The question everyone wants to know, what is the current state of the WFA?

- I don’t want to talk too much about the WFA right now. Not because it is in any kind of trouble or anything. In fact, I can tell you this, the WFA is not dead. Right now I am working with promoters and fighters to try and make something happen, but I don’t want to say anything about it right now.

Are you planning on fighting again?

- Right now I am more focused on training the fighters at my school. Of course if the opportunity was there and the money was right I would jump back in there. I feel as healthy as I ever have and have been training consistently, but I would need a few months at least to train for it.

Who do you currently train with?

- Right now I am training Marvin Eastman and Eric Pele among others. I have trained with Chuck Liddell for over 7 years so if he has a fight coming up expect that he’ll be down here training with me at some point.

What lesser-known fighter do you think we should be watching?

- Eric Pele is a tough fighter to look out for; he just won the KOTC heavyweight title. The thing with guys like Pele is that he is too heavy to fight in most of the other shows like UFC and others. So we are focusing on Pride and of course KOTC. Also, Marvin Eastman is coming off an unlucky loss to Vitor Belfort. It wasn’t Marvin’s night, and it was good for Vitor to come back that way, so there are no regrets, but Marvin is a top-level competitor and he will be back better than ever.

Does Pele have a title defense lined up?

- Not at the moment, but his next fight will most likely be in KOTC.

What is next for Marvin Eastman?

- Marvin’s next fight will be in the WFA, but nothing is finalized right now.

What is the most painful experience you’ve had to endure as of late in MMA?

- Well, as far as painful experiences, you fight and get hurt but I get hurt more in training than I ever have in a fight. The most disappointing thing for me to see as a fighter is how quickly the fans can forget you. Like when I guy like Chuck Liddell is out there beating everyone, and he takes a loss to Randy, then everyone starts saying he’s overrated or that he’s finished. Its not painful, but its disappointing.

You mentioned Chuck Liddell a couple times, were you directly involved with his training for the past Pride GP and his bout against Alistar?

- Definitely. Everything we planned for turned out. We expected him to be like some of the other Dutch fighters like Gilbert Yvel who I have worked with before. So we expected knees and we expected descent kickboxing. Everyone thinks Chuck has no ground game, but his BJJ skills are top notch. He definitely deserved to move up to Purple belt. Also, you saw him doing some takedowns; I think he was real comfortable in there. Chuck has an iron chin, just because you hit Chuck doesn’t mean anything. He took some shots like always, but he weathered the storm and finished in great form.

Do you have any specific plans for his upcoming fight against Quentin Jackson?

- Well, I know everyone reads these interviews and such so I’ll say this. I don’t think there is any area of Quentin’s game that is better than Chuck’s. It will definitely be an entertaining fight, and we will have to see what happens.

So is there anything special you plan on doing for Jackson?

- I know what Jackson’s strong points are, so does Chuck. We’ve seen his fights before, and we know what we’re going up against. That being said I think we will have a great game plan worked out for his next fight.

 

Thank you very much for answering these questions. I hope it was as fun as possible. I wish you well and I hope we can speak again in the future.

Jeremy Norrie
Jeremy@mma-fighter.com

Could you set the story straight about your altercation with Tito Ortiz after the UFC’s Brawl at the Hall show in England?

I got over this so many times and it feels for me like I am at the police station for questioning

Is there any truth to the accusations that you attacked Tito to build a name for yourself, or to attempt to further your career?

NO, he attacked me and I gave a reaction

Congratulations on your recent win in London, were you pleased with your performance?

Yeah, It was good

Do you think this win should put you in the top 10 in your weight class?

That is not for me to decide. The fans and the promoters may decide.

Do you think you are able to compete with the top-level competition in either Pride or UFC?

Yeah, without a doubt. No problem. I give any fighter a hard time.

Who would you like to fight from either of those organizations?

I don’t mind. As long as I may compete at top level

Have you heard the challenge made to you by Tito Ortiz, and will you accept a fight with him?

That is a job for my management to sort it out

What is your training currently like, and whom do you train with?

