Next MMA Fighter

Picture credit Sherdog.com

Featured Event – 3/13 Chattanooga Xtreme Fight Night | East Ridge, TN

03/12 Cage Wars V Grand Junction, Colorado
03/12 Ruckus II Addison, Illinois
03/12 Sportfight 27 Wild Card Grande Ronde, Oregon
03/12 Ground & Pound 9 Toledo, Ohio
03/12 There’s Gonna Be a Fight Tonight II Monessen, Pennsylvania
03/13 Lutador Grappling Open Atlanta GA / $1000 pro gi division Atlanta, Georgia
03/13 Elite Championship Cage Fighting 11 Lenoir, North Carolina
03/13 Global Fight League 6: Prevail Nashua, New Hampshire
03/13 Cage Combat Fight Club (CCFC): Jump In The Fire Virginia Beach, Virginia
03/13 Klamath falls cage fights 3 Klamath Falls, Oregon
03/13 United Combat Sports-St. Patty’s Beat Down Salem, Oregon
03/13 Clash of the Titans 7 Greeley, Colorado
03/13 KICK DOWN 76 “DESTROYERS” Denver, Colorado
03/13 Caged Madness 15 Akron, Ohio
03/13 Yankee Lake Brawlroom 19 Brookfield, Ohio
03/13 Uec II Cleveland, Ohio
03/13 Wicktagon MMA 9 3/13/2010 Louisville, Kentucky
03/13 Babes and Brawls II – Atlantis Gentlemen’s Club Chicago Heights, Illinois
03/13 The Gauntlet 1 salamanca/jimersontown, New York
03/13 Gladiator Fight Club VIII Richmond, Virginia
03/13 UVC 9 – REVOLUTION Columbus, Ohio
03/13 ICE 45 Cincinnati, Ohio
03/13 Southeastern Fighting Championships Moultrie, GA
03/13 V3 Fights Memphis, TN

MMA Junkie brings word that Chad Mendes and Erik Koch are slated for a featherweight showdown in March. Anyone who knows these guys knows this is going to be a good one. Erik Koch is a very exciting fighter whom we previously featured (you can read the interview here) and who was set to fight Waggney Fabiano when an injury kept him out of the fight. He later took a fight in December and got the best of Jameel Massouh. Erik is a hungry fighter and will for sure be going after it with his second fight in the WEC.

Alpha Male Fighter and Urijah Faber0-trained protégé Chad Mendes is no slouch, though, and is a tremendous wrestler with big-time potential. He is undefeated in five contests and has always looked one step above his competition.

Let’s just say this fight had better get on the TV portion even though it is slated for the prelims.

Here’s our photos from Best of the Best 18 “The Real Deal” on Friday night, make sure you check out the captions so you know who the fighters are and click the slideshow to view the pictures individually.

Thanks again to Dana Pitcher Productions

Here is this weeks installment of ESPN MMA Live.

Mainstream MMA Lightweight Champion Erik Koch

We got the pleasure to visit with Eric Koch who is an unbelievably dangerous fighter at 145 and has just received word that he will make his WEC debut on September 2nd in Youngstown, OH against highly touted Brazilian Wagnney Fabiano. Eric is a very cool down to earth dude who has worked real hard to get where he is today.

NextMMAFighter : Thanks for taking the time to talk with us Erik, first tell us a bit about yourself and why you chose your current training camp?

Erik Koch : Well I grew up in Cedar Rapids, IA and still live here today. Hybrid faction is old school and it was started by my brother. I started training at the age of 13 and that’s were I started and got my roots, but things have changed now. We are now team Hard Drive and have been tearing it up for about 3 years now while looking to make the team even stronger and well known.

NextMMAFighter : After more then a year layoff, you won twice in one night at the Midwest Cage Championship : Last Man Standing event. Tell us about how you pulled off 2 wins in a single night.

EK : Lol, that’s hard training on display right there man! I loved fighting two fights in one night it definitely makes you feel good. It was also a great way to come back after a year lay off.

NextMMAFighter : Touching on your layoff between 2007 and 2008, can you tell us about why you took a break from the fight game?

EK : This was due to some personal stuff and mostly me being stupid. During this time I was always training, but with a girlfriend and a bunch of fights falling through I just didn’t have as much drive. I can tell you now though that I am more dedicated then ever and nothing is going to get in my way.

NextMMAFighter : If you were going to tell an aspiring fighter that there was one thing they needed to be successful in MMA, what would it be.

EK : Good attitude man, this game is mostly mental and the mind controls everything from the way you train to the way you fight. The mind its definitely the best weapon any fighter can have and you need to know how to use it right.

NextMMAFighter : If you could compare yourself and your fighting style to another well-known fighter who would it be.

EK : Too many to name man, I mean there are so many good fighters now days that I think I could compare myself with any top tier fighter. Theres no question that you have to be good at everything now, its not the old days.

NextMMAFighter : How do you balance your life outside the cage with the demanding training regiment of a professional fighter?

EK : I train full time and I love it! It doesn’t pay good and there are some hard times, but in the long run its worth it.

