TapouT Magazine
By: Adam J. Villarreal


As one of Xtreme Couture’s standout fighters today, Tyson Griffin is making his way in the world by enjoying what he does best and that’s winning fights with his sharp mixed martial arts skills. Though not as well known as most of his teammates, Griffin has compiled an impressive record with wins over fighters like Clay Guida, Duane “Bang” Ludwig and even WEC Featherweight sensation, Urijah “The California Kid” Faber. His success was never an accident and Griffin’s ready to continue moving forward through the UFC’s Lightweight Division with the hopes of achieving the gold.

A California native himself, Griffin has been a competitor his whole life using athletics as the backbone to a life lived playing outdoors and was considered a top wrestler in college.” I’m originally from Albany, California. I started training when I was in Santa Rosa, California and now I live and train in Las Vegas. For me the training started in high school and junior college where I was wrestling. I was training there in Santa Rosa Junior College for about a year and I really wasn’t doing much at the time. When I was ready to start training hard and working out, I found Dave Terrell’s place where I picked back up with the wrestling again and started working on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and then fell into the mixed martial arts scene.”

His training under Terrell would prove pivotal to Griffin’s path to becoming a fighter. It was this teamwork that would lead Griffin to the desert terrain of Las Vegas and his introduction to Xtreme Couture. “Dave Terrell brought me out here to Las Vegas when he was training for his fight against Scott Smith and we were here for about two weeks. I liked the training that we were doing and when I started fighting I’d come out here to Las Vegas to train before each fight and I slowly decided to make a move out here since I was coming all the way out here to train anyway. When I started training here I came across a great bunch of guys like Randy (Couture), Forrest (Griffin), Gray (Maynard), Jay (Hieron), and Mike Pyle. This core group of us were all training together and then when Randy opened his gym we all moved our training to Xtreme Couture. Now I train with Gray Maynard, Jay Heiron, Mike Pyle and a few others as a real team. They’re great fighters with lots of skill and they’re close to my weight; but it definitely isn’t easy work whatsoever. I also live with Alex Schoenauer from The Ultimate Fighter Season 1 and he trains with us too.”

The move to Las Vegas plotted his path into the bright lights of the UFC. The tradeoff was uprooting himself from his family, which he describes as the only real sacrifice. “My mother raised three boys and we all wrestled; my older brother and my younger brother you know? So growing up like that made it a little easier for her and she was ok with it and everyone else pretty much enjoys it now and they all wish I fought in Las Vegas all the time so we could all party afterward! The hardest thing of course is being away from family and friends, but I’ve gotten used to it. Being a fighter is all about sacrifice and this is one of them.”

Like most fighters making the pilgrimage to different cities to train, Tyson fought on smaller cards to gain experience and test the skills he had acquired. It was at one of these shows where he came toe to toe with WEC Featherweight Champion, Urijah Faber. “The fight with Urijah was the third fight I had. I think I performed great during that fight. Urijah was a tough guy, tough as hell. I hit him a bunch of times and he took a lot of hard shots. It was a fast paced fight that was all over the place. As far as his success now I think it’s great; he’s a tough customer and he’s definitely earned all of his success. I think I was just a bad match up for him and I caught him at the perfect time. But he’s worked hard and has earned all of his success. As far as a rematch goes, I don’t think it’ll ever happen. I dropped down to his weight the first time we fought and he had an opportunity to come up to my weight class for the rematch but he never did; I don’t’ see us ever fighting again. It would be interesting to see though because he was my third fight and I was his ninth and I’m definitely a better fighter than I was then. If I fought at my weight for that fight I would’ve been much bigger then too.”

Almost a year to the date of his victory over Faber, the UFC came calling with Griffin’s then biggest fight of his career against David Lee at UFC: 63. His victory, via rear naked choke, came early in round 1 projecting a confidence and natural adaptation to the bright lights of the UFC. Griffin gives partial credit to his time with Terrell as the source of his comfort for the win on the biggest stage in MMA. “It was really cool because it shows that all of the hard work finally paid off and made it. It’s like graduating college and getting a great job for a major corporation or something like that. I actually had been to that venue before so I knew it well and that made it a little more comfortable for me. The crowd that night was great too and since I was there a few fights before with Dave, it made it easier for me.”

He as since won all but one of his bouts in the UFC Octagon (which was by decision) and his skills are keeping him at the to of his game. “I would have to say my grappling skills and cage control skills are my biggest attributes. That’s what makes me win fights and everything else follows pretty closely behind.” And as far as where we’ll see Tyson Griffin next remains to be determined. “I don’t have anything lined up in stone right now but I’m waiting to hear from the UFC. Hopefully I’ll be fighting sometime in July or August though. But until then I want to thank the fans that are out there supporting the sport and making it grow. We can’t do it without them.”
For more information on Tyson Griffin, please visit:
www.tysongriffin.com
www.myspace.com/tysongriffin
www.xtremecouture.com


TYSON’S DIET AND TARINING REGIMEN

When I’m training for a fight I workout two times a day, five days a week and once on Saturday with Sunday off. My regimen starts on Monday with cardio in the morning and strength and conditioning. Then we spar with the big gloves and do what we call the Shark Tank where we fight 3 five-minute rounds and each minute a fresh guy will rotate in to go against me. On Tuesday do some grappling in the morning and some sort of pad work either boxing or kick boxing; I try to switch that up though. In the afternoon we’ll do small glove training with no headgear and no shin guards and do a lot of drills. After warming up with this we’ll do some MMA. Wednesdays I go back to doing the cardio in the morning and in the evening we’ll do a wrestling workout or a big glove/small glove takedown drill or a wrestling practice with Randy and work on our takedown defense. On Thursday morning, we go back to the small glove stuff in the morning and grappling and then in the evening we do more full on MMA training. Friday is the same as Monday with the cardio in the morning and then we’ll spar pretty hard at night with the big gloves. On Saturday I usually like to do a long run or something that will work on my endurance; typically anything that will get me sweating a lot like jumping rope. It doesn’t require a partner and it’s light contact. Then of course I have Sunday off so I’ll get a massage and relax for the rest of the day.

What is your diet like? Well basically we’ve come up with a concept that when we train hard, we eat 30 grams of protein and 30 grams of carbs every three hours; so in the morning I’ll either have a shake with oats and the ration of protein and grams that I mentioned. That will take care of my morning workout and then I’ll have a sandwich with the same proportion of 30 grams of protein and 30 grams of carbs. My next meal will be chicken and rice with vegetables and later I’ll have another meal, which is usually chicken and rice again and in the evening I really load up on the veggies and go to sleep with a full belly. I usually keep this same diet throughout the whole week. It’s pretty boring and pretty simple but I have to do it. I let my self-cheat a little bit on Sunday but even then I try and stick to the same portions. On Sundays I’ll have a burger with red meat or a steak. I don’t like to cheat with ice cream or anything like that.

