Bellator Welterweight Champion Ben Askren vs. Nick Thompson Superfight Headlines Bellator 40 from Newkirk, Oklahoma LIVE on MTV2

Newkirk, OK (April 8, 2011) — After an action-packed night of fights at Bellator 39, former wrestling Olympian and current Bellator Welterweight World Champion Ben “Funky” Askren will take on former UFC and Strikeforce veteran Nick “The Goat” Thompson in a non-title superfight this Saturday, April 9th at the First Council Casino in Newkirk, Okla. at Bellator 40, which airs LIVE on MTV2. 

“Ben hasn’t been in the cage since winning the Bellator title, and I can’t wait to see him back in action this Saturday LIVE on MTV2,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Nick comes in with a ton of experience, so this should be a great fight.”

While “Funky’s” title isn’t on the line, Askren (7-0) isn’t going to treat this matchup any different than his title fight last season against former Bellator Champion Lyman Good. With the experience “The Goat” brings to the cage, Askren knows not to take the veteran lightly.

“I come to fight every single time,” said Askren. “Whether you’re good or you’re bad, I still want to smash you, and it’s going to be the same thing when I fight Nick Thompson. It doesn’t matter what his record is, I’m going to be looking to kick his ass no matter what.”

Along with the Askren-Thompson superfight, Bellator 40 will see a Welterweight semifinal fight between Jay “The Thoroughbred” Hieron and fast-rising Brent Weedman for a coveted spot in the Bellator Welterweight Finals.  In a Season 4 Lightweight semifinal fight, undefeated All-American Michael Chandler will step into the cage with Lloyd “Cupcake” Woodard as both unbeaten fighters will be looking to keep their spotless record intact.

The full fight card for Bellator 40 can be located below:

MAIN CARD:

Welterweight Super Fight: Champ Ben Askren (7-0) vs. Nick Thompson (38-12-1)

Welterweight Semifinal Fight: Brent Weedman (19-5-1) vs. Jay Hieron (20-4)

Lightweight Semifinal Fight: Lloyd Woodard (11-0) vs. Michael Chandler (6-0)

UNDERCARD:

Local Feature Fight: Nate James (11-6-1) vs. Tyler Stinson (19-7)

Local Feature Fight: Josh Burns (5-3) vs. Eric Prindle (6-1)

Local Feature Fight: David Rickles (4-0) vs. Dylan Smith (7-1)

Local Feature Fight: Cody Carrillo (6-4) vs. Michael Osborn (2-3)

Local Feature Fight: Mike Winters (4-0) vs. Ryan Quinn (4-2)

Tickets for Bellator 40 are on sale now at the First Council Casino Box Office and Ticketmaster.  Ticketmaster customers may log onto ticketmaster.com; call Ticketmaster’s national toll free Charge by Phone number 1.800.745.3000; or visit any Ticketmaster outlet.  

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator

UFC 113: Kimbo Slice vs Matt Mitrione prediction

UFC 113 features a big clash between the internet phenomenon Kimbo Slice and his fellow TUF 10 cast member Matt Mitrione on May 8^th in a Heavyweight fight.

UFC 113 Lines

Kimbo Slice -115

Matt Mitrione -115

 

If you are sports gambling fan and don’t know much about these two let me tell you that neither of them are the real deal, yet.  Kimbo is trying to fit into the professional MMA fighters’ suit after being a You Tube celebrity beating wanna-be fighters on the streets.

While Matt Mitrione was a NFL player who is also currently trying to become a top-shelf heavyweight fighter.  But to be honest he is way far from that and at the age of 31 it’s unlikely that the UFC will recruit him.

The attempts by Kimbo to gain some respect in the industry have had mixed results.  He had big wins against the Tank Abbott and Ray Mercer, both old but still pretty good competitors. 

He also won with a late KO against James Thompson but had both mediocre performances against Houston Alexander and especially against the undersized Seth Petruzelli, who is a decent fighter, but a lot of MMA fans doubted he was good enough to beat Kimbo.

Kimbo owns a lot of weaknesses, including his ground game and his chin, but Mitrione might not be the ideal fighter to exploit them despite that he could present a challenge by mixing in kicks.  Slice has clearly more experience and at the end his bigger swings and power punches will make the difference in this fight.

