On March 5th 2016 Miesha Tate stepped into the Octagon once again in an attempt to dethrone the UFC champion of the Women’s Bantamweight Division. Tate, no stranger to the Octagon had been in this position before, faced with an awesome opportunity to earn her title as the division champion against then reigning champion Rhonda Rousey back in December of 2013. Tate’s 2013 attempt at the title ended when Rousey ended the fight in the 3rd round with her signature arm bar submission. Rhonda Rousey had been the undefeated women’s champion in the UFC’s Bantamweight division for two years eight months and had successfully defended her title six times against top-notch competitors, but on November 15th 2015, Rhonda sealed her fate when attempting to go toe to toe and blow for blow with Holly Holms a world class boxer and kickboxer who in her own career had defended her titles eighteen times. Holms knocked the longtime UFC champion”Rowdy” Rhonda Rousey out with a 2nd round head kick. As great of an achievement as this was, it seems it was not meant to last as on March 5th 2016 Holms and Tate met in the Octagon for what promised to be a knock down drag out fight, what happened was unexpected. Spectators saw a hungry Miesha Tate at one corner of the Octagon and what appeared to be a drained Holly Holms in the other. For a champion in the upper echelon of the combat sports, Holms appeared unenthusiastic or even motivated to hold on to her title. She seemed very unsure of herself, placing strikes haphazardly and in lack of better word dormant. The crowd was waiting for a volcanic explosion of raw power and aggression to explode from the champion, but this never happened. In the 5th round of the championship bout Meisha Tate secured a submission via rear naked choke and rightfully claimed her position amongst the UFC’s best. Tate currently has a record of 18 wins and 5 loses in her professional career and is the reigning UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion.
ACHIEVEMENTS: WON WEC INTERIM LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP 2009, LIGHTWEIGHT WEC CHAMPIONSHIP 2010[KEPT TITLE UNTIL DECEMBER 2010/2 TITLE DEFENSES], WON UFC LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP 2012 [CURRENTLY HOLDS TITLE TITLE /3 TITLE DEFENSES], FIGHT OF THE YEAR [ 2009,2010], FIGHT OF THE NIGHT [4-TIME], SUBMISSION OF THE NIGHT [1-TIME].
ABOUT: Henderson was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado to a Korean American mother and an African American father. He was raised inFederal Way, Washington. When Henderson was approximately 16 years old, his mother, Song, insisted that he take Tae Kwon Do lessons with his brother. “She’s Korean, I’m half-Korean, and it’s the traditional Korean martial art, so she wanted us to do that to get a little bit of the culture and tradition,” he says. Both Benson and his brother attained black belts in Tae Kwon Do.
He attended Decatur High School from 1998 to 2001. Benson became a part of the high school’s wrestling team. After graduating from high school, he attended Dana College in Blair, Nebraska and graduated in 2006 with a double major in criminal justice and sociology. While attending Dana College, Henderson was on the wrestling team, and was twice named an NAIA All-American. Henderson is a proud Christian, and uses his fighting to share his beliefs. He is known to quote scripture after bouts, and walks into each fight to a gospel song.
“I don’t drink—I’ve never had a sip of alcohol. I’ve never had a puff of a cigarette or weed or anything like that. Growing up in Tacoma, that wasn’t a very popular choice. I made a decision, and whenever it came up, I passed the dutchie to the left hand side … People have seen that. They see I don’t do the club scene. By people seeing that, that affects them in a bigger way than me talking about it.”
Benson has one older brother, Julius Henderson. Benson is engaged to Maria Magana. He is Christian. He is a fan of the Seattle Seahawks football team and the Charlotte Bobcats basketball team, though he has stated he hopes Seattle receives another basketball team.
Benson proposed to his fiancée in the Octagon after his win over Gilbert Melendez at UFC on Fox 7.
