Thanks to our Senior Writer, Jordan Arnold, we've got some excellent videos here. Look for UFC 79 videos as well as Fedor's win, after the jump.
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Hong Man Choi
Nate Mohr vs. Manny Gamburyan
Georges St. Pierre vs. Matt Hughes
Lyoto Machida vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Masakatu Funaki
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
UFC 79, M-1 Videos
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.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Manny Gamburyan Interview
Ben Zeidler recently caught up with TUF finalist Manny Gamburyan, who is looking to rebound from his disappointing injury and loss against Nate Diaz. Gamburyan, who has an upcoming fight at UFC 79 against Nate Mohr, discusses everything from his preparation for the fight, a potential rematch with Nate, and the possibility of taking on Sean Sherk.
MMA Madness: How’s your training going?
Manny Gamburyan: Training is going really well. I feel good.
MMA Madness: Your next fight is at UFC 79 against Nate Mohr. How do you think that you guys will match up?
Manny Gamburyan: I think it’s a great match up. Nate is a good guy and a good fighter. He’s got the experience in the UFC. He lost his first UFC fight with a leg lock but he won the last one so he’s got that. I’m preparing for what he can do so I should be good.
MMA Madness: How do you see the fight going? Do you look to finish or can that lead to sloppy mistakes?
Manny Gamburyan: I always try to finish. Always. You don’t want the fight to go to the judges. You never know what can happen with them. So yes, I will try to finish him as soon as I can.
MMA Madness: Are we going to see the same powerful and explosive Manny that we saw on TUF?
Manny Gamburyan: It’s going be a crazy pace. I’m going to be all over him, stand up, ground and pound, submission, I’ll be looking for it all. Anywhere the fight goes, I’ll be working fast.
MMA Madness: You've got a decision loss to Sean Sherk. Is that something you'd like to avenge?
Manny Gamburyan: Sure, why not? I’d love to fight him again. Hopefully, I’ll win on the 29th and then get a couple more fights under my belt, get a little more technical, and maybe I’ll get a shot. It would be a dream come true to take on Sean Sherk.
MMA Madness: Most people had you winning your fight against Diaz, and you dominated the fight until your shoulder injury. Do you want a rematch with Nate?
Manny Gamburyan: 100%. I want a rematch 100%. I guarantee you guys that I’ll continue right where I left off against Nate the first time. I was too confident in myself before the fight and I pushed the injury too hard during training. I had the injury during training but it wasn’t hurting too much and I never thought it would pop out like that. I had hurt it for the first time in 2001 and I’ve hurt it a few times since then. The Nate Diaz fight was the fourth time I hurt the shoulder. I promise you guys when I get that rematch, I’m going to show everyone that I was the real Ultimate Fighter.
MMA Madness: Your cousin, Karo Parisyan, has an upcoming fight at UFC 78. Have you trained with him for this fight? Do you think that he is ready?
Manny Gamburyan: We train every other day, we grapple, do a lot of technique. He’ll definitely be ready.
MMA Madness: He’s been letting too many fights go to a decision. You think he’ll finish this guy?
Manny Gamburyan: This guy (Chonan) is a wily kid so Karo has to stay active and that’s what I’ve been telling him. Go to the ground and try to submit him. I think Karo will submit him in the 2nd round.
MMA Madness: If he can win a strong finish, he might get a title shot after GSP gets his.
Manny Gamburyan: Yep, he’s definitely looking for the title.
MMA Madness: What was the best part of being on TUF?
Manny Gamburyan: Being with Pulver and Penn was definitely the best part. I respect both guys a lot. They’ve got different training but both are great guys. The house sucks. Don’t even go there. Being a part of it was a great experience and it’s great to get that much fight time in. You don’t talk to friends and parents you don’t know what anyone outside of the house is doing so you end up training all the time. You really have to be mentally strong to be on the show. You can never do it if you’re not.
MMA Madness: Cole told us he liked the house.
Manny Gamburyan: Really? I don’t think he was having a good time.
MMA Madness: Looking back, are you glad you were on Team Pulver?
Manny Gamburyan: Y’know, either way, I ended up in the gym. I’m happy I was with Pulver, we trained like animals. We had one day off a week and Pulver’s got tons of experience and heart. I’ve got lots of respect for the guy.
MMA Madness: Steroids have become a huge issue in MMA lately. Why are fighters taking them if they know that they'll probably get caught?
Manny Gamburyan: If I were Dana White, I would say I don’t care if you’re the freaking champion, don’t give them one chance, you’re off the UFC for the rest of your life. I should be like that all the time. If Sherk did it, he should be out, no more UFC for him. I don’t care if you’re Matt Hughes, Andrei Arlovski, or Tim Sylvia, if you do it, get out. Not even 1% chance you should be let back in. That’s the biggest cheating ever. You aren’t real if you cheat. I don’t respect you at all if you cheat.
MMA Madness: Who do you think will win the following fights and how will they do it?
MMA Madness: BJ Penn vs. Jens Pulver 3?
Manny Gamburyan: BJ Penn. Jens is too small for 155. He’s got great technical ability but BJ can stand up and has great Jiu Jitsu.
MMA Madness: Karo Parisyan vs. Ryo Chonan?
Manny Gamburyan: Parisyan in the second by submission or stoppage
MMA Madness: Manny Gamburyan vs. Nate Diaz 2?
Manny Gamburyan: I’ll submit him in the first round
MMA Madness: Sokoudjou vs. Machida?
Manny Gamburyan: Sokoudjou with a KO
MMA Madness: Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva?
Manny Gamburyan: This is the hardest fight to call and I’m not good at predictions, but I’ll say Liddell KO with a counter punch, first round.
MMA Madness: Any sponsors you’d like to thank?
Manny Gamburyan: Sprawl.
MMA Madness: Do you have anything to say to your fans?
Manny Gamburyan: Yes. I want to say don’t miss UFC 79. I’m back, it’s going to be great. I love my fans. Don’t forget about me.
(originally conducted for MMA Madness)
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