Enjoy…

MMAFrenzy.com: Cole thanks again as always for the interview. How are things going for you?
Cole Miller: Things are going good, I feel better than ever before for this particular fight.

MMAFrenzy.com: You will be facing Jorge Gurgel at UFC 86. How is your training coming for that?
Cole Miller: Training is obviously wrapped up now, but I had a great camp and stayed injury free for this fight for the first time in a long time.

MMAFrenzy.com: Are you doing anything special to train for him?
Cole Miller: No, nothing special for him, although I did train a little bit more muay thai than usual because I respect his kicks a lot.

MMAFrenzy.com: Did you bring anyone into your camp to help you train for this fight?
Cole Miller: Not particularly, everyone at ATT has something to offer me to help me get better and I’m sure Jorge is going to be changing things constantly about his game so it’s good to spar with all kinds of different training partners because you never know what Jorge will do.

MMAFrenzy.com: What are your expectations of Gurgel in this fight?
Cole Miller: A hard fought 3 round fight that I can hopefully finish before the 3rd round is done.

MMAFrenzy.com: Do you feel that he thinks he is superior to you on the ground?
Cole Miller: I think he may know a bit more with how much experience he has over me in training and learning but I’m not sure if he is superior or not. I’m sure the levels are comparable.

MMAFrenzy.com: Where are you going to feel the most comfortable yourself in this fight?
Cole Miller: Nowhere in particular. I feel like this is one of those fights where he will bring out the best in me in all aspects.

MMAFrenzy.com: Once you get to where the fight is taking place, what type of training do you do and how do you do it? Sprints up and down the hotel hall ways and things like that?
Cole Miller: Nah this is the 2000’s. There’s gyms in all these hotels so if I want to do sprints and things I’ll get on a treadmill or a bike or something like that (laughs).

MMAFrenzy.com: Many may not know that you also do triathlons in your off time in conjunction with your training. How does that help you as an MMA fighter?
Cole Miller: This gives me the ability to compete on a different platform. I think it gives me a physical edge cardiovascularly and mentally to be able to do these.

MMAFrenzy.com: When you run these races how do you normally do?
Cole Miller: When I do sprints triathlons I usually place in the top 20 percent and am usually in the top 5 in my age group, however I just did a half ironman, 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run and I didn’t do so well for that but I only trained two weeks for it. Usually people train months specifically for these races. I just train my normal MMA training and do a little running, swimming, and biking here and there.

MMAFrenzy.com: What is your favorite part of the triathlon?
Cole Miller: The swim is my best, the run is a close second. I suck at the bike.

MMAFrenzy.com: Have you done an ironman yet?
Cole Miller: Nope just a half, I hope to do a full ironman in 2009.

MMAFrenzy.com: What a time to be a part of ATT. Your gym is looking incredible. What else can we expect from you guys?
Cole Miller: To kill everyone!

MMAFrenzy.com: Why do you think your team has done so well? Florida sun right?
Cole Miller: I think we have a solid coaching staff but most importantly the fighters there have no egos and it’s a real family atmosphere and everyone helps everyone else get better.

MMAFrenzy.com: Some questions from our readers. First up, GSP or Fitch?
Cole Miller: GSP, but it doesn’t matter. Thiago Alves will beat both of them.

MMAFrenzy.com: How would you feel about a shot at BJ Penn?
Cole Miller: At what? I think I’d wreck him…at ping pong.

MMAFrenzy.com: What do you think of EliteXC?
Cole Miller: I think its good for the sport of MMA as a whole and give a different platform for other MMA fighters to compete on.

MMAFrenzy.com: True or False – Anderson Silva is P4P the most bad ass dude on the planet.
Cole Miller: False. BJ Penn.

MMAFrenzy.com: Who is your 5th favorite fighter? That is right, 5th favorite.
Cole Miller: Murilo Bustamante

MMAFrenzy.com: Who is your favorite fighter?
Cole Miller: BJ Penn

MMAFrenzy.com: When you get hit hard, what goes through your head?
Cole Miller: Holy s*** I just got hit hard

MMAFrenzy.com: What exercise or training do you hate doing but have to do?
Cole Miller: Biking and lifting.

MMAFrenzy.com: What kind, if any, kind of supplements do you take?
Cole Miller: Simple things whey protein, muscle recovery stuff, daily vitamins, fish oil. Just stuff.

MMAFrenzy.com: If old school tournament rules were back in place with no weight divisions, how would you feel about fighting Ken Shamrock, Tank Abbott, Royce Gracie, or Dan Severn in their prime?
Cole Miller: I’d be more than happy to do that. It’s my dream to fight REAL MMA.

MMAFrenzy.com: Put those rules in place now: How would you feel about facing off against Penn, GSP, Anderson Silva, Rampage, or Nog?
Cole Miller: I wouldn’t mind at all. Getting beat up doesn’t bother me, but I’d go in there and fight because that’s my job.

MMAFrenzy.com: Who, in the whole of MMA, is really the Ultimate Fighter?
Cole Miller: Forrest Griffin, BJ Penn, JZ Calvacante, Shogun , Royce Gracie, Sakuraba.

MMAFrenzy.com: If you were Dana for a day, what would be some things that you would change about the UFC?
Cole Miller: I would change the name to Cole Miller fighting ….Cole Miller Owns

MMAFrenzy.com: What are your thoughts on the Noons and Diaz drama?
Cole Miller: Who cares, Nick went in there to promote a fight and Noons and his whole crew reacted immaturely about it. Nick is going to whoop his ass.

