Newly-Middleweighted Mike Swick scrapped his way to a close decision against the dangerous Josh Burkman while Patrick Cote put a hurting on Drew McFedries.
Mike Swick vs. Josh Burkman (Swick by Unanimous Decision)
Patrick Cote vs. Drew McFedries (Cote by 1st round TKO)
Alvin Robinson vs. Nate Diaz (Diaz by 1st round Submission)
Michihiro Omigawa vs. Thiago Tavares (Tavares by Unanimous Decision)
Alberto Crane vs. Kurt Pellegrino (Pellegrino by 2nd round TKO)
Dennis Siver vs. Gray Maynard (Maynard by Unanimous Decision)
Jeremy Stephens vs. Cole Miller (Stephens by 2nd round TKO)
Joe Veres vs. Corey Hill (Hill by 2nd round TKO)
Justin Buchholz vs. Matt Wiman (Wiman by 1st round Submission)
Thursday, January 24, 2008
UFN 12 Quick Results
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Swick hopes to make “Quick” work of Burkman
Welterweights Mike Swick and Josh Burkman will be doing anything but lounging at The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas on Wednesday night. The two headline UFC Fight Night 12 and look to make a definitive statement live on national television. When The Ultimate Fighter alumni enter the Octagon, can Swick’s fast hands and submission prowess translate to his new division after a long lay off? Or will Burkman’s wrestling-centric game put him out of commission?
By Danny Acosta
170lbs. is a new frontier for Mike Swick. The Texas-born fighter began his career at his natural weight of 185lbs. before moving to 205lbs to star in season one of The Ultimate Fighter. Time in the UFC allowed for the California-based fighter to return to his natural weight, but a hard fought decision loss against massive middleweight Yushin Okami forced “Quick” to buy sauna gear and enter the fray of the UFC’s most challenger-laden division.
The drop to welterweight is not of Gleison Tibau proportions. It allows Swick to be a well-sized fighter in the weight class. With “Crazy” Bob Cook in Swick’s corner, the weight cut should not deplete his cardio, speed, and strength. However, Burkman’s wrestling base proves to be a direct challenge to those three elements of the game. Takedown after takedown can neutralize the American Kickbox Academy’s speed and push his cardio into uncomfortable territory. “The People’s Warrior” is one of the division’s larger fighters—strength is his weapon.
The Utahan has demonstrated improved stand-up in his recent outings, but still needs to bring the fight to the mat to avoid Swick’s fast hands that will most likely still be loaded in his welterweight debut. A ground fight tests Swick’s submission game, which proved to be slow on the draw against Yushin Okami. The Japanese fighter is not as aggressive as the former Team Quest fighter yet he still managed to deliver vicious ground and pound that could have stopped the fight justifiably. Burkman must work on the ground, preferably against the cage, to frustrate Swick. Again, size can be Swick’s downfall as Burkman is athletic as well.
However, Burkman has a tendency to slow down in the later stanzas of the fight, while Swick has stellar cardio and strong takedown defense. Stuffed takedowns can diminish Burkman’s cardio early in the fight. Swick’s explosive stand-up typically lacks knees in his combinations. Working to the body damaged Burkman in his split decision win over Forrest Petz. If Swick retains his aggression, elusive footwork, and mixes up his strikes—including knees and body punches— against a fighter that struggled to solve the puzzle of Karo Parisyan’s winging punches, a successful arrival to 170lbs. is likely.
The featured fight of the night is a lightweight clash between Thiago Tavares and Michihiro Omigawa. Tavares is a Murilo Bustamante disciple with a powerful, technical, tireless ground attack and crisp Muay Thai to match. A tightrope loss in his last fight to Tyson Griffin will see the Brazilian eager to finish against the Yoshido Dojo fighter. Omigawa fails to arrive at the high-end of competition. His judo is enough to bring Tavares to the ground, but not much else. Look for Tavares to pick up his third UFC win.
Middleweights Patrick Cote and Drew McFedries are going to unleash their hellacious fists on each other. The French-Canadian is past his pitter-patting in the Octagon after picking up wins that eluded him inside the walls of the Octagon, including a stunning knockout over over-sized 185-pounder Kendall Grove. His Team Sitydotong muay Thai is the right combination for his devastating hands. Expect the former TKO champion to fight from a distance and employ superior technique. However, McFedries is not the type of fighter to allow his opponents breathing room. He can handle technical strikers ala Martin Kampmann and has the dynamite to find the mark on Cote’s yet-to-be-conquered chin.
Mixing in takedowns and challenging the Miletich fighter on the ground is Cote’s best bet. He is scared of no one, but he is also a smart fighter. McFedries has proved dangerous standing and docile on the ground. Cote can match strikes, especially since McFedries has displayed his chin is not unflappable. A slugfest only favors McFedries—a fight, Cote.
