UFC TO
HOST BIGGEST SPORTING EVENT IN
RIO
THE
UFC
is holding its biggest event when it brings the show to the Joao
Havelange Stadium in Rio Janiero, Brazil.
The
main
event will be between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen and Vitor Belfort
and Wanderlei Silva.
It
will
be held on June 23 with tickets going on sale in May.
The
largest crowd ever is expected for the highly anticipated rematch
between
middleweight champion Anderson Silva and American contender Chael
Sonnen, a
grudge match two years in the making.
The
event also features a live
finale of
The Ultimate Fighter Brazil, the showdown between two
Brazilians and icons of
the sport – coaches Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva.
From
the beginning of the
negotiations for the UFC’s next event in the country, the
cities of Rio de
Janeiro and São Paulo both emerged as strong options to host
the event.
Engenhao,
home to football club Botafogo and future venue for the 2016
Olympics, has hosted many legendary sports and entertainment events
since its
opening in 2007. The event marks the first time for a UFC
event in a
soccer stadium and the organization expects a record
audience.
The
mark
to beat is UFC 129, held in April of 2011 at Rogers Centre in Canada,
which had
a record attendance of 55,000 fans.
UFC
President Dana White said: "This
will be the biggest sporting event of the
year.
"Bigger
than the
NFL, the NBA, you name it
- UFC 147 will be the biggest. The whole world wants to see
this fight
between Silva and Sonnen. We are broadcast in over 150
countries in 22
languages in half a billion homes. Wherever those fans
are, they are going to be watching this
fight."
The
rivalry between Anderson
Silva (29-4-0) and Chael
Sonnen (28-11-1) has
produced the biggest grudge match in UFC
history.
The
two bitter rivals first faced each other in
August of 2010
at UFC 117 in Oakland, California.
The
battle featured arguably the
biggest
come-from-behind win ever; as Silva, who was being dominated from the
beginning
of the fight, submitted his American rival with a triangle choke in the
last
round. It was the seventh of nine title defenses for the Brazilian
champion.
In
what has been one of the long-awaited rematches in UFC history,
Brazilian fans will also get a chance to witness Vitor
Belfort (21-9-0) and Wanderlei
Silva (34-11-1) square
off in the Octagon.
In
their first
meeting in 1998 in São Paulo, Belfort knocked out Silva 44
seconds into their
fight. Since then, MMA fans have eagerly waited for over 10 years to
witness
the rematch between two legends of the sport.
Belfort
is
coming off of a
win over American fighter Anthony Johnson in UFC Rio (UFC 142), while
Wanderlei
dramatically knocked out opponent Cung Le at UFC 139.
More
information regarding on-sale dates for UFC147 and the fight
card will be announced next month.
****************
MMA INSTRUCTOR FOUND DEAD
IN BED
By
Martial News Reporter
THE
MMA world
is in mourning after one of its most renowned trainers was found dead
in his sleep.
Canadian
Shawn Tompkins was the head trainer at Adrenaline Training and Fitness
Center, London, Ontario, and also a coach at the TapouT Training Center
in Las Vegas.
He
had
trained MMA fighters such as Mark Hominick and veteran Sam Stout as
well a many up-and-coming fighters.
He
had been
an assistant coach in Bas Rutten's now defunckt International Fight
League and had replaced Bas as head coach when Rutten concentrated on
commentary.
Tompkins,
37,
had also been a coach at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas.
He
and his
wife Emilie had returned to Canada to train Chris Horodecki when the
tragedy struck. Chris was training for his next fight on September 10th.
****************
BROCK LESNAR ON
THE MEND AFTER
SURGERY
By Darren Currah
BROCK Lesnar is recovering following surgery to his recurring intestine
problems.
UFC President Dana White revealed that he had talked to Brock's manager
who
told him that the heavyweight star is on the mend on his Canadian farm.
He has cut himself from the outside world - no phones - as he recovers
from
diverticulitis, a intestine condition which has seen him parts of his
guts cut
away.
Dana said: "I talked to his manager. You want to hear how fast this guy
is
recovering?
"He’s up on his farm in Canada.
He has a big farm in Canada
and he’s basically up there farming. He’s
completely
disconnected himself from
the world, no phones, no nothing. He’s not talking to
anybody."
Lesnar had surgery in May after he suffered a second out of the
condition. He
had 12 inches of his colon removed in the operation.
He had been due to have fought in UFC 131, Vancouver,
Canada,
against Junior dos Santos
for the contender
spot of the UFC Heavyweight Division. But then he suffered a flare up
of the
condition which had first floored him in 2009.
He bounced back and defeated Shane Carwin before losing his heavyweight
belt to
Cain Velasquez at UFC 121.
****************
FORMER
UFC AND PRIDE CHAMP REPORTEDLY ARRESTED
By
Martial
News Reporter
Pic by Charli Edwards Little RED Creative
A
FORMER UFC
and Pride fighter has
reportedly arrested for assaulting a cab driver.
Ricco
Rodriguez, the
ex-heavyweight champ of both fight units, was said to have been
arrested just
south of Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
It is
said he
also struggled and
resisted police officers when arrested.
His
run-in-with-law was first
reported by Phoenix Fox affiliate KSAZ.
He was
kept
in custody over the
weekend after the alleged assault which followed a dispute over the
taxi fare
of $75 (£45).
The
police
report said it took
three officer to subdue the 6ft 4" Rodriguez, who last fought in BAMMA
5,
the MENS Arena, Manchester,
in February.
He
faced
James Sweeney who was in
the Ultimate Fighter season 10. Rodriguez won with an
unanimous decision.
The
Ultimate
Fighter” Season 10
cast member James McSweeney Feb. 26 at BAMMA 5
Police
Sergeant Steve Mortos
told Fox 10 Phoenix. that Rodriguez was: "was
struggling with
the officers, flailing his arms...".
He indicated that the fighter resisted arrest because they wanted to
handcuff
him from behind - which is strict police policy.
Rodriguez
has a
pro-fight card of 46 wins and 11 loses.
His
big time
career took off after
winning three Pride bouts before moving on to the UFC, there he won his
first
five bouts. He took the heavyweight title off Randy Couture in
September 2002.
**************
HAMALL HOPES TO
INSPIRE DEAF CHILDREN
By
Phil Doherty
DEAF fighter Matt Hamill hopes his life story - being made into a movie
- will
inspire deaf children to believe in their dreams.
He said, in an interview his UFC 130 fight on Saturday, May 26th, that
if the
story helped one child to believe in themselves it worth more than any
win
inside the Octagon.
His prayer came true when he met Christian Buserini, 12, of Las Vegas
who told him he was his hero.
Christian - then eight-years-old - first became a fan after the
"Hammer's" appearance on The Ultimate Fighter TV show. He has
followed Hamill ever since.
The boy said: "Matt is my hero. He showed that you can do whatever you
want if you work hard. He was a wrestler, three time NCAA champion, and
I’m a
wrestler too now. Just like Matt.
Hamill said: "I am so proud and humbled to have inspired another deaf
kid
to go into sport.
"As a kid I didn't have too much confidence but wrestling gave me
confidence.
"Christian said I was his favorite fighter and say I'm going to beat
Rampage Jackson at UFC 130. He'll be there to support me and I hope I
can
inspire him by beating a legend in Rampage."
Chrstian's father Buzz Buserini said: "Christian just kept signing to
me
‘I love Matt’ and Matt and his camp were so great
with him.
"Just a couple of days before the biggest fight of his life, Matt spent
an
hour talking to Christian.
"He started wrestling because he knew Matt wrestled in school and now
with
Matt giving him some pointers he's more confident than ever.
"I don't know how I am going to get him to bed for the next week or so,
it
is like he's just met and become friends with Elvis."
**************
STRIKEFORCE
DRUG TESTING
By Martial News Reporter
STRIKEFORCE
will be using a strict anti-drug policy in its forthcoming World Grand
Prix
heavyweight event.
The
fighters will be screened throughout the multi-date tournament for
street
drugs, enhancers and masking substances.
According
to ESPN, Strikeforce's CEO Scott Coker sad those states which have
string anti-drug policies such as New Jersey will conduct the tests,
while in
other states the company will supplement the
examinations with their own testing.
The
fight
unit is holding two events in New Jersey.
Where there is little
testing
done at the moment abroad, such as Japan,
the company will conduct the tests itself.
The drive to clean up MMA
stems
from the match between Fedor Emelianenko and
Josh Barnett in Affliction's show in California.
The California State
Athletic
Commission test on Barnett came back positive for
anabolic steroids leading to the fight in 2009 between Fedor and
Barnett being
stopped.
This then saw Affliction
Entertainment collapse as a MMA fight promotions unit
and an ongoing lawsuit between the parties involved.
Emelianenko's manager
Vadim
Finkelstein has since spoken out in favour of
compulsory drug testing. Fedor will meet Barnett and Antonio Silva in
the
opening rounds. With both opponents have tested positive in the past,
Fedor's
team want to ensure there is no advantage to his opponents.
Finkelstein said: "Our
organisation paid a heavy price after the
cancellation of the fight between Josh Barnett and Fedor,"
"We
did a lot
of promotion for this fight, which in the end did not take
place. That's why as a promoter and manager, I don't want this to
happen ever
again."
"Fedor is not using any
kind of
substance to enhance his performance, and will be ready for any kind of
testing," Finkelstein said.
Barnett
has
said he will "oblige and cooperate" with any drug testing
if that is what Fedor wants.
The
ongoing
tournament will conclude in the autumn of this year.
|
Sofia Hassen's
SOFIA:
Welcome to the Fighters Hall of Fame. Every month I'll be interviewing
one of
the top fighters in the worlds of MMA, K-1, Kickboxing and Muay Thai
and other
Combat Sports.
This
month I've interviewed Darren Towler who is top fighter from the North
East of England. He is next fighting at UCMMA on Oct 6th.
GYM: Machine Team, Team Sure Grip and
Spartan Performance
MARITAL STATUS: Single
LOCAL AREA: Newcastle and Essex
JOB: MMA fighter and personal trainer
Pro fights: 8 wins 6 losses 0 draws
Semi pro: never fought as a semi-pro
SOFIA: Hello Darren, thank you for doing this
interview...
Darren: Thank you for asking...
SH: Can you tell the readers how you became an MMA fighter?
DT: Never fought at semi
pro I just went straight in deep end ha ha ha. I got into MMA through
Ian
"The Machine" Freeman. I just popped into his gym one day as my
friend had started training there. So I started training and enjoyed it
and
stuck at it. I never went in with any thought about fighting just to
train.

