“I will be going to the EliteXC with both my belts!” Paul Daley
He is the number one welterweight in Europe. He has competed both in the USA and in Japan as well as all the big shows in the UK. He is confident enough to turn down an offer from the UFC. He has already achieved more than most British fighters and is still only 24 years old. Paul Daley is one of the fastest-rising stars on the international Mixed Martial Arts scene.
Ground & Pound's Tim Leidecker had the opportunity to talk to "Semtex" ahead of his big FX3 title defense against German Wunderkind Daniel Weichel.
Ground & Pound: Thanks for taking the time to do the interview, Paul. You must have balls like grapefruits to reject an offer from the UFC! Why did you do that?
Paul Daley: Because EliteXC has offered me a more flexible contract, plus the UFC 170lbs. division is stacked. I want more time to develop and grow as a fighter. I want to be the greatest and I am in no rush.
GnP: EliteXC also has fighters like Jake Shields and Mike Pyle under contract. Would that be the kind of opposition you look forward to fighting?
PD: I'll fight whoever they ask me to fight. Those guys are real tough, but it's the kind of challange that I need to drive me.
GnP: Before heading off to the States, you have some unfinished business here in Europe. I'm talking about your upcoming fights with Daniel Weichel and Paul Kelly. What are your thoughts on these two fights?
PD: They are fights I want to win to put a stamp on my role in the UK and European scene. I will be going to the EliteXC with both my belts!
GnP: The German fans are of course particulary thrilled about your fight with Daniel. How do you rate him and what's your prediction going into the fight?
PD: He is a great fighter! I think he has good ability, but I have been training hard so I predict a win by KO or TKO.
GnP: In your last battle against Luiz Azeredo you were taken down a lot which might have cost you the fight. Is wrestling something you are working the hardest to improve?
PD: Not really, I think my wrestling is underrated, becauase it is something that people have not seen a lot of. For the Azeredo fight I had to cut 7kg the day before the Weigh-In, so I was very weak and drained for the fight at 73kg. I have been working on lots of stuff, I have great focus and I will prove this against Daniel.
GnP: Speaking of training, you have gone to many different places like Mike's Gym in Holland or American Top Team in Florida instead of sticking with one particular team or gym. What's the philosophy behind this?
PD: I want to learn different things, skills and drill for the people that do it best. I have that ideal of a travelling warrior, like Jeremy Horn. I ain't just about the UFC, stardom and fame. I want to be the best fighter in the world at all ranges. Hard to achieve, but that is my goal, not matter what ups and downs, wins or losses I may have. This is my ultimate goal! With this I will be undisputed as the greatest MMA fighter ever!
GnP: 2006 was a breakout year for you as you made your debut in both the US and in Japan. What impressions have stuck with you from fighting abroad?
PD: The way organisations are run, different from the UK scene. Also I have met some great people and been given some great advice. I wish to continue to fight all over the world, it's fun.
GnP: At only 1,75m you are among the smaller fighters in the welterweight division. Why did you decide to move up a weight class after having previously fought at lightweight, which seemed more of a natural fit?
PD: I have been middleweight before! I can still fight lightweight, I'll fight where best the challange is. Getting to lightweight is very hard for me, so I don't want to do this too often. I fight where I am more comfortable, this is 170lbs.
GnP: What's your favorite way of spending the time when you don't beat up people in a cage?
PD: Man… I don't know. I like to chill and still do leisure type things, read, watch DVDs, go for meals and drinks, normal stuff.
GnP: Who are the three people who have had most influence on your career so far?
PD: First of all my coach: Rupurt Smile. Then basically everybody at American Top Team (all international training). I don't know, it's hard to name just three people, many people have and continue to inspire and help me out.
GnP: Do you have a role model you are trying to mould your fighting style after?
PD: All the greats in the aspects of MMA. I have a super image in my head: (Buakaw) Por.Pramuk, Sean Sherk, Mintauro, Fedor… everyone has something to offer. I want to find those things and mold them into my game.
GnP: Do you have a role model outside the cage?
PD: All aspiring youth and those people from a hard life that have achived great things.
GnP: What's your take on the European fight scene in general and the German one in particular?
PD: Hmmm, I don't know. There are some pretty tough guys around, but I didn't have had the chance to go to many shows in Germany or Europe.
GnP: County or Forest?
PD: Forest… I was on their youth team. (laughs)
GnP: In the end, do you have a message for your fans in Germany, Austria and Switzerland?
