MMA-URLS

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Posted in: mayweather, floyd, dana, jr, erosewater

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Pound for pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. is asked his thoughts on TRT or testosterone replacement therapy. Mayweather, who is 35 has no clue what it is as the therapy has created controversy in

Posted in: pound, mayweather, testosterone, jr, therapy

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Pound for pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. is asked his thoughts on TRT or testosterone replacement therapy. Mayweather, who is 35 has no clue what it is as the therapy has created controversy in

Posted in: pound, mayweather, floyd, jr, clue

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Posted in: ufc, mattyblayze, roy, jr, rashad trains

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Pic: Rashad Evans sparring with Roy Jones Jr. in preparation for his UFC 145 title fight against Jon Jones on April 21 in Atlanta, Georgia. “One of the biggest things of my life that has happened to this date is that someone like Roy (Jones, Jr.) came in and gave me some pointers, and some advice,” said Evans. “Boxing and MMA is different in some respect, but at the same time, you can pick up little jewels that he is putting out there. This has become like Ali and Frazer training camp, wherever everybody is sitting and watching you, and watching….it is crazy.” Props: Authentic Sports Management

Posted in: jone, evan, roy, jr, crazyrdquo props

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The much-anticipated bout between stand-out scrappers Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao may not have materialized yet it appears the outspoken “Money” Mayweather isn’t done throwing verbal jabs at the Filipino. Mayweather, who recently labeled Pacquiao as a “yellow chump”, was back at it again this week during a press conference promoting his May 5 match-up with Miguel Cotto. “Just by speaking to Pacquiao on the phone, I mean, he’s not one of the sharpest knives in the drawer. He faces Floyd Mayweather, he’s not getting 50-50. Not at all. No one is getting 50-50,” said Mayweather to media in attendance. Mayweather Jr. Details Phone Call to Pacquiao Mayweather Jr. went on to explain Pacquiao should be happy to receive the $30 million he was expected to get rather than a 50-50 cut of the allotted PPV revenue, expected to be perhaps the biggest in the sport’s history. However, he made it clear it was only about the money and not about any lack of interest in facing Pacquiao. “If I’m scared and I’m a coward, why do you guys want to see me fight,” Mayweather Jr. asked the audience. “Do I want the Pacquiao fight? Absolutely. But it’s going to be hard to make the fight because (promoter) Bob Arum is worried about getting money.” As such, it appears the sides are still so far apart a bout in the immediate future seems highly unlikely. Pacquiao is signed to fight Timothy Bradley Jr. in June, while Mayweather Jr. will start serving a 90-day jail term on June 1 relating to a domestic abuse charge. Tweet

Posted in: fight, mayweather, pacquiao, manny pacquiao, jr

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Talented but polarizing boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. drew fire from UFC President Dana White once again this week after the outspoken executive took issue with some comments Mayweather Jr. had recently made regarding the success of New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin and Manny Pacquiao’s sushi-making potential. “First of all, what he said, I think, is racist. He’s made a couple of racist comments and, yes Floyd, you’re racist with the stuff that you said,” explained White on an episode of UFC Tonight, responding to a recent statement from Mayweather saying it was unfair for Lin to receive a ton of media attention for being Asian while African-American players in the NBA do the same things without receiving much notice. “Really, Kobe Bryant doesn’t get any praise? Michael Jordan never got any praise? The list goes on and on with guys who completely get praised for being great NBA basketball players,” continued White. “Not only can (Lin) compete and make it in the NBA, the guy is tearing it up and breaking records you knucklehead.” White Blasts NSAC for Preferential Treatment of Mayweather Jr. “Sushi’s from Japan, he’s from the Philippines dummy,” replied White on the topic of Mayweather Jr. saying Pacquiao should make him some sushi, also labeling him as “yellow chump”. White went on to say Mayweather Jr. should focus on putting the fight together that the world wants to see instead of making ignorant remarks. Check out the full rant from White below: Tweet

Posted in: ufc, mayweather, floyd, jr, mayweather jr

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Dana White goes off on Floyd Mayweather Jr. in this video from FUEL TV for “racist” comments Floyd recently made about the New York Knicks’ Jeremy Lin and fellow boxer Manny Pacquiao.

Posted in: mayweather, floyd, dana, fuel tv, jr

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Posted in: warren, jr, mexicutioner, reggie

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Two of boxing’s surging talents took to the ring this past weekend and were in fine form, as Nonito Donaire and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. took care of business in San Antonio and departed from Texas with titles in tow. Donaire, who hasn’t lost in a decade, improved his record to 28-1 via Split Decision against apt adversary Wilfredo Vazquez to add a junior featherweight belt to his mantle after already winning championships at flyweight and bantamweight. “The Filipino Flash” improved his overall record to 28-1 with the performance, though appeared to have suffered some sort of injury to his hand during the bout and could be on the shelf for awhile depending on what doctor’s find. Meanwhile, the 25-year old son of boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez maintained his unbeaten record at 45-0-1-1 by defeating Marco Antonio Rubio, himself an impressive 53-6-1. Chavez Jr. slugged it out with Rubio throughout the duration of the bout with neither ever taking a knee. The judges’ nod went to Chavez Jr., giving him yet another successful defense of his WBC middleweight belt. Tweet

Posted in: record, jr, chavez, bantamweight “, weekend titlefights

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While fans (and even Floyd Mayweather Jr.) may have had their fingers crossed a long-awaited bout against Manny Pacquiao would materialize in May it appears that will not be the case. However, as fortune would have it, the outspoken 34-year old will still face a decorated champion with a title on the line, as a match-up between Mayweather Jr. and Miguel Cotto has been announced for May 5 in Las Vegas. Adding to the intrigue, the pairing also means Mayweather Jr. will move up to meet Cotto at a heavier weight. Mayweather Jr. Trying to Squeeze in Fight Before Jail Sentence Starts “Miguel Cotto is a world-class fighter who can never be taken for granted and continues to prove he is one of the best in boxing, It will be a challenge for me to compete with him at this weight, but this is the type of test I thrive on and gives me the motivation to train even harder,” said Mayweather Jr. in a statement to ESPN. “I have no doubt in my mind that my title belt collection will increase once again and Cotto’s reign as champion will come to an end on May 5.” Meanwhile, Cotto also appeared excited about the challenge he’ll face, saying, “”I am here to fight the biggest names in boxing. I’ve never ducked anyone or any challenge in front of me. I have accepted everything to give the fans what they like — great and exciting fights. That is what the sport of boxing is all about, making the fights that the fans want and deserve to see. On May 5, stay tuned, because I will convincingly beat Floyd Mayweather.” Cotto holds an overall record of 37-2 in comparison to Mayweather’s mark of 42-0. The 31-year old Puerto Rican has won five of his last six fights with the lone exception being a twelfth round TKO to Pacquiao. Tweet

