Ring vs. Cage

Ring vs. Cage

 

On June 22^nd     former Strikeforce welterweight champion and UFC title challenger Nick Diaz held the first WAR MMA event at the Stockton Arena in Stockton, California. During a great night of fights that featured modified rules in an attempt to prevent fighters from stalling by throwing ineffectual elbow strikes on the ground just to prevent being stood up by the referee, there was another element that was added to the mix…the use of a ring instead of a cage.

Even though WAR MMA is not the first promotion to use a ring instead of a cage, American fans are not all too accustomed to the subtle differences between fighting inside a ring versus fighting inside a cage. Other promotions like PRIDE, DREAM, and the IFL held events’ using a ring and it is the preferred modus operandi for Japanese fight promotions.

Some of the subtle yet significant differences of fighting in a ring rather than a cage is in the clinch and ground work. When a fighter clinches his/her opponent up against the ropes of a ring, there is always the possibility of both fighters falling through the ropes and landing in press row. Just as in a cage, when the fight hits the mat in a ring a fighter must either work for a submission or get up. However, when the fight hits the ground against the ropes of a ring there is less leverage that allows the bottom fighter to stand back up. This does allow a more pure form of grappling as the fighter has to use more technique to reverse position, hit a submission or get back to the feet. In a cage a fighter can use the fence to push off or “wall walk” and reverse position or even use the cage to prevent a takedown. When a fight stalls on the ground against the ropes of a ring, the referee must stop the fight, reposition the fighters in the center of the ring, make sure the fighters are in the exact same position and then start the fight. This wastes valuable time of a round and makes the official in the ring a more prominent element in the workings and possible outcome of a fight.

 

Cage sizes and heights can vary, but the octagon cage used by the UFC has a 30’ (~750 ft squared) diameter with 8 sections. Standing at 5’ 8” to the top of the octagon is much higher than the height of a ring with an average rope height of 5 feet. The difference in height and the elasticity of the ropes makes being clinched against the ropes a more dangerous proposition risking the fighter’s safety as he/she is subject to the possibility of falling out of the ring entirely.

 

On the flip side of the coin a ring allows a better view for the fans. The height of a cage and the surrounding fencing creates a semi-obstructed view. There are a lot of times that the view of the action is obstructed from the top and from the multiple corners of a cage/octagon, especially when the fight hits the mat. Fans at events held in a cage find themselves looking up at the monitors to see the action. In a ring the action is more visible because the ropes are a less prevalent obstruction.

Whether you prefer the cage or the ring, it all comes down to opinion. There are pros and cons of each fighting environment that can be debated for hours and still not agreed upon. It doesn’t matter to me. Either way, whether in a cage or a ring, I am always excited to see fights. I thoroughly enjoyed Saturday’s WAR MMA event and my hat goes off to the promotion’s staff and the fighters who competed for putting on a great show.

Have a great day and stay safe.

Randy Casjens

Twitter- SavageRandy

Grappling Wizards

There are several facets to the game of mixed martial arts. With its unique blend of boxing, muay thai, kickboxing, traditional karate styles and grappling, our sport has truly been a revolution in martial arts. Even with all of these variables in play during both training and competition, there is one skillset that can be the difference between winning and losing…grappling.

While being a well rounded fighter is the goal of all fighters, the true goal of a fight is to win. The ability to dictate where the fight takes place hinges on the ability to take opponents down or to prevent your opponent from taking you down.

World class strikers have the ability to knockout anybody while standing.   However, in mixed martial arts the striking prowess of even the most accomplished karate, kickboxing and muay thai specialists can be nullified by controlling his/her opponent on the ground. Wrestling, judo, Russian sambo and jiu-jitsu are the most prevalent forms of grappling in mixed martial arts. The best example of the effectiveness of both bjj and wrestling has to be the fight between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen at UFC 117. Silva, who is widely considered the best pound for pound fighter on the planet and without doubt the best fighter mma has ever seen, was battered and bruised for almost 5 full rounds by Chael’s dominant wrestling ability. However, Anderson was able to submit Sonnen late in the 5^th round by using… jiu-jitsu.

To the uneducated fight fan who only tunes in to a fight to see the possibility of a head kick or brutal hand strike knockout, grappling can seem anti-climactic and maybe even a bit cowardly. I will not argue that there are some grapplers that employ the game plan of “lay and pray”,  but there is no arguing the effectiveness of the ability to control the pace and place of where and how a fight evolves.