(SOURCE WIKI)
MMA CORNER NOTE: This young superstar started his MMA career in November 2006 when he got his first professional victory in MCF: Genesis via way of submission due to some well placed continuos strikes. Benson had his Octagon debut in UFC 129 in Toronto where he faced Mark Bocek and took home his first UFC victory via way of judges decision. This energetic precision striker gained the UFC Lightweight Title at UFC 144 in Japan when he stripped the belt away from former champ Frank “The Answer” Edgar by impressing the judges enough for a decision victory. Benson is truly a pleasure to watch in action, this dynamic fighter has the ability to submit with world class wrestling techniques with eight of his professional victories coming by way of submission. Keep an eye out for Mr.Smooth as he is sure to have a long and prosperous career amongst the elite of the UFC.
ACHIEVEMENTS: WON IVC LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP 1999, NOVEMBER 2003 WON PRIDE MIDDLE WEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP [KEPT TITLE UNTIL 2007/4 TITLE DEFENSES], FIGHT OF THE YEAR [ 2003,2004,2007], FIGHT OF THE NIGHT [5-TIME], KNOCKOUT OF THE NIGHT [2-TIME].
STYLES: MUAY THAI, BJJ (BLACK BELT)
ABOUT: Silva’s aggressive style is rooted in street brawling, refined with elements of Muay Thai and kickboxing. As a late teen he joined the military and was quickly recognized for his fighting talents and rose up in the ranks. Silva enlisted after already winning fight tournaments in his age group in Brazil. Silva would develop scar tissue around his eyes from fighting in bare-knuckle vale tudo, a precursor to modernMMA before the traditional MMA gloves were used.
Silva’s first professional match was on November 1, 1996, in the bare-knuckle Brazilian Vale Tudo Fighting organization (BVF), where he knocked out Dilson Filho via strikes at BVF 6. He fought in one other match in BVF, BVF 10 on July 1, 1997, against Marcelo Barbosa, who submitted due to a shoulder injury.
Silva fought six matches in four different IVC events, IVC 2, IVC 6, IVC 9 and IVC 10, from 1997 to 1999. He won five of these matches by KO/TKO, with his one loss being the result of a cut stoppage against Artur Mariano in the IVC 2 show on September 15, 1997. Though Silva dominated Mariano with punches and knee strikes, the cut was above Silva’s left eyelid and opened back up several times, partially because Silva continued to use the cut side of his head to inflict many headbutts on Mariano over the course of the match. The doctor observed the cut several times before the fight was ended.
Silva culminated his IVC career by winning the promotion’s Light Heavyweight belt with a submission win over Eugene Jackson in the IVC 10 show on April 27, 1999. It was after this fight that Silva earned the nickname “The Axe Murderer”. Silva participated in one Meca World Vale Tudo event, Meca 2 on August 12, 2000, where he knocked out Todd Medina with Muay Thai knees.
In Wanderlei’s personal life he is a personable character and devoted family man who is married to his wife Tea who he shares a son named Thor. He also has a daughter named Rafaela from a previous relationship. On August 26, 2012 Wanderlei’s father Holando died in a car accident. The accident occurred in the region of Castro, where his father lived.
(SOURCE WIKI)
MMA CORNER NOTE: Where to even begin with this fearsome former PRIDE champion is a mystery. This man has fought the roughest & toughest elite warriors in the world with a total of 49 professional MMA fights and 25 of those coming by way of K.O. This man is known for his aggressive, unleashed fighting style. A master at implementing the Muay Thai clinch and delivering powerful strikes with knees and elbow to breakdown his opponents. While “The Axe Murderer” prefers an up-close and personal battle, he is very talented in submissions having three victories come by way of submission a true credit to multidimensional fighters. This MMA veteran always brings his A game and in Silva’s book the “A” stands for Aggression. No stranger to bloody fights, Silva always keeps the fans on the edge of their seats every minute of every round. A true warrior, a true champion, a truly spectacular fighter. Thank you Wandy for entertaining MMA fans for over seventeen years.
ACHIEVEMENTS: JUNE 2004 WON GLADIATOR CHALLENGE LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT TOURNAMENT, NOVEMBER 2005 WON THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER “TUF 2”, DECEMBER 2008 WON UFC LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP (UFC 92), FIGHT OF THE NIGHT [2-TIME], KNOCKOUT OF THE NIGHT [2-TIME].
