MMA – Page 44 – Five Rounds with Emma

TUF 20 Announces New Coaches – Gilbert Melendez and Anthony Pettis

Gilbert Melendez and Anthony Pettis have both been named to coach the female Strawweights on this season’s TUF 20, yes you heard right.

Gilbert Melendez has now accepted a new offer from The UFC and one it appears he just could not refuse (again), exact contract details were not revealed but here is the Press Release from The UFC.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship announced tonight that No.2 ranked lightweight contender Gilbert Melendez has agreed to a new contract with organization. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Melendez will now coach against UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis on season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter. The two will then meet for the UFC lightweight title later this year. The show, which will begin filming in May and premiere on FOX Sports 1 on Sept. 10th features the launch of the UFC women’s 115-pound weight class. The winner of this season of The Ultimate Fighter will be crowned the UFC strawweight division’s inaugural champion.

We last saw Melendez in a toe-to-toe all out war with Diego Sanchez at UFC 166 last October in arguably one of the best fights of 2013, with Melendez coming away with the unanimous decision and ‘Fight of the Night’.

The coaching stint on TUF 20 will more than likely give Pettis the extra time for his injured knee which forced him out of his title defense against Josh Thomson back at UFC on Fox 9.

I’m going to have a guess that Melendez will bring in Nate Diaz somewhere along the line, which will make interesting viewing if you know the history of the two training camps involved!

It’s all about the women come September 10th when we can watch TUF 20 and I for one cannot wait.

Brad Pickett ‘One Punch’ fight is off with ‘Uncle Creepy’ Ian McCall

Looking at Brad Pickett’s Twitter this morning, (UK Time) it was news that he deep down, was expectpting, but probably hoping it would not become a reality.

Today at 14.54pm he tweeted the following :

Although nothing else was stated and ‘Uncle Creepy’ Ian

McCall himself had not put anything at all on Twitter, this still led everyone to believe that the problem lies with McCall.

That has now been confirmed by Dana White that Ian McCall is infact out injured and will NOT be fighting UK’s Brad Pickett who also was making his 125lb debut in the Flyweight divison.

The UFC are still working on a replacment; I mean we do still have time on our side, especially since what has just happend to Daniel Cormier, who’s opponent Rashad Evans also fell injured, with only one week to go, despite DC tweeting ‘Chael.P.Sonnen and Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson to fight him; His new opponent is 4-0 fighter Patric Cummins.

Looking forward to see who the UFC bring in to replace ‘Uncle Creepy’.

There is plenty of time for The UFC come up with a suitable replacement to fight Brad Pickett on March 8th at The O2 arena in London.

Revisiting Season One.. Episode Ten.. Mark ‘The Hand Of’ Godbeer

It will be one year ago to the day on October 5th that Mark Godbeer was due to make his Bellator debut against Ron Sparks, but a Career threatening injury kept his debut waiting. I spoke to Mark about his injury, training and his Debut Bellator Main Event fight against Cheick Kongo one year on.

Keeping myself involved in MMA kept me going.

EB. You have not always been a heavyweight fighter have you?

MG. Early on in my amateur career I was a heavyweight fighter. I also had a few catch weight fights then I started cutting and cutting and dropped down to light heavy then went back up to heavyweight.

EB. We saw your first Pro fight at Heavyweight for the promotion BAMMA 9 back in March 2012, when you fought Catlin Zmarandescu, where you picked up a win in the first round due to TKO (corner stoppage). How was it for you stepping up in weight and gaining the all-important win in the new weight division?

MG. It was great. After coming of a loss at my previous weight division of Light Heavyweight to Anthony Taylor, I felt that I was really cautious in that fight but I kept my cool, picked my shots and got the job done, so to get the Win was great it all paid off.

EB. Was it your intention to move up to Heavyweight for a few fights before Bellator came knocking, or was it a choice made with you and your coach to move up a weight division way before thinking anything big was coming your way?

MG. After my last weight cut at light heavyweight I felt I was skinny as a rake, you see the likes of Max Nunes, they are big and they have a lot of muscle; I also being of a certain age was finding it a bit harder to cut those last few pounds so I had decided it was time to go back to my old days to Heavyweight. I talked it over with my manager and he agreed, but I am still today walking around at 240-242llb.

EB. You train out of Trojan Free Fighters in Cheltenham which is home to a lot of great UK & European talent and it is safe to say it is firmly putting their name on the Map. What helps make Trojan Free Fighters one of the best contended gyms to be a part of today in producing top athletes such as yourself?

MG. Trainers without a doubt Paul Sutherland is one of the best coaches the UK have to offer. Team bonding, there are no egos in the gym, everyone pushes each other and all so competitive, everyone helps one another, were like a family unit.

