The standard was up again this year, and the teen divisions showed remarkable improvement, its going to be a very competitive year all around!

As always the League could not have happened without the invaluable help of the following people -
Jim, Ger, Dermot and Damien for refereeing and calling it straight down the middle all day
Ollie and Darragh for keeping the event running smoothly and with a minimum of delays
Vinny from Fightlord for his constant support and supplying record number of people with groin guards and gum shields at this event!
Vinny presented submission of the day award to Ryan Curtin of Spartan MMA Northside for his amazing flying arm bar.
Lastly but certainly not least are all the competitors and coaches who made the trip to Galway for the event, without your continued support the League would not be still going.

The League returns on Saturday the 12th of June to the Kingfisher in Galway, my apologies to the faithful supporters of the League in Limerick, but it has become increasingly difficult to arrange a venue, mats and everything else, to the point that going back there this year became impossible. On the flip side the Kingfisher is an amazing venue and a great place to host this event.

Ring 1

Ring 2

Credit: MAAleague.com

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TUF 11 Cast Announced

New York, NY, March 1, 2010 – The 11th season of Spike TV’s most popular original series ever, “The Ultimate Fighter,” for the first time will feature 28 of the best up and coming mixed martial artists in the world competing for 14 spots in “The Ultimate Fighter” house.

The series boasts a new format, which will be introduced to viewers in the show’s premiere episode.  The smash hit will also feature two coaches who need no introduction to mixed martial arts fans, UFC legends Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell and Tito “The Huntington Beach Bad boy” Ortiz.

The new season premieres Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at 10:00 PM ET/PT featuring the following cast members:

RICH ATTONITO
Fighting out of: Deerfield Beach, FL / American Top Team
Record: 7-3
Age: 32

A 2001 graduate of Hofstra University in Long Island, Rich Attonito wrestled several different weight classes as a member of the Pride wrestling team including the 167lb. and 197lb. divisions.  Attonito has been training with American Top Team since he moved to Florida in 2006.  He is the strength and conditioning coach for UFC veteran Luigi Fioravanti.

SETH BACZYNSKI
Fighting out of: Canyon, AZ / Apex MMA
Record: 11-5
Age: 28

Training partner to TUF alums Santino DeFranco (season 9) and Efrain Escudero (season 8 at Apex MMA in Arizona, Seth Baczynski is a full-time water inspector at Liberty Water.

CHARLES BLANCHARD
Fighting out of: Coconut Creek, FL / American Top Team
Record: 7-2
Age: 24

A 2-time All State wrester in high school, this single father is a jiu-jitsu brown belt and a published poet.

JOSH BRYANT
Fighting out of: Tulsa, OK / Absolute Combat Alliance
Record: 10-0
Age: 29

A member of the Absolute Combat Alliance camp in Tulsa, OK, Josh Bryant sports a perfect 10-0 professional mixed martial arts record.  When not training, Bryant works as a manager for Mazzio’s Italian Eatery in Oklahoma.

CHRIS CAMOZZI
Fighting out of: Denver, CO / Gumm MMA
Record: 11-3
Age: 22

Camozzi is a freestyle fighter from Denver that works as a bouncer in his spare time.  Two of his three losses are to TUF alums Jesse Forbes (season 3) and Jesse Taylor (season 7).

BRENT COOPER
Fighting out of: Long Beach, CA / Team Oyama
Record: 5-1
Age: 31

Of Sioux Indian descent, Cooper is a pipeliner by day for Shell Oil, and a devastating striker by night, with four of his five wins coming via TKO.

JACEN FLYNN
Fighting out of: Meridian, ID / No camp
Record: 8-2
Age: 31

Jacen Flynn possesses an 8-2 mixed martial arts record that includes wins over Dennis Kang and Dean Lister.  Away from the Octagon™, he is a social worker.

JAMES HAMMORTREE
Fighting out of: Ocala, FL / USA Martial Arts
Record: 4-0
Age: 23

Following one season at Weber International, where he starred on the football team as a linebacker and on special teams, Hammortree left the program in order to become a full-time firefighter in Ocala, FL.  The former high school wrestler owns a 4-0 professional record with all four of those bouts taking place in 2009.

JOSEPH HENLE
Fighting out of: Thousand Oaks, CA / Big John McCarthy’s MMA
Record: 3-0
Age: 26

Joseph Henle splits time training at Big John McCarthy’s MMA and working as a substitute teacher and wrestling coach in Thousand Oaks, CA. Henle earned his MBA in Financial Planning from California Lutheran University in ’06.  He speaks fluent Japanese.

CHARLEY LYNCH
Fighting out of: Mound, MN / Northway MMA
Record: 6-0
Age: 25

The self-proclaimed baddest man in Minnesota, Charley Lynch owns a 6-0 professional record with zero of his bouts going to decision.