PD: Thanks for the continued support! Keep following the carrer of myself and be part of something great. Stay positive in life and aim high! Keep up to date with my career at http://www.blackstar-ent.com/. Peace!
Is Wanderlei Silva finished?
This may sound like crazy talk, but from a fan and writer's perspective, it appears as though Silva is on his way out, if he wasn't been already. This may sound a little harsh but if you really think about it for a while, the only time Silva has looked like the real "Axe Murderer" against world-class opposition (note: an emphasis on "world class") was back on Halloween '04 when he tore up Quinton Jackson.
Sure he certainly bludgeoned Kazuhiro Nakamura and Kazuyuki Fujita, but let's face it: those two aren't exactly "Shogun" and "Rampage." His close tussles with Hidehiko Yoshida could be construed as signs of decline mainly because Yoshida isn't an A level fighter. Yoshida is a tremendous judoka and he is naturally bigger than Silva, but Wanderlei never dominated the Japanese icon in either of their two fights.
Silva also dropped a lackluster decision to archrival Ricardo Arona and though he avenged the loss to his tattooed nemesis, he didn't blow him out of the water like "Shogun" or Jackson did. Let's also not forget the controversial loss to former K-1 World Grand Prix champion Mark Hunt. And although I thought Silva did enough to deserve the decision, Hunt was still a novice to MMA and Silva looked listless. His duel with eventual 2006 Open-Weight Grand Prix champ Mirko Filipovic surfaced, which directly preceded Saturday's knockout loss to Henderson.
Why has Silva looked less-than-spectacular lately? One can be ring burnout, because Silva, unlike most world champions, fights all the time. It seems like he fights on every other full-blown PRIDE event and ever since he won the middleweight crown by besting Kazushi Sakuraba in November 2001, he has competed in a whopping 19 professional fights — and that's not even including the thousands of hours spent in the gym and hundreds of sparring sessions he plunged into headfirst. Compared to other elite world champions of his era, Silva was the busiest.
Since winning the belt, the "Axe Murderer" has been toppled only four times and had one draw. In that same span, Chuck Liddell fought 13 times (two losses), Couture 10 times (five losses), Tito Ortiz nine times (three losses), Fedor Emelianenko 19 (zero losses), Matt Hughes 14 (two losses) and Dan Henderson 15 (four losses).
Aside from Fedor, who is arguably the greatest fighter ever, Wanderlei has been the most impressive and has toppled the better competition overall. His only losses, aside from the Henderson shellacking on Saturday and the points loss to Arona, came from fighting heavyweights.
After pondering what Silva's been through during his title reign, it's a wonder he held onto the title for that long. The man has been busy and by not resting as much as the others, losing his title before retirement was inevitable.
Another piece of the jigsaw puzzle is the amount of punishment he's had to endure throughout his title reign. At some point in virtually every fighter's career there is a breaking point and no matter how great a fighter is or how much training he's endured, his body just shuts down.
Translation: shot.
Maybe it happened against "Cro Cop." Maybe it was against Henderson. Maybe it actually hasn't even happened. Either way, when an elite fighter, or even a very good, successful fighter, is dominated so thoroughly and knocked out so viciously in back-to-back battles, it's usually a sign of a shot fighter.
Silva is only 30 years old, yet he has done it all. Perhaps he has totally burned himself out. It happened to Pedro Rizzo, Igor Vovchanchyn and, when speaking of elite warriors, it happened to Mark Coleman and Randy Couture.
While it seems unlikely, considering how relatively young he is, I'm hoping Silva has not succumbed to that same fistic death sentence. (Hmm, I am wondering if Silva will become the Marco Antonio Barrera of MMA.) I don't think he's done yet, but only future fights will tell us for sure.
The Iceman ready to get back to training - looking forward to Sylvia and Couture
All within two weeks. UFC light-heavyweight champion Chuck (The Iceman) Liddell is on the move. "Too much travelling. I can't wait to get back to training. Just training and staying home," Liddell, nursing a cold and regretting not staying in the night before, said in an interview Tuesday morning in the offices of The Fight Network.
The 37-year-old mixed martial arts star from San Luis Obispo, Calif., has been on a PR blitz of late, travelling to promote "300," a stylish made-in-Montreal film about the battle of Thermopylae where 300 Spartan soldiers took on a massive Persian army. Liddell's not in the film but producers clearly thought it wouldn't hurt to have a bad-ass fighter promote the movie. Liddell has been visiting cities for screenings ahead of the March 9 release for "300."