Grappling is an important part of what MMA has become. In the early days of the UFC Royce Gracie was able to beat multiple opponents much bigger than himself because of his ability to take his opponents down and submit them. The realization of the importance of the ground game actually sparked an entirely new aspect that was previously lost on the early mixed martial artists.


Enter two of the most accomplished grapplers in mma, Yushin Okami and Ronaldo Souza. With Yushin Okami’s game hinging on his ability to take his adversaries down and gain complete control and Souza’s ability to take opponents down and finish them via submission, these two men have had great success specifically because of their prowess on the ground.  Even though their grappling styles are completely different, their effectiveness and success are similar.

In Okami’s case, wrestling is his key to victory. He is a huge middleweight who controls his opponents from the clinch and has the skills to control the fight from top position once the fight hits the ground. Okami has beaten some of the most well rounded mixed martial artists in the world by simply controlling them on the mat. With wins over great grapplers like Nate Marquart, Mark Munoz, Hector Lombard and Alan Belcher, Okami has demonstrated time and time again the superiority and effectiveness of grappling over some of the most feared strikers in the game today.

Ronaldo Souza’s success in Brazilian jiu-jitsu is legendary. Commonly referred to as the best BJJ practitioner in the world, “Jacare” instills fear in to his opponents even before they are in the cage/ring. They know once Souza gets them to the ground they need to get up IMMEDIATELY or they will be added to Ronaldo’s highlight reel of submissions.

While striking and knockouts may be more “exciting” than a dominant ground game to some fans, the arts of grappling are an integral tool in becoming successful in mma. When a fighter is concerned with being taken down, his striking is basically nullified simply from the fear of being taken down and being controlled on the ground.

After suffering two straight losses for the first time in his career, a tko loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 134 and a knockout loss to Tim Boetsch at UFC 144, Okami has rebounded with three straight wins over Buddy Roberts, Alan Belcher and former Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard. In all three wins in his current win streak Yushin used his wrestling and dominant top game to control the pace and smother his opponents.

Souza, a former Strikeforce middleweight champion, has won his last four fights all by way of stoppage. Not surprisingly three of those four wins have come by way of submission. In his UFC debut on UFC on FX 8, Jacare was able to control tough UFC veteran Chris Camozzi en route to a technical submission by putting Camozzi to sleep with an arm triangle.

Yushin Okami and Ronaldo Souza are rumored to be squaring off soon in the octagon. Although the fight is not scheduled yet and no fight agreement is in place, all fans of the ground game are looking forward to seeing this matchup. The dance between wrestling and jiu-jitsu practitioners is as old as our sport and I, for one, am looking forward to the chess game that is grappling.

Thank you and be safe

Randy Casjens
On Twitter @SavageRandy

Medical Non-Disclosure

More Dangerous Than Fighting

Former UFC lightweight and current World Series of Fighting competitor Jacob Volkmann reportedly suffered a seizure the day before his WSOF match against Lyle Beerbohm. Volkmann blamed the seizure on a difficult weight cut. He went on to fight the next night and pulled off a victory over Beerbohm via decision.

When I was 11 years old I suffered my first grand mal seizure. I have had 5 more grand mal seizures since then. Thankfully I am now on medication that prevents the infarctions from happening and helps me live a more full life. Usually it’s because of a lack of sleep or forgetting to take my medication. Are some people genetically pre-disposed to having seizures or are they a product of a stressful of environment? Was the seizure caused by an infection somewhere in his body? The truth is nobody really knows why seizures occur in the first place. By Volkmann’s account of the story he lost consciousness, also known as the “Tonic Phase”, but he started convulsing thus going into the “Clonic Phase.” This is an extremely serious medical emergency.

I have several questions for Mr. Volkmann. Why would you put your physical well being in jeopardy after suffering a seizure? Were there people around you that witnessed the seizure, and if so, why didn’t they say anything to the doctors and medical staff that are at all sporting events? Fighting in hand to hand combat is an inherently dangerous endeavor as it is, so why make it any more dangerous? What kind of diet do you have that you must cut enough weight to cause that much physical stress on your body as to cause a seizure? Seizures cause physical damage to the brain. Using an MRI machine a neurologist can see the physical effects in the form of erratic brain waves and brain lesions that have life long affects.

 

The irresponsibility is confounding to me. Jacob Volkmann can blame the weight cut as the culprit that caused his brain to seize up and have him writhing on the ground, but the fact is nobody knows for sure. Not only did Mr. Volkmann put himself in jeopardy of serious long term health problems or possible death, he also jeopardized the reputation of WSOF, the NBC Sports channel, he prevented the medical staff from doing what they are paid to do in making sure all fighters are physically fit enough to compete.

