MMA WORLDWIDE Nr.18 by DUTCH123

TABLE OF CONTENTS Features

ISSUE 18

TapouT: JUST BELIEVE

It’s been over eight months since Charles “Mask” Lewis lost his life on that Newport Beach side street but his message has lived on. His predecessors Punk Ass and Skyscrape fill us in on how the vision is continuing to thrive. By Bobby Pittman

Patrick Barry The K-1 kickboxer was a huge underdog at UFC 104 with a lot on the line. More than almost everyone in the arena realized until now! By John Stewart

Ryan Bader A lot of Ultimate Fighter contestants are in it simply for their 15 minutes of fame. At 10-0 however, Ryan Bader is here to stay. By Ricky Bonnet

Frankie Edgar They said he was too small, they said he was not marketable enough, they said he couldn’t make it to the top. But no one said it well enough for Frankie to believe him. By Jon Lane

MMA Marketing with HeadBlade The Octagon canvas and posts are littered with blue chip sponsors and the money is finally starting to pour into MMA, but who was there before the hype? By RJ Clifford

Guy Mezger:Where Is He Now? One of the original Lion’s Den fighters battled some of the best all over world 1994-2003. Now he is President of HDNet Fights and transforming the MMA world from outside the cage. By Kyle Rayner

107

Ben Henderson No guillotine choke, omaplata, triangle or arm bar was going to keep Henderson from defeating Donald Cerrone for the WEC interim title. All of that for a shot at Jamie Varner! By Ricky Bonnet

112

Mike “The Joker” Guymon Few have had to battle through so much for so long for a shot at the big time. Fresh off his UFC signing, Joker talks training, the old TapouT days and his brush with death. By RJ Clifford

Cover photo by Tracy Lee www.combatlifestyle.com 20 The World-famous

TABLE OF CONTENTS Columns

ISSUE 18

36 44

57 116

From the Publisher The Orange Country Auto Show got a bit of a face lift this year as the MMA Worldwide crew brought a taste of the fight game to some new fans.

Breakout Fighter It’s one thing to knock off a top five fighter in your debut on a big show, but to choke a world champion Brazilian jiu jitsu artist in the first round?

104

America’s Best Grappling Gyms Lloyd Irvin earned his black belt in only three and a half years and has his own gym where he is continuing the progression of the gentle art of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

From the Editor Editor RJ is a spoiled fellow, especially when it comes to MMA. So when he makes an MMA wish list and what he expects in 2010, someone had better deliver . . . or he’ll scream.

Faceoff BJ Penn has finally decided to stay at 155 and try his hand at making himself a legend at lightweight. But the competition does not get any easier as he faces a nightmare of his own, Diego Sanchez.

120

Expert’s Roundtable Who better to hear from than the guys who are paid to talk? We peak inside the minds of the guys with the best seat in the house, fight commentators.

The Fight Nerd It seems like every MMA fighter that can put two words together is trying his or her hand at acting.Are we facing a shortage of fighters and a surplus of thespians?

MMA Worldwide Rankings Middleweight gets a face lift as former journeyman Chael Sonnen drops Yushin Okami at UFC 104. Check out who else rose and who else fell.

127

Rattling the Cage Nate “The Rock” Quarry has had to rebound more than an NBA center to keep his career going but is paying off.

22 The World-famous

MMA Worldwide Organization Robert Pittman Chairman/ President Sheree Brown-Pittman Co- Chairman/ Editor Bobby Pittman Publisher Nicole Barton Controller/ CFO

FROM THE CHAIRMAN... Welcome to Issue #18 of MMA Worldwide! This is a very special issue with our Christmas pull-out section and largest page count ever! This is our biggest and best issue and we want to Thank Everyone who made this possible. The biggest thanks have to go to the guys at TapouT, LLC. Marc Kreiner gave us a call that made our year, and for that, I personally THANK YOU! Punk Ass and his team are on fire! When Marc told us you haven’t seen anything yet and our biggest is yet to come — “we are true believers.” Marc Kreiner has put them on a path that is straight to the top and we are extremely proud to be involved with TapouT’s elite team. I was fortunate enough to take the grand tour by Russell Stone, Vice President of Media for TapouT. Russell and our team hit it off right away and we expect many things to flourish in our strategy meetings. Our first TapouT/MMA Worldwide Newsletter will be launched in December. This will be emailed to over 350,000 subscribers each month. If you want to advertise, please give us a call at (714) 226-0585. We can also film video commercials as well as tailor ads to suit your needs.

Dan Harkey General Manager RJ Clifford Editor-in-Chief Craig Vaughan Director Mark Allen Director Jacob Wells Editor Jeffrey Kimberlin Sales John Nguyen Customer Relations/Circulation Director Fred George Executive Staff/ Tour Crew/ Fitness Editor Mike “Joker” Guymon Executive Staff Tour Crew Adam Villarreal Senior Contributing Writer Chris Staab Director of Multimedia Operations Lisa Williams Graphic Designer

Brett Roberts invited the MMA Worldwide team to help him with the Motor Trend OC Auto show. Brett was in charge of the show’s MMA portion and asked Bobby and Freddy if they would co-promote with him. On such short notice, I must say these guys did an incredible job. Bobby and Freddy, I Congratulate and Thank You! Please Recycle This Magazine

Their dedication and tireless effort didn’t go unnoticed. All throughout the four-day event, the MMA portion maintained four times the audience of the cars. Wow, we are now involved with Motor Trend and auto shows…how far can MMA go? MMA Worldwide TV Show: Congratulations are in order! We will be filming Season #3 with 10 episodes again. For sponsors who might want product placement, theme shows, tags, or just great exposure, give us a call at (714) 226-0585. Stay tuned to hear about this and our new format. Expanding our offices: Well you know the old saying: “If you throw enough s--- against the wall, something will stick.” We have thrown so much up there that we need more walls to throw at. We just expanded into the building next to us and added 10 more offices that include a photo studio, cage assembly for filming, editing bay and a complete facility for producing training DVD’s. Watch out America; we are on the move! Now if we could only get Dana White to call… If there is no wind, row…………..and rowing is what we are doing!

Robert “The Closer” Pittman 24 The World-famous

PRINT WHAT WE SELL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY At SMP Inc., we believe in minimizing paper waste by printing what we sell. We do not flood the magazine into mass markets, which typically sell fewer than 40 of every 100 copies they receive, and discard the unsold magazines. Our stance costs us sales, but saves extremely large amounts of paper. We encourage all publishers to put the environment first.

ISSN 1937-1071 SMP, Inc. as a publisher is an advertising platform and does not endorse or make representation, warranty or guarantee concerning the safety or effectiveness of either the products and services advertised in this magazine or the martial arts ads or other techniques discussed or illustrated in this magazine. The publisher expressly disclaims any and all liability relating to the manufacture, sale or use of such products and services and the application of the techniques discussed or illustrated in this magazine. The purchase or use of some of the products, services or techniques advertised or discussed in this magazine may be illegal in some areas of the United States or other countries. Therefore, you should check federal, state and local laws prior to your purchase or use of these products, services or techniques. The publisher makes no representation or warranty concerning the legality of the purchase or use of these products, services or techniques in the United States or elsewhere. Because of the nature of some of the products, services or techniques advertised or discussed in this magazine, you should consult a physician before using these products or services or applying these techniques.

Good Times Ahead by Bobby Pittman

Welcome back to another great issue! This past year has been a big one for us and we couldn’t be more excited for 2010. With our TV show playing on HDNet, the magazines continuing to grow and some great events to reflect on, we definitely had a solid year. What I’m most excited about is that with each accomplishment this year, many more opportunities were presented. Even in this economy that everyone is so afraid of, there are still plenty of people who are passionate enough about this sport to keep it moving forward. In a way, the economy even helped trim off some of the fat, leaving only the real players and getting rid of the people just trying to jump on the bandwagon. When the economy turns, I truly believe we are going to see MMA make some major progress. When it does, we’ll be right there to help push it along and keep our fans entertained. When I look back on this year, one thing that definitely stands out is our participa-

tion in the “Motor Trends” OC Auto Show. Under the watchful eyes of the automotive industry and the show’s organizers, MMA was allowed for the first time to be part of the line-up which was an achievement by itself. We have pushed tirelessly for years to gain the attention of these huge corporate sponsors, like Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Chrysler and all the others. Now we had a chance to show them what we were capable of and we didn’t disappoint. Well maybe we disappointed them when they saw that people were more interested in the fighters than the cars. We started off the show with a grand entrance on Wednesday morning. With a staging time of 7:00 a.m. to bring in our

After a grueling set-up with my good friends Brett Roberts of BAMMA, USA and Freddy George, the show was under way. With 40’ x 40’ of mats set up in front of our booth, the demos were never ending. Our total team consisted of Freddy, Daniel Puder, James Wilks, Jamie Fletcher, Michael “The Joker” Guymon, Craig Wilkerson, Juliano Prado, Olivier Grunier and many more. The Ruffo brothers, however, stole the show. With Carlos and Giovanni on the mats, the crowds were blown away to see what a 7 and 9 year old could do. These kids certainly have a bright future ahead of them and we’re always happy to have them and the whole Ruffo family with the MMA Worldwide Crew.

tour bus and trailer, I went ahead and slept in the damn thing to make sure I wasn’t late. At exactly 6:30, I walked in to let the union workers know I was ready. Well apparently Chevy and Ford had already set up their cars and big rigs and started building displays. “There’s no way you’re getting that bus through

Bobby Pittman can be reached at bobby@MMAworldwide.com 28 The World-famous

there,” the guy told me. After about 10 seconds of uncomfortable silence and a cold stare from a tired and cranky me, he headed over to break the bad news to Chevy. Needless to say, I didn’t get the greatest looks while pulling the bus right through their booth. Sorry Mr. Chevy.

If the crowds we gathered at the show are any indicator of what’s to come for the entire MMA world and us, I couldn’t be happier. We got to showcase MMA to a brand new set of fans and keep the sport moving up; that’s what it’s all about. Big thanks to Brett Roberts for setting us up there. Be sure to check out some of the photos at www.bammausa.com and stay tuned for a great 2010. There’s nothing but good times ahead.

My Christmas List by RJ Clifford

As the days grow shorter and the nights get colder, it can only mean one thing…time to start making your Christmas lists! Tis the season to start thinking about what superficial items you absolutely must have right now, only to forget to use them by the time the winter frost thaws. While I am in no way immune to the marketing bombardment that has been blitzkrieging me in every shopping center, strip mall, grocery store and vending machine since early October, I’d like to think I am warranted a little more depth in my wish list if I keep it MMA related. So, Santa Claus / Commissioner / Dana White / Television Executive, here are the four things I absolutely, undoubtedly, no questions asked, must have this Christmas. At least until I get bored with it. RULE CHANGES MMA is young and the rules are even younger. The regulations for our sport are akin to an adolescent teenage boy; you can tell what it can appear to be with so much potential, but it is hard to overlook how awkward and unpolished it is. Judging and refereeing criteria are so abstract and confusing, it’s a wonder anyone knows how to truly decide who wins a fight. Submission attempts vs. positional control. Volume of strikes vs. power strikes. Takedown attempts vs. takedown defense. We need clear criteria

to decide what scores more and how much, not to mention the need for an open scoring system which I have been advocating for constantly. (My email is at the bottom if you care to discuss.) With the recent controversy surrounding Lyoto Machida and Shogun Rua’s dance recital, it’s a perfect time to settle this and grow up as a sport. Which leads me to… REMATCH BETWEEN MACHIDA AND SHOGUN

MORE FREE FIGHTS Yeah, I know this is already on the docket for a future UFC event, but sometimes it helps to ask for things you know you’ll get to convince yourself Santa Claus is real and is listening to your requests. This rematch is intriguing on all sorts of levels. Machida’s karate appears to have some holes left wide open by a strategizing Shogun, and Machida looks, dare I say, human! I have been watching Shogun fight since 2003 and have never seen him fight the way he did at UFC 104. The wild and reckless, high-flying Street Fighter II character was calm, precise and strategic. He bided his time, picked his shots and pecked Machida to death. Even his own mother could not have recognized the chess master that took the place of the Tasmanian devil. FEDOR VS. BROCK It’s bad enough we had to lose one of the best heavyweight matchups of our generation when Josh Barnett’s urine went the way of Barry Bonds and simultaneously ended the short reign of Affliction as a fight promoter. Now we have the greatest heavyweight fighter in the world competing in the same country as the

RJ Clifford can be reached at RJ@MMAworldwide.com 30 The World-famous

most popular UFC fighter on their roster. Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brock Lesnar will draw attention to this sport like nothing we have ever seen, making UFC 100 seem like an Ultimate Fight Night card. We can sit here all day long and play the blame game, pointing the finger at Fedor’s management at M-1 Global or Dana White and his my-way-or-thehighway business acumen, or we can make it happen. Some people seem to prefer the former.

We have a pretty steady helping of competitive, relevant fights thanks to the UFC on Spike TV, the WEC on Versus and everything else on HDNet, but this is a season of giving and if there is a giver, there has to be a taker (MMA fans). Boxing flourished in the 70’s thanks to the steady flow of major boxing stars on network television. American fans knew who they were and started to watch them on pay-per-view. As greedy promoters and television executives looked at the short term gain over the long term investment, boxing’s biggest stars faded away thanks to their lack of exposure. MMA has long claimed to have learned the lessons from older brother boxing to not make the same mistakes. CBS needs to grab Strikeforce more often than a few times a year to keep the media buzzing; the UFC needs to keep major cards on cable to continue to build tomorrow’s Randy Coutures; and everyone needs to remember there are more ways to make money in this sport than just making customers buy a three-hour block of television for the night. I have yet to pay one dime to watch football, baseball, basketball, hockey, tennis, bull riding or bass fishing on my 50” plasma.

MAILBAG VITOR BELFORT I like Vitor’s chances against Anderson Silva and I liken that match to Shogun vs Machida. Both Machida and Silva have similar styles of counter fighting and both Shogun and Vitor were former offense crazy fighters that have been able to mature and create good game plans and execute. Now if only the judges that gave Machida the win won’t work the Vitor vs Silva match I’ll be happy. —Francisco Ramirez, Gilroy, CA I’m still not convinced “The Phenom” is back yet. We have seen him time and time again knock off a couple of guys only to fall back into the depths of obscurity. The win over Rich Franklin was a nice one but it was a quick KO and could have been a fluke. Anderson Silva will bring Vitor back to earth. —Blake Anderson, Strafford, MO I have been to some of Vitor Belfort’s training sessions at Xtreme Couture and he is a marvel to watch. Most of the fighters at that gym are tough as nails but he just has something about him that is scary to think what he could do to another fighter. —Andrew Grant, Las Vegas, NV

STEROIDS

BRIAN BOWLES

I liked your piece on steroids in MMA. We are watching as we speak the fall of baseball as player after player tests positive and diluting the game with controversy. I just hope MMA doesn’t follow suit. —Mike Trevino Huntington Beach, CA

I have to admit, I was one of many who thought Brian Bowles had no shot at beating Miguel Torres and yet here he is the WEC bantamweight champion. He is a lot like Forrest Griffin in that they are both from Georgia and seem to always be the underdog and yet continue to succeed. —Tracy Jensen, Birmingham, AL

Steroids in MMA are as bad as it seems . . . trust me. —Frank Richmond Editor’s Note: Thanks for enlightening us Frank. We’ll make sure to interview you in a follow up piece. Is your data available in a medical journal somewhere?

