-
MARCH 2012 3.95
www.fightersmag.co.uk
144
THEMMASHOWBRINGING MMA ANDMARTIAL ARTS TO LIFE THE NEC
BIRMINGHAM12th & 13th MAY 2012
Plus... Nate Marquardt Severs Ties with BAMMA >>> UFC
on Fox 2 Reviewed & UFC Sweden Previewed!
Dont Burn Yourself Out - Be Ready to Fight!Will Brock Lesnar
Return to The WWE?
and Much, Much More!
K-1 - MMA - KICKBOXING - MUAY THAI - BOXING
its
Hits The NEC
in May!See Some o
f The Biggest
Names in MMA!
-
THQ001/01
-
THQ001/01
-
Welcome to this months edition of Fighters magazine, your number
one magazine for everything from the world of full contact sports
and do we have some news for YOU!
This month, as always we have a great mix of MMA, Muay Thai, K1
and Wrestling for you to feast your eyes over.
But before we detail what we have in this issue, I would like to
let you in on something that we have been working on behind the
scenes, something that has never been done before in the UK and
will make your year!
Over the weekend of May the 12th and 13th at the National
Exhibition Centre in Birmingham we will launch The MMA Show Live
and it will run in its own huge Hall alongside the hugely
successful The Martial Arts Show Live!
The weekend will be made up of: 5 interactive areas that will
allow you to train with some of the MMA Worlds biggest names
(approximately 50 of them)! There will also be a huge stage arena
where you can ask all of our stars any questions that you wish!
There will be a purpose built autograph area where you will be able
to gain autographs and have your photographs taken with the stars
and an enclosed purpose built Platinum VIP area where (if you but
one of our limited platinum VIP passes) you will be able to hang
out with all of our massive superstar guest list!!! But be sure to
book your VIP Platinum tickets soon as they are limited and they
will sell fast once you discover just who we have coming. You can
stay ahead of the pack by visiting www.theMMA showlive.com for all
the latest news!!!
We know that tickets will sell fast so make sure you get yours
sooner rather than later, especially the Platinum VIP tickets as
they are limited to 500. Remember, we will have 50 plus of the MMA
Worlds biggest names (K1, UFC, Pride, BAMMA etc . . ) but for now
here are 4 names to whet your appetite: UFC fighters Kenny Florian
and Simeon Thoresen, BAMMA Middleweight Champion Tom Kong Watson,
UFC, PRIDE and DREAM veteran Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and Ian The
Machine Freeman. Just wait until we release the rest of our guest
list . . . you aint seen nothing yet!
As always we have all the latest from the Octagon as we round up
all the results since our last edition came out. We also have a
full review of UFC on Fox 2, the organisations latest foray into
network television in the States. There was plenty to talk about at
this event, especially for Mike The Count Bisping in a somewhat
controversial fight against brash American Chael Sonnen, go to page
8 to see what all the fuss was about.
Staying with the UFC, we review their next big two events, UFC
144 and UFC Sweden. UFC 144 marks the companies first return to
Japan since 2001. Headlining this event is a Lightweight Title bout
between current champion Frankie Edgar and challenger Ben
Henderson. As well as a full preview of the event we had our guy
across the pond, Bryan Levick catch up with the man given the task
of dethroning one of the best pound for pound champs, Ben
Henderson. Find out how Henderson has been preparing for the big
fight, life inside the Octagon and what he gets up to in his spare
time. We also caught up with our very own Vaughan Lee before his
own fight at the same event. The Birmingham based fighter will be
taking on a Japanese MMA legend in the form of Nori Kid Yamamoto.
Vaughan really will be travelling into the belly of the beast to
face one of the home fans favourites.
What does it really take to win a fight: Technique, Strength,
Cardio? With the emphasis on Thai Boxing Rakesh Sondhi and Owen
Comrie delve deeper into this issue and give us an insight into
their TVP Framework. A framework which looks at all the aspects of
what you need to become a great fighter.
Have you ever trained so hard that you have burned yourself out?
Or have you been worried about training to hard to avoid the same
outcome? Is too much training bad for you or is too little too
much? One of our regular team writers Glenn Shelford, gives us his
thoughts on this issue.
Theres plenty more to read about in this issue, so carry on,
enjoy and we will see you once again next month for another action
packed issue of Fighters magazine.
PS Make sure you book your tickets for The MMA Show Live or you
will kick yourself and that could be as painful as missing out at
this event!
Editorial 6 Newsline10 UFConFox2
EvansSetsHisSightsonLayingBonestoRest
12 PsychologicallySpeakingWithDoctorJohnOConnor
16 EbonieJonesSmallPackages,BigPunches
18 UFC144TheAnswerFacesHisBiggestQuestioninJapan
20 TraininginThailand26 TVPForThaiBoxing
AnIntroduction32 BensonHenderson
ItsShowtime@UFC14436 TheDirtyDozenWith...
Hannah&HollyBlossom40 TheMainEvent
AMuayThaiShowofEpicProportions
44 UFCSwedenGustafssonvsNogueira
46 GettingtoKnow...TheAbyss
48 TotalLeadershipDevelopingLeadershipThroughCombatSport
54 WillBrockLesnarRejoinWWE?
58 WrestlingNewsByTeddyG.
60 VaughanLeeTakingonaLegend@UFC144
62 LegendsofTheCageChuckTheIcemanLiddell
66 TimeOutMakeSureYouDoNotBurnYourselfOut
68 SorryAboutYourDamnedLuckByTeddyG.
72 AngeloDundeeTrainerofChampions
78 UFCRound-Up80 ForumFightNight
fightersmag.co.ukPUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF
Paul S. [email protected]
SENIOR DESIGNERKevin Thompson
GRAPHIC DESIGNERHadley AustinWEBMASTER
Nick HarleyADVERTISING/SALES EXECUTIVE
Jan Harley 0121-351-6930 [email protected]
PHOTOGRAPHYCarrie Austin 07716266854IRISH MMA SUB EDITOR
Thomas McCulloughUK THAI SUB EDITOR
Dan Green UK MMA SUB EDITOR
Rob NutleyUK BJJ SUB EDITOR
Carl FisherUK KICKBOXING SUB EDITOR
Cris Janson-Piers UK BOXING SUB EDITORS
Luke Calvert, Mark Wilson SmithTHAI / KICKBOXING
Tony Myers, Shaun Boland, Paul Hennessy, Bob Spour, Neil Holden,
Dean Sugden, Carl Emery
CONTRIBUTORSSteve Dileo, Bryan Levick, Fergus Dullaghan,
Ben Cartlidge, Teddy Galbally, Craig Bush, Rocki Sondhi, Tommy
Thompson
COVER PICTURECoutesy Zuffa LLC
HOW TO GET WORK PUBLISHEDDrop us an email at
[email protected] or give the editorial team a call
on 0121 351 6930
NEWS ITEMSFor all news related items, simply mark your
envelope
FIGHTERS NEWSLINE and together with a photograph (if required)
and a covering letter, send it to: FIGHTERS,
Head Office or E-Mail: [email protected]
HEAD OFFICE:Unit 20, Maybrook Business Park, Maybrook Road,
Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B76 1BE. Tel: 0121 351 6930
E-Mail: [email protected]
ADVERTISING DETAILSIf you would like to advertise in FIGHTERS
email us at
[email protected] to obtain details, deadline
dates and costs.
DISCLAIMERFIGHTERS is published by M.A. Publications Ltd,
Unit 20, Maybrook Business Park, Maybrook Road, Sutton
Coldfield, West Midlands, B76 1BE. The publishers
reserve the right to reject editorial and/or advertising
material as they see fit. The Publishers accept no responsibility
for the return of unsolicited material. However, the Publishers
will endeavour to return such matter providing that it is
accompanied by a stamped
addressed envelope. Any material accepted by the Publishers
shall be revised or altered should the Publisher deem it necessary
to do so. The act of submitting manuscripts and/or materials shall
be considered an express warranty that such material is original
and in no way infringes upon the rights of others. It is
expressly
forbidden for any part of the magazine to be reported whatsoever
without the permission of Editor / Publishers. The views or
comments expressed in these pages are not necessarily those of
the editor or Publisher. Distribution by COMAG.
No part of this magazine may be produced, stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form without prior permission.
Fighters, may not be sold at more than the recomended retail
price shown on the cover.SUBSCRIPTION RATES
To take out a subscription to Fighters, just send your cheque
for the correct amount made payable to M.A. Publications ltd.
to:
Subscription Dept. Unit 20, Maybrook Business Park, Maybrook
Road, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B76 1BE.
or telephone: 0121-351 693012 issues = UK @ 44.95 EUROPE @ 75
(Airmail)
REST OF WORLD @ 90 (Airmail)
CONTENTS Page 18
FRANKIE EDGAR DEFENDS HIS LIGHTWEIGHT UFC TITLE AGAINST BENSON
HENDERSON IN JAPAN
@ UFC 144
Page WWW.FIGHTERSMAG.CO.UK FIGHTERS MAGAZINE MARCH 2012 Page
-
Welcome to this months edition of Fighters magazine, your number
one magazine for everything from the world of full contact sports
and do we have some news for YOU!
This month, as always we have a great mix of MMA, Muay Thai, K1
and Wrestling for you to feast your eyes over.
But before we detail what we have in this issue, I would like to
let you in on something that we have been working on behind the
scenes, something that has never been done before in the UK and
will make your year!
Over the weekend of May the 12th and 13th at the National
Exhibition Centre in Birmingham we will launch The MMA Show Live
and it will run in its own huge Hall alongside the hugely
successful The Martial Arts Show Live!
The weekend will be made up of: 5 interactive areas that will
allow you to train with some of the MMA Worlds biggest names
(approximately 50 of them)! There will also be a huge stage arena
where you can ask all of our stars any questions that you wish!