SH:
What is your normal daily training?
DT: My
normal training when not preparing for a fight is normally some
strength and
conditioning during day then some weights then MMA class on a
night.
SH:
What do you do to prepare for fight?
DT: My
training steps up when am training for a fight its just all about
living in the
gym and my other life gets put on hold. I split my training between
Machine MMA
and Team Sure Grip. I also step up my strength and conditioning
training at
Spartan Performance as well as squeezing in cardio circuits and
running. The
hardest part of getting ready for a fight would be sticking to the diet
for me.
SH:
Can you tell the
readers about your first few fights?
DT: My first mma fight was
on a North East show called Strike and Submit. I had only been training
a few
months and I won with a TKO first round. I found it a scary experience
as its
not easy stepping into that cage, but the feeling you get when you walk
out a
winner can't be beat and is well worth it. My next fight I lost to a
TKO
although the fighter I was against was a tough fighter I lost control
and
nerves got the better all my training went out the window.
SH: What was your most
memorable fight?
DT: My most memorable
fight would have to be UCMMA against Ben Smith for heavyweight
title.
SH:
What was your worst fight you remember?
DT: I
haven't really got one worst fight - I hate watching all my early
losses
because I made so many mistakes in there through nerves and pressure.
It took
me a while to learn to control it and myself in the cage, but I learnt
from
those early losses and became a better fighter calmer fighter.
SH: What would you do
differently if you had your time again?
DT: If
I could do it all again I'd have a few semi-pro fights before jumping
straight
into pro so I could get some experience fighting in front of crowds and
to
learn how to stay calm and think in the cage when under preasure and
how to
control my nerves which was always a major reason to my loses I
feel. Iv
never done any other proper training other then when I started
mma.

