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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

SEPT-OCT 2016
FEATURES
32 CHI LEWIS-PARRY
The Glory kickboxer matching it
with the UFCs best

38 HUNT VS LESNAR
Im a white boy and Im jacked.
Deal with it. The destructive
return of Brock Lesnar.

42 THE ONE
World pound-for-pound champion
Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong.

48 JON JONES
The self-destruction of Jon Jones.

54 DWIGHT RITCHIE
Dwight The Cowboy Ritchie
has cemented his place as
one of Australias best young
boxing prospects.

58 NO MORE EXCUSES
New WA State Champ Nicola
Callander.

64 TOP 5
Fights for Miesha Tate.

74 UFC: SOLD!
Theyre ready to hand that
property over.

80 JULIAN JACKAL WALLACE

Julz the Jackal has been a
mainstay in Australian MMA
for years.

86 DAVE FOWLER
This Southern Highlands country
boy doesnt feel the need to race
to the top.

90 BREEDING GROUND

28 ALI
The continuing growth of
the AFC.

The Greatest Story Ever Told

4 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
 THIS ISSUES
DIGITAL CONTENT

REGULARS
10 FIGHT REEL
38
Up-close action

14 FIGHT BUSINESS
Combat news and events

18 FIGHT QUIZ
Dan Kelly 18 Watch a one-on-one interview
with Dan Kelly
20 FIGHT FUTURE
Jim Crute & 61 Watch Nicola Callander on Epic
Tai Tuivasa 14 On-Demand

24 FIGHT GAME 84 Catch the free video of the

Born or made
Nitro 9 Bantamweight Title:
Julz Jackal vs Kewl Bonez
97 FIGHT GIRL
Kierina Tetley

74

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the mag over to see our
bonus Training Guide 93 Watch the entire AFC 16 show
On-Demand
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 BRINGING YOUR
MAGAZINE TO LIFE
In-Site is a product of
 THE LOH DOWN
UNITED
J
ust last issue I was talking about the
unbelievable return of Brock Lesnar
to the UFC and how it was one that
I certainly didnt see on the horizon,
especially with so little warning. And now,
here we are post-Lesnar vs Hunt fight with
a path of destruction before us.
That also tied in with the other major
subject I brought up last time the sale of
AUSTRALIAS TOP the UFC.
It turned out both events proceeded in
COMBAT SPORTS spectacular fashion, but now there are also
question marks relating to each. And, in a
MAGAZINE way, their futures are intermingled.
While any rumour concerning the sale
of UFC being abandoned were likely not
true, or at least embellished, there is no
exaggeration to the disaster that the Lesnar
vs Hunt bout turned out to be, post-fight.
And this is just the latest in a long line of
problems that the UFC has faced over the
last two years in relation to drugs, athlete
NOW ALSO behaviour and general fan pessimism.
AVAILABLE There is certainly a lot to clean up for an
DIGITALLY! incoming buyer.
You can read more about these troubles
in our Lesnar article, and again in our story
BEST STORIES
THE on Jon Jones, which clearly illustrates just
how much this amazing athlete has done to
& TRAINING ADVICE sabotage his own career. Some would even
lay part of that blame at the feet of the UFC
IN WORLD as well. While I wouldnt lay it all at their feet,
I certainly think more could and should be
done for the wellbeing of athletes.
COMBAT SPORTS A person might say that a man or woman
should be responsible for his or her own
actions. This isnt school. If the rest of us out
GET IT NOW! here in the real world use cocaine, drive cars
under the influence and break our workplace
Available on: laws, no one is going to shepherd us into
correction we are going to be dealt the
heavy hand of the law and our employer.
Amazon, Kindle, Fire, and all related logos are
trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Jarrah Loh // EDITOR
Android is a trademark
of Google Inc. fightlivetv
Apple, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and iTunes are
trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other
countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc.
But a company that is living off young
athletes as their main resource needs to
foster them properly and nurture them,
especially when they could be going
from rags to riches and from nobody to
everybody. I truly believe the amount of
pressure professional athletes (and anyone
in the public eye) experience cannot
be overstated. They are living under a
microscope. Thus, I would be more inclined
to suppose the UFC needs to put more
programs in place to mentor athletes and, as
Mark Hunt and many before him have said, a
fighters union should be a priority.
Whichever side of the fence you sit, I
believe it is an issue that will not go away,
no matter how hard people try and sweep it
under the rug.
Despite its huge success, the UFC is
still an emerging business, as is MMA as
a whole, and issues like this will need new
solutions. This isnt like football or basketball.
The answers to new problems are not sitting
in the past as glaring examples. The sport
is so young that we probably wont find any
acceptable examples from the past. MMA
needs to move forward. And although some
change is going to affect people negatively,
it is both inevitable and necessary to grow.
Years ago, we published an article by
ex-fighter/commentator/TV host Jason
Chambers calling for the creation of an
MMA fighters union. Though it was years
ago, his sentiment still holds true for today.
Perhaps Chambers was just too ahead of his
time. And perhaps the new owners of the
UFC are here just in time.
It may be that this series of disasters are
the type of blows that dont ruin but in fact
help to build. I will be watching Mark Hunt
very closely. Maybe out of all this negativity
something truly positive will happen.
 LEARN THE
GRACIE
EDITORIAL
EDITOR

+BSSBI
-PI

WAY!
Discover
&NBJM
jarrah@blitzmag.com.au
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT .PMMZ
.PSFMMJ the training
MANAGING EDITOR

#FO
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ART DIRECTOR
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ADMINISTRATION & CUSTOMER SERVICE Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: Black Belt

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10
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Techniques are not presented in isolation, but
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The 145-pound Royler Gracie has won three
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fight plans, and introduce you to the concept
of combat phases, teaching you to attack from
FIGHTLIVE Magazine JT
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OFXTTUBOET
JO any phase. You will learn how to react to your
opponent in any situation. Whether youre
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the top, in the clinch, Gracie reveals the key
Australia New Zealand strategies designed to give you the upper hand
and drills to learn them.

Call (03) 9574 8460 or

visit subscribeandshop.com
 FIGHT REEL
THE TOOTH FAIRY
Derrick Lewis connected with a vicious
right hand against Roy Nelson in their
heavyweight bout during UFC Fight
Night: dos Anjos vs Alvarez. Even though
Lewis smacked Big Country so hard it
knocked a tooth from his mouth, Nelson
still managed to fight on though Lewis
took the split decision.
PHOTO BY JEFF BOTTARI

10 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
FIGHTLIVETV.COM 11
 FIGHT REEL
FIGHTING A GIANT
Young Algerian kickboxing prospect
Eddy Nait-Slimani faced the biggest
challenge of his career when he met
living legend Saenchai at GLORY 31
Amsterdam. The challenger showed some
flashy techniques and plenty of heart,
but in the end there was no doubt in the
judges minds where the decision lay and
Saenchai walked away with yet another
notch on his belt.
PHOTO BY BEN PONTIER, GLORY SPORTS INTERNATIONAL

12 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
FIGHTLIVETV.COM 13
 FIGHT BUSINESS
NEWS & EVENTS
TYSON AINT HAPPY ABOUT
PRO BOXERS IN OLYMPICS
Boxing at the Olympics
changed this year with
professional boxers now
able to compete against
amateur fighters in Rio de
Janeiro. The news came
after the International Boxing
Association (IBA) approved a
constitutional change, with 95
per cent of voters in favour of
pro boxers competing in Rio.
The change in laws drew
some criticism from boxings
biggest names, including
former world heavyweight
champion Mike Tyson.
Its ridiculous, its foolish,
and some of the pro fighters
are going to get beat by the
amateurs. Its just going to
14 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
BOXING
BEATS OTHER
MARTIAL ARTS
IN DIFFICULTY
RATING
Global sports media network ESPN has
declared boxing as the toughest sport in
the world.
A panel consisting of sports
scientists from the United States
Olympic Committee, journalists and
academics that research the science of
muscles and movements of two-sport
athletes undertook the research of 60
different sports.
ESPN identified 10 categories of skills
that go into athleticism as the panellists
scored each sport out of 10 in reference
to its demand on the skill. Scores were
totalled and averaged out of 10 before
adding up together for a score out of 100.
Boxing was judged to have a score of
72.35 with wrestling in fifth position on
63.5 and martial arts one spot below on
THINKSTOCK
63.375. Ice hockey, football, basketball,
tennis, gymnastics, baseball/softball and
soccer rounded off the top 10. Fishing was
graded as the least demanding sport.
happen, I really believe that,
Tyson told Reuters.
He expected that some
professionals will have trouble
adapting to amateur rules and
scoring methods.
AIBA president Wu Ching-
Kuo previously set up the
semi-professional World
Series Boxing, where fighters
earn money competing for
city-based teams, along with
introducing womens boxing at
the Olympics in London in 2012.
Former amateur boxing
Olympic gold medallists include
GETTYIMAGES
the late Muhammad Ali, Joe
Frazier, George Foreman,
Lennox Lewis, Oscar De La
Hoya and Wladimir Klitschko.

AIS STUDIES WEIGHTY ISSUE
FOR FIGHTERS
The Australian Institute of Sport Combat
Centre has begun a study looking at the
effectiveness of excessive fluid intake
before a fight.
A common strategy used to make fight
weight involves drinking excess water for
several days before dehydrating the body,
forcing additional fluids to disappear.
The study will involve athletes across
several combat disciplines and will be
the first of its kind according to the
studys leader, Reid Reale, a Brazilian jiu-
jitsu competitor and dietitian.
Theres been absolutely no research
to look at whether or not this actually
worksthe performance implications, or
the underlying mechanisms, Reid told
the ABC.
AIS study leader Reid Reale
in BJJ competition
Some athletes go to the extreme
of drinking excess volumes of fluid,
hypothetically to up-regulate renal
hormones, and the excretion of water,
he said.
BJJ Purple-belt Kain Karnis told the
ABC the study has closely monitored the
groups fluid intake, diet, blood tests and
sleep patterns.
Were also on a low residual diet,
which is, were pretty much losing weight
from our bowels because of the fibre that
stuck in our guts, he said.
AIS Combat Centres sleep expert, Ian
Dunican, told the ABC that another goal
of the study is to see if the high dosage
of water consumed by athletes during
the day has an effect on overnight sleep.
ANDERSON
SWARMS
Australian native Megan
Anderson notched another
win on her belt in US MMA
promotion Invicta recently when
she pounded Peggy Morgan in
the main card at Invicta FC 18.
The fight went viral when
Morgans face reportedly blew
up like it had been stung by a
swarm of bees.
TANS 30TH
ANNIVERSARY
We would like to wish Tans Martial Arts Supplier
congratualtions on their 30th anniversary!
Tans has been a staple and supporter of
the Australian martial arts scene for three
decades now.
Like life, business and martial arts are
a journey of development and growth, said
Catherine Tan of the anniversary. Always seeking
to grow; mentally, physically and spiritually.
Through training, discipline and self motivation,
we seek to uphold the values of tradition, respect,
loyalty and honour.
Our founder, Mr Tan, was a student of many
arts from a young age. His lifelong passion for the
martial arts has instilled in all of us these values
that make Tans what it is today. Since 1984, Mr
Tans passion and commitment has established
Tans as a well known family operated company
striving to provide all martial artists with a friendly
and reliable service. Our success and growth has
been made possible with the loyalty and support
of our customers and suppliers.
Tans would like to take this opportunity thank
you for all your, loyalty, support and friendship you
have given us.
FIGHTLIVETV.COM 15
 FIGHT WORDS

"I WONDER, WAS HE ON THAT

STUFF WHEN WE FOUGHT?
ONE THING I KNOW FOR SURE,
THOUGH, YOU CAN'T PUT
STEROIDS ON YOUR CHIN."

GETTYIMAGES
CONOR MCGREGOR ponders Chad Mendes on The Mac Life

F*CK THE UFC.

YOU'RE SH*T.
YOU MOTHERF*CKERS
DON'T LOOK AFTER
NOBODY.
MARK HUNT unloads
on UFC and Brock Lesnar
to The MMA Hour.
JEFF BOTTARI/ZUFFA LLC

HOW CAN I MAXIMISE AS MUCH

POWER AS POSSIBLE OUT OF
EVERY SINGLE LIMB?
JOHN WAYNE PARR talks his own training
goals on London Real

This is the biggest fight in

world boxing. It's a fight that
makes me so excited to be
part of the game. I'm the best
welterweight on the
planet, nobody wants
to fight me, and GG
is the same.
GETTYIMAGES

KELL BROOK on his fight

against Gennady Golovkin

16 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
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 FIGHT QUIZ

DANIEL KELLY Do you have any superstitions when

2
What would you be doing if
you weren't a fighter?
I would be coaching judo, and
fighting?
No, I dont. I have found over the course
THREE
What is the most
focusing on Resilience Training of my judo career, if you have too many embarrassing
Centre, my business. superstitions or are too stuck to a routine, it can thing youve
actually screw with your head a little bit. done during a
promotion/fight
What is a surprising fact about you? night/training
camp, etc?
I WATCH COOKING SHOWS. I CURRENTLY HAVE Retching in the
RICK STEINS LONG WEEKENDS ON EPISODE change room in
LINK RECORD. front of my peers
before every
How would someone close Favourite fighter? fight is pretty

5 to you describe you?

KIND, BUT
GRUMPY. 6 GSP. embarrassing. And
it happens every
time I fight.

EIGHT HUNGARIAN.
Favourite food?

7
What is one
thing you are
good at (apart
10 Favourite tunes?
AUSSIE ROCK.
Favourite movie?
CINDERELLA
MAN.
ELEVEN
from fighting)?
COACHING,
TEACHING
KIDS JUDO.
Favourite drink?
Favourite TV
show?
Everybody Loves
12In 10
SHIRAZ. Raymond. years Ill SCAN PAGE
TO WATCH A
be... ONE-ON-ONE
INTERVIEW
Dream girl? Dream bout? WITH DAN
BROKEN.

15 Anyone for the

KELLY

MARIA. UFC title.

SEVENTEEN
XVI Dream wheels?
AUDI A4 or A5.
What cant you stand?
FAKE PEOPLE ON
SOCIAL MEDIA.

Best fight memory?

The opening ceremony of the 2000 Olympics and
walking out in Melbourne for UFC 193.

20
What piece of advice
NINETEEN

Biggest/best break
would you give to an up-
you ever got? -and-coming fighter that
GETTING you wish youd been given?
A SECOND I am really happy with the path I have
taken as an MMA fighter but from my
CHANCE experiences as a judo athlete I would
WITH THE say get the right people around you
UFC. and be consistent in your training.

18 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
 FIGHT FUTURE

BY ZACH BROADHURST // PHOTO BY GRANT SALTER

JIMMY CRUTE
RECORD: 20 // WEIGHT CLASS: Light Heavyweight // KEY VICTORIES: Ben Kelleher, Mike Turner // AGE: 20 //
COUNTRY: Australia // NICKNAME: The Brute // SOCIAL MEDIA: www.facebook.com/Brutecrute

W
hen it comes to the men you
want in your corner come fight
time, you could do a lot worse
than Australian combat legend Sam Greco.
So when 20-year-old Victorian Jimmy
Crute was on the lookout for a striking
coach and manager, there was one name
that stood out from the rest.
There were some options, but once
Sams name was mentioned I was just like,
Im going with Sam, says Crute.
So my jiu jitsu coach and I went down
and had a meeting with him and that
was that.
While it was Crute who was eager to
work with Greco, the former K-1 legend
quickly realised he had something special
on his hands with Crute.
I knew he was young; I knew he was
very talented in jiu jitsu and was very
eager and hungry to be successful, says
Greco. After sitting down with him and his
trainer, I knew they had come from a very
good camp. It wouldnt be long before Crute thats what made us train and dedicate
When I finally got to meet Jimmy I was impressing MMA fans as well with ourselves even more.
realised I had a very marketable product his work ethic and skill. In his first two Mike Turner was another hard nut, but
sitting in front of me and I say that professional fights he submitted the very for us its about taking big scalps. Its a lot
respectfully. The beautiful thing about him experienced Ben Kelleher in just four of pressure on Jimmy, but its about make
is he came to learn. He didnt come in minutes at HEX 5 before grinding out a the right decision, calculated risks, but win
saying, I know this and I know that, and unanimous decision victory over Mike or lose hes fighting top guys and no one
he took instruction and took constructive Turner at HEX 6 coming into both as can ever say hes had pushovers its just
criticism very well. He wasnt afraid to the underdog. that Jimmy makes it look easy at times.
learn and that was a key element. I knew I was going to beat the top Crute already sits at number seven
While working with Greco would be guys, but I thought it was going to be a bit among Australia and New Zealands
a great experience for Crute, it would further down the road, says Crute. But I light-heavyweights after just two fights
also mean making the three-hour round just went out there and did what Ive been not that youll catch him worrying
trip from Bendigo every night to do so trained to do. about rankings.
before eventually relocating to Melbourne. While taking on a man with 19 Rankings dont mean anything to me
But it was a work ethic that impressed professional fights in your MMA debut really, he says. In my head I have to think
Greco enormously. may seem like a massive challenge, Greco Im number one. On paper I didnt think Id
It just goes to show his dedication, saw it as a perfect opportunity for Crute to be ranked that highly this early, but when
says Greco. A lot of people want to take out a big name. you take out the top guys there is really
become successful, but very few are When Ben came up for HEX 5 I nothing anyone can say.
prepared to put in the hard yards and thought to myself, Here is a guy who is Id stack Jimmy up against any light-
hard work and that includes driving to and very strong and very well known. I said heavyweight around the county. When hes
from training. to Jim from day one, We are in the sport on song you wont get close to Jimmy,
Getting there is one thing, but after for a good time not a long time, and we Greco adds. Between trainer and fighter,
a hard session, getting back home is are going to capitalise from the very word when you have that relationship, when
another. This is one of the key reasons Im go, says Greco. youve got that confidence in one another,
sticking with him, because I know what We took this fight knowing damn when you believe what you say, nothing
hes all about. well what Ben Kelleher was all about, but stands in front of you.

20 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
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 FIGHT FUTURE
BY JARROD BOYLE // PHOTO BY TERRY VORG
TAI TUIVASA
WEIGHT CLASS: Heavyweight // AGE: 23 // NICKNAME: Bam Bam // TITLES: AFC Heavyweight Champion
A
t the tender age of 23, Tai Tuivasa
has begun to assert himself as one
of the rising stars of Australian
fight sports, defining himself with
knockout power in his hands across a
range of disciplines. He is most notably
the holder of the AFC Heavyweight
Championship strap.
Tuivasai acquired his desire to fight,
along with the skills, in the family home.
Ive always admired fighting, he
says. My dad was a boxer and I grew up
learning the skills from him. I had to use
them, too I had 11 brothers and sisters!
Tuivasa took his first formal footsteps
towards the cage and the ring at the age
of 17.
I walked into Elite Fight Gym in
Western Sydney. I trained for three months
and had my first fight.
Predictably, he won by KO. Since that
time, hes engaged in a number of different
disciplines: K1, boxing and MMA.
I had my first fight under K-1 rules
in Dubai. I lost second-round stoppage.
It was a kind of rock up and fight thing.
22 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
I was unprepared. Since losing it, Ive
worked a lot on my kickboxing. If I had
another, Id be very comfortable. If the
money is right and the opportunity comes,
Ill take it.
He has also had a number of boxing
fights, most of them chalked up in the
win column.
Ive had seven boxing fights, but they
were part of eight-man eliminators. I
made it to the final both times, but lost in
the final.
Tuivasa has fared better in MMA. He is
the current AFC heavyweight champion,
having won all 10 of his fights.
Now Im focused primarily on MMA. I
always have been, but my weight has been
an issue. Ive always been sitting around
145150kg. To fight good guys in MMA,
I was too big. Ive got my weight where
it should be, and Im ready now. Life has
changed a little bit Ive got a kid on
the way!
Prior to dedicating himself to fighting
full-time, Tuivasa had been a youth worker.
I used to do youth work and
community work with elderly and disabled
people. I also worked with Aboriginal
people. If they had difficulty reading, or
were slow learning, then Id help them.
Tuivasa is dedicated to his aspirations,
having committed himself to life as a full-
time fighter.
Im currently training with Shaun
Sullivan at Lions High Performance
Centre in St Marys, in Western Sydney.
Sean has been a family friend forever. He
started me in the fight game, and helped
keep me on track and interested in where
I needed to go.
While Tuivasa has a strong natural
asset in his hands, he is aware that the
rest of his game as an MMA fighter needs
to be properly fleshed out.
I do a fair bit of wrestlingworking
on getting my ground escapes as good
as I can. Stand-up is my main thing. Im
developing my ground work to keep it [the
fight] standing.
The blueprint for that style of fighting
has already been perfected by fellow
Aussie Mark Hunt, who is passing
on the skills to Tuivasa through his
training camps.
Ive been training with Mark for three
years now, on and off. When there is a
fight camp, I go away with him, help him
spar, as well as another group of boys. Its
good to sit back and watch someone Ive
watched my whole life, and then do what
Im told! We are both involved in The MMA
Academy, which is such a great platform
for the young generation and for the MMA
industry in Australia. If there had been
such a platform available when I had left
school, this would have been awesome!
Tai also has his sights set on the main
stage of the UFC. His plan is simple.
Im going to keep doing what Im
doing; keep taking fights, keep knocking
them out. Get it over and done with. If I
do that I should be right, I hope. Im in the
midst of booking my next fight. I started
back training this week so Ill be ready.
Theres no date or opponent just yet.
When asked for a hint, Tuivasa offers
up the name we most want to hear.
Anyone! Ill fight anyone!
(CTN[%KTF6RGEKCN
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 FIGHT GAME

FIGHT GAME
BORN OR MADE?
The nature versus nurture argument is one of
the longest-standing debates in the history
of psychology. The debate centres on the
significance of, or extent, to which nature
(inherited qualities) or nurture (environmental
factors) affect individual differences.
Considering this debate through the fighting
lens begs the question are fighters born or
made? That is, how important or to what extent
does an individuals innate characteristics
(genetic inheritance) determine their
capacity to fight. Or is ones capacity to fight
determined by acquired characteristics learned
from external factors? That is, is it influenced
by their environment and life experiences?
Or is it a combination of both? Moreover,
when considering this topic, one cannot
overlook the necessary presence of a fighting
spirit, or heart, as they say, or perhaps the
requirement of a competitive drive. Are these
traits innate or can they be developed?
Fight Live Magazine asked our trainers for
their take.
BY SYLVIA SCHIAVONI // PHOTOS BY GETTY

24 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
FIGHTLIVETV.COM 25
 FIGHT GAME

DAN KELLY
Ali
Resilience Training Centre
Are fighters born or made? I think the
answer is yes. To both.
You can be born a fighter through
personality and dedication alone, which
you come into the world with. Some just
have it while others will never have it
inside them to fight.
Fighters can also be made through life
experience. Something in their life just
changes or gives them a new perspective
and then it happens.
There are a lot of people in the
world with potential but without desire,
discipline and work ethic. Without the
latter, that potential will amount to nothing.
Hard work beats natural ability every
time. If you have both then you become
a champion.