JOSH KOSCHECK Props to Josh Koscheck for stepping up for UFC 105 on short notice, and his opponent Anthony Johnson too. There are far too many fighters that pick and choose when and who they fight and only fight once of twice a year because of it. Koscheck is down to fight anyone, anytime no questions asked. —Aaron Webster Fresno, CA

I still think Josh Koscheck’s loss to Paulo Thiago was a complete stroke of luck for Thiago. If they fought 50 times Koscheck would win 49 of them. —Mike McLeland Ithaca, NY THE KIMBO SHOW I liked Karl Maple’s article about Kimbo completely taking over The Ultimate Fighter. The show is supposed to be about sixteen guys all getting an equal shot at a UFC contract. This season just seems like the UFC is just trying to find a way to get Kimbo into the UFC! —Savak Minasyan Hollywood, CA

To C o n t a c t M M A Wo r l d w i d e : Email us at RJ@mmaworldwide .com or check us out on Myspace at www.myspace .com/mmaworldwidemagazine . Make sure to include your name and hometown. 32 The World-famous

Fighters & Films by Matthew Kaplowitz

Life after the cage can be uncertain for many pro fighters, but the silver screen can be a viable opportunity for a few of the lucky ones who hang up the gloves. It’s good to know there are some alternatives other than teaching or running a gym, but at what cost? In a previous article, I discussed the problem with certain champions not defending their titles. Cung Le, the Strikeforce Middleweight champ, was one such fighter, taking the belt via dramatic beating of Frank Shamrock back in March 2008. Almost 18 months later, Le had yet to defend the title due to filming the mediocre Fighting and the equallybad sci-fi vehicle Pandorum. In mid-September, Le relinquished his championship to continue pursuing his movie career, starring in the upcoming Tekken videogame adaptation as the cleverly named “Marshall Law.” Before this, he was on the highway to stardom in Strikeforce and gained a huge fanbase to jump onboard the bandwagon, especially after his performance over Shamrock. If Le doesn’t return soon, his fans may move onto someone willing to step back in there time and time again. Gina Carano, another Strikeforce star (formerly of the defunct EliteXC),

became a household name thanks to the promotion by Gary Shaw. Immediately Carano’s face and signature smile was plastered on magazines and merchandise with Tinseltown soon knocking at her door.

fan world was shocked when Jackson announced his sudden retirement to pursue acting permanently, citing his disdain with Zuffa and his contempt for the fans. This is one of those occasions where you really feel sympathy for Dana White.

During her time in EliteXC, Carano took on the role of “Crush” in American Gladiators, which required her to bulk up about 20 pounds more than her fighting weight. This was one of the factors that most likely caused Carano to have trouble cutting weight for fights, but she still considered herself to be a fighter first. After her recent loss to Cris Cyborg for the Strikeforce 145-pound title, many expected Carano to pursue a rematch or at least take another fight to regain title contention. Instead she took a step back from fighting to build her movie résumé with a starring role in Steven Soderbergh’s Knockout.

White backed up Jackson when he went on his monster truck rampage, gave him the spotlight in the UFC, a title shot and a coaching spot on The Ultimate Fighter 10 to hype a huge fight against Rashad Evans in Jackson’s hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. Rampage’s rash decision to leave the UFC and retire from MMA forever is almost childish, although he posted his reasons on his blog. Rampage chose his career over his fans, so who is left to see his movies? Will MMA fans boycott The A-Team? If Rampage is too immature to negotiate with Zuffa further and turn his back on his supporters, can he be relied on at all anymore?

Will Carano return to the cage? She claims so, but the lure of the big screen is a strong temptation and some believe “Conviction” used MMA to push her acting career forward. Being a relativelyyoung fighter, she has time to weigh her options, but it would be a pity to lose this rising star so early in her career. The most recent culprit to drop his fighting career for Hollywood would be Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Rampage has had a few bit parts in movies including The Midnight Meat Train and a guest spot on King of Queens. The entire MMA

Many athletes have left fighting in the twilight of their careers for showbiz or toggled back and forth, including Randy Couture, Bas Rutten, Chuck Liddell and Don Frye. We cannot criticize a fighter for having dreams and wanting to be able to provide a future for his or her family, but there is also a certain level of responsibility that fighters have, especially when they have prior commitments. If a fighter loses his/her integrity, what’s left?

Matthew Kaplowitz is the editor of TheFightNerd.com and can be reached at Matt@thefightnerd.com. 34 The World-famous

Stop, Drop and Roll By Adam J.Villareal dream is to fight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Success is what everyone wants and everyone seeks. How does one define success? The answer varies depending upon where you are in your life, career and sometimes your mental state. When it comes to MMA, there are steps in which to define success as well. For example, some people join a gym with the hopes of acquiring the skills to soon compete on an amateur circuit. Some hope to win some matches to turn professional and start earning money for their craft. At that point, there is a certain level of minor success for the fighter and the gym they represent based on the wins they generate together. From there, perhaps the fighter wins a title, gains notoriety and moves to the top of the divisional food chain. He may even move out of the familiar surroundings of his local gym to cross-train with bigger gyms. Even more exciting than that, maybe he’ll even get a call to step onto the big stage. Does this story sound familiar? It certainly does to me and all my fighter friends and acquaintances out there. Now I’ve been on the fight circuit going on four years now as a writer, broadcaster and fight analyst. I’ve met many of the big names and have seen tons of small shows. With this, I have also met hundreds of nameless, faceless fighters who have come and gone with the passing minutes and most, if not all of them, say their

I never hear people say stuff like, “I only want to one day fight for Strikeforce” or “My life would be complete by being an M-1 Global champ.” Not that these aren’t solid organizations, but I see them as being used as springboards to the UFC Octagon, or the last stop in an MMA career. (Now don’t get me wrong, when PRIDE was around, it certainly was the other gem in the MMA world and an obvious honor to be on their roster.) So this begs the question: What determines success in the UFC? The most obvious answer is a championship belt with some successful title defenses, right? I would agree and so would thousands if not millions of others. If that’s the case, why all the itching to leave for something else? I bring this up because of the falling out between Zuffa and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Now I know what you’re thinking; it’s possible to have more than one dream. I accept this as a fair and astute answer. We’ve already witnessed 10 seasons of guys bleeding to become the ultimate fighter on SpikeTV. Each one of these souls would do almost anything to be where Rampage was in the UFC. Now before I go any further, I have to say that I have no clue what Rampage’s thoughts are. He is his own man and owes few, if any, an explanation. I just have the same question everybody else does: Why? Why can’t you do both? Randy Couture is a perfect example of someone who has balanced a career in MMA, a gym franchise (yes, I know he has help) and a budding film career. He’s also a guy

To contact Adam J. Villarreal, email adam@tapoutmagazine.com. 36 The World-famous

who has had a bumpy relationship with Dana White. Sure Randy retired at one time, but I’m sure it wasn’t due to wanting to fulfill a movie role. I can see both opinions in this matter. I remember growing up with a bunch of rich kids despite not being rich myself. These guys had everything: the best clothes, cars and, of course, cash. The one thing they didn’t have was something to look forward to and that could be why some of these guys turned into the biggest screw-ups I ever knew. It’s with this that I can see why Rampage would want to conquer another challenge. He’s beaten (and been beaten by) the best in the world. He acquired UFC gold and wanted to do what Randy, Chuck, Tito and Rich were already doing in the entertainment world. But I have to ask; was it worth leaving the biggest stage in MMA history? Was it worth leaving all the money and fans behind to play a 1980’s throwback character made famous by Mr. T? Come on man! Yes, I am aware there is a bit more to the story, but that certainly is the gist of it all. Rampage has so much left in his MMA career and we all know that. The reality is this; we all have dreams and we all have challenges we want to conquer. But we also have to remember our roots and acknowledge the source that gave us our success in the first place. If you want to quit, do it the right way and don’t burn bridges because you never know when your next venture may fail and you may have to return to where you started. I’d rather come back with my head up rather that doing a “stop, drop and roll” on a burning bridge. Just my two cents…

breakout fighter

Mackens Semerizer “Mack da Menace” By Dane Hesse

Mackens Semerizer made a shocking WEC debut versus Wagnney Fabiano on October 10. Fabiano has been a rising star in the WEC with a 12-1 record and an 8 fight win streak… that Mack da Menace stripped him of with relative ease. Their fight lasted half of round one with Fabiano posing as the primary aggressor. He pushed the action and took Mackens to the ground. Semerizer, who has a strong wrestling background, was taken down easily. Without having seen any of his prior fights, fans watching this bout understood the danger of being on the ground with Fabiano. But Mackens has defeated all but one of his six opponents, including now Fabiano, from his back. Fabiano is a student of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, which heralds its own form of MMA pedigree. When you add the jiu-jitsu instruction of Wendell Alexander and Andre Pederneiras you get a third degree black belt who should be able to last several rounds in a rigorous transition fighting match. Not the case however. 38 The World-famous

Even though Fabiano seemed to be controlling the fight and where it was being fought, Mackens experience was just waiting to take advantage of the situation. As Fabiano pressured Mackens from the top he made a critical and amateurish mistake. While moving to stand up after attempting some ground and pound Fabiano lowered his head giving Mackens a textbook opportunity for a triangle choke.

Mackens has an extremely athletic frame standing 5’9” tall making his presence in the WEC’s featherweight division unnerving. He also has a very well rounded arsenal of skills. In 2005 he was the Virginia Golden Gloves Runner Up, 2007 WKA National MMA Featherweight Champion, 2008 Gustavo Muchado Invitational Lightweight and Absolute Champion, and Cagefest Featherweight Champion.

Mackens effortlessly slipped on the choke finishing the fight. His last fight in June of this year was finished in similar fashion. In this fight, Mackens showed his Muay Thai skills by faking a right leg very frequently but then throwing when his opponent, Kenny Foster, let his guard down. Foster did wise up to Mackens’ strategy and was able to catch a leg kick that culminated into a take down. Just like Fabiano, however, when he attempted to ground and pound Mackens went straight for the nicely wrapped gift of a fight winning choke.

Making his splash into the WEC’s exciting 145 division has sent some waves of fear into the hearts of the fighters living there now. If Mackens can put together another win like this one over a top contender he will more than likely get a shot at the featherweight strap. His skills and athleticism make him a very dangerous opponent to face. The fact that he doesn’t mind fighting off of his back makes game planning for him a trainer’s nightmare. Good luck in your 145lb conquests Mackens.

FACE On December 12th MMA fans will get a lightweight matchup that will make the hairs on your neck stand up. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Prodigyâ&#x20AC;? BJ Penn, arguably the best lightweight fighter of this generation will take on the blitzkrieg of strikes, takedowns and jiu-jitsu that is Diego Sanchez. Both fighters have spent a good portion of their careers at higher weights but now that they both have found their spot in the divisions it is time to see who the best is.

BJ Penn RECORD 14-5-1 Has not lost as a lightweight since 2002 moonlighting as a welterweight and even light heavyweight where he accrued most his losses TIE LAST FIVE OPPONENTS Win Kenny Florian, Loss Georges St. Pierre,Win Sean Sherk,Win Joe Stevenson,Win Jens Pulver +1 PENN GREATEST VICTORY After a brief hiatus from the UFC, BJ returned in 2004 going up a weight and defeating long reigning welterweight champ Matt Hughes by rear naked choke +1 PENN STRIKING A quick, crafty puncher, Penn has one of the fastest jabs in the division mixing up his deceivingly powerful punches with a good clinch game +1 PENN WRESTLING Not much of a takedown offense but one of the best takedown defenses in MMA using his tenacity and incredible flexibility to get him out of trouble and win scrambles SUBMISSIONS A world champion Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has submitted some of the best in the game with his legendary rear naked choke +1 PENN EXPERIENCE Has traveled all over the world to face some of the best of in the business and usually comes out winning while also no stranger of the championship rounds +1 PENN INTANGIBLES Knowledgeable, has no fear of any opponent, extremely confident in his abilities, no stranger to big fights, has had cardio issues before

40 The World-famous

OFF! Diego Sanchez RECORD 21-2 Earned his stripes in the King of the Cage promotion before winning The Ultimate Fighter and heading to the UFC losing only to top wrestlers Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch TIE LAST FIVE OPPONENTS Win Clay Guida, Win Joe Stevenson, Win Luigi Fioravanti, Win David Bielkheden, Loss Jon Fitch GREATEST VICTORY In one of the most exciting fights of the year, Sanchez beat and battered a game Clay Guida propelling Sanchez into his title match STRIKING A straight forward,punches in bunches striker,Sanchez overwhelms his opponents with punches and kicks which opens up his great takedown game WRESTLING A seasoned wrestler with a good mixture of quickness and power able to both overwhelm and also a great scrambler +1 SANCHEZ SUBMISSIONS Also a black belt and a student of the Ribeiro brothers uses his BJJ as a positional tool to strike and wear down his opponents rather than submit EXPERIENCE Has more fights than Penn but less in the UFC and has never seen the fourth round having never fought for a belt

INTANGIBLES Very motivated and hungry, conditioning for days, still looking to make his mark in the UFC +1 SANCHEZ PENN WINS 5-2 With the fact that Sanchez has never been finished, never tires out and has only lost to big, wrestling oriented welterweights,Sanchez will keep this fight action packed and interesting. Pennâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experience, strong striking game and ability to break nearly any opponent will be the difference maker however keeping the lightweight securely wrapped around the Hawaiianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s waist. www.mmaworldwide.com 41

by Andrew Bonsall and RJ Clifford

Ben Henderson walked into his interim lightweight title fight at WEC 43 against Donald Cerrone as a heavy underdog; he walked out the unanimous decision winner. But victory did not come without a price. Though he was able to takedown and control Cerrone for the majority of the fight, Henderson was constantly under fire by Cerrone’s active guard and submission attempts. On multiple occasions Henderson was fighting out of chokes and holds that seemed tight enough to finish the fight. None were more gruesome than some of the shoulder locks attempted on the Arizona native. But what makes shoulder locks so intricate? In successful shoulder locks, there are three dynamics that can make or break the hold. The first is a law of physics being applied to the resistance arm to decrease the effort needed to hold the wrist and increase the effort needed by the opponent to regain his arm. The second dynamic is the twist of the opponent’s wrist (pronation) that prevents the biceps from being used as a prime mover, thus the opponent is at further disadvantage in getting his arm back. The third is the translation of the twisted wrist through the humerus, rotating it into an anatomical lock with the shoulder joint. Bottom line, shoulders do not go that way and your opponent taps out. Finishing a shoulder lock does not require knowledge of the precise physical laws in use. However, understanding these laws could help in understanding why and how to utilize the physics that give a commanding control to manipulate the opponent’s joints (levers) to your advantage. WHAT IS A MOMENT OF FORCE? The moments of force that we are going to talk about are the static ones (we are analyzing a movement for the shortest amount of time possible). A moment of force in 44 The World-famous

itself is a relationship between the force that an object will produce without added acceleration (besides gravity) and the length of its levers (levers of resistance and levers of force). It is the length of the lever that is a key in the application of this lock. FORCE The force of an object or a body part is measured in Newtons (N). Since we live on planet earth, gravity or the terrestrial acceleration (represented by the letter « g ») is constant and always equal to: g = 9,81m/s2. To calculate the amount of force (in Newtons) of any object on earth, we multiply the weight of that object (in kilograms) by terrestrial acceleration: w x g = N LEVERS Now that we understand what force is, we need to understand how levers work, since our whole body consists of levers that are moved around by our muscles. Human anatomy is primarily made up of Class III levers for the most part. However, there are examples of both Class I and Class II levers. That we can discuss in another article.

