Diego Sanchez is living the dream of a contender
LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Backstage at Red Rock Resort & Spa, Diego Sanchez turns to a TV.
There he is on replay: muscular and grimacing. There's his knee, moving in slow motion toward Karo Parisyan's face. There's Parisyan's tooth, flying from a pained, bloody mouth. "How's that for a highlight?" Sanchez says, beaming. "That's a first for me." Sanchez's eye is black but he otherwise looks fine. It's about 15 minutes after Ultimate Fight Night (live on Spike TV) and Parisyan has been ushered to the hospital so doctors can examine the hole where his tooth should be and the two swollen slits he sports for eyes. Sanchez is asked how he thinks he did. He didn't fight his best so at first he gives it a "C" performance. "But I knocked out his tooth, so I'll take a B-plus." An "A" would be more appropriate. Rarely is Sanchez, 24, mentioned in newsprint without the word "Nightmare" between his first and last names. The Albuquerque native's record entering the fight was 17-0, now one heavier on the win side. He's sponsored by Xyience energy drink, Mickey's beer and Tap Out sports apparel.
He has more than 8,000 registered friends on his MySpace page. He's a rising star in a sport that is, itself, a rising star. "I believe I'm the best in the world," he says. It's hard to argue. The training Albuquerque trainer Greg Jackson stands outside the fence of an eight-sided ring in his Northeast Heights gym near San Mateo Boulevard. He's moving around to keep a good view and lobbing quick words of advice at Sanchez. "Move, D," he'll cry. "Don't let him up." D doesn't. Minutes later, his training partner, Brian Schall, is sweaty and slumped against a wall, heaving. "Usually we're going about 50 percent," says Schall. "But with D, it's 90 or 100." It's one week and one day before Sanchez fights Parisyan at Red Rock. He's got to keep going. Sanchez is sparring with Damasio Page. On his back in defensive position, Sanchez peers. Page circles. Sanchez keeps his legs bent and taut and - BAM - faster than a camera's flash, he strikes the center of Page's tattooed torso with a left heel. Page clutches his chest, twists his face and falls in a heap. He actually smiles a bit between desperate gasps for air, and pants out the words "Nice shot, D." But Sanchez doesn't seem to hear. As Page heads slowly toward the octagon's door, Sanchez rolls over and within seconds is taking on another member of the team, Chris Avila. Page and Jackson are cooing - "Whoa. Great shot, D," Jackson yells - while Sanchez tussles with Avila. Pop. Avila's done, too. "It just popped once," Sanchez calls to Jackson as Avila makes his way toward the octagon's exit, clutching a smarting left elbow. Page has most of his wind back, so he starts up again with Sanchez. The four other fighters in the ring have stopped sparring. They're all sitting with their backs against the fence, watching Sanchez dominate Page. Don't these guys mind that they're taking the best shots of an undefeated UFC contender? "I enjoy this," Schall says. "It's an honor to train with Diego. I feel happy to train with someone of his caliber." Nightmare Sanchez was an aspiring fighter looking to break into ultimate fighting when UFC president Dana White and Spike TV came calling. "The Ultimate Fighter" began its first season in January of 2005 with 16 pros looking to break into the blossoming, big-money world of UFC. Sanchez, who's taken karate lessons since he was 9 and won a state championship in wrestling at Del Norte High School, plowed through the UFC foes and won the last battle on live TV. With that final victory came a six-figure contract, a black Scion automobile and a focused ride to the top of the UFC's welterweight division. But right now he's fresh off a training session and driving home after two shots of Wild Oats wheat grass. He's angry. "I couldn't hit the mitts today, man," he says, which isn't completely true. When he first started fighting, Sanchez's forte was grappling because of his background in wrestling, but for several months now he has trained with coach Rob Garcia and one of Garcia's other fighters, Francisco "Panchito" Bojado, who boxed for Mexico in the 2000 Olympics. Garcia says Bojado will be a world champion. Soon. "No one else (in the UFC) trains with someone like Panchito," Sanchez says. "Panchito's punches get to your face before you even know they're coming." Jackson talks proudly about the team he grooms daily at his gym. The 11 world champions he's cornered - in various fighting circuits all around the world - have played a massive role in Sanchez's unbeaten run through the UFC. Count Bojado among their ranks. He'll be ringside, in Sanchez's corner with Garcia and Jackson, the night "Nightmare" changes the shape of Parisyan's face.
The coaches
Greg Jackson can't recall how many times he's been on TV.
