Anthony Birchak - photo by KatPhoto

Anthony Birchak is extremely new to the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. Having his first fight in 2009, he quickly rose to local stardom with four straight victories, finishing all four of his opponents. When Bellator held their 41st event in Arizona, Birchak was asked to compete on the undercard. The victory propelled him to a fight for Rage in the Cage and then a fight in Brazil. Now, BAMMA USA has called on him to fight for their show on March 16 in southern California. MMA Recap caught up with Birchak to discuss his career, traveling, his family and more.

What got you into fighting?
Well I have been wrestling since I was five. I did free-style Greco. I was Greco All American and national champ. I started wrestling at Tema Collage and saw that Tema had a pedigree of wrestlers; Drew Fickett, James Terry, Jamie Varner, Jesse Forbes, Efrain Escudero. I think that like eight of the ten guys on our wrestling team went to the big show and I was like, these guys do what I do and I have been wrestling a lot longer than they have. I jumped on the bandwagon and about 2008 I started training with Fickett for jiu jitsu. I had my first fight in 2009. I told my brother and my mom that I wanted to be able to say I have the experience of doing it one time. Next thing I know I got the bug and I haven’t been able to quit.

Looking over your career you have fought for a number of organizations, which one so far was your favorite to fight for?
Hands down Bellator. They had everything popping and locking. All these other shows there’s always a hiccup. There wasn’t any issue with Bellator. I was really impressed with the way that Rebney handled everything and even the guys under him were professional and had everything going real fast. I was blown away. I knew that was the kind of organization I wanted to be a part of.

You have a win at Bellator 41 over Tyler Bialecki. Was this a fight to earn a multi-fight Bellator contract?
When I took that fight Sherdog had me as a 4-0 pro, and another site had me at 3-0. At the time I was 3-0 and he was 7-3. I was kind of intimidated cause he had a lot more time than I did. To say that, that fight should have earned me a multi fight contract, no I don’t. I think I should have fought one or two more times on the undercard and I would love to do the tournament. When we talked about it, I told them that right now I was working two jobs and I was bar tending and got my son. I have child support and I am just not in the spot mentally to make that type of commitment to be that high of a fighter where I could just quit everything and focus on the tournament. Right now, I am ready and if they asked me to be apart of the tournament I would sign easy.

You recently suffered your first loss at Amazon Forest Combat to George Clay, how’d that fight play out and what you were able to take away from that loss?
The entire experience was kind of a nightmare. Drew approached me with this thing and it is not to talk bad at all about my management or Jason. The whole process of getting to Brazil was a f***ing nightmare. I had to pay $2,000 to get my passport released because of Arizona child support laws. They wouldn’t let me leave the country without first paying my rears. Thank God I have the angel of the aunt that I do who fronted me the money. I went to the state and gave them the money. I begged and pleaded with my baby’s momma to tell the state I was going down for work. I said I would pay her off and then some. It was just a headache.

I didn’t get my passport until the day before I got on the plane to go to Brazil. So not only was I not focused on purely training, I had a great camp don’t get me wrong. But my mind wasn’t strictly in the gym. I am talking to Chambers who is this guy I met through Drew. We formally hadn’t met yet. We had talked on the phone. Drew came to me and was like this is an opportunity. Sign this contract and use this agency that I am with. You are family, we are going to stay in the same family. I took Drew’s word for it. I signed the papers. Like I said, the passport was an absolute nightmare.

We get to Brazil and the entire weigh-in was great. Come fight time I felt focused, like I was supposed to be there. As soon as I walked out and heard those 15,000 people screaming I knew I was supposed to be there. There was no jitters, nothing. Maybe that was the bad part. Usually I go out into the fight and am a little nervous. This time I went out and knew what I wanted to do and how I wanted to execute it. I stepped into the cage and I threw a couple combos. He kicked me. Now when I re-watch the film I know there were some things I should have done. I went for a real stupid short choke submission and I should have defended the takedown. When a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt gets your back in Brazil, count your blessings if you get him off your back once. I let the guy have my back twice. He ended up getting a choke and I had said to myself that if he got it I was going to go to sleep. But it was straight up on the esophagus and I was forced to tap.

After my first amateur loss I went on a six-fight win streak and I changed my game up. I realized that I am decent at what I do as a fighter and could be great. Now with my first loss as a pro, I am changing my game once again. The entire thing is that Ed West, George Roop, Chris Cariaso, all those guys have been my training partners. They are all putting their little spins on my technique. I am teaching them wrestling, they are teaching me how to strike properly. I want to thank Ed West for all his improvements. I feel super confident. I am going into this fight with Chad George and I feel well rounded.

You are fighting on March 16 for BAMMA USA against Chad George. What are your thoughts on him? He has you on the experience edge with nearly three times the number of fights you have had. Does that come into your game planning at all when you fight a guy like that?
The guy has more experience for sure and it is just going to be like another day at the office for him. But this is still something I am really fresh at. I could quit tomorrow and it would be like it was something I just gave up on or I could keep going. I know more about Scott Jorgensen (who George fought) because he was a PAC 10 wrestler. He’s an amazing wrestler. I think what he did to George is what I am going to do. It’s what I plan to do. I am going to come out and strike with him and as soon as he shoots I plan to take his neck and choke him out. We are taught to take the neck, take the back and that’s the gameplan.