EB. How did your fighting nickname ‘The Hand of’ come about?

MG. It’s ‘The Hand’ I just tied the rest of it into my name, but after my first professional fight against Sam Hooker a couple of my friends started to call to me ‘The Hand’ after seeing the fight that I landed a couple of monstrous right hands and it’s been that ever since.

EB. You were due to make your Bellator Debut back on October 5th 2012 against Ron Sparks, but due to a career threatening Neck and Back Injury you had to withdraw, how did this injury occur?

MG. I was driving home from wrestling training when I had real bad pains in my neck. I then lost complete feeling in my hand and was rushed in for an emergency MRI, then rushed in for an emergency operation. I cannot pin point how as such it occurred, just accumulation of training which did result in a crack in my vertebrae and herniating the disc.

EB. Going from an all-time Career high, being signed to one of the best organisations in the world Bellator, then to have to deal with something that could off quite easily been the end of everything you had worked so hard for, how was it in those months after your injury for you?

MG. Horrible, worst time of my life, I was depressed. I became reliant on painkillers for a brief time it was a real horrible part of my life. I could not do nothing for six months, for five of those months I was in a neck brace. Going from training every day to doing nothing it really got to me as everything I liked doing before I was unable to do, to make matters worse when I had my operation that went wrong so I had to end up having another one!

EB. What kept you going through the darkest days to motivate you, to give you strength and determination, when at some points you could off quite easily given up?

MG. After the initial six months I just couldn’t sit around and do nothing anymore so I started teaching at one of the local clubs, although I could not join in, I was still part of the MMA community, it then progressed from there. I decided to put all my effort and energy into opening my own club in my home town of Brigwater, Sommerset, keeping myself involved in MMA kept me going.

EB. It was announced on Sunday September 9th that you are making your long awaited Debut for Bellator on 4th October against ex UFC Heavyweight fighter Cheick Kongo, not a bad start to Bellator 102, what do you think? (I’m smiling)

MG. It’s a great fight, great main event, and exposure but Bellator know what they are doing. A lot of people have already wrote me off, he is just another man, forget about his UFC career, forget who he has fought, look at him as a fighter, I know I can truly beat him.

EB. Does it usually bother you, who your opponent is when it’s been decided on a fight for you (obviously you agree to the fight as well as your coaches and management team), or is it just a case of getting on with the job in front of you?

MG. I’m at the level now where we don’t turn down fights, we are there to be tested and that’s the good thing with Paul Sutherland we’re professional fighters and if the fight is there we will fight who is put in front of us.

EB. Being out for 18months, does that bother you mentally? Will there be any ‘cage rust’ so say when you step into the cage to face Cheick Kongo? Or will Head Coach, Paul Sutherland will have made sure you have been prepared for this fight 100%, facing the famous ‘Meat Day’ sessions full on every Sunday to make sure you are prepared?

MG. Without a doubt I am ready for this fight, I don’t believe in the term ‘Ring Rust’, the nerves are different on fight day which are good nerves. If I have prepared for every situation in the gym and had the right training for this fight (for which I have), then I am not going to be shocked. I’ve been in with some big guys over my fight career so far and I know what to expect.

EB. You bring an astonishing record of 8-1 into the cage and not only that but you have also never seen the third round in any of your 9 professional fights with 6 of them coming via TKO/KO which again is also impressive. How are you going about preparing for what I imagine is your biggest challenge to date as in Cheick Kongo?

MG. It is going to be the biggest fight of my life, but I cannot look at this fight as it’s ‘Cheick Kongo’ I am looking at it as he is another man who has hole’s in his game and I will exploit them, also being prepared for his strong points, as there will be times when he will be stronger, but also times when I will be stronger.

EB. Although a lot of people would only be looking at your opponent’s name and career record which is 18-8-2 and then looking at your name and career record 8-1, they probably won’t be looking at the bigger picture, which is when you actually break down Cheick Kongo’s win’s, his KO win is 10 and submission is 3, put that together with yours, KO wins 6, submission 2, I call this a very even fight, what can Bellator fans expect to see on October 4th?

MG. It will be an entertaining fight, we have very similar styles, take away his name, who he has fought, look at our styles and how we have fought, we are similar. The fans will get an entertaining fight.

EB. Anyone you would like to thank?

MG. Pound Out, Sci Max, Rolling Big Power, Lexani, Club Rio Brigwater, Smuggling Dudds, Paul Sutherland, all my team mates, coaches, Trojan free fighters.

5 Quick FUN Questions

EB. If you could change 1 rule in MMA what would it be?

