MMA Hot Stuff

Heart For The Fight - book review

Heart For The Fight

 

There have been a few Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters that have written books over the years. Some funny in nature. Some more serious about the sport and business of MMA.  And I’m the first one to say I barely have 15 minutes a day to spare to read another book written by a MMA fighter. But when I read the overview of  Brian Stann’s “Heart For The Fight” something was going to be different about this book.

The overview it gave of Stann’s early years growing up in a tough neighborhood and the struggles he endured were heart wrenching. And the hurdles he overcame at the Naval Academy were early indicators of his determination.

Stann also wrote about his experience as a commander in Iraq and the emotions he encountered while losing many friends to combat as well as being accused of something that could have been career ending, not to mention mentally and emotionally devastating for the average person.

In addition to how he got started in MMA, the highs of winning and the experience of winning the WEC Championship to meeting his now wife Teressa.

I started reading the book and found myself trying to hurry to get life’s day to day stuff done so I had more time to read more pages. Everyone takes away something different from every story. But for me, I saw how his early life’s struggles directly impacted him as an adult and how he dealt with the situations he faced. This wasn’t a book written about an athlete but rather the heroic spirit of a man that is going to accomplish a lot in his life. It made me appreciate the men and women that serve our country much more than I did before. I will admit to being more of an ostrich with my head in the sand when it comes to war. The news does a good job of not showing the lows of war, however Brian gave enough detail to get the visualization you can’t ignore or deny.  After seeing and experiencing what he did in Iraq, I can’t even imagine how a person can see the good in anything. Yet he had a way of talking about Teressa that made me see his heart is made of gold and not damaged by prior experiences.  An accomplishment of its own if you ask me.

I’ve been a huge fan of Brian’s since his early days in the WEC. But after reading this book, I’m an even bigger fan of his. The soldier. The fighter and the inspiring person he is.

I highly recommend this book! And I wish Brian the best of luck as he makes his middleweight debut tomorrow night against Mike Massenzio in San Diego at UFC on Versus.

And for Brian, "your heart is unbeatable. Bring that to every fight and you'll never lose..."

(anticipated release date of book is Sept 15, 2010)

Please follow him on twitter if you're not currently - and read more about his honorable charity work with Hire Heros USA.

 

MMA Contest Information RULES and PRIZES

Want to win some AUTOGRAPHED schwag from some of your FAVORITE MMA fighters? All you have to do is answer some questions about those fighters as well as the brands that support them. Every day for one week I'll ask THREE questions. At the end of the 7th day, the first three people to email me with all the right answers, will win!

Some questions will be easy. Some will be hard. The answers can be found on the fighters websites, on their twitter pages, or on the pages of their sponsors.

RULES!

YOU MUST FOLLOW THESE PEOPLE ON TWITTER. The winners MAY be notified by one of the twitter accounts mentioned below, and if you're not following them, they can't DM you!!!

twitter.com/MagneticMMA

twitter.com/mmahotstuff

twitter.com/mmaadnet

twitter.com/MMAAdvertising

twitter.com/mmasocialites

twitter.com/mtxmma

twitter.com/brawlnutrition

twitter.com/mtxaudio

twitter.com/performancemma

twitter.com/beaverbuzznrg

twitter.com/nightrideraz

twitter.com/shanecarwin

twitter.com/effyescudero

twitter.com/smoothone155

twitter.com/firemarshallUFC

twitter.com/DannyMMA125

twitter.com/DaleHartt

twitter.com/Dethrone

twitter.com/Jesse_Forbes

twitter.com/edgargarcia170

twitter.com/chriscamozzi

twitter.com/Warriorint

twitter.com/jkarp185

twitter.com/rrkelly_4

PRIZES!!