Where are you training out of?
I was with Fickett at his Team Scrub which is like his hillbilly training outside his house. He’s got some tires and free weights. He turned his little carport into a wrestling room. But now I am full time since the fight in Brazil at Apex Mixed Martial Arts. We have George Roop, Ed West, Chris Cariso, and a lot of hungry fighters. It’s been a good spot for me.

What are your goals for 2012?
I would like to be in the UFC. That’s the cap on anyone’s career. I want to win another region world championship and move up to the big show. I want to put a real roof over my son’s head and that’s it.

What do you like to do when you aren’t training?
I don’t really not train. My downtime I take my kid to Peter Piper a lot. I spend time with my boy and he gives me a lot of insight on myself. Being a young father has been really awakening. Anytime I spend with him is well cherished.

How old is he?
He will be four in March. The s**t that comes out of his mouth is amazing. I think one, two, and four are the greatest stages. Cause one they are walking around, two the terrible two’s weren’t really there. He was pretty chill. Then at four, the things that come out of his mouth amaze me. His concept of everything is mind blowing.

What’s your favorite breakfast cereal?
Off brand breakfast cereal called Oh’s. It would scratch the roof of your mouth. But it was the most tasty thing. It was like an O like a Cherrio, but inside it has like three little round balls that are different colors. It’s the one I always go back to. It’s hard to find in Tuscan. I think there’s like one or two off market stores. Anytime my mom finds it she buys like six or seven boxes.

Where can the fans find you at?
Find me on twitter @abirchakmma, Facebook I have a fan page under Anthony Birchak. And also on neverscaredmma. They have some stuff on me.

Any sponsors or people you want to thank?
Drew Ficket he’s the one that got me into this, my brothers, my mother, Jaco has been a huge help, my girlfriend Mercedes White. She hustles harder than anyone I know. She’s been getting me sponsors here and there and media blasts me. She has her own media company called Luta Elite.

Jake Nauracy will be making his professional debut and his Bellator debut in the same night on Friday March 9th at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana. As an amateur he remained undefeated finishing all ten of his opponents. Nauracy was on RecapRadio and discussed his upcoming fight with Cory Galloway and more.

How’s things going?
What’s going, how’s it going.

You are making your pro debut at Bellator 60, talk to us a bit about getting the call to fight for such a major promotion for your first pro fight.
You know it’s pretty much like any other fight. It’s something that I have always wanted, I wanted to make it up to the pro level. I am glad to be fighting for them. Bellator its pretty cool. Its something I never imagined to happen.

Your opponent is Team Curran’s Cory Galloway who is also making his pro debut. What can you tell us about him?
No I didn’t know who he was until a week or two ago when they mentioned his name. I couldn’t really find much on him, but I got a couple details on him.

From what we understand it was difficult finding an opponent for you, how many opponents were you presented with before Cory signed to fight you?
Man I was getting calls left and right saying “We got you an opponent and then he’d back out”. It sucks because you are putting in all this hard work and training and it’s was just let down after let down after let down. They found me a good opponent and I am looking forward to it.

Typically when guys are making their pro debut there isn’t a lot of tape on guys, but is that something you look for or do you just say hey I gotta train everywhere?
Pretty much. I train for any obstacle. Be it a wrestler, boxer, jiu jitsu guy, whatever. I train my ass of for every type of fighter.

One thing that I noticed when I saw you last weekend at Babes and Brawls was that you are extremely tall for a bantamweight. Do you think that will play a factor into the fight in both the weight cut and a size advantage?
I get that a lot that I am big. I am used to the cut. Every fight I have had has been at bantamweight except for one. It does play a big factor having a size advantage over everybody. My cardio is still there. It is something I am kind of used to cutting down to the 35.

All of your wins have come via first round finish leading some to question if you have the gas tank should the fight go into the later rounds. Are you expecting this fight with Galloway to go into deeper waters or do you think it will be another quick finish for you?
I always expect the fight to go the distance, but I always look for a quick finish. I am always training and worried about my cardio. I am always thinking what if it goes the distance. I do the shark training which is one new opponent after another and work on it.

Being that you train out of Torres Martial Arts, should we expect to see Miguel in your corner and is there any sort of rivalry between Torres Martial Arts academy and Team Curran that helps hype this fight up more?
Not really there’s no local feud. It is an opposing gym so we will have fighters that clash.

You were undefeated as an amateur, having fought most of your fights for Cut Throat MMA. You are their current bantamweight champion what was it like fighting for Cut Throat?
It is pretty cool fighting for them. I never expected to get up to the champion level. I had my first fight with Cut Throat, then I fought three times for Total Fight Challenge. Cut Throat got a hold of me cause they saw I was finishing fights in the first round. I had one more fight before I got to fight for the title. It’s been an honor to fight for them.