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Top Ten Toughest Chins in MMA

by RJ Clifford

We all know the fighters that can hit hard, but what about the guys on the receiving end? A strong chin is one of the greatest assets a fighter can have and one of the only assets no BJJ, wrestling or boxing class can teach. Getting hit a lot does not take you off this list. On the contrary if a fighter never gets hit, we never see his chin (see Anderson Silva). This is all about the fighters that take the punches, knees, kicks and stomps right to the brain, and yet somehow, they just won’t go to sleep.

10. Takanori Gomi (Never been KO’d or TKO’d, fights better the more he is hit)

“The Fireball Kid” kicks off this list as a powerful knockout artist in his own right, more likely testing the chin of his opponents rather than receiving punishment. The last Pride lightweight champion has never been knocked out, but does leave himself open for submissions after taking a pounding. Against BJ Penn and Nick Diaz, he weathered his opponents’ striking attacks, but allowed submissions to sneak in after the damage was done. He is also known to strike with more ferocity when he has eaten some punches. After being on the losing end of a striking war with Luiz Azeredo, it took only two punches from the Japanese slugger to put the Chute Boxe veteran away.

9. Jeremy Horn (Amazing recovery, taken over 1,000 hits to the head)

The seasoned MMA veteran has over 100 documented, and I emphasize documented, fights under his belt being on the receiving end of only two TKO’s by the fists of Matt Lindland and Chuck Liddell. As if going the distance with Gilbert Yvel, Falaniko Vitale and Anderson Silva was not enough, he choked out Chuck Liddell in their first meeting. He went toe to toe with “The Iceman” for four rounds in their rematch before taking so many head shots the fight had to be called because he could no longer see. Even though he has taken more shots to the head than probably any other fighter in history, he has never been knocked unconscious.

8. Wesley “Cabbage” Correira (Amazing recovery, taken over 1,000 hits to the head)

While he has been stopped six times from strikes, the Hilo, Hawaii native always lasts longer than he should have in his losses, thanks to his granite chin. Few have faced as many power punchers as Cabbage including Tim Sylvia, David “Tank” Abbott, Andrei Arlovski, Eric “Butterbean” Esch and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva. Even while taking the biggest shots from some of the biggest guys in MMA, it is usually his corner or the ref who gives up on him before his consciousness does.

7. Nick Diaz (Fights better the more he is hit, cuts easy)

MMA resident Bad Boy, the Cesar Gracie black belt has a knack for slugging it out with recognized strikers. He knocked out Robbie Lawler, went the distance with Joe Riggs and finished Takanori Gomi. He grows more dangerous the more bloody and beaten up he becomes, a style that fits nicely with his me-against-the-world mentality. He slugged it out with Gomi for two rounds before finishing the Pride champ and went punch for punch with pro boxer KJ Noons, eventually losing due to a cut over his eye. Even when his face takes a beating, he stays alert and keeps on fighting.

6. BJ Penn

Hawaii’s favorite fighter, Penn is one of the most well-rounded combatants in the game with a solid chin rounding out his skills. Never afraid of a challenge, “The Prodigy” routinely goes up in weight against bigger guys and stronger punchers. Nearly impossible to finish, only Matt Hughes holds a stoppage victory over the UFC lightweight champion when Penn’s lungs gave out in the third round of their second fight. He has faced dangerous punchers like Takanori Gomi, Duane Ludwig and Jens Pulver (twice) without being fazed once in those fights. Few can make that claim.

5. Dan Henderson (Never been ko’d or tko’d)

Simply put, Henderson fought Wanderlei Silva (twice), Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Anderson Silva without getting knocked out! Silva recently submitted him and “Rampage” out-pointed him, but no one questions the grit of this scrappy Olympic wrestler. Almost completely abandoning his wrestling roots, Henderson has turned into a slugging machine willing to stand toe to toe with seasoned, veteran strikers, a strategy that could not work for anyone with less of a chin.

4. Fedor Emelianenko (cuts easily)

The reigning king of MMA has squared off against some of the world’s best kickboxers like Semmy Schilt, Mark Hunt and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic. If there was a list of the top heavyweight strikers in the game, Fedor would have fought almost all of them. And no one has been able to defeat the heavyweight champ or even come close. Ironically, Japanese wrestler Kazuyuki Fujita came the closest to finishing him. His only “loss” came by way of a cut inflicted by Tsuyoshi Kohsaka by a “controversial” strike that Fedor still claims was illegal.

3. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Never been ko’d or tko’d, amazing recovery, fights better the more he is hit)

While not at the top of the list, Nogueira puts the structural integrity of his chin on display more than any other fighter. Consistently taking a beating in the early rounds of fights only to finish his opponent by submission later on, the UFC heavyweight champion has taken the best shots by some of the hardest hitters in the sport. He shrugged off head kicks by “Cro Cop”, ate ground and pound bombs by Fedor and took a kick by Heath Herring that should have knocked his head into the tenth row.

2. Mark Hunt (Never been ko’d or tko’d)

K-1 and Pride veteran Mark Hunt has never been knocked out, knocked down or even fazed for that matter in MMA competition. The New Zealand native made a name for himself in the K-1 kickboxing circuit, then won over MMA fans with his head of granite. He took the best shots from Wanderlei Silva, Mirko “Cro Cop” and pro boxer Yosuke Nishijima. Who can forget the epic bout when Hunt ate one of “Cro Cop’s” lethal head kicks right to the temple, then shrugged it off like it was nothing?

1. Kazuyuki Fujita (Amazing recovery)

Mr. Iron Jaw himself! His skull is so thick that no strike can faze him, literally. X-rays prove his skull has a density and thickness greater than the average human head, a human-punching bag that punches back. After Ken Shamrock gave Fujita his best shots before quitting, the Japanese fighter fought his way through an army of heavy-handed strikers before succumbing to Wanderlei Silva, who delivered a plethora of punches, knees, kicks and soccer kicks to his massive cranium prompting the ref to call the fight. Fujita immediately stood up and walked to his corner like nothing had happened.

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The Greatest Fights You NEVER Saw

By Kirik Jenness

MMA now boasts millionaire fighters, billionaire owners, PPVs so popular they make Vince McMahon want to be real, and multiple fights on free TV every week. The 90s had none of that. But what defines our sport is not fame or money—it’s great fights—and even before the sport was famous, there were some amazing fights.

So what defines great? Self-defense doyen Tony Blauer quipped once that if someone jumped out of a shower naked with a knife, even the most highly-trained expert would probably not respond with a precise combination of effective strikes; he would probably shout “HOLY S***!” That is the definition of greatness here – fights that make you shout “HOLY S***!”