There will be a purpose built autograph area where you will be able
to gain autographs and have your photographs taken with the stars
and an enclosed purpose built Platinum VIP area where (if you but
one of our limited platinum VIP passes) you will be able to hang
out with all of our massive superstar guest list!!! But be sure to
book your VIP Platinum tickets soon as they are limited and they
will sell fast once you discover just who we have coming. You can
stay ahead of the pack by visiting www.theMMA showlive.com for all
the latest news!!!
We know that tickets will sell fast so make sure you get yours
sooner rather than later, especially the Platinum VIP tickets as
they are limited to 500. Remember, we will have 50 plus of the MMA
Worlds biggest names (K1, UFC, Pride, BAMMA etc . . ) but for now
here are 4 names to whet your appetite: UFC fighters Kenny Florian
and Simeon Thoresen, BAMMA Middleweight Champion Tom Kong Watson,
UFC, PRIDE and DREAM veteran Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and Ian The
Machine Freeman. Just wait until we release the rest of our guest
list . . . you aint seen nothing yet!
As always we have all the latest from the Octagon as we round up
all the results since our last edition came out. We also have a
full review of UFC on Fox 2, the organisations latest foray into
network television in the States. There was plenty to talk about at
this event, especially for Mike The Count Bisping in a somewhat
controversial fight against brash American Chael Sonnen, go to page
8 to see what all the fuss was about.
Staying with the UFC, we review their next big two events, UFC
144 and UFC Sweden. UFC 144 marks the companies first return to
Japan since 2001. Headlining this event is a Lightweight Title bout
between current champion Frankie Edgar and challenger Ben
Henderson. As well as a full preview of the event we had our guy
across the pond, Bryan Levick catch up with the man given the task
of dethroning one of the best pound for pound champs, Ben
Henderson. Find out how Henderson has been preparing for the big
fight, life inside the Octagon and what he gets up to in his spare
time. We also caught up with our very own Vaughan Lee before his
own fight at the same event. The Birmingham based fighter will be
taking on a Japanese MMA legend in the form of Nori Kid Yamamoto.
Vaughan really will be travelling into the belly of the beast to
face one of the home fans favourites.
What does it really take to win a fight: Technique, Strength,
Cardio? With the emphasis on Thai Boxing Rakesh Sondhi and Owen
Comrie delve deeper into this issue and give us an insight into
their TVP Framework. A framework which looks at all the aspects of
what you need to become a great fighter.
Have you ever trained so hard that you have burned yourself out?
Or have you been worried about training to hard to avoid the same
outcome? Is too much training bad for you or is too little too
much? One of our regular team writers Glenn Shelford, gives us his
thoughts on this issue.
Theres plenty more to read about in this issue, so carry on,
enjoy and we will see you once again next month for another action
packed issue of Fighters magazine.
PS Make sure you book your tickets for The MMA Show Live or you
will kick yourself and that could be as painful as missing out at
this event!
Editorial 6 Newsline10 UFConFox2
EvansSetsHisSightsonLayingBonestoRest
12 PsychologicallySpeakingWithDoctorJohnOConnor
16 EbonieJonesSmallPackages,BigPunches
18 UFC144TheAnswerFacesHisBiggestQuestioninJapan
20 TraininginThailand26 TVPForThaiBoxing
AnIntroduction32 BensonHenderson
ItsShowtime@UFC14436 TheDirtyDozenWith...
Hannah&HollyBlossom40 TheMainEvent
AMuayThaiShowofEpicProportions
44 UFCSwedenGustafssonvsNogueira
46 GettingtoKnow...TheAbyss
48 TotalLeadershipDevelopingLeadershipThroughCombatSport
54 WillBrockLesnarRejoinWWE?
58 WrestlingNewsByTeddyG.
60 VaughanLeeTakingonaLegend@UFC144
62 LegendsofTheCageChuckTheIcemanLiddell
66 TimeOutMakeSureYouDoNotBurnYourselfOut
68 SorryAboutYourDamnedLuckByTeddyG.
72 AngeloDundeeTrainerofChampions
78 UFCRound-Up80 ForumFightNight
fightersmag.co.ukPUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF
Paul S. [email protected]
SENIOR DESIGNERKevin Thompson
GRAPHIC DESIGNERHadley AustinWEBMASTER
Nick HarleyADVERTISING/SALES EXECUTIVE
Jan Harley 0121-351-6930 [email protected]
PHOTOGRAPHYCarrie Austin 07716266854IRISH MMA SUB EDITOR
Thomas McCulloughUK THAI SUB EDITOR
Dan Green UK MMA SUB EDITOR
Rob NutleyUK BJJ SUB EDITOR
Carl FisherUK KICKBOXING SUB EDITOR
Cris Janson-Piers UK BOXING SUB EDITORS
Luke Calvert, Mark Wilson SmithTHAI / KICKBOXING
Tony Myers, Shaun Boland, Paul Hennessy, Bob Spour, Neil Holden,
Dean Sugden, Carl Emery
CONTRIBUTORSSteve Dileo, Bryan Levick, Fergus Dullaghan,
Ben Cartlidge, Teddy Galbally, Craig Bush, Rocki Sondhi, Tommy
Thompson
COVER PICTURECoutesy Zuffa LLC
HOW TO GET WORK PUBLISHEDDrop us an email at
[email protected] or give the editorial team a call
on 0121 351 6930
NEWS ITEMSFor all news related items, simply mark your
envelope
FIGHTERS NEWSLINE and together with a photograph (if required)
and a covering letter, send it to: FIGHTERS,
Head Office or E-Mail: [email protected]
HEAD OFFICE:Unit 20, Maybrook Business Park, Maybrook Road,
Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B76 1BE. Tel: 0121 351 6930
E-Mail: [email protected]
ADVERTISING DETAILSIf you would like to advertise in FIGHTERS
email us at
[email protected] to obtain details, deadline
dates and costs.
DISCLAIMERFIGHTERS is published by M.A. Publications Ltd,
Unit 20, Maybrook Business Park, Maybrook Road, Sutton
Coldfield, West Midlands, B76 1BE. The publishers
reserve the right to reject editorial and/or advertising
material as they see fit. The Publishers accept no responsibility
for the return of unsolicited material. However, the Publishers
will endeavour to return such matter providing that it is
accompanied by a stamped
addressed envelope. Any material accepted by the Publishers
shall be revised or altered should the Publisher deem it necessary
to do so. The act of submitting manuscripts and/or materials shall
be considered an express warranty that such material is original
and in no way infringes upon the rights of others. It is
expressly
forbidden for any part of the magazine to be reported whatsoever
without the permission of Editor / Publishers. The views or
comments expressed in these pages are not necessarily those of
the editor or Publisher. Distribution by COMAG.
No part of this magazine may be produced, stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form without prior permission.
Fighters, may not be sold at more than the recomended retail
price shown on the cover.SUBSCRIPTION RATES
To take out a subscription to Fighters, just send your cheque
for the correct amount made payable to M.A. Publications ltd.
to:
Subscription Dept. Unit 20, Maybrook Business Park, Maybrook
Road, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B76 1BE.
or telephone: 0121-351 693012 issues = UK @ 44.95 EUROPE @ 75
(Airmail)
REST OF WORLD @ 90 (Airmail)
CONTENTS Page 18
FRANKIE EDGAR DEFENDS HIS LIGHTWEIGHT UFC TITLE AGAINST BENSON
HENDERSON IN JAPAN
@ UFC 144
Page WWW.FIGHTERSMAG.CO.UK FIGHTERS MAGAZINE MARCH 2012 Page
-
NEWS ROUND-UP Have you got news for us? You have? Then e-mail us
at [email protected] NEWS ROUND-UP Have you got news for
us? You have? Then e-mail us at [email protected]
NEWS ROUND-UP MARCH 2012 NEWS ROUND-UP MARCH 2012
SUBSCRIBE TO FIGHTERS NOW @
www.fightersmag.co.uk/subscribeSUBSCRIBE TO FIGHTERS NOW @
www.fightersmag.co.uk/subscribe
USN Delite Bars make perfect post-exercise snack
USN are delighted to announce their latest product, the Protein
Delite Bar.
Available to order now, this high protein bar is perfect for
those looking for a convenient, nutritious snack between meals or
after the gym.
The bars contain 30g of high quality protein, 0g of trans fat
and whey isolate and are very much a take on the go product; ideal
for throwing in your sports bag for a post-exercise treat.
With a delicious candy bar taste, the snack comes in two mouth
watering flavours; toffee almond and cookies and cream.
The protein bars make an ideal compliment to fellow USN products
such as the USN Protein Fuel 50; a tasty, ready to drink protein
shake.
TNA IMPACT WRESTLING TO BE TAPED FOR TELEVISION LIVE AT WEMBLEY
ARENA
London (Wednesday January 11, 2012): Top-rated Challenge TV show
TNA IMPACT WRESTLING will be recorded at Londons Wembley Arena
later this month the first time the company has ever filmed the
programme outside of the USA.
TNA IMPACT WRESTLING superstars including Sting, Kurt Angle, AJ
Styles and TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode will shoot
two all-new episodes at Wembley Arena on January 28 in front of
thousands of British fans.
Stings appearance on the MAXIMUM IMPACT IV Tour will be his
first in the UK in a decade and the final time he will wrestle in
the country with his last ever British match taking place at
Londons Wembley Arena.
The shows will then be broadcast on Challenge TV in the UK and
Ireland, Spike TV in the US and in more than 100 countries around
the world. TNA IMPACT WRESTLING airs every Sunday night on
Challenge TV, which can be found on Sky channel 125, Freeview
channel 46 and Virgin Media channel 139.