Where can the fans find you at?
Facebook and Twitter. Just look me up at Jake Nauracy on facebook or @jnauracy135 on twitter.

Any sponsors or people you want to thank?
I want to thank Gene my striking instructor, Andre my jiu jitsu instructor, Miguel cause he’s been like a big brother to me looking after me, everyone at Torres Martial Arts, my brother John, my mom and everyone who has helped me out for this fight.

Matt Lucas - photo by Tracy Lee of Combat Lifestyle

Matt Lucas has been competing in mixed martial arts for over a decade. His dream was to fight for the UFC and in November of 2011, that goal was achieved as he fought Aaron Rosa on the undercard for UFC on Fox 1. The fight did not go his way, and now Lucas is hoping to get another shot, but this time in the middleweight division. MMA Recap caught up with Lucas to discuss his career, his UFC fight, and more.

So what got you into fighting?
I was a wrestler in college and I wanted to stay competitive like a lot of wrestlers do currently. I got into it back in 2000.

Were you competing in mixed martial arts while you were still active as a wrestler in college?
No right when I got done with college I moved to Houston I picked up jiu jitsu and got competitive into the MMA scene.

For those that don’t know, what were your wrestling credentials?
I was a two-time All American while in college.

For your first fight in the UFC it was at UFC on Fox. You mentioned that it was your first time under the big lights and it probably didn’t help that it was the first ever card for Fox. Can you talk a bit about the nerves in that fight?
You know being back to the big show, I did fight on the big EliteXC card on Showtime back in the day that had a lot of people there too. Being that it was a goal of mine to fight at the UFC and that I had been working all this time, twelve years to get there, and there it was. I didn’t have too many nerves until I got in there. Once I got in there, it seemed more like a wrestling match or a grappling match than a fight. Our goal was to put him up against the fence. It made the fight boring, I caught some flack for that. No excuses, but the jitters and the fact that I was in a weight class above where I should have been for that big stage. I know Jason my agent was trying to get me in at 185, but we got a call to fight at 205 I didn’t care, I wanted to fight for the UFC. I was a very small 205er as I weighed in at 201. I think about the fight every day and I wish I could have done better. Hopefully I get another shot at 185 and get to show what I am good at doing.

What did you take away from the fight?
To be more active. I think I could have thrown my hands a bit more. The gameplan I stuck to, but I think we could have flurried more. I would have gotten more takedowns had I done that. I was worried about getting him up against the fence. Then there was the fact that my mouth piece that didn’t come in on time. I had a poo-dunk mouth piece that kept falling out. Joe Rogan was ripping on me about it and I got deducted a point. Coming in more prepared with equipment and more of what I am good at doing.

Prior to your UFC debut you were on a five fight win streak all within Rage in the Cage. What was it like fighting for one of the more known regional promotions?
The Rage in the Cage owner catches a lot of flack. The Rollands have never done me any wrong. They have matched me up with UFC veterans, and Bellator runner up twice. I’ve had some good match ups. There’s some fights that are ridiculous, but I have had good fights. They’ve always been supportive and good. I’m glad to be there champion.

I noticed that you fought Shawn Frye twice and both times won relatively fast with strikes. What was the reasoning behind the second matchup with Frye?
The first fight I caught him in a crucifix and they pulled me off him kinda quick and he was upset. For the rematch, I like him, but he and his corner were talking a lot of smack. Even Rolland even told me they said they were going beat me. Frye wanted the rematch and he wanted to beat me. My previous rematch I had against Richard Hale and I lost, so now I wanted to take that challenge. I was kind of pissed and that’s why I got the quicker KO. I didn’t want to take it to the ground as I wanted to show him my standup was just as good as my ground and I think I did.

Now do you have a fight coming up that you are training for?
Jason with ASA is the best agent in the world. He’s brought me some offers and I have been doing my business work. I’ve been back around and in the gym. I just need to work on my shape a little bit, but I would like to finish out my career. Look for something in the next 60-90 days.

Any particular type of opponent that you want to fight?
I’d rather fight a striker. I wish I could fight Aaron Rosa to 185. I know he already shrunk like 60lbs to fight at 205, so if I could shrink him down to 185 I think we would have a different outcome. Someone like that. I’ve been wrestling forever and so if I fight another wrestler I know I will be wrestling or a grappling match. I don’t mind fighting wrestlers, but I would love to test skills with a kickboxing guy or a jiu jitsu guy.

Are you still training out of Arizona Combat Sports and if so, what’s it like training with some of the guys that have come through there in the past?
Yes. I am doing some lifting at a place called Animal Freak Fitness. I am doing my lifting and strength training there and my MMA at Arizona Combat Sports. The coaches at ACS are great. The workout partners there are second to none. You go over there and you train. All the guys are going to push you. You can go to other gyms and be the dominant guy, but you need guys to push you to help your career.

