Igor Vovchanchyn - Lethal Weapon of the North

This artlicle was featured in the July 2010 issue of Fighters Magazine.

Pride FC truly gave the mma community some of the most subliminal moments in combat sport history. Anybody who was fortunate to witness Pride at its apex can usually recount a selection of encounters with a certain degree of fondness. The larger than life nature of the Godzilla culture seemed to combine perfectly with warrior spirit that Pride’s fighters seemed to embody. They truly were the world warriors; more Street Fighter 2 than street fighters.

After Zuffa bought out Pride and quickly began stripping the assets it was clear that times had changed. Dana negotiated, both successfully and unsuccessfully, with the fighters he was interested in and once the dust had settled all that was left was memories. The legacy of Pride FC still lives on today as we see fighters who once fought there still an active part of the mma landscape.

The likes of Anderson Silva, Shogun Rua, Wanderlei Silva, Dan Henderson, Quinton Jackson, the Nogueira brothers and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic have all had varying degrees of success in the UFC. The enigma that is Fedor Emelianenko continues to defeat all who face him and evade the grasp of Dana and the Fertittas whereas others like Alistair Overeem fight between Dream and Strikeforce.

Of all of the fighters who fought under the Pride banner there were few who commanded the respect of fighters, fans and analysts alike quite like Igor “Ice Cold” Vovchanchyn.

Igor Yaroslavovich Vovchanchyn was born in Zolochiv, Ukraine on August 6, 1973. As an adolescent Igor quickly showed athletic potential but struggled to find the right avenues to channel it. It became urban legend that Igor’s temper was so fierce that whenever he was in a bad mood the local villagers would ring a church bell to warn people about the danger of confronting him.

Igor was initially interested in track events but when he became involved in kickboxing it became apparent he had enormous potential. The young Vovchanchyn was a natural fighter and was able to harness his incredible power, often with devastating consequences. He soon became the Russian Kickboxing champion amassing an impressive 61-2 fight record which helped to build his growing reputation as “The Ukraine Freight Train”.

1995 would prove to be a pivotal year in the career of Vovchanchyn. The UFC had bought mixed martial arts into the mainstream consciousness and the rest of the world was quick to capitalise on this exposure. Coming off winning the world kickboxing championships in Moscow, Igor would make his mixed martial arts debut at UCMAL – Warrior’s Honour 1 in Kharkiv, Ukraine.

Igor would make his mma debut against grappler Alexander Mandrik and would claim his first victory just 3 minutes into the first round as a barrage of punches resulted in a quick tap out. He would make it to the final of that tournament but was eventually submitted by Andrei Besedin. Igor would go on to develop his ground fighting skills as his career progressed but his first love would always be his legendary punching power.

Igor was able to rack up a huge number of wins in these early tournament events, often fighting three or even four times in one night. At the inaugural Absolute Fighting Championships event he was drawn to fight Gracie black belt Adilson Lima. The fight would last less than a minute as Igor won by a soccer kick but Lima’s corner men argued that kicks to downed opponents were unfair and began demanding an immediate rematch. Lima and Vovchanchyn both agreed to this rematch and the officials granted this request and the two would fight again. Lima lasted nearly two minutes this time but suffered a broken nose and the Igor was given the win by TKO. In the final bout of this competition Igor would lose to Mikhail Illoukhine but it would prove to be a temporary setback as he began on one of the longest winning streaks in mixed martial arts history.

For the next 3 years Igor Vovchanchyn continued to fight and improve but more importantly he continued to win and impress. He would compete in several of the multi fight tournaments that he had originally cut his teeth in and would fight anyone that the organizers could put in front of him all with the same result. It seemed nobody could stop him.

Following on from winning the World Vale Tudo Championships in late 1998 Igor received an invitation to fight in Japan for a newly launched promotion that was clearly picking up momentum. He duly accepted and made his debut for Pride FC against UFC veteran Gary Goodridge. Both fighters had stand up pedigree but it was the wrestling prowess of Goodridge that allowed him to dictate the pace of the fight initially as he scored two good takedowns. Vovchanchyn showed good composure in the face of such adversity and when the two were stood back up was able to land a shot that rattled his opponent. Goodridge looked out on his feet and it was all he could do to cover up while Vovchanchyn forced the stoppage with an onslaught of strikes.

Igor became an instant favourite in Japan and was quickly dubbed “Ice Cold” for his in ring demeanour. He would go on to defeat Akira Shoji, Carlos Barreto and Mark Kerr but the fight with Kerr was declared a no contest as it was won by knees to the head of a grounded opponent which had recently been illegalised. The fans were enamoured by Igor’s fights but they were yet to see him unleash his full destructive potential. His next fight against Francisco Bueno would give the fans and the highlight reel makers something to talk about. Bueno clearly respected the punching power of his foe and looked to circle away at every opportunity. Vovchanchyn threw an overhand right which put the lights out in a hurry and his foe fell lifelessly to the canvas, the dictionary definition of ‘out before he hit the floor’.

This explosive form earned Igor an invitation the 2000 Pride Grand Prix which he went into as a favourite. Igor defeated Japanese fighter Alexander Otsuka in the qualifying rounds and was drawn to fight Gary Goodridge at the next Pride event. The quarter finals, semis and the final would all take place on the same night. This was a concern to some fighters but was clearly not a problem to Vovchanchyn who had fought in numerous tournaments all over the world.

Igor would defeat Gary Goodridge once again by TKO and would also force Japanese legend Kazushi Sakuraba’s corner to throw in the towel which would book his place in the finals. These lengthy fights, however, had clearly taken a toll on Igor. He made his way to the finals to fight UFC champion Mark Coleman who had received a bye in the semi finals due to an injury. Coleman looked the fresher fighter and was able to wear Igor down and score a win in the second round with a TKO victory. It marked the end of a phenomenal winning streak as it was the first time that Vovchanchyn had been defeated in over 4 years but it proved to be merely the start of his career with Pride FC.

Igor’s next fight would be only 5 weeks after his epic battle at the Grand Prix as he took on Daijiro Matsui. Vovchanchyn would force a doctor’s stoppage in the first round and over the next 5 years would fight for Pride on no less than 15 occasions defeating the likes of Valentijn Overeem, Gilbert Yvel, Mark Kerr and Japanese legend Nobuhiko Takada.

In 2005 it would be another Pride tournament that would attract the attention of the Ukranian. He made the cut to 205lbs to fight in the middleweight grand prix. Vovchanchyn looked a different fighter at a lighter weight and many speculated that if he could retain his knockout power he would truly be a force to be reckoned with. He was matched up with Pancrase and UFC veteran Yuki Kondo at Pride Total Elimination 2005. It was a back and forth contest but Igor was able to take a much deserved unanimous decision victory.

The fans were happy to see Vovchanchyn win and his match up with Dutch kick boxer Alistair Overeem was eagerly anticipated. In a fight of two seasoned strikers it was ironic that it would finish on a submission as Overeem wrapped up his trademark guillotine for a quick win. Vovchanchyn was clearly disappointed with his performance and jumped at the chance to fight for the position of alternate in the finals of the event. It would prove to be his last fight for Pride as he dropped a unanimous decision to Kazuhiro Nakamura bowing out of the organisation and also the sport.

Igor Vovchanchyn retired at the age of 32 with an impressive 49-10-1 record and the admiration of mixed martial arts fans all over the world. After his retirement there were a lot of rumours about his return and when Zuffa acquired Pride it added more fuel to the fire. Igor was adamant however that he would not return, a long career of fighting in the early days of the sport had left him with several injuries.

“Sure I think about it every once in a while but the main problem is the injuries. I can’t even strike with my right hand; I’ve got 3 screws in my right elbow and one in my left.”

To long time fans of the sport the name of Igor Vovchanchyn will always be synonymous with explosive knockouts and the ice cold attitude that he took to all his fights. Over his career he fought the very best in the world and left a trail of destruction in his wake that few will ever forget.

Harold Howard - If you're coming on

This article was featured in the July 2010 issue of Fighters Magazine. Once again, just for details, I wrote this article back in 2009.

