prosecutors, including fellow Democrat Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice
The Republican-led state Senate voted last month to legalize and regulate the fights, and a Siena Research Institute poll released Friday suggests public support for that is growing. A bill that would do the same is again pending in the Assembly, which in past years refused to take the issue up — with former Colonie Assemblyman Bob Reilly leading the moral resistance.
But unlike Reilly and Rice, who argued in a recent Times Union op-ed that the sometimes bloody bouts teach grim lessons to children about the heroism of brutality, Soares contends MMA can be a valuable tool to steer kids off streets that pose more dire threats to their safety — much like the city's oft-touted Quail Street boxing gym.
"Sports has always been a very important part of diversion," Soares told Insider this week. "These are people who are involved in a sport that requires a lot of discipline, a lot of focus. Look how many street kids were saved from lives of crime because they were drawn into boxing in the 1970s. Marvin Hagler was not going to be an accountant."
While not a fighter himself, Soares said he's followed MMA since its earliest years as the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the 1990s, tuning in with friends in his parents' Rhode Island basement.
Since then, he said, the sport has evolved into respectability from its loose, no-holds-barred roots. "The entire sport has changed," he said. "There are a lot of strikes that you cannot do in the octagon."
Ignoring that, he said, "fails to appreciate the just thousands of children that are involved in martial arts or boxing" — including, he noted, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones, who is originally from Rochester.
Still, the prosecutor said he gets that MMA isn't for everyone — the same way his father, a devoted boxing fan, never got football.
"All he would see is the snap of the ball and a pile of bodies," he said, adding of MMA's opponents: "When they're watching these two guys in the octagon, they're not seeing the years of discipline, timing, movement. ... All they're seeing is two young guys pummeling each other. But there are many of us who do see the beauty in these arts."
Challenger for McLaughlin?
Albany Common Council President Carolyn McLaughlin may not get a free pass this summer after all.
While McLaughlin remains the only announced candidate for the post that is next in line to be mayor, John Marsolais told Insider Friday that he is seriously considering a run for the council president's chair that McLaughlin has held since 2010.
Marsolais, who retired two years ago as city clerk and is the former 13th Ward Democratic leader, has never before sought elected office but is no stranger to the council chamber. The clerk is the only department head appointed by the council, and from 2003 to 2011 he sat beside McLaughlin and her two predecessors — Shawn Morris and Helen Desfosses — on the dais.
"I'm very seriously considering it," said Marsolais, who now lives in the 8th Ward, citing his more than three decades of experience in city government, including as deputy treasurer, deputy general services commissioner and top aide to former Mayor Thomas M. Whalen III "I think I'm a steady hand, and I think I can bring different people together for discussion."
Marsolais stressed he has no personal quarrel with McLaughlin but noted that, while not his primary motivation, some Democrats are still sore with McLaughlin for not abandoning her campaign against then-Cohoes Mayor John T. McDonald III after losing last year's 108th Assembly District primary.
"She kind of upset a few people as a party officer not supporting the Democratic candidate," Marsolais said. McLaughlin is secretary to the Albany County Democratic Committee.
McLaughlin fiercely defended her right to do so, noting she had earned the right to be on the ballot on the Working Families Party line.
Marsolais also noted that McLaughlin herself said last week that competition is a good thing when she backed newcomer Vivian Kornegay for Common Council in the 2nd Ward — a seat McLaughlin held for 12 years — over incumbent Democrat Lester Freeman
"I had an opponent every time I ran. All three times," McLaughlin said. "It keeps you accountable."
Soares now in the corner for MMA - Times Union
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After this past weekend, UFC heavyweight Travis Browne and Legacy FC flyweight Will Campuzano made strides in the USA TODAY Sports and MMAjunkie-com MMA rankings.
