Pat Miletich (right) discusses MMA, MFS, and moving behind the mic for Showtime.

MMAMADNESS: How did you originally get started in MMA?

PAT MILETICH: A friend of mine who had refereed my Muay Thai kickboxing told me about an upcoming event, it was a winner take all event, so I told him to put my name in.

MM: What is your first memory as a mixed martial artist?

PM: My first memory was it dawning on me that everyone was very… they hold very close to their person the art that they studied, whether it was wrestling or boxing or jiu-jitsu. It was like it was part of their being, they were too prideful to learn the other arts to become well rounded. That was something that kind of dawned on me right away that was kind of necessary to beat everybody.

MM: At some point you went the opposite rout, because you developed the Miletich Fighting Systems and started training other fighters.

PM: For one, I needed to have good training partners to get ready for my fights, so I just took guys that were wrestlers and starting teaching them how to box. It was born from the recognition that every martial art had something to offer, so I tried to explore other types of boxing, namely boxing and Muay Thai, a little bit of Karate. I have a black belt in Karate. But also wrestling, jiu-jitsu, sambo. The way I started coaching people was really right away I wanted to have a lot of good training partners and I thought that if I could show that I could not just be a decent fighter but create good fighters that business wise at least people would recognize that I knew what I was talking about.

MM: Was there anyone you looked up to in the sport?

PM: I wouldn’t say there’s really one person at all because I admired a lot of the guys that were fighting, but there wasn’t really anybody that I aspired to be because everybody has kind of their own journey to be honest with you. When I was young running a football in games, I didn’t say ‘I’m Walter Payton,’ I was like, ‘I’m Pat Miletich.’

MM: You’ve seen this sport grow and evolve. What’s the most striking thing you’ve seen?

PM: I guess how the masses can be led easily to believe certain things about brand names and things like that. How the fans maybe don’t recognize enough how good the fighters are in all the major organizations like DREAM, Strikeforce, UFC. There are so many good fighters out there. Maybe now it’s slowly starting to change. The attempts by so many organizations at success that have fallen flat on their faces, it’s just been a tough road across the board.

MM: You’ve also done commentary work. How difficult is it talking about a fight on camera, as opposed to actually fighting?

PM: It’s interesting you ask, because I do pay attention to commentators, but I pay way more attention now. The job of being a commentator is a lot of pressure to make sure that you don’t say too many negative things about kids and affect their possibilities at earning down the road by something you say negative about them on the air. It’s really important to point out maybe the things that one kid might be doing really well and taking advantage of while defeating someone without really saying anything bad about the kid that’s losing the fight. I think it’s a pretty big responsibility by the commentators because you really to wield a lot of power, you have the potential to really hurt a kid’s career. I think it’s important to stay as positive as possible and on top of that, the play by play guys like Mauro Ranallo, Gus Johnson and [Mike] Goldberg, they’re all good friends of mine. You see on the forums, people that say negative things about each guy and things like that. Mauro Ranallo… If somebody sat for three days with us and went through the production meetings and watched him and watched him type up the opening of a show and watch him memorize… he’ll read off a computer screen three or for times the opening of a show while rehearsing it, and after that he’s pretty much done reading it. He’s remembered an entire open of a show, word for word, and he remembers my part, and he remembers the third man in the booth’s part also. Super intelligent guy, he has a memory like a bear trap, it’s amazing. The critics out there don’t realize how tough these guys’ jobs are. When they say three, two, one, live on TV, and you can’t screw up and you have to remember everything to say, trust me, those guys are good.

Herschel Walker prepares to make his MMA debut in Florida for StrikeForce.

Walker, the 1982 Heisman Trophy winner and two-time Pro Bowl competitor, will face an opponent to be announced in one of as many as five live, SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) televised bouts on the StrikeForce card.

The 6 foot 1 inch, 220 pound former running back, who already holds a fifth degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and boasts additional training in the combat disciplines of Muay Thai and Kenpo, recently entered a 12 week MMA training camp at San Jose, California’s American Kickboxing Academy (AKA), which plays home to a host of the world’s greatest fighters, including StrikeForce Lightweight Champion Josh “The Punk” Thomson and undefeated middleweight superstar Cung Le.