A hypothetical scenario: Volkmann fights, gets hit once, falls to the ground and seizes up in the cage in front of fans watching in the stands and on T.V., goes into a coma and suffers serious brain damage or death. How is that good for your career? How is that good for our sport?

 

Jacob Volkmann’s irresponsible actions and his teammates lack of common sense are to blame and they should be ashamed of themselves. I don’t know if there will be any ramifications that come about because of his non-disclosure, but one thing is for certain; Volkmann’s actions and his team’s apathy are as idiotic as they are dangerous.

 

I respect all fighters for what they do for us fans. MMA competitors are some of the nicest, fan accessible athletes in the world and for that we are lucky. I respect Jacob Volkmann’s skills in the cage, but this is inexcusable behavior from someone who knows better and we should not simply look the other way.

 

There are a lot of questions that have yet to be answered. I sincerely hope that NSAC and the brass at World Series of Fighting will be monitoring closely the health of Jacob Volkmann and investigating the actions, or lack thereof, that lead to Volkmann still competing after such a serious health scare. There are a set of checks and balances in place to help prevent this sort of thing from happening, however, if the fighters and/or their camps or managers do not disclose this information to the proper channels then those safety measures become null and void.

Thank you and BE SAFE

Randy Casjens

On Twitter- @SavageRandy

Bellator MMA 96

Bellator MMA 96

 

On Wednesday June 19^th the Bellator MMA summer series begins. The opening round of tournaments begins with the heavyweights and light heavyweights squaring off to determine who advances to the finals and who goes back to the drawing board.

 

In the night’s main event we have two hard hitting light heavyweights with former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion “King” Mo Lawal (9-2-0-1) squaring off against UFC veteran and TUF 2 competitor Seth “The Silverback” Petruzelli (14-7).

Both men are coming off of losses and will be looking to solidify their place in the Bellator MMA light heavyweight division by advancing to the finals of the tournament. After knocking out Przemyslaw Mysialaat in his Bellator debut, “King” Mo suffered a highlight reel knockout loss in his last fight to Emmanuel Newton via a well timed spinning backfist at Bellator MMA 90 this past February. Lawal has notable wins over Gegard Mousasi and submission ace Roger Gracie.

Petruzelli is coming into Wednesday’s nights fight after suffering a tko loss to co-main event participant Jacob Noe at Bellator 85. Seth will drop back down to 205 to secure a tournament final berth in the Bellator summer series. Petruzelli has notable wins over two former UFC heavyweight champions Ricco Rodriguez and UFC hall of famer Dan “The Beast” Severn.

 

The participants in Wednesday’s co-main event feature two more light heavyweight tournament competitors with UFC veteran and former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Renato “Babalu” Sobral (37-10) taking on the hard hitting Jacob “The Psycho” Noe (11-2).

Sobral will be looking to rebound from a knockout loss to Mikhail Zayats in the opening round of last season’s light heavyweight tournament at Bellator 85. Babalu has alternated between wins and losses in his last 6 fights going 3-3 along the way. Sobral might be fighting for the future of his career as he has been knocked out in his last 3 losses. Renato has notable wins over UFC vets Trevor Prangley, Jeremy Horn and former PRIDE and UFC champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

Jacob Noe is also coming into Wednesday’s tournament semifinal after a loss to Mikhail Zayats via a first round submission (armbar). Noe has a notable win over UFC vet Seth Petruzelli at Bellator 85 in January and will be looking to add another big name win to his resume.

 

In the opening round of the heavyweight tournament we have two time finals competitor Rich Hale (21-5-1) taking on the extremely tough Ryan Martinez (9-2). Hale has made it to both the Bellator light heavyweight tournament finals and the Bellator heavyweight tournament final losing in both finals matches. Rich has a well rounded game and has the tools to end the fight standing or on the ground. His technical submission win against Nik Fekete at Bellator 38 in 2011 via inverted triangle is still one of the best submissions I have seen in the Bellator cage.

Hale’s opponent, Ryan Martinez is a tournament alternate who is taking this fight on about 24 hours notice after Hale’s initial opponent Vinicius Queiroz was forced to withdraw due to a knee injury merely hours before the official weigh-ins. Martinez is looking to continue his momentum after knocking out the tough UFC veteran and MMA journeyman Travis Wiuff in just 18 seconds at Bellator 93 this past March. In Martinez’ 9 career victories, he has 6 wins by stoppage (4 ko/tko, 2 submissions).