MMAFrenzy.com: Lets play overrated, underrated… I am going to say a name, you tell me if you think they are for real or not so much. Fedor
Cole Miller: He is what they say he is

MMAFrenzy.com: Brock Lesnar
Cole Miller: Overrated

MMAFrenzy.com: Kim Couture
Cole Miller: Overrated

MMAFrenzy.com: Kimbo Slice
Cole Miller: Overrated

MMAFrenzy.com: Tito Ortiz
Cole Miller: Overrated

MMAFrenzy.com: Cole Miller
Cole Miller: Underrated

MMAFrenzy.com: Thanks again Cole. Best of luck in your upcoming fight.

One fighter that was impacted by the postponement was Jason Nicholson, who is 5-3 as a professional fighter. Jason took the time out his training schedule for a quick interview with MMAFrenzy.com and discusses his fighting career and the Godz of War event.

Curtis Clontz: Thanks for giving us an inside look at the Godz of War fight that was cancelled as well as telling us about your self. Please introduce yourself to our readers.

Jason Nicholson: My name is Jason Nicholson, I am 25 years old. I have two little girls one is 4 and the other is 9 months.

CC: Where are you from?

JN: Whiteville, NC

CC: What is your background in relation to the sport?

JN: I have a black belt in Joe Lewis Kickboxing, 3rd Degree in Tae Kwon Do, 3rd degree in American Karate and Champion MMA

CC: What did you do before you started MMA?

JN: I was a Correctional Officer with the NC dept. of Correction

CC: Where do you train?

JN: Champion MMA in Whiteville

CC: Tell us about your young MMA career.

JN: I am 5-3 as a professional fighter. The best fight I have been in was my last I fought Josh Robertson at Mayhem in the Cage. He is a real good ground guy, but I handled him on the ground the whole fight. I learned from this fight though, I had him in an armbar and he tapped, but the ref. didn’t see it. I let up and he reversed the position and made me tap. I learned a lot from that fight.

CC: You were on the Godz of War fight card that was recently cancelled, who was your opponent?

JN: This was going to be a rematch with Josh Robertson, that is why I was looking forward to it.

CC: To this date what is your opinion of the Global Fighting LLC and the Godz of War card?

JN: I think they will be a great company eventually, the only thing I have bad to say is that they didn’t let me know the fight was canceled until the Wed. before. I had to find out from other sources.

CC: What really was the cause of the cancellation?

JN: The fight was canceled because the big name fighters didn’t turn in there medicals on time. Fighters that have fought in the UFC, and it hurts fighters like me that are trying to get noticed.

CC: Is this something that the organization seen coming or was it a surprise?

JN: I am not sure, I would say they seen it coming because they keep on u about getting our stuff turned in on time. I don’t want to talk bad about other fighters, but most guys that have fought in the UFC think the commission will give them some slack. NC want play that though, they want to be know eventually as a MMA state.

CC: This was to be the inaugural fight in the Queen City of Charlotte. Do you feel that the delay will result in fewer people in the stands?

JN: It could go either way, I think that it will give them more time to get the word out about the event. In my opinion this will help the event. As long as they bring a good show the people will come. On the other hand UFC will be in Atlanta in Sept. and people might just want to drive to Atlanta and spend there money there. So it really just depends.

CC: When should we expect this card to finally happen? October 4, 2008

JN: NC isn’t known for its MMA yet, what can you tell us about the state of MMA in NC?

There are some really good fighters in NC, which just have not been noticed. You have promotions popping up everywhere now, but they are only in it to make quick money. They are not trying to help the fighters at all. That’s why I like Global they seem to care about the fighters they don’t want to tie you down to fight just for them, if you want to fight for someone elise go ahead as long as it don’t interfere with a global event.

What can you tell us about the governing body or regulating commission?

MMA in NC is regulated by the Boxing Authority. They set the rules and make sure that all the events are carried out as they are supposed to be. They check all fighter records and make sure you don’t have some one doing amateur and professional at the same time. They appoint all judges, referees and ALE Officer’s Supervise the event.

CC: I heard a rumor that you are looking for a new manager, is there anything specific you desire?
JN: I just want someone that don’t care what camp you come from. Just because I don’t train with the HIT Squad, ATT, Militech, doesn’t mean that I am not a good fighter. I want someone that is willing to work for the unknown fighter. In the long run it will help that manager because he showed the world a fighter that might of never got there with out there help.

CC: Do you currently have any sponsors?

JN: Omega Attire and Bodyshapers Gym and Fitness Center
I need some though, these two here have really looked out for me over the past year.

CC: If you could tell the world something about yourself, what would it be?

JN: I would tell them to keep a eye out for Jason “Da Pitbull” Nicholson, because one day you will see me in the UFC. I might have to get myself there, But I am going to make it. Thats is one thing I dont do, I dont give up. I know every fighter wants to make it to the UFC but most of them give up and I am not going to do it.

CC: If you had one chance to sit down with Dana White and make your bid to fight in their organization what would you say?

JN: Man that is a hard question. I would just tell Dana how it is. I have had to work hard for everything that I have. I have had to work hard for my fights. I have driven to Atlanta, Alabama, Florida and Virginia and by the time I paid for gas and Hotel I didn’t make any money. That is what I want to do and if doing this will get me in the UFC, then I will keep on doing it. i have traveled all over to get my training in just make sure that I am ready for my fights. I would even tell Dana that if I lose my fight in the UFC he didn’t have to pay me anything. That is how bad that I want to get there and show the world what I can do.

CC: Who has been the most influential person in your career?

JN: My ex-wife’s granddad. That man has been through so much but he don’t give up and he keeps on going. No matter what happens to him, it may slow him down just a little bit but he don’t give up.

