The Cageside Beat Update and Recaps

The Cageside Beat, mine and Puddin's radio show, the official radio show of ProMMA.info ended 2009 with a bang and is already off to a great start in 2010.

As readers of Previously Viewed probably noted, we were able to have on two great guests a few weeks ago with WEC fighter Anthony Njokuani and UFC fighter Steve Cantwell.

The week after that, we were fortunate enough to feature Bobby Razak.

The week after that, we spoke with WEC Lightweight Champ Jamie Varner. (You can check Varner's website out here or find him on twitter here.)

On the most recent episode, we introduced some new music to the show as well, and we have begun introducing sponsored trivia contests as well. The most recent one (and there's still time to enter!) was sponsored by long-time friend of show, Silver Star.

In other important news, The Cageside Beat is now available for free download on iTunes. You can find all of the archived episodes here.

There are a lot more great things coming in 2010. Make sure to tune in each week as we bring you the best in regional and national MMA coverage.

Enjoy.

-PreView

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For gloves and gear from the world's best brands, head over to EliteMMA.com - Gear for fighters.


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The Cageside Beat - November 5 and November 12, 2009

The Cageside Beat is doing pretty well since we returned to the airwaves a few weeks ago. Puddin and I have wrapped up three episodes since joining the ProMMA.info Radio Network.

After featuring pro fighter Chad Hinton in our first episode back, Puddin and I spent the last two episodes talking over some great current news in MMA and doing some previews of upcoming events.

To check out the recap on our last two shows, head on over to ProMMA.info. The link also includes embedded players with our two most recent episodes.

Or feel free to check out the most recent episodes in the embedded player in the right column of this blog.

Or, to download and listen to all of our episodes, head on over to The Cageside Beat.

Enjoy.


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Justin Wren's TUF Episodes 8 and 9 Blogs

Justin Wren is back with more writings on ProMMA.info on his experiences as a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter.

Check out his blog for episode 8 here.

Check out his blog for episode 9 here.

As always, Justin provides some excellent insight "behind the scenes" at the house.

Enjoy.


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Justin Wren's TUF Episode 7 (Junk vs. Mitrione) Blog

TUF 10 Competitor Justin Wren is back with another post-episode blog on ProMMA.info.

This week's episode featured a match-up between Scott Junk and Matt Mitrione. To hear the result as well as Justin's thoughts on the episode, head over to ProMMA.info.

Enjoy.


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The Cageside Beat October 29, 2009: Chad Hinton

Our radio show is back! Newly renamed "The Cageside Beat," Puddin and I are returning to bring you all the same great regional and national MMA interviews, news, and commentary that you can handle.

Part of the PROMMA.INFO Radio Network, The Cageside Beat returns this Thursday, October 29, 2009, with special guest Chad "H-Bomb" Hinton. We will be discussing Hinton's MMA career, his recent first-round KO victory over Justin Moore, and current news in MMA.

For instructions on how to tune in, and call in, head over to PROMMA.INFO.

This episode is sponsored by Silver Star, the fastest growing company in MMA sponsorship.

Enjoy.

-PreView


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Justin "The Viking" Wren's TUF Episode 4 Blog

Another episode of TUF has come and gone and that means another great blog entry is in the books from Justin "The Viking" Wren, the official TUF 10 blogger for PROMMA.INFO.

You can check out Justin's blog for all of his thoughts on the episode over at PROMMA.INFO.

Enjoy.


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Justin "The Viking" Wren's TUF Episode 3 (Kimbo vs. Roy Nelson) Blog

As I reported here last week, The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Season 10 competitor Justin "The Viking" Wren is doing a weekly blog for PRO MMA of his perspective on each new episode of TUF.

This week's episode was a highly anticipated one, with famed former street fighter Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson facing off against former IFL Heavyweight Champ Roy "Big Country" Nelson.

Wren has published his blog on the episode. You can find it on PRO MMA.

Take some time to check it out - he really offers some great behind-the-scenes access and info.

Enjoy.

-PreView


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TUF 10 Competitor Justin Wren Blogging for PRO MMA

For those of you unfamiliar with the structure of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), the UFC assigns a number of the competitors a blog on different MMA websites around the country. This season, PRO MMA is lucky enough to have Justin "The Viking" Wren as it's blogger during the course of the show. Wren will be posting a weekly blog after each new episode is shown, giving readers some great behind the scenes info and some hints into the logistics of the episode.