SH:
Who do you respect the most? And who is your hero?
DT: Personally I respect every MMA fighter no
matter what level as I
know first hand what it takes to walk into that cage and face your
opponent and
the crowd.
SH:
What does the future hold for Darren?
DT: What
does the future hold? My main aim is to fight to keep the three titles
I hold,
keep training and learning and make my coaches, team mates, family,
friends,
girlfriend and supporters proud and of course keep winning too...
SH: Thank you Darren for doing the interview
DT: Thank you Sofi...

SOFIA:
Welcome to the Fighters Hall of Fame. Every month I'll be interviewing
one of
the top fighters in the worlds of MMA, K-1, Kickboxing and Muay Thai
and other
Combat Sports.
This
month I've interviewed Micky Burns who is top fighter from the North
East of England.
He is
well-known as a tough fighter and is trained by one of the top
full-time gyms in the region the Advanced Fighting Centre under
the eye of John Atkin...
GYM: Advanced Fighting Centre, Newcastle
MARITAL STATUS:
LOCAL AREA:
JOB: Warehouseman
and Guillotine operator
Pro fights: 7 wins 4 losses 0 draws
Semi pro 1 wins 1 loss 0 draws
SOFI Hassen: Hello Micky, can we start when you
started training?
Micky
Burns: Hi
Sofi, well I started training back in 2001 when I was 23-years-old
which was in amateur boxing at Blyth Amateur Boxing gym. I boxed there
for four years and in that time won the North East novice championship
and also the county novice championships.
SH: How did you get
involved with mixed martial arts?
MB: In 2005 I
sustained an injury to my nose which I had operations on
which stopped me from sparring and stuff so started to look for some
other form of training to add to my fitness and bag
work which I could still do. I was put in contact with John Atkin at
the AFC in Newcastle were I started to train in
grappling and BJJ then once my injury healed also started kickboxing
and MMA which I still love and train today.
SH:
What is your normal daily training?
MB: My normal
daily training
changes day to day but consists of running, boxing, circuit
training, grappling, wrestling, Thai boxing and weights I will usually
train one to two times a day, six days a week when preparing for
fights. Bearing mind I also work full time in between this but it's
worth every minute.

SH: What do you do to
prepare for fight?
MB: Preparing for
fights I've got to be strict with my diet and training also choose and
organise the right sparring
and people to train with to suit the kind of opponent I
am fighting.
SH: Can you tell the
readers about your first few fights?
MB: My very first
MMA semi-pro fight was against a good
boxer called Brian Muckles which I lost due to a cut to the eye and I
couldn't go. On my second fight I won by submission but
threw a lot of ground and pound but that was only allowed to the body
as it was semi-pro; some were very close to my opponent's head,
ha ha ha. After this fight John Atkin and I talked and decided it
was time to fight pro.

SH: What was your most memorable fight?
MB: My most
memorable fight was my last
fight which was on Supremecy FC at the Federation Brewery. I won this
fight and I am the current European Middleweight Champion.
SH: What was your worst
fight you remember?
MB: My worst
fight was a few years back were I also fought for a title and was
beaten very quickly under a minute so was a bit
disheartening. But hey I bounced back and started winning again - so
you win some you lose some and it's the coming back from a defeat which
means more to me.
SH:
What would you do differently if you had your time again?
MB: If I had my
time again I would of started martial arts a lot earlier because you
never seem to stop
learning. Just the martial arts that I have previously mentioned.
Infact I did do a little Judo when I was around six or seven-years-old
but stopped for what reason I can't remember.
SH: Who do you respect the most? And who is your hero?
MB: I respect John
Atkin as he is my main trainer and also my training
partners, but most of all I respect my partner and my son for putting
up with ups and downs through my fight camps. My hero in the MMA
world has got to be Wanderlie Silva because I love his
style of fighting.

SH: What does the future
hold for Mick?
MB: Well only the
future will tell but hopefully more
belts and bigger things and will be looking forward to
defending my European title sometime this year.
SH: Thank you Micky for
doing the interview
MB: Thank you
Sofi...
This
month I've interviewed Colin Fletcher who is renowned for his mad
as a hatter Freakshow persona...as you will see.
Colin
has just come back from an impressive win over Jason Ball in BAMMA 9.
Despite his wacky persona of the evil clown he is all business when in
the cage...
However,
be warned to expect the unexpected in this unique interview with the
craziest most scariest clown of the cage...
We
give you the one and only COLIN “FREAKSHOW” FLETCHER
GYM:
The Unity Gym,
The Fightpit and Spartans Gym
MARITAL STATUS: Married
LOCAL AREA: Washington, Sunderland
JOB: Circus clown and hobo
Pro fights: 8 wins, 1 losses, and no draws

