Next MMA Fighter

If you would like to check out all of the pictures from the Adrenaline MMA event last night, you can find them here. You’ll notice that we don’t have many pictures of Mercer/Timmy because our camera died. Good thing we didn’t need many pictures of that fight!

Adrenaline MMA 3 "Sylvia vs. Mercer Bragging rights in Birmingham"

Video at 11, or whatever the hell time it is where you live.

AMATEUR BOUTS

Daniel Ritchie (6-1) vs. Adrian Miles (5-2)
The gloves touched, and after that it didn’t take very long. Daniel Ritchie managed to land a few leg kicks, and then the fighters locked up for a moment before Ritchie was tossed down from the clinch. Adrian Miles didn’t waste any time and finished the fight with a flurry of punches from the top position.
Miles wins by TKO (Strikes) @ 1:48 of the 1st round

Barry Clifford vs. Matt Smart
Definitely a lot of high-level wrestling and jiu-jitsu was on display early in this fight. Matt Smart came very close to having an omoplatta but Clifford rolled out of it well and ended up in Smart’s guard. After an explosive first round, Smart was able to sink in an what looked like an Ezekiel choke to us and was able to finish the fight.
Smart wins by Submission (Ezekiel choke) @ 1:52 of the 1st round

Keith Cunagin (5-3) vs. Cory Hamrick (5-0)
The first round was fairly evenly scored, but there were no huge turning points in the fight. Early in the second round, Cunagin was controlling the fight and was on top when Hamrick was able to setup an armbar from the guard. At that point, he rolled onto his stomach and cranked the arm between his legs, forcing the referee to stop the fight.
Hamrick wins by Submission (Armbar) @ 2:47 of the 2nd round

Justin Travee vs. Brandon Esch
Well, I really don’t know what the hell I can write about this fight with a straight face. One thing worth mentioning is that Esch is the son of Butterbean, who was cornering him during the fight. The first round was a lot of clinch work and not much action because these were two massive dudes who were working real hard for position. I guess the highlights would be a fantastic knee that landed square on the nuggets in the second round by Travee, putting a halt to the fight for 4 minutes while Esch scooped his garbage back into his cup.

Once the fight was back on, there was more wheezing and wild punch-throwing before Esch flattened out face down. Then Travee threw 10 more haymakers before the fight was stopped. Butterbean then walked into the ring, looked at his son, who was still face-down on the ground, and told the ref he was fine, and then he told the Jr. Bean to get up. Hilarious.
Travee wins by TKO (Strikes) @ 2:17 of the 2nd round

Ron Mitchell (7-1) vs. Brandon Powell (2-0)
First round didn’t last that long — Mitchell and Powell both came out swinging with bad intentions. After a few trips to the mat and back to the feet, the fight continued its breakneck pace. It was only a matter of time before someone was going to go down. Powell was rocked on the feet and looked to recover when he actually ran into the ref. Mitchell was then able to land another flurry of punches that finished the fight early in the first round.
Mitchell wins by TKO (Strikes) in the 1st round.

PROFESSIONAL BOUTS

From Adrenaline MMA 3 "Sylvia vs. Mercer Bragging rights in Birmingham"

Tuan Pham (1-0) vs. Sean Hall
Pham without a doubt gets my vote for walk-in ensemble of the year, as you can see above. This fight was non-stop action, with both fighters throwing caution to the wind and going for the knockout. Once it went to the ground, Sean Hall had the advantage, though, and with only 7 seconds to go in the round, he finished with an armbar while pushed up against the cage.

Even though this one lasted just shy of one round, it was such a crazy fight that the ref held both their hands up before the official decision was read. I will say that, even though he lost, Pham looks like he has a lot of potential and will surely bring an exciting fight whenever he steps into the cage. Furthermore, at 1-0, Sean Hall is going to be a guy that we keep our collective eye on.
Hall wins by Submission (Armbar) @ 4:52 of the 1st round

Keith Johnson (5-2) vs. Nick Rossborough (14-11)

The 1st round got off to a quick start, and both fighters maintained a clinch presence along with spending time in each other’s guard. It was a close round to score, but I had it going to Johnson.