Looking back at your career, which fight would you say was your favorite?
Probably my favorite fight was the Homer Moore. He was a national champion, fought a lot of former guys like Evan Tanner and Dan Severn. He was kind of the bully at Rage in the Cage. He had also beaten me at free-style wrestling. I got to go in and had Joe Riggs in my corner, and Homer had beaten him in the cage. Joe said it was personal like he was living through me. For me to go out and beat him when he hadn’t been beaten at 205. To win the Rage title I knew I could compete and I never looked back.

According to the UFC website you were born in Indianapolis. Does that mean you are a Colts fan or an Arizona Cardinals fan?
Actually I am Denver fan. I went to school in Colorado. I like both the Colts and Cardinals but my team is the Broncos.

What do you like to do when you aren’t training?
I work. I hang out with my two little boys. One is twelve and one that is four. That’s the best part of my time. I hang out with my brothers and family.

Where did the nickname Luke Duke come from?
It came from college all my friends called me Luke Duke. Then when I started fighting ten years ago they asked what do people call you, I said off the cuff they call me Luke Duke. Then the next thing you know, it stuck.

What is your favorite breakfast cereal?
Honey Bunches of Oats is what I like. It’s kinda healthy.

Where can the fans find you at?
They can find me on Facebook. I need to get more on my twitter @lukedukeufc. Facebook is where you will find me the most.

Any sponsors or people you want to thank?
My agent Jason Chambers and the people at ASA. Arizona Combat, Animal Freak Fitness. Also the Homies No Mas and Audi is a good masseuse, and Bad Blood MMA.

Christian Uflacker at HFC 10 - Photo by Joey Hill

The main event for HFC 10 was a professional featherweight bout between undefeated Strikeforce vet Christian Uflacker and WEC vet LC Davis. After an already exciting night of fights, the crowd was eagerly awaiting both fighters to step into the Hoosier steel. The crowd seem to be split 50/50 between the two fighters. Every punch, kick, takedown and escape was noticed and appreciated in front of the midwest fan base.

Here is how the fight transpired…

Main Event: Featherweight: Christian Uflacker vs LC Davis

Round one: Uflacker in for the takedown early because he pushed Davis against the cage, but Davis stuffed the attempt to put the fight back to the feet with no damage for either fighter. Davis pushed the pace by throwing more strikes than Uflacker. Another takedown attempt by Uflacker, and again it was stuffed; damge given. Uflacker would not give up and finally secured a takedown that was against the cage. Uflacker quickly put Davis’ legs into a figure-four lock to enable Davis’ movements. However, Uflacker was unable to advance his position or cause damage. Uflacker eventually lost control of Davis’ legs, but secured another takedown as Davis tried to stand up. Davis got half way up the cage, but kept getting taken back down. Davis started attacking the body landing shots to the ribs that could have been heard from the entire audience. Uflacker still had Davis’ legs secured. Davis found a small opening and tried to escape, but a hard slam to end the round for Uflacker.

Round two: A stiff jab from Davis to open the round. Uflacker tried to rush in on him to secure a takedown, but Davis circled away to avoid. Awesome body shot from Uflacker that unfazed Davis. Davis mixed up his attacks with a takedown of his own, but Uflacker got back to his feet with no damage. Another takedown from Uflacker and again secured the legs to prevent Davis from wall walking and escaping. Uflacker started to punch Davis’ thighs while he’s down there. Uflacker was unable to move forward on the takedown and secure a dominate position. Ref stood them up. Davis tried to kick, but countered to give up his leg for a takedown from Uflacker. Davis stood up repeatedly, but is taken right back down again. Davis started to land body shots to Uflacker from the bottom, again attacking the ribs.

Round three: Davis opened with a great right hand to the jaw. Uflacker countered with inside leg kick. Combinations from from Davis landed a few of them, but Uflacker defended well for the most part. Uflacker dove in for a single leg and holds Davis against the cage again. Uflacker held Davis’ legs with his own and starts landing punches to the ribs. However you can tell that they did not have much power behind them due to the fact that they are on the ground. Davis answered with punches of his own to the head and body. Davis’ corner begged for a stand up. The ref eventually complies and sent the fighters back the center and on the feet. Uflacker flops to the ground to try and draw him in to his guard, but it is a no go. Davis threw everything he had at Uflacker as a fighter to try and secure the knockout. An inside leg kick drops Davis for a moment. One last takedown attempt stuffed by Davis and throws a punch for good measure.

Result: Christian U. split decision (29-28, 30-27 (Davis), 29-28)

There was heavy controversy over the out come because some people thought that Davis did more damage and tried to end the fight more often than Uflacker. The other half thought that Uflacker controlled most of the fight with takedowns and holding Davis down against the cage.

I caught up with Christian Uflacker after the fight to get his opinion on the result.

Give me your take on your performance and getting a spilt decision win.

“It was a great fight. LC is a very tough guy, he has over 20 professional fights, fought all over the world. Two years ago LC was ranked number eight int he world has a featherweight. I knew it was a tough fight. I have been fighting for almost two years, but because I have been working a lot in my gym, helping my fighters, helping grow my gym and being very active in the gym; that helped me to avoid ‘ring rust.’ It was my first time fighting at 145 pounds and I felt pretty strong. I felt I won the first two rounds, the third round was close he might got the better in an exchange, but I knew I won the fight, but I know it was a really tough fight. I’m glad I fought someone at that level. It’s good to know what kind of level I am at right now.”