Sofia
Hassen:
Hello Colin, can you tell me a bit about how you got into MMA?
Colin "Freakshow" Fletcher: I never really got
involved in
martial arts. If you mean rolling around with slippery men and trying
to kick
and punch them in the head, then pretty much the only way I could
afford
to buy a ticket to watch MMA was by playing my mouth organ at the train
station. But I put it down one day and a hungry chicken stole it, and
on the
same day Peter McQueen of MMA Total Combat told me he would give me
three
skittles to fight on his show so that's how I had my first fight at
Total
Combat.
SH: What is your normal daily training?
CF: I'll wake up early around 11.30 am and go for a three mile
backwards
jog then wrestle the shopping trolleys of at least six pensioners in
Asda. Then
at the end of the day I'll work on my stand up by throwing stones at
the kids
who hang around outside the local shop until they beat me up...
SH: What is your normal daily training?
CF: To prepare for a fight I'll normally starve
myself for three weeks
so that I'm really hungry this gives me the killer instinct I need to
fight
really hard.
SH:
Can you tell the readers about your first few fights?
CF: My first few fight were horrible I hardly did
any ground work so
this taught me a valuable lesson - 'If your gonna keep fighting you
need to
learn the wiggly ground stuff'.

SH:
What was your most memorable fight?
CF: My last fight with Jason Ball because it was last week and
that's about
as far back as I can remember...
SH: What was your worst fight you remember?
CF: My first semi-pro fight. Someone told me that I only threw two
left
hooks in the fight at the beginning of each round then got taken down
and
controlled for the rest of the fight...
SH: What would you do differently if you had your time again?
CF: I'd go to school and be a doctor...
SH:
Have you trained in other martial art?
CF: No just playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as a child with my
cousins.
SH: Who do you respect the most? And who is your hero?
CF: I think chuck Norris is my hero I'd love to be like him one
day also
his moustache is awesome...
SH: What does the future hold for Colin?
CF: I hope in the future I could master riding the unicycle I think
it
would improve my life drastically...
SH:
Thank for the interview…it’s been, erm weird
CF: Thanks a lot, I really
appreciate the compliment…

KASH
"THE
FLASH" GILL
GYM: Kash "The Flash"
Gym
MARITAL
STATUS:
LOCAL AREA: Edgbaston
JOB: Professional kickboxing instructor
Pro
fights: 84 wins, 15 losses, and one draw
Sofia
Hassen: HELLO Kash...Could
you tell the readers a little
about your background?
KASH: I am
a born and bred
brummie Birmingham.
I love the city and proud to boast about it. Birmingham
is famous for top reggae band UB40 and
has a
good mix of
people, and is a friendly city compared to London
which is a rush rush city.
I was brought up in inner city
Handsworth
which was predominately black and Asian but with a mix of other races
so I got
along nicely with all groups.
I lost my mother as a young
school
kid age nine with a big family of four brothers and one sister and a
father who
had to work long hours in the factory to support his family. So I
became
independent and a strong individual - it was not easy but lucky for me
I am
very strong minded - having a mother is very important in a child's
life as I
realise more now having three children, I was always a bit of a loner
when I
lost my mother so determination was always my key asset.

SH:
How did you get involved with kickboxing?
KG: In
1980 Howard Brown and Godfrey Butler
were doing a demo in my
local park in Handsworth and I really was a boxing fan, but the use of
hands
and feet really appealed to me, so the following week a class was set
up at the
local leisure centre and I began training. I never stopped and really
enjoyed
training and learning from Howard Brown, Godfrey Butler and
Edge
Brown. I
loved learning the art of Thai and kickboxing with three great
experienced guys
who coached me when I left school at age 16. I trained near enough
everyday at
the full time gym in Birmingham.
The gym had 1 -2 punch bags so a lot of the time it was footwork. Some
days near
enough 15 x 3 minute rounds. These guys were all great fighters in
boxing and
kickboxing, so sparring was fast and furious and I often went home with
bust
lips and sore kidneys.
I trained with Howard on classes
and after
four years got my black belt at 18-years-old and helped Howard run his
gym and
help with coaching.
So I was basically brought up in the
gym and
became a coach and have taught a lot of the Birmingham
coaches very early on.

(Caption):
Kash now trains
youngsters and helps keep them on the path...
SH:
What was your normal training?
KG: I am
6ft 3 so for my
weight
division was a bit of a freak, yeah very rare... My
training was
immense
with long runs sometimes 10 miles in the morning and 10 miles in the
evening.
I trained three times a day, gym in morning for one hour
thirty
minutes,
after lunch for one hour then went coaching and finished with
a
long run.
Everyday was a tough one.
Being tall I trained to fight at
long
range but could also fight in close. My fight style was a do or die
style which
was explosive and exciting to watch, which you can see on Youtube. I
also have
the greatest comeback ever...
SH:
What
did you do
to prepare for fight?
KG:
My preparation for fights was always the Flash
way.
Normally it takes eight weeks to get to my peak fight condition. The
first two
weeks were long runs to help get my weight down and often do lots of
shadow
sparring for footwork and combinations, and heavy bag work - 12 rounds
of pad
work at a high intense pace - five days a week. Sparring was always
difficult
at later stage as I had to travel to pro boxing gyms. I never took a
day off
and was often dehydrated and felt dizzy, but never lost my power .
Today's
fighter is much better prepared, especially with sports science and
more advice
on diet etc...

(caption):
One of Kash's earlier fights - an elimination bout
SH:
Can you tell the readers about your first few fights?
KG:
I had
my first
fight in Birmingham
against a
Londoner who I stopped after about 30 seconds. It was a great feeling
and the
start of things to come. My second fight was an
international
with a
Yugoslavian fighter. I went the full five rounds - wow what a
experience - I
won on points.
It just shows the calibre I was at to go
into a
international bout in my second fight!
In my third fight,
when I
was still age 18, I went into the WAKO European championships. But I
was moved
up a weight to 75kg and was ko'd in my second fight at the
championships and
spent a week in hospital in Austria.
It was a bad experience but made me a better fighter in the
long
run. I am
the first UK
Asian world champion in a contact sport but never really realised that
till
recently when I started writing my biography. There weren't many Asian
kids
fighting then, but it has since spread now with boxing and
kickboxing
which is fantastic.