Keep in mind Kimbo has a 4-1 record in Mixed Martial Arts with the only loss against Petruzelli plus a 1-0 record on UFC.  Matt Mitrione has a 1-0 MMA record and a 1-0 UFC record.

None of these two are the best fighters MMA has to offer but at the end at the day it should be a fun match to watch.

My pick: Bet Kimbo

– A.J. Riot

ThatMMAGuy interviews Seth Petruzelli

ThatMMAGuy got the chance to sit down with Seth “The Silverback” Petruzelli to talk about MMA and his career. Seth talks about what happened with the Ken Shamrock fight, why he was a dog at UFC 100, when he will be back in the UFC, where he will be fighting next and how he wants to break some personal news to us here at MMAPrime.tv.

Ryan Justason: What happened with the Ken Shamrock fight?

Seth Petruzelli: The Ken Shamrock fight was a cluster. I talked to the guy who was putting the card together. We talked about having the fight and then it got post-poned in March. The closer it got to March, nothing was happening as far as contracts and that sort of thing. I signed letters of intent. I talked to Shamrocks camp and they were all ready to go. They wanted to fight and the promoters said that the Mexican government supposedlywanted more money then was planned. They asked for like 6 figures more then they originally asked for and they [promoters] didn’t have the money so they had to suspend the fight indefinitely so it really sucks. I was training for 3 or 4 weeks prepping for the fight and put a lot of time and money into my trainers and that sort of thing. And to have it post-poned, it really sucks. That’s the thing about fighting, everybody asks “why aren’t you fighting?” And I say, I’m trying to fight more often but Strikeforce doesn’t want to sign me because of Showtime and the UFC wants me to have a couple more fights before they have me back. I just have to deal with the small organizations that are just not as organized.

RJ: Who wins? Kimbo Slice or Ken Shamrock?

Seth Petruzelli: Kimbo would have took out Shamrock. I think he would have put the pressure on him and knocked him out. A smart move for Ken would have been to shoot in early and throw a crazy leg-lock on him but I think Ken’s too stubborn and he would try to stand and trade. He would eventually get knocked out by Kimbo.

RJ: Before starting this interview, you said that you had been dealing with some personal issues with your wife. Did you want to tell us about that?

Seth Petruzelli: I’ve got personal problems and mental problems man. There were things that couldn’t be resolved. I’m currently going thru a divorce. I am now part of a statistic, the 51% of divorced people. I’m proud to say that I’m another statistic. We just had a difference of opinion as far as which way my career should go and what I should be doing. We also had arguments about owning a business together and that sort of thing. She wants me to stop fighting, I want to keep fighting. That was one of the main things. It was a mutual agreement to separate and get divorced and we’re both doing our own lives now. We’re both a lot happier. We are both being very civil with each other.

RJ: What happened with the Houston Alexander fight?

Seth Petruzelli: That was the next fight that was supposed to happen after Ken. After the Ken fight, I got so frustrated withdealing withthe smaller promotions that I started to talk to Monte Cox which is a great guy. Before I found Monte Cox, I was in talks to fight Houston Alexander. We agreed on a price and everything was all set. Then I talked to Monte, he informed me that as Alexanders manager, he doesn’t think it’s a good match for him [Houston]. But why not? I’ll stand and bang with him. He’s [Monte Cox] was like “yeah, I don’t think so.” Obviously I was going to shoot in and take him down (laughs), and ground and pound him because that’s his weakness. That’s exactly what I was going to do. So that fight fell thrubecause we both had the same manager in Monte. So whatever. It wasn’t as good of a fight as we thought so they found me a fight in England. So I’m fighting May 15th.

RJ: Who are you fighting?

Seth Petruzelli: I’m fighting Ryan White in their organization which is the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts [BAMMA]. I think it used to be Cage Rage and then they sold it to BAMMA or it changed into BAMMA but it’s a pretty big show in England and it’s live on Bravo TV. I’ll be following their stuff because it’s a really good organization and I really look forward to going over there and pounding out one of their best stars. That’s going to be May 15th in Birmingham, England on the BAMMA 3 fight card.