One judge scored the fight 30-27 in favor of LC Davis, how can you rationalize that? 

“I have no idea. I defiantly won the first round; I dominated and put him on his back, pound him. He tried to get up and I picked him up and slammed him down again. Second round I pretty much controlled the whole time too; put him on his back. Third round we exchanged and he got a little better in the exchage. I put him on this back. We got into a scramble, I put him on his back. He was afraid of my guard because I do BJJ for twenty years and I am a former BJJ champion. So I knew he would have been intimidated to go to the ground with me. He tried to get up and bang on the feet. I hang with myself there and bang with him back. I thought it was kinda strange. Every fight a judge will have different opinions. We both are really tough fighters and we are going to fight until the end to not quit. I defiantly felt I won the first two rounds. 

I noticed that you used the figure four leg lock to secure his legs while he was against the cage. Do you feel that was your main weapon to secure your victory?

“Yes, defiantly. Stand and bang, take him down, put him on his back and figure four lock him. We used to do that a lot in training my fighters, to not let them get up. I knew he would try and get up. He’s a good wrestler and would try to separate and get up. I was taking advantage of the figure four to try an roll him on his back and punish him from there. It looked like, in my opinion, he was trying more to complain to the ref rather than get up. I felt that was a little weird. If you stick to tradition, if you talk to the ref too much, you can get disqualified. Don’t complain, try and get up. That is your job as a fighter to try and get out of the position not to try and ask someone else to help you out. 

What is next for you Christian; how soon would you like to compete again? 

“I just moved to a bigger gym, I worked a lot on my business, teaching a lot of classes. I took a month off to train for this fight. I don’t know right away. I’m just looking forward to relaxing a little bit. Go back to work on my business helping my gym grow. I’ll let my manager find the next fight and we’ll see what we can do to grow.”

“I want to thank all of my training partners. All of my family; my wife for putting up with me. I have been very crabby from cutting weight. My coach Mike, Recardo and everyone else who really helped me out.” 

Vince Ramos Training At Team Curran - photo by Brent Todd

Vince Ramos made his professional debut in mixed martial arts in March of 2009. Entering that fight there was a lot of buzz about him due to his undefeated amateur career. He started off his pro career with a bang winning his first three fights. Then in his last three fights he has gone just 1-2.

Now Ramos is back in the gym training harder than ever for his next fight. After learning some things in his last fight against Guillermo Serment, Ramos vows to not let any aspect of his game be left unsharpened before stepping into the cage. MMA Recap caught up with Ramos to talk about his career, his last fight and more.

How’s it going Vince?
I’m doing alright how are things going with you Brent?

It’s going well here I can’t complain. Now I’ve had the honor to watch all of your pro fights, I am curious as to which one was your favorite?
My favorite one was at Ruckus 2

That was against Danny Black in your pro debut right?
Yeah or I would say Ruckus at Navy Pier. That was exciting.

That was a fun one too.
I was so tired and gassed out with my arms that by the end of the fight to get that choke was a relieving feeling.

Your last fight was against Guillermo Serment at XFO 42 and unfortunately it looked like you gassed out pretty quickly in that fight. GIve us your thoughts on that fight.
Honestly I think I prepared right. There’s things I would have changed though. I lacked strength and conditioning training through out that fight and it showed. I think I controlled the first round and it showed. Actually I think I dominated the first, but the second and third round I would give it to him. He fought a hell of a fight and no excuses he was the better fighter that night. It made me re-evaluate what I was doing and I am hoping to comeback a lot stronger next time.

In the past weight cutting has kind of plagued you a little bit, what was different this time around?
Honestly I ordered the Dolce Diet. I am not trying promo it, but truth is, it worked. I felt energized and I was eating to loose weight. He has contacted me a few times personally and the guy is unbelievable when it comes to nutrition. Little tricks he teaches you and it helps you along the way.

I’ve read the book and I couldn’t believe how much food you actually eat and how simple it was.
It’s crazy. I remember reading through the book and thinking, this is a lot of food. I was looking at the stuff and there’s a lot that you take in but the crazy thing is I was taking it in and my weight was going down. I was energized and able to push myself through workouts and practices where I would normally say I was miserable. The week of I was feeling great, I was doing everything right. Unfortunately the lack of strength and conditioning bit me in the but.

When are you looking to come back to the cage?
We are working on some things in April, but nothing is set just yet. As soon as I know, you will know.

Where can the fans find you at?
Follow me on twitter @ramossp145 or on Facebook under Vince Ramos. I try to do a good job updating people with what’s going on.

Anyone you want to thank?
Shout outs to my friends, family, everyone here at Team Curran, Jeff, Doug and everyone who is taking me to the next level.

