The headlining fight featured Dan Keefe of Brickhouse Fight Team proved victorious over Woody Weatherby of Renzo Gracie, NH. After two five-minute rounds, the fight was too close to call and the judges announced a third, sudden-victory round. Early in round three, Keefe secured a take down and spent most of the round throwing strikes from Weatherby’s guard. With seconds remaining, Weatherby reversed positions and lock up an arm bar. The bell rang before Keefe was forced to tap. The judges awarded Dan Keefe the win.

In the co-headlining fight, local favorite Calvin Kattar faced Rodrigo Almeida. The crowd, peppered with bright yellow Calvin Kattar tee-shirts, exploded when the lights dimmed and Hulk Hogan’s Real American theme song blasted from the speakers as Kattar was announced. The fans were less than receptive to Rodrigo, who aimed to tarnish Kattar’s 6-1 record.

At the start of round one, Rodrigo attempted to neutralize Kattar’s reach advantage by shooting in, securing Kattar’s legs, and taking him down. It wasn’t long before both fighters were back on their feet. Sticking to his game plan, Rodrigo worked for a second take down and drove Katter into the corner. Kattar locked a guillotine around Rodrigo’s neck and dropped to his back. Rodrigo tapped out at 2:16 of round one.

In one of the featured bouts, John Benoit of Renzo Gracie, NH won a split decision victory over Damien Trites of Wai-Kru. Round one began with Trites dominating Benoit. But it wasn’t long before Benoit established his rhythm, peppering Trites with combinations and a very effective ground game.

WCF 7 also featured appearances by UFC veterans John Howard and Jorge Rivera, Mark DellaGrotte of Sityodtong USA, and actor Kevin James.

Results
Dan Keefe def. Woody Weatherby – Judges decision after round 3
Calvin Kattar def. Rodrigo Almeida – Submission-Guillotine – 2:16 Round 1
Greg Rebello def. Jerry Spiegel – Unanimous Decision
Tom Moreau def. Don Carlo-Clauss – Split Decision
John Benoit def. Damien Trites – Split Decision
Elias Rivera def. Scott Rehm – Submission-Heel Hook – 2:43 Round 1
Travis Bartlett def. Guillermo Echuaca – Ref. Stoppage – 2:18 Round 1
Saul Almeida def. Dan O’Keefe – Submission-Peruvian Necktie – 1:16 Round 1
Nick Evangelous def. Matt McKusker – Ref. Stoppage – 2:41 Round 1
Aniss Anlhajjajy def. Aaron Petrucelli – Split Decision
Marcos Escalante def. John Walsh – Submission-Rear Naked Choke – 1:24 Round 1
Zack Burhans def. Jeff Silva – Unanimous Decision
Nelson Gaipo def. Ryan White – Ref. Stoppage – 1:07 Round 1
Noah Wiseman def. Steve Beck – Submission-Rear Naked Choke – 1:50 Round 1

On the under card, Jay Fortier, Nick Evangelous and Jeff Remmick each had first round submission victories. Rick Hawn was also awarded the win in round one when he knocked out Billy Flynn. Ryan Quinn and Jimmy Grant both had their hands raised as a result of unanimous decisions by the judges.

The first featured fight of the night saw Anthony Leone of  Bombsquad defeat Chris Grandmaison (Renzo NH). Leone was able to control Grandmaison with superior wrestling. With the victory, Leone moves to 4-0. Damien Trites ended his fight with Jose Lopez at 1:13 of round one with a triangle choke, Trites looks to be a force at 155. Greg Rebello was awarded a unanimous decision victory over Shawn DePaul.

The one fight of night with a bit of controversy was Scott Rehm of USMMA/Florian MMA versus Stephen Stengel. The fight ended at 0:38 of round one when Stengel was deemed unable to continue by the doctor. Both men were clinched in the corner of the ring when Rhem attempted a slam that resulted in Stengel being dropped on the side of his head. The fight was stopped immediately, as it was clear that Stengel could have been severely injured. As a safety precaution, the doctor ordered that he be taken by stretcher from the ring. Stengel gave a big thumbs up to the crowd as he left. There’s no doubt that the drop was accidental and Scott Rehm was awarded the win, but one wonders if such a severe mistake should have been a disqualification.

Glenn Brown of the Green Mountain Boys faced John Benoit of Renzo Gracie NH, who had been on a seven fight win steak. Brown, who had recently returned from training in Las Vegas at Striking Unlimited with Ken Hahn, Rober Drysdale’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy, and Wanderlei Silva’s new gym, put on a great performance. He never stopped pushing the pace and overwhelmed Benoit with his wrestling. In round one, both fighters almost flew out of the ring when Brown shot in for a take down and drove Benoit threw the ropes. Both men nearly landed in the lap of Marcus Davis, who was sitting ringside. In the end, Brown won by unanimous decision.

Mike Dolce, an alumni of The Ultimate Fighter and new member of the Wolf’s Lair, was cornered by Quinton “Rampage” Jackson when he met Nuri Shakir (Bucket Brigade) in the ring. After an uneventful first round, Dolce caught Shakir with a punch that left him rocked. Dolce rushed Shakir, pinned him against the ropes and unleashed a flurry of punches. The referee stepped in when Shakir was no longer able to defend himself. Dolce won by referee stoppage due to strikes at 2:52 of round two.

In the main event of the evening Dan Ferrer of Team Santos faced Dan Bonnell of Sityodtong USA for the first ever WCF title. At the start of round one the two men squared off. During an exchange Ferrer shot in and scored a double leg take down. From there, Ferrer’s Jiu-Jitsu skills carried him through the fight. He took his time throwing strikes and working for the north-south position where he isolated one of Bonnell’s arms. Ferrer locked in a kimura and sat up. Bonnell fought hard, but was unable to free his arm. He submitted at 2:48 of round one. Dan Ferrer’s hand was raised, and WCF belt was strapped around his waist. It wasn’t all bad for Bonnell, he may have lost the fight but following the loss he proposed to his girlfriend inside the ring. She said yes. Congratulations to Dan and the future Mrs.Bonnell.