RJ: Why haven’t you signed with the UFC yet?

Seth Petruzelli: You should ask Joe Silva that question (laughs). Go on the Underground and twitter and ask him why he hasn’t signed me yet. Honestly right now, I think it’s a business decision because Kimbo is there and maybe they don’t want to bring in the only guy who has knocked him out, I guess. I think it would sell tickets and sell pay-per-views and that it would be good to have me in there. Let me have a fight and then a rematch to shut up the people who said it was a fluke or that sort of thing. But I’ve been talking to Joe Silva for the past couple of months about having me back and what not. You know, he’s always interested and they really just can’t fit me in right now. I think that as long as I keep winning fights, that I’ll be back there soon. If I keep winning, they can’t deny me, you know.

RJ: What was the method to your madness when you came out with Tom Lawlor as a dog on a leash?

Seth Petruzelli: (Laughs) I was a pretty dog. I don’t know man. Tom has these crazy ideas and I think I indulgethem and go with them. I mean, when it comes to me fighting, I don’t like that. I like to be more focused and tame because I can’t make that switch. When I’m not fighting, I’m a goofball and I mess around. Other people think I’m crazy like that but when it comes to fighting, I’ve got to shut that off. Tom just had this idea that he wanted to be a dog catcher because CB (Dollaway) was “The Doberman” and he wanted to have me on a leash to come out. I don’t care. I have a lot of pride but I like to goof on myself too. So what the hell? I thought it was funny and I think it came across pretty cool.

RJ: Can you tell us what happened in the Bob Sapp fight?

Seth Petruzelli: Well first of all, I got the call on a week and a half notice. Of course I will step up to any fight. Especially a fight like that where it’s an opportunity of a lifetime. So yeah why not? I’ll fight in Japan on a week and a half’snotice. I got out there and I thought I was winning the fight. With my karate style, I kind of back up a bit to throw my first punch and Bob Sapp was so much taller than me that I would have to teep like I did with Kimbo. I backed up and then he came in with his chin up. I just hurt him in the sweet spot of his chin and knocked him out. If it was MMA, that knock out would have been over for sure but it was a K-1 fight so they gave him a standing 8 count which was more like a standing 10-12 count for him. Then the very next exchange, I threw a couple of legs. He threw a left over my right and as I turned my head to get away from the punch, I got a spinner. I thought I tore my bicep because I threw it so hard and missed. Literally, I couldn’t feel my arm from the shoulder down. 10-15 seconds later, the feeling came back and I was fine to go but the ref said no, no, no, it’s over. I kind of felt pissed off about it and I was screaming. I was like “I’m fine.” “Let’s do this.” I definitely think they were saving Bob Sappbecause I knocked him down in like 30 seconds of the fight. They were just trying to save his ass. I talked to Bob Sapp a couple of months ago and he still said that he would give me a rematch. We’ll see what happens. I’ll fight him just for my own personal vendetta.

RJ: How are things going with your gym, The Jungle MMA and Fitness?

Seth Petruzelli: It’s going great man. Also with the why arn’t you fighting thing, I just opened up a gym in downtown Orlando and that takes some time (laughs). With everything going on there with the gym and the students in there, I’ve been busy. It just so happens that my fights fell thru and I’m at work as well as opening a gym in the process. Right now it’s been a year and a few months open. We’ve got a great group of guys training here like Tom Lawlor and other guys. We’ve got great instructors like Mike Lee and Robert Rios. We also have like 20 other fighters who train with us. The rest are a great group of guys that want to get into shape and into MMA. It’s all great. You can check it out at http://www.jungleorlando.com . It’s in downtown Orlando. It’s a great place for fitness, for MMA and for kickboxing. A little bit of everything.

RJ: Thanks for your time Seth. Are there any sponsors that you would like to thank?

Seth Petruzelli: Yeah. I’d like to tell people to check out http://www.silverbackseth.com and they can check me out on twitter and facebook thru there. Also check out http://www.smoothieking.com . We are going to have more sponsors as we get closer to my fight but those are my sponsors until then.

