FIGHTERS FEB FINAL

MARTIALARTSSHOW

BRINGING MARTIAL ARTS TO LIFE!!!

the

THE NEC BIRMINGHAM 7TH & 8TH MAY 2011

www.fightersmag.co.uk

FIGHT THE

WINTER

FLAB Stay Ripped During The Off Season

BROCK LESNAR Would a Return Benefit the WWE?

UCMMA - ‘FACE OFF’ Who Will Become Stars of 2011?

M-1 CHALLENGE 11 Kunitskaya Shocks Dandois!

NEW! CAGE QUEEN Our Monthly Coverage of Women’s MMA

Joe Calzaghe vs Jeff Lacy

FEBRUARY 2011 £3.95

FIGHT ANALYSIS

KICKBOXING - MUAY THAI - MMA - K-1 - BOXING

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CONTENTS 6

NEWS ROUND-UP Domestic & International

12

THE NEIL ADAMS SUBMISSION CLINIC

By Fergus Dullaghan

14

FIGHT ANALYSIS Episode 10 - Calzaghe vs Lacy

20

WRESTLING NEWS All the Latest Gossip from The World of Wrestling

24

CAGE QUEEN Our Monthly Women’s MMA column

26

JUNIOR FULL CONTACT COUNCIL Fight Preparation

32

ARE YOU READY? Fight the Winter Flab, Stay Ripped During the Off Season!

38

WARTIME With Mark ‘Wartime’ Carling

40

NICK ‘MAGNUS’ ALDIS The TNA and ex Gladiator Star (you may remember him as Oblivion) Talks Exclusively to Fighters Magazine

44

CHALINENE BASSINAH ‘I See a Target, I hit it’

48

BROCK LESNAR Would a Return Benefit the WWE?

50

ULTIMATE CHALLENGE UK ‘Face Off’ Preview

52

M-1 CHALLENGE 11 Kunitskaya Shocks Dandois

56

CLASH OF WARRIORS 10 ‘Fearless’ Preview

63

WRSA IN TAMWOTH Full Contact Fight Night

64

THE BODY SNATCHER STRIKES AGAIN ‘Maximum Impact 2’

66

EL MAACHI RULES SUPREME ‘Judgement Day’

71

FIGHTERS IRISH SECTION All The Latest News & Views From ‘The Emerald Isle’ inc...

Joe ‘Kid Chaos’ Clarke, Justin Robbins & CWFC 39, SBGI’s John Kavanagh, Joe Clarke, Team Ryano and Chaos 7

EDITORIAL Well, 2011 is upon us and it already looks like it is going to be an even bigger and better year than 2010.

The UFC has merged it’s WEC francise into it’s ranks creating two new weight divisions, Featherweight and Bantamweight. That means as they were both the current holders of these titles, Jose Aldo becomes UFC Featherweight Champion while Dominic Cruz becomes Bantamweight Champ. This will create more competition in the Lightweight division also with two pools of fighters merging into one weight class. And what of Brock Lesnar? Rumours of a return to the WWE were abound after his loss to Cain Velasquez. Is it really a possibility or just pure speculation?

Read our article on page 48 to find out more. One thing is for sure, Brock has just been confirmed as a coach on season 13 of the Ultimate Fighter.

He will face off against number 1 contender Junior Dos Santos who has decided not to wait around for Cain Velasquez to return from injury but instead put that number 1 contender position on the line and go head to head with Brock as a coach on the new season and then after in the cage to determine who Velasquez’ first title defence will be against.

Closer to home we preview a huge night of fighting as UCMMA kicks off 2011 in style on February 5th with it’s ‘Face Off’ event. Featuring some of the best talent British, and European MMA for that matter, has to offer, including the much anticipated Welterweight title fight between Dean Amasinger and John Maguire, should be one to watch!

With female MMA taking off more and more all the time we thought it was right that we should make sure we had it covered with our very own monthly column. So please join me in welcoming Fighters latest recruit, Isobel Carnwath. She will be covering everything going on in the scene here and abroad in her ‘Cage Queen’ section of the Mag. For those of you who have been heading down the gym this January as a result of those new years resolutions, we have an interesting article that might just help you keep up the good start to 2011. The dark winter months can be the hardest when it comes to excersise so we have put together a helpfull and informative piece to help you ‘fight the winter flab’. We take a look at some of the things you can do to stay ripped during the ‘off’ season.

If Wrestling is your thing, then we’ve got that covered too! Our Wrestling news section should keep you abreast of all the comings and going’s while we also catch up with our very own Brit Abroad, Nick ‘Magnus’ Aldis, you might remember him as Oblivion off Sky T.V’s Gladiators series. He tell’s us about what he’s been upto since he signed up with one of America’s biggest wrestling organisations, TNA. As well as our monthly catch up with what is happening on the Irish MMA scene in our ‘Irish section’ we have reports from some of the best events from up and down the Bristish Isle’s, so what are you waiting for?

Finally, good luck to all our british fighters fighting this month including UFC patriots, Paul Taylor and Paul Kelly @ UFC 126 and Mike Bisping and Ross Pearson @ UFC 127.

Keep it locked!

Ross Pearson Fighting at UFC 127 This Month

WWW.FIGHTERSMAG.CO.UK PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF Paul S. Clifton paul@martialartsinprint.com GRAPHIC DESIGN Kevin Thompson WEB DESIGN Nick Harley ADVERTISING/SALES EXECUTIVE Jan Harley 0121-351-6930 fighters@btconnect.com PHOTOGRAPHY Carrie Austin 07716266854 IRISH MMA SUB EDITOR Thomas McCullough UK THAI SUB EDITOR Dan Green UK MMA SUB EDITOR Rob Nutley UK BJJ SUB EDITOR Carl Fisher UK KICKBOXING SUB EDITOR Cris Janson-Piers UK BOXING SUB EDITORS Luke Calvert, Mark Wilson Smith THAI / KICKBOXING Tony Myers, Shaun Boland, Paul Hennessy, Bob Spour, Neil Holden, Dean Sugden, Carl Emery

CONTRIBUTORS Steve Dileo, Bryan Levick, Fergus Dullaghan, Ben Cartlidge, Teddy Galbally, Craig Bush, Rocki Sondhi, Tommy Thompson HOW TO GET WORK PUBLISHED Drop us an email at fighters@martialartsinprint.com or give the editorial team a call on 0121 351 6930 NEWS ITEMS For all news related items, simply mark your envelope “FIGHTERS NEWSLINE” and together with a photograph (if required) and a covering letter, send it to: FIGHTERS, Head Office or E-Mail: fighters.news@btconnect.com HEAD OFFICE: Unit 20, Maybrook Business Park, Maybrook Road, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B76 1BE. Tel: 0121 351 6930 E-Mail: fighters.magazine@btconnect.com ADVERTISING DETAILS If you would like to advertise in FIGHTERS email us at fighters@martialartsinprint.com to obtain details, deadline dates and costs.

DISCLAIMER FIGHTERS is published by M.A. Publications Ltd, Unit 20, Maybrook Business Park, Maybrook Road, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B76 1BE. The publishers reserve the right to reject editorial and/or advertising material as they see fit. The Publishers accept no responsibility for the return of unsolicited material. However, the Publishers will endeavour to return such matter providing that it is accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope. Any material accepted by the Publishers shall be revised or altered should the Publisher deem it necessary to do so. The act of submitting manuscripts and/or materials shall be considered an express warranty that such material is original and in no way infringes upon the rights of others. It is expressly forbidden for any part of the magazine to be reported whatsoever without the permission of Editor / Publishers. The views or comments expressed in these pages are not necessarily those of the editor or Publisher.

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Page 6 NEWS ROUND-UP - DOMESTIC & INT’

NEWS ROUND-UP

Have you got news for us? You have? Then e-mail us at fighters.news@btconnect.com

NEWS ROUND-UP FEBRUARY 2011

Fedor Makes Appearance at M-1 Challenge XXIII Press Conference Moscow, Russia (January 18, 2011) – Kicking off 2011 with M-1 Challenge XXIII, M-1 Global hosted a press conference in Moscow today to field questions on the main-event bout and the undercard that is getting stronger by the day. Making a special appearance to show his support of the March 5th event taking place at the Crocus City Arena in Moscow, Russia was the great Fedor Emelianenko.