The recent murder of Agnes McFedries-Kennedy is the deciding factor in this fight: can Drew McFedries rise up over tragedy or is the trauma—three weeks removed—too heavy? With Cote’s mind finally aligning with his talent, there is no room for McFedries to waver. Win or lose, McFedries showcases his warrior spirit for stepping into the Octagon.
The opening bout of the night is another lightweight clash between Nate Diaz and Alvin Robinson. The Ultimate Fighter 5 winner has excellent Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills under Cesar Gracie. The lanky fighter dominated the reality show before winning the finals due to a Manny Gamburyan injury. Submitting Junior Assuncao pits him against bulky wrestler Robinson, who holds a brown belt under UFC legend Royce Gracie.
“The Kid” struggled against Jorge Gurgel, being mounted at will. However, Diaz plays from his back. His wiry frame proves to be an advantage on the ground, but Robinson’s size poses new problems. Fortunately for Diaz, Robinson fails to utilize the cage effectively, so Diaz’s technical no-gi can lure Robinson into submission chains. In addition, Nate Diaz avoids punishment on the ground much like his older brother Nick Diaz. This is key against Robinson’s persistent punches.
The fight tips in favor of the Stockton, CA native when it comes to will. No one has broke Nate Diaz's will in a fight. Diaz’s precise boxing can break Robinson, who lacks composure under fire and the ability to fight out of a storm as Kenny Florian exposed. If Diaz employs the right gameplan, his top-flight training with Jake Shields and Gilbert Melendez makes the difference in this fight. “Cooking” a strong wrestler and jiu-jitsu fighter who prefers top position is a step toward a decision loss—the only way Robinson walks away with a victory.
UFC Fight Night 12 spotlights young talent across the gamut. For Mike Swick and Josh Burkman, a win over such stellar opposition makes a strong case for elevating their contender status. Since it is Swick’s 170lbs. debut and he is coming off a loss, a win is invaluable. For Burkman, it would be the biggest win of his career as he drops his high-profile fights. These headliners hope to be quick in victory although it’s going to be difficult to make the other dead.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Drew McFedries Interview
Irish Whip Fighting: How did you get started with the UFC?
McFedries: Really, I don’t know how I got in. I had been training at MFS [Miletich Fighting Systems] for years... I was just coming out of my battle with Crohn’s disease and I was helping Sam Hoger train for Rashad [Evans] at that point, and somehow I managed to get into pretty good shape. I had a local show which was for an extreme challenge or something. My manager said “Hey, you’re doing well, lets look for more fights.” I didn’t know he’d be looking into the UFC. I was doing fights for 600 bucks, you know? He says “I got a fight for you. The guy’s name is Allesio Sakara.” I was thinking “Why would he come to Iowa.” And that’s when he told me that it was for the UFC. I asked him if he was serious…I couldn’t believe it. Here’s the kicker: he called me 17 days out so I only got 14 or 15 days of training. [I] fought Sakara [and] won that fight and it was just a great experience. I’ve never had [a] thrill ride like that. I was lucky enough to train with guys who are really good and I was just helping guys get ready for fights but I got into such good shape and the UFC opportunity came up. When he told me I had that fight, I was only 195 so I just ate well and stayed under 205. In two weeks it really showed. I weighed in at 202 or 203 and it was great. I was eating at the weigh in!
IWF: What’s it like working with Pat Miletich?
McFedries: Yeah, it’s very interesting -- MMA is getting so big right now -- but when I started doing this it was in its bare bones stage. I would fight amateur fights -- two or three guys a night. They had tournaments back then and you didn’t know when your next fight was going to be. Back then, it was incredible to meet him [Miletich] and fall into a big syndicate. I didn’t realize how big it is, but it never dawned on me how big he is. He’s like a Michael Jordan of the sport and when I realized what I was getting involved with, I was like, wow this is huge and the knowledge base he has is incredible. We’re here in Iowa, and wrestling is real big so he has that down, his Jiu-Jitsu skills are great, he’s trained in Brazil and Asia. It’s crazy, we get these guys that are the hardcore Brazilians and Pat forgets that he knew things that they are showing him. You think you can out-strike him and you try and he takes you down and he gives you hell on the ground. Coming up with his own system, that’s his thing and he’s one of the first guys to train everything. Fighters think, “I’m a good striker, I’m gonna stick with that.” If you get outdone at what you’re good at, you’re gonna get hurt. I have my own spin off of some of the things he’s taught me. I love to be on top, ground-and-pound, and I like to box with them. I credit Pat for most of my stand-up. He trained the shit out of me for three years full time.
IWF: Talk to us about your big win over Jordan Radev. What did you do differently from the Martin Kampmann fight in order to prepare?