ThatMMAGuy would like to thank Seth Petruzelli for his time and would also like to wish him good luck in his next fight against Rick White.

Bellator 15 Weigh-in results

CHICAGO, Ill. (April 21, 2010) — On the eve of Bellator Fighting Championships’ much-anticipated show at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., all 16 fighters competing in tomorrow’s event participated in an official weigh-in earlier this evening.

Bellator 15 will be broadcast live in prime time nationwide on Thursday on FOX Sports Net and during special Bellator highlight shows this Saturday night on NBC, Telemundo and mun2.

The card’s Main Event (see attached photo) is a matchup in Bellator’s ongoing eight man-welterweight tournament featuring rising MMA superstar Dan Hornbuckle (19-3) and Tyler Stinson (16-5), the winner of Bellator’s recent open tryout in Kansas City.

The official results of the weigh-in are as follows:

 

Main Card:

 

Dan Hornbuckle (170 lbs.) versus Tyler Stinson (170 lbs.) – at 170 lbs.

 

Brett Cooper (169 lbs.) versus Steve Carl (169.5 lbs.) – at 170 lbs.

 

William Romero (145 lbs.) versus Patricio Pitbull (144.75) – at 145 lbs.

 

Jacob McClintock (170 lbs.) versus Ryan Thomas (167.5 lbs.) – at 170 lbs.

                                                                                     

 

Local Feature Fight Card:

 

Derrick Mehman (191.75) versus Dave Branch (189.5 lbs.) – at 190 lbs.

 

Matt Lee (170.25 lbs.) versus Ryan Quinn (169.75 lbs.) – at 185 lbs.

 

Dennis Olson (184.75 lbs.) versus Dan Cramer (184.25 lbs.) – at 185 lbs.

 

Brylan Van Artsdalen (143.75 lbs.) versus Rich de los Reyes (145 lbs.) – at 145 lbs.

 

 

About Bellator Fighting Championships:

Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company with offices in Los Angeles and Chicago.  Bellator’s founder/CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment professional with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes.  Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production, television production, fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations.

ThatMMAGuy interviews Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis

ThatMMAGuy got the chance to sit down with UFC star Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis. Phil talks about his experience in Abu Dhabi, whether or not he has a thing for UFC octagon ring girl Chandella Powell, what question you shouldn’t ask him and his thoughts on the Strikeforce brawl.

Ryan Justason: How did you get your nickname Mr. Wonderful?

Phil Davis: I got it a couple ways. I mostly got it because I had a cat named Mr. Wonderful and he ran away. I vowed a long time ago that Mr. Wonderful the cat, will be dedicated. So that’s why.

RJ: Being from Pennsylvania, was it a given that you would attend Penn State?

Phil Davis: Pretty much. Whenever your from central Pennsylvania, Penn States just the best option.

RJ: You had an impressive win over the previously undefeated Alexander Gustafsson. Can you tell us about that fight?

Phil Davis: Yeah, I mean he was undefeated for a reason. I think he’s really tough and has great hands. I think he’s gonna do very well in the UFC. I think he’s gonna rattle a couple of peoples noggins. He has good hands. I don’t think he got to show them against me as much as he would have liked to but I definitely think he has a lot of skills there.

RJ: I’ve seen tapes of you hitting the mits and you have good hands for someone who is primarily a wrestler. When are you going to show those hands?

Phil Davis: You know, I’m waiting. I’m waiting to debut them. Just like anything, you gotta tame the beast before you let them out of the cage.

RJ: What was it like fighting in Abu Dhabi?

Phil Davis: It was definitely different than fighting in Mandalay Bay. I don’t mean as far as how nice it was or anything like that. I mean, it was just that the culture was different, the fans were different. Man, I almost felt like a celebrity over there. People knew me! I was like what’s going on? How did people know my name?

RJ: How are things going with Chadella Powell

Phil Davis: (Laughs) I was actually making a joke. I was just having a little fun. I was actually avoiding my least favorite question about being a fighter and that’s “who do you want to fight next?” It’s kind of a stupid question if you ask me. I mean, you really don’t have a lot of choice on who you fight unless your a big name guy. So asking me who I’m fighting next or who I want to fight next is really nothing more than consiting controversy. It’s just something I don’t like. It’s just not me. So I took the easy way out and said I was going to fight Chandella Powell. There’s nothing to it other than a silly man telling a silly joke behind that.