Walker, a 1999 College Hall of Fame inductee who was also selected to Sports Illustrated’s NCAA All-Century Team that year, has never been one to shy away from the road less traveled.

Following his junior year at the University of Georgia where he had set the NCAA freshman rushing record en route to an undefeated season and Sugar Bowl championship victory over Notre Dame, Walker, a born-again Christian, astonished the sports world by withdrawing from school to play professional ball in the newly formed United States Football League (USFL) rather than wait to enter the NFL draft after the graduation of his collegiate class, a rule maintained by the world’s largest professional football league at the time.

While the vast majority of football players typically follow an intensive weight room regimen, Walker relied on bodyweight exercise, conditioning, and calisthenics while maintaining very little body fat.

Walker was eventually drafted in 1985 by The Dallas Cowboys and established himself as a premiere running back in the league.  In 1986, he was the driving force behind a historic trade that sent in to The Minnesota Vikings in exchange for five players and six draft picks.

In 12 NFL seasons with four different teams, he became the only player to gain 4,000 yards three different ways – rushing, receiving, and kickoff returns.  He is one of six players to exceed 60 touchdowns rushing and 20 touchdowns receiving and is the only player in NFL history to register a 90 plus yard reception, a 90 plus yard run, and a 90 plus yard kickoff return, all in one season (1994).

Off the gridiron, Walker has achieved a handful of feats, including a seventh place finish in the 1992 Winter Olympics two-man bobsled competition.  Now 47 years of age, the native of Wrightsville, Georgia will look to conquer a whole new world.

Diaz will make his first start since he submitted hard-hitting Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith with a rear naked choke in the third round (1:41) of their StrikeForce:  Lawler vs. Shields matchup at St. Louis, Missouri’s Scottrade Center on June 6, 2009.  The 26 year old Diaz, a native of Stockton, California, will put a five fight win streak on the line.

Cyborg made history on August 15, 2009 when the 24-year-old native of Brazil stopped superstar Gina Carano with a punishing barrage of strikes in the first round (4:59) of their meeting to become the first-ever StrikeForce women’s champion.  The long-awaited showdown between Carano and Cyborg also marked the first women’s main event in the history of any major MMA promotion.

Doors at BankAtlantic Center open at 7 p.m.  The first non-televised, preliminary card fight will begin at 8 p.m.

StrikeForce signs Melvin “No Mercy” Manhoef.

The 33 year old, who hails from Amsterdam, Netherlands, comes to StrikeForce after reaching the semifinal round of the 2008 DREAM Middleweight (185 pounds) Grand Prix tournament by scoring first round TKOs on Dae Won Kim and legendary champion Kazushi Sakuraba on May 11, 2008 and June 15, 2008 respectfully.   

His well-known battle cry “When I fight, I am willing to die” has translated into Manhoef’s explosive style of fighting, one that has helped him earn 22 of his 30 career MMA wins and 27 of his 45 career kickboxing victories by way of  knockout.

On February 26, 2005, Manhoef initiated his best run to date, a 10 fight win streak in MMA competition, by stopping Matthias Riccio at Cage Rage 10 in London, England with a series of strikes in the first round (3:01).  

Amongst his victims during this stretch were Ian “The Machine” Freeman and Crosley Gracie, both of whom Manhoef stopped in the first round with strikes.  Manhoef was crowned Cage Rage champion on September 10, 2005 after scoring a 51 second knockout with punches on Brazil’s Fabio Piamonte in London.

Asked on short notice to serve as a replacement in a heavyweight matchup with knockout artist Mark Hunt at the annual New Year’s Eve “Dynamite” extravaganza in Saitama, Japan last year, Manhoef obliged and, despite being at a tremendous weight disadvantage, crushed the Samoan fighter with an onslaught of punches a mere 18 seconds after the opening bell rang.
 
Manhoef’s career in K-1, the world’s premiere stand-up fighting league, dates back to February 24, 2002.  During his tenure with the Japanese promotion, he has triumphed over the likes of former K-1 tournament champions Stefan Leko and Ruslan Karaev, whom Manhoef crushed with a left hook only 31 seconds into their meeting in Amsterdam on June 23, 2007.  