Ricardo “The Mutant” Morais vs. Russia - Absolute Fighting Championship 1 - 9/25-26/1995

A single MMA match is widely regarded as one of the toughest moments in sports. But MMA in America was born by eight-man tournaments, where the winner had to fight an excruciating three fights in one night. These were deemed too difficult and dangerous, and now single matches are the rule. But the AFC held an unprecedented 32-man event with the eventual winner, Renzo Gracie purple belt Ricardo “The Mutant” Morais, taking the $60,000 prize by winning five fights over two nights.  

You can find 10 wild fights on this card alone, including Adilson Lima getting stopped twice in the same night, both times by then-unknown Igor Vovchanchyn, once by an unprecedented judo chop / soccer kick combination. But the 6’ 8”, 280-pound Morais tearing through the baddest men in Russia is the first entry for greatest fights you have never seen.

Jose “Pele” Landi-Jons vs. Jorge "Macaco" Patino - BVF 6: Campeonato Brasileiro de Vale Tudo - 11/1/1996

Greasers vs. Preppies vs. Jocks has been a staple of American “coming of age” for generations. Brazil had a parallel rivalry – Luta Livre vs. BJJ – except instead of getting tough by fixing cars or playing football, these guys toughed it out by training in “no rules” fighting for years. This was a classic striker vs. grappler match with strikes ending it after 14 minutes. The in-ring antics have never been championed before or since. NFL officials who come down on excessive post TD showboating would lose it watching Pele wriggling lasciviously on Macaco’s prone form.

The following year, they did it again. This time a cut over Patino’s head after following through the ropes would end the fight prematurely in Pele’s favor.

Wanderlei Silva vs. Artur Mariano - IVC 2: A Question of Pride - 9/15/1997

MMA is now a wildly popular and widely regulated sport. Ten years ago in Brazil, things were simpler: the rule book contained three rules: no biting, no fish hooking and no eye gouging. No gloves. Headbutts were legal. One of Wanderlei’s headbutts forced a major cut to his own eye. This spurred him on to commit even harder headbutts. Jack Dempsey said, “Tell them everything I know, I learned from the losses.” That truly happened here, because after 13 minutes, they stopped it on cuts in Mariano’s favor. This was the birth of the Axe Murderer and one of the greatest fighters ever.

Two weeks later, things really got crazy …

Renzo Gracie vs.  Eugenio Tadeu - Pentagon Combat - 9/27/1997

Bad blood boiled over with this infamous BJJ vs. Luta Livre battle that began with the best stare down I’ve ever seen. Renzo and Eugenio went to war for nearly 15 minutes. While Renzo was up against the cage, someone from the audience slashed him with a knife. Things really got crazy with chairs flying, riot squad intervening, lights going out and all manner of craziness. Publicity from the behavior of the unfortunate fans hurt the growth of MMA in Brazil for years to come, but this fight will never be forgotten. It was ruled a draw and the rivalry between BJJ and Luta Livre seemingly died.

Aaron Riley vs. Shane Garrett - HOOKnSHOOT: Horizon - 3/20/1999

Open-hand matches no longer exist, derided by some as “slap fights.” But Garrett and Riley’s palm strikes are to slaps as a baseball bat is to a drum stick. And they had knees and kicks. For 20 straight minutes, they went back and forth and up and down with Riley taking the decision. Riley vs. Berger, Riley vs. Edwards, Riley vs. Fischer and Riley vs. Lawler are each on many people’s all-time greatest lists, just as fights by Berger, Fischer, Lawler and Edwards against others. But Aaron Riley might just be the most consistently exciting fighter in MMA.

Igor Zinoviev vs. Mario Sperry: Extreme Fighting 1- 11/18/1995

The UFC gave birth to a new sport in ‘93, and it did not take long for Penthouse magazine publisher Bob Guccione to create a rival promotion. (Penthouse is a publication that was popular before the Internet for those of you under 30.) The show was called Battlecade: Extreme Fighting, and the debut effort included a middleweight title fight between one of the most decorated athletes in BJJ history, Mario “The Zen Machine” Sperry, and an unknown Russian named Igor Zinoviev. BJJ had earned revered status, so everyone anticipated a fast destruction; Zinoviev had other plans that included insane conditioning. After over ten minutes of back and forth action, Zinoviev got a controversial win that echoed the debate: Did he or didn’t he tap? Sperry went on to co-found arguably the greatest team in the history of MMA – Brazilian Top Team. Marred by injuries, Zinoviev did him one better as a bouncer at Scores.

Jay R. Palmer  vs. Maurice Corty: Superbrawl 2 – 10/11/1996

T Jay Thompson now runs Icon, one of North America’s leading MMA promotions, but it grew from modest circumstances—a portable ring in a nightclub called Gussy L’Amours. Anyone with an inclination to scrap could climb into the ring on Saturday night. That proved so popular it moved to a major arena and acquired the name SuperBrawl. The rules back then were a little more fluid than they are now, and could be summed up simply by saying, “Rules?”

Maurice Corty had a BJJ background; Jay R. Palmer had a background in stomping a mud hole in whoever was in front of him. The rules allowed hitting with everything, so Palmer did just that, landing lefts and rights, hammerfists, knees, a headbutt, and finally he demonstrated a novel technique from mount. Even the casual fan now understands that one goal in MMA is to control the other player on the ground to set up strikes and submissions. Palmer thought a little outside the box and used the mount as a trampoline from which he could leap up and drop three huge stomps, at least one of which landed on an already unconscious head.

Matt Hume vs. Erik Paulson: Extreme Fighting 3 - 10/17/96

Just one week later, another side of MMA was showcased as technical matches proved just as thrilling as beat downs. From the outside and the inside, and top and bottom, these two demonstrated a mastery of striking and takedowns that laid the blueprint for MMA as we know it. The fight was stopped in the third round due to a major cut in favor of Hume, but the fans and the sport were the big winners. Further, no one could claim BJJ as the sole basis for MMA, as both fighters came from a wrestling background.

Hume and Paulson went on to extraordinary careers as coaches. A knee injury cut short Hume’s time as a competitor, and Paulson proved he can tap out not just the world but time as well, having fought and won in HDNet Fights.

Jorge Rivera vs. Tim Sylvia: Rhode Island Vale Tudo II - 10/23/1999

A huge man walked up to me and asked if I was his opponent? I quickly explained I was just a judge. Although he was the rawest talent compared to the man who long held the UFC heavyweight championship, Tim Sylvia was still really, really scary. Although he was more than 100 pounds lighter, Jorge Rivera stepped up.