When they purposely put their hand down to stop a knee coming

EB. Favourite International Fighter?

Dan Henderson

EB. Favourtie Food?

Anything – I’m a heavyweight now!

EB. What song do you usually sing in the shower?

A bit of Neil Diamond

Mark is fighting live in the Bellator 102 series on Friday October 4th visit http://www.spike.com for more information.

Photo courtesy of Huw Fairclough (c) Short & Round

Revisiting Season One.. Episode Nine.. Faisel Ghazghazi

In early September 2013 I spoke with Faisel Ghazghazi, you maybe thinking who but this interview will leave you wanting to know more.

‘Training has allowed me to find the real Faisel and understand who and what I am about’.

Faisel Ghazghazi admits life is not easy. Growing up on the wrong side of the Law, he finally turned to Martial Arts to keep fit and to stay out of trouble. Little did he know he would enjoy the sport as much as he has done. After turning pro on 7th September 2013 I talked to him about his past, present and future.

EB.Tell me a bit about yourself?

FG. I am 31 years old. I have only been training in MMA around 18 months. I wanted to simply find something that would keep me fit, introduce me to some new people and help me stay out of trouble.

I decided to go pro as I wanted to have a career in something I enjoy doing although it would be great if I could make a living so I could look after my son Diesel.

EB. You mentioned you wanted something to keep you out of trouble, can you just briefly explain what you mean by that?

FG.I started drinking alcohol at the age of 12, by 15 I was drinking heavily every day, which lead to me dabbling with substances, mainly speed and cannabis. Being high helped me cope with the stress I was under and I got into a lot of trouble, with the end result which was my freedom, I ended up in prison.

EB. Do you now feel, that having that time to reflect, it has taught you a lot about yourself?

FG. I know that if I pick up another drink it wouldn’t be long before my old behaviour slipped back in and I started getting into trouble again, so upon my release I knew I really wanted something to help with my confidence and I was introduced to Arthur Meek who has years of experience training fighters, he also has a unique ability to relate and gain the respect of troubled guys like myself.

I don’t go around creating victims anymore, now I’m helping young guys who have similar backgrounds to myself, helping them to stay on the right track. I believe that training has allowed me to find the real Faisel and understand who and what I am about.

EB. You do voluntary work at YMCA in Bridgwater, can you tell me a bit more about this and what it means to you?

FG. The work I do with kids is a constant reminder that prison is only around the corner if I choose to drink, take drugs or return to my old offending behaviours. I work very hard to maintain a good self-esteem by helping others and I am always thinking about them rather than myself.

I want to give back to the community and the aim of the programme I run which is called BoxFit is to help guys boost their self-esteem, reduce offending behaviour, encourage team work, discipline and channel their energy and aggression in a positive way. My classes are disciplined and the guys do work but they also feel that they are ‘someone’ and know that they can come to me with any issue as I have their best interests at heart.

EB. Tell me about where you train out of and the club and what it means to you?

FG. I train out of All or Nothing Gym in Bridgwater, my coach is Arthur Meeks, it is what it is really, All or Nothing.

MMA showed me there is another way to live, I could never have dreamed of having the support that I have from the guys at All Or Nothing Gym they genuinely want me to do well and all put themselves out to help me get to where I need to be, if it wasn’t for martial arts I would be back in prison for sure, I would not have the success that I have had and would seriously lack that discipline and drive that I now have and crave.

EB. You have a very short but impressive Amateur record, can you tell me about it?

FG. Its four Wins one NC one DQ. I am unbeaten in the cage, having only started my Amateur career back in August 2012 it feels great to have had six fights and to be fighting regularly but also to be unbeaten in the cage.

EB. You recently made your Pro Debut on September 7th which saw you win in 44 seconds of Round one, did this go as planned?

FG. Yes, I was straight in there, got the all-important Win on my Pro Debut, although the fight was stopped by the Doctor due to my opponent sustaining a cut above his eye, but props to my opponent as he was fighting a good fight.

EB. Your next fight happens to be in my hometown of Swindon on October 5th against Phil Wells, do you know much of your opponent?

FG. I’ve seen a couple of his fights on you tube but have not really watched a lot, I tend to let my team do that and I concentrate on what they tell me do and get on with the job in hand, which is fighting.

EB. How are you expecting the fight to go?

FG. I will expect the un-expected but it will be G-Man for the win.

EB. How did you get your nickname ‘G-Man’ and what does it stand for?

FG. After one of my fights one of my friends said to me “Good fight G-Man” and it has stuck ever since, so unfortunately no big story to the name or what it stands for!

EB. Anyone you would like to thank?