 

In the second heavyweight tournament bout, Vitaly Minakov (10-0) takes on Ron Sparks (8-1). The heavy handed Sparks has finishes in 7 of his 8 career wins with 6 coming via ko/tko and 1 submission win. Sparks is looking to rebound from his first professional loss to Eric Prindle at Bellator 56 in October of 2011.

Sparks' opponent, the undefeated Vitaly Minakov, is coming into Wednesday’s tournament semifinals on the heels of a knockout win over Vladimir Starcencov at Bellator 79 in November 2012. Vitaly, a Russian sambist and judoka, and has the grappling pedigree and skills to dictate the pace and take the fight to the mat or keep it standing.

 

In the first fight on the Spike TV televised portion of Bellator MMA 96, we have a featured welterweight fight between the oft controversial TUF competitor War Machine (formerly Jon Koppenhaver). War Machine has made the headlines for all the wrong reasons in the past few years. War Machine (12-4) is 2-2 in his last 4 fights alternating between wins and losses. In his last outing he beat UFC veteran Roger Huerta via knockout in November 2011.

His opponent Blas Avena (8-6), is a submission fighter and W.E.C. veteran. The tough Avena has recorded 6 out of his 8 wins via submission. Blas should be looking to get this fight to the ground to submit Koppenhaver.

Bellator MMA 96 airs live on SPIKE TV on Wednesday June 19th with a 3 hour broadcast. Preliminary action can be seen on Spike.com at 6 p.m. ET. and the main card starts at 7 p.m. ET on SPIKE TV.

 

Enjoy the fights and stay safe.

Randy Casjens

Twitter @SavageRandy

The Big Gamble at UFC 161

The Big Gamble at UFC 161

This Saturday at UFC 161 we witnessed a card with a lot of storylines. From two UFC heavy hitters in the main event between light heavyweight contenders Rashaad Evans and Dan Henderson to the coming out of Stipe Miocic defeating Roy Nelson via a 3 round beating of “Big Country.”

It has been stated by UFC president Dana White that the loser of the main event would probably never get a title shot again in the UFC. Unless Saturday’s fight was for a title, the stakes could not have been higher for either fighter. Evans came out on top via split decision and saved his chances of a possible future title shot. Although Evans isn’t necessarily “in the mix” in the light heavyweight division at the moment, the victory proved that his passion for fighting is still there. After two straight losses, including an admittedly lackluster performance against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 156 some people questioned his heart and love of fighting. Every fight in the UFC is important and means something, but Evans’ victory was a little more important giving the fact that with a loss his chances of ever getting another title shot and being a UFC champ again would be slim to none.

On the losing end of the main event was Dan Henderson. After his second straight split decision loss “Hendo” may never get a chance to fight for a title in the UFC again. Henderson did prove something Saturday night: he still has the ability to compete at the highest level. If there is one thing we know about the UFC; never say never. Dan still has power in his hands and the heart and desire to stay in the upper echelon of the UFC’s Light Heavyweight division, and if he chooses, in the middleweight division as well.

 

Tonight’s biggest loser (no pun intended and no fat joke intended) has to be Roy Nelson.

Saturday was the last fight on Roy’s UFC contract. The UFC offered “Big Country” a contract extension about a month ago and he turned it down. The thinking was that if Roy beat Stipe Miocic in Saturday’s co-main event that he would be in title consideration along with getting a more favorable contract. After 3 straight knockout wins over Cheick Kongo, Matt Mitrione and Dave Herman, Nelson had put himself in great position to command more money. Things didn’t quite work out that way. Stipe battered and boxed Roy in a dominant fashion for 3 rounds, and even though Roy wasn’t knocked out or finished, the result was just as bad. Roy seemed to be “winging” punches looking for that powerful overhand right he is famous for, but could not get close enough to land the power shot. UFC president Dana White said last night during the post-fight media scrum that he wants Roy Nelson in the UFC but that Nelson made a gamble and it did not payoff. “Roy Nelson rolled the dice tonight. He had a high stakes poker game tonight and he lost.”

 

Despite a contentious relationship with the UFC president, Dana White also said that he wants Roy in the UFC and the fact that fans love him and get excited when he steps into the octagon does carry some weight with the brass at Zuffa. At least Roy has the support of the fans and for now has a great chance at being re-signed by the promotion. Just not at the pay rate Nelson would have had if he had beaten Miocic Saturday night.

 

As fans, we all love to see “Big Country” fight. When he wins, he does so using his knockout power. But when he loses, he does so just as convincingly. The way Stipe beat Roy was reminiscent of the way Junior Dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum, Frank Mir and Shane Carwin beat him.