In front of a hysterical crowd of supporters, Rivera took the fight to the giant from standing and on the ground. At one point Rivera rained down strikes from top mount, and then suddenly froze…his hand cocked high. The noise of the crowed spiked, and when the hand landed, the delirious sound of the crowd swamped all other senses. Rivera won the amateur fight by unanimous decision and both fighters went on to great careers in the UFC to this day.

Thiago Alves vs. Marcus Davis: Hardcore Championship Fighting 2 - 10/18/2003

Any given night you can find MMA on TV, but there are still extraordinary fights going on in relatively unheralded shows across the USA and much of the world. Have you ever held your breath for 15 minutes? That’s basically what the crowd did for three rounds as both men gave everything they had. The split decision went to Alves and both men went on to have an amazing, combined 15 fights in the UFC, so far.

It’s exciting to see fighters of this caliber on the flat screen, but it’s greater still by far to watch a great fight live. So do yourself a favor and attend a local show some Saturday afternoon. Perhaps not long after, you can tell your friends, “I was there when …”feedback@tapoutmagazine.com

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The American Fight League: Changing the Face of MMA

by RJ Clifford

“One of the things I really want you to walk away from in this article is understanding we are really going to do a very good job of becoming...America’s league and the way we are going to do that is through a lot of good corporate citizenship programs associated with mixed martial arts.” These ambitious words came from the mouth of American Fight League CEO William “BJ” Santiago. “We are purposely, in a positive way, trying to disrupt the industry. We are going to do a really good job in reaching out and becoming America’s league.” Ambitious, no?

The upstart American Fight League, based out of Kentucky, is the brainchild of CEO BJ Santiago and former Cage Inferno promoter Jon Hatton. Most promotions derive their business plans under the same guidelines as the UFC; Santiago and Hatton look to create an entirely new look to our fledgling sport. “I always thought there could be something done above and beyond the great things the UFC has done. There is always room for better public awareness and improving the public image of the sport,” comments Santiago. The improvements Santiago speaks of consist of two unique agendas, a grassroots style professional circuit and a public image campaign.

Disengaging from the standard fight promotion’s strategy, the AFL has adopted a ranking and fighting system comparable to the Professional Bull Riding circuit. Credentialed, veteran fighters will fight in major cards all over the country, in states where the sport is legalized, competing on a point system. Fighters tour and compete for a predetermined purse for the show and points. Points earned determine rankings and matches and not on the whim of a matchmaker or promoter. Santiago and Hatton thank a long-time friend and Krav Maga Instructor, Dion Guest, for helping them create this unique format.

Amateur and pro rookie fighters will get their moments to shine as well in a grassroots farming system. The AFL has created a network of associate promoters in different regions of the country to put on shows for local fighters. These associate promoters will have a chance to put on a fight with the backing of the AFL via marketing material, merchandise, etc. A national program manager will network the associate promoters and fighters. With all the politics involved in boxing and other fight industries, a farm system based on points and performance will help eliminate many of the complications fighters face. Sean McClure, Marketing Director and matchmaker, says it best: “It really gives the guy, who may not have the connections, get where they want to be.”

Not that the AFL is only looking for the upstart fighter. In only a few short months, the AFL has signed its own stable of veteran fighters including Raphael Assuncao, Junior Assuncao, Diego Saraiva, Douglas Lima and others with more signings coming soon.

While the fighting system will look similar to the PBR, Santiago, a former NCAA defensive back, has a vision for his new MMA league that resembles the NFL. While professional football is a violent and aggressive sport, the NFL has managed to portray its players and league as a family friendly, all-American activity. This has opened the door for the NFL to not only grow in popularity with the public, but with corporate sponsors as well. “Major sponsors say the bad example fighters show in other orgs do not want to be associated with drinking and violent behavior; it’s all about the image,” comments Santiago. Santiago looks as far as Randy Couture, arguably the most popular fighter in America, who has no mainstream sponsors such as Nike, Pepsi or Chevy. It’s not that MMA isn’t popular, just that corporate America cannot touch a wild card portrayed in such violence and poor image.

With many mainstream media outlets still labeling fighters as “thugs” in a “human cock fighting” event, the AFL is looking to shake this poor image. All fighters under contract will commit to do some form of charity work, hospital visit or other good corporate citizenship event before every major fight. This not only humanizes the sport and individual fighters, but also portrays them in a positive light to potential fans. “We are going to disrupt this industry,” Santiago repeats.

Another key component to the AFL’s media campaign is their commitment to the US troops. As a former US Army Airborne Infantry Officer and veteran of Desert Storm, Santiago, along with Hatton and McClure, are all looking to use this opportunity to do all they can for all branches of the Armed Forces. After their inaugural fight on March 7^th and second fight in Miami Beach in May, their third fight in Houston sometime in late July, the AFL will hold an event exclusively for honoring the troops in partnership with Impact A Hero (www.impactplayer.org).

The AFL is also committed to making the AFL a fighters-first league. With other promotions locking down fighters in exclusive contracts, along with corrupt promoters and other hurdles for the talent, Santiago and the AFL created an environment where fighters can flourish in and out of the cage. Recently signed AFL fighter and UFC veteran Diego Saraiva agrees. “It’s a good opportunity; (BJ) showed me how to do things differently. That’s the first time ever someone explained to me every single question. BJ does not want us to have a bad image; he wants to show us in a growing sport.” Saraiva also agrees 100% with the charity work he is contractually obligated to participate in.

The AFL started after a chance acquaintanceship between Santiago and Hatton. Santiago, a world level tae kwon do competitor, trained at the same gym as Hatton, a six-year Krav Maga specialist. Hatton had found reasonable success with his Caged Inferno production, but he knew he needed corporate backing and experience to take his promotion to the next level. “I’ve seen plenty of other guys doing shows and it was just sad that they had no corporate help around their company. I did not want that to happen to me,” Hatton explains. “I busted my butt for two years building fanfare and I knew it was time to get some business people smarter than myself to take it to the next level.”

After casual talks progressed into serious business connections, Hatton and Santiago formed their company together in February of 2007 with Santiago doing the business because of his success as an executive for a Fortune 500 company and Hatton handling the production based on his logistic expertise. Santiago added McClure as Matchmaker and Director of Marketing. They were three very different men with different backgrounds but with one goal in mind: humanizing MMA. “The difference is we give back. Before BJ came on as the CEO, it was a moneymaking thing like everyone else.” McClure continues, “We don’t want a big gladiator arena thing; we want people to respect these guys as athletes.”

With a solid business plan, strong financial backing and a core group of innovators like Santiago, Hatton, McClure and press writer Scott McLaughlin, the sky is the limit for the AFL. MMA promotions are sprouting up all over the country from all walks of life and all with the same model. Separating yourself from the pack is the key to success. The AFL is attempting to revolutionize the way America views combat sports. The boxing and pro wrestling model normally mimicked by MMA promotions is not enough for this group of entrepreneurs. As Hatton puts it, “It is safe to say we are going to be quite different than any other MMA company today.” With a combination of PBR, NFL and MMA, how could you not?

