THANKS!

After nearly a year of consistent content, 40+ interviews, 200k hits, and lots of fun, it's time to say goodbye to Irish Whip Fighting. This will be my last post on the site. However, I don't plan on leaving our loyal readers high and dry. Just the opposite, actually. Irish Whip Fighting has joined forces with a terrific staff over at MMA Madness. I'll be managing all of their content, so hop on over to my new home and continue to enjoy what we started here at IWF. Thanks again for all the support! Also, big thanks to Martial Base and BetUS who helped us get off the ground.

-Ben, Jordan, Danny, and everyone else who has helped out over the past year

Be sure to check out more of my work at FIGHT! Magazine, TapouT Magazine, HDNet's Inside MMA, and soon...sherdog.com and ESPN.com

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Jake Shields Interview

Ben Zeidler recently spoke with EliteXC star Jake Shields about his big wins over Carlos Condit and Hayato Sakurai, being a fighter while having a daughter, and oh yeah, his open challenge to Georges St. Pierre.

Ben Zeidler: You were born in San Luis Obispo, California. Is that how you got involved with Liddell's SLO Kickboxing Academy?

Jake Shields: Well, I was actually born closer to the Sierras…

Ben Zeidler: Wikipedia gets me again.

JS: (Laughs) So yeah, I was born up there but I moved down to San Luis Obispo for college. I started working out at Liddell’s gym when he wasn’t well known at all.

Ben Zeidler: How'd you make the transition from wrestling and grappling tournaments to mixed martial arts?

JS: I wrestled all throughout high school and college. I was with Liddell for just a few weeks before he had me doing kickboxing and some MMA stuff. All of a sudden, I was fighting real fights.

Ben Zeidler: You're a shooto world champion. For those who don’t know what that is or what it entails, can you tell us a little bit about that?

JS: Sure, shooto is worldwide and its one of the oldest organizations out there. It’s even older than the UFC. It’s not quite MMA, but it is still a combat sport and it’s very respected in the world. I was the first American to win a shooto belt.

Ben Zeidler: You've beaten some of the biggest guys in the sport, from Carlos Condit to Hayato Sakurai. What would you call the biggest win of your career?

JS: I haven’t had it yet. I’m just getting started here and before I’m done I plan on being the best.

Ben Zeidler: Are you happy with EliteXC or would you ever consider a jump to the UFC?

JS: I mean, I’m always looking at my options and I just want to fight the best. Elite has been really good to be so I have loyalties there, but I do want to continually be upping the competition that I face.

Ben Zeidler: Do you have any upcoming fights booked?

JS: Nothing is signed yet, but I’m looking to fight in March or early April at a couple of different venues.

Ben Zeidler: Who do you want to fight?

JS: It’s sort of out of my hands, but if I could choose, I’d say GSP. He’s my number 1 pick.

Ben Zeidler: You haven't lost in over three years. What in your training is responsible for this recent success?

JS: It’s a combination of things. I just trained really hard, for starters. I never feel like I’m good enough either. I feel like I gassed in my last fight, even though I won, so I’m working on cardio. You can’t beat cardio. I’m learning new techniques, new submissions, and new things. It’s a sport where there’s always so much more to learn.

Ben Zeidler: You're still just 27 years old. Have you hit your peak?

JS: I still feel really young and I have a few years before I hit my peak. I don’t want to retire as long as I want to keep fighting.

Ben Zeidler: I’m sorry, I gotta go back to that GSP comment. How would a fight like that even happen?

JS: Hopefully, the organizations can work together to make it happen. Either I could go to the UFC or he could come here. I really want to see how we can make this work.

Ben Zeidler: You're involved with Fairtex-Gracie in SF and Tulsa Top Team. Can you tell us a little bit about those organizations?

JS: Well my main trainers run MMA programs at Fairtex. That’s kinda my own group over there. At Tulsa Top Team, it’s just some guys who train with me.

Ben Zeidler: Let’s change gears for a second. How's your daughter doing? How has life changed for you since having a child?

JS: My daughter is great but lots of work, so I’m always training but I’m trying to do fewer trips. She’s in first grade now, so it’s just cool to have a daughter.

Ben Zeidler: That’s gotta be interesting when she tells her friends parents that her dad fights for a living.