On fight night in Vegas, the cameras will beam the bout direct to more than 3 million TV sets, but Jackson says with sleepy eyes, "This is just another day at the office for me. I have a weird office, maybe, but this is like every other weekend."
Jackson doesn't work in this field for the thrills.
For him, this is art.
Jackson, thoughtful and friendly, says he was initially struck by the physics and geometry of mixed martial arts. He'll happily explain to anyone interested why there's more to learn on fighting in Miyamoto Musashi's "Book of Five Rings" (circa 1645) than Sun Tzu's more popular "The Art of War" (as long as you get the right translation).
The skinny, scruffy Jackson says he never felt big enough to be a successful fighter.
Sanchez, he says, "showed up when he was 17 or 18 and took to training like a fish to water. He came to every practice. And I don't mean every day. I mean every practice, twice a day."
Sanchez dominated submission tournaments, which are like ultimate fighting without boxing.
"He didn't win," Jackson says. "He destroyed people."
Much later in his training, about a year ago, Sanchez was introduced to the coach for Oscar De La Hoya, the boxing superstar Sanchez has idolized for years. Sanchez told Rob Garcia when they first met that he should sign on as his trainer.
"And I told him," Garcia says, "that he can't afford me."
That changed three months later when Garcia was contacted by one of Sanchez's sponsors.
Garcia lives in San Diego and shuns invitations to shape up celebrities like Tom Cruise in favor of training fighters full time. He was a fighter himself once, but hasn't been in a ring in any capacity but coach since 2000.
Garcia has learned the science of fighters' bodies. He prepares Sanchez's meals and can recite exactly what's to gain from each.
He takes Sanchez's pulse several times a day and keeps the figures in a journal. He knows what time the fight begins, and how to get his fighter's body most prepared to tussle at that point in the day.
Jackson handles the grappling and submission work. Garcia prepares Sanchez on conditioning, nutrition and boxing.
The Albuquerque trainer and California fight coach make an unlikely pair, but when the third round comes for Sanchez, they'll prove to have formed a sensationally effective partnership.
The weigh-in
In Sanchez's suite at the Red Rock Resort, a 42-inch plasma TV hangs on the wall.
A smaller TV dangles above the bathtub and one of the walls by the toilet is made out of leather. This new, off-the-strip casino is worth more than $1.1 billion.
And members of Sanchez's family have packed the place.
His parents, Kenny and Alonzo, are there. They've attended all of Sanchez's fights.
So are some uncles, aunts and cousins. There's at least 10 of them crowded into the suite's center room. Some of the younger Sanchezes stare with Bojado out of the 11th story window, at the girls lounging by the swimming pool. Some of the older ones do, too.
The fight is one day away.
Sanchez wears a white T-shirt and orange Tap Out shorts for the weigh-in. He's also wearing two touches of cool - a stark-black pair of wraparound sunglasses and fuzzy, white slippers.
It's a long walk to the elevator. Lining a trail behind Sanchez are family members (there are more downstairs), his trainers, his manager, his mental coach-slash-music producer, Bojado, a reporter, a photographer and two UFC media workers filming for a behind-the-scenes DVD. One carries a camera mounted by an intensely bright light.
The mental coach was the one person allowed in Sanchez's room 10 minutes before heading down. His name is Chase Bays, and he says in his spacey way that the pair were "working to intensify" Sanchez's eyes.
"He's fighting a battle with his eyes today."
It's an odd scene in the Summerlin Ballroom. Most of the women are striking. Most of the men have fashioned a creative way to accentuate their disproportionate muscles.
About five feet from the entrance is hulking heavyweight champ Tim Sylvia, wearing a big gold belt over the top of his cargo shorts. He's sporting shades, so who knows if Sylvia sees Sanchez between signing autographs for cute blondes half his size and smiling for photos with 5-year-olds.
A pair of ring girls standing to the side look bored in their bikinis as they browse on BlackBerrys.
As Sanchez fills out a pre-fight medical questionnaire Georges "Rush" St. Pierre is 10 feet away, posing for a picture with a tiny fight fan.
St. Pierre is getting set for his late-September, pay-per-view fight for Matt Hughes' welterweight championship. He'll later drop out with an injury and be replaced by another contender, B.J. Penn, but there's still a big, shiny belt on the line. The victor of Sanchez's fight with Parisyan is practically guaranteed a shot at the winner.
And the championship.
"It'll be a title fight, no question," says no less an authority than Randy "The Natural" Couture, a hulking, lumpy legend in the UFC, and the only man to win a title in two different weight classes.
Like most members of the weigh-in crowd, Couture has followed Sanchez's career since "The Ultimate Fighter."