RJ: Do you have a thing for Chandella Powell?

Phil Davis: I mean, she’s a good looking young lady but I think she’s fairly professional. I don’t think fighters are her thing.

RJ: What did you think about the Anderson Silva fight?

Phil Davis: It’s one of those things man. I like Anderson and that wasn’t his best performance. He has many more exciting fights in his career and I’m excited to see them. The first 2 rounds were crazy good. The first 2 rounds had me like jumping up and down cheering. I like Andersons style and I thought every chance he got to do his thing, the crowd cheered for him and every time Damian got close to Silva, everybody was cheering for him. I was just cheering for action. It was one of those things. Those guys are very skilled. If Damian Maia would have got a submission, I would have been cheering for him. If Anderson Silva got the knock out, I would have applauded for that. After a while I was like ok, I’m done cheering.

RJ: Did you see the Strikeforce brawl and if so, what did you think?

Phil Davis: Yeah. Yeah, I don’t even know what to say about that. Any fighting that goes in in MMA outside of the cage or ring, it’s just unfortunate and these things happen in every sport. It’s definitely not good for our sport.

RJ: What can we expect from Phil Davis in the future?

Phil Davis: You can expect all types of stuff. I mean, in the cage, in training and in interviews. What’s next for Phil Davis is I’m going to run that Rock and Roll marathon in San Diego to raise some money for breast cancer and for what I want to say St. Judes but it might be another childrens hospital.

ThatMMAGuy would like to thank Phil Davis for his time. Check out Phil as he runs for a great cause. You can check out all the information here http://san-diego.competitor.com/ .

Throwin’ Bombs UFC 113 Prediction Contest

ThatMMAGuy is holding a contest for one lucky ready to win a great MMA product in the Throwin’ Bombs stars and stripes shirt seen on the left. One lucky reader can win this shirt by submitting their predictions for UFC 113: Machida vs Rua. All you have to do is submit your predictions for the main card. We will be needing your prediction for the winner, round and method. For example: Lyoto Machida defeats Shogun Rua via TKO of round 3. There are 5 fights on the main card and eash fight will be on a point system of up to 3 points (winner, round and method). If fights end up going the distance then those fights will then be on a 2 point system (winner and decision). I will list the main card below and good luck!

Main Card:

Lightheavyweight Championship bout: Lyoto Machida vs Mauricio Rua

Welterweight bout: Josh Koscheck vs Paul Daley

Lightweight bout: Sam Stout vs Jeremy Stephens

Heavyweight bout: Kimbo Slice vs Matt Mitrione

Middleweight bout: Patrick Cote vs Alan Belcher

There you have them and once again, good luck! The winner will be announced the day after UFC 113. Also check out Throwin’ Bombs for great MMA gear! http://www.throwinbombs.com .

ThatMMAGuy interviews Rory MacDonald

ThatMMAGuy got the chance to sit down with Canadian UFC welterweight star Rory “The Waterboy” MacDonald. Rory talks about being one of the youngest fighters to compete in the UFC, his great Canadian camp and how he is going to make it into the top 10 welterweight rankings. Check out the scoop below.

Ryan Justason: You train with the great camp Toshido Mixed Martial Arts. What’s that experience like?

Rory MacDonald: I’ve been training there since I was 14 and I have a great coach in David Lea. I have a lot of great training partners and great friends. It’s a family who made me who I am today.

RJ: You are known as one of the youngest fighters to ever fight in the UFC. How accomplished does that make you feel?

Rory MacDonald: Oh it’s great you know. I’ve always wanted to be in the UFC at a young age. I’m not the youngest I don’t think, but my managed to get there at an early age and I worked really hard. It’s great because all that hard work paid off.

RJ: Your next fight is against Carlos Condit and for a while it wasn’t going to take place in your home Province of British Columbia. How happy where you to find out that UFC 115 would in fact be taking place in Vancouver?