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Floyd Mayweather Jr. may be all about “the green” when it comes to his career but, at least for a short while, his mind was on the color pink after donating $100,000 to the Susan G. Komen organization, a non-profit specializing in breast cancer research. The contribution was made by Mayweather Jr. as part of a promise he made to the judge who sentenced him to 90 days behind bars this past December in relation to a battery case. “Pretty Boy” Floyd Headed to Jail for Assault Ex-Girlfriend Mayweather Jr. presented the figure to a Komen spokesperson in front of news cameras at his gym. While his motivation might be in question there’s no doubt the unbeaten champion’s money will be put to good work. The Komen for the Cure fund is one of the largest, must trusted charities in the world and have raised billions of dollars for their cause. The news marked the second time Mayweather Jr. was in headlines this past week, the other relating to his phone call to Manny Pacquiao. The 34-year old is set serve his sentence on June 1 and has been lobbying for a May 4 bout with “Pac-Man” Tweet

Posted in: mayweather, floyd, jr, mayweather jr, sixfigure sum

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The roller-coaster ride in potentially pairing decorated champions Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao took a strange twist this week when it was revealed Mayweather Jr. called Pacquiao at his home. Even more intriguing, the two of them spoke for an undisclosed amount of time about the particulars of fighting on May 5 in Las Vegas. Mayweather Jr. has actively lobbied for the bout to take place before he starts serving a 90 day jail sentence in June. Pacquiao’s camp had come out to say their client was not interested in taking the fight based on money/timing. Previously hold-ups in the much anticipated fight have typically involved similar issues or drug testing procedures. News of the phone conversation was reported by ESPN. While specifics of the call were not revealed, Pacquiao did tell a local television station that the two talked about splitting the purse 50-50 and how realistic it was to make the rhubarb on the date in question. Pacquiao’s People Looking at Four Opponents for Next Fight and Mayweather Jr. is Not Among Them Mayweather Jr. holds an amazing 42-0 record in his storied, yet oft controversial, career including 26 victories by way of a strike-based stoppage. Comparably, Pacquiao is beloved in his country with beyond believable success in the ring featuring championships in multiple divisions and an overall mark of 54-3-2. Tweet

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Reggie Warren is back with another edition of his new MiddleEasy feature: '11 Questions with Reggie Warren Jr.' this time featuring fighter turned television star turned agent, Jason Chambers, a guy that I've partied with in Hollywood on a number of occasions. For those not familiar with Reggie Warren, he's notorious for wearing pajamas and interviewing fighters. That's not a gimmick, it's routine behavior for Reggie. Also, Reggie Warren Jr. is not a big fan of 'cocky Brazilians.' Now check out 11 Questions with Reggie Warren Jr.: Featuring Jason Chambers' and be sure to follow Reggie Warren Jr. on Twitter. You can also check out more interviews from Reggie Warren Jr. here. Be sure to check out Reggie Warren's documentary 'The Main in the Arena.' Thanks to Esther Lin for the wizard-like photography.   Why the hell didn’t you visit my dojo when shooting that damn show called The Human Weapon? And how could you let any of those foreigners beat you up?We wanted to visit your dojo and I was told on several occasions that the producers were in discussions with you however they fought your demands for "The finest pelts and a barrel of scotch from King Henry the VIII " was a bit much.   I told you that I would allow you to be my fight manager, but then you stopped calling me once Dana White said he would never allow me to try out for the UFC. Do you now realize that I’m being punished for my talents and numerous 5th Dan’s from all around the globe?Let's be honest, Dana knows what would happen to his champions if they had to face you. It's very smart of him to protect his brand. Aside from the fact that you were adamant about a mixed gender bout, they will not be doing that until 2014. So perhaps there is still hope.   Did you feel like less of a pussy after you watched Thiago Alves destroy guys like Matt ‘John Deere lover’ Hughes and Karo Parsnipianish? No. The same level of said pussy was experienced.   Do you feel you can be a better manager of fighters cause you were once a fighter yourself?I believe that I have a plethora of experience that coupled with my amazing team can help leverage opportunities for the athletes.   Has anyone ever told you that you look like a pretty boy Yankee, dipshit soap star actor that I’d like to beat the shit out of after the first time you looked at me in a crowded bar?Aside from the nine voicemails you left me, no.   If you could recommend one piece of invaluable advice to a talented up-n-coming no holds barred fighter, what would that advice be? (I don’t care to know…just wondering for some of my friends)Get with a good team. "Good " obviously is subjective to your own perception. In my opinion " good " means a team that can help motivate, mold, push and assist you in all phases of your career development. I am a big believer that modeling, in the business sense, works. If you are able to find a team that has put out high caliber fighters in the past, one would believe they have a process whereby they could replicate those results. Also great teammates only make you better.   Would grabbing someone’s carotid artery in a fight be considered pinching? And is pinching legal in a UFC fight?To answer your second question, no...pinching is not legal . I would assume the style in which the "grab" was administered could or could not be indicative of it being called a pinch.   You’re in a crowded bar and some guy with a fat mans beard and a bunch of tribal and Chinese symbol tattoos looks at you and says, “You like a douche bag pussy boy soap opera actor! I’m gonna beat your yankee ass!” He has 20 friends with him. You can have your choice of 4 fighters to back you up. Who you picking?Whichever ones carry guns.   Favorite fight movie? Favorite specialty ice cream flavor? Favorite submission move?My favorite fight movie has to be Fight Club. It appeals to men on a visceral level and it has proven to be a movie that keeps you interested after watching it 10 times. I am also a huge fan of the classics like Raging Bull and Rocky, which are close 2nd and 3rds. Pralines and cream is mighty tasty. Head and ARM triangle for the win.   Do you think the guys who you beat in fights are ashamed because of the way you look and the fact that your nickname was “Hollywood”? That’s really embarrassing. I mean how tough could you possibly be with a joker like grin and has anyone ever told you that you look like a pussy soap opera actor?Since Reggie Warren was taken my friends thought Hollywood was the second most douchbaggy name they could think of. It was really more of a throwback to the fact that I used to spray tan and dye my hair like Chris Leben before a few fights.   Ok, now I’ll let you talk a little bit about your new position and company. Thanks for your time. You pussy actor!I began a full service sports agency in Aug 2011, more information can be found at www.ApexSportsAgency.com. I thought the timing was right and the stars aligned. The UFC was getting ready to make the transition to network tv and this means a myriad of opportunities will be available. Having seen this business from the viewpoint of a fighter, promoter, commentator, matchmaker and the entertainment side, has really allowed me to amass a superabundance of knowledge and some wonderful relationships. We are arguably the most selective sports agency in the extreme sports field. It is a disconnect for me when I see guys take on 30,40,50 clients . They are really only servicing 2-3 or them. The rest are all thrown against a wall in a "see who hits" fashion. My goal is to be ultra selective and also have my team be ultra motivated to assist in building a fighters brand, far beyond single fights.