ABOUT: In 2004, under the tutelage of future UFC Hall of Famer Dan Severn, Evans competed in five professional mixed martial arts fights, winning all five. This led to his selection as one of the nine heavyweights to compete on The Ultimate Fighter 2, a reality TV series on SpikeTV. The season began airing on August 22, 2005, culminating in a live finale between the final two fighters of each weight division, held in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 5, 2005. Also Rashad Evans is a black belt in Gaidojustu and BJJ, he also studied karate as a child.
In his personal life Evans and his ex-wife LaToya have one son Rashad Jr, and a daughter Nia. He also has a daughter, Tahja, from a previous relationship. Evans’ brother Lance made a brief appearance on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs Team Mir, but was eliminated by Vinicius Magalhaes due to a rib injury and did not join the cast. Evans has appeared in a Microsoft commercial, where he says the lines, “You got a problem with that!” and “I’m a PC!”, while sparring with an unidentified opponent. Evans is a frequent commentator on the ESPN show MMA Live. Evans also made an appearance on Spike TV’s show Deadliest Warrior. In the episode, Evans easily pierces a pig carcass with the xyston similar to one used by Alexander the Great, and crushed a gel torso’s throat with an elbow. In March 2013, Evans announced his support for same-sex marriage and LGBT rights.
(SOURCE WIKI)
MMA CORNER NOTE: SUGA is always a pleasure to watch in the Octagon bringing his own flavor of Octagon etiquette and unpredictable game plan. A powerful striker and gifted grappler, this former champion has done a good job at staying amongst the elite of his divisions. This fighter has a love/hate relationship with MMA fans across the globe. Either they love him or hate him. Some fans don’t appreciate the apparent cockiness or showboating that Rashad has been known for in the cage, however his leadership ability and genuine heart far out-weigh his flaws. During the filming of The Ultimate Fighter season 10, Rashad Evans was repeatedly consoling and even at times acting as a life coach for his opposition’s fighters who had lost their TUF shot to Rashad’s well coached fighters. His opposing coach Quinton “Rampage” Jackson was frequently seen throwing a fit and cussing out his fighters after their loses on TUF 10. At the end of filming TUF 10 in 2010 the two coaches with serious BAD BLOOD between them meet in the Octagon to settle their differences, Evans took home the victory via decision at UFC 114.
ACHIEVEMENTS: WON UFC MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE AT UFC 64 [ OCTOBER 14,2006] HAS SUCCESSFULLY DEFENDED MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP IN 10 CONSECUTIVE UFC TITLE FIGHTS, FIGHT OF THE NIGHT [3-TIME], KNOCKOUT OF THE NIGHT [6-TIME], SUBMISSION OF THE NIGHT [2-TIME].
STYLES: MUAY THAI (BLACK PRAJIED), JUDO (BLACK BELT), BJJ (BLACK BELT), TAEKWONDO ( 5TH DAN BLACK BELT), CAPOEIRA (YELLOW ROPE)
ABOUT: Anderson da Silva born April 14, 1975, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and current UFC Middleweight Champion. Silva is the UFC’s longest reigning champion and also holds the longest winning and title defense streak in UFC history, with 16 consecutive wins and 10 title defenses. He has 12 post-fight bonus awards. Silva is ranked as the #1 middleweight in the world by multiple publications including Sherdog and is the consensus No. 1 pound-for-pound mixed martial arts fighter in the world according to ESPN, Sherdog, Yahoo! Sports and other publications. UFC president Dana White called Silva “the greatest mixed martial artist ever.”
Anderson Silva was born April 14, 1975, a middle child of four. The son of a poverty stricken family, Silva spent the majority of his childhood with his aunt and uncle, an officer with the Curitiba police force.