“Having Fedor in attendance certainly added additional excitement to the M1 Challenge XXIII conference,” says Evgeni Kogan, Director of Operations of the worldwide mixed martial arts promotion. “Having been in Moscow to finalize his Visa for the February 12th Grand Prix fight against Antonio Silva, Fedor’s timing couldn’t have worked out better. Having our marquee fighter talk about the title fight and the event in general truly is an example of how much Fedor supports M-1’s plans for this year.”

With additional bouts being added to what is progressively becoming one of M-1 Global’s greatest cards in the company’s 13 year history, fans can expect an action-packed event.

Under Card Bouts: Middleweight Magomed Sultanakhmedov (28-5) vs. Plinio Cruz (5-3) Lightweight Daniel Weichel (25-7) vs. Magomedrasul Khasbulaev (16-4) Heavyweight Kenny ‘Deuce’ Garner (5-3) vs. Alexander Volkov (9-2-1) Additional bouts to be announced Heavyweight Division Championship Bout: Guram Gugenishvili, M-1 Challenge Champion (10-0) clashes with Maxim Grishin, M-1 Selection Eastern Europe 2010 champion (7-4) Go to www.M-1Global.com for additional information.

Gym boost for MMA team Scotland’s most successful mixed martial arts team is set to grow even bigger with the opening of a purposebuilt training camp in the Southside of Glasgow.

The Dinky Ninja Fight Team (DNFT), which already has bases at Lanark MMA, Dumbarton’s D-Unit and the Griphouse on Possil Road, can now add Future Fitness in Shawlands to its list of training facilities.

Coaches Thomas Weir and Dean Reilly will assist Griphouse boss Guy Ramsay, with the trio joined on the mats by Ciaran Duffy, the top British middleweight boxer who will pass on his stand-up skills.

Jason Evans is the owner of Future Fitness and a keen MMA student.

He spent £20,000 converting unused office space at the gym into the new MMA facility, to be known as the Griphouse Southside.

Jason said; “I’ve trained in martial arts under Guy Ramsay for around 10 years and have watched with interest as MMA has grown massively.

“The Griphouse was where I trained and I felt there might be a good case for opening an MMA gym here in the Southside.

“It’s fantastic that my gym will be associated with the Griphouse because the Dinky Ninja Fight Team is the best in Scotland.

“And I really believe the coaches we have working here form the best coaching team in the country.”

While some of Scottish MMA’s elite will soon call Griphouse Southside home, Jason is at pains to point out anyone with any interest in the sport is welcome to join classes, whatever their level of experience.

He said: “MMA is growing at a rapid rate and for it to continue to do so you need new people to get involved.

“Not everyone who trains in MMA will want to fight and we will run classes for pro fighters right down to complete novices.

“It’s a great way to keep fit, lose weight or just to learn more about mixed martial arts.”

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NEWS ROUND-UP - DOMESTIC & INT’ Page 7

NEWS ROUND-UP

Have you got news for us? You have? Then e-mail us at fighters.news@btconnect.com

NEWS ROUND-UP FEBRUARY 2011 The new gym boasts the full range of top training equipment, including stateof-the-art 40mm matting throughout.

Although linked to the original Griphouse, and very much a part of the DNFT stable, both gyms will run as separate entities and have their own membership plans.

Classes cost £5 each with monthly plans also available.

The full timetable of classes, which can be found at www.thegriphouse.co.uk/ southside, will be up and running from Monday, January 24.

Fedor – A Humble Star in the Cast of Great Warriors The deal is done; the stage is set; the time is fast approaching: three clichés that fans around the world have been eagerly waiting to hear.

On February 12th, when the first bell sounds to kick off what is being widely considered as the greatest heavyweight tournament in mixed martial arts history, it’s in proper fashion that the assembled cast of superstars set to collide in the single-elimination brackets include Fedor Emelianenko.

In the main event of M-1 Global and Strikeforce’s co-promoted event from the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Emelianenko (31-2, 1 NC) is set to take on Antonio Silva (15-2) in the evening’s second quarterfinal fight of the three-stage, single-elimination tournament. With all eight participants equally talented, no fighter is receiving a free pass to advance to the semi-finals and Silva represents a true threat in his own right as a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt winning eight of his last nine; all but two of his victories have come by knockout with only five tilts venturing past five minutes.

increasingly talented, hybridized mixed martial artists and marks a new challenge for Emelianenko, who is as stoic and ready as he has ever been. “I have been training very hard since my last fight and eager to get back inside the cage. Strikeforce has assembled a roster filled with the best heavyweights in the world and I’m blessed to have the opportunity to fight them in a great tournament format.”

With only one other official loss to his record resulting from a doctor stoppage due to an early cut against Tsuyoshi Kosaka during their December, 2000 bout, Fedor seized the opportunity to avenge the blemish nearly five years later with his own first-round TKO of Kosaka at a PRIDE Fighting Championships event. If the brackets play out in favour of Fedor’s fans, Emelianenko could face Werdum later this year and provide yet another grand stage to avenge his second career loss within the tournament. But following in the humble footsteps of Emelianenko, fans will wait in earnest for the clock to tick down to February 12th and play out the ‘what-if’ scenarios at the close of this legendary tournament’s first bouts.

Clearly the heavyweight tournament of 2011 represents a new era of

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Page 8 NEWS ROUND-UP - DOMESTIC & INT’

NEWS ROUND-UP

Have you got news for us? You have? Then e-mail us at fighters.news@btconnect.com

NEWS ROUND-UP FEBRUARY 2011

Kimbo Slice returns to competition for Japanese Wrestling Kevin Ferguson, aka “Kimbo Slice” took the mixed martial arts world by storm when he first entered into the new and unfamiliar sport.

Though he honed his skills in backyard brawls and private gyms all over the South of Florida, Kimbo parlayed those skills acquired into a somewhat successful mixed martial arts career which eventually saw the 36year-old make his way into the UFC, the worlds largest MMA promotion.

Now, after severing ties with the organization and rumors of a professional boxing debut now squelched, it looks like that Slice will be venturing into some more unfamiliar territory when he competes now as a professional wrestler in the Japanese circuit.

Josh Barnett, who is currently participating in the Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix is also said to be one of the active participants in the eightman tournament, though it will likely conflict with his obligation’s with the San Jose based promotion.

This will mark the first public appearance of Slice returning to some form of active competition, albeit slightly more skewed to the entertainment side of things, since his release from the UFC in May of last year.

While professional wrestling seems like a stretch for even Kimbo, somehow, he’s still gotta make that bread.

PKR.com to introduce live events and new BAMMA sponsorship Award-winning 3D poker site PKR.com is set to host a series of friendly live events, in a bid to give its four million-plus members a chance to meet the faces behind the avatars.

Not content with the new live events to kick off the new year with, PKR.com are also branching out to the martial arts market after having signed a sponsorship deal with the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts (BAMMA).

PKR spokesperson Erika Schwartz Poole said: “It is with great pleasure that we announce our official partnership with BAMMA. Mixed Martial Arts is becoming hugely popular and we are very much looking forward to working with them throughout the coming year.”

You can expect to see the PKR brand displayed on all BAMMA events, and BAMMA logos on the poker site.

PKR.com are incorporating their new relationship with martial arts into the live events, by inviting 150 players for a drinks reception, which will be followed by an evening of martial arts at the BAMMA 5 event.

DREAM & K-1 is officially doomed, according to it’s President It’s a scary thing when you hear reports constantly about fighter’s not being paid timely, if at all. Or when promoter’s speak so publicly and openly about their struggling financial situation.

And like the Pride Fighting Championships before it, it looks like DREAM and K-1 will now become a victim due to their hierarchy’s lack of success.

So now, both the most visible kickboxing promotion in all of the world, and Japan’s leading mixed martial arts organization will now cease to exist, and all of this is according to their leading man, President Sadaharu Tanikawa.

While FEG has struggled to secure higher ratings on their TBS television programming provider in Japan, they have also not been able to secure lucrative sponsors that will hope to keep the order of operations going behind the scenes, and as such, it looks like we might have another PRIDE fiasco on our hands all over again-maybe not “Yakuza” bad, but bad nonetheless.

“There are probably staff members that will leave as well. The event name will be left but the promotion will change. If the current structure remains as it is it will be impossible to continue. If many investments from companies overseas do not come in we can’t survive.”

While the Japanese mixed martial arts scene has struggled to survive since PRIDE had been eliminated altogether in 2006, following the collapse due to financial ruin and mired in controversy with allegations of “Yakuza” being involved, it looks like any hope for a resurrection will now die. Along with DREAM, K-1 too will now be a victim, despite reaching it’s height in popularity in recent years with stars such Badr Hari, Alistair Overeem, and Semmy Schilt coming into prominence.