CC: Jason thanks for stopping by and letting MMAFrenzy.com get the scoop on the Godz card from an insider, as well as telling us about you and your career.

Orlando Mac: Tell us about Cung Le.

Cung Le: I’m a single parent with two boys, and I just beat Frank Shamrock for the Strikeforce Middleweight Title. I run and operate a Martial Arts gym called Cung Le’s Universal Strength HeadQuarters. It has weights, cardio machines, and kids MMA programs to adult MMA programs. I just wake up everyday grateful to be alive, and I live everyday like it is going to be my last.

Orlando Mac: Who would you like to get in the cage and KO with a high kick to their head?

Cung Le: Well, I just high kicked to the head Frank Shamrock, I wanted to get him in the cage, I wanted to kick him to the head and I sure did.

Orlando Mac: Who has the biggest mouth in the business?

Cung Le: I think that would be Frank.

Orlando Mac: Your mammoth fight with Frank Shamrock recently some would say already is fight of the year, what was going through your mind during the fight?

Cung Le: Definitely, in my mind I was in a fight! Frank was bringing some heat.

Orlando Mac: What was your game plan?

Cung Le: My game plan was to build my kicks and wherever it lands, make sure it does damage.

Orlando Mac: In my recent interview with Frank Shamrock he had some interesting things to say about you. first he said in reference to what he was thinking during the fight, “I was having fun during the fight, I wasn’t stressed by Cung Le.”

He also said in reference to a rematch, “I would pressure him more instead of playing with him, I would put him to sleep, Cung is boring, besides his cool kicks.”

Cung Le: It takes two to make an exciting fight, he can’t just go in there by himself and make it exciting, and I think it was probably one of the best, exciting fights that he has ever had, so he can say whatever he wants to say.

How is he going to put me to sleep? He had his chance, actually during the fight I gave him two to opportunities to put his specialty to work, which is submissions, and he couldn’t do it. Of course, I just think he is upset that he lost and he is a sore loser.

Orlando Mac: He also said, “I was doing what I wanted to do during the fight and Cung was getting the hell beat out of him then I broke my arm.”

Cung Le: He said he would stand with me, which he did, but in the fight I gave him no chance to do anything else. In the fight, I defended his take-down attempts, I gave him opportunities to take me down, to take my back, which I gave him my back when I gave him that spinning back kick.

Then when he countered my will kick, which I am sure he did allot of training and practice for, what I was going to throw, and he countered me down and tried to jump my back again.

I popped out of it, and he brought me down and got the front choke, but I defended it. Honestly, he had to stand, there was no other way, you can’t just jump into open guard which he did, and invite me into the guard, which I said, “No.” So he had to fight me stand-up and he lost.

Orlando Mac: Another quote that I thought you would like to hear from that interview was, “I don’t think Cung will fight me again.” Is a rematch in the cards?

Cung Le: I’ll give Frank a rematch, he gave me the opportunity. I think right now he is pretty smart, pretty witty, but I know his tricks from his fighting and the tricks that will come out of his mouth. I know he is going to say that I wouldn’t fight him again, but of course he is saying that because he is covering his bases.

If there is a rematch I will give it to him.

Orlando Mac: Is there something you would like to say to Frank?

Cung Le: I hope he has a good and fast recovery.

Orlando Mac: Many fight fans out there would love to see you in the cage against Anderson Silva, what is the chance of that happening?

Cung Le: I feel my promoter is open to do a co-promotion, but I know the UFC isn’t willing to do one, but I am sure that Dana White can come in and borrow me for one fight, but of course he has to pay my promoter something.

I’m sure something can be worked out, if the fans really want that fight, and if Dana could make it happen I am sure my promoter Scott Coker would be open to it.

Orlando Mac: Would you beat Anderson?

Cung Le: I am going to answer you like if I was asked if I would beat Frank, I don’t know. I didn’t know if I was going to beat Frank, I don’t know if I would beat Anderson if I fought him. The only way I would find out if I could beat him is to fight him.

To all my opponents, doesn’t matter if it is Mike Altman my first MMA fight, to an Anderson Silva, who is pound for pound the best in the world, I respect them all the same. They are martial artists and they train, they live the martial arts lifestyle. I have respect for all my martial arts brothers out there, and then if we step into the cage, then we step in the cage, which then is do our best to win.

Orlando Mac: Cung – who can you attribute to having helped you learn the most from?

Cung Le: Wow, there has been so many people who have taught me a lot of things, but I think I have to credit Javier Mendez for really putting my game together. Before I have been very talented and blessed with natural skills, very athletic, and very technical, but Javier Mendez is really the one who put everything together.

Orlando Mac: Who is your best friend in the fight game?

Cung Le: I have a lot of friends but I would say it comes down to two my trainer Javier Mendez and my promoter Scott Coker.

Orlando Mac: If you were training for a fight with a BJJ specialist who would you train with in preparation for that fight?

Cung Le: My camp now with Paul Shriner, the guys over at AKA, and David Camarillo, I have all that I can handle. So, I would stick to my own camp because they know me best, they bring people in if we need, but it would probably come down to Javier Mendez making that decision, but if you don’t get taken down then you don’t need much BJJ.

Orlando Mac: With an excellent take-down defense you don’t need much ground, and you showed those skills highly in your last fight.

Cung Le: Thank you, because you know a lot of people I can never please because after the fight they are like Cung’s ground game hasn’t been tested, or Frank can’t take anyone down. I will just remind everyone that Frank picked up Igor Zanoviev over his head and broke his collarbone on a takedown and he did beat Tito Ortiz.