FG. Trainers Arthur Meek, Richard Weatherall, Tattoo man Scott Thomas, Photographers Christian Dalton and Peter Huish, my son Diesel for giving me the drive to keep going and team mates at All or Nothing in Bridgwater.

Faisel’G-Man’Ghazghazi is fighting on October 5th against Phil Wells at the CAGED Event Swindon M.E.C.A Tickets are £20 and VIP £40 full details http://www.swindontickets.co.uk

Photo (c) D J Welsh Photography

Season One.. Episode six.. Lew Long

Ahead of his bout on Cage Warriors 59, I caught up with Lew Long, and here is what we talked about.

EB: Your last fight for Cage Warriors was at The Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff, against Mark Glover, which was great to watch, we got to see a different Lew, more focused and not getting drawn into Mark’s own game plan that night, what was your own personal highlight from that fight?

LL: Probably my head movement, I felt like something out of the Matrix!

EB: In your last fight with Mark Glover you said

“I can take a fight anywhere, but I knew he wanted to stand, so I decided to showcase what I’ve been working on.”

Was this in reference, to you working with ‘The Locket Man’ Gary Locket?

LL: I’ve always been a striker, Glover gave me the freedom of me not having to worry about defending the take down so I can use what Gary has worked on.

EB: This is will be your third outing under the Cage Warriors promotion and also your third time fighting on home soil. Do you consider yourself pretty lucky to be still having the home crowd advantage?

LL: Almost all my other fights have been fought in Wales, I love fighting in Wales, what fighter does not like having a home advantage!

EB: You will be facing Tommy Maguire on September 14^th at The Motorpoint arena, Cardiff for Cage Warriors 59. Would you say this is your hardest fight to date?

LL: Don’t know, haven’t fought him yet, but if i win it would be my biggest scalp, if that’s what you mean!

EB: Is there anything different that you are implementing into this training camp for Tommy Maguire or are you just training like you usually would?

LL: My BJJ coach Rob Tylor just got his black belt, that’s the only thing that has changed really. Congrats Rob.

EB: Coming from a Judo and Wrestling background, do you feel this puts in a good position to showcase your ground skills with Tommy Maguire?

LL: Depends if he can take me down; Judo and wrestling techniques are usually fought from standing and the clinch, so if he can’t take me down I highly doubt that you will see my ground skills.

EB: What can the fans expect to see on the night?

LL: Twelve+ fantastic fights, Featherweight Title Fight, Four man bantamweight tournament to decide the new champion and myself of course.

EB: Anyone you would like to thank?

LL: No, I always forget someone and they always complain, they can f**k off this time.

5 Quick questions

If you could change 1 rule in MMA what would it be?

I’d love to be able to head butt.

Favourite International Fighter

Chael Sonnen

Walk out music

Depends how I feel on the day

Favourite Food

Chinese

If you were to hold a dinner party and invited 3 guests past or present, who would you invite and why?

Two is company three is a crowd, I eat alone!

Photo Credit (c) Huw Fairclough

Last post for 2013 – A lot of Thank You’s and some pictures :)

It’s been a challenging year for me but I wouldn’t change it for one second, after all I got to do what so many of you still want to do and I have achieved all of it in the six months that I started this harsh challenge – which fell into my lap purely by coincidence (you will have to refer back to my very first blog read about that one)!

I will however give a big shout out to the person who got me started not only in writing my own blog but who introduced me to what I currently do, and that is Jonathan Millard, for whom I am forever grateful to.

What alot of people, more than likely do not know about me, is that I have been in the ‘combat sport industry’ for just over 20 years now, so I have legitmately worked my way up the ladder – although, it’s fine for you to believe whatever you choose to believe, I personally don’t give a shit, again those that really know me, know that also!

I got to cover local grass root shows, which to me I have always been a great fan of and will always take time out of my schedule to go cover them as much as I can, I covered Pain Pit 3 times, Ultimate Impact, Into The Cage, Neilson Promotions White Collar Boxing then I also covered Cage Warriors, BAMMA and UFC Manchester, not bad even if I do say so myself!

Then a great event happend for UKMMA – The UKMMA Expo in Manchester and I got to be part of the only Media Team that had Access All Areas and when I say that, I truly mean that; not like all the other Media people that came in, the team I was with we were set up in the ‘Green Room’ with all our equipment and at one point their was one great surreal moment that I for one will never ever forget 🙂

It was a great run event by Darren Sherlock and Paul Crossley and of course Darren’s wife Michelle, all timed perefectly for when Michael Bisping would be in the UK, Manchester as it happens (his own town) and just after being announced he would be facing Mark Munoz, here also in Manchester in October (unfortuntaly due to Michael needing eye surgery he was forced to withdraw from the bout and Lyoto Machida replaced him)!

