My New Writing Gig - PRO MMA

As I mentioned in my most recent post, FightTicker.com is shutting down effective this Saturday, September 26, 2009. However, I wanted to let you all know that my blogging will still continue. I have joined the top-notch staff over at PROMMA.info, an excellent MMA site.

More info after the jump.

PRO MMA is a great MMA site. I first ran into site President/Owner Jack Bratcher and site VP/Editor Denny Hodge at an XFC show in Knoxville. We had some good discussions that night on the XFC show and the state of MMA blogging and reporting. Then, I met PRO MMA staff writer Dusty Adams at an RFL show in Indiana. I'd planned on live blogging that show but when I arrived was asked to commentate. I jumped at the chance, but needed a second man to play the Joe Rogan to my Mike Goldberg (or vice versa). I happened to run into Dusty, there to cover the show for PRO MMA, so I asked if he'd like to give me a hand and we did an excellent job commentating the show (if I do say so myself).

When I learned that FightTicker might be shutting down, I started making inquiries with some sites who were looking for writers and with some sites who had previously contacted me about writing for them. Ultimately, I decided that PRO MMA would be the best fit for me, and I am really excited about this new opportunity.

I do have some things to learn in terms of posting format and other logistical issues but I am hitting the ground running.

I will continue to do the live coverage of all of the shows I normally go to, as well as provide you with the best in regional and national MMA news, commentary, product reviews, and original content. I have some great things in the works right now, including some previously announced product reviews including Brandon Quick's 3-DVD set called Fade to Black, and some great products recently sent to me by Victory Belt. Additionally, mine and Puddin's radio show, Cageside Seats, will be up and running full swing again in the very near future, after I sort out some of the technical details.

And that's just me - PRO MMA already has a number of great writers and big things are happening with the site, including a blog from TUF 10 competitor Justin Wren. Wren will be posting weekly updates on his experiences on TUF, and his first entry is already in the books. You can check that out here.

I'm really happy to be part of the PRO MMA crew. It's going to be a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to contributing what I can to PRO MMA's already strong staff.

-PreView

EDIT: I edited the article to correctly note that Cageside Seats is not just my radio show, but mine and Puddin's :)


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Cageside Seats Episode 2 Archived

The second episode of my new radio show, Cageside Seats, brought to you by the Fight Ticker Radio Network is archived and available to listen to or download (for free).

Back for our second show, Puddin and I talked with Fight For Life USA Co-Founders Brent Thompson and Scott Wells about the founding of their company designed to revolutionize the MMA world and the face of cancer awareness.

You can listen to the show on the embedded player in the far right column, and you can find more details on what was discussed during the show, including how to find a special promo code to receive 10% off an order on the Fight For Life USA website on FightTicker.com.

Enjoy.

-PreView


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Cageside Seats Episode 1 Archived

Any of you who follow my work on FightTicker may know that my role in the Fight Ticker Radio Network has changed slightly. I was co-hosting the flagship show on the Fight Ticker Radio Network, and I now have the honor and privilege of hosting my own show, Cageside Seats, the first new show on the Fight Ticker Radio Network.

My co-host is a familiar face around these parts (and FightTicker.com), none other than Puddin' himself.

Our first show is officially in the books now, archived and now available for free downloading. You can get connected to the site by checking out the embedded BlogTalkRadio badge in the right column of Previously Viewed, or you can check out our page on the BlogTalkRadio site here.

Whereas the original Fight Ticker Radio show focuses on national MMA news, Cageside Seats will feature a more regional focus, starting in the KY/OH/IN/TN area, but eventually expanding to cover regional promotions nationwide. Our first guest was pro fighter Julio Gallegos. Check out the show to hear what we had to say.

Enjoy.

-PreView

And here is the rest of it.
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FightTicker.com Exclusive: XFC 8 Post-Event Interview with John Prisco

The final in this series of XFC 8 Post-Event interviews comes from none other than the XFC President himself, John Prisco. Not unlike the XFC’s inaugural event in Tennessee, Prisco put on another great card of exciting fights. The XFC’s sophomore show in Tennessee with the main card televised live on HDNet gave XFC fans and newcomers alike a chance to see some of the up and coming fighters that Prisco often speaks of.

Check after the jump for my conversation with Prisco.

In our most recent interview Prisco stated, “ [t]he XFC strives to be an open market for all rising MMA superstars – no matter where they’re from or who they are….” Those able to tune into the broadcast definitely got a taste of it, as did the members of the live audience. Even many of the undercard fights would not have looked out of place on the televised portion of the broadcast, particularly Corey Krebs’ FightTicker.com KO of the Night win over Dean Hamilton. I got a chance to speak with Prisco after the show about the XFC’s second show in Tennessee and their continuing plans for expansion.

FightTicker: Another great card of exciting fights, a bigger crowd than your first show in Tennessee, how did you feel about everything?

John Prisco: How could I not be excited? For two-and-a-half years our vision was – we knew we had a good product, and we knew it was just a matter of time before the world got to see it, and we got to show them tonight and it’s a big step in the right direction for the XFC.

FT: Tell me some more about your plans for international expansion.

Prisco: We signed a deal. I can’t tell you the specific details right now, but you will hear something very soon. You’ll hear dates and locations very soon. We’re going to be very aggressive in Europe, as well as continuing to be aggressive in the states. We went from a local to a regional to a national, and now an international product, all in six months. We’re tired [laughs], but we’re going to enjoy this.

FT: Did you have any personal favorite fights tonight?

Prisco: I kept saying, my mind changed as the night went on. I think the last fight of the night [Bruce Connors vs. Jarrod Card]. Bruce Connors is a warrior as well as Jarrod Card and I knew whoever walked away with the belt tonight was going to be very good for the XFC, it really was. They’re not only incredible fighters but class acts and they lived up to the billing, they really did.

FT: So your next show will be in September back in Tampa?

Prisco: Yes, September 5th, back in Tampa. That’s our next one.

FT: And it looks like Lashley will be on that card?

Prisco: Yes, it looks very very positive. Bobby will be on that card.

FT: That’s another big name for you – you’re building a very impressive roster of young fighters.

Prisco: Thank you, and it’s growing and it’s growing. What’s happening is that the word’s out about the XFC and that we’re about finding the most talented young fighters out there. This [televised event] just helped us even more. Before it was 20 fighters a day contacting me, and now I imagine it might be 30 or 40. We’re always listening and we always pick up the phone. We look at a lot of video and we check these guys out so what you saw tonight wasn’t something that was a fluke, it’s something that we’re going to keep building on.


(Originally posted on FightTicker.com)

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FightTicker.com Exclusive: XFC 8 Post-Event Interview With Chris Barnett

The last in my series of post-fight interviews with the fighters from the recent XFC 8 event comes from Chris Barnett. Barnett, fighting out of Team XFC, made his pro debut against veteran Johnathan Ivey (27-39). Barnett scored a unanimous decision win over Ivey who spent a fair amount of time in the fight taunting his opponent. Barnett impressed me, not only in his dominating victory over such an experienced opponent, but also in his athletic ability. Even as a Heavyweight, he was throwing various jumping spin kicks and flying knees among other things. I caught up with Barnett after the event to speak with him about his first MMA win – Barnett jumped straight to the pros – no amateur MMA fights were reported on his record.

You can find the interview after the jump.

(Barnett is in the black and camo trunks, Ivey in white - Pics from Brawl and Maul's event album.)



FightTicker: First pro win tonight, a decision win over Johnathan Ivey, who taunted you a lot throughout the fight - and I’ll tell you what man, you’re pretty athletic for a big guy – how were you feeling going into the fight?

Chris Barnett: [Laughs] Going into the fight, what really had me motivated was that I was being extremely humble and then in an interview out of nowhere he [Ivey] started talking [smack], so I was like, “Okay,” and that was extreme motivation, and I’ve seen some of his fights on YouTube where he tried the crane kick and what not, so I was expecting some kind of antics. I wanted to make sure I could establish control somewhat and then put the show on for the crowd. I want to thank the Tennessee [athletic] Commission for letting me take this fight against a guy who has so many fights. It was a rush. I’ve never been calm in the cage like that before where I felt I was controlling the situation like that.

FT: What’s next for you?

Barnett: I’m supposed to have a fight in Santa Barbara on the 22nd [of May] just depending on the management talking it through. Anything they throw at me I’m ready to take on.

FT: In the promo for the fight, it said you have a background in Tae Kwon Do. Obviously that’s not a style you see a lot of in MMA – how useful has that proven for you?

Barnett: A lot. There’s two different types of TKD. There’s point sparring and there’s WTF. I was more the Olympic/WTF style of TKD. The Olympic style sparring you see isn’t so much point [sparring] and stop. So a lot of the fighters, you see them throw leg kicks and they’re more sloppy with their style but a lot of the fighters have a better overall game. With the whole fight game, I like being able to add my kicks. You’re not expecting someone from 265 to be kicking like that. Just being able to throw TKD in there has helped me a whole bunch, the balance and flexibility, stuff like that.