Orlando Mac: Do you have any advice for your next opponent?

Cung Le: Let’s just put on a good show and let’s go out there with both guns blazing.

Orlando Mac: Tell us how Cung Le got to this point in life?

Cung Le: A lot of hard work, faith in the Lord, support from my family, and being blessed to be around the right people that is how I got here.

Orlando Mac: What would surprise people the most about Cung Le?

Cung Le: I am funny.

Orlando Mac: You’re a scary guy, what scares you?

Cung Le: My kids getting hurt.

Orlando Mac: What was it like as Cung the teenager?

Cung Le: Same work ethics especially in wrestling, but skinnier.

Orlando Mac: Is there a message you would like to send to your fans out there?

Cung Le: Thank you for all of your support and watch out for me on the big screen.

Orlando Mac: Tell us about the movies, you have worked on, and when are we going to see them?

Cung Le: The two recent big movies that I have worked on set for release, one is called “Fighting” and it will be released at the end of the year. I have a big fight scene in it which is exciting to watch. It was an awesome movie, my co-star spent a day in the hospital from our fight scene and I had a sore back for a week, you have to watch the movie to see why.

Then in January for all you gamers “Tekken” the movie will come out, and I play Martial Law which I believe was the most popular character until they added more characters to the game. Martial Law is a character after Bruce Lee who does all the back flip kicks. Game number six is out next year and I think people are ready to see the movie.

Orlando Mac: Who are you fighting next?

Cung Le: I was supposed to sit down with my promoter this month but he said he has the big fight with Josh Thompson vs. Gilbert Milendez to promote, and he told me it’s only been 5 or 6 weeks, to enjoy my win.

I told him I didn’t want to fight until the end of the year, or early next year.

A lot of people didn’t know in November after my fight with Sam Morgan I was already having issues with my elbows, with bone debris in there, and bone spurs.

I had surgery after that fight, after a week or ten days, it was only supposed to be a simple half hour job, and there was a bone spur poking one of my nerves. So it took an hour and a half to fix and they told me I wasn’t supposed to get back in the cage for at least six months.

A week later after the surgery, I found out that Frank was not bluffing about the challenge he accepted after the Sam Morgan fight, and we were going to get it on March 29th, so I sucked it up did some super rehab and came out ahead. I just want to let my whole body heal up this time, and be 100% next time I step into the cage.

Orlando Mac: Is there anyone you’d like to thank?

Cung Le: I got to thank Scott Coker for building me right and taking care of me.

Orlando Mac: Thank you for your time and best of luck.

Enjoy the interview…

Orlando Mac: Tell us about Frank Shamrock?

Frank Shamrock: I see myself as a fairly normal guy, that lives a somewhat extraordinary life.

Orlando Mac: You recently lost to Cung Le in an epic battle in San Jose (which had to be the best fight all year), tell us what was going through your mind during the fight. What was your game plan?

Frank Shamrock: I was just having fun, I wasn’t stressed by Cung Le or anything. For me it was a very exciting joyful time. I did feel my arm break, that kind of sucked, I didn’t think it would stop me.

Orlando Mac: When did you feel that?

Frank Shamrock: In the first round, but I have broken a lot of things and it has never stopped me, but when the bone separated and displaced it hurt pretty bad. I enjoyed the fight though.

Orlando Mac: What would you do differently in a rematch?

Frank Shamrock: For Cung I would just pressure him more instead of playing with him. I would pressure him and put him to sleep. I played with him because Cung is boring, you know he throws cool kicks and does fun things but as a character he is kind of boring. I thought it was my job make it exciting, make him exciting, and it worked. Unfortunately, I broke my arm, that’s the problem with fighting occasionally you will hurt yourself.

During the fight, I was doing what I wanted to do, and Cung was getting the hell beat out of him.

Orlando Mac: How has it been recovering from the broken arm, what is the prognosis?

Frank Shamrock: It’s been good. They put a plate in it, I am doing light rehab and recovery. I figure in a couple of months they will take the plate back out, and then I have a little more rehab and I am back to work again.

Orlando Mac: Will we have the pleasure of seeing a rematch with Cung Le?

Frank Shamrock: With Cung, yeah I definitely think so. It is something I can build up to be a big exciting match. I don’t think Cung will fight me again, but I certainly think I can make it happen, and make it pretty big, money talks.

Orlando Mac: There was talk of a Shamrock vs. Shamrock battle is that going to happen soon?

Frank Shamrock: I am still working on that, it is my next big project that I am working on.

Orlando Mac: There has been some bad blood between you both, is there anything you would like to say to Ken?

Frank Shamrock: To Ken no, Ken and I know how we feel about each other. All families have their problems. Ken and I have just been in the public eye for so long. I just would like a chance to fight him. I think it’s something very important that needs to happen, and I think he feels the same way.

Orlando Mac: Many fight fans would love to see you in against Anderson Silva, as you would challenge him greatly, is it possible to get you back into the UFC?

Frank Shamrock: Well anything’s possible and I would certainly like to fight Anderson Silva. My direction has been traveling differently then the UFC and I don’t know I don’t have any plans to do it and to be with those guys. But who knows never say never, cause as soon as I say never then the opposite always happens.

Orlando Mac: If you could get anyone else into the cage to fight. Who would it be?

Frank Shamrock: I would fight George Bush I think that would be a good fight. I believe there is a course for me and believe this is to fight Ken next, then probably to fight Tito Ortiz, then to probably fight Cung Le again. Then after that the problem is we are running out of stars.