Results
Dan Ferrer (Team Santos) def. Dan Bonnell (Sit Yod Tong)-submission (Kimura) 2:48 R1
Mike Dolce (Wolf’s Lair) def. Nuri Shakir (Bucket Brigade)-TKO 2:52 R2
Greg Rebello (SYT/USMMA) def. Shawn DePaul (MSA/Mickey Ward)-unanimous decision
Glenn Brown (Green Mountain Boys) def. John Benoit (Renzo Gracie NH)-unanimous decision
Damien Trites (Wai-Kru) def. Jose Lopez (Ravenous)-submission (triangle choke) 1:13 R1
Scott Rehm (USMMA/Florian MA) def. Stephen Stengel-TKO :38 R1
Anthony Leone (Bombsquad) def. Chris Grandmaison (Sit Yod Tong)-unanimous decision
Ryan Quinn (ATT) def. Travis Coyle (USMMA)-unanimous decision
Jimmy Grant (Bombsquad) def. Nik Patnaude (Burgess)-unanimous decision
Rick Hawn (Sit Yod Tong) def. Billy Flynn (SSSF)-KO 1:12 R1
Nick Evangelous (Fenix Fight Club) def. Dymitri Shevchenko (Chase)-submission (heel hook) 2:30 R1
Jay Fortier (Burgess) def. Robby Roberts (Bruteforce)-submission (arm bar) 1:48 R1
Jeff Remmick (Chase) def. Josh Mellen (USMMA)-submission (triangle) 3:53 R1

FTG: How long have you been working with Frank Mir?

Drysdale: I’ve been with Frank for about a year now. Maybe about 9 or 10 months. I started working with him before we started filming TUF. I spoke to his manager and he said that Frank needed a BJJ coach and he asked if I would like to start working with Frank. We got along well. Its been really cool.

FTG: How long after that did he invite you to be a part of TUF?

Drysdale: Soon after. He was talking about filming it and he was like, “Hey Rob would you like to be my assistant coach on The Ultimate Fighter?” And when the opportunity came up I was like, “ya know what, thats a great opportunity. I’m gonna do it.”

FTG: Had you trained professional MMA fighters before?

Drysdale: Actually, No. I worked out with a lot of guys in Brazil before, but it was me being more like their training partners. Never just their coaches. Frank was probably the first guy I’ve worked with consistently as a coach.

FTG: What do you think of being an MMA trainer as opposed to a jiu-jitsu instructor?

Drysdale: Its different, I try to make it as specific as possible for his next fight. Trying to look for his opponents weaknesses and watch out for their biggest strengths and go from there. So its very specific and there’s a lot more attention. With a jiu-jitsu class you give everyone equal attention for one or two hours or whatever. When I’m rolling with Frank, Its all about his training and his opponent. Its a different mentality. Its a different approach.

The thing about coaching and teaching is it teaches you a lot. I’ve probably learned more from teaching than my students have. It forces me to really break everything down and really understand jiu-jitsu. You don’t get away with doing positions that you’ve just seen someone else do. You’ve got to really understand what you’re doing. I actually recommend teaching for every fighter. Every fighter should be teaching. It forces them to learn and understand.

FTG: How has teaching MMA fighters as opposed to traditional jiu-jitsu helped your game?

Drysdale: It opened my mind to different things. A lot of these guys are very experienced and have lot of knowledge to share. When talking about Frank’s strategy for example, he’s a smart guy, and a lot of ideas come up like, “What about this…what about that”, and it opens your eyes. Its different. When you come from a jiu-jitsu background its a different world. You have different objectives It’s a different sport I don’t care what people say. There are a lot of similarities but its not exactly the same. You have to give yourself time to adapt and really understand the differences. Working with these guys absolutely helps because most of these guys have an MMA background and haven’t been in the sport of jiu-jitsu. I’m teaching, but I’m also learning so much.

FTG: How did you get involved with Xtreme Couture?

Drysdale: I moved here about a year ago and had been planning on going there but was still establishing myself. Getting an apartment, and figuring things out. I got an email from one of the guys over there who invited me to come check out the gym. It was really something I had in mind so I was like, “yeah sure absolutely.” When I was over there I liked the guys right away. Its like a second home for me. I’m really glad to be part of the team. Its a great experience over there. I’m learning a lot from those guys. I’m very glad to be part of the team.

FTG: Whats it like working guys like Forest Griffin?

Drysdale: Forest is one of the most athletic guys I’ve ever met. He’s really underrated on the ground. His jiu-jitsu is much better than people think. He’s one of those guys thats just really talented. He’s just born for the sport. He’s one of those guys that if he decided to practice jiu-jitsu he’d push to the highest level in no time. His jiu-jitsu is very MMA oriented. Training with him wakes me up a little bit like, “oh wow this doesn’t work…this works really well.” Its great to be able to train with those guys and share experience with them. Forest is a great guy.

FTG: How long have you been planning to open your own gym?

Drysdale: I thought about it when if first moved here. Someone gave me the idea. I was like, “ya know, I’m so busy training jiu-jitsu and MMA, I don’t wanna commit myself to anything. I just wanna train.” Then so many people kept telling me over and over to open up my own gym. I didn’t wanna teach class all day so I committed myself to one class a day so I can train still. We’ve had the gym open for about three months now. Its really cool.

FTG: How many students do you have now?

Drysdale: Were getting close to 100. I’m surprised I wasn’t expecting so many students so fast, especially with the economy. We got new people coming every day. We’re planning to have 500 students in the next 2 years.

FTG: Are you going to have to expand?

Drysdale: We’re already thinking about expanding. We’re looking into other buildings and possibly at the end of the year, building in another location.

FTG: How’s your MMA improved since you’ve been training at Xtreme Couture?

Drysdale: It’s a good experience. I’ve got to train a lot and teach a lot. I roll every day still. Its like a second home. Some of the guys have a wrestling background so my wrestlings improved a lot. I feel far more confident in my striking. I train with my boxing coach three or four times a week. Its getting better every day. I’m excited about MMA. I should be fighting soon.

FTG: When does your All Start Camp start?