Grand Prize

MTX ipod boombox

Night Rider Jewelry ($1000.00 gift certificate)

WarriorWear Shane Carwin shirts (original, 108 walk out tee & team carwin)

MMAHotStuff tshirt

 

Second Place

MTX ipod boombox

$100.00 gift card from Performance MMA

Signed MTX audio short by Efrain

90 day supply of Brawl Nutrition supplements

MMAHotStuff tshirt


Third Place

$100.00 gift card from Performance MMA

Efrain Escudero shirt from Dethrone

2 month supply from beaverbuzz

MMAHotStuff tshirt 

Questions will be asked EVERY day here: http://www.mmahotstuff.com/about/2010/02/mmahotstuff-contest-questions.html

BOOK MARK THAT PAGE.

After the 7th day when all of the questions have been asked, email me your answers.

MMAHotStuff Contest QUESTIONS

Every day, I'll ask THREE questions for a week. The questions will be posted here so come back (book mark) to this page every day for the new questions...

Friendly reminder of the rules and prizes can be found at this link!

Questions:

Tuesday (day 1)

1. Name one of Ben Henderson's favorite books!

2. In what years did Shane Carwin work as an Assistant Wrestling Coach at the Colorado School of Mines?

3. Eliot Marshall shared a training room with someone at UFC 97. Who was it?

Wednesday (day 2)

1. Efrain Escudero was in Miami on Feb 2nd. Which hotel did he blog from?

2. What's the address of the MTX retailer in Salem, Oregon?

3. How much are the Warrior Pro Handwraps (Warrior International)?

Thursday (day 3)

1. BJJSupplements.com gave Brawl Nutrition an award. What was it?

2. What are the different flavors of Beaver Buzz Energy Drinks?

3. Shane Carwin recently sang the praises of his coaches on Twitter. Who were the coaches he mentioned?

Friday (day 4) TGIF people!

1. MMASocialites.com recently interview Jon Jones. How did he meet his fiance Jessie?

2. What's George Ganem's nickname (of Night Rider Jewelry)?

3. Shane Carwin supports the troops! What's the name of the website he recently promoted on his twitter? Hint: they are dedicated to assisting Post Traumatic Stress Disordered Veterans!

Saturday (day 5)

1. Who is Eliot Marshalls BJJ Coach?

2. Where does Edgar Garcia get his hair cut?

3. Dethrone sponsors two title holders, who are they?

Sunday (day 6)

1. What's the name of the female athlete (fighter) managed by Magnetic Marketing Associates?

2. MMASocialites recently interviewed Ann Serra (Matt's wife). Who did she watch UFC 109 with?

3. Shane Carwin has posted the name of his baby girl that is due ANY DAY NOW.. What's her name?

Monday (day 7) (will be posted Monday between 4-4:30pm pacific time) FINAL DAY

1. Ben Henderson recently took his fiance to a concert. Who did they go see?

2. Efrain Escudero is scheduled to fight at UFC 114. Who will he be fighting? Efrain tweeted it and I need the spelling he used on his tweet!

3. Ben Henderson is ranked what level in taekwondo?

After the week is up and all the questions have been asked, EMAIL ME your answers at MMAHotStuff@gmail.com. The first three people that have the right answers will win. First winner with the right answers, Grand prize winner. Etc.

Email me if you have questions!

Thanks

Rachel

WEC 46 Predictions and Random Thoughts Like Grizzly Bears

This Sunday, the WEC crew will blow into Sacramento for what feels like Urijah Faber's thirtieth fight at the ARCO arena. I'm kidding but you have to admit the ARCO arena is his second home. In his back yard with the stand filled with his friends from afar. All of that and I'm not even talking about the main event. Who doesn't love watching the California Kid though..? My predictions are below. Winners in green.

Finally, we're going to see the Lightweight title unified. As you may recall, Jamie Varner walked away with a very controversial win over Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone at WEC 38, when the fight was stopped in the fifth round when Cowboy hit Jamie's temple with an illegal knee while Jamie was down. After given the alloted amount of time to recover, Jamie said he could not continue due to double vision (and a broken hand). Well, that was almost a year ago. Jamie has been recovering and during that time the WEC set up an interim title bought between Cowboy and Ben Henderson. Ben beat Cowboy via unanimous decision (in a pretty rad fight getting them fight of the night bonuses -cha-ching) to win the Interim Lightweight Championship. So here's how I see it. You have Ben (aka Smooth) coming off a spectecular win, and has been training with elite fighters including Kenny Florian and BJ Penn. And we know Jamie likes to throw punches. Although having said that he hasn't been in the cage for almost a year (most likely will be a bit rusty). I expect Ben to take Jamie down early and submit him. I don't foresee this going past the second round. For extra points I expect Ben to get him in a Rear Naked Choke. 