I like Cung Le but he needs to become a bigger star and I can help him with that, there is no other real fights out there that make a lot of sense that are really exciting and sexy, that a large part of the public will come out to see. Those three guys are pretty much built in, hopefully CBS will build some new super stars that I can fight, I am kind of relying on them to do some work for me.

Orlando Mac: If you were building a monster fighter like Frankenstein which fighters out there would you tap for their ability to kick, and whose brains would you use?

Frank Shamrock: I would have to say my brain because there is no one smarter than me in the sport but we could probably use a computer for a brain that would be fun. I would definitely take the balance and flexibility of BJ Penn; I would take the punching power and confidence in stand-up of Fedor; the submission abilities of Nogueira or Penn again would be tremendous in submission abilities; wrestling skills I would revive Mark Schultz and take his take-down abilities.

Orlando Mac: With your experience as a fighter, instructor, and coach, if I gave you a $100 bucks to bet on each of these next 5 fights who would win and why?

Wanderlei Silva vs. Keith Jardine

Frank Shamrock: Wanderlei Silva

Orlando Mac: Phil Baroni vs Ninja Rua

Frank Shamrock: Phil Baroni

Orlando Mac: Tim Sylvia vs Fedor Emelianenko

Frank Shamrock: Fedor will crush him.

Orlando Mac: Brock Lesnar vs Mark Coleman

Frank Shamrock: Lesnar is going to crush poor Mark.

Orlando Mac: Frank Shamrock vs Cung Le

Frank Shamrock: I will definitely smash Cung.

Orlando Mac: If you had to train for a kicking specialist who would you train with to prepare yourself?

Frank Shamrock: Maurice Smith.

Orlando Mac: What would surprise most fight fans about you?

Frank Shamrock: My propensity for reading, as well as I generally care for people and have a lot of empathy for just people in general. I think that always comes across weird and unexpected.

Orlando Mac: What do you love about the fight game?

Frank Shamrock: I like the camaraderie and the community of the people necessary to get you there.

Orlando Mac: What do you hate about the industry?

Frank Shamrock: I hate the politics.

Orlando Mac: What is it that you look forward to every morning?

Frank Shamrock: I look forward to seeing my daughter smile when I wake up and then going to work.

Orlando Mac: What is it that most people don’t appreciate about fighting?

Frank Shamrock: The mental and spiritual side of it the art itself. I think most people are fighting and working out and I think very few people are studying the art.

Orlando Mac: Having trained with some great fighters who was the best?

Frank Shamrock: The best fighter that I have ever seen with the most skill all around I would say is BJ Penn. He has physical skills far beyond other athletes out there. I am an exceptional athlete, he is a exceptionally blessed athlete. He has physical abilities well beyond what other people could even acquire.
His mental and his cardio have always been a problem but the rest of him is phenomenal.

Orlando Mac: Who gave you the most difficulty in all the fights you have had?

Frank Shamrock: The most difficult psychologically was fighting Enson Enouie, and the most difficult physically was fighting Tito Ortiz.

Orlando Mac: Who do you think is pound for pound the toughest fighter out there?

Frank Shamrock: I think the one that is most looked at would be probably George St. Pierre now.

Orlando Mac: Who is the best fighter ever?

Frank Shamrock: I would say myself, it would have to be me. [laughs]

Orlando Mac: Who is the best up and coming fighter that you have seen?

Frank Shamrock: That is a tough one, but one of the guys that I have seen who has the most amount of potential is Donnie Liles out of Colorado who was on my IFL Team. He’s just one of those super athletic, and talented guys.

Orlando Mac: If you were a matchmaker, which fight, would you like to see? Why?

Frank Shamrock: I go for the story behind it, the marketing, the promotion, and the story line. The fights to me are usually bad displays of semi-technical fighting. I really believe people go to see the play, as opposed to the fight. The entertainment as opposed to the violence, I’m one of those people who want to be entertained.

Orlando Mac: Having fought and coached at many events, what is the weirdest thing you ever saw?

Frank Shamrock: The weirdest thing was I saw Harold Howard get knocked out after he won, by a swinging light at the old UFC. Then I saw them wake him up and send him back out for his next tournament match-up fifteen minutes later. That was pretty weird.

Orlando Mac: Is there a special message that you have for someone in the fight game?

Frank Shamrock: There is a girl named Jamie Harris in Oklahoma who is my biggest fan and who is a fantastic martial artist, and I want to tell her to keep training.

Orlando Mac: Who is the nicest person behind the scenes?

Frank Shamrock: The nicest person I have ever met was Chuck Norris, I met him in a restaurant and then I worked with him on the Texas Walker show, after-wards I went to his house and actually worked out with him.

Orlando Mac: What is your routine before a fight?

Frank Shamrock: I get up late; I have a light breakfast; I read for several hours; watch a movie; then I take a big nap; I eat a light lunch; I meditate for about 30 to 40 minutes; then I go to the arena; warm up with light calisthenics; do martial arts/fighting techniques to complete my warm-up; then I go to my partner techniques kicking and punching; I move to bag/mitt techniques; then I cool down; meditate; then go out and fight.

Orlando Mac: Have you ever been hurt in a warm-up?

Frank Shamrock: No I go pretty light in warm-up, only when warming other people up do I get hurt. Maurice kicks the crap out of me, when he is warming up for his fight and I probably do the same to other people, but I have never been hurt by it.

Orlando Mac: Tell us about how it felt like climbing into the ring for the first time, against Bas Rutten of all things?

Frank Shamrock: I was so scared, that I really don’t remember what it felt like. It was all kind of surreal , like a dream or a movie, the whole fight was that way. Then the bell rang to start, it was such an adrenaline rush that I was so amped up that the whole fight went by before I had a clear thought. Then the bell rang to end the fight, and they raised my hand and I was like, “Woah that was it?” It was pretty amazing!