For more information on the AFL, check out their website at www.americanfightleague.com.

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Kryptonite: When a Fighter Just Has Your Number

By RJ Clifford

 As in all sports, we often run across an athlete who has found success as a competitor, but just cannot get past one specific opponent or style. It could be a technical advantage, a mental block or simply a coincidence, but there is no denying nearly every great fighter has his kryptonite. Here’s an examination of the dirty dozen. 

Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg

The Score 2-0

The Lowdown: During Matt Hughes’ reign of terror in the UFC welterweight division, Dana White and company were scrambling for a contender to challenge the longtime champion; enter 10 – 1 wrestler Frank Trigg whose only loss came to the tough Hayato Sakurai.

The Fights: Trigg came in with great wrestling, strength and cardio while Hughes came in with...a better version of all of that. In both fights, the champion submitted Trigg with a rear naked choke. In their second fight, Hughes battled back from almost certain defeat after receiving an inadvertent low blow that sealed Hughes’ legacy. While Trigg later found success at middleweight, he could not get past the country boy Matt Hughes.

Wanderlei Silva vs. Kazushi Sakuraba

The Score 3-0

The Lowdown: Middleweight champion Kazushi Sakuraba was already a Pride legend having just beaten his fourth Gracie, winning 12 of his 13 Pride fights. Chute Boxe poster boy Wanderlei Silva was four fights into a total eighteen fights without a loss. These two met three times in two and a half years and had become two of Japan’s most popular fighters.

The Fights: The comparatively unknown Silva shocked the entire crowd when he knocked out his Japanese opponent in a mere 1:38. A rematch faired much better for Sakuraba, who unfortunately suffered a shoulder injury that stopped the bout after the first round. The third time was supposed to be a charm for “The Gracie Hunter”, but instead, he suffered a highlight reel style knockout courtesy of Silva’s left hand.

 Wanderlei Silva vs. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson

The Score 2-0

The Lowdown: American freestyle fighter “Rampage” Jackson overcame a few early set backs to establish himself as a legitimate contender in the Pride middleweight division. After defeating Murilo Bustamante and Chuck Liddell to make it to the finale of Pride: Final Conflict 2003, Jackson was poised to reign as the Pride champion, but standing in his way was Wanderlei Silva.

The Fights: The powerful Jackson was game early in the first round, but halfway through the opening stanza, the attrition from the Brazilian’s relentless attack proved too much and the fight was called by the referee. “Rampage” had another shot at Silva’s title when they fought less than a year later. This go around the American neutralized the Brazilian’s onslaught with takedowns and strikes of his own. In Round 2, the Chute Boxe star went back to his bread and butter, locking up Jackson in the Thai clinch. He fired knees to his opponent’s head and knocked him unconscious; Jackson nearly fell out of the ring ropes.

Dennis Hallman vs. Matt Hughes

The Score 2-0

The Lowdown: It is hard to imagine but in 1998 the greatest welterweight MMA has ever known, 3 – 0 Matt Hughes, was once an underdog to 7 – 0 journeyman Dennis “The Superman” Hallman when they met in the finals of the eight man tournament at Extreme Challenge 21.

The Fights: Defending a single leg attempt by Hughes, Hallman immediately locked up a standing guillotine choke, forcing Hughes to tap just 17 seconds in the opening round. Two years later the story was revenge. UFC 29 in Japan saw Hughes on an 18 fight win streak after his loss to Hallman. The Matt Hume trained Hallman had mixed results going into that fight having lost four of his last nine fights. The sequel proved no different however after Hughes slammed Hallman hard into the mat, he immediately locked up a tight armbar and that forced Hughes to tap. This time it took 20 seconds to finish the future champ. If not for Hallman, Hughes would have won 34 of his first 35 fights!

 Kazushi Sakuraba vs. The Gracies

The Score 4-1

The Lowdown: Okay, Okay, so Kazushi “The Gracie Hunter” Sakuraba is not undefeated against the famed Gracie family, but he did not earn his nickname by losing. Around the turn of the century, Gracie Jiu Jitsu was almost mythical in that almost no one was able to defeat the practitioners of the world renowned family. In fact, at the time he fought against each of the four Gracies, their combined record was 25 – 2.

The Fights: At Pride 8, Sakuraba had his first encounter and finished Royler Gracie by kimura. In the second round of the Pride Grand Prix 2000, the Japanese fighter met Royce Gracie in a special rules bout. After 90 minutes of fighting, brother Rorion was forced to throw in the towel due to a foot injury. Renzo Gracie had his elbow dislocated by Sakuraba at Pride 10, while Ryan Gracie lasted the distance losing a decision at Pride 12. Seven years later, Royce finally got his revenge at K-1 Heroes with a split decision win over “The Gracie Hunter” but let the history books know: Sakuraba defeated four distinguished members of the Gracie family in just 13 months!

 Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz

The Score 2-0

The Lowdown: The UFC light heavyweight division in 2004 was Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz and everyone else. Randy “The Natural” Couture had just defeated both Liddell and Ortiz, setting up an easy number-one contender match. Tito said he and Chuck had vowed never to fight; Chuck said differently. With both fighters coming off losses, the stage was set for a monster main event.

The Fights: It was Tito’s takedowns and ground and pound versus Chuck’s sprawl and brawl, but the question was whose style would rein supreme. The answer was found quickly as Tito was unable to control his adversary and was knocked out in the second round at UFC 47. He would get another crack at “The Iceman” at UFC 66, this time for the belt. It took a little while longer, but the end result was the same as Liddell once again forced Ortiz to succumb to strikes in Round 3. Ortiz’s losses to Liddell book-ended a five fight win streak, while Liddell’s wins book-ended a seven fight win streak. 

 Fedor Emelianenko vs. Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira

The Score 2-0 (1 No Contest)

The Lowdown: Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Nogueira was already the Pride heavyweight champion and had just recently avenged his only loss to Dan Henderson. Russian sambo expert Fedor Emelianenko participated in his third fight in Pride.

The Fights: Shocking the world, Emelianenko dismantled the Brazilian veteran with takedowns and brutal ground and pound in their first meeting at Pride 25. Both fighters went undefeated leading up to their rematch, which resulted in a disappointing “No Contest” due to a cut from a headbutt. A third match was immediately called four months later, but the result was the same, as Emelianenko’s brutal ground and pound overwhelmed Nogueira’s BJJ. With Nogueira avenging both of his only other losses, he would have been known as the hands down greatest heavyweight fighter of all time...if not for Fedor.

 Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic vs. Josh Barnett

The Score 3-0

The Lowdown: “Cro Cop” was already a respected Pride vet when “The Baby Faced Assassin” Josh Barnett made his Pride debut. The Croation was doing well in Pride going 11–2, while Barnett had held the UFC heavyweight title with only one blemish on his record. It would be Filipovic’s deadly kickboxing game against Barnett’s elite catch wrestling.

The Fights: It was a poor start for Barnett against Filipovic and an eerie foreshadowing for things to come. A fluke shoulder injury suffered by Barnett in the opening minute forced the American to tap. He survived the rematch, but lost by decision to the deadly striker. After defeating Rodrigo Nogueira in the semi-finals of Pride’s open weight tournament, Barnett had one final shot at the Croation. Filipovic would not be denied however, blasting through the American en route to an open weight title.

 Anderson Silva vs. Rich Franklin

The Score 2-0

The Lowdown: Rich “Ace” Franklin was the UFC middleweight champion and sported an impressive record of 20 – 1. Pride import Anderson “The Spider” Silva was no slouch either, but with only one win in the octagon, many wondered if the Brazilian deserved a title shot.

The Fights: Their first bout at UFC 64 was complete domination by the Brazilian Muay Thai expert as pinpoint punches and knees from the clinch rearranged the champion’s face, embarrassing Franklin with a TKO in the first round. Franklin had a year to rethink his game plan, but it proved ineffective against one of the best strikers in MMA when he lost again by TKO, this time in Round 2.

 Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock

The Score 3-0

The Lowdown: A classic match-up between the star of yesterday versus the star of today. Ortiz was the poster boy of the UFC, which was just starting to flourish in the competitive American sports market. Shamrock had not fought in the UFC in almost six years, but came back to rekindle the Ortiz/Lion’s Den rivalry.

The Fights: Their first fight at UFC 40 was a one-sided beatdown as the younger Ortiz consistently beat his older opponent to the punch en route to a third round stoppage. After coaching against each other in The Ultimate Fighter, it was time for them to meet again. Controversy soon followed when, after Ortiz was pulled off of Shamrock while landing elbows, the Lion’s Den figurehead immediately jumped up pleading he was fine. The UFC did what they do well and set up a rubber match three months later where Shamrock was finished in the same fashion, this time no controversy.

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Chuck Liddell

The Score 2-0

The Lowdown: Liddell had already made a name for himself in the UFC as a devastating counter puncher with incredible takedown defense. Jackson was on a huge winning streak in the Pride organization. Dana White put the UFC rep on the line, allowing Liddell to compete in Pride’s Final Conflict 2003 Grand Prix.

The Fights: Having cemented his success on knocking out grapplers, Liddell now had to deal with a foe who could strike. Liddell struggled mightily and was visibly fatigued when Rampage finished him off in the second round. Four years and a seven fight win streak later, it was Chuck’s shot at revenge. Having already avenged his two other losses, it was more than just the UFC belt on the line at UFC 71. This time it took less than two minutes before Jackson’s powerful left hook found its mark on Liddell’s chin, thus ending the Iceman’s title rein.

Jeremy Horn vs. Chael Sonnen

The Score 3-0

The Lowdown: Chael Sonnen is a product of Team Quest who has found success in all of the major promotions he has fought in. Veteran of over 100 fights, Jeremy Horn is no stranger to fighting in multiple promotions or the same opponent.

The Fights: Their first fight at Extreme Challenge 57 ended in the first round when the fight was stopped due to a cut on Sonnen. They tangled again, this time on Sonnen’s turf at Sportfight in 2004 where Horn again stopped his opponent, this time with a guillotine choke in the second. Their third fight came on a much bigger stage at UFC 60 where once again Horn’s submission skills trumped Sonnen’s wrestling as a slick armbar finished Sonnen for a third time.

Class Is In Session

By Adam Villarreal

                In every great sport, there is a voice and personality that conjures up an image that particular sport is associated with. The illustrious list of names the sports world has created over time is filled with the likes of Cosell, Madden, Albert and Caray. In our beloved sport of MMA, one name, voice and face rings through, giving viewers and readers alike the assurance of honest and unbiased opinions, thus educating the masses on MMA with his expertise. 

           “The Fight Professor” Stephen Quadros has made a career in MMA by not only witnessing some of the most spectacular fights in MMA history, but also by being a student humbled by the martial arts he grew up respecting and studying. But despite the seemingly regimented appearance he shows, underneath his suit and smile lies a rock and roll madman that set the streets of Southern California ablaze with his burning, unabashed love for music and drumming, just another thing he’s an expert at and still does to this day! So get ready for a lesson with The Fight Professor, Stephen Quadros… 

MMA WORLDWIDE: What was life like where you grew up? 

 STEPHEN QUADROS: I was born in Santa Cruz, California, but I’ve spent my whole life in upper and central California. I was the younger of two brothers and my older brother, who’s less than a year older than me, beat me up a lot, but if anyone thought about picking on me, they had hell to pay. Keep in mind I’m talking about kindergarten! There were a number of situations where we were growing up watching boxing matches, and as a child, you can’t help but want to reenact so we’d play with our friends and next thing you know, you actually have a fight. My brother and I got into a ton of scrapes and scraps!  When we moved to Fremont, California, it gave me my first experience with gang activity. It was a situation where unless you were affiliated with some kind of a pack, you were going to be hassled every single day. I was somewhat involved in that life, but it wasn’t anything like drive-by shootings. When they started to get into more violent stuff and crazier things, I faded out because I was only interested in protection and having a solid state of mind that I wasn’t going to get my ass kicked every day, so I eventually moved away from that lifestyle before I was out of high school. It led me to believe that if you could stand on your own two feet, and you’re smart enough, you can get along with anybody; I live by that creed. That was growing up in California in a nutshell! 

MW: When did you realize martial arts were something you wanted to learn?  

SQ: Growing up I already kind of knew how to fight through trial and error. I knew how to kick before I ever trained in any martial art because I was so small and I didn’t want to have to trade punches with anybody. It was around my early 20’s that I realized I wanted to pursue training and playing the drums. I never had a regimented life like the military, because all I ever wanted to do was play the drums and get girls. When I went into martial arts, I saw that it was very militaristic, but I respected the guy teaching because he was black belt in judo, hapkido and tae kwon do. His name was Soonho Song and he had a big impact on me, and once I got into his class, it just felt like there was this magical power that came alive inside of me when I trained with these people. It was like we were a team, but we were also trying to get good on our own and it was a great situation. Song’s brilliance let him realize that each individual presented a certain set of challenges for him to unlock and release their treasures, and this has helped me as a teacher myself.  Whenever I’m in Santa Cruz, I try and go by the studio and work out when I can and at least visit with him.  I do try and train with him when I can, but I’m not the greatest “traditional” martial artist anymore because I prefer MMA. He feels MMA is a little bit on the violent side and he’s a little bit ambivalent about that. People say MMA is safer than boxing, but that was before guys like “CroCop” and people that can actually hit came into the sport. In the beginning, it was a bunch of “Master” strikers who didn’t know how to throw an effective punch in combat, despite honing their skills in a gym somewhere. 