The beginning of the 2nd round started with Rossborough almost getting a guillotine, but Johnson was able to escape. Johnson was then able to maintain control from the guard and sunk in a triangle that he held for about 2 minutes (and surprisingly threw no elbows even when they were clearly open and his corner was yelling at him to do so). With about 20 seconds left, Rossborough escaped from the triangle, but I still had him losing this round.

The 3rd round was mostly spent in the clinch before Rossborough was able to take Johnson down and try to work a kimura. Johnson escaped to his feet and scored a takedown, followed by mount, where he finished the fight decisively.
Johnson wins by Decision (Unanimous)

Josh Barnes (4-3) vs. Brad “Mongo” Tidwell (2-1)
Well, let’s just start out by saying this looked more like a bear-mauling on the History Channel than an actual fight. Brad “Mongo” Tidwell is a very large individual, and he used his mass to his advantage in this contest for sure. Once the bell rang, there was some clinch work that transitioned into the 300-plus-lb. Mongo elbow-striking the shit out of Barnes’ back until he turtled. Once this happened, Mongo took the opportunity to strike Barnes with knees on the side of his torso. The fight was eventually finished with Mongo working some looping punches that I guess could be qualified as ground-and-pound, and the fight was stopped.

It’s also worth noting that Mongo was throwing back some beers while sitting in the crowd about 20 minutes after the fight. Hell, yeah! Our kind of fighter!
Tidwell wins by TKO (Strikes) @ 1:36 of the 1st round.

Juan Zapata (17-1) vs. Joe Jordan (44-12-2)
This fight matched up Miletich Fighting Systems journeyman Joe “Porkchop” Jordan against a guy who is apparently 17-1, but whom I couldn’t find much information on. The fight started with Juan Zapata looking to throw some unorthodox leg strikes, but Joe Jordan clearly wasn’t impressed and waited for his opportunity to attack. Once he had that chance, he threw a combo that collapsed Zapata to the floor. He finished the fight with downward knees to the midsection, causing Zapata to tap out. This was promptly followed by Zapata having the hucks — which I can understand after Porkchop brought his entire bodyweight down on Zapata’s ribs.
Jordan wins by TKO due to strikes at 1:48 of the first round.

Bryan Goldsby (10-4) vs. Joey Marimberga (5-2)

The first round was a feeling-out process by both fighters, with a lot of quick strikes from each. Goldsby was an extremely quick striker who eventually got the better of Marimberga on the feet, who was knocked down onto his back, where Goldsby finished the fight by knockout with only a few seconds left in the round.
Goldsby defeats Marimberga by KO at 4:57 of the first round.

John Salter (1-0) vs. Roberto Traven (6-3-1)
Salter came out and clearly was looking to bring the fight to Traven on his feet. He opened up with a flurry of punches that rocked the UFC veteran, and it was clear at that moment that Salter was going to go full speed ahead. Traven got back to his feet after he realized Salter wasn’t going to come into his guard, and a few punches later Salter came forward and connected with a right that dropped Traven and finished the fight. John Salter is a previously featured fighter, and we congratulate him on his win over a highly decorated MMA veteran. More than ever, we’re looking forward to his next fight.
Salter wins by KO at 2:15 of the 1st round

Sasuke Zapata (17-0) vs. Rich Clementi (34-14)
Clementi didn’t take this fight very seriously, but he won anyway. Rich Clementi touched gloves and walked right up to this kid. They traded punches and fairly quickly went to the ground, where Clementi passed Zapata’s guard a number of times and delivered a number of blows. Zapata managed to weasel his way out and defend with some up-kicks, but Clementi managed to get back on top of him and eventually put him in a side choke.
Rich Clementi by side choke 1st round 4:16.

Chris Davis (5-0) vs. Jeremy Horn (80-19-5)
Chris Davis is a recently featured fighter, and he looked to bring his aggressive pace right to Jeremy Horn. After the bell rang, they immediately exchanged a few punches, and it was apparent that Jeremy was looking to take the fight to the ground. Horn locked Davis up in a clinch and eventually got a double and took him to the ground. A great ground battle ensued, and Horn ended up on Davis’ back after having delivered a brutal elbow.
Jeremy Horn by RNC at 4:17 in the first round.

