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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Kentucky Fighting Challenge #49 Fight Card and Event Details

Jimmy Mc's Kentucky Fighting Challenge is Kentucky's longest running MMA promotion. I have had the opportunity to cover a few of Mc's shows and he always puts on good events. In fact, the first regional event I ever attended was KYFC #44 in Mt. Sterling, KY and I had a blast. The respect Jimmy garners from fighters and people in the industry is second-to-none. He even hosts grappling matches at a number of his events to give some of the under-18 crowd a chance to get in the cage or ring and compete in front of a hyped up audience.

Check after the jump for details on the event and the fight card.

- PreView

Jimmy's next event, KYFC # 49, will be this Saturday April 25th at Four Seasons in Lexington, KY. For the first time in the history of the KYFC, Jimmy Mc has publicly released the fight card for the event, highlighted by four amateur title matches and including a women's MMA fight. There are still a few fights pending, but I have no doubt Jimmy is working to finalize those fights - his dedication to the fighters is a kind you don't often see anymore.

From the Press Release:

KENTUCKY FIGHTING CHALLENGE #49 FIGHT CARD ...Come and enjoy great fights, some great food and drinks at KENTUCKY FIGHTING CHALLENGE. The event will be held at the new large 4-Seasons Gym at 951 Floyd Dr. in Lexington. The date is April 25th. The doors open at 6:30 P.M. and the fight starts at 8:00 P.M.General Adm. is $20.00. Front Row Seats are $25.00. And the rare VIP Table is $200.00 (seats 6 people) for that price.To reserve a Front row seat or a VIP table call Jimmy Mc at (859)948-5577 or e-mail to happyapple1©peoplepc.com below is a current fight card.

135 LB.
Chris Sallie vs. Jonathan Kinder
James Douglas vs. (pending)

145LB.
Josh Rucker vs. Scott Ratlife
Michael Cavenah vs. Fred Horn
Carl Thornsberry vs. David Crow

155LB.
Tanner McCowan vs. Zack Sanders
Ken Tichenor vs. Andrew Haverer
Phill Stevens vs. Chad Talkington
Vic Nesenchuck vs. (pending)

170LB.
Anthony Baumgardner vs. Brandon Hubbard ( TITLE )
Brandon McNeeley vs. Tim Mason
Brandon Radford vs. Adam Slaughter
Toleman Haley vs. Tyler Walling

185LB.
Derick Ruiz vs. Chris Holms ( TITLE )
Michael Cockerham vs. Cullen Babcock

205LB.
Clell Swinnet vs. Christopher Nickerson ( TITLE )
Brent Alphers vs. Ken Thacker

HEAVYWEIGHT
Brian Kilgore vs. Jeremy Centers ( TITLE )
James Watts vs. (pending)
James McDevitt vs. (pending)

FEMALE
Venessa Beachcamp vs. Kathy Waldrop

UNDER 18 years GRAPPLING
Tim Wright vs. Kyle Havens
Chanc Lykins vs. Jordan Daniel


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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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ICF: Breakout Wrap-Up

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending Intimidation Cage Fighting’s ICF: Breakout at U.S. Bank Arena. The night was capped off by a main event that saw ICF exclusive fighter “Vicious” Victor O’Donnell defeat former UFC fighter Forrest Petz via rear naked choke.

This was ICF’s first show at U.S. Bank Arena, and it was a good one. A number of people from the local fight scene were there supporting their teammates, but the event also played host to such spectators as Rich Franklin, Jens Pulver, Matt Hammill, Monte Cox and Mike Patt.

Team Jorge Gurgel made a successful foray into the ICF, going 3-0 on the night and other local teams, Team Xtreme out of Cincy MMA and Fitness and Team Vision also notched a few more wins. Team Xtreme went 2-1 on the night and Team Vision 5-3. Team Vision by far had the most fighters on the card with eight.

I caught up with a couple of the fighters and ICF promoter Steve Stanton after the show to get their thoughts.

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Jeremy Pender brought home his first pro win, the FightTicker.com Submission of the Night, with a rear naked choke over Carson Gainey in the second round.

FightTicker: You got your first pro win tonight over Carson Gainey – how did you feel going into the fight?

Pender: Man, I was really nervous. Big place, lot of people. Took me a little while to get comfortable, tried to settle in and do some striking at first. I knew I had a little bit more of a range than he did, but I hesitated, I couldn’t get off. Took him to the ground in the second round and it worked out for me.

FT: When you two fought against each other as amateurs, you were able to finish him then via submission as well – do you think he stepped up his game between that fight and this one?

