Monday, January 11, 2010
Kyle Dietz Interview
After a disappointing loss in his debut bout in the WEC Kyle 'K-Deezy' Dietz looks to rebound against the experienced Brad Pickett. "In my first WEC fight, I felt overwhelmed and I came out too gung ho. My adrenaline was up and down. Now that I've experienced that, I am going to come out more focused for this fight." Pickett is a wily veteran from the UK and a veteran of the Cage Rage promotions. When asked why he took this fight, Dietz said, "I think this is a good fight for me to test myself and see where I am at in my career." After training at Pat Miletich's in Iowa, he followed ex-Miletich and UFC fighter Spencer Fisher to his gym, Evolution MMA. "It's a great team. I have a great camp. I trained a lot with Drew Mcfederies on my standup and he has pushed me a lot to get better." When asked how he fits into the WEC bantamweight division, K-Deezy acknowledged he knows the top people are better than he is but he would hang with them just fine. "I haven't peaked yet and I still have a lot to learn. I'm still a sponge who is has a lot to learn in this sport." Even though he it is early in his career, a win over a well-rounded Pickett Dec 19th will get him one step closer to being a top guy in the WEC bantamweight division.
Sean "The Destroyer" Loeffler
Sean “The Destroyer” Loeffler has three motivations for fighting: His daughter who he has not seen in four years, beating the shit out of people (always a good one in my opinion) and last but not least, to be known as a great fighter and a top coach. His motivations so far have landed him a 24-4 record and a position rarely held in MMA: in control.
At five years old, Sean began training martial arts and like many people saw the first UFC in his teenage years. It inspired him to start training BJJ at the local Gracie academy. He then started training for MMA soon after and for the past three years has been training in Hermosa Beach and at the Compound in Oceanside, CA. After winning three fights in a row in local promotions, “The Destroyer” is weighing his options. When I asked him why he just does not jump into Strikeforce and UFC (especially with the recent rash of injuries) a confident Loeffler said, "I'm intelligent. I know what is and is not good for me. I am always in good shape. I do not want to go into the UFC and lose two fights because I know I will be done. I want to be relevant. I know the hard work I put in will pay off. I'm trying to be smart." Since his debut in 2000, he has grown from being a person with a lot of power and KO wins, into someone who submitting people left and right. “I feel like I am now a more well-rounded fighter. I’m good in all aspects.”
He is a currently getting UFC vet Krystof "The Polish Experiment" Sosynski ready for his war against Stephan Bonnar at UFC 110. He also worked on an independent film called "War Von Haust" about the life of a fighter. It is now in the hands of a major production company to develop into a full-length feature. "It was a fun experience and has given me some more exposure which is nice," says the independent film star. He also teaches classes at his local gym. "I would love to pass on technique to the up and comers. I get a lot of gratification out of teaching classes. I feel like I can live vicariously through them long after my career is done."
Sean would like to thank his sponsors Wicked Kingdom Fight Gear who is making affordable MMA clothing for the masses this year at a great price, ShipShape.net Apparel, and Nutrition Zone.
At five years old, Sean began training martial arts and like many people saw the first UFC in his teenage years. It inspired him to start training BJJ at the local Gracie academy. He then started training for MMA soon after and for the past three years has been training in Hermosa Beach and at the Compound in Oceanside, CA. After winning three fights in a row in local promotions, “The Destroyer” is weighing his options. When I asked him why he just does not jump into Strikeforce and UFC (especially with the recent rash of injuries) a confident Loeffler said, "I'm intelligent. I know what is and is not good for me. I am always in good shape. I do not want to go into the UFC and lose two fights because I know I will be done. I want to be relevant. I know the hard work I put in will pay off. I'm trying to be smart." Since his debut in 2000, he has grown from being a person with a lot of power and KO wins, into someone who submitting people left and right. “I feel like I am now a more well-rounded fighter. I’m good in all aspects.”
He is a currently getting UFC vet Krystof "The Polish Experiment" Sosynski ready for his war against Stephan Bonnar at UFC 110. He also worked on an independent film called "War Von Haust" about the life of a fighter. It is now in the hands of a major production company to develop into a full-length feature. "It was a fun experience and has given me some more exposure which is nice," says the independent film star. He also teaches classes at his local gym. "I would love to pass on technique to the up and comers. I get a lot of gratification out of teaching classes. I feel like I can live vicariously through them long after my career is done."