Acromioclavicular Joint Greater Tubericle

Humerus Bone Forward Rotation Abduction

There are two types of levers used when we move, a lever of force and a lever of resistance. The lever of force is the one that is used to move resistance around. The levers of force in our body are always the same since they are related to the distance in between the muscle’s attachment on the bone and the fulcrum point (joints) of the articulation. This means that we can only lengthen or shorten the lever of resistance, thus making our work easier or harder. One of Newton’s Laws of force: The longer the resistance arm is from the fulcrum (joint) the greater the lever of resistance. Take for example, if you hold a 10 pound dumbbell in front of you, and your elbow is under it, you feel 10 pounds of direct resistance. However, if you raise that same 10 pounds out in front of you with a straight arm, the fulcrum becomes your shoulder and the resistance lever length increases thus the force needed to maintain the 10 pounds increases exponentially. The weight is still 10 pounds, however, the resistance has greatly increased.

Similarly, in the shoulder lock, the elbow is locked straight which increases the length of the resistance arm and lever of resistance. Quite a few more pounds more that ten are being applied to the fulcrum (the shoulder) which is now in a very vulnerable situation. Next, the rotation of the wrist dynamic. The biomechanics of the levers of force (site of muscle attachment) in relationship to the fulcrum or axis (joint), provide the same muscles are put in an advantage to work and others are at a disadvantage. As a limb is put through a range of motions, the advantage and disadvantages change moment by moment or change the force of moment. An example is a simple pull-up on a bar. Everyone knows when you do a pull-up, it is easier when the hands are facing you than when they are away. The reason is that when you pronate your wrist away from you, the biceps brachialis, a power full elbow flexor, is put at a disadvantage as a lever of force. Therefore, one can lower the strength of their opponent by rotating their wrist.

The third dynamic is the application of Newton’s Law, for every action there is an equal reaction. This shoulder lock illustrates how the lever of force through twisting of the wrist causing pronation of the forearm, is translated equally through the humerus to rotate it into a position of an anatomical lock. Example: Put your arm straight out towards your side with your thumb up. Now raise your arm above your head. No problems, right? Now, put your arm out towards your side you with your thumb down, and the raise you arm above your head. Stuck huh? The humerus has bump on the top of it called the greater tubercle. This bump works as a doorstop against the acromioclavicular joint when the humerus is rotated in certain positions and at different angles. The acromioclavicular joint is the site where the scapula and clavicle come together meaning the arm can not be raised above that threshold without damage to the joint. And to think you slept through physics class!

Andrew Bonsall has a BA in Kinisiology from Long Beach State University and a Masters in Educational technology. He is also a credentialed medical illustrator. www.mmaworldwide.com 45

BANTAMWEIGHT 135

BRIAN BOWLES → USA → WEC

Miguel Torres → USA → WEC

FEATHERWEIGHT 145

MIKE T. BROWN → USA → WEC

Urijah Faber → USA → WEC

Masakatsu Ueda → Japan → Shooto

Hatsu Hioki → Japan → Sengoku

Takeya Mizugaki → Japan → WEC

Leonard Garcia → USA → WEC

Dominick Cruz → USA → WEC

“Lion” Takeshi Inoue → Japan → Shooto

Akitoshi Tamura → Japan → WEC

Jose Aldo → Brazil → WEC

Damacio Page → USA → WEC

Bibiano Fernandes → Brazil → DREAM

Joseph Benavidez → USA → WEC

Raphael Assuncao → Brazil → WEC

Will Ribeiro → Brazil → WEC

Mackens Semerzier → USA → WEC

Rani Yahya → Brazil → WEC

Wagnney Fabiano → Brazil → WEC

46 The World-famous

Sure he hasn’t finished an opponent in 2 1/2 years, but he’s never lost either.

Back to back first round destructions in the WEC.

Sneaks back into the top 10 with three straight submissions and a loss by Manny Tapia.

Hand is healed and back to training. Rumored to face Raphael Assuncao.

Blasts into the top ten by winning the DREAM featherweight tournament.

Shocks the featherweight division with a submission win over Fabiano in just his fourth pro fight.

TITLES

AS OF October 26, 2009

UFC

WEC

BELLATOR

DREAM

DEEP

STRIKEFORCE SENGOKU

SHOOTO

LIGHTWEIGHT 160

BJ PENN → USA → UFC

Shinya Aoki → Japan → DREAM

3 4

WELTERWEIGHT 170

GEORGES ST. PIERRE → Canada → UFC

Jon Fitch → USA → UFC

Eddie Alvarez → USA → DREAM/Bellator

Thiago Alves → Brazil → UFC

Tatsuya Kawajiri → Japan → DREAM

Jake Shields → USA → Strikeforce

Defeats Hansen in the rubber match claiming the DREAM lightweight belt.

Faced a tougher than expected Katsunori Kikuno in DREAM 12 but still scored his fourth straight submission.

Kenny Florian → USA → UFC

Gray Maynard → USA → UFC

Joachim Hansen → Norway → DREAM

Frankie Edgar → USA → UFC

Sean Sherk → USA → UFC

Mizuto Hirota → Japan → Sengoku

Sengoku champ appears in the top ten for the first time.

Will face the winner of Mike Swick vs Dan Hardy.

Faces dangerous Paulo Thiago at UFC 107 in Memphis.

Josh Koscheck → USA → UFC

Paul Daley → England → UFC

Martin Kampmann → Denmark → UFC

Make it three head kick KO’s in a row for the DREAM champ.

Carlos Condit → USA → UFC

Marius Zaromoskis → Lithuania → DREAM

Mike Swick → USA → UFC www.mmaworldwide.com 47

MIDDLEWEIGHT 185

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 205

Shows he is human after all winning a razor thin decision over Shogun.

ANDERSON SILVA → Brazil → UFC

LYOTO MACHIDA → Brazil → UFC

Dan Henderson → USA → UFC

Rashad Evans → USA → UFC

Jorge Santiago → Brazil → Sengoku

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson → USA → UFC

Nate Marquardt → USA → UFC

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua → Brazil → UFC

Contract negotiations pending between Hendo and the UFC.

Vitor Belfort → Brazil → UFC Will ready himself for title fight with Anderson Silva.

Demian Maia → Brazil → UFC

Robbie Lawler → USA → Strikeforce

Chael Sonnen → USA → UFC

Yushin Okami → Japan → UFC

Yoshihiro Akiyama- → Japan → UFC

48 The World-famous

Big win over Okami shows he is more than just a wrestler.

Wins the last two rounds of title fight with Machida, the only two rounds Machida has ever lost.

Anderson Silva → Brazil → UFC

Forrest Griffin → USA → UFC

Gegard Mousasi → Armenia → Strikeforce/DREAM

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira → Brazil → UFC

Thiago Silva → Brazil → UFC

Luis Arthur Cane → Brazil → UFC

Great match up at UFC 106 in Las Vegas.

TITLES

AS OF October 26, 2009

UFC

WEC

BELLATOR

DREAM

DEEP

STRIKEFORCE SENGOKU

SHOOTO

HEAVYWEIGHT 205 AND ABOVE

FEDOR EMELIANENKO → Russia → Strikeforce

Josh Barnett → USA → Free Agent

No longer facing Carwin at UFC 106 due to illness.

POUND FOR POUND

ANDERSON SILVA → Brazil → UFC

It may not be long before St. Pierre faces off with Anderson Silva.

Georges St. Pierre → Canada → UFC

Brock Lesnar → USA → UFC

Fedor Emelianenko → Russia → Strikeforce

Frank Mir → USA → UFC

Lyoto Machida → Brazil → UFC

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira → Brazil → UFC

Mike Thomas Brown → USA → WEC

Brett Rogers → USA → Strikeforce

Jon Fitch → USA → UFC

Andrei Arlovski → Belarus → Free Agent

BJ Penn → USA → UFC

Randy Couture → USA → UFC

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson → USA → UFC

Alistair Overeem → Netherlands → Strikeforce

Rashad Evans → USA → UFC

Shane Carwin → USA → UFC

Thiago Alves → Brazil → UFC

Tries to get back on the winning track against the grappling challenged Cheick Kongo. Another quick submission win for Overeem over journeyman James Thompson.

Standing in P4P rankings a little shaky after humbling performance against Shogun.

The second best fighter in the toughest division in MMA.

www.mmaworldwide.com 49

52 The World-famous

The Validation of Patrick Barry By John Stewart

It usually takes a stint or two on a UFC main card for a fighter to get noticed, but Patrick “HD” Barry accomplished that on the undercard of UFC 104 with his emotional post-fight victory speech. With tears streaming down his smiling grimace, the audience shared this moment without ever realizing just how much it meant to the New Orleans native. Just two days before the fight, Barry had kept something from everyone, including his mother and coach Jeff “Duke” Roufus. “I literally sat there on a Sunday morning before we left for the fight with a cheap bag of white rice and ketchup,” said Barry. “After filling up my car the night before, I was flat broke. I couldn’t call my mom and didn’t want to tell Duke as I never wanted him to think I needed that fight for the money. It wasn’t about that.” The driving reason was validation, something that has been with Barry ever since he stepped into a kickboxing studio at age 23. Barry is a self-proclaimed ninja warrior and a celluloid martial arts junkie. He was on the bowling team in high school, played no sports while attending LSU, but deep down inside he was the “bad boy road warrior, vigilante, ninja assassin,” even though he had never taken a traditional martial arts class, strapped on a wrestling singlet or grabbed the gi of a BJJ stylist. His education was Jean-Claude Van Damme movies, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and playing Streetfighter II. “My entire life I believed I was a ninja and carried around ninja stars and swords.”

But that world came crashing down on him when he laced up the gloves and started hitting the heavy bag while kickboxing students looked on. Without any training, Barry was exhausted after pounding away at the bag for barely a minute. Dejected, he walked into the bathroom and locked the door behind him. “I just sat on the floor and cried. I sucked and everything I thought just wasn’t real. I’d get mauled in a real fight!” After a few minutes Barry picked himself up, wiped away the tears and left. He would return a month later, his instructor laughed, but the ninja was here to stay. “If I really want to be the ninja I claimed to be, I had to give into it and I’ve been with it ever since.” A deep-seeded belief that he could be the greatest kickboxer around carried Barry through numerous kickboxing tourneys, san shou matches and a five year commitment to train with the best in Amsterdam, Holland. Ernesto Hoost, one of kickboxing’s greatest champions, gave Barry a very important message while training at the famed Vos Gym. “He asked me, ‘Do you want to be a good fighter or be the best?’ I told him I wanted to be the best and he

said, ‘That’s a very lonely journey.’” And since that time Barry has been married to his gloves. He’s carved out an amateur Muay Thai record of 26-3, a pro Muay Thai record of 20-5-1 and competed in K-1 nine times. While Barry said that mental toughness was the most important thing he learned from his days in Holland, it would be his lack of a support system that stuck with him. Barry felt he was being used to train the other fighters, and on December 18, 2007, he left Amsterdam and never looked back. “That was the last time I heard his voice,” Barry said of Hoost. “He never once called, emailed or text messaged me, not even to ask if I made it home alright.” But even home was a different place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was just over two years earlier that Barry had lost his family home and grandmother to Hurricane Katrina. “It was all physically gone and I lost everything my parents had worked for, but the spirit and the memories were still there and you can’t take that away.” Barry is extremely close to his mother, brother and cousins, and just couldn’t find himself living in

“I lot of people thought I switched legs due to his kicks, but it’s only because people don’t know I’m ambidextrous with my whole body, so I double my arsenal.”

Amsterdam any longer without anyone close to him. He was at a crossroads, or so he thought. Barry text-messaged Hoost to say he wasn’t returning to Holland. The following day an old friend called with an incredible offer. “Duke Roufus asked, ‘Are you ready to make a move that will change your life forever?’” Few people could say “no” to that question, but when Roufus told him they would be getting into mixed martial arts, Barry wasn’t terribly interested. He was a stand-up fighter who never saw the artistry with the ground work and felt perplexed as to why one of the best kickboxing trainers around would be beating a different drum. The new sport also didn’t bode well for someone vying to live out his ninja dream fighting in his very own Streetfighter game. Barry showed up the next day at Roufus’ gym and was paired up with a 160-pound grappler. Feeling invincible, he thought there would be no problem in throwing the lightweight around like a rag doll. Instead Barry found himself on the mat with his opponent turning his body into a pretzel. “I remember grabbing the guy and squeezing with everything I had and he just let me do it,” remarked Barry. “All my muscles gave out and I knew there was nothing I could do, especially if it had been a real fight.” The determined kickboxer who didn’t think anything of MMA left that day with the same feeling he had at age 23 when he thought kickboxing would be a walk in the park. Barry came back the following day to begin his new journey. A friend of Barry’s, Myron Gaudet, summed up the experience by calling it “synchronicity,” and now the kickboxer only has eyes for 4-ounce gloves from now on. He earned his chance on the big stage when Duke Roufus pitched Barry to Joe Silva at UFC Fight Night 15 while two of his teammates, Alan Belcher and Eric Schafer, competed. Barry only had three MMA fights under his belt, but Silva liked his kickboxing demo. After stopping Dan Evenson with leg kicks in his first fight and losing via submission to Tim Hague, Barry earned his chance at validation against Antoni Hardonk, a product of the Vos Gym and Ernesto Hoost.

Sure he was broke and money was an issue, but if Barry was to be the best striker in MMA, he’d have to defeat a man who is said to have the best leg kicks in the sport. Barry peppered all his pre-fight interviews with how he was going after Hardonk’s legs, but that was a ruse. He knew the secret to winning the fight would be letting his hands go and breaking Hardonk’s will.

fans. When Barry returned home at 6:00 AM on Sunday following his win over Hardonk, he sat at his computer for 12 straight hours doing nothing but answer emails, MySpace messages, etc. from the fans. “Of course I just realized I opened up a can of worms because I just doubled the amount of messages with people in astonishment that I wrote them back personally, but I’m nothing without the fans.”

Two accidental eye gouges could have derailed that plan, but Barry stayed focused and listened to his corner. “I put my total faith in Duke Roufus and kept my head in the game. I lot of people thought I switched legs due to his kicks, but it’s only because people don’t know I’m ambidextrous with my whole body, so I double my arsenal.”

The 5’11” heavyweight contender recalled a particular instance from UFC 104 that spoke volumes about how not to win fans. Barry had a dozen friends fly to the fight to see the show, and one by one, they tried to get a photo from a major UFC superstar. “He turned every one of them down and pretended like they weren’t even there,” said Barry. “If a fan loves a fighter and the fighter loses, the fighter may lose the fan. If the fan loves the person, win or lose, he’ll always be a fan. I’m never going to lose sight of that.”