What do we know about Urijah... He doesn't like to lose. And has only lost to one person in the past four years (Mike Brown; twice). He'll be facing Brazilian Raphael Assuncao who has an impressive record of 15-1 (currently on a 6 win winning streak). This very well could turn out to be a great fight but see it going to the ground early. Urijah is coming off that last loss to Mike Brown and has something to prove in front of his home crowd. I see Urijah winning by submission (via something fancy like a guillotine).

Who doesn't love watching guys enter the cage that are undefeated! Well lucky for us because Dave Jansen is just that. Undefeated with a record of 14-0! His last win was against one of my other favorite WEC guys; Richard Crunkilton via unanimous decision. Dave is set to face (also undefeated) Kamal Shalorus; fighting out of Austin TX. Don't mess with Tex. Speaking of don't mess with Tex Kamal is not only a grappling instructor but also partner at American Combat Association. I point this out because Dave has been successful on the ground but this time, if he doesn't get Kamal there he might be in trouble. I'm picking Kamal to win by TKO in the first. I'm anxious to see this fight.

I LOVE fighters that love to fight. That's what I think of when I think of Mike Brown. Well that and grizzly bears for some reason. Mike just fought on the WEC 44 card in November, and lost by TKO to Jose Aldo. Mike's facing a pretty experienced fighter (although making his WEC debut), Anthony Morrison.  When Mike was asked what he thought of Anthony he said he's quick and a hard hitter. He's also coming off a win against Alvin Robinson just weeks ago. For me, it comes down to grizzly bears. Mike will take this. And I have a feeling he's going to show us his redemption by beating Anthony by TKO. Early, I'm saying the end of the first round.

What's the saying, "strike while the iron is hot?" That's exactly what comes to mind when I think of Mackens Semerzier. He just shocked everyone during his WEC debut in October when he submitted Wagnney Fabiano in the first round. Not a bad way to make your debut with the WEC. Well he's back to face Deividas Taurosevicius and he's nothing to laugh at. His record is 11-3 where he also fought on WEC 43 and won via split decision against Javier Vazquez. I'll say I think Mackens is a future contender for the WEC. I expect him to win by submission.

Agree? Disagree? Let me know. Either leave a comment or send me an email. Rachel@mmahotstuff.com

 
 

Announcing MMA Socialites

I’m excited to announce the launch of MMA Socialites in partnership with Lani Carwin, wife of UFC Heavyweight contender Shane Carwin. MMA Socialites was created as a way to bring the fans into the lives of MMA fighters and their families, as well as all others deeply involved in this sport, within a community atmosphere. We’ve taken our passion for the sport and the lifestyle we both live, coupled with the stories we’re told, to share with you, the fans. Regardless of the juncture, whether training for the first MMA fight or defending a title, every fighter has a story to tell and we wanted to share them with you.

Our goal is to tell the stories of the fighters outside the cage, and present the side of them that fans rarely see. We’re confident that by showing the fans who these fighters are outside the cage, the more MMA will gain mainstream acceptance and the more the sport will grow. We won’t focus on breaking news, but rather on interviews, event coverage, as well as community meet-ups at events. We’ll bring you into the lives of the fighters, their families, and get the perspective and stories of those non-fighters that still play a key role in the growth of this sport. 

Lani says “I am thrilled to be involved with MMA Socialites, and the launch of the site is so exciting!  The MMA industry is a passion of mine; not only because my husband, Shane Carwin, is a top-notch talent in the UFC, but because the potential for growth and advancement of the sport is incredible. As my knowledge base has grown through the years of my direct exposure, my excitement for the sport has as well. MMA Socialites was born to expose an entire population, a group that has been completely neglected, to something they are just as interested in as I am.  There are so many women that love the sport and crave more knowledge and insight into our industry.  We are here to bring that - to give them a place to bond, gain insight, and attain a whole different perspective that I have no doubt will be so interesting for them.  Thank you to Rachel for all her hard work - and let the ride begin!”