Born in Suriname, Manhoef relocated to Rotterdam with his family when he was three years old.  He was introduced to the sport of Muay Thai by his brother and, at age 18, won his first bout. 

After their recent losses, Cerrone and Benavidez are set to lead the way on WEC 45.

“Four of our top lightweights are going to be competing on Dec. 19, each with his sights set on securing a coveted shot at the world title,” WEC GM Reed Harris said. “Cerrone vs. Ratcliff has the potential to be an explosive standup war. We can expect much of the same from Njokuani and Horodecki as well. This is the perfect holiday gift for fans.”

In addition to the lightweight fights, two of the world’s top 10 bantamweights will be in action. In an interesting clash of styles, submission ace Rani Yahya will lock horns with the speedy Joseph Benavidez.

“On Dec. 19, we are showcasing two of the world’s most dynamic bantamweights,” Harris said. “Benavidez-Yahya has the potential to steal the show. We are really excited to bring this card to The Palms.”    

After battling Ben Henderson in a “Fight of the Year” candidate in October, Donald Cerrone (10-2, 1 NC) has wasted no time reinserting himself into the world title picture. A gifted striker training out of Albuquerque, NM, “Cowboy” is excited to face the unpredictable Ed “9MM” Ratcliff on Dec. 19. Knowing that his opponent loves to trade leather, Cerrone wants to prove that he has the right arsenal to diffuse Ratcliff. What’s more, the 26-year-old believes a win over “9MM” at the Palms will propel him toward rematches with Henderson and reigning champ Jamie Varner.

“I just have to whip Ed’s tail,” a motivated Cerrone said. “He’s a one-dimensional fighter. He’s not going to take me down and try to wrestle me. He’s going to try to beat me at my game, which is striking. He is a striker and that’s my game, so I hope he’s ready. I want to work my way back to a shot at the belt.”

A black belt in Taekwondo and karate, there are few standup artists as polished as Ratcliff. The 26-year-old holds a 3-1 record inside the WEC and owns victories over Johnny Sampaio, Alex Karalexis, and Phil Cardella. Now training out of San Diego, Calif. with WEC bantamweight contender Dominick Cruz and UFC star Brandon Vera, Ratcliff (7-1) is anxious to fight Cerrone and prove that he belongs atop the WEC lightweight division.

“As soon as my manager said Donald’s name I said ‘Let’s do it,’” Ratcliff said. “He didn’t even have to finish the sentence. My fight with Donald has the potential to be a war and I can’t wait.”

After earning “Knockout of the Night” honors in his last two fights, perhaps no fighter is riding a wave of momentum like Anthony Njokuani. With back-to-back KO wins over Bart Palaszewski and Muhsin Corbbrey, the 29-year-old Las Vegas resident hopes a win on Dec. 19 will fuel his run to WEC gold. Undefeated as a professional Muay Thai fighter, the hard-hitting Njokuani (12-2) wants to earn another bonus by flattening Horodecki in the co-main event.

“This is the type of fight that I’ve been looking for,” Njokuani, a native of Nigeria, said. “This matchup gets me excited and I can’t wait to fight Chris. When I win this one, it will put me at the level that I’ve been waiting for. It will put me in the mix for a shot at the world title.”

Nicknamed “The Polish Hammer,” Chris Horodecki (13-1) burst onto the MMA scene during his time with the International Fight League. Displaying heavy hands and an aggressive approach, Horodecki is excited to join WEC and thinks a win over Njokuani will make him an immediate contender in the lightweight division. Training with the likes of Mark Hominick and Sam Stout, Horodecki is confident that he is prepared to compete on MMA’s biggest stage.

“With the right game plan, I’ll beat Anthony in the standup and take him down if I have to,” Horodecki, originally from London, Ontario, Canada, said. “I’m the fresh face here in the WEC. Everyone wants to make a name for themselves. I’m excited for this fight and I’ll be ready to go to battle on Dec. 19.”