After dropping Hardonk with a short right hand and reversing a position on the ground in Round 1, Barry turned up the heat in the second stanza. He landed a straight right, then left that bounced Hardonk whose will and spirit seemed to leave his body. After Barry sent him crashing to the canvas, an enormous rush of emotion came over him. “I felt like Hoost never believed in me and this was my validation.” The 30-year-old freely admitted he’s not ready for a stud wrestler just yet. He wants to be known as the best punch/kick guy in MMA and the UFC has plenty of strikers to choose from. Next stop would be Cheick Kongo if Barry had his wish, but for now, just a day and a half after the fight, all he wanted to do was tackle a pillow for a good night’s rest. Ever since his first UFC fight, Barry has understood a deep connection with the

Barry is still a newbie in this game, but already understands what it takes to go to the next level. He’s training with wrestlers and jiu-jitsu players, but firmly believes fans want to see the big knockout over an arm-bar any day, and many fans would agree with that. His moniker “HD” (hype or die) stems from his favorite movie of all time, The Matrix. It simply means that whichever road you take, give it 100% and commit everything you have to it. Patrick “HD” Barry knows which road to take and his fans love being along for the ride!

Patrick Barry would like to thank Sucker Punch Entertainment, Harley Davidson New Orleans, TapouT, Fighter Warehouse and Tokyo 5.To learn more about Barry and the rest of his team, check out www.roufusport.com.

www.mmaworldwide.com 55

2009 Holiday Gift Guide

PULL OUT CATALOG

➡

TapouT Heavy Bag and Gloves MMA Fightsocks by 4Q2 Fightwear

$99.99

$23.99 www.centurymartialarts.com

Native Wear T-Shirt

includes shipping

www.4q2fightwear.com

Six Deuce “Land of the Setting Sun”

“Combat Sambo”

“We Are All One”

www.Nativefighter.com

$21.95 each www.62gear.com www.mmaworldwide.com 59

RIOT GEAR APPAREL

3 Skulls

Bones

Royalty Reigns - Black

Crest Zip

Sword of Honor

Royalty Reigns Zip

Total Domination

All T-shirts $39.99

All Hoodies $59.99

www.riotgearmma.com www.mmaworldwide.com 61

The Burn Machine The Ultimate Burn Machine

Great Mats 1-5/8” Grappling Mats $32.00

48lbs. $299

The Speed Bag 4lb. Novice $129 8lb. Intermediate $139 12lb. Professional $149.

7/8” Standard Martial Arts Mats $16.95

www.TheBurnMachine.com

GymBoss Discount Folding Gym Mats 4x8 ft x 1.5 inch thickness Royal Blue or Rainbow $149.00 5x10 ft x 2 inch thickness - v4 18 oz Cover Royal Blue or Black $259.00

$19.95 www.gymboss.com 62 The World-famous

www.greatmats.com

REV Gear Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tank $24.95

Fleece Pullover Hoody Sweatshirt $54.95

Bad Boy

Walk Out Shirt $24.95 Pull Over Hoodie $54.95 www.revgear.com

www.badboy.com www.mmaworldwide.com 63

NAGA Choke

Shield

Snake

$25

$30 Rash Guards

$30 Jerseys

$25

$40

$30

Tribal

www.nagafighter.com 64 The World-famous

BUDO NOGI Beanie

NOGI Hoodie

$18.95

$49.95

NOGI Volt Shorts

Kingpin Shorts

$44.95

$49.95

www.budovideos.com www.mmaworldwide.com 65

www.extremefightgames.com

Bubba Dummy The Ultimate Grip Training System

Extreme Fight Games $499.95 $34.99

www.iisports.com

SNAC

$99.95 per pair plus shipping/handling www.grapplegrip.com

Grapple Grip GLC 2000

HypOxygen

$49.95

$55

ZMA-5

$29.95 www.snac.com 66 The World-famous

www.glcdirect.com

House of Pain

$24.95

Three Swords

Velvet Rose Tank Dress

$24.99

Axe

www.houseofpain.com

www.velvet-industries.com

MMA Worldwide Anderson Silva: Takedowns and Fight Shorts Takedown Defense

$39.99 www.mmaworldwide.com 68 The World-famous

www.victorybelt.com

Century® Teams with TapouT® for New MMA Equipment Line A walk through TapouT’s headquarters in Grand Terrace, CA lets you know immediately that you are not working with just any other company. A walk through the 500,000 square foot facility in Oklahoma City, OK that is Century Martial Arts quickly alerts you to their focus on technology-driven product development and creation. While the two styles couldn’t be further apart from each other, together they create the “perfect storm” of creativity and product excellence. So when TapouT considered expanding their well-known apparel and lifestyle brand into the equipment market, they began their list of exacting standards and detailed requirements. To continue providing the quality their customers expect, TapouT was unwilling to accept anything less than the very best. Enter Century, LLC., the world’s largest supplier of martial art and fitness equipment. With over 30 years of experience, Century Martial Arts understood TapouT’s desire to

70 The World-famous

provide their customers not only with equipment that would last, but also with innovative solutions to training needs for both professional and retail consumers alike. Century, LLC. has teamed up through a licensing agreement with TapouT, LLC., the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) apparel, gear and lifestyle brand, to create a brand new line of mixed martial arts training equipment. The line will begin rollout in select stores in time for the 2009 holiday season and introduce new products throughout 2010 and beyond. Under this new partnership, Century Martial Arts will design, manufacture, market and distribute the TapouT brand of MMA fighting and training gear to sporting goods retail stores, department stores, sports specialty stores, fitness centers, gyms, martial arts schools, MMA schools and online. “As the leading MMA lifestyle and apparel brand, TapouT is excited to team up with Century, who has developed a strong presence in this market,” said Marc Kreiner, TapouT President. The line will

feature all equipment used in MMA training, including gloves, heavy bags, targets, shields, grappling dummies and more. “This is a great opportunity to expand our product line and further spread the attitude, strength and passion that fans of TapouT depend on,” said TapouT CEO, Dan “Punkass” Caldwell in reference to the new line. The expert product development and quality production teams at Century are excited to work on the new line. Product development and testing has begun on fabrics and materials designed to exceed the industry standard. There will be two levels of product—a pro line to be used by professional MMA fighters and a retail line for the general public to use in fitness workouts. The commercial line will be a flagship line of products created around the needs of the professional MMA training schedule. It will be designed to withstand the daily use and punishment exerted by professionals and high-use gyms around the country. Both product lines will be engineered with the highest quality materials and construction methods to provide gear that will maximize training results. The two lines are set to debut in spring 2010 and will be available in retail stores across the nation, as well as online at www.CenturyMartialArts.com. Just in time for the holiday season, a preview of the line will be available at select Hibbett Sporting Good stores. This debut promotion will feature a training bag and glove combination. The TapouT MMA Training Bag features durable leather-grain embossed vinyl that simulates the look and

feel of real leather. Solid steel chain construction and sewn web straps secure the 70 lb. bag for hanging. It is ideal for training with all kinds of MMA techniques. The TapouT MMA training gloves are also designed to be functional for all MMA techniques. The TapouT gloves are constructed from heavy duty vinyl and feature a full open palm, padded knuckle protection and wrap-around straps for added wrist support. Both the gloves and the heavy bag are black featuring white TapouT logos. The combo is set to sell for $99.99 and will be available in select Hibbett stores beginning November 2010. The new line signifies an important step of growth for participants and fans of mixed martial arts. It is yet another reminder that MMA is here to stay. “TapouT is a dominant name in MMA and Century is thrilled to have this opportunity to work on this new product line,” said Dan Bower, Century President. “We look forward to working in conjunction with the TapouT team to bring this new line of training gear to the MMA community and to continue our long tradition of meeting the needs of martial artists worldwide. Century Martial Arts currently provides everything from uniforms to specialized training equipment. Instructors, students and professionals have counted on Century Martial Arts to be on the leading edge of fitness and training technology. The agreement with TapouT is another ringing endorsement of our ability to service martial artists everywhere.”

everything from clothing, accessories and gear, to nutrition products and a magazine. TapouT is also the exclusive apparel sponsor for Spike TV`s The Ultimate Fighter. ABOUT CENTURY®, LLC. Based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Century is the world leader in martial arts products and the largest manufacturer and distributor of individual contact sports equipment. Century has sold products to support martial arts, mixed martial arts, boxing and kickboxing throughout the world for over 30 years. Century distributes products under its own name, and also distributes products under the UFC brand and the Adidas brand.

ABOUT TAPOUT®, LLC. TapouT is the world’s leading mixed martial arts apparel, gear and lifestyle brand on the market today. TapouT started as a vision by Founder Charles "Mask" Lewis Jr. and CEO Dan “Punkass” Caldwell, and has since become a pioneer of the MMA movement and a $100 million empire. Representing some of the biggest MMA superstars including Chuck Liddell, Frank Shamrock, Thiago Alves and Anthony Johnson, TapouT produces the hottest apparel for men, women and children. Their distinctive, authentic logo graces www.mmaworldwide.com 71

Ryan Bader: Head of the Class By Ricky Bonnet Ryan “Darth” Bader won Season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter, recently ended Eric schafer’s four fight winning streak and has won ten straight fights of his own with no losses. Like many before him who’ve won TUF honors, he understands being in the spotlight to continually exceed expectations. The show has changed the face of the sport’s culture as we know it and has created many UFC mainstays. Though the names Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar ring through the halls of UFC lore, the TUF banner does not ensure as much success as it does promise. MMA Worldwide sat down with Ryan Bader to see if he has what it takes to get ahead of the class.

74 The World-famous

MMA WORLDWIDE: Tell me about your background and how you got started in MMA. RYAN BADER: I have always had a real supportive family and I have been doing athletics since I was five years old. I played soccer and baseball until I was old enough to play football, and when I started that, I took up wrestling. I was about eight years old, and from there, my dad and mom pretty much came to every single wrestling match and football game. Athletics have been a huge part of my life. I went down to Arizona State University and I loved it down there. We loved the people and I decided to wrestle and basically that was the catalyst for my MMA career. I went through college wrestling, became a two-time All American, three-time Pac 10 champ and met a lot of great people. I was an MMA fan, but it wasn't something I was going to do as a career. After college, I started working with Jesse Forbes. He told us to come to his gym, Arizona Combat Sports. They were impressed with our wrestling skills and toughness, so we started training, but at that point, I was like, "Hey, I don't know if I am going to do this, but I am going to try it." I had my first fight and after that I was hooked; I was working the normal 9-to-5 job and it wasn't for me. I was doing it at that time and something was missing â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the competition. I've had that my whole life and so it was fun for the first couple of months, and then afterwards, I was like "Man, what am I doing?" So I got into MMA and built up seven wins in smaller shows and got invited to compete in The Ultimate Fighter and that is pretty much it. MMAW: Tell us about training at Arizona Combat Sports and the support system that training there provides you. RYAN: We kind of came up as a team. There were no real stars when we came in there. Jamie Varner had fought in the WEC, but he was just getting to that point where he was becoming big time and getting some big wins. We all kind of came up together and always supported each other. When anybody has a fight, we are there in the gym helping those guys out. Aaron Simpson just had a fight with Ed Herman; he has been here every day. He was here every time I needed him to come and work www.mmaworldwide.com 75

out. We rally behind the guy who is fighting and we have done that since wrestling. We have been around each other for ten-plus years so we know each other very, very well. We know how to push each other, we know when to back off and when not. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not just about testing skills, but working with someone from the transition of smaller fights to the big shows. It has been awesome! MMAW: Arizona Combat Sports has a strong wrestling pedigree, but what is your camp doing to diversify and expand other skill sets? RYAN: Yeah, we work a ton on striking and every evening practice consists of just striking. That entails hard, hard sparring three times a week and I feel that really differentiates our camp from a lot of camps. We go in there and we spar with each other. That helps us out a lot and we go hard and we are getting better at our stand-up, but we also put in our time on the mat doing BJJ. I believe we still have to wrestle, so we wrestle once a week and concentrate on stand-up and jiujitsu the rest of the time. Our stand-up game is really coming along for all the guys. MMAW: You came into the public eye during a very interesting season of The Ultimate Fighter. Between Junie Browning's outburst and some of the "too hot for TV" moments, how did you keep yourself focused to maintain the right mindset to train and perform at a high level? RYAN: Basically I wanted to ultimately win the whole show and win each individual fight, so I had those goals down. When I went in there with all the shenanigans going on, I just kept that in my head and said, "Okay, I am here for one thing and I am not here to look like a fool on TV. I am here to win this competition and further my career." I knew people who had been on the show before and they gave me a lot of insight that really helped me out. I have been through worse, so when I got in there, it was fun for me. MMAW: How did you adapt to the whole experience of being cut off from the outside world? RYAN: The positives are, obviously, you have to concentrate on one thing and that was becoming a better MMA fighter. You took advantage of it and we had great coach76 The World-famous

es; I got to work with Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I just really buckled down and used that time to get better and learn from those types of guys. Negatives, it drives you crazy with no TV. You are in a house with guys you are fighting and other fighters, and then the boredom sets in. Overall it was a great experience; I really learned a lot and had some good contacts. I still keep up with those guys today. It was a chance of a lifetime to be able to do that. MMAW: You mention Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva. Did you have any idea that you might be competing against these guys one day?

wanted to win this fight. I had to put that other stuff to the side and do what I had to do. It’s probably my toughest experience as far as that. MMAW: With all the emotion at that moment, what was it like having your arm raised and being presented the six figure contract after beating Vinny Magalhães to win The Ultimate Fighter? RYAN: It was definitely surreal and crazy. You look back and say, "Man, I went through all of that?" I went from winning

RYAN: It’s always in the back of your mind. Machida is a 205pounder, but at that point you have other things on your mind and don’t need to worry about it. Besides we didn’t get to do enough with Machida. He just kind of came in and showed us some stuff, but I did get to spar with Anderson so I learned a lot. I learned that I need to keep working and he is on a different level as far as the striking. It was good to kind of see that, but in the back of your mind, you are always thinking like, "Hey, one day I could be fighting these guys."

RYAN: It hasn't really changed much. Obviously my skill set is getting better with each fight in the big crowds, but the crowds never really got to me or anything like that. I feel the same as I did with my first fight. You get a little nervous, you get ready to go and have different emotions, but I put the same pressure on myself from the first fight I ever had. It will be just as much pressure if I ever get to fight for the title I think. I am my biggest critic and I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform because I put in the work. MMAW: The 205-pound division is obviously stacked. Where do you see yourself in the whole mix and where do you feel you rank in the division overall?

MMAW: What was the most difficult fight in your whole TUF experience? RYAN: I would probably have to say the Eliot Marshall fight due to the circumstances that surrounded it. You ask any of those guys…we fought on the second to last and the last day. Your mind is not there and you’ve been in the house for six weeks. You have put up with everything and trained for four months now, considering you trained a month prior to getting on the show. My mind was in a weird place and I kind of grounded out that victory and did what I had to do. I wasn't really happy with myself and how I won, but that was my most difficult fight because that was the first time I had to overcome my mind. I was kind of just sitting there and like, "Oh, man, I just want to go home and relax," but at the same time, I just

MMAW: How is the transition from newcomer to UFC fighter been and how has competing at the highest level in the UFC not only changed you as a fighter but as a man?

my first fight to get into the house and then winning all of the fights in the house without getting injured, only to put more time to train for the finale. It is just a huge relief and you are like, "Oh, I made it!" Then immediately you felt like, "Okay, I am here, but now I have to start over." In winning that contract, you kind of have that stigma that puts a bullseye on your back. I felt like I just have to start over now and start climbing up the ladder in the UFC 205-pound division. I was proud of myself that I came out victorious, so it was a good feeling.