There were UFC athletes, Guest athletes, Guest speakers, Seminars to train with some of the Guest athletes and stalls for the MMA community to come together and show there products of to the public; also there was the stall for SAFE MMA – for which I personally went over to Izzy Carnwath and spoke to her to see SAFE MMA was all about, how promotions could get involved and WHY they should. I had such a better understanding afterwards.

Here is mine and Izzy’s SAFE MMA interview we also talk BAMMA 13

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBGFMXpvdHE

There was also a big NoGi BJJ competiton on, running throughout the Sunday which was awesome and six females took part amongst the hundreds of men.

At the show I managed to Video Interview (yes that was a very first for me) The Legend Ian ‘The Machine’ Freeman straight after his MMA Seminar – let me tell you know this guy is 100% gentleman when talking to him, Ian made my first video interview effortless (well I thought) 🙂

Here is mine and Ian’s interview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLO5WYrGcCM

I would however like to say a very big thank you to all the athlete’s I have worked with (so far) without you giving up your time I would not of had your stories/journeys to write about and some very memorable moments to say the least, so in list of when they were interviewed here they all are:

Leigh Remedios

Alexei Roberts

Mario Saeed

War Machine

‘Rowdy’ Bec Hyatt

Ian ‘The Machine’ Freeman

Hector Lombard

Colin ‘Freakshow’ Fletcher

Bryony Tyrell

Aaron ‘Smackwell’ Blackwell

Jack ‘The Hammer’ Marshman

Lew Long

Jorge ‘Michelan’ Bezerra

Rosi Sexton

Faisel Ghazghazi

Mark ‘The hand of’ Godbeer

Lauren Murphy

And of course it would not be me, if I did not add in afew pictures of me with some of the athletes I had met 🙂

Have a great New Year.

Emma

PS I’ve kept all my boxing ones out of this one but look out for it next year 🙂

Cage Warriors #63 Weigh-in Results and How to watch

Cage Warriors 63 take place tomorrow night – December 31st (New years eve) – at The Helix, Dublin, Ireland.

Headlining the event is Scotlands Stevie ‘Braveheart’ Ray making his defence of the inaugural lightweight belt against Ivan ‘Buki’ Buchinger,which also happens to be Cage Warriors 150th professional bout for 2013 and what a way to end the year for the promotion.

John ‘The One’ Maguire makes his anticipated debut for the promotion since being released by the UFC after making five appearances for them, he faces Philip ‘The Honey Badger’ Mulpeter.

Jim ‘The Beast’ Alers will be putting his featherweight belt on the line for his second defence when he faces Graham ‘ Afterburner’ Turner.

Full card details:

Main Card 9pm GMT (4pm ET/1pm PT)

Stevie Ray (C) VS Ivan Buchinger CWFC Lightweight Title Bout

John Maguire VS Philip Mulpeter

Jim Alers (C) VS Graham Turner CWFC Featherweight Title Bout

Paul Redmond VS Mateusz Teodorczuk

Karla Benitez VS Aisling Daly

Facebook Prelims 7.30pm GMT (2.30pm ET/ 11.30am PT)

Sean Carter VS Myles Price

Catherine Costigan VS Morgane Delagnau

Kieran Davern VS John Redmond

Amanda English VS Slavka Vitaly

Unstreamed Prelims 6.15pm GMT

Chris Boujard VS Peter Queally

Gavin Kelly VS Dylan Sheehan

Mick Brennan VS Kieran O’Brien

How to watch

Live Streaming

MMAjunkie.com – USA and Canada ONLY

JOE.ie – Ireland ONLY

Sportube.tv – Italy ONLY

CageWarriors.tv – Rest of the world (EXCLUDING THE UK)

Live TV

Premier Sports – United Kingdom

Sentanta Sports – Ireland

Fight Now TV – USA

The Fight Network – Canada, Portugal, Turkey, Angola

Fight Klub – Poland

Sentanta Action – Africa

ESPN International – Brazil, Latin, America, Pacific Rim

WEIGH-IN RESULTS

Mick Brennan 146.1lbs *(145.9lbs) * (Featherweight Bout)

Kieron O’Brien 144lbs (Featherweight Bout)

Gavin Kelly 134.5llbs (Bantamweight Bout)

Dylan Sheehan 134.3lbs (Bantamweight Bout)

Chris Boujard 157.4lbs (Catchweight Bout)

Peter Queally 158.8lbs (Catchweight Bout)

Slavka Vitaly 125.1lbs (Flyweight Bout)

Amanda English 125.4lbs (Flyweight Bout)

John Redmond 169lbs (Welterweight Bout)