McFedries: I came off the Kampmann fight with a little sour taste in my mouth because I slapped him around and I won the stand-up fight. I saw him [Kampmann] three weeks ago and he said he didn’t remember me knocking him down. I blew my wad trying to KO him and that’s why I lost. I thought the ref would stand us up for sure. I did NOT want that to happen in the Radev fight so I really, really prepared my stand-up. I went overboard on punch output, business, [and] power -- I overdid it because if I do possibly get tired, I want my last shot to be a KO. We changed up some stuff last minute when we realized how short he was. With him being so short, the last thing I would do is take him down but we changed up my boxing for a short stance so my hands needed to be in the right place and it really paid off. The hook I hit him with it was a tight inside hook. But it was a hot shot. And we trained that shot all week. I threw it a little off balance but it was enough.
IWF: Would you ever want a rematch against Kampmann?
McFedries: I’ve never really looked back on any fight and said I want that fight again. I’ll do what I get paid [to do] but I’m not interested in the rematch. If for some reason I became a champ, I’d try to fulfill my losses but that’s [neither] here nor there.
IWF: Talk to us about the upcoming Patrick Cote fight. How are you preparing?
McFedries: I do what I have to do and I don’t really change anything. I don’t really care; I do my own thing. I’m a fighter that shows that. Some fighters say, “Oh, I want to end it in the second,” but not me. I’m gonna lay it out there in the first three minutes. People come to see a fight and I’ll give them a fight. I train hard and hopefully when I go out there and fight it shows I trained hard enough.
IWF: Where do you see yourself in five years?
McFedries: I actually have thought about it. If I can make it to 35, I would love to do MMA. I got two fights left on my contract, so I don’t know what Ill make of these next two fights. This is what I’ve been doing for 8 years, battling through diseases and infections and this is one constant and I don’t see why I couldn’t do it for five more years. Every guy’s dream is to have a title shot. I’m really hoping that if I beat Cote, they will give me a title shot. Other than that, I’d love to continue. Look at Evan Tanner. He just got re-signed. I know he’s been at Bodog and different places but he came back.
IWF: What would you call the biggest win of your career?
McFedries: I really don’t think I have one. I’ve had a lot of fights and most of my stuff was bar room stuff as a pro. I think I lost twice, to [Nate] Quarry and Kampmann. The other guys I fought didn’t make me compete for a win. I really believe that I could’ve beat Quarry if I was in better shape. Instead of certain fights, I’ll talk about training sessions and I go, “I can’t believe I did 8 rounds with Sylvia” and I can go all those rounds. At MFS, we got NFL guys, we got UFC guys, and when you got guys getting ready for fights and then you go to Sylvia, it’s like holy hell I can’t believe I made it through.
IWF: Who do you see as the top of the 185-pound division right now?
McFedries: Now that Rich is out of the picture, I know they resigned Tanner, so I think it will be him. I think they will build him up. He’s at a championship level all the time. I really can’t see anyone [else]. Anderson [Silva] is so good and most of the 185 [pounders] are run-of-the-mill. I kinda throw myself in that group. I think I have great stand-up. I wouldn’t be comfortable in the ring with Silva just because I don’t have the experience. But other than that, I could deal with it.
IWF: What about Dan Henderson?
McFedries: They’re making up these PRIDE guys to be the best thing around. I knew that Hendo could only beat Jackson with a good shot and a ground-and-pound -- that’s the only the way.
IWF: Can you talk about the steroid issue in MMA? Why are fighters taking them if they know they will get caught?
McFedries: The last thing I would ever do is something to get my sponsors to dump me or make my family think I’m a loser. I don’t know. There’s a lot of injury that goes on with the sport. These guys get torn ligaments or shoulders and they’re taking the chance that they might not get tested. Franca said that but the steroid he used was top of the line stuff. I really don’t know. The way MMA is set up, there’s not insurance or backing and these guys don’t have a choice but to fight. They will do whatever they have to do in order to win. They get to 30 years old and hit a rough spot, and don’t know if they can do it, and think they’ll wash it out. I really don’t know. A lot of these guys are feeding their family. I have heard that [if] you go win your fight, they hand you your check. Even if you get suspended, they don’t take your check.
IWF: Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva?
McFedries: That’s tough but I’m a bigger fan of Wanderlei. He’ll win by TKO. He’ll stand him up and beat him all over. That’s just his style. He’s the “Axe Murderer”, man!
IWF: Matt Hughes vs. Georges St. Pierre? You’ve got to be a big Hughes fan.
McFedries: Definitely a Hughes fan. I say Hughes by submission I don’t know what submission but it will be a submission. He’s a very driven individual, he got his eyes on Georges, and he’s gonna beat him. Matt knows he has to win this fight so he will lay it to GSP. If he wants to, he will find a way to get you down. If Matt wants it, he will submit him.
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