Check out his blog on episode one here.

Check out his blog on episode two here.

You'll be able to find the new posts each week on PRO MMA, but I'll also be posting links to each of the blogs each week in case you missed it.

Enjoy.

(Pic from PRO MMA.)

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ICF: Balance of Power Post-Event Interview with Promoter Steve Stanton (9/10/09)

After the ICF's recent Balance of Power show, I also had a chance to catch up with ICF promoter Steve Stanton. I hadn't had the chance to speak directly with Steve since right before he opened the ICF Fight Club, so I was glad to get a few minutes to ask him some questions about the night's fights and record-breaking crowd for the ICF.

Here is what Stanton had to say:



Brian Furby: Steve, you had a huge crowd tonight, a lot of exciting fights – give me some of your thoughts on the show.

Steve Stanton: I can’t believe how many people came out tonight. They just kept coming and coming. The doors opened at 5:00 PM and all of sudden about 400 people were standing outside getting ready to come in three hours before the fights started. There were cars backed up miles down the road trying to get in. I’m predicting between 5,500-6,000 people for tonight’s show.

Brian Furby: Second show in Indiana, and Cincinnati attorney Eric Deters actually stepped in the cage against Florence, Kentucky police officer Larry Shelton in the main event – what did you think of the fight?

Steve Stanton: I’ve been telling everybody it was a legitimate fight. Everybody was saying it wasn’t going to happen and it did. It was a good fight, Eric Deters actually put up a good fight.

Brian Furby: You have your next Fight Club show coming up on September 11th, ICF: Payback – what can we expect from the ICF in the future?

Steve Stanton: 700 West Pete Rose Way, Cincinnati, OH – Payback will be our third show and we’re getting really good crowds, people are still finding out we’re down there. Not only do I do MMA, we have a full sports bar, we host national concerts and I’m getting into boxing now trying to bring boxing back up like I did MMA in the area. I want to thank everybody that came out tonight, supporting the ICF and all my fighters. Everybody fought hard tonight. Indiana is a fun crowd, they’re a little rambunctious, get a little rowdy, but they sure drink a lot of beer and have a good time[laughs].


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ICF: Balance of Power Post-Event Interview with Larry Shelton (9/10/09)

A couple weekends ago, I attended the ICF event, Balance of Power. There were a number of entertaining fights and exciting finishes, but the headline fight easily generated the most pre-fight hype. Florence, KY police officer Larry "K-9" Shelton faced off against Cincinnati attorney Eric "Bulldog" Deters. Deters had long been stating he wanted to fight a police officer (he is known, among other things, for suing police for misconduct) and Shelton stepped up to the plate. Shelton ended up beating Deters in the first round via TKO due to strikes and I caught up with him after the event to get some comments.

You can see what Shelton had to say, and catch a video of the fight, after the jump.

Brian Furby: Big win over Eric Deters tonight, how did you feel going into the fight?

Larry Shelton: I was very calm. I trained so hard with Scott O’Brien and Dan McMillan and I felt very comfortable.

Brian Furby: There was a lot of pre-fight hype and trash talk going on – did that affect your preparation at all?

Larry Shelton: I didn’t think about it at all, I just trained hard, not so much for Eric Deters but for any fighter. I just went out there and gave it my best.

Brian Furby: Once you got in the cage, what did you think about Deters as an opponent?

Larry Shelton: I don’t think he was comfortable in the cage. That may be lack of experience but I have to admit I respect him now. He opened his mouth, but got in there and I respect that. He may do some things I disagree with but I respect that.





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Bleed Blue Brawl 1 Post-Event Interview with Promoter Tommy Cornett (9/9/09)

The other interview I was able to conduct after the recent Bleed Blue Brawl was with promoter Tommy Cornett. Cornett put together an impressive show for his first attempt. With the exciting fights and guests like Junie Browning, and plans to start hosting professional fights as well, Cornett looks to make Bleed Blue Brawl into a serious contender in the growing regional MMA market.

Here is what Cornett had to say after the show:

Brian Furby: Tommy Cornett, Bleed Blue Brawl promoter – you had a great first show tonight – what did you think about the show?