One of the most feared grapplers in the sport, Rani Yahya (15-4) has scored submission victories in four out of his last five fights in the WEC. An Abu Dhabi world champion in 2007, the soft-spoken Brazilian hopes to make Joseph Benavidez his next victim on Dec. 19. Although respectful of Benavidez’s abilities, Yahya thinks that he can ground the wiry Californian.

“Jiu jitsu is my strength in the cage,” Yahya, who has only been out of the first round once in his WEC career, said. “Joseph is a very quick fighter, but I think I can put him in some bad positions and win the fight.”

Joseph Benavidez (10-1) is one of the bantamweight division’s hottest prospects. A well-rounded athlete who boasts speed, power, and good cage awareness, Benavidez is looking to snap Yahya’s winning streak at The Palms. A training partner of WEC vets Urijah Faber and Danny Castillo, Benavidez believes that he has the seasoning needed to best Yahya.

“This is an important fight for me,” said Benavidez, who lost the first bout of his career to Dominick Cruz in August. “There’s no doubt that I’m hungry and want to prove a point in this bout. Yahya is an awesome grappler, but I think I’m the better all-around fighter.”

BJ Penn will defend his title against Diego Sanchez

“In this sport it sometimes takes years for fighters to find the weight class where they’re at their best,” UFC President Dana White said. “I don’t think there’s any question that BJ Penn and Diego Sanchez have finally found their homes at 155 pounds, making the UFC 107 main event a fight between the best Penn and Sanchez we’ve ever seen. BJ hasn’t lost in this weight class in years, and Diego has looked unstoppable in his lightweight fights, and when these two meet in the center of the Octagon, it’s going to make our first trip to Memphis one fight fans will never forget.”

“Thanks to the vision of our owner, Michael Heisley and the diligence and hard work of our staff, the help of state legislators and the UFC, we have cleared a path for UFC to make its way to the state of Tennessee and the city of Memphis,” said Steve Zito, Senior Vice President, Arena Operations and Entertainment for FedExForum.  “By helping to bring UFC to the state of Tennessee we will have the opportunity to continue to showcase the city of Memphis and FedExForum as a world-class arena.”

Unbeaten at 155 pounds for nearly eight years with nine finishes in his 10 lightweight victories, BJ Penn (fighting out of Hilo, Hawaii) has ruled the 155-pound division with an iron fist, finishing top contenders Joe Stevenson, Sean Sherk, and Kenny Florian along the way. The refocused 30-year-old lightweight champion and former welterweight champion came into his title defense against Florian at August’s UFC 101 in the best shape of his brilliant career, and Penn (14-5-1) combined a flawless game plan and world-class conditioning to submit his fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with a rear naked choke in the fourth round of his third fight in 2009. Now the champion’s conditioning will be put to the ultimate test when he faces the new No. 1 contender.

“I can’t wait to defend the title,” Penn said. “I know what kind of competitor Diego Sanchez is and I am training very hard. This will be a good test.”

“The Prodigy” will face a challenger as willing as he is to leave it all on the line in The Ultimate Fighter(tm) Season One winner Diego Sanchez (fighting out of San Diego, Calif.), who has reinvented himself as a unstoppable cardio machine that won’t quit moving forward until he wears the UFC championship belt around his waist. The 27-year-old Albuquerque, N.M. native with the 23-2 professional record is on a four-fight win streak and is 2-0 since dropping down to lightweight with exciting wins over Joe Stevenson and Clay Guida. This will mark Sanchez’s first title fight, and if the former welterweight, who won his first 19 professional fights, tops Penn, he will join Matt Serra, Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans as the fourth The Ultimate Fighter(tm) show winner to earn a UFC title.

“I’ve always wanted to face the best,” Sanchez said. “I’ve worked so hard for this and now I finally have a shot at the title. I’m training like I’ve never trained before and I expect an all-out war.”

Plus, in the UFC 107 co-main event, two-time UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir (fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) returns to the Octagon to begin his quest for a third title, and to move back up the ladder in one of the sport’s toughest divisions. With finishing wins in three of his last four fights against names such as Brock Lesnar, Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira and Antoni Hardonk, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace with the 12-4 record will need all of his elite level experience to thwart the devastating attack of his next opponent.

“Cheick Kongo is one of the best strikers in the UFC,” Mir said. “I’m coming off a loss and I definitely want to get back on the road to the title. I think this will be a difficult challenge.”