NextMMAFighter : As you have won almost all of your fights by stoppage, are you confident in your cardio to carry you for 3 long rounds if necessary?

EK : Hell yeah! All I do is train so I’m in good shape all the time, plus I feel better the longer the fight goes on to tell you the truth. Wherever the fight takes me, Ill always be ready.

NextMMAFighter : For being so successful in MMA at such a young age of 20, how do you handle the extra attention that comes from being a Pro fighter?

EK : I block out all of this talk because yes I’m young, but I still have a career to worry about. I still have to keep racking up the wins because the sport is growing so much. In my division, there’s no question that its a race to the top.

NextMMAFighter : As many fans are getting to know you and want to see you fight, when can we expect to see you back in the cage?

EK : As some of you may already know I’m going to be fighting in Youngstown, OH on September 2nd. I cant wait to get in there with Wagnney. Stay tuned!

NextMMAFighter : We appreciate you taking the time to talk to us and wish you the best of luck in your next fight at WEC 43. In closing is there anyone you would like to thank?

EK : First, I would like to thank my family most of all. They have helped me so much and without them I would not even be a fighter today. I would also like to thank my teammates as they are the coolest guys I have ever met and I am proud to call them all my friends.

Best of luck to Erik at WEC 43, well be watching!

We had a chance to talk to Monte Cox, President of Adrenaline MMA, on the day of the big announcement of his most recent event (two days before they strap the gloves on). He talks about the Southeast region for MMA, about Mercer and Sylvia, and about his picks for the Next MMA Fighter.

Next MMA Fighter: How did you get your start as a promoter, and as someone who has been very successful and well-known in this business, what advice do you have for promoters who are just starting out?

Monte Cox: I got my start when I was working at a newspaper as a sports editor, and an old friend of mine, Fred Burns, who was a boxing promoter, called me and wanted to start doing shows in my area. As I began helping him with his shows and gradually started doing this fulltime, I went from show to show and quickly became intrigued with the business.

Next MMA Fighter: What is the best way to promote grassroots MMA shows to the mass market, and how do you appeal to fans who might have heard of MMA but don’t know much about it?

MC: As far as grassroots shows go, we try to go to a lot of different parts of the country where there isn’t a lot of other stuff to do. You end up at fairgrounds and places like that, and you really try to get the local martial arts gyms involved. You get a number of fighters from in town, along with bringing some in from out of town, and you just do your best to get the word out by passing out flyers and going out every night to promote the show.

Next MMA Fighter: Do you follow the MMA scene in the Southeast, and do you have an opinion on what part of the country produces the most fighters?

MC: I will have to say that I am definitely partial to the Midwest because that’s where I got my start, and the success of wrestling there really leads to an interest in MMA. If you grow up in Iowa, everyone wrestles, and that definitely gives you a good start, so I definitely feel there are more shows in the Midwest than anywhere else for that reason.

If you go between Iowa, Illinois, and Ohio, you will find that there are multiple shows every weekend. There’s probably more shows in the Midwest than anywhere else, but you will find that places like California might have bigger shows but not nearly as many.

Next MMA Fighter: What are your plans for Adrenaline MMA as a brand, and are you targeting the Southeast for any future shows?

MC: Adrenaline is really an event that just comes together. Once I know that I am going to do a big show, the first thing I do is see what is opening up and what kind of main event I am going to do. Once you have that main event, you figure out where it’s going to fit and where you’re going to sell the most tickets. In regards to the Southeast, we have Birmingham coming up and we hope it does well, [and] then we will see what other Main Event grabs us.

Next MMA Fighter: The main event of Mercer vs. Sylvia is going to be great test for both athletes, and we are very excited to see it. As we focus on the next MMA fighter, are there any other fighters on the card whom you feel have a long career ahead of them that we should watch out for?

MC: I definitely think that John Salter, who is fighting Roberto Traven, is one of those guys. Salter was a 2007 national champion in wrestling and has a pretty good submission/grappling background. He is a kid who is going to go somewhere, and furthermore, I think he really has a great chance of upsetting Traven.

The other fighter is a guy I brought in from Philadelphia named Tuan Pham, who is 1-0 as a pro and 7-0 as an amateur. I have already brought him in once to fight for me, and he is super exciting at 125 pounds, so I think he’s definitely one to watch.

Next MMA Fighter: In the past year, we have seen ESPN do a weekly show covering MMA; Georges St. Pierre do a nationally televised Gatorade commercial; Dana White on late-night talk shows; and most recently Robbie Lawler throwing out the first pitch at a pro baseball game. Do you think MMA is reaching its peak, or is there still room to grow further into the mainstream sports universe?

MC: I still think there’s plenty of room to grow. I think half of the people in the country don’t even know what Mixed Martial Arts is. We’re starting to get out there into television and get seen, but I still think you can go to any mall, interview 100 people, [and] at least 50 of them won’t know what MMA is. So you have hardly reached your peak when you can’t go anywhere in the country and ask them what basketball is and have everyone tell you, “I’ve never heard of that.” I think that when we can go everywhere and have everyone know what MMA is, then we’ve reached that level.