DARCY ELLIS
Team Ellis
Whether are fighters born or made comes
down to nature versus nurture. People are
born with certain characteristics, abilities
and physicality; however, they are made
and refined through years of hard work.
Evidently, certain characteristics
tend to be vital to the fight game. These
characteristics include the five ds:
drive, dedication, determination, desire
and discipline.
I believe life experience only enhances
what one is already born with. In turn,
fighters are born first and then made.
IN BOXING, THE
TRADITIONAL STORY IS THAT
THEY FIGHT THEIR WAY UP
THROUGH POVERTY
DARREN REECE
Riddlers Gym
There is a saying You cannot teach
heart, which I believe in wholeheartedly
from my experience over the years, and it
ties in perfectly with my thoughts about
fighters being born or made.
I think fighters are born but they can
also be madeprovided they have the
heart. The people that are born to be
fighters are those that just have that inner
fire; they have a natural focus and hunger
to win. Nothing fazes them and they have
no fear, or at least do not let it affect
their actions.
These natural fighters are the ones
GSP
you can see it in their eyes and you can
see it early on in their training. They bring
a different kind of intensity in everything
they do.
Sometimes these natural fighters will
carry an attitude or chip on their shoulder
while some may not, but they just have
this natural flick of the switch when the
time is right.
These people do not need to be taught
how to fight, or focus, or control their
nerves. All they need is to be taught the
skills of fighting and how to use them.
The heart, the desire and hunger to win
at all costs comes naturally to a natural-
born fighter.
I believe also that a fighter can be made
provided the required characteristics are
there. Here it is again: You cannot teach
heart. Heart is the biggest asset a fighter
can have and certainly is the biggest
requirement to be a fighter, especially
ones that rise above the rest.
Somebody who has heart and desires
to be a fighter can be taught how to be
a fighter without having shown signs
of being a fighter. Myself and my wife,

26 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
Caley Reece (six-time world champion)
are examples of this. Both of us werent
natural-born fighters. We did not have
that natural-born aggression or win-
at-all-costs attitude. It was moulded
over time.
What both of us did have was heart
and already years and years in competitive
sports. The aggression of a fighter
developed over time because the heart
was already there. The competitiveness,
the focus, the commitment and dedication
were there as part of our personalities.
With those characteristics combined
with years of training and sparring and
then fighting, a fighter is made, developed
from heart and has a competitive desire
to win. Born or made? The heart is the
biggest factor here.
Caley Reece
JOHN SCIDA
Ultimate Kickboxing
I believe fighters are born. I have had guys
come into the gym that you would not
pick to become fighters. They have some
natural toughness, dedication and timing,
which makes them into a champ.
You can train 10 new fighters from
scratch and maybe one or two will exceed
the rest, even if they train the same every
day. Some people will say it is the trainer;
I believe it is a 60 to 40 per cent split
towards the fighter.
Natural toughness and timing can get
you a long way in the sport, but you have
to have a good trainer and support group.
I have seen some average trainers with
outstanding fighters and some outstanding
trainers with some average fighters.
There is no magic wand. Some fighters
think if they go and train with Joe Blow
because hes got some great fighter in the
gym that he will become a great fighter
too. That is not always the case.
I BELIEVE FIGHTERS ARE
BORN. I HAVE HAD GUYS
COME INTO THE GYM THAT
YOU WOULD NOT PICK TO
BECOME FIGHTERS. THEY
HAVE SOME NATURAL
TOUGHNESS, DEDICATION,
AND TIMING, WHICH MAKES
THEM INTO A CHAMP.
LIAM RESNEKOV
VT1 MMA
Fighters come from all different
backgrounds. While in boxing the
traditional story is that they fight their
way up through poverty, the truth about
MMA is that as many fighters come from a
middle class background as a poor one.
Many of the UFC athletes have a
college background, so the concept that
you need to be poor to be a champion is
a myth in this sport. Struggle, however, is
a common ingredient in every successful
fighters journey.
Nobody knows for sure why one person
stays down while another gets up, but
more often what separates a real fighter
is his or her innate competitiveness. The
best fighters, the champs, cannot stand
to lose and I do not just mean in a
fight, I mean in everything inside and
outside training.
TJ Dillashaw hates losing every
exchange in training. When he realised
his striking was not on par, he became
obsessed with improving it. GSP could
not stand when Dan Hardy escaped his
armbar. The moment he hit backstage
after the fight he asked his coach to show
him his error. Have you ever seen Ali lose
the upper hand in a conversation?
So the real question is can healthy
competitiveness be learnt? And how do
you keep it on a level that is useful rather
than paralysing?
The first question is hard to answer,
but the second one comes down to one
thing can the fighter identify the reason
they have lost in the situation and can they
learn from it. That is what makes a fighter,
and that is what makes a champion.
FIGHTLIVETV.COM 27
 MUHAMMAD ALI

ALI THE GREATEST

STORY EVER TOLD
BY LUKE DODEMAIDE // PHOTOS BY GETTY

My image is being confident, Muhammad Ali told broadcaster Howard Cosell in 1967,
fresh off a decision victory over Ernie Terrell. Cosell had watched a 25-year-old Ali dance
around Houston, Texas Astrodome, and pepper a much-feared Terrell with a steady
diet of left jabs and stinging overhand rights. By Alis more balletic standards, it was
a brutal, one-sided encounter. Terrell had provoked Ali in the lead-up by calling him
Clay, which irked Ali and prompted a wonderful demonstration of boxing skill and a
barbarous display of cruelty, as Sports Illustrateds Tex Maule would write.

Whats my name, Uncle Tom?
Ali yelled at Terrell while wallowing
him in front of 37,000 people. Whats
my name! But Terrell, like the rest
of his era, could not keep up. Terrell
should have known better; after all,
Floyd Patterson had tried this tactic
only two years earlier, and Alis
response to it was, as one reporter
wrote, like a child pulling the wings
off a butterfly. Patterson lasted 12 of
the allocated 15 rounds. In the end,
Patterson said, I realised that I was
no more than a boxer and that he,
however, was history.
Terrell would last the distance
bettering Pattersons efforts but
again it was Alis name that was heard
when the result was announced.
After the bout, the chat with Alis
long-time verbal sparring partner
Cossell followed. Cosell, never one
to be outwitted, looked down at his
feet and then back up at Ali before
replying in his familiar New Yorker
drawl: Youre being extremely
truculent.
Whatever truculent means, Ali
said, if its good, Im that.
A great many superlatives have
been used to describe Ali since his
passing on 3 March, at the age of 74 in
his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.
Some of them were self-anointed
the greatest of all times, the
prettiest fighter there ever was and
all were thoughtful and, for the large
part, loving.
Ali was born to Cassius Marcellus
Clay, Sr, a painter and musician
who has been described as a failed
dreamer, and Odessa Lee Clay, a
church-going maid who tended to a
white family, on 17 January, 1942 in
Louisville, Kentucky. It was a southern
town best known for a horse race (the
Kentucky Derby) and a baseball bat
(the Louisville Slugger), and although
the economy was boosted by the
government allocation of a major
airforce production company in the

28 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
 MUHAMMAD ALI
year of Alis birth, it was a segregated
city on the precipice of a decline.
Throughout it all, Ali would thrive.
If he wasnt the pre-eminent athlete
of the 20th century, where he can
only be rivalled by Michael Jordan
and Pele, he was unquestionably the
most significant. He claimed the
heavyweight championship of the
world on three occasions, holding
it for an aggregate of eight years,
and won 56 of 61 fights. In 1963,
after defeating Sonny Liston at the
age of 22, Ali became the youngest
heavyweight champion of the world.
In 1978, after defeating Leon Spinks
at the age of 36, he became the oldest
heavyweight champion of the world.
Of the five fights he lost, two came in
the final two fights of his career.
His blinding speed and lightning-
fast reflexes, which were unheard
of in the division when Ali rose to
fame and have not been seen since,
defied the power-hungry nature of
the sports top division. His footwork
was arguably better than Sugar Ray
Robinsons, who many purists rate as
the best pound-for-pound boxer in
Muhammad Ali Taunting Sonny Liston
30 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
history, who fought at welterweight
and middleweight. He did everything
his own way to the applause of an
audience that spanned generations,
social demographics, race and religion.
Alis life inspired Oscar-winning
films (When We Were Kings and
Rocky, which Sylvester Stallone admits
was based on Alis 1975 bout with
Chuck Wepner), literary classics (The
Tao of Muhammad Ali, written by
Davis Miller, The Fight, written by
Norman Mailer) and presidents (Barack
Obama said Muhammad Ali was
America). Nearly every heavyweight
champion of the last 50 years admits
to look up to Ali, and two of them
Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson acted
as bearers for his coffin at his funeral.
HIS BLINDING SPEED AND
LIGHTNING-FAST REFLEXES,
WHICH WERE UNHEARD OF IN THE DIVISION
WHEN ALI ROSE TO FAME AND HAVE NOT BEEN
SEEN SINCE, DEFIED THE POWER-HUNGRY
NATURE OF THE SPORTS TOP DIVISION.
He was, as Bill Clinton noted,
someone who decided at a very early
age to write his own story. He won
an Olympic gold medal in Rome and
then threw it in the river in Louisville
after being refused entry to a diner. He
was named heavyweight champion of
the world and then changed his name
the next day, shedding his slave title.
He offered poetry and braggadocio
to sportswriters that were previously
dealt polite yes, sir responses. Ali
transcended boxing, sure. But to
say he transcended race is a little
clumsy. Ali was unapologetically
black. His bravado changed the
American cultural landscape and
made permissible what was previously
unacceptable.
 Ali vs Joe Frazier 1971
He was charming, unbridled
and outspoken. Yet, despite this, he
was child-like. Ali was aware of the
absurdity of his claims, and dared
you to call him out on them, like a
magician who takes pride in his own
sleight of hand. Those around him,
too, embraced the liberties Ali took
with the letter of the law. In 1963, Alis
trainer, Angelo Dundee, deliberately
tore the gloves off his fighter after he
was floored by Englishman Henry
Cooper at the end of the fourth
round, forcing a confused rush around
Londons Wembley Stadium that took
15 minutes to find a replacement. By
then, Ali had recovered. In the next
round, Cooper was stopped. While
he pushed the envelope too far at
times think his ambitious past-his-
prime losses in 1980 and 1981 losses
to Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick,
respectively he almost always got
away with it.
Ali opposed a war, and lost three
years of his career for refusing to go to
Vietnam, a decision that history would
eventually judge favourably. He asked
The Beatles who, exactly, they were,
and they didnt seem to mind. He
made a rival of Smokin Joe Frazier,
one of the greatest heavyweights ever,
who reigned supreme for three years
in the strongest era the division will
ever know, and Ali beat him in two
out of three fights.
He did things that seem
unimaginable now, which is why
Hunter S. Thompson, one the most
creative and boundary-pushing
sportswriters in history, didnt bother
even turning up to The Rumble in
the Jungle in 1974 despite earning
a free ride with his then employer
Rolling Stone. In the far-off land of
Zaire, which no longer exists, nobody
thought Ali could beat peak-of-his-
powers George Foreman. Yet Ali
did it.
After the passing of Ali, The New
York Times Robert Lipsyte wrote: Ali
was the most thrilling if not the best
heavyweight ever, carrying into the
ring a physically lyrical, unorthodox
boxing style that fused speed, agility
and power more seamlessly than that
of any fighter before him. But he was
more than the sum of his athletic
gifts. An agile mind, a buoyant
personality, a brash self-confidence
and an evolving set of personal
convictions fostered a magnetism that
the ring alone could not contain.
Lipsyte covered Alis star-making
wins in the early 1960s and
was one of the first in the largely
skeptical and conservative press row
to admire him and continued to
cover Ali until his fourth and final
retirement in 1981. In a nod to the
sad inevitability of Alis death he
battled Parkinsons disease for 32
Ali vs George Foreman 1974
of his 74 years Lipsyte actually
wrote the obituary over a decade
ago. Every Ali fan, boxing fan and
sports fan was prepared for this, but
it is still somewhat surprising just
how jarring the announcement was.
Septic shock, the official cause of
Alis death, is not directly related to
Parkinsons, but it is more common in
the elderly and people with weakened
immune systems.
His death, in an Olympic year,
marks 20 years since he lit the
flame at the 1996 Olympic Games
in Atlanta, his last world-stopping
moment. He was fragile and shook
uncontrollably on the grand
podium, yet he did it. Father Time is
undefeated, but if anybody was to slip
past Him with a feint or a disarming
joke, it would be Ali. At least 100,000
people gathered for his funeral in
Louisville, where chants of Ali!
Ali! chased his cavalcade down the
30-kilometre procession route.
President Bill Clinton spoke for
all mourners when he thanked Alis
widowed wife Lonnie for making the
second half of his life more enjoyable
than his first at Alis funeral. Ali left
behind nine children, one of who,
Laila, was a world champion boxer
herself. Another, Hana Yasmeen Ali, is
a poet and published author.
He will forever remain The
Greatest of All Time.
FIGHTLIVETV.COM 31
 CHI LEWIS-PARRY

ON THE
UFCS BEST
T WITH THE
ATCHING I
IS-PARRY M
CHI LEW
For most people the idea of doing round after round of grappling with UFC light-heavyweight
champion Daniel Cormier and former heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez before trading some
strikes with former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold is enough to make you reconsider your
career as a fighter. But for slick-talking Brit Chi Lewis-Parry, walking into the legendary American
Kickboxing Academy confirmed something he already knew inside I am on this level.
BY ZACH BROADHURST // PHOTOS BY JAMES LAW, GLORY SPORTS INTERNATIONAL

I
n preparation for his much
anticipated rematch with Jon
Jones, UFC light-heavyweight
champion Daniel Cormier enlisted
the assistance of Chi Lewis-Parry a
6-0 MMA fighter and 3-1 kickboxing
professional with Glory who
quickly assimilated himself in the
AKA team.
Training at a gym with such talent
and such history was incredible,
said Lewis-Parry. DC, I couldnt say
anything bad about him, hes a very
genuine person, very driven and we
are very similar in a lot of ways. We
have a very similar sense of humour,
we are both always playing practical
jokes, laughing and joking, but when
its time to get serious we know when
to put that face on.
It is just a complete honour
to train at his gym and now to be
welcomed and accepted as part of
the gym.
While Lewis-Parry was brought
in to help Cormier prepare for Jon
Jones, he quickly learnt about his
own skillset and the level he can
compete at.
I think the biggest thing was
knowing where Im at in terms of
high-level fighting, he said. These
guys at AKA, it doesnt get any higher
than that and knowing what the elite
level of striking is it also helps me
to recognise that I am on this level.
It was a big first half of 2016 for
AKA with Luke Rockhold having
a title defence at UFC 199, Cain

32 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
FIGHTLIVETV.COM 33
 CHI LEWIS-PARRY

Velasquez getting back into the And then he goes up there and instead of facing your problems and
Octagon for the first time in more starts crying after failing the drug responsibilities. I dont believe his
than a year, and of course Cormier test and avoiding questions I dont tears necessarily, but then again I
scheduled to headline the biggest UFC believe you now, I didnt believe you dont care about the guy enough to
card in history a crazy time for then and I dont believe you now. He really care about his words.
Lewis-Parry to be at the gym. hasnt changed. Hes proven he hasnt And while losing out on a
It was a very long five months, but changed. Why is everybody throwing massive rematch was shattering for
at the same time its been marvellous, the guy a bone and stroking his back both Cormier and his team, it was
said Lewis-Parry. It literally doesnt like hes a child? Hes not a child hes Cormiers calmness in the face of it all
get any more peak than where it is at nearly 30 years old, he is responsible that impressed Lewis-Parry the most.
right now. for his actions and just by him The one thing I was really
Luke was up first at 199 and denying it all shows hes not willing to impressed with, though, was his
unfortunately we didnt get the result take responsibility. composure level, he says. We are
he wanted, but just to be part of his Im a human being, so I feel sorry talking about the peak of the sport; it
camp, be part of DCs camp because for him as a human being, because doesnt get any bigger than this and
it was two camps for DC, having had we all make mistakes, none of us are he handled it very well. It was quite
the leg injury and then we obviously perfect, but just admit it. If you can inspiring seeing how he handled it,
had both him and Cain preparing for admit that what you did was wrong, and as disappointed as he was, he still
UFC 200 and I was helping Cain also. Ill appreciate that, because Ive made kept training even when we didnt
Lewis-Parrys role in Cormiers mistakes too, very big mistakes in my have an opponent set.
camp meant he had a front row seat for life and I regret them, but Ill admit Anderson wasnt confirmed,
the chaos that ensued when Jon Jones when Im wrong and he hasnt done nothing was confirmed for like a day,
would be pulled from the fight after that, so you are still trying to hide be he was just like, You know what,
failing a pre-fight drug test. And while
Cormier surprisingly voiced how he
felt bad for Jones, Lewis-Parry doesnt
exactly have the same sympathies. IM A HUMAN BEING, SO I FEEL SORRY
Well it sucked to be completely
honest with you. It didnt suck for FOR HIM AS A HUMAN BEING, BECAUSE
me as much as it did for DC, because
obviously hes the one who has been WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES, NONE OF US ARE
wanting to fight Jon since they fought
the first time, he said.
DC is a kind man. He doesnt have
PERFECT, BUT JUST ADMIT IT.
any ill will towards anyone; thats
where me and him although similar
differ. At the end of the day this
is just competition, but I know both
him and Jon genuinely dont like each
other so there is no love lost. But
he is a man and DC felt sorry for him;
but I, on the other hand, just think
he is lying. Why am I going to start
believing him now when hes been
lying the whole time?
Lewis-Parry has vocally criticised
Jones ever since first meeting the
former light-heavyweight champion
in Las Vegas while Jones and Cormier
were promoting UFC 197 a fight
Cormier later withdrew from due
to injury.
I said that about the guy months
ago when I first met him and I saw
how fake he was and how much he was
lying about his recall of the events of
when we crossed paths in Vegas. Im
like, Jesus Christ, this guy is such a
liar, said Lewis-Parry.