I train at London Shoot for my wrestling, Terry Coulter is my boxing coach and I travel to Holland to train with Remco Pardoel or to the USA to train at the Miletich camp.

Are you going to take any new directions in your training, maybe concentrate more on your ground game?

Got to work on wrestling and take down defense. I am going to train with Olympic wrestlers as preparation.

What is your plan for your future in or out of MMA?

Get to the top!!!

Thank you very much for answering these questions. I hope it was as fun as possible. I wish you well and I hope we can speak again in the future.

Jeremy Norrie
Jeremy@mma-fighter.com
http://mma-fighter.com/forum/threads/735-Lee-Murray-Interview

I understand your coming off a tough loss in London, what went wrong?

I really don’t know what went wrong………I trained really hard for this fight and I was ready. Everything that I trained for didn’t happen. Maybe I was too eager and the 14 months was to long of an time in between fights.

How much different was it fighting now in 2003 as opposed to UFC 2?

I can’t tell. For my feeling I did not put up anything. What I did train for did not come out at all. Normally I can sweep somebody easily and I don’t get thrown. My last fight was in April 2002 and everything was the same then. I took the same preparation that time, less boxing but further the same.

Who are you training with currently?

With different people, Lee comes over to help me out with boxing together with Terri. I train in Amsterdam Boxing. I get every month a top Brazilian over for hosting a seminar. I train with my people and friends at my own club. That routine I have done all my life, and it worked well. So I need to search for the mistakes by myself.

It seems like your opponent would have been susceptible to submissions, was that your plan or were you working on your standup for this fight?

Normally I just go and make a move so I can take him down. This time I did not do well standing and let him just move in.

Where do you need to improve the most in order to be able to compete with the top-level competition?

Just train. I can box a bit, I can throw a bit and my ground game is ok. I just need to train that is what I need to do.

Who do you think are the best fighters in the sport today?

Too many to mention, now you have so many good heavy weights and light heavy weights, and I still respect the legends like Royce and Renzo Gracie so it is really hard to say

What lesser-known fighter do you think we should be watching?

Lee Murray will be in the top 5 within a year, but since this weekend he is not a lesser-known guy. If you look at my older interviews I predicted a big future for Lee, he has beaten Pele, which is in top shape. So….

What is the funniest thing you have seen in MMA (at training or an event)?

At the moment I can’t see any fun in MMA, due to my loss.
I would however like to thank the people from the Sherdog and Shooto forum giving me support and trying to cheer me up

What are your thoughts on the Pride GP?

It will be tough, really tough, and some fights will be straight wars!!!!!!!

What is your plan for your future in or out of MMA?

Next week I am on training camp with the national team and afterwards I will go for one week to Phoenix giving seminars then one or two weeks rest. Then go for the gold and never let what I did last Sunday happen again

Thank you very much for answering these questions. I wish you well and I hope we can speak again in the future.

Jeremy Norrie
Jeremy@mma-fighter.com

 

http://mma-fighter.com/forum/threads/736-Remco-Pardoel-Interview

Jeremy Jackson is a welterweight with a 6-2-0 record which includes an IFC tournament win where he TKO’d all 3 opponents, and a recent victory over veteran top 10 fighter Shonie Carter in WEC 6. Jeremy will be making his UFC debut on September 26th against Dennis Hallman. He took a few minutes from his busy training schedule to talk to us.

MMA-Fighter: Congratulations on your upcoming UFC debut.

Jeremy: Thanks alot.

MMA-Fighter: But before that you’ll be giving Nick Diaz a rematch next weekend. Can you tell us about your first fight with him and why you’re giving him a rematch?

Jeremy: Well the first fight with him I guess people think that it was a fluke, or some people called it luck. So I’m gonna give him a second chance just to prove that I can beat him.

MMA-Fighter: So tell me, are you training for Nick Diaz or are you training for Dennis Hallman right now?

Jeremy: I’m not gonna look past Nick Diaz. But basically they both fight the same way, so the way I train for Nick Diaz is the same way I’m gonna train for Dennis Hallman. So I’m not looking past Nick Diaz.