Tommy Cornett: I think it went really well, we didn’t have all the fights we wanted to have, but I think the guys that did fight went out and performed well and put on a good show and the crowd really got into it. I think it was a success.

Brian Furby: I know you’ve been involved in MMA for a while, you’re a wrestling coach, but what made you want to start a promotion?

Tommy Cornett: Well, I got involved with 4 Seasons back in 2004 and was there for 3 or 4 years as a coach and cornerman, and I just wasn’t really happy with the production value of a lot of amateur shows that I got to witness, but then I met Nick Champa and saw the venue (Champ’s Skate Center) and then the idea just popped right in my head. It’s a great venue, good lights and effects, good production for these amateur fighters to get the experience they need to go on with a professional career. I just feel like they didn’t have that here in Kentucky.

Brian Furby: So what are you plans for show number two?

Tommy Cornett: We’re talking about dates, shooting for November. We have plenty of time to prepare for it and we’re looking to have ten amateur fights and a couple pro fights and it’s plenty of time to produce and promote it because we only had four weeks to promote this show. We’ll definitely have it squared away even better next time.

Brian Furby: What was your favorite fight tonight?

Tommy Cornett: I was really happy with David Suter’s performance, and Adam Disney’s knockout win just put that guy to sleep, it was pretty impressive.



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Bleed Blue Brawl 1 Post-Event Interview with Junie Browning (9/9/09)

Not too long ago, I had the chance to attend the inaugural Bleed Blue Brawl where Kentucky native and UFC fighter Junie Browning served as special guest referee for the event. I caught up with Junie for a few minutes after the show to get his thoughts on taking a different role in the cage and what he's up to with the UFC.

Here is what Junie had to say:

Brian Furby: Junie Browning, special guest referee tonight, what did you think of the show?

Junie Browning: It was pretty awesome, pretty cool to see it from a different aspect. It was the first time I’ve really gotten to see what the refs see.

Brian Furby: Haven’t heard too much out of you since the Cole Miller fight – what do you have in the works now?

Junie Browning: I don’t have a fight scheduled right now, but I’ll be doing one pretty soon. They just told me to be ready and wait for the call, but the time off is good. I’ve been working on the technical aspects and cardio, I’ll be ready.

Brian Furby: Anyone in particular you’re looking to fight?

Junie Browning: Anybody, it doesn’t matter. I just want to show people that I’m better than what I showed in my last fight. I just messed up.

Brian Furby: Back in Kentucky tonight, checking out guys that started out like you did – you think we’re going to see some more guys in the UFC come out of this area?

Junie Browning: Yeah, a lot of the smaller shows I go to are guys still learning so it’s kind of hard to gauge their talent, but everyone from Kentucky is f**king tough and you can tell people are trying to learn because you see the technical aspects. Give anybody from this area two years of training hard and they’ve got a shot.



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ICF 13 Post-Event Interview with Mark Crawn (9/9/09)

The final fighter I was able to speak to after the recent ICF 13 event was Mark "The Future" Crawn. Crawn was my other pick for Submission of the Night Honors with his first-round triangle choke win over Kevin Barton.

(Picture from Fight Ribbon's event album.)

Here is what Mark had to say about his fight and his recent battle with cancer:

Brian Furby: Mark Crawn, big first-round submission win over Kevin Barton [Barton is the ICF 205 Amateur Champ, but this was a non-title fight], how did you feel going into the fight?

Mark Crawn: I felt awesome. Trained hard for the last nine weeks, after I got rid of the cancer. All I’ve been doing is training, training, training.

Brian Furby: I’m familiar with your situation but I know many people aren’t – why don’t you tell us about your recent battle with cancer?

Mark Crawn: I got diagnosed with testicular cancer, I found it about a week before my last fight with Jason Cocagne, and I went to the doctor the week after and they told me it was cancer so I went and got it removed and been on track since then, working hard.

Brian Furby: How quickly were you able to get back into training after that?

Mark Crawn: They told me to take six weeks off because I could get a hernia or something like that, but I did about a week-and-a-half [off], and then at the two-week mark, I had to get out and do something so I went at it [training] again, kept it a secret from my wife, but I was sparring full contact again in two weeks.

Brian Furby: So your first fight back – what did you think of your performance compared to your last fight before the surgery?