JS: Yeah, she knows I’m a fighter and she grew up watching it so to her, it’s nothing unusual. I’ve never brought her to a fight but she’s seen some jiu-jitsu tournaments. Eventually, she’ll realize that I don’t have a normal job, but it’s just what I do.

Ben Zeidler: Any sponsors you'd like to thank or websites you’d like to plug?

JS: JakeShields.com. I’d like to thank Fairtex, Stagger, Dominant, and…I know there’s more. Who else? I’m spacing on one (laughs)…they’ll be mad.

Ben Zeidler: Anything to say to your fans?

JS: Just thanks for all the support and keep watching me because I’m gonna do some big things.

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Kimbo Dominates In Wild EliteXC Event

As the lower bowl filled with raucous fans, it was easy to tell that this was not your typical, clean UFC event. Two stoppages and one knockout later, Kimbo had passed his first true test in mixed martial arts.

Kimbo Slice defeats Tank by knockout at 0:43 of round one.

Antonio Silva defeats Ricco Rodriguez by split decision.

Scott Smith defeats Kyle Noke by knockout at 0:07 of round 2.

Brett Rogers defeats James Thompson by technical knockout via strikes.

Yves Edwards defeats Edson Berto by knockout via knee at 4:56 of round one.

Rafael Feijao defeats John Doyle by technical knockout via knee at 2:17 of round one.

Yosmany Cabezas defeats John Kirk by submission via rear naked choke at 0:58 of round two.

Dave Herman defeats Mario Rinaldi by technical knockout via strikes at 0:33 of round three.

Eric Bradley defeats Mikey Gomez by unanimous decision.

Lorenzo Borgameo defeats Mike Bernhard by submission via triangle choke at 4:11 of round two.

Moyses Gabin defeats Jirka Hlavaty by technical knockout via strikes at 2:32 of round one.

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WEC 33 To Feature Two Title Fights

Fresh off their three-title fight night at WEC 32, the Zuffa guys are promising another stacked card in the form of two more title fights at WEC 33. Let's just say some big names are involved.

The event, WEC 33, will feature WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho’s (16-0) rematch with Chael Sonnen (19-9-1), and WEC light heavyweight champ Doug Marshall (7-2) will take on Brian Stann (5-0). This news came yesterday from MMAJunkie.com

Filho's rematch represents the response to a controversial decision which may or may not have included a verbal submission from Chael Sonnen. Filho will look to close that door with a decisive win.

Meanwhile, the undefeated Marine, Stann, will get his first shot at gold. I can't think of anything an organization would enjoy more (from a publicity standpoint) than having an active duty Marine as their champion.

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Travis Lutter Interview

With a UFC 83 fight against Rich Franklin booked and ready to go, writer Jordan Arnold went one on one with Travis Lutter to talk about his strategy for the fight, his take on missing weight against Silva, and lots of other interesting anecdotes from his long career.

Ben Zeidler: How do you think that you will fare against Rich?

Travis Lutter: I think that would be a great fight for me. Rich is a great fighter. Anderson Silva definitely has Rich's number, but I still think he's a top tier 185 pound fighter. He did really well at 205 pounds. He's a really good fighter.

Ben Zeidler: Rich seems to be a very well rounded fighter. Is there anything that you are training for specifically for your fight against him?

Travis Lutter: I will fight Rich the same way I fight every other fight. I would just take him down and beat him up. It would be the same thing that I always do. It's not a secret how I fight; I just take it one punch at a time, clinch, and try to take the guy down.

Ben Zeidler: What do you think about the Anderson Silva-Dan Henderson fight?

Travis Lutter: I think it's going to be a good fight. It's going to be fun to watch. It'll be a close fight, and I can't wait to see it; I'm excited about it.

Ben Zeidler: Can you give us a prediction for this fight?

Travis Lutter: I think it's a really close fight, but if I had to bet, I'd bet on Anderson. Just simply because I think that Dan is going to go out there and take him down, but once he takes him down I think that Anderson is better on the ground. He's so long, he can control the distance, and stuff like that. I think that Dan can take him down whenever he wants, but I think he will get drawn into a kickboxing fight, and if he gets drawn into a kickboxing fight with Anderson, then that's a fight he'll lose. Dan's got a great chin, but if I had to make a prediction I'd go with Anderson Silva probably by decision. Dan has all of the tools to beat him, but he sometimes gets drawn into those kickboxing battles when he shouldn't since he's a wrestler. But Dan's a great fighter, and that's just what I think. With that being said, what the hell do I know? Like I said, I really like Dan. He's a great fighter and I'm cheering for him.