(Caption): Kash has had 100 kickboxing fights in his pro career
SH: What was
your most memorable fight?
KG: My
most memorable fight has got to be in 1991
in Birmingham
when I won the Light Middleweight World WKA title against tough
Australian
kickboxer Alex Tui.
It was the first time my family and
friends
came to watch me perform and I knocked Alex out in round six with a
right hand
bang on the chin.
I also had two great fights at the NEC
against
Mexican Ronnie Deleon for the super welterweight full contact WKA (full
contact) a fight which went 12 rds with 10 000 spectators.
And
also in 1995 I fought Tim Izli in a bout which was billed as a grudge
match
again 10 000 people came to watch. I knocked Tim out in 2 rounds.
SH:
What was your worst
fight you
remember?
KG: My
worst fight - damn I don't think I have been in a bad fight - but
in early 90's I fought a Thai Fighter on short notice called Humprhey
Harrison
but I was a bit over the weight and Harrison got me to skip for 45-50
minutes
in the changing room before he excepted the fight. Yes you've guessed
it I lost
with a KO in round two. That was a big mistake as I should've pulled
out.

(Caption)
Kash outside 10 Downing
Street...
SH:
What would you do
differently if you had your time again?
KG: If
I went back to the
beginning of my career I
would still train as hard but maybe make sure I was less dehydrated and
eat
more of a balanced diet to supplement training methods.
But
overall its been a great journey for me, going to Australia
four
times, Hawaii, South Africa
- some really great
places. I have always been a full time martial artist
and
on 26th
November I will be inducted into the Combat Hall of Fame for work and
commitment demonstrated to the development of martial arts, outstanding
character in chosen field of expertise, for committing a great deal of
time to
representing martial arts. Its
a great honour to be along
side
names such as-Enoeada, Suzuki, Choihung Hi, and Kanazawa.
SH:
Have
you trained
in other martial art?
KG:
I have never tried any other
martial arts. I've only
done Kickboxing and Thai Boxing with Master Toddy and Master
A. I also did Boxing for a short while. All
martial arts
have something to offer Karate, Kung Fu, Taekwondo etc...its all good
for each individual
choice. I respect them all.

(Caption):
Kash with boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard...
SH:
Who do you
respect the most? And who is your hero?
KG:
I started with Howard "The Hawk" Brown and we
remain very
good friends to this day.
And my biggest respect is to my
coaches
Howard Brown, Godfrey Butler and Edge Brown.
Later years I had no coach as money was not sufficient to pay coaches
so my
pals who I trained helped me with Pad work holding who were Levi Lovell
and Rob
James.
It was hard finding pad holders and sparring
partners big
down fall in my career. My hero is my dad also was my biggest fan but
sadly he
passed away two years after my retirement.
I also have my
boxing
hero's like Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, but my favourite all-time
great -
who was built like me - is Tommy Hearns who stands at 6ft 2" and 10
stone
12 pounds before he went up the weights.

(Caption):
Howard "The Hawk" Brown, who was one of Kash's coaches
SH:
What does the
future
hold for Kash?
KG:
I am eligible to become a master
with over 30 years
experience but hold 6th degree black belt in Kickboxing.
I
have
always been a professional in my eyes as I know nothing else - when I
left
school started teaching fighting - that's it no other profession.
My ambition was to become world champion and then give back to the
community
I've recently opened a full time gym which I am very proud of. I have
produced
four World champs and European and British.
The future is
Flash I
am currently setting up a charity "Kash 4 Kids" in the community and
want to continue helping and supporting the local youth.
I’m also
working on my biography "My Life In A Flash" with my writer Shirley
Thompson. The book has is a blow by blow account of my life growing up
in an
inner city, my journey into kickboxing and becoming a world
champ
and role
model for the kids. As well as written text it has pictures of my life
as well.
It comes out next year.
SH:
THank you for taking time out to talk to us...we appreciate it
KG:
Thank
you...
DAVE
"SPEEDY"
ELLIOTT

GYM: NEWCASTLE GRACIE BARRA
MARITAL
STATUS: Engaged to be married
LOCAL
AREA: North Shields,
North Tyneside
JOB:
Professional instructor
Pro
fights: MMA 14-9-0;
Kickboxing 23-5-1; BJJ record 60-8-0
Sofia Hassen: Let's
start from the beginning, what was the first martial art you ever did?
DE:
I
started off with traditonal Ju-jitsu and Kickboxing back in
1995
with a man
called Fred Singh.
SH: When
did you start doing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? How old were you when you
first
started?
DE:
In 2000 I
started BJJ with Marc Walder after attending a Royce Gracie
seminar. I Went down Essex to train with Marc Walder for a day and
decided this
was the sport I wanted to do full time.

(Caption):
Dave rolling with his
son Tyrone...
SH:
Was it hard or did you naturally pick it up?
DE:
I took to BJJ like a duck to water I found
it really easy to
pick up, I became addicted very very quickly and soon started training
seven
days a week, any spare time I had I spent on the mats just messing
around with
moves.
SH:
What inspired you to do martial arts?
DE:
I first started boxing as a child after being
bullied at school, as
I got older I naturally wanted to progress which meant trying other
stuff. I
wanted to train Ju-jitsu after watching UFC 2 and seeing how you didn't
always
have to use striking to win a fight. So when I looked around for a
Ju-jitsu
school that's when I come across Fred Singh at Westgate Hill
Primary
School
and that's
where the journey began.