Ray Mercer vs. Tim Sylvia (24-5)

HOLY GODDAMN SHIT!!

Tim Sylvia threw one kick, and then Mercer unloaded a right that connected hard, sending Sylvia tumbling like a tree that had just been cut down — it seemed to happen almost in slow motion. Once Mercer realized what happened, he climbed on top of Sylvia and delivered 1 more hamfist before the ref jumped in. So I guess we can say that Mercer has flawless ground and pound.
MERCER BY KO @ 10 seconds in the first round. This place is a madhouse right now!

All in all, this was a surprisingly great night of fights, with alot of exciting 1st-round finishes. Thanks again to Adrenaline MMA for giving us the opportunity to cover their event.

Leading up to his fight with MMA Ironman Jeremy Horn, Chris Davis from Headhunter Combatives took some time out of his training schedule to talk about his preparations leading up to his fight on Saturday night at Adrenaline MMA in Birmingham, AL.

Next MMA Fighter : Tell us a bit about yourself, how you got into Mixed Martial Arts and why you decided to train at Headhunter Combatives?

Chris Davis : A little over 2 years ago I was selling advertisements for a company and I was walking down the street when I saw a sign on a door that said grappling. So I walked in, and I told the guy there that I would really be interested in doing this if I could train for free because I couldn’t pay for a gym membership at the time. I told him that if he would let me train for free there that I could get him an ad in the phone book. So when he agreed, I said let me call my boss to make sure that’s ok. So I called my boss and said “Can I give this guy a free ad for a 1 year membership” and he said “Sure” so I started training at this place which at the time was called Guerilla Grappling. I continued to train at this place for about 6 months until they shut down and I knew I needed to find a new place to call home.

By this time I had fought about 5 fights as an amateur and started looking for a place to train when I started dating a girl who lived in Tuscaloosa. So when I woke up one morning, I went over to Headhunter to train 1 time and from that moment, I knew it was the place I needed to be. Mike Taylor was my head trainer down there and he has an extensive background in Combatives and Mixed Martial Arts and used to fight back in the day when they didn’t have gloves. As a matter of fact his first fight, was against a guy named Carlos Newton.

Next MMA Fighter : That’s awesome, have you ever convinced Mike to try and get back in there and meet up with Carlos who is trying to make a comeback right now?

CD : I’ve tried to get Mike a few times to get back into shape for one fight because everyone in Tuscaloosa knows how Phenomenal of a fighter he is and as good of a fighter that he is, hes an even better coach.

Next MMA Fighter : I read that you come from a military background, so I wanted to ask you how you use the discipline you learned in the service in your everyday training routine?

CD : I think obviously it transfers really well, because in the Marine Corps you get up early and it becomes a habit, plus we even had a combatives program although it was mostly weapons oriented. During this training, it helped me develop that leather skin that helps you get used to having a bruise, a twisted ankle, a hurt toe or a bad joint to name a few so when I started training MMA, which is a very physical sport, it was easy for me to adapt.

My discipline helped make it easy for me to get up early in the morning for my cardio, train late at night and always be ready to continue even when I was beat up, so I credit the Marine Corp for that toughness. While I was in the Marine Corps, I had a good military career and I learned a lot as far as discipline goes and I got used to getting up early in the morning and getting it done.

Next MMA Fighter : We are a website that is dedicated to finding the next great fighter in MMA, so what do you think sets you apart from the rest?

CD : Since I have turned professional I have had the opportunity to travel alot as I’ve fought down in Florida, up in Tennessee and I lived in California for a few years. During those times, I met a lot of guys that are in MMA just to be in the sport and wear a shirt that says they are a fighter. They really just want to live the lifestyle and be able to tell their friends they are a fighter.

I feel that the people that are able to separate themselves from that are able to make to the next level be it the UFC, WEC or even Adrenaline MMA and they get there because they are driven by something else more powerful. You really have to have something that drives you from your heart and for me that’s my daughter. I have a little girl named Layla and she is absolutely my world, she gives me the inspiration to continue with my cardio even when I am about to vomit because I want to do everything I can to provide for her the way I want to.