RYAN: We have some real tough guys in the 205-pound division and for me, like I said, I feel like I am starting over. As The Ultimate Fighter champ, I have to go in there with the big dogs and work my way back up. I don't feel like I really have a ranking right now. I feel I need quite a few more wins and I want that too. I want to get some experience under my belt in the big show and I want to become a better MMA fighter. I don't want to be rushed, I want to take my time to mature as a fighter. I am relatively new to this sport — a little over two years — and have a long way to go. I just kind of go, "Win this fight, win this fight and everything will take care of itself." To learn more about Ryan Bader, check out his official website at www.ryanbader.com which includes his sponsors, videos, training and even a new TapouT signature shirt.

www.mmaworldwide.com 77

80 The World-famous

FRANKIE EDGAR: Humble Superstar in the Making By Jon Lane His training partner has always been armed with tales, techniques and lessons on how Frankie Edgar can overcome a Kimura attempt or slap on a choke of his own. On this day Chris “The Story” Liguori hit a roadblock. Edgar’s athletic foundation was built on wrestling since his pre-teen days. One of a wrestler’s greatest strengths is neutralizing the best of strikers with one of his violent takedowns, so Edgar explained the basics of a ground game to Liguori’s satisfaction.

with the people he befriended in high school. He’s always quick to counter that through hard work and faith, your just rewards will be realized.

“Thanks Frank,” Liguori told him. “You are the answer to my problems.”

Digest this for one moment: Edgar is 10-1 (5-1 in the UFC) and each of those wins at MMA’s elite level came against the organization’s finest fighters. There was Sherk. Hermes Franca once fought for the title. Spencer Fisher at one time was a top contender at 155 pounds. Tyson Griffin was among the top 10 in his class; Edgar refused to tap to Griffin’s deep kneebar and gutted out a unanimous decision victory. This coming in his UFC debut on short notice and one week after checking out of a hospital — a visit he kept to himself.

That’s nothing new. In addition to nice, verbal chemistry with his surname, “The Answer” moniker is a perfect match for more reasons than one. As recently as May before UFC 98, there were doubts. Across the Octagon was a former lightweight champion, a veteran buzzsaw named Sean Sherk. Edgar held an impressive resume, but few noticed. This was to be the fight which would vault Sherk back into title contention and in his way was a fresh-faced 27year-old Jersey boy who supposedly did not have the stand-up to hang with an elite lightweight. Even Mike Tyson, Edgar’s boyhood idol and ringside for the event, was caught motioning to his female acquaintance that Sherk was the man he came to see. Never mind winning the bout. Edgar dominated and out-struck Sherk for the full 15 minutes en route to a unanimous decision victory. Dana White was left shaking his head at a press conference, admitting he thought Edgar had no chance until quickly adding, “This kid put on an amazing show.” Edgar is not one to seek publicity. He proudly bills himself as “the same dude from Toms River, New Jersey,” who hangs

“If you win and perform well, all that stuff and recognition is going to catch up to you,” Edgar said. “People are going to notice.” Then when asked for a reaction to White’s praise, he looked at it as a happy boss telling him job well done – until he slipped: “And it was good to finally get some recognition.”

Yet Edgar’s next bout is against Kurt Pellegrino at The Ultimate Fighter 10 finale in December, one week before Diego Sanchez gets his shot at lightweight champion B.J. Penn. Like Edgar, Pellegrino (144, 6-3 UFC) is a Jersey kid, sandpaper tough and who with Edgar forged his high school wrestling legacy in the state’s Region 6. Pellegrino also comes off an impressive win over veteran Josh Neer, but the resumes do not match. The media picks up on such nuances and have attempted to bait Edgar for the money quote, which is bulletin board fodder that screams headlines over being overlooked and disrespected. Too bad. The kid won’t bite.

“As much as they try to stroke him, he just won’t do it,” said Mark Henry, his longtime boxing coach. Edgar’s best quality is his humility. His camp has asked for opponent preferences to send to UFC matchmaker Joe Silva. His response is always, “Anybody. I don’t care.” That’s instant respect with Edgar’s upbringing in his blue-collar neighborhood; however, the UFC tends to judge on style points in addition to talent. “If he would have made his hair pink or talked smack to somebody, he’d probably have a title shot,” Henry said. “Who has he not beaten? How many top guys do you have to beat? Who’s left for him? He’s beat the guy who’s had the title and beat the guy who’s fought for the title. That’s where humble pie is getting him.” Allow your thoughts to go deeper and that’s not necessarily a bad thing, for even during the longest of journeys, every answer is discovered and uncovered. “We’re taking the Marvin Hagler road,” Henry said. “Marvin Hagler had to fight a million fights before he finally fought for the title because he was such a quiet guy.” ***** Something wasn’t clicking, and to Henry that was a big surprise. Edgar had always been the kid brother that listened, but when it came down to fine-tuning his boxing, the message wasn’t delivered. At times 45 minutes to one hour were spent on perfecting a left hook until they got it exactly right, but a single day’s repetition wouldn’t unlock the requisite answers. Edgar needed a refined routine and that meant integrating boxing into the regimen more than twice a week. “You basically have a joystick in your hand playing a videogame because every punch www.mmaworldwide.com 81

“

I came in as a pure wrestler and now I really think I can stand with pretty much anybody in the UFC. That’s testament to how much time and dedication I’ve committed to this craft

you tell Edgar to throw, he’ll throw it automatically,” Henry said. “It was just getting more time with him.” Sherk and his relentless ground game were waiting. The way to rattle him early was by striking, in other words doing something nobody thought he could do. Henry needed a spark which led to a phone call to Freddie Roach, a celebrated boxing trainer who has worked with Oscar De La Hoya, Bernard Hopkins, Michael Moorer and Manny Pacquiao, and MMA competitors Andrei Arlovski and Dan Hardy. Roach invited Edgar to his Hollywood, California gym to train for a week. Roach held a heavy bag while Moorer, a former heavyweight champion, stood behind him, close eyes on his footwork. “Going there and doing well showed me I’ve got some skills,” Edgar said. “It was an experience. You have to take advantage of being with someone like that.” It was poetry watching Edgar perform against Sherk. Sticking and weaving, Edgar took the initiative and kept Sherk from finding his range. It wasn’t until Round 3 when Sherk turned to his wrestling foundation and scored on his first takedown attempt. Before he made his next move, Edgar was back in a vertical position. He stuffed two more attempts and locked Sherk into a guillotine choke as time ran out. Lessons learned. Answers discovered. “In his match against Sherk, I’ve tried to prepare him for a fight like that for two and half years, but he just kind of couldn’t do it,” Henry said. “He just wouldn’t slip for some reason and I kept telling him you have to start slipping and dipping with Sherk. You have to start changing your angles, in and out. I kept harping on it, but he wasn’t quite getting it.” Whether it was immediate or gradual, Edgar’s gotten it since his childhood, growing up on the Jersey Shore as the son of a plumber. To this day, Frank Sr. rises at 4 a.m. daily and works Saturdays; a taste of working under his father instilled the core values to help him pursue his passion for wrestling. He competed in two state championship tournaments and became a fourtime national qualifier at Clarion University from 2001-2005. His junior year he earned

freestyle All-American honors and won the Eastern Wrestling League Championship the following season to finish his collegiate career at 120-29. “I pride myself on my conditioning and the conditioning comes from being a hard worker,” Edgar said. “I believe just my improvement in the sport is a testament to how hard I work. I came in as a pure wrestler and now I really think I can stand with pretty much anybody in the UFC. That’s a testament to how much time and dedication I’ve committed to this craft.”

him to Ricardo Almeida’s Brazilian JiuJitsu Academy in Hamilton, NJ. Edgar’s jiujitsu needed refining and so did his focus, which until midway through college was also scattered in different directions. “I hated losing,” Edgar said. “Everybody hates losing, but it kind of ruled me too much, to the point I wrestled matches worrying about losing instead of worrying about winning, and that would take a lot of matches away from me.

treating injuries properly, resting and media obligations, all of which has helped him focus on more of the game as a whole. “You try not to think about it because you get overwhelmed…you really do,” Edgar said. “When I get up today, I’m going to work as hard as I can with everything I have to do – eat properly, do whatever else that’s entailed as far as media, coaching and family life, and I’ll worry about the next day after that.”

His MMA career began on October 29, 2005 in Asbury Park, New York, and he raced to a 5-0 record before battling Griffin at UFC 67. At the end of the fight, he was caught in that kneebar. By then you figure Edgar’s inexperience had done him in and his only shot at a good first impression would come to a crashing end. His knee was about to blow and he had the rest of his career and life ahead of him, so tap out, lose the battle and return to fight again. He had an excuse handy, too. He was getting married the following week. The hell with that. By pure will and a refusal to lose, Edgar didn’t tap and held on for the unanimous decision win and “Fight of the Night” honors. “I felt I had it on the scorecards and I got caught in a kneebar,” Edgar said. “I was really mad because he lulled me to sleep. I thought he was on his way to kind of quitting, but he did a great job of keeping his composure and finding that kneebar. He caught me in it and it got tighter and tighter and tighter – it actually popped – and there’s no way I’m going out with an ‘L’ like this. It already popped, so I might as well let him take it off. “For me it’s all in my head, telling myself I do not want to lose. If I tap out, it’s a guaranteed loss. I’ll take my chances on injuring myself and deal with that later.” Two more victories over Mark Bocek and Fisher had Edgar at 8-0 and a favorite against Gray Maynard at UFC Fight Night 13. Overpowered by Maynard’s size and ground game, Edgar tasted defeat for the first time in a long time and that led to a reevaluation. Until the Maynard fight, Edgar had bounced around various gyms without a home base. That changed when the Gracie mentality and a fellow Jersey guy attracted

“The whole Gracie mentality shows how passionate they are about their craft and how they want to expose it to the world,” Edgar said. “They’re very big on respect and perfecting their craft. Just to be around these guys – Renzo comes to visit sometimes – you can’t ask for anything else. You feel it. It’s like a buzz in the room. You take the energy he’s given us and try and put it into your training.

That means going to work, whether it’s the gym or serving as an assistant coach at Rutgers. That work ethic is something that will never change with Edgar, but that doesn’t stop Henry from attempting to loosen him up a bit. One time Edgar conceded and grew his hair out – barely.

“The biggest thing for me is relaxing, focusing and not over-thinking any situation. Just from maturing, realizing you train hard and work hard, just go out there and do what you do, and good stuff will happen. It’s been happening.”

“Is that the best you can do?” Henry asked. “You have to do something crazy.” Crazy is Edgar staying true to his Jersey roots, where he can live quietly while seeking more answers to becoming a champion, even if it takes twice as long compared to others. “Under the radar,” Henry said. “It’s a nice place.

With every great fighter comes evolution. Edgar rebounded from the Maynard loss with a unanimous decision win over Franca before taking Sherk to school. Preparing for Pellegrino has also involved eating right,

Frankie “The Answer” Edgar meets Kurt Pellegrino on December 5th on Spike TV. Until then you can check out his official website at www.frankedgar.com.

www.mmaworldwide.com 83

MMA Business101: Marketing with

HeadBlade By RJ Clifford

As pay-per-view numbers keep growing, venues continue to fill and promoter’s pockets overflow, it is the business side of MMA that is maturing right along with the fan base. New clothing companies sprout up everyday it seems, MMA magazines continue to impress all who read them *cough* and blue chip advertisers have taken notice. Now that MMA is breaking into the mainstream and becoming a profitable industry, everyone is jumping onboard the bandwagon. But who was there at the beginning and saw it all coming?

Born in Maine, Todd Greene began losing his hair at a rather early age, approximately his mid-20’s. In 1992 he moved to Seattle to work as a gaming artist for software company Sierra Online, and by 1995, was working on the fantasy games for ESPN’s first website and other sports entities.

At around the same time he also started shaving his head. Greene noticed there was no real razor designed for the serpentine twists and crowbar angles of the human hand engaged in the process of shaving one’s head. "Shaving with a regular razor is very hard," explains Greene. Enter Todd Greene and HeadBlade. "It's kind of like a rake. It takes “Rampage” Jackson and your hand away from your head Todd Greene and you can't shave by feel." The circus act of balancing mirrors and razors simultaneously started to become more than he could handle. "If I could put a razor on my finger, it would be a much easier, more intuitive way to shave." Greene started fiddling with prototypes and HeadBlade was in the process of being born. After going through the rigors of prototyping the product, design patents and trademark attorneys, Greene first attempted to get Schick or Gillette to license his product designs but to no avail. So in 1999, he borrowed some modest seed money from his father and some friends, designed and built his own website and started selling 86 The World-Famous

and distributing HeadBlade from his own home-based company. The early going was slow. Not many people, especially the corporate shirts, felt there was a market for a shaver designed exclusively for the noggin. "If you open a Subway, you get a sheet that says this is where you put your signs, this where you buy your bread and this is how the napkins are set up. I designed a product for a market that never existed." The tide turned in Greene's favor however when Time Magazine called the HeadBlade one of the “Ten Best Designs of 2000.” The company exploded when Playboy, Sports Illustrated and Maxim featured his new product; the calls and orders cascaded in and Greene did over $25,000 in web sales that month alone. Not bad for a prematurely-balding guy, a dream and some proprietary razors. It was about this time, nearly a decade ago, when Greene garnered interest in MMA. He first caught the bug after attending UFC 46 for Randy Couture and Vitor Belfort’s second match. “It’s a pure sport, it wasn’t overtaken by the huge corporations and the people that really enjoyed it were crazy about it. It’s not like going to a Lakers game where half the people are there just to be seen.” Greene saw the excitement it was generating with the attendees and found a great potential marketing tool for his product. “A lot of military guys, cops, security guards and athletes shave their heads. A lot of guys shave their heads because it is

performance oriented.” Fighters fit right into the same bill. With the proactive, tough guy look a shaved head confers, Greene found great synergy.

HeadBlade front man Frank Trigg

“It was a way to gain the rub off of an up and coming sport that I knew would be huge, and like HeadBlade, was kind of an underdog. It was a growing demographic that a lot of other marketers did not believe in. For us, to be riding alongside a sport that was growing and get the national brand recognition…every time we would do something that was newsworthy, we would subsequently get pitched by NASCAR, ESPN, the NFL, the NBA and MLB and the numbers they would come back with were breathtaking—and not in a good way!” Greene was able to get great national recognition with the male 18-35 year old demographic without the huge price tag associated with advertising because it was under the radar of corporate America’s already established major sports. To date, HeadBlade is still on the “cutting edge” of the sport, having sponsored dozens of fighters, including Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Chuck Liddell, Frank Trigg, Jeff Monson, Josh Burkman and just about any fighter you can think of with a clean scalp. While HeadBlade does not advertise exclusively with MMA, having worked with NBA stars, Hollywood celebrities and even with their own Harley Davidson racing team, the results of its ongoing relationship with MMA continues to yield results. Greene, who has been featured on CNN, CNBC, Fox, MSNBC and on satellite radio, now has HeadBlade in retail giants such as RiteAid and Walgreens. He is also working to turn HeadBlade from a head shaving company to a full fledged men’s grooming corporation.