(Caption):
BJJ legend Marc
Walder...
SH: Were
there any memorable teachers who helped you?
DE:
There are so
many people who have inspired me on my journey but I would have
to say the most inspirational teacher/coach has to be Marc Walder. He
always
had time for me if I had a question he would answer it, if I made any
mistakes
he would help me rectify them and he became a very close friend too.
SH: How
old were you when you first started competing? Did you enter any
competitions?
DE:
I started competing in
kickboxing when I was 23-years-old and then when I was
about 29-years-old I started competing in MMA I didn't do any semi-pro
or amateur
fights in MMA just went straight into pro and it was roughly that same
time
that I started competing in BJJ too.

(Caption):
Dave (left) with Marc
Walder (second left) after his black belt grading
SH:
What Grade are you now (belt) in what style/s?
DE:
I am a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and was
the first person in
the North East to ever gain this.
SH: When was your
first Cage/kickboxing pro fight?
DE:
My first kickboxing fight was 1994 and my first
MMA bout was about
2000 against Paul Jenkins who was tough as nails and hit bloody hard.
(Caption):
Dave Lee...
SH: What
was your most memorable fight and why? Who was it against, where and
when...did
they win?
DE:
My most
memorable fight would have to be my fight against Dave Lee, the
fight was made at 77kg on Cage Rage. I took the fight about two days
before the
fight. I remember weighing in at around 73kg and he was 77kg, which is
a lot bigger than
me. I was crapping myself as the guy looked huge compared to me. The
fight didn't
last very long, touched gloves, he threw a uppercut I double legged
him, mounted
then rolled into a triangle... fight over. The same guy ended
up
fighting in
the UFC a little bit after that fight.

(Caption):
Robbie Oliver
SH: What
was the worst fight you've had and why? Who was it against, where and
when...did they win?
DE:
My worst fight
was probably my fight against Robbie Oliver again on Cage
Rage in London.
This was the first fight I had fought at 65.8kg. I made weight (day
before
weigh in) and so did he. The fight started and we both traded punches,
kicks
and knees, and I thought it would be a bright idea to jump guard. I got
slammed
and ko'd for my troubles lol.
SH: Looking
back, would you have done anything differently?
DE:
Yeah definitely
I would loved to have taken it all more serious when I was
younger because you always look back and think what if? I wish I had
kept up
with my kickboxing as well as my BJJ because I was fighting at a really
high
level in kickboxing at the time.

(Caption):
Aturo Gatti - Dave
admires his fighting abilities
SH:
Who do you admire the most and why?
DE: My
biggest fighting hero is Arturo Gatti he
is a boxer who was
a throw back of the good old days of fighting. He had everything a
fighter
needs heart, desire, skill and power. Pound for pound he is one of the
best
fighters to ever live, whether it’s MMA, Boxing or any
contact
sport.
SH:
What is your biggest regret (if any) and why?
DE: My biggest regret is probably losing contact with friends.

(Caption):
Dave has a fearsome BJJ record...
SH: What’s
your fighting record?
DE:
My MMA record is 14-9-0. My kickboxing record is
23-5-1 and my BJJ
record is prob about 60-8-0 at a quick guess.
SH:
What are your ambitions for the future?
DE: Just
to
keep going from strength to strength with
my students and hopefully one day to produce my own black belt.

(Caption):
Dave with his fiancée
Ritu - who set up Knuckle Force
SH:
When did you start Knuckle Force and set up the website?
DE: I
didn't start Knuckle Force my
fiancée Ritu is the brains
behind the whole setup, from venues dates everything. The only thing I
do is
try and help out on the day and put some of my fighters forward to show
case
there skills, which is originally why the show was first started. All I
can say
is for someone who is not long been involved in the sport is doing a
far more
professional job than people who have been in the sport for a lot of
years. I
just wish everyone had her attitude in the sport then the sport would
come
along a lot better.
SH: Thank
you for this
interview Dave,
I've really enjoyed talking to you...
DE:
Thank you.
NEXT MONTH
SOFIA WILL BE INTERVIEWING THE LEGENDARY KASH "THE FLASH" GILL...
PETER
IRVING

GYM: IRON WOLVES TEAM
MARITAL
STATUS: Married
LOCAL
AREA:
West End, Newcastle Upon Tyne
JOB:
Professional fighter, Fighters
Only technique expert, MMA coach
Pro
fights: 15-7-1
Sofia Hassen: What
was the first martial
art you ever did and how old were you when you first started?
PI:
I started late, I didn't
discover Martial Arts until I was 21. I began with Traditional Japanese
Ju-Jitsu.
SH:
Where was
the dojo/gym situated and who did you train under?
PI:
The gym was in Eldon
Square
sports
centre, the club is still based there. My Sensei was Jamie Driscoll.
Jamie gave
me a job, when nobody else would have, and invited me to join his
classes. He
really changed the trajectory of my life drastically for the better. I
owe him
a lot, and I'll probably never repay him, but that's not really how
these
things work. He doesn't need any help from me, so you pass it on to the
next
person who does and try to exert the same positive influence for them.

(Caption):
Peter is a determined fighter who is feared on the circuit
PI: How old were you
when you
entered your first competition?
SH:
I never competed at anything
before fighting MMA, which I wouldn't advise. My first Jiu-Jitsu
tournament
experiences were at the Advanced Fighting Centre on High Bridge
Street, Newcastle.
John Atkin,
the gym owner, used to run a gi tournament in
the gym before Xmas breaks, I was so happy to win that tournament! It
seems
funny really, having fought in the Mundials, having fought
international MMA in
big arenas, but at the time it was so significant.
SH: What
grade are you now
(belt) in what
style/s?
PI: I
recently received the Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from World
Champion Leo Negao, and I have brown belt in Chinese Boxing from Sifu
Alan Orr.
I never graded in Judo and the rest of the arts I've studied,
wrestling, Muay
Thai, boxing, don't have belt structures.