Another heavyweight with finishing wins in three of his last four fights, 6-foot-4, 240-pound Cheick Kongo (fighting out of Paris, France) combines power and superior striking skills every time he steps into the Octagon(tm).  The imposing 34-year-old, who has seven UFC wins, holds a 24-5-1 record and knows that a win over a superstar like Mir will move him ever closer to his first title opportunity.

“In the UFC, you can’t take any opponents lightly,” Kongo said. “But when you face a former champion such as Frank Mir, you’re expecting one of the toughest fights of your career. It’s going to be a classic.”

Also added to the stacked UFC 107 main card is a welterweight showdown between fellow Brazilians Thiago “Pitbull” Alves and Paulo Thiago, two of the division’s top competitors.

One of the most feared strikers in the sport today, Fortaleza-born Thiago Alves (22-5) is a Muay Thai wrecking machine whose fists and feet have sent the likes of Tony DeSouza, Chris Lytle, Karo Parisyan, Matt Hughes, and Josh Koscheck to defeat. Now fighting out of Coconut Creek, Florida, the 26 year old banger will look to rebound from his courageous five round loss against champion Georges St-Pierre in July by stopping the rise of Paulo Thiago and getting back on the road to another title shot.

A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt with multiple titles to his name, Brasilia’s Paulo Thiago surprisingly made his name in the UFC with a spectacular one punch knockout of Josh Koscheck at UFC 95 in February, showing the world that he is as dangerous standing as he is on the mat. On December 12th, the 11-1 fighter and member of Brazil’s special operations police force – who is coming off a hard-fought battle with Jon Fitch – will look to lay down the law to Thiago Alves.

Thiago is back to work and focused on getting back to the top.

Written by Matt Welch

Preparing for the biggest fight of your career, let alone one against one of the world’s top fighters, requires a near-seamless training camp with little room for error in preparations.

It’s a reality that was learned the hard way for UFC welterweight contender Thiago Alves, who is just under two months removed from a 25-minute thumping at the hands of UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 100.

“It wasn’t my night obviously,” Alves said. “I couldn’t let go of my game and everything. I felt tight. I wasn’t myself.”

Alves was a recent guest on Sans The Gloves and talked about the aftermath of the first title bout in his 12-fight UFC career.

While Alves worked his way towards his title shot by utilizing his tenacious, aggressive striking and is considered one of the welterweight division’s top Muay-Thai practitioners, he admits that he was without a vital cog in his training camp for the St. Pierre bout.

“I didn’t train with my Thai coach that I did in my last seven fights,” he said. “…He got deported and everything, so he couldn’t come back. He’s from Belgium. I didn’t prepare myself with him with him for this fight, the most important fight of my career.”

Despite St. Pierre scoring a clean 50-45 sweep on all three judges’ scorecards, the 170-pound kingpin offered words of advice to the gritty Alves shortly after the bout’s conclusion.

Speaking from the experience of an early loss to then-welterweight champion Matt Hughes in his own UFC career, St. Pierre said Alves would be able to use the loss as an opportunity to come back stronger than ever, and no doubt the contender has taken those words to heart. 

“I saw the best fighter in the world on one of his best nights,” Alves said. “I know I can do better than that … No excuses, [St. Pierre] was better than me, but I know I can do better than what I did that night. I’m training harder and trying to fix the holes in my game.”

Despite Alves’ vaunted striking pedigree, the Brazilian found himself unable to muster any kind of rhythm during the standup exchanges with St. Pierre, and the frustration was evident. 

“Every time I would step in, he would step out, so that frustrated me,” Alves said. “Every time I tried to do something, he would just move away. He had a great gameplan. I was fighting his fight.”

Still, Alves said the loss was a learning experience that he will to build off of as he prepares to return to competition.

“I learned a lot,” he said. “I know fighting at this level is all about strategy and everything, but it just proved my point even more … I didn’t get my belt. I didn’t get the thing that I wanted most, but I gained so much overall.” 

As he waits for the opportunity to get back on track, Alves was in attendance at UFC 102 this past weekend, cornering jiu-jitsu coach and American Top Team compatriot Marcus Aurelio in preliminary tilt against Evan Dunham.