Browne, who picked up a 71-second TKO win over Gabriel Gonzaga at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale, supplanted Shane Carwin and swapped spots with him, moving from No. 14 to No. 12 in the heavyweight rankings. Campuzano, who earned a decision win over Alan Nascimento in a title fight at Legacy FC 19, moved from No. 14 to No. 13 in the flyweight rankings.
Looking ahead, a big weekend is in store with UFC on FOX 7, which features 11 top 15 fighters, including No. 1 lightweight Benson Henderson, who puts his belt on the line against No. 2 Gilbert Melendez in the headliner.
( Ranking Criteria: The rankings take into account a fighter's wins/losses, quality of competition, finishing rate/dominance and frequency of fights.
Fighters are no longer eligible to be ranked after they've been inactive for 24 months, either due to injuries, drug/conduct suspensions, contract disputes or self-imposed hiatuses.
Fighters serving drug/conduct suspensions are eligible to be ranked, so long as they're not inactive for more than 24 months.
To the best of our ability, fighters will be ranked in their primary weight class. Catchweight fights and bouts outside the fighter's primary weight class can have a positive or negative impact on the ranking. However, fighters can be ranked in only one weight class at a given time, and in most cases, they won't be ranked in a new weight class until they've had their first fight at that weight.)
The list: USA TODAY Sports - MMA Rankings – MMAjunkie-com
Browne, who picked up a 71-second TKO win over Gabriel Gonzaga at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale, supplanted Shane Carwin and swapped spots with him, moving from No. 14 to No. 12 in the heavyweight rankings. Campuzano, who earned a decision win over Alan Nascimento in a title fight at Legacy FC 19, moved from No. 14 to No. 13 in the flyweight rankings.
Looking ahead, a big weekend is in store with UFC on FOX 7, which features 11 top 15 fighters, including No. 1 lightweight Benson Henderson, who puts his belt on the line against No. 2 Gilbert Melendez in the headliner.
( Ranking Criteria: The rankings take into account a fighter's wins/losses, quality of competition, finishing rate/dominance and frequency of fights.
Fighters are no longer eligible to be ranked after they've been inactive for 24 months, either due to injuries, drug/conduct suspensions, contract disputes or self-imposed hiatuses.
Fighters serving drug/conduct suspensions are eligible to be ranked, so long as they're not inactive for more than 24 months.
To the best of our ability, fighters will be ranked in their primary weight class. Catchweight fights and bouts outside the fighter's primary weight class can have a positive or negative impact on the ranking. However, fighters can be ranked in only one weight class at a given time, and in most cases, they won't be ranked in a new weight class until they've had their first fight at that weight.)
The list: USA TODAY Sports - MMA Rankings – MMAjunkie-com
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
After being drafted by the B.C. Lions, Paul (Typhoon) Cheng remembers being on the field at B.C. Place and looking up high into the stands at the $10 seats he used to occupy as fan.
"Hard work does pay off," Cheng remembers thinking. "It (pro football) didn't last very long but it's a memory I'll always remember for the rest of my life."
Now the 34-year-old from Coquitlam, B.C., is looking at another sporting journey. The former defensive tackle has signed a six-fight exclusive contract with the Asia-based One Fighting Championship.
Cheng (3-1) is a fledgling MMA fighter but he has great appeal to One FC. Raised in Taiwan - he came to Canada when he was nine - he speaks fluent Mandarin.
Plus he is a heavyweight, adding to a One FC weight class that consists of former UFC champions Andrei Ar-lovski, Tim (Maine-iac) Sylvia, jiu-jitsu star Rolles Gracie and former King of the Cage cruiserweight champion Tony Bonello.
Cheng, who expects to make his One FC debut this summer, recalls watching Arlovski and Sylvia fight for the UFC title back in 2006.
"There's a distinct possibility that I might be getting onto the cage with one of those guys pretty soon," he said with wonder in his voice.
Coach Sal Ram says Cheng has the tools to impress.
"What makes him special is he's a gentle giant," said Ram, who runs Clinch MMA in Burnaby B.C.