If Dana White’s prophecies are to be believed then the mixed martial arts revolution is far from over. The UFC and other organizations continue to grow and attract fans from both pro wrestling and boxing circles. If this growth continues the mainstream saturation of the sport is surely inevitable. In years to come people will look back on the likes of Jon Jones and Cain Velasquez in the way that the current fight public looks at Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie. Royce Gracie tore through the early UFC competition but most people still believe that the first loss on his record was to Kazushi Sakuraba in Pride. What most people don’t realise is that Gracie had a loss on his record before that fight and it was to Canadian slugger Harold Howard.

Harold Howard was the embodiment of the early days of the UFC. He came to see how far his discipline of martial arts would carry him in this new form of total fighting. His black belt in Goju-ryu karate and title as the first ever World Sport jiu-jitsu champion proved that he certainly had the credentials. Howard worked, like a lot of martial artists did, as a doorman in the evenings but it was his ferocity on the point fighting karate scene that quickly earned him his reputation.

Howard had seen the first few UFC events and was fascinated by Royce Gracie and his suffocating jiu-jitsu. It was at UFC 3 – The American Dream that we first got to see Howard in action. SEG sports had personally invited him to compete in the tournament after hearing of his reputation on the martial arts circuit. Harold took the opportunity in a flash and soon he found himself warming up backstage in the Grady Cole Centre in North Carolina waiting to make his debut. After a now famous promo in which he said “We have a saying back home that if you’re coming on... COME ON!” it was time. Howard was matched up with Roland Payne; a man nicknamed “Shins of Steel”. Payne was an experienced full contact kick boxer and a dangerous opponent for anyone, let alone someone making their full contact debut.

The bell rang and both fighters quickly took the middle of the Octagon and began exchanging punches. After some frantic grappling in which both men reversed several situations it was Payne who took the advantage and backed Howard up with several hard kicks to the body. It would be the aggression of Payne that would prove to be his undoing, however, as Howard landed a beautiful right hand that knocked his foe to the floor. He followed up with some ground and pound but this fight was over and the crowd were impressed by the Canadian’s 46 second victory. Harold went backstage to catch his breath and prepare for his next bout but it was now that the complications would arise.

Howard had been drawn against Gracie and in his promos for the event he had talked at length about how he was looking forward to competing against the Brazilian. Kimo Leopoldo, however, had other ideas. He was to be the first fighter to challenge Gracie that night and although he was submitted after nearly five minutes it was a gruelling match up that would leave Gracie in no shape to continue. Royce Gracie’s undefeated run in the UFC was over as his team threw in the towel at the start of the match and Harold Howard moved into the finals.

Howard was left in a difficult position not knowing who he would face and, as a result of this, having no way to formulate any kind of game plan. In one of the more questionable decisions in UFC history, Howard was matched up with a substitute who only needed to beat him to win the tournament. Steve Jennum, a police officer, was a dangerous and well rounded fighter but it didn’t stop Howard attempting an audacious rolling axe kick at the start of the bout.

It was in keeping with the aggressive unpredictability that Howard bought to the cage and would go on to be copied by modern day fighters like Dustin Hazelett and Miguel Torres. Jennum managed to neutralise his opponent early on with a nice takedown and proceeded to pound away at Howard until the bout was stopped. It was a disappointing end to the night for Howard who had made such a huge impression on the fans and the other fighters with his opening destruction of Roland Payne.

Harold Howard was gracious in defeat however and famously said “Well, I told you, if it worked it worked. But it did and I didn't. So in the end it didn't.” He had won fans with his gutsy displays in the cage and his gracious attitude outside of it. He was invited back to compete in UFC 7 and this time he came in much better physical shape but mentally he seemed to lack the killer instinct that he had shown previously. He was battling a lot of personal problems and was beaten by Mark Hall in a very dominating fashion. He would only have one more mma bout; a loss against Brazilian veteran Hugo Duarte.

Away from the spotlight Howard was a simple man and worked hard to support his family. Despite a near fatal accident where he was hit by a car he continues to work hard and is proud of the accomplishments that his family have made. Howard’s two sons both play hockey but more importantly are proud to learn their father’s martial art. Harold himself runs a small school called Howard’s Self Defence Systems and is a regular on the seminar scene whilst still doing his day to day job of roofing. According to Harold it’s something he’s always had a passion for:

“It goes along with the ancient stuff I like to mess around with. The technique is so old, it’s high work. I’ve always liked working up high.”

Harold Howard is respected amongst the MMA community for his colourful persona outside of the cage and his steely resolve inside it. It is a testament to his cult appeal that the biggest cheer at the recent Ultimate Fight Night weigh ins was for Tom Lawlor who turned up with the trademark Harold Howard tracksuit bottoms, black belt and white vest. For Howard it was clear that his initial fights in the UFC had answered nearly all of the questions he had. He had not come to be a celebrity or to learn from different teachers, he had simply come to fight. 

Anderson Silva - Legends of the Cage

This article was featured in the July 2010 issue of Fighters Magazine. Just for details I wrote this article back in 2009 before Anderson fought Demian Maia.

In this day and age of internet highlight reels and the mixed martial arts revolution it’s arguably a lot easier than it once was to build a reputation. String a few knockouts together, loop them over some heavy metal and finish with a black and white slow motion shot and you’re on your way. The YouTube generation elevated Kimbo Slice to stardom after a few backyard brawls but the facade of his highlight reel toughness soon fell when he was knocked out by Seth Petruzelli. 


It may be easier to make a name these days, but it remains true that legends will be remembered for their actions in battle rather than the hype that surrounds them. It is very rare that a fighter comes along who changes preconceptions about the sport and forces people to rethink. Every sport has its pioneers, who changed the face of their discipline and made the impossible possible. One such athlete is Anderson Silva.

Anderson Da Silva was born on April 14th 1975 in Sao Paulo Brazil but moved north to Curitiba when he was just five years old. His mother was struggling to raise him in Sao Paulo so his aunt and uncle took him back to Curitiba to give him a better chance. Even to this day Silva is forever in debt to this generosity and always thanks his aunt and uncle for giving him the morals and standards that he lives his life by. Anderson was, by all accounts, a very active child who loved superheroes and comic books and famously once jumped off a lamp post, trying to fly, after watching Superman.

It wasn’t until Anderson turned 14 that he began his path to martial arts greatness. Silva is a lifelong Bruce Lee fan and he is quick to admit that one of the main reasons for starting training martial arts was to be like “a combination of Bruce Lee and the superheroes.” He had studied Taekwondo periodically but it was by chance that he found Muay Thai. He accompanied his cousin Elson Cardoso to Muay Thai classes and the young Silva began absorbing all that he saw. His cousins taught him a few moves and Anderson was very quick to pick them up and perfect them.

Silva would go on to collect a black belt in Taekwondo, Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in later life, but it was his love of Muay Thai that would help create the monster that he would become. Over the coming years, Anderson Silva would go on to win numerous Muay Thai honours and even began fighting as a professional boxer in 1998 but it was a local promotion that first gave Anderson a chance to compete in the sport that he would go on to change so much.

Meca: World Vale Tudo was truly a grassroots promotion in Brazil. Fighters from all over the world went on to compete in that promotion that was run by the founders of the legendary Chute Boxe camp Rudimar Fedrigo and Rafael Cordeiro. Fighters like the Rua brothers, Wanderlei Silva and Cyborg Santos all honed their craft at Meca, and all went on to compete at the highest level. It was during this time that Anderson’s relationship with the Chute Boxe camp developed and he would go on to become one of the integral members. Chute Boxe had a reputation of breeding killers, their training sessions were legendarily tough and all their fighters fought with a level of intensity that was unmatched.

Anderson, although losing his MMA debut to Luiz Azeredo, went on to win all the rest of his fights for Meca and attracted the attention of the Japanese promotion Shooto. Silva would conquer then undefeated middleweight champion Hayato Sakurai and, in doing this, acquired both the attention and the respect of the Japanese public. One year later in 2002 Anderson Silva was once again preparing to fight on Japanese soil but for a different promotion.

Pride Fighting Championships had been the home to some of the most memorable fights in recent years and a number of Silva’s Chute Boxe team mates had been making big waves for the promotion. Wanderlei Silva had been amazing Japanese fans with his ferocity and berserker like attitude for a while and it was interesting to see how Anderson Silva took a different approach to MMA. Anderson fought his fights like a surgeon, picking the perfect time to destroy his opponents with pinpoint accuracy. His first fight in Pride saw him take on Lion’s Den veteran Alex “Brazilian Killer” Steibling who was coming in with tremendous momentum. It took Silva just 83 seconds to land a series of powerful shots and a head kick that just about took Steibling’s head clean off. The doctors stopped the fight due to a series of nasty cuts that Steibling has sustained during this encounter. Anderson would continue to fight for Pride losing only twice in two years but his victories were some of the most resounding ever seen. He stopped former UFC titleholder Carlos Newton with a beautifully timed flying knee and received offers from many promotions all over the world.