The line-up of wrestlers for the Wembley Arena taping will also
include James Storm, Bully Ray, Crimson, Samoa Joe, Gunner, Velvet
Sky, Gail Kim, Madison Rayne, Mickie James, Tara, Doug Williams,
Magnus, Mark Haskins, Austin Aries, Alex Shelley, Matt Morgan,
Kazarian and Christopher Daniels.
Prior to the show, the TNA MAXIMUM IMPACT IV UK Tour visits
Nottingham (January 26) and Manchester (January 27) for live
events. The TNA IMPACT WRESTLING and Xplosion television cameras
will be at both to capture elements of the Tour.
TNA President Dixie Carter said: The show at Wembley Arena will
be a truly historic night for everyone at TNA IMPACT WRESTLING and
all of our amazing British fans.
This decision has been years in the making and Im so excited to
announce it is finally happening on January 28.
We are just a few tickets away from the London show setting a
TNA attendance record, so I hope everyone spreads the word. If you
are a fan of TNA, this will be one night you wont want to miss.
Barbara Gibbon, Challenges Head of Channel, added: Its a
wonderful opportunity for Challenges loyal TNA viewers to see their
favourite sports entertainment shows in a UK context for the first
time ever.
Tickets for TNA IMPACT WRESTLING UK Tour can be bought from
www.gigsandtours.com / 0844 811 0051 or www.ticketmaster.co.uk /
0844 826 2826.
Why are some of the worlds top boxers and martial artists using
StrikeMate?Quote from the National Physics Laboratory. Force is
defined as the rate of change of momentum. For an unchanging mass,
this is equivalent to mass x acceleration. Thus 1 N = 1 kgms-2.
I.e. the harder the impact surface, the faster the momentum
changes, the more force produced.
Therefore it follows the development of ultimate force requires
an ultimately solid surface, like a wall!
Not very practical for training at any level (particularly for
the young or inexperienced) where the delivery of maximum force is
the clear objective. Hypothetically then, if each of the major
sport goods manufacturers produced a force measurement system they
would all read differently, depending on their individual hardness,
making comparisons between different systems and more importantly
data, impossible. Similarly previous technical studies measuring
force (using an endless variety of test rigs, like boxing
dynamometers) are all incomparable.
It is this anomaly that fuels the on-going debate over who
historically had the biggest punch!
So what exactly is supposed to be so clever about StrikeMate and
what exactly has been achieved?
The standardized product we call StrikeMate measures impact
power, not force. StrikeMate allows users to accurately measure any
type of punch, kick or strike strikes, providing science- based
motivation and training, for the first time commercially. Ultimate
power from a strike can now be measured relatively cheaply and on a
PC, with little fear of broken bones, because although the surface
is resistant enough to allow ultimate power generation, it has been
designed to be tactile and user friendly, based on an extensive
development program over three years with real people. Professional
clubs associations and trainers can compare the impact of
individuals strikes gaining information not previously available,
to improve the teaching and the methodology of power generation in
martial arts and boxing techniques quantifying details like, left
side versus right side as well as assessing each technique, within
a style or stable and across geographical boundaries.Obviously it
quickly exposes weaknesses. Professional clubs can not only compare
the impact of individuals strikes for competition judging purposes
but can improve the teaching and modus operandi of learning power
development techniques. StrikeMate clearly has the potential to
become the de facto standard for quantifying impacts in all contact
sports.
BAMMA is proud to announce:THE UNDERCARD for BAMMA 9 Tickets On
Sale: NowPresented by: GoDaddy.comIn Association with: PKR.com The
Official Gaming Partner of BAMMA. Lonsdale The Official Equipment
Partner of BAMMA
BAMMA, Europes leading Mixed Martial Arts promotion, is excited
to announce the electrifying undercard for BAMMA 9 which takes
place on Saturday 24th March at Birminghams National Indoor
Arena.
UNDERCARDLIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT BOUTFRASER OPIE VS ANTHONY TAYLOR
WELTERWEIGHT BOUTRUS SMITH VS TOM BREESE LIGHTWEIGHT BOUTCHRIS
FISHGOLD VS DALE HARDIMAN HEAVYWEIGHT BOUTMARC GODBEER VS CATALIN
ZMARANDESCU MIDDLEWEIGHT BOUTLEE JOHNSON VS SAM HOOKER LIGHT
HEAVYWEIGHT BOUTADAM SCOTT VS SAM MENSAH
Nate Marquardt & BAMMA Sever Ties;
According to Marquardts manager Lex McMahon, BAMMA has agreed to
release Marquardt from his contract following the organizations
decision to delay their ninth event from Feb. 11 to March 24.
Marquardt was scheduled to fight Yoshiyuki Yoshida in the main
event of BAMMA 9 for the organizations welterweight title.
Nate is disappointed that he has not been able to fight for
BAMMA and the UK fans, McMahon said. However, given the situation
that BAMMA removed him as the headliner from BAMMA 8 and elected to
reschedule BAMMA 9 to March 24, 2012 all parties concerned feel
that it is in Nates best interest to explore other options at this
stage. Nate is one of the best fighters in the world and looks
forward to fighting the best competition possible.
Page WWW.FIGHTERSMAG.CO.UK FIGHTERS NEWSLINE MARCH 2012 Page
-
NEWS ROUND-UP Have you got news for us? You have? Then e-mail us
at [email protected] NEWS ROUND-UP Have you got news for
us? You have? Then e-mail us at [email protected]
NEWS ROUND-UP MARCH 2012 NEWS ROUND-UP MARCH 2012
SUBSCRIBE TO FIGHTERS NOW @
www.fightersmag.co.uk/subscribeSUBSCRIBE TO FIGHTERS NOW @
www.fightersmag.co.uk/subscribe
USN Delite Bars make perfect post-exercise snack
USN are delighted to announce their latest product, the Protein
Delite Bar.
Available to order now, this high protein bar is perfect for
those looking for a convenient, nutritious snack between meals or
after the gym.
The bars contain 30g of high quality protein, 0g of trans fat
and whey isolate and are very much a take on the go product; ideal
for throwing in your sports bag for a post-exercise treat.
With a delicious candy bar taste, the snack comes in two mouth
watering flavours; toffee almond and cookies and cream.
The protein bars make an ideal compliment to fellow USN products
such as the USN Protein Fuel 50; a tasty, ready to drink protein
shake.
TNA IMPACT WRESTLING TO BE TAPED FOR TELEVISION LIVE AT WEMBLEY
ARENA
London (Wednesday January 11, 2012): Top-rated Challenge TV show
TNA IMPACT WRESTLING will be recorded at Londons Wembley Arena
later this month the first time the company has ever filmed the
programme outside of the USA.
TNA IMPACT WRESTLING superstars including Sting, Kurt Angle, AJ
Styles and TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode will shoot
two all-new episodes at Wembley Arena on January 28 in front of
thousands of British fans.
Stings appearance on the MAXIMUM IMPACT IV Tour will be his
first in the UK in a decade and the final time he will wrestle in
the country with his last ever British match taking place at
Londons Wembley Arena.
The shows will then be broadcast on Challenge TV in the UK and
Ireland, Spike TV in the US and in more than 100 countries around
the world. TNA IMPACT WRESTLING airs every Sunday night on
Challenge TV, which can be found on Sky channel 125, Freeview
channel 46 and Virgin Media channel 139.
The line-up of wrestlers for the Wembley Arena taping will also
include James Storm, Bully Ray, Crimson, Samoa Joe, Gunner, Velvet
Sky, Gail Kim, Madison Rayne, Mickie James, Tara, Doug Williams,
Magnus, Mark Haskins, Austin Aries, Alex Shelley, Matt Morgan,
Kazarian and Christopher Daniels.
Prior to the show, the TNA MAXIMUM IMPACT IV UK Tour visits
Nottingham (January 26) and Manchester (January 27) for live
events. The TNA IMPACT WRESTLING and Xplosion television cameras
will be at both to capture elements of the Tour.
TNA President Dixie Carter said: The show at Wembley Arena will
be a truly historic night for everyone at TNA IMPACT WRESTLING and
all of our amazing British fans.
This decision has been years in the making and Im so excited to
announce it is finally happening on January 28.
We are just a few tickets away from the London show setting a
TNA attendance record, so I hope everyone spreads the word. If you
are a fan of TNA, this will be one night you wont want to miss.
Barbara Gibbon, Challenges Head of Channel, added: Its a
wonderful opportunity for Challenges loyal TNA viewers to see their
favourite sports entertainment shows in a UK context for the first
time ever.
Tickets for TNA IMPACT WRESTLING UK Tour can be bought from
www.gigsandtours.com / 0844 811 0051 or www.ticketmaster.co.uk /
0844 826 2826.
Why are some of the worlds top boxers and martial artists using
StrikeMate?Quote from the National Physics Laboratory. Force is
defined as the rate of change of momentum. For an unchanging mass,
this is equivalent to mass x acceleration. Thus 1 N = 1 kgms-2.
I.e. the harder the impact surface, the faster the momentum
changes, the more force produced.
Therefore it follows the development of ultimate force requires
an ultimately solid surface, like a wall!
Not very practical for training at any level (particularly for
the young or inexperienced) where the delivery of maximum force is
the clear objective. Hypothetically then, if each of the major
sport goods manufacturers produced a force measurement system they
would all read differently, depending on their individual hardness,
making comparisons between different systems and more importantly
data, impossible. Similarly previous technical studies measuring
force (using an endless variety of test rigs, like boxing
dynamometers) are all incomparable.
It is this anomaly that fuels the on-going debate over who
historically had the biggest punch!
So what exactly is supposed to be so clever about StrikeMate and
what exactly has been achieved?