We very well could see the UFC step in once again and purchase the companies assets, though talking about that would be too premature and nothing is certain, though all signs point to FEG falling altogether.

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NEWS ROUND-UP - DOMESTIC & INT’ Page 9

NEWS ROUND-UP

Have you got news for us? You have? Then e-mail us at fighters.news@btconnect.com

NEWS ROUND-UP FEBRUARY 2011

UFC champ Velasquez has shoulder surgery UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez could be out eight months after recent surgery to repair his torn rotator cuff.

UFC president Dana White believes rehabilitation on Velasquez’s shoulder could keep him out of the octagon until at least September, sidelining the mixed martial arts promotion’s new champ for nearly a full year between fights.

“He’s doing great, actually,” White said. “They were saying the recovery time is usually eight months, and hopefully he can do it a little quicker than that, but we’ll see.”

White had hoped to match Velasquez with Brazilian contender Junior Dos Santos at UFC 129 in the main event of the UFC’s first show in MMA-crazy Toronto on April 30. Instead, Velasquez revealed late last year that he tore his rotator cuff while pounding Lesnar.

“Surgery went well,” Velasquez tweeted on Monday. “Back at Joe Grasso’s lifting legs. Best place to train.”

The UFC announced last week that Lesnar and Dos Santos will be the coaches on the next edition of “The Ultimate Fighter,” the UFC’s popular reality show on Spike TV. Lesnar and Dos Santos then will fight on a payper-view show in June, and the winner will get a title shot when Velasquez returns.

picture copyright

White has already said he won’t name an interim heavyweight champ in Velasquez’s absence, but the UFC already formulated a plan to keep fans interested in the talented heavyweight division in the meantime.

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Page 10 FIGHT ANALYSIS... CALZAGHE VS LACY

Fight analysis...

Or Learning from the Greats Episode 10 Joe Calzaghe v Jeff Lacy March 4, 2006 in Manchester, England.

by Rocky Sondhi & Tommy Thompson

FIGHT ANALYSIS... CALZAGHE VS LACY Page 11

This series of monthly articles in Fighters magazine will analyse professional fights from the history of boxing, involving some of the World’s greatest fighters. The fights will be analysed using our tvp (Technique, Variety and Predictability) framework and then provide a short, 15 minute training programme to develop some of the key features from these fights for you to add to your own arsenal of skills. So enjoy and grow!

Joseph William Calzaghe, CBE (born 23 March 1972) is a former Welsh professional boxer. He was rated by Ring magazine as pound for pound one of the top 10 boxers in the world... He retired in February 2009 with an undefeated record, becoming only the fourth European boxer, after Terry Marsh, Michael Loewe and Sven Ottke, to retire as an undefeated world champion. After his retirement, Ricky Hatton described him as “the best British fighter we’ve ever had”.

Calzaghe is sometimes referred to as the “Pride of Wales”, or the “Italian Dragon” in reference to his mixed heritage (the dragon being both a Welsh emblem and a Sardinian myth). He is the former WBO, WBA, WBC, IBF, The Ring Magazine and British super middleweight champion.

Calzaghe is the longest-reigning world champion in recent years, having held the WBO super middleweight title for over ten years until he relinquished the title to concentrate on fighting at lightheavyweight. As his super-middleweight and light-heavyweight reigns overlapped, he retired with the longest continual time as world champion of any active fighter. He is part of the Team Calzaghe based at the Newbridge boxing club.

In 2007, Calzaghe became BBC Sports Personality of the Year, by gaining 28.19% of the public vote.

This made Calzaghe the first Welsh winner of this award since show jumper David Broome in 1960. He was also awarded the Young Boxer of the Year Award in 1995.

Calzaghe was the first Ring Magazine Super Middleweight Champion after his impressive win against undefeated American Jeff Lacy; He also became Ring Magazine

Champion in his second weight division after beating future hall of famer Bernard Hopkins for the Light Heavyweight Title. This made him a two weight world champion.

Calzaghe had some big wins against former Super Middleweight world champions like WBO Champion Chris Eubank, WBC Champions Robin Reid and Richie Woodhall, IBF Champions Jeff Lacy and Charles Brewer, WBA Champion Byron Mitchell, Current IBO Champion Sakio Bika. He beat the then champion Mikkel Kessler for the WBA/WBC Titles. In 2008, he had wins over former WBA/WBO/WBC/IBF/ RING Middleweight and RING Light Heavyweight Champion Bernard Hopkins, and over Roy Jones Jr who has held titles at middleweight, super middle, light heavy and even heavyweight.

Jeffrey Scott Lacy (born May 12, 1977 in St. Petersburg, Florida) is an American boxer. He is a former International Boxing Federation super middleweight champion.

Lacy had 210 fights as an amateur, winning the 1999 National PAL amateur champion at 165 pounds, the 1998 U.S. National amateur champion at 165 pounds, and the 1998 National PAL amateur champion at 165 pounds. Lacy fought at the 1996 Eastern Olympic Trials, stopping Kenneth Head in the first round. In the quarter-finals, Lacy defeated Rubin Williams. In the semifinals, Lacy lost to Darnell Wilson and finished third.

In the 1997 National Golden Gloves, Lacy again defeated Rubin Williams, but lost against Randy Griffin in the semi-finals and finished in third place.

In the quarter-finals of the 2000 Olympic Team trials, Lacy won a decision over Brad Austin. In the semifinals, Lacy won a decision over Jerson Ravelo. During the finals, Lacy won a 26-10 decision over Randy Griffin.

During the 2000 Olympic Team Boxoffs, Lacy lost to Arthur Palac. In his

second fight, Lacy defeated him on the scorecards. He was a member of the 2000 United States Olympic boxing team along with future undisputed middleweight champion Jermain Taylor.

During his first bout in Sydney, Australia, Lacy knocked out Cleiton Conceição of Brazil at 0:58 of the third round. During his second bout, Lacy defeated Pawel Kakietek of Poland, en route to a 21-7 decision. During the third bout, Lacy was stopped at 1:49 of the third round by Gaidarbek Gaidarbekov of Russia.

The fight - an overview Round 1 Both fighters come out to the centre of the ring, testing each other. Calzaghe, in his famous southpaw stance and Lacy in orthodox stance. Within the first minute the two fighters engage, with Calzaghe tying Lacy up and moving him around the ring whilst in a clinch. On release from the clinch Calzaghe fires an effective hook to the head. The first few punch combinations from Calzaghe end up in clinches.

Calzaghe is trying to maintain range whilst Lacy is looking to make the fight a closer affair. Both fighters are very effective and delivering the jab and moving away. parts of this first round are becoming quite messy as Lacy tries to tie Calazaghe up, holding his head...

To read the rest of this article, take out a subscription, visit www.fightersmag.co.uk/ subscribe

Page 12 WRESTLING NEWS FEBRUARY 2011

Wrestling News ‘February’ 2011

Well as 2010 starts to become a distant memory, in the WWE the new year brings new opportunities and new storylines as the big two start laying the groundwork for 2011.

This is most obvious in the WWE where, despite John Cena supposedly being fired as per the stipulation from Survivor Series (yes they wussed out of the Cena heel turn that would have set the company alight again), he is back in WWE with Nexus on the verge on self destructing. This clears the way for Cena to have another run for the gold.

Talking of gold, we have a new WWE Champion. As I predicted exactly 12 months ago, 2010 was indeed the year The Miz broke through and he has now cashed in the Money In The Bank briefcase the day after Survivor Series and pinned Randy Orton to become champ. Unfortunately they are portraying him as a ‘lucky’ champ and only able to hang on to the belt through outside interference. They are clearly using him as a transitional champion to allow Cena to regain the gold once reinstated.

Still talking of gold, or should I say Gold Dust, he has now undergone surgery for an injury that will see him sidelined for up to 6 months.

One star that won’t be part of WWE plans in 2011 will be MVP. His contract expired at the end of November and he was keen to walk away from the WWE as he feels he has gone as far as he can there. He claims to be keen on the idea of competing in Japan, but as WWE wrestlers have a clause written into their contracts that stops them competing for a rival company for 3 months after they leave, I think he will take some time off before joining TNA next spring where he would surely be given a huge push.