Mark Crawn: I think my game is way better. I’d say my jiu jitsu is probably 100 times better than it was then, and it’s only going to get better because I don’t take a day off. I train three times a day and I do everything 100%.

Brian Furby: So is the plan a rematch with Barton for the title?

Mark Crawn: I’ve talked to a lot of people and I think I’m ready to go pro. I’m ready to get paid.

Brian Furby: Anybody you want to give a shout out to?

Mark Crawn: I definitely want to give a shout out to West Virginia MMA, Fight Ribbon, Revgear, The Navy, On Point Athletics, and Fight or Flight Athletics, all for sponsoring me and taking care of me. And of course I want to give a shout out to my wife and thank God.




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ICF 13 Post-Event Interview with Brandon Demastes (9/9/09)

After the recent ICF 13 event, another person I got the chance to speak to was Brandon Demastes, one of my picks for the Submission of the Night honor. Brandon defeated Wendall Hurless to become the new ICF 155 amateur champ.

(Picture courtesy of On Point Athletics.)

Here is what Brandon had to say after his fight:

Brian Furby: Alright Brandon, how does it feel to be the new ICF 155 (amateur) champ?

Brandon Demastes: It feels great, always good to be a champion.

Brian Furby: How did you feel going into the fight?

Brandon Demastes: I was feeling really confident, but I definitely underestimated his standup game.

Brian Furby: A couple times during the fight, especially at the end of the first round it looked like you were getting frustrated – what was going through your head?

Brandon Demastes: I was frustrated because my whole gameplan was that I knew he was going to brawl with me and I was going to step back and feel him out for a while, but I kept letting my hands down and falling into his game instead of doing what my plan was. That’s why I was frustrated, because he landed a couple blows that were unexpected.

Brian Furby: At the end, you finished with an armbar and even though he picked you up and slammed you, you kept it locked in. What did you think of the finish?

Brandon Demastes: I had the armbar and it wasn’t tight at first but when he picked me up and slammed me, I jerked on it [his arm] a little bit and it made it tighter. Him slamming me was definitely a blessing because that was what made me able to finish him off.

Brian Furby: When do you want to fight next?

Brandon Demastes: Since I’m going to college and everything, I don’t know exactly when I want to fight because training will be difficult but hopefully in the next two or three months or so, so I can have some time to rest up and get a full training schedule going again.

Brian Furby: Anybody you want to give a shout out to?

Brandon Demastes: First and foremost, On Point Athletics and Chad Marsh. Without him, I wouldn’t have had this fight or all this great gear. Steve Stanton, for giving me a chance to fight, all my friends and family for coming out to support me and definitely FightTicker.com, coolest guys around.

Brian Furby: By the way, you’re still wearing the belt, are you going to wear that around for the rest of the night [laughs]?

Brandon Demastes: Probably not, because it’s so heavy and I lose things all the time so I’ll probably let my parents keep it because I’d lose it and it’s really expensive [laughs].


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ICF 13 Post-Event Interview with Marcus Finch (9/9/09)

A few weeks ago, I attended ICF 13 at the ICF Fight Club in Cincinnati, Ohio. Among the exciting fights that went down that night was a match between Marcus Finch and George Oiler for the 185 amateur title. It was a three-round war between two extremely talented guys and an easy choice for Fight of the Night. I caught up with Marcus after the event to speak with him about his win.

Here is what Marcus had to say.

Brian Furby: Marcus, you had what looked like a tough unanimous decision win over George Oiler tonight – how’d you feel going into the fight?

Marcus Finch: I felt good. I knew we had a gameplan we had to execute – George is dangerous on the ground, very very dangerous on the ground so I knew if I could nullify his takedown and stay the hell away from the ground I would be okay. I got a little discouraged in the second round because I slipped [and fell] but I ended up getting my guard and I was comfortable there.

Brian Furby: You defended your 185 belt tonight – how soon do you think you’ll fight again?

Marcus Finch: I just want to do some more training. I feel like I had a lot of mistakes. The only thing I really liked was that I had good takedown defense. I could’ve struck more, but I just should’ve looked for more angles and moved more.

Brian Furby: Are you still feeling good at 185?

Marcus Finch: Yeah, I feel good. I wouldn’t mind going up to 205 since I was originally supposed to fight Mark Crawn [Oiler’s teammate], I wouldn’t mind that if Steve okayed it. I walk around at 205 anyway.