"He's a very nice guy. He's such a respectful person, a very humble person," Ram continued. "But when it comes down to it, he's got this switch which he can just turn on and, boom, he just becomes a caged animal. That's a really rare commodity in an athlete."
Going from football to MMA was a tougher transition than Cheng thought. In football, you hit high gear for 20 seconds then get a rest.
"MMA wasn't that way. I had to rebuild my whole training system," he said.
He took up running "and being a defensive lineman, we don't like to run," he said with a laugh.
As a defensive lineman, the six-foot-three Cheng weighed 285 pounds. As an MMA fighter, he has slimmed down to 256.
Cheng is still new to MMA, using his savings to finance full-time training the last two years. A former financial consultant, he saw it as an investment in himself.
In addition to Ram, Cheng has former UFC and Pride fighter Denis Kang on his side. Born in Saint Pierre & Miquelon to a Korean father and French mother, Kang went on to fight around the world, including South Korea.
"He's been taking me under his wing. I'm very grateful," said Cheng.
While Cheng only has four fights under his belt, he says none were gimmes. And the last two took him to enemy territory.
He knocked out Ryan Hunter last November at AFC 12: Domination in Calgary. And he stopped Eric Barrak in May 2012 at Ringside MMA 13: The St. Patrick's Day Beatdown in Montreal.
Cheng, who says his face has a tendency to swell when hit, showed he can take a punch against Hunter. His right eye was almost closed when he wobbled the Calgary fighter with a right to the chin and then put him away on the ground.
"Playing football I've been hit all my life," Cheng said.
Cheng's one loss was at AFC 7 in November 2011, when he was submitted via arm-triangle choke by Peter Nolan. It was a loss that convinced him to get serious about jiu-jitsu.
After arriving from Taiwan, Cheng attended Cham-inade College School in Toronto. He recalls turning on the TV and watching the Buffalo Bills, falling in love with football.
"In Asia there was no such game," he said. "I was fortunate to move to Canada."
Cheng wrestled and played football at Simon Fraser University, picking up a degree in economics along the way.
At SFU, he was a NAIA all-American in his final year before being drafted sixth overall by B.C. in the 2002 CFL draft.
It had been his dream to play pro football. But it wasn't an easy road.
"Like my Mom told me when I was a kid, 'Watch the TV. Have you ever seen a Chinese kid on the field?'"
Cheng did not catch on with the Lions, who put him on the practice roster three-quarters of the way through the 2002 season. The next season, he went to training camp in Calgary, where he was cut after a new coach brought in new linemen.
He dabbled with the Canadian bobsled team before stints with the Arena Football League's Colorado Crush and the Alouettes.
He was cut in camp by Montreal before the first pre-season game in 2005.
"As an athlete you lose your confidence," he said. "I was like 24, 25 years old and I just had it. I couldn't find a home, just going team to team, place to place. I never felt like I fit in."
"I got a shot. That's all I can ask for," he concluded.
The football failure rankled.
"For a long time in my life, because I was a first-round draft pick, it's hard to live with yourself in terms of you were a good athlete and all of a sudden you're what they might call a bust."
Still he says he has no regrets. The CFL provided him with "a lot of life experience" and exposed him to competition at a high level.
That experience, he says, has helped him deal with the pressures of climbing into a cage to fight.
After football, he got a day job working at the Royal Bank as a financial consultant.
"I found office work wasn't for me," he explained.
Cheng ended up getting work as a stuntman, appearing in the two "Night at the Museum" films. His journey into combat sports involved Ram, who now serves as Cheng's coach. Cheng used to watch him fight and occasionally joined Ram in his boxing training.
At the time, Cheng wasn't taken by jiu-jitsu - "I didn't really like rolling around with sweaty guys."
He started boxing in 2006, eventually going 3-1 as a pro. But he says while he enjoyed the ring he realized that it was a sport that required starting young.