MW: When did music enter your life?  

SQ: I started playing drums when I was 16 years and I just liked the sound and the rhythm. I used to be able to dance pretty well when I was growing up and people used to make fun of me because I danced like James Brown. I was pretty extravagant in the sense that I would fall to the floor in the splits and jump up and all this crazy stuff. I think dancing and drumming are two ways humans express art in my opinion.  I had two original influences with the groups Iron Butterfly and Cream. Cream had an album with a song called Toad that had a drum solo by Ginger Baker. When I heard it, I was sitting in my room pretending to do homework and listened to this 15-minute drum solo and I was just changed and affected from that point on. I had to have a drum set from that point on.  The problem for my new interest and me was this: about halfway through the quarter of school, I got a deficiency notice in the mail. When I got those, my father said I couldn’t get a drum set since I was getting one for Christmas and I was crushed! I was a depressed, slumped over, shell of a teenager from that moment forward for weeks and weeks and he could see that I was wounded by it. So one day he pulls me aside and says, “I know this means a lot to you, so if you can get your grades up to passing or better, then you can have a drum set.” So now I became Mr. Honor Student and I started getting A’s and B’s because of the motivation, so of course, I got the drum set and drove the neighbors crazy.   

MW: I understand Carlos Cavazo of Quiet Riot (Remember Cum On Feel the Noize?) was in your group Snow, right?  

SQ: Well we have a rehearsal tonight as a matter of fact! Carlos Cavazo, his brother Tony, Doug Ellison and myself were in band from 1978-1982 called Snow. We were tearing things up on the local LA and Southern California scene. Understand that historically at that point, hard rock had faded out and New Wave and Punk were the main things the record companies were interested in. When this happened, no rock bands could really get signed to a record deal.  We slaved away for three years and gained a huge following; we were headlining several places like The Troubadour on Santa Monica Boulevard. We would sell out the place three nights in a row in advance! We ran our course after three years of living together in Arcadia, California, and believe me when I say we had some wild parties! We broke up in 1981 and Carlos was asked to replace Randy Rhodes in Quiet Riot who was #1 in 1983. Their place on the charts started the resurgence of heavy metal. From there, I had joined a band with Tony Cavazo called Dangerface and we started building a following.  Quiet Riot had sold eight million copies of their first album and wanted us to go on tour with them, but suddenly, because I had been playing and practicing for so long, I developed carpal tunnel syndrome in my arm and had to stop playing! It was absolutely devastating and I was destroyed. You have to remember there was a time in my life where I was thinking about becoming a pro fighter, but I made the decision to follow drums and prioritize where martial arts came second.  

MW: When did acting come into play?  

SQ: Remember I moved to LA to be a drummer, but as I just mentioned, the carpal tunnel forced me to stop playing in 1983. I didn’t have enough money to pay for an operation, so I had to cut my hair and get a job. I was working as a teller in a bank and it was the most miserable job. It was in Beverly Hills and I was taking shit from angry people all day long.  Since my hair was short and I thought I looked like an actor and was always a big fan of Eastwood and Brando, I started memorizing gangster movie monologues for whatever reason. I remember going to the theater to see Scarface with Pacino and thought, “That’s it; I am going to be an actor!” After that, I was dating this actress and we were watching a movie with her roommate and her roommate’s boyfriend, who turned out to be a writer for Hillstreet Blues. Long story short, the casting director came down to see a play I was in. All of my big scenes were in the second act, but she hated the play so much that she left before she saw me! Anyway from there I started taking acting lessons from Scott Bernstein and Stella Adler amongst others. I’ve since been on CSI Miami, Numb3rs and Walker Texas Ranger where I got to fight Chuck Norris which was unbelievable for me! 

MW: At this point, when did you start becoming the “Fight Professor”?  

SQ: After playing drums and getting carpal tunnel, I started to work regular jobs, I cut my hair short and man I was miserable. So I started to train and work out again. I wanted to get into kickboxing and fight. It was about a year and a half into training when I got an injury in by back and so that, combined with being in my mid-thirties, made my amateur debut as a kickboxer out of the cards.  But Don ‘The Dragon’ Wilson, Peter Cunningham and Hector Pena were telling me to start teaching, so that’s what I did and it was then that I came across a tape called, “Gracie Jiu Jitsu in Action” and when I watched it, it freaked me out! At this time, I had written a letter to Blackbelt Magazine and they sent me a reply and so I sent the letter to the publisher of Kickboxing Ring Report. Within two months, I was the editor of Kickboxing Ring Report which became an award-winning independent website. Understand this was the mid-90’s way before the sport even had weight classes. Anyway, I started ranking MMA fighters back in ‘96 and I was one of the first to do that. After five years of being the editor, Blackbelt Magazine offered me a monthly column in ‘98.  While I was a columnist, I had the pleasure of becoming a commentator for K-1 in April of that year and it came pretty natural since I was already a journalist, I had been acting and I was a trainer and practitioner. My first K-1 gig was K-1 Kings. I never had real experience, but I knew I had it in me to do it and it worked out really well for me.  After being a judge for the UFC, I was then picked up by PRIDE to be a commentator. I was so fortunate to be with them in the “Golden Era” of PRIDE and MMA overall! Keep in mind that I saw the heyday of Sakuraba, Mark Kerr, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Wanderlei Silva and of course, Fedor Emelianenko! Working with Bas Rutten was great because we were a perfect match with our sense of humor that just played off of each other so well. Bas is an extraordinary individual who is very kind and very giving. He always seeks to have everyone get along. He’s loyal and I’m very privileged and honored to have him as a friend. 

MW: What’s your greatest accomplishment thus far?  

SQ: There are two answers to that. One would be the perception that myself and people outside of my family would think that I am one of the greatest minds and personalities and/or broadcasters in the sport of MMA. The other would be my drumming. There was a point when Snow was playing and I believed we were the greatest rock band in the world! Tony, Carlos and I are master musicians and there’s no question that in my realm, I am one of the best and there’s more that I want to accomplish as a drummer. 

MW: What else is there to accomplish for you?  

SQ: Howard Stern claims to be the King of All Media; I believe I will be the “new” King of All Media. I want to host my own show which will be somewhere between Bob Costas and Bryant Gumble with a flavor of The Late Late Show or The Tonight Show. Eventually I’ll be directing, producing and starring in movies all at the same time. What it comes down to is either you have it or you don’t, and my heart is into making movies as well. I look at the great moviemakers like Scorsese, Hitchcock, Oliver Stone and I don’t think about being better than them, rather just doing my own thing, and that’s what people must do in life! 