The standardized product we call StrikeMate measures impact
power, not force. StrikeMate allows users to accurately measure any
type of punch, kick or strike strikes, providing science- based
motivation and training, for the first time commercially. Ultimate
power from a strike can now be measured relatively cheaply and on a
PC, with little fear of broken bones, because although the surface
is resistant enough to allow ultimate power generation, it has been
designed to be tactile and user friendly, based on an extensive
development program over three years with real people. Professional
clubs associations and trainers can compare the impact of
individuals strikes gaining information not previously available,
to improve the teaching and the methodology of power generation in
martial arts and boxing techniques quantifying details like, left
side versus right side as well as assessing each technique, within
a style or stable and across geographical boundaries.Obviously it
quickly exposes weaknesses. Professional clubs can not only compare
the impact of individuals strikes for competition judging purposes
but can improve the teaching and modus operandi of learning power
development techniques. StrikeMate clearly has the potential to
become the de facto standard for quantifying impacts in all contact
sports.
BAMMA is proud to announce:THE UNDERCARD for BAMMA 9 Tickets On
Sale: NowPresented by: GoDaddy.comIn Association with: PKR.com The
Official Gaming Partner of BAMMA. Lonsdale The Official Equipment
Partner of BAMMA
BAMMA, Europes leading Mixed Martial Arts promotion, is excited
to announce the electrifying undercard for BAMMA 9 which takes
place on Saturday 24th March at Birminghams National Indoor
Arena.
UNDERCARDLIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT BOUTFRASER OPIE VS ANTHONY TAYLOR
WELTERWEIGHT BOUTRUS SMITH VS TOM BREESE LIGHTWEIGHT BOUTCHRIS
FISHGOLD VS DALE HARDIMAN HEAVYWEIGHT BOUTMARC GODBEER VS CATALIN
ZMARANDESCU MIDDLEWEIGHT BOUTLEE JOHNSON VS SAM HOOKER LIGHT
HEAVYWEIGHT BOUTADAM SCOTT VS SAM MENSAH
Nate Marquardt & BAMMA Sever Ties;
According to Marquardts manager Lex McMahon, BAMMA has agreed to
release Marquardt from his contract following the organizations
decision to delay their ninth event from Feb. 11 to March 24.
Marquardt was scheduled to fight Yoshiyuki Yoshida in the main
event of BAMMA 9 for the organizations welterweight title.
Nate is disappointed that he has not been able to fight for
BAMMA and the UK fans, McMahon said. However, given the situation
that BAMMA removed him as the headliner from BAMMA 8 and elected to
reschedule BAMMA 9 to March 24, 2012 all parties concerned feel
that it is in Nates best interest to explore other options at this
stage. Nate is one of the best fighters in the world and looks
forward to fighting the best competition possible.
Page WWW.FIGHTERSMAG.CO.UK FIGHTERS NEWSLINE MARCH 2012 Page
-
HOL001/04
-
NEWS ROUND-UP Have you got news for us? You have? Then e-mail us
at [email protected]
NEWS ROUND-UP MARCH 2012
SUBSCRIBE TO FIGHTERS NOW @ www.fightersmag.co.uk/subscribe
THE MMA SHOW LIVE COMES TO THE NEC IN BIRMINGHAM ON MAY 12th and
13th
KENNY FLORIAN, TOM WATSON, SOKOUDJOU AND SIMEON THORESEN
CONFIRMED
MA Inc to present the first ever MMA Show Live at The NEC in
Birmingham on May the 12th and 13th in a separate hall, as a part
of The Martial Arts Show Live, giving fans two shows for the price
of one. Split Decision, the company founded by Liam Fisher (former
Head of Business Development at BAMMA), has joined the team at MA
Inc to establish a new and very much needed event for the huge and
very loyal UK MMA audience and fan base.
The first four fighters confirmed to attend are UFC fighters
Kenny Florian and Simeon Thoresen, BAMMA Middleweight Champion Tom
Kong Watson and UFC, PRIDE and DREAM veteran Rameau Thierry
Sokoudjou.
The MMA Show Live will be an interactive fan experience
dedicated to mixed martial arts from around the World. Populating a
second hall at the NEC in Birmingham alongside The Martial Arts
Show Live, The MMA Show Live will consist of five training areas
where some of the biggest names in the business will host special
group training sessions, a huge stage & screen for Q&A
sessions, an autograph zone where fans can meet their favourite
fighters and exhibition stands where some of the biggest brands in
MMA will be selling merchandise and much, much more.
Liam Fisher, CEO at Split Decision said Split Decision is a
company made up of huge MMA fans so this is the perfect opportunity
for us to help create a show that we all believe every MMA fan
would want to go to. Theres going to be over 40 fighters and MMA
personalities from all over the World attending, including some
A-list superstars, MMA legends and some of the most exciting up and
coming talent around today. Im immensely excited that my company
can be a part of this.
Training sessions with fighters are available for Platinum
ticket holders only and are limited to 500 people across the
whole
FIGHTERS NEWSLINE MARCH 2012 Page
weekend. For a limited period only the Platinum tickets are
priced at 90 instead of 100 and for this fans will get 1 training
session per day, all the benefits of VIP access to both The Martial
Arts Show Live and The MMA Show Live across the weekend, exclusive
access to the Platinum Room in the MMA hall where fans can sit down
and talk with the A-list fighters & celebrities, entrance to
the VIP party held on the Saturday evening in Birmingham city
centre, a souvenir event program, access to the fast-track line at
the autograph zone and premium platinum seating at the Q&A
stage.
Every Platinum ticket holder is guaranteed a place at 1 training
session per day and there will be 20 different training sessions
hosted by 20 different fighters each day. Platinum ticket holders
can book their preferred session on a first come first serve basis
by registering each day at the registration desk open from 8am each
morning although by buying your Platinum ticket now, you will
secure your place as one of the limited 500 places available.
More fighters and personalities confirmed to attend will be
released in the coming weeks.
Reduced price Early Bird Tickets are available for a strictly
limited time from www.theticketfactory.com and are priced as
follows
STANDARD DAY TICKET 15STANDARD WEEKEND TICKET 25VIP DAY TICKET
40VIP WEEKEND TICKET 60PLATINUM WEEKEND TICKET 90
Follow The MMA Show Live on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/themmashowlive and Facebook at
www.facebook.com/themmashowlive
For more information go to www.themmashowlive.com
Business and boxing partnership to pack a punch in
Peterborough
BIG hitters from the world of business and boxing have teamed up
to offer sporting fans a ringside seat at a major event in
Peterborough next month.
Regional event and conference venue Exec Peterborough at the
East of England Showground has been chosen to host the first
professional boxing event in the city for five years with the event
being streamed live to fans via YouTube. Around 2,000-strong crowd
is expected at the championship headlined boxing tournament, which
will be packing a punch on March 9. Well-known boxing promoter
Robert Waterman is the driving force behind the professional event,
backed by local businessmen Peter Fraylich and Rob Barrowman. The
event, which is fully licensed by the British Board of Boxing
Control, will once again put Peterborough on the map as a major
venue for top sporting events with the prospect of more to come.
Robert said: Exec Peterborough is a great venue, the team here is
fantastic to work with and we are hoping that this will be the
start of regular high profile boxing shows in the city. We are
expecting a huge crowd, and for those unable to get a ticket the
whole event will be streamed live on YouTube. Exec Peterborough
managing director Keith Dalton added: This is a major coup for the
venue and for the city. To be chosen to host the first professional
boxing event to be held in Peterborough for a number of years is
fantastic - not only for us, but for the many, many boxing fans in
and around the city and surrounding areas. A full line up of boxers
has yet to be finalised, but big local names on the bill so far
include Caine Brodie, Jake Dyer and former Big Brother contestant
JJ Bird. Tickets are being sold to raise money for the RAF
Benevolent Fund. Prices range from 30 for unreserved seats to 50
for ringside seats and 75 for diners. Call 01733 882565 to book. In
November last year, Exec Peterborough hosted the World Seniors
Snooker Championship, which was televised live to an estimated 1.5
million people by Sky Sports.
-
Page 10 WWW.FIGHTERSMAG.CO.UK UFC ON FOX 2 - EVANS SETS HIS
SIGHTS ON LAYING BONES TO REST Page 11
Evans vs Davis
Bisping vs Sonnen
pictures copyright
on Fox2The ufc held its second event on the fox network with a
double header of
title elimination fights. First up in the nights co main event
was eng-
lands own mike bisping in a middleweight title elimination fight
against
chael sonnen. then it was time for the main event, a light
heavyweight
eliminator between former champ rashad evens and up and comer
phil davis.
Bisping wasnt given much of a chance by most people in his fight
against the far superior wrestler, Sonnen. But to many peoples
surprise it was Bisping who started the better imposing his style
more effectively in the first round.
Sonnen did what we all expected of him in that first round,
taking Bisping to the floor a few times times, attempting to ground
and pound his opponent, but again as we all expected Bisping got
back to his feet pretty quickly every time, maybe a little easier
than anyone thought he would find it to do so.
Sonnens takedowns were few and far between though and it was
Bisping, with his Boxing who im-posed himself the better in the
first.
Round two opened with a lovely combination of punches from
Bisping that visible shook Sonnen. Bisping then continued to pick
Sonnen off with punches and wear Sonnen down.
Chael only managed one takedown in the second and failed to do
much with it and it was infact Bisping who was now pressing Sonnen
up against the cage and controlling him to many peoples
surprise.
At this point Sonnen looked as though he had gassed and with
Mike edging the first two rounds (or so it seemed) it was looking
good for the Brit.
The third round was better for Sonnen as he took Bisping to the
ground early and kept him there for the majority of the last five
minutes.
But Sonnen didnt really do much with this as he failed to land
any really telling ground and pound on Bisping. Towards the end of
the round Bisping managed to riggle out of a couple of submission
at-tempts and even got to his feet, took Sonnen down and landed a
few nice elbows only to be stopped by the final bell.