34 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
weve come this far, Im gonna treat it
as if Im fighting and Im still gonna
step on the scale.
So we were still there doing the
weight-cut, still training, he was
still handling his media obligations
professionally and eventually he got
an opponent, and it being Anderson
Silva I think was the best possible
alternative because he went up
against the greatest anything
less than that would have been
an underachievement I think. But
to go up against the best and to
beat the best, I think that made
everything okay.
Cormier faced some criticism from
the fans in attendance and even
some fellow UFC fighters for his game
plan against Silva, preferring to keep
the fight on the ground instead of
standing with the very dangerous
and decorated striker a game plan
Lewis-Parry doesnt feel Cormier
should apologise for.
Well, wed been preparing for Jon,
I came over specifically for that and
he had other training partners come
over for specifically that, he said.
Our whole game plan for the fight
was tailored to Jon and that game plan
wouldnt necessarily have worked as
effectively against Anderson. So you
have to look at the strengths of Jon
and look at the strengths of Anderson
and then exploit the weaknesses.
Now the weaknesses for Anderson
is he cannot wrestle like Jon can. So
what does DC do best? Wrestle hes
a two-time Olympian. Ive grappled
with DC on many occasions and the
guy is a complete animal.
So you have to take Anderson
down, because you know he isnt
getting up. Look what happened
when he fought Chael Sonnen;
Chael took him down and
dominated him. He may have
lost the fight, but he dominated
him for four-and-a-half rounds.
For four rounds and four minutes
Chael Sonnen was the champ.
Lewis-Parry thinks the focus should
be less on people not getting the
eye-catching striking exchanges they
crave and instead marvel at how easily
Cormier shut down a man considered
one of the best fighters of all time.
DC needed to do what he needed
to do and it was a perfect game plan
because he won unanimously he
dominated Anderson, he continue.
With Anderson people want to see
this dancing voodoo thing he does
with his hands, but he couldnt do
any of that because of the pressure DC
was putting on him.
So they are booing because they
want to see all the stuff Anderson
can do, but he couldnt do it simply
because DC is too good at what he
does. So thats not DCs fault; whats
he meant to do? Apologise for being
good at what he does? I apologise for
winning that fight Come on now.
FIGHTLIVETV.COM 35

Anyone in the world would stand
in front of Anderson Silva and nine
times out of 10 they are gonna get lit
up, because he is that good. So you
have to play to your strengths and
thats what DC did and thats why he
needs to be in the argument as the
pound-for-pound best, because he did
what he needed to do, he got the win
and hes not the one who messed up
and failed his drug test.
After months of helping other
fighters make the walk to the cage,
Lewis-Parry finally had his own
36 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
chance to get back in the ring at Glory
32 defeating Maurice Greene via
second round KO and now he has
his sights set on Glory Heavyweight
champion Rico Verhoeven.
To be quite frank, I want a fight
for the title, said Lewis-Parry. I
dont care about rankings, I know the
fans dont care about rankings, they
care about characters and exciting
fights and exciting performances.
They know they are going to get
an exciting performance with me
and they know they are gonna get
an exciting build-up to the fight
with me.
For Lewis-Parry a self-described
brash cocky Brit fighting is
more than just training your arse
off, it is about engaging the fans and
getting an emotional response from
them whether positive or negative
in nature.
These fighters dont understand
the game, they dont understand
promoting a fight, they just think
youve got to train hard and turn up
and thats it, he continues.
Okay, that is true, you can do that
if you dont want to be remembered.
But I want to go into the arena and
see I hate you shirts or I love you
shirts; they have got to be buying
into you as a personality in order
for the sport to grow not just for
your brand, but in order for the sport
to grow.
Also, you need to be you and
people need to be able to relate to you
people need to be able to love your
character and people need to be able
to hate your character. So you need
to be able to be something worth
watching and I know my worth, I
know my value and I know for sure
ANYONE IN THE Id give the champion Rico Verhoeven
trouble. Rico is down for the fight, Im
WORLD WOULD down for the fight, I dont care about
STAND IN FRONT OF rankings. The last guy who got a title
shot was coming off of a tournament
ANDERSON SILVA loss, so if he can fight for the title,
AND NINE TIMES I can fight for the title its about
what the people want to see.
OUT OF 10 THEY Glory is going to London this
ARE GONNA GET LIT year, I want to fight Rico in my home
town for the belt simple.
UP, BECAUSE HE IS
THAT GOOD. fightlivetv
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 BROCK LESNAR

38 FIGHTLIVETV.COM

UFC 200 quickly went from the promotions
victory lap to a massive black eye when Jon
Jones had to be pulled from the main event,
failing a pre-fight drug test. But once Brock
Lesnar popped too, the UFC looked less black-
eyed and more like Rory MacDonald after a
five-round title fight. But the new USADA testing
policy is a messy, yet essential, step, and there
are a few other steps this growing giant must
still take if the UFC want to be considered a
serious and elite mainstream sport.
BY ZACH BROADHURST // PHOTOS BY GETTY
S
ix years and six days thats how long it took for
Brock Lesnar to have his hand raised once again in the
octagon. To put that in perspective, back then Chuck
Liddell had just graced the Octagon for the last time, Ronda
Rousey had only one amateur fight to her name and Conor
McGregor was a 31 pro on the local Dublin circuit.
Also, back then the UFC didnt comply with the strict US
Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) drug testing regime that has
seen some of the sports biggest names including Lesnar
embroiled in controversy. But we will get to Lesnars less
than shocking failed drug test later.
In July of 2010, it wasnt beyond belief that Lesnar
could be one of the biggest draws in the game come UFC
200, but so ever changing is the sport that just a year-and-
a-half later, Lesnar had lost his title and after a battering
FIGHTLIVETV.COM 39
 BROCK LESNAR
from Alistair Overeem, announced,
tonight is the last time youll see me
in the Octagon.
So, as all things in life, the UFC
moved on. New champions were
crowned, new stars rose up, womens
divisions were added and the UFC
continued to grow without its biggest
ever draw card. But when McGregor
was pulled from the UFCs biggest and
audacious fight card ever, Lesnar saw
an opportunity to once again become
the UFCs poster boy.
Dana White didnt call me up for
this. I made the phone call. Lesnar
told long-time friend Paul Haymen
before UFC 200.
So while many assumed it was the
UFC who put out the bat signal or
rather the Brock signal to save the
biggest ever planned UFC PPV card,
it was actually the WWE superstar
himself, and he was determined and
serious about a return.
You cant get into the Octagon
half-assedly, nor would I make the call
if I wanted to half-assedly get in the
Octagon, because Im smarter than
that, he told Haymen. I know how
dangerous it is. Its a dangerous sport.
I wouldnt put my health at risk for
my family by no means. My head is in
the game on this. Im 100 per cent all
40 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
in. All in. No doubts in my mind. No
doubt at all.
So just like that Lesnar was once
again a UFC fighter, but he was done
no favours when it came to picking his
opponent. The criticism has long been
that Lesnar looks unstoppable when
he is landing his shots and destroying
people with his ground-and-pound,
but once he starts taking some damage,
he crumbles.
Instead of giving him a nice tune-up
fight, the UFC threw Lesnar in with
the sharks, or rather a bleach-blond
Samoan shark with cinderblocks for
fists. Hunt was coming off first-round
victories against legends in Frank Mir
and Bigfoot Silva and had fought for
a title not that long ago albeit an
interim belt.
In contrast, Lesnar was coming off
a far less real win over Dean Ambrose
at WrestleMania 32, hardly the sort
of preparation that prepares you for a
Mark Hunt uppercut.
Lesnar was done some favours,
however, when he was given an
exemption from part of the UFCs
tough new anti-doping policy.
The UFCs anti-doping policy led by
USADA states that any athlete coming
out of retirement must give the UFC
four months of notice so the fighter
can be put back in USADAs drug-
testing pool. But with just four weeks
between Lesnar accepting the bout and
UFC 200, he was granted an exemption
from this policy.
When the bout between Hunt and
Lesnar was first announced, almost
everyone found that fishy, most of all,
his opponent.
They should have tested Brock
before he signed the contract not
now, Hunt told Fox Sports leading into
the fight. Its a waste of time, testing
him now. It doesnt matter if hes
cleaned up. The benefits will already be
there. They should have been testing
him when he first started training for
this fight four months ago. I think hes
juiced to the gills.
On the night, Lesnars win at
UFC 200 looked impressive on face
WHEN THE BOUT
BETWEEN HUNT
AND LESNAR WAS
FIRST ANNOUNCED,
ALMOST EVERYONE
FOUND THAT FISHY,
MOST OF ALL, HIS
OPPONENT.

value. He stepped into the cage after
a ve-year layoff, on four weeks
notice (whether he knew about the
ght before then is debatable), against
the eighth best heavyweight in the
world, arguably the hardest hitting
heavyweight in the division, and
never really looked troubled on his
way to a unanimous decision victory.
I wasnt rocked. I dont know
if they were his best shots or not.
I felt them. The mysterys gone. I
guess I can take a shot. I just stuck to
the game plan, Lesnar said with a
swelled shut eye at the post-ght press
conference.
But what we must also face now is
the news that followed in the weeks
after Lesnars victorious win: that he
has two potential USADA anti-doping
violation but is anyone really
that shocked?
Hunt said in almost every interview
leading into the ght that Lesnar was
obviously on something, and the press
didnt hold back in relaying those
thoughts and those shared by many
fans to Lesnar himself.
Ive been dealing with that my
entire life, said Lesnar. What do you
want me to say? Im a white boy and
Im jacked. Deal with it.
But whether Lesnar has been clean
his whole life, and two potential
USADA anti-doping violations would
argue he certainly wasnt for UFC 200
he has undoubtedly left everyone to
deal with it.
Lesnar hammers on Hunt
The UFC now have a very angry
Mark Hunt on their hands. He has had
both his previous opponents the
other being Frank Mir fail drug
tests after the ght. His epic ve-round
draw with Bigfoot Silva in 2013 also
saw Silva fail a test after the bout.
If you ask me, the whole point of
the four-month testing period should
be to make sure someone doesnt
pop back in, juiced to the gills, and
beat the crap out of the guys who are
clean and have been clean and tested
this whole time, Hunt said on his
websiteMarkHunt.tv.
They [the UFC] say they are
cleaning up the sport yet Ive risked my
health two times against guys cheating
since this USADA thing started.
I was told Brock was going to be
tested when I took the ght; he comes
in looking fricken juicy as hell and
then I nd out hes popped after the
PPV has already been sold.
Its ridiculous. The fact that they
havent even bothered to make contact
with me since all of this happened just
proves they dont care.
Hunt has been waiting for a call
because he laid out a very public
ultimatum to the UFC after learning of
Lesnars failed test give me Brocks an association where we can have our
purse, or release me from contract.
I saw Brock made millionsfor this
ght, more than anyone ever, Hunt
said. I wanna know what they are
gonna do to Brock now. When you
dont make weight they give 20 per
cent of your purse to the other ghter.
If you get caught cheating you should
lose all of it. Ive told Dana I want half
of Brocks purse. Ive told Dana that
I want a release from the UFC if they
dont sort this out.
Hunts argument makes complete
sense; ghters who miss weight
must sacrice part of their purse
as punishment for the advantage
they gain. On the very same card as
Lesnar vs Hunt, Johny Hendricks was
ned 20 per cent of his ght pay for
weighing just .25 pounds over the
171-pound limit.
But there are no rules and no
precedent set for taking any money off
ghters who test positive to banned
substances and giving it to their
opponent. It would also be a shock if
they released Hunt from his contract,
as the UFC have a history of preferring
to have big-name ghters not ght
at all rather than make money for a
rival promotion.
UFC 200 was the last event before
the company was sold to WME-IMG
and its the perfect marker for the new
owners to see how far the sport has
come; yet how far it still must go too.
The UFC may not be anything like
the NBA, NFL, AFL, or pretty much
any major mainstream sport, but they
badly want to be considered in that
list. Thats why they now have such
a strict USADA anti-doping policy, a
great rst step. The new UFC needs to
be about the ghters and not about
themselves: no more cutting their
pay and making them wear uniforms,
no more bending the rules to let
stars cheat (whether knowingly or
otherwise), no more revoking media
members credentials out of spite.
Hunt may not get any of his
demands, but he gets the last
word here.
If you ask me, there needs to be a
system where they at least run things
past the ghters before making these
decisions and the ghters can look
out for each other, he said. We need
voices heard. We are a massive reason
why fans watch the sport and we risk
our health to do it.
fightlivetv
FIGHTLIVETV.COM 41
 SITTHICHAI SITSONGPEENONG

The

World pound-for-pound champion

Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong
Since the golden age of K-1 MAX, the 70 kg weight division has been highly regarded as the
one to watch in kickboxing and Muay Thai promotions. Thailand has been at the forefront
in providing some of the biggest names at 70 kg, ever since Buakaw Por Pramuk, as he was
known at the time, exploded on the scene, coming from unknown to take the K-1 MAX title
in 2004. Following in the footsteps of Buakaws success was Yodsaenklai Fairtex, who also
proved to be a dominant force in recent years, but with Buakaw in the twilight stage of his
career now and Yodsaenklai out injured for some time, Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong has stepped
into the spotlight as the number-one 70 kg fighter in the world right now.
BY ROB COX // PHOTOS BY ROB COX AND BEN PONTIER

42 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
FIGHTLIVETV.COM 43
 SITTHICHAI SITSONGPEENONG

U
nlike Buakaw and
Yodsaenklai, Sitthichai
didnt have an
illustrious career in the
stadiums until after
Sitsongpeenong gym
took over his contract
and looked to develop
him into the world
beater he has become today. Sittichai
started out, like most Thai fighters, in
a small gym in his home province of
Buriram, trained by his father, who
was a boxer himself, but only fought
on the up-country shows, never in
the main stadiums. Sitthichai had
his first fight at 11 years of age and
went on to start fighting at Lumpini
when he reached the weight of 100
lbs (45kg). Fighting out of his old
gym Sitkruyiam, Sitthichai reached
a decent level, but it was after a
contact introduced him to
Sitsongpeenong gym that his
fight career really started
to take off. At the time
Sitthichai felt he needed a
new gym to grow, and with a
shortage of sparring and clinch
partners his size, he felt it was
time to move full time to the bright
lights of Bangkok. Sitsongpeenong, a
relatively new gym at the time, was
in the process of acquiring fighters to
develop their brand and the owner,
Timothy Dharmajiva, was looking to
produce strong fighters to compete
overseas and saw Sitthichai as having
a lot of potential.

I was very happy

and relieved when
they raised my
hand. I thought I
won already after
three rounds,
but it was scored
a draw. so I was
nervous I would
lose the last
round.
44 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
 Sitsongpeenong is one of the first
camps in Thailand to actively look at
more modern training concepts and
Sitthichais metamorphosis from a
mid-to-high-level stadium fighter into
arguably the pound-for-pound number-
one kickboxer in the world today
provides a strong argument in their
favour. The gym brought in a Western
boxing coach to work on Sitthichais
boxing and he also follows a rigorous
strength and conditioning program,
with three hard sessions a week at the
start of his fight camps, which drops to
two sessions as the fight nears and then
stops a week before the fight. This helped
with moving up the weight divisions
while still retaining strength and power.
Sitthichai was soon making a name
for himself under his new gym. At his
first big tournament overseas in 2010,
he beat French star Fabio Pinca and Thai
legend Anuwat Kaewsamrit in the same
night, announcing there was a new
name to watch on the scene.
He then went on to win the Thailand
welterweight title and followed that later
by taking the Lumpini Welterweight belt
as well before concentrating fully on the
overseas fight scene.
Sitthichai then went on to fight
almost exclusively for Kunlun Fight
and Glory Kickboxing, where he has
become both promotions biggest star.
In 2015, Sitthichai made his Glory
debut, winning a four-man lightweight
contender tournament, stopping the
dangerous David Kiria in two rounds and
comfortably out-pointing Josh Jauncey
in the final. This led to a shot at Robin
van Roosmalens Glory Lightweight
title at Glory 25 in Monza, Italy, but he
lost out in a very controversial, highly
debated points loss.
After that, Sitthichai won in the
final of the Kunlun Fight Final 16-man
World MAX Tournament, beating
Enriko Gogokhia in the final to take
the grand prize of almost three million
baht. Sitthichai won another Glory
Lightweight contender tournament,
beating Marat Grigorian in the final
to earn another shot at the Glory title,
facing van Roosmalen again, this time
in van Roosmalens home town of
Amsterdam, at Glory 31. This time the
fight looked closer, but Sitthichai was
awarded a split decision victory, finally
becoming Glory World Champion.
Who is your main trainer at
Sitsongpeenong?
My trainer is Jakrit. He is a very well-
known trainer in Thailand he was a
trainer at Fairtex for a long time before
and worked with many champions.
FIGHTLIVETV.COM 45
 SITTHICHAI SITSONGPEENONG

What is your most memorable fight

so far in your career?
For me the best memory is
probably winning the La Nuit
des Titans tournament in France,
beating Fabio Pinca and Anuwat
Kaewsamrit, as they were already
famous and I hadnt any experience
fighting abroad.

What do you think made it possible

for you to win these fights?
I think my preparation was probably
better, from the diet to hard training.

What made you start to focus more

on overseas fights?
My gym wanted me to fight more
abroad and there is more chance to
become famous and earn good money
overseas and also less pressure than
in Thailand, like from the gamblers
for example.

What do you think has made you so

successful?
I prepare very well for my fights and
my trainers always work out what
tactics to use and how to train for
each opponent. I also fight out of
the southpaw stance, which can be
difficult for foreign opponents.
What do you think are the big
differences between foreign and
Thai opponents?
Foreign boxers can be more
unorthodox and wild when they fight
and this can sometimes be difficult to
see their attacks coming. Thai fighters
tend to be more experienced and able
to adapt and change their fight plan
better than the foreign boxers.
What do you think is the most
important part of fighting for you?
I think the defence is the most
important part; it is always better to
try not to get hit, as anything could
happen if you get hurt.
Have you changed your style much
since you have been fighting more
on Kunlun Fight and Glory?
I used to be more of a technical
fighter, letting my opponent come to
me and trying for the counter. Now
I work more on coming forward and
using pressure on my opponents.
How did it feel to beat Enriko
Bogokhia to win the Kunlun Fight
tournament?
I was very happy and relieved when
they raised my hand. I thought I
won already after three rounds, but it
was scored a draw, so I was nervous I
would lose the last round.
You finally won the Glory World title
after losing in your first attempt.
How did it feel while you were
waiting for the result after the fight?
I was nervous and thought I had a
50/50 chance of winning. I thought I
won the first fight clearly and felt this
time was closer and it was also in his
home town, so was very happy when
I got the decision.
You have already achieved a huge
amount now in your career; is there
anything else you want to achieve
before you retire?
I have achieved all I want now in
terms of titles after finally winning
the Glory belt. I just want to keep on
fighting at the highest level now and
to preserve my reputation for as long
as my body allows.