Pender: Honestly, it was like fighting two different guys. His striking was a lot more crisp. He was still a little bit wild, but he hit me with some good shots. I thought I was a little too long and lanky for him on the ground and I ended up trapping his arm with my leg and got control. The first time [during the amateur fight], I think it was more he took me down and didn’t know the guard I worked and I caught him in a trick. But this time, he was a lot more cautious. Every time he took me down, if I got to guard, he got back up and wanted to strike. But I thought I was winning the striking with my footwork.

FT: What’s next for you?

Pender: I think I’ll take about a month off [from fighting], I’ll go back to the gym and start working with some new people, work on my jiu jitsu, get my striking a little bit better and going to come back in June, I think. It’s up to Steve, he’s going to be my manager.

FT: Why the Oscar the Grouch hat? [Pender walked out for the fight wearing a green Oscar the Grouch hat.]

Pender: Honestly, it’s for the pictures. I teach pre-school, and I teach at Redwood, a place for autistic kids, and they like my hat so I had to wear it out and support them, keep the roots, you know?

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I also got the chance to catch up with Chad “H-Bomb” Hinton after his FightTicker.com KO of the Night win over former UFC fighter Jeff Cox. Although Cox appeared to keep Hinton from really getting his stride in the first round, Hinton came out hard and KO’d Cox thirty-seven seconds into the second round.

FightTicker: Big KO victory over Jeff Cox tonight – how’d you feel going into the fight?

Chad Hinton: I felt great. I knew Jeff was a tough guy and I didn’t underestimate him. In fact, I was a little bit hesitant in the first round which I regret, but after all said and done, it’s all good.

FT: How did it feel to get the big KO in front of your hometown crowd?

Hinton: Man, it felt great. Brian, it felt great, I appreciate you asking. It was my first knock out, so I was really pleased. I was looking at it – the goal of the night was to get the KO of the Night, so it was great.

FT: What’s next for you?

Hinton: I’ll let Steve Stanton figure that out for me. We hope to have the opportunity we’ve been hoping for, for a while, to get in the UFC and if not, we’ll keep working hard in the ICF and get things done here.

FT: Are there any people or sponsors you’d like to thank?

Hinton: Ok, people / companies I want to thank...I hope you're ready. My wife, Lynne, and kids, Caylan and Mikayla. They had to deal with me through training camp and cutting all of the weight. God truly blessed me with an incredible family. My mom, dad, brothers and sister and in-laws. In a very sincere and special way, my grandfather. He's like my second father. Yeah, we're THAT close. He has fallen on bad health lately and has been struggling in and out of the hospital. He was actually my inspiration before the fight. I dedicate that win to my Grandpa Joe. He's the man. My coaches, corners and motivators, Marty Slone, Dahei Haile, Corey Boyle, Lonnie "Scotty" Scott, Marcus Finch, Matt Koz, Nick Corey, Tommy Wells. My business partner Tony Brucato, massage therapist Selena Keller, ICF owner Steve Stanton and his wife Melissa Stanton, Denver Cavins and the rest of the ICF team, and my friend Brian Kinamore. I'm sure I'm forgetting someone. If I forget them they still know I appreciate them! Sponsors....Toezup and Tony Palazzo, Cincinnati Chiropractic and Andy Limle, Cincy MMA & Fitness, EnergexNutrition.com, Scoreboard Sports Bar (West Side, Cincinnati, OH) CockDiesel, and FightForLifeUSA.com.

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Finally, I was able to catch up with ICF Promoter Steve Stanton. I’m sure Stanton was ready for a break, but as always he took some time out to sit down with me and discuss the show.

FightTicker: What did you think about the show tonight?

Steve Stanton: I think it was great. Ohio is a good place to come and fight, everybody treated me really good; the [Athletic] Commission is good, the fans are just crazy, nice, and exciting. Good show, good fights. Three-rounders [almost] every time!

FT: I saw that you premiered some new production videos and things like that tonight – how did you feel about the production that you were able to use at U.S. Bank Arena?

Stanton: It’s off the hook. It [the production] gets better and better every time. Our videos, our camera guys, our website, it all gets better all the time. And man, the crowd was great.

FT: Any preliminary numbers on crowd size?

Stanton: 3000-3500. Pretty good for my first time at U.S. Bank Arena. A guy out there said this was a pipe bomb dream – he wasn’t kidding - it blew up tonight. I’m glad he said it was a pipe bomb dream, that’s pretty cool.

FT: A lot of your ICF exclusive fighters, Chad Hinton, Jeremy Pender, Victor O’Donnell had big victories tonight – what did you think of their performances?