Dan Stittgen at XFO 39 - photo by Joey Hill

Dan Stittgen got the call he has been training for his entire career; to fight for the UFC. But it wasn’t just any fight that they wanted him to step up on short notice, it was for a fight on Superbowl Weekend’s UFC 143 card. His fight against Stephen Thompson will be streamed live on Facebook and MMA Recap’s Mike Finch caught up with him to discuss his training, his audition for The Ultimate Fighter, and his thoughts on his up coming fight.

How you doing today?
Alright. Doing well sir.

You recently just auditioned for The Ultimate Fighter, can you tell us how that experience was?
Everything went good. I was well received. I made it all the way to the final interview. Seems everything went well you know.

The only man to beat you got injured and now you are stepping in to take his place
It got rotated around a few times. They needed somebody to step up and I did.

How did they contact you?
They just gave me a call and offered me a fight and a contract. They said they would have given me time to get ready and given me a later fight, but it is such a good venue in Mandalay Bay and a big card I had to do it. I jumped right on.

Have you taken fights before on such short notice and how will this effect your training?
I’ve taken fights on short notice before. As far as training, we just turned up the intensity and crammed as much in as we could with the amount of time that we have. We’ve upped the sleep hours and kept an extra eye on my nutrition, things like that.

You are fighting Stephen Thompson and he is primarily a kick boxer and you are a more of a submission guy. Is it just clear that the game plan will be to take him down and submit him or are you looking to test it out on the feet?
Realistically I don’t go into the fight with any game plan. I am trained to look for openings and capitalize on mistakes and opportunities. If any mistake presents itself I will be there to capitalize. I don’t fight to win any one particular way, I just train to win.

Why’d you chose the Midwest Training Center for your training?
Prior to me training at MTC I was training in the basement of a church. It’s all been conceived here. Coach Alex has taken me and has done a wonderful job. I don’t feel that I need to go anywhere else. I have all the wrestling, submission, kick boxing here. We do it all.

What can we expect at the coming UFC here?
Destruction.

Clay Guida - photo by Brent Todd

On Tuesday night at MMA Stop Fitness, Clay Guida hosted a Chael Sonnen MMA seminar to selected gym members. Guida was kind enough to answer a few questions during Sonnen’s workout.

What do we have going on here tonight Clay?

“Cheal Sonnen is in the middle of a workout. He just finished a great seminar with a lot of good feedback and great turnout. People are still here watching him sweat.”

Do you think that it is unusual for him to hold a seminar so close to his fight on Saturday?

“Hey, you know, whatever he thinks helps him out getting ready for the fight. That’s what we’re all about. If he is okay with it, then more power to him. He is very supportive of the wrestling community and MMA fitness scene. That is what we are based on here at MMA Stop Fitness. It’s about building a healthy lifestyle and a clean atmosphere for kids and adults who like to workout. It’s great to have a such a great ambassador of the sport come to support that.”

You made the decision to make this gym more family oriented instead of a gym geared towards the pro fighter. What was the reason behind that?

“MMA is a growing sport and we see kids start sports earlier. Not every kid wants to play soccer, baseball, softball, volleyball or football maybe they want to MMA and maybe there is that mom out there that doesn’t want to jump on the treadmill, but wants to hit the heavy bag or go to a cardio kickboxing class. We have a lot of different options with personal training, wrestling, yoga, cardio kick boxing, BJJ, MT kickboxing, a very wide variety of fitness options. Come and try it out to see if they like it!”

How did this connection with Sonnen come about; are the two of you friends outside of the Octagon?

“Yeah, we’re friends and we’re wrestlers. I’ve watched him for years and we are getting towards that belt. It’s so nice of him and I can’t thank him enough to come in to our gym the day he landed. Keep in mind he just flew from Oregon today, dropped his bags off at the hotel in downtown Chicago and drove with my business partner all the way out here. It’s pretty amazing. I am behind him 110% on his trip to the title and I thank him and his camp for coming out here tonight.”

So, I can assume you think Sonnen will win his fight on Saturday?

“Absolutely! This is a custom-made fight for Chael to ground and pound 101. He teaches it at seminars and preforms in the cage better than anybody. It’s a tough match-up for both of them. You’ve never seen Bisping get dominated in a fight. The only one that comes to mind is that brutal knockout by Dan Henderson, but you saw him fight Rashad Evans and that was a close fight. You saw him lose to Wanderli Silva and that was a very close fight, so he never really gets beaten up too bad in the cage. It’s going to be a good fight on both ends, but I gotta go with the wrester, my friend.”

How does Chael Sonnen win this fight?

“TKO in the second round.”

Chris Weidman vs. Demian Maia?

“I’m going to go with the young up-and-comer, Chris Weidman, east coast wrestler and a really tough kid. He is undefeated in MMA, and I think he is going to show Demian, who is a friend of mine, what wrestling and ground-and-pound is all about. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him submit a guy.”

Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis for the main event on FOX?

“As far as the main event goes; Evans vs. Davis is going to be a great fight! Two highly skilled wresters, sometimes they cancel each other out, but I think this fight is going to be pretty exciting. I’m going to take Evans in a close decision, based on octagon experience.”

