Interviews News - Page 1

"As most of you know my wife and I had our baby girl on the 24th. Lani was due the 11th and was induced on the 22nd and had a long labor. Alexia Carwin (Lexi) was born at 0024 on the 24th. I was back training on the 25th." ... "My boss actually got on me this week for looking half dead at work and not being on it. With the new baby, training and working I am really under a ton of pressure. This is the biggest fight of my life, the longest training camp of my life and I am trying to be a good father and husband to my wife." "You know they say you are never given more then you could carry in life. I can say I have had days where I question that theory." "This fight with Frank is my career balled up into 25 minutes. If I beat Frank I answer questions about who I am and what I can do in this sport. If I don't I am just another heavyweight in a sea of great fighters. I know when I wake up in the morning and I can barely walk out the door to start my morning run that I am giving it 100% of my effort." "That is all you can control in life, giving 100%. I train and live like each fight may be my last and to move ahead I have to make a statement." "Thank you to the supporters and fans that will tune in to watch this fight. Win or Loose I guarantee you I will be ready for a war. I have trained harder then I have before, I have sacrificed my mind and body for this opportunity and honestly I can't wait to release this built up pressure and aggression on Frank."

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Saturday, February 27, 2010 by Marcelo Alonso Ricardo Arona is recovering from surgery and hopes to fight again this year, the Brazilian recently told Sherdog.com. He injured his knee during his win over Marvin Eastman in September at Bitetti Combat 4. “I injured a ligament in the first round, but at the end of the second round, when I put my foot on the Octagon grid, I must have (torn) my meniscus. From that point on I felt a really hard pain, but I returned in the third round and fought standing up until the bell rang,” said Arona, who had surgery two months ago. The two-time ADCC submission wrestling champion is now planning a return to training and to the ring “In July I’ll restart my MMA training,” Arona said. “I got some calls from two American events. I want to be fighting in October or November.” In the meantime, Arona had some thoughts on the MMA scene. Considered Wanderlei Silva’s top rival during the days of Pride, he liked the former Chute Boxe representative’s recent performance against Michael Bisping at UFC 110. “It was the first time I saw Wanderlei fighting for real, conscious and managing the result,” Arona said. “He showed a good evolution by studying his opponent’s game.” Arona did not know that Demian Maia will be challenging Anderson Silva at UFC 112, but he was intrigued of the matchup when told it is set. “Demian is going to be an excellent test for Anderson,” Arona said, “to show his jiu-jitsu skills and prove if he really has a high level on the ground.”

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Paul Daley “Semtex Ready to Explode on Koscheck”

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PDG: Obviously fighters like to hype fights; here what Josh had to say in recent interview: "I plan on rearranging them teeth in his mouth. He already has those braces and those messed up teeth. So maybe we'll put some railroad spikes in there." Is this just hype or is there really bad blood between the two you? Paul Daley: Koscheck is just hyping the fight up. He isn’t the man behind those words and that is unfortunate for him because I am the man behind the words when I say that I am going to knock him the **** out.

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I was listening to this interview today and right at the end when Eddie is giving his shoutouts he confirms he will be in the EA game! Yet another reason to buy both games :)!

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Brian Foster “Ready for Lytle and Australia”

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PDG: You had lost your debut with the UFC but most recently beat someone close to the top ten rankings. How do you feel so far with your experiences with the promotion? Brian Foster: In the first fight I had a lot of jitters – which is understandable, but I should have performed in the first fight like I did in the second. Had it not been for the nerves I probably would have. I knew coming into the second fight with Larson that it was get it or go – if I didn't get it they would have probably ended my contract and I wouldn't have fought for the UFC anymore. It is the biggest organization in the world and I'm happy and thankful to be a part of it.

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Murilo "Ninja" Rua is looking forward to a busy spring. The brother of UFC's "Shogun" and a former EliteXC middleweight champion, Rua is eyeing fights in the coming months at DREAM.13 and Shine Fights 3. In this exclusive interview with MMA Fighting through a translator, Rua talks returning to fight in Brazil, his younger brother's rematch against Lyoto Machida and his own upcoming fights. Ray Hui: What was your decision to sign with Shine as opposed to fighting for Strikeforce? Murilo "Ninja" Rua: I think Shine has the potential to be one of the most exciting MMA shows in the world. They are signing some very talented fighters and have interesting plans, so why not join them? They treated me with respect and presented me a great opportunity, and I'm very happy and looking forward to fighting in Shine. I think Strikeforce is also a great promotion, but right now as far as America goes I'll be fighting for Shine Fights, and they will allow me to keep fighting in other countries like Brazil and Japan. Hui: Are you still with DREAM? Rua: I still have two fights left in my DREAM deal, and I'm looking forward to fighting on their next card in March.

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Couture talks Coleman and some training.

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Nick Diaz takes on Dream champion Marius Zaromskis on Jan. 30 in Sunrise, Fla., for the vacant Strikeforce welterweight title. Diaz’s last two fights were out of his weight class, but he’s eager to return to the 170-pound division, the division he’s competed in for most of his career. “I’m very happy to fight at that weight. I look the best at that weight. I like it, I feel the best at that weight,” said the Cesar Gracie trained athlete. “I’ve been waiting for a long time to fight in here at this weight class. Those last two fights weren’t my idea. I’ve fought at welterweight most of my life, so this isn’t a new thing to me.”