46 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
FIGHT UPDATES // FIGHT NEWS // FIGHT VIDEOS

FIGHTLIVETV
 JON JONES

The
Fall
The self-destruction
of Jon Jones

48 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
After another run-in with the drug police, its becoming increasingly
apparent that pound-for-pound king Jon Jones most problematic
opponent isn't standing on the other side of the Octagon.
BY JUSTIN FAUX // PHOTOS BY GETTY
n 7 July, two days before
he was expected to
fight Daniel Cormier
in a champion-versus-
champion fight at
UFC 200, Jones was an
emotional wreck.
The man who appears
superhuman when
locked inside the UFCs
eight-sided cage took off
his public relations mask
to reveal just another
broken, fragile human
being like the rest of us.
Jones was at the slap-and-dash
press event to address the news that he
had been flagged for a potential drug
test violation from USADA (United
States Anti-Doping Agency).
I dont know what to say, a
glassy-eyed Jones murmured to his
manager, Malki Kawa.
I want to start by apologising to
all the fans who came out to support
me, he finally began. Obviously, the
UFC and (UFC co-owners Lorenzo
and Frank Fertitta) for not being able
to perform. I know theres been a lot
to go into this event, the staff of the
UFC. I want to apologise to Daniel
Cormier. I know that this fight means
a lot to him. The fight meant a lot to
me, and the fights not happening.
So, I just really wanted to apologise
to everybody sincerely. I really dont
know what to say.
The champion athlete, who looked
like he had not slept a wink the
previous night, struggled to stay in
his seat during the brief press event, at
one stage even emotionally running
off the stage while one of his handlers
followed behind.
Its a tragic turn of events for a
fighter who, at one time, seemed to
be absolutely bulletproof. Merely
18 months earlier, Jones defeated
Cormier to defend his light-
heavyweight title for a record eighth
time, essentially cleaning out the
205-pound weight class in the process.
Cormier, a former two-time
Olympic wrestler and present-day UFC
champion, was considered to be the
biggest threat to Jones position on the
throne at the time, but even he was no
match for the invincible prizefighter,
who decisively won a decision in the
main event of UFC 182.
In hindsight, that night is a flash
point in Jones career the last
time he was truly at the top of the
mountain.
Since that night under the bright
lights of the Las Vegas strip, the
troubled face-puncher has committed
career suicide.
Granted, Jones was not exactly a
choirboy before then (his less-than-
flattering wrap sheet was already
highlighted by a fine for drifting
while pulling into a strip club and
wrapping his $190,000 Bentley GT
around a street pole) but his life has
spiralled out of control over the past
year-and-a-half.
6 JANUARY, 2015
Days after the UFC 182 bout against
Cormier, Yahoo Sports reported that
the 28-year-old champ had tested
positive for cocaine metabolites.
Jones later confessed that he took
the recreational drug during a night
of partying: I definitely don't have an
excuse. Im not here to make excuses
for what happened, he said on an
edition of UFC Tonight. I did it,
basically at a party. I think a coward
would sit here and try to come up
with this elaborate reason or to try to
blame something, and Im not going
to do that. Im not going to blame
friends or blame pressure or stress.
Im not going to blame anything.
But what I will say is that I messed
up. It wasnt a mistake. I cant call
it a mistake necessarily because I
consciously did it.
FIGHTLIVETV.COM 49
 JON JONES

13 JANUARY, 2015
MMA Fighting reported that Jones,
who checked himself into rehab after
news broke of his cocaine use, exited
the drug treatment facility after just
one night.
Im glad that this happened to
Jon, Camilla Jones, Jons mother, said,
speaking with CBS after picking up her
son from rehab. This stopped him in
his tracks, this let him know that he
may need to change some friends, you
know, because everyone is not for you
for the best. So this is a good thing as
far as our family is concerned, so we
werent upset. Me and my husband
considered it a blessing from God that
our child was able to be helped and
know that he needs to stop and know
that he needed the assistance to stop
before it came to something worse.
restrictions on when he could accept heavyweight fighter who was being
17 JANUARY, 2015 another fight, which was projected to heralded as MMAs version of Mike
UFC sent out a press release, informing be a multi-million dollar night for the Tyson in video packages.
the media that Jones had been fined pay-per-view magnet. The pound-for-pound champ didn't
$25,000 for violating the companys make it to UFC 187, though. He wasn't
Athlete Code of Conduct policy. 27 APRIL, 2015 even in Las Vegas for the fight.
The company made the bold move Jones was scheduled to make his ninth On 27 April it was confirmed by
not to strip their top-ranked fighter UFC title defence on 23 May against the Albuquerque, New Mexico, police
of his championship and put no Anthony Johnson a menacing light- department that the citys infamous

50 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
UFC champion was being sought in
relation to a hit-and-run incident
earlier that morning.
According to Jones, he was
returning to his Albuquerque home
after a wild night of partying when he
ran a red light while driving a rented
Buick SUV, smashing into a car driven
by a pregnant occupant.
Witnesses say the six-foot-four
fighter fled the scene of the crash, then
returned to grab fistfuls of cash before
again leaving on foot.
Police found paperwork linking the
car to Jones, as well as a marijuana
pipe with marijuana, condoms, and
snack food. Less than 24 hours later,
he turned himself in to police and was
released on $2,500 bail.
It all happened so fast, initially,
I knew I messed up, big time, Jones
later explained in a tell-all interview
with MMA Fighting. I just thought
to myself, man I went out last night, I
havent been home yet, I probably still
smell like the night before, I need to
get myself out of here, he continued.
I was afraid, I freaked out. The whole
ordeal lasted like1516 seconds. It
was the worst 15 seconds of my life.
28 APRIL, 2015
UFC president Dana White appeared
on an episode of UFC Tonight,
confirming that Jones was stripped of
the light-heavyweight championship
and formally suspended.
It's not fun, but you know what
they say: the show goes on, a blunt
White said. "Obviously, he has to focus
on his legal matters right now.
Additionally, the UFC decision
makers removed Jones from the
companys official light-heavyweight
and pound-for-pound rankings (both
of which he previously topped).
23 MAY, 2015
Jones position on the light-
heavyweight throne was not vacant for
long. While the Jackson-Winkeljohn-
trained fighter watched from home on
pay-per-view, Cormier, his archrival,
hoisted the championship belt he never
actually lost over his head.
Against Rumble Johnson, the
American Kickboxing Academy team
leader had a tough time, getting
knocked down by an overhand right,
and wobbled by several head kicks.
A resilient Cormier managed to
weather the storm, though, submitting
the hulking light-heavyweight
contender in the third round.
I have a message for one man:
Jon Jones, get your s**t together, Im
waiting for you! Cormier bellowed
after the career-defining win.
29 SEPTEMBER, 2015
Jones pled guilty to a felony charge
of leaving the scene of an accident
involving injury.
I am here to accept full
responsibility for what happened, and
I hope you can give me an opportunity
to redeem myself, a reserved and
mild-mannered Jones said during
the hearing.
The troubled athlete avoided jail
time, but was given 18 months of
supervised probation and ordered to
make 72 speaking appearances.
Mr Jones, you got real lucky, and in
a number of ways, I think you need to
talk to young people because making
one stupid decision changes your entire
future, Judge Charles Brown of the
Second Judicial District Court said.
23 OCTOBER, 2015
UFC bosses formally welcomed Jones
back into the fold, indicating that
the mixed martial arts champion was
eligible to fight effective immediately.
We've made it clear to Jon that this
new opportunity to compete in UFC
is a privilege and not a right, and that
there are significant expectations we
have regarding his conduct moving
forward, said UFC CEO Lorenzo
Fertitta in a press release. Were
happy to read and see reports that he
has embraced the terms of his plea
agreement and is using this experience
to grow and develop as a person.
FIGHTLIVETV.COM 51
 JON JONES

3 FEBRUARY, 2016
Jones appeared in the Albuquerque
Metropolitan Court after being cited
for three counts, including driving
without a licence on 31 January, 2015.
Additionally, Jones was charged
with driving without proof of
insurance and evidence of registration.

24 MARCH, 2016
Jones was handed five tickets by
Albuquerque Police Departments
Jason Brown, the most significant
charge being for drag racing.
The New Mexico Police Department
later released Officer Browns body
cam video of the incident. On the clip,
the UFC star is seen calling Brown a
pig and a f***ing liar.
Jones has always denied the
charges, telling MMA Fighting: I
definitely wasn't drag racing. I got
emotional and said some things that
I probably shouldn't have said to a
police officer.
According to his version of events,
Jones pulled up to a red light beside a
car filled with fans. He proceeded to
rev his engine at the red light, giving
his supporters a reason to cheer and
laugh before he was pulled over by
Officer Brown.
23 APRIL, 2016
Jones, a newly minted fan favourite,
made his long-awaited return to the
Octagon, and even claimed another
championship to put on his mantel,
but he did not get his chance to settle
the score with DC.
Cormier, the official light-
heavyweight champ, who had since
defended the title against Swedish
kickboxer Alexander Gustafsson in
Jones absence, suffered a foot injury
in training and was forced out of the
title fight.
Jones instead faced American
Strikeforce import Ovince St. Preux
in the main event of UFC 197 for the
interim light-heavyweight crown.
According to most onlookers,
Bones won every round of the fight
and cruised to a unanimous decision
win, but was still criticised for having
a poor performance against St. Preux.
6 JULY, 2016
The US Anti-Doping Agency, UFCs
drug testing partner, confirmed that
Jones had been flagged for a potential
doping violation. The violation was
from an out-of-competition test
conducted on 16 June.
As a result, the main event
participant was booted out of the UFC
200 title fight against Cormier. The
205-pound champion stayed on the
card, facing short-notice replacement
Anderson Silva.
18 JULY, 2016
The Nevada State Athletic Commission
extended a temporary suspension
for Jones after it was revealed that
two banned substances were in the
28-year-olds system.
According to the respected
commission, Jones out-of-competition
test was positive for clomiphene,
an anti-estrogenic substance, and
letrozole, an aromatase inhibitor.
Clomiphene is a fertility medicine
typically used by women looking to
get pregnant. It causes the pituitary
gland to release hormones needed to
stimulate ovulation. Moreover, it has
also been used by men during a steroid
cycle to combat gynecomastia (male
breast enlargement).
If you up your testosterone, your
estrogen naturally goes up and guys
don't want estrogen, former UFC
fighter and multiple-time steroid
cheat Chael Sonnen detailed on the
Joe Rogan Experience. If you take a
blocker, you wont get man boobs.
Similarly, the other substance,
letrozole, is an aromatase inhibitor.
It works by reducing the amount of
estrogen produced in the body.
This is often used for those
suffering from cancer. The substance
helps to starve cancer cells by
depriving them of estrogen.
Jones will be given his chance
to dispute these claims at a future
hearing by the Nevada commission
in the final quarter of 2016. If
unsuccessful, he could be banned from
competing in the sport for two years.
For Bones Jones, a fighter who
could be the greatest combat athlete
not just mixed martial artist to
ever fight for money, the past 18-plus
months have been a rollercoaster ride
unlike any other.
The disgraced former champion
seems intent on writing a redemption
story, but he might not get a chance to
put pen to paper on the next chapter
until 2018.
fightlivetv

52 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
 www.facebook.com/john.scida

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 DWIGHT THE COWBOY RITCHIE

DWIGHT
THE COWBOY
RITCHIE
SADDLES UP
BY SYLVIA SCHARPER // PHOTOS BY ROCKFINGRZ

Dwight The Cowboy Ritchie has cemented his place as one of

Australias best young prospects, securing the number 12 spot in
the WBC World Middleweight rankings following his dominating
victory over Japans Hikaru Nishida for the Oriental and Pacific
Boxing Federation (OPBF) Middleweight title.

itchie first put on the
gloves at 12 years old
and instantly found
his calling. It was in
that moment as a young
boy that he set his
sights on becoming a
world champion.
The local Victorian exemplifies
the sweet science of boxing, merging and has established himself as one
technical ability and skilful ringcraft
with strategy and forethought. The
skilful and tactical Ritchie also
possesses the grit and heart needed to
realise his dream.
There is no argument that fighting
is in Ritchies blood. He comes from a
long line ofhis great grandfather and
grandfather, two uncles, who boxed
as amateurs, and his father, who had a
20-year-long career as a pro boxer.
Ritchie is now paving his own way
of Australias best prospects. With an
undefeated record of 14-0, Ritchie has
marched through the competition,

54 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
 THE STATS
NAME

DWIGHT RITCHIE
FIGHT NAME

THE COWBOY
WEIGHT

72.57kg
MIDDLEWEIGHT

CLUB/STABLE

Tarneit Boxing
(Team Destruction)

LOCATION

VICTORIA
RECORD

14 WINS

0 LOSSES

TITLES STRONGEST WEAPON

JAB
Victorian ANBF
title, Australian
ANBF title,
OPBF title

FAVOURITE WEAPON

LEFT RIP
FIGHTLIVETV.COM 55
 DWIGHT THE COWBOY RITCHIE
collecting the Victorian ANBF Title,
the Australian ANBF title, and most
recently the OPBF Middleweight title.
Dwight is a really talented kid
with a throwback style. He is a stylist
with skills and pinpoint counters
but he is a true fighter within, so
he doesnt mind mixing it up in
the trenches too. He has evolved a
lot since turning professional and I
think the last few fights is starting to
believe in his ringcraft, said manager
Mike Altamura.
The young Ritchie was introduced
to the art by Garrie Scott in the
regional city of Shepparton, on the
floodplain of the Goulburn River in
northern Victoria.
Scott introduced Ritchie to
renowned Australian trainer Keith
Ellis. Garrie took me to Melbourne for
sparring at Keiths gym in Sunshine,
where he told me he had taken me as
far as he could and that if I was to get
better and grow as a fighter I needed to
go to Keith, said Ritchie.
With that the country boy made
his move to Melbourne and trained
under Keith Ellis for four years. Keith
taught me a lot about how to sit on my
punches and use my footwork to create
angles. He taught me about how to
control your opponent and get them
56 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
to do what you want without them
knowing. He was such a great thinker
of the sport.
Unfortunately, Keith Ellis became
ill and was no longer able to train his
fighters. Ritchie relocated to Werribee
and found a new home at Tarneit
Boxing Gym under Andrew Woodall
and Dave Hegarty.
I got along with Dave and Woody
really well; we just seemed to click.
They share a very similar mindset to
Keith in terms of how they approach a
fight, said Ritchie.
It has been four years since Ritchies
move to Tarneit Boxing and in that
time he has gone from strength
to strength.
Ritchies pre-fight training approach
is to concentrate on the gameplan
implemented by his team and trust in
his preparation.
Some weeks I spend every day
with Woody and I think it really helps
because we have the same goal, so it is
easy to stay focused, said Ritchie.
Ritchies presence in the ring is
one of composure and knowing.
When asked about the mental aspect
of fighting, he recalls his first pro
boxing experience.
My first pro fight I was so scared
and nervous I just wanted to go
home, he laughs. Now, I have
learned to control those emotions
better and use them to make me sharp
and focused mentally.
Ritchies proudest moment in
his career was capturing the OPBF
Middlewight title on 7 June at the
Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. He
faced the tough Hikaru Nishida with a
record of 15-8-1.
This fight was my toughest. Just
the pressure of being in a different
country and stepping up in class,
said Ritchie.
Ritchie proved in this fight
he was more than ready for the
world stage, putting on a boxing
masterclass. The Australian utilised
skilful and tactical footwork and
the jab to outbox Nishida in his first
12-rounder, outclassing the Japanese
contender and securing a unanimous
decision victory.
Ritchie knew what was at stake
with this opportunity and was thrilled
with not only his victory but also his
performance. I think it was my best
fight so far. I performed really well
and I felt good the whole fight. The
crowd were great and by the end of
the fight were even cheering me on,
said Ritchie.
Going into the fight, Ritchie and his
teams strategy was to control the fight
and preclude Nishida from using his
power. I knew he was strong, so I did
not want to give him any chance to let
off big shots, so I controlled the ring
with my feet and jab. We knew he was
slow on his feet, so I prepared the same
way I do every fight, by concentrating
on movement.
Although this fight only came to
pass recently, it had actually been on
the champs mind for two years. It felt
great to win as it was something we
had worked on for so long. My trainer
Andrew Woodall first started pushing
for this fight about two years ago and
was very confident that I could win.
This victory has catapulted Ritchie
into the WBC World Middleweight
rankings, where he now sits at
number 12; and another step closer to
his overarching dream of becoming a
world champion.
I just want to win a world title.
That is what drives me, said Ritchie.
In the meantime, Ritchie will look to
defend his OPBF title in Japan later in
the year.
Altamura said, He has a tough first
defence in November against Koki
Tyson in Osaka, Japan. Tyson is a 6'3"
southpaw, so it is dimension and style
that Dwight has not encountered to
date, but I am confident he possesses
the skills to analyse the local fighter
in the opening round and then
gradually dissect him from there.
From there, Altamuras goal for
Ritichie is to rack up a few defences,
keep learning his trade, and continue
climbing the world ranks. Ritchie
is motivated more than ever to
dominate his division and is ready
to fight.
Like most fighters I just want to
fight the best and Mike is the best at
getting those opportunities for his
fighters, so I will just trust in his plan
for me and fight whomever he puts in
front of me.
In terms of mentors and idols,
Ritchie looks to Scott and Ellis as his
mentors, and idolises Lionel Rose as
well as the likes of Oscar De La Hoya
and Meldrick Taylor.
Lionel Rose was one of my idols
for not only how great of a fighter he
was but because he showed you can
come from a nowhere small town and
become the champion of the world,
said Ritchie.
As successful as Ritchie is, he is
humble. Just want to thank all the
team at Tarneit Boxing, my supporters
and sponsors. Darcy Boland from
Platinum Earth and Civil, Brendan
Carson from BPC Plumbing, Corey
from CJA Platinum Painting and John
Baldi from J&J Baldi Concreting.
The modest Ritchie has the skills,
the will and the smarts. Fight Live
look forward to the next installment
in the fighting Cowboys career.
fightlivetv
FIGHTLIVETV.COM 57
 NICOLA CALLANDER

NEW WA STATE CHAMP NICOLA CALLANDER

58 FIGHTLIVETV.COM

I LOVE HOW NICOLA FIGHTS.
She fights with a hunger to win that is rarely seen.
She applies pressure from the start to the finish of the
fight, pushing forward and throwing shots relentlessly.
Not surprisingly she trains the same way. She pushes
every day the same way no matter how shes feeling.
There are no half-arsed training sessions from Nicola,
which translates straight over to her fights. Nicola has
the tenacity and work ethic of a champion!
Trainer, Darren Reece.
BY CALEY REECE // PHOTOS BY BROCK DOE
How did you get started in
Muay Thai?
I started training in 2012 when I was
22 and living in London (Im actually
from New Zealand). I wanted to try
something new, as I was sick of doing
three sets of 10 at the gym. I have
always liked the thought of martial arts
and Muay Thai stuck out from the rest
because of the tradition around it and
the respect involved. There is so much
power and beauty in the way Muay
Thai fighters move. So I Googled gyms
near me and went along to try it out.
After the first class, I went up to the
trainer and told him I wanted to fight.
I trained every chance I could and was
set to do my first interclub after three
months. I enjoyed getting fitter and
stronger and soon became addicted. I
had my first fight for Riddlers Gym on
a days notice in 2014.
What were the reasons you shifted
from New Zealand to Perth?
I moved from New Zealand when
I was 19 with my boyfriend at the
time. When that ended a lot of people
thought I would just move back home.
Half of me wanted to stay to prove
them wrong and the other half to
prove to myself I could do it. I ended
up staying and had to grow up pretty
quickly after that and in the process
learnt a lot about myself and what I
was capable of. I met some amazing
people during that time who are now
my family in Perth and some of my
biggest supporters in this sport.
Describe your fight style.
In my first few fights I was a bit of a
slow starter. Not really switching on
till the second round, then finishing
strong. As I have progressed, I learnt to
switch on faster and keep a steady pace
right from the first bell. I really only
have one direction and thats forward.
People have said I am tenacious and
hungry to win.
You have recently made changes to
your work routine. Can you please go
into detail about what you have done
and why?
When I got back from London I was
offered a good position as a function
supervisor at a winery in the Swan
Valley. Over the year, I worked my way
FIGHTLIVETV.COM 59
 NICOLA CALLANDER
up to assistant manager then when
my boss left I took over as manager.
I took the job thinking I could run
the department successfully as well
as train and fight. I was working 60-
hour weeks during the busy season
(Sept-Dec and MarchApril) mainly
weekends and late nights and trying
to train. I had to turn down a couple
of fights as I couldnt get to training or
take weekends off for fights. I wasnt
eating properly and had no routine.
And every time I went back to training
it was like I was starting from scratch.
I started to resent the job. So I quit. I
had finally found something I loved
doing and it felt like I kept coming up
with an excuse or something was in
the way, stopping me from pursuing
it. In the UK my excuse was because I
was only there for a limited time and
was travelling and now it was a job. If
I wanted to get anywhere in the sport
I had to give it a good go. So no more
excuses. No more regrets.
I still work part time at the winery
in a different department with a
massive pay cut but I now have the
flexibility I need to train, food prep,
eat at certain times of the day, take
time off for weight cuts and fights.
I quit a year ago now and have
progressed so much in that time. Its
scary changing your life and following
your dreams but at least I can say I
have done it.
You are new blood in Australia but
have already stepped up and beaten
some of the best in your division.
Have you got your eyes on
anyone else?
I havent really thought that far ahead
yet. For the past few months I have
been focused on fighting for the WMC
State title. I am having a week off
training after my title fight, so when
I get back to the gym I plan to talk
to my trainer Darren Reece and put
together a bit of a game plan.
You recently featured on Rebellion
against Nat Edwards, winning by KO
in the second round. This was a big
step up for you with Nat having more
than double the fights how did you
mentally prepare for this?
I took that fight on two-and-a-half
weeks notice. I had never fought that
60 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
BIGGEST INSPIRATION AGE: 26
Anyone working to
achieve their goals, GYM:
whether its in health,
Riddlers Gym, Perth
sports, career or
life. Everyone has a
story with different
FIGHT RECORD:
battles to overcome. 9W 1L 4TKO
Some of the smallest
accomplishments can TITLES:
change someones Bantamweight WMC
world. State Title
FAVOURITE WEAPON:
FAVOURITE QUOTE Knees
BE FEARLESS IN
PURSUIT OF WHAT SETS
YOUR SOUL ON FIRE.
weight before or fought interstate. trainer Darren Reece says shes not
I went into it seeing it as a massive afraid to step up. Where do you get
opportunity not only to test my ability that sort of attitude?
against a tough opponent but to get A fight is a fight. Its an opportunity
my name out there outside of Perth. to learn and grow. I guess it goes back
Win or lose, it didnt matter as long to if I dont try I will never know. The
as I put on a good fight. Not worrying more people I step in the ring with,
about the outcome takes a lot of the more I will progress. Weight is just
pressure off. I went hard at training, a number on a scale, especially this
was strict with my diet. I made sure early on in my career. I am still just
I did everything I could to be as finding my place.
physically ready for the fight, which
gives you one less thing to think about You just fought Kerrianne Mckay for
in the ring. I focused on peoples the 53.5kg WMC state title on Epic
positive comments and the fact that and won on points. Can you talk me
if I wasnt ready for this my trainer through the fight?
wouldnt put me in the ring. Having To be honest, the fight is a bit of a
other people believe in you is a pretty blur. When you are in there you only
amazing feeling. feel what the other person is landing,
not what you are landing, and
You have fought from 53.5kg to 59kg, Kerrianne has some solid kicks! It all
just to get fights and stay busy. Your went really quickly.
 TOP 3
THINGS WE DONT
KNOW ABOUT YOU:
I dont really have an off switch
when it comes to eating cake.
I LOVE CAKE! And pastries,
muffins, doughnuts just
dessert in general.