"I just wanted to find something where I could make it to a high-level quickly and MMA was what I found," he said.
Ram says Cheng spends long hours at his gym, honing his skills. B
"Hard work does pay off," Cheng remembers thinking. "It (pro football) didn't last very long but it's a memory I'll always remember for the rest of my life."
Now the 34-year-old from Coquitlam, B.C., is looking at another sporting journey. The former defensive tackle has signed a six-fight exclusive contract with the Asia-based One Fighting Championship.
Cheng (3-1) is a fledgling MMA fighter but he has great appeal to One FC. Raised in Taiwan - he came to Canada when he was nine - he speaks fluent Mandarin.
Plus he is a heavyweight, adding to a One FC weight class that consists of former UFC champions Andrei Ar-lovski, Tim (Maine-iac) Sylvia, jiu-jitsu star Rolles Gracie and former King of the Cage cruiserweight champion Tony Bonello.
Cheng, who expects to make his One FC debut this summer, recalls watching Arlovski and Sylvia fight for the UFC title back in 2006.
"There's a distinct possibility that I might be getting onto the cage with one of those guys pretty soon," he said with wonder in his voice.
Coach Sal Ram says Cheng has the tools to impress.
"What makes him special is he's a gentle giant," said Ram, who runs Clinch MMA in Burnaby B.C.
"He's a very nice guy. He's such a respectful person, a very humble person," Ram continued. "But when it comes down to it, he's got this switch which he can just turn on and, boom, he just becomes a caged animal. That's a really rare commodity in an athlete."
Going from football to MMA was a tougher transition than Cheng thought. In football, you hit high gear for 20 seconds then get a rest.
"MMA wasn't that way. I had to rebuild my whole training system," he said.
He took up running "and being a defensive lineman, we don't like to run," he said with a laugh.
As a defensive lineman, the six-foot-three Cheng weighed 285 pounds. As an MMA fighter, he has slimmed down to 256.
Cheng is still new to MMA, using his savings to finance full-time training the last two years. A former financial consultant, he saw it as an investment in himself.
In addition to Ram, Cheng has former UFC and Pride fighter Denis Kang on his side. Born in Saint Pierre & Miquelon to a Korean father and French mother, Kang went on to fight around the world, including South Korea.
"He's been taking me under his wing. I'm very grateful," said Cheng.
While Cheng only has four fights under his belt, he says none were gimmes. And the last two took him to enemy territory.
He knocked out Ryan Hunter last November at AFC 12: Domination in Calgary. And he stopped Eric Barrak in May 2012 at Ringside MMA 13: The St. Patrick's Day Beatdown in Montreal.
Cheng, who says his face has a tendency to swell when hit, showed he can take a punch against Hunter. His right eye was almost closed when he wobbled the Calgary fighter with a right to the chin and then put him away on the ground.
"Playing football I've been hit all my life," Cheng said.
Cheng's one loss was at AFC 7 in November 2011, when he was submitted via arm-triangle choke by Peter Nolan. It was a loss that convinced him to get serious about jiu-jitsu.
After arriving from Taiwan, Cheng attended Cham-inade College School in Toronto. He recalls turning on the TV and watching the Buffalo Bills, falling in love with football.
"In Asia there was no such game," he said. "I was fortunate to move to Canada."
Cheng wrestled and played football at Simon Fraser University, picking up a degree in economics along the way.
At SFU, he was a NAIA all-American in his final year before being drafted sixth overall by B.C. in the 2002 CFL draft.
It had been his dream to play pro football. But it wasn't an easy road.
"Like my Mom told me when I was a kid, 'Watch the TV. Have you ever seen a Chinese kid on the field?'"
Cheng did not catch on with the Lions, who put him on the practice roster three-quarters of the way through the 2002 season. The next season, he went to training camp in Calgary, where he was cut after a new coach brought in new linemen.
He dabbled with the Canadian bobsled team before stints with the Arena Football League's Colorado Crush and the Alouettes.
