WEC 39: "Brown vs. Garcia" is set to go off from the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas, tonight live on the Versus network beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Featherweight champion Mike Thomas Brown will defend his title for the first time since knocking off superstar Urijah Faber back in November. He’ll face the heavy-handed Greg Jackson trainee, Leonard "Bad Boy" Garcia in the night's main event.

Garcia made a name for himself at UFC 69 when he went back and forth for three rounds with Roger Huerta in a brawl that was awarded "Fight of the Year" by the promotion. Garcia lost the decision that night, but certainly left his mark as a scrappy and talented fighter.

Feeling a little too small to compete with the endlessly talented roster of fighters in the UFC’s lightweight division, he made the move to the Zuffa-owned WEC in order fight at his more natural weight of 145 pounds.

That decision to this point has worked out great for the Lubbock, Texas native. In his two fights under the WEC banner, he’s put down top ten fighters Hiroyuki Takaya at WEC 32 and Jens "Lil’ Evil" Pulver at WEC 36 - both by first round knockout.

Garcia has undoubtedly earned his spot as the number one contender and his shot at the division crown. But as he explains, he couldn't have done it without the support of one of the best training camps in all of mixed martial arts.

Continue reading this post »

UFC 95 "Sanchez vs. Stevenson" is set to go down tonight starting at 9 pm ET from the O2 Arena in London, England. Headlining the event opposite Joe Stevenson will be Diego Sanchez, a former welterweight contender making his much-anticipated debut at 155 lbs.

The inaugural Ultimate Fighter (TUF) middleweight champion had resisted the move in recent past, especially since he was knocking on the door of a potential 170-pound title shot with a win over Thiago Alves at UFC 90: "Silva vs. Cote" back in October.

Sanchez had to withdraw from the bout, however, because of a rib injury. Alves went on to strafe last minute replacement and top player in the division, Josh Koscheck, to score a convincing unanimous decision win.

While the injury was legitimate, it didn't stop the critics from making accusations about his desire to fight the dreaded "Pitbull." Some even accused him of "running" to the lightweight division to avoid him.

Sanchez was unfazed.

"People are entitled to an opinion. It is what it is. You get hurt, you get hurt. I just trust God's plan!"

His new career at 155-pounds starts against one of the top contenders in the weight class. Joe Stevenson, TUF 2 welterweight winner and newly-minted Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, poses a very serious threat to Diego's plans to move quickly through the lightweight ranks.

And Sanchez isn't taking it lightly.

"It's a good opponent and I'm very prepared. Being the main event at a UFC is a dream come true. I'm ready for the time change, it's all about being able to flip the switch to 'on'. I can do that very easy after learning peak mind state training at Tony Robbins. My game plan is to just outclass him in all aspects and to stay out of his guillotine. I'm prepared for that move."

Continue reading this post »

Mac Danzig traveled around the world and back again before winning season six of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). And he has yet to hit the ripe old age 30.

He already has a lifetime of experience in mixed martial arts, winning 18 professional bouts in 23 career contests. It's safe to say, however, that the former King of the Cage and Gladiator Challenge title holder did not become a well-known name among casual fans until his winning performance on the Spike TV series back in late 2007.

Better late than never.

"It definitely made me recognizable," Danzig explained in an exclusive interview with MMAMania.com. "I don’t know if it is always in a good light [laughs] ... the way things went on the show. It definitely put my name out there and got me on the map. Instead of as before the hard core fans knew who I was. But being on the show got me the mainstream attention, which is one of the main reasons why serious fighters try to get on the show -- to give their career a bit of a boost and a jump start.

For Danzig, the opportunity also meant that he could focus full-time on what he liked to do best, fight, rather than trying to squeeze it all in while trying to make ends meet elsewhere.

Continue reading this post »

What a difference massive nationwide exposure on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) can make in the life of a mixed martial arts fighter ... just ask season five alum, Joe Lauzon.