Ben Zeidler: How do you think that you would do against Anderson Silva if given another shot at him?

Travis Lutter: I'd beat him, without a doubt. Anderson Silva will not ever beat me again. I made some mistakes that everyone knows about. I missed weight, I cut from too high of a weight, it just wasn't my night. If I was given the chance to fight him again, I just feel like I can take him down. I feel like I can pass his guard, and if I can pass his guard then he's going to be mine.

Ben Zeidler: It would be a great fight though.

Travis Lutter: Yeah. Anderson Silva, every fight that he's ever lost he was winning that fight. There was only one fight that he's ever had where he was losing the fight until the moment he won, and that's my fight. Every fight that he's ever lost he's out there whooping the guy's ass, and he gets caught in a submission. Well it was the exact opposite that night, where him and I are going at it. I was getting the better of him, and I made a mistake. Like I said, I think that Anderson Silva is a great fighter and he deserves all of the props that he is getting, but I think that I can beat him.

Ben Zeidler: Would you call that fight the toughest fight of your career?

Travis Lutter: The toughest loss I had was against Trevor (Prangley). Just because I knew Trevor, I felt like I could beat Trevor, and I trained with Trevor a lot. That loss is definitely the biggest loss. Fighting for the 185 championship and not making weight, not having it as a title fight, and disappointing everybody who paid to see it…yeah, I guess that probably would be my hardest loss.

Ben Zeidler: What do you think about pro-wrestlers fighting in MMA?

Travis Lutter: Brock Lesnar, first and foremost, was a legitimate wrestler. First and foremost, yeah he was a pro wrestler, but he was also a Division 1 national championship wrestler. There are not many people who get to say that any given year. That's something that Matt Hughes didn't accomplish. Lots of good MMA fighters out there didn't win the national championship. Mark Kerr did, Mark Coleman did, and I can't remember if Randy did or didn't…I know he was All-American. If it was an average ordinary WWE wrestler, I would be like "what is he doing here? He's going to get killed." But with Brock Lesnar, that's a totally different animal with his wrestling background. There are things that I think will be interesting with him. First, he's a long time removed from his wrestling days, as far as legitimate wrestling, and second, how much WWE took out of his body. They say that that sport…or that entertainment business is horrible. They work you 300 days a year, and those guys put their bodies you through hell. They say you get more injured in that then in training for a fight or fighting.

Ben Zeidler: Steroids have become a huge issue lately. Why are guys taking them if they know that there's a good chance that they'll get caught?

Travis Lutter: Everybody is probably looking for an edge. Like with my fight against Anderson Silva I was looking for an edge. I was trying to come into that fight as big as possible, obviously without steroids. But you're still looking for an edge. I think that as long as you have people competing for money, guys are going to look for an edge. I think that the difference now and the reason that it's in the news now is that technology caught up with some of these drugs, on how to catch them. In our sport, we don't have the money that some of these baseball players do. They're out buying designer drugs or whatever they're out getting. You've read about the BALCO stuff probably more then I have. But that's an expensive deal. There are only a couple guys that can get stuff like that. I saw Sean Sherk yesterday, though we didn't talk about that issue. He seems like a really nice guy, and hopefully people don't hold it against him for too long. He was just looking for an edge. You are innocent until proven guilty, but he was proven guilty. So I guess you have to assume that he did it, since he was convicted. I'm not talking shit about Sean, because I think that he's a nice guy. I think that athletes have always tried to get an edge, and I think that they'll continue to do that. I don't see that changing anytime soon.

Ben Zeidler: Looking back at The Ultimate Fighter. What was your favorite part about the show?

Travis Lutter: My favorite part of the show was the final day, getting off the set (laughs). Them giving me back my phone, my wallet, and my plane ticket home. No, the best part of it was probably winning it. Having the opportunity that it gave me to kind of broaden the audience that got to see who I am and what kind of fighter I am. It literally opened that up to millions of people, and then on top of it I got to win, and that's always a good thing. But it was still a great day when I got to go home.

Ben Zeidler: Least favorite?