Aurelio is a long-time friend of Alves and while the companionship between the two has been beneficial for the progression of each other’s careers, Thiago said that bond is common amongst all fighters who train at A.T.T.

“I think it’s the family atmosphere inside of the gym and everything,” he said. “Everybody’s working together towards one goal and trying to get better and help your friend out. 

For Alves, that goal now becomes the steady climb towards redemption.

While not officially announced, rumors are swirling that Alves could next see action at UFC 107 in December, where the A.T.T. product would potentially meet fellow Brazilian Paulo Thiago, and Alves doesn’t envy the next man to square off opposite him inside the octagon.

“I doesn’t matter who my next opponent,” he said. “I just feel bad for him, because some fighters have to pay the bill. It’s a long bill, and I’m going to take it out on my next opponent.”

Mark Munoz has very hard with Team Blackhouse to make most of this chance. (photo courtesy of footcandlesproductions.com)

Mark Muñoz is never one to forget where he — or his family — came from and what it took for him to get where he is now. He is one of a few professional Filipino-American athletes, and was the first Filipino-American to win a NCAA Division I national title in wrestling.

Mark has used that experience to influence other Filipino-Americans to follow their dreams.

“I’ve got a lot of support from the Filipino community,” said Muñoz. “I’m definitely a walking testamony for other Filipino-Americans out there that if you want to get into wrestling or anything that you want to do just go ahead and do it. You’ve just got to put in the work and have the right mentality.”

He’ll use that support from his family, friends and Filipino community to overcome the obstacle that is Nick Catone, today at UFC 102.

Both relatively equal in experience — Muñoz is 5-1 and Catone is 7-1.

Muñoz recently relocated to the Southern California area to train with Team Blackhouse. His new training partners consist: fellow Filipino-American Brandon Vera, “King Mo” Muhammed Lawal, Jason Lambert, Michael Guymon and various others.

Drawing from their accumulative experience, Mark has been training day-to-day to better his skills. He works stand up with some of the best in the game, and hosts his own wrestling team — West Coast Wrestling.

He’s only been competing in mixed martial arts for a little over a year, but thanks to his previous accolades he said he feels more than ready to handle all the challenges that will come.

“I’ve been wrestling since I was 13 years old,” Muñoz said. “I’ve been training (in) all aspects of MMA. I’ve got great training partners and I’m part of a new team now with Blackhouse Gym. I’m a wrestler, that’s my style. I’ve been doing boxing with Able Nuñez in Calsbad (Calif) and doing Muay Thai with Billy Scheibe in Carlsbad also. … I’m prepared in all aspects.”

Muñoz is looking forward to matching up against Catone. They are both from a wrestling background, but the unpredictability of the sport means the fight may remain standing or become a ground battle.

“I think there’s going to be a lot of ground fighting,” Muñoz predicted. “But then again, when two wrestlers collide you tend to see a stand-up war. We’ll see. I’m definitely prepared if it goes stand up, and I’m definitely prepared if it goes to the ground. Expect sparks to fly.”

WEC 43 moves to San Antonio after postponement event.

The 10-fight card, which was originally slated for Sept. 2, now heads to one of the nation’s top cities. What’s more, the Oct. 10 event will be WEC’s first-ever show on a Saturday night, making it a historic night for the organization.

“We are really excited to be bringing this fight card to San Antonio,” WEC General Manager Reed Harris said, adding that the market has long been attractive to WEC. “They say everything’s bigger in Texas. We plan on living up to that slogan by bringing some of the most prominent mixed martial artists in the world to San Antonio.

“The stars have aligned for this card,” Harris continued. “As we stated earlier this week, an injury to Henderson prevented him from being ready to fight on Sept. 2, but he’s fired up and ready for ‘Cowboy’ on Oct. 10. It’s the perfect scenario. We’ve got a world title fight on a Saturday night in one of the nation’s biggest cities. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

Tickets for Cerrone vs. Henderson go on sale Friday, Sept. 4 at 10 a.m. CT and will be priced at $25, $45, $75, and $125. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to WEC newsletter subscribers on Thursday, Sept. 3 starting at 10 a.m. CT. To access this presale, users must register for the WEC newsletter on www.wec.tv.