"It was ridiculous," Lauzon explains about the difference before and after the Spike TV reality-based fight program. "You’ll be going out and just get stopped by random people who say, 'I watch you fight and I saw you fight.' It’s just kind of weird. It’s kind of unreal."

Lauzon is used to the real world -- he is self-proclaimed computer geek who was working full-time as a network administrator prior to his Octagon debut against Jens Pulver at UFC 63: "Hughes vs. Penn 2" back in 2006.

The Wentworth Institute of Technology graduate from Brockton, Mass., was supposed to serve as a sacrificial lamb for the former lightweight champion. "Lil Evil" was supposed to challenge for the 155-pound title, which the promotion recently resurrected after it was dissolved in 2002.

Lauzon apparently didn't get the memo, drilling Pulver in the first round with a punch that basically ended the fight. Life as he knew it would never be the same.

"I had just started a full time job," Lauzon explained. "I’d only been training for like two years ... but I was training all the time. I was very ready to fight Pulver. I was doing all the motions. "

He had the option after surprise win, which was one of the biggest upsets at the time in the history of the sport, to either continue competing in the UFC or become a TUF contestant. He chose the show and was among the early favorites to win the 16-man tournament-style series.

Lauzon was selected by coach BJ Penn to compete on the blue team against Pulver's yellow-colored squad. And it appeared that he was on the road to the finals before being overwhelmed by the takedowns and wrestling of Manny Gamburyan in the semifinals.

It was a bitter pill to swallow. But sometimes in defeat fighters learn more about themselves than in victory. Lauzon certainly used the loss to his advantage.

Continue reading this post »

UFC 94: "St. Pierre vs. Penn 2,″ the blockbuster Super Bowl weekend UFC pay-per-view (PPV) event, features the welterweight superfight between former 170-pound champion and current lightweight kingpin BJ Penn versus reigning welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre.

It's the rematch mixed martial arts fans have been demanding for over two years.

Penn and St. Pierre have already met inside the Octagon at UFC 58: "USA vs. Canada" in 2006, which resulted in a controversial split decision win for St. Pierre. "The Prodigy" brutalized "Rush" for much of the first round, but then he stormed back and hung on in the final two frames to get the winning nod.

Most at the time felt at the very least it should have been a draw because of the lopsided opening stanza; however, the judges ringside did not agree. Regardless, it was a great fight and the encore will likely be even better since both fighters have improved significantly over time.

And that’s a scary thing to say – these are two of the most gifted pound-for-pound talents in the sport going up against one another in the prime of their careers. Its historical significance cannot be overstated.

BJ Penn appreciates that significance, and also understands that he'll be fighting a much more evolved St. Pierre on January 31. That understanding has helped him stay focused during training camp for what he hopes will be the biggest - and perhaps most definitive win of his career.

"I’m coming in, in great shape. I’m going to be real strong and real fast and in great condition. I've got a lot of stuff I'm going to come after him with. I’m going to try to knock him out. I’m going to try to slam him on his head. I’ve got no secrets. I’m just going to go out there and grind this thing out and I’m going to win this fight."

Continue reading this post »

Tim Credeur — the first man to apparently ever earn his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt from Louisiana — didn’t need to rely on his solid ground game to score his second UFC win at UFC Fight Night 16: 'Fight for the Troops'.

The veteran blasted away at Nate Loughran for 10 full minutes, forcing the previously unbeaten fighter to call it quits on his stool before the third round could even start.

And in the process, made a lot of fighters in the middleweight division sit up and take notice.

"Crazy" first made a name for himself as a contestant on season seven of The Ultimate Fighter reality show. Credeur lost his initial semifinal bid to punch his ticket to the final fight against Amir Sadollah when he was defeated by Jesse Taylor in the final four.

However, Taylor was kicked off the show shortly after it wrapped, creating another opportunity for Credeur to challenge for the six-figure contract.

He locked horns with the other eliminated semifinalist, CB Dollaway in an eliminator match. But things did not go Credeur’s way – he lost via unanimous decision in a very close battle.