MMA-Fighter: So you don’t find it risky to fight 2 months before your UFC debut? Especially in a rematch?

Jeremy: I’m looking the Nick Diaz fight as more of a umm….kinda like a warm-up fight.

MMA-Fighter: Any idea how the UFC feels about you fighting so soon before their show, and whether or not you’re in no mattter if you win or lose the Diaz fight?

Jeremy: I have’nt really talked to the UFC to find out really how they feel. I would think they would much rather I probably rest and not risk getting injured, but since I already had the contract with the IFC I’m gonna go ahead and go through with it.

MMA-Fighter: So what do you know about Dennis Hallman?

Jeremy: Dennis Hallman.., well I know he’s an excellent grappler, and I know that he submitted Matt Hughes twice. So I do know he’s got mad ground skills. But the way I’m gonna beat him is basically the same way Jens Pulver beat him, except I hit about 30 times harder than Pulver so it won’t last past the 1st round.

MMA-Fighter: Are there any events you have’nt fought in that you’d like to fight in?

Jeremy: I’d like to fight in Pride soon after the UFC, thats my ultimate goal, so I would just have to say Pride.

MMA-Fighter: If you do well at the UFC, would you like to stay there for awhile and seek a shot at the Welterweight belt?

Jeremy: Oh yeah definetly. I want to defend the UFC title a couple of times you know, knock a couple of people out, and then hopefully go into Pride and knock a couple of more people out, and hopefully get the Middleweight Title in Pride.

MMA-Fighter: So hows Robert Ferguson and Team Freedom doing?

Jeremy: Robert Ferguson and Team Freedom are doing really good. A couple of Team Freedom guys have some fights coming up in Mexico. And I’ve been working with wrestlers that are all meeting up to help me train for these fights. And Robert Ferguson is one of the smartest trainers out there. He knows how to pick a fighter down and really study him and know exactly how to beat him. So he’s been giving me all the knowledge in the world and I’m gonna go in there and beat Nick Diaz.

MMA-Fighter: Sounds good, man. We’ll talk to you again after the Diaz fight.

Jeremy: Cool.

MMA-Fighter: We wish you the best of luck.

Jeremy: Thanks.

Lee Cox
Lee@mma-fighter.com

 

http://mma-fighter.com/forum/threads/706-Jeremy-Jackson-Interview

 

I was fortunate enough to have a fighter in the next UFC and new UFC young gun to sit down with me and give me an interview. He’s welll known in California for his grappling and fighting prowess but the rest of the world does not know his name yet but they soon will. He comes from a legendary school called Hayastan and from legendary teachers named Gokor and Gene and everyone is curious to know is everything regarding that school’s exceptional ability truth or myth. Just being given the chance to fight in the UFC says a lot about the school and this fighter…
What is you full name for those of us who cannot spell it?

Karo Parisyan

Who will you be fighting in UFC 44?

David Strasser
How did you get approached for this fight?

Joe Silva (UFC matchmaker) called me and Gokor about a fight sometime after my fight against Fernando Vasconcelos for King of the Cage.
What is your background and how long have you been training?

My background is judo and grappling under Gokor Chivichyan and Gene Lebell. I have been doing judo for 12 years and no-gi grappling since I was 14.

How old are you now?

21

Do you know anything about David Strasser?
Nothing except from what I have seen from his last fight in the UFC.


What is your game plan against him?

I have no game plan. I never have a game plan going into a fight, anything can happen. I will do whatever is there, whatever I can to win, striking or on the ground.

What is your training like right now?

I have been training for 3 weeks so far. I have a judo tournament in August 29 so I will train for the UFC after that but training for the judo tournament will keep me in shape.

Do you train in any striking?

Not really, a little bit with Benny the Jet, and a little bit with some muay thai guys I know. But if he wants to strike I will strike. I will go wherever the fight goes.

Who would you like to fight in the future?

Matt Hughes
Do you think you can beat Hughes?

Who knows. Anything can happen.
Do you see any weaknesses?

