Monday, June 7, 2010

UFC blog for latest news, videos, results, betting odds, fighter interviews and MMA rumors - UFCmania.com

UFC blog for latest news, videos, results, betting odds, fighter interviews and MMA rumors - UFCmania.com

UFC 115: Rich Franklin 'confident' and 'sharp' heading into Chuck Liddell fight (Video)

Posted: 06 Jun 2010 06:37 PM PDT

UFC Quick Quote: Rory MacDonald promises to finish Carlos Condit at UFC 115

Posted: 06 Jun 2010 12:19 PM PDT

20100111043014_img_3161_medium

"Obviously Carlos is a great fighter, but I think his greatest asset is that he never stops. He's a relentless fighter, he's got a lot of heart, and you can't break that guy so you really have to put him away with technique and you have to be a more solid fighter, which is what I think I am. I think his game has a lot more holes than mine and I'm going to expose that. It can't just be a win, it has to be an exciting performance and that's what I'm looking to do. Wherever the fight goes, there's going to be pressure from me and there'll be a finish for sure. I'm not going to take this to a decision."

Twenty-year-old Canadian bred mixed martial artist Rory MacDonald talked to Tapology.com about his upcoming fight with former WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit at UFC 115. The card is set to go down next Saturday, June 12, from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, just a few-hour drive away from where he grew up in Quesnel, B.C. As one of the top young prospects in the game carrying a perfect record of 10-0, Rory has a great chance to defeat a fairly prominent name in Condit and reap the rewards that come with such an accomplishment. Having never gone the distance in any of his previous fights, MacDonald says he plans on keeping that streak alive and finishing Carlos before the final bell rings. So, where are we on this fight? Does Rory run his undefeated record to 11-0? Or, will "The Natural Born Killer" show the fight world why he was once considered to be one of the best 170-pounders in the sport?

Adrenaline Junkie: Paulo Thiago UFC 115 interview exclusive with MMAmania.com

Posted: 06 Jun 2010 08:29 AM PDT

Paulothiagobanner_medium

Paulo Thiago is a bigger badass than you are.

Aside from being a professional mixed martial artist he spends his days as a member of Batalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais in his native Brazil. BOPE, the commonly used acronym, is an elite special police force specializing in law enforcement, urban warfare and counter-terrorism.

In other words, when the police force needs help they call Thiago and his band of heavily armed brothers.

By comparison, it makes fighting in a cage against another world class athlete to be a bit of a stroll in the park. Thiago will look to continue his trek to a potential welterweight title shot as he takes on highly regarded contender Martin Kampmann on the main card of UFC 115 on June 12. In between training sessions he took some time out to discuss getting high on adrenaline, Josh Koscheck’s mouth, and trading gunfire with drug dealers.

Check it out:

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): I’m utterly fascinated by your day job as a member of the special police force in Brazil. Tell me how you got involved with them originally?

Paulo Thiago: I joined the military police seven years ago, approximately. I was not worried about getting a stable job. I was looking for adrenaline and found myself useful for society developing that kind of activity. I grew mature as a citizen and learned a lot of limits that life puts on us.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Share with me a brief story about the most dangerous mission or task you have been involved in.

Paulo Thiago: So many of them. I couldn’t pick just one…drug dealers, robbers, and all kinds of bad guys.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Why do you choose to be a part of such a potentially harmful job when no one is forcing you to do so?

Paulo Thiago: I just love doing that. There is no way I could explain the sensation of accomplishing a special operations mission. I think it could be a physiological reason. The need for controlled adrenaline.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): How does it compare to how you feel when you step in the cage for a fight in front of a large crowd?

Paulo Thiago: I’m so focused at that time that I can hardly notice the crowd. I need to be connected to my opponent.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): How has training camp been going? Are you 100 percent healthy and where have you been training at for this fight?

Paulo Thiago: I feel great. I’ve got no injuries and no pains. I’ve been training in my hometown, Brasilia, with my teammates at the Constrictor Team. I also spent some time training at the X-Gym with "Feijao" (Cavalcante), Andre Galvao, "Jacare" (Souza), and others.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Are you able to divide your time properly between mixed martial arts and your job with the police force? Does your training ever suffer due to lack of time?

Paulo Thiago: I have a very good relationship with my commanders and the Military Police gives me all the support I need to train. I’ve been working a little bit less so I can dedicate myself to MMA as I should.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): You’re coming off an impressive win over Mike Swick. How satisfying was that win for you given the fact that you had fought two of his teammates before (Koscheck, Fitch) and their coaching staff likely had a pretty good gauge on your strengths and weaknesses going into the fight?

Paulo Thiago: Of course, a victory over an opponent feels good but makes no difference if it comes over teammate fighters. They all deserve respect. After all, we are MMA workers trying to find our places in this hard environment. About my strengths and weaknesses, they might change from a fight to another so it could be dangerous for any coach to get stuck on that.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): You’re facing Martin Kampmann at UFC 115. To me, Kampmann has technical boxing but he demonstrates poor head movement at times. It certainly cost him against Paul Daley, but it has been evident in some of the fights he’s won as well. Is this something that you have noticed in your preparations?

Paulo Thiago: I’d rather don’t speak over the matter. It’s part of my strategy.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Do you have a prediction as to the outcome of your fight with Kampmann?

Paulo Thiago: I naturally expect to be the winner and wish I could submit him or knock him out.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Are you disappointed that Josh Koscheck is getting the next title shot against GSP, given that you have a victory over him?