Anderson Silva left Chute Boxe in 2003 to form the Muay Thai Dream Team and it wasn’t the only significant move he would make. Silva made the trip to the UK where he soundly defeated Lee Murray to win the Cage Rage middleweight title. He would defend that belt 3 times but it was his third defence that ignited the world of mixed martial arts in debate. Silva had stopped UFC veterans Jorge Rivera and Curtis Stout but it was a fight with wrestling standout Tony “The Freak” Fryklund that he would truly showcase his amazing skills.

It was a typically dominant performance from Silva as he out struck Fryklund with a Muay Thai master class of knees, kicks and punches. Just two minutes into the fight Anderson backed his opponent up and then threw a hooking elbow uppercut that knocked Fryklund clean out. The fight world had never seen anything like the conclusion to that fight and I challenge anyone to watch that fight and not be amazed by it. Anderson Silva was proving that when he said “I believe I can do things that other people think are impossible”, he truly meant it.

With Silva’s fierce reputation and his impressive 15-4 record it was only a matter of time before he garnered the interest of Dana White and the UFC. Anderson Silva came into the UFC with a reputation known to the mixed martial arts community but not necessarily to the American fight audience. He was put straight into a main event slot on UFC Ultimate Fight Night 5 against tough brawler Chris Leben. The TUF graduate had been stirring the pot even before the fight began saying that Anderson would get his jaw broken and then retreat back to Japan where the competition was easier. Leben had tremendous momentum and, coming into the clash on June 28th 2006, was a favourite to win in the eyes of the American public.

As he so often had done in the past, Silva made the improbable seem easy as he demolished Leben in just 49 seconds. Chris Leben had never been stopped in sixteen professional fights but was no match for the sniper-like Silva. Anderson threw 19 shots during that fight and connected with every single one, finishing off with a huge knee from the clinch that sent Leben tumbling to the ground. Silva later went on to say he taught Chris Leben “a lesson in respect” following his pre fight interview trash talking. One thing, however, was clear. Anderson Silva had arrived in the UFC.

The following weeks saw a poll on the UFC website to see who dominant champion Rich Franklin should face next. The poll was merely done to gauge public interest but the UFC saw such phenomenal support for Silva that they were moved to put that match up together. Anderson Silva and Rich Franklin would square off at UFC 64 in October 2006. Franklin was coming in off a convincing victory over David Loiseau and had only lost once in his career to future UFC champion Lyoto Machida. Even coming off his demolition of Chris Leben, Silva was still a huge underdog in the eyes of the bookmakers due to the dominance that Franklin had shown in the UFC. Nobody was prepared for just how easy Anderson Silva would make his craft seem.

He picked Franklin apart with strikes and when the champion looked to move to the inside, Silva delivered one of the most painful demonstrations of the Muay Thai clinch the fight world had ever seen. Anderson peppered the ribs of Franklin with knees from every angle until it was clear his foe was hurt. Silva once again sought the clinch and Franklin instinctively put an arm down to try and cover his hurt ribs. Silva fired a knee straight to the head of Franklin which broke his nose in several places. It was all Franklin could do to stagger backwards and take more big shots before the referee stepped in. Anderson fell to the floor in tears. The realisation of the dream that had started on the streets of Curitiba had finally happened.

Over the next few months Anderson Silva went on to join the fearsome Black House team, whose ranks included Lyoto Machida, Vitor Belfort and the Nogueira brothers, and looked to defend his title. Silva would submit BJJ black belt Travis Lutter, brutally knock out Pancrase champion Nate Marquart and once again defeat Rich Franklin in his next three fights. With each performance Silva set the bar higher and higher. The flurry that he finished Rich Franklin within their rematch remains one of the most brilliant technical displays of striking in mixed martial arts history. When the UFC acquired Pride, it was clear that the already heaving ranks of the company would be further expanded by new talent. Of all the acquisitions that the UFC made, one stood out as a threat to Anderson Silva’s belt.

Dan Henderson was an Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler who had seen been fighting MMA for nearly eleven years. He had gained fame as the only man in Pride history to hold two consecutive title belts in different weight categories and was coming from Pride having knocked out Anderson’s former team mate Wanderlei Silva. Dan Henderson and Anderson Silva were matched up in a unification bout at UFC 82: Pride of a Champion. Henderson seemed to have a lot of tools that would give Silva, or indeed anyone, a lot of problems. He had knock out power in his punches and was a ferocious wrestler and for the first round of their title bout he was able to take Silva down and control him. At the end of the round everyone couldn’t believe that Silva had lost a round in the UFC. The only person not worried by it was Silva himself. He once again proved his pedigree by picking his time to strike, rattling Henderson with powerful punches and knees before taking him down and securing a rear naked choke in the second round. Silva was literally on top of the world. He was undefeated in the UFC and widely regarded as one of the best pound for pound fighters in history but the challenges were only going to get bigger from this point.

Silva’s next fight would be at 205lbs against knock out artist James Irvin. Irvin had a fierce reputation and a reel of explosive finishes and Silva had taken this fight at a higher weight category to test himself against the bigger stronger fighters in the UFC. The fight lasted just over a minute as Silva caught a kick that Irvin threw and duly countered with a piston-like right hand that sent his opponent reeling to the canvas in obvious pain.

No-one in the arena looked more shocked than James Irvin as Silva reigned down shots to finish the fight. Anderson had destroyed a much bigger and stronger adversary with his devastating striking and following on from this would go on to defeat Patrick Cote and Thales Leites at Middleweight to defend his crown. Silva broke Royce Gracie’s record for most consecutive wins in the UFC with the Leites fight and, although he drew criticism for his cautious performance, it was clear that he was capable of stepping in the cage with anyone the UFC could throw at him.

Certainly the biggest test for Anderson Silva would take place at UFC 101 in August of this year. Anderson once again moved up to light heavyweight to take on former champion Forrest Griffin. Griffin’s heart has never been questioned and the sheer size and power that he presented were going to create unique problems for Silva. Fans of the UFC and Anderson Silva were getting used to expecting the unexpected but the shockwaves that were sent through the fight community after this performance were colossal. In one of the most amazing displays in living memory Anderson Silva destroyed Forrest Griffin in a little over three minutes.

Griffin could not get anywhere near Silva who fought half of the fight with his hands by his waists and dodged attacks simply with footwork and head movement. Forrest, and the rest of the world, looked bewildered by this display. Anderson eventually dispatched his adversary with a jab as he walked backwards avoiding all attacks coming his way. The fans and critics alike were speechless as Silva had once again made the extraordinary seem ordinary. It was a performance that perfectly summed up Anderson Silva. He will always be the Muay Thai sniper, dispatching his pray with laser precision and making the illogical logical.

Anderson Silva has stated his desire to retire from the sport in 2010 and, at present, has three more fights remaining on his current UFC contract. His next fight is speculated to be against former Black House team mate Vitor Belfort but, as yet, this has not been confirmed. Silva will always be remembered as a legend in the sport of MMA because of both his achievements and his unique approach. Nobody can deny the influence that Silva has had but perhaps the greatest accolade that can be paid to him is that he has indeed become the combination of Bruce Lee and superhero that he once dreamed of being as a boy in Curitiba.

The Ultimate Fighter and the Mixed Martial Arts Revolution Part 2

This article was featured in the June 2010 Issue of Fighters Magazine.

As the current season of The Ultimate Fighter draws closer to its explosive finale, it’s time to continue with the review of seasons past. The world had become much more acclimatized to The Ultimate Fighter in the wake of the explosion of interest in Mixed Martial Arts. The following seasons of the show would prove to be some of the most discussed for the events that took place both in, and outside the cage.