"He's really impressed me," he says of Sanchez.
Couture coached against Sanchez on the show. Now they'll be on opposing sides again: Couture has trained for two years with Parisyan and will be working his corner.
"He brings an intensity from his wrestling background and he's very special," Couture says about Sanchez, who not far away weighs in at 169 pounds.
The stare down Bays was so eager to witness should be ruled a draw since Sanchez and Parisyan (who's 1 inch shorter and 2 pounds heavier than the 5-foot-11 Sanchez) step off the scales and pose for a fists-up photograph.
Parisyan is shockingly unfazed by the glare from Sanchez's pupils. Parisyan smiles like he has just pulled a prank.
Sanchez keeps staring.
When the weigh-in ends, Garcia is waiting with an avocado. Sanchez devours it between breaks to sign autographs and pose for pictures. When a little girl asks for a photo, Sanchez scoops her to his waist and they both scrunch their faces and put up their fists.
Fight night
Sanchez emerges from his room ready for work. He clutches a glass bottle of water as he heads to the suite's sink, pours a bit in a wine glass and says a prayer before gulping it down.
Flanked by the same annoying camera crew, he yells "505 baby! Albuquerque!" Then he inserts a pair of green earplugs. It's the last words he'll speak above a whisper until color man (and "Fear Factor" host) Joe Rogan is interviewing him after the fight.
Sanchez stretches, spreading his legs as he touches the ground while waiting for the elevator.
Sanchez's pre-fight demeanor is boring. He's in the prep room by 3 p.m. He spends hours stretching, pacing, punching, grappling, stretching, stretching and stretching. So much Vaseline is rubbed into his face that his body composition is probably altered slightly.
Jackson tells Sanchez at one point to "soak in the atmosphere." The fighter nods. That's it.
While Sanchez is the picture of stoic intensity, Parisyan is watching the live fights in the adjacent room, chatting up the other fighters. (Every single one to that point victorious. The room must be lucky.)
It could be composure. He might be more "loose" than Sanchez. Whatever the reason, it's clear Parisyan has come to Vegas with a completely different mind-set than his opponent.
They're starkly contrasting in various ways. Sanchez is baby-faced with a stylish haircut. When he speaks, he often sounds younger than his 24 years. His body is chiseled from tireless training and a meticulously monitored diet.
Parisyan is scruffy and his face wears the 25 fights in his young career like an old car. He's got a unibrow and a matted head of wiry black hair. He doesn't look as fit as Sanchez. He's softer.
Sanchez had hoped for such an advantage. Always obsessive about his diet, he became more determined the weeks before the big night. He told his parents, "I want to look good in the fight. I want to look better than he does."
Mission accomplished, but this isn't a beauty pageant.
When the last bout ends before his fight begins, Sanchez calls a football-style huddle with the coaches and a few friends backstage. They pray, as Sanchez does before all his fights.
On to the octagon.
The crowd greets Sanchez with chants and cheers. Family members comprise a large chunk of audience.
He once walked out to the ring with a live mariachi band in tow. Today, Sanchez approaches the ring to a "Nightmare" song filled with bursts of thunder. Bays put together the song for Sanchez.
The mariachis weren't nearly so forgettable.
In the pre-fight intro on Spike TV, Parisyan, filmed in dramatic black and white, says "I'll cut him with an elbow above his eyebrow. It looks pretty good on TV."
Thirty seconds into the first round of their clash, it is Parisyan who suffers a cut from a vicious uppercut by Sanchez on Parisyan's left eye that will bleed and impede for the rest of the fight.
Sanchez climbs onto Parisyan's back, the best position in this sport for ending a fight in submission. He gets a few moments of ground and pound, punching away at Parisyan's head while their legs are tangled on the mat.
But Parisyan, who was once at the cusp of making the 2004 Olympics in judo, won't be conquered so easily. He withstands the tidal wave and uses his expertise in the Japanese fight form to twice throw Sanchez down hard.
On the second throw, Sanchez's head clearly slams the mat, but they're up in a flash. Swinging away.
It looks like an alley fight when they meet for the start of the second round.
Sanchez takes hard, quick jabs to the face. A kick hits the side of his head. When Parisyan has him pressed against the fence, he wraps up Sanchez, picks his entire body off the ground and slams him back down while the crowd roars and rises to its feet.
As the round nears the bell, Parisyan has exhausted himself (remember that body). He's landed more shots than Sanchez, but "Nightmare" has inflicted noticeable damage to Parisyan's face. It's swollen on both sides. It's swollen above and below the left eye.