And what a ride it will be. Please come and join the community -www.mmasocialites.com- to stay in the loop on our efforts, also,  follow us on twitter. If there’s a fighter or fighter’s wife you want us to interview just email and let us know. We want to hear from you, the fans!

VERSUS To Air WEC Greatest Knockouts II

Grab your popcorn and beer (hey don't judge me) or set your Tivos, because you're in luck! VERSUS will air WEC’s Greatest Knockouts II on Wednesday, October 7, at 9 p.m. ET! You'll see Mike Brown, Urijah Faber, Miguel Torres, Jose Aldo plus many other elite WEC fighters showcasing some of the biggest knockouts in the WEC! Sa-weet! Which knockout are you excited to see again?

VERSUS TO AIR HIGH-ENERGY SPECIAL

 WEC’S GREATEST KNOCKOUTS II   

ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, AT 9 P.M. ET

 

NEW YORK, N.Y. (October 6, 2009)— VERSUS, the exclusive cable television home of World Extreme Cagefighting® (WEC®), will air WEC’s Greatest Knockouts II on Wednesday, October 7, at 9 p.m. ET. The hour-long presentation will feature fight highlights from some of the biggest knockouts in WEC history.

The show will feature fight highlights from August 2008 to the August 2009 match in which Brian Bowles defeated Miguel Torres, one of the pound-for-pound best fighters in MMA, to earn the bantamweight title. Also included are the knock-out fights from Mike Brown’s featherweight title win over Urijah “The California Kid” Faber in November 2008 and Jose Aldo’s amazing eight-second knock-out of veteran Cub Swanson in June 2009.

The show will re-air on Saturday, October 10, at 12 a.m. ET, immediately following the network’s live WEC fight featuring Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone against Ben Henderson in a bout that will crown the interim WEC lightweight champion.  The live fight will air at 10 p.m. ET and will originate from the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.

The WEC brand is recognized as one of the premier mixed martial arts organizations in the United States. Founded in 2001, the WEC features many of the most prominent athletes in the sport of mixed martial arts today. Owned and operated by WEC Holdings LLC., and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., the WEC produces live and taped events annually that are distributed through the Versus network. WEC programming is also available on Fox Sports en Espanol. In addition to its U.S distribution, WEC programming is shown on the TSN network in Canada and Cadena Tres in Mexico. For more information and current WEC fight news, visit wec.tv. World Extreme Cagefighting® and WEC® are registered trademarks, trademarks, trade dress or service marks owned exclusively by WEC Holdings, LLC in the United States and other jurisdictions and are licensed to WEC Productions, LLC.

VERSUS celebrates real competition across all platforms (VERSUS.com, VERSUS on Demand and VERSUS HD) and is the national cable home of the National Hockey League (NHL), the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the IndyCar® Series as well as best-in-class events such as The Tour de France, the Professional Bull Riders (PBR), World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and Professional Boxing.  The network also offers collegiate sports featuring nationally-ranked teams from top conferences such as the Pac-10, Big 12, Mountain West and Ivy League. VERSUS features the best field sports programming on television and is a destination for sports fans, athletes and sportsmen to find exclusive, competitive events and original programs, such as Sports Soup and Sports Jobs with Junior Seau that audiences can't find elsewhere.  VERSUS, a wholly owned company of Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK), is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.

 

# # #

Nominations for 2009 World MMA Awards closes on Wednesday

Who do you think was the BreakThrough Fighter of the Year? Best MMA Promotion? 

As a reminder, the nomination stage for the 2009 World MMA Awards closes this Wednesday (tomorrow), Sept. 30. 

The World MMA Awards, which is operated by Fighters Only magazine, is viewed as one of the most prestigious awards for the sport, awarding in 18 different MMA related categories

Nominees will be announced on Oct. 5, and final voting will then run until Dec. 5. Winners will be announced at a Dec. 30 "Oscars-style" black-tie ceremony, which streams live on Versus.com (and throughout January on Versus) from The Joint at The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. 