Silva first began training Jiu Jitsu with neighborhood kids who could afford lessons. He explained his introduction to martial arts in an interview with FIGHT! Magazine: “When I started out, Jiu-Jitsu was really an elite thing in Brazil, and there was some prejudice towards poorer kids, so I had to learn things on my own… Some of my neighbors started doing Jiu-Jitsu, so I started watching it, and then started rolling with them. It wasn’t organized training, but it was better than nothing.” By the age of twelve his family was able to set aside enough money to start him in Tae Kwon Do lessons, from which he moved on to Capoeira, before finally settling on Muay Thai at the age of sixteen.
Silva initially fought in his native Brazil in the welterweight category. According to Sherdog.com, Silva made his professional debut in 1997 with a pair of wins. Silva recorded his first loss in 2000 to Luiz Azeredo by decision. After that fight, he went on a nine-fight winning streak, winning six of those fights by either submission or TKO. After winning his first match in Japan, he was put up against Shooto champion Hayato Sakurai on August 26, 2001. Silva beat Sakurai by unanimous decision after three rounds and became the new Shooto Middleweight Champion (at 167 lb) and the first man to defeat Sakurai who was undefeated in his first 20 fights.
in Anderson’s personal life outside the octagon he is a family man who has three sons and two daughters with his wife, Dayane. Silva appeared in Never Surrender in 2009. A documentary about Silva called Like Water, was released in 2011.
In a 2008 interview with MMA Weekly, Anderson Silva’s manager stated: “Anderson would love to fight Roy Jones Jr. in a boxing match up under boxing rules to prove that MMA fighters are technical, too.” UFC president, Dana White, later expressed that he would use his veto power to stop such a match from taking place because he does not need his fighters getting themselves injured while fighting outside of the octagon. Silva, however, has commented: “After my contract with the UFC is finished, I will set up the fight with Jones Jr. The fight has already been permitted by Jones himself.” In April 2009, Jones himself confirmed he is still interested in fighting Silva: “I’m going to try and make it happen. He’s saying he wants to fight me, so, OK, I’m ready. Let’s brawl.” Roy Jones Jr. was in attendance at UFC 101.
In an interview with Brazilian TV station SporTV in September 2008, Silva stated that he was interested in retiring within the next year. However, Anderson’s manager, Ed Soares and co-manager Nicholas Gansen, responded to the talk of retirement by saying that Anderson was contractually obligated to fight six more fights (his sixth was against Vitor Belfort) and would do so before retiring. Soares further stated that Silva desires to retire when he is 35 which he turned on April 14, 2010. According to Anderson Silva’s manager, Ed Soares, he is not retiring after his contract is over in 2010 and what he supposedly wants is to stay in the 185 division.
(SOURCE WIKI)
MMA CORNER NOTE: Anderson Silva a.k.a. “The Spider” is perhaps the most accurate and agile fighter to ever grace the octagon. Many times the champ has been seen dropping his guard and planting his feet with the ability to move his head and waist away from incoming strikes and makes it look effortless. This champ brings excitement to every round of every fight he’s in, a master at striking and submitting opponents. His agility makes him one of the hardest targets while his precision striking is practically surgical always finding an opening and new angle of attack. He holds the record for title defenses inside the UFC octagon and has NEVER been defeated while fighting for the UFC. Even though Anderson can be a bit of a show boat in-front of fans, he is always humble and respectful when it counts. This man is a true ambassador to the sport of MMA and a true champ. Thank you for making the sport such a pleasure to watch, you are a true artist in your craft Mr. Silva.
ACHIEVEMENTS: WON UFC’S REALITY SHOW “THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER” SEASON 10 HEAVYWEIGHTS, IFL GRAND PRIX HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION, FIGHT OF THE NIGHT [1-TIME], KNOCKOUT OF THE NIGHT [4-TIME].