Rory MacDonald: I’m stoked. It’s totally my hometown and I’ve lived there before so having my friends supporting me, it couldn’t be any better.

RJ: Many websites rank your opponent Carlos Condit as a top ten welterweight. Would it be fair to say that defeating Carlos would place you in the top 10 mix?

Rory MacDonald: I would think so , yes. It puts me right up there. It would definitely put my name out there.

RJ: What will be your game-plan for Carlos?

Rory MacDonald: Same as everything, just fight. I’m well rounded so just put it anywhere against anybody.

RJ: In the past, you have said that you would like to test yourself against Georges St. Pierre. Since then, you have trained with him. Would that keep you from fighting GSP in the future?

Rory MacDonald: No. I’ve become friends with Georges and I don’t think that fights ever going to happen. Georges and I discussed that and I don’t think that’s going to happen because we are friends.

RJ: Last but not least, what’s your favorite Canadian beer?

Rory MacDonald: Canadian beer? Kokanee.

ThatMMAGuy would like to thank Rory MacDonald and David Lea for their time. Everyone needs to watch Rory because he is going to make waves in the welterweight division. Thanks Rory.

ThatMMAGuy interviews Paul “The Gentleman” Bradley

ThatMMAGuy got the chance to sit down with TUF 7 alum and current Strikeforce welterweight contender Paul “The Gentleman” Bradley. Paul talks about his dismissal from The Ultimate Fighter, whether or not Rampage Jackson is truly a bad coach, how stressful it is to fight 5 months apart and his predictions for tonight’s Strikeforce Nashville event.

Ryan Justason: Other than fighting, you have another job. Can you tell us about your other job?

Paul Bradley: I actually after this last fight, I found another job because it was stressful and hard to get a fight paycheck. I just picked up a part-time work as a personal trainer at the LA Fitness in Roseville, MN.

RJ: So you prefer fighting?

Paul Bradley: Yeah definitely. I mean, that’s my number 1 priority and that’s why I’m only doing this whole personal training thing part-time. I have an awesome boss who hooks me up big time and he basically told me that I could make my own schedule. I haven’t missed a beat as far as training and I train just as much, if not more now. It’s a job that’s pretty sweet. Good gig.

RJ: You were on The Ultimate Fighter season 7 but had to leave due to unfortunate circumstances. Can you tell us about that experience?

Paul Bradley: You know, it was getting bad. I look back on it. When it first happened, I was pretty upset and angry but at the same time, I actually don’t think I was probably ready. I think I would have done well on the show but I was primarily a a wrestler and hadn’t trained much. Although I got kicked off for the whole skin funk and all that, it was kind of like a blessing in disguise. It gave me the chance to really start training full time and put my full effort [into it]. As I said, I think I could have done well on the show but at the same time, I don’t think I was ready for the UFC.

RJ: Is Rampage as bad a coach as everybody says he is?

Paul Bradley: I only had a short time on the show and with Rampage but he had a really good striking coach [Juanito Ibarra]. Overall, he didn’t really get to coach me so I can’t really say he was bad. If you do watch the show, you could say he’s not a good coach (laughs). Pretty much, you can go by what he says himself. I’m not sure that he’s a bad coach but Rampage pretty much puts it out there that he is so I guess so.

RJ: You are a 5 foot 9 middleweight. James Toney is also 5 foot 9. Do you think James Toney should fight at 185?

Paul Bradley: Actually, I don’t even fight at 185 anymore. I now fight at 170. My last fight, I fought at 185 but now I’m 170. As far as James Toney goes, I think he can be fine at 185, it’s just a matter of getting inside on guys. He’s been doing that [boxing] his whole life and getting in tight on people.

RJ: You last fought in February at the Strikeforce Challengers 6 event. What happened in that fight?

Paul Bradley: You know, I kind of got off my game-plan. He [Luke Rockhold] had said that he wanted me to stand-up and bang. I kind of fell more into his game-plan. That’s also why I fight at 170 because I don’t have to fight giants going around 6 foot 3, 6 foot 4. I kind of followed his game-plan and got into a striking match with him and I got caught right away. Although I thought I was recovered, I guess I never really recovered. I just didn’t recover and I got dropped with a knee to the body. I actually went down thinking I’ll just pull him in and I’ll keep a tight guard and recover. It is what it is. The ref was looking out for my safety even though I definitely would have liked the fight to go on longer.