"Response to the World MMA Awards has been huge this year with thousands of fans worldwide taking part," Fighters Only CEO Rob Hewitt recently stated. "Nominations have been very diverse, and ... most of the categories are still wide open." 

The categories range from Fight of the Year to KO and Submission of the Year to Best MMA Brand and best MMA Media Source. MMA equipment manufactures also vie for a variety of categories. 

But before you place your vote I encourage you to take a minute and think about things. What makes someone the Best Fighter of the Year? Is it the number of wins? Is it the most vicious KnockOut? The biggest upset? Or is it because of heart and dedication?

Another category is Best MMA Journalist. I've thought a lot about this one (for obvious reasons). Always keep in mind the best Journalist may not be the one that breaks every 'story'... Sadly, fact checking has taken a back seat more often than not over being the first to the party. And then there are times the stories are known weeks before the story actually gets out but can't be discussed for confidential reasons. I personally take pride in the fact that while I consider many Fighters (UFC, WEC & Strikeforce) my personal friends, a lot of the information I hear I keep to myself. I'm so proud of what my friends have accomplished and there are times I know the information is just best left unsaid or unwritten. I want them to have time to train in private for a fight before it's publicly announced who their next opponent is. Who do you consider to be a Journalist that writes funny or interesting stories? Gives a different perspective than the 12 other sites that covered the same thing the day before.

So now that I've given you something to think about, please hurry and vote. 

Also, feel free to follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/MMAHotStuff

UFC 102 Predictions - FROM A GIRL'S PERSPECTIVE

Okay, I know it feels like I waited until the last minute to post my predictions (and let's be real here, I did) but I have a good reason. I didn't want people to steal my predictions for our fantasy league. Hey, it could happen.

While I thought I was super excited for UFC 101, I'm even more excited for UFC 102. The card doesn't have a title fight but it's stacked with killer match ups. Good job Joe Silva!

Where to start.. It's Friday night and I've got things to do so we'll skip around and cover the fights I'm anxious to see and the main card.

Mark Munoz vs Nick Catone: First of all, this is Mark's second fight in the UFC. If you recall his debut with the UFC was against Matt Hamill (one of my favs), where he was KNOCKED the eff OUT with a head kick early in to the first round. I think a lot of Mark and his wrestling skills. And I'm anxious to see how he does against Nick. But since this is a prediction post I'll just lay it out here. I believe Mark is going to suffer another loss. I have Nick winning by TKO in the first.

Gabriel Gonzaga vs Chris Tuchscherer Even though Gabriel is coming off a loss against Shane Carwin (hello one of the best fights of 2009 so far) he's still a skilled fighter. We all remember how he caught Shane and rocked him pretty good. A lot of people are saying this is a do or die fight for Gonzaga but I disagree. Either way, I have Gonzaga winning the fight by TKO in the first.

Here's an upset pick. Damnit I just gave it away. Ed Herman vs Aaron Simpson. While many people are going to pick Ed, and I understand why, I think Aaron is going to win his UFC debut fight. No real reason. The kid has experience from being in the WEC and he's shown his wins by KO or TKO (all in the first round but one). Impressive in my book. So there you have it. My upset pick. Aaron by TKO in the first

A CAN'T WAIT FOR THESE FIGHTS:

Brandon Vera vs Krzysztof Soszynski I actually had a hard time with this pick. I think both fighters are great. Krz has won submission of the night multiple times and has some big wins under his belt. Assuming Brandon can keep this fight standing, I'm giving him the fight by TKO in the second. 

Nate Marquardt vs Demian Maia This very well could be THE FIGHT OF THE NIGHT. Again, I've gone back and forth on this one. I've even argued with myself over it. Both fighters are some of the top middleweights in the UFC without a doubt. The thing about Demian is he hasn't been a MMA for all that long. However in his short stint he's proven his ability and then some. Currently with a record of 10-0 his style is unusual or as some people say unorthodox. He's won all of his fights (but two) via submission and has won submission of the night honors on many occasions. This is without a doubt going to be Demian's hardest fight yet. However, I have him winning by Choke in the first round.