Next MMA Fighter : What do you think best describes your fighting style, and is there a signature move that we should look out for on Saturday?

CD : A lot of fighters I have met and even a lot of fighters in my camp including Brandon Powell and Barry Clifford who are fighting on this card, have that pedigree background that defines them and for me I didn’t really have a background, I came up strictly in MMA.

As much as I don’t like to mention it, I did my fair share of street brawling, so when I picked up MMA I definitely kept some of the street style in me and my trainers always mention that I am very ballistic and explosive. When I am fighting, I am always moving forward or laterally and there is no backward movement so I guess that best describes my style. As far as a specific move goes, I follow what one of my training partners Barry Clifford likes to say and that is to just listen to your body because it never ever tells you anything wrong.

Next MMA Fighter : What do you think is the one moment in your young MMA career that you will always remember?

CD : When I fought down in Tampa at the XFC event, I fought a great fighter named Donavin Hawkey and the fight went great. The thing that I will never forget was when I first came out of the tunnel and I looked up to see about 8500 to 9000 people and this was the largest crowd I had ever fought in front of. When I was preparing to walk out I really questioned how I would handle it, but once the adrenaline took over and I started feeding off the crowd it was at that moment that all the nerves went away.

There’s a good friend of mine at Omega Attire that takes care of our guys and when I was walking out at the same XFC event that they were sponsoring they got a picture of me on Omega Catwalk and that was something that was really cool that I don’t think I will ever forget. If you ask me this question 2 weeks from now I might have to change that moment to when my hand was raised after I beat Jeremy Horn.

Next MMA Fighter : In facing a pioneer of the sport in Jeremy Horn, how do you prepare yourself mentally to fight against someone with so much experience.

CD : What I have done up until this point that has worked well for me is I draw from my coaching. I think a big mistake that an up and coming fighter might make is they get intimidated. If you can push aside all the hype you can realize that it’s just you getting in the cage with another man and he doesn’t have lead in his hands, hopefully. The key is stay calm, not get intimidated and stick with your process. As my grandfather used to say “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” and that definitely holds true for me.

When I prepare for a fight, I try to keep my routine the same in the way I eat and train but I might do a few things different such as picking up my cardio a bit and watching more tape. But when it all comes down to it like I said, its two guys getting into a cage that are going to get into a fight, and I have been in a whole lot of those.

Next MMA Fighter : Earlier in the day on Saturday UFC 99 is going to take place in Germany. As an up and coming fighter in the 205 weight class, who might find one of these guys in the future, who do you think is going to win in the main event of Wanderlei Silva and Rich Franklin.

CD : Ive been out to Vegas a few times and trained at Randy Couture’s where I have stood next to Wanderlei and I didn’t think he was anything particularly impressive physically. But I will tell you what, that man is absolutely ballistic and I think that you could hit him with a sledgehammer and he would keep fighting you. If I had to pick a winner I would have to go with Wanderlei because he’s my boy, I watch him a lot and he’s a great fighter.

Next MMA Fighter : Thanks for taking the time to speak with us today Chris. We want to wish you the best of luck on Saturday and can you tell us who you would like to thank for getting you ready for this fight?

CD : Buddy Vail with Shady Oaks Landscaping down in Tuscaloosa, not only has he helped me out a lot but he is a great friend. I would also like to thank David Elder of Tera Lane Salon and Spa, Brent Tidwell of Tidwell Chiropractic, all of my training partners and absolutely everyone down at Headhunter Combatives/Crossfit MMA. We have a great camp down there and helping me get ready for this fight was Barry Clifford, Brandon Powell and of course John Salter. We have all trained real hard and just finished a tough couple of weeks with our cardio.

Last and most importantly, I’d like to thank Mike Taylor my head trainer who is a great guy and has helped me so much. I really can say that I consider Mike more of a brother then a trainer to me and I would go to war with that guy.

Thanks again to Chris and his gym Headhunter Combatives for talking to us about his training and we will look forward to his fight on Saturday night against Jeremy Horn at Adrenaline 3 “Bragging rights in Birmingham”

UPDATE : Chris lost a hard fought Match to Jeremy Horn at Adrenaline MMA 3. We look forward to Chris’ next fight and have no doubt that he will rebound and continue to his winning ways.