I had two conscious moments in the fight, one was when he kicked me with a hard leg kick and I remember going, “Ow that hurts!” The other was when he kicked me in the nose with a front kick, where he broke my nose, and I remember the pain of my nose breaking. I remember thinking, “Oh, I gotta do this, shoot in or something.”

Orlando Mac: Who do you respect most in the industry?

Frank Shamrock: The person I respect the most is my boxing coach Tony De Maria, he has taught me patience, how to love more, and how to turn that love into passion.
Fighting is spiritual if it is done right.

Orlando Mac: Has your wife given birth yet?

Frank Shamrock: Yes she gave birth a few weeks ago.

Orlando Mac: Ken’s son is fighting would your son ever consider taking up your profession?

Frank Shamrock: I don’t know about my son. I’ve always let him make his own decisions, and I have never pushed him. It would be ok if he wanted to do it, but I would never encourage him to. I think my son saw me carried out of the gym and to the hospital far too many times to even think it was a good idea. Once he saw that, he decided he was going to go to college.

Orlando Mac: Is there something you would like to say to the fans?

Frank Shamrock: Thank you for always supporting me! I love my fans and they have always supported me, that is important to me, and is tremendous.

Orlando Mac: What are you doing with yourself right now?

Frank Shamrock: I am on paternity leave, I have taken a month off, and I am working about an hour or two a day on my computer, and building my businesses.

Orlando Mac: What is Frank Shamrock doing over the next year?

Frank Shamrock: I’ll make a couple of films; I’ll have at least one fight probably two; I am launching my vitamin line; expanding my martial arts franchises; expanding my law enforcement training business; and keeping busy.

Orlando Mac: You’re a very talented fighter people still wonder why you left on a high earlier in your career?

Frank Shamrock: It was a personal choice. I didn’t want to waste my talent, and have nobody see it. I waited until the eyeballs came back, and the sport got to where it is supposed to be. Now I have ten more years to get the message out.

Orlando Mac: Thank you once again for taking the time out to talk to the people here at MMAFrenzy.com. Cheers.

Matt graciously took some time out of his 3-a-day workout regimen to let us at MMAFrenzy.com pick his brain. One observation I made in compiling the interview was that the Matt Hughes portrayed on The Ultimate Fighter 6, on which he acted as a coach opposite rival Matt Serra, was the Matt Hughes I was talking with. Hughes is who he is, there was no sugar coating, and there was definitely no holding back. However, he was the complete opposite of what many MMA fans believe about him: He was extremely nice, respectful, and showed confidence, but not cockiness.

Curtis Clontz: Thanks for letting me take this opportunity to ask you a few questions. I know you are a busy man, and don’t have a lot of time so lets get right into it. First off, congrats on your successful book and tour. What was the most memorable moment of the tour?
Matt Hughes: It would probably be here in the Midwest, seeing some of the fans from out here in the Midwest was great, probably the best thing about the book was thinking back and reliving some of the stories that I had, that was a lot of fun.

Curtis Clontz: The H.I.T squad looks great, are there any future champs under your training at the gym?
Matt Hughes: We’ve got some good guys there, some real good guys! Matt Veach and some new guys that people may have never even heard of, and also some former UFC veterans like C.J. Fernandes. There is just a bunch of guys there and we are trying to build them the right way, we are not trying to rush anybody, so yea I think we definitely have some future champs, but there is no one that is going to step into a title fight right now or anything like that. We are trying to work on some basics. As every coach knows basics wins fights.

Curtis Clontz: In the Ultimate Fighter series you were able to coach fighters into the finale. What is more enjoyable for you, coaching a fighter to victory or fighting your way to victory?
Matt Hughes: Well, it is probably coaching to be honest. It is just a lot of fun to see somebody over the reality show that progresses and get better. You know Tommy did great and he did exactly that to get into the finals. He got better throughout the show and beat some tough guys to get into the finals, it just feels great to have that happen and see the guys perform to their standings and perform where they should be.

Curtis Clontz: Many of the readers that will be viewing this interview are amateur fighters just getting started in the sport. Are there any training recommendations that you can provide for young fighters or those that are new to the game that would like to step up to a higher level?
Matt Hughes: Well one thing you have to do it always out work your opponent, the last thing that I want to do is go into a fight and the second and third round be out of shape. You have to go in there and be in shape. That can be done and started 2 months away from the fight, so you just gotta be in shape and be relaxed in their, you got to be able to think, and definitely know your technique, and be trained correctly.

Curtis Clontz: What would you say is the biggest mistake made by young fighters?
Matt Hughes: Not mentally preparing. People don’t realize how mentally tough this sport is and you just have to be prepared. You have to run that match through your head many times before you step into the octagon, cage, or whatever it is, and have yourself winning every time you run it in your mind. Go through your moves, making sure that they are all done correctly. When you do that, the fight will tend to go your way.

Curtis Clontz: If you could talk to every single amateur fighter while they are coming up what would it be?
Matt Hughes: To every move there is a counter, and to every counter there is a counter. If you find yourself in a bad situation always remember there is a way out.
The above reply was by far my favorite part of the interview. This showed the coaching side of Matt Hughes. It not only was great advice, but the way he said it would pump any fighter up! This quote proves just how knowledgeable and great of a coach Matt Hughes is.