Everyone has a weakness, for Matt Hughes I guess it would be striking.
Do you think he can use his great ground and pound on you?

Maybe, I don’t know. You never know until you get in there, anything can happen in there. I caught Sean Sherk with some judo throws. But he took me down a lot also, but I kept getting back up. I was only 18 then.

Who is the best looking man in MMA?

Me (a play off his famous instructor Gene Lebells favorite line, who by the way has been saying that a lot longer than Bas Rutten)

Who is the second best?

I could care less.

Thanks Karo for a great interview, you are truly humble and a class act. I will be putting down $500 bucks on your fight against Strasser, make me some money baby!

Sam “Soldia” Yang
http://innerbjj.blogspot.com/

http://www.mma-fighter.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=716

LastCall: Dennis, few people know that you were a Washington State High School wrestling champion in 1994. What weight was that at, and how did you get involved in MMA?

Dennis Hallman: I won the 135lb title my senior year. I was more of a scrambling wrestler than a ‘fundamentals’ wrestler so the transition to MMA wasn’t that hard. I had a local reputation for being a tough guy and got a call from a fella that said, “Hey, my friend wants to fight you to make a video.” That friend was Bobby Jacobsen…and I beat him. After that I started training with Bobby and a few of his guys, then Jeff Monson and I hooked up about a year later.

LastCall: When was your first fight?

Dennis Hallman: It was early in 1996. After about three weeks of training, mainly in submission wrestling, I fought on a Matt Hume card and choked out some Japanese kid in like 20 seconds. He said he wanted to go again and I ended up winning a decision the second time around.

LastCall: Since leaving AMC you’ve not had too many high profile fights. What gives?

Dennis Hallman: I’ve actually been scheduled to fight in the UFC twice since then. Once was against Romie Aram, then again against Jeremy Jackson. I’ve been keeping busy training and fighting as regularly as possible since then.

LastCall: Many fans credit Lady Luck for the two 1st round submissions of former UFC welterweight champion, Matt Hughes (winning twice in a total of 37 seconds) calling them ‘flukish’. Other fans maintain the argument, “Hughes was not the same back then” and “He’s much better now”…how do you respond?

Dennis Hallman: Hughes still does the same things he did when I fought him in Japan. The deal is that you either catch him when he makes a mistake or he pounds you to death. There’s no such thing as a lucky submission…just a prepared fighter that notices a mistake and the other fighter that doesn’t properly defend the submission. Hughes still makes mistakes, but BJ and I are the only ones that were able to capitalize on them. It’s impossible to say what would happen in a rematch…but if he made a mistake, I’d catch him again.

LastCall: Most in the MMA community last saw you against Ray Cooper at ROTR. What have you been up to since then?

Dennis Hallman: I’m a ‘stay-at-home-dad’ for my three sons during the day and I train with Benji Radach and the team (Victory Athletics) a few nights a week. There’s quite a few good up-an-comers training with us right now. I’ve also been dealing with all the bureaucratic crap over MMA here in Washington State recently. There’s a moratorium on amateur competition until the athletic commission writes it’s new rules…and they’re taking their sweet time. That’s why I haven‘t been promoting any events since early March. So I changed gears to focus on fighting for a while. Now I have great business partner running USA Mixed Martial Arts with me and we’ll be back in the swing of things before too long, but it’s given me the opportunity to look into bigger fights and still be able to maintain an active presence locally.

LastCall: So what are your immediate goals?

Dennis Hallman: My immediate goal is to choke that bitch, Trigg, out. The near future will bring, God willing, some fights against the best fighters in the world at my weight class because I believe I can compete against any one of them.

LastCall: Like?

Dennis Hallman: Like…BJ Penn if he stays at WW; Matt Hughes; Charuto, Sean Sherk, Carlos Newton and anyone else the UFC would sign me to fight.
LastCall: Okay…well you’re scheduled to rematch Frank Trigg. In your first fight (for the WFA welterweight Title) you took a low blow during an exchange on your feet and eventually lost the match. Considering his wrestling background, and the fact that he initiated a shot right out of the gate against Hughes, what do you expect from him?