Cerrone vs. Henderson will be televised nationally live on VERSUS beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT.  All of the network’s live WEC events are presented in HD and Spanish language SAP where available. For more information and how to find VERSUS in your local viewing area, visit http://www.versus.com/findversus.

With lightweight champion Jamie Varner unable to defend the title due to injury, top contenders Donald Cerrone and Ben Henderson are set to collide in what could be of the most intense championship bouts of the year.

A former professional bull rider, Cerrone (10-1, 1 NC) hopes to lasso his first world title when he meets Henderson in San Antonio. A phenomenal Muay Thai striker, the 26-year-old Albuquerque, NM resident also boasts a potent ground game. With nine of his 10 wins coming by way of submission – including his last victory via rear naked choke over James Krause on June 7 – the Greg Jackson-trained Cerrone is undoubtedly one of the most dangerous fighters in the lightweight division. With a unique blend of striking and submissions, “Cowboy” firmly believes that his versatility will guide him toward the WEC championship.

“He’s got an awesome ground game and he’s a superior wrestler,” Cerrone said of Henderson. “The only thing he lacks is his standup. I believe that I have what it takes to become champion. I know Ben well and like him, but when the cage door closes, I want to win that belt.”

A technically-sound grappler, Henderson (9-1) has lived up to his nickname “Smooth” since debuting in the WEC in January. Fighting out of Glendale, AZ, the former two-time NAIA collegiate wrestling All-American has scored WEC wins over Shane Roller and Anthony Njokuani and is unbeaten since 2006. Thanks to his wrestling prowess and black belt in Taekwondo, Henderson has the ability to finish fights both on the feet and the ground. With a complete arsenal at his disposal, the 25-year-old believes he will out-duel “Cowboy” in their October showdown.

“There are guys who get in the cage and you can see in their eyes that they’re a little bit overwhelmed by the whole thing,” Henderson said. “I don’t think I’ll be overwhelmed. I love Cerrone’s game and his ‘Terminator’ style. He just keeps coming forward. As far as standing up with him and trading some blows, I’d love to. Let’s go out there and have fun.”

Gonzaga looks to get back on track after losing his last fight at UFC 96.

(sponsored by FightCeuticals.com)

Heavyweight Gabriel Gonzaga (10-4) has been busy since his loss to Shane Carwin at UFC 96 earlier this year.

He’s been thinking about a lot of things from the defeat and what went wrong, but like all good fighters, Gonzaga is ready for his next fight and putting the past behind him.

“When Shane and I fought, it just wasn’t my night. … I should have forced the fight there more,” Gonzaga admitted to the “Ground & Pound” radio show. “But I learned from it, and I changed my training. I also have a lot going on opening a new gym.”

The new gym he is talking about is a new 4000-square feet MMA gym in Marlboro, Mass. featuring Muay Thai, Boxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. 

He also plans on competing in the Abu Dhabi tournament in Spain, but for now he is preparing for his next challenge in the octagon against newcomer Chris Tuchscherer at UFC 102. 

Tuchscherer was a finalist to be on the next “Ultimate Fighter” season featuring heavyweights, but he was offered to fight Gonzaga at UFC 102 instead.

He has a solid wrestling background and a professional record of 17-1. 

He also has probably one of the best training partners in heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.

Gonzaga is confident, that he can neutralize Tuchscherer’s size — 6-feet-1, 260 pounds.

“He is a big guy with great wrestling, but I train to be ready for wherever the fight goes. … I think I can stop him from using his strength” said Gonzaga, who has been practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu for 16 years.

Gonzaga has brought in a new training camp, and even spent a few weeks with Xtreme Couture, preparing for his opponents strong point in wrestling.

“My experience in jiu-jitsu is going to be my strength on the ground. I have been practicing Muay Thai and keeping my MMA game well-rounded to prepare for anything” Gonzaga stated.

Gonzaga has been in the UFC longer and faced the better competition that his opponent, but he is in need of a win after his loss to Carwin.

He is 3-3 in his last six fights.

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