Season 5.
Coaches: BJ Penn & Jens Pulver
Winner: Lightweight – Nate Diaz
Quote of the Season: BJ Penn: “Does anyone see Gabe not giving 100%?”
Alan Berubie: “You just gotta stop giving 100% in the kitchen bro.”
Fight of the Season: Episode 3: Nate Diaz vs Robert Emerson

This season of TUF went out in April 2007 and saw all the participants fighting it out for just one contract. All of the fighters bought into the house were lightweights and the season was originally designed to bring some attention to the recently re-introduced 155lb bracket in the UFC. Who better to coach than two of the founding fathers of the division? Jens Pulver and BJ Penn had battled for the lightweight gold once before and Penn was hungry to avenge the loss and get his shot at Pulver. Also different was the fact that the coaches would fight in the live finale on Spike TV to add some more drawing power. The standard of fights in this series was very high, with the lighter framed fighters being able to push a faster pace in general.

Season 5 also bought together some very talented fighters, a few of whom had already tasted fighting for the UFC. Matt Wiman and Gabe Ruediger had both come up short inside the octagon but it was Joe Lauzon who came into the house with the biggest win. Lauzon had spectacularly upset Jens Pulver in his return to the UFC by knocking him out in just 47 seconds of the first round at UFC 63. Also in the field were Nate Diaz’s brother Nate and Karo Parisyan’s cousin Manvel Gamburyan.

It was clear that the fights inside the cage were going to be top quality but no one could have been prepared for the drama that was going to take place in the house. From the hot headed Gamburyan calling out the entire of BJ Penn’s team in the house, to the patio brawl that saw Alan Berubie, Marlon Sims and Noah Thomas all ejected. The single biggest incident that lives in infamy in the history of the show has to be Gabe Ruediger and his struggle to make weight.

Gabe had come in over twenty pounds too heavy and all his attempts to shift this weight, colonic irrigation and ice cream in bed, had not helped him out. Ruediger was picked to fight and the frantic battle to get him down 18 pounds in a day began. The subsequent montage of Gabe falling out of the sauna, sitting down moaning and passing out naked by the side of the swimming pool will always be linked to his career wherever he chooses to fight. He was ejected from the house by Dana White in customary fashion and will be inevitably remembered as the fat kid who ate too much cake even though it was, by his own admission, “just a small small piece.”
The finale would see Manvel Gamburyan dislocate his shoulder and lose to Nate Diaz and also BJ Penn choke out Jens Pulver in the main event. The UFC had set out to publicise the 155lb weight class with this series and with BJ Penn still sitting atop that mountain, it is clear that they were successful.

Season 6.
Coaches: Matt Hughes and Matt Serra
Winner: Welterweight – Mac Danzig
Quote of the Season: Matt Serra: “He’s trying to turn them all into Christians!!!”
Fight of the Season: TUF 6 Finale: Jared Rollins vs John Koppenhaver

Season 6 saw a return for Matt Hughes and gave TUF4 winner and newly crowned welterweight champion Matt “The Terror” Serra a chance to take the coaching role. Like the previous season, there was one weight category and one contract. The talent was arguably not as deep at the previous season but straight away favourites emerged. Mac Danzig had over twenty fights, was a King of the Cage champion and his last fight was for Pride FC. This experience was a far cry from the records of most TUF rookies. Amongst the rest of the fighters there were several promising contenders but it was clear that the experience and abilities of Danzig would give him a clear edge.

Once again this season pitted two coaches against each other who had a variety of personal issues. Serra laid his cards on the table really early and told Hughes that he had no intentions of being friends with him and that he was here to help the fighters. This was a very refreshing and professional attitude from Serra who, unlike Ken Shamrock had done previously, did not let his personal feelings and emotions get in the way of his responsibility to the fighters.
Outside of the fights there was far less drama this season than the previous offering.

Mac Danzig was perpetually grumpy and seemed to get more and more irritated as each day passed. He would have fought in the house with Team Serra’s Richie Hightower had it not been for the intervention of his team mates. The only real confrontation in the house came when Jared Rollins confronted Jon Koppenhaver over a toilet based prank that got out of hand. It took a swift double leg by Koppenhaver to stop Rollins from taking his head off but the two would have the chance to settle their differences at the end of the season.

The season finale was headlined by Clay Guida and Roger Huerta who put on a fight of the year performance in a phenomenal bout. This contest was far more exciting and unpredictable than the finale itself which saw Mac Danzig submit Tommy Speer in the first round. The Guida vs Huerta encounter proved to be a very good strategy for the UFC as they put a great fight as the headline of a free MMA card which drew them both viewers and new fans alike.

Season 7.
Coaches: Forrest Griffin vs Quinton Jackson
Winner: Middleweight – Amir Sadollah
Quote of the Season: Quinton Jackson “He netted me. I think Forrest found it very funny. Him and his chicken faced assistant coach. His ugly ass needs to be the one that gets netted!”
Fight of the Season: Episode 6. Dan Cramer vs Luke Zachrich

By the time the seventh season came along we all thought it was business as usual when the coaches were announced. Forrest Griffin was coming off his victory over Shogun Rua and the UFC were clearly happy that they had a legitimate title contender from their reality show. Although Matt Serra technically was the first TUF champion; Forrest was the first TUF champion with no prior UFC experience or exposure before he went into the house.

The formula had worked for the past couple of seasons so we were given two coaches who would fight after the finale, one contract at a set division but then came the real twist. 32 fighters showed up to the house that day. Dana White wanted to make sure he wouldn’t have another quitter on his hands so he made all the fighters win one fight before they were admitted. All the fighters looked somewhat taken aback by this, but of all the nervous reactions that were shown, the sharpest intake of breath was taken by Dan Simmler.

Dan Simmler is a nationally ranked grappler and had won several contests upon coming into this season. He unwittingly described his stand up as, “limited at best” during his pre fight interview. In what has easily become the most talked about knockout in TUF history, Simmler was put to sleep in the second round by a savage punch and two vicious hammer fists on the ground from wrestling powerhouse Matthew Riddle. Simmler was clearly unconscious but when he awoke he began wailing like a banshee and shortly afterwards could not remember anything about the incident. As Rampage went on to say he “broke his jaw a little bit” and picked up a serious concussion. This set the bar high for the rest of the season to follow.

One of the more enigmatic characters in the house was Matt Brown. Forrest called him an “unassuming gentleman” but after a ferocious win in his first fight it was clear that Brown meant business. It was Jeremy May, the joker of the season, who proceeded to try to rile Matt Brown by squeezing limes into his tobacco. This tactic worked and Matt Brown duly called out May and went on to knock him out with a first round head kick. In the words of Brown himself, “The only thing I hurt was my foot on his face.”

There were several characters in the house but early favourites CB Dolloway and Jesse Taylor looked set to meet in the final until CB was upset by the never say die attitude of Forrest Griffin-a-like Amir Sadollah. In a season seemingly defined by the twist at the start it was a colossal twist at the end that would have everyone talking. After the taping of the show Jesse Taylor went on a drunken rampage in downtown Vegas and Dana White was duly notified. Jesse was ejected from the show and CB Dolloway and Tim Credeur fought for the chance to meet Amir in the Final. CB was able to edge the fight out and made it to the final for a shot at revenge.

The Finale was another strong card of fights but this year there was not as many spots for the fighters coming out of the house. The battle for the contract saw a repeat of CB Dolloway vs Amir Sadollah and a repeat of the result and method as Sadollah was able to pull an arm bar victory out to win the season and the contract. The rest of the card saw the late Evan Tanner return and drop a decision to Kendall Grove and TUF1 winner Diego Sanchez finishing the always tough Luigi Fioravanti with strikes in the third round. Also worthy of a mention was the match between Josh Burkman vs Dustin Hazelett for one of the greatest submission victories of all time. Hazelett’s gravity defying armbar made it to hundreds of highlight reels around the world and it isn’t hard to see why.

In short TUF7 was all about shocks and, once again, although the depth in talent wasn’t necessarily the best that the show has offered; it was the entertainment value that kept the world watching.

Season 8.
Coaches: Frank Mir & Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Winners: Lightweight – Efrain Escudero
Light Heavyweight – Ryan Bader
Quote of the Season: Dana White: “This ain’t Survivor man. There’s no vote em off vote em off here. Vote em off... It’s more like beat em off. That didn’t sound good!”
Fight of the Season: Episode 12: Efrain Escudero vs Junie Browning

Same bat time, same bat channel. TUF 8 picked up just where the last season had left off; the fighters were expecting to have to fight to get into the house this time. Even so it was still a mystery why Jason Guida managed to come in overweight and was unable to make the limit. The prelim fights this season were a brutal affair and left several fighters unable to continue due to injuries.