FT: You came out in a Brawl and Maul shirt tonight – are they one of your sponsors?

Barnett: No, but I’m trying to get on [smiles].



It was an impressive showing by Barnett in his pro debut. He really showed a solid MMA skill set – crisp striking, good kicks, trying to work a submission game on the ground, and a good wrestling base as well. I’m looking forward to his next few fights to see how he evolves with even more training.

-PreView


(Originally posted on FightTicker.com)


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FightTicker.com Exclusive: XFC 8 Post-Fight Interview With Julio Gallegos

One of the fighters I had a chance to catch up with after the recent XFC 8 event was Julio Gallegos, fresh off a second-round submission victory over CT Turner. In case any of you missed it, take some time to check out the excellent pre-fight profile of Gallegos done by FightTicker.com blogger Mike Menninger. The picture is from Fight For Life USA's Event Album. Pictured from left to right are Fight For Life USA co-founder Scott Wells, Julio, Zeena (holding their daughter Bralynn) and Fight For Life USA co-founder Brent Thompson.

Check after the jump for my interview with Gallegos.

FightTicker: Big submission victory tonight over CT Turner in the second round – obviously a lot of respect between you and CT, both tough guys – how did you feel going into the fight tonight?

Julio Gallegos: I felt pretty confident. I don’t know what it is man, but every time, the first round, it’s like I can’t get loose or something. It’s takes to the second or third round ‘til I get loose and I’ve got to change that. But physical-wise, conditioning, I felt very good, not a problem. I put a lot of work in between my teammates Reaction Fight Club, No Limits, and Submit Pit, they bust my ass.

FT: In your post-fight interview talking to Ron Kruck from HDNet you could’ve talked about anything and you took that time to talk about your association with Fight For Life USA. What does it mean to you being able to give them that kind of exposure on a live televised broadcast?

Gallegos: It means a lot because a lot of people lose their family members to something that they shouldn’t lose them to. I lost a couple close ones to me and it sucks to lose a loved one like that. It’s an honor to me being able to say Fight For Life USA like that. It’s an honor.

FT: You talked to my buddy and FightTicker.com blogger Mike Menninger about how you liked the XFC. Is it your plan to stay with them and keep fighting at middleweight?

Gallegos: Yeah, they always say try out your first contract and if you don’t like it, go to something else better. So far they treat me really good and I have no complaints so I’m going to stay with them until my future says not to.

FT: Anybody you want to give out a shout-out to or say thanks to?

Gallegos: I definitely want to say thanks to Rob Nickerson out of Reaction Fight Club, Willie Ray out of No Limits, Larry Combs and Darren out of Submit Pit. Thanks to Fight For Life USA which has allowed me to do what I do. Shout out to Zeena [Julio’s fiancée], and her father, [the man who was like] her second father, that just passed away from cancer, and Brenda, [Ron] Kruck’s mother, she’s battling breast cancer, so definitely a shout out to her. And a shout out to yourself, man, [laughs] being here and covering this and talking to me.

----------

Gallegos is a class act both in and out of the cage. He came back from a first round that by all accounts had him down on the Judges’ scorecards 1-0 and turned a small mistake by Turner into a big win. From beginning to end, Gallegos expressed nothing but respect not only for his opponent CT Turner, but for his role in the fight game. He’s a fighter dedicated not only to his training and advancement in the sport but also the advancement of those who have helped get him there like training partners and organizations like Fight For Life USA.

Fight For Life USA recently released Gallegos’s signature shirt [pictured above] for sale to the general public and it will be available on their website within the next few days. Also, for any of you who didn’t notice, Gallegos has now joined FightTicker.com – take some time to check out his profile and say congratulations.

-PreView

(Originally posted on FightTicker.com)

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FightTicker Exclusive: Post-Fight Interview With Corey "The Freak" Krebs

For those of you who were able to watch the live HDNet broadcast of XFC 8: Regional Conflict, I think you got to see some great fights on the main card. However, as many of you who attend live shows that are partially broadcast on TV know, some of the best fights and most exciting KOs and submissions are the ones that don’t make it to the television audience. Corey Krebs had one of those KOs.

It took him only 82 seconds to dispose of Fit Factory’s Dean Hamilton via KO, earning my vote for FightTicker.com KO of the Night. However, Krebs had to work for those 82 seconds – if you take a look at my live blog, you’ll see that their fight was filled with action right out of the gate. I caught up with Krebs after the event to speak with him about his win.

(Picture from Fight For Life USA's event album.)

FightTicker: Big KO tonight, my choice for KO of the Night – how did you feel going into the fight?

Corey Krebs: Felt good. I knew what kind of fighter he was – he comes out, he likes to drop big bombs, he’s physically dominant, tries to dominate from the clinch, but the guys he’s fought, I don’t think were at the same caliber that he was stepping into here. Not to say that I’m the best fighter in the world, but I think I was definitely a step up from his [prior] competition. I knew he dropped bombs big and I just had to prepare for the storm. I just knew I was going to counter – I’m a southpaw, so I counter with my straight lefts and eventually just put him down. It was good.

FT: How did you feel scoring a big KO tonight?

Krebs: It always feels good to knock somebody out, man, but I don’t come here to lose. I just want to win, so as long as it’s a win and it’s a good win – I don’t want to win by cuts, something like that – as long as I win, I’m happy. Knockouts are nice.

FT: What’s next for you?

Krebs: Just next fight. I’m still in the minor leagues trying to make my way into something big. This is the third pro fight for me, doing pretty well so far, two knockouts. Just got to see what pops up next, do it one step at a time.

FT: For only three professional fights, you have a lot of sponsors [see Krebs’s walkout shirt above] – how did you get that worked out?

Krebs: I have a really active manager, also a personal friend of mine from Paragon MMA, Remington Reed. He does a lot of good work, getting all of us [fighters] stuff. It’s a really good thing.

FT: Anybody else you want to give a shout out to?

Krebs: I want to thank 47 and Projekt Label, my two big sponsors. Also Bucklehead Knives, Grace Training Supply, she's actually a very good friend of mine, she supplies all our cut supplies. I also have to thank my team and most of all, my opponent - thanks for coming out and being in shape.

(Originally posted on FightTicker.com)

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FightTicker Exclusive: Interview With Bobby Lashley From XFC 8: Regional Conflict

On Saturday night, I attended XFC 8: Regional Conflict in Knoxville, TN. Former pro wrestler and new MMA heavyweight Bobby Lashley was at the event to present the XFC Featherweight Belt to Jarrod Card after he defeated Bruce Connors in their five-round FightTicker.com Fight of the Night. I briefly caught up with Lashley before the event to speak with him about his new MMA career and plans to fight for the XFC.

FightTicker: I know you’ve been talking to the XFC for a little while now and you’re attending your first show tonight – what do you think of the XFC so far?

Bobby Lashley: I think it’s a great promotion, man. They have everything one of the major promotions would have. They have a great staff – I’ve been working with these guys for the past few days and everything they do is professional. They’re bringing these fighters up to give them an opportunity to fight in front of a big crowd and they get everything some of the larger promotions get.

FT: You have a couple fights coming up, one of them against Bob Sapp – why Bob Sapp?

Lashley: I think every one of my matches I have to answer the critics. One of the things that a lot of people are saying is that “Bobby is fighting these guys that are his size or a little bit smaller and he’s out-powering them.” Well, Bob Sapp is not going to be out-powered easily. He’s 100 pounds bigger than me, he has a lot more experience than me so I’m going to have to step it up.

FT: One of your former colleagues, Brock Lesnar, is obviously doing well for himself in the UFC right now – do you think your paths will eventually cross in the cage?

Lashley: Of course, I think so. I think Brock is a smart man. Instead of doing what I do, and I’m taking all sorts of shots from the critics, that I’m staying at a lower level. He just said, “You know what? They’re going to take shots at me anyway, so I might as well jump to the top and see if I have what it takes.”

FT: There have been some rumors going around lately about you and the XFC - how long do you think it’s going to be before we see you in an XFC event?

Lashley: September. We’ve already talked about it and I think it might be a deal. (Lashley did confirm at the event televised live on HDNet that he'll be fighting on the upcoming XFC card Sept 5, 2009 in Tampa, FL.)


(Originally posted on FightTicker.com)

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XFC 8: “Regional Conflict” Explodes into a Full-Fledged Mixed Martial Arts Warzone, Live on HDNet Fights

From a Press Release:

Knoxville, TN: In the XFC’s first-ever fight card to be broadcast live on national television, the next generation of Mixed Martial Artists hurled haymakers, swapped submission holds, and turned Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee into an all-out warzone.