Travis Lutter: Going on the airplane out there…no that probably wasn't the worst. Just being there man, it was just terrible. I hated it. Matt Serra loved it; he thought it was great. He loved being away and not having to worry about anything. Me, I like to be free. I don't like the cooped up lifestyle. You can't go here, can't do this, can't have your phone, can't talk to these people, can't drive a car. I like freedom. I definitely don't want to go to jail. I'm going to pay my taxes (laughs). I hope I won't go at least.

Ben Zeidler: How much was your freedom limited on the set?

Travis Lutter: There are no books, there's no TV, there are no magazines, there's not radio, there's no anything. You do get the Bible if you brought one, so you can read that if you want to read that. But there was nothing to read, nothing to look at, and nothing to do. You can play pool. Some people love to play pool, some guys like to play chess, but I can only play so much of that stuff and then I'm bored. I want to go do something else. It was just difficult having nothing to do. It's amazing how long the day is.

Ben Zeidler: Can you talk a little about your background in fighting?

Travis Lutter: Well I grew up wrestling. I wrestled a little through college until I got kicked of off the team because of my grades, because I was partying too much (laughs). Then I started kickboxing and I saw the UFC. I just hated the idea that this little Royce Gracie could kick my ass. But he was out there beating bigger and better wrestlers then me. I said man I have to learn jiu-jitsu. I couldn't have this little Brazilian dude kicking my ass. So I decided to figure out how to learn it. I bought some tapes, and started training in Texas during spring break, and during summer break I visited Carlos Machado who's a cousin Royce Gracie and I learned from him.

Ben Zeidler: How'd you get the nickname "The Serial Killer"?

Travis Lutter: (laughs) Well, it really hasn't stuck too well. On the show, Patrick Cote was drawing (pictures of) everybody. You would come down there in the morning with a cartoon of you on the fridge. The one that he put on there was me, which was my cartoon face with a grim reaper and red blood on it, and he wrote below "The Serial Killer". It was because I didn't talk much. I think I kind of freaked him out because one day he came upstairs and he came into my room. And I was talking about how it was like jail and whatnot, but with the language difference he thought that I said I had been in jail and that I had hurt somebody. So the next day there was this rumor going around the house. Guys were coming up to me like "Travis, were you in jail? Did you kill somebody?" I was like no why do you say that? They were like "Well, Patrick said that you were talking about it yesterday." And we kind of slowly figured it out that it was the language barrier. He thought I was saying one thing, but I was just rambling on about the freakin' house, and cussing a lot. I think it was the first time that I had talked to him. I just happened to walk into the room and was pissed off at that moment. I was just rambling on about having to be stuck in that house. Venting would be a good word, I guess. So that's how I got the serial killer nickname. All of the guys on the show like it. But I teach jiu-jitsu, and a lot of the parents of the kids’ class that I don't teach didn't like it. (The kids) look up to me and the parents didn't like the serial killer nickname, so I got some phone calls and emails about it. It really didn't sit too well (laughs).

Ben Zeidler: Can you tell us a little about your training center in Fort Worth?

Travis Lutter: It's pretty cool. I've got two gyms here in Fort Worth. We teach jiu-jitsu, we have a boxing instructor that comes in and works with the guys, I teach MMA and wrestling, and I think that we do a good job. We've got about 200 guys who are training between the two schools. We've got some up and coming guys that hang out in the gym, and it's pretty cool.

Ben Zeidler: Do you have anything to say to your fans?

Travis Lutter: I guess I still probably need to apologize for missing weight. It'll never happen again. And thanks to everybody who sends me the nice messages and telling me to keep moving forward, and I'll be back.

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Ken Shamrock Interview (Our Second)

Ben Zeidler recently chatted with legend Ken Shamrock about his own future in MMA, the future of his son, a potential match up with brother Frank, and of course…Dana White.

Ben Zeidler: What do you think of the IFL changing to a true camp format?

Ken Shamrock: I think that they tried to start out with one concept and it wasn’t working. No one could keep the teams together. We [Nevada Lions] were the only ones who could really do it. Since the guys don’t really train together all the time, they were going in different directions. Now, you can just pull the people in your camp who are ready and it’ll work out well.

Ben Zeidler: Can the IFL serve as a viable opposition to the UFC or should we not even be comparing the two organizations.