Drysdale: Its starts Monday, March 16. We have some guys coming from Brazil and some MMA guys. Its a 10 day camp, two classes a day. We’re covering transport and hotel. Its gonna be a great experience. We got some intense core jiu-jitsu coming up. Anyone who’s interested, its open to the public, doesn’t matter what background you have or team you represent. You just come and roll with some of the best grapplers in the world.

FTG: Who will be teaching at the camp?

Drysdale: About 30 people from out of town. Joe Stevenson, Kevin Randleman, Frank Mir, Phil Baroni, Martin Kamppmen anyone looking for some training.

FTG: You’ve had one MMA fight so far. How did that go?

Drysdale: I had it in October of last year. It was an amateur fight. I won with an armbar within 2 minutes of the first round. I’m looking for a second fight soon. Its just a matter of when and where. Its just a matter of doing it. Its actually not that easy to find an organization to fight for, but it should be soon.

FTG: I heard you may be having a fight in Japan?

Drysdale: I would like that. I think the Japanese crowd is more grappling oriented than the US or UK crowd, just because they come from a Judo tradition, where in the US or UK its a boxing tradition. Anyhow, being a grappler, it certainly helps if you have the crowd on your side and they appreciate and understand what you do. So I’ve looked in that direction, but whatever comes up. I’d be more than happy to fight in the US. I’m open to any opportunity that comes up.

FTG: Are there any prospects right now?

Drysdale: I’m talking to 2 or 3 different organizations now. Its just a matter of when and where. I Should be in at least one fight before June and possibly two. It just depends on who I’m gonna sign with.

FTG: Do you plan on continuing to compete in jiu-jitsu?

Drysdale: Abu Dhabi. I’ll be competing in Abu Dhabi, I like the tournament, I like the rules, I like the organization. They treat the guys professionally, ya know? If I’m gonna train like a professional, I have to get paid like a professional. I can’t be doing jiu-jitsu for free anymore. As much as I love the sport, I feel like I’ve done what I wanted to do and there’s nowhere else for me to go. You reach a point where you can’t grow anymore in that sport. So you have to move on. MMA its always something I’ve wanted to do in my mind. So I was gonna do it anyway. I don’t see myself going back to jiu-jitsu, maybe one day just for fun, but not likely. You can’t train for both things. they’re different. You cant focus on jiu-jitsu and an MMA career. People who do that haven’t been successful in either. I’m just focusing on MMA right now.

FTG: How did you train for your MMA fight?

Drysdale: I had a boxing coach, and trained jiu-jitsu at my school with my students and some of the best grapplers in Vegas come over to my gym and we train and I do all my sparring at Xtreme Couture. That’s about it man. I do two training session a day. Thats my life. Busy. Teaching once a day, training twice a day, thats it. Now I’m just looking for a fight.

FTG: Did you come out of it with any insight into yourself? Your own game? Things you need to work on?

Drysdale: Ya know, one of the reasons I wanted to get a fight was I wanted to see how I behaved in the ring and see if I liked it. Before the fight I’ve never been in a ring before. I’ve never been in a ring where your opponent wants to punch you in the face. I’ve been in jiu-jitsu a million times, but its different. I wanted to make sure I was ready. If you’ve never been in a fight you really don’t know how your gonna react when you get in there. I liked it man, I had fun in there. I was a little anxious before like everyone else. But once I was in there I was like, “I’m gonna win this fight, there’s no way this guys gonna beat me, there’s no way out of this. And once I was in there I was like this is it man, this is what I’m made for, I’m not made for anything but this. I’m a fighter and I’m gonna do it for the rest of my life.” Once I was in there I was 100% sure of that. So I was happy. I was happy in the ring, I’ve never felt so good. I knew MMA was gonna be the next step in my life. I was 100% convinced of that and when you’re really convinced of something you always manage to pull it off. So I was glad that I won that first match. now its just a matter of getting a second one.

FTG: When did you start training with Joe Stevenson?

Drysdale: I’ve trained with him for 9 or 10 months but I don’t train with him as consistently as I do with Frank. I see him about twice a month. His boxing coach called me and was interested in having me over. Joe was looking for a new jiu-jitsu coach. He asked me if I wanted to train with Joe. I knew who he was. He was super cool, I liked him right away. I like to work with people I get along with and Joe is one of those guys. He’s a great great friend of mine and a good fighter, he’s a good hearted person. I was very happy to work with him.

FTG: Do you have any thoughts about his fight with Sanchez?

Drysdale: Actually, its funny because everything we worked with him was based on Diego’s shooting and take downs. The funny thing was it was the first time Diego actually tried to strike with someone. All Diego’s other fights he was shooting like a madman. It was shoot, shoot, shoot, and then ground and pound. This was the first time he actually tried to strike. So we were a little thrown off. We were expecting a different Diego. I disagreed with the way the judges scored it. I think it could have gone either way. But the way the judges scored it, I was a little surprised. I didn’t think it was a 30-27 match. I think that, especially the 3 round, Diego was totally backing away and Joe Stevenson was chasing him across the cage. I don’t think the judges took that into consideration, but it was a close fight. It could have gone either way. The way they scored I think it was kinda crazy. Diego did not dominate that fight, that was clear.

FTG: What was it like watching Mir beat Nogueira?

Drysdale: I was excited. I felt psyched. The only reason I wasn’t happier, is that he didn’t tap Nogueira and I think he could have. Thats how much we worked on Frank’s game. The one time he took him down, I was like, “Okay this is it, he’s gonna beat the crap out of him here.” I asked Frank, “Why didn’t you engage him when you took him down.” and he was like, “Well I was doing so well on my feet I didn’t wanna take any chances on the ground.” And thats reasonable. Ya know, if you’re winning a fight striking, why would you risk going to the ground? It doesn’t make any sense. I was happy. Very few people believed he could do it, he had a ton of injuries before that fight and he trained so hard. His training camp was seven months long. I was just so happy to be part of it. Nogueira is a guy I’ve looked up to. He’s always been an inspiration for me, but I was so happy when Frank beat him. He really deserved that win. He needed it. Frank is an outstanding fighter. Whenever people think he’s gonna lose, he pulls it off. Whenever he’s the underdog, he performs his best. I hope he keeps that going. Everyones saying, “Brocks gonna smash Frank this time.” You know what happened last time. I think Frank’s gonna tap him again.