KRIS MCCRAY
Fighting out of: Dumfries, VA / Chute BoxeRecord: 5-0
Age: 28

Son of a military father, Kris McCray was raised in Germany, where he excelled on the soccer pitch and garnered All-Europe honors in high school.  In 1999, McCray moved permanently to the United States, where he has served parts of 8 years (6 active, 2 inactive) as a member of the US Army Reserve, while also finding time to earn his Associates Degree in Social Studies from Northern Virginia Community College.

COURT MCGEE
Fighting out of:  Orem, UT / Throwdown Elite Fight TeamRecord: 9-1
Age: 24

A Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist out of Orem, UT, Court McGee beat “The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom” runner-up DaMarques Johnson in 2007 by submission

CLAYTON MCKINNEY
Fighting out of: Orlando, FL / Jungle MMA
Record: 4-2
Age: 27

A teammate of TUF (season 8 alum Tom Lawlor at Jungle MMA, Clayton McKinney is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt that supplements his training by working security at a local bar in Orlando.

KYLE NOKE
Fighting out of: Albuquerque, NM / Jackson’s MMA
Record: 16-4-1
Age: 29

Kyle Noke, from Mooloolaba, Australia, is the former bodyguard of “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin.  Currently training with Jackson’s MMA in New Mexico, Noke defeated TUF (season 6) alum George Sotiropoulos in June 2005 and current castmate Kyacey Uscola this past September.

VICTOR O’DONNELL
Fighting out of: Milford, OH / Vision MMA
Record: 8-1
Age: 27

Hailing from Milford, OH, O’Donnell suffered his first professional loss this past September against cast mate Costantinos Philippou. Before that, he had won eight contests, seven of which by submission.

NORMAN PARAISY
Fighting out of: Coconut Creek, FL / American Top Team
Record: 5-1
Age: 23

Norman Paraisy was born and raised Paris, France.  The 5-1 Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist left France in order to pursue MMA in the states and is now a member of the American Top Team.

COSTANTINOS PHILIPPOU
Fighting out of: Merrick, NY / Serra-Longo
Record: 5-1
Age: 30

Costantinos Philippou is a former boxer with 3 professional and over 80 amateur fights on his record.  The 30-year-old server from Merrick, NY was born and raised in Greece.  He currently trains out of the Serra-Longo camp.

GREG REBELLO
Fighting out of: Buzzards Bay, MA / Sityodtong USA
Record: 9-2
Age: 27

Greg Rebello trains full-time at Sityodtong USA in Massachusetts under the watchful eye of Mark DellaGrotte.  Currently in peak physical condition, Rebello at one time weighed in over 300lbs before dedicating himself to fitness at the age of 18.

NICK RING
Fighting out of: Calgary, Canada / B.D.P. Martial Arts
Record: 10-0
Age: 30

Nick Ring returned to MMA in May 2009 following a three year stint away from the sport after suffering a devastating knee injury.  In that time, Ring boxed professionally to the tune of a 4-1 record with 3 knockouts.

JORDAN SMITH
Fighting out of: Clearfield, UT / Throwdown Elite Fight Team
Record: 10-0
Age: 24

A 7th grade teacher by day, Jordan Smith is a former professional boxer that trains with fellow cast member Court McGee at Throwdown Elite Fight Team.

BEN STARK
Fighting out of: Tamarac, FL / American Top Team
Record: 3-1
Age: 27

Born and raised a practitioner of the Orthodox Jewish religion until the age of 6, Ben Stark began training with American Top Team in Florida as a sophomore in college. When not at the gym, Stark picks up shifts at “The Original Fat Cats,” and also finds time to breed snakes.

LYLE STEFFENS
Fighting out of: Tucson, AZ / Apex MMA
Record: 5-2
Age: 26

Lyle Steffens is a firefighter and an EMT in Tucson, AZ.  He trains with fellow cast member Seth Baczynski at Apex MMA.

BRAD TAVARES
Fighting out of: Las Vegas, NV / TapouT
Record: 4-0
Age: 21

At 21, Brad Tavares is the youngest of this season’s cast members.  Originally from Hilo, HI, Tavares recently relocated to Las Vegas and trains full-time with TapouT

WARREN THOMPSON
Fighting out of: Marietta, GA / Team Khunpon / Roberto Traven BJJ
Record: 5-0
Age: 23

Warren Thompson, aka “The Kool-Aid Man,” is a muay-thai fighter from Marietta, GA.  The volunteer firefighter splits his training in Atlanta between Team Khunpon and Roberto Traven BJJ.

KYACEY USCOLA
Fighting out of: Sacramento, CA / Team Alpha Male
Record: 18-15
Age: 28

Kyacey Uscola joins the cast with 33 professional MMA fights on his record.  He trains with Team Alpha Male and Urijah Faber out of Sacramento.