Sean would like to thank his sponsors Wicked Kingdom Fight Gear who is making affordable MMA clothing for the masses this year at a great price, ShipShape.net Apparel, and Nutrition Zone.
State of Women's MMA
With promotions in Japan and the US, it would seem as if the female MMA world is splintered. In Japan, all the talent is in the lighter weight classes. (135 and below) The best women’s fighter in the world is the still relatively unknown and undefeated Megumi Fuji. In the US, this honor is bestowed on Gina Carano, whose good looks and charm makes her one of the most marketable commodities Strikeforce posses. Japan is ahead of the US in producing female talent and female based MMA shows. Unfortunately, the biggest promotion in the US, the UFC does not display any of this talent. Strikeforce has capitalized on their lack of interest by putting on fights in the 135 and 145 divisions. They hope to create more stars when they eventually put on a 135-pound tournament. To gain a full perspective of the current state of women’s MMA we have to look at the how female’s MMA is progressing (or not) in both the US and Japan.
Strikeforce: Two women sharing the top of the mountain, the others climbing
It is very interesting that two women share the top of the mountain in Strikeforce both for very different reasons. One spot is held by Cris ‘Cyborg’ Santos the current 145 champion. She beat the “face of women’s MMA” Gina Carano by TKO stoppage in the first round in August. Her aggressive style along with her propensity to throw an exorbitant amount of punches overwhelmed the under trained and overexposed Carano. Cyborg’s next fight will be this month in Miami against Dutch star Marloes Coenen for the 145 strap. While Cyborg is more talented than arguably anyone in the 145 division is, she does not have the marketability Carano possesses. She is not a fluent English speaker, which makes it difficult for her connect with any of the casual fans who do not know anything about her except she has a muscular, so-called intimidating physique.
Carano, who has been described as funny, sweet, humble and more importantly to the 18-34 demographic, hot, holds the other spot on the mountain. She however held a lot of responsibility on her shoulders before her fight with Cyborg. She was forced to do even more media than usual, which she admitted hindered her ability to train. This showed in the fight where she seemed content to just stand in front of Cyborg and hit repeatedly. She has taken time off from fighting to do movies, but Strikeforce does expect her to be back later this year. We will see if she rededicates herself to fighting and getting a win, unlike her movie star counterpart Cung Le.
Marloes Coenen, the newest addition to the Strikeforce 145 division is a Dutch fighter from the world-renowned camp, Golden Glory. She debuted stateside in November avenging her loss to Roxanne Modaferri with an armbar win. Coenen has fought exclusively overseas in various Dutch and Japanese promotions. She is well rounded and the best opponent Cyborg has faced in her career so far.
As mentioned above Strikeforce is going to put on a tournament in the 135 division to crown their new bantamweight champion. One of the front-runners is Kerry Vera, who fought on a recent Strikeforce: Challengers card against Kim Couture. Kim Couture, former wife of Captain America Randy Couture, was overmatched and showed up to get a paycheck. Kerry dominated her on the feet on and won via TKO stoppage in the first round. She is talented on the feet and an interesting prospect that could turn out to be the next star in women’s MMA. An interesting wild card could be Tara LaRosa, who has been fighting at her natural weight class, 125 for a bit. She has one of the best ground games in women’s MMA and would be a favorite to win the tournament.
UFC: Not doing any favors
The UFC plays a huge part in women’s MMA because they have not chose to put on any fights. Dana White has been quoted, as saying there is not enough talent or depth to put on consistent fights in the women’s division. Whether or not he is right, the UFC could help women’s MMA explode if they started highlighting their fights. Even putting these talented athletes on a Fight Night card would help the division gain more exposure than a Strikeforce: Challengers card could ever do.
Japan: The land of the forgotten
Megumi Fujii is considered the top ranked women’s MMA fighter in the world. She is undefeated and having trouble finding fights because of her prowess to just tap people at will. She has been fighting on and off in JEWEL and Shooto card’s for the past year. A trip stateside is unlikely with her weight being around 115, so she is stuck in MMA purgatory until promotions expands their wants to more than just two weight classes.