FTG: It was obvious he had been working on his striking.

Drysdale: Oh yea, his striking has improved so much. Even Nogueira said in an interview, he was pretty humble about it, and said he totally underestimated Frank’s stand up abilities. He expected to fight the same Frank that fought Brandon Verra and the Frank that walked in there was a completely different guy. He was an improved version of himself. And the next Frank that fights Brock is gonna be an even better Frank. He’s an incredibly smart guy and he’s gonna keep improving. He’s gonna get better and better. He’s one of the top heavyweights in the world. No question about it.

FTG: Anything else you’d like to share?

Drysdale: I just want to invite people over, if you’re in Vegas and you wanna check out the gym, find out more at www.RobertDrysdale.net. If you wanna check out the camp it starts Monday. Everyone’s welcome. Thats it. If anyone is ever in Vegas, you’re more than welcome to come by and check the gym out and train a little bit. I wanna say hello to everyone out there.

Fans packed the Worcester Palladium for CageFX’s Wartown Beatdown. For months, Linda Shields, the president of CageFX and the first female MMA promotor in New England, spent months working with street teams, organizing ring girl searches and hosting charity fundraisers. The hard work paid off. The event sold out and CageFX extablished itself as one of the premier mixed martial arts promotions in New England.

In the headlining fight, Rigo Dominicci put on a great performance against local favorite Mike Littlefield and walked away with the win. Littlefield, in his first fight in two years, came out strong in round one, pinning Dominicci against the cage with a flurry of punches. Dominicci covered up and circled back to the center of the cage. Littlefield scored a takedown but was unable to maintain a dominant position. The rest of round one was a boxing match that saw Dominicci winning most of the exchanges and set the pace for the rest of the fight.

Dominicci came out swinging in round two, pushing the action with strikes and transitioning to a take down. From Littlefield’s guard, Dominicci’s striking was effective and he was able to defend against Littlefield’s submission and reversal attemps. Littlefield could do little more than try to defend against Dominicci’s ground and pound. When the two men stood with the referee in the center of the cage, Rigo Dominicci’s hand was raised and was declared the winner by unanimous decision.

In the co-headlining fight, Matt Sera black belt and alumni of The Ultimate Fighter, Dan Simmler demonstrated his Jiu-Jitsu skills and was awarded the win over Everilton “Soneca” Silva. The majority of the fight was a ground battle. Early in round two, Simmler slipped when attempting a high kick. Fighting from his back, Simmler was able to keep Silva off balance and work for a submission. Silva, after defending against Simmler’s submission attempts, stood up. Simmler through an upward heal kick that found its mark on Silva’s chin. Silva fell forward into the cage and Simmler pulled him down, wrapped him in a triangle choke that forced Silva to submit. Simmler was declared the winner.

The event featured six amateur and eleven professional fights that did not disappoint. Credit needs to be given to fight picker, MikeVarner and all of the fighters, who left it all in the cage.

Results

Amateur Fights

Justin Corneglia def. Donnie Hershey via Split Decision.
Jimmy “Jimbo Slice” Davidson def. Lukas Cruz via TKO (Ref. Stoppage – Strikes) at 1:20 of Round 2.
Josh Henderson def. Nick Grendell via Unanimous Decision.
Marquis Brown def. Graeme Prue via TKO (Ref. Stoppage – Strikes) at :17-seconds of Round 2.
Jeff Cesaitis def. Scott Coburn via Submission (Armbar) at 1:21 od Round 1.
Greg Olsen def. Brad Spence via TKO (Ref. Stoppage – Strikes) in Round 2.

Professional Fights

Nick Tzimas def. Dan Morin via Submission (Armbar) at :27-seconds of Round 1.
Paul LaBelle def. Joe Kavey via TKO (Ref. Stoppage – Strikes) at :42-seconds of Round 1.
Jose “Dirty” Sanchez def. Greg Mendes via Unanimous Decision.
Rick Hawn def. Bruno DeCosta via TKO (Ref. Stoppage – Strikes) at 2:07 of Round 1.
Mike Zichelle def. Mike Young via TKO (Ref. Stoppage – Strikes) at :22-seconds of Round 1. (Unofficial Time)
Shawn Galano def. Ed Medeiros via TKO (Ref. Stoppage – Strikes) at 3:50 of Round 1.
Scott Rehm def. Adrian Coleman via TKO (Ref. Stoppage – Strikes) in Round 2.
Dan Conway def. Travis Lerchen via Submission (Guillotine) in Round 2. (Result Unofficial Pending Arbitrator’s Decision)
Lee Bean def. Diego Santos at 2:01 of Round 1.
Dan Simmler def. Everilton “Soneca” Silva via Submission (Triangle Choke) in Round 2.
Rigo Dominicci def. Mike Littlefield via Unanimous Decision.

FTG: Growing up, you lived in Panama, then Alaska, then you moved to Louisiana to go to school. That’s quite a jump from Alaska. Why did you choose LSU?

Hoger: LSU is a good school and I got a scholarship. Ya gotta go to where the money is.

FTG: When did you decide to pursue fighting professionally?

2002. I went up to Iowa to try out for Miletich Fighting Systems. I starting fighting amateur and then turned pro.

FTG: What did you think about getting selected for the first season of The Ultimate Fighter?

Hoger: My manager got contacted five months before filming. They spent a lot time going through people and they chose the best candidates. I was thinking it was a great opportunity to help build up MMA as sport and it would be good for me.

FTG: When did you start training with the Militech camp? What prompted the move to Iowa?

Hoger: Started in 02. In 03, I was full time over there.

FTG: You run the Militech school in Houston, Texas. How did you end up in that position?

Hoger: It was the right time and right place. I also had a girlfriend who was down there, so that was a motivation. I moved down to be with her. I needed way to support to her, if I was gonna be with her. I asked Pat [Miletich] and he said, “Yes.”

FTG: What do you enjoy more, teaching or fighting?