Chris Leben vs Jake Rosholt Chris Chris Chris... being from Portland I expect the crowd to be rowdy for this fight. Recently in Jon Anik's ESPN chat, some people said Chris is a gatekeeper for the middle weight division. I think he's a good/emotional fighter but definitely NOT a gatekeeper. In my opinion, this is a must win fight for Chris. I don't mean must win as in he'll be cut from the UFC but pretty dang close. Coming off a loss from well over a year ago against Mike Bisping, and then later testing positive for steroids, Chris hasn't been in the public eye for a while now. His record isn't bad, and again he's an emotional fighter. He's fighting someone who has pretty limited MMA experience (5-1) vs Chris' record of 18-5. Because of the emotion, the home town advantage and something to prove attitude, I give this fight to Chris via quick TKO in the first.

Don't think I'm picking every fight to go by TKO! Dun Dun Dun... The Dean of Mean Keith Jardine vs Thiago Silva! I can't wait for this fight! Keith Jardine is one of those fighters I love to watch. He doesn't always win but he always gives his best. Okay that was the girl in me saying that. But it's true he's a fighter that just never (or rarely) leaves the crowd disappointed. I think Keith is going to do everything he can to ensure this doesn't go to the ground given Thiago is known for his ground and pound style. I have this one going the distance my friends. But in the end I'm giving it to Keith by Unanimous Decision. 

And the MAIN EVENT!!! Randy Couture vs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira - I can list all the reasons why I believe Randy will win. Never mind his age and that he's almost as old as dirt (I kid I kid), his body and mind are that of a youngin'. Did you see him at weigh-ins? The guy is ripped. If I saw him (and were single duh) at the beach I'd be like.. "damn'. He's coming focused and with a game plan. He's going to take Nogueira down but will be smart enough to stay out of his submissions. I'm giving this fight to Randy by TKO in the second.

Again, I'm really looking forward to a great night of fights. Superb card and match ups. I love MMA!

I'll be on twitter ( twitter.com/mmahotstuff ) and we'll also have an open post/chat open during the fights. Check back here later with more details.

Also, friendly reminder. If you haven't already done so MAKE YOUR UFC FANTASY PICKS! Time is running out. 19 hours left. Go to http://fantasy.ufc.com/

If you haven't decided where you're watching the fights, don't worry I'm here to help. Here's a list of bars/restaurants showing the PPV events. http://www.mmahotstuff.com/about/2009/08/ufc-102-pay-per-view-locations.html

MMAHotStuff Co-Hosted MMAScrapsRadio Guest WEC Mike Brown

This evening I co-hosted on MMAScraps Radio! Special guest was WEC Mike Brown. I was nervous and I'm sure I will only get better (I hope). 

Please show your support by following us at Twitter.com/MMAHotStuff Twitter.com/MMAScraps Twitter.com/MMAScrapsRadio

Upcoming WEC Bouts Announced For Youngstown OH Sept 2nd Card

Finally! Richard Crunkilton Jr is back!

In addition to the interim lightweight title bout against Donald Cerrone and Ben Henderson, the WEC has just announced many other exciting match ups for the September 2nd card taking place in Youngstown Ohio!

One of my personal favorite WEC fighters is Richard Crunkilton Jr. I've been wondering his status ever since he pulled out of WEC 41 due to an undisclosed injury where he was scheduled to fight Donald Cerrone.

Here's a list of the other bouts that have been announced:

Dave Jansen vs. Richard Crunkilton Jr
Akitoshi Tamura vs. Damacio Page
Anthony Pettis vs. Alex Karalexis
Yves Jabouin vs. Raphael Assuncao
Scott jorgensen vs. Rafael Rebello
Erik Koch vs. Wagnney Fabiano
Manny Tapia vs. Eddie Wineland
Muhsin Corbbrey vs. Anthony Njokuani
Coty Wheeler vs. Charlie Valencia