I love to travel. See new places.

Hopefully one day I can travel and
fight. Join the two together.
SCAN PAGE TO
WATCH NICOLA
CALLANDER
I really want a
ON EPIC 14
ON-DEMAND
PET GOAT.
How did you mentally prepare
knowing that you had beaten

3
Kerrianne a long time ago? SINGLE WORDS TO
Kerrianne and I first fought in 2014;
she was my third fight, so a lot has DESCRIBE MUAY THAI:
happened for both of us in that time.
I knew she was going to be tough; she 1. RESPECT 2. PASSION 3. FAMILY
has fought some very experienced girls
and knowing she likes elbows I was
kind of preparing myself for a blood
bath. I spent a lot of time reflecting
leading up to this fight. Remembering
how far I have come and what I have
achieved, not thinking too much
about her experience and focusing on
my strengths instead.

What keeps you motivated?

I want to continue improving, and
growing as an athlete. There is always
something to learn, something to
work on. It keeps it exciting. Having
awesome people at the gym also helps!
And when I train properly, I eat and
sleep better. Life is just easier.

Describe the relationship between

you and your trainer and the
importance a solid relationship is for
success in this sport?
Two words. Trust and Respect. Darren
has so much experience in the sport
and has trained some big names. He
has so much passion and that spills out
in his training and life. I trust him to
do whats right for me, know when to
put me in to a fight and know when
to hold me back. It can be a dangerous
sport you need to know you have
each others back. Theres only so much
you can do on your own. To have
access to other peoples knowledge is a
massive privilege.
Who has been your hardest fight
and why?
My fight against Bec Rooney was
probably the most physical. The
fight was matched at 59kg and I was
struggling to maintain 56kg. I felt every
hit and came away battered and bruised.
Your hit list for the rest of 2016?
I would love to have a few more
interstate fights. Work my way up
the ranks.
Future plans and goals in the sport?
I want to keep active and continue
developing my style. Hopefully get a
chance at some more titles. Maybe even
a world title eventually. I plan to spend
some extended time in Thailand at the
start of next year.

FIGHTLIVETV.COM 61
AFC 16 EPIC 14
The hard-hitting Tai Bam Bam Tuivasa has put the AFC heavyweight Epic 14 features sixteen Muay Thai bouts. In the main-event Marco Tentori faces
division on notice and challenges reigning champion Brandon Sosoli Rhyse Saliba with Tentori returning after his bout with legendary Yodsanklai.
at AFC 16 in Melbourne.

CAGED MUAY THAI 7 BATTLE COLLOSSAL XXI

CMT 7 features fighters from America, Ireland and New Zealand. The main Battle Collossal XXI showcases some the greatest fight action of 2016 that
event showcasing John Wayne Parr taking on Mark Casserly. is not to be missed! BCXXI includes 7x Muaythai Championships and 3x Pro
MMA Titles, supported by a stellar Muaythai and MMA undercard!
 WATCH THESE
AND MORE
MUAY THAI GRAND PRIX 5: PARR V KAPONIS
The legend John Wayne Parr hits londons O2 arena against Greeces best,
Pavlos Kaponis in a full Muay Thai rules bout at 74kg.

ON DEMAND
GLORY 30 LOS ANGELES WATCH ANYTIME, ANYWHERE FROM ANY DEVICE
GLORY Middleweight World Champion Simon Bad Bwoy Marcus and
the worlds best kickboxers will all throw down for an action-packed
night of pure striking. WWW.FIGHTLIVETV.COM
 TOP 5

TOP At UFC 200, just as quickly as she shocked the world

against Holly Holm, Miesha Tate shocked the world again
when she lost her belt in the very first round against
Amanda Nunes.
BY NEIL ROOKE // PHOTOS BY GETTY

iesha Tate shocked the world defend the bantamweight crown.

M when she became the first

woman to beat the first
woman to beat Ronda Rousey.
Tate, a fighter who had largely been
counted out against a world-class striker
such as Holm showed her heart and
her craftiness when she won the UFCs
bantamweight title in the fifth round at
UFC 196.
Tates career resurgence looked to be
well under way with a trilogy fight with
Ronda Rousey all but earmarked for the
future. That is, until Amanda Nunes
made certain that Rousey was to remain
the only woman who had been able to
Typically, when a champion loses
a belt the call is for an immediate
rematch. No matter how dominating
the new champions performance is,
that word always tends to rear its ugly
head. In this case, Tate was battered and
literally broken at the hands of Nunes
and that now begs the question, what
happens next for one of the UFCs most
recognisable women?
Here are the top five match ups that
make sense for the former champion to
see her get her career and perhaps even
her aspirations to hold the belt again
back on track.

64 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
FIGHTS
FOR
MIESHA
TATE
FIGHTLIVETV.COM 65
 TOP 5

RAQUEL
PENNINGTON
On paper, Penningtons record is a bit of a mixed
bag. She holds a professional record of 7-5; however,
her record inside the UFCs Octagon isnt that bad
with four wins and just two losses. Pennington is
currently riding back-to-back wins after defeating
Jessica Andrade and Bethe Correia. Pennington only
just makes the cut in the UFCs top 10 womens
bantamweight rankings and may seem like a bit of a
drop in competition for Tate. However, her current
winning streak and the fact that she is one of the few
fighters on the roster Tate hasnt yet met would prove
as a good foundation for the former champion to get
back on her feet.
Throughout her amatuer and professional career,
Pennington has shown her prowess with grappling but
has also shown her gritty ability to go the distance.
It would be an interesting fight for Tate, wherein she
would meet another fighter who can, and will, go the
distance if needed. The fight may appear to be a safe
option for the former champion, and its unlikely
that the two would be securing a Fight of the Night
award from a potential match-up, but its a fight that
Tate could win, and given her big fight experience,
its one that she should be able to easily secure the
judges scorecards in and show that she still has a spot
amongst the upper echelon of the division and will
take on all challengers to get back to the top.

Pennington has shown

her prowess with
grappling but has also
shown her gritty ability to
GO THE
DISTANCE.

66 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
 BETHE
CORREIA
Bethe Correia was gifted a title shot
against Ronda Rousey by defeating the
former champions two close friends.
At the time she was undefeated, she
was aggressive and she had a style
that she thought was going to give the
former champion the worst beating of
her career.
The 34 seconds that her fight lasted
didnt come close to that, and ever
since that fight, Correia has fought just
once, losing by unanimous decision to
Raquel Pennington. Coming off back-
to-back losses, Correias desperation to
keep her spot on the UFC roster could
certainly compel her to take a fight
with Tate. Her aggressive style helped
her win fights against womens mixed
martial arts veterans Julie Kedzie and
Shayna Baszler, but against a fighter
like Tate, who would likely utilise her
superior wrestling, it could lead to a
third loss in a row for the Brazilian.
This fight would be a fight that Tate
could easily pick up a victory in; her
path to victory would be simple in that
she could grind out a decision. The
fight probably wouldnt be pretty, but
after coming off such a spectacular
loss, any win is a good win. This would
be the best fight for Tate to find her feet
again but it would also mean that shed
probably have to take a follow-up fight
before being considered for a shot at
the title again.

FIGHTLIVETV.COM 67
 TOP 5

JULIANNA
PENA
Being the first woman to win the UFCs
reality television series The Ultimate
Fighter, Julianna Pena couldnt have
dreamt of a better entry into the UFCs
bantamweight division. Unfortunately,
all that momentum that she had
built up competing in the series and
then subsequently winning the finale
in 2013 would go to waste after she
suffered an injury to her ACL, MCL,
LCL and meniscus during a devastating
training incident.
The injury kept Pena out of the cage
for about 18 months, and since making
her return in April 2015, she has
remained undefeated inside the UFCs
Octagon. After defeating Cat Zingano
at UFC 200, a matchup with the former
champion in Tate would be another step
up in competition for the 26-year-old
and would be a good opportunity for
Tate to rebound against another highly
touted bantamweight fighter.
Penas well-rounded skillset would
offer yet another test for Tate and with
Pena having not tasted defeat inside the
UFCs Octagon as yet, a victory by Tate
here would certainly propel the former
champion back into title contention talk.

The injury kept

Pena out of the cage
for about
18 MONTHS,
and since making
her return in
April 2015, she
has remained
undefeated inside
the UFCs Octagon.

68 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
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 TOP 5

CRISTIANE
CYBORG
JUSTINO
When Cristiane Cyborg Justino made
her UFC debut against Leslie Smith at
UFC 198, it was a debut that was long
awaited, and perhaps too long. The fight
that enthusiasts had been clamouring for
over the years was Cyborg vs. Rousey, the
two dominant forces in womens mixed
martial arts. The parties could never agree
upon a weight class, with Cyborg fighting
in the featherweight division and Rousey
in the bantamweight. Once Rousey lost for
the first time, the shine of that matchup
seemingly disappeared, and when Cyborg
demolished Smith in a catchweight affair,
she made the announcement that she had
no intention of dropping further to make
the bantamweight limit.
Cyborg has essentially stalled her UFC
career as the promotion has no intention
as of yet to introduce another womens
division. Perhaps a former champion
moving up to face the best womens
featherweight fighter could be an enticing
reason, though. As far as opponents go,
Cyborg hasnt fought anybody as skilled
as Tate in over three years. This would be
the test that fans have been waiting for,
and for Tate, should she move up a division
to meet Cyborg, its a feat that not many
other women are perceived as wanting.
Tate is a tough fighter, and that alone could
be enough to last out the initial onslaught
that Cyborg is famous for. A win here
would help Tate show that she can hang
with the absolute best in the world, and
could very well show that the fight against
Nunes was just one of those crazy MMA
moments that fans of the sport have come
to love over the years.

Cyborg hasnt fought

anybody as skilled as Tate
in over three years. This
would be the test that fans
have been waiting for.

70 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
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 TOP 5
RONDA
ROUSEY
When Tate was holding the belt, this
was the fight that Rousey fans wanted
to see, which funnily enough is not
the fight they wanted to see when
Rousey was the champion go figure,
right? Weve seen these two compete
twice before and both of those fights
had similar outcomes.
72 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
Rousey walked away the victor
with her signature armbar. Rouseys
fight with Holly Holm showed the
world that she is in fact human, that
she makes mistakes and that other
fighters can capitalise on them. By
the time both Rousey and Tate will
be ready to fight, Rousey will be over
12 months removed from her lone
career loss, which could certainly
affect the once-dominant force. There
is no incentive for Tate to fight Rousey
again she doesnt hold a belt and
Tate would only serve as a stepping
stone for Rousey, who will be eager to
reclaim her gold. For Tate it begs as
an opportunity to avenge two losses,
and its another chance to be one
of the most talked about women in
the sport.
It may not be a guaranteed win for
the former champion, but its a way
for her to get back in the mix. Win
or lose, a fight against the returning
former champion will make headlines
and after losing her title, thats
exactly what Tate needs now more
than ever.
ANDERSON
SILVA
IF SOMEBODY
DISRESPECTS
ME THEY
WILL PAY
FOR IT.
I PROMISE MY ULTIMATE GOAL
IS TO GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS THE
MOST EFFICIENT AND TECHNICAL
FIGHTER THAT HAS
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 UFC SALE

UFC: THE PAST

74 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
 After a decade-and-a-half as the majority
owners of the UFC, Lorenzo and Frank
Fertitta have turned a down-and-out
bloodsport into a $4 billion property. Now
theyre ready to hand that property over.
BY JUSTIN FAUX // PHOTOS BY GETTY

AND THE FUTURE

FIGHTLIVETV.COM 75
 UFC SALE
I
n the early stages of the
millennium, Dana White, a
bulky boxercise instructor with
crooked teeth and a receding
hairline, was a part-time fighter
manager, handling the careers of UFC
stars Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz.
With a reputation for being as
confrontational at the negotiation
table as his fighters were in the cage,
White couldve made a small fortune
if he stayed the course as an agent, but
when word got around that the UFC
was for sale, he found other plans.
White contacted his childhood
friend, Lorenzo Fertitta, informing
the casino boss that the struggling
fight promotion was for sale. A month
later Lorenzo and his brother Frank
shelled out $2 million to purchase
the company.
The new regime took the reins in
February 2001, two weeks before UFC
30. Following that largely forgettable
show, several movers-and-shakers
within the industry met to hammer
out the unified mixed martial
arts rules.
The meeting was led by New
Jersey State Athletic Control Board
commissioner Larry Hazzard and his
then-sidekick Nick Limbo, with Marc
Ratner from the Nevada commission
participating via phone.
Representing the UFC were Lorenzo
Fertitta, White, matchmaker Joe Silva,
seasoned referee John McCarthy and
former Olympic gold medal-winning
wrestler Jeff Blatnick, who assumed
commentary duties on events at
that point.
Global powerhouse Pride Fighting
Championships then sent Yuki Kondo
and Hideki Yamamoto from Japan to
give their two cents.
Even less powerful US promoters
were granted a seat at the table, with
Paul Smith from the IFC and Terry
Trebilcock from King of The Cage
gathered in the room.
To hear the UFC brass tell the
story, over that gruelling four or
five-hour meeting, they created the
unified rules of mixed martial arts
that we use today.
In actuality, the California State
Athletic Commission wrote the rules
a year earlier, which were adopted
by New Jersey, giving Smith, the
76 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
UFC President Dana White
IFC promoter, the blessing to host
Americas first-ever sanctioned mixed
martial arts event in 2000, at a time
when Fertitta still snobbishly stuck up
his nose at the sport.
The only real change that came
from that overstated meeting was
the banning of knees to the head
of a grounded opponent a rule
Hazzard insisted on enforcing after
he uncomfortably sat cage-side while
six-foot-two heavyweight Gan McGee
hammered outmatched kickboxer Brad
Gabriel into unconsciousness with a
series of knee strikes at an IFC show.
Additionally, it was put into writing
that fighters must wear a cup and
shorts, and outlawed competing in
shoes or a karate-style gi.
With the rules set in stone, the new
owners were willing to throw around
some cash to get this barely-breathing
promotion off of its death bed the
early 2000s were a fascinating time
for MMA.
The UFC staff were doing all the
right things. White aggressively
marketed the new-and-improved
product, acquired international talent
and flushed unspeakable amounts
of money into advertising in male-
driven magazines.
The company even hired Playboy
covergirl Carmen Electra as a
spokesperson in hopes that a poster
featuring her in a skimpy gold outfit
holding a UFC title while surrounded
by six shirtless fighters smothered in
baby oil would capture the attention
of that 18-to-34-year-old male
demographic they desperately craved.
UFCs biggest hurdle to overcome
at that point was their exclusion from
pay-per-view. After public pressure from
Senator John McCain, who called the
UFC so brutal its nauseating, the no-
holds-barred fights had been excluded
from pay-per-view lineups since 1997.
Leo Hindery took over TCI, an
American cable company with over 14
million subscribers and axed the UFC
on his first day, famously telling the
Los Angeles Times I came here, found
out where the bathrooms were, and
cancelled Ultimate Fighting.
We were a pay-per-view company
from day one, UFC founder Art
Davie told Fight Live Magazine.
That was where all our money was
coming from.
In 1993, when Davie and Brazilian
jiu-jitsu icon Rorion Gracie were co-
promoting the first UFC tournament,
they had a pay-per-view deal and
basically no means to get the word
out. The sports media wouldnt touch
them and their advertising budget was
almost nonexistent, so they had to be
outrageous to get attention.
Well, there are no rules was the
(marketing) slogan, UFCs original
executive producer Campbell McLaren
told Fight Live Magazine, while
reminiscing of his glory days.

There were very few rules, but
there are no rules was a marketing
slogan we continued to use. Like the
way I said banned in 49 states after
we had done it in five there are 50
states (in the US) but nobody ever did
the arithmetic.
As the UFC became a niche
attraction for a cross-section of people
in the early-to-mid 90s, McLaren
accepted every press obligation sent
his way. He was a tech savvy ad man
and wasnt afraid to push the medias
buttons to sell a front-page story either
once telling the New York Times
that a death in the cage would do
wonders for their bottom line.
I dont want anyone to die. It
would be good for the buy rate, but I
dont want anyone to die, McLaren
said in the article titled Death Is
Cheap: Maybe Its Just $14.95.
When Campbell (McLaren) told
the New York Times that fight could
end in death, they forgot everything
else he said and just ran with that,
Davie added.
The headline was UFC executive
says fighter could die, so guys like
(John) McCain just ran with that.
Those over-the-top ad campaigns
and the public pressure from McCain
made the UFC a lot of money in the
short term, but in the long run, it
almost killed the sport.
The Fertitta brothers
McCain sold us a lot of tickets,
Davie confessed. As much of an
adversary as he was, and he was a huge
adversary, he did a lot of good for us.
But he also convinced Leo Hindery
to ban us on pay-per-view, which was
our biggest revenue source. So it was a
double-edged sword.
Over three years after the pay-
per-view blackout, the UFC was still
fighting to get back on the airwaves
when they finally convinced the
In Demand outlet to give them
another shot.
Lorenzo Fertitta
Some say it was because the pay-
per-view industry was scrambling for
revenue opportunities after two pro
wrestling companies, WCW and ECW,
folded within a month in early 2001,
while others insist it was the Fertittas
new push to clean up the sport that
got them over the line. Either way, the
UFC was back.
White, who confessed to losing
$2.4 million on UFC 32, their last
event during the dark days, was
ecstatic to get UFC back on the lineup
but was smart enough to know the
fight wasnt over, and nor were their
financial woes.
Well, if he didnt know, he was
about to. UFC 33, the companys
debut in Nevada and re-emergence on
television, was a disaster.
The grand event, which featured
three title fights, went over the
pay-per-view time window, so only
the 9,500 fans who purchased a
ticket in Vegas that night got to
witness the mind-numbingly boring
conclusion to Tito Ortiz versus
Vladimir Matyushenko.
The 75,000 curious viewers who
purchased the event from home
missed the fight and demanded a
refund. Unsurprisingly, UFC 33 turned
out to be yet another major money
loser. If that wasnt bad enough, that
first impression damaged the brand.
Numbers continued to drop after that
show. Just four months later, UFC 35
sold a meagre 35,000 units.
FIGHTLIVETV.COM 77
 UFC SALE
Another ongoing concern for
UFC bosses was their inability to
lock down their pound-for-pound-
ranked fighters.
Between UFC 35 and 37, Jens
Pulver, Murilo Bustamante and Josh
Barnett all left the arenas with UFC
titles, then abandoned their respective
divisions to chase bigger money
in Japan.
The reality is, in that time period,
most of the hustlers competing in the
sport considered the UFC as nothing
more than a stepping stone to demand
a higher salary internationally.
Lightweight pioneer Din Thomas
once told Fight Live Magazine that
he even passed on a 155-pound
UFC title fight against Pulver at the
time period to fight in Hawaiian
promotion SuperBrawl.
White and Fertitta joke about these
depressing days now, but the truth is
they were losing money by the fistful
and the UFC bosses almost pulled
the plug.
UFCs saving grace was a returning
Ken Shamrock, who was at the
height of his superstardom after
spending three years play-fighting in
tights on Vince McMahons weekly
wrestling show.
Shamrock, a six-foot-tall fighter
with the muscular physique of
a bodybuilder, fought Ortiz, the
companys Mexican-American poster
boy in the main event of UFC 40. The
pioneering UFC star was no match for
the new-breed fighter, who wiped the
floor with the self-proclaimed Worlds
Most Dangerous Man.
The fight was a joke, but the
business it drew was not. UFC 40 sold
99,000 units on pay-per-view and did
a healthy $1.5 million at the gate
by far Zuffas biggest success story to
that point.
That November 2002 fight stands
as the first time that the UFC proved
that it had a pulse, but the company
didnt get off life support until the
booming success of The Ultimate
Fighter in 2005.
The Fertittas had already flushed
$30 million down the toilet when they
agreed to spend another $10 million
to fund a television series based on
their unique brand of prize fighting.
This concept, which basically
78 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
The famous first The Ultimate Fighter finale
THE REALITY IS, IN THAT
TIME PERIOD, MOST OF THE
HUSTLERS COMPETING IN
THE SPORT CONSIDERED
THE UFC AS NOTHING MORE
THAN A STEPPING STONE TO
DEMAND A HIGHER SALARY
INTERNATIONALLY.
consisted of throwing MMA in a
blender with the reality television
series The Real World and mixing it
together, was a hit with the male-
driven Spike TV audience from the
first episode.
The 12-week series all built up to
The Ultimate Fighter Finale, a live
fight card to crown the winners of the
two tournaments that played out on
the show.
Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar,
the two fighters in the finals of the
light-heavyweight series, stole the
show that night in a sloppy slugfest
for the ages.
The fight, which would eventually
earn both men a spot in the UFC Hall
of Fame, created a thirst for the UFC
that has never truly gone away.
Since that night, a lot has changed
for the UFC. It has partnered with
media conglomerate FOX, created a
slate of superstars, sold millions of
pay-per-view units, and touched down
in almost every continent.
The Fertittas personal checklist of
things they planned to accomplish,
which also included taking the
company mainstream and unlocking
every US state, has also been
completed; leading many to believe
its the perfect time for them to
cash out.
This past July, UFC officials
confirmed the long-standing rumour
that the company had been sold to an
investment group led by WME-IMG.
No other sport compares to UFC,
White, who will continue as company
president, said in a press release. Our
goal has always been to put on the
biggest and the best fights for our fans,
and to make this the biggest sport
in the world. Im looking forward to
working with WME-IMG to continue
to take this sport to the next level.
The sale, for a reported $4 billion, is
the biggest in sports history. To put it
into perspective, thats the same price
George Lucas commanded to sell the
Star Wars franchise to Disney in 2012.
Weve been fortunate over the
years to represent UFC and a number
of its remarkable athletes, WME-IMG
Co-CEOs Ariel Emanuel and Patrick
Whitesell concluded on the sale.
Its been exciting to watch the
organisations incredible growth over
the last decade under the leadership
of the Fertitta brothers, Dana White
and their dedicated team. Were
now committed to pursuing new
opportunities for UFC and its talented
athletes to ensure the sports continued
growth and success on a global scale.
 JULIAN WALLACE