He must have done something right, however, because he was among the few of the 16 fighters asked to compete in future events. In fact, only half of the contestants earned the right to make their official Octagon debuts that weekend on the Spike TV special.

What's also amazing is that prior to the show, Creduer was very close to hanging up his 5-ounce gloves forever.

Continue reading this post »

"I have one fight left with Strikeforce. Right now, I’m really happy with them…. There is the possibility I could stay there with them, but I don’t know, we will see how it goes. The UFC has always been a big dream of mine. The UFC is a great organization. I love that show. But MMA is a business now and I have got to make sure things are in my best interest. The fighter in me wants to just go to the UFC and just go test myself with everyone. I’m under contract right now part of my contract is we cannot discuss it so I wouldn’t do that. But I hope and believe they are interested. It’s something I would consider. At the end of the day I’m a fighter and I have a life so I have to do what is in the best interest for me."

-- Top-ranked lightweight and former Strikeforce 155-pound champion, Gilbert Melendez, talks about a possible move to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) once his contract with Strikeforce expires. In the meantime, the talented 26-year-old Cesar Gracie-trained mixed martial artist is clamoring for a rematch against Mitsuhiro Ishida. Melendez -- along with training partner Jake Shields -- are highly coveted free agents (sorta and almost, respectively) who could make find themselves competing inside the Octagon in 2009 sooner rather than later. However, Strikeforce is currently the only promotion to have a relationship with a major national broadcast network (NBC), which could be an ace up its sleeve heading into the New Year. There is a real possibility for fighters to get insane exposure to a massive nationwide audience if the promotion can grow its partnership to include live shows on the Peacock Network. That's the business side of things.

Robert Drysdale — the 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) Open Weight tournament winner — tasted mixed martial arts victory for the first time on October 17 of this year, submitting Josh Musick with a sweet-looking first round armbar at TUFF-N-UFF.

The event took place at The Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, marking the amateur debut in the sport for perhaps the most dangerous 205-pound Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu player on the planet today.

For about a decade, Drysdale terrorized the international jiu-jitsu circuit, winning medals and finishing some of the best in the business (see Garcia, Marcelo among others). The American-born world champion recently returned to the United States from Brazil and settled back in to "Sin City," however, to prepare for a successful transition to mixed martial arts.

He’s off to a good start.

"My fight was a great experience. I was a little nervous. I guess that's normal. Soon as I was out there it was like, 'There is no way I am going to lose this fight, I trained too hard for this, I've been training for too long.' I finished him with an armbar in the second minute of the first round. Everything went as planned, exactly the way I wanted it to go. It was a big deal to me, liking it, and I absolutely did. I'm made for this. This is what I was born to do. I couldn't do anything else. I have to be fighting. This is where I belong and I felt that."

Continue reading this post »

UFC lightweight competitor Jeremy Stephens (14-3) threw a devastating uppercut in the third round of his lightweight battle at UFC 91: "Couture vs Lesnar" that not only sent opponent Rafael Dos Anjos crashing to the floor, but also brought the fans in attendance and at home straight out of their seats.

It was a jaw-dropping ending to a fight that Stephens admits wasn't exactly heading in the direction he was hoping for when things first got underway.

"He took me down. I really wasn't expecting for him to take me down. He's really strong. I was trying to get back up, but he had really, really tight jiu-jitsu. I couldn't move. I've been working on getting up but he left no spaces. He did a good job holding me down. Once I was able to reverse, I made a mistake and he capitalized on it. But you know I'm not going to tap. I've got too much heart, too much on the line."

Stephens credits his tremendous heart to more than just his training and iron will. "Lil' Heathen" has his roots in a state that's been a breeding ground for some of the UFC's top fighters, including former UFC welterweight champion Pat Miletich.

"515 (area code) that's my city: Des Moines, Iowa. If you throw a dart in the middle of the United States it would actually land on Des Moines, Iowa. That's why we say we have a lot of heart because Des Moines, Iowa is the heart of the United States."