It was a very close fought fight but for most, Bisping had edged
it with his dominant second round per-formance. So, it was a
surprise to see Sonnen get his hand lifted as the judges scored it
30-27, 29-28, 29-28 in the Americans favour.
A disapointing end for Bisping, who was very gracious in defeat
but he will take plenty of positives from this fight and will
definitely be back in contention soon as he just seems to get
better and better with every fight.
The nights main event was an evenly matched bout as Rashad Evans
and Phil Davis went toe to toe for much of the 5 round fight.
All 5 rounds went pretty much the same as Evans dominated the
stand up. Both fighters landed take downs but again it was Evans
who made his top positions more telling.
An impressive, dominant perform-ance from Rashad who now faces
Jones in his next fight for the chance to regain his Light
Heavyweight belt, and on the back of this showing, you wouldnt bet
against him.
-
Page 10 WWW.FIGHTERSMAG.CO.UK UFC ON FOX 2 - EVANS SETS HIS
SIGHTS ON LAYING BONES TO REST Page 11
Evans vs Davis
Bisping vs Sonnen
pictures copyright
on Fox2The ufc held its second event on the fox network with a
double header of
title elimination fights. First up in the nights co main event
was eng-
lands own mike bisping in a middleweight title elimination fight
against
chael sonnen. then it was time for the main event, a light
heavyweight
eliminator between former champ rashad evens and up and comer
phil davis.
Bisping wasnt given much of a chance by most people in his fight
against the far superior wrestler, Sonnen. But to many peoples
surprise it was Bisping who started the better imposing his style
more effectively in the first round.
Sonnen did what we all expected of him in that first round,
taking Bisping to the floor a few times times, attempting to ground
and pound his opponent, but again as we all expected Bisping got
back to his feet pretty quickly every time, maybe a little easier
than anyone thought he would find it to do so.
Sonnens takedowns were few and far between though and it was
Bisping, with his Boxing who im-posed himself the better in the
first.
Round two opened with a lovely combination of punches from
Bisping that visible shook Sonnen. Bisping then continued to pick
Sonnen off with punches and wear Sonnen down.
Chael only managed one takedown in the second and failed to do
much with it and it was infact Bisping who was now pressing Sonnen
up against the cage and controlling him to many peoples
surprise.
At this point Sonnen looked as though he had gassed and with
Mike edging the first two rounds (or so it seemed) it was looking
good for the Brit.
The third round was better for Sonnen as he took Bisping to the
ground early and kept him there for the majority of the last five
minutes.
But Sonnen didnt really do much with this as he failed to land
any really telling ground and pound on Bisping. Towards the end of
the round Bisping managed to riggle out of a couple of submission
at-tempts and even got to his feet, took Sonnen down and landed a
few nice elbows only to be stopped by the final bell.
It was a very close fought fight but for most, Bisping had edged
it with his dominant second round per-formance. So, it was a
surprise to see Sonnen get his hand lifted as the judges scored it
30-27, 29-28, 29-28 in the Americans favour.
A disapointing end for Bisping, who was very gracious in defeat
but he will take plenty of positives from this fight and will
definitely be back in contention soon as he just seems to get
better and better with every fight.
The nights main event was an evenly matched bout as Rashad Evans
and Phil Davis went toe to toe for much of the 5 round fight.
All 5 rounds went pretty much the same as Evans dominated the
stand up. Both fighters landed take downs but again it was Evans
who made his top positions more telling.
An impressive, dominant perform-ance from Rashad who now faces
Jones in his next fight for the chance to regain his Light
Heavyweight belt, and on the back of this showing, you wouldnt bet
against him.
-
Athletes are under a lot of pressure because they are often in
the public eye, performing what they love to do in front of large
audiences. Their private lives are also made public. Yet, it seems
that athletes are held up to unrealistically high standards, where
little room is made for lifes sometimes inevitable occurrences,
such as a death in the family, or through heartbreaking
circumstances such as divorce. Somehow, athletes are supposed to
just be mentally tough and put that aside to perform, and when they
dont, they are ridiculed for it. If occurrences like these happen
right before an important match, the effects can be devastating. A
loss during a low point in ones life does not help a fighters
self-esteem.
Out of everything we are taught in school, we are not taught how
to recover from lifes painful events. If youre going through a
stressful time and you have a huge match coming up, and everyones
telling you to just suck it up and put it aside for the moment,
dont feel bad if you are having trouble. It
doesnt reflect how mentally tough a person is. Mental toughness
has to do with the ability to take on any challenge, even ones that
have to do with emotions. There are ways we can work to these
issues and soften the blow on your emotional state and still be
able to be at peak performance while going through adversity.
First I would recommend meditat-ion, and Im not talking about
becoming a monk. There are different types of meditation there out
there thatll help ease emotional suffering help calm in mind and
let you continue with your training and work at peak performance.
Meditation has been studied and is effective in lowering heart
pressure, getting the brain waves to that beta state, the state the
brain is in when sleeping or relaxing, which will help ease the
pain in your heart and lower your stress.
Mostly these meditations are custom. I have developed several
myself over the past several years that work very well. I helped
Darren Morgan win his Australian top fuel
championship last year using one of my custom meditations right
before each of his races while in his car. The meditation,
performed before each of his races, helped keep him calm and
centered for that five seconds that he needed to be 110%. If youre
able to find the right person to teach you the techniques in a
short time, you should be able to get back to performing at
100%.
The second way of reducing your emotional loss calming emotional
turmoil is to find a hypnotist. Going through hypnosis can help
calm your subconscious and ease emotional pain. Many people think
that its all hocus-pocus, but I use it quite often in my practice
in with my clients with success. If you use the right techniques
you can help anybody.
The third way Ive help people through their emotional issues is
to help them find a happy place they can go to whenever these deep
emotional trials start twisting them from the inside out. I have
found that finding a happy place is very effective when a trigger
point is hit.
Psychologically Speaking with Dr. John O.Connor
THE FIGHTERS MENTAL GAME
Sometimes when you reach a certain level in your athletic career
people
expect you to have superhuman capabilities and completely shut
off any emotional state at the touch of a switch. It works really
well in movies,
and even on some TV shows, but in real life no one can turn off
their emotional state and shut down the feelings or pain. You could
try, but those
emotions will be there until you address them, and if you dont
take them
head on, like you do an opponent in the ring, those emotions
will surface at
the most inopportune times, and can affect everything from
training, fights
in the ring, and most importantly, your mental game. Just take a
look at
Tiger Woods most recent performance and youll know what I
mean.
Page 12 WWW.FIGHTERSMAG.CO.UK PSYCHOLOGICALLY SPEAKING - WITH
DR. JOHN OCONNOR Page 13
A trigger is something that reminds you of a painful event, then
sends you back to that moment when you felt that pain and loss. At
that point, it doesnt matter whether or not it happened ten minutes
ago or ten years ago. You are reliving that moment as if it is
happening right now. For instance, it could be as simple as seeing
a picture on a sign or a bus or hearing a persons name on TV, or
passing by someone in a crowd that reminds you of someone you lost.
These can all be trigger points and take you from a very good place
to a very sad, withdrawn emotional painful place in a matter of
seconds.
Fortunately, this can be countered if youre able to refocus your
mind. Find a happy place. Find something in your life, a person
that always makes you laugh, a place youve been where you have had
a great memory. If its possible, go sit somewhere where you can be
alone and comfortable for about five minutes. Concentrate on
that
-
Athletes are under a lot of pressure because they are often in
the public eye, performing what they love to do in front of large
audiences. Their private lives are also made public. Yet, it seems
that athletes are held up to unrealistically high standards, where
little room is made for lifes sometimes inevitable occurrences,
such as a death in the family, or through heartbreaking
circumstances such as divorce. Somehow, athletes are supposed to
just be mentally tough and put that aside to perform, and when they
dont, they are ridiculed for it. If occurrences like these happen
right before an important match, the effects can be devastating. A
loss during a low point in ones life does not help a fighters
self-esteem.
Out of everything we are taught in school, we are not taught how
to recover from lifes painful events. If youre going through a
stressful time and you have a huge match coming up, and everyones
telling you to just suck it up and put it aside for the moment,
dont feel bad if you are having trouble. It
doesnt reflect how mentally tough a person is. Mental toughness
has to do with the ability to take on any challenge, even ones that
have to do with emotions. There are ways we can work to these
issues and soften the blow on your emotional state and still be
able to be at peak performance while going through adversity.
First I would recommend meditat-ion, and Im not talking about
becoming a monk. There are different types of meditation there out
there thatll help ease emotional suffering help calm in mind and
let you continue with your training and work at peak performance.
Meditation has been studied and is effective in lowering heart
pressure, getting the brain waves to that beta state, the state the
brain is in when sleeping or relaxing, which will help ease the
pain in your heart and lower your stress.
Mostly these meditations are custom. I have developed several
myself over the past several years that work very well. I helped
Darren Morgan win his Australian top fuel
championship last year using one of my custom meditations right
before each of his races while in his car. The meditation,
performed before each of his races, helped keep him calm and
centered for that five seconds that he needed to be 110%. If youre
able to find the right person to teach you the techniques in a
short time, you should be able to get back to performing at
100%.
The second way of reducing your emotional loss calming emotional
turmoil is to find a hypnotist. Going through hypnosis can help
calm your subconscious and ease emotional pain. Many people think
that its all hocus-pocus, but I use it quite often in my practice
in with my clients with success. If you use the right techniques
you can help anybody.
The third way Ive help people through their emotional issues is
to help them find a happy place they can go to whenever these deep
emotional trials start twisting them from the inside out. I have
found that finding a happy place is very effective when a trigger
point is hit.