(Caption):
Peter Irving has fought in both the ring and cage...
SH: When
was your first
Cage/kickboxing
pro fight?
PI: My
first ever MMA fight was
in 2003, on Peter McQueen's show in County Durham.
It
was before it
was known as Total Combat, it was called Goshin Ryu Fighting
Championships. It
was in a working men's club, and you had to fight your way through the
crowd to
get into the ring. It was long before the smoking ban, so thick clouds
of smoke
hung above the crowd, just about perfectly at head height when standing
in the
ring.
I'd never been in a boxing ring
before, and I was terrified I'd trip on the ropes and make a fool of
myself. I
spent the whole warm up watching to see how other people got in the
ring. I
really didn’t have a clue what I was doing, I just wanted to
fight.
SH: When
did you turn
professional?
PI: I
think it was later in 2003
on Cagewarriors 3 or 4. I fought Graeme Conolly, one of the original
Dinky
Ninjas. I figured I'd be all right, fighting a Scotsman in Portsmouth,
neutral crowd right? Turns out
Graeme was Navy boxing champion, I wasn't that popular.

(Caption):
Peter at the office...
SH: What
was your most memorable fight and why?
Who was it against, where and when...did they win?
PI: It's
hard to say, I've had so
many fights now, all with different pressures and different rewards. My
friend
Hywel Teague produced a beautiful book for me recently, a collection of
photographs from a bunch of my bouts dating back to 2005. I was really
more
struck by seeing the people with me in the pictures than myself in
combat. The
faces in the corner; the way people are united by success, and even
sometimes
failure.
I think my favourite fight ever
was against Reza "Mad Dog" Madadi. I don't know if it was significant
to anyone
else, probably not my greatest performance, but I just loved every
second of
the fight. We just went for it, smashed each other up. I just felt
satisfied
afterwards, it was a real fight. I won, which is great, but I've won
fights
that were unsatisfying, and lost fights I felt I deserved. So it's not
entirely
the point, even if it is the objective.

(Caption)
Former UFC fighter Jess Liaudin
SH: What
was the worst fight
you've had and why?
Who was it against, where and when...did they win?
PI: The
worst fight ever was my performance against Jess Liaudin for the 10th
Legion World title. Jess stopped me in the first. I got straight back
on the
horse and won a Muay Thai fight six weeks later. I picked up the
European title
on 10th Legion a few months later, but it wasn't enough. I disgraced
myself, I let down my people. You ask a lot of the people around you
when you
fight, to keep believing in you, on the promise that someday you will
make a
better life for them through fighting. I can live with my own failures
myself,
but I let down my wife, my family and close friends with that one.
That's hard
to live with. On the other hand, I could've won, and maybe nothing
would've
improved for us. You never really know with these things. It's sad to
say, but
banking everything on being the best fighter I could be was a terrible
mistake.
People say, "everybody loves a winner, but when you lose, you lose
alone". The
cliché makes a good point, but it's not quite true. The
hangers on don't lose
with you, but the ones that love you, and the ones that rely on you,
they lose
as badly as you do.

(Caption):
The author Joseph Conrad...who Peter admired for walking the talk
SH: Who do you
admire the most
and why?
PI: I
used to fixate on men who lived adventurously and heroically, who
committed feats of survival and endurance. Pete Tiarks introduced me to
the
author Joseph Conrad, who had lived the subjects he wrote about. A real
tough
guy. Hemmingway too. These kind of men I admired.
The more I think about it, the
older I get, I've started to think that’s not necessarily the
main measure of
what it is to be a real man. The courage to explore, to duel, to do
battle, can
be born out of a facet of vanity. These kind of lives are something
special,
certainly, the kind of life I tried to emulate, but self interested
nonetheless.
I'm starting to think self
sacrifice is perhaps the measure of a man. My grandfather lived in
dramatic
times, he rescued a wounded man under heavy machine gun fire during the
Normandy
invasion,
risking his life for a comrade. My father sacrificed his own interests
for his
family, worked everyday, provided for us and never prioritised himself
or asked
anything in return. Not dramatic or romantic, no pursuit of glory. I
think
that's a real working class man, putting your people first without
desire for
acclaim or fame. I'm working class, from Tyneside; my forebears were
shipbuilders and miners, men who lived out hard lives, facing dangers
for
little pay to make the rich man richer. They did it for their families,
because
they had to. I think it's the Northern way, and whatever I have
accomplished, I
haven't really done that yet. Being a champion is to be selfish and put
yourself first, and in that respect, ironically, it's terribly ignoble.

(Caption):
Peter Irving (Centre) with 10th Legion's Alan Orr (right)
SH: What is your
biggest regret
and why?
PI:
When I worked security in a
strip club I found somebody's wallet. I gave him back the wallet with
all the
money in it. He spent all the cash on the girls and on champagne. He
didn't
give me or the other doormen any of it. If I'd kept the money and
divided it
between my colleagues- guys with families, working second jobs at
nights to pay
the bills, sleeping four hours a night - it would've been more than our
whole
night’s wages. I analyzed the moral situation at great length
and realised what
I'd done was honest, but not the moral course of action. It was
disloyal. I
gave money back to a motherfucker to squander, when my friends needed
it. That
instance isn't really my biggest regret, but it illustrates what I've
done with
my life. Integrity and honour are actually subjective things, and if
I'd
applied them with greater flexibility I'd have been in a better
situation to
take care of the people that matter. If I could go back and choose a
different
path in life, if I could have a different nature, I would in an
instant. I
wouldn't get involved with MMA. But it's too late for me now, it's too
much a
part of who I am. When I have sons, I'll keep them away from this ugly
thing we
do.
SH: What’s
your Fighting Record?
PI: I
think I’m 15-7-1 in pro
MMA, 1 or 2 bouts are missing off my Sherdog record. I’ve had
some Muay Thai
and boxing fights too, and god only knows what my grappling record is
by now.
It’s a lot.