CLEBURN WALKER
Fighting out of: Keller, TX / Team Lutter
Record: 9-3
Age: 26

Born and raised in Texas, Cleburn Walker is a full-time fighter and instructor at Team Lutter.  He suffered a recent loss via submission to TUF (season 3) alum Jesse Forbes this past June.

WOODY WEATHERBY
Fighting out of: Hudson, NH / Renzo Gracie / Mickey Wards Boxing Gym & Xtreme MMA
Record: 7-3
Age: 27

The former US Navy officer currently works full-time as a corrections officer for the Hillsborough County jail in Manchester, NH.  Weatherby rotates his training between 2 gyms: Renzo Gracie Academy in Derry, NH, and Mickey Wards Boxing Gym & Xtreme MMA.

JAMIE YAGER
Fighting out of: Los Angeles, CA / Kings MMA
Record: 2-1
Age: 25

A standout varsity letterman in baseball and football, Yager was the 2001 Athlete of the Year at South Pasadena High School in California.  He picked up training MMA as a hobby, and went straight from training to the professional ranks in February 2008 as part of BET’s Iron Ring, where he defeated his opponent by TKO.

During the six-week taping of “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz,” the competitors endured a grueling regimen of jiu-jitsu, judo, Muay Thai, karate, boxing and wrestling.  The intense competition among the fighters continues after they leave the gym – at the Ultimate Fighter House.  These warriors must live together, knowing that any day they might be forced to fight each other in the famed UFC Octagon™.

The two finalists will square off in a live finale on Spike TV, where the winner will be declared “The Ultimate Fighter” and net the six-figure contract and a cash prize.  UFC President Dana White will once again serve as host of the series.

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This interview took pale on Feb. 21st, 2009. Fighthounds.com do own the rights to this interview.

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It took a while, and there were apparently a few hiccups along the way, but the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts returned for their second show, broadcast on Bravo this past Sunday, with Christian O’Connell, Bret Freeman and Graham Little handling commentary duties.

The broadcast began with lightweight action as A.J. Wenn faced Ali McClean. An interesting fight to begin the show with, with the majority of the action on the ground. McClean showed some good ground work here, although he came up short with his submission attempts. Wenn did okay, but with the fight going the distance the judges rendered a decision, and they couldn’t separate them, scoring it as a draw. A slightly surprising decision. I thought McClean just edged it with his better work rate.

It was up to the middleweight division for the next fight as Mike Ling took on Russell Smith. This fight grabbed my attention straight away, mainly because I’ve never seen a six-foot-seven middleweight before! Ling had a massive eight inch height advantage, but that didn’t stop Smith from coming forward from the outset, rocking Ling with a series of blows. From there we got an outstanding back and forth battle with Ling synching in a rear naked choke for the submission win just as the first round was coming to an end. Ling is definitely a fighter I’ll be looking out for in the future, and given his size it won’t be hard to miss him!

More lightweight action followed, with Peter Duncan and Xandinho. A very technical battle saw the Brazilian start strongly, with the purple haired Irishman always mounting a comeback after Xandinho’s submission attempts. By the time the third round started Xandinho looked shattered, and Duncan controlled the majority of the round. It was enough to earn him the decision. A very enjoyable fight here.

Then it was on to the first title fight of the evening as Rob Sinclair faced Nathan Beer for the vacant Lightweight title. Scheduled for five rounds, this didn’t make it past the first as both men put on a good striking display until Sinclair caught Beer with a right that sent him staggering back towards the cage. A big left dropped Beer, and it wasn’t long before the referee stopped the fight, giving the impressive Sinclair the title winning knockout.

It was up to the welterweight division for the next fight, as Sam Elsdon went up against Gunnar Nelson. The Icelander came into this one with a big reputation, and he lived up to that reputation with some excellent ground work, scoring with a big take down before transitioning to Elsdon’s back, where he could apply a rear naked choke for the submission win. I have to admit that I’d never heard of Nelson before this fight, but this kid has a bright future ahead of him.

The main event saw Alan Omer take on Paul Reed for the vacant Featherweight title. This was a fight definitely worthy of it’s place on the card. The first three rounds saw Reed put on a tremendous performance on the ground as he dominated the German. Omer was only able to connect with a few shots. Then, as the fight entered the fourth round things changed dramatically as Omer went to work on the ground, and it wasn’t long before he synched in a triangle choke for the submission win in what was definitely the fight of the night.