Hoger: I like teaching and fighting in different ways. I Like seeing students get better and helping them grow and fighting is exciting. It’s the difference between sex and a BJ. You like them both, but for different reasons.

FTG: How has teaching enhanced your game as opposed to just training?

Hoger: You get a more technical respect for the game. Teaching that stuff to another person definitely enhances the technical aspects of your game.

FTG: When did you first start talking to the WCF about fighting for them back in September?

Hoger: I got a call from Joe Cavallaro and he said he was interested. It came with the right figures and estimate, so I said, “Lets do it.”

FTG: Before that, you hadn’t fought for 16 months. Why did you wait so long between fights?

Hoger: I was so busy with the school. I gotta support my girl. At times I’d get the itch to fight and then it finally just overtook. Now that I’ve completed my goal: to go to the UFC and win a fight, I’m fighting because I love it and its a great time and I enjoy doing it. Its a passion. For the love of the sport.

FTG: You fought Jason Dolloff last September and finished him in 0:17 of round 1. Did you do anything different to prepare for that fight?

Hoger: It was totally different. I don’t have don’t have the Miletich guys around me in Houston. I had personal trainers that only focused on me, as opposed to training as part of a big group of other guys who are training. It made a huge difference.

FTG: You are fighting for Cage Fighting Championship’s Urban Rumble III on January 24. When did you start getting ready for that fight?

Hoger: I got a call from them two or three months ago and started the preparation.

FTG: Do you know much about your opponent, Jonathan Ivey? Have you seen him fight?

Hoger: He’s a gamer, he likes to get out there. He’s Fought a lot of guys, a lot of big names, ex UFC champs and stuff. He’s fought everybody. I’ve got my hands full. I’m looking to walk into fire and come out unscathed.

FTG: Are there any specific areas of your fight game that you’re working on right now? Is there anything special you’re doing to prepare for Jonathan Ivey?

Hoger: A lot of studying of his fights. He’s got a lot of fights on YouTube. He knocked out a UFC vet in 8 seconds. He’s no joke. This is the kind of stuff I like.

FTG: What does a typical day for you look like? What is your training schedule?

Hoger: Wake up, conditioning, meet with speed and conditioning coach, come back to the gym, meet with the strategist, do some sparing, live grappling, go to bed.

FTG: What do you feel like you have that Ivey doesn’t? And vice versa?

Hoger: I think I”ll have some speed on him. He’ll have strength on me. I think I’m a little more technical and I’ve taken preparation a little more seriously.

FTG: Do you have a prediction for the fight? Round? How will it end?

Hoger: Hopefully, a knockout. Hopefully I’ll hit him with one punch and he’ll fall asleep. I’m trying to be like Mike Tyson back in the 80′s. Be a crushing force that has devastating power.

FTG: Is there anyone you would like to fight after Ivey?

Hoger: I’ll fight whoever’s next. Whoever makes sense. Its a passion you must indulge.

Ya know what really inspired me to get back into fighting? I was looking at records on Sherdog Fight Finder. I found Travis Fulton. He’s had 189 fights! I wanna be the kinda guy that when I’m older I can say to some kid that I’ve fought 100 men. When I started thinking that, I said I wanna get to at least 100. Its a passion. Its all for the love of the sport.

I’m also working on building a kids program in Houston. I wanna provide a great area where kids can come and train. If parents can’t afford it, lets charge a quarter a month and get the kids off the streets and away from gangs and drugs, give them a chance to succeed by giving them good role models here at the gym. I’ll do anything I can to get kids off the streets. Politicians talk a lot about doing things, but I’m really doing it. I’ll do anything for the kids.

FTG: When is the kids program going to start?

Hoger: The kids program is already up and running. We have about eight kids in here right now. I’ll have to start going to some impoverished neighborhoods visit families and get kids off the street. They need a positive place where they can find that inspiration, that goodness, that hope, that family that will give them everything they need to become successful people.

Would you ever go back to the UFC?

Hoger: It’d have to be the right price. I’m doing my thing right now. I like what I’m doing and how I’m doing it. Over here in Texas, I’ve sold over $20,000 worth of tickets. Its amazing to see what you can do. I’ve got a lot of guys and we’re enjoying what we do. So we’ll see. As long as I’m not Machida I’ll be alright! [laughs] I’d put everybody to sleep!

FTG: Speaking of Machida, he has a fight on card for UFC 94, as does another guy you fought, Stephan Bonnar. Do you have any thoughts about those fights?

Hoger: I got thoughts [laughs]. Man, I wonder how boring this will be! Ya know, I gotta stop hating on him [Machida]. He’s a very technical fighter. He’s good at what he does. Its just boring as hell. I’ve never been so bored, even in a fight. in a fight. And Bonnar, he’s my boy. My boy’s nuts!

FTG: Having fought both Griffin and Rashad Evans, what did you think about Griffin’s loss?

Hoger: I think Griffin underestimated Rashad. He’s a tough dude. When he wants to get in your tail he gets in your tail. I think the best thing was [Rashad's] move with Greg Jackson. Jackson’s done miracles for him.

FTG: Well Sam, thanks for the interview. Is there anything else you’d like to say?

Hoger: I’d like to thank my sponsors,  Nutrition Depot, New Business Groups, Miletich, Elite Miletich Fighting Systems Houston, Pat Miletich, my manager and girlfriend-Erica Dugger, my family, and God. Also, Shawn Machado and his strip club hotties in Houston on Westpark.

This Saturday, the Worcester Palladium will host the first CageFX event, Wartown Beatdown. The headlining fight will feature veteran fighter and owner of the BoneYard, Mike Littlefield versus fighter who has firmly established himself in the local circuit, Rigo Dominicci. I had a chance to talk with Littlefield about his upcoming fight and his step back into the cage after a two year hiatus.

FTG: From 1999-2006 you maintained a very consistent fight schedule. You rarely took more than six months off between fights and averaged 2-3 fights per year. Now, its been over two years since your last fight against Tamden McCrory. Why did you take so much time off? Did you just decide to take a break or were there unforeseen circumstances?

Littlefield: It was a few things that piled up. First was my shoulder. Going into the fight with Tamden I severely injured my neck and shoulder on a really bad take down. I was getting cortisone injections just to be able to not drop out of the fight. I needed surgery, so after the fight I did that and took some time to heal.