Travel aside, Liddell has started training again after his Dec. 30 win over Tito Ortiz at UFC 66. The Iceman has now won seven fights in a row and has not lost since June 6, 2003, when Randy Couture defeated him at UFC 43: Meltdown. Liddell has since avenged that loss - twice.
Liddell injured the medial collateral ligament in his knee in training for the recent Ortiz fight but says it's on the mend.
"It's good. Actually it's actually pretty healthy," he said. "I went home, worked out three or four times . . . No problems. So I was happy with that. That was the first time I'd really tested it wrestling."
Liddell tested out the knee at a recent workout session filmed by Sports Illustrated for a future edition of the magazine.
Surgery on the MCL can be hit or miss, according to Liddell. "I might as well not do it," he added.
Liddell plans to get back into training mode for real starting March 10. He's not sure who he will face next, but expects two or three bouts in 2007 with the first coming at the end of May. If that doesn't come off, July is the next likely window.
Liddell (20-3) sees a likely fight calendar of May, August-September and November-December.
"I'd rather keep busy than not," he said.
It's easier that way, he says.
"I have a tendency when I'm not training to cause damage to my own self," he said dryly.
Quinton (Rampage) Jackson is one likely opponent, but probably not until the fall. Liddell says Jackson turned an earlier fight down, saying he wanted another bout to prepare.
Jackson was recently lured back to the UFC. He's a natural for Liddell, considering Rampage represents his last loss - and the only one he has yet to avenge.
Liddell isn't sure who's up next.
"I really don't know. I don't know who they can find. I'll fight Cro Cop if they want me too, but I don't think they want me to do that yet either."
Cro Cop is Croatian heavyweight Mirko Filipovic, another marquee import to the UFC from Pride Fighting Championships in Japan.
Filipovic is slated to fight Gabriel Gonzaga in April at UFC 70 in Manchester, England, with the winner taking on the winner of Saturday's Tim Sylvia-Randy Couture heavyweight title fight at UFC 68 in Columbus, Ohio.
"I always want to fight the toughest guys," Liddell explained. "I want to make a point, to prove I can beat everybody."
That means tough matchups.
"By tough I mean fun," Liddell said. "Those are fights where I will be tested."
The Iceman thinks Pride star Wanderlei Silva may be yesterday's news after his KO at the hands of Dan Henderson on the weekend.
"It's hard to fight a guy who got knocked out twice - and knocked out by a 185-pounder (Henderson)."
Liddell could find an opponent elsewhere on the rival Pride circuit. Mauricio (Shogun) Rua is one option although UFC president Dana White thinks the Brazilian is not enough of a marquee name.
That's not the case with Pride heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko. The hard-punching Russian has just one loss in 26 outings and that came in December 2000 via a stoppage due to a cut.
"It's a dangerous fight for me, but I think I have the stuff to beat him, the right style to beat him," Liddell said of the Russian.
Liddell says he will know when to quit fighting - his body will tell him. And if it doesn't, trainer John Hackleman will.
"Once I get that feeling, then I'm done," Liddell said.
The Iceman will be on hand Saturday when Couture tackles heavyweight champion Sylvia.
Couture is coming out of retirement for the Sylvia fight after a year away from the game. He faces a big awkward opponent in the six-foot-eight, 265-pound Sylvia.
"It should be interesting," Liddell said. "Randy moved down (to light-heavyweight) because he has a problem with big guys, but they were big wrestlers. And Tim Sylvia's a striker. So I don't know.
"I think I'm leaning towards Sylvia, but . . .I think (Randy) thinks he's got a shot, he's got something that he can do."
Liddell knows all about big men. He trains with a sparring partner who's 6-10.
"If I haven't sparred with him in two, three weeks, anytime I come back to spar with him, it takes me at least two rounds to get used to that extra reach. You think you're out of a round, then all of a sudden 'ouch."'
Liddell is not fazed by the fact that Couture is 43.
"We'll see. If it goes to the later rounds, we'll see who's in better shape. Tim Sylvia's a lot of weight to be carrying around, moving around for Randy for five rounds."
Pride 33 Highlight Videos
Dan Henderson vs Wanderlei Silva 2
Gomi vs Diaz
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
Mauricio Shogun Rua vs. Alistair Overeem
Wolfslair Gym to the rescue over Superstar Seminar mishap
I received a text from Andy Lillis this morning.