Ken Shamrock: They’re not even the same competition. The UFC has been there since the beginning and they’re a brand of individual fighting. Of course, it takes a team for an individual to get there, but saying that the IFL can or should compete with the UFC is very premature. The UFC is so strong because guys like me and Randy [Couture] and Royce [Gracie] built it into a strong brand.

Ben Zeidler: Recently, one of your biggest adversaries, Tito Ortiz, has been expressing the same displeasure you’ve exhibited regarding Dana White and how he handles his business. Why would Dana purposely cut off all of his “legends?”

Ken Shamrock: Everyone understands that he wants to be the show and if anyone threatens his popularity or strength, whether he’s right or wrong, Dana will go after them. He always says, verbatim, “I’m gonna bury him.” It’s this power thing for him and it’s gonna work for a while because myself, Chuck [Liddell], Tito [Ortiz], Randy [Couture] built this thing up. We gave Dana White the strength to do what he’s doing now but he’s hurting everything that we built. He can’t stop and just admit that this isn’t about him. It’s about the guys who went the distance with the UFC and kept them strong. Dana handles the UFC hall of fame and he inducted me. Even then, he had to be the center of attention. He needs to learn that it’s not about him. He calls fighters out. He calls managers out. Is Dana White a promoter or a fighter?

Ben Zeidler: Is it possible that Dana White is jealous of Tito’s success with The Apprentice and Punishment Athletics? Maybe Tito is becoming too big for Dana’s liking.

Ken Shamrock: Tito is not a “yes-man.” Dana White has a hard time people who have some edges and we all have them. We all know that being a fighter, you have to have some edges. One thing that I can say is that if you look down the history of the UFC and track and see what has happened with different guys, you’ll se a pattern. If you don’t follow Dana’s rules, he’ll pack up his toys and go home and he won’t let you play with his toys anymore. Somewhere along the line, as time goes on, the guys who built this will make him answer to his actions.

Ben Zeidler: I recently read that you’re in the best shape of your life. Can you talk a little bit about how you got there so late in your career?

Ken Shamrock: Unfortunately, I’ve gone through injuries stemming from my cutting weight. I blew my knee out and then that took some time to get that where it needed to be. Then my shoulder went out and I needed some things replaced. One after another plagued me during the last few years. I’m one of those guys who will not quit and I’ll keep fighting, which is important to me but I know it means even more to my fans. My injuries restricted what I like to do, which is grapple, and I haven’t been able to do that due to my serious injuries. I’ve fought through those and now I’m able to sit back and go, you know what? I’m back. I can go into training and grapple punch, kick, take down, throw in leg locks, and I don’t get tired or worse during training. I get better. It’s a good feeling, man, and it’s been four years since I felt this good. I need to get some matches under my belt now. I’ve got a fight on March 8th and I’m gonna put a hurting on him.

Ben Zeidler: Let’s talk about this fight. You’ll be fighting at Cage Rage 25 against Robert Berry. What do you know about this guy and what’s your game plan for the fight?

Ken Shamrock: He’s 11-7, 6’3”, 250 pounds. He doesn’t like to go past the first round and I respect that he doesn’t want it to go to a judge’s decision. I respect a guy like that. I’m looking forward to stepping in there. For four years, I’ve been struggling and it’s time. Knock on wood.

Ben Zeidler: I was gonna say. You better be careful during training.

Ken Shamrock: (Laughs) I know it, man. I’m gonna give it back to the fans. I know it’s been a hard time and it’s been very frustrating. But now, I can give it back.

Ben Zeidler: Your son, who is 1-0 in MMA competition, is also fighting at the event. What is more exciting, your comeback or your son’s first mainstream fight?

Ken Shamrock: Definitely my comeback, but when my son is on the same card, that’s great too. It’s never been done in MMA fighting. People ask me if I’m scared about his fighting. I don’t get scared, I know what the dangers are, I know what he faces, and I am comfortable with him going in. I know that he’s trained well and he’s trained properly and he’s in no more danger than in a school fight.

Ben Zeidler: He’s probably safer than he would be in a school fight. He’s got a referee, a cutman, and set rules.

Ken Shamrock: Exactly! He’s definitely safer.

Ben Zeidler: What pieces of wisdom have you passed along to your son?