SH: What are your
ambitions for
the future?
PI: I'm
working hard on stand up right now, and I'm going to fight more K-1
rules and Muay Thai, so we’ll see how far I can get with
that. I've always
wanted to fight a Thai in Thailand,
hopefully that dream will be realised this year or next. Maybe a
bareknuckle
fight, a Muay Thai fight with hemp wraps or an old school Vale Tudo.
I'd like
that.
My main ambition is to learn
tattooing, and become a great tattoo artist. It's hard to fit
everything in
around fighting, to be committed to two loves, but it can be done. I
draw well,
but my tattoo technique needs tutoring. It's like Jiu-Jitsu, you can
teach
yourself to a certain level, but it's far better to have a good teacher.
SH:
Thank you
for this interview Peter, its been a real pleasure talking to you...
PI:
Thank you.

PETER
IS NEXT
FIGHTING AT THE 10TH LEGION'S LONDON SHOW...TO BUY TICKETS GO TO TICKETS
NEXT MONTH'S INTERVIEW IS WITH BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU ACE DAVID "SPEEDY"
ELLIOTT
ROB "ROBOCOP" MILLS
GYM: Newcastle Fight
Faktory
MARITAL
STATUS: Unmarried
LOCAL
AREA:
Forrest Hall, Newcastle Upon Tyne
JOB:
Policeman in North East
Pro
fights: 6
wins and 1 loss
SOFIA Hassen: Welcome Rob
to Cage
Fight Night's Fighter Hall of Fame...
Rob
Mills:
Thank you for interviewing me...
SH: What was the first
martial
art
you ever did and how old were you when you first started?
RM:
Started Karate
from the early age of
four in my local area. A few years later went into Ninjutsu to KungFu
and then
Thai Boxing.

(Caption):
Rob at the AB Combat
SH: Where was the dojo/gym
situated and who did you train under?
RM:
Although I trained at other
locations since I was four in my local area, the first gym I remember
the most
was training in a kickboxing course with John Dawson.
SH:
How old
were you when you entered your first competition?
RM: At
about 15-years-old I was already
competing in semi-contact sports. I did about sixteen or so fights with
Karate
then seven or eight fights with Kickboxing after that. Won a
pro-wrestling
match trophy as the Wu-Tan winner. The trophy is about a foot high. I
became
interested in wrestling, started watching a lot of pro-wrestlers and
UFC. The
fight included a lot of open hands and throws, my short legs made me
harder to
get down and I won it easily.

(Caption):
Bamma
SH: What Grade are you now
(belt)
in what style/s?
RM: Blue
belt in BJJ, black sash in Kung
Fu, Black Belt in Kickboxing under WKI and MKC. Currently the MMA Total
Combat
European Welterweight Champion.
SH:
When was
your first Cage/kickboxing pro fight?
RM: I
used to do full contact
tournaments at 16-years-old with a fake ID. I would be there fighting
ex-army
lads who thought I was at least 18-years-old. The fighting tournaments
back
then were less serious than they are now, for instance Thai Boxing is
struggling with everyone turning to the UFC. Smashed my wrist at MMA so
had to
go on a two-year break. When Peter Irving opened a grappling club I
joined and
did amateur fights after four months. Won my first fight then under
forty seconds.
Did five more semi contact fights after that and won them all under a
minute.

(Caption):
Rob vs Love
SH: When did you turn
professional?
RM: My
first MMA professional fight was
with Enzo Parente that I won in June 2007. An organisation called
Northern
Fight League was set up to help introduce different ground impact rules
and to
get fighters into professional fights. I went up to fight Alan Love in
what was
originally meant to be a semi professional fight with them but as
changed to a pro. This took place in December 2008 and I lost this
fight after
two rounds.

(Caption):
Rob vs Ryan Copland at Optimus...
SH: What was your most
memorable
fight and why? Who was it against, where and
when...did they win?
RM: The
most memorable fight was also my
easiest fight. It took place in Metro Radio Arena and came close to the
UFC
style championships. My fight was against Ryan Copland in 2010 at the
Optimus
Fighting Championship 1: The New Dawn.
SH:
What was
the worst fight you've had and why? Who was it against, where and
when...did they win?
RM: The
worst fight I had was my last
one with Leigh Cahoon in Manchester
for the BAMMA 5 event. It took place earlier this year on the 26th
February. A number of personal events like my brother in hospital meant
I
wasn't as prepared as I would have been for this fight, so consequently
I lost.
I want to fight Leigh again in the future.
(Caption): Rob vs Scott
Ward
SH: Who do you admire the
most
and why?
RM: I
admire people I work with like
Peter Irving, Craig Jones and Paul Cook for sheer determination in
their work.
Unlike some fighters who have had it easy with money, these guys have
worked
hard to be where they are today and I respect them for it.
SH:
What is
your biggest regret and why?
RM: My
biggest regret has to be that I
didn't get into fighting properly till an older age. I would've ideally
started
earlier and trained more.

(Caption):
Rob training with Michael "The Count" Bisping
SH:
What’s your Fighting Record?
RM:
So far I have 14 wins and 2 losses.
Professional fights include 6
wins and 1 loss. I also have 2 fights lined up for this year.
SH: What are your
fight ambitions for the future?
RM:
My ambitions include fighting Leigh
Cohoon again under better
circumstances. I'm also looking forward to defending my current
European title.
I want a UFC Card in the UK
too. I mentioned I would retire at the BAMMA 5 event earlier in the
year, but
with changes in my personal life I have decided I am just getting
started in my
fighting career.
SH:
Thank you
for this interview
Rob, its been a real pleasure talking to you...
RM:
Thank you.

Rob
"Robocop"
Mills
NEXT
MONTH
SOFIA WILL BE INTERVIEWING THE LEGENDARY PETER IRVING...
|

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