After his uppercut sent dos Anjos to the land of heavy eyelids, an elated Stephens was overcome with joy, running face-first into the side of the cage - much to the crowd's enjoyment.

"[The moment was] explosive as you could probably tell. I ran into the cage! I was just so hyped up. I have so much going on in my life and it was like I was reborn again. It felt really great."

Continue reading this post »

Alvin Cacdac knows that a career in mixed martial arts is ripe with challenges - both inside and outside the cage.

Cacdac is an impressive 3-1 in Strikeforce (4-4 overall), and faces talented striker Jose Palacios in the undercard at Strikeforce: 'Destruction' tonight at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.

His strategy is simple one:

"He's a tough guy, a good kickboxer, so I'm probably going to take it to the ground and hopefully end it with either a submission or ground and pound."

As a local fighter, getting the chance to compete in Strikeforce is an amazing opportunity, especially considering that Cacdac is relatively new to the sport.

"I train at Nor Cal Fight Factory with little Dave (Velasquez) over here in San Jose. [I haven't been in it] that long, maybe four years. I was always into it in High School and throughout my life. A buddy of mine from work was like, oh yeah I fight, I do MMA. I said alright cool. He got me in."

That choice may have felt right for Cacdac, but it didn't sit well with friends and family, who sometimes see mixed martial arts as nothing more than a threat to the health and safety of a loved one, rather than an actual competitive sport.

"At first they didn't support it because they were like 'You could get hurt'. But you can get hurt at anything. I think they support it now though."

As Cacdac explains, pursuing the dream of becoming a professional fighter is not without its sacrifices.

"I have to give up a lot of my personal time, my free time. You have to be dedicated to it. The free time I do have, I spend it with family and my girlfriend."

Still, the challenge of sticking to those sacrifices is also what keeps him motivated. Cacdac names his family, coaches and himself as the driving forces behind his dedication to MMA.

Of course Cacdac himself is not without a role model, and names one of the sports biggest stars as his inspiration for bettering himself in the competitive world of MMA.

"BJ Penn. I've been watching him ever since I was in high school. I was like 'Oh man, this guy is sick'."

Which could explain how Cacdac ended up with a similar nickname in "The Filipino Phenom."

"I don't know where I got it from. Other than I'm Filipino and my last two fights I slammed two guys in the head and they were like you are crazy, you are a phenom, so they go 'Filipino Phenom'."

When asked about his prediction for tonight's fight, Cacdac didn't hesitate:

"A lot of combinations, get him frustrated. Hopefully not let him get too much of a gap. I don't want to get kicked or anything so hopefully just smother him and give 'em hell."

For more on Alvin Cacdac including sponsorship opportunities, check out his website here and his MySpace page here .

Strikeforce middleweight Tony Johnson doesn't have any trouble knocking people out, even if it has to be done on short notice.

With just three days to prepare, Johnson stepped up to face Marcus Gaines at the War Gods event on September 21 at the Salinas Sports Complex in Salinas California and stopped the more experienced Gaines in just 25 seconds.

As Johnson tells MMAmania.com (www.MMAmania.com), taking the fight was his only option, regardless of the time frame, because it had the potential to give him unprecedented exposure.

"We fought in Selinas, California in the War Gods Show. It's a local show here, but they are doing a reality show with it. It's airing on Comcast. It seems to be a big deal here in California."

It's not uncommon for fighters to be injured in training, and an unfortunate mishap at the American Kickboxing Academy left Gaines original opponent taking an unscheduled nap in the middle of training camp.

"One of our partners Nate Moore was getting ready to fight {Gaines} and in training he actually suffered a knockout with Trevor Prangley so they needed someone to fill in at the last second. I took the fight on about three days notice."

Taking a fight with only three days notice can present enormous obstacles for a fighter and often times leave them unprepared for their opponent. In addition to being physically unprepared, trying to formulate a gameplan for a fighter you know little about can be a tremendous challenge.