Kieran Davern 169.9lbs (Welterweight Bout)

Morgane Delagnau 103.5lbs (Atomweight Bout)

Catherine Costigan 105.5lbs (Atomweight Bout)

Myles Price 155.5lbs (Lightweight Bout)

Sean Carter 155.5lbs (Lightweight Bout)

Karla Benitez 115.6lbs (Strawweight Bout)

Aisling Daly 116lbs (Strawweight Bout)

Paul Redmond 156lbs (Catchweight Bout)

Mateusz Teodorczuk 157.3lbs ** (Catchweight)

Graham Turner 143.7lbs (Featherweight Bout)

Jim Alers 144.9lbs (Featherweight Bout)

John Maguire 162lbs (Catchweight bout)

Philip Mulpeter 160.7lbs (Catchweight bout)

Ivan Buchinger 154.8lbs (Lightweight Bout)

Stevie Ray 154lbs (Lightweight Bout)

** Mateusz Teodorczuk Failed to make weight therfore Paul Redmond will receive 25% of his purse and is now a catchweight bout instead of a Lightweight bout.

* Made weight 2nd attempt

Season One..Episode Five.. Jack ‘The Hammer’ Marshman

On August 31st I sat down with Jack Marshman before he headed off for cornering duties at South Wales prestigious event Pain Pit.

There will be a drop to Welterweight on the cards in the future, not this year more than likely next year I will be looking at doing that.

EB: We recently got to see you fight in Doncaster, unfortunately the decision did not go your way; firstly looking back did you personally feel that was the right decision? And secondly how was it to be fighting in an outside stadium in our unpredictable British weather?

JM:The decision was definitely a right decision; he won the rounds with his wrestling. I went into the fight thinking he was coming to stand and I was coming to stand, as soon as I landed a straight right on him in the first round and put him down he went for the takedowns for the rest of the rounds, which fair enough he played the game really well I thought, he definitely took the decision, but it’s the type of loss I’d definitely like to avenge because I think my wrestling is much better than I showed. As for fighting outside, I didn’t know if the fight was going to go ahead, two hours before we was told it was going to rain and I wouldn’t of gone out there in the rain to be honest with you, because there was too much at stake as there was no cover for the cage, so you could imagine what would off happened if it had rained, there was no fighter safety with no cover for the cage so it spoilt the show a little bit for me.

I don’t think I could ever bring myself to sit there and not try and finish a fight, that’s not what I am about, that’s not why I do this game; it’s to fight and to see who is the best fighter, not who can give the best ‘cuddles’!

EB: You’re returning to BAMMA 13 on September 14^th to face Ion Pascu, a Romanian fighter who has recently fought on UCMMA 33 and UWC 23, do you know much about Ion?

JM: I know a little bit about him, I know he is from a kickboxing background, he is from Valentino Petrescu gym which is predominantly stand up fighters, I’ve seen a couple of bits of him on video, I’ve not studied him too much, I’m just going to do what I’m going to do, not what he’s going to do, I know his record, he’s got some wins against some guys that are not really rated, and some losses against some really good guys, so a guy like that is hard to judge really, because he’s lost too good guys, but been beaten too good guys, so you don’t really know where he is at level wise, but I’m confident I will be a bit too much for him.

EB: It is safe to say that you are a BAMMA fan favourite, having appeared on BAMMA since show 7 through to 11 and now back at 13, what can the fans expect from you this time around after the great performance at BAMMA 11, how do you top that?

JM: I’ve had a hard time fighting in Birmingham, the Noon fight was Birmingham, I won but I got beat up pretty bad, Watson and Professor X both were real hard fights and I did not come away with those decisions, but I have always had a good scrap there, I have been the distance there, I think you will see the same again but with me definitely coming out on top like it was against Noon.

EB: You train out of arguably one of the best MMA gyms to come out of the valleys in South Wales, Tillery Combat, owned and run by Richard ‘Shaky’ Shore, what do you think makes the gym so respected and having high calibre of fighters such as yourself come out of the gym?

JM: We come from a tough area in Abertillery, high in drugs crime, general crime and no jobs , it seems that naturally it generates tougher fighters, as you are brought up tougher; like me and Martin McDonough used to be nightmares , we always used to be in trouble with the police and if it was not for Shaky, he was the one that got us out of all of that, same as a lot of the boys, same as all the young ones coming through now, the way people are brought up where we are, are tough, so when they jump up into the gym they’ve been fighting since they were kids, so they just learn how to do it properly. I think what sells the gym is the way Shaky trains people, he gets you mentally prepared and it’s like a big family at the gym and that’s on a serious note, we all get along so well it’s such a laugh and that’s what I think makes better fighters, we got a good team behind us, it’s not just one individual fighter, it’s a full team every time we go out.