Dennis Hallman: Honestly? I just expect him to tap out. He won’t want to take the fight to the ground with me because he knows he’d be too busy defending submissions to even think about any kind of offensive maneuver. He’s not stronger than me, he’s not quicker than me…he’s just bald and talks a lot more. I saw his video clip on the Internet where he talked about me crying in the corner like an 8-year-old girl after our last fight. He said that like 3 times. Now, it doesn’t surprise me in the slightest that he knows what a sad little 8-year-old girl sounds like…but did you notice that he doesn’t dispute that he kicked me in the nuts…he just says that he won. No shit – and the NSAC changed the rule after that fight. I’m not worried about that ‘loss’. I know the real deal and so do the fans. It’ll be made clear here in a few weeks UFC 48.

LastCall: What are your thoughts on the current state of the UFC welterweight division and where do you stand among them? Specifically, I’m curious about your thoughts on Trigg’s loss to Hughes, Hughes’ subsequent loss to Penn, and Diaz’ recent knockout of Robbie Lawler.

Dennis Hallman: Well, BJ really blew the division wide open by moving up and taking the title in his first fight in the weight class. I had no doubt whatsoever that Hughes would beat Trigg, that was a given. I really thought Matt would pound the shit out of him though…not choke him out. Nick Diaz is a tough young kid with a huge amount of potential. I, too, thought he’d either submit Lawler, or Robbie would KO him. I never saw a Diaz KO coming. That was cool for him though. As far as the welterweight division goes…on any given day any of the top 15 guys could probably take one another. Shit happens.

LastCall: Okay…how about some word association to take us out. Let loose with whatever comes to mind.

Dennis Hallman: Sure…

LastCall: Frank Trigg

Dennis Hallman: tap tap tap…weak and unskilled, too

LastCall: BJ Penn

Dennis Hallman: Exciting, energetic…

LastCall: Matt Hughes

Dennis Hallman: Epitome of champion

LastCall: Nick Diaz

Dennis Hallman: the future…definitely

LastCall: Karo Parysian

Dennis Hallman: uh…Judo?

LastCall: Charuto

Dennis Hallman: skillful…I could probably tell you more after the Hughes fight.

LastCall: Robbie Lawler

Dennis Hallman: Reckless, tough, he’ll be back.

LastCall: Anything you want to leave the fans with?

Dennis Hallman: I just hope everyone tunes in June 19th and that my fight makes the PPV because I’m ready to show everyone what ‘Superman’ is all about.

LastCall: Thanks for taking the time to chat, Dennis. Good luck with the rest of your preparation.

Dennis Hallman: No problem, man. See you in Vegas.

Christopher “Last Call” Cope
djlastcall@yahoo.com

http://mma-fighter.com/forum/threads/2701-Dennis-Hallman-Interview-May-11th-2003-By-Last-Call

Gerald Strebendt who is rising and exciting star in MMA is slated to fight Josh Thompson of American Kickboxing Academy at UFC 44. He is most famous for his rubber guard usage in MMA. He was kind enough to take some time out of his training and do an interview with me.

How did you get into MMA?

Thanks for the interview Sam! I got in to mma after watching Royce Gracie win in the UFC.

Do you remember the first mma fight you watched?

The first fight I remember watching was Royce against Kimo.

What is your background in martial arts?

I wrestled in junior high and High school and I have been training jiu jitsu for three and a half years and I lived in a Muay Thai camp for 6 months. I currently train Muay Thai with two champion fighters that have won fights in Thailand. Paulo Tocha and Chris Reilly.

How long did you train for your first fight?

I only trained for a year and four months for my first fight. I won but I really didn’t know what I was doing! Now that I am sponsored I can just train all day and teach privates for extra money.

Run us through a typical training day?

I train doubles every day except sun. Lots of Muay Thai and lots of sparring.

How has the Bombsquad Gym and their trainers helped in your stand up game?