I for one hope Roy Nelson is willing and able to re-sign with the UFC and continue to give us exciting fights. Roy will always be a big draw whether it’s on pay-per-view cards or some of the free cards. Roy will make the UFC money by putting butts in the seats, he will even make some money for himself, just not as much as he would have if he had been victorious at UFC 161.

 

The winners of Saturday’s UFC 161 event were as follows:

Yves Jabouin via split decision over Dustin Paque

Mitch Clarke over John Maquire via unanimous decision

Roland Delorme beats Edwin Figueroa via unanimous decision

Sean Pierson beats Kenny Robertson via majority decision

James Krause beats Sam Stout via submission

Jake Shields defeats Tyron Woodley via split decision

Shawn Jordan knocks out Pat Barry

Alexis Davis over Rosy Sexton via unanimous decision

Ryan Jimmo defeats Igor Pokrajac via unanimous decision

Stipe Miocic beats Roy Nelson via unanimous decision

Rashad Evans beats Dan Henderson via split decision.

 

 

Happy Father’s day and stay safe

Randy Casjens- Twitter @SavageRandy

WSOF 3 Preview

 

Josh Burkman (25-9) is coming into Friday’s fights riding a 4 fight winning streak and has won 7 of his last 8 bouts. His win streak includes two fellow UFC vets Aaron Simpson and Gerald Harris. The win over Aaron Simpson came via tko after blasting “A-Train” with a brutal knee. A win over Jon Fitch would not only avenge a loss to Fitch in 2006 at UFC Fight Night 4 but would also further solidify his place in the WSOF welterweight division.

Jon Fitch (24-5-1), former UFC star, UFC welterweight contender, Purdue wrestling team captain and top 10 ranked welterweight in the world Fitch will be fighting outside the UFC for the first time since October of 2005. After going 1-2-1, including a draw against former 2 division UFC champ B.J. Penn, a 12 second ko loss to #1 ranked UFC welterweight Johny Hendricks and a one-sided loss to BJJ ace and welterweight contender Demien Maia in his final 4 UFC fights, the promotion released Fitch in a very controversial way. Despite not fighting for the UFC anymore Jon Fitch is still a top welterweight and will be looking to get back into the win column with a dominant win over the always tough Josh Burkman.

 

In the night’s co-main event we have Steve Carl (19-3) vs. Tyson Steele (10-1).

Steve Carl is coming into tonight’s bout with Steele riding high on a five fight win streak. Carl ended his last fight versus Ramicio Blackmon at WSOF 1 in November 2012 via Rear-naked-choke. The submission win was his 14^th career win by way of submission.

Carl’s opponent, Tyson Steele, comes into tonight’s fight riding a 4 fight win streak after a tko win over Gregor Gracie at WSOF 1. Both men have the skills to end fights standing and on the ground. With a combined 21 submission victories between them this fight should end before the final bell.

 

Jacob Volkmann (15-4 vs. Lyle Beerbohm (21-2) is a very interesting match-up between two high level grapplers.

After a submission loss to Bobby Green at UFC 156 last February, the promotion released Volkmann. He was not a free agent for long as he was quickly signed by WSOF adding another great addition to their growing roster. Volkmann is known just as much for his brash talk and political views as his suffocating ground game. He will have a great match-up against a fellow grappling ace in Beerbohm.

Strikeforce veteran Lyle Beerbohm is riding a 6 fight win streak with 5 of those 6 wins coming by way of stoppage (4 submissions and 1 tko). Beerbohm is a great MMA grappler with amazing transitions and submission prowess.

Brian Cobb (20-7) vs. Justin Gaethje (8-0)

Gaethje coming into this evening’s event with an unbeaten professional record of 8-0. Justin has notable career wins over Strikeforce and UFC vet Drew Fickett, and Strikeforce vet Gesias Cavalcante. With only one of his 8 wins coming by way of decision, Gaethje has the ability and killer instinct to finish his opponents.

Brian Cobb will be looking to continue his winning ways after earning a split decision victory over UFC veteran Ronys Torres at WSOF 1 in November 2012. Cobb has won 5 of his last 6 fights including wins over Drew Fickett and Rad Martinez. Out of his 20 career wins Cobb has 15 total finishes on his résumé.

 

WSOF 3, takes place at The Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas and will air live on NBC Sports. Check your local listings and DO NOT miss this card.

Enjoy the fights and stay safe.

Randy Casjens

Twitter @SavageRandy

The Rise of WMMA

 

Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate, Julie Kedzie, Gina Carano, Liz Carmouche, Felice Herrig, Cris Cyborg, Marloes Coenen - these are just a few of the names of some of the best fighters in the world. Thanks to Strikeforce, EliteXC, Invicta FC and now the UFC, these fighters are finally starting to get the attention they deserve. As MMA fans we knew the time would come when these women would get their moment to shine, and that time is now.