In TNA they wound down 2010 by releasing a number of stars that have come to the end of feuds and have been let go to keep costs down. This includes

John Cena lifts Randy Orton over his shoulders

Raven, Rhino, Kevin Nash, and Sting (although I suspect those two will be back at some point in 2011).

They have also setup several new feuds for the New Year with both Matt Morgan and now Douglas Williams leaving the Fortune faction. This is a big boost to both, as Morgan is now finally being pushed as a legitimate title contender, and Williams is being pushed to the max and has picked up impressive victories over Frankie Kazarian and AJ Styles.

Two stars that won’t be featuring in TNA plans for this year are Hamada as she has been granted her contract release and she is apparently heading back to Japan, and Lacey Von Erich who has decided to hang up her boots (for now at least) as she is about to get married (congratulations to her, and to the jammy guy that is marrying her!).

I always felt Lacey got a lot more stick than she deserved backstage, but I guess you have big boots to fill in the wrestling industry if you carry the Von Erich name.

Jeff Jarrett MMA legend? Well if his latest persona is to be believed then yes!

This has got to be the funniest gimmick I have seen in a long long time, and he is playing it totally dead pan...

To read the rest of this article why not order a back issue, visit www.fightersmag.co.uk/ backissue

WRESTLING NEWS FEBRUARY 2011 Page 13

By Teddy G

Jeff Jarrett

Page 14 CAGE QUEEN - WITH ISOBEL CARNWATH

I am really excited to have been invited by FIGHTERS magazine to provide monthly women’s MMA coverage which I consider a privilege. As Female MMA Sub Editor, I am keen for there to be a slant towards UK and European MMA - grassroots as the scene is, though obviously the main focus will be international to reflect the biggest fights.

London Shootfighters I fell into MMA whilst hunting for self-defence classes. As a working single mother, for many years I’d not been in any position to commit to a regular class. Finally and when I could, I first tried Shorinji Kempo for a number of months but got frustrated: I had reasons for wanting to know what worked and to learn fast. Then some-one told me about a cage-fighting gym called

Isobel Carnwath

London Shootfighters near to where I lived and about the amazing advantages of Brazilian Jujitsu and I was fascinated: I figured if guys were using these techniques to defend themselves in real fights then they had to work. London Shootfighters’ website was full of all these big, muscled guys so even though I wasn’t sure if women were welcome to train, the guys looked like fighters and I urgently wanted to learn so I plucked up the courage and passed down there one evening.

London Shoot has since been rehoused in a large commercial complex but at the time it was your typical backstreet, spit and sawdust fighting gym imbued with sweat and grit and the air ringing with the fuse of studiousness and aggression.

When I asked if women were allowed to train there it was towering head coach Paul Ivens who showed me around and shortly after I started heading down on a regular

basis and fell in love with it. I can’t train as much as I’d like so I progress like a tortoise but over the last couple of years the moment I’ve got time and a babysitter London Shoot has come before nights out or dates and kept me sane through enough stress.

MMA Journalism I’m a massage therapist by trade and for a while was practising at London Shoot. My first published pieces were wellbeing articles. As a massage therapist with years practising yoga I was surprised at how little printed or on-line information there was on self-care for fighters and so I got pitching to press.

Michelle Tyler There must have been 5 girls maximum at the original London Shoot and Michelle Tyler was one of them. Michelle was a Thai boxer with her heart set on pro MMA. We’d grappled in the same classes

CAGE QUEEN - WITH ISOBEL CARNWATH Page 15

(but clearly she overtook me long ago!) and she’d been helping me with my striking. Michelle had seen the press I’d got for the gym, including a cover feature on Hathaway. She was desperate to fight and was getting frustrated at the way things were going and so around June this year she asked if I could help find her a list of opponents to take to her coaches and also if I could get her publicity to attract sponsors.

Cage Queen Documentary I knew that the fight press wouldn’t be interested in Michelle at this stage of her career, so I realised we’d have to create our own media.

I asked a film-maker friend of mine, Victoria Wood (Arid Pictures), if she would be interested in making a documentary about Michelle. Vic had been photographing at London Shootfighters and through our many conversations we’d discussed a lot of different themes and issues.

I’d become fascinated by vintage

female wrestlers like Mildred Burke and also by the fact that that women’s boxing didn’t get legislation until 1998. We’d also been chatting a lot about why MMA wasn’t being recognised as an official sport in the UK and how the media was treating it. We came to the conclusion it would be interesting to make a broader documentary about women in MMA and the UK scene in general, covering the many things that had intrigued us, and filming MMA really beautifully to honour the skill and intricate techniques of the art. Michelle’s journey from an unknown into the world of pro MMA would be a nice way to tell some of the story. Vic invited me on board as a writer. Michelle’s fight was arranged during the making of the documentary and she debuted at UCMMA on 4th December beating Vickie Watts with a knock out that caused the ref to stop the fight. The documentary is going to edit over the coming weeks to be televised in early 2011

UCMMA and Halo PR UCMMA couldn’t have been warmer in the way they opened their doors to us during filming and welcomed us into their network. As a journalist I’d already come into contact with their uber-glamorous publicist, Zara Shirwan of Halo PR, but when it came to promoting Michelle’s fight six weeks ago there was an obvious cross-over between what Zara and I were doing. We met for a coffee, randomly both in tracksuits and fur coats, to discuss who would be doing what. A few days later I emailed Zara and said I’d like to work with her...

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Michelle Tyler

Page 16 JUNIOR FULL CONTACT COUNCIL COLUMN

JFCC

Junior Full Contact Council Column Written by Dean Sugden Head of JFCC “Junior Full Contact Council� Former Professional World Kick Boxing Champion & Trainer of several World, numerous European, Commonwealth & countless British / National Champions.

Fight Preparation Over the next few issues I am going to cover Fight Preparation for juniors and will focus on the 3 x KEY Elements. There are a number of aspects which are aimed at the older juniors due to the physical stress the body will be put under. Before taking part in any serious training you must consult your GP and Coach to ensure this program or certain aspects of this program will benefit you. If in doubt email me at dean@juniorfullcontact.co.uk

3 x KEY Elements to Fight Preparation - Physical, Technical & Mental I promised last month to cover in some more detail on the 3 Key elements. In particular week after a fight, Injuries, Diet & Nutrition.

Physical - Week after a fight - The week after is a great time to rest and recuperate and you should listen to your body but as a junior. You are resilient and fit plus keen to keep learning as a junior. Immediately after a fight you can learn and work

on while it is fresh in your mind and your coaches what went wrong and what went well. You can cover subjects like his strengths and weaknesses of your opponent and work on drills which will help you to overcome the next time you fight someone of similar style.

Injuries - ICE (Ice Compression Elevation) 15 to 20 mins no more frequently than every 1.5 hours.

Consult your doctor / instructor and ask him the best way to look after your injury. It is quite usual that you can train round a particular injury, but you must let your coach know so he can advise and be aware of restrictions and ensure you are not going to aggravate in the class.

When icing use a good ice bag and secure it firmly to the area that is sore. Wear a support on the strained, bruised area BUT only

JUNIOR FULL CONTACT COUNCIL COLUMN Page 17

when you are being active. Supports should never be worn in bed or when resting.

Diet & Nutrition - Protein is great for building muscle but also critical in muscle recovery and a massive source of energy before competition.

Everyone is different but some people can eat anything but what again is highly important is that you don’t change your diet in last few day before a fight as you body will not be able to take the goodness and benefits of that new food as well as if it had been eating regular but different foods in their diet.

Lactic Acid - The build up of lactic acid is what causes you to ache the day after training. A great way to reduce this is to drink plenty of

water following your training session. An easy way to tell if you have the taken in the correct levels of fluid is the colour of your urine. If it is clear in colour then this is usually a sign of being well hydrated. If you are de hydrated the colour can be very yellow in appearance.

As always if worried about any aspect of the above you should consult a physician or doctor.

Technical Grading why is it important to a fighter?

Well time has proven to me that all my junior students who grade are the more complete and versatile fighters. Lacking in the technical area is always a frustration for a fighter. When a student takes no

short cuts and gets to Black Belt it gives them confidence of their ability. We also focus on Ring Craft as part of the grading syllabus. In your first grade its controlled defence of basic punches and kicks then as you progress through the grades and growing in confidence you are expected to perform against a sustained attack. If you can master defence then you can fight!..

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Page 18 ARE YOU READY - FIGHT THE WINTER FLAB

Ready?

Are You

By Ally Smith

Fight the Winter Flab: Stay Ripped during the “Off” season WINTER BLUE’S

Does it make you better?