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

John Salter is a fighter I had the pleasure of speaking with today as he makes his final preparations for his second professional career fight against highly respected UFC veteran Roberto Traven. Traven hasn’t fought since 2005, but John isn’t taking him lightly. Salter has a strong wrestling and grappling pedigree, which includes a 2007 National Championship along with an undefeated record in both the amateur and pro ranks, and I think after this fight everyone will start taking John a lot more seriously.

Next MMA Fighter: First, tell us a bit about yourself and your gym, HeadHunter Combatives.

John Salter: I started wrestling when I was 12 years old. I won a state title in high school, went to college, wrestled at Lindenwood University for four years in St. Louis, MO, and when I was a senior in college, I won the Nationals. It was then that I decided I didn’t want to stop competing, so I got into Jiu-Jitsu and kickboxing and [then] got into MMA. A couple months ago, I started training in Tuscaloosa at HeadHunter Combatives and started getting ready to fight anybody – getting good coaching and great training partners. We’re ready.

Next MMA Fighter: We’re a website that’s dedicated to finding the next up-and-coming stars in Mixed Martial Arts. What do you think sets you apart from the rest?

JS: The big thing I think that I have is that I’m a National Championship wrestler. There have only been three from Alabama ever, so I feel like I have that over anybody else that’s around here, and I feel like I can take anybody down whenever I want to. I’m a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, but I have beaten people like Roan Carnerio, who’s a black belt in the UFC, so I feel like I can hang with anyone on the ground. And I feel like my stand-up’s not bad, but I can decide when a fight’s on the feet and when the fight’s on the ground, and I think that helps me in all my fights.

Next MMA Fighter: What’s your signature move or particular fighting style that you think best describes you… without giving away too much of your game plan for Saturday, of course.

JS: I’d say that what I usually have that you can depend on is that I hit a single leg, and everybody knows I’m gonna do it, but I think it surprises everybody at how good I am with it. I’m pretty efficient at what I do, and I haven’t had anybody stop a shot yet in a fight. And I’ve had eight fights, so I feel like I can get that pretty much any time.

Next MMA Fighter: What is the one moment in your MMA career that you will never forget?

JS: Well, my pro debut was for King of the Cage, and I won in the first round by armbar, and it was a Pay Per View event, so that was pretty exciting. The thing I’ll never forget in my career was winning the Nationals in college – that was probably my biggest accomplishment. That wasn’t really MMA, but I’d say that was my biggest accomplishment.

Next MMA Fighter: Since we live in the Southeast and focus most of our coverage on this area, how do you feel the sport is developing in this part of the country?

JS: It’s definitely developing slowly but surely. When I was attending college up in Missouri, there was so much going on there all the time with MMA, and in Atlanta there’s a lot going on all the time. In Alabama, it’s slowly, behind everybody else, but it’s coming up. I think in the next five years, it’s going to be really big down here. I think it’ll be here like it is in the Midwest, and there’ll be shows where 10-15,000 people show up every weekend.

Next MMA Fighter: In fighting someone like Roberto Traven, who is a highly decorated Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and UFC veteran, how do you prepare yourself for what will likely be the greatest challenge of your young career?

JS: Well, I think with Traven, we both know each other, and we both know what each other has done in the past. I met him when I beat Roan Carnerio, so he saw me do that and he knows what my strengths are. Obviously, I know what his strengths are. So Mike Taylor, the coach at HeadHunters, has put together a really good game plan for me that I think will really throw Traven off at the beginning and make him have a lot of trouble mentally with the rest of the fight. And I think that’s the big thing, to keep him guessing the whole time. I know that if I go down there and play his game, you know, just lay in his guard, that’s what he likes. As long as I move and stick to my game plan and keep him guessing at what’s coming next, I think I’ll have the mental edge on him, and I don’t think he’ll be able to keep up with it.

Next MMA Fighter: You come from a strong wrestling background and have a spectacular record as an amateur. With an outstanding pedigree in wrestling, what other styles of MMA did you find to be the easiest to learn?