In the house it was the antics of one particular character that was the focus of most of the attention. Junie Browning seemed to be reading a book written by Chris Leben many seasons back. Browning, however, was much more obnoxious and aggressive towards his fellow housemates and came very close to being ejected. Browning made the understatement of the season when he said, “There’s free alcohol in the house so that can’t be good.” Three times he was nearly thrown off the show for throwing items such as coffee cups and wine glasses at other fighters and jumping into the octagon making threats. Browning won his first fight in the house in unimpressive fashion only to be choked out by Efrain Escudero, who he had been verbally abusing for the whole season. It was just deserts to see Escudero get his revenge on Browning in the best way possible.

TUF 8 went back to having fighters across two weight categories and also clearly scouted around for more talent as we were treated to a much stronger line up. The two coaches, although competitive, seemed to have a good deal of respect for each other and as much as there was tension, it was one of the more professional coaching contests in the show’s history. I do wonder how fair it was, however, to make the coaches challenge a penalty shoot out. Brazil 10-6 USA.

The finale would be another interesting affair with BJJ ace Vinnie Magalhaes coming up short against juggernaut like Ryan Bader. In the lightweight final we saw Escudero continue what he had started against Browning in the house. Escudero out worked favourite Phillipe Nover through three rounds and went on to be crowned the TUF8 lightweight winner. As in previous seasons the card was bolstered by more well known UFC talent and the highlight of that was Anthony Johnson’s spectacular head kick finish of a very game Kevin Burns.

TUF 8 was, interestingly enough, the only season so far not to get a UK DVD release and a lot of critics were quick to point fingers at the UFC endlessly recycling the same television show again and again. What critics could not overlook was that of the depth of talent that came off that season. But what of Junie Browning I hear you ask? Junie won his fight in the finale and then went on to be submitted by Cole Miller at UFC Fight Night: Condit vs Kampmann. His next fight following this was against three nurses in a hospital in Nevada, one of whom was a female. Upon hearing this news Dana White immediately terminated Browning’s UFC contract and the rest of the world wondered how nobody else saw this coming.

Season 9.
Coaches: Michael Bisping & Dan Henderson
Winners: Lightweight – Ross Pearson
Welterweight –James Wilks
Quote of the Season: Michael Bisping: “England 1 USA NONE. Put that in your pipe and smoke it!”
Fight of the Season: Episode 10: Nick Osipczak vs. DeMarques Johnson

Season 9 of the Ultimate Fighter looked to pick up on the boom of MMA over in the UK and pitted Bisping’s Team UK against Dan Henderson’s Team USA. Once again fighters were required to win their way into the house and those preliminary fights told us a very different story to that of a few years ago. The British fighters came in phenomenal shape and were ready to go from the outset. All the UK fighters who made it onto the show put on some phenomenal performances and clearly impressed both the coaches and Dana White.

By contrast the American fighters were portrayed in an altogether different light. There were several fighters who needed replacing due to issues of not making weight and also due to an outbreak of herpes. The fighters who made it to the house were duly told by Dana White the intentions and desire that the UK fighters had shown in an attempt to motivate them.

When the teams were finally assembled, it was unclear who had the advantage in terms of fighters but it was never in doubt who had more team spirit. Bisping’s British bulldogs were a team from start to finish and worked hard to help each other out, irrespective of whether they had fights or not. The fights on the show were some of the more watchable contests in the last few seasons.

Perhaps the greatest irony that TUF has even seen took place in this season. Frank Leicester was picked to fight James Wilks and in typical brash American fashion, Team USA were seen offering Frank the sum of $100 per tooth that he knocked out of his opponent’s head. In a fantastic twist of fate Wilks was able to catch Leicester with a beautifully timed knee that not only knocked Frank’s four front teeth out, lodged them into his gum shield.

The finale was very nearly an all British affair and James Wilks put on a submission clinic to get a first round win over the only American in the final four, DeMarques Johnson. Elsewhere Ross Pearson was able to grind out a tough decision over Andre Winner at lightweight and the card was capped off by yet another Clay Guida fight of the year contender as he lost on points to Diego Sanchez.

With that we arrive at the present day. With the UFC raking in massive ratings with TUF10 it is only a matter of time before we see who the new face of the heavyweight division will be. The Ultimate Fighter was never meant to kick start the explosion we saw in the popularity of the UFC and the sport worldwide.

Dana White had frequently said that he hated reality television but the show had proved to be a master stroke. A new generation of MMA fans were introduced to the sport through the mainstream tool of reality television. The show allowed the fans to connect with the fighters and went a long way to dispel the myths that the general public had about the sport. The importance of The Ultimate Fighter can never be underestimated as it helped the sport expand in ways that were previously unthinkable.

The Ultimate Fighter and the Mixed Martial Arts Revolution: Part 1

This article was first published in the April 2010 edition of Fighters Magazine.

This season of The Ultimate Fighter has drawn more ratings than any other in MMA history and, at the time of writing, peaked with viewing figures of 6.1 million. Dana White is never short of praise for what the reality show has done for the sport and how it transformed the fortunes of the failing UFC. It’s hard to think that a medium that Dana White himself was so scornful about could prove to be the saviour of his company and the catalyst for the global explosion in MMA. The format was simple. Get one house, fill it full of fighters and offer them a glittering prize, a UFC contract, and watch the carnage unfold as they fight each week in the octagon to take a step closer to their dreams. The show is currently in its tenth season and we hear the same arguments about reinventing the wheel every time a new season is announced. Having said this, the impact that the show has had and the fighters who have graduated from it can never be overlooked.

Season 1.
Coaches: Randy Couture & Chuck Liddell
Winners: Light Heavyweight – Forrest Griffin
Middleweight – Diego Sanchez
Quote of the Season: Dana White: “Do you want to be a fighter? That is my question.”
Fight of the Season: TUF 1 Finale: Forrest Griffin vs Steffan Bonnar

The first season of TUF was truly a landmark in MMA history. Spike TV began running the television show back in January 2005 and there were so many defining moments in this original series. Dana White once famously said that TUF was a “Trojan horse” to get the sport more mainstream exposure but even he couldn’t have predicted the impact that this show would have had. It is clear to see the fundamentals of this series are fine but there still remained some elements which needed work, such as the bizarre challenges which saw teams disassemble large logs, carry Randy Couture through the sea in an armchair and pulling canoes over a desert. Fighters were sent home without even fighting as a result of losing these challenges which lead to a great deal of controversy.
What surely cannot be debated though is the amount of modern day talent that came through the doors of the house in that season. Future champion Forrest Griffin is probably the pick of the bunch but names like Bonnar, Florian, Leben, Koscheck, Quarry, Swick and Sanchez are living proof of how deep that talent pool would prove to be.
However the defining moment of this season happened in the finale when Forrest Griffin and Steffan Bonnar were involved in, arguably, one of the most important and exciting fights in the history of the sport drawing unheard of viewing figures. The back and forth slugfest, which fans recently voted as the greatest fight in UFC history, propelled the sport into the stratosphere and also effectively doubled the buy rates for the subsequent pay per view. In simple terms the sport would not be at the level of global saturation that it currently is without this season of the show and for this reason alone its importance can never be underestimated.

Season 2.
Coaches: Rich Franklin & Matt Hughes
Winners: Welterweight – Joe Stevenson
Heavyweight – Rashad Evans
Quote of the Season: Rashad Evans:” Thinking about this makes me think what my Uncle Bernie used to say. He d say ‘Son, just be yourself, if people don’t like when you’re being youself... F**K EM!!’ ”
Fight of the Season: TUF 2 Finale: Brad Imes vs Rashad Evans

The UFC had changed a lot in the short time between the first and second seasons of The Ultimate Fighter and Zuffa were quick to change a few elements of the show. The challenges stayed but fighters were no longer eliminated for losing them, the fights changed from two to three rounds and the unlike Chuck and Randy there was to be no scheduled fight between the two coaches. Season two, however, is recognised as having some of the worst fights in the history of The Ultimate Fighter. The combination of the larger fighters coupled with the three round duration of the fights meant that we were forced to endure some painfully slow fights. Future UFC champion Rashad Evans’s first fight on the show against Tom Murphy is largely considered as the one of the worst fights in TUF history.
This season, like the previous one, contained a lot of very talented fighters who would go on to become mainstays in the UFC. Future champion Rashad Evans cut his teeth here and surely this season is a testament to his fighting spirit that he won the heavyweight division despite being the smallest competitor in his bracket. He subsequently cut to light heavyweight following the show and went on to become another TUF graduate champion, taking the title from Forrest Griffin at UFC 92. This season gave the fans their first look at Joe Stevenson, Marcus Davis, Melvin Guillard and Keith Jardine and also showed us the wrath of Dana White at fighters who failed to make the cut as Eli Joslin left because he was bothered by the cameras and Kenny Stevens left as he failed to make weight. It would be nice to say that future competitors learned from this lesson and did nothing to incur the wrath of Dana White but unfortunately that simply isn’t the case.
The TUF 2 finale picked up where TUF 1 had left off and both divisional fights were phenomenally fast paced encounters which drew huge applause from audience and critics alike. This season of The Ultimate Fighter proved that the first season hadn’t just been a fluke, and that the revolution that the Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar had started that night in Las Vegas wasn’t about to go anywhere.