He was cut in camp by Montreal before the first pre-season game in 2005.
"As an athlete you lose your confidence," he said. "I was like 24, 25 years old and I just had it. I couldn't find a home, just going team to team, place to place. I never felt like I fit in."
"I got a shot. That's all I can ask for," he concluded.
The football failure rankled.
"For a long time in my life, because I was a first-round draft pick, it's hard to live with yourself in terms of you were a good athlete and all of a sudden you're what they might call a bust."
Still he says he has no regrets. The CFL provided him with "a lot of life experience" and exposed him to competition at a high level.
That experience, he says, has helped him deal with the pressures of climbing into a cage to fight.
After football, he got a day job working at the Royal Bank as a financial consultant.
"I found office work wasn't for me," he explained.
Cheng ended up getting work as a stuntman, appearing in the two "Night at the Museum" films. His journey into combat sports involved Ram, who now serves as Cheng's coach. Cheng used to watch him fight and occasionally joined Ram in his boxing training.
At the time, Cheng wasn't taken by jiu-jitsu - "I didn't really like rolling around with sweaty guys."
He started boxing in 2006, eventually going 3-1 as a pro. But he says while he enjoyed the ring he realized that it was a sport that required starting young.
"I just wanted to find something where I could make it to a high-level quickly and MMA was what I found," he said.
Ram says Cheng spends long hours at his gym, honing his skills. B
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More than just a polarizing champion, Anderson Silva has worn several hats in his near seven-year reign over the UFC's middleweight division.
The 37-year-old Silva, the sport's top pound-for-pound fighter who last tasted defeat in January 2006, has played the roles of innovator, standard setter and ambassador, just to name a few.
Although the fledgling sport of mixed martial arts has yet to last the test of time, extraordinary fighters like "The Spider" support the theory that it will.
Here are three ways Silva has changed the sport of MMA.
Pictures: 3 Ways Anderson Silva Has Changed the Sport of MMA | Bleacher Report
The 37-year-old Silva, the sport's top pound-for-pound fighter who last tasted defeat in January 2006, has played the roles of innovator, standard setter and ambassador, just to name a few.
Although the fledgling sport of mixed martial arts has yet to last the test of time, extraordinary fighters like "The Spider" support the theory that it will.
Here are three ways Silva has changed the sport of MMA.
Pictures: 3 Ways Anderson Silva Has Changed the Sport of MMA | Bleacher Report
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Veteran MMA referee Josh Rosenthal awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana and possession with intent to distribute.
One year ago, federal agents raided an Oakland, Calif., warehouse owned by Rosenthal and an associate that contained 1,356 marijuana plants, according to a copy of the agreement, which MMAjunkie-com obtained from the U.S. District Attorney's office in Oakland.
The drug's street value was estimated at more than $6 million.
Rosenthal is due in U.S. District Court on May 17. The government is recommending 37 months in jail, fines and five years of probation, during which he would be subject to random searches, according to the agreement. Without a deal, he faced 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and a minimum of five years' probation.
However, the court ultimately will decide Rosenthal's sentence.
Rosenthal, who agreed to a plea deal in January, did not respond to request for comment. His lawyer of record, Ted W. Cassman, was unavailable for comment.
A jiu-jitsu practitioner and martial artist, Rosenthal has officiated dozens of high-profile bouts in the UFC, including a heavyweight title fight at UFC 116 between then-champ Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin. The Nevada State Athletic Commission chose Rosenthal after Lesnar and UFC officials objected to veteran ref Steve Mazzagatti getting the assignment.
After the fight, UFC President Dana White praised Rosenthal's restraint in the bout's first round, when Carwin unleashed a flurry of punches upon the downed Lesnar. The now-retired Lesnar went on to win the bout via second-round submission.
As of late, Rosenthal has been conspicuously absent from major MMA events. Earlier this month, he gave an interview to website BloodyElbow-com in which he said his absence was the result of a staph infection. He said he would be officiating an event in May and made no mention of legal trouble.