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Two weeks ago former UFC #1 lightweight contender Hermes Franca announced his retirement from MMA competition after losing to Eric Wise by TKO in Iowa. The Brazilian fan-favorite recently sat down with CagePotato to reflect on his career, explain why he’s decided to move on, what’s next, and whether he thinks he might ever get back in the cage again.

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When Dana White called Phillipe Nover "the next Georges St-Pierre" prior to the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter, the MMA community's expectations for the Brooklyn-born fighter immediately skyrocketed. Unfortunately for Nover, things have gone downhill for him since: he lost the TUF 8 finale to Efrain Escudero and then lost via controversial stoppage to Kyle Bradley at UFC 98. Then, prior to his UFN 19 fight against Sam Stout, Nover fainted backstage and was rushed to the hospital. The health scare forced him out of the bout and left many questioning whether he would ever fight again.

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Mark Coleman “The Hammer is ready for The Natural”

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PDG: There has been mention that injuries were taking their toll on you but it almost seems like a blessing in disguise; instead of fighting someone that has been out of the game for 18 months, you are headlining UFC 109 against Randy Couture. Mark Coleman: That is exactly what this sport is all about and sometimes it's just about being in the right place at the right time. When I was hurt and couldn’t fight Tito Ortiz I was devastated because at the time I felt that nothing could match the magnitude of that fight. I had no idea what was waiting in the wings and I certainly didn't anticipate fighting Randy Couture but yes in hindsight it was definitely a blessing in disguise and in my mind and that of most of the fans this is definitely a bigger fight than one with Tito Ortiz but I still wouldn't mind getting a piece of that douche bag when the time comes.

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Paulo Filho will be back to Brazilian stages on Bitetti Combat 6, and he’s already training for the combat. The organization of the event didn’t confirm who’s going to be the opponent of the black belt, but the black belt revealed to TATAME.com that his opponent may be Marvin Eastman. In interview to TATAME.com , Filho talked about the next UFC fights, as Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort and the return of Rodrigo Minotauro and Wanderlei Silva, and the possibility of Ricardo Arona signing with the UFC.

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Alistair Overeem recently sat down to speak about his upcoming heavyweight clash with Kazuyuki Fujita at “Dynamite!! 2009“. The DREAM/Sengoku/K-1 promoted event will be taking place on New Years Eve from Japan.

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What appeared to be a somewhat Melvin Manhoef recently sat down to speak about his New Year Eve showdown with Kazuo Misaki. The pair will face off during the DREAM/Sengoku/K-1 promoted New Years event, “Dynamite!! 2009” on December 31, which will air live on HDNet.

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Once a year, PDG talks with Legendary Fighter and Analyst “El Guapo” Bas Rutten and asks him questions regarding the world of mixed martial arts and what his personal opinions are in regards to the year of fighting in review. The following is Part III of a great series of interviews involving the former King of Pancrase, the host of HDNet’s Inside MMA, the former UFC Heavyweight Champion and the man well regarded as one of the greatest mixed martial artists to enter a cage or ring.

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PDG: So do you think the fans will ever get to see Josh Barnett fight Fedor Emelianenko? Bas Rutten: I don't think it is going to happen and if it happens it will be in Japan. I think that Josh is going to have a very difficult time getting another fight in the United States. Who is going to take the risk to promote that fight with the liabilities from his past that he would bring if he was put into a main event again. It's like the actors that get banged up on drugs and alcohol; they become liabilities and can cause a whole movie production to go down the drain. So you see them less and less involved in the industry because nobody wants to work with them. It's a shame.

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Beth Franklin, wife of Rich Franklin, does a pictorial for Men's Fitness magazine, and answers questions on what it's like to be the wife of a fighter, among other things. Check it out!

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With the recent revelation that UFC import Dan Henderson (25-7) will fight for Strikeforce at an as-yet-unannounced April event on CBS, speculation immediately turned to whom the dual-weight class star would be fighting. While initial reports have suggested that Strikeforce middleweight champ Jake Shields is a likely first step, another MMA title-holder has volunteered for the contest, as well. Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard (22-2-1) told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) he's itching for the chance to prove himself on the big stage.

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Scott Coker touches on a bunch of hot topics as talks about possible fights for Henderson, Overeem returning, and more!

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Fedor Emelianenko and the sweater in a 10 min interview with Russia Today.

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While common sense told Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos to finish up her studies in Brazil to pursue a career in physical education, her famed trainer, Rafael Cordeiro of the Chute Boxe Academy, told her otherwise. Why bother wasting your time on all of that college stuff, when you should be busting heads for a living? That was Cordeiro’s take on things, and Santos is thanking him for the advice in the present day as the feared knockout specialist currently sits on the top of the female mixed martial arts mountain as the reigning Strikeforce women’s 145 pound champion. “I was in college, Physics Education, and I trained, but Master Rafael (Cordeiro) said that he thought it was better if I stopped the fight because the top training of Chute Boxe was in the morning and I could only train in the afternoon or in the night,” explained Cyborg in a conversation with Tatame.com. “He said, “I think it’s better if you stop this college… If you graduate you’ll teach, but on Muay Thai you can teach too and you’ll dedicate more“. I stopped the college, my mom wanted to kill me, but I followed a dream and thank God I was happy.”

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