Breaking News…
Cagewarriors.com has just been informed by the Wolfslair Academy that they will be holding a seminar with UFC stars Michael "The Count" Bisping, Dean Lister and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson,, this Sunday 25th February at the Wolfslair Academy HQ, which is based at Cromwell Street, Widnes, Cheshire, WA8 0QQ
The Seminar starts at 1pm and last until 4pm
There is limited access to train so the Seminar is first come first served
The seminar costs
£40 to Train
£20 to Watch
For more information 0151 422 82 42 or 07731 330 740
Its nice that Wolfslair has come to the rescue regarding the Superstar Seminar cancellation.
UFC 70 looking for big turnout at M.E.N.
The big news on the UK scene that has got people talking is most certainly the return of the UFC to British shores on April 21. Rumor has it that Zuffa's first effort to bring the big show to English fans back in 2002 was by no means a commercial success. However, with a massive surge in the popularity of the sport since then, it seems entirely possible that the UFC may sell-out the massive M.E.N. arena in Manchester.
Heavily rumored to appear on the card is the UFC's newest and most expensive acquisition, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, as he takes on the next brave man to stand in the way of his well-publicized run at the heavyweight title, Gabriel Gonzaga.
Also getting chins wagging is the return of TUF standout, Mike Bisping, who faces Elvis Sinosic. Other big names making their UK debut include Tito Ortiz, Forrest Griffin and Andrei Arlovski.
UFC 70 Clash with Cage Rage - Cage Warriors looks ahead
By choosing to hold its card on April 21, the UFC has ruffled a few feathers this side of the pond. It has long been announced that April 21 would be the date for the latest card from UK's most widely recognized promotion, Cage Rage.
After talking to Cage Rage co-promoter Andy Geer, it's clear that he is not too concerned by the UFC’s move — especially as he has negotiated an incredible coup by signing the massive Bob Sapp.
Sapp recently did wonders for his profile in the UK, causing a massive stir as a stream of UK heavyweights climbed over each other to challenge him at Cage Rage 20. The PRIDE and K-1 veteran is scheduled to take on Sunderland hardman, Robert Berry in a fight that will almost certainly be decided before the final bell.
Other huge news for the promotion is the re-signing of Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos, the wild Brazilian who took part in one of the UK's most memorable wars: eventually losing but putting in an incredible performance against Dutch super-striker, Melvin Manhoef.
Cyborg's return fight is a fascinating match-up against UFC veteran James Zikic, who makes his way back to the cage following a self-imposed absence from the sport.
Cagewarriors looks ahead to April
A puzzling decision by a misguided local council recently forced the Cage Warriors promotion to scrap its planned March 4 card, but, undeterred by this disappointment, the team has refocused its efforts for an April 28 event, putting together a solid lineup that also includes 'B Class' bouts for less experienced fighters.
Exciting bouts on the card include Paul McVeigh putting his Cage Warriors bantamweight title on the line against Ireland's undefeated Steve McCombe, and the Wolflair's Alex Cook taking on the dangerous Frenchman Karl Amoussou.
Adding to the headline bouts, Cage Warriors characteristically has some of the top domestic fighters in action, amongst them local favorites Ian Butlin and Dan Hardy.
In other massive news for the Warrior promotions: it was recently announced that Ross Pointon, the mighty Brit that kept U.S. fans entertained during his TUF 3 appearance with an aggressive fighting style — and equally confused by his thick accent — had signed to fight. “Know what I mean?”
Reports suggest that he will be campaigning at welterweight, looking to climb the UK and European rankings to earn another spot on international shows over the coming months.
UFC 70 The Countdown with Michael Bisping
COUNT ME IN!
Surprise! Guess who’s on the UFC 70 card in Manchester, England?
Obviously I knew that there was a very, very good chance that the UFC would want me on their first British show in five years, but I was still over the moon to get the phone call to confirm it. I’m very excited; I am fighting in virtually my hometown – I live a 40 minute drive away from the MEN arena – and I cannot wait for April 21.
But now I’ve got the green light I’ve got to make sure I deliver the goods inside the Octagon.
My opponent has been named as Elvis Sinosic, who I know a lot about. He’s been around for a long time and is better than his record suggests. His losses against guys like Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin aren’t exactly anything to be ashamed of and he’s a dangerous fighter, especially as all the pressure will be on me to put in a performance in England.
There will be no pressure at all on Elvis and I think that will bring out the best in him.