The end-result was XFC 8: “Regional Conflict,” an event airing live on HDNet that showcased the top emerging talent and most promising up-and-coming fighters in the entire Southeast.


In the televised portion of the fight card, 22-year-old, 264-pound debuting heavyweight Chris “The Beast” Barnett outlasted 60+ fight veteran Johnathan Ivey via unanimous decision. Barnett, a two-time statewide heavyweight high school wrestling champion in Georgia and a third degree Taekwondo black belt, began his MMA training just five months earlier, winning an open tryout with the XFC for a spot in the MTV reality TV series “Made.” The young prodigy dominated the older fighter from the get-go.


“He held position well and was hard to move… he’s just better than me,” said a dejected Ivey. The well-traveled heavyweight from Clarksville, Tennessee had previously battled the likes of Dan Severn, Gan “The Giant” McGee, Ben Rothwell, Ricco Rodriguez, Travis Wiuff, Jake O’Brien, Sam Hoger and Jeremy Horn.


“It was a great experience,” exclaimed an excited Barnett, a native of Athens, Georgia. “I knew he’d try to confuse me with his veteran tricks, but I’m a different breed. I can move! Kicks, flips – I can do it all!”


Jason Wood survived a back-and-forth battle with Derek Schiffer in a 150-pound showdown between twenty-something contenders with a combined 17-3 professional and amateur record. The first round was a close, competitive matchup with both men delivering – and receiving – colossal head-shots. In round two, Wood rocked Schiffer with a vicious volley of cascading punches, forcing the referee to dive atop Schiffer and stop the bout at the 3:41 mark.


Schiffer needed assistance vacating the cage.


In the third fight, ex-University of Tennessee linebacker and “wedge-busting” special teams ace Ovince St. Preux won his blood-feud with light heavyweight Ombey “Kryptonite” Mobley of Tampa, Florida, twisting his ankle and winning by submission 2:36 in round one. Mobley brought a theatrical flair to the contest, mocking St. Preux by dropkicking a Smokey hound dog doll and repeatedly making a “Gator Chomp” gesture in the cage; Smokey is the official mascot of the Tennessee Volunteers.


The highly-partisan crowd loudly booed Mobley throughout the contest, erupting into a crescendo of boisterous cheers when the hometown hero finally upended his Florida challenger.


“It was really satisfying,” said St. Preux, reflecting on his victory. “I was really cranking hard [on the submission hold]. If he hadn’t tapped, he would’ve had a serious injury. This was definitely the highlight of my MMA career.”


Former light heavyweight CT Turner dropped to 185-pounds to face undefeated Julio Gallegos in the fourth fight on HDNet. Both fighters opted to grapple and strike in concussive waves in the first stanza, with neither man able to dominate the other. Arguably, Turner won round one 10-9. But Gallegos began to incrementally deliver the harder and more damaging shots in the second round, locking Turner into a guillotine and refusing to release until he tapped at 2:47.


“There was a little bit of déjà vu,” noted Gallegos, who also bested Turner as an amateur. “I like CT a lot. He’s a good person. In a way it was hard to fight him, because we both overcame adversity – and adversity never overcame us.”


Both Gallegos and Turner experienced homelessness and other serious setbacks in life before discovering the sport of MMA and embarking upon successful professional careers.


In the co-featured bout of the night, Rafaello “Tractor” Oliveira faced XFC Lightweight World Champion John Mahlow at the catchweight of 160-pounds, with Mahlow agreeing to defend his title against Oliveira if he lost to the Brazilian-born BJJ black belt and sparring partner of UFC title-holder B.J. Penn. From the very first round, Oliveira utilized his jujitsu prowess to stymie the XFC champion, winning a three-round unanimous decision.


“Rafaello is a good fighter,” said Mahlow afterwards. “No excuses. We’ll see each other again.”


Undefeated MMA heavyweight and former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley was on hand to present the XFC Featherweight World Title Belt to the winner of the Bruce “The Noose” Connors versus Jarrod “The Wild Card” Card fight in the main event. Connors entered the fight as the favorite, boasting a 6-0 record – with all six wins coming by first round knockout or submission. By the end of the night, Connors’ record would receive its first blemish.


Utilizing blazing foot-speed and precision punches, Card confounded Connors, peppering him with strikes from unorthodox angles, slicing his face into a gruesome mask of shredded flesh and free-flowing blood. Connors refused to back down and twice clamped Card into a deep guillotine, but each time the young fighter wrestled free and returned to his feet. Card won the contest – and the XFC world title – via five-round unanimous decision.


“I’m the new guy on the scene,” said an elated Card, who elevated his record to 10-2-1. “I’m more than ready for the next level. I’ll fight anyone.”


For his part, Bobby Lashley – who announced that he’ll finally be fighting for the XFC in September – seemed impressed with the fight card.


“I thought it was an incredible night,” gushed the former two-time ECW world champion. “I was blown away by all the talent in the cage. These guys now know what it’s like to fight in the big show. As for my upcoming fight with the XFC, anyone they want me to take out, I’ll do.”


Veteran sportswriter Dave Link covered XFC 8 for the Knoxville News Sentinel newspaper, and certainly appeared to enjoy the drama and action.


“I’ve covered all kinds of sports for 25-years but I’ve never covered MMA,” said Link. “This was just great! The entire event was first-class. If I wasn’t covering it, I’d be here as a fan. I’ll definitely be back when the XFC returns.”


Final results for XFC 8:


Undercard

Devan Plaisance defeated Paul McEntee by TKO, 3:06 in round one

Matt Traylor defeated Richard Boyd by TKO, 4:37 in round one

Corey Krebs defeated Dean Hamilton by TKO, 1:22 in round one


HDNet Fights

Chris Barnett defeated Johnathan Ivey by three-round unanimous decision

Jason Wood defeated Derek Schiffer by TKO, 3:41 in round two

Ovince St. Preux defeated Ombey Mobley by submission (ankle lock) 2:36 in round one

Julio Gallegos defeated CT Turner by submission (guillotine) 2:47 in round two

Rafaello Oliveira defeated John Mahlow by three-round unanimous decision (Oliveira wins guaranteed rematch for Mahlow’s XFC Lightweight World Title)

Jarrod Card defeated Bruce Connors by five-round unanimous decision (Card wins vacant XFC Featherweight Champion)

###

About Xtreme Fighting Championships (XFC): Xtreme Fighting Championships – better known to MMA fight fans worldwide as XFC – is the Southeast’s leading independent MMA promotion, and stages the largest live shows in the entire sport this side of UFC. Dedicated to launching the careers of the MMA superstars of tomorrow, XFC’s North American fight cards are broadcast live on national television, exclusively on HDNet. For more information about XFC, please visit www.mmaxfc.com.


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XFC 8: Regional Conflict - Live Blog on FightTicker.com

I'm here at Thompson-Boling Arena for XFC 8: Regional Conflict. I'm live blogging for FightTicker.com. You can check out the televised portion of the card starting at 9:00 p.m. on HDNet. For all of the undercard action and my take on things, check out FightTicker.com.

-PreView


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FightTicker.com Exclusive: Pre-Fight Profile on XFC Fighter C.T. Turner

One of the matches that I'm most looking forward to at this Saturday's XFC 8: Regional Conflict event in Knoxville Tennessee is a middleweight match-up between Julio Gallegos (1-0 Pro/8-2 Am) and CT Turner (6-3 Pro/6-2 Am). In Turner's first fight at middleweight (Turner fought all of his other MMA matches at Light Heavyweight), he looks to turn the tables on Gallegos, who handed Turner a loss in Turner's fight as an amateur. In this fight between two hard-hitters who have an earned mutual respect, as my buddy Mike Menninger said in his profile of Gallegos, this fight has all the makings for Fight of the Night.

Check after the jump for the full profile on Turner as well as videos of some of his previous fights.

When a friend of mine initially brought Highlander MMA to my attention, after mentioning Highlander MMA founder and current XFC Head Trainer Mike Yanez, the next name that came up was C.T. I remember him exclaiming, "Man, Highlander has this one guy who is a beast at Light Heavyweight. His name is C.T. - he's a hard hitter and has a great ground game." After seeing some of the numerous videos of C.T.'s fights and grappling matches on YouTube, some of which you'll find below, I had to agree. I was able to catch up with Turner via phone to discuss his upcoming match with Gallegos as well as his thoughts on his still young MMA career.

For those of you who read my semi-live blog from XFC 7, you'll remember that C.T. got caught on the wrong end of a head kick from Ovince St. Preux. However, quick to get down to business when I asked him if that loss changed the way he prepped for this fight, Turner replied, "It brought to light a bad habit. Next question." On a side note, Turner, who has been training with St. Preux's upcoming opponent Ombey Mobley feels Mobley won't make that same mistake and predicts a victory for Mobley via a Ground and Pound KO in Round 1.