Second was the amount of new students that were coming to The Boneyard. With the recent popularity of MMA, I had a bunch of new students signing up and a lot of them were getting to the point of being good enough to compete as amateurs. This ties in with another issue, Full Force Productions. Since we introduced the amateur circuit to local MMA, I really wanted to focus on some of my young talent and help get them ready for competition. Training a dozen or more guys takes up a lot of your time. Thankfully I have Bobby Dias, who is an incredible trainer and is 100% dedicated to our students. He and I talked and we agreed to invest our time and knowledge into these new guys and see what they could do. We have not been disappointed.

Lastly was my full time job. I’d worked there for 20 years. I made good money, had a desk, didn’t have to do any real labor but I hated it. I hated it so much that is was darkening my life. It depressed me, so I recently quit. I’m poor but happy and that’s a more fulfilling life than well-off and miserable.

FTG: Did you always plan on getting back into the cage?

Littlefield: I answered the first part of this question above, but as far as planning on getting back into the cage, I’m not sure. There was a time when I said to myself and possibly to others, “I’m done, I’m too old, My body can’t take it,” etc. But fighting is something that I really enjoy. I’ve never done it for money reasons. I’ve never done it to be a popular guy or get chicks or any of those reasons. I just really love to get punched in the face and punch other people in the face. There’s something so simple and pure about that. So I guess I always hoped I’d have the chance to be healed up and compete again.

FTG: Before the McCrory fight you were coming off of a six fight win streak. What was your training like then as compared to your current training for the fight on January 17?

Littlefield: Well, if you saw the fight with Tamden you can probably figure out that my training suffered. I took a really bad throw in training and landed badly. On top of that I got cut over my right eye and had to get 8 stitches in my eyebrow and I bit part of my tongue off. So I had a rough time training for that fight and due to those things I had to stop for a while which severely affected my cardio. “Fatigue makes cowards out of men,” is the saying and it couldn’t be more true. I was so confident going into the fight with McRory that I basically overestimated myself. I thought that my skills would get me through, which they did until I gassed out. I was mounted on him and I was so tired I couldn’t throw a punch. It sucked. That taught me a valuable lesson. So I’ve been focusing on my cardio as well as my skill.

FTG: When were you offered the fight against Rigo Dominicci? What were your initial thoughts?

Littlefield: I think it was back in November. My initial thought was, “I kind of know Rigo and we are cool but,” then I just said the same thing I always do: Ask him. If he says yes, then it’s on.

FTG: When offered that fight, had you planned on fighting anytime soon? Had you been training? Or did you feel like you had to polish things up for the CageFX event?

Littlefield: Well, I had thrown my name out to a few different promotions to find me a fight. I’d been training alot with my own fight team. It’s different when you’re that guy that is the primary focus of the training though. I certainly had to do some polishing. Not so much on mu Jiu Jitsu and MMAa but on my cardio. I was about 190lb.

FTG: What do you know about Rigo Dominicci? Had you seen him fight before?

Littlefield: Like I said, I know Rigo. I think he’s a solid dude. He’s fought for me before at Untamed. Ya, he’s an exciting guy who likes to swap punches. He’s a perfect fight for me. I’ve lost fights before, so I know what it’s like to lose. I’m over that fear. I just want to have fun and get that adrenaline that comes with getting hit. I think Rigo is my guy.

FTG: What do you think you have in your skill set that Rigo doesn’t? And vice versa? What are you bringing to the cage that will give you the advantage?

Littlefield: I’ve been told my ground game is better than his and his stand up game is better than mine. I don’t really listen to all that. I don’t necessarily think that I have an advantage over Rigo. He’s been actively fighting and he’s been training for a fight for about 5 months because his last two opponents dropped out due to injury, so I know he’s ready. It all depends on who the best MMA fighter is on Saturday night. If we fought 10 times there could be 10 different outcomes. His left hook might be better than my triangle on one of those times and vice versa.

FTG: Do you see the fight staying on up on the feet or going to the ground?

Littlefield: I’ve seen both. I try to visualize all the ways that I can win. I can’t say I plan on standing and I can’t say I’m shooting on him. I don’t know. I’ll see when it happens. My body goes into autopilot sometimes when I fight. I just hope I drilled the right things enough to do them automatically when the time comes.

FTG: Mark Dellagrotte is your Muay Thai coach. What has training with him brought to your game?

Littlefield: I started training with Mark after my fight with Thiago Alves. I realized that I needed some legitimate Muay Thai training to make my overall game effective. Thiago was able to pick me apart with kicks and combos that I had never encountered before. Mark and I were friendly with each other. Our teams used to compete against each other in MMA events but we were always cordial and respectful and on several occasions he offered to swap training. So I finally took him up on it and now Sityodtong and Boneyard are like family. We made a pact years ago not to compete in MMA against each other. Myself, Bobby Dias and several of our fighters get our Muay Thai from Sityodtong.

Mark doesn’t need my endorsement to credit his coaching ability. He’s got Goldie, Rogan and every magazine in the country doing that for him. It’s all true though, the kid is a genius when it comes to mixing MMA with Muay Thai. He’s very knowledgeable and he’s a true friend to me.

FTG: Do you have a prediction for the fight?

Littlefield: Sorry man. I’m not the shit talking type. I hope the fight goes long enough to enjoy it but I also hope it doesn’t go to decision.

FTG: When did you open The Boneyard?

Littlefield: 1999.

FTG: Do you have any news about the school you’d like to share? Programs, classes, etc.?

Littlefield: I’m doing it full time now so I’ve started day classes and classes for kids. We expanded to the second floor and made a grappling room for our no-gi and gi classes.

FTG: What is your background in jiujitsu? Do you offer belts in your gi classes or is it more geared toward competition training?