The bell dings.
As the final round is set to begin, neither fighter has held an advantage long enough to distinguish a winner. Sanchez has wrapped Parisyan up more and attempted more submissions (where any part on a fighter's body is bent to the point he's forced to tap his hands so the ref will end the bout).
But Parisyan has been the better striker. It's obvious: Win the third, win the fight.
Parisyan sits in his corner as Tito Ortiz - an icon in the sport - tells him that his jabs need to "snap a little more, dude."
Parisyan has fighters in his corner - legends - but Sanchez has coaches. Jackson tells Sanchez to go for takedowns and Garcia says, simply, "Use all that energy."
All the weights, the track, the sparring, the dieting - the sheer discipline - have come down to these 5 minutes for Sanchez. Win these 5 minutes and the Hughes-Penn fight next month will mean everything. Win these 5 minutes and a championship will be at stake next time he drives his Scion to a training session.
Sanchez unleashes his entire arsenal. When their heads get close, he throws massive uppercuts from below. Parisyan gets another slam, but Sanchez wraps him up on the ground and mounts Parisyan's torso, teeing off on his head with both fists. He grunts with each meeting between his hands and his opponent's body.
The crowd is chanting, over and over, "Diego!"
Sanchez rolls Parisyan, takes his back, flattens his body, and chokes. Parisyan gets out but not up. Sanchez plows into his head with more punches.
Parisyan wiggles out and stands up, but he's gassed.
His face looks nothing like it did half an hour ago.
With 1:10 left in the fight, the knee connects and the tooth flies. They both fall down and Sanchez punches and throws fast, hard elbows that could shatter furniture.
The three plastic pops come from the side of the ring signaling 10 seconds left. Sanchez stands up and makes the moments count, swinging away and connecting on a helpless Parisyan skull until the final bell rings.
"Nightmare" is 18-0. Next up - a title shot.
The celebration
His gloves and two blood-stained, fist-shaped balls of tape are perched on Sanchez's gym bag as he stands in the corner of the green room and provides a Nevada Athletic Commission official what's needed for another drug test.
Sanchez puts the cup on the table and the stragglers laugh. It looks more like fruit punch than lemonade. Jackson says bloody urine is typical after a fight.
Sanchez gets a massage on the spot and then returns to the room.
Garcia looks at Jackson as they pack their bags.
"How we doing, No. 1 coach in the universe?" he asks.
"Well," Jackson replies, throwing Garcia an exaggerated point with his index finger, "I share that distinction with my fellow coach."
Garcia drops the cheese act and tells Jackson: "It was an honor to be in there with you, buddy."
As they head back to the room, Sanchez isn't being held up much for the first time all week.
Not until he steps off the elevator on the 11th floor.
The slow clap starts when he turns the corner to the hallway.
Clap.
There are family members in the hall, stopping him for a quick hug and congratulations.
Clap.
Uncles smile and grab at him.
Clap.
Cousins give high fives.
Clap.
Then comes the eruption.
The doors to room 1112 are already open. Forty family members are waiting and their cheers are the loudest Sanchez has received all night.
Sanchez makes a slow lap in the room, squeezing his relatives and soaking in their adulation.
"I want to thank you all for coming," he yells loud enough for the entire room to hear. "I love you!"
One of his uncles takes the center of the room and calls out "Diego!"
"Diego!" he yells again, then once more until he has everyone's attention.
"Thank you for kicking his ass!"
UFC 63: Hughes vs. Penn Fight Card
These are the match ups for UFC 63 on Saturday, September 23rd:
- - Matt Hughes defends his UFC welterweight title against the previous champion BJ Penn.
- - Mike Swick looks to make it five straight first round UFC wins when he takes on David "The Crow" Loiseau.
- - After departuring from the UFC in 2002, Jens "Lil Evil" Pulver returns to fight Joe Lauzon.
- - Coming off a win over Duane "Bang" Ludwig, the undefeated Tyson Griffin makes his UFC debut against David Lee.
- - Rashad Evans arrives on a pay per view card to face Jason Lambert. Both of them are 3-0 in the UFC.
- - Former WEC lightweight champion Gabe Ruediger makes his UFC debut against TUF 2 cast member Melvin "The Young Assasin" Guillard.
- - TUF 2's Jorge Gurgel faces TUF 3's Danny Abaddi.
- - Roger Huerta, forced off the UFC 61 card due to an elbow injury, makes his delayed UFC debut against Jason Reinhardt.
- - In a battle between two heavyweight Brazilian submission specialists, Gabriel Gonzaga will face Mario Neto.