Veteran MMA ref Josh Rosenthal cops plea, awaits sentencing in marijuana case | News – MMAjunkie-com
One year ago, federal agents raided an Oakland, Calif., warehouse owned by Rosenthal and an associate that contained 1,356 marijuana plants, according to a copy of the agreement, which MMAjunkie-com obtained from the U.S. District Attorney's office in Oakland.
The drug's street value was estimated at more than $6 million.
Rosenthal is due in U.S. District Court on May 17. The government is recommending 37 months in jail, fines and five years of probation, during which he would be subject to random searches, according to the agreement. Without a deal, he faced 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and a minimum of five years' probation.
However, the court ultimately will decide Rosenthal's sentence.
Rosenthal, who agreed to a plea deal in January, did not respond to request for comment. His lawyer of record, Ted W. Cassman, was unavailable for comment.
A jiu-jitsu practitioner and martial artist, Rosenthal has officiated dozens of high-profile bouts in the UFC, including a heavyweight title fight at UFC 116 between then-champ Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin. The Nevada State Athletic Commission chose Rosenthal after Lesnar and UFC officials objected to veteran ref Steve Mazzagatti getting the assignment.
After the fight, UFC President Dana White praised Rosenthal's restraint in the bout's first round, when Carwin unleashed a flurry of punches upon the downed Lesnar. The now-retired Lesnar went on to win the bout via second-round submission.
As of late, Rosenthal has been conspicuously absent from major MMA events. Earlier this month, he gave an interview to website BloodyElbow-com in which he said his absence was the result of a staph infection. He said he would be officiating an event in May and made no mention of legal trouble.
Veteran MMA ref Josh Rosenthal cops plea, awaits sentencing in marijuana case | News – MMAjunkie-com
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A few weeks ago, former two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir revealed he would be moving his training camp for upcoming his bout against Daniel Cormier at UFC on FOX 7, which goes down this weekend (April 20, 2013) from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.
Originally doing work in Las Vegas, Nevada, Mir relocated to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to train at the famed Jackson-Winkeljohn Mixed Martial Arts academy.
Permanently.
The move was a much-needed change of scenery, which helped "switch things up," according to Mir, something that would enable him to focus a bit more on his upcoming clash against "DC."
Training out of his personal gym in "Sin City" for the majority of his career under the tutelage of Ricky Lundell and submission wizard Robert Drysdale, Mir tells The Las Vegas Sun that training at Jackson's has afforded him the opportunity to train with fighters of all shapes and sizes thanks to a very deep talent pool.
"Having a bigger depth of talent to work with in the gym every day and bouncing ideas off of them was great," said Mir. "Misery enjoys company, and having all these other world-class fighters in the gym made it all go a little faster."
It was the advice he received from all members of Jackson's MMA that Frank found helpful, too.
"And having guys like Donald Cerrone sitting outside of the cage when I'm with those guys and giving me pointers and tips was a great help," Mir said. "Everyone, in my eyes, was a great help."
And while many expected the move to be a one-time trip to "The Land of Enchantment," Mir says it's just the opposite. "It will be a permanent move," Mir said. "I very much enjoyed it down there. I thought the preparation for the fight was the best I had ever done. Regardless of the outcome. I think a lot of people would say if I lose, I wouldn't consider the move to be justified, but I don't agree. It was a great experience and I'll be back to do it again."
The former champion's last trip to the Octagon didn't prove successful as the jiu-jitsu black belt came up short in his bid to capture his third world title against Junior dos Santos -- the ruler of the heavyweight division at that time -- at UFC 146 last May.
While fight fans anxiously wait to see just what kind of results come out of his training camp switch; win, lose or draw, the move to Jackson's MMA will be a permanent one, regardless of the outcome of his bout against Cormier.
Iron sharpens iron.