Ken Shamrock: Well, you know, one thing that comes to mind is when we were traveling on a train going to an IFL championship fight. I like to take the train, it’s about a two day trip, and they have a whole restaurant on there and everything. Anyway, he was still doing culinary arts school and fighting never entered my mind for him. If he wanted to, I would support it, but they had never expressed any interest in fighting as a profession. I’ll let their minds float and they’ll do what they want to do. So he says “Dad, I want to talk to you about something.” I was really nervous, but then he goes “I want to put college on hold and try fighting.” For me, it was just…wow. I stepped back for a second and asked him where this came from. He told me that he had been training and it was something he wanted to do. I told him that it was great, but I made him promise me that if we put college on hold, you’re gonna go back. He told me that it sounded good and that he just wanted to be able to focus 100% on his first few fights.

Ben Zeidler: Would you ever support him signing with the UFC?

Ken Shamrock: You know, the UFC is something that I built with the help of other people. White has taken that away from me and it’s not his to take. I’m hoping that options will open up and my son will able to fighting there and take back the UFC. For now, I want to be able to control his opponents until the changes are made to the UFC where Royce [Gracie] and Randy [Couture] could have their kids fight and not have to worry about the politics.

Ben Zeidler: Yeah, if he went in now, theyd probably throw him to the sharks. First opponent: Sean Sherk.

Ken Shamrock: Dana White hasn’t always been that way. He really loved the sport and now he’s let some animal take over.

Ben Zeidler: I’ve read that a fight with Frank [Shamrock] could be in the works. Can you confirm that with us?

Ken Shamrock: Yes. I have already said that this is something that I want to happen. Frank made the challenge and I accepted it. Frank loves that hype and then finds a way to drop the fight. We have lots of difference and we don’t see eye to eye and that’s why we’re gonna fight.

Ben Zeidler: Brother vs. Brother. That should be a media circus.

Ken Shamrock: I’ve done lots of firsts in MMA. First with my son and then my brother.

Ben Zeidler: If you do fight Frank, what would your game plan be? Where do you have the edge?

Ken Shamrock: Mentally. I have beaten him down so many times mentally, he’s never gotten the best of me and he knows that. Frank won’t wait though – we’ll do this soon. He keeps doing this show with his countdown but the date keeps getting pushed back. I think it’s a countdown of me getting older.

Ben Zeidler: I think it’s a countdown until you’re on your deathbed.

Ken Shamrock: (Laughs) Yeah, that’s when he’ll want this fight.

Ben Zeidler: He’s getting older too, though.

Ken Shamrock: Yeah, but he’s still ten years younger!

Ben Zeidler: Okay, okay, anything to say to your fans that have been waiting for the old Ken to return?

Ken Shamrock: I appreciate all of the support through the ups and downs. The last few years have been so difficult and I know it’s been difficult for you guys. These next couple of years, hey Ben, I’m giving those years back.

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Dan Henderson Interview (Our Second)

With his UFC 82 showdown against the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world just a few short weeks away, Dan Henderson sat down with Ben Zeidler for their second interview in as many months.

Ben Zeidler: What made you consider the drop to 185?

Dan Henderson: Well, I was a little bit hesitant at first, but the more I thought about it and the more I talked to Dana, I realized how excited I was for this fight. Dana wanted me to drop down for a while too so it made sense. Anderson Silva is a big challenge for me and these are the kind of fights I like to take.

Ben Zeidler: Win or lose, do you think you would ever go back up to 205?

Dan Henderson: I'll be staying at 185 for a while but I definitely have plans to go back to 205 at some point in my career.

Ben Zeidler: The Rampage fight was a close one, and many still have you ranked #2 at 205. What would you do differently if you got another shot at that title?

Dan Henderson: I would definitely be a little more aggressive on my feet and on top. I definitely think I made some mistakes and I'm still making adjustments to fix what I did wrong and get used to the cage. I can tell you that I wouldn't lost to him again.

Ben Zeidler: What are some of the difficulties of the cage?

Dan Henderson: You just have to get used to it. You know, I tripped once or twice just because I'm just used to having some give with the ropes. With the ropes, you can't press your feet up against them when you're standing up. Little things make the difference in there. On the ground, I'm not to being able to use it walk up. So I'll work on that and I'll be fine by the time March 1st comes along.

Ben Zeidler: How do you see yourself matching up to Anderson Silva? Do you see him as a good match up for you?