Stanton: I’m proud of all the guys. All the guys, even the guys that lost all fought their hearts out tonight. It’s a great privilege to come to Ohio and fight at U.S. Bank Arena. It just gave me cold chills when I walked in tonight and the music started playing. I’m proud of Jeremy, Chad and Victor, all the guys that won tonight. There were a lot of close calls, Cincy MMA and Fitness did good tonight, there were a lot of good fights.

FT: You have an event coming up next month back at Turfway and then back here in August, right?

Stanton: Yeah, May 16th we’re back at Turfway, in June we’re going to Evansville, Indiana. July 18th, we’re going down to Louisville at the Kentucky International Convention Center, and then July 25th we’re back at Turfway, and back here at U.S. Bank Arena August 22nd.

FT: You think you might get a day off somewhere in there [Laughs]?

Stanton: I’m definitely going to take off tomorrow and be with my family, my kids, my wife. I’ve neglected them, and it’s family time tomorrow for sure. My phone’s dead and I don’t even think I’m going to charge it.

FT: Chad Hinton had a big KO win tonight – what’s next for Chad?

Stanton: He’s done great. He probably won’t fight until August – he’ll probably be my main event. He definitely proved himself tonight to all those guys that didn’t believe him, all that bad stuff they say [on the internet]. He beat a guy that’s been in the UFC twice, I think that’s going to stop the talk.

FT: You had a number of former UFC fighters on the card tonight – do you think you’ll be trying to nail down as many of those big names for the August show?

Stanton: Oh yeah. What I’ve done tonight – I can’t go backwards, I’ve got to go forwards. It’s going to be awful hard to top tonight’s card and everything like the advertising and my truck [UFCW 75 did a wrap on Steve’s truck – picture below] but don’t worry. Everything we do, I want to do the best, be the best and whatever I got to do to do it, I’m going to do it.



FT: Is there anybody you need to thank?

Stanton: I want to thank my sponsors, UFCW 75, the U.S. Army, Pure Romance, Cadillac Ranch. Thanks to Miller Lite for running the beer specials, thanks to Hooter’s – we’ve got the prettiest ring girls [Hooter’s waitresses]. I want to thank Cataclysm MMA for the great trophy they gave Victor O’Donnell tonight. Definitely want to thank 7 Hills Church, ain’t nothing like having God in here, that’s for sure. Fighting’s not all bad, just because you’re fighting doesn’t mean it’s bad.

----------

For my FightTicker.com “Of the Night” Awards, there were a number of fights that deserved Honorable Mentions as well. Here are my choices.

FightTicker.com KO of the Night – Chad “H-Bomb” Hinton
Honorable Mention – “Ruthless” Ron Mitchell

FightTicker.com Submission of the Night – Jeremy “Pony Boy” Pender
Honorable Mention – Luke Zachrich

FightTicker.com Fight of the Night – Marcus Finch vs. Tyler Johnson
Honorable Mention – Matt Egner vs. Steve Muldrow

I'll be back covering the ICF on May 16th for ICF: Sacrifice at Turfway Park in Florence, KY. A portion of proceeds from the event will be donated to The Point Northern Kentucky, and the Leukemia Lymphoma Society

For more on the ICF, including some great pictures from Breakout, check out their website.

-PreView

(Originally posted on FightTicker.com)



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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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FightTicker.com: Interview With Blood in the Cage Author L. Jon Wertheim

A while ago, I posted my review of L. Jon Wertheim's Blood in the Cage. I was also fortunate enough to speak with Wertheim about a number of topics in the MMA world. What follows are the highlights from our interview. Wertheim really does a great job of putting things in perspective - in spite of how much we've all seen the sport grow, the difference in the popularity and marketability of the sport has changed a lot even in just the last few years. You can find Wertheim's first article on MMA, the one he speaks of giving him the idea to write the book, on SI.com.

FightTicker: First, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself?

L. Jon Wertheim: I write for Sports Illustrated, and have been for a while, and the story with this is that a couple years ago is that I told my editors I wanted to look into this MMA phenomenon and it was a whole lot of fun to work on and I came back and just sort of thought to myself, “There’s just so much material here – why not spin this into a book?” That’s pretty much how the book got started.

FT: Was there a defining moment or a particular fight that really made you say to yourself you wanted to take a look into MMA?

Wertheim: I didn’t really know much about this sport at all. I went to a UFC event in Houston, I went out to Bettendorf, Iowa to the Militech camp and I went to some amateur shows and Renzo Gracie’s gym – I don’t know if there was one defining moment. One of the first fights I saw was Roger Huerta vs. Leonard Garcia, and it was just an insane fight. It was so gripping and I told someone afterwards that I don’t think I’ve ever felt that alive. I enjoyed talking to the guys, and Dana was a trip, and this gave me eighteen or nineteen pages of material to work with and even after that I just sort of said to myself that I could just keep going and going with this stuff.