In conclusion – well, we had to wait nearly ten months, but BAMMA certainly delivered with their second show. The quality of the fights was good, with performances ranging from good to outstanding. Production-wise it had a different feel to their counterparts over at Ultimate Challenge. While Dave O’Donnell is often seen getting very excited during his shows, BAMMA could really be described as having a decidedly understated British feel about it, and that’s a good thing, because the MMA scene here in Britain would look dull if everyone tried to copy each other. Let’s hope that they don’t go too over the top for their next show in May, which sees Tom “Kong” Watson taking on the over-publicised Mr. Katie Price himself, Alex Reid. My money’s on Watson for that one.

Credit: Julian Rodbourne www.twoshedsreview.com

It was an historic night for the Ultimate Fighting Championship as they travelled to the land down under for the first time for UFC 110: Nogueira v Velasquez, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday on ESPN here in Britain, with Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan handling commentary duties.

The broadcast began in the heavyweight division, with Mirko Cro Cop facing Anthony Perosh. As a massive Cro Cop fan I was really hoping that the Croatian could get back to top form, and thankfully he did in this one, dominating against a very game Australian. Perosh was on the back foot for the majority of the fight, with Cro Cop bloodying his nose in the first round. Perosh tried to take the fight downstairs a number of times, but Cro Cop showed some great defensive work. The second round continued in the same vein as Cro Cop continued to stalk his prey, and when the fight did go to the ground a vicious left elbow opened up a nasty gash on Perosh’s forehead. The doctor checked him over, and the Aussie, much to Cro Cop’s surprise, wanted to continue, but Cro Cop’s continued onslaught saw the doctor step in at the end of the round to call off the fight, giving Cro Cop the much needed win. It was an impressive performance from the Croatian, and while it was great to see him get a win under his belt, it may take a few more wins like this before we see the feared Cro Cop of old again.

It was down to light heavyweight for the next fight between Keith Jardine and Ryan Bader. The first fight of the broadcast to make it into the third round proved to be an entertaining back and forth affair with good performances from both men. While Bader controlled the first and Jardine the second with his stand up game, the pivotal moment came when Bader rocked Jardine with a right, following up with a flying knee, before sealing the deal with a left hook that knocked the Dean of Mean out, with the referee stopping the fight immediately, giving Bader the win as he maintained his unbeaten record.

Welterweight action followed as Chris Lytle faced Brian Foster. This filler material was fast paced and very enjoyable. Foster looked great early on, scoring with a big slam and some great shorts. But when they went down to the ground for the second time Lytle quickly moved into position so he could apply a knee bar which Foster quickly tapped out to, giving Lytle the submission win in one of those fights that could have gone either way.

It was down another division for the next fight as Joe Stevenson took on George Sotiropoulos in lightweight action. An excellent performance from Sotiropoulos here. Buoyed on by the Sydney fans, the Aussie put on a great display as he and Stevenson had a tremendous battle on the ground, with Sotiropoulos dominating for the most part, and Stevenson mounting a slight comeback in the third. But with the fight going the distance the judges were called in as they gave the unanimous decision to Sotiropoulos, and rightfully so after his excellent display.

So after that great fight it was on to the fight I was really looking forward to, middleweight action as Wanderlei Silva took on my fellow Brit Michael Bisping. It turned out to be a tremendous fight. In no way was Bisping overawed by the legend in front of him as he put on a good display against a Silva who looked back to his best, unfazed by the weight cut that seemed to take a lot out of him in his last fight. Bisping showed some good work with his striking and his take downs, but Silva just seemed a couple of steps ahead of him, especially as he ended each round in a dominant position. Once again the judges were called upon to render a decision, with Silva taking a very close unanimous decision, Could the Axe Murderer be back to his best now?

Then it was on to the main event as Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira tackled Cain Velasquez in the heavyweight division. This one was certainly explosive. Both fighters got off some good shots, and about two and a half minutes in Velasquez scored with a right/left combination that sent Nogueira crashing to the ground. Velasquez quickly followed him down for some brief ground and pound before the referee stepped in, with Velasquez getting the great knockout victory.

The broadcast rounded out with more filler material as Stephan Bonnar faced Krzysztof Soszynski in the light heavyweight division. A very entertaining fight so both fighters put on a good display of striking, and the fight looked pretty close after the first two rounds, but early in the third an accidental clash of heads opened up a deep cut on Bonnar’s forehead, which was made worse by a left elbow from Soszynski. As the claret began to pour the doctor was called in, and he stopped the fight immediately, giving Soszynski the TKO win. A good fight, but I wouldn’t be surprised if these two go at it again given the way this fight ended.

In conclusion – the UFC’s Australia debut can only be termed a great success. I looked at this show as a legends versus up-and-comers affair, and while Nogueira went down to the heavy hitting Velasquez, Wanderlei Silva put on a vintage performance against Michael Bisping. It was also great to see Mirko Cro Cop back to winning ways as well. So in short, another great outing for Dana White’s crew. ‘Nuff said!

Credit: Julian Rodbourne www.twoshedsreview.com