Posted in: fight, fighter, warren, jr, reggie

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A new chapter in the ongoing saga between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. was written this week when the notion of a May 5 match-up in Las Vegas was teased with “Money” Mayweather providing the bait, Tweeting a message to Pacquiao challenging him to the bout. However, Pacquiao’s camp isn’t biting, meaning fans will ultimately be left waiting even longer to see the long-anticipated fight materialize if it ever actually does. According to Pacquiao’s people the issue has to do with seating capacity as the MGM Grand, where the fight would take place, can only host about 17,000 people while a new 45,000 seat venue is in the process of being built right now. The difference, according to the popular Filipino’s financial manager, could be upwards of $30 million. Pacquiao’s Next Opponent Whittled Down to Four Options “Why would I tell Manny to fight on the 5th and throw away a percentage of 30 million? That’s crazy,” he said in a conversation with ESPN. However, he left the door open as well saying late May might be more realistic based on the larger stadium’s construction. However, an issue with that could relate to Mayweather Jr. heading to jail on June 1 where he’ll serve 90 days due to assault charges. Regardless, for now, it appears Pacquiao vs. Mayweather Jr. remains little more than a dream of fight fans. PHOTO CREDIT – ESPN Tweet

Posted in: fight, mayweather, pacquiao, jr, options “

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Jose Aldo Jr. knows an impressive win at UFC 142 will make him a superstar in his homeland.

Posted in: ufc, jose, yahoo, aldo, jr

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A boxer doesn’t get to be 42-0 without an ability to elude damage or a well-rounded gameplan in each battle. In the case of decorated champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. those skills apparently carry over into the courtroom as well, as the polarizing pugilist saw his three-month sentence for assault pushed back until early summer rather than serving the time starting last week as had been originally mandated by a Las Vegas judge. According to Justice of the Peace Melissa Saragosa, Mayweather Jr. would be allowed to train for a May fight in Sin City based on having previously committed to the bout in addition to the economic impact the match-up would have. As a result the welterweight will start his sentence on June 1. Mayweather Jr. pleaded guilty to domestic abuse in December stemming from a case where he attacked an ex-girlfriend in front of their children and threatened to beat her sons when she mentioned dating other men. The 34-year old has a long history of similar legal cases, recently paying a $1,000 fine for a 2010 incident with a security guard that got physical and also having been convicted three times of assault between 2002-2005. A Closer Look at the Case Against Mayweather Jr. If Mayweather Jr. does not meet the other expectations of his sentence in relation to this case involving his ex-girlfriend (a $2500 fine, a counseling program, and 100 hours of community service) he could have another three months tacked on to his current deal. Tweet

Posted in: mayweather, sin city, case, jr, mayweather jr

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December has been a rough month for decorated boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr., though deservedly so based on a pair of incidents in 2010 involving the 34-year old physically attacking an innocent person. Fresh off being sentenced to ninety days in jail after pleading guilty in a domestic violence case where he punched a mother of his children in front of them, the outspoken title-holder’s name was back in a Las Vegas court room today stemming from a slightly less salacious situation involving a security guard who he assaulted over parking tickets. Mayweather Jr. Headed to Jail After Assaulting Ex-Girlfriend Though Mayweather Jr. was not present at the proceedings his lawyer submitted a plea of no contest and was forced to pay a $1,000 fine (little more than pocket change for the self-titled “Money Mayweather”). By doing so Mayweather Jr. has chosen not to dispute, and therefore acknowledge, the security guard’s claim that he was poked in the face several times by the 42-0 welterweight. Mayweather Jr. has previously been punished for other battery/assault cases with three convictions between 2002-2005. Tweet

Posted in: mayweather, jr, mayweather jr, violence case, woe december

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Super Bowl Weekend is shaping up to be an amazing few days for fight fans, as it appears 25-year old sensation Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. will put his WBC middleweight title and unbeaten record on the line against 53-5-1 Marco Antonio Rubio. Adding to what should already be a great environment, the event will take place in San Antonio, Texas giving Hispanic fans in the area an opportunity to cheer on two of boxing’s top Mexican competitors. Chavez Jr. holds an overall record of 44-0-1, having won twenty straight scraps since enduring his career’s lone blemish six years ago. The upcoming bout with Rubio will be the rising star’s second consecutive clash in Texas, racking up a fifth round TKO against Peter Manfredo Jr. in Houston last month, and second time he’s visited the home of The Alamo in his previous five fights. Rubio is also in the midst of a respectable winning streak with ten in a row. Perhaps more impressive has been his ability to put opponents away rather than go the distance, picking up nine of the victories via TKO during his current run. The Februry 4 card is also slated to feature “The Filipino Flash”, Nonito Donaire (27-1), throwing down for the WBO super bantamweight belt against former champion Wilfredo Vazquez, Jr. (19-1). Tweet

Posted in: jr, chavez, rubio, star ’s, career ’s

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Decorated boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. may be untouchable in the ring but the trait doesn’t carry over to his life outside of the squared-circle. The polarizing pugilist plead guilty earlier today to charges of domestic violence/harassment based on a 2010 incident where he hit the mother of two of his children in front of them and made threatening statements towards them. As a result he has been sentenced to 90 days in hail, as well as issued 100 community service hours and fined $2,500. Mayweather Jr. will report to jail on January 6, 2012. According to testimony in the case, the 42-0 Mayweather Jr. implied he could have the ex-girlfriend killed and that their ten-year old son was so fearful he ran to fetch security. “(The) punishment is appropriate,” Judge Melissa Saragosa said at sentencing. “No matter who you are, you have consequences to your actions when they escalate to this level of violence.” It is not Mayweather Jr.’s first run-in with the law including another domestic abuse case dating back to 2002. Tweet

Posted in: mayweather, jr, abuse case, violence charges, security “

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When Roy Jones Jr. stepped into the ring this past weekend it’s likely he could have been doing so for the final time had things not gone his way. A loser of three straight prior to the bout against Max Alexander, the 42-year old had been stopped by strikes in two of the stumbles and appeared to have reached the end of the road in his storied career. However, after picking up the Unanimous Decision win, the flashy Jones Jr. not only wants to keep fighting – he wants a divisional belt. “I’m feeling wonderful. I want a cruiserweight title, the world title,” explained the former champion in a conversation with the Associated Press. “This is just a start. I’m not through yet.” As far as what may have made the difference in the performance in comparison to the previous fights he’d lost, Jones stated, “The thing I worked on was not spending so much energy, so much useless energy. Don’t be bouncing around for nothing.” After improving his record to 55-8 with the victory, as well as possibly finding a new lease on life, it sounds like Jones Jr. may have a reason to be bouncing around after all. Tweet