The HeadBlade Racecar

“I look at HeadBlade kind of like a Nike. I look at our logo, which a lot of people respond to because it is very clear, it’s Yin-Yang and it’s Michael Jordanesque. It’s very simple but very powerful. At some point it’s going to be for everyone, not just head shavers.” Our skin care line is great for face and body and we just introduced a new travel folding face razor called FaceBlade. The original HeadBlade is now in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, so its influence has been felt far outside of the Octagon.

The value Todd Greene and HeadBlade found in their advertising, sponsorship and alignment with MMA years ago is just now being recognized by major advertising giants. Nowadays, huge corporations like Bud Light, Harley Davidson, Burger King and others line the Octagon canvas as the effective alternative to the enormous price tag of the NFL, NBA, MLB and other established sports who aren’t even attracting that many young males anyway. “It has all the ingredients of combining a great sport with a great audience and great marketing!”

To learn more about HeadBlade, check out www.headblade.com.

www.mmaworldwide.com 87

Sandman Revisited By Kyle Rayner For over 25 years, Guy Mezger has been a fixture of the martial arts scene in one way or another. He’s had over 100 fights when you take into account all of his years on the full contact karate and kickboxing circuits, not to mention his fights in the UFC, Pride and Pancrase. And though he may have retired from competition, Mezger has continued to be a martial arts instructor and gym owner, in addition to television executive, film producer, consultant and most importantly, family man. At age 41 he still has the rippled physique from his fighting prime and his work week has become far more regimented than his competitive yesteryear. A typical day starts at 6:00 a.m. when Mezger and wife Michelle are awakened by their two kids, son Logan (4 1/2) and daughter Rachel (2 1/2). “Having a family, which includes older son Jake (19), is an emotional and spiritual development and very trying at times, but I am so grateful to

have a wonderful wife. She’s an amazing mother and unbelievably successful businesswoman (Vice President of an IT company).” After taking care of the dogs and getting dressed for the day, by 8:00 a.m. the family sits down for breakfast. He normally takes the kids to school before heading off to his gym, the Addison, Texas-based Guy Mezger’s Combat Sports Club. From 9:00 a.m. to noon, Mezger is in full gym mode, but around lunch time, he puts on his TV exec hat to work on HDNET for the next five to seven hours. And just when most people are leaving to go home, he jumps back into teacher mode and closes down the gym around 9:00 p.m. Add frequent trips out of town (he’ll fly to Japan seven times in three months this year alone) where Mezger serves as color commentator for HDNET Fights and one can gain some perspective as to how full of a life he leads.

Guy “The Sandman” Mezger is still a champion for the sport of mixed martial arts; “retirement” is a misnomer for “working harder” in his world. “I never looked at retirement as retirement since I’ll work up until the day I die,” said Mezger. “I have a real passion for what I do and would probably do this for fr…(laughing) Well I don’t want Mark Cuban to hear I’d do this for free, but I enjoy what I do.” And what he does has held so many different meanings throughout the years. IN THE BEGINNING Houston-born Guy Mezger grew up in and around Dallas, Texas. As a preteen, he took up old school karate and wrestling simultaneously and excelled at both. He won the state championship in high school wrestling and earned his first black belt at age 19. A collegiate wrestling scholarship was quelled by a knee injury, www.mmaworldwide.com 89

“I feel real blessed. I had a career with some ups and downs, but I love the fight business.”

so Mezger focused on full contact karate and trained under Billy “Jack” Jackson, the only man to ever defeat the great Benny Urquidez in full contact karate. Mezger won two full contact karate championships, but desperately wanted a kickboxing title under his belt. When politics precluded him from the goal, a local promoter put him into UFC 4 when SEG (pre-Zuffa owners) needed a couple of kickboxers for the card. “When I fought in the UFC, I just thought about retiring,” said Mezger. “Without my kickboxing title shot, I thought I’d fight in this crazy UFC and have one fight so I could tell my kids that I did it because I didn’t think it would last.” The bare-knuckle match that ensued was raw brutality; it looked like two rock stars going at it with fists and hair flying, but Mezger came out the victor. LION’S DEN Prior to UFC 4, Mezger asked Ken Shamrock if he could come and train. He saw a lot of himself in Shamrock and ended up trying out for Shamrock’s Lion’s Den. The Gracie’s may have been the first family of MMA, but the Lion’s Den was the first assembled team for MMA…at least American anyway. Mezger joined the likes of Vernon White, Jerry Bohlander, Tra Telligman, Alex Andrade and others. After picking up another UFC win and finally getting his kickboxing title, Mezger moved to MMA permanently. Shamrock suggested he join him in Japan’s Pancrase organization which actually predated the UFC by two months. He felt the UFC wouldn’t catch on and Japan would be the place for a Mezger to collect a steady paycheck. The style was basically similar, save for no closed-fist strikes to the face, matches were held in a ring and fighters in trouble had rope escapes. From July 1995 to February 1997, he competed 16 times for Pancrase, sometimes fighting once a month. Training for the lightweight tourney at UFC 13 (May 30, 1997) would become one of Mezger’s most memorable experiences with the Lion’s Den. “I remember the song ‘How Bizarre’ by OMC and that became the theme music if you will for

90 The World-famous

the training camp. Ken was with the WWE at the time, but Frank came down, along with Tra and Alex. It felt good because everybody came out there to help me win.” The Lion’s Den standout bludgeoned judo player Christophe Leninger to a decision, but broke his hand in the process. He almost pulled out, but looked around at his team and thought to himself, “I can fight with this hand even though I’ll look like Michael Jackson.” Mezger won the championship over alternate Tito Ortiz with one glovedhand, but he called it the best training camp with the Den and that song made it special.

Sandman would go onto become the King of Pancrase by defeating the promotion’s founder, Masakatsu Funaki, in April 1998 and defended that title two more times. He vacated the crown to rematch Ortiz (substituting Vitor Belfort) at UFC 19. The Lion’s Den rallied behind Mezger who showed up to the fight extremely ill and ended up losing by TKO. A feud with Ortiz over a tacky shirt was nothing more than a fleeting moment according to Mezger. LEAVING WITH PRIDE The once-great Pancrase just couldn’t match Pride’s awesome power and deep pockets. And Pride loved having Mezger onboard because they wanted to see a King of Pancrase get knocked out. After a long road of tough fights, the Sandman would face some of his stiffest competition. In only his second fight, Mezger faced off against Kazushi Sakuraba in the opening round of the Pride Grand Prix. He took the fight on two weeks notice

and the stipulation was that if one fighter weighed more than 22 pounds (10 kilos) over his opponent and the match went to a decision, it would be declared a draw to force a second round. “I had the flu and got it from Ken’s kids when I went to train. I took four IV bags before I even got on the plane and I weighed in at 198 pounds (90 kilos); he weighed in at 85 kilos. The weight differential should never have been part of the determination for calling it a draw.” Mezger won the first round, but Pride ruled it a draw (they had Mezger’s weight at 97 kilos) and a disgusted Ken Shamrock called the fight off and Mezger walked away. This would be the first of several instances where, in many minds,

thought, alright it’s time to really think about getting out of this.” After a token win in Europe, he took a year off and started using his business savvy and name in DFW to forge several lucrative business ventures and investments. In late 2004, Zuffa presented Mezger with an opportunity he couldn’t turn down: a rematch with Tito Ortiz. Throughout his career, Mezger yearned for certain rematches and Ortiz was offered up on a silver platter. But just a week before the fight, Mezger reportedly experienced stroke-like symptoms and had to withdrawal from the fight. On January 25, 2005, he retired from competition.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME

the organization played favorites. “All I have to say is, ‘That’s Japan!’ It’s part of what I call creative scorekeeping. I know what it is and I think most people have their opinion too,” in reference to some of the questionable split decisions, notably against Ricardo Arona. All of the training and the tough battles were starting to take their toll. “My skills were going downhill, I was getting older and I had a change of heart about how I looked at stuff. I remember fighting Rogerio Nogueira and I didn’t want to stay in his guard. I stood up and saw him going for an ankle lock and remembered almost stomping him in the face. At that moment I just remember this clarity thinking what the hell am I doing? I

No matter how lucrative any of his business dealings are, the one constant will always be Guy Mezger’s Combat Sports Club. And though his gyms have had other names — once being a Lion’s Den affiliate — the heart, friendships and familiar sounds will forever be part of Mezger’s life. “This is my passion. All of my business is run out of this gym because I love this atmosphere and I want my children to grow up in this atmosphere. It’s a place to be strong, develop discipline and build great friendships. I would love for my children to have the same sense of camaraderie here.” Mezger’s philosophy mixes the hardcore, traditional mentality and discipline from his karate days with the different segments of combative arts. “Traditional martial arts put the steel in my spine and that has made me successful all these years,” said Mezger. “I want to instill that same type of feeling with wrestling, jiujitsu and striking. We are going to attract a certain type of person who really wants www.mmaworldwide.com 91

to work out and I’m kind of at a level where I want only those people.” The facility includes a large mat space, ring, punching bags and weights — but no machine weights — only the real stuff. But don’t think these people are just MMA fighters. Because of Mezger’s martial arts legacy in Dallas, he constantly has to show people that his children’s program is not only safe and fun, but they are going to actually learn the real thing — far removed from the K-mart karate clubs trying to make a quick buck. “I realize that not everyone is going to be a fighter, but that doesn’t mean they’re not going to enjoy their experience and training. I have a 66-year-old guy who trains, wrestles, boxes and spars. He’s not going to climb into the cage, but he’s enjoying the experience and he’s dropped 20 pounds. It’s that kind of story that builds the true MMA fans at the end of the day because that is America. My gym is for anyone who wants to train hard regardless of the reasons behind it.” Mezger still has a soft spot for the athletes and regularly trains a few at his gym

92 The World-famous

each week and accompanies them to fights. His top pro prospect is a scrappy lightweight named Derek Campos. “I think he’s got an opportunity to really be a star and he’s a nice kid who works hard.” Mezger said the key to a successful MMA gym to aid the sport’s growth is to make it accessible to everyone as a commercial component and also have the sport side for those who ultimately want to compete. HDNET FIGHTS PREZ Even as a consultant, Mezger told HDNet executives that MMA would be the top rated programming for the network. They scoffed at the notion, but Mezger was right. Shortly thereafter, he became President of HDNet Fights. The network showcases over a half dozen promotions including K-1, K-1 Max, Dream, M-1, Maximum Fighting Championships and others. His duties are primarily two-fold. “I make sure the promoters are taking care of the athletes the way we believe they should be taken care of,” said Mezger, who also serves as commentator for many of the events in the U.S. and

abroad. As a self-proclaimed MMA geek who studies everything he can get his hands on, Mezger loves commentating. “I know some people out there criticize me, but at least they are listening.” (laughing) PARTING WORDS “I feel real blessed. I had a career with some ups and downs, but I love the fight business. And you know, I hesitate to talk about it, but there is one fight opportunity that I have that’s really just a personal fulfillment goal and you may see me one last time sometime next year.” The only hint Mezger would give was the landmark fight venue where the match would take place. “I just thank everybody so much for a great career.”

To learn more about Guy Mezger’s Combat Sports Club, log onto www.guymezger.com and for the best in MMA programming (call your local cable operator if you don’t have it!), check out www.hdnetfights.com.

94 The World-famous

www.mmaworldwide.com 95

By Bobby Pittman I have been blessed to meet some very incredible people throughout my life. Since starting the magazines over six years ago, I’ve been lucky enough to not only meet some of my heroes, but sit down with them and have them share their stories with me. One thing I have learned is that with each success story, there is a visionary…someone who sees past all of the roadblocks to witness nothing but what could be. A good team is needed to execute the plans on a certain level, but without a vision from an imaginative and passionate leader, the team is lost. One of the greatest visionaries I have ever and will ever have met was Charles “Mask” Lewis, Jr. The sport of MMA was truly blessed to have had him be part of its legacy. The vision he had for his brand, the sport and the fighters was truly ahead of its time, but that is not what has impressed me most with what Mask accomplished before his untimely passing. What amazes me is the impact he had on his team and the passion and determination that is still held up among the great people at TapouT to carry on his dreams. As two of his best friends and co-founders, Dan “Punkass” Caldwell and Tim “Skrape” Katz would say, “We’re still believing.” 98 The World-famous

When looking back at the history of TapouT, I always remember the stories of their legendary times spent on the road. I would read about this crazy group of guys living out of the trunks of their cars, going from event to event and helping the fighters in any way possible. Regardless of what story you heard, one constant was the love and respect that everyone from that era had for the TapouT Crew. Their guerilla marketing in MMA had no competitors, as they were amongst the first people to truly get behind the sport and support it on such a level. However what many people don’t always get a chance to hear is just why they did it. Talking with Punkass and Skrape, you quickly understand the vision from the start was about bringing the attention to the fighters who desperately needed it. Charles always seemed to realize that if they could help the fighters become famous, then people would want to tune in and watch them fight, growing the sport of MMA. So with his imagination, the TapouT Crew created an image that looked like something straight out of a comic book and their larger-than-life persona always demanded the attention of anyone who came into contact with them. However they always did an incredible job of passing the attention onto the fighters. Without them, someone like a soft-spoken Chuck Liddell may not have gained so much recognition in those early days, but the Crew always remained focused on bringing not just themselves, but the entire sport and the fighters into the limelight. To this day, the guys still reflect on the early days, showing where their hearts remain. “The most memorable moments were some of the old times when we were all packing in one room and we were crammed in the old suburban with bins (full of t-shirts) and banners running through the middle. The old days and the hard times are what you remember more,” explains Skrape. “It’s the struggle,” adds Punkass. Many people can look back on a struggle and reflect on where they came from, but don’t get confused and think there is more than a handful of people who can even attempt to live up to TapouT’s reputation in MMA. Their struggle began before any of the glitz or glamour came to MMA and more importantly, before there was any money. In fact, it was TapouT that helped bring a lot of money in to build this industry. What drove

them from the start was nothing more than the simple fact that they believed in this sport and its athletes. “When we were first looking at mixed martial arts and seeing what it was, we just always believed that it was going to be this big thing. I remember thinking, we can’t be the only people who want to watch MMA this bad,” says Punkass. So with the necessary elements in place (a vision, a passionate team and a restless work ethic), TapouT seemed destined for success. The only problem was they became successful too fast! Looking back, Punkass says, “We only knew one thing for sure and that was that TapouT was only heading in one direction… Up. We were going to grow this company until it got us into trouble.” Well as the saying goes, ask and you shall receive. With the exposure of their first season sponsoring The Ultimate Fighter on Spike TV, TapouT’s business exploded in such a way that they weren’t quite ready for. The solution: Marc Kreiner. Explaining the start of their partnership, Marc says, “When season 1 (of TUF) went off, they received a lot more orders than they ever anticipated, but Dan (Punkass) did a great job of managing to make it work. But what happened is, when it progressed into the later seasons, the sales became so overwhelming that they far exceeded the credit limit they had with their credit card company.” Kreiner obviously saw an opportunity, but when asked what really made him want to join the team, he said, “It really was Charles, Dan and Skrape. It was their enthusiasm. Really where all credit is due is it’s due to them, because without them, you’re missing a big piece of the pie. I felt that with their excitement, their experience and their love and passion for the sport, with what my abilities were, if we combine the two and work together, we could achieve Charles’ dream of making it a billion dollar company. So what I really saw, and it’s the key, is that it’s not a business… It’s the people behind it and it’s the passion. It’s the passion of those guys that got me excited.” With Kreiner co-signing for the company to gain the necessary credit line, TapouT moved to the next level. Now with his backing and knowledge of growing and running a large company, the future for TapouT couldn’t have looked brighter. It didn’t take long before the TapouT Crew was signed by CAA, they put out a hit TV show on the Versus network with Pilgrim Films and increased their sales by leaps