For more information on Stephen Quadros, please visit:

http://StephenQuadros.com http://MySpace.com/StephenQuadros http://MySpace.com/WhippedCreamTheBand http://MySpace.com/PureUncutRock http://MySpace.com/QuadrosRadio

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Eavn Tanner: The Comeback

by RJ Clifford

Born in Amarillo, Texas, Evan Tanner has been a pro mixed martial artist for 10 years. During that time, he’s defeated many top fighters including Robbie Lawler, Phil Baroni (twice), Heath Herring and Dave Terrell. The 36-year-old has all the tools to be a champion fighter and he’s held UFC gold to prove it. He’s a true fighter who has been able to overcome the “gut check”, that moment in a fight where the chips are down and somehow, someway he was able to dig deep inside and turn it around. The never-give-up fighter has been plagued by alcohol abuse, personal problems and his ship literally sank. But looking at 2008, a newly-improved Evan Tanner is ready to step back into the Octagon against Yushin Okami and was able to take some time to tell his story to MMA WorldWide.  

MMA WORLDWIDE: Your last fight was over a year and a half ago (UFC 59). What have you been up to since then?

EVAN TANNER: (Laughs) Well I took a little time off. I had some things going on in my personal life that were kind of distracting. I have been fighting fairly consistently for about ten years, so I thought I was due for some time off. So I stepped away from the sport for awhile, did some traveling, just kind of hung out…took it easy.

MW: Where did you go?

ET: I’ve lost track. I was on the road for two years straight. I was in Vegas, Newport Beach—boy I was everywhere—I lost count. Salt Lake City, LA, Huntington Beach…I spent a lot of time traveling to different places.

MW: What made you want to start being a nomad like that?

ET: Everything came to a head; I had a lot of different things hit me at once. There was a woman I was with for seven years. We were engaged. We parted ways and I was getting kind of burned out on the training and everything, and that combined with what was happening in my personal life, I just wanted to go out and kind of clear my head a bit.

MW: What made you decide to come back now?

ET: This is what I do. This is what I have been doing for a long time now. I never had any intentions of retiring or anything. I just took some time off. I burned some things out of my system and I’m ready to get back on track. Throughout the history of my fight career, I haven’t been completely dedicated to the sport as far as my time goes. I definitely enjoy doing it and I love competing. I just had so many other things going on. I never set out to be a fighter. It just happened. I trained for like a month and a half or two months when I got offered a fight. Then after the fight, I would be off adventuring and working on other projects that had nothing to do with the UFC or with fighting. I didn’t train or do anything until I was offered a fight again nine months later. So anyway, I took that time off and I decided I was getting a little older and decided I was going to dedicate myself to training. I am going to train year round, stick with a good gym and see what I can actually do in this sport compared to when I was training part time like I was.

MW: During this time, between rumors of alcoholism and your MySpace blogs, some people speculated you had a borderline mental breakdown. What happened during that time?

ET: It’s kind of funny. I knew I was going to be out of the game for awhile and it is always important in business to keep your name in the public eye. Writing is a way to keep my name out there. (laughs) Some people thought I went crazy, some people thought I was a little out there, but that is just me in general. I think outside the box and outside the norm, always have, always will. What I did is really no different from what I’ve been doing my whole life. It just happened to be that I started writing about it this time and people saw the true story. This is how my life is, the way I think about things and the way I do things. People have this preconceived notion about a fighter, especially a former world champion. They think of a guy like that to be obsessed with the sport—watching the sport, constantly training, constantly dreaming of being the champion—that’s not it at all. I like to compete, MMA being the outlet during those times traveling, and doing those things. I started writing about it and people saw a little window into my life for the first time. I’m not that guy that is training full time year round, never have been.

As far as the drinking goes, I started drinking long before I was a fighter; I was a big drinker. At first it was goofing around, having fun. I would win a fight and have a big wad of money in my pocket and I’d go out to the bar and chase girls and have that notoriety. It was a lot of fun, but after awhile, it started out…you know that’s how drinking is or any kind of vice for that matter. You start out having fun at first, but you can start to drift out to the dark side and it can start to interfere with other aspects of my life, and it got to the point that I decided I am done with that. And here I am now.

MW: What is your contract with the UFC like?

ET: It’s a four fight contract. I don’t know if it’s a standard contract; I don’t even know what a standard contract is as far as contracts go. It’s just four fights and the purse increases every time. I assume if I win my first two or three fights, I will be right back in title contention.

MW: You started essentially a fan group; tell us about that.

ET: I wouldn’t call it a fan group. That term has a negative connotation in my eyes. I started Team Tanner. It is standard practice for fighters to go for sponsorships. It’s part of the income, fighting is your livelihood and that is a standard way, that’s part of it. I was approaching these sponsors and felt that I had to beg them for money, negotiating prices for different logos in different spots and I just didn’t feel comfortable with that. The sport, when you step out there, it’s you and the fans watching. It’s not about the big corporations. I’m not going to blow smoke up anyone’s ass saying it’s only about the fans; it’s business. But it’s business in a way that lets fans be a part of it. The Team Tanner concept is a place for the fans to sponsor me directly; they will get an official Team Tanner t-shirt that says they are a sponsor. When I get into the ring, I will be wearing the exact same t-shirt recognizing and paying tribute to the fans. Instead of just being a spectator, a fan can be an actual member of the team putting their fighter out there. That’s the general idea. It’s a way for the fans to get involved directly.

MW: What has the response been so far?

ET: I have gotten a tremendous response, all positive. Every once and awhile I hop on the forums to see what people are saying. I try not to because (laughs) it can kind of pollute your mind. There are a lot of really hardcore people who are not very nice about what they say and have hardcore views. Overall the response has been tremendous. Again I am not trying to trick anybody. Of course I am going to make a little bit and try to pay my bills. It’s my livelihood and this is what fighting is all about. I have been doing it for ten years and I’ve paid my dues; of course I am going to want to make a little money.

            MW: Where are you training now? 

ET: I’m training out of Hard Knocks Muay Thai in Las Vegas. They don’t have an MMA program, but at this level, you don’t usually stick with one gym and do all of your training out of one gym. That’s my home gym, but of course I travel around and find sparring partners to prepare for my fights. I’m also going to be doing some training with John Wood and the guys out at the Xyience Center.

MW: What made you choose Hard Knocks as your home gym?

ET: I’ve traveled all over and have been fortunate enough to be invited to a bunch of different gyms. I didn’t feel at home in any of those gyms. The general attitude kind of made me uncomfortable with the administration of certain gyms, some of the fighters i