Strikeforce: Two women sharing the top of the mountain, the others climbing
It is very interesting that two women share the top of the mountain in Strikeforce both for very different reasons. One spot is held by Cris ‘Cyborg’ Santos the current 145 champion. She beat the “face of women’s MMA” Gina Carano by TKO stoppage in the first round in August. Her aggressive style along with her propensity to throw an exorbitant amount of punches overwhelmed the under trained and overexposed Carano. Cyborg’s next fight will be this month in Miami against Dutch star Marloes Coenen for the 145 strap. While Cyborg is more talented than arguably anyone in the 145 division is, she does not have the marketability Carano possesses. She is not a fluent English speaker, which makes it difficult for her connect with any of the casual fans who do not know anything about her except she has a muscular, so-called intimidating physique.
Carano, who has been described as funny, sweet, humble and more importantly to the 18-34 demographic, hot, holds the other spot on the mountain. She however held a lot of responsibility on her shoulders before her fight with Cyborg. She was forced to do even more media than usual, which she admitted hindered her ability to train. This showed in the fight where she seemed content to just stand in front of Cyborg and hit repeatedly. She has taken time off from fighting to do movies, but Strikeforce does expect her to be back later this year. We will see if she rededicates herself to fighting and getting a win, unlike her movie star counterpart Cung Le.
Marloes Coenen, the newest addition to the Strikeforce 145 division is a Dutch fighter from the world-renowned camp, Golden Glory. She debuted stateside in November avenging her loss to Roxanne Modaferri with an armbar win. Coenen has fought exclusively overseas in various Dutch and Japanese promotions. She is well rounded and the best opponent Cyborg has faced in her career so far.
As mentioned above Strikeforce is going to put on a tournament in the 135 division to crown their new bantamweight champion. One of the front-runners is Kerry Vera, who fought on a recent Strikeforce: Challengers card against Kim Couture. Kim Couture, former wife of Captain America Randy Couture, was overmatched and showed up to get a paycheck. Kerry dominated her on the feet on and won via TKO stoppage in the first round. She is talented on the feet and an interesting prospect that could turn out to be the next star in women’s MMA. An interesting wild card could be Tara LaRosa, who has been fighting at her natural weight class, 125 for a bit. She has one of the best ground games in women’s MMA and would be a favorite to win the tournament.
UFC: Not doing any favors
The UFC plays a huge part in women’s MMA because they have not chose to put on any fights. Dana White has been quoted, as saying there is not enough talent or depth to put on consistent fights in the women’s division. Whether or not he is right, the UFC could help women’s MMA explode if they started highlighting their fights. Even putting these talented athletes on a Fight Night card would help the division gain more exposure than a Strikeforce: Challengers card could ever do.
Japan: The land of the forgotten
Megumi Fujii is considered the top ranked women’s MMA fighter in the world. She is undefeated and having trouble finding fights because of her prowess to just tap people at will. She has been fighting on and off in JEWEL and Shooto card’s for the past year. A trip stateside is unlikely with her weight being around 115, so she is stuck in MMA purgatory until promotions expands their wants to more than just two weight classes.
Who Am I?
Well, I figured I would introduce myself to the three people who actually read this. My name is Anyaa Carter I am female, 22, and a recent college graduate. I went to Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA. I graduated with a BA in Criminal Justice. I am now working to pay off loans in San Diego, CA.
So what's my MMA background? I am a TUF fan. TUF got me into this sport. Well, TUF helped my progression in the sport. At the time, I was in my junior year of high school and on the wrestling team.(I wasn't good at all)I remember turning to Fox Sports Net and seeing Chuck Liddell Tito Ortiz II. I was hooked. I was amazed that Chuck had actually said "I'm going to knock him out" and that he actually DID. He's my favorite fighter and the guy who got me into this sport. Yes, he's over the hill but he's still a legend and a big draw for the casual fans.
So with that being said, what can you expect to see on this blog?
Interviews with fighters
Reviews of the fights
Brief rundowns of the stories of the day in MMA
Enjoy!
So what's my MMA background? I am a TUF fan. TUF got me into this sport. Well, TUF helped my progression in the sport. At the time, I was in my junior year of high school and on the wrestling team.(I wasn't good at all)I remember turning to Fox Sports Net and seeing Chuck Liddell Tito Ortiz II. I was hooked. I was amazed that Chuck had actually said "I'm going to knock him out" and that he actually DID. He's my favorite fighter and the guy who got me into this sport. Yes, he's over the hill but he's still a legend and a big draw for the casual fans.
So with that being said, what can you expect to see on this blog?
Interviews with fighters
Reviews of the fights
Brief rundowns of the stories of the day in MMA
Enjoy!
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