Stylewise, Elvis is very good on the ground working for submissions, but his wrestling, at least I don’t think, isn’t going be a major problem for me. Australia is like England, where they don’t have much wrestling in schools and I don’t think he’s going to surprise me with anything wrestling-wise and, actually, I think maybe he’ll look to keep it on his feet with me and have a bit of a war.
That would suit me just fine ordinarily but I’ve been thinking… I’ve not scored a submission in the UFC yet – they’ve all been knockouts – and I’d like to show off the submission side of my game.
Either way, though, I am looking to finish this in one round and really give the British fans something to cheer about. Put it this way, it will be a cold day in hell before some Australian comes over to my country and beats me up in front of my friends and family.
Trust me - I’m checking Elvis into the Heartbreak Hotel via the express desk!
BARRY BOXES NOT SO VERY CLEVER
Don’t know if you guys have seen it, but I couldn’t believe the comments former boxing champion Barry McGuigan made about the UFC last week.
For those of you who haven’t heard of him, Barry McGuigan was a world champion boxer in the 1980s and has gone on to become probably the best known boxing TV pundit in Britain.
In an interview last week he was asked about his views on mixed martial arts in general and UFC in particular and he just launched into this really ridiculous rant.
Before finishing off by saying there’s no skill to MMA, he called UFC “trashy”, “undignified” and “dirty”. He also talked some complete rubbish about some imaginary “statistics” proving boxing is safer than MMA, which we all know is complete crap.
UFC fans are well used to reading or hearing all sorts of ignorant things said about our sport, I know, but McGuigan is a former fighter and I just couldn’t believe his comments, to be honest.
I know boxing is his bread and butter and maybe he’s worried that UFC will replace boxing or something but I’ve never heard any MMA fighter disrespect an entire sport and all its athletes the way McGuigan did.
There are plenty of sports I don’t particularly like, but I respect that sport’s athletes at the very least and I think McGuigan was out of order by not extending MMA athletes this same courtesy.
He was very, very disrespectful and there was absolutely no need for it.
I don’t want to be one of those fighters who starts challenging the best boxers to get in the Octagon because, at the end of the day, MMA v boxing would be like American Football v soccer: you can’t match one against the other because of the different rules.
But I’d like to invite Barry to visit the Wolf’s Lair MMA academy where I train in Runcorn and I’d happily do my best to try and educate him as to the various techniques we use in MMA. I’m confident that as a former fighter who is supposed to the one of the best fight analysts in the UK, Barry would appreciate the skill levels required to compete in the UFC – if only he could be bothered to learn.
If he can’t be bothered – that’s fair enough, as well – but in that case next time he’s asked about MMA he should just say he’s not a fan and doesn’t watch it. Better to do that than make a fool of himself by being so disrespectful and ignorant.
JACKSON FANS ON THE RAMPAGE
Just want to clear something up from last week’s column because I’ve seen a lot of feedback on various forums about what I said about Quinton Jackson’s first fight in the UFC.
When I said I’d give him 5 out of 10 for his fight against Marvin Eastman - I wasn’t dissing Rampage at all. He’s a great fighter and a massive addition to the UFC. All I was saying was that he was below par – by his own standards, obviously - in his UFC debut at UFC 67.
And if you remember, Rampage himself said pretty much the same thing after the fight, too.
MARSHALL LAW IN THE GYM
The UFC’s new UK President, Marshall Zelaznik, came to the gym to see me train on Wednesday. It was a really classy gesture on Marshall’s part and it was nice to have the chance to get to know him a little better.
Marshall’s from the States and has moved his wife and five-year-old son to England and, quite impressively, he’s jumped right into English culture. He always calls his phone his “mobile” rather than his “cell” and I think I’ve convinced him to check out classic British TV like ‘Only Fools & Horses’.
More seriously, Marshall showed me some of the designs for the posters for UFC 70 and they look absolutely amazing. And wait until you see the adverts which are going to be on TV… you’ll be blown away.
See you next week, ‘the Count’
Chuck Liddell wants Cro Cop, Fedor and Wanderlei
Audio Only
Pride 33 Updated Fight Card
-Vanderlei Silva (c) vs. Dan Henderson (PRIDE MW Title)
-Takanori Gomi vs. Nick Diaz
-Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs. Alistair Overeem
-Frank Trigg vs. Kazuo Misaki
-Sergei Kharitonov vs. Gilbert Yvel
-Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
-Hayato Sakurai vs. Mac Danzig
-Kazuhiro Nakamura vs. Travis Wiuff
Discuss about Pride 33 here.