RJ: Are you still signed with Strikeforce?

Paul Bradley:  Yeah. Right now they’re looking at June or July, more than likely July. To be honest, I’m not really happy with that. I mean, I kind of feel like I did them a favor by moving up to 185 and I feel like I should be able to fight sooner than 5 months in between fights. It is what it is and they actually allow me to take fights outside the organization with smaller venues. At the same time, I hate being inactive for 5 months. I mean, that’s just kind of ridiculous for me. You know, I’m not the UFC champ, I’m not the Strikeforce champ and I’m not defending my belt 3 times a year and making a huge pay-day like those guys. Hopefully I can figure something out sooner than later.

RJ: Gegard Mousasi or King Mo?

Paul Bradley: I’m going to say King Mo’s going to take out Mousasi.

RJ: Gilbert Melendez or Shinya Aoki?

Paul Bradley: That’s a tough one because Melendez is constantly getting better. I’m going to say Aoki just because of his leg locks. If Melendez can keep it standing, it’s actually going to work for Aoki because he can use the cage to get him down there. So I’m going to go with Aoki by leg lock.

RJ: Dan Henderson or Jake Shields?

Paul Bradley: I’m going to say Hendos too much for Shields. Shields can pull off the stop but Hendos just too heavy- handed. I think his striking is better with his heavy hands. It’s also going to be very hard for Shields to get the fight to the ground.

ThatMMAGuy would like to thank Paul Bradley for his time and we can’t wait to see him back in action. Paul would also like to to thank his manager Danny Knowles for all the help he has been to Pauls career.

ThatMMAGuy interviews the great Ryan Loco

ThatMMAGuy got the chance to sit down with a very popular face in MMA, the Ryan Loco. Other than being the girlfriend to Jason “Mayhem” Miller, Loco is also the star of “The Loco Life” which is featured on Heavy.com. In this interview, Loco talks about Loco Life, how Mayhem Miller has been “Hollywood” since he was 5 and what movies an aspiring MMA writer should watch before attempting to write. Check out the awesomeness below.

Ryan Justason: How did you get involved in MMA?

Ryan Loco: I’ve always been a fan of MMA ever since I was a little kid. I remember renting it. I think UFC 2, maybe UFC 1. I rented it with Russel Long. That’s right, the Russel Long when I was in elementaryschool. My buddy Evan Shoman was pencil drawing all the MMA fighters so what would happen was he would have to go deliver the drawings to the guys and he didn’t want to drive alone so he always asked me to tag along. So yeah you know, I don’t mind being the road dog and I loved to tag along and meet all these guys. I eventually became friends with a lot of them and started my love affair with Mayhem Miller. We just started making stupid videos and messing around and the rest is history.

RJ: Like Mayhem, you left Triumph United. What’s the story behind that?

Ryan Loco: Yeah you know, I left Triumph United in June. I’ve got nothing but good things to say about Triumph. I learned so much stuff being there and I met tones of great people. I just started to branch off and do my own thing and focus on myself. I just don’t think I could dedicate the time necessary towards Triumph. So rather than taking up space and collecting the paycheck that I didn’t really feel it was worth, I decided to do my own stuff. I have no problem with them and I wish them the best.

RJ: Many fans are accusing Mayhem Miller of being “Hollywood” since he became the host of MTV’s Bully Beatdown. Is that accurate?

Ryan Loco: I think Mayhem has been “Hollywood” ever since he was 5 years old and I mean that in the nicest, most flattering way possible. As far as going “Hollywood” in offence in regarding his fans, I think he’s one of the nicest in MMA. Always approachable, always accessible. I think if you go up to him, you will get a full experience. Your not just getting a little photo taken and that’s it. Your getting a hi-five, your getting jokes and your getting a good time. So I think a lot of people are getting this thing for Mayhem just because he’s out there and having fun. He’s doing what he loves to do and a lot of people get mad at that. Maybe it’s a form of jealousy. I don’t know for anyone else but he’s doing big things. I’ve always known that this is what he should be doing so I’m proud of him. I want him to take full advantage of the opportunities that come his way because he deserves it. That man was on Myspace grinding it when noone else was. He fully understand the marketing aspect. Props to him.