It’s cold, dark and miserable. The time of year when everyone, even us dedicated fighters, adds a layer of fat over our previously hard earned six pack.

It’s understandable, rigorous training and dieting week in week out for months on end for the sole purpose of being your absolute best when the fight comes. That’s if it comes. Many times we endure tough training then the fight is pulled at the last minute. This can lead to an unmotivated and weak willed fighter chomping down on any junk that comes by and skipping workouts.

We’ve all done it, even World Champion fighters such as Ricky Hatton balloon up between fights.

Time to be tough, do you think that adding fat will help you in any way when training for your next fight?

Thought not. Even though you get the satisfaction of enjoying a great meal if this lasts too long you’ll be so fat, weak and out of condition people will start calling you Ricky Fatton.

It’s time for a change.

What I’m about to present is a time efficient, motivating training and nutritional strategy perfect for this time of year and can also be used during periods between fights. You can stay lean and mean throughout the winter and have all the trimmings with your Christmas dinner. The workouts will be brief and intense to stimulate your metabolism and give you enough time to finish the Christmas shopping.

Plus you’ll be ahead of the game; if your competition starts training in January you’ll be weeks ahead in fitness and strength to crush anyone who steps inside the ring or cage.

Some points to consider.

If you feel so unmotivated the very idea of training makes you curl into the foetal position then listen to your body and take a break. This will allow your hunger to come back and will make this programme more effective. Also if any injury stops you from doing the prescribed exercises then feel free to substitute it for another that causes no pain.

Kettlebell Swing

Exercise descriptions and why you should be doing them.

All of the following exercises have a few things in common. They work lots of muscle, thereby burning lots of calories, they are explosive, they work your heart and lungs and they are fun to perform. And when I say fun I mean hard, but that’s fun, right?

1. KETTLEBELL SWING - pick up the bell and stand tall, feet shoulder width or slightly wider. Squat back with the bell between your legs and use a quick hip thrust to generate the power.

Don’t let it rise above your shoulders and immediately descend with the bell into the next rep.

Why? - Great total body exercise without being too difficult to learn. Helps increase posterior chain power endurance and cardiovascular conditioning.

2. PRESS UP - probably don’t need a descpription for this one, but keep your abs rock solid and use a full range of motion, chest to the floor.

Why? - just because it aint fancy doesn’t mean it’s a great exercise. Upper body strength and endurance plus core stability.

Just do them...

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ARE YOU READY - FIGHT THE WINTER FLAB Page 19

Page 20 WARTIME WITH MARK CARLING

Welcome back to your monthly slice of WARTIME life. This month has been even more busy than normal. I’ve been working on a new TV show, concentrated all my training down to one gym and set up my own TV company.

WARTIME WITH MARK CARLING Page 21

I’ve been working with my agent to develop a new, exclusive walk out tune in partnership with ‘The Coalition Fight Music’ - based in California, they the world’s first MMA band and have made music for loads of UFC fighters - can’t wait to hear the final cut. I’ve also been developing my own WARTIME clothing line made by Big Dogz Fightwear, if you want to look the absolute nuts and be the envy of every one you choke out and punch senseless then you need to get on to bigdogz-fightwear.com and snap up some WARTIME clobber.

This month’s give-a-ways I have a Big Dogz fightwear T-shirt from bigdogz-fightwear.com, two huge tubs of 80% whey protein from Evolution Sport Nutrition, Signed UCMMA program by none other than Dave O’Donnell and an ULTIMATE CHALLENGE t-shirt.

To win this lot of MMA goodness, just e-mail me a picture of you in full fight wear in the strangest location (the weirder the better) and good luck.

All entrees to doit@markreadysetgo.com

And, of course, I attended ULTIMATE CHALLENGE and have been busy helping the legend Dave O’Donnell on Sky Sports and as always we have been getting some really positive feed back for the ‘Gym of the Week’ section on ‘Cage Fighter.’

Jamaine Facey and Michelle Tyler all pitted against each other in the biggest scientific experiment ever to applied to MMA!

I have a new TV show called ‘Mind Over Matter’ that I’m preparing to start filming in early January 2011 and it features some of the biggest names in UK MMA such as Gary Turner, Nick Chapman, Kenny Moyston,

I have just joined the ZT Fight Skool fight team under the guidance of Sol Gilbert. He’s the man that launched John Hathaway to UFC and also has some amazing fighters in the squad, including Kenny Moysten, (who has been out in the

STOP, SHOCK AND KNOCKOUT This month we caught up with UCMMA fighter Harry ‘Hitman’ Shoebridge who is 2-0-0 and getting ready to step into the cage again and keep up his winning ways. Let’s find out what makes this young dude such an animal in the cage......

Name: Harry Shoebridge Age: 20 Fighting out of: Keddles Food: Tuna Fun: MMA Color: Red Time: Is money!

Place: Cage Style: Stand up Music: Violence Hate: Man U Love: Training Fight: Winning If you want to find out more about the Hitman then get on to ucmma.com

U.S.A helping Rampage Jackson prep for UFC 123), Ryan White (this dude has smashed his way across every major fight card in the UK) and Oli Thompson, who was Britain’s strongest man...

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‘

Page 22 NICK ‘MAGNUS’ ALDIS

Nick

Magnus Aldis

I recently met up and interviewed TNA wrestlers, Doug Williams, and Nick Aldis. This is the 2nd part of that interview featuring Nick ‘Magnus’ Aldis. Some of you may know him better as Oblivion from Sky TV’s revamped Gladiators. But at 6’ 3” and just over 17 stone of muscle... once you’ve seen Nick you tend to remember him!

A relaxed and cerebral guy, he was very easy to chat to and had a lot to say about the business...

I liked the old Brutus Magnus character but I like the ‘new’ Magus, character more. And I’m liking the new beard (laughing).

Nick, firstly many thanks for taking the timeout of to do this interview, and congratulations on the new contract.

NICK ALDIS: Backing the beard (signalling to Williams), another person backing the beard! (laughs).

NICK ALDIS: No worries, and thank you.

Where do you see your new team with Desmond Wolfe (London Brawling) going?

NICK ALDIS: Yeah, anytime your in a tag team and there’s chemistry there, you want to get the most out of it....

Anytime that something works creatively, as is the case with Desmond and I, as far as I’m concerned I want to get the most out of it and go as far as possible with it.

They have finally partnered you with someone who can talk more than you do! (Joking)

NICK ALDIS: well.... I don’t know about that! (Laughs), but we bounce of each other well.

When Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan joined TNA at the end of 2009, they attracted some negativity from people, as pushes and story lines seemed to stop for no apparent reason, but now there seems to be a lot more progression and cohesion to the way it’s written...

NICK ALDIS: With Explosion (their secondary TV show) getting into a lot more markets, it’s provided another platform for a lot us to get stuff over and its proved to be a bit of a testing ground for us for us to test ideas and concepts for us to then carry over to Impact.

Writing wrestling isn’t easy, because fan expectations are so high now... people have their own expectations... sometimes things can be a little over engineered, sometimes it writes itself.

Sometimes it obvious where it goes and it should go there and I think that maybe in the past it’s been tweaked too many times.

NICK ‘MAGNUS’ ALDIS Page 23

I think the new regime... it may have taken them a bit of time to gel I think, especially with the influx of talent, I think there was a transitional period and now things are starting to happen... and the great thing about what I’m doing now is it’s organic. I used to do this sort of stuff on the independent circuit... that’s what I miss more than anything. That’s what I love about wrestling, being outrageous, that’s why I love doing what I’m doing now. I can push the envelope without being offensive, that’s where I think my real talent lies.

With TNA now opening offices here in the UK, how would you like to see them expands here, would you like to see them have a UK developmental territory over here.

NICK ALDIS: there have been rumblings like that....

I know you can’t give anything away...

NICK ALDIS: Well, there’s nothing to give away is the honest truth in that respect. I know there are certain people out there that will put stuff out there to help their own course... They may claim to be with us or in league with the office... but there may be one telephone call or one email (from them to TNA) that is then blown out of all proportion. I Think The UK right now is producing some of the best talent in the world, and that’s not just necessarily putting us over, but its there for everyone to see right now, both in WWE as well as TNA. They both have talented British wrestlers and they are being used right, they aren’t just being pigeon holed Yes, even your original Brutus Magnus character in TNA as ‘the modern day gladiator’ was sort of a logical progression of what you’d done on Gladiators...