JS: I would have to say Jiu-Jitsu. It seemed like the first time I trained in Jiu-Jitsu, I got submitted pretty quick by one guy, and I thought, “Whoa, I gotta be able to figure this out.” So then I got to where a couple weeks later he couldn’t submit me any more, and I just kept with it and kept with it until I was submitting him all the time. I think my stand-up is coming along, but it’s not anywhere near the level of my ground game. I would always watch these wrestlers who would go take everybody down and then get submitted from the guard. I never want to be that guy; I never want to be the wrestler who gets caught in a submission. I think the ground should be my strongest point, seeing as how that’s where I’ve spent most of my career already, and I should be good enough there to never get submitted. So I spend a lot of time making sure I can handle anybody on the ground.

Next MMA Fighter: Now that the main event has switched from boxing back to MMA, do you have any thoughts on who will win this matchup between Mercer and Sylvia?

JS: The whole time we were debating whether or not Sylvia would be able to keep Mercer away with his reach and everything. Now that it’s gone to MMA, I feel like Mercer’s walking into something he’s probably not ready for. I don’t mean that in any disrespectful way, because he’s obviously a very accomplished boxer, but this is something where he’s walking right into the specialty of Tim Sylvia.

Next MMA Fighter: Switching gears a bit, what is the fight at UFC 99 that you are most looking forward to as a fan?

JS: I think the Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva fight will be good, but I don’t think Rich Franklin can handle Wanderlei’s style. Marcus Davis is always exciting for me to watch, so I can’t wait to see that one as well.

Next MMA Fighter: Well, John, we wish you the best of luck this weekend, and really appreciate you taking the time to talk with us today. In closing, is there anyone you would like to thank?

JS: First and foremost, I’d like to thank God for helping me to stay healthy throughout training. Mike Taylor my great coach, my training partner Chris Davis and everyone at Headhunters… there’s too many to name. I’d also like to thank our sponser Omega Attire, Barry Clifford and Brandon Powell, who are both fighting on this card as well and helped me get ready for this fight.

Be sure to watch for John on the Adrenaline 3 Main Card this Saturday from Birmingham, AL, and thanks again to John’s camp @ HeadHunter Combatives, whom you can visit here. HeadHunter Combatives website.

UPDATE : John Salter won his fight last Saturday by finishing Roberto Traven in the first round and looking very good in doing so. We wish John the best of luck in his future fights and look forward to covering him again.

I just read this from Sherdog, and I’m pretty sure I pooped my pants. Wait a sec… Yep, I did. Might as well finish writing, though.

We knew there was something fishy about the fight when Keith Kizer, Executive Director of the NAC and resident Ultimate Fighter weigh-in guy, posted this on the underground earlier today.

Also, please note how many times they spell Tim Sylvia’s name incorrectly. If you get it right, I will buy you a pony. Maybe. Or something.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 6/11/09
The Association of Boxing Commissions, a non-profit organization of state and tribal boxing commissions located throughout North American, has denounced as “unwarranted and illegal” a boxing match scheduled to be held in Birmingham, Alabama this coming Saturday, June 13 between former UFC champion Tim Silva (boxing debut) and former WBO world boxing heavyweight champion Ray Mercer (now, 48 years old). In the absence of a currently operating boxing / athletic commission in Alabama, the boxing match was to be regulated by a representative of the River Cree Combative Sports Commission, a tribal boxing commission located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; and the bout was to be refereed by John McCarthy, a renowned MMA referee who, it is believed, to date, has not been licensed as a boxing referee.

Tim Lueckenhoff, the President of the ABC, noted that the contest between Silva and Mercer had been turned down by the New Jersey Athletic Control Board as an MMA contest and as a boxing match in March, 2009; however, when it later was proposed as an MMA contest, as opposed to a boxing match, in Alabama, the ABC did not have the authority to stop it. Yesterday, when it was learned that the Silva – Mercer contest would be conducted as a boxing match (in a cage) in Alabama, Mr. Lueckenhoff, noting that the federal law and its requirements then became applicable, said, “the ABC has not been requested to supervise, and it is not supervising, this boxing match.”