EB: Is it getting any easier for you fitting in your full time day job as a serving paratrooper in the armed forces, and the training needed for a full fight camp when a fight is upon you?

JM: Recently I have moved back to Wales due to my regiment giving me time off, 3 paras give me a lot of time off now, all I have to do is some bits and bobs at work, as long as I’m representing them and I’m heading to where they want me to be I’m keeping them happy, and I’m training full time so I’m in the best place I’ve ever really been because I’m training full time , fighting regular; I’ve had 3 fights in the last 4months, and I’m hoping to get another 2 in before the end of the year, and next year I will fight every month if I can, as far as fitting in with my job for the next 2years at least I’m on to a winner as I’m in the best place I could ever be really.

EB: How do you feel the weight management is going now? Do you feel you got the right mix of the weight cut spot on or is there still some tweaking to make things go a bit more smoothly for you? (In reference to not making weight in Dec 2012 and having a hard weight cut for Askham fight).

JM: I always make the weight cut hard for myself towards the end because I like to cut quite last minute, but I make Middleweight quite easy really, the only time I ever missed weight was the BAMMA fight, to be honest, the it was to do with logistics involved, I turned up to the pre-weigh in 5mins late, and they would not let me step on the scales, and I thought I was on weight, then I had to go to the actual weigh in, I came in 1lb over, being in Wembley they gave me a postcode of a gym to go to, so I could cut the weight, bearing in mind they only give you 1 hour and the gym was 20 mins away I would not of made it there and back in time to be honest with you, so I pulled the car over and started running round the streets to lose the weight, and that is the only time I have missed weight not through anyone’s fault other than mine, I should have been earlier to check the official scales but I thought I was on weight and I felt comfortable; so definitely there will be a drop to Welterweight on the cards in the future, not this year more than likely next year I will be looking at doing that.

EB: Is there anything new in this training camp you have been working on, or is it just improving on everything that there is to improve on?

JM: Just improving, I’ve been working on so much more wrestling, from my takedown defence, if people are going to be happy to take me down and grind out a win and not actually really truly fight me, why shouldn’t I actually do it, so if I look to put someone on their back why shouldn’t I, but to be honest I don’t think I could ever bring myself to sit there and not try and finish a fight, that’s not what I am about, that’s not why I do this game; it’s to fight and to see who is the best fighter, not who can give the best ‘cuddles’!

EB: Anyone you would like to Thank?

JM: All my sponsors, Icon Nutrition, Top Ten, British Military Martial Arts, Vibram, Impact LPA, The Railway Inn, My coaches, Richard Shore, all the boys at Tillery Combat, Martin McDonough, Kris Edwards, Owen Parry, everyone that helps me get ready for my fights.

Quick Questions

If you could change one rule in MMA what would it be?

You could Tickle

Favourite food?

Pizza

If you held a dinner party and invited 3 guests past or present, who would it be and why?

The Banker from Deal or No Deal as he seems like a Top bloke, Gordon Ramsey so he can cook and Frankie Boyle because he is awesome.

Season One.. Episode Four… Aaron ‘Smackwell’ Blackwell

Back in late August I managed to speak with Aaron ‘Smackwell’ Blackwell before his Cage Warriors 59 bout with Kris ‘Evil’ Edwards.

“I’m coming to Wales to devastate Kris Edwards and prove that I deserve to be at the top of the Bantamweight division.”

EB: Last time I saw you, was when you won the Bantamweight Title at Into The Cage on May 18^th, in a dominating 5 round performance against Mike Cutting. How did it feel to win the belt after a 2yr absence from the cage?

AB: It’s always an achievement to win any award, especially after a bit of time out. It felt good, however I prepared incredibly well and I was very confident going into that fight. My view is that all my achievements/awards are part of my path to becoming the champion I believe I am and will be.

EB: You’re facing Kris Edwards on September 14^th at The Motorpoint Arena, for the promotion Cage Warriors. Your first outing was back in 2007 for them, how does it feel to be asked back to take part in this new bantamweight tournament?

AB: It’s a great honour, as Cage Warriors is a great show and over the years has proved it’s one of the top shows in Europe, very well organised with some very professional people involved. I am really excited about the bout against Kris Edwards, as I have got a great team around me and I’ve had a very focused camp. Obviously to be included in the tournament for the Bantamweight title is exciting, however I have a very focused mind set, so my main focus is on beating Kris Edwards first, then I’ll take it from there.