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Page 24 I SEE A TARGET I HIT IT - CHALI BASSINAH

‘I see a target,

I hit it’

Diesel Gym’s hottest new fighter, Chalinene Bassinah, is taking women’s Muay Thai by storm Written by Sarah Maybank Sub Edited by Cris Janson-Piers Chalinene Bassinah bakes a mean cherry pie and amazing fudge brownies. When she’s on a Diesel Gym girls’ night out, she cuts a dash in cheeky hotpants teamed with high-heeled shoes decorated with pink roses. With her second-to-none baking skills and girly clothes, there’s no denying that Parisienne Chali is a real lady. But ‘feminine’ lies abandoned in the changing room along with the flowery high heels when she steps into the gym. Chali, 29, is Diesel’s shooting star. Powerful, dedicated and blessed with relentless energy, she has transformed herself from novice to national champion in the space of just over 18 months, a well-deserved reward for her all-consuming work ethic.

Joining Diesel in February 2009, she threw herself in the deep end from day one and immersed herself in training. She has already fought in four major competitions - including Muay Thai Legends and Fast and Furious in Penzance, where she fought on the same bill as Julie Kitchen - and now has two belts under her, belt; the IKBF British title at 61.5kg and the IKF English 63kg title. During that time she’s trained for and run the New York marathon too (in a respectable 3h 46m). She also trains in MMA, and puts her own students through their paces at the gym’s Diesel Chicks women’s class. Oh, and that’s along with holding down a day job crunching serious numbers along with all the alpha males in the City of London. ‘Game’ doesn’t even come close.

Nicknamed ‘the Chali-nator’ by fellow Diesel students, her powerhouse fighting style could give even Arnold Schwarzenegger’s indestructible T-101 a run for its money.

Her trainer, Cliff Bura confirms, ‘Chali is an amazing athlete, an inspirational competitor and a success story that everyone knows will continue to heady heights. I have seen many talented fighters in my years as a trainer, and I have also seen fighters with immense dedication to their training; but Chali has both traits in awe-inspiring amounts.’

It was a challenge pinning Chali down for a chat in between her nightly double muay Thai/MMA session, but somehow we managed it...

Chali, you’ve picked up Muay Thai like a natural. Did you participate in any martial arts as a kid?

CHALINENE BASSINAH: No, I wasn’t into any martial arts, but I was only friends with boys, and we’d always end up fighting for some reason! I was introduced to Muay Thai by a friend.

Can you remember anything that stands out about your early lessons?

Chali & Team Diesel

CHALINENE BASSINAH: I realised I enjoyed it pretty much straight away. I was aching everywhere after every session but I was still coming back for more. I met friendly people who made me feel like I was at home. I also remem-

I SEE A TARGET I HIT IT - CHALI BASSINAH Page 25

‘‘

Eighteen months training and you’re already a veteran of four big competitions. What was your toughest fight?

Have you had any bad injuries - or inflicted them on others?

CHALINENE BASSINAH: I broke my right hand from punching too hard and I broke a toe kicking my sparring partner’s knee! I’ve had sore ribs too... I haven’t inflicted really bad injuries on anyone (touch wood!). I did sometimes hurt people when I was a beginner and I had difficulty controlling my power, but now it’s getting better.

‘‘

ber picking it up quickly. That’s mainly due to the fact I connect pretty well with Cliff (Bura, Diesel’s owner).

Whenever he explains something, I just remember it, integrate it and digest it. He knows how to find the best way to explain the techniques.

I don’t really have a style, I adapt to my opponent

CHALINENE BASSINAH: My first pro fight, at Muay Thai Legends in December 2009. That was the most prestigious venue I’ve fought at and I wasn’t relaxed at all, although it didn’t really show looking back at the DVD. But I was exhausted, I was really sick after that.

What made it so hard?

CHALINENE BASSINAH: I wasn’t breathing and relaxed enough, so the adrenaline rush hit me hard. I was tired after the third round and couldn’t fight to my game plan. I learnt a lot from it though. It taught me to relax more and to not try to count points while I’m fighting.

What do you think are the best aspects of your technique and fight style, and what needs working on?

CHALINENE BASSINAH: I don’t really have a style, I adapt to my opponent. I work more by instinct and anticipation: I see a target, I hit it. I always try to mix things up. I try to be technical, to have good technique.

You train six times a week, you fight in competitions and you teach. What has martial arts taught you about yourself?..

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Page 26 BROCK - WOULD A RETURN BENEFIT THE WWE

Brock Le Would a return benefit the WWE?

Brock Lesnar was expected to retain his UFC Heavyweight Championship at UFC 121 back in October, but the South Dakota native was beaten by challenger Cain Velasquez.

Another man who was involved in a Heavyweight Championship match was The Undertaker. “The Dead man” lost at Bragging Rights to his brother Kane in a Buried Alive match.

Lesnar has been a name on the lips of many a wrestling fan over the past couple of months. As Lesnar left the Octagon following his shock defeat to Velasquez, he and ‘Taker shared a tense stare down which led Undertaker to say “Wanna do it?”

He then went on to say that it was a personal matter between the two men and that he didn’t want to talk about it further.

The return of “The Next Big Thing” would definitely increase the interest in the WWE. Lesnar was a big draw in his WWE run and was pushed a lot by the creative team who would love to have him back on board.

In just two years, he became a three time WWE Champion, won the

King of the Ring and the Royal Rumble.

Even if Lesnar didn’t return to Pro Wrestling for a sustained period, it would still be a good money spinner for both sides. WWE and Pro Wrestling in general have found it hard for the past few years. Ratings and PPV buy rates are both down with alternatives becoming more popular.

Many of the fans who were brought up on the Attitude Era during the late 1990s are now in their late teens or early twenties. That was the beginning of the acceptance that wrestling is pre-determined. Not before then had promoters come out and admitted that wrestling wasn’t a “proper” sport. Even though this happened, the popularity never dwindled; the action was so controversial and hardhitting that it still seemed real.

Wrestling in general has become a lot less edgy than it was back then, especially with the recent change to PG programming from the WWE. Wrestling has almost become uncool and the fans that were brought up on wrestling have now moved on to things such as boxing and in particular, mixed martial arts.

The UFC has really taken off in the past few years and has really started to dominate the PPV market. With MMA being so popular, the return to wrestling of Lesnar would only

help the WWE. There have been quite a few wrestlers who have turned to MMA, Ken Shamrock, Bobby Lashley, Dave Batista and Lesnar himself to name but a few.

The move from MMA back to wrestling would be a welcome change.

Lesnar last competed in the ring in 2007 while wrestling in Japan. He lost his IWGP Heavyweight Championship to the then TNA World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle. His last appearance for the WWE was at Wrestle Mania 20 against Goldberg, a match that both men would like to forget.

The former NCAA wrestling champion has unfinished business in the WWE. His last match was farcical; fans were singing “You sold out” as both he and opponent Goldberg were known to be leaving the company.

Lesnar has since said that he often needed pills and alcohol to get him through the rough schedule but he is a much stronger man now-both mentally and physically-and could easily make the switch back to the squared circle.

Lesnar’s return would open up a lot of possible matches. It would obviously depend on how long he wanted to return for but there wouldn’t be any trouble in matching him up with an opponent.

This has all come about because of

BROCK - WOULD A RETURN BENEFIT THE WWE Page 27

snar the exchanged words between Brock and Undertaker. ‘Taker looks set to retire at Wrestle Mania and a match between him and Lesnar would bring in a serious amount of viewers.

There’s also the opportunity of a rematch with Goldberg. For two guys who were held in such high esteem by fans, they didn’t have great send offs.

Both men were jeered throughout their Wrestle Mania farewell and Goldberg has expressed his desire to return to the ring as he looks set to be inducted into this year’s WCW themed Hall of Fame class.

Another possibility is the Big Show, the two have put on good matches in the past and it could happen again. A tie-in with a former WCW performer isn’t that unlikely, Wrestle Mania is being held in the old stomping grounds of WCW, Atlanta.

Lesnar had it all and could have become a WWE legend. He had only been in the company for two years and had already held three WWE Championships. Very rarely does somebody get pushed that much, so quickly. As seen in his UFC run, the man is a world class wrestler...

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UCMMA 18 - FACE OFF Page 29

Welterweight UK1 Title Fight Symeon Kyurchiev vs Luke Sines

John Maguire (r)

UCMMA UK1 fights see fighters using MMA gloves and this title clash promises to be an exciting fight. Monster National Bulgarian champion Simeon Kyurchiev always puts up a fierce and fearless fight.