Two title bouts announced for UFC 64: Unstoppable
The UFC announced two main event title bouts for UFC 64 "Unstoppable." Rich Franklin is set to defend his UFC Middleweight title against Anderson Silva and Kenny Florian will fight Sean Sherk for the vacant UFC Lightweight title. UFC 64 happens on Saturday, October 14, from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
Strikeforce: Tank vs. Buentello Fight Card
Save Mart Center in Fresno, California
October 7, 2006
- - 265 lbs: Paul Buentello vs. Tank Abbott
- - 155 lbs: Josh Thomson vs. Duane Ludwig
- - 265 lbs: Wesley "Cabbage" Correira vs. Ruben "Warpath" Villareal
- - 205 lbs: Bobby Southworth vs. TBA
- - 185 lbs: Trevor Prangley vs. TBA
- - 170 lbs: Jason Von Flue vs. TBA
- - 155 lbs: Casey Olson vs. TBA
- - 145 lbs: Antonio Banuelos vs. TBA
- - 155 lbs: Philip Perez vs. TBA
Sherdogs Guide to the Ultimate Fighter
Its 6:15 p.m. Central Standard Time and I'm driving home like an Andretti on fire. College football starts tonight. I repeat, college football starts tonight! It's the most wonderful time of the year, plus my Dallas Cowboys are also on the tube so I'm a man on a mission.
While driving like a maniac, my mom's on the phone telling me about how excited she is for her first trip to Washington D.C. "We're going to all the monuments and then we'll probably go to Arlington and I also want to see the Library of Congress. …"
I keep giving her "uh huh's" and "that's nice's" until the car in front of me screeches and the brake lights are glowing.
In the middle of her sentence I watch a girl spin off the side of the Xterra in front of me. It hits me that I just saw a child get hit by a car. I mumble something to my mom and hang up. I pull over and rush over as this girl hops on one foot and I look down and realize that her foot was run over. I pick her up and take her over to the sidewalk and we sit down as she begins to sob uncontrollably.
I look down at her foot and see two white bones sticking out each side of the foot and her big toe is smashed flat with toe guts on each side; it looks almost fake.
I decide not to look down again and I try my best to distract her with dumb mindless questions and small pats on the back. The poor kid is more worried about her mom being pissed at her for running out in front of a car. Half of the time she cries out in Spanish so I throw a few "pobrasitas" her way and at least we both feel like we are trying to cope with the fact that her foot looks like someone took a claw hammer to it.
I try my best to comfort her but sincerity has never been my strong suit. We have a bonding moment as she grips my hand like her name was "Magnus" and she bites her jeans to get through the pain. I exchange nervous glances with the girl that ran over her foot. We agree that later we should both go get a drink. The cops show up and then the EMS and we hand her over to her visibly upset mother and they load her into an ambulance.
I shoot the breeze with some of the cops and then decide to head home. It's when I'm picking up the mail that the shakes begin. Those weird post-accident adrenaline shakes that make you feel like someone gave you a "Beijing Cocktail.”
I make it into my place and plop down for some football, but first I call my Mexican girlfriend and try to explain to her that I'm an American hero to the Mexican community. She's not totally convinced but she agrees to nominate me for "Gringo of the Year" if that actually exists anywhere.
Now for the next few hours I'm treated to arguably the best television this year since my Longhorns were in the Rose bowl in January. The Cowboys are on. Boston College almost gets upset. And GSP takes a tough one against B.J. Penn (Pictures) on Spike.
I should be in sports heaven but instead I can't quit thinking about how a 12 year old almost died in a split second stupid decision.
I don't mean to bum you kids out but crap that was weird sequence of events.
Anyway finally TUF comes on and I'm glad to have the distraction. It was rough to watch Edwin Dewees (Pictures) go through his bloodletting again but at least he hung tough and got a victory out of it.
This third episode begins with everyone griping about Shonie Carter (Pictures). Shonie's an odd duck and his constant need to entertain himself keeps annoying his housemates.
Shonie's shadowboxing in the pool; he's painting self-portraits and decorating clothes with a passion that would make your local homecoming "mum" maker proud. If you don't know what a mum is then just e-mail me and I'll explain it to you.
Team No Love's Jeremy Jackson (Pictures) laments that the losses his team has suffered is affecting their training. Jeremy is focused on during this episode, maybe to throw us all off the scent of who'll be fighting tonight. Jeremy explains that he thinks he will be picked to fight Din Thomas (Pictures) just do to Din's attitude and behavior. Jeremy thinks he can beat Din but he's looking to fight Chris Lytle (Pictures).