Dan Henderson: Yeah, I think for sure that I'm a bad match up for him. His strength is his striking and he's technical, but he likes to get into that clinch which is another strength of his. But he's never fought anyone like me in that clinch and he won't be used to that.

Ben Zeidler: Are you saying that you WANT to be in Anderson Silva's clinch?

Dan Henderson: Yep, that's where I want to be. That's my home.

Ben Zeidler: How is your training going for the fight? What specifically are you working on?

Dan Henderson: Training is good. Nothing too special as far as training, Silva is a well rounded fighter. I want to work on my hands and keeping them going, but nothing too specific. I'm getting some southpaws in to spar with me, but that's about it.

Ben Zeidler: Many consider the MW division to be easier than the LHW. Do you see this as being true?

Dan Henderson: I don't necessarily believe it's an easier division. There are some studs out there and Silva is one of them. People expect it to be a walk in the park for but size doesn't matter. It all has to do with how technical you are and how good at fighting you are. Mental toughness is a big part of it too. Silva will be tough and he's proven that he can knock some guys out and beat some guys that a lot of people thought should have beaten him.

Ben Zeidler: Who do you see as the best guys at 185?

Dan Henderson: Well, there's...I dont know, there's quite a few and Silva has beat most of them already. I can't think of any right now.

Ben Zeidler: You left Team Quest a little while ago to open up your own place. How is new facility going?

Dan Henderson: Well actually, I'm still technically with Team Quest. Randy is the one who left. I opened up another Team Quest gym in California. We have a great training situation with lots of fighters and organized practices. We've got great strikers, great wrestlers, and great jiu-jitsu guys. Everyone contributes knowledge, we work on technique and it's just great. Matt and I still own Team Quest together and we're looking on opening more gyms soon.

Ben Zeidler: Well, you should think about the East Coast. I'm out of Philadelphia and all we have are second-rate Action Karate places.

Dan Henderson: (Laughs) All right then, I'll remember that.

Ben Zeidler: Any sponsors you'd like to thank? Do you have a website?

Dan Henderson: Team Quest at teamquestmma.com. I just started my clothing line, Clinch Gear so that's at clinch gear.com and danhenderson.com.

Ben Zeidler: Anything to say to your fans?

Dan Henderson: Hopefully I'll give you a great show on March 1st. Thanks for all the support.

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UFC 81 Results

Nogueira shocked Sylvia in a wild one and Mir came back to beat Lesnar in a wild night of submissions.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira def. Tim Sylvia via submission (guillotine choke) — Round 3, 1:28

Frank Mir def. Brock Lesnar via submission (knee bar) — Round 1, 1:30

Nate Marquardt def. Jeremy Horn via submission (guillotine choke) — Round 2, 1:37

Ricardo Almeida def. Rob Yundt via submission (guillotine choke) — Round 1, 1:08

Tyson Griffin def. Gleison Tibau via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Chris Lytle def. Kyle Bradley via KO (strikes) — Round 1, 0:33

Tim Boetsch def. David Heath via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 4:52

Marvin Eastman def. Terry Martin via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)

Rob Emerson def. Keita Nakamura via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)

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Liddell vs. Shogun

In an unexpected move, it was announced today that Chuck Liddell will be fighting Mauricio "Shogun" Rua this summer. This news means that neither of these two fighters will have their expected "easy" fights. This will be a great fight between two great brawlers. I can't even make a prediction on this one. Who knows what we'll see this summer. But I would love to hear your predictions. Who do you think will come out on top?

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Gomi Deal Falls Through, Signs With World Victory Road

Top Ranked Lightweight Takanori Gomi has reportedly signed with another organization (other than the UFC), despite being seen at many UFC live events and being slated for a match up with rising star Frankie Edgar.

The Japanese fighter who many have ranked #1 in the world has chosen to stay away from the likes of BJ Penn and Sean Sherk, at least for the time being. Gomi's motives are unknown as this time, but with his last loss to Nick Diaz, it's unlikely that Gomi would choose to put his legacy on the line against an ever-motivated BJ Penn.

Penn fans point to an early career victory by the Prodigy over the Fireball Kid as reason enough to suggest that it is BJ, not Takanori, who should be regarded as the #1 155 pounder in the world. IWF believes these fans to be correct, listing BJ as #1 and Gomi and #2.

Whatever the reason behind the decision, fans won't be enjoying a match up between the technical wizards any time soon.

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