80 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
JULIAN JACKAL WALLACE
Julian Jackal Wallace, or Julz the Jackal, has been a mainstay in Australian MMA for
years. He was most famous for dominating the ranks of Nitro MMA, and for his full-body
tattoo job. That was until a video of his loss to UFC flyweight Ben Nguyen went viral. But,
according to Wallace, things are just getting started.

I
BY NEIL ROOKE // PHOTOS BY EMPEROR

n movies there are characters.
Actors portray heroes and
villains. As viewers, we watch
and, to a degree, believe in what
is taking place before our eyes.
We make a connection with the
portrayal of good or evil and, often, let
our imaginations run wild. A movie
tells a story, and the art of storytelling
extends to the world of fighting. Sure,
at the end of the day it becomes about
the contest that takes place inside the
ring or the cage, but, the story, the
lead-up, or the anticipation is what gets
people watching. Anybody can duke it
out making people believe in what
is about to transpire, or care about
the outcome, thats a skill that not
everybody has.
Julian Jackal Wallace wants people
to believe in something. Whether
they love what they see or hate it with
a passion, it doesnt bother him. Its
all about people watching. And, with
this particular bantamweight, who is
tattooed pretty well from head to toe,
people are always watching. With that,
theres always people who want to
discredit the 28-year-old for the way he
acts, or sells his fights and for those
people, especially the ones who also
make a living strapping on a pair of
gloves, Wallaces message is clear.
Nobody else is going to put their
neck on the chopping board, Wallace
said. But I have always been the first
to put my blood and my body on the
line for what I love. And, Im still doing
it today.
The way I run my business has
nothing to do with the way you run
your business or the way you wanna
fight or with what you wanna do,
Wallace said. I am a business. When
I say business, I mean Julian Jackal
Wallace. That is my business. The
way I run my business has nothing to
do with you. If you wanna train and
you wanna talk about martial arts
then thats fine, but what does my
business have to do with that? The way
I promote myself and market myself
or whatever, if you dont like it then
thats fine, but at the end of the day
Im trying to get to the top, Im trying
to be the best that I can be and Im just
doing what needs to be done. If youre
not willing to do that, Im not gonna sit
around and f***ing sulk about it; I just
move on and go about my business.
Some people agree with it and some
people dont. We have to evolve and
we have to keep on moving forward. I
dont know how long its gonna take for
some of these people to realise. Join it.
Dont band against it, youre silly. With
everything thats going on, I thought,
what am I doing? Im wasted talent
thats fading away in a place where
people can see it but its a place where
they dont wanna agree with it and
they dont wanna do anything about it.
Do you know what I did? I made
some calls, I talked to some people
some people who believed in what I
was doing and there were hundreds
upon hundreds of successful people
who believe in what I do.
The show and the business are one
part of the package that Wallace has
going, but the hard work, preparation
and doubt from others that also comes
with it are a different beast altogether.
I wanna be the best, Wallace said.
Im sick of all the shit talk. All these
fighters are always talking so much shit
in Australia. Theres just so much trash

FIGHTLIVETV.COM 81
 JULIAN WALLACE

talking, and everyone is always bagging goes on to lose in spectacular fashion. I didnt need to hear that other
out one person or saying this person is Wallace was met with more hate and people believed in what I was doing.
no good. Everyone is out there trying criticism than he could have ever I believed in it and thats all that
to ruin peoples lives and their futures. imagined and whilst at the time it may matters. There were so many people
Theres this tall poppy syndrome that have been overwhelming, he can now saying, Julz, get your shit and get over
gets around Australia its disgusting reflect on the harsh words he was being to the States. One hundred per cent
and Ive noticed it with every sport. dealt with for the weeks and months they will see you straight away and
For Wallace, his business may be after the video. they will say that I was smart. What
what gets him signed on to fight some Its an envy thats come from happens, I get on a plane and I get on
of the best that the region has to offer, somewhere, from hell knows where, the phone and I talk to the right people
but it doesnt exactly help him amongst Wallace said. Personally, Ive done and then within moments of being
his peers. Wallace has found that with nothing wrong to you. Ive never there, people knew who I was which
his outspoken nature, there are some involved you in anything. Ive just was to my surprise. I had no idea. I
gyms and teams that dont want to worried about, once again, my started to be blinded by the negativity
have him step foot on their mats. business. I dont care what anybody around me in my own home. I was
If you wanna train with a good else thinks about that. I dont care blinded by the negativity, the hate and
bantamweight, youve gotta ask this about any of that. If its good for me, the envy and that fogged shit up for
person or that person if you can its gonna happen and thats as simple me. Little did I know this whole time
train with them and theres things as it is. Call me an idiot all you want, I that the US is waiting for someone like
like people saying you cant train think Im quite smart. me to come in from Australia and join
here because we dont like you, or
they dont like the way you do your
business or they might fight you one
day, says Wallace. How are we ever
going to grow and get better if this
attitude continues? This bullsh*t that
goes on. How are the Australians ever
going to take on the world? Were not
fighting each other were against the
world. Were against the Americans,
were against the Japanese, were
against the English, and were against
the Brazilians.
Youve gotta be able to utilise
the best guys in the country. Sure,
we might fight each other on these
small stages, but if that happens, that
happens. You change your game plan,
you change your style and you work
to beat each other. I mean, people
are gonna watch you fight anyway,
theyre gonna know what game youve
got, theyre gonna know how you are
as a fighter and know your strengths
and weaknesses anyway. Either way,
youve always gotta be changing up
your abilities and getting better and
better and better. If you get caught
in the mud, thats your own f***ing
fault. If youre not improving since the
last time I sparred you, the last time I
trained with you then Im the f***ing
idiot, I dont deserve to win the fight.
At the beginning of 2015 Wallace
went viral. In an infamous video
clip that was seen by millions upon
millions of people, Wallace is seen
getting in the face of his opponent in
the lead-up to their fight, and then

82 FIGHTLIVETV.COM

a great team. They see it as it is and
deal with it as it is. I am who I am. Now
you tell me, if I was this terrible person
or if I was this crazy-minded delusional
character that people think I am, tell
me how is it that I attract so many
other talented people who want to
work with me and who want me to be
part of their team, who wanna keep me
around and who wanna keep me close?
So whos the one with the problem?
Where is the delusion coming from?
Its coming from my own backyard,
from the people who are supposed to
be lifting me up, the people who are
supposed to be getting behind me.
There are heaps of Australians who
get behind me, and I mean heaps. But
unfortunately, in the MMA scene,
where I live, where Ive gotta go to
work, there arent many. There are a
few that I can count on one f***ing
hand. People say that you dont need
anybody else, that this isnt a team
sport, but it is. It is a team sport. Its
not a team fight but it is a team sport
and sometimes you do need the right
team and the right people around you.
Before picking up his life and
heading to Sacramento for his current
AT THE BEGINNING
OF 2015 WALLACE
WENT VIRAL. IN AN
INFAMOUS VIDEO
CLIP THAT WAS SEEN
BY MILLIONS UPON
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE
fight camp with Team Alpha Male,
Wallace had found those right people
in Australia. VT1 in Sydney welcomed
him with open arms, and also helped
him realise a thing or two about where
his aspirations should be taking him.
I was lucky in Sydney when I
moved out there when I met up with
Liam Resnekov and Dylan Resnekov
and they welcomed me into their
home and trained me and looked after
me and they still do, Wallace said.
They introduced me to so many great
fighters in their gym and they were
the guys that woke me up to this. They
said, Julz, youve gotta go and do this,
youve gotta go and chase this stuff,
you need to head over to the States.
The first question was where do I go?
and you know, Im a bantamweight,
I fight at 135 [pounds] and the best
bantamweights and featherweights
in the world are all in one place and
thats at Team Alpha Male.
Wallace speaks with so much
confidence that it is, at times, hard to
believe that he has dealt with his fair
share of mental struggles. Anxiety
has hit him hard in various stages of
his life, so when big changes like
moving across the country, or world
come his way, theres always that
thought that he will fall back into a
place that he doesnt want to be.
It was scary for me to go away
from home knowing that certain
things can put me in a very ill place
inside my head, Wallace said. Ive
always been open about it because I
have been one person to understand
and comprehend that these things are
normal in life. Everybody has their
problems, probably more than what
people will admit. Struggling with that
FIGHTLIVETV.COM 83
 JULIAN WALLACE
kind of thing in the back of my mind
was hard. Being happy and stable at
times worries me, but I deal with a lot
and I put a lot of pressure on myself
and Ive begun to embrace it. I am in
the best place in my life right now, I
have nothing else to do but get on the
biggest show possible and win. Thats
all thats on my mind now.
I want to gather more Australians
than anybody else has ever done
whether thats with me or against me. I
want to seat them all one by one inside
an arena to see me fight on the biggest
show that we can and I believe that is
the one and only UFC. And I wanna
do that, that is my dream right now. I
dont have any other dream than that.
I wanna execute that and then make
another dream.
SCAN PAGE TO
WATCH THE
FREE VIDEO OF
THE NITRO 9
BANTAMWEIGHT
TITLE: JULZ
JACKAL VS
KEWL BONEZ
84 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
Theres nothing stopping me,
Ive got everything working with me
and I did it all by myself. I created
everything. Ive never had a manager
or anything like that. I wanna prove
that you can get this far and you can
do these things with enough belief
and passion in what you do. Ive
always stuck to being me, and always
done the hype and promotion and
everything like that no matter what
anybody has said. Even after falling
so hard in front of the public eye with
that viral video, I still came back and
I did it again and Ill do it again, and
Ill main event again and Ill win again
and Ill be the champion again and I
will get on that UFC card.
People will follow that and theyll
get behind me again. I dont know
anybody else who would have come
back out from the hole or the dark
place they would have wanted to stay
in after what Ive been through. The
adversity that still goes on even to
this day hasnt been able to derail me
completely. I have found my tracks and
have kept trucking forward. That alone
makes me proud of myself.
THERES NOTHING
STOPPING ME, IVE
GOT EVERYTHING
WORKING WITH ME
AND I DID IT ALL BY
MYSELF. I CREATED
EVERYTHING.
Wallaces return to action takes place
inside the XFC cage on 27 August,
where he faces Australian mixed
martial arts veteran Gustavo Falciroli.
Im excited more than anything.
Ive never been so excited for a fight
before in my life, Wallace said. This
is the beginning of my true career
and everything that Ive worked hard
for. This is my time. I am so happy.
All I have now is this in my life and
Im pretty much a dead man walking.
Theres nothing else for me. When
youve been through so much and this
is all youve got left, then things can
only go up from here. Nobody can do
anything to me, or hurt me any more
or derail me any further as much as
people have tried doing before. Im a
dead man already and you cant hurt
me. Im already f***ing dead.
Im going in there and I will be
ready to kill on the night and Im ready
to finish my opponent in whatever way
I need to. I dont disrespect him I
have a lot of respect for him, this is
why I am training so hard. This is why
I am so determined to win. I respect
how dangerous he is. I will not get
caught. I will not feel threatened by
him. This is something I see. This is all
I have. This is my destiny.
SURFER+FIGHTER+LARRIKIN

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humour and an insight uncommon on the street. As his mate reckons,
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 DAVE FOWLER

86 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
Southern Highlands country boy Dave Fowler doesnt feel the need to race to the top of
Australias fighting elite, but it seems this up-and-comer is making it there anyway.
BY NEIL ROOKE // PHOTOS BY TERRY VORG & BRETT ZIMMER
he bright lights of the worlds biggest
T
mixed martial arts companies can
be an enticing lure for any up-and-
coming fighter. Especially for someone
like Dave Fowler, who lives in a town
in the Southern Highlands that has
a population of around 2000. Its not
uncommon for Fowler to fight in front
of a crowd that is bigger than the
population of his hometown. For a lot of kids who
grow up in a small town, life becomes all about
getting out and making something of themselves.
Fowler may have aspirations to take his fighting
career to whatever length he can, but for him,
theres no hurry.
Ive tried not to jump in too deep, Fowler
said. Ive just wanted to get the most out of my
career that I possibly can. I think that maybe it
was just a case of right place, right time. Nothing
has been rushed for me and it has all felt perfect.
Its not hard getting a match up. Its just a bit
hard getting a bit of a variety. It always tends to
be the same people that get brought up and its
either somebody Ive already fought or someone
were not interested in at the time. Its all about
not rushing into things. Its so easy to fall into a
few losses you can get all this momentum and
then one loss can just set you back so far. Were
not dodging fights or anything but at the same
time we wanna take this career as far as possible.
I wanna go on to fight the best in Australia; thats
the best way to get my career going forward.
Fowler wasnt exactly destined for his transition
into competing in a combat sport. Unlike most
other mixed martial arts fighters, who dabble
in various other combat sports before taking on
mixed martial arts, Fowler leapt right into the
sport and has never looked back.
I was always into a bit of pro wrestling as a kid
and I grew up watching Power Rangers, so I think
it was probably more those kinds of things that
got me into it, Fowler said. The way I started was
a bit different to most people; I started off with
training in MMA and then branching off into the
different disciplines from there. It meant that the
stuff that I struggled with in MMA I was able to fix
earlier. I didnt go into it as a kickboxer who didnt
know anything about grappling. I kind of just
knew it all and was able to work a lot more on the
stuff that I struggled with.
FIGHTLIVETV.COM 87
 DAVE FOWLER
When Fowler first started training,
his knowledge of the sport that he was
quickly falling in love with was fairly
vague. What that meant was that he
was able to look at why he was training
instead of looking too far into the
future. Fowler just focused on what
he wanted to get out of his newfound
passion, and so far, that attitude has
worked wonders for him.
I never actually really got into
[UFC], Fowler said. When I first
started, I had no idea there was that
kinda high level. I just enjoyed the sport
for what it was. Its the most pure form
of combat and I just wanna get the best
I can and if that means Im the best in
Australia, then so be it its more for
myself and my family just to be the best
I can. A few years ago I assessed it and
I found that I was putting too much
pressure on myself wanting to get to the
big time. Ever since then Ive just gone
with the flow and fought my fights and
enjoyed it and since then Ive actually
done better and succeeded and achieved
more in my career with martial arts.
Fowler took his first bout in 2012,
just a few months after his 18th
birthday. Stepping into the cage for the
first time is a tough feat for any young
fighter and for Fowler, after just entering
the realm of adulthood, those first fight
jitters were certainly present.
[I was thinking] Im definitely not
prepared for this. Fowler recalled.
I was thinking, I havent trained
enough. I was just thinking, What
am I doing. I wasnt surprised that I
won it. I was more surprised with how
it happened; I didnt think it would go
that way to be honest.
88 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
TERRY VORG
After winning his first two fights,
Fowler met defeat for the first time. The
fight took place a little over a year after
he had made his professional debut, but
losing inside the cage for the first time
certainly didnt discourage him.
I was disappointed, Fowler said.
But, it wasnt the first thing Id ever
lost. Id lost in other sports growing
up, so I didnt take it as hard as I could
have, but I still definitely learnt from it
and made myself better from it.
In his most recent bout, which took
place 8 July, Fowler squared off with
Sonny Brown, who is a recognised
name within Australian mixed martial
arts. Brown was one of the most
experienced fighters that Fowler had
faced and was a name that he was
happy to have on his record whether it
was going to be a win or a loss.
That was great, Fowler said. It was
one of those fights where I just couldnt
say no to it. It was a win-win situation
for me. Win, lose or draw, I was gonna
come out as best as I could for it. Im
glad it went exactly to my game plan
and the way that I wanted it to go.
Fowler went on to win the fight
against Brown in the very first round by
way of knockout. Winning the way that
he did made the victory all the more
sweeter, but it didnt stop Fowler from
taking a step back from the excitement
of a big win and reflecting on what had
just transpired inside the cage.
I had mixed feelings, Fowler said.
I did feel a bit slow and kinda thought
that there were some things I could
have done better. I did a lot of things
right, but automatically after every fight
I have, Im always looking to fix what
I did wrong and Im always looking to
improve. Every single time, even if I
get a win, Im thinking, What did I do
wrong? Okay, this is what were doing
on Monday.
Although Fowler was eager to make
amends for what he felt he did wrong
in his last fight, he isnt looking to jump
back in there right away. Even though
momentum is in his favour right now
with a four-fight winning-streak to
his name, there are some things in
life that are much more important
than stepping into the cage and
trading leather.
I havent really taken a break since
last December with my training, so I
wanna take a bit of a rest and to spend a
bit more time with my Missus, Fowler
said. After I take a bit of a break I
might get back in and do one a month
training and then Ill be straight back
into it looking for whats next. Theres
nothing really locked in as yet with
any promotions but fingers crossed
something big can happen.
As for where that next fight is going
to take place? After fighting outside of
the New South Wales and Canberra
region for the first time this past year,
Fowler is ready to take another step
forward. And, as far as which promotion
is set to get his signature next?
I wanna fight on all of them,
really, Fowler said. The more
experience, the better.
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 Breed
AFC

Jake Matthews back in his AFC days

90 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
inG
BY ZACH BROADHURST // PHOTOS BY TERRY VORG AND CHARLIE SURIANO

Since their first show in November of 2010, the

Australian Fighting Championship (AFC) has grown
into one of the most recognised and respected
MMA promotions in Australia. A look through its
fight cards over the past six years boasts names
such as Soa Palelei, Hector Lombard, Daniel Hooker,
Jake Matthews, Dan Kelly, Dylan Andrews, Richie
Vaculik, Bec Rawlings, Vik Grujic and Steve Kennedy
all of who have gone on to fight in the UFC. Fight
Live Magazine sat down with AFCs CEOs Adam
Milankovic and Kelly Seif to chat about the growth of
MMA in Melbourne, the exciting young talent on their
roster and the big plans to make AFC international.