Brian Furby: So are you going to chill out for a little bit now or get right back to training?

Marcus Finch: I will be training Sunday [in two days]. I’d do it tomorrow, but I have to take my daughter school shopping [laughs].

Brian Furby: Congratulations, Marcus – anybody you want to give a shout out to?

Marcus Finch: I would like to thank Steve Stanton, the one that put this together and made it possible for me to showcase my talent. Chad Hinton, the person who welcomed me into his gym and let me turn it into a home. All my coaches, they give me a lot of one-on-one, and I’ve been training with all of them - my muay thai coach Dahei Haile, my American kickboxing coach Marty Sloan, my jiu jitsu coach Corey Boyle, probably the most unorthodox jiu jitsu guy there is right now, and he gears it all toward MMA; my boxing coach Brian Kinamore, and I’d like to thank the Lord.



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ICF: Balance of Power Event Results and Night Honors (August 31, 2009)

This past Saturday Mike Menninger and I attended the ICF: Balance of Power event in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. The ICF's second event in Indiana, this 14-fight card saw only one fight go out of the first round and featured a number of extremely quick KOs and some exciting finishes, in addition to a huge crowd.

Here are the event results and my picks for Night Honors:

Keith Wilson vs. Doug Stergil - Wilson wins via submission (arm triangle choke) at :35 of Round 1.

Ronnie Hughes vs. Joe Maiani - Maiani wins via submission (RNC) at 1:09 in Round 1.

Nick Burress vs. George Whitehead - Burress wins via KO at 2:13 of Round 1.

Eric Adams vs. Bret Lowery - Lowery wins via submission (RNC) at :39 of Round 1.

James Lowe vs. Chris Schwab - Schwab wins via KO at :12 of Round 1.

Matt Nedds vs. Wes Barrentine - Barrentine wins via KO at :12 of Round 1.

James Zerous vs. Brian Kinamore - Brian Kinamore wins via TKO (strikes) at :16 of Round 1.

Chris Perkins vs. Jeremy Myers - Perkins wins via submission (RNC) at :56 of Round 1.

Mike Combs vs. Jerry Huber - Combs wins via TKO (strikes) at 2:25 of Round 1.

Tyler Witte vs. Brandon Sober - Sober wins via TKO (knee) at 2:47 of Round 1.

Chris Meyers vs. John Knox - Knox wins via KO at :29 of Round 1.

AJ Post vs. J.P. - Post wins via submission (choke) at :34 of Round 1.

Justin Burris vs. Dahei Haile - Haile wins via Split Decision (29-28 Haile, 29-28 Haile, 29-28 Burris).

Larry Shelton vs. Eric Deters - Larry Shelton wins via submission (strikes) at 1:55 of Round 1.

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KO of the Night (TIE) - Chris Schwab over James Lowe and Wes Barrentine over Matt Nedds.
Both Schwab and Barrentine won their fights with 12 second KOs. Both guys clearly landed hard shots, and trying to pick which one was better than the other was tough, so I am awarding it to both. Great performances by both guys.

Submission of the Night - Joe Maiani vs. Ronnie Hughes
Maiani overcame an RNC attempt by Hughes before finishing the fight with an RNC of his own. Maiani showed good poise under pressure and remained calm to secure the submission win at 1:09 of the first round.

Fight of the Night - Justin Burris vs. Dahei Haile
One might think that this fight won fight of the night simply because it was the only one to make it out of the first round, but that is not the case. Although both guys slowed down a little bit in the third round, they had some solid exchanges in the first and second, with Haile ultimately winning a split decision victory.

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I also had a chance to catch up with ICF promoter Steve Stanton after the event to talk to him about this record-breaking crowd for an ICF event and his thoughts on the event as a whole. That interview will be posted soon.


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Bleed Blue Brawl 1 Night Honors (August 31, 2009)

Last weekend, I got to attend Bleed Blue Brawl's inaugural show Bleed Blue Brawl 1 in Lexington, KY. Although two fights were cut from the card at the last minute due to a couple fighters not showing up, the event was still a great event, and a lot of fun to watch, with a crowd that really got into the action.