FT: Why Pat Militech?

Wertheim: We sort of hit it off to begin with and I sort of wanted to talk about who had gotten in there to help it [MMA] get where it was. The other thing is that these characters change so fast. I would tell the story where I asked someone – at this point exactly two years ago, who were the biggest names, who were the five biggest fighters? The answer I got was, Chuck [Liddell], Randy [Couture], Tito [Ortiz], Rich Franklin and Matt Hughes. And if you look at the scene right now, Randy may have fought for the last time, Tito is out of the organization, Chuck is kind of off the radar a bit. I wanted to pick a guy to base this on who I knew would still have some relevance when the book came out, so I figured with Pat, he’s working, he’s in there training guys and I didn’t have to worry that he’d be hot at the time, lose two UFC fights and suddenly get cut.

FT: The first image you throw at readers is of an offer made to you that I don’t think many people would want to take – Jens Pulver offered to break your nose to help you better understand what the fighters go through – what was the first thought that went through your mind when he offered to do that?

Wertheim: I wanted to be sure he was kidding [Laughs]. He sort of had a smile on his face, but these guys are a little different from me and you. Broken bones and lumps and bruises – they have a different approach to them than I have [Laughs].

FT: Why did you choose to start with that image?

Wertheim: I wanted to start with a bang, and you know, I knew he was sort of half-kidding, but he would’ve done it. Part of the book was just to explain the sport, but I also wanted to give people a chance – one question that always came up was “Who would do this, what kind of guy would be a cage fighter for a living?” I wanted to explain what breed of cat we were dealing with here.

FT: In the book you highlighted the fact that a number of the UFC fighters are highly educated or had various jobs one might not associate with fighters (i.e. Rich Franklin being a former math teacher), and I know these facts often surprise people – what are some of the things that surprised you when you were doing your research?

Wertheim: That was one thing – that people in the general public think a guy who fights in a cage for a living must be in there wearing an ankle monitor with his parole officer there waiting for him to get done – but the quality of guys overall, it’s probably higher than any other sport I’ve dealt with. Something else that struck me is these are some badass guys, but a lot of them were really sort of sensitive and fragile. There’s a real sort of fragile nature to a lot of these guys. Just physically they’re on a completely different level, and then you talk to them and a lot of them are kind of emotionally damaged. As strong as some of these guys were physically, a lot of them were insecure almost, a completely different person when they weren’t fighting.

FT: You interacted with a lot of different people in the industry. Besides a love for the fight game, did you see any other common denominator between the people involved with the sport?

Wertheim: A lot of these guys have similar sensibilities, but I think that something else that surprises people is there is a real diversity to the sport. The guy who came up through brazilian jiu jitsu is completely different than Randy Couture who came up an All-American wrestler who is different than GSP who is French-Canadian. A lot of these guys came from damaged homes, but not all of them. A lot of these guys wrestled in college, but not all of them. I think it’s [the diversity] is something that really helps the sport. Like with NBA players or boxing, it seems like the fighters have the same story over and over. But a guy like Roger Huerta is a guy that has a completely different story from a guy like Rampage. They’re black, white, American, foreign, and that’s something that helps the sport, it’s pretty diverse.

FT: You spent some time on the book on the history of the UFC and the rise of the UFC, and you acknowledged that during the “dark” days, it was the hardcore fans prowling the internet who did more than anyone to keep the sport alive and the UFC alive – in these days, as someone who has written about the sport – what percentage of MMA news do you think is on the internet versus the print media?

Wertheim: By and large, I still think it’s a sport that – it’s not a sport that the New York Times has a section on. I don’t think any newspapers do [have a section devoted entirely to MMA]. This is a sport that lives and breathes on the internet.

FT: Having made that statement, do you think it’s odd the UFC won’t credential websites for press passes at events?

Wertheim: Yeah, and I wrote about that in the book, about how the internet is really what saved this sport, and then I went to some of these fights and there were even very few [print media] guys [covering the event a few years ago] and that’s a little strange. I guess the UFC figures the websites are going to cover it anyway, but it’s still a little hard to figure out.

FT: You wrote about how, as the UFC has grown, they’ve signed some bigger name sponsors. However, a lot of people still refer to the sport of MMA as being in its infancy – how do you think the sponsor scene is going to change as the sport continues to grow?