Just a year and a half ago it seemed that WMMA fighters would be relegated to small time promotions competing for crumbs. Dana White, president of the UFC, famously stated that women will “never” be in the UFC. Now we have women becoming household names with big time sponsors fighting for promoters that actually respect the skills, hard work, dedication and integrity that these fighters bring to the cage/ring.

 

The first WMMA fighters to headline a major promotion’s card were Gina Carano and  Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino, (Cristiane Santos at the time). This fight was an epic moment in WMMA. These two female fighters were showcased above some great names and well respected male MMA fighters. On that night guys like Gilbert Melendez, Gegard Mousasi, Fabricio Werdum and Renato Sobral were second fiddle to the women and they did not disappoint. “Cyborg” went on to win the Strikeforce women’s title by way of TKO. 

 

Female fighters make a splash in the UFC

Since the first WMMA bout in UFC history in January, 2013 we have seen these fighters become instant fan favorites. When Liz Carmouche nearly had a rear naked choke while on champion Ronda Rousey’s back, the crowd was on it’s feet in feverish anticipation of an upset of the woman that “sold” Dana White on women fighting in the UFC, we knew the women were here to stay. Ronda eventually reversed the choke attempt by Liz and went on to win via her signature armbar late in the first round, yet both fighters proved to us that the women not only had the skills to compete on the biggest stage, but that they also had the star power to drive a UFC pay-per-view event. In the first three WMMA bouts in the UFC, we have seen all three fights end in finishes. With Rousey submitting Carmouche via armbar at UFC 157, Cat Zingano’s tko victory on Miesha Tate at the TUF 17 finale and Olympic silver medalist in wrestling Sara McMann’s tko victory over Sheila Gaff at UFC 159, all three WMMA fights in the UFC have ended in finishes.

 

With the highly anticipated Invicta FC 6 headlined by Cristiane “Cyborg” and Marloes Coenen just a month away, Alexis Davis vs. Rosi Sexton on the pay-per-view portion of the upcoming UFC 161 event and the highly anticipated season 18 of TUF for the first time featuring two female head coaches and the first season to have female fighters competing in the tournament, women’s mma has quickly gained traction in the world of mixed martial arts. I for one am always excited to hear when a WMMA fight is announced and a little disappointed when a fight card has no WMMA fights. Just like the revolution of 20 years ago when the UFC burst onto the combat sports scene, WMMA is has had it’s struggles with people seeing them as a “sideshow” displaying more style than substance, now nobody can ever deny these fighters have what it takes to drive events and show the world they have the skills to be taken seriously. They have fought and trained hard for our entertainment and in doing so they earned the respect they deserved in the first place.

Thank you to Shannon Knapp for running the first ever all WMMA promotion in Invicta FC and to Scott Coker for seeing the star power and skills the women possess.

 

Thank you and be safe.

 

Randy Casjens

Twitter @SavageRandy

Interview with Gilbert Jamal Smith-TUF 17 Competitor and Owner of Victory MMA in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Interview with Gilbert Jamal Smith-TUF 17 Competitor and Owner of Victory MMA in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

I had the pleasure to speak with Gilbert Smith on June 6, 2013. We all know Mr. Smith from “The Ultimate Fighter” season 17 as a member of Team Jones.

As a professional fighter, gym owner and trainer, Gilbert is much more than all of these accomplishments. He is also a husband and father, coach, mentor and a soldier.

When I asked him what his proudest achievement is, his answer was quite inspiring. His wife and children are #1 on the list. However, another achievement that he ranks high on his list of proudest moments was graduating from California University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Exercise Science. Having the chance to walk across the stage and receive his diploma in front of his mother, wife, and kids will be something he will never forget. Having served 6 years in the US Army and spending over 3 years in Iraq as a Civilian Contractor, Gilbert could only study part-time by taking 1 or 2 classes  at a time and settling for online courses. When he graduated, he was actually able to travel to the campus for the first time, which is located in Pittsburgh. He was impressed with the Campus and actually wished he had the opportunity to be there physically. As he was walking the stage, he was extremely proud that his children were able to see his accomplishments and to be able to show them that they can achieve anything.