gROUND
The continuing growth of
the AFC We are in the first year of having
the cage back in Melbourne. What
feedback have you had from the
fighters and also the fans?
Adam Milankovic: Its really a safety
aspect; it complements the sport and
its what they are meant to be fighting
in. Its taken awhile to get it over the
line, but now that it has I think people
have come to terms with it and that
it is just a safety enclosure, and the
stigma of the cage has gone out the
window now.
I also think the fights are more
exciting and the guys can now do what
they do best; they dont have to worry
about falling out of the ring, or to have
that sitting in the back of their head
while they are fighting.
Do you think it improves the
scepticism, having people walk
into the venue and seeing that
impressive cage?
Kelly Seif: There was a lot of excitement
when people first walked into the venue
and saw the cage instead of the ring.
The aesthetics of the show improved;
from the film production point of view,
the production crew said it looked
better than the ring, and I think its
definitely an improvement to the show.
A: One hundred per cent it does.
For people who havent seen it before,
their eyes light up the first time they
see it. From a spectacle and fan side its
definitely an improvement, but at the
end of the day its what these guys need
to be able to perform properly its
just one of the tools of their trade.
We obviously had that great UFC 193
card last November in Melbourne. Do
you think that has had any influence

FIGHTLIVETV.COM 91
 AFC

on the local circuit here for shows
like AFC and the sports popularity in
general?
K: UFC 193 definitely helped raise
the awareness of MMA in Melbourne.
People that never would have
experienced MMA were invited to the
show a lot of high-profile people,
celebrities and politicians. Because
of that the awareness has risen and
exposes a brand-new audience to this
market who normally wouldnt have
been involved with the sport. So it was
definitely a positive influence on the
market here in Melbourne.
A: Yeah, I think for the sport its
been good and to get the awareness out
there. Its been a real education process
over the past few years with the UFC
pushing the cage and then coming into
Victoria. And I think people now know
why there is a cage and why people
need to fight in a cage. I think people
have now watched the sport, enjoyed
it and I think its grown the sport
in Australia.
fighters making the jump and some
still fighting for the UFC. How does it
feel to be such a great feeding ground
for big international promotions?
A: All Ive ever wanted to do from day
one is run martial arts the way it should
be run properly and professionally.
Because I think there was a big hole in
the market and weve come in to give
the fighters a professional platform
to fight on. We are professional about
everything and I think its why we
have been given this status and why
people talk about us as the number one
promotion in Australia at the moment,
which is quite rewarding.
CEO Kelly Seif with two of his fighters
Weve had guys like Soa Palelei fight
Sean McCorkle; Hector Lombard fight
Jesse Taylor for a belt; weve had Dan
Hooker with us from day one; Damien
Brown fought on our first ever show
so many guys have come through us
and gone on to the UFC.
I remember when they had The
Ultimate Fighter series, I had Daniel
Kelly, Vik Grujic, Jake Matthews; I had
those guys on a contract to fight in a
tournament and Dan was meant to
fight Steven Kennedy for a belt.
Then I got a call from Joe Silva from
the UFC, who had them all in the
room, and asked if I could release them

The AFC has been a great feeding

ground for the UFC with a number of

CEO Adam Milankovic

with Dan Hooker

Soa The Hulk with his AFC belt

92 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
For people
who havent
seen it before,
their eyes
light up the
TUVVKOGVJG[
see it.
all out of contract. Even though I knew
it was going to stuff up my ticket sales,
we let them out of contract for the fact
that we want to help these guys grow.
We did as much as we could for them.
They went to The Ultimate Fighter
and got an opportunity. We could
have turned Joe down and knocked it
back, but we only wanted to help them
progress and push them forward.
We are seeing new promotions pop
up all over the place and especially
here in Melbourne now the cage ban
has been lifted. Whats your opinion
on that?
A: What Im finding at the moment is a
lot of our guys that were fighting with
us are jumping to HEX to get easier
fights. Like Kitt Campbell for example;
he had the likes of Rob Wilkinson
and Jamie Abdallah at 84kg some
real beasts and Kitt didnt really say
anything, just jumped straight to HEX
because they dont have the calibre of
champions holding their titles.
Kitt, from day one, has wanted to
hold a title and he knew deep down
that once he saw these guys, he wasnt
going to cut it with us. We are finding
a lot of guys are doing that, but they
are the guys who arent going to get
there anyway.
You recently had AFC 16. How did that
show go and who impressed you on
the card?
A: If you didnt really know your MMA
and you looked at the card, you might
have thought, This is an average card,
SCAN PAGE TO
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ENTIRE AFC
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rolling in AFC
but the calibre of fighters and fights
were absolutely awesome and Im not
just saying that because we were the
ones who put them on.
The guys who stood out were Tai
Tuivasa, who really impressed me
because it was the first time hed cut
to 120kg. I think he could be the next
Mark Hunt. Tyson Pedro, although
hes had a couple of years off, he
fought Don Endermann and really
impressed me. Hes an exciting young
talent and moves very well for a light-
heavyweight.
Dave Fowler and Tony Dibb are the
same belt in BJJ, so we thought that was
an interesting matchup. We knew they
would probably cancel each other out
and end up standing up, but Fowlers
stand-up was really impressive. Ill be
looking at giving him a shot at moving
towards fighting for a title, because I
just think he has the goods to do it.
Issac Hardman, he and Kaan Ofli
had a ripper fight. Kaan went up a
division for that and it was a little hard
for him, but it was a bit of a test and a
great fight. And Nikos Trepca is really
young, but he is blossoming and he and
Kaan are two guys at 66kg that I think
can mix it up for the title.
Have you got any big fights in the
works, or already booked for AFC 17?
K: Weve got a couple of good overseas
guys we are trying to get in, its just a
matter of getting their visas approved
and to improve the competition in
the local area. In Australia we are
very limited in what weve got, so
to give our guys more exposure and
better experience we need to bring
in internationals.
A: Weve got Gustavo Falciroli, who
has a title with us. He hasnt fought for
a while and he needs to defend that belt
at some stage.
Randall Rayment who fought Jamie
Abdallah for the light-heavyweight
title, wants to come back and that
division has some big, tough guys in it.
Its an exciting division at the moment
we havent had this many light-
heavyweights in a long time and all of a
sudden weve got these very fit, athletic
93kg guys, so Im excited about that.
We also have the 70kg lightweight
tournament, because we had a few
fights fall through because of injury,
so that tournament will be continued
with Rob Hill, Ben Wall, Gokhan
Turkyilmaz and James Bishop. And the
fight between Hill and Wallis is one
everyone is looking forward to.
What has AFC got planned for the rest
of the year and the near future?
A: We are setting up something
pretty big in China at the moment.
So thats our next project and if that
all goes ahead we are looking to do
our first overseas show in China by
December. We will be running it under
Australasian Fighting Championship,
so still AFC, and weve got some of the
big TV networks from China coming
over for our next show, which is very
exciting, so weve got a lot of stuff
going on.
fightlivetv
FIGHTLIVETV.COM 93
 FIGHT CLASSIFIED

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94 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
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 FIGHT GIRL

PHOTO BY CHARLIE SURIANO

KIERINA TETLEY
AGE: 29 HEIGHT: 5'4" // STATE: WA // WEB/FB/INSTAGRAM/TWITTER:
Facebook.com/Kierina.exclusive | www.instagram.com/kierina.exclusive |
www.twitter.com/KierinaTetley

Where did you grow up? Whats one surprising

The west coast Im from a suburb in thing that most people
Perth, right next to the city. wouldnt know about
you?
Apart from modelling, do you have I ride a dirt bike and a
another day job? jet ski and I love a V8
At the moment Im trying to finish Mercedes Benz.
my uni degree Im studying to be
an accountant. Fav TV show?
Forensic Files.
Do you know anything about fight
sports? Fav movie?
Yes, Ive been a card/ring girl for many American
years here in Perth, enjoying the fight Psycho.
nights. Ive had the opportunity to sit
ringside and see the sport from the Fav tunes?
closest angle. Fitness is imperative and I Trapt and
appreciate how much effort is put in for dubstep
that one fight!

What do you look for in a guy?

Its important you share common interests
and there has to be that spark. Preferably
a guy who rides bikes motoX is good
and is a multi-tasker. And if he is
successful its a definite bonus.

What are some words to live by?

Treat em mean, keep em keen. If you
dont stand for something, you will fall
for anything.

Tell us what you do to keep fit and in

good shape?
Cardio and gym. My gym regime includes
some isolated muscle workouts. Also body
pump and CTX class is enjoyable.

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HERO ROB
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FIGHT-PROVEN
TECHNIQUES
FIGHTERS
PHYSIQUE

FIGHTLIVE TRAINING GUIDE JOHN WAYNE PARR

MUAY THAI
PLUS
+ JAKE MATTHEWS

TRAINING + SAM GRECO

+ SHANTELLE THOMPSON

SECRETS + THIAGO STEFANUTTI

+ FIGHT TIPS, TRAINING
& HEALTH
+ MUCH MORE!

TRAIN LIKE A
 PROVEN TRAINING, FITNESS
& FIGHTING TECHNIQUES

ANZAC
HERO ROB
WHITTAKER
SHOWS YOU HIS
BUILD A
FIGHTERS
FIGHT-PROVEN PHYSIQUE
TECHNIQUES
JOHN WAYNE PARR PLUS
MUAY THAI + SAM GRECO

TRAINING + JAKE MATTHEWS

+ THIAGO STEFANUTTI

SECRETS + SHANTELLE THOMPSON

+ FIGHT TIPS, TRAINING
& HEALTH
+ MUCH MORE!

TRAIN LIKE A

UFC
STAR!
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

SEPT-OCT 2016
FIGHT FITNESS
04 LESS WEIGHTS
MORE FIGHTS!
Stop lifting heavy

FIGHT SCHOOL
08 JAKE MATTHEWS
Double-leg takedown

10 ROB WHITTAKER
Popping left hook

12 JOHN WAYNE PARR

Thai step-up knee

14 SAM GRECO
Can opener

16 SHANTELLE
THOMPSON
Leg drag to mount

18 THIAGO STEFANUTTI
Omoplata

FIGHT HEALTH
26 ALL THE RIGHT
ANSWERS
Doc Q&A

20
DONT YOU CRY!
Training fighting women

2 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
 THIS ISSUES
08 14 DIGITAL CONTENT

10 08 See UFCs Jake Matthews take

you through a great takedown.
11 Aussie star Rob Whittaker
takes you step-by-step through
one of his winning moves.
16 12 Muay Thai legend John Wayne
Parr shows us one of his
fav moves.
15 Kickboxing legend Sam
Greco demostrates some
lethal combos.
17 World champion Shantelle
Thompson show us how you
win a title.
18 Brazilian BBJ champion Thiago
Stefanutti rolls for the camera.

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FIGHTLIVETV.COM 3
 FIGHT FITNESS

LESS WEIGHTS,
MORE FIGHTS!
STOP LIFTING SO HEAVY IF YOU WANT TO HIT HARDER
BY MATT BEECROFT // PHOTOS BY GETTY

I
expect a lot of people to be in very
Before I studied the art, a punch to me was just like a punch, a heated disagreement with this article.
kick just like a kick. After I learned the art, a punch was no longer a But before you totally discredit this
punch, a kick no longer a kick. Now that Ive understood the art, a article, read ahead.
The thing is, I love lifting heavy stuff.
punch is just like a punch, a kick just like a kick.
I am the senior RKC (Russian Kettlebell
Bruce Lee Challenge Certification) instructor for the
Australian region. Lifting heavy makes me
feel and be strong. But therein lies some
of the problem when you lift heavy
stuff its great for instant gratification
and your ego. But it often does not do
anything for your sports specific skill set.
The reason I am writing this article
is that I think that probably one of the
biggest risks to the development of
your punching power is letting your
heavy lifting mask your lack of proper
punching technique.
I am a little old school. I have been
fortunate to have travelled and trained
around the world with various high-level
coaches. I read a lot and try and listen to
a lot of the old fight coaches. If you talk
to these guys who have been in the game
for a really long time, their experience
is that lifting heavy can actually be
detrimental to your punching. And I listen
to the guys who have a lot of the best
fighters in the world.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN

A PUSH AND A PUNCH IS
ACCELERATION
When you dont know how to punch,
PHOTO BY NATIONAL GENERAL PICTURE/GETTY IMAGES

you push. We need to appreciate that

punching is very much a snapping
motion. When we do many weight
training exercises its a pushing motion
(and others pulling). Pushing is not a
snapping motion. When we do pushing
motions in the gym, usually speed is
not the focus. Strength is. There is still
a big misconception in the fitness and
training industry that if you focus on
strength through high tension, and by
heavy and slow lifting, you automatically
develop power. This could not be further
from the truth and the idea reflects a

4 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
 Conor McGregor fires at Jose Aldo
CHRISTIAN PETERSEN/ZUFFA LLC/ZUFFA LLC VIA GETTY IMAGES
lack of understanding of physiology and
specificity. While I totally agree that with
beginners in particular it is important to
improve their overall maximal or absolute
strength, after a certain level, however,
there is most definitely a tradeoff. So,
read that again as a beginner, getting
your maximal or absolute strength up is
important. Getting your strength up as a
beginner will also help you punch harder.
But my observation after 16 years of
coaching is that beginner punchers will
increase punching power through more
physical effort.
Weve all heard it before: Force equals
mass x acceleration or: F = Mass x
Acceleration. This is still used to promote
the idea of strength training and to
explain generating force in striking in
the martial arts. The concept is that you
will develop more force if you lift heavier
(increase the mass) or accelerate the
mass more. This is correct, but equalling
this to power is definitely NOT correct.
Just because you develop a high
amount of force does not mean you are
developing a high amount of power.
Power is actually an expression of
the amount of force you can affect
your surroundings or an object with
when moving at a certain velocity. The
definition of power is: Power = Force x
Velocity. Sure, you can increase weight
on the bar so you can increase the force
production, but this comes hand in hand
with a DECREASE in velocity and thereby
a DECREASE in acceleration. So once you
generate too much force, because the
velocity and acceleration decreases, your
power too also goes back significantly.
The mass you are lifting matters very
little compared to the velocity you are
lifting at, if you want power. In short, we
have two variables: Force and Velocity.
Force depends equally on mass and
acceleration and velocity is exponentially
dependent on acceleration. In terms of
power, acceleration accounts for much
more than half of the output.
The most important take-home
message is: the difference between a
push and a strike is acceleration.
Pushing definitely allows you to move
heavier objects because you have more
time to apply the force; the amount of
contact time is longer. Think of it like an
iron bar being driven through an object.
Snapping, however, allows you to apply
more explosive force or damage on the
inside of the object because you have
the freedom to accelerate and then
use the impact of that acceleration to
exert power. The speed requirement of
FIGHTLIVETV.COM 5
 FIGHT FITNESS
punching increases the explosive damage
your opponent feels.
THE POWER IN RELAXATION
One of the most underrated and most
important elements of striking and the
fight game in general is relaxation. If
I had a dollar for every time my Thai
coaches told me to relak or relax, I
would probably be a millionaire. In fact,
for the week I spent training for an hour
6 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
a day with the legendary power striker
Yodsanklai in Pattaya, Thailand, I was
quite surprised at how big of an emphasis
he placed on relaxation. But it makes
complete sense on a number of fronts.
If we keep it specific to this article on
punching, quite simply, in order to have
power we need to have acceleration and
speed. And in order to have that you must
let go of the muscles not required for you
to punch. If you are tensing everything
else, every other muscle, rather than the
ones required for punching, it is a little
like trying to drive your car with the hand
brake on. This releasing of your body and
muscles allows your punch to accelerate
faster, creating a far more devastating
explosion. Yes, we need to firm joints
upon impact so we dont hurt our fist,
wrist or body, but we should be doing this
at the final moment of impact. Learning
how to exert your power through mindful
relaxation is one of the most important
things you can possibly do to master your
striking. What I am not saying here is to
have no focus, or to be flippy floppy.
You still have to have correct form
and structure.
As you can appreciate, when you
are lifting really heavy weights, the
objective is to activate all muscle fibres
as strongly as possible, to create as much
tension as possible, and this is almost
in complete opposition to one of the
biggest requirements of a hard punch
relaxation that leads to acceleration.
Relaxing for power is a foreign concept
for many and takes time to master.
Skilled punchers increase their
punching power through technique, focus
and relaxation. Not more physical effort.
THE THEORY OF SPECIFICITY
OR SAID
The theory of specificity or SAID (specific
adaptions to imposed demands) goes a
little something like this: In order to punch
better, you have to punch a lot. In order
to run better, you have to run a lot, and so
on and so forth. You get good at what you
do and do repeatedly. So the act of firing
the muscles for punching is very specific.
The sequencing of the timing of the firing
of the muscles and the patterning, the
neural pathways for this is very specific. In
other sports, such as baseball, they have
discovered through various studies that
using too heavy a bat or a ball trying to
improve batting and pitching power can
completely change the recruitment pattern
in the muscles required for batting and
pitching and actually send the specific
skill backwards. A slightly heavier bat or
ball didnt negatively influence the skill,
but a heavy one changed everything.
Lifting heavy doesnt teach you to relax
well and it doesnt help you practise the
EXACT movement you want to master.
Nothing else can, other than, you know,
more punching.

Yodsanklai
EXTREME IMAGES - WWW.EXTREMEIMAGES.COM.AU
ITS NOT ALL ABOUT POWER
The amount of damage delivered in a
punch is also determined by the angle,
the accuracy and the timing, which is
all skill based. The most recent example
of this is Jose Aldo versus Connor
McGregor, who said, Timing beats
speed, precision beats power.
This eludes us to the concept about
working sports-specific skills versus too
much heavy lifting.
Learning how to land your shots is just
as important as the shot itself. Having
powerful muscles doesnt guarantee a
great punch. You need technique, angles,
accuracy (precision) and timing. This
means skills. Your skills training should
make up much more of your training
time than training for raw power. You
need skill in order to utilise your power
and conditioning. If you cant hit your
opponent and land a clean shot then
your power means nothing. The thing
is, training for this is frustrating; it isnt
instantly gratifying and maybe not as
good for the ego as picking up heavy
stuff. Big numbers in the gym are good
for your ego, but no one cares about your
numbers in the gym if you cant land a
punch or keep getting flogged in the ring
or Octagon.
Now you can see why old boxers
or masters of particular arts can still
strike harder than younger athletic
practitioners. It is because they have
mastered the timing of relaxing the body
and then contracting the right muscles
at the right moment to deliver explosive
power. They have worked at mastering
that over and over. Take that and add
years of being crafty with fighting tactics,
angles, accuracy and timing and its
important not to rule out the old bull.
Striking arts have been around for
hundreds of years, and weights the same.
If heavy weight training had a place,
there would have been mainstream use
of them by now. The reality is, there
isnt. I am a progressive coach I am
always looking for things that will give
my fighters and students a competitive
advantage. I am not saying not to
strength train. What I am saying is to not
mask your lack of effective technique
with strength work. The short-term gain
is minimal and as undulating as your
strength will be. If you look at the skill of
old timers, its still unmatched by most
modern-day fighters. The majority of
coaches are against heavy lifting. While
there is an occasional exception, I have
been to a lot of gyms and seen quite a
few pros work out. I have hardly seen
any of them using heavy weights. Try
asking the head coach of most boxing,
kickboxing and Muay Thai gyms about
heavy weights and see what they say.
You may be surprised. My Thai coach
Mr Bee at CharnChai Muay Thai in Pai,
Thailand always said: Less weights,
more Muay Thai!
Matt Beecroft is a senior RKC and FMS
certified coach who has been a qualified
trainer for 16 years. He is certified in a
range of movement modalities including
the PCC, GFM and Animal Flow. He is also
an Expert Level 2 Krav Maga instructor
with KMG, a nationally accredited boxing
coach, Senior Thump Training Systems
presenter and amateur and professional
Muay Thai coach. He can be contacted
through his website at www.realitysdc.
com.au or via his Facebook page
www.facebook.com/MeetLifeHeadOn
FIGHTLIVETV.COM 7
 FIGHT SCHOOL

JAKE MATTHEWS
WITH CARLOS PORTUGUES VIEIRA
GUILLOTINE-SAFE
DOUBLE-LEG TAKEDOWN
Australian UFC lightweight Jake Matthews and 4th Degree BJJ
Black-belt Carlos Vieira show us a variation on the double-leg
takedown that is good for MMA, as it prevents you from getting
caught in the guillotine and getting stuck in guard.

START
1

Jake Matthews shapes up against Carlos Portugues Vieira.

SCAN PAGE
FOR VIDEO ON
UFCS JAKE
MATTHEWS
TAKE YOU
THROUGH
A GREAT
TAKEDOWN.

Matthews drops down to set up the takedown

8
 and pulls it outward, taking them both to the floor.
3 5 Matthews makes sure he keeps his opponents legs
wrapped, to prevent him from pulling guard.
and shoots in on his
opponent, dropping
his knee to the ground
between his opponents
legs, and gripping behind
both knees.