Season 3.
Coaches: Tito Ortiz & Ken Shamrock
Winners: Light Heavyweight – Micheal Bisping
Middleweight – Kendall Grove
Quote of the Season: Micheal Bisping: “What are you going to do if he catches you in a submission Ross?”
Ross Pointon: “Gonna smash his face in man.”
Fight of the Season: TUF 3 Finale: Ed Herman vs Kendall Grove

Season 3 bought us two coaches who, not only would be fighting, but had a long standing personal rivalry. As in the first season, the two coaches would collide after the show and the tension between Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock was obvious from the outset. This season finally saw the end of the challenge system and every fighter was required to win a fight to advance to the semi finals. This was to stop what had happened previously where certain fighters had avoided fighting and some had to fight multiple times. TUF 3 was also the first time we were shown European fighters in the house as Ross Pointon and Micheal Bisping were granted shots at the contract.
Season 3 was also the first time that the coaching offered was called into question. Tito Ortiz, despite his bad boy reputation, proved to be one of the best coaches in TUF history. His fighters undoubtedly grew in stature, confidence and ability in stark contrast to the way that Ken’s fighters did not. Ken often did not show up for training and legendarily on one training session instructed his team to watch some UFC fight tapes. It’s a real shame that watching fights doesn’t constitute training MMA these days as I would fancy a shot at Brock Lesnar If it did. The growing rivalry between the two teams was only exacerbated by Tito’s winning streak and when the finale happened, Tito had three fighters represented to Ken’s one. The inclusion of Ross Pointon and Micheal Bisping gave the UFC some much needed variation and both fighters proved to be both favourites in and out of the cage with Bisping going on to win the show and later to become the first Englishman to fight in a UFC main event.
The TUF 3 finale was another memorable encounter with lanky Hawaiian Kendal Grove squeezing a narrow decision over Team Quest’s Ed Herman at middleweight. The other final saw Clithero’s own Micheal Bisping bring the pain to another Team Quest fighter, Josh Haynes. Haynes battled bravely but was obviously outclassed and was saved by the referee in the second round when he could not defend himself. Another season of TUF, another host of new talent for the UFC and another ratings winner for Dana White proved once again that the mixed martial arts revolution had arrived and was here to stay.






Season 4.
Winners: Welterweight – Matt Serra
Middleweight – Travis Lutter
Quote of the Season: Matt Serra: “When you get the belt do you get a license to become a penis? Go back to the farm and do your bench pressing.”
Fight of the Season: TUF 4 Finale: Pete Sell vs Scott Smith

A lot of people look at TUF 4 as the difficult second album of the franchise. The season was titled “The Comeback” and it took sixteen veteran fighters from the UFC and rounded them up for another shot at glory. The winners of each weight category would get the usual contract, sponsorship with Xyience and all the other good things that come from the winning the show. More incentive however, was offered by granting the winner of the each weight class a title shot at the current champion. This season was very oddly structured in that there were no real team coaches, although there were special guest coaches from time, and the fighters training schedules were equally as sporadic.
TUF 4 had some of the worst viewing figures of any of the franchise but still created some of the most memorable moments in the history of the series. From Matt Serra’s Goodfellas style war of words with Mark Laimon and Matt Hughes to Jeremy Jackson’s ejection from the house for vaulting the fence to be with a lifeguard he’d met that day, TUF 4 certainly had its share of drama. By stark contrast the finale was more of a disappointing affair. Matt Serra managed to scrape out a unanimous decision win over Chris Lytle in a very uninspiring contest and Travis Lutter quickly submitted Patrick Cote inside the first round.
Fight of the night, and indeed of the season, had to go to Pete Sell vs Scott Smith. The fighters sat in the pocket and exchanged ferocious strikes and constantly high fived as they connected. In the second round Sell hit Smith with a rib cracking body shot that doubled his opponent over in agony. Sell rushed in on his hurt foe to finish what he had started but in doing so left his chin high and his hands low and with his last breath Smith hit Sell with a beautiful straight right and was forced the referee to stop the fight. Both fighters lay on the mat for a long time afterwards in a scene that resembled a car accident more than an MMA fight.
The two fighters who won their respective divisions, however, would make very different use of their title shots. Matt Serra was an 8/1 underdog going into his fight with George St-Pierre at UFC 69 but, in the biggest upset in MMA history, went on to stop the talented champion with a barrage of strikes from the mount position after rattling him with several power punches on the feet. Serra was the first champion to come through the doors of TUF and it served as great vindication to those who doubted the validity of the show.
Travis Lutter however was not so wise. He failed to make weight in his title shot against Anderson Silva at UFC 67 and as a result the fight was declared a non title bout. Lutter looked extremely fatigued and although he gained a few takedowns on Anderson Silva he eventually lost by triangle choke in the second round. To this day Lutter is the only fighter who has won The Ultimate Fighter and then gone on to be released by the company.

Next month I’ll look at season five all the way to season nine and hope to explain why it’s not a good idea to eat ice cream and try and make 155lbs and also try and recount the most brutal knockout in the history of the show.

The British are Coming

This article was first published in the April 2010 of Fighters Magazine

The British Are Coming.

It was billed as a classic striker vs. grappler match; the matrix style jiu-jitsu of Dustin Hazelett vs. the concrete hands of Paul Daley. Even the odds makers couldn’t separate the two. After just 144 seconds it was clear who the winner was. Hazelett lay on the canvas, staring blankly at the lights as Daley sprinted round the cage, serving notice to every one of his abilities and potential. With Dan Hardy lined up to fight George St-Pierre for the title on March 27th and Daley’s star clearly on the rise there can be no doubt that UK MMA is at a new peak; fantastic performances from Ross Pearson, Andre Winner and Michael Bisping have only reinforced the strong position enjoyed by the Brits in the UFC. Paul Daley’s destruction of Dustin Hazelett is the latest in a string of big results from British fighters that have ensured the rest of the world are taking notice. The UK has had a phenomenal MMA scene for a number of years, certainly way more than people think, and it is good to see the bigger organizations eager to make great fights.


It was a British engineer called Edward William Barton-Wright who first introduced England to the idea of mixed martial arts. Following three years spent living in Japan he returned to England in 1898 and announced that he had formulated a new form of self defence. Bartitsu was developed from judo and jiu-jitsu but also incorporated boxing, savate and even stick fighting from Switzerland. Barton-Wright championed his school, The Bartitsu Academy of Arms and Physical Culture, with a series of interviews and promotional demonstrations. The term “Bartitsu” was clearly imbedded in the public consciousness as even Sherlock Holmes was credited as studying the discipline in The Adventure in the Empty House in 1901. Barton-Wright was one of the first Europeans known to have studied Japanese martial arts and also to have taught them to western society.


There have been several key figures in development of mixed martial arts but in looking at the genesis of the sport in the UK there can be no question who the true pioneer was. Lee Hasdell began martial arts in 1979 at the age of twelve, choosing taekwondo before studying boxing and then karate. It was in 1989 that Hasdell began his kick boxing career at 22 years old. Over the coming years Lee began compiling a series of impressive victories and title belts including the WKA British Super-Middleweight title and the BIKMA British Light-Heavyweight title. Hasdell was generating a lot of interest with his stand up career but it was a chance encounter that would open his eyes to a new emerging sport. Hasdell was a standby fighter for K1 in 1994 when he saw an MMA bout and quickly became fascinated with the sport.
“Back then I saw the future of combat sports after watching kicks, punches and submissions in one match.”