Posted in: title, jone, jr, jones jr, max alexander

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[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on DstryrSG, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div] While the rest of us were on a 4-day food eating-food digesting-food eating bender, Raphael Lovato Jr. was busy winning everything (weight class and absolute, brown/black belts) at this past weekend's San Antonio, TX Trials for the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu Jitsu Championships 2012. First off, the tournament needs to shorten its name to something like the World Pro or even the WPJJ or something. Second, and more importantly, thanks to the bros at TXMMA.com, we get tons of great video content of Raphael Lovato Jr. doing his thing (I really wanted to say "thang," but it just sounds lame when I do it). If you haven't yet had a chance to peruse these, check out all of RLJ's matches below. DSTRYR/SG has always been a big supporter of Lovato Jr. His lineage from Xande and Saulo Ribeiero is evident in his disciplined, methodical and cerebral style. It's not flashy, but it's exceedingly effective and definitely something to aspire to for all grapplers. He's on a roll, having won his 2nd consecutive No-Gi World title only a few weeks ago. Read More and Watch the Video...

Posted in: world, thing i, lovato, jr, lovato jr

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One look at the resumes of the UFC’s fighting Miller brothers, and there’s no question that when it comes to toughness, middleweight Dan and lightweight Jim have cornered the market on that intangible trait. But then Dan’s son Danny Jr. came into the world on January 6, 2010, and in a little under two years, he’s earned the title of “Toughest Miller.”“By far,” said his proud papa. “Jim and I have both said it in the past that he’s easily the toughest Miller.”That’s saying a lot, but Danny has earned his stripes while courageously battling a disease called autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Born with kidneys approximately four times average size, Danny saw the organs shut down when he was just two and a half months old, causing him to be hospitalized for two months. Since then, he has been forced to deal with daily dialysis treatments as well as physical therapy, but he’s also daddy’s boy, something you can hear in Miller’s voice when he talks about his son.“He spent a lot of time in the hospital on his back, so physically, he’s behind, and he’s not walking or crawling, so it’s not typical,” he said. “But other than that, he’s very, very receptive. You gotta be careful around him because he picks up everything. (Laughs) He’s not speaking yet, but he’s signing, and he knows more signs than I do – I have to ask the nurses what he’s signing. So he’s teaching me.” And thankfully, a kidney transplant is scheduled for January 25th that will help improve his quality of life moving forward.“There will be lots of bloodwork and making everything’s working correctly,” said Miller of the immediate aftermath of his son’s kidney transplant operation. “And then as we go on, it’s gonna get easier and easier - less bloodwork, less doctor visits - but with his disease, there’s a lot of other stuff that goes along with it. We’ll always be close to the hospital.”Through all of this, Dan Miller has not stopped working, fighting six times in the Octagon since the birth of his son against Demian Maia, Michael Bisping, John Salter, Joe Doerksen, Nate Marquardt, and Rousimar Palhares. And to deal with all the stresses of Danny Jr.’s disease, he, his wife Kristin, and daughter Katie have been able to fight on thanks to help from their close knit families.“We both have wonderful families that are very supportive and always there,” said Miller. “Everyone always helps out. I don’t think we could have gone through it without our families, and the love and support from them.”On December 3rd at the AMA Fight Club in Whippany, New Jersey, the MMA community will show its support as well, as Miller and his teammates will be holding an all-day seminar and meet and greet with Dan’s brother Jim, UFC welterweight Charlie Brenneman, Ultimate Fighter alum Andy Main, AMA head trainer Mike Constantino, and Muay Thai champion Kaensak Sor Ploenjit all in attendance. There will also be raffles and prize giveaways, with all proceeds going to the Daniel James Miller Foundation, which has been established to offset the costs for Danny Jr.’s treatment that aren’t covered by insurance.In the meantime, the toughest Miller will keep battling, and after making it this far through so many obstacles, you get the feeling that he’s going to win this fight.”“He’s gone through way more than all of us combined, and he’s a trooper,” said Miller of Danny Jr. “He’s really strong, and way tougher than I am.”For more information on the Daniel James Miller Foundation, click herePhoto courtesy of the Miller family