Gilbert began training in BJJ with Marcelo Garcia as a means to stay in shape. He became addicted to the challenges and techniques that he learned. When he went overseas to Iraq, because of the lack of training opportunities and isolation he started buying DVD’s by legendary American kick boxer and trainer Duke Roufus, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace Cesar Gracie, Robert Drysdale and legendary wrestler Dan Gable. These DVD’s became an important part of being able to further his knowledge of the techniques in Mixed Martial Arts. Gilbert then began training soldiers and civilian personnel.  There he would establish the beginnings of what was then called Victory Top Team.

Being competitive by nature, Gilbert gravitated towards MMA and began competing on an amateur level, compiling an undefeated record of 7-0. When he began submitting guys that had more experience and more credentials than him, he realized that he could actually do something with his abilities.

Gilbert has had the opportunity to train abroad in countries like Brazil and Thailand where martial arts are ingrained in the culture. Along with the opportunity to train under the consensus #2 pound for pound fighter UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones on TUF 17, and with UFC superstar Chael Sonnen in West Linn, Oregon, whom he considers it an honor to know, Gilbert has also trained with Robert Drysdale and adds that nothing compares to actually training with these guys in person. He also wants to congratulate Robert Drysdale on his recent signing with the UFC.

Mr. Smith has sound advice for up and coming fighters.”Always surround yourself with great people. Always be willing to do what other guys are not willing to do. When you practice an arm bar, you do it 100 times just to be able to do it once in competition. Make the moves part of your muscle memory.”

I will leave you with this great quote he imparted to me. “Seek out knowledge and then be humble enough to accept it with an open mind.” That is advice we can all use whether we are fighters or not.

Gilbert would like to give a shout out to the following:

Doug Ericson - Owner of Peak Krav Maga where Gilbert’s studio is located

Curtis Hill at Castle Rock Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Team Victory

‘The Sports Guy Mike Show’ on AM1300 
‘The Animal’ for helping to promote his name and business

His sponsor Panino’s Italian Restaurant in Colorado Springs, Colorado owned by the Frasca family on 8 St. “They have excellent food and they have always supported me.”

Jeremy Snyder, his physical therapist, at Rocky Mountain Rehab Center

Factory X out of Denver, Colorado with Head Coach Marc Montoya, Chris Camozzi and Brian Camozzi

A special thanks to Dr. David Lauritzen and Chirocare Recovery Center who has been there since the beginning and has become his best friend and brother.

Once again, thank you, Mr. Smith for taking the time to speak with me. I wish you nothing but success.

With Respect, Randy Casjens

On Twitter @SavageRandy

TITAN FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP 25 “Fight For the Troops” Preview

Friday night June 7, 2013 Titan Fighting Championship brings us another great card on AXS TV at 10 p.m. E.T. live from the Marshall army Airbase in Fort Riley Kansas.

In the main event we have Army veteran and former WWE professional wrestler Booby Lashley (7-2) taking on Kevin “Concrete” Asplund (13-4).

Lashley, a 3 time national wrestling champion at Missouri Valley College is coming into tonight’s fight on the heels of a unanimous decision loss to veteran fighter James Thompson in May, 2012. Lashley, who many fans know as a WWE star, has great wrestling with the ability to dictate where the fight takes place on the ground.

Lashley’s opponent, Kevin Asplund, comes into tonight’s fight riding a 3 fight losing streak and will be looking for a big win against a big name opponent in Lashley. The Bellator MMA veteran has only one decision win in his 15 career victories and has the ability to finish the fight standing or on the ground with submissions. These are two big men I am looking forward to watching fight.

In the Co-main event we have two undefeated lightweights Jake Lindsey (5-0) vs. Zach Freeman (7-0). Jake Lindsey is coming off of a a unanimous decision win over Jordan Johnson at the last “Fight for the Troops” at  TFC 23 in June of 2012.

Zach “The Alter Boy” Freeman is coming into tonight’s bout after a unanimous decision win over the always tough Robert Washington in January. Freeman will look to remain undefeated and display his skills to a televised audience on AXS TV.

Also on tonight’s televised portion of TFC’s “Fight for the Troops” we have Brian Davidson (10-4) vs. Jesus Adame (3-2). Brian Davidson, an accomplished Muay Thai  and taekwondo fighter, will be looking to get back into the win column after losing his last fight via. Tko (punches) in January, 2013 at RFA 6. “Mr. D” has a notable submission win over former UFC and WEC star Jens Pulver in 2011.

Adame will also be looking for a win after suffering a submission loss via RNC against former NCAA Division 1 national wrestling champion Bubba Jenkins in June of 2012.

Other fights on the card include Aaron Derrow (12-6) vs. Marcio Navarro (8-8), and

Zach Hubbard (1-0) vs. Jeimeson (5-1).