Psychologically Speaking with Dr. John O.Connor
THE FIGHTERS MENTAL GAME
Sometimes when you reach a certain level in your athletic career
people
expect you to have superhuman capabilities and completely shut
off any emotional state at the touch of a switch. It works really
well in movies,
and even on some TV shows, but in real life no one can turn off
their emotional state and shut down the feelings or pain. You could
try, but those
emotions will be there until you address them, and if you dont
take them
head on, like you do an opponent in the ring, those emotions
will surface at
the most inopportune times, and can affect everything from
training, fights
in the ring, and most importantly, your mental game. Just take a
look at
Tiger Woods most recent performance and youll know what I
mean.
Page 12 WWW.FIGHTERSMAG.CO.UK PSYCHOLOGICALLY SPEAKING - WITH
DR. JOHN OCONNOR Page 13
A trigger is something that reminds you of a painful event, then
sends you back to that moment when you felt that pain and loss. At
that point, it doesnt matter whether or not it happened ten minutes
ago or ten years ago. You are reliving that moment as if it is
happening right now. For instance, it could be as simple as seeing
a picture on a sign or a bus or hearing a persons name on TV, or
passing by someone in a crowd that reminds you of someone you lost.
These can all be trigger points and take you from a very good place
to a very sad, withdrawn emotional painful place in a matter of
seconds.
Fortunately, this can be countered if youre able to refocus your
mind. Find a happy place. Find something in your life, a person
that always makes you laugh, a place youve been where you have had
a great memory. If its possible, go sit somewhere where you can be
alone and comfortable for about five minutes. Concentrate on
that
-
CHI001/03
-
happy memory, or that place that makes you happy, or that
person. Imagine being there with as much detail as you can. If you
cant physically call that person on the telephone that makes you
happy, imagine calling and hearing what that person would say to
you.
An example of a happy place would be a beach you visited and
have happy memories of, so every time you think of the memory it
brings a smile to your face. It was a very happy time for you. You
had a lot of fun. Its a very good memory to go back to, and by
keeping that memory alive, you are able to relive that happiness
you felt when you experienced it, and it will trump the negative
feeling you are experiencing. Any time you are feeling sad, alone,
or emotional, stop, take a few deep breaths, and think of that
beach or that place. Then you can go back to concentrating on your
training, or get your head back into a match.
Of course, you want to work on these before you match and make
sure that you have worked towards getting to a better place before
any kind of a match or event or game happens, but if by some chance
things creep up on you while youre in your match, just the act of
taking in a few deep breaths might be able to give you the benefit
you need to hold down those emotional issues long enough to keep
fighting.
In summary, you dont have to needlessly experience the emotional
downside of adversity. There are ways to counter them. Over the
years, I have worked with people going through so many of lifes
tragic events, and even with people going through exquisitely
painful periods, meditation, hypnosis, and the happy place are the
three most effective techniques. They compliment each other.
Meditation can be used alone or as a precursor to the other two
techniques, but I have found they work best when used together
because with painful life experiences, there is always an
underlying, high level of stress, and there will almost always be
something that triggers those painful memories and bring them to
the front of your brain. You need all three to manage the ways
emotional pain manifests in you.
Most importantly, do not despair. You do not have to suck it up,
be a superhero, or suffer through this
PSYCHOLOGICALLY SPEAKING - WITH DR. JOHN OCONNOR Page 1
alone no matter what anyone tells you. There is help out there.
My contact information will always be at the bottom of all these
columns in case you need an objective, ethical, clear voice to help
you get through whatever might be interfering with your athletic
training.
Contact Information:Dr. John W. OConnor, Sr., Ph. D.President
The American Emotional Wellness Organization.Sports Psychologist
& Expert at the Mental Game.Web:
http://oconnor-consulting.netphone: 607 428 0268 NY Eastern time
zoneemail: [email protected]:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/drjohnoconnorphd
CHI001/03
-
How long have you been training?
I started when I was ten, so about three years now. I started
kickboxing and then moved into boxing about two years ago. Earlier
this year I won the ABAs (Amateur Boxing Association).
I really wanted to be like the MMA fighters I saw on television.
I was inspired by a documentary on kickboxing. It really all
started from Baby Fight Club.
What do you like most about training in Martial Arts?
I like the focus that comes from training for a title and I like
going out and winning those titles to prove Im the best in my
weight category! Ive won the British title fight twice, and Ive
fought in roughly ten competitions, including my boxing career. Its
about testing my skills and pushing myself to the limit.
What do you like most about being in the ring?
Its mostly about performing. In my mind Im thinking about
showcasing my skills, showing everyone what Im capable of. For me,
that is really the best part of being in the ring. Im not a
touch-combat fighter, so the risk of full-contact shows really
makes it even more rewarding.
Could you run me through your training regime?
I wake up and go through my press-ups, sit ups, conditioning and
stretching before going on a run. I meditate after the run, just to
focus my mind for the rest of the day. All this is before school. I
like to switch up the training, so on Monday I do boxing, Tuesday I
focus of kickboxing. Ill also mix in MMA fighting a couple of days
a week. I try to learn a bit of everything and keep myself firmly
fixed in my tradition training. So, most mornings Ill even practice
my stances, like horse-ridding stance.
Right now Im doing things that most men find hard to keep up
with (laughs).
What are your future plans?
Well, I would love to take part in MMA shows, but right now the
sport
isnt for women. Hopefully that will change in time. When it
does, Ill be ready. I am also training with the Olympic Squad. Its
quite an honour, mainly because Im the youngest person to be
selected to train with an elite team like that.
Who has really inspired you?
I have to say that my number one inspiration and absolutely
favourite fighter is Anderson Silva. He has really given me
something to work to and admire. Thats why I got involved in the
ABAs and what drove me to becoming a British title holder in my
weight category.
What else do you like to do when youre not training?
I like to give my time to charities. I like to run for different
causes and get sponsorship through that. I think its good to give
back what Ive received. Coliseum supports young talent like me, and
I want to show how grateful I am for that encouragement by using
those skills to help people in any way I can.
By Simon R. Augustus
Ebonie The Machine Jones has been described as inhuman. Barely
over 5
feet tall, she has managed to forge a reputation that makes
grown men quake
with fear. Over the last three years, this thirteen year old has
proved
her metal in and outside of the ring. With the support of
Coliseum Sports,
Ebonie The Machine Jones is becoming a role model in her own
right. Her
creed: discipline, training and hard work.
Page 1 WWW.FIGHTERSMAG.CO.UK EBONIE JONES - SMALL PACKAGES, BIG
PUNCHES Page 1
-
How long have you been training?
I started when I was ten, so about three years now. I started
kickboxing and then moved into boxing about two years ago. Earlier
this year I won the ABAs (Amateur Boxing Association).
I really wanted to be like the MMA fighters I saw on television.
I was inspired by a documentary on kickboxing. It really all
started from Baby Fight Club.
What do you like most about training in Martial Arts?
I like the focus that comes from training for a title and I like
going out and winning those titles to prove Im the best in my
weight category! Ive won the British title fight twice, and Ive
fought in roughly ten competitions, including my boxing career. Its
about testing my skills and pushing myself to the limit.
What do you like most about being in the ring?
Its mostly about performing. In my mind Im thinking about
showcasing my skills, showing everyone what Im capable of. For me,
that is really the best part of being in the ring. Im not a
touch-combat fighter, so the risk of full-contact shows really
makes it even more rewarding.
Could you run me through your training regime?
I wake up and go through my press-ups, sit ups, conditioning and
stretching before going on a run. I meditate after the run, just to
focus my mind for the rest of the day. All this is before school. I
like to switch up the training, so on Monday I do boxing, Tuesday I
focus of kickboxing. Ill also mix in MMA fighting a couple of days
a week. I try to learn a bit of everything and keep myself firmly
fixed in my tradition training. So, most mornings Ill even practice
my stances, like horse-ridding stance.
Right now Im doing things that most men find hard to keep up
with (laughs).
What are your future plans?
Well, I would love to take part in MMA shows, but right now the
sport
isnt for women. Hopefully that will change in time. When it
does, Ill be ready. I am also training with the Olympic Squad. Its
quite an honour, mainly because Im the youngest person to be
selected to train with an elite team like that.
Who has really inspired you?
I have to say that my number one inspiration and absolutely
favourite fighter is Anderson Silva. He has really given me
something to work to and admire. Thats why I got involved in the
ABAs and what drove me to becoming a British title holder in my
weight category.
What else do you like to do when youre not training?
I like to give my time to charities. I like to run for different
causes and get sponsorship through that. I think its good to give
back what Ive received. Coliseum supports young talent like me, and
I want to show how grateful I am for that encouragement by using
those skills to help people in any way I can.
By Simon R. Augustus
Ebonie The Machine Jones has been described as inhuman. Barely
over 5
feet tall, she has managed to forge a reputation that makes
grown men quake
with fear. Over the last three years, this thirteen year old has
proved
her metal in and outside of the ring. With the support of
Coliseum Sports,
Ebonie The Machine Jones is becoming a role model in her own
right. Her
creed: discipline, training and hard work.
Page 1 WWW.FIGHTERSMAG.CO.UK EBONIE JONES - SMALL PACKAGES, BIG
PUNCHES Page 1
-
144
pictures copyright
February the 26th sees the ufc make its long awaited return to
japan with a lightweight title fight between current champ frankie
edgar and challenger benson henderson headlining the event.
Page 18 WWW.FIGHTERSMAG.CO.UK THE ANSWER FACES HIS BIGGEST
QUESTION AT UFC 1 - EDGAR VS HENDERSON Page 1
It has been 11 years since the or-ganisation held its last event
in the land of the rising sun and it prom-ises to return with a
bang as two of the most talented pound for pound fighters go head
to head for the Lightweight belt.
The fight will be Frankie Edgars 4th defence of the title after
taking the crown from BJ Penn back in April 2010 and in former WEC
Light-weight champion Benson Hender-son he faces possibly his
strongest test to date.