Here are my picks for the Night Honors:

KO of the Night: Adam Disney over Brian Tipton
After being down 2 rounds on the scorecard (by my own assessment), it was apparent Disney needed a finish to win the fight and he got it in the form of an impressive KO from a straight right that laid Tipton out a couple minutes into the third round.

Submission of the Night: Grady Self over Carl Thornsberry
After surviving a guillotine attempt and being mounted by Thornsberry, Self took advantage of an opening to secure his own guillotine, ending the fight about halfway through round one.

Fight of the Night: Bobby Cummins vs. Joe Kidd
A tough effort by both competitors. Although it went to the scorecards early due to an unintentional eye poke that caused the doctor to call off the fight, both guys showed some solid skills and had the crowd really into the fight thanks to some exciting exchanges. Cummins won via split decision.

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After the event, I was able to catch up with Junie Browning who was there serving as a special guest referee, and promoter Tommy Cornett. My interviews with both of them will be posted soon.




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ICF 13 Night Honors (August 31, 2009)

Last weekend, I attended the ICF: 13 show at the new ICF Fight Club. In the ICF's sophomore show at the club, they put on another exciting event with some great action.

Here my picks for the Night Honors:

Fight of the Night: Marcus Finch vs. George Oiler
In this 185 Title Match (amateur), Finch and Oiler put on a great show for the fans, exchanging a lot of hard shots and with Finch showcasing some great takedown defense. Ultimately, Finch defended his title with a unanimous decision win over Oiler. A lot of heart shown by both fighters.

Submission of the Night 1: Mark Crawn over Kevin Barton
Although Barton is the ICF 205 (amateur) champ, this was a non-title bout. Very little shots were thrown in a match that saw Crawn almost land a reverse triangle (which I incorrectly noted as an inverted triangle on the night) and then quickly secure a traditional triangle from the bottom to win at 1:15 of Round 1. Another great submission win from Crawn.

Submission of the Night 2: Brandon Demastes over Wendall Hurless
There were no KOs at ICF: 13, so I am handing out a second submission award. In a match for the vacant ICF 155 (amateur) title, Demastes stayed calm against the wild Hurless to score an armbar at 1:12 in the second round. After abandoning an arm triangle choke attempt, Demastes locked in the armbar and held onto it after a slam from Hurless. Congrats to Demastes on his title win.

I was able to catch up with some of the fighters after the event and my interviews will be posted shortly, along with my recap and night honors from the recent ICF: Balance of Power event.




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Hardrock MMA 12 Night Honors (August 25, 2009)

On August 15th, I attended Hardrock MMA 12: Night of Champions. It was an excellent show overall and had some great fights on the card.

Here are my picks for the Night Honors:

Fight of the Night: Erik Funkhauser vs. David Gray
This match-up between two tough guys was an impressive display of skills over three rounds. Although I felt Gray won all three rounds (Gray was ultimately awarded a Split Decision win after a scorecard counting error had it as a draw), Funkhauser was clearly a tough opponent. A great effort by both guys.

Knockout of the Night: A.J. Jenkins over Steve Osmun
Jenkins became the Hardrock MMA Amateur Welterweight Champ with his second round KO of Osmun. The shot that put Osmun out was reminiscent of Anthony Johnson's KO win over Tommy Speers as Osmun was unconscious crouched against the cage. A strong finish by Jenkins.

Submission of the Night: Robert Mooney over J. R. Hines
Mooney's kimura win over J. R. Hines was both an exercise in skill and adaptation as Mooney has to modify his position to get the tap after the ever-feisty Hines scrambled to get out of the initial hold. An impressive showing by Mooney against a tough journeyman in Hines.

Honorable Mention: Isaiah Ferguson over Corey Clemons
In the night's lone Under-18 grappling match, Isaiah Ferguson notched an impressive submission victory over Corey Clemons with a gogoplata. As I said in my live blog, had that fight been an MMA match, it would've been my submission of the night. Regardless, Ferguson deserves a nod due to the obvious skill he showed.

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Hardrock MMA will be back in action September 12th in Elizabethtown, KY where promoter and women's pro fighter Vanessa Bohleber-Higdon will take on Heather Corder in the first pro women's MMA fight to happen in Kentucky. After the great turnout and night of fights for Hardrock 12, I'm confident the next show is one to look forward to.