Curtis Clontz: Right now one of the biggest stories in all sports not just MMA is steroids, do you feel that the UFC has a steroid problem?
Matt Hughes: I am sure there are people in the UFC that take steroids and other illegal substances, but it is tested. Steroids are tested, I don’t think that all the illegal substances are tested, but there is always going to be stuff like that no matter where you are or what sport you are in, so you just gotta live with it. I am not worried about it, if my opponent thinks he needs to take steroids to beat me then that is his problem, he is going to have to live with the side effects and know that he wasn’t playing on a level playing field.

Curtis Clontz: Another issue is weight cutting, personally I think it is part of the sport, many believe that it should be regulated and controlled. What are your opinions on it?
Matt Hughes: I come from an old wrestling background and I cut a lot of weight before, but I don’t know if the UFC has had any problems with guys cutting weight to be honest. There has been some people that haven’t made weight, but you’re gonna get that no matter what you do, and people aren’t going to make weight. Right now I don’t see any problem, but you know, they will probably try to do something, but it’s whatever. Whatever they do is not going to affect me, I will be alright.

Curtis Clontz: In the careers of many top notch athletes, there has been one defining moment that personified their career. Looking back at yours at this point, what would you say would be your defining moment?
Matt Hughes: Probably beating Royce Gracie, just for the fact that he was so good in the past, and when he came back I was able to defeat him pretty decisively. That would be a huge defining moment for me.

Curtis Clontz: Your next fight will be against Thiago Alves. What are your comments to those that think Alves will beat you and that you are done as a fighter?
Matt Hughes: Well, if they think I am done as a fighter they are definitely wrong. Sure, it is no doubt that Thiago has a chance to beat me, each time you step into the octagon there is a chance that you are going to lose, but there is no way I am done right now. I am 34 years old, Randy Couture is 43 and Chuck Liddell I think is around 37, so there is just no way I am done right now.

Curtis Clontz: On the show you said that you only have a few fights left, like you said Chuck is in his 30s and Randy is in his mid 40s, how long do you think you can go?
Matt Hughes: I don’t know, he (Randy Couture) has went longer than I thought he would be able to go. I didn’t think he would be going like he is right now that is for sure.

Curtis Clontz: Speaking of Randy do you think him and Fedor will ever fight?
Matt Hughes: I don’t know, I really don’t know. I have no idea if or when that would happen.

Curtis Clontz: Matt I appreciate you taking your time to answer these questions, I wish you nothing but good things in the future with yourself and your gym. All of your fans can’t wait to see you back in the cage! Would you like to say anything to the fans or your sponsors?
Matt Hughes: If anyone would like any more information on me they can check out my website at
www. Matt-hughes.com, that is where they can find more information about me and my sponsors. I want to thank everyone for the support.

Thanks again to Matt Hughes and the entire group at Team Hughes.

Mayhem Miller: Hey, I’m going to get you video tape for this interview. Turn on the video camera, he says to his friend in the background. (Note: Mayhem is known, for doing video spoofs such as his hilarious misrepresentation of the Tapout TV Series that he remixed into the comedy chokeout that can be found readily on YouTube)

Orlando Mac: Your most recent fight was the epic three round decision over Tim Kennedy on HD Net Fights. What have you been doing since then?

Mayhem Miller: I’ve been training, I’ve been lifting weights, and getting stronger because that is basically what I got to do to beat people up. I wasn’t as strong as I needed to be and don’t think I should have to sacrifice my cardio to be able to be just as strong. I want to be stronger and still have that same level of cardio.

Orlando Mac: Tim Kennedy is no lightweight those were some phenomenal fights.

Mayhem Miller: They were world famous with me and him. We both know how to fight any day and everyday.

Orlando Mac: What was it like growing up as an Army Child and moving from base to base?

Mayhem Miller: It was terrible my whole life was living in the back of a Humvee, like a science experiment. Now that I think about it, it was wack, but my old man had to do what he had to do to get by.

Orlando Mac: Being a famous fighter you have a lot of men tell you they love you. Are you comfortable with that, does it not sound gay?

Mayhem Miller: I can love another man without being gay, I love Kristophe the camera man (laughing), and I have thousands of Mayhem Monkey’s everywhere a whole army of them behind me. (Note: He numbers his Mayhem Monkey’s, they each get their own personal identification number)

Orlando Mac: Jason, you have trained with Team Quest, Randy Couture, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Marc Laimon. If you had the chance who would you like to train with next? why?

Mayhem Miller: You don’t go out and say I wish you could train with this guy, you train and become friends with people. You learn what they need and what you need, so say I am fighting a dude that is really strong, it would be cool to train with Rampage, because he is real strong and kicks ass. He’s also a good boxer, and he has a certain style that I can adapt myself to, that way I get better and he gets better.
Same thing as Dan, he has a more of an upper body wrestling edge and a slugger mentality, when I train with him I get better at it.

Orlando Mac: So what you are saying is that you pick your training partners by the opponents you have?

Mayhem Miller: You have to.

Orlando Mac: Who are you fighting next? For whom?

Mayhem Miller: I don’t know yet, they keep that guarded like secret documents.

Orlando Mac: Who do you respect the most in the fight game?

Mayhem Miller: That is a tough question I ask myself that all the time, I wrote a forward for a book written by Dr. David Maeda and I asked that of myself, who is the toughest dude? Who do I respect the most in the fight game? I respect everyone they all have their own story, struggles and their own things to overcome. To me that is what gives the respect in this sport, it is not only the accomplishments in the ring.

Orlando Mac: I think that is what draws people to the sport, the people, and the camaraderie shown between the fighters.

Mayhem Miller: You can’t help it, these guys are all like my brothers we beat the hell out of each other when given the chance, but we will be friends after.