Edgar comes off a couple of tough scraps against Gray Maynard
and in Henderson he can expect no less.
Hendersons last fight was a fight of the night performance
against Clay Guida at UFC on FOX 1 back in November where he showed
just how good of an all round fighter he is, stifling most of
Guidas take down attempts and standing toe to toe with him when he
needed. He also noteably stayed very calm and col-lected faced with
one of the most unpredictable fighters in the sport waiting calmly
for his opportunities.
Both fighters are very well rounded with excellent stand up and
strong ground games. Edgar edging it on the feet and Henderson the
slightly better at taking an opponent down and submitting them.
It is definitely an intriguing match up that is pretty hard to
call a favourite from. We cant see either of these men giving in to
one another and expect it to go to the judges desci-sions after 5
rounds. We do see those 5 rounds being packed full of excite-ment
and some of the best mma you will likely get the chance to see.
As for the rest of the card there will be plenty of homegrown
talent for the local fans to cheer with 7 Japa-nese fighters
fighting. Other note-able fights include Jake Shields 2nd fight in
the UFC since losing to GSP, this time he faces seasoned veteran
Yoshihiro Akiyama and the co main event, Rampages first return to
Ja-pan since leaving Pride for the UFC as he faces Ryan Bader, both
men looking to get their UFC careers back on track after recent
losses.
Main CardEdgar vs HendersonJackson vs BaderHunt vs KongoAkiyama
vs ShieldsPettis vs Lauzon
PrelimsOkami vs BoetschGomi vs SotiropoulosHioki vs
PalaszewskiYamamoto vs LeeFukuda vs CantwellMizugaki vs
CariasoZhang vs Garcia
-
144
pictures copyright
February the 26th sees the ufc make its long awaited return to
japan with a lightweight title fight between current champ frankie
edgar and challenger benson henderson headlining the event.
Page 18 WWW.FIGHTERSMAG.CO.UK THE ANSWER FACES HIS BIGGEST
QUESTION AT UFC 1 - EDGAR VS HENDERSON Page 1
It has been 11 years since the or-ganisation held its last event
in the land of the rising sun and it prom-ises to return with a
bang as two of the most talented pound for pound fighters go head
to head for the Lightweight belt.
The fight will be Frankie Edgars 4th defence of the title after
taking the crown from BJ Penn back in April 2010 and in former WEC
Light-weight champion Benson Hender-son he faces possibly his
strongest test to date.
Edgar comes off a couple of tough scraps against Gray Maynard
and in Henderson he can expect no less.
Hendersons last fight was a fight of the night performance
against Clay Guida at UFC on FOX 1 back in November where he showed
just how good of an all round fighter he is, stifling most of
Guidas take down attempts and standing toe to toe with him when he
needed. He also noteably stayed very calm and col-lected faced with
one of the most unpredictable fighters in the sport waiting calmly
for his opportunities.
Both fighters are very well rounded with excellent stand up and
strong ground games. Edgar edging it on the feet and Henderson the
slightly better at taking an opponent down and submitting them.
It is definitely an intriguing match up that is pretty hard to
call a favourite from. We cant see either of these men giving in to
one another and expect it to go to the judges desci-sions after 5
rounds. We do see those 5 rounds being packed full of excite-ment
and some of the best mma you will likely get the chance to see.
As for the rest of the card there will be plenty of homegrown
talent for the local fans to cheer with 7 Japa-nese fighters
fighting. Other note-able fights include Jake Shields 2nd fight in
the UFC since losing to GSP, this time he faces seasoned veteran
Yoshihiro Akiyama and the co main event, Rampages first return to
Ja-pan since leaving Pride for the UFC as he faces Ryan Bader, both
men looking to get their UFC careers back on track after recent
losses.
Main CardEdgar vs HendersonJackson vs BaderHunt vs KongoAkiyama
vs ShieldsPettis vs Lauzon
PrelimsOkami vs BoetschGomi vs SotiropoulosHioki vs
PalaszewskiYamamoto vs LeeFukuda vs CantwellMizugaki vs
CariasoZhang vs Garcia
-
What was it that made you decide to head to Thailand to
train?
RORY CRAWFORD: If you do Thai boxing, the place to go to train
is Thailand - its a no-brainer. Theres a lot of people I train with
who have been to Thailand and recommended it and a gym they use out
there, and Ive always wanted to train out there so three of us
[another Keddles-based fighter, Leigh Hendey, joined them] went out
there to train for two weeks and trained full-time out there.
The reason to go out there was more to focus on technique. I
think a lot of English fighters tend to be more aggressive, while
the Thais are a lot more technical - one of the main reasons I
wanted to go out there was because clinch was one of the worst
parts of my fighting so thats something I wanted to train a lot on,
and the technique side, really.
ROSS HARLAND: Ive just had my first professional fight so I went
to Thailand to get some intense training done because I wanted to
feel as ready as possible.
I was really nervous about it and I just wanted to get as much
knowledge and fitness in before the fight. I won with a unanimous
decision - hed had 14 pro fights and this was my first.
So how did you find it?
RORY CRAWFORD: The training, technique-wise, is outstanding out
there. Two weeks wasnt long enough and Im planning to go out there
in March for six months to train and fight out there. I fell in
love with the place, I didnt want to leave.
ROSS HARLAND: The trip gave me peace of mind, I felt Id trained
like a pro and took the pressure off me knowing Id put the work
in.
Im more of a defensive fighter but in my last fight I was going
forward more, which is something I learned in Thailand because they
kept telling me to push forward.
Was it difficult to get your nutrition correct with fights
coming up?
RORY CRAWFORD: Nutrition-wise, the way they eat out there -
theres a lot of fried food out there but I know what to eat, and
what not to eat anyway, so nutrition-wise it wasnt really much
different.
Youre obviously going to want to try new things while youre out
there, but I knew what to eat anyway. Everyone can be tempted, but
we all knew that we had a fight coming up and that we had two weeks
out there, then a
week and a half back in England before fighting so we knew we
had to keep our weight down and with training all the time, we had
to eat the right things.
I like to load up on carbs, to give myself the energy, but we
took our protein shakes out to Thailand, too. We didnt actually
have any trouble with customs because we thought it might look a
bit dodgy taking it out there, but it was fine.
ROSS HARLAND: We stayed in a caf down the road [from the gym]
and they had all sorts, but I tried to stick to the Thai food. I
try and eat well anyway with my training - lots of chicken and
rice, etc, so it wasnt a dramatic change - food wasnt a
problem.
Every other time Ive been to Thailand [Ross had previously
visited as a tourist, not to train] before I had a dodgy stomach
but I didnt experience it this time.
What about the sparring - how was that?
RORY CRAWFORD: I found the sparring really strange. When youre
in England it can be a bit of a brawl, more than technique, but [in
Thailand] youre just getting outclassed through technique really,
rather than power which was a bit of a weird experience.
A lot of the young kids, because theyve been fighting from such
a young age, youre sparring people who are 10, 11 years old and
youre finding yourself on the floor for half of it so it was a bit
of an eye opener but we all benefited from it. Theyd stop you and
break it down, show you technique and where you are going wrong, so
it was really helpful.
I found boxing was our strongest point out there but, as for
clinch, it was just a completely different level - there are people
there half your weight and theyre throwing you about just through
pure technique. They were outstanding, you train with the best out
there.
ROSS HARLAND: They tend to do a lot of clinch at that particular
gym so wed do a lot of sparring with that. But theyd break it up
and wed do hand sparring - one of the days wed come back from a 10k
run in the morning and did a circuit with weights and then after
that do some sparring, hands only. They had really big gloves -
18oz - which Im not used to, which was a bit uncomfortable.
How does the gym culture differ - did the changes inspire
you?
RORY CRAWFORD: Its obviously their national sport - Thai boxing
is bred into them from such a young age - its a way of life for
them. A lot of people in England will fight professionally but have
a full-time job and thats a big difference.
All three of us train hard in England but the first session was
a real eye-opener - it worked out at about seven hours a day. The
three of us are all mentally strong though, there was no way I
wasnt going to get through of it but it was a shock. It spurred as
on that little bit more - watching the training, the environment in
the gym - everything about it.
ROSS HARLAND: Its more like a lifestyle out there, instead of
being a money-orientated gym. Id say theres more hunger out there -
you could definitely detect more hunger in there. Those kids have
come from nothing - one of them had lost his parents, monks had
taken him into a temple just down the road but they asked the gym
if theyd take him on and he trains there now.
There was definitely a lot of hunger in him, and it inspires
you, looking at these kids cracking on and fighting as frequently
as they can.
Their technique, their power - they know so much even though
theyre young. They make you silly which makes you think come on,
get your act together.
RORY CRAWFORD: They train very hard out there - twice a day, six
times a week - thats their job. They do train harder out there than
over here and without a doubt it inspires you.
Did you encounter problems with the climate?
RORY CRAWFORD: You have to be careful with the weight you drop -
I dropped around four kilos in two days through the heat and being
unwise to it, but they keep telling you to drink diaralyte and keep
getting minerals and salts back into your body.
Its a different environment to train in and the heats a big
factor but we got used to it after a couple of days.
ROSS HARLAND: It was so hot! Rory cramped up a lot of the time
but they gave him electrolytes and vitamins to take to stop the
cramps.
Just how committed are club fighters to learning their
trade?
Keddles-based Rory Crawford and Ross Harland both undertook
training
camps at the Kiatphontip gym near Bangkok, Thailand and both
returned
to win their fights in impressive fashion. Just how much did
they
benefit from training out there? Declan Warrington reports.
Training inThailand
Page 20 WWW.FIGHTERSMAG.CO.UK TRAINING IN THAILAND - BY DECLAN
WARRINGTON Page 21
-
What was it that made you decide to head to Thailand to
train?