Lytle would be a tall order for anyone on this show since he's what we call a "tough cookie." Lytle is pretty much as well rounded and scrappy as a fighter you'll find anywhere and Jeremy wants the challenge.
Back at the house UFC 60 is put on the big screen and Georges St. Pierre (Pictures) comes over to watch it with the fellas. Last week I cracked wise on Georges's accent and half of Canada e-mailed me to say "sacre bleu" which is the equivalent of "shenanigans" or something of the sort. Anyway Georges watches with the guys as Matt dismantles Royce.
This fight shocked some people because they felt that Matt's strengths would play into Royce's game. Instead, Matt was able to use his power to overwhelm Royce and some of the TUF contestants were stunned. Matt Serra (Pictures), being Gracie reared was understandably distraught over seeing his mentor lose but chose to use it as motivation for his efforts on the show.
Back at the training facilities, Marc Laimon is brought in to teach some jiu-jitsu. Matt Serra (Pictures) isn't too happy to see Marc. Marc has cornered fights against Matt's coaching and heads may have butted. Matt doesn't like how Marc runs his mouth, specifically regarding Royce Gracie (Pictures) and especially since Marc's not a fighter.
Royce is arguably the reason all of us watch MMA and to have a jiu-jitsu guy disrespect him is especially insulting. Matt voices his displeasure at Marc's lack of fighting experience and the staff of Sherdog collectively tugs at their collars. HA!
Once again Jeremy Jackson (Pictures) is the focus as Randy Couture (Pictures) speaks of his strengths as a fighter. Dana White explains Jeremy's history with the UFC and they show highlights of his loss to Nick Diaz (Pictures).
Those monsters at Spike have tricked us since the teams get together and Team Mojo decides that Pete Spratt (Pictures) will take on Chris Lytle (Pictures). I gasp since these are two of my favorite fighters on the show. Lytle used to make me look stupid when I picked him to lose and he refused to do so. Pete's a Texan that I've met a few times and I love his style. While I'm thrilled to see them fight it just seems too soon. They both belong on the show but, hey, no matter who wins the loser will still stick around.
Some of the contestants feel that this will be a bad fight for Pete since these two have fought before and Lytle was able win by submission. Lytle explains that Pete has beaten tough guys and that it will be no cakewalk.
The fight begins and Chris immediately bum rushes Pete and puts him against the fence. The two are tied up for a while until Chris puts Pete on his back where Pete is out-matched. It doesn't take too long for Chris to get on top and sink a guillotine from the mount and Pete is forced to tap.
Pete is upset because he feels he's the better athlete and he's disappointed in his showing. He's right: he is the better athlete but Chris Lytle (Pictures) is just one of those fighters that are so skilled at all angles and has the intangibles to force wins.
I contemplate the fact that Lytle might be one guy to beat at 170 pounds and I flip back over in time to see Mike Vanderjagt miss his second field goal and my Cowboys are stuck with a tie. I let out a deep sigh and resign myself to the fact that at least I'm an American hero who helps injured children.
Griffin, Bonnar II is no disappointment
Once again, Griffin won the close bout, even tough it was scored a unanimous 30-27 win by all three judges, and once again, there was no let up from either fighter as they pressed the tempo for the full 15 minutes. "I did OK tonight," Griffin said. "I felt a little sluggish; I'm ready for a rematch with Tito. - I want to improve on this fight." Griffin came into UFC 62 determined to get back into the win column having lost his most recent bout to Tito Ortiz in UFC 59, his opponent Stephen Bonner had the same dilemma having also lost his last bout to Rashad Evans in Ultimate Fight Night 5. Griffin was the aggressor, out punched, out kicked Bonnar in the first two minutes of the bout, but Bonnar took his licks as Griffin kept on pressing and landing solid jabs and leg kicks to end the first round Bonnar was able to land some hard punches. Heavy hands from Griffin kept Bonnar on the defensive and three minutes into the second round Bonnar was able to connect on two straight right crosses to open a cut under Griffin's right eye. Griffin seemed unfazed and was able to land two right hands to his counterpart's chin to end the second round. In the final round, Griffin was to pick his shots and landed some over hand rights while Bonnerattempted various spinning back kicks and punches but did not connect on any of his attempts. 
LAS VEGAS — The reception that was given to Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar by near sellout crowd on Saturday at Mandalay Bay is the type of ovation that is only seen in a title fight, but this lightweight bout was not a championship fight but rather a rematch of one of the mixed martial art's most epic battles between two of the UFC's most popular fighters.