Littlefield: I began training BJJ in ’96 with Roberto Maia at Boston Brazilian, then in Watertown Ma. I used to be a gi guy until the MMA bug bit me in ’99. After that I started doing a lot of no-gi and MMA type grappling but I still competed in the Pan Am’s every year a did some gi training. I won the gold in 2002 or 2003 as a blue belt and was promoted to purple shortly after. I competed once more as a purple in the Pan Ams and lost. That was the last time I put a gi on for years. I went totally no-gi/MMA. I recruited one of the Boston BJJ guys to teach gi at my school. Tomas Malave, who is an old training partner of mine from our blue belt days is now a black belt and is the Boneyard gi instructor. Once our students are ready, Tomas brings them to Roberto for their promotion. It’s all done under Gracie Barra, so it’s a legit promotion that the guys (and girls) can be proud of. I also teach a gi class at the school, as I have once again put my pj’s back on. It’s as much for me as it is for the guys I instruct. Teaching is the best way to learn in my opinion. I also train with Mat Santos in both gi and no-gi. Mat and I have been pals since the early days. He’s a very talented guy who has an answer (and a joke) for every situation.

FTG: Who are some of the top fighters you have at the school? What makes them stand out?

Littlefield: Matt Fletcher is the top guy at the school hands down. He’s not that active because of his family commitments but he could fight any 170lbr on the planet. Matt is easily a brown belt level in terms of Jiu Jitsu skill although he doesn’t wear a gi. His wrestling is off the chain and at 170lb he hits like a heavyweight and moves like a feather weight. If he ever decides to actively compete and really focus on his MMA the welter weight division will be in trouble.

Lance Everson is another one. I don’t have to describe Lance to anyone that follows local MMA. He has all the tools to be at the next level. He just needs a little more consistency.

We have a bunch of other guys both pro and amateur that are showing lots of improvement and tons of promise. The amout of heart that these guys display at team practice is unmatched. (our team practice is hell). Most of them are just coming up but you’ll be hearing their names more and more in the local circuit.

FTG: Do they have any fights coming up?

Littlefield: Lance is fighting Woody Weatherby at Untamed 26 on Feb 28 in Westport (ding!) as well as a bunch of other Boneyard guys: Joe Dechaves, Jed Tinlin, Justin Corneglia, Mark Rodriguez, Graeme Prue, Kevin Camara and Sam Elliott.

FTG: Anything else you would like to share?

Littlefield: Did I leave anything out? I’d like to thank Mat Santos who’s been helping me with my Jits and Mark Dellagrotte who is my Muay Thai coach. Also, Bobby Dias and Graeme Prue have helped me tremendously as well as the rest of my Boneyard brothers and my beautiful wife Stacey for all her help and support.

On Saturday, November 29, ICE’s SuperBrawl had 13 fights on the card. Of these, only 11 took place. Abe Pitrowski’s fight with Mamadou Fofana was canceled and two of the professional MMA fights had to be reworked at the last minute. Of the 11 fights that did take place, six ended in the first round and five of those lasted less than a minute. Four fights ended in the second round and only one went to decision. At first glance, these stats seem indicative of some severe mismatches on the card. However, after reviewing the statistics that are available, its difficult to see how these results could have been avoided. Seven fights that night were amateur bouts, and only one fighter on the card, Jay Bouchard, has more than one fight on his record. This does not give the person picking the fights much information to work with.

The standout amateur fight of the night was Chris Sniger of Team Gillett vs. Jeff Anderson of Elite MMA. It was obvious from the beginning that Sniger was not ready for Anderson’s strength. Each round found Sniger on his back struggling to hold his opponent in his guard while Anderson pounded his ribs. Neither man gave up. Sniger showed the crowd that he’s a tough kid with a lot of heart who’s not afraid of a punch. Anderson demonstrated that he’s an intense fighter with great ground and pound. He never stopped pushing the pace. In the end, it was the only fight of the night that went the distance, with Anderson winning by unanimous decision.

Both the Muay-Thai and the MMA heavy-weight titles were on the line last Saturday. Both fights were exciting, but for different reasons.

The Muay-Thai title fight between Jemont Anderson and Joe Rodriguez provided some great stand up. At the start of round one, after a few brief exchanges, Anderson backed Rodriguez into the cage and locked him in a clinch. This is where Rodriguez found himself for the rest of the round. Anderson completely controlled his opponent, moving him around the cage and throwing knees and short punches that went unanswered by Rodriguez. Anderson continued to dominate in round two, landing several brutal body kicks and winning all the exchanges. After knocking Rodriguez down twice, the referee called a stop to the fight and Jemont Anderson was declared I.C.E. International’s new Muay-Thai heavy-weight champion.

The MMA title fight between Jay Bouchard and Tony Lugo had a very exciting beginning. Its just unfortunate that a beginning is all there was. The fight was over in the first 12 seconds of round one. Bouchard’s popularity was evident the moment his name was announced. The screams of the crowd were deafening. Bouchard walked to the cage looking absolutely confident. As soon as round one began, he charged forward, backing Lugo into the cage. It was difficult to tell if Lugo even had time to raise his hands. Bouchard threw a flurry of punches that knocked Lugo down into a crouching position. Bouchard continued punching. It wasn’t long, only a matter of a few seconds, before the referee stopped the fight. Jay Bouchard was declared the winner and the heavy-weight belt was strapped around his waist.

Though short, there were a few exciting fights at SuperBrawl. The band Phi also put on a great show during the intermissions. Despite all the problems that seemed to plague the fight card, at the end of the night, I.C.E. International put on a good show and I expect they will keep getting better. I’m looking forward the next one.

Muay Thai Division

The highlight of the Muay Thai division was the 185lbs title fight. Anderson Jemont of Boston Muay Thai and Chichi Sommers of Team Gillett met int he cage. Both men fought hard and dispalyed some great stand-up. At three times during the fight, Jemont hit Sommers with an accidental groin strike, two of which caused the ref to call a time-out. Ultimately, Sommer’s reach advantage, conditioning and technique proved too much for Jemont. Sommers was declared the winner by unanimous decision. A great win for Team Gillet.

