Martin Kampmann Interview

UFC welterweight Martin "The Hitman" Kampmann stopped by Bellmore Kickboxing Academy this weekend, and we did a quick video interview for Cage Potato. Here are some highlights:

- His loss to Paul "Semtex" Daley was stopped early.
- He's never satisfied with a decision win.
- Conducting MMA seminars, he says, is his way of helping out aspiring fighters.

Later on, off camera, he told me that Hardy took a "short cut" to get a title shot against GSP and that GSP should have zero problem with Hardy.

Jay Hieron Interview

Veteran welterweight and Long Island native Jay Hieron conducted and MMA seminar this weekend at Bellmore Kickboxing Academy, the very cradle of his MMA career. Jay gave me a few minutes before the seminar and discussed negotiations with Strikeforce, coming back to Bellmore Kickboxing, and legalizing MMA in New York.

Then he beat up a thirteen-year-old, Freeport style...

Jake Shields Interview for Cage Potato

I spoke with Strikeforce middleweight champ and soon-to-be-free agent Jake Shields for a Cage Potato Q&A, and I'm pretty sure this guy's going to wind up in the UFC after his April 17 fight vs. Dan Henderson. Why?

1) Potential Strikeforce opponents at 170 lbs?: "They really didn’t have anyone at 170. That’s part of the reason why I stayed up."

2) Potential Strikeforce opponents at 185 lbs?: "That’s the problem: there’s not a lot of depth in talent."

3) "GSP is a fighter I’ve wanted to fight for years and whether I beat Henderson or lose to him, [GSP] is a fight I definitely want to seek out."

4) Dana White has said that he is going to make a run at Shields, no matter how he does against Hendo.

Jim Miller Interview for Cage Potato

( photo from Jim Miller's not so recently updated Facebook page.)

I caught up with UFC lightweight - and a growing favorite of mine - Jim Miller for a chat about UFC 111, fighting in front of hometown fans, his training buddy Frankie Edgar, BJ Penn, Gray Maynard, Wanderlei Silva, Gomi's big ol' head, reality TV, Creedence, and some other stuff.

I like Miller. He's polite, easy to deal with, honest, and all he wants to do inside the cage is fight his fight and show that he is dominant. And nothing else is really that important.

Read the entire Q & A over at Cage Potato.

When Good Friends Trade Bad Intentions

I have a new article up at CagePotato.com about teammates having to fight.

We've all heard (from MMA fans) about whether teammates should fight, under what conditions, and so forth. I always wondered what the fighters themselves thought about it, so I went ahead and asked guys like Matt Lindland, Jake Sheilds, Wilson Gouveia, Mike Pyle, Gray Maynard, and Jim Miller for their take on it.

I also spoke to Evan Dunham and Dan Lauzon. Dunham is facing Xtreme Couture teammate Tyson Griffin at UFC 115, and my boy Dany Lauzon is meeting former training partner Efrain Escudero at UFC 114.

Check out some of the very candid - and possibly surprising - responses I was given over at Cage Potato.

Jake Shields Interview

I caught up with Strikeforce middleweight champ Jake Shields a little while back for a Full Contact Fighter article.

So how did it come to be that you became a coach on Team Liddell?

“Me and Chuck stayed in touch the whole time since I left [San Luis Obispo Kickboxing Academy]. We stayed friends, and when he found out he was doing the show, we were talking and figured, you know, I could come help the team out.”

What do you feel might set this season of The Ultimate Fighter apart from others?
“I don’t really know what’s going on in the house; I stay out of that and just coach. But I think we have a lot of talent on this season, and I think we’ll see a lot of good, young up-and-comers stick around from this show.”

Before joining as a coach, were you a fan of the show?

“I think [TUF] gives people an inside look at fighting - and in an entertaining way too, showing the [fighters’] lives and all that - so I’m certainly a fan of the show.”

As a Strikeforce champion, did you ever feel that you were in ememy territory, so to speak, while on the set of a UFC show?

“Everything was cool. I know Strikeforce and UFC don’t like each other that much, but I’ve never had any problems with the UFC and Dana [White]. I’ve always been a big fan, and I like Strikeforce I’m a big fan. I didn’t really feel like I was caught in the middle that much.”

So when you're not taping TUF or Bully Beatdown, you also fight -

"Every now and then, yeah."

Dan Henderson, April 17. How'd that come about?

“I think when he signed, it was kinda the logical thing. He’s an ’85-pounder, and he wants a title shot. Fighting a legend will be an honor.”

Have you followed Henderson's career? Are you a fan?

“I’ve been a big Hendo fan for years because I’m coming from a wrestling background. And back before I even fought, I watched him, and I used to always root for all of the wrestlers.”

Do you feel that 185 lbs. is the best weight for you, or do you plan on dropping back down to 170?

“I think I’ll end up dropping back down, and if it weren’t for my good friend Nick Diaz holding the belt below, I’d like to try and hold both [the welterweight and middleweight] belts at once.”

The Cesar Gracie Fight Team has now locked up the Strikeforce lightweight, welterweight, and middleweight belts. What is it about your team that's brought on so much success?

“I think we just train harder. We have the mentality to always train hard and never quit, and it’s been that way for years. We push ourselves to the limit by surrounding ourselves with people who have the same mentality.”

Is there anyone after Henderson you'd like to fight?

“I wouldn’t mind beating the crap out of [Frank] Shamrock, for real, but I don’t really think he’s at the level to fight in the cage anymore, so that might be a waste of time.”

С ДНЁМ РОЖДЕНИЯ , Andrei Arlovski!

Happy 31st Birthday to Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski.

I normally don't make a habit of spreading birthday cheer to any just fighter, but AA is my man.

When Arlovski started picking up wins in the UFC (against Freeman, Cabbage, Matyushenko), my dad and I sort of adopted him as our favorite, and he's retained that title in my book ever since (alongside Babalu, Wanderlei, and Fedor).

And yes, that is a photo of my Andrei Arlovski Round 5 MMA collectible action figure.