Wertheim: That’s a good question. It’s going to keep growing. It’s going to be interesting to see what’s going on with whether the fighters are going to start demanding extra things [from sponsors] but it’s only going to keep growing. Even in the few years I’ve really been following it closely, in the beginning there wasn’t Harley-Davidson and sponsors like that a few years ago. Even though the sport is being de-mystified, there are still people that say, “Oh, mixed martial arts, isn’t that the sport where people die in the cage?” or “Is that real?” But I think gradually people are going to take to the sport even more.

FT: Given that, do you think that even with the expanded growth and more sponsorships and more televised fights and network deals, do you think MMA as a whole will ever get to the point where you don’t see shows hosted in these back rooms and strip clubs anymore? Do you think all the shows are going to take on a more professional appearance like the UFC does?

Wertheim: There’s always a buck to me made, and you still need a feeder system. Like if you go to an NBA minor league game, that’s really the equivalent of one of the MMA strip club shows. I think those are always going to be there. As long as there is a buck to be made, I think that’s only going to continue, to be honest.

FT: Over the last couple seasons of The Ultimate Fighter, there has been some criticism that in spite of what it does for the athletes’ exposure and the chance to get in the UFC, that the show has taken a downturn when it comes to actual content. Do you think that TUF is still more a positive than a negative for the sport?

Wertheim: There are only so many variations of the show you can do. But I think it’s good to kind of pump the pay-per-views and the fighters. Everybody knows who Josh Koscheck is now. I think maybe they need to figure out a way to spice up the show a little bit, but I think the show has done a lot for the sport.

FT: Do you still watch TUF?

Wertheim: I don’t [Laughs]. Once you realize what’s going on – everybody has seen Dana swear – I don’t know how much more they can do with it.

FightTicker: You've written books on various sports like basketball, tennis, and pool. What kind of different challenges did you face writing a book on MMA?

Wertheim: That’s a good question, because in some ways it’s hard because I wrote a book about tennis, and that’s a sport I’ve covered, so with this, I was really trying to get up to speed on a lot of this stuff. But something that was easy [with mma] was that everybody was cool to deal with. If you want to talk to Randy [Couture], you talk to Randy [laughs]. Everybody was so easy to deal with, so open and honest, you’re not running through agents and that junk. It was a little tricky just because I didn’t initially know that much about the sport. Somebody would mention Gary Goodridge and I had to google him to figure out what it was, but it was very nice to work on a project where everybody was pretty accessible.

FT: When you told your colleagues you were going to write a book about mma, how did they react to that?

Wertheim: It was two years ago, and it [mma] has come a long way since then, but a reaction I got a lot was, “You’re writing a book about what?” And the people asking me this are mainstream sports journalists. It kind of gave me the sense that despite what Dana says, the sport still has a way to go. There were people from major TV networks asking if they [the fighters] used props. I think mma has come a long way, but there are still an awful lot of people who don’t differentiate it from something like a Toughman Competition.

FT: Along the way, did you have any doubts that this book was something you’d be able to parlay into a success or were you more concerned with doing it for your own edification, to inform yourself and others?

Wertheim: I think the publisher knew there was a market there, and it may not be what the 55 year old reader would like, but there was a demographic [for it]. It was hard, because I wanted to kind of write a mainstream book, and write it so the average sports fan could get a feel for what the sport was about. But I also didn’t want it to be all John McCain, human cockfighting – I wanted to make it so your readers could get something out of it. But I didn’t want it to be so specific, just talking about who triangle’d whom in UFC 11. It was sort of a balance between writing a mainstream book and also making it interesting enough so that the guy who had just been watching UFC could still get it.

FT: You used a lot of different quotations to open the chapters in the book, from Hemingway to Lao Tzu, Bruce Lee, Dana White, Sugar Ray Leonard – why did you want to start each chapter of the book with a quotation?

Wertheim: It was really a device to show different aspects of combat and fighting and competition. One thing I wanted to do with the book was just kind of clear up some of the misconceptions [about MMA]. You can like it or you can hate it, but I wanted to make the point that it’s legitimate competition. It’s not as barbaric as people might think it is.

FT: One of the topics that has been big in MMA news as of late is the fight to pass MMA legislation in New York. One of its biggest opponents, Assemblyman Bob Reilly has made some statements that MMA is more dangerous than boxing and football. Taking a sport like boxing versus MMA – do you think one is necessarily more violent than the other?

Wertheim: I think you can’t sanction boxing and not sanction MMA. I think boxing is so much worse. I think the promoters are more abusive, the fighters have harder lives afterward. Say what you will about the guys in MMA, but they’re not taking 30 minutes of non-stop headshots. They can take each other down and grapple, and with boxing you just stand there and eat leather. If you don’t like and you don’t want to see it sanctioned, that’s fine, but you can’t sanction boxing and not sanction MMA.