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Interview with Kenny Rice of Inside MMA (August 21, 2009)

In addition to my interview with Andrew Simon, I was able to get a few questions to Kenny Rice, who co-hosts Inside MMA with Bas Rutten. No stranger to broadcasting, Rice had a distinguished career before he joined up with Inside MMA. I have had the chance to speak to Rice on a few occasions, most recently at a show in Knoxville where he was providing commentary for the live broadcast on HDNet. He is always a nice guy to talk to, and has a genuine interest in the sport and the people involved.

Check after the jump to hear what Rice had to say on working with Bas, and what to expect after Inside MMA's 100th episode.

Brian Furby: How does working on Inside MMA compare to some of your previous broadcasting experiences?

Kenny Rice: Any sport that's worthy of a passionate fan base such as MMA makes it always interesting, fun and exciting to cover. The study time, the interviews,all pay off when you can relay information to a viewer. I understand the responsibility in acting as a conduit to the viewer.. The inherent pace, unpredictability of this sport naturally keeps me thinking, looking for ideas, new questions, to share with viewers.

Brian Furby: What do you think of working with Bas?

Kenny Rice: Bas is a great friend. I have never worked with anyone in any other sport and become as close. We know each other's families, we talk often and we will always be in touch regardless of where our careers take us. The same for Ron Kruck and our executive producer Darrell Ewalt, we're life long friends. HDNet cultivates that as well, Andrew Simon, Guy Mezger, of course the boss Mark Cuban, are truly good people. You enjoy hanging out with them and I believe that all reflects on Inside MMA. We invite you to our studio home each week.

Brian Furby: At the Kentucky Derby this year, you jokingly identified yourself as Randy Couture to a reporter and attempted to armlock him – is Bas the type of co-host that tries to submit you on the set?

Kenny Rice: The best part about that is showing how Inside MMA has reached a crossover audience, sports fans in general who are learning about and have taken to MMA. The reporter, Lee Cruse, is a friend who watches us and has become a fan, so I went with his playing it up about Couture. When have you ever heard of MMA mentioned on a horse racing show before that? And no, I've covered enough sports to never pretend I had the talent to be a pro athlete, only a pro sportscaster. I have no desire for Bas to show me how a world champ could make me tap out. I enjoy shooting hoops and someday I may ask Mark to let me shoot around after a Mavs practice, but I've refused to let my close friends Rex Chapman and Kenny "Sky" Walker dunk in my face, and they wanted to. I've been called many things, stupid isn't one of them.

Brian Furby: How does interviewing and working with people in the MMA industry compare to some of your previous broadcast subjects?

Kenny Rice: People are basic. We all generally like to talk about ourselves. We usually have similar desires, needs. Every athlete who has made it to a pro level has worked hard, there is almost always a story of what motivated them. The vast majority of the fighters are very cool to deal with. For any aspiring sportscaster, Psych 101 is more valuable than any broadcasting class and the 'who-what-when-where-why-how' in junior high newspapers still apply.

Brian Furby: What’s been your favorite moment on the show so far?

Kenny Rice: Not hedging, but too many fun and interesting times to just pick one, out of 100 hours it's impossible. And if I list favorite guests, I'll unintentionally leave out one, so why try?

Brian Furby: Inside MMA has played host to some of the biggest stars in the MMA world – who would you like to see on the show that has not yet been a guest?

Kenny Rice: I like to hear from athletes of other sports, and entertainers. They surprise with their insight. Herschel Walker was a great guest and knows the sport, trained in it during his football career. The actor Chris Bruno actually has fought MMA and understood the nuances. Jockey Gary Stevens stayed after the show and gave weight cutting tips to the fighters. The wish list guest is Dana White, the de facto commissioner of MMA, a controversial, intriguing, sharp guy who is always welcomed on the show. I would really like to sit down one on one for an interview. He owns the sport, end of story. I might have to revert back to Psych 102 if that interview happens.

Brian Furby: What are you looking forward to with Inside MMA as the show moves past the 100th episode?

Kenny Rice: Show 101. Really it's week to week keeping up with the news, going over the guest list with producers, staying sharp. I want us to continue to inform and entertain, remain an unbiased but caring voice for MMA. It has been an outstanding team effort--and no fight camp has as many assistant coaches as we do---that I look forward to continuing for many more years God willing.




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