RJ: Why did you say that Brock Lesnar was the greatest thing to happen in MMA?

Ryan Loco: I being a little kid at heart, have always been a pro-wrestling fan. I still am. I really enjoy the villain aspect of having someone to root against. I think that having a “bad guy” in this sport is a good thing. It gives fans someone to cheer against so now what happens is instead of having 2 guys in the ring that everybody likes, you have a guy like Brock Lesnarwho automatically everybody hates. So now you have a bunch of new fans tuning in. No necessarily because they want the other guy to win but because they want to see Brock Lesnar lose so badly. In this sport, it’s good to have personality. It’s good to have a villain and someone to boo.

RJ: Rumor has it that you quit drinking. Is this true and why?

Ryan Loco: I did stop drinking. I think my last big hoo-rah was in July for the UFC Fan Expo. It was a whirlwind weekend where I just went bananas. Now it’s been nice to go to a bar and remember everything. I think that when I’m representing a company and I’m going to events so I want to put my best foot forward. I don’t want to be that slobbering drunk guy who is screaming and yelling like I probably was in 2009. I don’t want to have to talk to Dana White and company like that.

RJ: Do you train MMA and have you ever considered fighting in the ring or cage?

Ryan Loco: I do train. Absolutely. I love it to death. As far as stepping into an octagon or anything like that, that would never happen because my mom would cry and I have what many consider a “money maker.” I have this beautiful face that was given to me by my parents and the grace of God. I really can’t do anything to jeopardize it. It’s like Yo Yo Ma who can’t do anything to damage his hands because that would ruin his craft. You know, they insure Jennifer Lopez’s legs and everything like that so it’s just like this face. This beautiful ensemble of nose, eyes, mouth, cheeks and beard is just too beautiful. It would be like smashing the Mona Lisa.

RJ: For future and current MMA writers, can you give any advice on how to be the next Ryan Loco?

Ryan Loco: (Laughs) Watch the movies Airborne  and War Games or you will never be successful at writing MMA. In regards to myself, I have always said that I officially have no idea what I do but I just know that nobody does it better. My thing for everyone who is out there trying to make it, there is a thing where you just can’t stop and just can’t quit. Never let negativity get you down. I heard it all the time with people saying “get a real job” and “this is never going to work out.” Then again these are all people who didn’t care enought to hit my links and tell me how much I suck. I get a certain joy out of people telling me my stuff is bad because they continue to check it everyday so at the end of the day, who really wins? For people who are trying to make a name for themselves, you have to be able to take rejection and move forward to make it. Just brush off that negative energy and continue to move forward.

RJ: What can we expect from future Loco Lifes?

Ryan Loco: You never know what’s going to happen. I kind of fly by the seed of my pants which are designer pants by the way because I have them all made in Italy, no big deal. Air shipped everyweek. I can never predict what’s going to happen. I’ve done some crazy things and I try to film all of it. There has been some crazy things that hasn’t been filmed unfortunately but traveling to the WEC, the UFC, photoshoots and heading out to Vegas. It’s just going to be off the hook so stay tuned. It’s going to be featured on Heavy.com and so hopefully it starts to blow up. Even if it doesn’t blow up, I’m going to still do em because my grandmother loves to watch them.

ThatMMAGuy would like to thank Ryan Loco for his time. For more of your Loco needs, check him out at http://www.RyanLoco.com , http://www.twitter.com/RyanLoco and http://www.Facebook.com/RyanLoco .

‘Shine Fights’ Worlds Collide: Mayorga vs Thomas nearly a brawl

ThatMMAGuy was on hand to witness the near brawl between ex boxing champ Ricardo Mayorga and MMA veteran Din Thomas at the Worlds Collide press conference in NYC. Check out the pushing and slapping above. This fight is going to be a good one and you can all watch it on pay-per-view May 15th or live in Fayetteville, North Carolina.