Turner's MMA career thus far - 6-3 as a pro and 6-2 as an amateur is somewhat surprising in that he only started training about two years ago with Mike Yanez and the Highlander Fight Team and relocated to Tampa to train at the XFC facilities when the opportunity presented itself. Turner describes his life before MMA as one with no direction, "any which way but loose," but he feels his fast-tracked MMA career is what he needed to do to survive and keep himself motivated. Turner views his MMA career as having had a great run so far. He commented that he's had more fights than many other pros starting out and that he views his losses as learning experiences, "kind of like paid training at the workplace. You wear a suit and tie, I wear shorts and a cup."

Discussing the move to middleweight, Turner feels it's made him better in all aspects of his fight game. He jokingly commented that he hadn't been at this weight since he was 12 years old, but more seriously remarked that he feels faster and just as strong as he was at 205, noting that the improvement in cardio comes naturally with the weight loss as there is less weight to move around. He also noted that his flexibility has improved as well. He spoke to his diet as playing a big role in the drop, telling me that "I feel like a skinny white girl."

Never one to forgo an attempt on humor, when I asked him about his thoughts on Gallegos, Turner replied "He bangs, he bangs," parodying a popular song from a few years ago.

However, as I stated before, the respect shown by Gallegos was reciprocated by Turner. When asked about how he was feeling going into the fight, he stated, "Relaxed, another day at the office. But there's more anticipation because Julio was my very first mma fight two years ago and my first loss. We have a lot of respect for each other. Nothing personal, but winning is what I plan to do, with extreme prejudice. I'm sure he's thinking the same."

Wrapping up our interview, Turner wanted to thank Brawl and Maul, Highlander Fight Team, Mike Yanez, and his team in Tampa.

With Turner looking to bounce back in the XFC's second show in Knoxville, I wouldn't be surprised to see this fight as a three-round war between two of the toughest guys on the card. Regardless of how the fight goes, it's going to be an exciting one.

For more information on the XFC and the full fight card for this weekend's event, check out the XFC's website.

Here are some highlight videos from some of Turner's previous fights.










(Originally posted on FightTicker.com)

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FightTicker.com Exclusive: Pre-Fight Profile on XFC 8 Competitor Ombey Mobley

This weekend, the XFC will once again take over Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee for their sophomore show in the state, XFC 8: Regional Conflict. Among the high profile matches featured on the card, set to be televised live on HDNet, is a Light Heayvweight match-up between Ombey Mobley and the FightTicker.com KO of the Night winner from XFC 7, Ovince St. Preux.

Check after the jump for my profile on Mobley and comments from him about his upcoming fight with St. Preux.

In a recent Press Release on St. Preux, Mobley was characterized as a "hard-nosed ex-convict and former pro boxer." Surprised that the XFC would speak of Mobley's status as an ex-con, I contacted Mobley to speak to him about his upcoming match against St. Preux and how he felt about the press release. We caught up via phone and Mobley took some time out of his training to speak with me.

Mobley, 4-0 as an amateur, is making his pro debut against St. Preux who is 2-2 as a pro and was 10-0 as an amateur. Mobley characterized his upbringing as one on the wrong side of the tracks, doing what he had to do to survive and playing the cards life dealt him. He broke it down simply enough when he said there are two types of people in life - "Fighters and victims. I'm no victim."

Mobley spoke of his transition from boxing to MMA as an evolution and that he feels quite confident going into his pro debut against St. Preux. Although relatively new to the MMA game, he has surrounded himself with quality trainers and training partners, people he refers to as a great team to be a part of - helping him really focus on his Jiu Jitsu and catch wrestling as he prepares for the fight - more like a family - including guys like Mike Yanez and C.T. Turner. Mobley stressed the importance of this, saying "I have strong family values, and my team is my family."

When I asked what kind of advice C.T. was giving him about St. Preux, Mobley didn't mince words when it came to the topic. However, his words didn't seem to come from anger but more a sign of his eagerness to step into the cage and prove himself. Mobley specifically stated that he's not a boastful person as much as some may think. And about Turner's advice, he simply stated that there was no advice to give, that 99 times out of 100 C.T. would have won that fight.

A quotation from Mobley in the previously mentioned press release stated, "Ovince landed the luckiest kick in MMA history with both his eyes closed, and now he’s running his mouth like he’s frickin’ Chuck Norris...And I definitely ain’t impressed by the fact that Ovince used to wear orange and white on Saturday mornings while the Vols got their skulls stomped by the Gators. He’s a dead man walking.”

However, Mobley wasn't past a little humor either. When I asked him how he saw this weekend's fight going, he stated that he saw himself looking like a movie star and that after beating St. Preux he'd be the next Hollywood movie story.

Candidly addressing his status as an ex-convict and the characterization of it in the press release, Mobley stated, "There is nothing to glorify about being an ex-con or a felon. The comments have angered me because I'm not that type of person. What has happened in the past is not a reflection of who I am today. I want to be viewed for my skills in the cage like any other fighter and to be glorified for my victories."

Mobley made it a point to take some time to thank Coach Mike Yanez and his team for getting him ready for this, St. Preux for having great courage to take the fight against him, Brawl and Maul for taking care of his team and his family and finally, the XFC for giving him this opportunity.

Although I was admittedly somewhat skeptical of Mobley based on what I'd initially read, even in briefly speaking to him it was easy to see he's not just some ex-con fighting because he likes to pick a fight. He's just a fighter doing what many others are trying to do - prove that he belongs in the world's fastest growing sport. Saturday night, he gets that chance.


(Originally posted on FightTicker.com)

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FightTicker Exclusive: Profile of XFC Competitor Julio Gallegos

A buddy of mine at FightTicker.com has posted one of the most interesting and candid fighter profiles/interviews I've ever seen, on Julio Gallegos, who will face CT Turner at this weekend's XFC 8: Regional Conflict in Knoxville, TN.

Take some time to check it out.

You can find the post on FightTicker.com.

-PreView




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The Bank Robbery that Fueled Bobby Lashley’s Quest to Become an MMA Champion

From a Press Release:

Knoxville, TN (4/21/09): Bobby Lashley’s life nearly ended in 2003.

“It was a day like any other,” Lashley recalled. “I was still focused on my amateur wrestling career when I walked into my local bank in Colorado Springs to take care of some business. And then suddenly – directly behind my head – exploded the sound of gunfire. It was an armed robbery and I was precisely between the gunmen and the money. If you watch a slow motion replay of the bank’s security cameras, you can actually see a small cloud of gun powder just behind my head.”


The ex-WWE superstar and current MMA heavyweight prospect gazed skyward as he remembered his near-death experience – and his life-changing realization:

“If I had died then,” he slowly spoke, “there would’ve been so many dreams unfulfilled. So many goals and aspirations gone forever – dead on arrival. And that’s why I’m in the Mixed Martial Arts. Before I die, I wanna be the heavyweight champion of the world. That’s my dream.”

Bobby Lashley will present the new XFC featherweight world title to the winner of the Bruce “The Noose” Connors versus Jarrod “The Wild Card” Card fight in the main event of XFC 8: “Regional Conflict” on Saturday, April 25 at the 21 thousand-capacity Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee. The event will air live on national television, exclusively on HDNet.

For Lashley, Connors and Card represent what the 250-pound, American Top Team heavyweight prospect is working so feverishly to achieve.

“It’s all about becoming a champion,” said Lashley. “My father always told me that no matter what you do in life, you owe it to yourself to the absolute best at it – to push yourself until there’s nothing left in the tank. There’s a fine line that separates a champion from everyone else. We all have doubts and we all have fears, but a true champion finds a way to overcome them. And when a champion is fully focused and fully prepared, nothing can stop him.”

Becoming a champion is something Lashley understands well: From 1996 through 1999, Lashley wrestled at – and earned two degrees from – Missouri Valley College, becoming a three-time NAIA national wrestling champion and a four-time All-American. He later followed in his father’s footsteps by joining the U.S. Army, winning a pair of Armed Forces championships and a 2002 silver medal at the Military World Championships.

Lashley’s eye-popping athleticism, chiseled physique and elite wrestling pedigree landed him an opportunity with the WWE. He won the ECW heavyweight championship twice, and perhaps most memorably, tag-teamed with billionaire Donald Trump at Wrestlemania 23 on April 1, 2007, helping “The Donald” shave the head of WWE chairman Vince McMahon.

But despite achieving celebrity status – and main event compensation – while with the WWE, something was missing.

“I still dreamed of becoming a champion and testing myself against the very best in the world,” Lashley said. “Yeah, I know I have my critics. I know some people think I’m crazy for leaving behind the WWE and starting all over again in MMA, but this is my dream. And I’m pouring my heart and soul into this sport. Believe me, I’m gonna give it everything I’ve got.”