Posted in: miller, dan, family, danny, jr

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Chael Sonnen is truly one of the most entertaining fighters in the sport today. Not only is he one of the best middleweights on the planet, with impressive wins over Nate Marquardt, Yushin Okami and most recently Brian Stann, he was a minute and 50 seconds away from dethroning reigning division champion Anderson Silva back at UFC 117. He is also equally entertaining outside of the Octagon. With his knack for hyping and selling a fight; whether you're a fan or not, when he talks, you're likely to listen. Coming off of his second round submission victory over the "All American" at UFC 136, Chael wasted no time in calling out his Brazilian nemesis by delivering one of the best post-fight speeches in promotion history. Chael challenged Silva to a high stakes fight and the stipulations were simple: Should Anderson lose, he leaves the middleweight division. But if Sonnen loses, he would hand in his resignation papers and leave the UFC forever. Unfortunately, Silva did not respond to the challenge and the offer eventually expired. From the Twitter boards to nationally syndicated radio shows, the self-proclaimed "America Gangster" from Oregon has done his part to get a rematch with "The Spider," and though his target refuses to cooperate in a back-and-forth, Chael has no plans on letting up anytime soon. Sonnen took time out of his busy schedule to speak to MMAmania.com about his UFC 136 post-fight speech, fighting his friends, beating Jon Jones, go-go dancers and of course, Anderson Silva's funeral. Take a look. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): First off, congratulations on your big win against Brian Stann at UFC 136. How was it having to face a man that you consider a friend and respect so much? Chael Sonnen: It was a challenge. It was business. Football players don't get to opt out of a game when they play against a buddy, and this sport shouldn't be any different. I faced Brian Stann like an opponent as a statement to Blackhouse and all of the fighters that make nonviolence pacts over their best friend's collages. It's nauseating. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): What's your take on so many fighters today refusing to fight "friends" or people they have trained with in the past? Chael Sonnen: They should go get a job at a sorority, or move to California and register at Macy's. They make a mockery out of athletes everywhere. If they want to pretend that this isn't a bloodsport, that's their problem. They shouldn't make the rest of us real competitors look bad. I'd fight any one of my friends any day at any time, because I respect them. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): Many people say your "Achilles heel" is Jiu-Jitsu. What do you say about that, do you feel that is an accurate assessment? Chael Sonnen: Sure, whatever you say. I'd say that I have better things to do than beat the guy across the cage from me with an inefficient and unsophisticated modern fad that help effeminate men feel tough. Jiu-Jitsu, Tae Bo, no difference. I prefer the ancient sports, like wrestling. If it wouldn't show up in a Ridley Scott movie, I won't do it. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): You're no stranger to hyping up a fight or "trash talk." In fact, some say you're the best at it. Do you consider it trash talking, promoting or just speaking the truth? Chael Sonnen: I would call it divine inspiration. I am moved to rage poetry by the idiocy, hipocracy, and flat-out laughable people and situations that I see in MMA these days. I can't NOT call them for what they are: idiots doing idiot things because they're idiots. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): I assume you're not one to take it personal when someone returns the favor, have you heard or read any of Mirko "Cro Cop's" comments about you in a video interview he had? If not, here a few excerpts. He said, and I quote: "You can tell by his face that the man is slow. That he is stupid and that that he has the IQ of a child's shoe size. That man holds a PhD in idiocy" "I'm only sorry that he is missing like 30 pounds because I would beat his ass so bad, he would multiply 3 times. In anger I would beat him up so bad that I would split him apart. I would clone him in 3 specimens. I hope to one day see him summering in Croatia so I can Iron his ass, so that steam will shoot out his pompous ass." How do you respond to comments like that from a man many consider a legend in the sport? Chael Sonnen: Remember a few years back when the only thing the guy could say in English was, "I like to kick?" Man, he must have hired an entire bus of writers to help him with that one. And I'm not so okay with his constant comments about my ass. Is that an Eastern European thing? Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): Would you be open to a fight with Mirko? Chael Sonnen: Not now that he's retired. I don't kick three-legged puppies. Actually, now that I think about it, I couldn't fight him on those grounds even if he WASN'T retired. I would probably just back-hand slap him. It wouldn't hurt him too badly, but it would put him in his place. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): Okay, let's turn our attention to one of your favorite subjects, Anderson Silva. You had one of the most memorable post- fight speeches after your victory at UFC 136 aimed at Anderson, was that off the cuff or did you have it pre planned? Chael Sonnen: I have never stopped thinking about how much he absolutely sucks. I spent years just getting him into the cage with me, and he's going to avoid me this time as well. I had to throw down the gauntlet, just to see if he was man enough to take the offer. His silence tells you everything that you need to know. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): You said you made that speech as "bait" for Anderson and that the offer expired as you recently stated on the Jim Rome show. Do you have another offer up your sleeve to try and lure Silva into finally accepting the fight with you? Chael Sonnen: I could offer him the entire state of Oregon and he would dodge me. But yes, I do have plenty of bait to try on him. Believe me; you'll know it when you see it. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): You are arguably the most deserving to take on Anderson Silva, given the fact that you were minutes away from winning the belt at UFC 117 and you just beat a man who was considered in line to be number one contender in Brian Stann. How upset would you be if the UFC decides to go another route as far as a challenger for Anderson? Chael Sonnen: They have to come back to me eventually. No one has come as close as I have to dethroning him, and no one will. Eventually the fights will get so much MORE boring than they already are, and they will have to give me my rightful fight. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): Ed Soares recently stated that you needed to get to the back of the line in order to challenge Anderson because you had your chance and blew it. He also said you should be in jail and not fighting. Care to comment on those statements? Chael Sonnen: I didn't blow anything, thank you very much. I just took a hiatus to make the rest of my life less important than fighting. My fight against Stann didn't highlight me as a better fighter than anything the world has ever seen, and if Ed can't see that then he will eventually have to deal with Uncle Dana and the American public beating down his door with torches and pitchforks. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): Dana White recently said "I'd be stupid to not make that fight" referring to your rematch with Silva. Have you had any discussions with the UFC matchmakers regarding a possible date and if you indeed are next for Anderson Silva? Chael Sonnen: We're thinking about my birthday next year in Portland. There will be fireworks, go-go dancers, exploding cars, and a Brazilian sacrifice. I will parade Anderson's unconscious corpse around the Rose Garden to celebrate. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): You left the fight with Stann rather unscathed. If the match-up against Silva does not happen right away due to his shoulder injury, would you take another fight in the interim possibly at super bowl weekend, maybe against Vitor Belfort or Wanderlei Silva; or would you wait on Silva as long as it takes? Chael Sonnen: Let me ask you something: when you have a big project or plans for a big goal, do you let yourself get derailed by a whiny coworker that always finds an excuse to shovel work on someone else? NO! You do your work, you beat your obligations senseless, you shine like a pagan sun god, you make that whiny prat look foolish, you take their job, you laugh as they leave with a box of their effects, and you comfort their obviously unsatisfied wife by taking her out to dinner. I'm not cooling my heels just because Anderson's are kicked up on the sofa. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): Would you be open to the possibility of coaching opposite Silva in The Ultimate Fighter? Chael Sonnen: No, not ever, not even on my birthday. I take coaching seriously, and a run on "The Ultimate Fighter" is as much about forging a new group of coworkers and competitors as it is about me turning the opposing coach into floor pizza. Coaching against Anderson would be a disservice to my team, because they would spend the entire time fighting against a team that would be as poorly trained and poorly prepared as their coach. My team would get out into the real UFC, see what they're up against, and blame me because I didn't prepare them enough, and I would feel guilty because I wouldn't have had the authority to bring in a real coach to train real competition and truly prepare them for a real fight. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): What's your relationship like with Keith Kizer and NSAC? Chael Sonnen: You do remember that when I promised to do this interview, you agreed to mention www.athletebay.com and to wish Kala Haley a happy anniversary, right? Well when are you going to do it? When are you going to say "www.athletebay.com" and, "happy anniversary Kala Haley?" Ahh forget it, we can do www.athletebay.com and Kala Haley's anniversary another time. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): You laid out the blueprint on how to compete with Anderson Silva when it seemed that no one could even touch him. Right now, no one seems to have a good plan on how to get close to current UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. How would you go about trying to defeat his style? Chael Sonnen: Substance always beats style. Enough said. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): After you complete your goals at 185, will we ever see you possibly move up in weight to challenge the light heavyweights? Chael Sonnen: I'm an athlete. Fat kids fighting over a Milky Way isn't athletic. That's baseball. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): What is one thing in mixed martial arts today that you would change? Chael Sonnen: I would ban the triangle choke, the refuge of cowards everywhere. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): Who is the one fighter that you have looked up to and absolutely respect? Chael Sonnen: The same one you do, Chael P. Sonnen. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): When it's all said and done and your fighting career has come to an end, what do you want people to remember you most for? What will define Chael Sonnen? Chael Sonnen: Genius, arrogance, dominance, flawlessness, and Anderson Silva's brief but uneventful funeral. Adam Guillen Jr. (MMAmania.com): One last thing, why is MMAmania.com your favorite website? Chael Sonnen: I am a huge supporter of MMA, as well as mania. They incorporate two of my favorite things. Sonnen is currently waiting patiently for an opponent, preferably Anderson Silva. In the meantime, make sure to catch Chael co-host the 2011 World MMA awards by Fighters Only Magazine alongside Molly Querim on November 30, 2011 live from Las Vegas at the Pearl Theater inside The Palms Casino Resort. The event is set to air via delay on FOX sports regional networks and Fuel TV.

Posted in: sonnen, chael, jr, mmamaniacom, guillen

Read the full article at MMA Mania

If you've never heard of Reggie Warren Jr., then you've clearly never been exposed to the seedy underground of redneck, pajama wearing MMA fans. In the MMA world, Reggie Warren Jr. has maintained his celebrity status by convincing everyone that he's proficient in the lost art of 'badass.' You've seen his videos (and if you haven't, this one is a great primer), now Reggie Warren will be doing monthly interviews with MMA fighters exclusively for MiddleEasy. Hopefully, we'll get more than one interview a month out of him, but it's all dependent on the volume of Busch Light he consumes in any given day. Check out the first installment of '11 Questions with Reggie Warren Jr.' featuring Gray Maynard. Thanks to Esther Lin for the wizard-like photography. Be sure to follow Reggie Warren Jr. on Twitter.   First off, I consider you one of my only UFC fighter friends. I really didn’t like watching you lose that fight against that New York Yankee guy. It hurt my soul. Can you promise me that you won’t let that happen again? And is there a reason you didn’t use more of the Cat Stance technique I taught you?Yes, I promise it won't happen again. I see Maynard vs Edgar 4 in the future. That is where I'll be able to utilize the cat stance.   I wound up fighting almost every guy in the bar who cheered after you lost. I ended up running from the cops the whole weekend and hiding out in the woods. Have you ever run from the cops? (And if you’re scared to be honest in fear of repercussions, just say “That’s against the law Reggie…I would never run from the cops.”) That’s against the law Reggie… I would never run from the cops, but I have heard fear makes you run faster and jump higher. Just putting that out there.   If you weren’t an Ultimate Fighter and you could play any other sport professionally, what sport would you play? And for what team?It would probably be soccer and Brazil or Italy would do just fine. I think a lot of hot models come from those countries, so that works.   Have you ever had an emergency shit attack out in public and weren’t quite able to make it to the bathroom? It’s happened to the best of us, so don’t be shy.To be honest, I'm kind of a germaphobe. So I have an app on my phone called "Sit or Squat" that gives reviews on bathrooms in the surrounding area just in case there is an emergency. But…there's no place like home.   Do you have any friends that make you think, “Man, I’m glad this guy doesn’t wrestle or train as much as me ‘cause he’d probably be able to whoop my ass”?Yes...You!!   You’re stranded on a desert island. You can bring one album, one poster of a celebrity, and one food item for the all-you –can-eat deserted island buffet…what are you bringing? Good question. Album would have to be a greatest hits of either Pearl Jam or Sublime. Poster would be Tom Hanks. When I start going crazy he will give me advice to get off the island. Buffet would be Mexican food.   Some people get offended when you refer to Frankie Edgar as “Kid”. I tried to explain that this is no different than the word “dude” or “little Yankee F*****” or “Mane” or “Guy” or “Chicken parmigiano hero lover”, but everyone tells me that it’s disrespectful. Why are they being so sensitive? Yeah, it's just a term. I think I got the term "kid" from people in Jersey anyway. I mean we all fight for a living, it's not like we're mature bankers or something.   Was there ever a time in your life when you almost quit the wrestling team?Yes. Every time I had to cut weight.   Since you were roommates with Rashad Evans in college, did you ever tell chicks that he was Mike Tyson? That guy has hands-down the best Mike Tyson impression I’ve ever heard!Yeah. We pulled that off a couple times. Them macing us and screaming rape wasn't the reaction we were looking for.   Ok, let’s play a make believe game and pretend you’re a Dad with a 7-year-old son. You’ve just dropped him off at his first wrestling practice and you have visions of him being the greatest fighter on the planet. When you show up an hour later to check up on his progress, you find him eating donuts and playing imaginary games with the headgear in the corner of gym. The coach looks at you and says, “I don’t think this sport is for him”. What do you say to your son?Time to go to baseball practice son. You don't need to be an athlete to make millions.   Please fill in the blank: Without fighting and competition in my life, I would be __________________.Hanging out with Reggie Warren!

Posted in: guy, ’t, warren, jr, reggie

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Last Sunday on the Verbal Submission show I co-host with MMA Mania's "Bellator" Brian Hemminger and MMA Valor's Gerry Rodriguez, we had Rafael Lovato Jr. For those of you that are a little fuzzy on who he is, Lovato Jr. is one of the most accomplished American competitors in Brazilian jiu-jitsu – ever.  He was the first American to win the Brazilian nationals at the black belt level in 2007 and has collected many other titles and honors over the years. He recently won fourth place in the 88 kg division in Nottingham, England at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championship. At 28, Rafael has been a force in elite grappling circles for about a decade now and the Oklahoma City native has trained in multiple martial arts for his entire life. He is a true combat sports devotee and we were lucky enough to find a brief break in his busy schedule to talk.  Rafael called into our show last Sunday and spent about half an hour with us covering his career, the ADCCs, the state of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and even his picks for the upcoming battle between Nick Diaz and BJ Penn. Hit the jump and let's get started with a couple questions from Brian Hemminger as a warm-up. Brian Hemminger: I know you recently have been doing some Muay Thai training with Master Andre Dida [trainer at Black House Gym]. Can you talk about that as that’s a little different from all the work that you’ve been doing in Brazilian jiu-jitsu? Lovato Jr.:  Yes. I started training Muay Thai more this past year and a half ago with Mauricio Veio, the brother of Andre Dida. They have created Evolucao Thai, which is a Muay Thai system that’s specially designed for MMA. They are both Chute Box black belts and have trained with Anderson Silva, Wanderlei Silva, Shogun Rua and a lot of those guys. It’s an awesome system and I fell in love with it right away. I try to get them out here as much as possible. I grew up doing stand-up when I was a kid, so it’s still in my blood and I like to do it and I bring them out to get as much training as I can. Hemminger: That’s awesome. Now to take this in a more Brazilian jiu-jitsu direction, your Team Lovato [students from his academies in Oklahoma] has won the overall team title at the UFC Fan Expo at the Grappler’s Quest in Houston this past weekend. Can you talk about about that nice accomplishment? Lovato Jr.: Yeah, it was an amazing weekend. I just got back from Europe for ADCC [the Abu Dhabi Combat Club tournament covered here on SBNation) and went to straight to Houston. It’s this non-stop series of events for me and it just couldn’t have gone better. I’m super proud of all of them and we had a ton of medals and champions in the divisions  - to the point where we had twice the amount of points as the second place team. A lot of people had so much fun this week and I’m glad that I was able to win my match (against Bruno Bastos) on points. Justin Rader, my first black belt, won his superfight, I received my Hall of Fame award and it was just a great time.  I wasn’t sure if we would win the team title, as Houston is a bit of a drive for us – it’s about eight hours away. A lot of my best guys were hurt or couldn’t make it out, so I wasn’t sure how it was going to go down, but fortunately we came away with the team title – which was the second time we’ve won a team title at a Grappler’s Quest. Everyone just came together, we all contributed to this and brought our second overall team title home. You know, we just have to put this up on the wall and keep looking for the next one. Hemminger: You’ve been really busy this past month. Now that you’re back home, have you had a chance to relax yet? Lovato Jr.: This is my first Sunday back at home in five weeks. I’m pretty happy to be home today and being pretty lazy.  Ben Thapa: You’ve been all over the world for the last five weeks and more. Nottingham, Houston, Oregon and earlier, trips to Brazil and Abu Dhabi. What keeps you coming back to Oklahoma? Lovato Jr.: This is home. I’ve lived here since I was eight. My father has had academies here since I was a little kid growing inside the academy and training. We went from a Jeet Kun Do school to a jiu-jitsu school. You know, I fell in love in jiu-jitsu and even though my father and I were always the most advanced people inside the academy, we always had a lot of personal investment in the people around us. I started teaching at a very young age and when I got a little older, I thought there might be a time where I’d move somewhere where there would be more jiu-jitsu and competitions. However, when I got to 18 or 19, I liked the life here, it was simple and my father and I just stayed here while traveling around. It’s nice to have a quiet place to come home and I’ve stayed in contact with people here all my life.  It didn’t always look like the ideal thing to do, but now that I'm almost thirty years old and I’ve promoted my second black belt, I felt like I made the right decision in building a team and handling the pressure on me as a competitor and to be the best black belt I can be on a high level and my students as well. I got to experience a ton of things in my life so far and as far as being a teacher, I feel like I’m at a high level because I’ve been doing it for so long and I feel like I can get to even higher levels.  Thapa: Now going back a bit, you’ve mentioned several times the immense value of your family to you. How did you and father get involved with jiu-jitsu and pick it up? Lovato Jr.: My father was a Jeet Kun Do instructor. Every year in California there was an instructor’s conference, with people like Dan Insosanto and Richard Bustillo. They had these week-long training courses with different instructors for different martial arts. They had a Kali guy and a Muay Thai guy, and their art would be open to others. The Gracies were putting on the UFCs at this time and one year they brought in the Gracies to show us the experience of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The next year we went back again and the Machado brothers were teaching. We started making more frequent trips to California for a week here or there to train with the Gracies and the Machados.  Then one of the Machados, Carlos Machado, moved to Dallas, Texas because he had a deal with Chuck Norris. Dallas was about three hours away and we would go there often. My father, he doesn’t like to fly, so he would send me out to California to train and that got me traveling all over the place since I was really young. I would train to compete, learn as much as I could, watch video, take notes, take in as much as possible and then come back home to give it all to my father and teach it to our students. This was a time when it was rare to find a jiu-jitsu school in the country or a black belt, especially in Oklahoma, there wasn’t any YouTube where you could look videos up and so it was harder for us to get a hang of it. So we would go learn, come home to drill non-stop and whenever we did train, we really cherished the knowledge and I would compete as much as possible since I was 15 years old. I competed at a high level even though I never had a regular black belt instructor. My father and I trained together and my father even got his black belt a year before I did [2003 and 2004, respectively]. Thapa: Was this about the time the Machados were on Walker, Texas Ranger? Lovato Jr.: Yes, that’s why Carlos was in Texas and they had a good deal with Chuck Norris and Norris brought Carlos out for the tv show. Thapa: How did you decide something like "Yes, I am going to train extremely hard and become a world-class competitor?" Lovato Jr.: My father had always had me in martial arts since I was young and his hard work gave me discipline. The competitions began when I was really young as I used to compete in Kali as something to do and as I picked up Muay Thai and boxing, competitions were something to do. As I got older, I got into amateur boxing for two or three years. Since I was 13, I’ve been in jiu-jitsu and that brought me over to Brazil for competitions. I love the country and I’ve been there many times for competitions as I got older and older. Thapa: When you started your training relationship with Saulo Ribeiro and Xande Ribeiro, did you have an idea that it’d last this long? Lovato Jr.: It was destiny in a way. I was competing so much that it just happened. I was competing on the championship level and I was training really hard to get to that level. I was at the 2000 Brazilian Nationals when I was 17 and Saulo won and I watched him do it. That was my goal and I wanted to be the first American to do it. I didn’t have any championship level black belts to work with at that time and I didn’t have anyone to tell me to fix this and that – all the things you need to do at that level. I ended up fighting Saulo in 2005 as a brown belt. I was fighting black belts when I was a brown belt. I was putting a lot of money into it. I was always a huge fan of Saulo and ended up in the finals with him. I saw him in Brazil later that year and he invited me to train at his academy, he took me out and and I fell in love with the environment and the training. With Xande and the