RORY CRAWFORD: If you do Thai boxing, the place to go to train
is Thailand - its a no-brainer. Theres a lot of people I train with
who have been to Thailand and recommended it and a gym they use out
there, and Ive always wanted to train out there so three of us
[another Keddles-based fighter, Leigh Hendey, joined them] went out
there to train for two weeks and trained full-time out there.
The reason to go out there was more to focus on technique. I
think a lot of English fighters tend to be more aggressive, while
the Thais are a lot more technical - one of the main reasons I
wanted to go out there was because clinch was one of the worst
parts of my fighting so thats something I wanted to train a lot on,
and the technique side, really.
ROSS HARLAND: Ive just had my first professional fight so I went
to Thailand to get some intense training done because I wanted to
feel as ready as possible.
I was really nervous about it and I just wanted to get as much
knowledge and fitness in before the fight. I won with a unanimous
decision - hed had 14 pro fights and this was my first.
So how did you find it?
RORY CRAWFORD: The training, technique-wise, is outstanding out
there. Two weeks wasnt long enough and Im planning to go out there
in March for six months to train and fight out there. I fell in
love with the place, I didnt want to leave.
ROSS HARLAND: The trip gave me peace of mind, I felt Id trained
like a pro and took the pressure off me knowing Id put the work
in.
Im more of a defensive fighter but in my last fight I was going
forward more, which is something I learned in Thailand because they
kept telling me to push forward.
Was it difficult to get your nutrition correct with fights
coming up?
RORY CRAWFORD: Nutrition-wise, the way they eat out there -
theres a lot of fried food out there but I know what to eat, and
what not to eat anyway, so nutrition-wise it wasnt really much
different.
Youre obviously going to want to try new things while youre out
there, but I knew what to eat anyway. Everyone can be tempted, but
we all knew that we had a fight coming up and that we had two weeks
out there, then a
week and a half back in England before fighting so we knew we
had to keep our weight down and with training all the time, we had
to eat the right things.
I like to load up on carbs, to give myself the energy, but we
took our protein shakes out to Thailand, too. We didnt actually
have any trouble with customs because we thought it might look a
bit dodgy taking it out there, but it was fine.
ROSS HARLAND: We stayed in a caf down the road [from the gym]
and they had all sorts, but I tried to stick to the Thai food. I
try and eat well anyway with my training - lots of chicken and
rice, etc, so it wasnt a dramatic change - food wasnt a
problem.
Every other time Ive been to Thailand [Ross had previously
visited as a tourist, not to train] before I had a dodgy stomach
but I didnt experience it this time.
What about the sparring - how was that?
RORY CRAWFORD: I found the sparring really strange. When youre
in England it can be a bit of a brawl, more than technique, but [in
Thailand] youre just getting outclassed through technique really,
rather than power which was a bit of a weird experience.
A lot of the young kids, because theyve been fighting from such
a young age, youre sparring people who are 10, 11 years old and
youre finding yourself on the floor for half of it so it was a bit
of an eye opener but we all benefited from it. Theyd stop you and
break it down, show you technique and where you are going wrong, so
it was really helpful.
I found boxing was our strongest point out there but, as for
clinch, it was just a completely different level - there are people
there half your weight and theyre throwing you about just through
pure technique. They were outstanding, you train with the best out
there.
ROSS HARLAND: They tend to do a lot of clinch at that particular
gym so wed do a lot of sparring with that. But theyd break it up
and wed do hand sparring - one of the days wed come back from a 10k
run in the morning and did a circuit with weights and then after
that do some sparring, hands only. They had really big gloves -
18oz - which Im not used to, which was a bit uncomfortable.
How does the gym culture differ - did the changes inspire
you?
RORY CRAWFORD: Its obviously their national sport - Thai boxing
is bred into them from such a young age - its a way of life for
them. A lot of people in England will fight professionally but have
a full-time job and thats a big difference.
All three of us train hard in England but the first session was
a real eye-opener - it worked out at about seven hours a day. The
three of us are all mentally strong though, there was no way I
wasnt going to get through of it but it was a shock. It spurred as
on that little bit more - watching the training, the environment in
the gym - everything about it.
ROSS HARLAND: Its more like a lifestyle out there, instead of
being a money-orientated gym. Id say theres more hunger out there -
you could definitely detect more hunger in there. Those kids have
come from nothing - one of them had lost his parents, monks had
taken him into a temple just down the road but they asked the gym
if theyd take him on and he trains there now.
There was definitely a lot of hunger in him, and it inspires
you, looking at these kids cracking on and fighting as frequently
as they can.
Their technique, their power - they know so much even though
theyre young. They make you silly which makes you think come on,
get your act together.
RORY CRAWFORD: They train very hard out there - twice a day, six
times a week - thats their job. They do train harder out there than
over here and without a doubt it inspires you.
Did you encounter problems with the climate?
RORY CRAWFORD: You have to be careful with the weight you drop -
I dropped around four kilos in two days through the heat and being
unwise to it, but they keep telling you to drink diaralyte and keep
getting minerals and salts back into your body.
Its a different environment to train in and the heats a big
factor but we got used to it after a couple of days.
ROSS HARLAND: It was so hot! Rory cramped up a lot of the time
but they gave him electrolytes and vitamins to take to stop the
cramps.
Just how committed are club fighters to learning their
trade?
Keddles-based Rory Crawford and Ross Harland both undertook
training
camps at the Kiatphontip gym near Bangkok, Thailand and both
returned
to win their fights in impressive fashion. Just how much did
they
benefit from training out there? Declan Warrington reports.
Training inThailand
Page 20 WWW.FIGHTERSMAG.CO.UK TRAINING IN THAILAND - BY DECLAN
WARRINGTON Page 21
-
Page 22 WWW.FIGHTERSMAG.CO.UK TRAINING IN THAILAND - BY DECLAN
WARRINGTON Page 23
Wed run around six miles in the morning from around six, then
come back and train until about nine in the morning, half nine. Wed
go back to where we were staying, sleep, have some food, and then
wake up ready train at three oclock again and do another six mile
run.
It feels like theres no air - its just heat. I was trying to
make sure I had enough water anyway but I still picked up a couple
of injuries. My left ankle started to hurt - I dont know whether
its the pads or the running, Im not used to running 12 miles a
day.
I hate running so I probably do the least amount I have to - my
body must have been in shock.
When youre amongst everyone thats great [at fighting] and doing
really well, and youre suffering a bit, you can forget about the
heat. I started thinking Im useless, having a lot of doubts,
thinking Im not ready but I just had to remind myself Id be sharper
and quicker when I get back. It was hard to deal with when other
people looked to be coping and you werent used to it.
Its just draining - your breathings messed up, it makes you
knackered, dehydrated, weaker.
...And the language barrier?
RORY CRAWFORD: At Keddles we regularly have Thais over so we
actually know a couple of them and their English is pretty good so
I didnt find the language barrier too bad.
ROSS HARLAND: A lot of the locals must know what youre out there
for so you get people saying hello and bibbing on their scooters
when theyre going past. Its more about the locals in the area
rather than the tourism. Not a lot of people spoke English so it
was really hard work to get things done or to go anywhere or
anything, so it became a bit of a struggle, it could be a bit
mentally draining.
What can the British scene learn from the Thais? And what did
you learn personally?
RORY CRAWFORD: The Thais are the best at it - its their sport.
People all over Europe are going there all the time. If you want to
be the best at something you have to train with the best, thats why
we go and train with them.
I felt so relaxed [when I fought] whereas before I was a bit
aggressive, would stiffen up and would make mistakes. But they tell
you to relax and once youve had that drilled into you it shows -
when I look back on the DVD [of my last fight] I was a lot more
relaxed, things came together a lot more and my technique was
crisper, I definitely put that down to the training out there.
Weve kept the relaxed approach in our training now. Ross fought
on the same show as me, but Leigh was injured. Theyve both said the
same, and Im delighted to bring that back because it was such a
negative part of my game before. The more relaxed you are...you
come on leaps and bounds. Hard training never goes away.
ROSS HARLAND: Its all about the technique out there - the
tiniest little tricks...its unbelievable what they can do out there
- its their second nature. Theyve been brought up to fight and
thats how they make a living. Its amazing how technical they are.
Its fine-tuned like an art - a lot of British fighters dont get
that. They treat it like kick-boxing and try and go in there and
get a knockout and throw hard punches but out there, they dont
really use a lot of punches - they were just used to set themselves
up to get a good kick in or work there way into a clinch. The
punches are like a distraction.
Running through the technique with one of them, just getting me
to go really slowly with him with the pads and to sort my reach to
put him off so that he couldnt come forward. I used a lot of that
in my fight and it really messed up my opponents game because he
couldnt come any closer because
I had my hand coming out so it made it difficult for him.
Its all fresh in my mind - everything thats drilled into us is
really beneficial if youre going to fight straight after.
But the British are better than the Thais with their hands - its
how we fight, with boxing. When we fight, its with our hands.
My fitness - it was the best Ive ever felt. Ive picked up more
technique than I had but given the time I was there, I feel I could
have used longer for things to sink in.
I think both Rory and Leigh have come on well. When Leigh fought
out there he looked really strong, powerful. He did really well.
The Thai bloke he fought was supposed to have had 20 fights, but
our trainer thought he was lying and that hed had more. That was
Leighs third fight and he got a TKO in the third round. Hes come a
long way - all of a sudden, for both of them, youll notice a real
difference in them but they do put the work in, they work really
hard. Theyre using more combinations and are super fit at the
moment.
Were there any times when you struggled?
RORY CRAWFORD: They do a lot of running out there, more than we
do. The running was hard, the training all round took some getting
used to because of the heat. It was October,