www.mmaworldwide.com 99

“The best part is the people you meet and the people you can affect… to be able to tell them that one day, if you stick to you’re dreams and aspirations then you can do whatever you want.” —Skrape

and bounds. However just as things couldn’t have looked any better, the TapouT family was struck with a horrible tragedy when they lost Charles to a car accident on March 11th earlier this year. As friends, family and the entire team went through a very tough grieving process, many wondered what the future would now hold. Reflecting on the tragedy, Punkass said, “You’ve got to move forward. Life doesn’t stop, you know, the world doesn’t stop because something happened in your life. You have other people that depend on you too. You have to look at that and realize that these people are depending on me to get up and do what I’m supposed to be doing, so you do it. That’s your job. That’s life. And you have to determine what you can do to make somebody else’s life better because that’s what somebody like Charles would have wanted. We think about him every day, so we’re moving forward. We’re in a good place and we’re exactly where Charles would have wanted us. We want to keep Charles involved in everything we do.” So in the spirit of their leader, the Crew set out on a nationwide tour to keep the vision alive. Punkass explained, “At this point in our lives, you start to reflect after you have somebody close to you die and you start to think about what’s really important in life. This company is kind of our outlet to the world where we can help people and be able to connect with people. I know not everybody has been as fortunate as us in this down economy, so we just try to reach out. Whether it’s with the City of Hope, or the military, or the kids, we’re just on a quest to go out there and touch people’s lives right now.” Traveling from coast to coast, Punkass and Skrape were joined by some of MMA’s top stars for an incredible 47 signings in less than 2 months. When asked about the tour, it was very easy to see that the two could have had me sitting there for days to hear all the stories, but instead just decided to share one. After that, a smile came across their faces as they explained what they enjoyed most about their time on the road. “It’s all about the fighters for us. Even to this day I feel weird that someone is asking me for an autograph. I see these guys that are in there fighting in the cage and really, they’re out there putting their lives on the line. Those guys are the true champions and I love it.

“When we have those guys with us and people go, ‘Oh my gosh man. I watched you fight last week when you knocked that guy out.’ In those types of conversations, I just sit back and watch these two people and we’re in a city where these guys may never, ever in their lifetime meet a star. I mean we’re lucky enough that we live next to LA and Huntington Beach. Out here we can all count how many times we’ve walked by a movie star or seen somebody or a sports star or whatever. These guys, in their lifetime, may never, ever meet anybody who has been on television. So for us to be able to bring somebody like that to a signing, it’s just…it’s crazy! That’s really what this is all about…putting smiles on people’s faces,” said Punkass. After the memorable tour, the guys touched base back home for some much needed rest and family time before it was off to the Staples Center for UFC 104, where I met with them to witness a truly incredible event. With the TapouT tour bus on location, as well as the entire team from TapouT, over 6,000 fans were on hand to take place in a world-record breaking “Thriller” dance dedicated to Michael Jackson. With TapouT donating thousands of shirts and proceeds going to the City of Hope, it is hard to imagine Charles without a proud smile on his face, looking down on his best friends and his team as they carry on his legacy and his vision. From what I’ve seen, everyone at TapouT is “Still Believing.” Thank you to everyone at TapouT for all your contributions in making this story possible. I couldn’t feel any prouder than I do now to call myself Publisher of TapouT Magazine and I will do my best to carry on the dream through our pages. For more photos from TapouT’s tour, please go to www.combatlifestyle.com or www.tapout.com. Thank you Tracy Lee! Also be sure to stay tuned to www.tapout.com for the launch of our newsletter on December 1st where we will take you behind-thescenes of this story, share even more stories from the tour, showcase the “Thriller” event and much more. But most importantly… SIMPLY BELIEVE!

www.mmaworldwide.com 101

FIGHTERS CARLOS CONDIT RYAN BADER LEONARD GARCIA COWBOY (DONALD CERRONE) SEAN SHERK JENS PULVER ROBBIE LAWLER HERSCHEL WALKER KENNY FLORIAN COLE MILLER MIKE BROWN WILSON GOUVEIA DAN HENDERSON BROCK LARSON NATE MARQUARDT HOUSTON ALEXANDER FRANK SHAMROCK Total number of signings= 47

“To hang out with these guys for 3 or 4 days or a week at a time, I’ve got to say that we’ve got the best job in the world and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.” —Punkass

AMERICA’S BEST GRAPPLING ACADEMIES:

Lloyd Irvin’s Martial Arts Academy By Kirik Jenness

As Commissioner of the North American Grappling Association, I have traveled to hundreds of events in dozens of states, watching athletes from virtually every grappling academy in the USA. I also have the pleasure of regularly rolling at schools nationwide. This provides a unique opportunity to write definitively about America’s Best Grappling Academies. So what is the best martial arts school in the USA? Many would immediately answer with the school where they train. Maybe you would name a school with UFC, Olympic, Abu Dhabi, and Mundial competitors? Or perhaps your personal goals are a little less lofty than the UFC, where you will start fighting for a few thousand bucks, and if you win everything, you might end up in a cage with Anderson Silva, GSP or BJ Penn. In that case, you might look at a school that focuses on all the students, one that produces the most NAGA belt and samurai sword winners in all the emerging ranks. If you consider martial arts more than technique, the best school would have to maintain the development of character as a cornerstone of its efforts. More children than adults practice martial 104 The World-famous

arts, so maybe you would choose a school that produces the most extraordinary children. Based on this criteria, I hereby nominate Lloyd Irvin’s as the best martial arts school in America. Last weekend at NAGA DC in Women’s NO-GI Advanced Lightweight, the winner was Aarae Alexander, who defeated the superb Brigitte Narcise from the superb K-Dojo. This 14year-old has won more Advanced divisions than any other female competitor in NAGA. Aarae is part of a kids team under the direction of Team Lloyd Irvin Instructor Donnie Achnick out of Camp Springs, Maryland, who has taken the NAGA Team Title for nearly five years in every event they fielded a full team (12+). Her extraordinary teammates include: BJORN BROOKS: Recently profiled in The Washington Post, Bjorn has swept the Advanced division twice, and he is legally blind.

CEDRIC BRYANT: He is a nearly-unstoppable submission machine with a 90% tapout rate. CARLO LEVELL: This 4.O student is undefeated at all NAGAs for over two years. RYAN VILLOGRAM: One of the first competitors to enter the team, Villogram recently defeated an adult black belt at a top competition, and like all his teammates, he is an honors student.

Ferguson, Mike Easton and Nyjah Easton (the best brother/sister in the history of the sport), Muhsin Corbrey, Mike Fowler, and many others. Team Lloyd Irvin now has 11 affiliates, including BJJ United under Jared Weiner, Crazy 88 under Julius Parks, Ivey League MMA under Danny Ives, Nova MA under Jeff Ruth, Paramount under Brad Court, and Top Flight under Ron Stallings AKA “The Choir Boy”.

Perhaps the most extraordinary thing about the program at Camp Springs is that competition is emphatically not the focus. In an age that values success over character, competition at Team Lloyd Irvin is seen as a privilege and a reward, not a priority. The focus is so strongly on developing character and defensive skills that members of the team have to maintain a 3.0 or improving grade point, and there can be no reports from home of any disrespect, or there is no competition to win.

You cannot discuss Team Lloyd Irvin without talking about Lloyd Irvin, an inaugural member of the Grappling Hall of Fame. Master Lloyd started his martial arts journey at age three, took up wrestling in 1983, and earned a black belt in BJJ in only three and a half years. He additionally holds black belts in sambo and judo, a unique distinction on the entire planet. Further, he has held national or world titles in all three disciplines. How good is Lloyd? I don’t name names, but a well-known UFC competitor said of rolling with him, “I have never been wrecked like that in my life.” Lloyd Irvin is not simply elite, he is the elite of the elite.

The kids are only half the story at Lloyd Irvin’s…literally. The adult programs are equally dazzling, honing competitors like UFC contender Brandon Vera, judo Olympian Dr. Rhadi

If you know of a better place, come argue with me on The UnderGround Forum, but I say Lloyd Irvin’s is the best martial arts school in America. www.mmaworldwide.com 105

Ben Henderson

In the Lab and Beyond

By Ricky Bonnet With all the fight cards today in MMA, it’s hard to get lost in the shuffle, but there is one constant that always comes through. The WEC is the most exciting, unpredictable and surprising promotion out there today. My grandfather, a boxing purist, always told me “Beware of the lighter weights; they are spark plugs!” The WEC is full of bad men and Benson “Smooth” Henderson is what grandpa would call a very bad man! He fights with bad intentions and he’s tougher than a s***house rat. After sitting down with Benson (Ben for short), all I can say is don’t confuse smoothness with toughness! www.mmaworldwide.com 107

108 The World-famous

MMA WORLDWIDE: Tell me a little about your background and how you got involved in mixed martial arts. BEN: As a kid growing up, I was fascinated with martial arts and I began taking tae kwon do at an early age. I was able to achieve a black belt in TKD before transitioning into wrestling. I was a pretty good wrestler, but an emotional one who was dared to fight in MMA; the rest is history. Since getting into MMA, I have found a home at the MMA Lab in Glendale, Arizona. The LAB as we call it has really provided me the tools I need to get to the highest level. With the LAB's help, I was able to attract the attention of Magnetic Marketing Associates, and eventually, they got me on a salary so all I do is train to fight. When I do not have a fight lined up, I train the basics and work on improving my game. When I have a fight, we build camps around the specific fighter we are facing. Being a part of the MTX Fight Team gives me a lot of freedom to push myself to the limit. MMAW: As a Christian, how does faith play a big part in not only who you are as a person but as a fighter? BEN: I let my faith guide me in life. I know with the Lordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guidance that I can do all things. I have faith in all things and all people. MMAW: Tell us more about the MMA Lab facility and some of the people that help you prepare for a bout? BEN: It really is a great facility with some of the best trainers, equipment and training environments in all of Arizona. We have over 400 students who make the LAB a great home to train. My training partners are a combination of guys that train with us daily and the open door policy that brings other gym owners and their students through our doors. We have no egos, just real training with real trainers focused on improving fighters. The LAB has just about 14,000 square feet and has instructors like Rick Rufus, Thom Ortiz, Rob Monroe and John Crouch. MMAW: Many fighters gravitate toward www.mmaworldwide.com 109

the super camps such as Xtreme Couture and Jackson Submission Fighting. Do camps really matter that much or is it more the fighter than where he trains? BEN: I think that all camps, if run properly, are great. The ones you mention are elite because they focus on the fighters and developing opportunities for the fighters. Thing is, most gyms do that with guys who are getting their start in the UFC, whereas the LAB is building fighters from the ground up. They will be a super camp sometime soon. MMAW: You just came off a five-round war with Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone at WEC 43 where you were able to pull out a unanimous decision. What was it like going that many rounds only to end up the victor? BEN: Well for me I focus more on the rounds that I lost and the things I need to do to improve. I am thankful and blessed to have made it through that fight without taking on too much damage. My trainers got to see me in a 25-minute war and we walked away with a laundry list of things to work

110 The World-famous

on. From my manager to my trainer, I was chewed out several times post fight. I know they care and they want the same thing that I want (to be great). Greatness requires a lot of hard work and a little luck.

injuries sustained. This led to rumors speculating that you might not be reader to face Varner for the championship as soon as the WEC would like. Is there any validity to these statements?

MMAW: There were a few situations in that fight that looked like you might not make it out of. Do you attribute your survival to the mental part of your game or the physical part?

BEN: If I do not hear it from my manager or the WEC, I don’t listen to it. I try to stay off the Internet. Donald will fight for the title again; he is a top 155-pound fighter. MMAW: What’s next for Ben Henderson?

BEN: A combination of both. MMAW: You are currently on a nine-fight win streak, your last win being an interim title match. Where do you think this puts you in the division? BEN: I think Donald and I were fighting for that number two spot. I think I am now the contender for the WEC belt. Varner is a true champion who has won and defended his belt, so I expect a battle when we get to meet up. MMAW: After your win against Cerrone, you had a few trips to the hospital due to

BEN: Jamie Varner, hopefully in Arizona, but I am training for a fight with the champ. MMAW: Is there anyone you would wish to thank? BEN: The man upstairs who makes all of this possible, my family, fans, MMA Lab and MTX Audio.

You can read more about Ben and his team by logging onto www.mmalab.com

No Joking Around: Mike áThe Jokerà Guymon By RJ Clifford Photos by Frank Capwell - TapouT It has been a topsy-turvy career for the lost member of TapouT. A ten year career of high hopes sank in the minor leagues of the flourishing Southern California fight scene as Mike Guymon piled up win after win with no call from the UFC. Now signed, sealed and delivered, Guymon recounts his trek to the big time, complete with sob stories to make you cry and gags to make you laugh. After all…he is The Joker! MMA WORLDWIDE: WHAT FIRST GOT YOU INTO MMA? Mike Guymon: Training with some friends and that was about it. Well actually, I left baseball and I didn’t really have anything to motivate or challenge me because I was always pretty competitive. So that’s why I got into MMA.

112 The World-famous

MW: HOW DID YOU END UP WITH THE TAPOUT GUYS?

TRAVELING AROUND WITH THE TAPOUT CREW?

MG: We came to meet, mostly hanging out at nightclubs where I was working and them coming in and we would take care of them. One day Charles [Lewis] came up to me and said, “Hey, you’re really good with people and we see how you make them laugh. You know, you’re really good at what you do. Do you think you can come on the road with us?” I was like, “Sure I’m game for it,” since I was watching the UFC. I went on a UFC trip with them and after that, he was like, “Hey you’re on. Your one of the crew,” and we just took it from there so to speak.

MG: It was the best days in my life. (laughing) It was just positive. There was Punkass, Skrape and Chuck, and we would go stop to stop in the mobile home just hanging out or goofing around in the hotels late at night. Any room we entered, we could just control and have fun with what we did.