EB: Although you will be going in as a ‘deciding’ reserve, if one of the main four participants is deemed unable to continue, due to injury or not receiving medical clearance, potentially you could be Cage Warriors New Bantamweight Title Belt holder, how do feel about that?

AB: As I said previously, I take one step at a time; however I am very confident in my ability. So let’s see what happens. The fight against Kris Edwards will be a great fight and I am very well prepared, so let’s hope Kris has done his homework and doesn’t feel the pressure of fighting in front of his family and friends. I am coming to Wales to have an exciting fight. I am also fully prepared to fight further bouts if the occasion arises.

EB: Looking through your professional record you have shared the cage with some high profile names at the moment such as Terry Etim, Ronnie Mann and Brad Pickett, even though the end result did not go in your favour do you feel a lot of people will have over looked you for this fight with Kris Edwards?

AB: I imagine they have.

There aren’t many people who have had an apprenticeship like me. They were great experiences and they have made me the person I am today. I wouldn’t change the past, as I have learned some incredibly valuable lessons that now underpin my whole approach. Winners learn from their experiences and put them to great use. So let’s just say I can’t wait to fight.

EB: Your coach Rocci Williams has a great sense in his attitude towards his fighters in his ability to engage in the positive mentality approach in this sport, for which I personally feel is somewhat overlooked, as the sport is as much mentally demanding as it is physically if not more so. How do you feel your coaches wise words of inspiration effect you and the fighter you have become?

AB: Rocci is a true inspiration to me and his words echo through my fights, we believe it’s very important to be mentally prepared and are on the same wave length, he makes sure I’m 100% mentally and physically prepared, working with Matt Walton has progressed this further and we all as a team have a winning attitude.

EB: What can the ‘Smackwell’ fans expect to see on September 14^th?

AB: I truly believe in being a true professional in everything I do and representing the sport of MMA in a way that enables it to continue to grow and gain support across the world. When I come to Wales, I’ll be respectful and professional, however I’m coming to Wales to devastate Kris Edwards and prove that I deserve to be at the top of the Bantamweight division.

EB: Anyone you would like to thank?

AB: A dedicated thank you to Rocci Williams, I wouldn’t be where I am now without him, to Paul Wright for travelling everywhere and giving up his time to be with me on fight days (best hand wrapping skills in the business), thank you to Matt Walton for all his help with my preparation, Nathaniel Wood for all our sparring sessions together, all my team mates at Nova Forca and coach Ricardo Da-Silva, thank you to my sponsors Forca Luta for kitting me out with cool gear, and of course to my loving family for all their continued support.

5 quick questions

If you could change 1 rule in MMA what would it be?

I wouldn’t change a rule but I would have the sport be governed by a single governing body so that the sports rules and regulations became unified under one body.

Walk out music?

Undecided yet

Favourite Food?

Chocolate

Favourite International Fighter?

Current has to be Jon Jones, past has to be Frank Shamrock

If you were to hold a dinner and invited 3 guests, past or present, who would you invite and why?

Bas Rutten – Funny and a MMA legend, I’m sure he’d have some great stories to tell

Jean-Claude Van Damme – My biggest inspiration as a kid growing up

Dwayne Johnson – Funny and achieved a lot in his career, would be great to see him interact with the other 2 guests

@Aaron ‘Smackwell’ Blackwell

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Blackwellmma

After this interview took place, afew days before the fight Kris got injured, therefore it got re-scheduled for Cage Warriors 60 on October 5th.

UFC 168 Weidman vs. Silva II LIVE Weigh-In Results and Pictures

Opening up for the Weigh-Ins:

FACEBOOK PRELIMS

Estevan Payan (145) lbs vs Robert Peralta (145.5) lbs

William Macario (171) lbs vs Bobby Voelker (171) lbs

FOX SPORT/ BT SPORTS PRELIMS

John Howard (171) lbs vs Siyar Bahadurzada (171) lbs

Manny Gamburyan (146) lbs vs Dennis Siver (145) lbs

Gleison Tibau (156) lbs vs Michael Johnson (156) lbs

Chris Leben (185.5) lbs vs Uriah Hall

MAIN CARD

Diego Brandao (153) lbs** vs Dustin Poirier (146) lbs

Fabricio Camoes (156) lbs vs Jim Miller (156) lbs

Josh Barnett (252) lbs vs Travis Browne (242) lbs

Miesha Tate (135) lbs vs Ronda Rousey (135) lbs UFC Bantamweight Champion

Anderson Silva (185) lbs vs Chris Weidman (184) lbs UFC Middleweight Champion

** Brandao had 2 hours to make weight, he re-weighed in at 151.5 lbs. Therefore he is fined 25% of his purse with 12.5% going to Poirier and 12.5% going to NSAC.

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