Your take on Jim Miller vs. Melvin Guillard from UFC on FX 1?

“Jim looked great especially coming back after a tough loss to Ben Henderson which was pretty much a one-sided fight. To take the fight to the ground the way he did; it shows that he is a gamer and a smart fighter and he bounces back from a tough loss. Guillard, one of my teammates, needs to get in the gym and work on his grounds skills a little bit.”

Did you hear that Guillard was not unhappy with his performance?

“If I lost in the fight, I would be a little bit upset. The fight was pretty close until then. Once he got it to the ground it was over instantly. Guillard is a tough kid, he just needs to get in there and work on the ground a little more.”

UFC 144 will return to Japan for the lightweight title bout with Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson. What’s your take on that fight?

“It’s going to be a great fight with two guys that I look up to in this sport. Henderson took my title shot away, but it’s not going to be for long. I’m going to be right back in there. Edgar is one of my heros and I’m really excited to see this fight. You got the little guy in Edgar who always finds away to win. People keep counting him out, but time-and-time again he surprises people. It lets you know that hard work and dedication will prevail. I think Edgar will win if he can keep the fight in the center of the Octagon and dance around. Land his one-twos (jab, cross punches) and use his takedowns. If Henderson pushes him against the cage and clinches him up, it will slow Edgar down and fight on his pace, Henderson will ‘eek out’ a decision. I’m going to stick with the champ on this one.

What is it going to take to put you back in the mix at lightweight?

“Putting in a really hard camp like we always do. Work on a few more difficult positions that I struggled on in the fight with Henderson. Get back to the old wrestling ways. Win one or two more and I’ll be right back in the mix.”

Did you hear that Pat Barry is not going to shave the top of his head until he records a submission victory inside the Octagon? He said that he might become the next Clay Guida.

“Barry is my buddy and apparently he wants a ‘heavyweight mullet.’ I rock a pretty good mullet from what I hear. Pat is awesome and I’m really excited for his victory especially after coming back from a couple of tough losses. It’s good to see him back in the mix and he’s a very colorful and happy person. Great competitor so it’s great to see him back. Great job Pat.”

Anything else that you would like to add before we wrap up?

“I want to thank Chael Sonnen once again and more importantly I want to thank everyone who came out tonight and showed their support on a Tuesday evening here at MMA Stop Fitness in Crest Hill. Also, don’t miss that we have Uriah Faber coming by on Friday at 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. He will be doing a seminar and an autograph signing. Also, want to thank MMA Recap, Muscle Farm, MMA Stop Fitness, Safe Auto and DVS Shoe Company. The fights are going to be awesome this Saturday night on FOX.”

MMA Stop Fitness Facebook Page

Clay Guida’s Official Facebook Page

MMA Stop Fitness is located at 16101 Weber Road, Crest Hill, IL.

Jeff Curran at XFO 39 - Photo by Joey Hill (joeyhill.com)

Team Curran founder Jeff Curran has been in the sport for a long time. Having first competed professionally in 1998, Curran has been a part of nearly every major organization. In May of 2011, he took on a late replacement Billy Vaughan and used the fight to propel himself to return to the UFC.   His first bout was against a very game Scott Jorgensen at UFC 137 who implemented what most opponents need to do in order to beat Curran.

“It was a typical Jeff Curran fight. If a fighter can get me to the ground and survive my guard they win a decision. It’s not the way I like fights to go. I feel like him taking me down and riding out a decision was the easiest route. We were supposed to stand and trade, but it didn’t go that way.”

And like many fighters who sign with the UFC, even though it is for a multi-fight contract, a single loss could spell disaster.
“It’s always a gray area. If I perform like crap and lose, they can cut me. They were happy with my performance in my last fight.”

Scott Jorgensen trying to survive Jeff Curran's Guard - photo by Iron Forges Iron

But it is the two-fight losing streak that fighters fear, and for good reason.
“It has been made pretty clear to me that if I lose this next fight, they will have to release me. So the pressure is really on. It was such a hard road back, but I was told by my management that I would get two fights. But one more loss and I am sure they will have to release me. I mean you got guys with less than ten fights in this sport killing it. They are out there taking risks, and if I can’t show that I am with that new breed then maybe it’s time for the next wave of guys.”

As for when Curran is looking to return to the UFC, the date is nearly set as is the opponent, yet Curran must remain mum on it.
“April is the decided upon month. Hopefully in the next day or so we will know the decided upon opponent and date. I have a guy but I can’t tell you. I don’t know if he has agreed to it. We were both a little weary on it. We were both a little skeptical on the idea, but neither one of us can be too picky about who we take at this point.”

At UFC 139 welterweights Martin Kampmann and Rick Story will duke it out inside the famed octagon on the pay per view portion of the event.  In our prediction piece we stated that Kampmann would likely use his counter striking ability to earn the victory.  However in speaking to Brian Hemminger of MMA Mania, Kampmann hinted he wouldn’t be patient anymore.