Which is why some in the MMA community raised their eyebrows when Lashley appeared this past weekend at the TNA “Lockdown” professional wrestling pay-per-view, rejoining the “sports entertainment” profession after a yearlong absence. But according to Lashley, his heart is still dead-set on becoming an MMA world champion, and TNA is a means to that end.

“It’s not the kind of professional wrestling that everyone thinks,” explained Lashley. “With the WWE, I was on the road nonstop; it was my entire life. With TNA, I’m only working four days a month. And with the extra income from wrestling, I can take care of my family and afford to fully dedicate myself to my MMA training. I’m no different than so many young fighters: I still need a day job, because MMA training is expensive – especially when you want to travel to different camps and learn from the top minds in the game. And TNA has been great to work with.”

Lashley plans to travel to Las Vegas and train with one-on-one with a top-ranked heavyweight in the UFC, although he declined to disclose this heavyweight’s identity.

“I’m still learning,” Lashley readily acknowledged. “In my last fight [a unanimous decision victory over Jason Guida on March 21] I made the mistake of letting my opponent get under my skin, especially after he ran his mouth. Instead of focusing on executing my game plan and doing what I do best, I focused on hurting the man. MMA is sort of like professional wrestling, in that the key to success isn’t actually hurting your opponent – but focusing on implementing and executing your game plan. If you do that, everything else takes care of itself. And I love training. When I leave practice, I’m so amped-up. It’s a feeling of euphoria.”

As Lashley continues to develop his craft, his dream of becoming an MMA world champion remains in the forefront of his mind.

“I definitely want to fight for the XFC,” he exclaimed. “100 percent. All I’ve heard are good things about them and their promoter, and I know they have a lot of great fighters. Hopefully I’ll be on their next card. Meanwhile, I’m excited to be at XFC 8 this Saturday night. Card versus Connors in the main event for the XFC featherweight world title – that should be a phenomenal fight! It’s a golden opportunity for both men, because opportunities to become a champion don’t come around every day. It takes so much blood, sweat and sacrifice. Believe me… I know.”

Lashley paused briefly before continuing:

“And one day soon, I’ll be a champion again, too.”

XFC 8: “Regional Conflict” features the fastest-rising young prospects and top emerging superstars from Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky and North Carolina in a series of contender-versus-contender cage fights. Tickets are now available at the Thompson-Boling Arena box office and Tickets Unlimited outlets, including Cat's Music, Disc Exchange, and Fye Music.

###

About Xtreme Fighting Championships (XFC): Xtreme Fighting Championships – better known to MMA fight fans worldwide as the XFC – is the Southeast’s leading independent MMA promotion, and stages the largest live shows in the entire sport this side of the UFC. Dedicated to launching the careers of the MMA superstars of tomorrow, the XFC’s next mega-event, XFC 8: “Regional Conflict,” takes place on April 25 at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee, and will be broadcast live on national television, exclusively on HDNet. For more information about the XFC, please visit www.mmaxfc.com.


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Ex-UT Middle Linebacker and Strength Coach Kevin Simon: “Ovince St. Preux Was Born to Be a Cage Fighter!”

From a Press Release:

Knoxville, TN: Between 2001 and 2005, Kevin Simon trained, practiced, and competed on the gridiron against hundreds of Tennessee teammates. Some – like Albert Haynesworth, Jason Witten and John Henderson – went on to achieve considerable NFL success. Others are now in graduate school, pursuing various professional degrees. But none left an impression quite like Ovince St. Preux.



“He’s a little crazy,” laughed Simon from his office in Dallas, Texas, where he works as a scout for the Dallas Cowboys. As Tennessee’s starting middle linebacker, Simon led the Vols in tackles in 2003 and 2005 and played five years for the Washington Redskins. He rejoined the Volunteers in 2007 as a coach on the strength and conditioning staff, leaving at the end of the 2008 season. “There’s a screw loose somewhere in there. But that craziness is why Ovince was such a great special teams player – and why he’s so good in the cage. He just loves contact.”


Ovince St. Preux will be returning to the steel cage at XFC 8: “Regional Conflict” to face Florida fighter Ombey Mobley on Saturday, April 25 in Knoxville at the 21 thousand-capacity Thompson-Boling Arena. The MMA fight card will be broadcast live on national television, exclusively on HDNet. This will be St. Preux’s first fight since his spectacular one-kick knockout of rising light heavyweight prospect CT Turner on February 20 at the first-ever professional MMA show in Tennessee state history, XFC 7: “School of Hard Knox.” The kick earned St. Preux the FightTicker.com “Knockout of the Night.”


Even as a wide-eyed freshman, Simon remembers Ovince St. Preux as a fearless presence in the locker room.


“Ovince was a star wrestler in high school. I think he went something like 30-1 as a senior and finished second in the state,” said Simon. “So right from the beginning, he was always ready to mix it up, always ready to fight or wrestle anyone who got in his face. And that definitely translated to the playing field because he was one of our biggest hitters and most explosive tacklers. When Ovince hit someone, they stayed down for a very long time.”


St. Preux entered Tennessee as a 200 pound defensive end. The coaches moved him to linebacker because of his size limitations, but he made his biggest mark – both on the field and on the other players – as the Vols’ special teams ace and “wedge-buster.”


“Linebackers rely heavily on their instincts,” explained Simon, “and because Ovince was originally a defensive end, he lacked that instinctive first step that a linebacker needs to succeed. But he’s such an amazing natural athlete and so completely fearless, he was an absolute terror on special teams. And keep in mind what brutally violent position a wedge-buster is! Your job is to sprint at full speed, locate the wall of blockers trying to protect the returner, and blow-up the wall so your teammates can make the tackle. Nobody was better at this than Ovince.”


Perhaps his most devastating hit was against his own teammate.


“Oh, man – Ovince had something like 15 tackles and was named Defensive MVP of our 2004 Spring Game,” Simon recalled. “But he had one hit on our running back. Maybe it was Ced [Cedric Houston] or one of the backups, but Ovince just lit him up – knocked the poor guy’s helmet clean off his head. We must’ve watched that hit at least 20 times in the film room. ‘Course, his hit on CT Turner was pretty sick, too!”


Originally from Louisville but training out of Gainesville, Florida, CT Turner boasted before fighting St. Preux that he was going to “destroy Ovince like Florida destroyed Tennessee in football,” and even walked to the cage while doing the “Gator Chomp.” Turner, then 6-2, learned the hard way not to agitate the ex-Vols special teams ace: St. Preux silenced his trash-talking opponent with a jaw-busting rear leg kick to the chin that blasted Turner to the canvas. Out cold, the referee immediately stopped the fight at 2:36 in the first round.


“That victory really changed my life,” noted St. Preux from his training camp at the Knoxville Martial Arts Academy. “Even months afterwards, people are still congratulating me. In fact, after beating Turner, my hand was hurting – not because of any punches I threw, but because of all the autographs I signed! I really feel like I’m ready to make my move in MMA, and I can’t wait to fight one more time in front of the home crowd right here in Knoxville!”


St. Preux will face Ombey Mobley, a hard-nosed ex-convict and former pro boxer who trains with CT Turner in Florida.


“Ovince landed the luckiest kick in MMA history with both his eyes closed, and now he’s running his mouth like he’s frickin’ Chuck Norris,” complained Mobley. “And I definitely ain’t impressed by the fact that Ovince used to wear orange and white on Saturday mornings while the Vols got their skulls stomped by the Gators. He’s a dead man walking.” Mobley is undefeated (4-0) as an MMA amateur and will be making his pro debut.


For his part, St. Preux, 12-2 in MMA as a pro and amateur, declined to engage in a war of words.


“I’ll do my talking in the cage, but I have noticed that Mobley likes to point to his prison background a lot. I guess he thinks that makes him look tough. But people don’t go to jail because they’re tough; they go to jail because they got caught. There’re different kinds of toughness, and I’m confident I’m plenty tough enough.”


Kevin Simon would certainly vouch for his former teammate’s toughness.


“You kidding me?” chortled Simon. “Ovince never missed a single game because of injury. You better believe he’s tough enough, strong enough, athletic enough, crazy enough, and absolutely violent enough. Look, I scout prospects for a living now. Morning, day and night, I’m studying tape and accumulating information. And in the scouting world, people are always comparing prospects to someone else – that this guy has a release like Marino, or that guy can run like Deion. I have an unfair advantage over the other scouts, because when I need to compare a kid to the personification of toughness – and an insatiable blood-lust for violence – all I have to do is think of Ovince. He was born to be a cage fighter, and I sure wouldn’t want to be in Ombey’s shoes on April 25.”