Hasdell made his professional MMA debut in 1996 for the RINGS promotion. He took Dutchman Andre Mannaart to a draw but it was his skills and his spirit that impressed the president of RINGS, Akira Maeda, so much that he invited Lee to train at his private dojo in Yokohama. Hasdell would go on to win the World Oktagon Shoot Boxing Tournament, winning three fights in one evening and showcasing his ever evolving skills.

Over the next 11 years Lee continued to fight for a great number of organizations and faced some of the greatest fighters in the world. He would face Gilbert Yvel, Renato “Babalu” Sobral, Mario Sperry and even Fedor Emelianenko and would go on to become the first Daido Juku black belt in the UK. These epic battles, however, are only half of the story of why Lee Hasdell’s role in the development of UK MMA cannot be overlooked.

Total Fight Night took place on October 5th 1997 and was the first professional Mixed Martial Arts event to take place in the UK. It featured future UFC fighter James Zikic and also Valentijn Overeem who would go on to submit MMA legend Randy Couture. Amazingly Lee himself fought on the card and he went on to win via 1st round submission over Sander Thonhauser. Hasdell would continue to promote MMA events in the UK right up to the present day but it was the Total Fight Night and the iconic Night of the Samurai series that first bought live mixed martial arts to this country.

Inevitably there was press criticism of these events and they even prompted a Tonight with Trevor McDonald special on July 22nd 1999. Hasdell’s response in the media was a very educated and informed one.

“In Japan you are seen as an athlete but here there always seems to be a taboo. It’s always on the fringe. People talk about safety but all the fighters are properly trained and the rule book is 32 pages long”

Hasdell would carry on his campaign for years to come and he even appeared on The Big Breakfast on Channel 4 to further inform the nation of the legitimacy of the sport and its importance in the evolution of martial arts. Lee took some fighters from his shows along with him that day, one of whom was a young man by the name of Lee Murray.

Lee had fought on the Ring of Truth card promoted by Hasdell and made short work of his opponent Mike Tomlinson with a Kimura in the first round. It was clear that Murray had a lot of potential and as he continued to rack up the wins on the domestic scene. He timed his ascension through the ranks very well as the UFC was experiencing new popularity all over the world and had even recently come to our fair shores for UFC 38 Brawl at the Hall. This event would prove to the world how far MMA had evolved in the UK thanks to some stellar performances from the British fighters.

Leigh Remedios and James Zikic put on fantastic fights but were ultimately unsuccessful in their bouts but Mark Weir’s 10 second KO of Eugene Jackson ignited the fans at the Royal Albert Hall and Ian Freeman’s bulldozing of much fancied prospect, and future UFC champion, Frank Mir proved that the British fighters had arrived. Lee Murray would go on, spurred by the achievements of his compatriots, to fight for the UFC and looked phenomenal as he put away dangerous middleweight title contender Jorge Rivera in a little over 90 seconds.

Murray’s next fight would be against a far more deadly competitor however, for an organization which would go on to become the largest promotion in the UK scene.
Cage Rage Championships first event was on September 7th 2002 and took place at The Fusion Leisure Centre in London. For such a small promotion it was incredible to see a 13 fight card full of fighters that would go on to become well respected stars in MMA. Matt Ewin, Paul Taylor, Robbie Olivier and Brazilian Jean Silva all fought on that inaugural show and it was clear even from those humble beginnings that the promotion had a lot of potential.

Lee Murray would fight at Cage Rage 8 against Anderson Silva and would take the Brazilian all three rounds which, even to this day, puts him in a very elite group. Cage Rage continued to expand and as the both the names and the venues got bigger, it was also very apparent that the level of British talent was also expanding. Fighters like Brad Pickett, James Thompson, Mustapha Al Turk, Gary Turner and Jason Barrett were all emerging from the various clubs and organizations in the UK to fight for Cage Rage. The UFC even took 2 Brits on its third season of The Ultimate Fighter and the American audiences were impressed by the heart shown by Ross Pointon and the skills of eventual winner Michael Bisping.

There are at present more clubs, more organizations and, most importantly, more talented fighters coming out of the UK than ever before. Gyms like London Shootfighters, Wolfslair and Rough House have shown time and time again that they can produce quality fighters. These gyms boast internationally renowned coaches and their facilities rival many of the best training camps in the world. Michael Bisping no longer has to carry the hopes and expectations of a nation entirely on his shoulders as there is an army of UK fighters looking to prove that they can compete at the highest level. Paul Daley’s explosive KO victory on Saturday sent shockwaves through the UFC welterweight division, but more importantly it proved one thing. The British are coming, and this invasion will not be easily stopped.

Paul Daley: From the Rough House to the Penthouse

This article was featured in the November 2009 Issue of Fighters Magazine

It’s been quite a week for Paul “Semtex” Daley. His 151 second demolition of highly rated UFC welterweight prospect Martin “Hit man” Kampmann served notice to division of his intentions. More and more UK fighters are making their way into the UFC and, following on from the last season of the Ultimate Fighter, it is clear that the UK is producing better fighters now than ever before. Daley (22-8-2) has a professional career that spans 6 years and has seen him rack up 18 of his victories by either knockout or tko. Despite his great reputation from fighting in a number of organizations he still went into his last fight as a big underdog.

You’d be forgiven for thinking Paul would be star struck by the win but it was just another day at the office for the Nottingham native.

“It sunk in straight away; I expected nothing less than the outcome from the fight, so there was on surprise for me”

Daley looked to push the pace from the opening bell and landed a number of thunderous left hooks which clearly rattled Kampmann. Paul and his team clearly had done their homework on Kampmann as he was able to methodically pick the Dane apart with a series of crisp strikes.

“Kampmann always trades a bit in his fights before going the clinch so I knew I had to capitalise on this weakness. He’s a class striker, but he doesn’t compare KO power like I do”

Daley’s victory certainly throws a spanner in the works for the UFC. Martin Kampmann was due to fight Mike Swick for a shot at George St Pierre but following Swick’s injury and the demise of Affliction MMA, Daley was signed by the UFC and thrown on to a main card bout. Daley himself has already acknowledged that the UFC’s welterweight division is “100% without a doubt” the strongest in the world. Few could argue this point as the UFC has never struggled to find talent at 170lbs, a minefield of a division with George St Pierre at the end of it.

At the press conference after UFC 103 all the talk was of Daley fighting at the next UK event which is UFC 105 in November, potentially against Mike Swick. This would translate into another huge fight for Daley but how does he view the prospect of fighting a top contender like Swick in the UK?

“I would like that fight but I would like more time between fights. I find motivation from the fight itself, not the location, but it would be nice to have a cheering UK crowd behind me. Swick has faster hands and is taller and more unorthodox but I think Kampmann was more dangerous as a fighter than him.”

Daley has been present on the MMA scene now for many years, but is the latest in a long line of UK talent making a name for himself in the biggest show in the world. The UK MMA scene may not be on the same level as other nations such as America and Brazil but as Daley himself said “We’re still a way away, but we’re moving very fast in the right direction.” We have seen a big increase in the number of talented British fighters entering the UFC and Daley’s performance served to once again highlight this. British representation in the UFC is no longer seen as Michael Bisping + special guests.

The likes of Dan Hardy, Ross Pearson, Andre Winner, James Wilks and Paul Daley are all very credible and dangerous fighters in their respective divisions.

The UFC welterweight division, however, has never been stronger and Daley was quick to identify “Fitch, Koscheck ,Alves, Condit and Swick” as top contenders for the George St Pierre’s title. It may be too early to talk about GSP but if Daley could win in similarly impressive fashion against a fighter of Swick’s calibre it would move him several places closer to title contention. Paul, however, is certainly not in awe of St Pierre and views his “KO power, athleticism and takedown defence” as keys to his success.

At this point however talks of title shots and UFC gold are nothing more than speculation. Paul has made a great start to his UFC career and introduced the biggest audience in the world to his skills and the power he possesses at this weight. After spending years fighting in a lot of the smaller shows what does it mean for Daley to finally make such a big impression with the largest organization in the world?

“I’m excited. The UFC is the world’s best organization. I love the fans, it’s awesome.”