"I had no clue what Marcus was about. I knew he was a seasoned fighter. He had like 15 fights. Just went out there, 25 seconds, knocked him out! Got in and got out real quick. So it was pretty nice."

Continue reading this post »

Kenny Florian was widely regarded as the clear cut number one contender in the crowded 155-pound division following his win over Roger Huerta via unanimous decision at UFC 87: "Seek and Destroy" on August 9.

But his second chance at championship gold never came.

That’s because current lightweight champion, BJ Penn, will rematch welterweight kingpin Georges St. Pierre at UFC 94: "St. Pierre vs. Penn 2" at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 31, 2009, putting the division strap temporarily on ice.

Rather than sitting on the sidelines and waiting his turn, Florian decided to keep busy. And he isn’t taking fights with "slouches" or "cans" to ensure that he remains atop the title contender totem pole.

On the contrary, he accepted a very dangerous fight against Joe Stevenson at UFC 91: "Couture vs. Lesnar" at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on November 15. It’s a high profile bout between two fighters who have each missed out on winning the vacant division title.

"I will be fighting Joe Stevenson," Florian recently told MMAmania in an exclusive interview. "I’m really excited. Joe Stevenson is a phenomenal opponent -- very dangerous opponent -- one of the best in the world out there as a lightweight."

Indeed, Stevenson turned professional at the tender age of 16. Since that time he has racked up an impressive record (29-8), ensuring that he has the experience advantage over just about all of his opponents at just 26 years old.

And that includes Florian, who is older (32), but has nowhere near the amount of fights (10-3) as "Daddy." That’s a reality that is not lost on Boston area native. He views Stevenson as a worthy opponent who is standing between him and his ultimate career goal of one day being champion.

Continue reading this post »

WEC Featherweight Champion Urijah Faber has emerged as the face of World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC), racking up five consecutive wins for the Zuffa-owned promotion. In fact, he has not tasted defeat in 13 fights -- an impressive streak that dates back to 2005.

His record, fighting style and personality have thrust him to the forefront of the MMA scene. And the "California Kid" will once again be back in the bright spotlight at WEC 36: "Faber vs. Brown," defending his 145-pound title against number one contender Mike Brown in the main event live on Versus at 8 p.m. ET on November 5.

It's perhaps the toughest test to date for the 29-year-old fighter.

"Mike Brown is a really tough guy," Faber recently told MMAmania.com in an exclusive interview. "He is 19 and 4 out of American Top Team. He fought his last fights in Japan and he has fought before in Russia a little bit. He is tough. He is well rounded and, well, I think I’m going to beat him up."

Faber is infamous in industry circles for his tireless work ethic and dedication to training inside the gym. While most fighters are associated with big name camps like ATT, American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) or X-Treme Couture, among others, Faber spills his blood, sweat and tears in his own facility.

"It’s my own gym, downtown Sacramento," Faber says of Ultimate Fitness. "I feel like it is one of the best facilities in America. We’ve got a lot of top-notch trainers and a lot of great fighters that are going to be coming out of here and making a real big splash in the sport. It is an awesome facility -- I spend most of my time here."

Naturally, Urijah trains under different trainers depending on the discipline being taught. When asked who his trainers are Urijah replied, "My Muay Thai instructor, boxing instructor is Master Thong. He is a really accomplished trainer. He has four WEO champions, two kickboxing world champions and over 300 matches for Muay Thai itself. And I have Fabio Prado -- he is my Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach now. There are a lot of guys on our team that help out as well."

The lone blemish on Urijah’s professional record is courtesy of top UFC lightweight contender Tyson Griffin. It's a result that still eats at him to this day. And even though he compete at 145 pounds and Griffin is entrenched in the 155-pound division, Faber is eager for a rematch.

"Yeah I think it could happen," Faber says about fighting Griffin again. "Maybe not right away, but something, before I’m done fighting and he is done fighting, hopefully, for sure will happen."

As for the difference in weight, Faber has a solution to make the fight happen.

Continue reading this post »