Luke Sines presents a dangerous challenge with a record of 20 -3.

This will be his first fight at Welterweight.

For the full fight card check the UCMMA website

Fighters Under the Spotlight Dean ‘The Renegade’ Amasinger (7-2) Dean was a very popular member of the UFC’s Ultimate Fighter reality show (TUF 9) giving him a great following of fans all round the world, but particularly in the UK and US. Dean is considered one of the top prospects in the UK welterweight division. Since TUF 9 Dean has fought and won domestically and abroad when he beat the rank number 1 fighter from Poland at

KSW. The British Sri Lankan Somalian is well-rounded and can finish the fight standing or on the ground. He’s very strong and durable...

To read the rest of this article why not order a back issue, visit www.fightersmag.co.uk/backissue Dean Amasinger

ULT001/06

Page 30 M-1 - KUNITSKAYA SHOCKS DANDOIS

11

M-1 Challenge

Kunitskaya Shocks Dandois and Earns Knock-out of the Night

Blame it on mounting pressure, a fluke punch or any other reason but unfortunately rising-star Cindy Dandois failed to deliver at M-1 Challenge XXII last Friday night in Moscow, Russia and lost some of her shine as she fell victim to Yana Kunitskaya. At the midway point of the woman’s 145lb contention bout’s opening minute, Kunitskaya landed the shot which was more than enough to flash-KO Dandois, forcing the referee in charge to halt the bout and prevent the fallen fighter from taking any unnecessary shots; the upset victory catapults Kunitskaya higher on the woman’s MMA radar and earns her the event’s Knock-out of the Night award.

The win improves Kunitskaya to 4-1, an equal record to Dandois; not bad for the Action-Force Fight Team member who calls St. Petersburg her home. The 22-year-old blonde bombshell made her professional

debut in March of last year with a TKO victory over Magdalena Jarecka at the K-1 World Grand Prix.

In fact three of her four victories come by way of TKO with the

other being credited to a rearnaked-choke; dig a little deeper in to this relatively unknown striker’s record and you will find that all her wins come in the first round and her only loss being a judge’s decision at the hands of Maria Hougaard Nielson.

With the popularity of women’s MMA on a meteoric rise, M-1 Global will certainly look to get Kunitskaya back in action as soon as possible so fans can witness more relentless, exciting action from this newly rising star who’s currently twinkling extremely brightly...

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1

M-1 - KUNITSKAYA SHOCKS DANDOIS Page 31

10

Page 32 CLASH OF WARRIORS 10 - FEARLESS

Clash of Warriors Kieron McBride vs Nathan Thompson

MMA Professional fight (3 x 5 minutes) Clash of Warrior’s tenth professional event gets under way this evening. Our first professional fight of the evening gets off to a slightly cautious start for the first few seconds. Both fighters attempt a few punches and kicks but both are attempting to size up their opponent before going in for the attack.

After a couple more kicks, Kieron makes his move and has Nathan pinned up against the fence. Kieron gets in a couple of punches and then manages to take Nathan down to the cage floor. For a while the two appeared to be locked in position - although Kieron has his opponent pinned down Nathan defends himself well, and it seems to be impossible for either of them to get many punches in.

Kieron bides his time and manages to manoeuvre himself into a better position. Freeing his arms allows him to deliver a barrage of punches to his opponent’s head and body, which he follows by changing his approach and trying to get Nathan in a choke. However, Nathan is still defending himself well and now that the punches have stopped, he manages to reverse the position and gets top position and tries to dominate the fight.

Kieron manages to take Nathan to a triangle position and tries to finish Nathan.

At this point, Nathan attempts to lift Kieron off the floor and drop him down to unlock the triangle, but despite a few attempts, he is unable to break free. At this point, Kieron manages to complete the triangle lock causing Nathan to tap out. A very convincing win to kick off tonight’s event. The referee for this bout was Judo Jim Wallhead.

McBride vs Thompson

- Fearless

Winner: Kieron McBride Loser: Nathan Thompson Method: Triangle choke Round 1 - 4 mins 13 secs

Shaun Cooper vs Gurdeep Sanghera

MMA Semi-professional fight (2 x 5 mins) Gurdeep had brought plenty of support with him for tonight’s fight. As the fight begins, it looks like the support is working as Gurdeep lands a number of well timed punches and looks like he got off to the better start of the two. However, one of the punches is mistimed and Shaun uses this chance to go for the takedown. A successful takedown by Shaun results in a complete reverse of fortune for Gurdeep who ends up pinned down on the cage floor. Using that position to his advantage, Shaun proceeds to deliver a barrage of punch-

Sanghera vs Cooper

CLASH OF WARRIORS 10 - FEARLESS Page 33

es to the head and Gurdeep is forced to take the pounding. Shaun then wastes no time and moves into position to bring the fight to an end with an Arm Bar. The referee for this bout was Judo Jim Wallhead.

Winner: Shaun Cooper Loser: Gurdeep Sanghera Method: Arm Bar Round 1 - 1 min 23 secs

Andy Crichton vs David Zmija Professional Thai Boxing bout (3 x 3 mins) The third fight of the evening gets under way with a Thai boxing fight. At the start of round 1 it looks like both fighters are favouring punches rather than kicks. David makes one of his punches count and sends Andy to the floor, causing the referee to step in and bring them both back to their feet. After a few more punches, this time David ends up pinned against the side of the cage. Both trying to use their knees at this point Andy to attack and David to defend.

David seems to do a better job using his knees as he has managed to turn the tables on Andy who now finds himself pinned up against the side of the cage and forced to defend. This time, the two of them seem locked together and the referee is again required to step in to keep the action flowing. Back in the middle of the cage, a similar story unfolds with both fighters going for the punches in the last few seconds of the round.

Crichton vs Zmija

A slightly different approach as round 2 gets under way with both of them using their legs to attack rather than their fists.

One of David’s kicks makes contact and sends Andy to the floor. Once back on his feet, Andy responds quickly and David ends up pinned against the side of the cage once again. Andy tries to get in a few punches while he has the better position, but David once again manages to switch things round on his opponent and Andy ends up being pinned up against the cage. The two of them end up on the floor and consequently the referee brings them back to their feet. The two of them end up against the cage side as before however they seem to be locked together this time and unable to deliver many punches. End of round 2. Both fighters looking pretty even at this point.

Round 3 looked similar to the first round, as both fighters reverted back to preferring punches to kicks. David manages to get Andy pinned to the fence but Andy recovers quickly and is soon back in the centre of the cage. The pace seems a little slower than the last two rounds and both fighters are looking tired. Both fighters are determined to see it through to the end, however it looks like Andy is doing more of the attacking at this point - certainly using his legs a lot more than David is. End of round 3 and it is left to the judges. The referee for this bout was Wayne Kirk.

Zlotnicki vs Kent

Winner: Andy Crichton Loser: David Zmija Method: Unanimous Decision Round 3 -3.00 mins

Chris Kent vs Damian Zlotnicki MMA Semi-professional fight (2 x 5 mins) One of the quickest but also most explosive fights of the evening. At the start of the fight, both of them looked pretty even with a good number of punches and kicks coming from both Chris and Damian. Damian then springs into action and goes for the takedown. The takedown is successful and he follows it up with a massive barrage of punches and kicks. Chris can only take this kind of punishment for so long and the referee is forced to step in to prevent any serious damage. A very convincing performance from Damian. The referee for this bout was Judo Jim Wallhead...

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Page 34 WRSA - THE BODY SNATCHER STRIKES AGAIN

The Body Snatcher

Strikes Again Ryan ‘Body Snatcher’ Edmondson travel up to Middlesborough for the WRSA sanctioned Maximum Impact II at the Brambles Farm Social Club. Ryan took the fight with 24 hours notice so the WRSA Area title bout planned for this event could take place.

Troy Varley, his opponent for this bout, the home town fighter entered the ring to noisy support, but felt Edmondson’s power as he was knocked to the canvas twice within the first minutes with devastating body punches. The referee stepped in and stopped the fight as Varley hit the canvas for the second time. The noisy home crowd was stunned and suddenly silent with disbelief.