From there, it is easy for

his opponent to lock in a
guillotine and pull guard.

He then twists his hips and pushes his

opponents legs out of the way

4
To prevent this, as 7
his front knee hits
the floor, Matthews
steps his back
leg up to hook
his opponents
lead leg

FINISH

and moves into side control.

FIGHTLIVETV.COM 9
 FIGHT SCHOOL

ROB WHITTAKER
AND HENRRY PEREZ
POPPING LEFT HOOK
Australian UFC middleweight Rob Whittaker and veteran MMA coach
Henrry Perez demonstrate one of Whittakers favourite techniques that
he has proven several times inside the Octagon.

START

1
Rob Whittaker prefers to use a long
stance as he faces his opponent.

He sets up the technique with a push-kick to the face. The

aim of this move is to take vision away from his opponent,
but if the push-kick manages to land, even better.

10
 3 5

Straight after the kick, he drops his level

4 He then leaps forward and lands with the left hook.

SCAN PAGE TO WATCH

VIDEO ON AUSSIE STAR
ROB WHITTAKER TAKES
YOU STEP BY STEP
THROUGH ONE OF HIS
WINNING MOVES.

FINISH

and makes sure to cover with his right hand Once he delivers the shot, Whittaker
in-case his opponent counters with a left hook. jumps back out into safe range.

FIGHTLIVETV.COM 11
 FIGHT SCHOOL

JOHN WAYNE PARR

THAI STEP-UP KNEE
Legendary Australian Muay Thai fighter John SCAN PAGE FOR
Wayne Parr shows you how to incorporate the Thai VIDEO ON MUAY
THAI LEGEND JOHN
step-up knee technique into your fighting arsenal. WAYNE PARR SHOW
US ONE OF HIS FAV
MOVES.

START

1
Wayne Parr shapes up against his opponent.

Parr sets up with a one-two combination to get the opponents

hands up and throws a nice and effective jab

12
 3 5

He then drives his knee up into the chest while

then comes through with the right hand, simultaneously pulling his opponent forward,
hopefully causing the opponents hands to be raised in guard. causing almost double the impact.

4 6

FINISH

Parr then steps across toward his opponent He then safely steps back out of range.
and grabs their neck with the opposite hand.

FIGHTLIVETV.COM 13
 FIGHT SCHOOL

SAM GRECO
THE CAN OPENER
Retired K-1 legend Sam Slam em Greco demonstrates
his elbow technique that he calls The Can Opener, named
not for its cutting ability but for its capacity to open up
the opponents body for more attacks, where he takes
advantage by following up with one of many variations,
such as a body shot, leg kick or uppercut.

START

Sam Greco
shapes up against
1 his opponent.

Greco works
his way to the
2 opponent, using
jabs or kicks
to busy his
opponent and
close the gap.

With his gloves

against his
3 opponents, he
turns his right
elbow in

14 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
 4 7
and strikes with
an elbow across the
opponents face.

He shoots straight for the body

8
5

The
opponents
head snaps
backward
with his
guarded
arms,
opening
up the
midsection.

the inside leg kick

9
6

SCAN PAGE
FOR VIDEO ON
KICKBOXING
LEGEND
SAM GRECO
DEMOSTRATE
SOME LETHAL
COMBOS.

FINISH
Once the midsection is open, Greco has a variety of
techniques to attack his opponent with. or through the centre with an uppercut.

FIGHTLIVETV.COM 15
 FIGHT SCHOOL

SHANTELLE THOMPSON
LEG DRAG VARIATION TO THE MOUNT
Australian BJJ and grappling champion Shantelle Thompson shows us
how to roll with a leg drag variation to the mount. Assisted by fellow
champion Apryl Jessica Eppinger at Absolute MMA in Melbourne.

START
1
Shantelle
Thompson is
standing over
her opponent,
who is in a
defensive
position on
her back.

2 Thompson
sets up for
a leg drag
to mount,
making sure
her left hand
is gripping the
outside of the
opponents
leg and her
right hand
is gripping
under the
ankle.

She then
3 drives her
hips forward

16 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
 4 7

SCAN PAGE
FOR VIDEO
ON WORLD
CHAMPION
SHANTELLE
THOMPSON
SHOWING US
HOW YOU WIN
A TITLE.

and drags the leg over as she level changes downward From here, she uses her own head to block the opponents
and blocks the opponents leg with her armpit. head, and her right arm secures an overhook grip.

5 8

She then switches her hips and jumps to the other side.

9
Once secure, she then puts the same arm down to the ground

FINISH

She keeps her opponents arm tight, and switches her head
to the other side, keeping pressure, and walks her left leg
and walks her leg to the side. over the opponent and consolidates the mount position.

FIGHTLIVETV.COM 17
 FIGHT SCHOOL

THIAGO STEFANUTTI
OMOPLATA
Thiago Stefanutti is a 2nd Degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Black-belt from Absolute MMA, who has placed at
the IBJJF World Championships, South American START
1
Championships and European Championships, won
multiple state championships in Brazil and multiple Pan
Pacific Championships. Here he takes us through one
of his many Omoplata techniques with Aussie MMA
fighter Sean Le Gourrierec.

SCAN PAGE
FOR VIDEO ON
BRAZILIAN BBJ Thiago Stefanutti has his opponent in his guard.
CHAMPION
THIAGO
STEFANUTTI
ROLLS FOR THE
CAMERA. 2

Stefanutti prefers to not just control the opponents wrist,

but their whole forearm. As he slides the opponents forearm
down beside him, the opponent moves forward

and Stefanutti switches control to the opponents shoulder,

pushes his face away with the other hand and puts his right
foot on the opponents hip.

18 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
 He then switches his
4 hips and moves his 8
right leg, and in turn,
his entire body over

He then grabs hold of

the opponents waist
(the belt, if in gi)

and pinches his

5 knees together, 9
pressing his
opponent down. and extends his legs
as he sits up, using the
grip for momentum.

He then passes
6 his leg over the 10
opponents face
He keeps control of
the arm, and passes
his other hand under
the opponents other
shoulder.

7 11
He moves his hips, so
his foot is connecting
with his own knee
(making sure the
opponents arm
is at a 90-degree
angle) and lifts his
hip up to engage the
submission.
switches his hips, so he is now on his back
next to his opponent, and also switches the FINISH
hands gripping his opponents arm.

FIGHTLIVETV.COM 19
 TRAINING WOMEN

DONT
YOU
CRY!
THE TRAINING OF FEMALE FIGHTERS
In this day and age, women in fighting are not much less common
than men in fighting. But some still ask how you train women. What
do you do differently? Jarrod Boyle went to find out if there really is
anything different between training the two sexes.
BY JARROD BOYLE // PHOTOS SUPPLIED & BY GETTY

20 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
D
ont you cry; dont you dare
cry! I say. And Ill always
reprimand her if she hits like
a girl.
Very few trainers could get away
with giving instructions like that,
unless the trainer has been told the
exact same thing. Muay Thai lays claim
to a strong culture in Australia, and
by 2016, there are not only women
fighters, but a generation of women
that have worked through fight careers
to become trainers themselves.
We dont need to interview men
about training women. There are
enough skilled and experienced female
trainers, former fighters themselves, to
answer all the questions.
Boonchu Gym in Burleigh Heads,
Queensland is the home of John
Wayne Parr and his wife, Angie. They
met in Las Vegas at Master Toddys gym
while Angie was training and fighting
out of it. As a veteran of 47 fights, she
knows what it takes to get the job done.
While a woman is anatomically
different to a man, the major
differences in training pertain to
the psychological.
Women tend to cry a bit more, she
says. I know what it is to be pushed to
tears; being a woman is not an excuse.
Women cry, men dont.
Tears are a good indication of a
trainer getting a fighter to reach the
outer limits of their potential.
When women get a bit teary, thats
when I know they are reaching their
limits, and thats what they need to
fight. Its a big part of it.
Angie knew she wanted to fight
early on.
I started fighting at 17, she says,
but I really started fighting in the
second grade. I was willing to take
on a boy. If they were hyper, then
Id challenge them. I remember even
boxing with one of my male friends
when I was eight years old. I wanted
to do karate, but my parents couldnt
afford it. I fought with my sister,
brothers and boys at school. Its the
challenge; I love fighting.
Angie recognised that desire to fight
when it was expressed to her by her
daughter, Jasmine.
Jasmine asked when she was seven
years old, but we made her wait until
she was eight. We took her for runs,

FIGHTLIVETV.COM 21
 TRAINING WOMEN
Angie Parr training Kat Simpson
made her skip rope; she did pads with
Mum and Dad, and sparring with
other kids.
Surprisingly, most of her sparring
was against boys.
A lot of times she cried, says
Angie. They got the better of her. She
doesnt cry now she knows better.
If youre afraid to get hit in here [at
training], youre going to be in trouble
out there, Id tell her. I know it hurts,
but whatever, youre fighting. Its not
ping-pong.
The methods of training, as far as
the physical is concerned, are identical.
They [men and women] train
exactly the same way. She has to do the
same things. Its the same getting hit;
the same conditioning. Women dont
22 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
have as much muscle mass. Theyre
never as strong as a male counterpart.
They can work to keep up with guys,
but they struggle.
Jennifer Cavanagh is a veteran of
31 fights, 15 of which were fought in
Thailand, the home of Muay Thai.
I had my first fight at 29 late!
I was dragged into a gym by my
boyfriend at 24, and I stayed. I had
[had] around five fights by the age of
25, and then took time off when I had
my daughter.
After about a four-year break, I got
back into it and had another 25-odd
fights. I lived in Thailand for a year
and had 15. My daughter went with
me; shes got three fights under her
belt, too.
I KNOW WHAT IT
IS TO BE PUSHED
TO TEARS; BEING
A WOMAN IS
NOT AN EXCUSE.
WOMEN CRY,
MEN DONT.
Cavanagh became the foreign
liaison at the Patong Stadium Gym in
exchange for a small amount of money,
room, board and the ability to train
to fight.
My daughter Alana was 15. She
had finished year 10, so over we went.
I put her into school there to learn the
Thai language.
Both Cavanagh and her daughter
trained in the gym and ultimately
fought at Patong Stadium.
[Alana] had her first five-round,
full Thai Rules fight in Thailand. She
lost on points, but fought very well.
She fought an experienced 25-year-
old Italian lady. We fought on the
same night.
As far as training women is
concerned, Cavanagh is in accord with
Angie Parr.
Its sometimes different to training
a man, but you try not to treat them
differently. You cant make it easier.
When training fighters, theres one
rule. The minute they say they want to
fight, they have to do everything the
same as a man. Its the same amount of
fighting and hard sparring. Theres no
easy road.
Physiological differences mean
training has to be different in
subtle ways.
They cant do the same amount of
strength and conditioning, but they
must do the same program. I dont
expect a woman to match a man of
her weight, but she can still do the
same [work] to the best of her ability.
After all, theyre doing the same thing;
theyre fighting Muay Thai.
According to Cavanagh, any
differences in participation are
reflected in different targeting.
Chest protection will change
things, but the breast area is a low-
target area compared to the face, legs
or ribs. You can get the occasional
push-kick [to the chest]. It hurts; not as
much as [being kicked] downstairs, but
it does hurt at the time.
Women wear a groin guard when
they fight. Its a different shape;
flat and curved, not like a box to fit
something in. Its a thicker foam
to prevent bone-on-bone contact.
Normally, youll get hit with a knee,
if anything.
Womens Muay Thai has grown in
popularity due to the fact it generates
a similar interest among fight fans.
While the AFL is patting itself on
the back for instituting a womens
competition, fight shows have featured
and headlined women fighters
for years.
Women can go as far as they want,
says Cavanagh. One of my rules is
that if someone wants to do it, man
or woman, I take them seriously, but
they have to demonstrate dedication.
A lot of hard work goes into it. The 10
minutes inside the ring is glamorous,
but the time outside is not.
Youre sore, bruised, battered; you
have to cut weight. Its an unglamorous
Christine Theiss and her
coach Pavlica Steko
lifestyle and women who want to fight
need to understand that. Its going
to hurt a lot before they get
Facebook photos and trophies.
Increased public interest has meant
a higher standard is necessary.
Its so different these days; so
popular. There are so many people
[fighting and training]. Youve got to
be good to get in there; you cant just
get in for fun. Women have to be good
so they dont get hurt and can perform
at a satisfactory level.
Personally, I dont think theres
any difference, says Caley Reece,
veteran of over 50 fights and
boasting a professional record that is
without blemish.
At Riddlers Gym, women are
trained exactly the same as the men.
Its exactly the same workload. Girls
and guys grapple; we dont separate
them by gender. Its really important
they [girls] train and spar and grapple
with people bigger and stronger than
they are. When they fight a girl, its
a lot easier because theyve done the
hard hours [against men] in the gym.
At Riddlers, the tasks are the same
as the expectations consistent
across the sexes.
Conditioning is the same, says
Reece. We do a lot of punches to the
body. Certain times of month are
more difficult, but no one complains.
You just get on with it. If you get
through, it makes you that little
bit stronger.
There is no distinction between
attacking a man or a woman.
We strike areas that score points
to win the fight. Knees are the highest
scoring, then body kicks, so we focus
on that. You hit the areas that will win
the fight.
According to Reece, a womans
body is no softer or more sensitive
than a mans.
I dont think there is any area on a
woman that is more vulnerable. If you
condition properly, you shouldnt be
any softer than what a guy is.
That said, some areas are more
sensitive than others.
Ive been hit in the chest a few
times, and its bearable. Its not
something youd stop for. You might
stop in sparring to adjust, but its not
the same as being hit in the groin. It
FIGHTLIVETV.COM 23
 TRAINING WOMEN
Jen Cavanagh
shouldnt make you stop. You never
wear a chest guard. Youre not aiming
for it, anyway.
There are few inherent
psychological differences between a
man and a woman, although Reece
believes men are more prone to pride
getting in the way.
A guys pride and ego is more
important than what a girls is.
Guys need to show pride, whereas
girls do the sport because they
love it. Theyre not so concerned if
they lose in front of their friends.
The primary difference
between training men and
women, says Reece, is in the
weight cut.
The weight cut is a lot
different for girls. Guys, when
they start to cut, can pretty
much do it the same way every
time. For a woman, their weight
fluctuates during the month. I used to
have to consult the calendar to work
it out. Because of the period and fluid
retention, we have to plan ahead. At
24 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
Ronda Rousey with coach
Edmond Tarverdyan
THE PRIMARY
DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN
TRAINING MEN
AND WOMEN,
SAYS CALEY, IS IN
THE WEIGHT CUT.
some times of the month, there can
be between half and one-and-a-half
kilograms of difference. Losing it can
be a big ask.
As Muay Thai continues to
grow in popularity in Australia, an
increasing number of women will
assert themselves in the sport as
athletes first and women second. Just
as there is little difference between a
fight between skilful men and skilful
women from a spectators point of
view, the differences in participation
for the fighters themselves are
virtually negligible.
 In this compelling book, the
many threads of grappling
learning, legend and lore are
woven together to present
a complete and integrated
view of this eclectic art
of fighting, philosophy, and
self-defense. No matter how
well you think you know
these masters, you havent
truly experienced their wit,
wisdom, and insight until you
have read Grappling Masters.

ORDER ONLINE AT

OR CALL 03 9574 8460 TO ORDER

 FIGHT HEALTH
ALL THE RIGHT ANSWERS
DOC Q&A
Doc takes the time to answer some of the common questions he gets from fighting athletes.
BY DOCTOR PETER LEWIS
Ive been training Mauy Thai for
a while and I have stepped up
the training to some fairly heavy
sparring. The issue is, if I get hit
in the head (doesnt have to be
hard), I get a headache. I copped a
couple of good ones last Tuesday
and still have a bit of a headache
now, a week later. Its not bad, but
very acute; I have also had some
concussions from football in my
younger days. How concerned
should I be?
I would be concerned! It appears that
some people, once they have had a few
26 FIGHTLIVETV.COM
concussions, become more prone to damage, whether through sparring,
having headaches and other symptoms of fighting or football. It is also very important
concussion in response to relatively small, to not expose your brain to damage from
subsequent blows. any drugs especially alcohol.
I dont think an MRI would really clarify A good diet low in sugars and high in
this issue as it is unlikely that you are antioxidants is probably good value, so
actually suffering from a haematoma, or eat lots of fish and vegetables. Dr Barry
bleed inside the head. The problem with Jordan, a senior neurologist at UCLA, who
doing an MRI is that even if the MRI was did a lot of the work on the Apo E3 test,
normal, I would still advise you to stay has tested boxers to see if use of co-
away from heavy sparring. In fact, I am enzyme Q10 reduces brain damage. He
not a big fan of heavy sparring. I think did a study in which he randomly divided
there is far too much brain damage from
heavy sparring, probably much more
brain damage than is caused by actual
fights. There is also no real evidence that
heavy sparring produces better fighters.
Heavy sparring does, however, cause a
lot of injuries and I know many students
have been scared off from the sport
because a more experienced or larger
bully has given them a hiding during a
training session.
The good news for you is that if your
headaches continue and you need an
MRI, you can now get a brain MRI for
free through Medicare, whereas you used
to have to pay about $300 for a scan.
MRIs do not use radiation, so they are
completely safe.
There is no test to see if you are likely
or prone to suffer future brain damage
apart from a genetics test that can be
done on your blood, like a cholesterol test.
It tests for the gene Apo E3. If you have
two Apo E3 genes, you are much more
likely to end up with dementia pugilistica,
or punch drunk, or what we now call
chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
There are not many things that can be
done to minimise brain damage if you are
in the high risk group.
Rest is very important, especially in
the early days after injury. You should
minimise exposure to further brain
boxers into two groups. One group had
daily Q10 and the other were controls
who did not change their habits. Boxers
were neurologically tested before the
treatment and afterwards. Dr Jordan found
that boxers taking Q10 scored better
on the tests than those that did not. I
personally am a big fan of Q10 and think it
is good for the brain and the heart. I think
it is best used as a lozenge for sub-lingual
or buccal absorption, because Q10 is
broken down by stomach acids. I think the
lozenge is about three times more potent
than Q10 capsules. I also advise that it be
taken in the morning.
It would be a good idea for you to get
checked out by a good sports doctor with
an interest in the fighting arts.
I was hit body rip and my ribs are
really hurting, especially if I get
punched during sparring. My ribs
hurt when I roll over in bed at night
or when I cough. I am fighting in
three weeks time and I cannot pull
out. What can I do?
It sounds like you definitely have broken
ribs. Muscle strains and bruises usually
start to settle down after two or three
days. The pain from broken ribs classically
peaks three days after the injury. Ribs that
hurt most rolling over in bed are usually
broken. I do not routinely order plain
X-rays to look at broken ribs because 50
per cent of the time the X-ray is reported
normal when clearly the ribs are broken.
The treatment is rest and graduated
return to training. So the X-ray is a waste
of time and money and radiation. You may
be the exception to this rule, because if
you are going to fight anyway, you may
need an injection of local anaesthetic
before the fight. If I am the doctor who
will be injecting you, (and I probably will
be) I would like a CT scan to see exactly
how bad the rib fractures are.
Naropin is a long-acting local
anaesthetic. It lasts for about three hours
and can be injected before your fight. It
does not completely remove your pain
but tends to reduce rib pain by about 70
per cent.
FLIP MAGAZINE TO READ
YOUR ISSUE OF
If you have a combat sport or martial
arts-related question for Doctor Peter
Lewis, you can email the editor (jarrah@
blitzmag.com).
DR PETER LEWIS
Dr Lewis is internationally recognised
as a medical authority in the martial
arts field. He has also been studying
and teaching martial arts for almost
40 years.
Dr Lewis is best known as a
ringside physician. He is often seen on
televised shows in many countries. He
has worked in 28 cities internationally,
22 of these on world title-standard
events. He has performed every
ringside role, including doctor, referee,
judge, rules coordinator, timekeeper,
commentator, ringside announcer,
matchmaker, trainer, cornerman,
cutsman and has competed in karate,
taekwondo and kung fu. He has had
the pleasure and honour of looking
after some of the most important fights
and fighters in history.
Dr Lewis is also well known as
an international lecturer and writer
on martial arts medicine. He has
consulted at ReCreation Medical
Centre for almost 30 years.
He also has a clinic at Malvern
Martial Arts, which is especially for
martial artists. Dr Lewis works with a
team including a nurse, physio, chiro,
podiatrist, psychologist, exercise
physiologist, dietitian and masseurs
who all have extensive experience in
martial arts.
Contact info@
malvernhealthandfitness.com.au
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