XFC 8: “Regional Conflict” features the fastest-rising young prospects and top emerging superstars from Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky and North Carolina in a series of contender-versus-contender cage fights. Tickets are now available at the Thompson-Boling Arena box office and Tickets Unlimited outlets, including Cat's Music, Disc Exchange, and Fye Music.


###


About Xtreme Fighting Championships (XFC): Xtreme Fighting Championships – better known to MMA fight fans worldwide as the XFC – is the Southeast’s leading independent MMA promotion, and stages the largest live shows in the entire sport this side of the UFC. Dedicated to launching the careers of the MMA superstars of tomorrow, the XFC’s next mega-event, XFC 8: “Regional Conflict,” takes place on April 25 at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee, and will be broadcast live on national television, exclusively on HDNet. For more information about the XFC, please visit www.mmaxfc.com.


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XFC Lightweight Champ John Mahlow Agrees to Battle Rising Star Rafaello Oliveira at XFC 8: “Regional Conflict”

I just received the following Press Release from the XFC, announcing a catchweight match-up between XFC Lightweight Champion John Mahlow and up-and-comer Rafaello Oliveira. Normally I would just post the press release, but I wanted to point out that Mahlow previously mentioned this match-up as a possibility in my interview with him after XFC 7 where Mahlow served as a commentator.

Check after the jump for the full Press Release.

From the press release:

Knoxville, TN (4/6/09): The XFC announced today that lightweight world champion John “The Mulatto Mauler” Mahlow will battle fast-rising Brazilian prospect Rafaello “The Tractor” Oliveira at XFC 8: “Regional Conflict” on Saturday, April 25, at the 21 thousand-capacity Thompson-Boling Arena on the campus of the University of Tennessee. The event will be televised live nationwide, exclusively on HDNet.

Instead of fighting at the lightweight limit of 155 pounds, the two men agreed to a “catchweight” of 160 pounds. If Oliveira wins, he’s guaranteed an immediate rematch against Mahlow for the XFC lightweight world title.

Considered one of MMA’s most tenacious tacticians, Mahlow’s high-energy offensive assault and smothering ground game has propelled the American Top Team fighter and trainer to the cusp of stardom. Since losing a tightly-contested split decision to WEC title contender Jeff Curran in May of 2007, Mahlow has gone 5-1, including 2-0 in the XFC. In his last three fights, Mahlow has defeated Eben “The Big O” Oroz, stopped UFC’s “Fight Night 13” veteran Ryan Roberts, and submitted Belator’s Luis Palomino in the fifth and final round of their XFC championship bout in December. Mahlow’s victory over Palomino attracted a particularly high level of media interest, especially after ex-UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Nogueira publicly declared Palomino to be his “personal protégé” and a future world champion.

“I might be the reigning XFC lightweight champion, but I still train every single day like I’m the underdog,” explained John Mahlow from his Ft. Lauderdale, Florida training camp. “That’s the attitude that earned me this title – and the attitude that’ll let me keep it for a long time to come. Both inside and outside the cage, I’ll outwork you. I’ll train harder. I’m willing to absorb more punishment than you. And I understand the intricacies of the sport better than almost anyone else ‘cause I spend more time studying the sport than almost anyone else. Oliveira is a dangerous opponent, but I’ve reached the point in my career where I’m legitimately one of the elite fighters in the game, and I can’t wait to show MMA fans from coast-to-coast what ‘The Mulatto Mauler’ is all about.”

The Brazilian-born Rafaello Oliveira (7-1) made his XFC debut at XFC 7: “School of Hard Knox” on February 20, submitting Robert Thompson via triangle choke 4:50 in the first round; Thompson was 5-0 at the time. His one career loss was the byproduct of a doctor’s stoppage (cuts) on the undercard of the “ShoXC Elite Challenger Series” on Showtime in October of 2008. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu [BJJ] black belt now fighting out of Premier Martial Arts in Knoxville, Tennessee, Oliveira also trains one-on-one with UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn in Hawaii, serving as Penn’s sparring partner for his past three title fights.

“John Mahlow is a great champion and a good guy,” said Oliveira. “I respect him and thank him for this opportunity. But as much as I respect him, I also think I’m the better fighter. I’m faster, stronger and hungrier – and if John’s strategy is to outwork me, he’s going to be in a lot of trouble because I’m already in peak physical condition. If his strategy is to trick me, that won’t work either – because after sparring a few thousand rounds with B.J. Penn, I’m ready for anything. The way I see it, I’m now only two fights away from becoming the next XFC lightweight world champion. John had a good run, but April 25 will be Rafaello Oliveira’s official coming out party.”

Mahlow sat cageside for Oliveira’s victory over Thompson, handling color commentating duties for the XFC broadcast. He remembers being deeply impressed with Oliveira’s strength, athleticism and BJJ – but steadfastly claims that he was by no means intimidated.

“Oliveira has a lot of natural athletic gifts and an unusually high ceiling as a prospect, but he’s not a student of the game like I am,” Mahlow said. “And I’m betting that my capacity for absorbing punishment is greater than his ability to inflict it. Mahlow versus Oliveira is gonna be like two racecars smashing into each other at full speed. Yeah, I’m gonna get hurt in the collision, but he’s gonna get hurt real bad, too. And when we reach the second-half of the fight, I’m gonna take him to the deep end of the pool and drown him.”

XFC 8: “Regional Conflict” features the fastest-rising young prospects and top emerging superstars from Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky and North Carolina in a series of contender-versus-contender cage fights. Tickets are now available at the Thompson-Boling Arena box office and Tickets Unlimited outlets, including Cat's Music, Disc Exchange, and Fye Music.

###

About Xtreme Fighting Championships (XFC): Xtreme Fighting Championships – better known to MMA fight fans worldwide as the XFC – is the Southeast’s leading independent MMA promotion, and stages the largest live shows in the entire sport this side of the UFC. Dedicated to launching the careers of the MMA superstars of tomorrow, the XFC’s next mega-event, XFC 8: “Regional Conflict,” takes place on April 25 at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee, and will be broadcast live on national television, exclusively on HDNet. For more information about the XFC, please visit www.mmaxfc.com.


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XFC 8: “Regional Conflict” Main Event Now a World Championship Title Fight

From a Press Release:

Knoxville, TN: The XFC announced today that the highly-anticipated featherweight showdown between undefeated Bruce “The Noose” Connors (6-0) of Orlando, Florida and Jarrod “The Wild Card” Card (9-2-1) of Jacksonville, North Carolina will now be for the XFC featherweight world championship. The two 145-pound fighters will battle in the main event of XFC 8: “Regional Conflict” on Saturday, April 25, at the 21 thousand-capacity Thompson-Boling Arena on the campus of the University of Tennessee. The event will be televised live nationwide, exclusively on HDNet.

Check after the jump for the full press release, including the announcement of a special guest.

Rising heavyweight contender Bobby Lashley (2-0) will be at XFC 8 as a special guest, and the former two-time ECW world champion will present the custom-designed world title to the winner.

“I’ve gone on record as saying that Bruce Connors is the best featherweight I’ve ever seen outside of the WEC,” said XFC president John Prisco, “but Card is a tremendous natural athlete with a ferocious mean streak, and I’d actually give him a slight edge in power and experience. We’ve only crowned two other world champions in the history of the XFC [lightweight champion John Mahlow and bantamweight champion Jason Goodall], and it’s because we’re fanatically protective of the sanctity of our title belts. Whoever wins this fight will be a champion in the full sense of the word. Connors versus Card is a matchup that industry insiders are just salivating over, and it’s one of the most compelling fights that the XFC has ever had the privilege of promoting.”

XFC 8 features the fastest-rising young prospects and top emerging superstars from Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky and North Carolina in a series of contender-versus-contender cage fights. The combined professional and amateur records of all fighters currently assigned bouts is 130-22. “That means our fighters will enter the cage with a winning percentage of over 85 percent,” noted Prisco. “That’s virtually unheard of in today’s MMA, but this card is just loaded with do-or-die matchups between the top young talent in the entire Southeast. These are the champions of tomorrow – and the next generation of Mixed Martial Artists.”

Bruce Connors served two tours in Kosovo and Afghanistan as a sniper scout with the U.S. Marines – and later utilized his elite combat skills as an officer with the Florida police department’s SWAT [Special Weapons and Tactics] team. Training out of Gracie Barra Orlando, Connors exploded onto the MMA scene with a 6-0 record, earning multi-fight contract offers from numerous national promotions. All of Connors’ six wins are by first-round knockout or submission.

“A world title represents the ultimate achievement for anyone in the fight game,” said Connors, “because it means that you’re the absolute best at what you do. It’s the pinnacle of a fighters’ career and the reason why we push our bodies beyond the breaking point every day in training camp. I learned a little bit about mental toughness on the battlefields overseas, so I really hope I’ll be able to maintain focus on Jarrod Card and concentrate on executing my game plan, but I won’t lie to you: Fighting for the XFC world title on live TV is a dream come true, and I can’t help but smile from ear-to-ear when I think about what it would be like to wear that belt around my waist. On April 25, I’ll pay any price to win that championship.”