Paulo and Chris have taught me how the Thais prepare for fights and all the conditioning the Thais do for a fight. I don’t ever see myself fighting a mma fight that is as hard as my training sessions with them!

What do you know about your opponent Josh Thompson and the AKA and what do you plan to do against him?

Right now it has been discussed with the UFC that I might be fighting Josh Thompson from the AKA. He is a tough fighter and I am planning on fighting a pure Muay Thai fight against him because he has such good wrestling that I probably won’t be able to take him down. He likes to bang so hopefully we can knock the hell out of each other on the feet and make the crowd happy.

Do you watch fight tapes of your opponents?

I always try to watch fight tapes from my opponents and hopefully Josh will send me a video of all his fights and a list of any weaknesses he might have, but I am not counting on it!!!

How did the UFC deal come along?

After I choked out Jean Silva in London, the opportunity came to fight in the UFC.

Is it hard to make a living in MMA?

It is hard to make a living in mma but all I care about is paying my dues right now. If I keep on performing then the big money will come.

Why have you decided to train at Hayastan?

I decided to train with the Hayastan because of Karo Parisyan and Manvel Gamburyan. They have a special way of training and preparing for fights and I am trying to find out how they have been winning all there fights.

For those of us who don’t know, how does Hayastan Grappling differ from BJJ?

Hayastan is a lot different from the rest of the schools in the country because they have Olympic level judo and upper body wrestling. They also have the best leg locks in the business.

With most mma grapplers being wrestlers and BJJ players, how would you rank Karo and Manvel against top MMA grapplers?

I can’t really compare Karo and Manvel to jiu jitsu guys because they are fighters above anything else. They like to throw people and break legs with there Sambo back grounds. They also like to punch people from all over the ground. If you slip up and let Karo punch you he will put a hole right through you! Just ask Fernando Vasconcelos!

Gokor and Gene Lebell, there is a lot of talk about them on the internet. What is your opinion on these men, are they hype of the real deal?

Gokor and Gene are great men and great teachers. They deserve a lot of respect for the work they do and the fighters they produce.

Now that you’re training with both, how would you compare Gokor with JJ Machado?

I hate to compare Jean Jacques and Gokor because they are completely different in there approach to grappling. Jean Jacques will take control of his opponents by constantly improving his position until he has obtained the most dominant position and then he will take you out very cleanly with a rear choke. Very few people on the planet can stop him. Gokor will throw his opponents so hard you will need a chiropractor and then he will turn you legs into a big orthoscopic mess. He is a very capable grappler and he has some great students to prove it.

What are your thoughts on Eddie Bravo as a BJJ player? Is he a revolutionary?

I think Eddie Bravo is the Bruce Lee of today’s jiu jitsu fighters. He has a great eye for new techniques and has invented moves that work on the best fighters in the world. He is the only person in the world to tap out Royler Gracie. He is as real as they come. He has trained me for all my fights and when he is in my corner I always win.

Did you think Eddie Bravo had a chance against Royler?

I told everyone in a previous interview that he would not only beat Royler but he would tap him. He would tap him 9 out of ten matches.

Who are your some of your favorite fighters?

My favorite fighters are Frank Shamrock, Rickson Gracie, and Vanderlei Silva. I also like the old school Chris Brennan who used to put people to sleep and knock people out with head kicks. I hope he makes a come back because he is exciting to watch.

Who would you like to fight in MMA in the future?

I don’t like to call people out but I would like the opportunity to fight Hermes Franca. I watched him in the UFC and I think a fight with him would be pure adrenaline.

What are your plans for the future?

I am just going to keep training and try to go down in history as one of the best. Failure is really not an option. The last thing I want to say is thank you to Joe Rogan for keeping my trainers paid and keeping food in my stomach. It would be impossible with out him. Thanks for everything bro!

Thanks to Gerald for the great interview, he’s a true class act who I’m sure will be making a splash in the UFC very soon. I’m already gonna put $500 smackers on your fight with Josh, SHOW ME THE MONEY!

Sam “Soldia” Yang
http://innerbjj.blogspot.com/

http://www.mma-fighter.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=433



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