"It was a good fight, it was close, I thought I won a round,"" Bonnar said. "I wanted to win this one to have a rubber match, but how about we do best-of-five."
In an earlier welterweight match, Nick Diaz came into Saturday's bout versus Josh Neer as a last-minute replacement and with nothing to lose after the original opponent Thiago Alves was unable to fight due to illness.
Diaz dropped his final three UFC fights before heading to the International Cage Fighting Organization where he picked up a win and in Saturday's bout the Diaz of old returned as he was able to pick up the win over Neer due to a tap out 1:42 into the final round.
"I'm getting more and more comfortable each time I fight in the Octagon," Diaz said. "I was patient with the kimura and just applied pressure to his arm."
In the final round, Neer was able to slip on guillotine but Diaz was able to go on the ground and maneuver out of choke and in the process applied a kimura and with 1:42 into the third round, Neer tapped out and Diaz made his UFC return a success.
Cage Rage 18: Battleground on Saturday, September 30 Updated Fightcard
This is the updated fight card for Cage Rage 18 from the Wembley Arena on Saturday, September 30th.
British Light Heavyweight Title Bout
- - Ian "The Machine" Freeman (challenger) vs. Mark Epstein (champion)
Middleweight Bout
- - Murilo "Ninja" Rua vs. Mark Weir
Heavyweight Bout
- - Kimo vs. Dave Legeno
British Heavyweight Title Bout
- - Robert Berry (challenger) vs. Rob Broughton (champion)
Middleweight Bout
- - Tony Fryklund vs. Alex Reid
Lightweight Title Bout
- - Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro vs. Abdul Mohamed
Heavyweight Bout
- - Alexandra Lungu vs. TBA
Middleweight Bout
- - Alex Cook vs. Gregory Bouchelaghem
Heavyweight Bout
- - Mustafha Alturk vs. Henry Miller
British Welterweight Title Bout
- - Paul Daley (champion) vs. Sol Gilbert (challenger)
British Featherweight Title Bout
- - Brad Pickett vs. Robbie Olivier
Middleweight Bout
- - Zelg Galesic vs. James E-Nicolle
BJ Penn - A Chance to Fix Everything UFC 63
When a major fight gets scrapped due to injury, there is an inevitable letdown, and usually a dip in the quality of the replacement bout. That wasn’t the case this past week though, when the September 23rd welterweight title fight between Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre was replaced by an intriguing rematch pitting Hughes against the last man to beat him, BJ Penn.
Penn’s reaction was what you would expect it to be.
“I can’t believe I’m gonna be the world champ again,” he exclaimed last Wednesday afternoon. A groin pull forced St. Pierre out of his long-awaited return bout with Hughes, and when Penn – who was already training for an October 10th UFC bout – got the phone call, his decision to fight the dominant welterweight of this era on a month’s notice was a no-brainer.
“As soon as I got the phone call, I was crying tears of joy for like 15 minutes when it finally hit me,” said Penn. “I’ve got a chance now. I did all these things in my life to get where I am and that’s why I got this shot, but I got a chance now to correct everything, to go back, beat Matt Hughes, get the belt back, beat St. Pierre, and go and do what I have to do. I’ve got a chance to correct everything and fix it all, and I know I’m gonna do it.”
Penn’s career has been a storied one, beginning with his winning of the jiu-jitsu Mundials (he was the first non-Brazilian to do so) and his stirring UFC debut in 2001. Thought to be unbeatable, Penn would lose his first title shot to Jens Pulver, but his legend grew with the upset win over Hughes in 2004, which came in his first fight at 170 pounds. After a contract dispute caused him to abandon the welterweight title, Penn stayed active and finally made a return to the Octagon in March against St. Pierre. Penn would lose a close split decision to the Canadian, but for the pride of Hilo, Hawaii, it was a wake-up call.
“My performance was low against Rodrigo (Gracie), Lyoto (Machida), Renzo (Gracie), and St. Pierre,” admitted Penn, who went 2-2 in that span. “I don’t want to make any excuses because they are all just great fighters and world-class people and I don’t - in any way, shape, or form - take away anything from them, but I just feel like I get burned out. I don’t want to be there, I’m not happy being there, so now I just have to do it like a high school kid – show up and fight after school at the park.”
In response, Penn has given up traditional, or as he calls it ‘professional’ training.