Next MMA Fighter: At the last Dream event in Japan, we saw Jose Canseco come into a bout solely based on his fame, without even going through a training camp. Do you feel fights like this, and in particular the Super Hulk Tournament, is good or bad for furthering the sport?

MC: Not every show is going to advance MMA, and the Japanese are definitely famous for doing their quirky David and Goliath tournaments and general craziness, but it just fits in with what they do. We wouldn’t be able to get away with those kinds of events over here because no one would be interested and it would be looked down upon. However, over there it fits with what the Japanese do, and they are into that kind of entertainment.

Next MMA Fighter: We understand that news came out today to switch the Birmingham main event to Mixed Martial Arts rules. Do you feel that Mercer will have what it takes to be competitive with Sylvia in MMA?

MC: Well, I think that by changing it to MMA, we took a fight that was 50/50, and we weren’t sure who was going to win, and we put it into the hands of Sylvia who is probably a 5-to-1 favorite to win this now. If I had my choice, it would have been a boxing match, but since we didn’t have that choice, it was either change it to MMA or cancel it all together. Cancelling it wasn’t really something we considered because it wouldn’t be fair to these fighters or to all of the fans that bought tickets.

Next MMA Fighter: Monte, on behalf of all of us here at Next MMA Fighter – we understand you are a busy guy and we really appreciate the time you took to talk with us today.

MC: Sounds good. We are looking forward to the show on Saturday night in Birmingham, and fans can get tickets starting at $30 from Ticketmaster or at the BJCC Box Office.

It was great that Monte could take time out of his schedule to talk with us, so if you are in the Birmingham area, make sure you come and check out the fight with us: We will be live-blogging the action. The fight card as it stands right now is listed below.

ADRENALINE MMA III: Bragging Rights in Birmingham
Saturday, June 13 @ 8pm BJCC Arena in Birmingham, AL

PROFESSIONAL MMA BOUTS
Ray Mercer (36-7-1) vs. Tim Sylvia (24-5)
Sasuke Zapata (17-0) vs. Rich Clementi (34-14)
Chris Davis (5-0) vs. Jeremy Horn (80-19-5)
Juan Zapata (17-1) vs. Joe Jordan (44-12-2)
Keith Johnson (5-2) vs. Nick Rossborough (11-10)
John Salter (1-0) vs. Roberto Traven (6-3-1)
Josh Martin (6-2) vs. Tony Godbold (3-2)
Kerry Schall (22-11) vs. Brad Tidwell (2-1)
Bryan Goldsby (10-4) vs. Joey Maimberga (5-2)
Tuan Pham (1-0) vs. Sean Hall (0-0)

AMATEUR BOUTS
Justin Trawick vs. Brandon Esch
Keith Cunagin (5-3) vs. Robert Rodda (1-0)
Daniel Ritchie (6-1) vs. Adrian Miles (5-2)
Ron Mitchell (7-1) vs. Brandon Powell (2-0)
Barry Clifford vs Matt Smart

BUY TICKETS for ADRENALINE MMA III from http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/20004290E72B15EC?artistid=1316972&majorcatid=10004&minorcatid=830

We just finished watching WEC 41, and it was a great night of fights. Of course, the fight everyone is talking about is Urijah Faber vs. Mike Brown, and it was a classic 5-round war. Faber ended up breaking both of his hands in the fight, and later said that if his hands weren’t fucked, he would have won the fight. While I agree he won the first round [ed - bullshit! Brown had it 10-9. He manhandled Faber], I don’t know if he would have been able to hold Brown back for four rounds – the guy is insane, and will be at the top of 145 for a long time.

We would write more about Jose Aldo vs. Cub Swanson, but the fight was over in 8 seconds. I haven’t seen a flying knee like that since last time I played Mortal Kombat. After the absolfuckinglutely ridiculous flying double knee was delivered, Aldo did something else in the ring that we were very excited about:

Jens Pulver came back into the ring to get his ass handed to him for the 6th time in 7 fights, this time by Josh Grispi, who is now 13-1. Interesting tidbit: Before the fight, Grispi had the epic nickname of “Crispy.” He changed his nickname to “The Fluke,” which isn’t nearly as cool; he should really rethink that poor decision.

Besides avidly not following his nickname, though. we are going to follow Josh, and we’ll be excited to watch him fight someone next time who isn’t already on his way out. Jens came into this fight and made nearly 30k for running headfirst into a guillotine, a day at the office that most of us wish we could pull off. That said, and I’ll be the first to admit Jens might not have it anymore, we can’t deny that most of his losses previously have been to well-established fighters, including two to Urijah Faber. The WEC clearly used him as a proving ground/stepping stone for their more marketable guys, and it sucks to see the Little Evil go out like that.

One of the most exciting fights of the night was Antonio Banuelos against Scott Jorgensen. There has been alot of back and forth between people who watched this fight. Banuelos got the nod, but I really think Jorgensen pushed the fight and landed more decent shots. It seemed that during the the entire last round, Banuelos was fighting off his back foot — but hey, who can fault the judges for giving the fight to a guy with such an epic moustache.