STYLES: BOXING, SHAOLIN KUNG FU, BJJ (BLACK BELT), ROI KAN DO (BLACK BELT)
ABOUT: Roy “BIG COUNTRY” Nelson has a wife named jessy nelson. Roy attended cimarron Memorial High School, where he played football, baseball, and wrestled. Before he was a professional fighter, he worked in before and after school programs with children and was also a substitute teacher. The September 30, 2009 broadcast of his fight against Kimbo Slice, officially an exhibition, is the 2nd most-watched mma match in U.S. history. He was also the last international fight league heavyweight champion. Roy started off his martial arts training in shaolin kung fu for a number of years and is a black belt inbrazilian jiu-jitsu under Renzo Gracie. (SOURCE WIKI)
MMA CORNER NOTE: Roy is a Picasso of knockouts with twelve of his nineteen octagon victories coming from way of KO. If the expression, ” don’t judge a book by it’s cover” ever applied to a MMA fighter Big Country would be the title of that book. This man inspires fear in every opponent that enters the octagon to face him, Cheick Kongo even being as diesel as he is and skillful as he is had a nervous look on his face as he made his way towards the cage in UFC 159, and with good reason. This former MMA heavyweight champ has a sense of humor as big as his fist, with a signature belly rub at the end of each victorious fight in the octagon. This man is a great crowd pleaser and always a good time to watch. Thank you for making the sport of MMA such a fun sport to watch. We will keep an eye out for your next appearance, keep up the good work Roy!
ACHIEVEMENTS: WON UFC DEBUT FIGHT VIA K.O. AT :41 IN 1ST ROUND. SOON TO BE A CONTENDER FOR LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP. RANKED #2 BY UFC IN HIS DIVISION [FEB.2013].
STYLES: BOXING, BJJ (PURPLE BELT)
ABOUT: Alexander Gustafsson is from Arboga Sweden, but fight’s out of the nation’s capitol Stockholm. Alexander started training MMA in 2006, and before that he trained in boxing which he started when he was around 10 years old. Before signing with the UFC, Gustafsson fought mostly in smaller promotions in Sweden and other parts of Europe. By 2009, he had racked up a perfect pro-record of 8-0, with 6 wins coming by the way of KO/TKO. (SOURCE WIKI)
MMA CORNER NOTE: This rising star has the makings of a fighter who can triumph and overcome incredible odds. He is destined to see a title shot sometime in the near future, wether it be Jon Jones or some other unlucky opponent on the receiving end. The golden boy from Stockholm is making a name for himself in the octagon and carries the VIKING warrior spirit with pride. He may be destined to become the continent’s first ever UFC champion. Only time will tell…God Speed Alexander and may Odin’s might be behind you!
ACHIEVEMENTS: CURRENT WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION ( 1st Title Gained 2006 Against Matt Hughes. Lost Title in 2007 to Matt Serra. Regained Title in 2008 Against Matt Serra.)
STYLES: BOXING, MUAY THAI, BJJ (BLACK BELT), KYOKUSHIN KARATE (3RD DAN/DEGREE BLACK BELT), GAIDOJUTSU ( BLACK BELT), SHIDOKAN (BLACK BELT)
ABOUT: Georges St-Pierre, a French-speaking Quebecer, was born on May 19, 1981 in Saint-Isidore, Quebec, to Roland and Pauline St-Pierre. St-Pierre had a difficult childhood, attending a school where others would steal his clothes and money. He started learning Kyokushin karate at age seven from his father and later from a Kyokushin Karate Master to defend himself against a school bully. He took up wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu after his karate teacher died (at this point he also trained in boxing). Before turning pro as a mixed-martial artist, St-Pierre worked as a bouncer at a Montreal night club in the South Shore called Fuzzy Brossard and as a garbageman for six months to pay for his school fees. (SOURCE WIKI)
MMA CORNER NOTE: This man is a TRUE champion. His skill and athleticism in the octagon mirror his humble and reserved nature in life. GSP is a great ambassador for the sport of MMA and embodies the stuff of legends. This man has gained the respect and admiration of fans all over the world regardless of race, religion, or political affiliation. In my mind he is not just an MMA Champion, but one of the world as well. With eight consecutive title defenses, the MMA world is at the edge of it’s seat and eagerly waiting on GSP’s next exciting performance.
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS 