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With an all-heavyweight main card, UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Mir takes place this Saturday, May 26th, as a live pay-per-view event from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Vegas. Heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos meets Frank Mir in the main attraction, which is complemented by 4 other heavyweight match ups. 4 bouts will air on the FX Channel at 8:00 p.m. ET, where recent TUF winner Diego Brandao faces Darren Elkins, and 3 scraps are lined up on the UFC's Facebook page prior to the FX broadcast. Here's the entire cast of characters for the UFC 146 card: UFC 146 Live PPVJunior Dos Santos vs. Frank Mir (UFC Heavyweight Championship)Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio SilvaRoy Nelson vs. Dave HermanStipe Miocic vs. Shane Del RosarioStefan Struve vs. Lavar Johnson FX Channel PrelimsDiego Brandao vs. Darren ElkinsEdson Barboza vs. Jamie VarnerJason Miller vs. C.B. DollawayDan Hardy vs. Duane Ludwig Facebook Stream PrelimsJacob Volkmann vs. Paul SassKyle Kingsbury vs. Glover TeixeiraMike Brown vs. Daniel Pineda Jacob Volkmann (14-2) vs. Paul Sass (12-0) After incurring his first and only career losses in his opening UFC run as a welterweight, Jacob "Christmas" Volkmann has dropped to lightweight and notched 5-straight victories. Winning all by decision, his streak includes Ronys Torres (split), Paul Kelly (unanimous), Antonio McKee (split), Danny Castillo (unanimous) and Efrain Escudero (unanimous). The 3-time NCAA All-American wrestler from the University of Minnesota has incrementally adapted his background to better suit MMA's dynamic environment: he's been hunting for top-side submissions like Anacondas and D'arce' chokes, defending himself better from striking and submission attempts and improving his knowledge of grappling position. Paul "Sassangle" Sass has managed to uphold his undefeated record and ridiculous string of submission wins in the UFC, catching Mark Holst with a triangle and Michael Johnson with a heel hook, both in the 1st-round. Sass began his career with 7-straight submissions by triangle choke (6 in the 1st-round) and now has submitted 11 of his 12 opponents, with only Rob Sinclair surviving to a decision. Continued in the full entry. SBN coverage of UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Mir Since neither are a force in stand-up striking, the Volkmann vs. Sass match up boils down to a "wrestler vs. submission grappler" contest. Both endeavor to bypass the Free-Movement Phase in order to impose their respective specialties on the mat, and Sass has consistently plied his trade quickly and effectively where as Volkmann is tasked with laboring away in top-position for 15 minutes. On paper, this sure seems like nothing short of a nightmare opponent for Volkmann. Succeeding with his wrestling only places him firmly in the maw of one of the most freakishly creative submission artists in MMA today. Sass' style is so obviously venomous that I wouldn't be surprised to see Volkmann keep the fight standing to rely on his granular advantage in striking. That line of thinking might sound bizarre to anyone who's witnessed Volkmann's wrestling-heavy strategy -- however, while the power of wrestling can negate many other proficiencies, there is no way to circumvent Sass' extensive arsenal of high-tech submissions. I'd consider both fighters as C-level strikers, but Volkmann has more pop in his boxing combinations and throws his punches a little tighter, giving him an estimated C+ grade versus a straight C or C- for Sass. Regardless, even though he might be better off sprawling-and-brawling than taking Sass down, I'm skeptical that Volkmann can execute that gameplan for 15 minutes. Sass has been creative in applying submissions and I envision him pulling guard or diving for a leg lock before chaining together his brilliant transitions until he forces the tapout. My Prediction: Paul Sass by submission. Kyle Kingsbury (11-3) vs. Glover Teixeira (17-2) After dropping a decision to Tom Lawler at the TUF 8 Finale, Kyle Kingsbury rattled off an impressive streak of 4 wins: Razak Al-Hassan, Jared Hamman, Ricardo Romero and Fabio Maldonado, defeating all by decision except for Romero, which was a 1st-round TKO. Kingsbury, a former football player at Arizona State University, has learned to capitalize on his massive frame (6'4"), athleticism and strength through a wicked Thai clinch, which has become his preferred realm of combat. Glover Teixeira has long been considered one of -- if not the -- best 205er outside of the UFC. He started his career in forgettable fashion by splitting his first 4 outings (one loss was to the UFC's Ed Herman) but has exploded with a 15-fight win streak since. Teixeira is unique in that he's a credentialed BJJ black belt who won the 2009 ADCC Brazilian trials and beat Dean Lister on points, yet he's clubbed the majority of his opponents with his malicious kickboxing (11 of 17 wins by TKO, 4 by submission). His most recent sequence includes voracious stoppages over former UFC fighters: Ricco Rodriguez (1st-round submission via strikes), Marvin Eastman (1st-round KO), Antonio Mendes (1st-round submission) and Marcio Cruz (2nd-round TKO). Kingsbury does have the chance to replicate his strategy against Fabio Maldonado, who has a style similar to Teixeira, by nullifying Teixeira's striking and grappling in the clinch. Kingsbury does a great job of transmitting his height and strength into massive leverage in the clinch, particularly because he grips the crown on the back of the head rather than the neck. Trying to fight or even function with your chin buried in your own chest and your upper-spine folded sharply forward can be incredibly limiting. Teixeira is not known for his wrestling and the height deficit (5'10" vs. 6'4") will fortify Kingsbury's clinch assault even more. However, it's challenging enough to force a striking or grappling match, but it takes a special kind of fighter (see: Randy Couture) to neutralize someone in the clinch for 15 minutes. I expect Teixeira to be well aware of and prepared for Kingsbury's intentions, concentrating on footwork to avoid being cornered and stinging Kingsbury with stiff punches when he closes distance. I've been thoroughly impressed with Kingsbury and feel he has the size, skill, drive and smarts to pull it off, but the odds should favor Teixeira's violence. My Prediction: Glover Teixeira by TKO. Mike Brown (25-8) vs. Daniel Pineda (17-7) Pineda has roared his way into the Octagon with back-to-back submission wins: a rear-naked choke on Pat Schilling in 1.5 minutes and a triangle-armbar combo on Mackens Semerzier in 2 minutes. The sequence extended Pineda's current win-streak to 7 and he's also kneebarred the UFC's Johnny Bedford in the past. The remarkable aspect of Pineda's record is that he's finished all 17 of his wins (11 TKOs and 6 submissions; 11 1st-round stoppages). Mike Brown is the former WEC featherweight champion and MMA veteran from American Top Team. Though his career has been a little streaky and inconsistent, Brown is a legit 3-dimensional fighter with heavy-handed boxing, strong wrestling and black-belt level submissions. His finishing rate includes 13 wins by submission with 5 TKOs and he's spent time fighting as a lightweight as well. Since he defeated Urijah Faber to become the featherweight champion, Brown has gone an uncharacteristic 3 of 7: his first pair of losses were TKOs to Jose Aldo and Manny Gamburyan, which were followed by back-to-back decision losses to Diego Nunes (split) and Rani Yahya (unanimous). At age 36 with over a decade of high-level competition, the years might be catching up to Brown. Normally, I'd pick him over Pineda in a heartbeat, who's wildly talented but unproven against A-list competition. Brown's high mileage and recent slump combined with Pineda's "who gives a f*ck" attitude and fearless aggression is cause for hesitation. A prime Mike Brown would be well equipped to unhinge Pineda: his sharp boxing is suited for Pineda's wild striking style, his explosive wrestling could keep him out of trouble standing and his submission game should be sturdy enough to ward off Pineda's attempts. The Mike Brown we've seen lately has been a step slower than usual. While I'm not entirely confident about it, I suppose Brown can eke out a win here if he can still fend off Yahya's submissions and avoid the KO power of Nunes. My Prediction: Mike Brown by decision. Poll Jacob Volkmann vs. Paul Sass Volkmann Sass   17 votes | Results

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Bigger is better. The heavyweights are coming to town this upcoming Saturday night (May 26, 2012) for the UFC 146: "Dos Santos vs. Mir" event that is scheduled for the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Leading the way is champion Junior dos Santos, who will defend his title for the first time ever against former strap hanger Frank Mir. In addition, former champ Cain Velasquez will return to action for the first time since losing his belt against the debuting Antonio Silva. Other action on the main card will see Dave Herman take on wrecking ball Roy Nelson and Strikeforce import Lavar Johnson looking to continue his incredible run against "The Skyscraper," Stefan Struve. We've got seven "Prelims" under card fights to whet our appetites before the main card on pay-per-view (PPV), however, with three of them broadcast through the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Facebook page. Check out part one of our UFC 146 "Prelims" breakdown after the jump: 145 lbs.: Mike Brown vs. Daniel Pineda Mike Brown (25-8) was on top of the featherweight world before catching a bad case of Jose Aldo, snapping a 10-fight winning streak stretching from 2004 to 2009. Since the nasty beatdown at the hands of the Brazilian buzzsaw, Brown has gone 3-3, dropping decisions to Diego Nunes and Rani Yahya after getting pasted by Manny Gamburyan. With Urijah Faber now at 135 pounds, Brown could be the final member of the 145-pound "old guard," but he'll need a solid performance this Saturday if he wants to avoid fading away like the rest. For lack of a better description, Daniel Pineda (17-7) fights like he's double-parked and one ticket away from losing his license. In two UFC bouts, "The Pit" has spent a total of 3:43 administering high-octane ass whoopings. Most recently, he crumpled the notoriously sturdy Mackens Semerzier with punches before locking on a beautiful triangle armbar. Should Pineda extend his impressive streak to eight, the Featherweight elite may have to make room for a new entrant. Maybe I'm just a nostalgic sap, but I like "MTB's" chances here. Pineda doesn't have the takedown-nullifying Brazilian jiu-jitsu of Rani Yahya, nor the takedown defense of Diego Nunes. He's an entertaining, well-rounded fighter, but he hasn't demonstrated the tools that have historically given Brown headaches. I'll readily admit that Pineda has looked like a million bucks in his two appearances inside the Octagon, and that Brown hasn't had much consistency since the Aldo beating. But, I just get the sense that Brown's still got enough in him to put down one more young lion. Brown wrestles him down early and locks up an arm-triangle for the victory. Prediction: Brown via first-round submission 205 lbs.: Glover Teixeira vs. Kyle Kingsbury A training partner of the venerable Chuck Liddell, Glover Teixeira (17-2) has long been one of Brazil's best kept secrets, quietly racking up 15 straight victories (with 14 stoppages) in what seemed like a fruitless quest to make it into the UFC. Luckily for the fans, however, he finally made it to the big time this year. Combining scary power with ADCC-caliber grappling, Teixeira is a nightmare no matter where the fight goes, and will look to bring back memories of his teammate's legendary rampage through the 205-pound division. After wowing audiences with his resilience in his "Fight of the Night" performance against Fabio Maldonado, Kyle Kingsbury's (11-3) solid four-fight win streak in the UFC came to a grinding halt at UFC 139 when Stephan Bonnar had his way with him on the ground. The hardy American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) product can get right back in the mix, however, if he can spoil Teixeira's highly-anticipated debut. I've been doing my best to be a little less fanatical about Brazilian prospects lately, but I really can't picture anything but rough going for Kingsbury. Frankly, Teixeira is more than capable of doing everything Bonnar did and then some. He has significant knockout power in his fists and, considering his consistent placement in the Brazilian ADCC trials, it's probably not in "Kingsbu's" best interest to play around on the ground. Whether it be by sweeping Kingsbury from the bottom and unloading ground-and-pound or simply thumping him on his feet, there aren't many plausible scenarios that don't involve Kingsbury's face getting the Rocky Dennis treatment. Welcome to the big time, Glover. Prediction: Teixeira via first-round technical knockout 155 lbs.: Paul Sass vs. Jacob Volkmann Scoffing at the idea that Brits have poor ground games, Paul Sass (12-0) has secured submissions in 11 of his 12 victories, all but one of those coming in the first round. Sass has been nothing, but impressive during his UFC tenure, submitting Mark Holst and Michael Johnson in short order. With seven victories by his signature triangle, it's a safe bet that Volkmann is going to take the fight right where Sass wants it; we'll see if he can capitalize. After two straight decisive defeats at welterweight, Jacob Volkmann (14-2) made the drop to 155-pounds and hasn't looked back, winning five straight over the likes of Ronys Torres and Antonio McKee. Despite this success, "Christmas" caught flak for his inability to finish foes, instead using his stifling wrestling to grind them out, but if he keeps up this pace, he can only be denied a crack at the elite for so long. Sass is a refreshing sight in the upper echelon of MMA: someone with both the ability and willingness to successfully pull guard. The problem is that Volkmann simply isn't the kind of fighter to mess around in Sass's guard until he gets caught in a triangle. He'll take Sass down and he'll do it frequently, but he's handled solid BJJ players before and has the grappling know how to stay out of danger. Further, Sass doesn't have the takedowns to wind up on top, nor the striking to put Volkmann down before getting tied up. There's always a chance that "Christmas" gets careless and Sass gets his legs around Volkmann's neck, but Volkmann's top control just strikes me as too sturdy for that to happen with any regularity. It won't be pretty and it may not get Volkmann off the prelims, but things will end poorly for Sass. Prediction: Volkmann via unanimous decision Come back tomorrow night for a look at the remaining bouts on the UFC 146 undercard, including Jason Miller vs. C.B. Dollaway and Dan Hardy vs. Duane Ludwig, among others. See you then! Remember, too, that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of UFC 146, beginning with the "Prelims" bouts on Facebook scheduled for around 6 p.m. ET. In addition, we will also provide LIVE, real-time results of the main card action as it happens throughout the evening this upcoming Saturday night.

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A lightweight bout between Jacob Volkmann and Paul Sass has been added to the UFC 146 pay-per-view, scheduled for May 26 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

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Jacob Volkmann and Paul Sass have a date for Memorial Day Weekend, as the two UFC lightweights will compete at UFC 146 on May 26 from Las Vegas. News of the match-up was reported by the UFC. Volkmann (14-2) is a three-time NCAA Division 1 All-American from the University of Minnesota. He has won five straight bouts inside the Octagon since a pair of defeats at the hands of Paulo Thiago and Martin Kampmann during his run at welterweight. Comparably, Sass (12-0) is a perfect 2-0 in his brief UFC career including submission victories over Michael Johnson and Mark Holst. Of his dozen career wins, eleven have come via tap-out with a number involving his patented “Sassangle Choke”. Though the card is still developing, UFC 146 is expected to feature a bout for the UFC heavyweight title between Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: ufc, ufc career, michael johnson, volkmann, paulo thiago

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The UFC revealed today that verbal agreements are in place for a lightweight tilt between the chronically unfunny Jacob Volkmann and England’s resident triangle master Paul Sass, with the fight targeted for UFC 146 this May. 31-year-old Jacob “Christmas” Volkmann (14-2) made his UFC debut in 2009 as a welterweight, losing that and one other contest in the division before dropping to lightweight. Since doing so, Volkmann has strung together five straight decision victories, including wins over the likes of Paul Kelly, Antonio McKee and Danny Castillo. His most recent performance resulted in a unanimous judges’ ruling in his favor over The Ultimate Fighter alum Efrain Escudero at UFC 141 in December. England’s Paul “Sassangle” Sass (12-0) got his nickname and undefeated record for a reason: he’s secured seven of his twelve professional victories via triangle choke. Like Rousimar Palhares’ leg locks, you may see it coming, but there’s nothing you can do to stop it. The 23-year-old Team Kaobon prospect has only seen one of his professional bouts reach the final bell, the rest having all ended by submission. He most recently appeared in action this past October at UFC Live: Cruz vs. Johnson submitting a spirited Michael Johnson in the first round with a heel hook. UFC 146 has yet to be officially announced by the UFC, but is expected to take place on May 26 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and to feature a main event between UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem.

Posted in: ufc, paul, michael johnson, sas, volkmann

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An intriguing match-up of lightweight ground specialists appears to be taking shape for the UFC 146 card in Las Vegas on May 26th. According to ESPN UK, british submission wizard, Paul Sass, will take on Minnesota's own Jacob Volkmann: Verbal agreements are in place for a lightweight match between England's undefeated submission specialist Paul Sass and Jacob Volkmann at UFC 146 in Las Vegas. Both men are riding extensive winning streaks and although they can both be considered "ground specialists", their styles are quite different with Sass employing a relentless submission attack, and pulling guard repeatedly to ensnare opponents in his signature submissions: the triangle choke and the heel hook. Volkmann, on the other hand, is a methodical, grinding wrestler who dominates and smothers via position before attacking, usually with d'arce or rear naked chokes. Volkmann's style has been roundly criticized as boring, but his awkward post-fight interviews and public statements about President Obama have gotten him some attention, although not always the kind he wants, as he's now been suspended twice by the high school that employs him as a wrestling coach. Paul Sass (12-0)W Michael Johnson (submission - heel hook) - UFC on Versus 6W Mark Holst (submission - triangle choke) - UFC 120W Jason Young (submission - heel hook) - OMMAC 4 Jacob "Christmas" Volkmann (14-2)W Efrain Escudero (unam. decision) - UFC 141W Danny Castillo (unam. decision) - UFC on Versus 5W Antonio McKee (split decision) - UFC 125 UFC 146 coverage

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A lightweight bout is in the works for UFC 146 in May pitting submission specialist Paul Sass against Jacob Volkmann.

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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is putting together a lightweight fight between Paul Sass and Jacob Volkmann, who are expected to collide at the upcoming UFC 146 pay-per-view (PPV) event on May 26, 2012, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Fighters Only brought word of the pending match-up earlier today. Sass is perfect through 12 fights in his mixed martial arts (MMA) career, one that includes a staggering 11 finishes by way of submission. With eight of those taps resulting from triangle chokes, it should come as no surprise that his combat sport nickname is "Sassangle." But will he be sassy enough to survive an early "Christmas?" After dropping back-to-back fights to kick off his ZUFFA career, Volkmann was able to right the ship and reel off five straight wins. While all five were decisions (three unanimous, two splits), the Obama-hater was able to get the job done and keep himself in the running for bigger and better things. But will Volkmann's wrestling, his biggest asset, put him in a precarious position against the grappling phenom? UFC 146 is expected to be headlined by the biggest fight of the year (literally), when heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos puts his strap on the line for the very first time against division number one contender and famed Dutch striker Alistair Overeem. Middleweight TUF guy Jason Miller is also back in action taking on the venerable C.B. Dollaway while Edson Barboza goes to war against Evan Dunham. Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for future updates to this still-developing fight card.

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Rising Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight Jacob Volkmann stirred more controversial waves when he took (another) post-fight swipe at Barack Obama after a unanimous decision win over Efrain Escudero at UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem, stating that the President of the United States needed a "glassectomy." The (terribly awkward) joke didn't sit too well with White Bear High School, which is where Volkmann worked part-time as an assistant wrestling coach, seeing as how the district put him on administrative leave. Taking a page out of the book that the master of trash-talk wrote, Chael Sonnen, Volkmann has stated that he is simply trying to get his name out there and trying to get people to know him. It obviously has worked for Sonnen in the past, but is it working for Volkmann? The former three-time NCAA Division II All American wrestler told MMAweekly.com that all of his comments have been taken out of context and people interpret things the way in which they choose, especially when it comes to President Barack Obama. Take a look: "I never said that Obama needed a glassectomy, I said call me so he can schedule a glassectomy. I never said it was for him. You can take out of the interview what you want, but that's not what I said. Plus they said I wanted to rip his arm off, and I never said that. I said I wanted to rip it, it's a technical term for when you roll hard and you try to submit them. Like a technical term for ‘ripping' an armbar or a Kimura, cause if they're resisting, you have to rip it. You can't rip someone's arm off, that's impossible. The thing is, you only have what 30 seconds out there on the mic? It's like a speech, like an article, you have to make it interesting so people want to follow up with you and that's what I'm trying to do. No one wants to hear who your sponsors are, no one wants to hear thank you's to your sponsors or your family or your coach cause you're already thanking those guys. They want to hear you talk trash, they want to hear you call out your next opponent, in my case, I don't know if they want to hear politics, I'm going to give them that. Whether it makes them hate me or like me, at least they know me. On who he wants to face next inside the Octagon: "I obviously want a top level guy, but the chances of getting one of those aren't very good right now because they don't like my style, so they're not going to give me one of those guys and beat one of them and make them look bad because they don't like my style, which is fine, I'm working on it. But I'm not going to be a guy that's going to switch everything like Gray Maynard did and try to stay standing with somebody that beats me up on the feet. I'm going to make a technical fight; I'm not going to be a foolish fighter out there. I'm going to stay who I am just because that's what people want to see. Just cause some turd out there across the screen wants to see a knockout or some blood cause he doesn't understand a technical fight. I'm not going to change for him." After beginning his UFC career with back-to-back losses to Paulo Thiago and Martin Kampmann at welterweight, "Christmas" made the drop to lightweight division in hopes of ending his funk. The move proved to be a wise one as he has emerged as a force to be reckoned with in the 155-pound division, reeling off five consecutive wins and zero losses. His notable victories include Antonio McKee, Danny Castillo and most recently at UFC 141, Efrain Escudero. Wanting a "top guy" next, it will be interesting to see just who he draws his next time out. He seems to have the attention of the United States Secret Service, does he have yours?

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Filed under: UFCUFC lightweight Jacob Volkmann was on his way to coach wrestling practice at White Bear Lake High School in Minnesota last week when the school's athletic director called him in for an impromptu meeting. If he didn't know where this was headed based on past experience, he probably should have. In early 2011 Volkmann was placed on administrative leave from his job as an assistant wrestling coach at White Bear Lake High School after telling MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani that he wanted to fight President Barack Obama in his next bout because "someone's got to knock some sense into that idiot." Following his most recent bout -- a unanimous decision win over Efrain Escudero at UFC 141 in December -- he again veered into political commentary in his post-fight remarks, this time telling UFC color commentator Joe Rogan that he wanted Obama to call him about scheduling a "glass-ectomy," which, according to Volkmann, "is when you cut your belly button out and put a piece of glass in there so when you have your head up your butt you can see where you're going." Once again, White Bear Lake High administrators were not amused. And once again, Volkmann was placed on paid administrative leave. But this time, he told MMA Fighting, he thought he had followed the rules that school officials had given him, thanks to some intentionally clever wording. "They gave me four rules to follow, and I thought I followed them," said Volkmann. "The first was, you've got to be respectful of people when you do your interviews, which is very vague. The second was, no interviews on school property. The third was, no White Bear Lake clothes during interviews, which is easy to follow. And the fourth was, I can't tell people to go attack the [White Bear Lake High School Athletic Director] or the human resources lady, which is kind of a foolish rule." The way Volkmann saw it, the athletic director was wrong to accuse him of offering to give Obama a glass-ectomy. "I said 'Call me so we can schedule a glass-ectomy.' Not saying for him, not saying for who. ...I was trying to cover my butt. I purposely did that," he said. It apparently made little difference to school officials, who told Volkmann he'd be placed on administrative leave while they investigated the matter and decided what to do next. For Volkmann, it's just the latest chapter in the strange pseudo-political tale that's come to define the last year of his MMA career. He's become the guy fans know not so much for his fights, but for his statements afterward. The clip of his initial callout of Obama landed on "The Tonight Show," and he was even visited by the Secret Service. He's chosen to run with the attention, wearing a "Volkmann for President" t-shirt down to the cage and carving out time in his post-fight interviews to take shots at President Obama. And for those who don't like politics mixed in with their sports? "Too bad," Volkmann said. "This is working, so I'm going to stick with it." But yet again Volkmann is finding that what works as an attention-getting routine in the UFC doesn't always go over so well with his employers at a public high school, even if the two are entirely separate in his mind. "The thing with my coaching job is, I don't teach the kids politics; I teach them wrestling," he said. "I do my best to teach them what I can with wrestling. And they don't understand, I need to do and say what I can to get fans. Sometimes you have to say some kind of weird stuff to get people to notice you. Because you only have, what, 30 seconds out there with Joe Rogan? I have to say what I can in that 30 seconds to try and get people interested so they'll look me up afterwards to figure out why I was saying it." Once you actually sit down and talk to him, however, it becomes clear that Volkmann's anti-Obama routine isn't just schtick. Ask him what, exactly, he dislikes about our current president, and he gives a heavy sigh before asking, "You ready?" The tone itself tells you that you might as well get comfortable. From the Obama administration's mortgage refinancing policy to health care reform to government grants for green energy, Volkmann can hold court on any number of political topics, and he can event tell you how he was personally affected by many of those issues as a homeowner, a chiropractor, and Minnesotan. His political views aren't limited to just jokes and quips, in other words, so why not make those the centerpiece of his public persona, rather than vaguely threatening statements that only earn him visits from the Secret Service and headaches at his coaching job? Because, Volkmann explained, substantive political statements aren't known for captivating the attention of the average sports fan. And that is, after all, the goal. "I think I did it the right way, because who cares if I have a problem with a policy? That would have never made any news." You have to admit that he has a point. Clever sound bytes always get more airtime than policy discussion, and his way has generated its share of headlines so far. Of course, it's also generated some problems, as his current predicament demonstrates. The last time he was put on administrative leave from his coaching job, he said, it was over in a couple of weeks. This time he hopes to be back in the wrestling room even sooner, but school officials have given him no timeframe for a decision. In the meantime, he can't have any contact with the wrestlers he coaches -- not even to explain to them in his own words why he can't be at practice. Sure, he still gets paid, but with a yearly assistant coach's salary of $1,800, the job was never about money to begin with. "I don't make very much," said Volkmann. "I do it more to give back to wrestling. I had so many coaches who helped me out, so I figured maybe this is a good way for me to give back and help some other kids out." Only now that he can't do that -- and now that his political views are threatening to overshadow his fighting ability in the eyes of many fans -- even Volkmann thinks it might be time to give it a rest. "To be honest, I'm probably not going to bring it up again unless Joe Rogan does, because it's kind of like beating a dead horse at this point. I kind of made a comedy thing of it...and it's kind of getting old." Then again, if someone puts a political question to him directly, Volkmann admitted, "I'm going to be honest, no matter what." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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Jacob Volkmann said he'll never tell a reporter that he advised President Barack Obama to get a "glassectomy" - because he didn't. Now placed on administrative leave a second time by the school board that employs him as a high-school wrestling coach, Volkmann proclaims his employer has twisted his words. "I wish the school board had gotten their facts right before they had a meeting with me," the UFC lightweight today told MMAjunkie.com.

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Jacob Volkmann says he won't turn into Gray Maynard and go away from the style that wins him fights and has no plans to back down from political comments, now or ever.

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Not surprisingly, Republican-slanting Fox News picked up the story Tuesday on UFC lightweight Jacob Volkmann being put on administrative leave from his assistant high school wrestling coaching job following some negative comments he made toward Barack Obama at UFC 141. After his win over Efrain Escudero, Volkmann told Joe Rogan that Obama needed a "glassectomy", a joke medical procedure where "you cut your belly button out and put a piece of glass in there so when you have your head up your butt you can see where you're going." Volkmann told Fox News that one parent had complained to Minnesota's White Bear Lake High School and that on the Friday following his victory, he was told he couldn't be around the wrestlers anymore. He added he will contact an attorney if he's not reinstated within two weeks. Fox interviewed Gene Policinski of the First Amendment Center about the issue: "It's offensive, but we really don't want the government to use mere offensiveness to govern speech," Policinski told FoxNews.com. "But the terms of his employment agreement might give [district officials] greater latitude." Policinski said Volkmann's comments may provide a "negative impression" in the eyes of district officials, but noted that he appeared in the capacity of a mixed martial arts fighter -- and not an assistant wrestling coach. Remarks that pertain to the president, however, can be taken "more seriously" than those relating to other individuals, he said. The UFC has taken no action against Volkmann and isn't expected to. This is the second time Volkmann has been put on administrative leave from the school following his infamous UFC 125 comments about Obama.

Posted in: ufc, fox, fox news, volkmann, district officials

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UFC lightweight Jacob Volkmann finds himself on administrative leave from his job as a wrestling coach following post-fight comments directed at President Barack Obama.

Posted in: ufc, job, jacob volkmann, volkmann, postfight comments

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Jacob Volkmann managed to get more attention from his interview with Ariel Helwani badmouthing Obama than from winning 5 in a row in the cage, so I guess it should be no surprise that he went back to the 'Our President Sucks' well for another drink. Unfortunately for him, his post-fight joke went over about as smooth as Luke Rockhold's long and awkward 'Strikeforce sucks' victory speech last night and people just thought he was a weirdo. More than before, that is.He also broke some rules he agreed to with the high school he coaches wrestling at. They weren't so thrilled about the Secret Service coming around the first time and made Volkmann sign an agreement barring 'disrespectful name-calling in interviews' amongst other things. The result: The good news about this is that with Volkmann done with the school board he's now free to break the other totally real rules in that agreement like CALLING FOR VIOLENCE AGAINST MEMBERS OF THE SCHOOL BOARD. Which of those stuffy douchebags are ready for their glassectomies, huh????

Posted in: school, jacob volkmann, volkmann, luke rockholds, volkmann sign

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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight Jacob Volkmann has once again found himself in hot water after calling out President Barack Obama in his post-fight victory speech at UFC 141: "Lesnar vs. Overeem" this past weekend (Dec., 30, 2011). In his interview with Joe Rogan after defeating Efrain Escudero, Volkmann, in a failed attempt at humor, said that President Obama was in need of a "glassectomy." When asked to clarify his statement, he replied: "A glassectomy is when you cut your belly button out and put a piece of glass in there so when you have your head up your butt you can see where you're going." The joke fell on deaf ears with the audience, but apparently, Volkmann's full time employer, The White Bear School District in Minnesota, heard loud and clear and quickly put the rising UFC lightweight on administrative leave. This from his official twitter account: "Was put on administrative leave from coaching white bear lake high school wrestling for my joke. Unethical!" When asked by CBSLocal.com the motives behind calling out President Obama, he said: "I'm doing it for a couple reasons. To get my name out there, and I'm trying to get a message across. I don't think (President Obama) is ever going to pay attention." In a separate UFC 141 interview, Volkmann reiterated once again that he would love to hurt Obama inside the Octagon.: "My beef with Obama? It seems like all his decisions, he's not really thinking them through, he's basing his decisions, it seems like, on who is paying him the most money. They're not really logical, they're not good policies. Like making a home affordable plan, the health care plan he's got, it's like, 'Where'd you come up with that? Were you even thinking when you wrote it?' I would for sure take him down and submit him. I would try to make it a very painful submission though. Try and do like a Kimura or an armbar, try and rip it." This isn't the first time that the three-time NCAA All American has called out the "leader of the free world." In January of 2011 after his win over Antonio McKee, Volkmann told MMAFighting.com that he wanted to fight Obama inside the Octagon next due to his displeasure with the President's health policies: "He's not too bright, someone's got to knock some sense into that idiot." His challenge was good enough to earn a visit from The Secret Service, who showed up question him for his post-fight comments. Though no punishment was handed down to him at the time, his second go around didn't go so well as he now finds himself without a job as an assistant wrestling coach with White Bear High School. What do you say, Maniacs, is it high time that Volkmann find a different way of getting his name out there? Perhaps, one that doesn't involve challenging the President of the United States every chance he gets?

Posted in: ufc, president, volkmann, obama, president obama

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submitted by NovaDTH [link] [3 comments]

Posted in: joke, volkmann, obama, obama joke, novadth

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Even if the UFC is more of a known entity today than it was five years ago, many of their lower and mid-level fighters still keep additional jobs to help pay the bills. Jacob Volkmann is one of those fighters, keeping up with a chiropractic business and a wrestling coach position at White Bear Lake High School in Minnesota. He'll have a bit more free time on his hands as he revealed on Twitter that he's again been placed on administrative leave from the school following a joke he made about U.S. President Barack Obama at UFC 141. @JacobVolkmannJacob Volkmann Was put on administrative leave from coaching white bear lake high school wrestling for my joke. Unethical! @ufcJan 06 via Twitter for AndroidFavoriteRetweetReply Following his unanimous decision win over Efrain Escudero on the Facebook prelims, Volkmann told Joe Rogan that Obama needed a "glassectomy". Rogan asked what that was and was told, "It's where they remove the belly button and put a piece of glass in there so you can see what you're doing while your head's up your ass." Volkmann famously was visited by the Secret Service after saying someone needed to "knock some sense into that idiot" (Obama) in a post UFC 125 interview with Ariel Helwani, a clip that made it on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He was put on paid administrative leave by the school and was allowed back a week later after agreeing to abide by certain rules in the future. According to MMA Fighting, he makes $1800 per year for being a coach. After losing his first two UFC fights, Volkmann (14-2) dropped to lightweight and is on a five fight win streak. SBN coverage of UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem

Posted in: ufc, school, joke, volkmann, obama

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It seems that Jacob Volkmann is trying to become the next Dick from Fightlinker: trying way too hard to make bad jokes that wouldn’t be funny even if delivered perfectly. After saying in the ring that he wanted to tear Obama’s belly button out and insert a glass window to facilitate craniorectal insertion, he increased his class level even further backstage when he told MiddleEasy that he would grab Obama’s arm and “try and rip it” in the event that Volkmann vs. Obama ever occurred. Transcript via CagePotato: My beef with Obama? It seems like all his decisions, he’s not really thinking them through, he’s basing his decisions, it seems like, on who is paying him the most money. They’re not really logical, they’re not good policies. Like making a home affordable plan, the health care plan he’s got, it’s like, ‘Where’d you come up with that? Were you even thinking when you wrote it?’ I would for sure take him down and submit him. I would try to make it a very painful submission though. Try and do like a Kimura or an armbar, try and rip it. "His policies are dumb and what's up with Obamacare?!?" Yeah, what is up with that, bro? Share more astute political insights with us, please! Just let me get a pen so I can write these down. They're that good. This isn't the first time Volkmann has discussed violence against the POTUS, and evidently the only lesson he learned from the first time was that visits from the secret service are totally enjoyable and awesome. There is only one explanation that I can think of: the men in black who visited him were Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones and they ended up having lots of wacky adventures. But to be fair, MiddleEasy did ask Volkmann leading questions practically begging him for more juicy quotes about bashing that stupid Obama’s face in. And as we are quickly learning, that’s not too terribly different from pulling Chael Sonnen’s voice toy cord or asking Nick Diaz why weed is awesome.

Posted in: jacob volkmann, volkmann, obama, craniorectal insertion, bro share

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The best way to describe Jacob Volkmann to a neophyte MMA fan is that he's sort of the 'substitute teacher' version of Chael Sonnen. Sure he wants to be controversial, but the way Volkmann releases words from his mouth gives the subtle suggestion that he's actually crazy enough to do whatever he says. Moments after Jacob Volkmann handed Antonio McKee his first loss in nearly seven years, Ariel Helwani cornered him with a microphone backstage at UFC 125. Unlike us, Helwani doesn't need to use thorazine-tipped darts to sedate fighters in order for them to talk. After Volkmann commented on his win over McKee, he also decided to throw a few verbal overhand-rights towards our US president, Barack Obama. Before UFC 125, our government had no idea Volkmann existed. However days after his statement, the US Secret Service visited Jacob Volkmann to discuss his statement that he would like to 'knock some sense' into Obama. Let's just hope the government doesn't see our UFC 141 post-fight interview of Jacob Volkmann proclaiming he would like to get President Obama in a 'painful submission' and 'rip' his arm off in a kimura.

Posted in: jacob volkmann, volkmann, jacob, obama, president obama

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In the second bout of the UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem preliminary card, Jacob Volkmann used his elite wrestling skills to control Efrain Escudero enough to pick up a unanimous decision victory. The first two rounds were all Volkmann, which Escudero putting himself in bad positions by going for guillotines and Volkmann taking advantage, grinding away for long periods of time. Even when the referee stood them up, Volkmann took it right back down and continued his domination. The third round looked to be more of the same for the first half of the stanza, but Escudero capitalized on a Volkmann mistake and locked on a choke that looked tight. He adjusted in a few times, but it wasn't enough to put Volkmann asleep, and Jacob escaped with a 29-28 win on all three scorecards. Volkmann improves to 5-0 as a lightweight and has to been as a threat in the division. Escudero picks up the loss in his return to the company and is probably wondering about his future right about now. What was the high spot of this fight? Escudero's chokes. Volkmann is boring but effective, and nothing he did for the first two rounds was highlight-worthy. Escudero caught him in the third though, and it looked for all the world that Volkmann had no choice but to tap. Somehow he powered out though, and went on to win. Where do these guys go from here? Volkmann's a weirdo, and that might hold him back from a higher-profile position. But the truth is that he's 5-0 as a lightweight, and that's not easy to do in the UFC. Does he get a quality contender next? We'll see. I'm leaning towards a Mark Bocek-type fighter first though. Escudero is in a precarious position. He was brought back as a late replacement, and while he showed a lot in the third round of the bout, the first two rounds were anything but impressive. Personally, I feel that he's a lot better than some lightweights on the roster and deserves another shot. Will he get it? Only time will tell. Watch it now, later or never? Later. Or at least just watch the third. Volkmann does what he does well, but he's not gonna win any brownie points from Dana White for it. Escudero made it interesting at least, and that wass, by far, the best part of the fight. More SBN coverage of UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem More Bloody Elbow coverage of UFC 141 in the full entry UFC 141: Full Video of Post-Fight Press Conference - Brent Brookhouse UFC 141 Results: Brock Lesnar's Performance 'Surprised' Champ Junior dos Santos - Brent Brookhouse UFC 141 Results: Alistair Overeem Predicted Liver Kick Finish - Brent Brookhouse UFC 141 Results: Does Brock Lesnar's Retirement Make Him 'The Ultimate Quitter'? - Brent Brookhouse UFC 141 Lesnar vs Overeem Results: Winners, Losers, and Other Thoughts - Matthew Roth UFC 141 Results: Brock Lesnar Told Dana White He Might Have A Broken Rib - Anton Tabuena UFC 141 Results Video: Nate Diaz Vs. Donald Cerrone Highlights - Matthew Roth UFC 141 Results Video: Brock Lesnar Vs. Alistair Overeem Highlights - Matthew Roth UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem Results and Post-Fight Analysis - Brent Brookhouse UFC 141 Results: Brock Lesnar Officially Retires Follow Alistair Overeem Loss - Matthew Roth UFC 141 Results: Alistair Overeem Retires Brock Lesnar In UFC Debut - Matthew Roth Bad Boy Presents Bloody Elbow Radio - Episode 117: UFC 141 Results Review - Matt Bishop UFC 141 Post-Fight Press Conference Coverage - Tim Burke UFC 141 Results: Nate Diaz Brutalizes Donald Cerrone To A Decision - Matthew Roth UFC 141 Results: Johny Hendricks Knocks Out Jon Fitch In The First - Matthew Roth UFC 141 Results: Alexander Gustafsson Knocks Out Vladimir Matyushenko In The First Round - Matthew Roth UFC 141 Results: Jimy Hettes Dominates Nam Phan to a Unanimous Decision - Matthew Roth UFC 141 Results: Ross Pearson Victorious Over Junior Assuncao In Featherweight Debut - Matthew Roth UFC 141 Results: Danny Castillo Earns Split Decision Over Anthony Njokuani - Matthew Roth UFC 141 Results: Dong Hyun Kim Defeats Sean Pierson by Unanimous Decision - Matthew Roth UFC 141 Results: Jacob Volkmann Defeats Efrain Escudero by Unanimous Decision - Matthew Roth

Posted in: ufc, result, matthew, roth, volkmann

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With five straight wins including one last night over Ultimate Fighter 8 winner Efrain Escudero you would think Jacob Volkmann might be in contention for a title-shot let alone a spot on the main card or in a co-headliner. However, all of his victories have come by decision including two of the “split” variety, and as it turns out the UFC brass prefers stoppages to scorecards. Volkmann elaborated on the situation after his outpointing of Escudero, a one-sided affair dictated by Volkmann’s grappling prowess throughout minus one near-submission attempt from the returning TUFer towards the end. Complete List of UFC 141 Results “In the back room, when Dana White talks to us … He goes ‘Donald Cerrone, the only reason he gets his chance is because he finishes fights. You other guys, you need to learn how to finish fights, or you won’t get a chance’. I felt like that was aimed right at me,” said Volkmann to MMAFighting before reflecting, “It is. I’m not finishing fights.” The 14-2 Volkmann has picked up half of his total wins by decision and hasn’t finished an opponent since May 2009. However, after the 31-year old’s latest post-fight comments directed at President Barack Obama he may have more to worry about than putting his adversaries away. Volkmann, who had already been visited by U.S. Secret Service regarding a previous statement about Obama, insinuated the President had his head up his ass after initially calling out lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. When the joke flopped, receiving a chorus of boos and playful contempt from interviewer Joe Rogan, it apparently didn’t sit well with Volkmann. “I thought Joe Rogan would laugh a little more. He kind of ruined it for me … He ruined it. I wanted to punch him in the nuts … I think he’s a Democrat even though I know he’s not.” PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

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Filed under: UFCJohny Hendricks, welcome to the big time. That's what Joe Rogan said to Hendricks after his knockout victory over Jon Fitch at UFC 141, and it pretty well describes what has just happened in Hendricks' MMA career: There's now no doubt that Hendricks is one of the truly elite fighters in the welterweight division, and he might just be the welterweight with the best chance of dethroning the champion, Georges St. Pierre. Am I getting ahead of myself there? Maybe. It's going to be a while before Hendricks would get a title shot. With St. Pierre shelved by a torn ACL, the welterweight division is in a state of flux, with Carlos Condit facing Nick Diaz for an interim title in February, and the winner of that fight expected to face St. Pierre next. More Coverage: UFC 141 Results | UFC 141 Fighter Salaries But think for a minute about what it means that Hendricks just knocked out Jon Fitch in 12 seconds. Prior to Friday night, Fitch had built up a UFC record of 13-1-1, fighting inside the Octagon for a total of nearly three and a half hours, and no one had been able to finish him. Whether Fitch was beating good strikers like Thiago Alves, or getting beaten up by a great, well-rounded opponent in St. Pierre, the one thing Fitch was never in danger of doing was getting KTFO'd. And that's just what Hendricks did to him, with a vicious left hand to the jaw that knocked Fitch back so hard that the back of his head bounced off the canvas. Hendricks said after the fight that he thought people didn't respect his left hand, and that may be true: Hendricks is still often described as a wrestler above all, thanks to his status as a two-time NCAA champion. But that punch he landed to Fitch's jaw informed everyone who didn't already know that Hendricks has serious power in his hands. It might be a while before Hendricks gets a shot at the title, especially if the UFC decides to hold Condit or Diaz until GSP is healthy. But looking at what Hendricks brings to the table, with his wrestling background and his punching power, you'd have to say that he'd be a real threat to beat St. Pierre if he ever gets that opportunity. Johny Hendricks has arrived as one of the elite welterweights in MMA. %VIRTUAL-Gallery-142683% UFC 141 Notes -- Watching Brock Lesnar's emergence as the UFC's biggest star has been fun, but I'm not surprised that he announced his retirement after losing to Alistair Overeem. Lesnar is a millionaire many times over and doesn't need to fight for the money. He tried MMA, had a lot of success, and has now lost twice in a row and needs to focus on his health. The UFC lost its biggest pay-per-view star, but the sport will be fine without Brock, just as Brock will be fine without MMA. --It was great to see Dong Hyun Kim's use of the same front kick that Anderson Silva used to knock out Vitor Belfort and Lyoto Machida used to knock out Randy Couture. Kim's kick didn't have quite enough power on it to knock out Sean Pierson, but it showed that Kim is working on diversifying his striking. --Anthony Njokuani hasn't evolved as a fighter at all: He's still an exciting striker but a very rudimentary grappler. Until his takedown defense improves significantly, Njokuani is going to lose a decision to any good wrestler he faces, as he did to Danny Castillo. UFC 141 Quotes "I want to thank Donald Cerrone for the fight. Sorry about all the s--t that went down." -- Nate Diaz, leaving all the bad blood behind him after whipping Cerrone. "Jacob Volkmann, an outstanding grappler. Not the best joke teller." -- Joe Rogan, after Volkmann made an unfunny joke about wanting to give President Obama a glassectomy. The UFC should tell Volkmann to leave the jokes to Rogan. "He's a good fighter, I look up to him, but I got the knockout. It was a good punch. It was my day to day. It was my dream to fight in Las Vegas and it was the biggest win of my life." -- Alexander Gustafsson after knockout out Vladimir Matyushenko, showing proper respect for an opponent 17 years his senior. Good Call We're so used to bad judging in MMA these days that it sometimes comes as a surprise when all three judges get it right, but let's credit the judges in the three Facebook preliminary fights, because all nine scorecards on those fights were right on the money: 29-28 for Diego Nunes over Manny Gamburyan, 29-28 for Jacob Volkmann over Efrain Escudero and 30-27 for Dong Hyun Kim over Sean Pierson. Bad Call Herb Dean is usually one of the best referees in the business, but he made an absolutely horrible call by standing up Jacob Volkmann and Efrain Escudero in the middle of the third round of their fight. Volkmann had Escudero's back on the ground and was working for a finish, and Dean inexplicably stopped them and stood them up. Stock Up Volkmann is now 5-0 since moving down to lightweight. He doesn't have the most crowd-pleasing of styles, and he hasn't fought the highest quality of competition, but you can't argue with five straight wins. It's time for Volkmann to get someone in the Top 10, so we can get a feel for just how good he is. Stock Down Gamburyan has now lost three straight fights, and he was never really able to implement his game plan against Nunes, who succeeded in keeping Gamburyan at distance and stopping Gamburyan's takedowns. Gamburyan probably won't lose his job in the UFC because the promotion needs as many recognizable fighters as it can get in the shallow featherweight division, but he's fallen a long way since he was the division's No. 1 contender. Fight I Want to See Next Junior dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem. A great battle of two great heavyweight strikers. I can hardly wait. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, fitch, volkmann, hendrick

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Jacob "Xmas" Volkmann sure likes getting attention for shitting on Obama, except he articulates his disdain for the President about as well as the character for which he's nicknamed.  Steve Cofield has the transcript of his atomic bomb of a post-fight joke: "Obama needs a glassectomy. Ask me what a glassectomy is Joe," said Volkmann. Rogan obliged. "It's where they remove the belly button and put a piece of glass in there so you can see what you're doing while your head's up your [expletive]," said Volkmann. Hilarious.  Except that an "-ectomy" is when something is surgically removed from the body, so a glassectomy would actually be to correct a case of bellybutton-peephole-itis, not create it.  And he wonders why many people think chiropractors are quacks. After the jump, check out his backstage interview with Karyn Bryant, in which Xmas sheepishly reveals that it's a "family joke".  As in something his grandpa once overheard at a hardware store, I presume.  And LOL at his employer telling him to never reveal where he works... yeah, I'm betting that policy will continue indefinitely. read more

Posted in: volkmann, glassectomy, volkmann hilariousnbsp, volkmann rogan, belly button

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MMAWeekly.com caught up with Jacob Volkmann following his win at UFC 141. "Christmas" reflected on the victory and talked about the joke no one found funny.

Posted in: ufc, joke, jacob volkmann, volkmann, jokes mmaweeklycom

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Dong Hyun Kim showed off a new kick, Jacob Volkmann put on a Jacob Volkmann performance, and Diego Nunes got back on track during the UFC 141 prelims on Facebook.

Posted in: ufc, diego nunes, volkmann, jacob, kim volkmann

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The Facebook portion of tonight's (Dec. 30, 2011) UFC 141: "Lesnar vs. Overeem" preliminary card is in the books. The start of the fights were delayed when undercard fighter Matt Riddle unexpectedly dropped out of his bout with Luis Ramos because of an illness. The final Facebook fight of the evening was a welterweight match up between Dong Hyun Kim and Sean Pierson, who were both coming off rough first round losses to top contenders Carlos Condit and Jake Ellenberger respectively. Kim showed steady improvement in his striking, landing consistently to steal every round and he even nearly finished the fight with a jumping front kick to the face that had Pierson on wobbly legs in the end of the second round. His footwork and movement were more than enough to score an easy decision victory despite his inability to secure a finish going 30-27 on all three judges' scorecards. The remainder of the Facebook "Prelims" comprised close battles in the cage, to, which you can catch up with in the extended entry: Lightweights Jacob Volkmann and Efrain Escudero put on a grappling match that was primarily dominated by Volkmann. The Minnesota fighter was all over Escudero for the first two and a half rounds with top control and occasional threats of submissions but he couldn't put The Ultimate Fighter season 8 winner away. The only serious drama of the fight came in the final minute when Escudero latched on a power guillotine and threatened to finish the fight after tightening his hold and transitioning to multiple choke attempts while Volkmann tried to squirm free. Volkmann eventually freed himself and once time ran out in the third round, he was easily awarded the first two rounds to give him a pretty easy 29-28 unanimous decision victory. Opening the night was a thrilling back and forth battle between featherweights Manny Gamburyan and Diego Nunes. Nunes did a terrific job in the first and third rounds of gauging his distance and peppering his Armenian opponent with repeated kicks and occasional jabs and follow-up crosses. Gamburyan had his moments, most notably landing a pair of power shots in the second round combined with a big takedown, but Nunes persevered and was able to come back strong. In the end, it was Nunes' ability to control the stand-up portion which allowed him to win a unanimous decision victory going 29-28 on all three judges' scorecards. Here are the complete Facebook "Prelims" results: Dong Hyun Kim def. Sean Pierson via unanimous decisionJacob Volkmann def. Efrain Escudero via unanimous decisionDiego Nunes def. Manny Gamburyan via unanimous decision That's it for the preliminary card portion of the card. Be sure to hit up MMAmania.com's for up to the minute results and blow-by-blow coverage of the rest of the night's action by clicking here.

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Jacob Volkmann defeats Efrain Escudero by Unanimous Decision. All three judges scored the fight 29-28. Escudro opened the round with a lazy leg kick and Jacob Volkmann used it for a takedown. Efrain immediately looked for a guillotine but was unable to control the posture of Volkmann who passed to side control and started to work his technical grappling from the top. Efrain threw heel strikes from half guard to Volkmann's leg but those didn't do any damage. Volkmann was working from half guard but not doing much the damage Escudero. The crowd was restless booing with 45 seconds left. The round ends with Volkmann throwing wild punches from the top but none landed with any accuracy. Volkmann dove for a low takedown to open the second round. Again Escudero looked for a guillotine but he was unable to control Volkmann's legs. Volkmann passed to side control to escape the choke and then went back to half guard to start working from the top. The crowd really is restless from this kinda fight. Escudero regains full guard and starts to try and control the posture. Herb Dean stood the fighters up and Volkmann came forward with a wild flurry where none of the punches landed accurately. Volkmann gained a body lock and then took Escudero's back. Volkmann eventually got the fight to the ground and has Escudero's back who was turtled up. Volkmann got both hooks in and looked to finish the fight with a choke as the round hit the final minute. Volkmann stayed super heavy from the top when Efrain attempted to stand and ended the second getting manhandled by Volkmann against the fence. Volkmann closed the distance quickly in the third and again Efrain dropped for an unsuccessful guillotine choke. Efrain Escudero gave up his back and Volkmann swarmed. Herb Dean stood the fighters up and again Volkmann dropped for a low single. Escudero defended with hammerfists but Volkmann switch and took Efrain's back with a single hook in. Volkmann turns for a double and Efrain attempts to stop with elbows. Efrain locked in a north-south choke and then changed to a power guillotine. Volkmann is still awake and survives with Efrain releasing the submission. The round ends with Efrain Escudero in mount but unable to finish the fight. Jacob Volkmann entered the fight 4-2 in the UFC and 13-2 overall. He improves to 5-2 in the UFC with his victory. Efrain Escudero is 18-4 now. SBN coverage of UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem

Posted in: fight, round, escudero, volkmann, efrain

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Don't call it a comeback. Actually, that's exactly what you should call it when The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 8 winner Efrain Escudero takes on Jacob Volkmann at UFC 141, tonight (Dec. 30, 2011) in Las Vegas, Nevada. Escudero has been missing in action in the Octagon since Sept. 2010 when the mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion cut him after failing (badly) to make weight, then losing to Charles Oliveira via a third-round rear-naked choke at UFC Fight Night 22 in Austin, Texas. Since that point, Escudero has gone 5-1 for other MMA organizations. Most recently, he was able to defeat Cesar Avila by submission (guillotine choke) at Bellator 55 on Oct. 22, 2011, in Somerton, Arizona. Can he keep the good vibes going tonight versus Volkmann? Let's take a look: In 2008, Escudero entered onto the mainstream MMA scene by winning TUF 8 tournament with a win over Phillipe Nover. He quickly endeared himself to fans, getting attention for his massive heart and unwillingness to quit in the face of adversity. Problems with injuries and inability to make weight, however, resulted in Escudero eventually needing to move on and go back to the drawing board. His opponent this evening, Volkmann, may be best known (much to his chagrine) for being the guy that called out President Barack Obama after a win. He has won four fights in a row, winning his last fight against Danny Castillo by unanimous decision at UFC on Versus 5 on Aug. 14 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The bout will pit two very good wrestlers against each other, which generally means fans can expect a stand up battle. Escudero has notched 12 of his18 wins by way of submissions. For Volkmann, six of his 13 victories were due to submissions. On paper, this lightweight fight looks very even. It may end up being a matter of: "who wants it more?" Will Escudero be victorious in his UFC return? Or will Volkmann, the full-time chiropractor, have his way en route to his fifth straight MMA victory? Predictions, please. Be sure to join MMAmania.com this evening for LIVE, detailed UFC 141 results of all the "Lesnar vs. Overeem" PPV action. It will include blow-by-blow coverage of the Facebook video stream, Spike TV "Prelims" bouts, and of course, the PPV broadcast. We'll start RIGHT HERE at around 7 p.m. ET and carry straight on through early Saturday morning. See you then!

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Jacob Volkmann doesn’t like UFC 141 opponent Efrain Escudero, and he’s not afraid to say it.

Posted in: ufc, punk, doesn, escudero, volkmann

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LAS VEGAS, December 30 - England’s Ross Pearson, lightweight winner of season nine of The Ultimate Fighter, made his featherweight debut in UFC 141 preliminary card action at the MGM Grand Garden Arena Friday night, prevailing against a fighter who early seemed to be playing the role of a Poor Man’s Lyoto Machida in Junior Assuncao. Assuncao danced about the cage and tried to stay elusive early, and Pearson, a boxer/slugger at his core, seemed hesitant to hunt him down and charge forward with reckless abandon. But as the fight wore on, Assuncao (14-5) began to slow down a tad and Pearson began hitting him more with punches and a lead jab that dropped Assuncao in the second round.  Assuncao missed a golden opportunity early in the third. He scored a takedown, then transitioned to back control, but could not prevent Pearson from wiggling free. As the round stretched on, Pearson landed some hard knees and gradually ramped up his assault on a fading Assuncao, who survived, but watched his seven-fight win streak halted when the judges’ verdicts of 30-27 and 29-28 twice were announced.  DANNY CASTILLO VS. ANTHONY NJOKUANI In a clash of former WEC stars, Danny Castillo’s wrestling proved to be the difference en route to a split decision win over the always-dangerous Anthony Njokuani. The Team Alpha Male lightweight weathered a close call in the second round when Njokuani briefly dropped him to a knee with a right hand counter to the chin. Njokuani (15-6) showed flashes with his Muay Thai arsenal, scoring from the clinch with knees to the body and an elbow on the exit. But the judges were apparently more swayed by Castillo’s takedowns and top control than Njokuani’s intermittent leg kicks and combos, awarding his the bout via scores of 29-28, 29-28, and 28-29. “Was that close to you?” the 32-year-old Castillo said afterward to Joe Rogan and fans at the arena who booed the decision. “I thought it was close but not controversial.”  Toward the end of his speech, Castillo (13-4) grew somewhat emotional, addressing the boo birds by noting, “This is my third fight in the UFC and I’ve taken three of my fights on less than four weeks notice, so if you guys want to boo that, fine.”  DONG HYUN KIM VS. SEAN PIERSON Coming off the lone loss in his career to Carlos Condit earlier this year, Dong Hyun Kim rediscovered his winning formula by unleashing a smorgasbord of standup skills, including a Karate Kid-style crane kick that wobbled Pearson in the second round. A judo black belt, Kim was content to predominantly settle matters on the feet, where he displayed a wide range of creativity and got the better of the action. For the most part Kim was effective with his striking and kicks, but did more scoring than harming. Nevertheless, he coasted to a unanimous decision by 30-27 scores, improving to 15-1-1 with 1 NC.  In defeat, Toronto’s Pierson fell to 11-6.  JACOB VOLKMANN VS. EFRAIN ESCUDERO Jacob Volkmann, who made a splash during his cage entrance with a “Volkmann for President” tee, just might need a little chiropractic tune-up himself after the wicked guillotine Efrain Escudero threatened him with in the third round. With his 2-0 lead on the judges’ scorecards in jeopardy, Volkmann, who moonlights as a professional chiropractor when he’s not fighting, showed remarkable poise while repeatedly changing the angles of the super-tight choke to buy himself the slightest flow of oxygen to survive. Other than the drama of that prolonged choke sequence, which Volkmann miraculously escaped, there was precious little entertainment value in this contest. Volkmann, a former Division I wrestling standout at the University of Minnesota, kept shooting in for takedowns and Escudero kept trying to greet him with a guillotine. In the opening two rounds, Volkmann’s guillotine defense was solid, as he swiftly jumped to the other side to beat it.  But when all was said and done, Volkmann did enough to earn the win via three scores of 29-28. DIEGO NUNES VS. MANNY GAMBURYAN Kick, kick and kick some more. That was apparently the Diego Nunes gameplan, and it carried him to a unanimous decision nod over former Ultimate Fighter finalist Manny Gamburyan. The Brazilian standup ace methodically whacked away at the Armenian hero’s lead leg in round one, cracking it by an unofficial count. The lead-leg feast not only won Nunes the opening frame, it also produced some visible bruising on Gamburyan’s leg.  The feisty Gamburyan rebounded in the second round, landing a hard overhand right and using his smothering style to score a takedown and rough Nunes up with a few knees (including one that opened a small cut over Nunes’ left eye). But Manny’s magical formula was stuffed in the fight-defining frame, with Nunes again stuffing the takedowns and scoring with a variety of kicks, including a humming kick to the body that Gamburyan ate in admirable fashion.  Though Gamburyan hoisted his hands in the air at the final horn, the judges saw it otherwise by scores of 29-28 across the board.    

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Jacob Volkmann was a recent guest on The Verbal Submission podcast with hosts Ben Thapa of Bloody Elbow and Brian Hemminger of MMA Mania. Volkmann talked about his upcoming UFC 141 bout with Efrain Escudero and even revealed quite a distaste for the former Ultimate Fighter winner's attitude. From the interview: Brian Hemminger: While T.J. might have been a tougher fight, I believe Efrain Escudero comes in with a bigger name due to winning season eight of The Ultimate Fighter so this could actually be a win-win for you where it's not quite as difficult of a fight in your eyes but you'd actually gain more for a victory. Do you kind of see it that way as well? Jacob Volkmann: I guess. He does have a bigger fanbase than T.J. does. He's got a lot bigger ego too so it's hard to deal with that too. Brian Hemminger: What is it about his ego that makes you think it would be worse than T.J. Grant? Jacob Volkmann: Well, I saw him fight down at CFA, I don't know if you've ever heard of them down in Miami, Florida. That's where Efrain fought this guy named Mike Rio and it's just the way he carried himself. It was annoying to be honest and now I get to fight him. Brian Hemminger: Are you hoping to shut him up a little bit I guess? Jacob Volkmann: Well, I don't think that's possible. If you get a person like that, I think he's gonna be arrogant no matter who he fights or whatever happens. Brian Hemminger: Jacob Volkmann, dropping the sound bytes (laughs). So what was it about the way he carried himself that rubbed you the wrong way? Jacob Volkmann: Yeah, just the arrogance. He seemed like his nose was up in the air and he was expecting people to come over and talk to him and stuff. I don't know. He just really annoyed me when I was watching him. SBN coverage of UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem

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Jacob Volkmann is as no-nonsense as they come. If asked a question, even a tough one, he won't be skirting around the issue. His answers will be straight forward and come directly from the gut, even if they're unpopular or controversial. Just ask President Barack Obama, who Volkmann said he wanted to fight next following his split decision UFC 125 victory over Antonio McKee, a decision that earned him a secret service visit to his house, which "brought his wife to tears" and put him on two week suspension from his high school wresting coach side gig. Since dropping down to lightweight, "Christmas" Volkmann has quietly gone undefeated (4-0) in the UFC, notably defeating Danny Castillo his last time out this past August. The Minnesota Martial Arts Academy fighter was all geared up for a showdown with T.J. Grant before an injury to the Canadian provided an avenue for former The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 8 eight winner Efrain Escudero to return to the UFC. Volkmann is now slated to take on Escudero at UFC 141 next Friday night (Dec. 30, 2011), a man he doesn't particularly admire. The part-time chiropractor spoke with MMAmania.com during a guest appearance on The Verbal Submission this week about the reason Escudero rubs him the wrong way, the evolution of his fighting style and who he thinks will be the next UFC lightweight champion. Check it out: Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You're taking on Efrain Escudero at UFC 141. You were originally slated to face T.J. Grant. How much different is Efrain from Grant because I see a lot of similarities in their style. Jacob Volkmann: Well Efrain isn't nearly as good on the ground as T.J. Grant is. T.J.'s submissions are a lot more crisp than Efrain's are. What does Efrain have? He's got a front headlock to a guillotine, that's the only thing I've ever seen him try and his takedowns are better, well I don't know, his takedowns are probably the same. He was only a junior college wrestler but T.J.'s been taking down Division I national champions like Shane Roller. I think T.J. Grant was a tougher fight but sometimes people get injured and that's what happened. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): While T.J. might have been a tougher fight, I believe Efrain Escudero comes in with a bigger name due to winning season eight of The Ultimate Fighter so this could actually be a win-win for you where it's not quite as difficult of a fight in your eyes but you'd actually gain more for a victory. Do you kind of see it that way as well? Jacob Volkmann: I guess. He does have a bigger fanbase than T.J. does. He's got a lot bigger ego too so it's hard to deal with that too. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): What is it about his ego that makes you think it would be worse than T.J. Grant? Jacob Volkmann: Well, I saw him fight down at CFA, I don't know if you've ever heard of them down in Miami, Florida. That's where Efrain fought this guy named Mike Rio and it's just the way he carried himself. It was annoying to be honest and now I get to fight him. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Are you hoping to shut him up a little bit I guess? Jacob Volkmann: Well, I don't think that's possible. If you get a person like that, I think he's gonna be arrogant no matter who he fights or whatever happens. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Jacob Volkmann, dropping the sound bytes (laughs). So what was it about the way he carried himself that rubbed you the wrong way? Jacob Volkmann: Yeah, just the arrogance. He seemed like his nose was up in the air and he was expecting people to come over and talk to him and stuff. I don't know. He just really annoyed me when I was watching him. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Efrain trains alongside guys like Ben Henderson and Jamie Varner and you train with Nik Lentz and former UFC champion Sean Sherk. Who do you feel is putting in the time with better lightweights right now? Jacob Volkmann: Well, obviously I'm gonna have to say me. I don't know, though, that's a horse apiece. Ben Henderson is a great fighter. I'd love to fight him. That would be a very exciting fight. Other than that, I don't know. You can't judge them because they've never fought each other. Ben Henderson's never fought Sean Sherk and Nik Lentz never fought those guys. Jamie Varner, who does he fight for? Does Jamie Varner fight for the UFC? Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Not right now. I think .he just signed a contract with the XFC. I have a couple questions about your style. In your last fight with Danny Castillo, it was a very entertaining ground battle and you were going for that D'Arce choke repeatedly. Was that just kind of something you saw and kept going for it or is that you're "go-to" move on the ground? Jacob Volkmann: No, that's something he was just giving me. He kept trying for the underhook and I had half guard so I'd just slip it right in. It was one move that I've been working on in practice and it's been coming to me pretty much every time I roll. I've been trying to work other moves now since that one didn't work so well. I don't know. I kept going to it because it kept on getting tighter and tighter and I figured, "One of these times this guy's gonna tap or at least pass out," but he showed true grit, man. He was tough down there. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You said you were working on something new. Are we privy to this information or is it top secret? Jacob Volkmann: Ah, it's just top movies. Instead of going for the D'Arce, slipping the guillotine from top and I've been working a lot of Kimura stuff, armbar stuff and it really doesn't matter. Who cares? It's the same stuff that everybody else is trying. I've been trying to work, practice more guillotines, armbars and Kimuras from the same position. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You've quietly gone 4-0 since dropping down to lightweight. That's about as good of a streak as anybody's got right now at 155 pounds. Do you feel like a victory over Efrain Escudero, a pretty high profile name, do you think that should take you up to that upper echelon of that lightweight division and that should get you these bigger fights with more exposure? Jacob Volkmann: I hope so. I hope I get at least a top 10 guy. Last time I was asking for a top 10 guy but I guess they got other plans for those guys. Maybe Donald Cerrone vs. Nick Diaz, the winner of those two, that would be a nice fight too if you think ahead. Gerry Rodriguez: We had Nik Lentz on the show a couple weeks ago and he shares a story about tapping out Brock Lesnar during a training session. He said they were kind of goofing around and he got him in a guillotine and the next time around, Brock picked him up and literally threw him across the room. Were you there for that or do you have anything you can share about that? Jacob Volkmann: No, no, but he does, Brock does have some crazy strength. One time I was rolling with him and I was on top and he bench pressed me and threw me five feet so I believe that. I didn't roll with him again. I'm not stupid. He's just too strong. Gerry Rodriguez: How do you like Brock's chances against Overeem on the 30th? Jacob Volkmann: Oh, I think he's gonna kill him. He's gonna take his down, that's obvious. He's gonna shoot his power double. His power double is very hard to stop even against Division I national championship wrestlers so I'm pretty sure the guy who's never practiced takedown defense in his life is gonna stop the takedown. Gerry Rodriguez: You're a chiropractor and you're running your own business. Does it actually help with your training in MMA or is it something that's just kind of an added on thing that you have to deal with? Jacob Volkmann: It's just something I have to deal with. I was trying to get some free marketing for fighting for the UFC and it doesn't help. I don't get new patients for being a fighter for the UFC or anything like that. It'd be nice though. Ben Thapa: As a chiropractor, you work a lot with spinal alignment and backs. Does it feel odd for you to help people outside the cage, but inside, particularly against Danny Castillo with the D'arce, which is a neck based submission, is that an odd feeling for you? Jacob Volkmann: No, no. I'm able to take work aside when I'm out there fighting. I don't think about work when I'm out there. When I practice, I'm not thinking about my chiropractor business. I don't think about my kids when I'm out there. It's just something you've got to be able to focus on one thing at a time. I was weird because when I had Castillo in that D'Arce, the first one, his neck was cracking pretty loud. I was like, "This is gonna hurt afterwards." Ben Thapa: I'm also wondering about your transitions, coming over as a pure wrestler and adding in the striking and submissions. What was that like for you? Jacob Volkmann: Well the easiest thing for me to adjust to was the submissions for jiu-jitsu because they're almost pretty much the same except you've got the submission part where you can choke them and get the armbar and twist their arms and stuff. Pretty much, everything else, where your hips are, where your weight should be, that's all the same. The only thing I'm having trouble with so far is the Muay Thai part, the kickboxing. I'm trying to get my hands faster and get better timing on the punch. I want to punch and then shoot, that's what I'm always constantly working on. Ben Thapa: The footwork is very different too. Usually the Muay Thai guys have their weak foot forward and wrestlers like to have their strong foot forward. Jacob Volkmann: Yeah, I also like to have more weight on my lead foot. Ben Thapa: Has your wrestling gotten a little more ambidextrous since switching over and training more Muay Thai? Jacob Volkmann: No, not really. I'm a southpaw so I've been sticking with my southpaw stance. Back when I was in high school and I was an orthodox boxer. I kind of switched that up to make it a little easier for me to shoot. Ben Thapa: How do you view making fights exciting versus sticking to the gameplan and playing to your strengths? What's the right balance? Jacob Volkmann: There is no balance. If you wanna win, you've got to stick to your own gameplan. Sometimes, the gameplan is to be exciting, the gameplan is exciting. Sometimes if you take the guy to the ground and you try to submit him and ground and pound him, some of the fans don't like that because they are looking for the knockout. You've just got to deal with what your gameplan is and stick with it. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): If you put someone in a terrible submission, would you offer then a free consultation? I was actually thinking about offering Castillo a hundred bucks if he'd tap out (laughs). I thought about whispering in his ear, "Tap out, I'll give you 100 bucks!" but I didn't do it. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): I don't know if you're a pro wrestling fan, but after the fight's over instead of like the Million Dollar Man putting a dollar in their hand, you can give them a business card or something. Jacob Volkmann: Yup, he needed my business card. I guarantee his neck was pretty sore the next day. I was cranking on his neck for eight minutes straight. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Do you work with MMA fighters for your business at all? Jacob Volkmann: Yeah, yeah but I don't really get paid to at all. MMA fighters, the smaller show guys, they don't make enough to put food on the table. I'm not gonna charge them guys because they're my partners too. I need them to be healthy because if they're not healthy, then who am I gonna practice with? I treat those guys mostly for free. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Ok, Jacob, you're taking on Efrain Escudero and you've been thinking about it ever since they made the fight switch. When you're closing your eyes and visualizing success in there, how do you see yourself getting a victory? Jacob Volkmann: A lot of movement. A lot of movement. I'm gonna start throwing my hands more, more stand-up with this guy. I've got to learn how to get better stand-up in the cage. My stand-up in the room is good. I've just got to transition to get better stand-up in the cage and transition to takedowns. My ground game's good but I've just got to get better stand-up in the ring because sometime in the cage, there's gonna be a guy that can stop your takedowns, then you've got to stand with him. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You mentioned how your stand-up is fine in practice, so what do you think is the difference when the cage doors close? Jacob Volkmann: It's just confidence. You've just got to do it, just gotta start throwing. Ben Thapa: Who do you see winning the UFC lightweight title between Ben Henderson and Frankie Edgar? Jacob Volkmann: I'm gonna give it to Henderson. I think Henderson's gonna get on him, gonna stay on him unlike Maynard. He just fought Maynard and Maynard beat him when eh took him down and stayed on him but then he decided he wanted to bang with him and try to knock him out even after the second time after the first time didn't work so I think Henderson's gonna be a little smart, learn from Maynard's mistakes. Jacob would like to thank SEG, Sterling Entertainment Group, Headrush and the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy, He'd also like to give a shoutout to Volkmann Chiropractic, Infinity Insurance and Heat Wave. You can follow him on twitter @JacobVolkmann. So what do you think, Maniacs? Do you appreciate Volkmann's brutal honesty? Will he accomplish his dream of cracking into the top tier of UFC lightweights will a victory on Friday night? Sound off! To listen to the complete audio of Volkmann's interview click here.

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On New Year’s Day of this year at UFC 125, several fighters truly captivated fight fans with their memorable Octagon performances. Dustin Poirier introduced himself to the featherweight division with authority in his lopsided victory over Josh Grispi, Clay Guida surprised all with his second round guillotine choke over former PRIDE champion Takanori Gomi, Brian Stann legitimized his presence as a dangerous 185er with his TKO of Chris Leben, and, least of all, Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard battled to a draw in one of the most unforgettable title fights in UFC history. Oddly enough, what gained national attention and headlines wasn’t what transpired in the cage, but an offhand comment said backstage. The minor celebrity who emerged from UFC 125 was its first winner of that night: Jacob “Christmas” Volkmann. After a somewhat uninspiring split decision win over Antonio McKee, Volkmann was asked in an interview by MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani, “who would he like to fight next?” Volkmann’s first answer was Clay Guida and his second was President Barack Obama. The following hyperbolic controversy and 15 minutes of fame for Volkmann obviously didn’t stem from calling out “The Carpenter”. The quick political soundbite was hugely popular on the internet, was featured on the Jay Leno show, got Volkmann a visit from the Secret Service and cost him his coaching job for White Bear Lake high school wrestling for two weeks. As impressive as all that is, Volkmann’s most remarkable feat in 2011 was simply dominating Danny Castillo at UFC Live in August. At the end of the day, nothing holds greater sway on a fighter’s career than whether they win or lose inside the Octagon. The three-time NCAA Division I All-American from the University of Minnesota took an up-and-coming lightweight talent who was on a three fight win streak and ran the tables on him for 15 minutes. It didn’t earn Volkmann any more time on late night talk shows, but it was another victory highlighting his imposing ground game. Also, it was arguably his best win in the UFC and one that Volkmann slightly predicted. “I was fairly confident I was going to win because his strength is my strength,” states Volkmann. “He was a Junior College wrestler, which doesn't say much to be honest. I was confident going in there that I could take him down and ground and pound him. I tried to submit him, but that didn't work. That was the submission I was working on the whole camp leading up to the fight. I assumed I could get that on him. Even on the pre-fight interview, I said I could get a D'arce on him.”For the majority of the three rounds, Castillo was underneath Volkmann and caught in a prolonged D’arce choke attempt. “I have watched the fight, but I don't know why it didn't work,” tells Volkmann, who is as baffled as the rest of us with Castillo’s ability to struggle and not tap to being in a tight choke for minutes at a time. “I couldn't submit him! He's a tough kid with a lot of grit for not tapping there. I could hear his neck cracking and everything.”At 31 years old, the Minnesotan is 4-0 at 155 pounds in the UFC since dropping down from welterweight. Volkmann was thrown to the wolves in his first two fights inside the Octagon, facing and eventually losing to Paulo Thiago and Martin Kampmann. Volkmann attributes part of those losses to more or less the culture shock of not realizing what a step-up in competition it was from smaller organizations, where Volkmann was 9-0, to the UFC. “It's just like wresting Division I wrestling,” asserts Volkmann. “You have to train twice a day at least. You have to have a coach coaching you and yelling at you every day because if you don't then you're not going to succeed. When you first start fighting in the UFC, it is kind of a shock because you don't realize how much better fighters the guys in the UFC are than in these other shows. These guys who are going 0-2 in their first two fights in the UFC, it’s is not a really good judgment of how good of a fighter they are because they are in shock. I don't think they are ready for it.”The next challenge for “Christmas” will be on December 30th at UFC 141 against returning Ultimate Fighter season 8 winner Efrain Escudero. “I met him once down at a CFA show in Florida and I did not like him at all when I met him,” remembers Volkmann, who sprinkles very little Holiday cheer on his first impression of his 19-3 opponent. “He was just an arrogant little *$%^$. He was very cocky. Seems like the world revolves around him type.”Like or dislike on a personal level, Volkmann is busy training per usual for this dangerous adversary with Greg Nelson’s team at the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy. Escudero’s record is heavy on submission victories (13 of 19), so obviously, Volkmann is preparing for the very probable ground battle with Escudero, but he has also been working extensively on improving his standup, which will help with him getting the fights to the ground.“The thing about his strength is it is wrestling too, so I’m not as concerned about that,” says Volkmann. “My main goal is to try and stay standing because I want to open up my standup game. The key to fighting a guy like Efrain, it is going to be hard as hell to take this guy down, so I'm going to have to have a better standup game to set up for better takedowns. I want to work on opening my standup to transition to takedowns better. I spar twice a week. I work on my hands three or four times a week. I do big work with the coach doing kicks with the heavy bag and he's got me hitting all types of pads. In high school, I did boxing for three years, Golden Gloves boxing. I didn't do any Muay Thai or nothing. I had three fights in boxing. I fought the sheriff's kid.”The most likely outcome in this scrap is these two trading submission attempts, and Volkmann has Escudero’s favorite techniques well scouted. “Efrain has a good front headlock and a good guillotine, so I've been working with Nik Lentz and a few other guys I work with to prevent the guillotine,” reveals Volkmann of what he expects from Escudero and offers up, like with the Castillo fight, a peek into his own playbook. “I've been working on a lot of kimuras, not so much armbars, and on top guillotines. I might go back to the D'arce. If he gives me that arm, I'm going for the D'arce.”After four consecutive wins at lightweight, Volkmann’s stint thus far in the UFC has been a lot about learning how to compete and not whether he could compete. “The thing that I think is the biggest difference of when I fought Paulo and where I am today is knowing when to stay standing and when to take a guy down,” claims Volkmann, and now that he has acclimated himself to the level of his opposition's abilities, he is ready to take them on and win. “I'm not going to stay standing with a guy like Martin Kampmann again - who I hope to fight again. I'm not going to stay standing with that guy because he has a reach advantage, experience advantage and he's a counter fighter. The biggest thing is to know when to stay standing and when to shoot to take him down.”At UFC 141, Volkmann looks to impose his strength and will on Escudero to continue his undeterred winning ways at 155 pounds. “My old teammates from college used to call it ‘Farmer's Strength,’” relates Volkmann, noting that back-to-back commanding performances inside the Octagon would send a sobering message to the lightweights that they have a new powerhouse amongst them. “I have two to three practices a day, so I don't have time to lift weights and get big muscles. I didn't lift very strong, but when I got a hold of them they felt it.”

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One man's loss is another man's gain. Thanks to an injury suffered by T.J. Grant, the door has been opened for former Ultimate Fighter Efrain Escudero to make his return to the Octagon to square off against Jacob Volkmann at UFC 141 on Dec. 30 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The promotion brought word of the change just last night. Escudero was unceremoniously dropped by the UFC back late last year after failing to make weight for a bout against Charles Oliveira and subsequently losing the fight by way of submission. He's compiled a record of 5-1 since then and with UFC building an insanely ambitious schedule for 2012, his past transgressions have been forgiven for one more shot in the big leagues. But it won't be easy. Standing in his way is Jacob Volkmann, he of Barack Obama call out fame. After opening his UFC career with back-to-back losses to Paulo Thiago and Martin Kampmann, "Christmas" has quietly strung together four consecutive wins, including a UFC on Versus 5 unanimous decision nod over former WEC star Danny Castillo. If he can keep the gravy train rolling, it will get increasingly difficult to ignore. UFC 141 will take place on a Friday, on Dec. 30, 2011, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event will be headlined by a mega-fight pitting former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar taking on former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem. Jon Fitch is also scheduled to return from shoulder surgery against budding welterweight contender Johny Hendricks. For more on UFC 141: "Lesnar vs. Overeem" click here.

Posted in: ufc, dec, vega, jacob volkmann, volkmann

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With UFC lightweight, T.J. Grant suffering an injury in training, a former Ultimate Fighter winner has gotten the call to return to the UFC and replace him in a fight against Jacob Volkmann at UFC 141. As announced on UFC.com this afternoon, TUF Season 8 champion, Efrain Escudero, will once against step foot in the Octagon and face Volkmann on December 30th: TJ Grant has been forced to withdraw from UFC 141 due to an injury, according to UFC president Dana White. Stepping in to replace him will be TUF 8 winner Efrain Escudero, making his return to the UFC against Jacob Volkmann. Both fighters have verbally agreed to the new match. Escudero was only the second TUF winner to be released by the UFC after a submission loss to Charles Oliveira in late 2010, a bout in which Escudero also came in 4 pounds overweight, which likely contributed to the UFC's decision to release him, since Escudero still had a winning UFC record of 3-2 at the time. Since then, Escudero has stayed active and successful on the regional scene, going 5-1 and most recently, choking out Cesar Avila at Bellator 55 last month. Escudero-Volkmann will likely remain on the preliminary card for UFC 141. Efrain "Hecho en Mexico" Escudero (18-3)W Cesar Avila (submission) - Bellator 55W Mike Rio (unam. decision) - CFA 2L Fabricio Camoes (unam. decision) - TPF 9 Jacob "Christmas" Volkmann (13-2)W Danny Castillo (unam. decision) - UFC on Versus 5W Antonio McKee (split decision) - UFC 125W Paul Kelly (unam. decision) - UFC on Versus 2 UFC 141 coverage

Posted in: ufc, decision, tj grant, escudero, volkmann

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Efrain Escudero, the Season 8 winner of "The Ultimate Fighter," is back in the UFC. He will meet Jacob Volkmann at UFC 141 on the year-end card.

Posted in: ufc, escudero, jacob volkmann, volkmann, jacob

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 The Ultimate Fighter season eight lightweight winner Efrain Escudero's (18-3) sabbatical away from the octagon will come to an end at UFC 141. Sources close to the situation informed ULTMMA.com (www.ULTMMA.com) of Escudero's return to the Octagon over the weekend. The MMA Lab team member will fight prior to the New Year at UFC 141 versus Jacob Volkmann (13-2). UFC 141 is headlined by a heavyweight fight between Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem and is scheduled for December 30 at the MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Escudero was submitted in his last UFC appearance by Charles Oliviera at UFC Fight Night in September 2010. After Escudero captured the TUF 8 contract he went 3-2 with UFC. The 25year old Escudero went 5-1 on the local MMA scene after his release from the UFC. Escudero was scheduled to meet Jeff Rexroad at Legacy Fighting Championship 9 in Houston, Texas on December 16th but pulled out of the fight when the opportunity to return to the UFC was presented to him.After a pair of losses to begin his UFC career Volkmann has reeled off four straight victories. Volkmann was submitted by Martin Kampmann in January 2010 and made the move down to lightweight for his next UFC fight. At 155 pounds Volkmann has defeated all four of his opponents via decision. A former University of Minnesota wrestler, Volkmann most recently had his hand raised versus Danny Castillo at UFC on VS 5 in August.

Posted in: ufc, fight, return, escudero, volkmann

Read the full article at UltMMA

'Ultimate Fighter' season 8 winner Efrain Escudero is back in the UFC, and will face Jacob Volkmann at UFC 141 in December.

Posted in: ufc, efrain escudero, escudero, jacob volkmann, volkmann

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

The Ultimate Fighter 8 winner Efrain Escudero will return to the Octagon to face Jacob Volkmann at UFC 141 after an undisclosed injury forced TJ Grant out of the lightweight matchup on the preliminary card of the Dec. 30 event in Las Vegas, the UFC announced Tuesday. Escudero (18-3) won 5 of his 6 fights since being cut by the UFC after failing to make weight and losing to Charles Oliveira in September 2010 following a 3-1 start to his UFC career. Volkmann (13-2) is on a four-fight win streak following back-to-back losses, including a victory over Danny Castillo in August. UFC 141 is headlined by Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem for the first shot at new UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos and also features a lightweight showdown between Donald Cerrone and Nate Diaz. For complete coverage of UFC 141, stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com. Pictured: Efrain Escudero

Posted in: ufc, tj grant, escudero, volkmann, efrain

Read the full article at MMA Frenzy

Nova Scotia native TJ Grant is scheduled to fight Jakob Volkmann at UFC 141 in December.

Posted in: ufc, grant, tj grant, canadian grant, volkmann

Read the full article at sportsnet.ca

The UFC 141 card in Las Vegas on December 30th has another addition, this one featuring lightweight grappling specialists, T.J. Grant and Jacob Volkmann. The UFC announced the booking today: Two of the best grapplers in the lightweight division have verbally agreed to fight December 30th at UFC 141 as Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist TJ Grant takes on relentless wrestler Jacob "Christmas" Volkmann at the end-of-year event. Volkmann has quietly amassed a four-fight winning streak, dominating opponents like Danny Castillo and Antonio McKee with his relentless wrestling and active guard-passing. Grant has had mixed results in his UFC career, and has been unable to string together consecutive wins, but the BJJ black belt is coming off an impressive (and slightly controversial) submission victory over Shane Roller. Jacob "Christmas" Volkmann (13-2)Win Danny Castillo (unam. decision) - UFC on Versus 5Win Antonio McKee (split decision) - UFC 125Win Paul Kelly (unam. decision) - UFC on Versus 2 T.J. Grant (17-5)Win Shane Roller (submission - armbar) - UFC on Versus 6Loss Ricardo Almeida (unam. decision) - UFC 124Win Julio Paulino (unam. decision) - UFC 119 More coverage of UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem

Posted in: ufc, decision, grant, tj, volkmann

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Lightweights Jacob Volkmann and TJ Grant have agreed to square off on the undercard of “UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem” on December 30 in Las Vegas, the UFC announced today. Volkmann (13-2) rebounded from back-to-back losses to begin his UFC career with four-straight decision wins, including an August victory over Danny Castillo, while Grant (17-5) dropped to 155-pounds with a submission of Shane Roller earlier this month after going 3-3 at welterweight inside the Octagon. UFC 141 is headlined by heavyweight contenders Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem, while the rare Friday event also features Jon Fitch vs Johny Hendricks and Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Alexander Gustafsson. For complete UFC 141 coverage stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com. Pictured: TJ Grant

Posted in: ufc, vs, grant, tj, volkmann

Read the full article at MMA Frenzy