His opponent, Jarrod Card, also has a strong military background: Formerly a member of the U.S. Navy, Card currently works with the Marines at Fort Lejeune as a civilian contractor and aircraft expert. In his most recent fight, Card battled Jeff “Little Popeye” Bedard, a three-fight veteran of the WEC, where “Little Popeye” went 2-1. Bedard entered the bout with a sterling 9-1 record, but was quickly overwhelmed by Card’s lightning-fast hands and offensive onslaught. Card decimated Bedard, forcing the corner of “Little Popeye” to throw in the towel at the end of round one.

“In the eyes of the media, I was the underdog against Jeff Bedard, and according to the media I’ll be the underdog once again when I fight Bruce Connors,” said Card. “But that’s just perception. In reality, there are no favorites and there are no underdogs once the steel cage door swings shut and the bell chimes. All that matters is who fights harder – and whose heart is bigger. I’ve got nothing negative to say about Bruce. He’s a class act and a great young fighter. But I know me, and when we lock horns in the center of the cage – with the XFC featherweight world title on the line – I honestly don’t see how he can survive. I want that championship belt so badly, I can taste it. It’s the first thing I thing I think about when I wake up in the morning – and the last thing I think about when I go to sleep at night. Maybe it’s becoming an unhealthy obsession, but I need that title. He’ll have to break me to take it.”

Johnny Najjar is the president of Masis Boxing Belts, a family-run business that’s been the preeminent designer and manufacturer of world titles for over 60 years. His belts have been worn by every major boxing champion of the past half-century, including Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, and now the Klitschko brothers. Najjar is personally hand-designing the XFC featherweight world title belt, and according to Najjar, his not-yet-completed creation will symbolize the sacrifice and discipline required to become a world champion.

“This is more than a trophy; it’s a work of art – an 18-karat gold-plated masterpiece!” exclaimed Najjar. “Over 200 man-hours will go into the XFC championship title. Its magnificent design truly symbolizes the bravery and fearlessness of the modern day MMA gladiator. Since the age of Pharaohs in ancient Egypt, championship belts have symbolized that – for just one fleeting moment in time – the title-holder has achieved true greatness and everlasting immortality. I know that Bruce Connors and Jarrod Card will put each other through hell and back to win the XFC featherweight world championship – and whoever prevails will have a title belt worthy of the occasion, I promise you that!”

XFC 8: “Regional Conflict” takes place on April 25 at Knoxville’s Thompson-Boling Arena. Tickets are now available at the Thompson-Boling Arena box office and Tickets Unlimited outlets, including Cat's Music, Disc Exchange, and Fye Music.

###

About Xtreme Fighting Championships (XFC): Xtreme Fighting Championships – better known to MMA fight fans worldwide as the XFC – is the Southeast’s leading independent MMA promotion, and stages the largest live shows in the entire sport this side of the UFC. Dedicated to launching the careers of the MMA superstars of tomorrow, the XFC’s next mega-event, XFC 8: “Regional Conflict,” takes place on April 25 at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee, and will be broadcast live on national television, exclusively on HDNet. For more information about the XFC, please visit www.mmaxfc.com.


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Official Statement from Xtreme Fighting Championships (XFC) on the Bobby Lashley Rumor

From a Press Release:

From XFC president John Prisco:

“It’s come to our attention that a rumor has started circulating that Bobby Lashley will be fighting Marcus Jones at XFC 8: ‘Regional Conflict’ on Saturday, April 25 – a show featuring the fastest-rising young prospects and top emerging superstars from Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky and North Carolina in contender-versus-contender bouts, airing exclusively nationwide on HDNet. That rumor is false, and no such statement was ever issued by the XFC, Bobby Lashley, or Bobby Lashley’s manager.

(Check after the jump for the full Press Release.)

“It is true that the XFC and Bobby Lashley have had numerous conversations, and both parties hope to find a way to work together in the very near future. Bobby has publicly stated his interest in fighting for the XFC, and we can confirm that the interest is mutual. We look forward to continuing to grow our relationship.

“The XFC hopes Bobby Lashley – and MMA fans nationwide – enjoy XFC 8 ‘Regional Conflict’ on April 25, as it airs live from the 21 thousand-capacity Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee, exclusively on HDNet. For more information, please visit www.mmaxfc.com.”

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XFC 8: “Regional Conflict” takes place on April 25 at Knoxville’s Thompson-Boling Arena. Tickets are now available at the Thompson-Boling Arena box office and Tickets Unlimited outlets, including Cat's Music, Disc Exchange, and Fye Music.


About Xtreme Fighting Championships (XFC): Xtreme Fighting Championships – better known to MMA fight fans worldwide as the XFC – is the Southeast’s leading independent MMA promotion, and stages the largest live shows in the entire sport this side of the UFC. Dedicated to launching the careers of the MMA superstars of tomorrow, the XFC’s next mega-event, XFC 8: “Regional Conflict,” takes place on April 25 at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee, and will be broadcast live on national television, exclusively on HDNet. For more information about the XFC, please visit www.mmaxfc.com.


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FightTicker Exclusive: Post-Event Comments from XFC President John Prisco and XFC Lightweight Champ John Mahlow

In the final installment in this series of three post-event interviews from XFC 7: School of Hard Knox, I bring you interviews from XFC President John Prisco and XFC Lightweight Champion John Mahlow, who served as one of the commentators for the night's event.

Check after the jump for both interviews.

John Prisco

FightTicker: Congratulations on a great show, John – what are your thoughts on it?

John Prisco: I’m very happy overall. There was a good fan reaction to a lot of the fights. We have something we can build from, no doubt.

FT: What kind of attendance do you think you ended up with tonight?

Prisco: It could be in the low threes [thousands]. It was a Friday night and I knew that was going to be a challenge. We were promoting in Nashville and Chattanooga and all, but a lot of people would have had to miss work to come tonight. Our next event [April 25] is a Saturday and I know it’s going to be a tremendous night.

FT: What kind of things do you have planned for the April event?

Prisco: Well, I can tell you “O” is coming back [Ovince St. Preux] [Laughs]. We’re going to be promoting it big; there are a lot of stories to be told based on what happened tonight. It’s the beauty of MMA. Like with Chevelle Hallback [losing], it just shows you – a lot of things happened tonight that you wouldn’t have expected and that’s MMA. It’s one of the reasons why everybody is so charged about this sport.

FT: You made history tonight, hosting the first professional MMA show in Tennessee. Obviously you had an excited crowd – how did you feel about being the first pro show in Tennessee?

Prisco: It was an honor. It was an honor working with this [athletic] board, they were very professional. I don’t think you could’ve started a pro MMA event in a state better than we did tonight, so we’re very happy.

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John Mahlow

FightTicker: John Mahlow, XFC Lightweight Champ and Commentator tonight – what did you think of the event?

Mahlow: The event went really good. John [Prisco] like usual put on a really good show. Got the right match-ups and put on a phenomenal show. Couple of upsets of course, with CT Turner getting knocked out and then Chevelle Hallback getting submitted with a triangle – but hey, that’s the way the cookie crumbles.

FT: What was your favorite fight of the night?

Mahlow: The one with Rafaello Oliveria and Robert Thompson – they went at it pretty good. Everybody was expecting Rafaello to finish him really easy and it started to be more of an interesting fight, especially for myself because he might be a future prospect for a fight for me [Oliveria moved up to 170 for this fight] so it was good to see him fight a little bit longer and see what he had in his gameplan.

FT: When do you think your next fight might be?

Mahlow: I talked to John, I’m going to be out a little while, I have an injury I need to get fixed and once I get that fixed I can fight at 100%. The last few fights I’ve had I’ve not been 100%. They’ve still been dominating fights, but I’d like to see what I can do at 100% - I’ve been about 70% so I’d like to be 100% and come back and show everybody what I can really do.

FT: What were thoughts on the unexpected ending to the main event with Barrett’s injury?

Mahlow: Stuff like that happens sometimes, and it’s not the way people like to win. I’m sure Chad would’ve liked to have had a real good fulfilling fight, gone three rounds and just banged and then that way everybody could’ve seen what he’s made of.

FT: Was this your first time commentating?

Mahlow: For commentating, yes. It’s not my first time on TV, I’ve done interviews and different news releases and things like that. I did a thing in New York where they actually did a “Things to do in Florida” thing and they had me come in as the XFC Champ and basically did a newscast, with the news bulletins and things like that, so it really doesn’t bother me, doesn’t make me nervous or anything like that.

FT: You train down at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, but you also have your own gym?