Other fights in the Muay Thai Division:

• Jake Nanini (Boston Muay Thai) vs. Austin Brown (Team Gillett)

Winner: Jake Nanini

• Romain Gaston (Boston Muay Thai) vs. Bernie Ogewe (Blazing Sun)

Winner: Romain Gaston

Amateur MMA Division

The standout fight in the Amateur MMA division, probably the most exciting fight of the night, was Espetepan Garcia of Team E.W.K.K. and Cris Sniger of Team Gillett. Both men pushed the pace the entire fight, demonstrating that they were able to hold their own not only standing but on the  mat. The first two rounds saw a ground battle with plenty of reversals, submission attempts and ground and pound (however, the state of Massachusetts only allows body shots on the ground in an amateur fight). In round three, Garcia established mount and began working for an arm bar. Sniger demonstrated his ground game and refused to tap, even when it looked like his arm could not take any more pressure. It paid off, he escaped. In the end, it was a fight both men can be proud of. The judges declared Espetepan the winner by unanimous decision.

Other fights in the Amateur MMA Division:

• Dan Morin (McCoy’s Karate) vs. Nick Tzimas (MMA Training Center)

Winner: Nick Tzimas

• Jeff Britto (Ken-Sho-Ryu) vs. Andy Lampson (MMA Training Center)

Winner: Andy Lampson

• Ignatiuss Barreto (Ken-Sho-Ryu) vs. Mike Zichelle (MMA Training Center)

Winner: Mike Zichelle

Professional MMA Division

Of the three fights in the Professional MMA Division, Ron Howard of U.S. MMA vs. Bobby Alves of Team Gillett stands out. Alves asserted his dominance from the very beginning by demonstrating superior technique and never relenquishing control of the cage. At the start of the first round both fighters clinched up and began exchanging strikes. Alves established double underhooks and was able to maintain control of Howard’s body. In the end, Alves moved Howard toward the Team Gillet corner where he got the take down and established top possition with Howard pressed into the cage. Alves reigned punches down until the ref stopped the fight at one minute and 46 seconds into the first round. Bobby Alves was declared the winner by T.K.O.

Other fights in the Proffessional MMA Division:

Damien Trithes (Wai-Kru) vs. Peter Reverdo (Fall River, MA)

Winner: Damien Trithes

Fernando Reveira (Team E.W.K.K.) vs. John Downey (Team Gillett)

Winner: Fernando Reveira

Overall, the event went well and even featured guest appearances by Professional Wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper and actors Corey Haim and Tony Todd. The schools present were well represented, particularly, Tim Gillet Mixed Martial Arts and MMA Training Center as both schools brought a large entourage of students and trainers to support their fighters from their corner of the cage.

The next ICE event is scheduled for November 29 at the Holiday Inn in Mansfield, MA.

The outcome was remarkable-not because Franklin lost, but because Franklin was outclassed. Silva’s dominance was immediate and severe. That was just the beginning. Since then, Silva has walked through Travis Lutter, Nathan Marquardt, Rich Franklin again at UFC 77 and Dan Henderson.

So what does a fighter do when he sits atop a division, looks down from his seat as champion and sees no rising contenders? Easy. He jumps weight classes.

Silva’s boredom was evident in March when there was talk of a fight with Roy Jones, Jr, but no contracts were signed. Easy. Two months later, Silva had a meeting withUFC president Dana White, who told MMAWeekly , “This guy [Silva] sat down at a meeting with us, literally two months ago, and said ‘you’re not fighting me enough, I want to fight more.’” The result was the offer to fight James Irvin at 205lbs. Silva accepted.

In a recent interview with Tatame.com, Silva said that he does not intend to stay in the Light-Heavyweight Division. “I am only doing it because I was asked and I think I can,” Silvasiad, “I have no desire to dispute this belt because Lyoto [Machida] has alreayd proven that it belongs to him. I am taking the fight because I like to fight and I like the challenges.”

According to Dana White, this is just the beginning. After the July 19 fight with Irvin, Silva will drop back to 185lbs. to defend the Middleweight Title againstYushin Okami at UFC 88 on September 6. If he gets through Okami , Silva will fight Patrick Cote, after which he may jump weight classes again. “He wants to keep sticking his foot in the 205 division to feel it out…I think he wants both belts,” White said.

While there is little doubt that Silva could establish himself as a force to be reckoned with in the Light-Heavyweight Division, the question remains: Does Silva want to? It doesn’t look like it, but only time will tell. For Dana White, it could be marketing gold. A fight with a dominant Middleweight champion in pursuit of the Light-Heavyweight title would sell a lot of tickets and Pay-Per-Views, especially if the fighter across the cage is a Chuck Liddell, a Forest Griffin, or a Rashad Evans.

The MMA world will have to wait and see. Anderson Silva’s fight ton July 19 against James Irvin may offer a glimpse into The Spider’s future and the future of the Light-Heavyweight division.

Hughe was dominant his specific skill set went unanswered by the majority of his opponents. From 2001-2006 he had something nobody else did. Few could contend with Hughes’ strength and wrestling ability. It was these skills that carried him to the top. The true test for Hughes came after his first loss to George St. Pierre. Pierre entered the octagon with a superior skill set. His striking outclassed that of Hughes and Pierre’s Jiu-Jitsu could handle Hughe’s wrestling. The welterweight division had caught up to Hughes and slipped right past him. His one-dimensional fight game would no longer carry him through a fight against well-rounded fighter like George St. Pierre. After that fight, the sport issued Hughes a challenge: evolve as a fighter or get let behind. Did Hughes rise to the occasion? It does not look like it.

Now lets talk for a minute about a fighter’s legacy. Consider Randy Couture. He is not as well rounded a fighter as a George St. Pierre or a B.J. Penn, but he has proven that he can hang with the best of them no matter how old he is. Couture has taken his loses, learned from them and come back better. He has evolved. Nobody shamed him when he announced his retirement after his lost to Liddell. In fact, they celebrated his legacy. Why? Because he was 41 years old and had nothing to prove. Hughes, on the other hand, has wracked up an amazing record but he’s only 34 and has no serious injuries. If he retired now, his legacy would be that of a fighter who was a great champion, but was unable to keep up with the sport. A guy of Hughes’ age and athletic ability should be able to stay with it. He should be able to continue training, learning, evolving, and climbing his way back to the top. The question isn’t whether or not Hughes can come back, its whether or not he will.