FT: A logistical question – the book was mainly about Militech – why the picture of Liddell in the front?

Wertheim: The author doesn’t always pick the cover [Laughs]. They [the editors] thought it [the picture of Liddell] was an arresting image.

FT: In the press packet I read through for Blood in the Cage, David Mamet is quoted as saying “As Voltaire said, ‘That’s why they invented the squeegee’”. What do you think Mamet was trying to convey with that?

Wertheim: He’s a big MMA guy, and I think he was thinking, “People bleed, it’s a part of life.”

FT: Do you have any other plans to write another book on MMA?

Wertheim: I just finished a tennis book, actually, going back to my roots a little bit. I don’t have any immediate plans to do it, but I wouldn’t be adverse to that.

FT: If people could only take away one thing from Blood in the Cage, what would you want it to be?

Wertheim: I think it depends on who the reader is. My big thing is, not everyone is going to like it [MMA], I understand that. But at least have the facts. At least understand what it is, and that’s what I was trying to do with the book. It’s [MMA] not for everyone and it’s always going to be controversial and have its critics, but I just wanted to clear up some misconceptions, what it is, what it isn’t, and you see where I stand on this. It’s here to stay, it’s not a fad, it’s not the XFL, it’s not something that we’re not going to know what it is in two years. If you don’t like it, fine, but at least know what you’re talking about.

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Wertheim was a great guy to talk to, and I really enjoyed Blood in the Cage. For a guy who claimed to have only picked up the sport a few years ago, I think he gave readers a fair and honest portrayal of the sport and one of its legends.

-PreView

(Originally posted on FightTicker.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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Stephen Zimmer at Joseph-Beth Bookstore in Lexington on Friday

From author Stephen Zimmer:

My first bookstore signing takes place this Friday evening at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington for The Exodus Gate from 7-9 pm. Those who already have a signed copy,bring it out and I will add a special inscription on another page to commemorate this night.

Come on out and say hi, and don't feel a need to buy the book. I'd love to just see some friendly faces to share this occasion with.

Joseph-Beth Booksellers is an incredible place, and I have bought books there since their very first version of the store at Lexington Green. It is simply amazing to think that my first bookstore signing will be at this incredible store.

Word has it that my editor Amanda DeBord and my illustrator Matthew Perry will both be hanging out as well.

For more information on The Exodus Gate, please feel free to visit www.seventhstarpress.com

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I'll soon be posting my review of Zimmer's book The Exodus Gate as well as an interview with the man himself. If you're in Lexington, KY on Friday night, make sure to check out the book signing.

-PreView

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Live Blogs Happening on FightTicker.com Tonight!

I'm here at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, OH, waiting for ICF: Breakout to start. I'm live blogging 'til I collapse - check it out at FightTicker.com.

A special thanks to Fight For Life USA for hooking me up with a custom shirt.

Also, my buddy and fellow FightTicker.com Mike Menninger (aka Puddin) is doing a live blog of his own at the MMA Big Show happening tonight at Bel Terra Casino. You can check that out on FightTicker here.

-PreView

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ICF News Blitz

As I have reported extensively over the past few months, Intimidation Cage Fighting will host their first event at US Bank Arena, ICF: Breakout, this Saturday. I have covered the ICF extensively since joining FightTicker and this weekend will be no different. I will be there live blogging and doing post-event interviews with a number of the fighters. Headlined by a co-main event of Victor O'Donnell vs. Forrest Petz and Dan Christison vs. Marcio Cruz, the full fight card features a number of former UFC fighters, local fighters and even FightTicker.com members.

Check after the jump for all the ICF news.

Prominently featured on the card is FightTicker.com member, co-owner of Cincy MMA and Fitness and the first pro fighter to sign an exclusive contract with the ICF, Chad Hinton (aka Hitman - although Chad has since changed his nickname to "H-Bomb"). Hinton will be facing former UFC fighter Jeff Cox.

FightTicker.com member Jeremy Pender (aka Pender) will be making his pro debut at 135 pounds against Carson Gainey. and TUF alum Luke Zachrich will face Robert Thompson. The Professional section of the card is rounded out by a Lightweight match-up between Daniel Straus fighting out of Team Vision and Mike Baskis, fighting out of E-Town Beatdown.