MW: WHAT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE, HANGING OUT AND

MW: HOW DID THAT ALL COME TO AN END? MG: Me and Charles didn’t see eye to eye on some things. Where I was at in my career, I was hard up for money and where we were at with TapouT, we weren’t really making any. I had that fork

in the road where I had a choice of whether I’m going to work on my business or work for free for a while and figure out how I’m going to pay my bills. So I chose to go with my business and the rest is history. Actually Sprawl contacted me; Steve Marino and Steve Brennan gave me a great home over there. With the recent passing of Charles, it just made me realize all that stuff is trivial in the end and now I’m back with my old crew. MW: WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE BACK WITH THE OLD CREW AGAIN? MG: So happy! I don’t know whether I am happier about that or signing the UFC deal. MW: WHEN YOU COME TO THE UFC, ARE YOU GOING TO APPROACH IT ANY DIFFERENTLY FROM ANY OTHER FIGHT? MG: If it’s not broke then don’t fix it. I have been winning with the strategy I’ve been using, just putting pressure on people and just being tenacious whether it is on the feet or on the ground, so I’m not going to change anything. The only thing I will change is probably my strength and conditioning because I need to be stronger. MW: YOU HAVE 11 WINS, ALL FINISHES. WHERE DOES THIS STYLE COME FROM THAT ENABLES YOU TO FINISH YOUR OPPONENTS? MG: It’s the art of war to me, with your position winning the war. I focus on that, on the feet by using my angles, and on the ground I use pressure. Just pressure and position, and I just get the finishes whether they’re going to give me the submission or they’re going to get hit with some shots. So I just wear them down like that. MW: YOU HAVE TRAINED ALL OVER THE PLACE AS WELL AS WITH YOUR GYM. TELL ME ABOUT WHERE YOU HAVE TRAINED AND WHO YOU HAVE TRAINED WITH? MG: I have my gym but then we have James Wilks who won The Ultimate

Fighter. He has a gym that he recently opened in Lake Forrest, so I kinda go between the two spots. Then there’s Alliance Gym. In all, we have Mark Munoz, Jason Lambert, James Wilks, Mitch Maloney, Adrian Matthews…I can go down the list forever. Oh, I forgot Mo Lawal and Dale Christian. I have all these crazy guys to go with, whether they’re jiu-jitsu or crazy wrestlers or all around MMA guys. I’ll feel really confident when I go in there to fight because I have the right tools to react to whatever is going on in there. MW: TELL US ABOUT EXPANDING YOUR CURRENT GYM. MG: Yeah we have our own gym right now and we’re going to be moving into a location in the same parking lot that we are at right now. So it’s going to be three times the size it is now. Mark Munoz will have his wrestling camp out of the gym; Andre Julian will be sharing his hand in there; and I will be teaching the jiu-jitsu and striking classes. I’m really looking forward to that because now we can really spread our wings. We will have enough guys in there, an Octagon, at least twice as much mat space and weights. We have a fully self-sustained facility so that we will be really great and I’m looking forward to it. This has just been a really amazing year; it began down but now ending with this amazing up. MW: CAN YOU TALK ABOUT SOME OF YOUR DOWN MOMENTS? MG: Having a hard time managing my life basically. I was running the gym, home life of being married…you name it. I had it on my mind and I couldn’t sleep. Finally it just came to a halt one night with my wife where the next morning I was like, I need to check out of here…not out of a hotel, but out of life. Fortunately for me I had my wife prevent me from checking out so to speak. A good buddy of mine, Jim Amormino from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, also stopped me and got me out of trouble while picking my life up. He got me the help and my wife got me the help by putting me in therapy, class group counseling and really good drugs. (laughing) They got me in the right place to take care of my problems and see things from

the right angle. Since then I have been a complete opposite of where I was before and I want to use that whole story to turn it into a positive like, “Hey, it is possible to go from the lowest of lows, and if you’re patient and get the right help, you can live out your dreams.” That’s where I’m at right now because I got my dream to fight in the UFC. On top of that, it’s getting back with my old crew TapouT again as well as working out everything with my wife. I’m just happy with everything! MW: HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO LOOK AT ANY FOOTAGE OF YOUR OPPONENT OR HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON HIM SO FAR? MG: I have no idea. I have no footage on him; I don’t know if he is a southpaw or orthodox. I know he’s a strong submission guy and he is a black belt. I know his striking is good, but I don’t know what his hair color is, what his sign is, what beach he likes to walk on…nothing! I don’t even know his favorite music. So if we went on a date, I would know nothing. MW: SO INSTEAD OF A BLIND DATE, YOU GOT A BLIND FIGHT? MG: Yeah, basically… MW: ONE LAST QUESTION, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR FAMOUS TRI HAWK? MG: Yeah, you know, from TapouT I had that tri hawk, but now that I’m back with TapouT you might see that tri hawk again. Now that I’m older, it might be a tri hawk with a circle in the middle of it. MW: ALWAYS EVOLVING, JUST LIKE MMA. MG: Yeah my loss of hair and my graying has a lot to do with that. Mike would like to thank his friends and family, his wife Nicole, Jim Amormino, his sponsors and Zack Smith.

For more on Mike “The Joker” Guymon, log onto www.jokerswildfighting.com. www.mmaworldwide.com 113

Deonna Marie

116 The World-famous

Hometown Hollister, Ca Height 5'5" Measurements 34D-24-32 Hair: Blonde Eyes: Blue Favorite Food: Micky D's Dream Vacation: Fiji Favorite Activities: Pilates, Golf, Motocross, & Modeling Turn Ons: A smart, funny, outgoing, and opinionated man who gives good massages! :) Turn Offs: Men with lots of jewelry, metrosexuals, and cocky guys!

www.mmaworldwide.com 117

www.mmaworldwide.com 119

Experts Roundtable by Deshalen Barber

MMA Commentators This month we’ve mixed it up a little and decided to give some folks ringside (at least part of the time) a chance to voice their opinions on a very controversial subject: MMA commentating. Fans have their favorites, everyone can be an armchair warrior, but these four men have been doing it for years. Stephen Quadros served as commentator for Pride Fighting Championships, EliteXC, Strikeforce and a host of smaller shows. Frank Mir, when he’s not preparing for a UFC fight, provides insight for the WEC. Ron Yacovetti is a standup comedian turned sports writer who recorded countless interviews for proelite.com. Frank Trigg is a former Pride commentator who can be heard daily on taggradio.com; he’s also preparing for his next UFC match.

What were you doing prior to MMA commentating?

FRANK MIR: Fighting MMA. STEPHEN QUADROS: I was playing drums in various rock n’ roll bands, starring in television shows and co-starring in a few low budget films. FRANK TRIGG: Fighting. (laughing) RON YACOVETTI: I like Jim Rogan who I very much admire as a commentator. I did stand-up comedy for 12 or so years and I’ve written and produced television shows. I was with EliteXC and Pro Elite for the two or so years they were around; I did a majority of their interviews with fighters from the IFL, Affliction, Strikeforce and the UFC. I did pretty much everything and I was the face of their social networking site. I also worked some boxing in the past and was a writer for some boxing shows, including Heavyweight Explosion and Thunder Box.

In order to become a certified commentator, what steps did you have to take?

QUADROS: Usually people who don’t know anything about commentating have to go to broadcasting school and still don’t know anything about commentating. As my friend and partner, I'm 120 The World-famous

FRANK MIR

inclined to believe what Mauro Ranallo says: “You basically just have to go out there and start doing the work.” It’s like somebody who is sitting home watching UFC and Strikeforce events, and because they watch it, they think they can just got out there and fight. You actually have to go out there and start doing jobs to get handson experience. I think hands-on is the most important thing of all. YACOVETTI: Be familiar with what you’re looking at. You have to know what’s happening before your eyes. I think it’s foolhardy to assume the commentator will know everything. It takes fighters years to know all the nuances in training, especially in MMA where you’re talking about more than one fighting style. Boxing Commentary, when you have been around it and done it, is a lot easier to grasp on discipline. When you’re talking about MMA, I think the commentators are somewhat on the line with the fighters. It takes time to know everything that’s going on out there, but doing it is definitely a huge step in learning it. By watching and hearing other people commentate, you get a good grasp of it that way. There are a lot of good ways to broaden your horizons and part of it is just having broadcasting experience. That is something I had heavy in commentating and on-camera stuff too. It’s a nice fusion of everything coming together at once. MIR: I got experience in and outside of the cage, plus I have been involved with MMA my whole life. I also started to pay attention to other sports commentators. TRIGG: There’s no such thing as a certified commentator. You have to look good on-camera, you have to speak well on-camera and you have to talk about what you’re seeing. My job as the color commentator is I have to tell why it just happened. The play-by-play guy tells what just happened. It’s a generalized rule. The easiest way to break it down is Mike Goldberg saying “that was a great leg kick; that was a great punch to the head.” Joe Rogan will then tell you why that just happened or what led to that happening. That is my job and that is what I do. QUADROS: Writing is the bottom line criteria for anyone who wants to get into broadcasting. I started writing articles for magazines like Blackbelt, which ultimately led to being an editor for an MMA-centric magazine called Blackbelt Presents Fight Sport with Stephen Quadros in 2002. Of course people jumped on the bandwagon in 2005, a lot of people would not know about this because it was three years before that turning point in our sport. Once I developed a voice, and I was already comfortable in front of a camera through acting, it was natural to become a commentator. Plus I was training and teaching martial arts. So those things combined made me a package that promoters wanted to sign.

STEPHEN QUADROS

Why did you decide to become an MMA commentator specifically?

TRIGG: Because I’m a fighter, I look good on television and I can talk about it. That’s basically what happened. I got a shot by Pride to do it, and then Fox took a shot on me and discovered that I can actually do it very well. I’m pretty good at being on-camera and talking about it. I'm also very good at being quick-witted when I’m on “live.” To be honest with you, commentating chose me; I didn’t choose to do this and got dragged kicking and screaming. I mean, I didn’t want to do it, but it just kind of happened and I ended up being www.mmaworldwide.com 121

good at it. Ryan Bennett actually is one of the reasons why I got pulled into commentating. He and my wife forced me into doing it. (laughing) YACOVETTI: It’s almost second nature from when I was calling boxing. I always had good instincts to know what was happening and what I was looking at even if it was not on the surface. You can anticipate two styles conflicting between two fighters. So it was kind of instinctual or second nature to do it, and once you get to do it — if you have that kind of passion — it really is enjoyable. MIR: I probably wouldn’t venture out to other sports because I have been involved with MMA my whole life, and being a technical analyst, I feel that is where my expertise falls. So I wouldn’t be able to go into other sports. QUADROS: Because I'm not interested in other sports.

During your career, which fight stands out the most and why?

YACOVETTI: Probably the last Called Out MMA show with Jay Silva who just fought his first UFC match against C.B. Dollaway. I think I was his first career post-fight interview and he was 5-1 at the time before the Dollaway fight. I had followed his career from the beginning when people did not know a lot about him, even though he had been training with Team Rampage. I knew the guy had a lot of talent and I liked the guy. When I called his fight against Ray Lizama, it was a strike-fest between the two of them and Silva was just dominant and would not be deterred. That was probably the most fun I had doing it because I had a certain amount of personal emotion invested in it. When I find somebody I really believe in, on a sub-level I want to root for him, but you have to be objective when you’re calling a fight. You have to give kudos to anyone doing anything good. But that fight was probably the most fun I had because I caught somebody early on in his career starting to really showcase more skills. I felt like I had a little bit of a heads up on what this guy is capable of doing. MIR: With the WEC, who I commentate for right now, there are too many explosive battles that are always going back and forth with terrific fighters. I was there when Urijah Faber fought Jens Pulver, Miguel Torres faced [Takeya] Mizugaki and of course when Brian Bowles took on Torres…and then you have Donald Cerrone vs. Ben Henderson. Really I can’t just pick one fight. QUADROS: I’m going to answer it with two and break the rules on this one. First I’d say the 2000 Pride battle between Royce Gracie and Sakuraba because it was 90 minutes; it was a serious martial artist against a wise-cracking pro wrestler. It was a battle of ideologies and there were a lot of things that played in that match. It was a turning point for the sport. The other one would be the first fight between Fedor Emelianenko and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Nogueira was considered at that time the best fighter in the sport and he was beaten at his own game by that time an unknown Russian fighter. Up until then, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and the guard game was really dominate in MMA, but Fedor proved to have a perfect foil for that game. It was like Ali vs. Frasier because you had two great fighters meeting and it was a true heavyweight championship fight. TRIGG: I’d say Crocop vs. Wanderlei in Pride because Crocop 122 The World-famous

FRANK TRIGG

almost kicked Wanderlei’s head right off his body. Then probably I’d say Mark Hunt vs. Josh Barnett. I picked Hunt to win because Barnett used to have trouble with guys who had the big overhand right. He wanted to prove to everybody that he could stand in front of a guy and just beat him up. He basically got out of that mindset and changed things up, growing as a fighter. He took Mark Hunt down very easily; it was the biggest surprise for me at the time because he changed as a fighter.

Do you ever find yourself crossing the lines from being a professional to a fan while watching fights?

MIR: Yeah I do sometimes. When I realize what I'm doing, obviously I will try to pull back and be as unbiased as possible. I think sometimes it turns out to be a good thing when you’re watching it from a fan’s point of view because I think it shows more emotion and more excitement and that carries over to the commentating. I think the only time it ever becomes a problem is when you show “bias.” It’s the one disadvantage that I sometimes have, because as a fighter, I sometimes train with other fighters I get stuck commentating for. It’s sometimes difficult to not make the mistake. I understand that I have

made the mistake of not completely stepping back, but like anything else, you want to improve and I continue to work on that. QUADROS: No, because both professional and fan lives within me. I can be a fan and not show bias. Just because you’re a fan doesn’t mean you’re required to show bias. I think the effective commentators that have an effective, lasting impact on the sport are both. Look at John Madden. He's a huge fan of football, but obviously he's a serious professional by being a highly-decorated coach and analyst for so many broadcasts. TRIGG: No, because in my job, I’m allowed to be a fan; I’m allowed to be biased. People don’t understand that the color guy is allowed to have some bias. You’re supposed to be one way or the other with what we do. So for me it’s OK. I never really cross over that line, at least to my knowledge, but if I do, it just kind of happens that way. I always try to stay professional. YACOVETTI: I have not become the commentating human beatbox that I know of. If I have, it’s probably far and few between, but I don’t think that I ever have. The reason I say that with certainty is because, when I am watching a fight as a fan and I’m not strapped with a headset, I'm still in that moment watching the fight. I get sucked in the process out of sheer admiration for what these guys have to do.

What do you find to be the most difficult aspect of commentating?

QUADROS: Probably having a good hair day only to have something happen to where my hair gets all jacked up the day of the show. I’m like, “Man, yesterday it looked so freaking good…what happened?!” I should probably do like Bas does and shave it all off so I don’t have to worry about it. Maybe even then my eyebrows will start trying to play tricks on me. TRIGG: Building that timing. If you take Goldberg and Rogan, they have that timing together and they understand how each other work. Actually [Mauro] Ranallo and I got that timing in Pride just before he left the company, so I was just getting comfortable with his timing. I knew where he was going to go and what he was going to say. The most difficult aspect is working with somebody that you really have not worked with that much or spoken with that much. YACOVETTI: Mastering of the material. I’ve experienced many of the fighting styles involved with MMA and jiu-jitsu is probably the one I’ve done the least on, but I’m putting the most emphasis on. I tend to be a sponge when I’m geared up with passion for something I don’t know enough about. It’s something I dive into with full force to really pick it up and I never have an ego with that kind of stuff. So I would say BJJ because it’s the most complex and something that I have to continue to study, but it’s very fun to learn.

RON YACOVETTI

MIR: Watching a fighter get devastatingly beat. There always has to be a winner and loser in every fight, but I will never appreciate — regardless of whether I like the guy on a personal level — I don’t want to see him get knocked out viciously. I hate that, you know, twitching on the mat or anything like that. I can tell if a man is going to be on a highlight reel and he's not going to be too happy about that. That’s difficult for me because that still can hurt a fighter’s career and his spirit. I feel for him when I see it happen like that. www.mmaworldwide.com 123