While Daley looks forward to his next conquest, like most fighters, he still contemplates past battles. His bout against highly rated welterweight Jake Shields on the last Elite XC offering was easily one of the toughest tests that Shields has faced at this weight. Daley presents a difficult task for any would be opponents but who would he be most interesting in fighting?

“Out of my losses Jake Shields, Jean Silva and Nick Thompson. I’m not sure who I’d fight if I could fight anyone. Nick Diaz is a bad ass, I’d like to fight him”

Daley sits in a very good position with the UFC at the moment. He won the fight that nobody expected him to win and more to the point he did it in emphatic fashion. His victory against such a top contender like Martin Kampmann has also catapulted him straight into the mix at welterweight and ensured that the UFC will have to give him quality opposition in the future. His exciting style has already proven a hit with fans who knew him from his previous fights and he served notice to the UFC and all of its audience of his intentions. Paul himself is philosophical about his victory and knows that the real tests are still to come. So what does the future hold for Paul Daley? His answer was as emphatic and as direct as his last fight. “More wins, More Knockouts and a UFC Championship belt!”

By Ben Cartlidge 2009

Evan Tanner: Always believe in the power of one.

This article was featured in the November 2009 Issue of Fighters Magazine.

“If you can make your voice heard, you can stand up for these things, you can speak out on these things and people are going to listen. You can affect change and you can make things happen, you can improve the world and make it a better place. That’s my motivation behind fighting.”

Evan Tanner was truly one of MMA’s more spiritual fighters but it did not make him any less a fearful competitor. Tanner established a fierce reputation within the sport for his heart, discipline and his ruthless style. He compiled a very impressive 32-8 professional record, won the USFW Heavyweight title by defeating Heath Herring and also held the UFC Middleweight belt in 2005 with a dominating performance over the dangerous David Terrell. Tanner was also the first ever American to win the Pancrase Neo-Blood event in Tokyo, Japan.

Evan Tanner was born on February 11^th 1971 in Amarillo, Texas and even as a young child showed a great deal of athletic prowess. It wasn’t until 1989, when Tanner won the Texas State Wrestling Championships, that he became aware of his physical gifts. Tanner dropped out of college after a year as he felt he was not receiving the kind of knowledge that he was searching so hard for. Evan made a big decision at this point to travel the country and live and work in a number of environments. It was these first voyages that shaped Tanner’s mind set and established his love of exploring his surroundings and seeking adventure.

Tanner’s first steps into mixed martial arts came on 12^th April 1997 for the Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation. It was friends who convinced Evan that he should compete in this tournament and they were right to encourage him as he defeated 3 fighters in one night, finishing with a rear naked choke over future UFC title contender Paul Buentello. Tanner realised that his overall skill set needed to improve if he was to grow as a fighter, so he acquired a series of Gracie instructional videos and began teaching himself the submission game.

As Tanner’s wins became more frequent and impressive so did the offers from fight promoters. During the summer of 1998 Evan travelled to Japan to fight in the Pancrase Neo Blood tournament and promptly became the first ever American to be victorious. As Tanner’s reputation continued to grow and he continued to defend his USWF belt, it was only a matter of time before he attracted the attention of the UFC.

Evan Tanner first entered the now famous octagon, before the Zuffa era, in January 1999 for UFC 18: Road to the Heavyweight Title. Tanner defeated Darrel Gholar by rear naked choke and was asked back for the following event in which he made short work of Valeri Ignatov, stopping him with elbows in the first round. Following on from this Evan loyally stuck with the struggling USWF and defended his belt on 4 occasions in Amarillo but it was clear that his star was rising in the sport.

After a return to the UFC near the end of 2000 that saw him defeat Lance Gibson by strikes, Tanner was given a title shot at champion Tito Ortiz. In one of the shortest title fights in UFC history, Ortiz slammed Tanner to the mat and clashed heads with him as they hit the canvas. Tanner was knocked out cold from the impact and Tito Ortiz was declared the winner by KO (slam). This was one of the first title matches that the UFC had staged since the buyout from the Zuffa and as the MMA landscape changed around him Tanner looked to further evolve as a fighter.

Over the next few years Tanner became a mainstay with the UFC as he dropped from light heavyweight to middleweight and chalked up a very impressive 7-1 record since the Tito Ortiz loss. In what can be seen as Tanner’s golden years he went on to score victories over Robbie Lawler and Phil Baroni on two separate occasions. Evan was, at this point, training exclusively with Randy Couture and Matt Lindland at Team Quest in Oregon. Tanner became a fearsome competitor during this time, using his wrestling skills to maul his opponents in the clinch and unloading with vicious strikes from the top whenever he gained dominant positions. It was this style and determination that gained him another title shot in the UFC, this time at 185lbs, in February 2005 against dangerous prospect David Terrell.

Tanner had left Team Quest at this point and was training alone for this fight. In one of the most memorable title bouts in recent years, Tanner survived the initial onslaught from Terrell and fought out of a deep guillotine choke to remain in half guard and pound out his adversary with devastating punches and elbows. Evan was the champion and for him it was not about recognition or fame but for the experience, for the adventure. This philosophy was the way Tanner lived his life from beginning to end.

“To change the world it takes little actions, little actions every single day. It’s hard for people to see that the small change that they make in their lives can change the world but it can, believe me”

Tanner would go on to lose his title in a rematch with Rich Franklin and in that, lose the opportunity to be a coach on The Ultimate Fighter. Looking at Tanner’s lifestyle and his unique approach it wasn’t hard to see what that would have meant to him. It was a chance to try and change the world for the better and to use his profile to help as many people as possible. Tanner followed this fight with a close loss to upcoming David Loiseau but was able to get back on the winning track once again with a submission victory over Justin Levens at UFC 59.

Tanner then chose this time to take another hiatus from the sport concentrating more on exploring and also setting up a mixed martial arts training camp for disadvantaged athletes near his home in Gresham, Oregon. Tanner’s MMA foundation, however, never got the chance to materialize as a bad experience he had with one of the fighters persuaded him to take a break from this endeavour. It was during this time that Tanner started to turn to alcohol and he publicly kept a blog on the Internet for all his fans to see. Tanner poured his emotions into this blog every week and fans became upset to see their champion withering away before their eyes.

Tanner turned the corner in mid 2007 and was able to begin seriously training again and make his return to the UFC. He accepted no corporate sponsors for his return stating instead that he would start “Team Tanner”, a self funded move to repay his fans for all their support. The return to active competition was not as easy as Tanner had envisaged. The sport had evolved in his absence and he suffered back to back losses to Yushin Okami and Hawaiian Kendal Grove. It was at this time that Tanner looked to re-evaluate his position in the sport and once again, during a period of reflection, he stumbled on his next adventure.

Tanner began excitedly updating his blog about his latest challenge. He was going to explore the treacherous deserts of Southern California. He talked about it on his blog with such energy and he had taken all the necessary precautions for such a trip.

“Today, I ran to the store to pick up a few things, and with the lonesome, quiet desert thoughts on my mind, I couldn't help but be struck with their brutally stark contrast to my current surroundings, the amazing congestion in which we exist day to day.. I want to go to these places, the quiet, timeless, ageless places, and sit, letting silence and solitude be my teachers.”

Evan Tanner’s body was found by a marine helicopter on September 8^th 2008. Tanner had intended to refill his water bottles at a spring which had run dry; his motorcycle had run out of gas. He had communicated with friends prior to his death informing them of his situation and saying that he would walk back to camp, during the later hours of the evening. Tanner’s body was found at that spot where he had sat down to rest, the temperatures had soared to 118 degrees and he had died from heat exhaustion.

The mixed martial arts world mourned the loss of the fallen warrior. Evan Tanner was truly a people’s champion, his unique perspective on life and his selfless and dedicated approach won him fans both in and outside of the cage. Evan Tanner will always be a personal hero of mine and always be one of the main reasons that I write and that I continue to follow the sport. Ironic perhaps that Tanner had no time for heroes, but saw us all as equals.

"I don't like to use the word hero. I would rather use the word respect. There are those for whom I have respect. To me that is something more than what "hero" means. I have respect for anyone who stands up strong for his ideals and principals. I have respect for anyone who has the strength to walk with integrity and live in truth and honesty. I have respect for those who have a big enough heart to show kindness to all those around them. I have respect for those who can laugh at themselves, and understand it is those around us that give life meaning."

By Ben Cartlidge 2009