Bruce C. Spizler, the Chairman of the ABC Legal Committee, referencing provisions first enacted by Congress in 1996 as part of the Professional Boxing Safety Act, stated that no person may promote, or fight in, a professional boxing match held in a state that does not have a boxing commission unless the match is supervised (regulated) by a commission from another state or tribe in the U.S. which is authorized by state or tribal law to regulate professional boxing matches; and if no such commission is available to supervise the boxing match, the boxing match may not be held unless it is supervised by the ABC. “Canadian boxing commissions are not authorized to supervise boxing matches in the U.S.; and, patently, it is wholly inappropriate for one representative from a Canadian boxing commission, together with an MMA referee, to supervise a boxing match,” Mr. Spizler said.

Greg Sirb, Past President of the ABC, contacted the River Cree Combative Sports Commission and MMA referee John McCarthy to reiterate the illegalities and improprieties attendant to the Silva – Mercer boxing match. Last night, in the aftermath of the advisements and protestations of Mr. Sirb, the representative from the River Cree, as well as MMA referee John McCarthy, withdrew from the scheduled Silva – Mercer boxing match.

After that resonated a bit, I guess the call was made by Adrenaline to move this fight to full MMA, and if that’s the case, Mercer must really be hard-up for cash to agree to this. There has been talk on the back channels that Mercer is still considering this a standup fight, and that if Sylvia tries to take him down anyway that he will be completely discredited as a boxer.

Huh?! Uh, hang on, here. Does anyone else remember what happened when there was a gentleman’s bet in Canada earlier this year to keep a fight standing? It didn’t turn out so well.

I hope Mercer comes to terms with what he’s getting himself into. I sincerely believe that Sylvia is going to beat Ray Mercer definitively (and literally) with this new twist, and, as much as I pity the guy, I’m pretty happy we will be there to see some kind of history unfold.

Full article can be found on Sherdog here: Sylvia-Mercer Goes MMA.

The NextMMAFighter gang will be making the drive out to Birmingham, AL, this weekend for Adrenaline III: “Bragging Rights in Birmingham.” Given that the event was originally supposed to happen in Atlantic City, we aren’t complaining that it was moved to within driving distance for us.

The card will feature 13 fights in total, of which 12 are MMA rules. The main event will be Tim Sylvia vs. Ray Mercer in a boxing bout that will take place in the MMA cage.

I don’t know what to make of this, folks. I don’t know enough about boxing to offer an informed opinion regarding who is going to win this fight, but it’s definitely going to be interesting. You have Sylvia, who was a beast back in the day and knocked out plenty of guys, and Mercer, who has been beaten decisively in MMA. However, we all know he used to be a great boxer.

But then, if you look at the above press shot, you can surely see that Mercer has been eating more cheeseburgers than a short-order cook at Wendy’s. Then again, like they always say, it only takes one punch. Whatever happens in this fight on Saturday, its sure to be a banger.

Of the 12 MMA fights, four are amateur bouts and eight are pro. Former UFC veterans Rich Clementi and Jeremy Horn will look to pave their road back to the UFC, but they will both have to go through fighters with great records: Chris Davis, previously featured on our site, is a 205-er who comes into his fight with Horn at 4-0, while Clementi will square off against Sasuke Zapata ,who is listed as 17-0 on the Adrenaline promotional material.

Admittedly, I am unable to find an official record on Zapata anywhere else; in my search, though, I did turn up this video, in which he chokes a guy so ridiculously that the ref must have damn-near gone to prison for being an accessory to murder. Judge for yourself below.

Chris Davis, a light heavyweight, will be facing MMA pioneer and journeyman Jeremy Horn this Saturday at “Bragging Rights in Birmingham,” presented by Adrenaline MMA. We will be attending this fight, and will for sure be watching this fight very closely.

Chris boasts a 4-0 record as a pro, with three finishes by submission and the other by TKO, all in round 1. If he can bring that type of intensity to Jeremy Horn, who is on three-fight losing streak, then I think we have a chance to see a guy who has some real potential. We will see what he brings to the table on Saturday.

I was able to find one of his fights that shows off one of his submission wins. Check it out.