Mahlow: Basically what I do is go down to ATT – there’s Wolfpack and there’s Coconut Creek, but they’re both American Top Team. The Wolfpack is the one I go to for all my standup stuff, which is in Sunrise, just south of Coconut Creek. I’m part of a group called SOG Defensive Tactics and Ancient City Martial Arts and we actually have a school doing stuff with the military, but we also work with civilians, too, and I do the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and my partner Mike does all the Hapkido and we do kids classes and stuff like that. It helps pay the bills.

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Overall, a really entertaining show. Prisco was extremely approachable and very candid in his comments both before and after the show. It was also nice to speak with Mahlow - I hope he gets his injury taken care of soon so he can get back in the cage. He's a beast at 155.

-PreView



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FightTicker Exclusive: Post-Event Interviews with Mike Yanez, Chevelle Hallback and Joe Heink

In the second part of this three-part series of post-event interviews from XFC 7 , I bring you some post-event comments from Mike Yanez, Chevelle Hallback and Joe Heink. Both Hallback and Heink train under Yanez, and Yanez presented Heink with his BJJ brown belt at the event after Heink's win over Scott Porter.

Check after the jump for the three interviews.

Mike Yanez

FightTicker: What did you think about the fights tonight?

Mike Yanez: Pretty tough night tonight. Some unexpected things – I’ll touch on the losses first. CT Turner fight – he was pretty much dominating him [St. Preux], controlling him, basically nine out of ten times I think CT would’ve won that fight. He had his hand down and the guy switched to southpaw and he’s really long, so he caught him and knocked him out, not much more you can say about that.

On Chevelle Hallback – we’ve worked extensively on her grappling, she’s definitely improved. I guess in the heat of the moment – I know this is the pros, but she’s never had any amateur [MMA] fights and that’s a show of inexperience on the ground. Kind of an expensive lesson, but correctable, no big deal. I think she won’t run into that problem anymore.

On Johnny Cardona – what can I say? That was a great fight. Johnny Cardona’s fight was – Johnny kept on going. Hats off to Nate Jolly, he stuck to his gameplan and is a really good wrestler with good experience, had good cardio and everything else. I feel Johnny won the second round and I think it would’ve been split [decision] if he had made it out of the third. He [Cardona] had two takedowns in the third [round]. Just going for that leglock cost him and he got ground-and-pounded too much and couldn’t recover.

On Derek Schiffer – First Pro MMA win in Tennesse, ever. It’s his second pro win. He’s a gamer, listens to his coach. He is one guy that really, really listens. He went pro straight off the bat, never had any amateur fights. I was really happy with his first pro fight because he really just listens to his corner more than any fighter I’ve ever had. He sticks to a gameplan and that’s it. He gets it done and gets out of there. He wants to win and that’s about it.

On Joe Heink – “The Deal”. He basically runs my school now in Louisville, KY. He's worked on his hands obviously. I haven't been there [in Louisville] working with him so I was always calling him and checking on his progress and his training. With my instructor [Pablo Popovitch] being here tonight, I asked him if I could promote Joe to brown [belt in BJJ]. It's really fast, he made it from white to brown [belt] in three-and-a-half years, and I made it from white to purple [belt] in three-and-a-half years so he's definitely better than me and past me [where I was at that point] and I'm very happy. He got his first TKO tonight, really quick, and he beat a brown belt, that guy was a brown belt. It was a test, he continues to get better and he's very young, 23 years old. He runs a school now and he's got bright future ahead of him. I think you're going to see a lot of Joe and hear a lot about Joe. Hopefully he'll be back here in the XFC since he got that win.

FT: How have you liked it since you moved down to Florida take the job with the XFC?

Yanez: I really do [like it]. I work with a great bunch of guys. The teamwork between them all is really awesome. Me adjusting to Florida wasn't really a big deal because I'm from Florida. I left [Kentucky] obviously at the best time since this was one of the worst winters [laughs]. The facilities - I have everything now, a cage, ring, weights. I have a new batch of amateurs. It's going to work out really well for me there. It's just a great opportunity for everyone involved. The XFC continues to grow and gets better.

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Chevelle Hallback

FightTicker: A disappointing loss for you tonight – what are your thoughts on the fight?

Hallback: It’s okay. I said if I ever lose – I don’t take losing very well – but you know what, I think I did good coming out and granted, no amateur MMA fights, only second MMA fight, only been training a year and this girl [Sarah Wilson] had a lot of good jiu jitsu behind her. Hey, I stood in there for a “good minute” so I don’t feel bad. It’s a learning game, I’m still learning. My ground game – I’m a baby at it. I feel that I made a mistake by taking her to the ground. I should’ve stayed on my feet, but she took a lot of good punches and I kind of got a little cocky even though I was in her guard because I was wailing away and my corner kept telling me “Stand up, watch out for the triangle, stand up, stand up!” and I’m hearing them but I’m thinking, I got her, and then when she grabbed me with those legs I still was okay, I picked her up and slammed her a couple times, I still was breathing okay, but when I rolled over to my back, that was all she wrote. But I’m good. I feel good. I’ll be back.

FT: You landed some good shots out of the gate. Going into the fight was your plan to stay standing the whole time?

Hallback: My gameplan was to not get on the ground and like I said, I got a little cocky. I saw I had her in trouble on my feet and thought, let’s go on and take it to the ground, so I slammed her to the ground and it changed my gameplan, but just because you got a person in trouble, don’t change your gameplan, don’t deviate from it because it can happen like it did tonight. Like I said, I take my hat off to her, she’s a very tough girl. I was good, though – even when she was punching me [from the triangle] she really wasn’t connecting hard, she was connecting with my arm and not really hurting me at all, but then I rolled over and she put the major pressure on and that’s what got me.

FT: So what’s next for you?

Hallback: I’ll be back soon. Talk to John [Prisco] and see what happens. Never know, there might be a rematch with her. I’d love that, love to have a rematch with her. Going right back to the gym and keep working, keep working my ground, keep working my ground, keep working my ground, because I want to be well-rounded in MMA. I just can’t rely on my hands alone, I have to learn that ground game because there’s not too many girls you’re going to find that don’t know jiu jitsu in this game, so if I’m going to be at the highlest level, I have to learn that ground game.

FT: 1-1 in MMA now with the XFC. I know your MMA career is still brand new at this point, but how are you feeling about it so far?

Hallback: I’m coming along very well. One thing I can say about them [the XFC] is that they’re trying to match me evenly, they’re not just giving me people they know I’m going to beat. They’re bringing me up the right way with each fight, a new challenge with each one and that’s the only way I’m going to get there. They’re not just throwing anybody at me that they know I’m going to walk through, I’m not going to improve that way. I don’t think this loss is going to hurt me. I don’t think losses really hurt you in MMA because the more people you fight and the better quality fighters you fight against, that’s what helps you [in MMA]. Any other time [with a loss in boxing] I’d be complaining and saying “I can’t believe this, I just want to go home and go to sleep”, but I’m good, head up high. I’m not down, depressed, nothing like that.

FT: So you think Yanez is going to have you in the gym on Monday working triangle defense?

Hallback: Well, I have class Monday because I’m school, but Tuesday, most definitely. [Laughs] I’m not sore – she tapped me out, but I’m not sore – I’ve got a slight knot [on my forehead] but I’m good.

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Joe Heink

FightTicker: How did you feel going into the fight?

Joe Heink: I felt really confident, I’ve been working really hard on my strength and conditioning so I definitely knew that I’d have no trouble bringing it and keeping up the fight for as long as it would take. I was kind of surprised at how quick it was, but I was happy to win.

FT: All of your victories before this fight have been by submission – how did feel to get your first TKO?

Heink: It’s kind of cool. I’ve sort of wanted a KO or a TKO for a while, just to switch it up and show I’m dangerous in more ways than one?

FT: How did you feel about your opponent?

Heink: I was mostly just going to watch out for his reach, I knew he was long, but he looked a lot smaller, so I knew if I could be aggressive and overpower him that I could win. But I was also watching out for his guillotine as well, because I’ve heard that’s his thing.

FT: What’s next for you now?

Heink: I’m going to keep training, train harder than ever. I still have a lot of work to do, a lot of learning to do. I’m going to try and work with some really good guys, step my game up and take some high profile fights.

FT: Did you like fighting for the XFC?

Heink: Yeah, they’re a really good promotion and it was a good venue. I’m pretty pleased with how things have been going, and I’d like to go down in Florida where it’s warm and fight for them there. [Laughs]

FT: How soon do you think you’ll fight again?

Heink: Probably sometime in the next two months. It all depends on talking with my trainers about it, but you can look forward to seeing me pretty soon.

(PreView’s Note: Heink is currently slated to fight on the upcoming April 25th card – an opponent’s name has not yet been released by the XFC.)

-PreView





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