other top guys there, it was a really good place and vibe for me. We kept in touch, he came out to Oklahoma to do a seminar, I went back and the next thing you know, I’m competing at the big tournaments with the Ribeiros. He’s like a brother, I love him and he’s helped me get to that elite level as we’ve both had great successes in the years since. Thapa: It’s interesting that you note that you were fighting black belts as a brown belt. In the 2011 Abu Dhabi World Pro no-gi finals, you fought Rodolfo Vieira, someone who was known as the "Black Belt Hunter" for fighting black belts as a brown belt and winning. And you won with some nifty usage of the guillotine. What was it like to win that competition? Lovato Jr.: It was one of the best moments for me. Xande won the same day too . Rodolfo is a tough competitor and maybe the best guy in the game right now aside from guys like Xande and Roger Grace. I don’t think many people expected me to win that match. I was very confident, but I was down early on takedown points and I was able to come back with the guillotine attempts and sweeps to win the match. It’s definitely one of my proudest moments for the year. Thapa: Now you fought at 92 kg in that competition and at 88 kg in the ADCC, while Rodolfo went to 99 kg. Is 88 to 92 where you’d like to be, or would a move to 99 kg make sense for you? Lovato Jr.: I’ve never done the 99 kg division at ADCC. I’ve always done the 88 kg because Xande is in the 99 kg. If I was a little bigger, I could go up, but 99 kg is 217 lbs and that’s a little big for me. I’d rather go down in weight to 88 lbs, where I’m the same size as everyone else after cutting the weight.  Thapa: How would you describe your ADCC experience with the run to the semi-finals where you unfortunately lost to Palhares by footlock? What was that like for you? Lovato Jr.: It’s emotional. The ADCC is such a huge tournament and ever since I was a little kid starting out in jiu-jitsu, I saw this really high level tournament out in Abu Dhabi, with the Sheikh, and all of the money and the prizes, it was like "Wow, man, someday…."  When I first got invited to the ADCCs, it was such an awesome feeling as it was one of the things I dreamed about. Now this year’s tournament was my third time there and I was going for gold, but unfortunately it didn’t happen. Making it through the first day, with some tough matches was a good feeling. I made it to the semifinals on the second day where I lost by leglock [to Rousimar Palhares] and because I was injured, I really wasn’t able to compete at 100% for third place [against Pablo Popovitch]. Thapa: You created a lot of goodwill by coming out for that third place match for Popovitch while visibly limping. Was it a serious injury and what was your thought process in coming out for the match with the injury? Lovato Jr.: Basically, it wasn’t so bad that I couldn’t play. When you can’t continue, they put someone else in to compete. Your performance is crucial to the event and they want to put on good matches. I don’t like the idea of being replaced so even if I wasn’t at 100%, I knew I could play some guard and go out there to do my best. Fortunately, Popovitch didn’t go after my leg or go crazy on my foot to make it worse. I did my best to be on the podium, but I couldn’t play the game as I can normally. Hopefully next time, I’ll do better. Thapa: Do you have any thoughts on Palhares, as he had some controversy with the David Avellan kneebar and other times too? Lovato Jr.: Um…  you know… the best man won that day. His strength and power all goes into a dangerous package. He does seem a little weird in competitions. Things happen with him, you know, with the Nate Marquardt fight when he talked to the referee, the fight in Brazil [against Dan Miller] and so on. I don’t know the thought process of that guy. He takes a lotta legs too.  The whole thing with his weight was kind of unfair that on Friday for our first weigh-in, we had to make weight that first time or be disqualified. That’s what they told us all along and he didn’t make it right away. I take weight very seriously and trained hard to make that weight and made it through the whole weekend with no problems. I asked the question of what happens if he doesn’t make weight. Braulio Estima even said that Palhares was replaced by a Polish guy for Saturday, but it turned out that he did make weight afterwards. With myself, Galvao and the other competitors making weight, it didn’t seem fair.  On Sunday, at 10:00, I weigh in under the limit and I hear that Palhares is over again. At first, I was thinking that he might not compete as he was over, but it turned out that Avellan’s leg was messed up, so they brought him back in. Toquinho had to cut some weight to make the weight again. So it was 20 or 30 minutes after my match was supposed to start that we went on. It was kind of weird from the get go and with all the controversies surrounding him, especially the slapping people on the back. It was a different vibe from him than there is from other grappling competitors. It was a different energy. Thapa: Did you feel like there was a certain pushing or violation of the unwritten rules of grappling? As in "most competitors try to be careful with leglocks or profoundly injure you" and things like that? Lovato Jr.: You know, I did get hurt, but I’m not trying to overhaul the rules. ADCCs are the ADCCs. Last time in 2009, I got hurt too and that was against Braulio [the eventual 88 kg and Absolute champion]. There’s a lot of money on the line and elite comptition, people get hurt there. That’s just the trend. There is a lot of leglocks in that sort of competition and people put them in and put them in hard for the finish. That doesn’t bother me. I’m prepared for that. There does need to be complete enforcement of the rules though. Thapa: Moving away from the ADCCs, you’ve been all over the world for various competitions and seminars, as well as having your own academies. Do you have any views on whether Brazilian jiu-jitsu has gotten to a saturation point or whether it has some more to go? Also, whether people can make a true living as professional competitor? Lovato Jr.: In terms of making a living, I don’t think so no. There’s not too much money in terms of sponsorship deals. There’s so much travel, competition fees and so on. Everyone has to have some sort of academy, a bunch of seminars, they have to put out DVDs and other products. All of those things have to be done to make money. Or go into MMA. I don’t think it’s there now. We have to get enough media exposure to where we can get truly high level sponsors and tournament support– that’s how we’d make money. Basically the only thing we can do to get more money – or any money at all - is to get seminars, get people to buy your DVDs/products, build marketing materials for your school and so on. No matter what, you have to use something to get something else here. Even the best sponsors right now aren’t that lucrative. In mixed martial arts, there is a way for Brazilian jiu-jitsu to get more exposure. However, we’re not on the mainstream/cable channels like MMA is moving towards. It’s going to take a while for that to happen, if it does happen. Thapa: I have two more questions for you. First, are there any shout-outs or people to thank that you’d like to mention? Lovato Jr.: Yes. For all my fans and fellow jiu-jitsu people out there who follow what I do, thank you for your support. For my sponsors – I have some really good sponsors – Onthemat.com, Martial Arts Recovery - you can find their supplements online at martialartsrecovery.com, 1914 BJJ Kimonos. Other than that I’d like to tell everyone that you can follow me online at lovatojr.com, on my Facebook page and on Twitter. Keep an eye out for the great things I’m working on and I feel like my jiu-jitsu is at a truly high level and I want to share that knowledge. I’m always open for seminars and so on. I’ll put out DVDs and books in the future. That’s just about it. Thapa: One last question. Who do you have between Nick Diaz and BJ Penn at UFC 137 this weekend? Lovato Jr.: Umm… I don’t know...  Thapa: Come on, we gotta have you pick one or the other. Lovato Jr.: I haven’t thought about it too much, but I’ll try. It’s going to be three rounds. I think in three rounds, BJ is really tough to defeat. Nick Diaz is a great fighter with a great all-around game and is pretty much impossible to finish. I think he’s going to give BJ a hard time and maybe try to gas BJ out. But since it’s a three round fight, it’s really hard to take two rounds from BJ. I’ll take BJ. Thapa: If it were five rounds, would you consider Nick Diaz? Lovato Jr.: Yeah. If it were five rounds, it’d be much harder to choose between the two. Thapa: Thank you, Professor, for sharing your Sunday with us. Lovato Jr.: No problem. Thank you guys and I appreciate it. For those interested in hearing the original Verbal Submission interview, it can be found here or at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/pureadrenaline/2011/10/23/verbal-submission-58. There is some Bellator 55 talk at the beginning and at the very end, Brian, Gerry and I supply our picks for Diaz/Penn.

Posted in: belt, thapa, jiujitsu, lovato, jr

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