The amateur card features a number of title match-ups. ICF Amateur Light Heavyweight Champ, the hard-hitting TJ Ball will take on Kevin Barton, Team Xtreme's Marcus Finch looks to get the Middleweight title back from Tyler Johnson and Team Xtreme's Matt Egner is looking to recapture the Lightweight belt from Steve Muldrow. FightTicker.com member Chris Curtis (aka TheActionMan513) will be defending his ICF Amateur Welterweight title in a match-up against Taylor Ruscin.

This undercard is rounded out by bouts between "Ruthless" Ron Mitchell vs. Rob Galloway, a welterweight contest between Justin Hunt and Alex Suhonosov, and a women's MMA match-up between Jami Miller and Tiffany Johnson.

To give you a feel what ICF events and fighters are like, I'm including a number of links to prior articles I've posted on the ICF and their events and fighters, live blogs with pictures and post-event interviews.

- Official Press Release on ICF: Breakout.

- ICF: TurfwaR Live Blog with pics.

- ICF: TurfwaR post-event interviews with Steve Stanton, Dan Christison, Jeremy Pender, Mark Crawn, and Tim Cook.

- ICF: Shattered Lilve Blog with pics.

- ICF: Shattered post-event commentary.

- ICF: Redemption Live Blog.

- ICF: Redemption post-event comments.

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I have enjoyed all the ICF events so far and I'm sure Breakout will be no exception. ICF is the only promotion besides the UFC to host an event at US Bank Arena.

Rich Franklin and Jens Pulver will be on hand to sign autographs and meet with fans.

The weigh-ins will be Friday night at the Eastgate Hooters, from 7-9pm.

More details on the event and all facets of the ICF can be found on their website.

-PreView

(Originally posted on FightTicker.com)


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Silver Star Debuts Anderson Silva's Signature UFC 97 Walkout Shirt

Not too long ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Luke Burrett, Owner, President and CEO of Silver Star Casting Company. At that time, Silver Star had started to make waves in the sponsorship world by sponsoring Rashad Evans and creating a signature series walkout shirt for him. When I asked Burrett how long he thought it would take for Silver Star to emerge as a pre-eminent brand in MMA, he stated,

"One year. We’ll be the biggest brand in MMA in one year. It’s a bold statement and it’s going to be tough, but that’s my plan."

Check after the jump for info on Silver Star and some of its products.

Since then, Burrett has continued to make news by signing other fighters to do signature series shirts such as GSP, Clay Guida, Jon Jones, Rob Emerson, Karo Parisyan, Sean Sherk and Jeremy Horn. The signing of Anderson Silva marks the third UFC champion to sign a deal for a signature series shirt.

Burrett also generously sponsored two of the prediction grand prix contests here on FightTicker.com.

Silva's shirt, pictured above, is the first in a signature series to offer "red" as a color option, and features gold foil in the design, similar to Rashad and GSP's shirts (which have silver foil accents).

Silver Star features a wide range of products from shirts, jeans, hat and various accessories including a large jewelry line (Silver Star started as a jewelry company).

Burrett sent me a few Silver Star shirts, including one of Rashad's signature shirts, and I have to say, I'm pretty impressed. Rashad's shirt does bear resemblance to a prior Silver Star design, but it is definitely a unique one in the MMA world. All the shirts are 100% cotton and the fighters' signature series shirts are more "slim-fit" or "premium-cut" type shirts as opposed to your typical t-shirt - so if you're not going for that tight t-shirt look, you might want to order up a size from what you normally do.

Burrett was a cool guy to talk to, and it wasn't hard to realize early on that he is a true MMA fan who is concerned with taking care of the fighters as much as he can. Signing guys like Jon Jones and Clay Guida also shows that Burrett isn't just out for the exposure through big name champions like Silva, but he's keeping an eye on the fighters who are exciting and entertaining.

I've often heard people complain they don't have a way to buy their favorite fighter's walkout shirt. Burrett is doing what he can to silence those complaints and put his stamp on the world of MMA clothing.

-PreView


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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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FightTicker.com Exclusive: Interview With School of Fight Co-Owner London Arevalo

I first met London Arevalo at an ICF show in Florence, KY where School of Fight was one of the vendors. I saw that School of Fight had some interesting themes for their shirts and I was pleasantly surprised to see Arevalo really make it a point to interact with everyone that stopped by the School of Fight table. In conjunction with sponsoring FightTicker.com's UFN 18 Prediction contest, Arevalo took some time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions about this up-and-coming company.



FightTicker: Tell us a little bit about yourself. Do you have a background in combat sports?

London Arevalo: I’m London Arevalo Co-Owner and Creative Director for School of Fight. I have the cool job of creating apparel designs for fighters and fans alike.