UFC on FOX 7?s Frank Mir reveals switch to Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA is a ?permanent move? - MMAmania-com
Originally doing work in Las Vegas, Nevada, Mir relocated to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to train at the famed Jackson-Winkeljohn Mixed Martial Arts academy.
Permanently.
The move was a much-needed change of scenery, which helped "switch things up," according to Mir, something that would enable him to focus a bit more on his upcoming clash against "DC."
Training out of his personal gym in "Sin City" for the majority of his career under the tutelage of Ricky Lundell and submission wizard Robert Drysdale, Mir tells The Las Vegas Sun that training at Jackson's has afforded him the opportunity to train with fighters of all shapes and sizes thanks to a very deep talent pool.
"Having a bigger depth of talent to work with in the gym every day and bouncing ideas off of them was great," said Mir. "Misery enjoys company, and having all these other world-class fighters in the gym made it all go a little faster."
It was the advice he received from all members of Jackson's MMA that Frank found helpful, too.
"And having guys like Donald Cerrone sitting outside of the cage when I'm with those guys and giving me pointers and tips was a great help," Mir said. "Everyone, in my eyes, was a great help."
And while many expected the move to be a one-time trip to "The Land of Enchantment," Mir says it's just the opposite. "It will be a permanent move," Mir said. "I very much enjoyed it down there. I thought the preparation for the fight was the best I had ever done. Regardless of the outcome. I think a lot of people would say if I lose, I wouldn't consider the move to be justified, but I don't agree. It was a great experience and I'll be back to do it again."
The former champion's last trip to the Octagon didn't prove successful as the jiu-jitsu black belt came up short in his bid to capture his third world title against Junior dos Santos -- the ruler of the heavyweight division at that time -- at UFC 146 last May.
While fight fans anxiously wait to see just what kind of results come out of his training camp switch; win, lose or draw, the move to Jackson's MMA will be a permanent one, regardless of the outcome of his bout against Cormier.
Iron sharpens iron.
UFC on FOX 7?s Frank Mir reveals switch to Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA is a ?permanent move? - MMAmania-com
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Ever since the retirement of former PRIDE heavyweight champion and all-time MMA great "The Last Emperor" Fedor Emelianenko, Russian MMA has done well enough to provide one of the best examples of such a situation. Through Bellator MMA and the UFC, talent from the Russian circuit found an outlet to demonstrate their skills to the world.
Of the current representatives for Russian MMA, a handful of them stand to break out into major players in their respective divisions before their careers end. We already know a number of fighters who showcased that potential in their past fights, but who holds the potential to break out next in representing Russia in mixed martial arts?
Enter an undefeated, 22-year-old welterweight prospect by the name of Andrey "Spartan" Koreshkov.
Currently 13-0, Koreshkov recently defeated inaugural Bellator welterweight champion Lyman Good to win the season-seven Bellator welterweight tournament and will challenge for Ben Askren's welterweight gold. However, undefeated records come and go, so many won't put that rhetoric on repeat.
The buzz around Koreshkov, and the reason why he looks poised to break out before some of his teammates earn their shine, concerns the youth of Koreshkov more than the record. Only 22 years exist on Koreshkov's tires, and yet, we find ourselves a long way from seeing the best Koreshkov that we'll ever see.
Scariest of all, even if he stops the wrestling of Askren and somehow dominates the title fight, we will not see the best that Koreshkov can present on any given night. He will still have all the time in the world to improve on the lacking aspects of his skill set.
Perhaps then, it makes sense to feel that, regardless of what happens against Askren, the kid possesses as bright a future as any fighter at any weight class. We know what he already brings to the table, as well as where he will need improvement, and the sooner we pay attention to these things, the more excited we can all get once the kid reaches his full potential.
After all, Koreshkov can give us plenty to talk about between now and the time we truly see him fighting at his full potential.
MMA World Watch: Who Will Be the Next Breakout MMA Star from Russia? | Bleacher Report