“I just gave up training professionally for a fight,” he said. “Either you’re a fighter, or you’re not. And every time I train professionally I just get so burned out that I don’t want to do it anymore. So I’m just gonna be in shape and train kinda like how I used to train when I won the jiu-jitsu world championships – just go there in the night, train, and go home. I’m not gonna go push myself to go running and do these thousand rounds of sparring and stuff. I fight best when I’m having a good time and after my last fight I was so burned out by the time I got there that now I’m just gonna take it easy and have fun.”
It could be a risky tact to take against a man Penn calls, “the greatest welterweight champion ever in the UFC,” but diehard fans believe that if anyone can pull it off, it’s ‘The Prodigy’, who already stunned the mixed martial arts world once when he submitted Hughes with a rear naked choke at UFC 46. How has the champ improved in Penn’s eyes since their first fight?
“He’s more experienced and he’s had a couple of big fights, but the reason I believe why Matt has stuck around so long and done so well is because he hasn’t changed,” said Penn. “He does what he does well and he doesn’t say ‘okay, today I’m gonna be the kickboxer,’ or ‘today, I’m gonna be this person’. He does what he does and he doesn’t stop. That’s what I attribute his success to, and I also attribute it to the fact that he doesn’t train all year round. He does whatever he does, and then when he hears that he’s got a fight, he goes and works out. So he doesn’t get burnt out.”
Ask Hughes the same question about Penn, and you can tell that the veteran titlist has got more than a little fire in his belly to get some payback.
“Well, he’s coming off a loss, that’s for sure,” said Hughes when asked how Penn has changed as a fighter since their first bout. “I think he’s pretty arrogant and that could be a weakness on his part. I’m sure technically he’s improved from when we fought last, as I have too. It could be a very different fight. I’m actually looking forward to it going the whole time.”
Read between the lines and that could mean that Hughes is looking to deliver a 25 minute beatdown on his rival. Does it add a little more to the motivational pot for the champ to have the opportunity to get even with Penn?
“Sure, everybody wants to avenge a loss, so I get to go back and fight somebody who beat me and somewhat scratch that loss off my record if I can get a win against him, and that’s what I’m looking forward to doing,” said Hughes.
As for Penn, fighting a top-quality fighter like St. Pierre is big, but fighting Hughes for the title is even bigger, and he expects his performance on September 23rd to reflect that.
“You can see it in my performance when I got a big person, when I’m up for something and really want to fight for something,” he said. “I’ll go out there and do it. I thrive on these big fights, and I thrive on pressure. I got my black belt one week before I won the world championships in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and I thrive off that; that’s when I perform my best.”
It’s hard to believe that Penn, at 27, is almost hitting the big 3-0. But his appeal has not diminished in the least, and he still remains one of the sport’s most intriguing fighters. It’s a quality only a select few in the fight game possess, and he knows it.
“It’s because everybody knows a true fighter when they see one,” said Penn. “This fight is bigger than the St.Pierre-Hughes fight and St. Pierre’s a great guy and a great fighter, but there’s just something about BJ Penn that gets people amped up. You don’t know what’s gonna happen, but something’s gonna happen. He might disappoint you, he might make you happy, he might make you cry, he might make you jump out of your chair, but he’ll do something to you.”
Kimo fights at Cage Rage 18
Kimo ….“Yes, it’s true!”
Cage Rage Championships is now officially confirming the rumours about Kimo fighting at Cage Rage.
Having finally signed the contracts, UFC, Pride and K-1 legend Kimo Leopoldo is on his way to Wembley Arena to make his British debut at the fast selling Cage Rage 18: Battleground.
Kimo is best known as the first man that put the Gracie’s to the test. His epic battle with mixed martial arts legend Royce Gracie in 1994 at UFC 3 is arguably one of the best bouts ever in UFC history.
Kimo has since catapulted into the limelight with a growing fan base over the world. His trademark entrance into the octagon carrying a huge cross on his back is now notorious. Since his MMA debut nearly twelve (12) years ago, Kimo has travelled the world, fighting some of the best MMA fighters in the planet at the most prestigious stages, and he has accumulated a steady track record with many wins and only a few losses to his name. On behalf of Cage Rage Championships, it really is a honour to welcome the legendary Kimo into our midst at Cage Rage 18.
The only remaining problem we have now is…who will Kimo fight???
We searched high and low for a strong man with an iron will to beat a veteran like Kimo, and after much deliberation we are proud to announce that Kimo will be facing our very own Dave “The Enforcer” Legeno for a heavyweight showdown. Both men like to strike and neither man is afraid of the other, but more importantly, both like to throw ‘bombs’ looking for that ultimate KO!
Kimo v Legeno will be a fight for the history books.
Source: Cagerage.tv
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