Paulo Thiago: Not at all. His road is longer than mine and he deserves this shot. I’ll be waiting for my turn.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Do you feel like Koscheck deserved to get the next title shot?

Paulo Thiago: Sure, who else could it be at this time? I think that by now he’s the one who’s got the better chance against GSP.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Koscheck is known to speak his mind and loves to talk trash with his opponents. Is that something you simply ignore or does that aspect of fighting bother you?

Paulo Thiago: You know what really worries me? Trading shot fires with drug dealers carrying submachine guns on the streets. Trash talking is part of the show and it’s up to each fighter. I’m not able to judge anybody’s behavior.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): How do you think the eventual fight between Koscheck and Georges St. Pierre plays out? Who wins and why?

Paulo Thiago: I wouldn’t take a risk making such prediction, but I suppose there would be a lot of punches, takedowns, and ground game. Both have an exceptional cardio as well.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): How do you feel like you would matchup against GSP if given the chance to fight him one day?

Paulo Thiago: I don’t even know if he’s going to be there by the time I get the title shot, but whoever is going to be the champion is going to have a hard time fighting me.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): If you are fortunate enough to come away with a victory over Kampmann is there an opponent you would prefer to face next? Perhaps the winner of the fight between Jon Fitch and Thiago Alves?

Paulo Thiago: That’s not up to me. I never think this way. I can’t "prefer" fighting someone. Dana (White) and Joe Silva tell me who it’s going to be and I’ll prepare myself for that specific opponent.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Any message you would like to pass along to your fans out there or any sponsors you would like to thank at this time?

Paulo Thiago: I’d like to thank SAN and Bad Boy for the support and all my Constrictor teammates for the training they provided me. I’m also grateful for my commanders at the Military Police in Brasilia for all the understanding and sharing my career. For my fans, just trust me and be sure you are one of my main motivations to go on.

Derek Bolender is a frequent contributor to MMAmania.com. He is also a freelance writer who has contributed to outlets such as CBSSports.com, FoxSports.com, and FIGHT! Magazine. Follow him on Twitter at @DerekBolender.

Mirko Cro Cop: Some days you're the pigeon, some days you're the statue

Posted: 06 Jun 2010 08:29 AM PDT

Gonzaga_crocop-ko_medium

Props: USA Today

Quoteworthy:

"... fighters are becoming more and more and more complete than it was before. But to get to victory today, in this competition, you also must have your day. It doesn't mean that I am looking for excuse, but sometimes you just don't feel good.... I remember in this preparation, there was a day that my sparring partners were beating me up. Next day I came and I knocked them out, all of them -- just like that, you know? I just feel good that day. Some other day, I don't feel good, and when it happens on the fight, then you are in trouble. But of course, I did everything I could to prepare myself, to put my body in the best possible shape. I trained good, hard for this fight and I will do my best. I'm sure Pat will do his best, and so we will see.... I don't think my stand-up has changed. Thank God finally I recovered completely because I had a very bad injury three years ago. ... The knee was completely broken, I had three surgeries for the knee and of course it reflected on my kicking. I was afraid to kick. ... but I decided to take the risk for the Cologne fight one year ago.... I am just a fighter. I like the sport. I like fighting; I like competition. But obviously you need to make decisions with the head, not the heart. ... The leg is finally completely recovered. It was very hard injury, you know, so it really took time. Now it is one-and-a-half years since I had the operation, and now it's finally OK. Now it's finally OK."

Pride FC 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix Champion, Mirko Cro Cop -- who was once considered among the most feared and dangerous strikers in mixed martial arts -- talks about his recent struggles inside the Octagon (3-3). He has certainly looked like a shell of his former self since joining the promotion a few years ago, seemingly unable to pull the trigger on his devastating kickboxing skills. He claims that in addition to getting used to the nuances of fighting inside a cage, he was also never really healed from a devastating knee injury that required three surgeries to repair. The Croatian also claims that some days, whether you're healthy or hurt, just don't go the way you want them to go. So can we finally expect to see the return of the "old" Mirko Cro Crop when he tangles with Pat Barry next weekend or is he simply, well, just old?

UFC 115: Ben Rothwell discusses his match up with Gilbert Yvel in Vancouver (Video)

Posted: 06 Jun 2010 06:50 AM PDT

"It was actually a little bit easier going out there without my brother. Sometimes when I have him...

Posted: 06 Jun 2010 06:45 AM PDT

2609890522_704753cf19

"It was actually a little bit easier going out there without my brother. Sometimes when I have him in my corner I feel like it's a lot of pressure. My brother puts a lot a lot of pressure on me to win and I don't really fight that well when I'm put under a lot of pressure like that. It was the most fun I had in a fight in a long time, since my first or second fight. I was just happy to be out there.... I'm sick and tired of sitting around, feeling sorry myself and this and that. I want to get up, train hard, get motivated and live up to my potential. Right now I'm just not. I'm training but I'm not focused on the right things. I need to start living outside the gym as a fighter, and inside the gym train like a fighter."

-- Dan Lauzon tells the Boston Herald that he's decided to accept an invitation to train with Renzo Gracie and Co., following a disappointing loss to Efrain Escudero. It seems as though the rift between him and his older brother, Joe, as well as the rest of his former camp, has motivated "The Upgrade" to try and maximize his fight potential once and for all. Will Version 3.0 be able to hack it inside the Octagon or does Lauzon just not have what it takes to put it all together?
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Recent Articles on Sherdog.com

Loading...

UFC rss

Loading...

Recent Interviews on Sherdog.com

Loading...