The next fight in the ring was also a WRSA title fight between Kieran Jones from Scorpio Kickboxing and Mick Lasie from the Contenders Gym. Two very different style fighters, Kieran Jones using his kicking abilities and Mick Laise more interested in getting in close and from

the middle of the first round it was obvious whose style was prevailing with Jones landing kicks regularly and following them up with hand combinations. As the rounds progressed Jones took more and more control of the fight and Laise was luck in the fourth not to get at least one 8 count as Jones pined him in the corner and rained punches down with no reply. It happened again late in the fourth round and Laise did not come out of his corner for the fifth making Kieran Jones the WRSA Northern Area Super Lightweight Champion.

The final bout of the night was for the WRSA English Amateur Light Heavyweight title bout between

Brian Lane from Impact Martial Arts and Rob Beach from Lion Hart Kickboxing.

These fighters had faced each other before so knew each other’s style well. The first two rounds were edged by Beach and Lane edged the next two rounds. So everything was on the final round, which swung back and forward between the two fighters. So everything was down to the judge’s cards, one gave the fight to Beach, another to Lane and the final judge had it down as a draw, they will have to do it all again for one of them to win the title.

Mention has to be made of two young fighters, Peri Mason and Josh Elgie who for a light contact bout on this bill. The skill and passion they showed in the rings was great to see, with Mason winning a very close and entertaining fight. These names will be ones to watch for in the future.

Also a name to look for in the future among the ladies is Danni Griffin who had her first light contact bout against a much more experienced opponent and came out the winner...

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WRSA - THE BODY SNATCHER STRIKES AGAIN Page 35

Page 36 EL MAACHI RULES SUPREME

El Maachi Rules Supreme

By Gianluca (Rio) Di Caro

Those lucky enough to score tickets for Steve Goodwin’s ‘Judgement Day’ event at York Hall were treated to a thrilling night of pugilistic artistry at a level rarely seen these days.

At the end of the five hour, 13 fight marathon, those present, and just those present, as it was an off-TV show, witnessed one of the greatest fights held on British soil this year.

Without doubt if this was an on-TV show Yassine El Maachi - Jimmy Colas would be nominated for ‘Fight of the Year’ honours.

Yassine El Maachi put on a masterful display that see him totally outbox Jimmy Colas to retain his International Light Mi-ddleweight crown. To describe Yassine’s performance as exceptional would be an understatement, awe inspiring may be a better statement but still wouldn’t get across just how slick, classy and totally dominating his performance over the former EBU-EU, and cur-

rent WBC La-tino Light Middleweight champion was.

From the first bell El Maachi teased and frustrated Colas with his unorthodox attacks. Time after time El Maachi would trip the light fantastic before letting rip with a flurry of punches, leaving Colas lashing out at his shadow. Close to the end of the round the crowd erupted as Colas went crashing to the canvas, albeit from a push, El Maachi sauntered over and stood, hands raised above his head, over the prone Haitian and taunted him to the crowds delight.

Round two was more of the same El Maachi dancing around and picking off the hapless Colas at will. The

third began with El Maachi pawing with his jab before delivering a series of wicked uppercuts that rocked Colas to the core. Towards the end of the round El Maachi stepped up the showboating as the crowd chanted Yassine, Yassine, Yassine.

Rounds four and five were very much more of the same; fluid movement followed by wickedly fast uppercuts and combinations before sashaying away before Colas could even respond. El Maachi was deducted a point by the referee, Jeff Hines, in the final quarter of round five for head butting. The crowd showed their disapproval of the referee‘s decision as it was just a clearly unintentional by-product of his unorthodox movement during a forceful attack.

Rounds six and seven the action continued in the same vein although at a slightly slower pace, which allowed Colas a modicum of close range success. El Maachi stepped the pace up again in round eight which culminated in a scintillatingly fast and vicious right-left combination that rocked Colas.

El Maachi shifted to high gear for the final rounds, in doing so he put on one helluva show and picking off Colas with exquisite uppercuts, right crosses and blisteringly fast combinations. A knockout finish looked to

EL MAACHI RULES SUPREME Page 37

be on the cards but in the end Colas showed his durability by surviving the constant onslaught, and a rather amusing tangle that saw the pair tumble to the canvas in the final seconds of the round.

Referee Jeff Hinds scored the bout 98-92 to the reigning champ Yassine El Maachi.

The main support for El MaachiColas featured the resurgent former English Super Featherweight, and current International Masters Lightweight Champion Ryan ‘Mr Attitude’ Barrett against Croatian Almin Kovacevic.

Barrett controlled the fight from the opening bell using his super slick jab.

Round two saw Barrett mix it up a bit, letting rip with some crisp left hooks that clearly hurt the advancing Kovacevic. More success followed in the third as Barrett again let rip with a vicious hook to the body.

Kovacevic was clearly struggling and grabbed Barrett to prevent any chance of a follow-up. Each time Barrett came forward the Croatian would grab hold of Barrett to stifle any attack. Late in the round Kovacevic received a warning for the constant holding.

Kovacevic was again warned in the fourth for holding each time Barrett tried to work up close. The fifth round saw Kovacevic being deducted a point for his constant holding, moments later Barrett pinned him to the ropes with constant left-right barrage of shots, Kovacevic blatantly throwing an elbow into Barrett’s cheek, Barrett responding with a massive left that sent the Croatian crashing to the deck. After taking the eight count Kovacevic then received a second point deduction for the elbow from referee Jeff Hines. Barrett went in for the finish but again Kovacevic grabbed hold, Jeff Hines again separating them, but on the restart Kovacevic thwarted Barrett’s attack by grabbing hold, albeit for the last time as Jeff Hines called a halt to the proceedings by disqualifying Kovacevic for continued holding.

Another disqualification preceded the Barrett-Kovacevic bout. This time John ‘The Gorilla’ Ryder was declared victor after Sabie Montieth was disqualified for illegal use of the head

by referee Robert Williams after just 30 seconds of the first round!

The major shock of the night came when Canning Town’s hugely popular Super Featherweight debutant Richard Hines was stopped in the third round by Norfolk’s Scott Moises. I say shock as the skillful Hines had easily controlled the first two rounds, and was in charge in the third until Moises let rip with a cracking left-right that sent him crashing to the deck. Hines beat the count but it was clear that his fight was over as his legs wobbled badly as he stood. Referee Robert Williams instantly called the fight off and declared Moises winner by knockout.

Tyler Goodjohn gave a masterful display against the experienced Jason Nesbitt to earn a well deserved 40-36 points decision. Goodjohn controlled the first couple of rounds utilising his jab along with stinging body shots...

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IRISH SECTION - BY THOMAS McCULLOUGH Page 39

FIGHTERS IRISH SECTION

All the latest news and views from The Emerald Isle...

Ireland Welcomes

Fight Stars In continuing with Fighters Magazine’s coverage of Irish MMA, this month we start 2011 by taking a look at one of Ireland’s most promising talent, Joe “Kid Chaos” Clarke. It’s been exciting times for Irish MMA and 2011 is set to be even bigger.

One of MMA’s longest and most successful organisations, Cage Warriors Fighting Championship (CWFC) held a hugely successful event on November 27. Held in “Rebel County” Cork, CWFC 39 “The Uprising” saw exciting fighters such as Rosi Sexton and Aisling Daly appear on the fight card. Former WEC fighter, Justin Robbins spoke to Fighters Magazine about his victory on the CWFC 39 card.

One of Ireland’s leading BJJ coaches, John Kavanagh took some time from his busy schedule and spoke to Fighters Magazine about his work at the SBGI gym and his fighting background.

Without the tireless effort of coaches, Irish MMA wouldn’t have enjoyed the recent success it’s enjoyed. In continuing with our gym profiles, Fighters Magazine spoke to Team Ryano founder, Andy Ryan about the continued success for his fight team.

Chaos Promotions have received a huge fan following since its establishment in 2007. We spoke to the founder, Jason McCabe who gives us an insight into the reasoning behind the promotions creation and its future plans for growth.

To read the Irish Section in full get your issue of Fighters Magazine available from WH Smiths & all good newsagents

It’s been exciting times for Irish MMA at the moment. CWFC 39 have showed their commitment towards the sport.

Cage Contender VII closed 2010 having staged yet another sell out event and Irish fight fans will witnessed the arrival of former UFC stars, Rich Clementi and Jeremy Horn who appeared on Cage Wars “Validation” on December 10 at the Odyssey Arena, Belfast. Both these famous fighters lived up to their reputations earning victories to the delight of Irish fight fans.

At Fighters Magazine we will be continue to cover these exciting events. 2011 will be an exciting year for Irish MMA with many exciting bouts and events already planned!

CWFC 39

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