Yeah, I’ve actually been training in martial arts since I was about four. I started competing in Olympic (knockout) Tae Kwon Do at 16 and fought pretty much all over the world representing the U.S.. I’ve been training in Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for about five years now at Walker MMA, and with Kevin Rhinehart and Aaron Morris who teach under the great Royler Gracie at Ground Level. My Brother in-Law also trains and has fought a few times as a lightweight himself. He’s also helped me train for national and international competition. We pretty much live for this stuff!

FT: Tell us a little bit about School of Fight. What made you want to start the company? How did you decide on that name?

Arevalo: Our goal at School of Fight is to create cutting edge apparel for the martial arts fighter and fan. We believe in designing a look and product that truly represents what mixed martial arts is all about.

We originally thought about getting more involved in the sport a few years ago. Then after getting a little more experience designing apparel we decided that the time was right to start production and give it a try.

To be honest my wife came up with it [the name]! We wanted to tie the continuous learning process that takes place in the world of MMA and Martial Arts in general with the sport, but say it in an original way.

FT: In a time where we see clothing companies popping up (and often failing) every day, what makes School of Fight one of the companies that’s going to last? What kinds of things is S.O.F. doing to ensure its long-term success?

Arevalo: Our priority is to build our foundation. It is built on honesty, quality, determination, and perseverance we don’t want to try to rush anything. We also strive to produce a quality product for our fans. We hand test our products and run double quality control to make sure its right. These qualities will help us become successful.

FT: Do you currently sponsor any fighters?

Arevalo: Our first professional MMA fighter is Neal “The Rhino” Craft out of Walker MMA. We also sponsor amateurs like Thomas “Da Monkey King” Woodall. We are currently in negotiations with other professional and amateur fighters, but we are looking for people that represent what we’re about. You know, the type of fighter that if they do lose will pick up the pieces, learn from it, and train even harder for the next fight.

FT: How do you feel about the level of business School of Fight is currently doing? Is it where you thought it would be at this point?

Arevalo: Yes. We’re pleasantly surprised. The business is growing at a faster pace than we originally accepted. We’re making great contacts, meeting a lot of people, and most importantly getting great feedback on our designs from the MMA fans.

FT: What were some of the challenges you faced when getting started?

Arevalo: In the beginning, we had the challenge of finding printers. We also had the challenge of finding venues and determining which designs we should produce.

FT: I first ran into the School of Fight guys at an Intimidation Cage Fighting show – what are some of the shows School of Fight sends vendors to? At what shows can fans find you in the future?

Arevalo: Right now, we’re concentrating on shows in the Midwest. We’ll be back in our hometown Dayton, Ohio for the Warrior Combat and Warfare fight series show on April 18th. We also look forward to doing more ICF shows as well. Our website and Myspace are always updated with upcoming shows that we’ll be attending. Be sure to check them often!

FT: How does the level of business you do at these shows compare to the business you do via your website?

Arevalo: Currently, we do the majority of our sales at the show. Thanks to sites like Fightticker.com and the support of fans throughout the country, schooloffight.com is now creating its own buzz. We’re also receiving a lot of web response from Facebook and Myspace. Feel free to check us out there too.

FT: What kinds of challenges do you face running a company like S.O.F.?

Arevalo: There’s always a challenge meeting deadlines, finding suppliers, managing inventory, and promoting our websites and products.

FT: What is your day-to-day role in the company?

Arevalo: I’m considered the Creative Director for our company. So I do a lot of the design work along with my Brother in-law Carlton who’s an awesome media guy and designer as well. I also handle some of the P.R. stuff with my wife Natalyn and the Boss Carlene Davis (The President), but we are a family-owned business. We all contribute our equal parts in order to make School of Fight successful.

FT: What do you want to see happen with S.O.F. a year from now?

Arevalo: I’d like for the company to continue to grow, the fans continue to support it, sponsormore fighters, and become a bigger part of the sport.

FT: Thanks for your willingness to talk to me – and thanks for agreeing to sponsor a giveaway here on FightTicker. Is there anyone you’d like to take some time to thank?

Arevalo: We always thank God for our strength. I’d also like to thank Kru Walker of Walker MMA, Mark Smith of Warfare Fight Series, Steve Stanton of the ICF, School of Advertising Art, and all the fans, friends, and family for their support. Of course, we’d like to give special thanks to Fightticker.com for this opportunity.

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Like I said, Arevalo is a great guy. Thanks again to Arevalo and School of Fight for the interview and sponsoring the contest. In addition to their website, you can also find School of Fight on Facebook and MySpace.

-PreView


(Originally posted on FightTicker.com)

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