 

 

Enjoy the fights tonight and stay safe.

 

Randy Casjens on Twitter @SavageRandy

Liz Carmouche-MMA Trailblazer

The date, February 23, 2013, the place, The Honda Center, Anaheim, California. The night MMA fans will be talking about as a key moment in the UFC's history and a golden moment for the participants in the main event at UFC 157. Besides being a United States Marine as an aviation electrician who served 3 tours of duty in Iraq and a tough as nails fighter, "Girl-Rilla" has kicked down barriers in the biggest MMA promotion in the world.

Although Liz was not the first WMMA fighter to fight on national television or the first WMMA fighter to headline a major MMA promotional card. Both of those honors go to Gina Carano. Liz is, however, the first openly gay fighter in the UFC, but just as important, she was the first ever WMMA fighter to step foot inside the Octagon. On July 27, 2013, Liz, (8-3, 0-1 in the UFC) will achieve another milestone in the UFC by competing in the first WMMA bout on FOX when she takes on Jessica Andrade (9-2, 0-0) in the UFC.

In the weeks leading up to UFC 157 we got to know Liz not just as a fighter, but also as the great person we have come to love. Her fighting style, her down-to-earth personality and the obvious determination ingrained in her from her years in the Marine Corps has earned her legions of fans. Her die-hard Lizbos and LizBros fans are some of the most loyal and MMA educated fans in the world of combat sports.

WMMA fighters like Liz Carmouche have literally had to fight for the respect they deserve. Personally, I am always inspired by these women and their will to succeed in a male dominated, Type-A personality world. Liz never accepts defeat in her personal life, in training or in the cage. MMA fans are witnessing a revolution in sports and Liz "Girl-Rilla" Carmouche is one not only worthy of our respect, she demands our respect. We must oblige. Thank you, Liz, for what you have helped WMMA accomplish. You are a true hero to many people around the world and we are proud to be your fans.

Have a good day and stay safe.

On Twitter @SavageRandy

The Week in Fight Announcements- May 26-June 1

Another week has past, and as always, we are never short of MMA news. Several key match-ups in the UFC have been announced, including a some possible #1 contender matches.

The biggest story we encountered this week was the knee injury of Cat Zingano that has forced her out of coaching opposite “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey on the upcoming TUF 18. Miesha Tate, who was originally slated to face Liz Carmouche on the upcoming UFC on Fox 8, has replaced “Alpha Cat” as coach and will be facing champion Ronda for the Women’s UFC Bantamweight title later this year. Liz Carmouche will keep her spot on the card and is now facing newly signed Jessica Andrade at UFC on Fox 8 on July 27 to be the first WMMA fighters to fight on Fox.  Two top ten UFC Welterweights Martin Kampmann and Carlos Condit are scheduled to meet at this Augusts’ second installment of UFC on Fox Sports 1 in what will be an important fight for both men. Featherweight contenders Chan Sung Jung and Ricardo Lamas will square off on July 6 at UFC 162 in a possible title eliminator with the victor likely facing the winner of the Aldo versus Pettis featherweight title fight on August 3.

The UFC has signed former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett to a multi-fight deal and quickly slated “The Warmaster” to face two time UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir at UFC 164. Both men are ground specialists with world class submission skills.

Former BAMMA champion Tom Watson will be welcoming the return of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace and former UFC middleweight title challenger Thales Leites back to the octagon at UFC 163 on August 3^rd.

Fast rising lightweight Connor McGregor has been scheduled to meet former TUF competitor Andy Ogle at the UFC on Fox Sports 1 debut in August.

TUF 17 finalist Uriah Hall will face fellow TUF alumni Nick Ring at the UFC on Fox Sports 1 debut.

Fellow TUF season 10 contestants Matt Mitrione vs Brendan Schaub on UFC on Fox 8 in July.

Other match-ups that were announced this week are newly signed UFC lightweight James Krause replacing injured Issac Vallie-Flagg to face feared striker Sam Stout at UFC at 161. Former WEC featherweight champ Mike Brown will face Akira Corassani at the UFC on Fox 1 debut. Rafaello Oliveira replaces injured John Makdessi to face Edson Barboza at UFC 162. In a heavyweight showdown of newly signed UFC fighters, Soa Palelei will stand across the octagon to fight Nikita Krylov at UFC 164.

 

These are some very compelling fights that have been added to the sizzling summer schedule for the UFC. I, for one, am excited for these bouts and they should give us some exciting fights.

 

Enjoy the fights, and stay cool.

 

Follow me on Twitter @SavageRandy