“Well, it makes me want to be more aggressive. I’ve been a little too patient, letting the fight come to me lately. I want to go in there and finish the fights. I want to finish the fight so I don’t have to be in that situation again.” said Kampmann.

He continued on about how being a counter striker doesn’t necessarily favor a fighter anymore due to the fact that a fight is just three rounds.

“When you fight the best guys in the division, sometimes three rounds isn’t enough time to finish them unless you land something clean on the button. Anything can happen but sometimes, three rounds is not enough. I have to go into this fight and go for the kill. That’s the difference for me. I’m gonna go for the kill all three rounds.”

But the kill doesn’t have to come via his striking.  Kampmann is looking to finish the fight anyway he can.

“I’ve got a lot of submission wins in the UFC. I’ve actually had more in the UFC than I’ve had TKOs. I think if I can get the opportunity to get a submission, I’ll go for it. I’m a well-rounded fighter and whatever opportunity I get to finish the fight, I’ll go for it.”

Kampmann talks a lot more about his injury, his thoughts on Diaz and more.  Read the full interview at MMA Mania.

Chris Weidman will be fighting Tom Lawlor on the SpikeTV portion of UFC 139. He recently sat down with MMA Diehards to discuss his upcoming fight, his previous fights and more.

Are you going to come out with some outrageous walkout? You know your opponent is known for that, do you plan to up the stakes yourself and do something like that?
Nah I am not that creative. That’s kind of his thing and I will let him shine with that. I will try to shine when I get in the cage. I give him props for those walkouts as they are pretty sick.

In taking on Tom Lawlor, obviously he is a tough guy. We know your wrestling background, your grappling background. As much as you would like to test your standup, eventually you are going to take this guy down and punish him right?
I am going to test out my striking first. Every single one of my fights I throw punches and kicks before I get a takedown. As always I plan to mix it up and work some standup. I want to make the fight as exciting as possible.

In your debut fight against Alessio Sakara were you affected by the UFC jitters at all?
A little bit, but not too crazy. I would say it got to me a little bit, but not enough to stop me from winning that fight.

Were you surprised how that fight went?
The thing is I took that fight on short notice and had a little injury leading into it. I was a little unsure of what was going to happen. I didn’t get any sparing in. I didn’t know where I was at. My mind it could have gone bad. I didn’t know how I was going to do without the proper training. But I have great coaches around me that had faith in me.

You have had some trouble with injuries in your UFC career and fighters always say they don’t go into a fight without any. How close though do you feel to being 100%?
I am feeling awesome. Knock on wood I still have another week of training, but I am doing great.

Are you excited for the UFC on Fox debut?
Yeah I am pumped. I just hope that fight is as exciting as I think it is going to be. People who haven’t been exposed to mma and the UFC and their first time if it is a great show they become fans.

It’s been apparent in Tom Lawlor’s past couple of fights that his cardio is a bit of a problem. Are you really busting out the cardio in this fight or do you feel like you want to punish him for three rounds.
I like that, I am going to punish him. I mean one of my strengths in wrestling or jiu jitsu tournaments is my cardio. I definitely went hard with the cardio. I had a lot of time to prepare for this fight and my cardio has never been better. I could go at a very extreme pace for three rounds. I am not going to stop till he breaks mentally. I am going to be looking for the finish. I would love to knock him out cold, but I also would love to just totally dominate the fight for three rounds and break him.

Are you a proponent of training at different camps or are you sticking with one camp?
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. I go to Renzo Gracie’s academy. I am from Ray Longo and Matt Serra’s camp. But I do travel into the city to work with Renzo. I go to Delnore Kickboxing in Long Island. I do travel around a little bit, but for me I feel it is important to have a home. A place where you have guys that really care about you. If you are traveling around and traveling around it is hard to find that because they already have that. Ray Longo and Matt Serra I have that. It’s good to go around to different gyms to learn new techniques and sparring, but for your confidence and mental edge it is important to have a home.

How often do you go down to Renzo’s?
I go down every Monday and Saturday.

What song do you plan to walk out to?
The UFC just texted me about it and I haven’t had time to think of it. It will probably be something like Empire State of Mind.

Is it you can chose whatever you want or is there a list?
The UFC will let you pick whatever song you want and then approve it or not. Sometimes you pick a song that someone else already has and you have to pick a different one.

With Tom Lawlor moving up to Connecticut have you run across him in training circles at all or friends that have?
No. I didn’t even know he was up here. I know that he is out in California with Dan Henderson. But I didn’t know he was in Connecticut.

Do you feel like if you beat Tom that you will be a main card kind of guy or is that not something you really think about much?
I think so. I think I will probably be up there as far as my next fight. It depends who they give me. When I first started, my first fight was on a main card on a Versus, obviously not PPV. My manager at the time said once you were on the main card, all your fights will be on the main card. Then my next one was on Spike which was good. This one was supposed to be on Spike, then it wasn’t, now it might be. It’s a little stressful trying to figure it out and let my friends and family know so at this point I am just not worried about it.

You can listen to the full interview at MMA Diehards