Orlando Mac: I lived in England for 5 years and the English are very much like that.

Mayhem Miller: I was in London and this guy started talking smack to me so I said, “What did you say mate?” He’s like, “You wanna fight, I’ll give you a fight mate!” So I said, “Put your chicken sandwich down and we’ll box.” He said, “I’ve been boxing since I was 12 years old.” Well I replied, “Finish your chicken sammy and we can get down to business,” but he was just talking smack. I like that, we should be able to talk smack without having to draw down weapons or punch each other in the face. Just talk smack a little.

Orlando Mac: The majority I knew were very loyal and honorable people the type that will fight you and then pick you up and buy you a pint afterwards, because they respect that you gave them a good fight.

Mayhem Miller: That’s the thing, I don’t drink, so I’ll be stuck. So we will just fight each other and laugh. I did that with my boys growing up everyday. This one time my friend here who is just back from Iraq ran through the house and gave me a Jackie Chan drop kick that put me through the screen door. Of course then I had to bust his head on the damn concrete (laughing), but then right after we were buddies again. We’re still friends today.

Orlando Mac: Having been to many events, what is the weirdest thing you have ever seen going on back stage?

Mayhem Miller: These crazy Hawaiian chicks got past security and were watching me shower, working a half chub. It is crazy because it is true (laughing).

Orlando Mac: The question is did you get any that night?

Mayhem Miller: No, you have to be more than a groupie chick to get with this guy!

Orlando Mac: Being a wrestling fan do you ever think the UFC will have tag team matches? If so who would you partner up with?

Mayhem Miller: No way, the UFC is trying to legitimize the sport to the point where it is on par with boxing like the sport of kings. We are like prize horses not like totally ghetto hood. Don’t worry I would love to do a tag team match and straight go up top rope and choke a guy unconscious. However, I do understand that is not what I am doing in this legitimate sport. The showmanship before the match that is awesome, and I want to see maybe some confetti falling from the ceiling when I beat someone up, but at the same time I understand they are trying to make it like boxing as much as possible.

Orlando Mac: I can totally appreciate that, because here in Ontario, Canada we struggle with a commission that won’t allow MMA events.

Mayhem Miller: Wow that shows you that we are still fighting for acceptance and legitimacy.

We have done this for a long time (practicing MMA), and we are very serious about what we do. I wrote the forward for the book, “Fighting for Acceptance” and it goes in depth for Dr. Maeda with fighters like Rampage Jackson, Dan Henderson, all the big names in the sport that could speak English, if I knew how to speak Portuguese we would have got some of those knuckle heads too (laughing). It was on the perspective of how Mixed martial Arts has achieved legitimacy, maybe if some people in Ontario would read the damn book and get their panties out of a wad for ultimate fighting things would change.

This is not human cockfighting with razor blades on our hands and ruffling my tail feathers so I can stab someone with a knife. This is a legitimate sport where I have trained all the martial arts since I was a kid. If you are going to say Judo is an Olympic sport, boxing is an Olympic sport, we’re just mixing them all up together. It is a combination of wrestling, judo, and people have to understand that.

Orlando Mac: Here boxing is legalized and the injury rate of fighters who take a constant pounding to the head in training and in 10 to 15 rounds far exceeds the damage done in MMA.

Mayhem Miller: A constant pounding round after round!

Orlando Mac: What is your next goal of interplanetary domination and funniness?

Mayhem Miller: Well the interplanetary domination part is already done, all I have to do now essentially is keep beating people up, and eating fresh nuts (chewing).

Orlando Mac: Why the nuts?

Mayhem Miller: Because I’m nuts!

Orlando Mac: Well if given the opportunity, who would you like to beat the crap out of In the ring?

Mayhem Miller: Well Anderson Silva is the best fighter in the world now at 185, and he had a really good night against Dan so I want to fight him. I know, I haven’t earned my shot, but I am going to prove to everybody this year that I should be in there against him.
I plan on using the next year to prove to everyone that I need a shot at the man. If he is still the man at the time then so be it, we’ll make it happen.

Orlando Mac: What do you think is the fight road up to Anderson Silva?

Mayhem Miller: You just have to scratch and claw and beat everyone they put in front of you that is the business we are in. I have to go out there and beat people up to show what I can do.

Orlando Mac: If you could build your own Freak Horror movie fighter like Frankenstein whose parts would you use for the hands?

Mayhem Miller: Dan Henderson.

Orlandomac: Pound for pound, who do you think is the greatest fighter out there?

Mayhem Miller: BJ Penn

Orlando Mac: Have you ever trained with BJ?

Mayhem Miller: No, even though we both lived in Hawaii, he was on a totally different island. It’s not like I could take a paddle boat across the waves.

Orlando Mac: With your wealth of knowledge and training you definitely have an educated opinion. So we would like to test your prognosticator abilities. Let us go through 5 of the biggest fights on the horizon and you can give us a winner.

Georges St-Pierre vs Matt Serra?

Mayhem Miller: That is a toss up for me, either.

Orlando Mac: BJ Penn vs. Sean Sherk?

Mayhem Miller: BJ Penn

Orlando Mac: Rampage Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin?

Mayhem Miller: Another toss up, I would say Rampage by experience.

Orlando Mac: Brock Lesnar vs. Mark Coleman?

Mayhem Miller: I want Mark Coleman only if he is allowed to wear his wrestling shoes. I think he is going to have a lot better time if he does.

Orlando Mac: Randy Couture vs. Fedor Emelianenko?

Mayhem Miller: Is that fight ever going to happen? I hope that fight happens, but I won’t comment on it, all I can say is that Houston Alexander is going to wear some tight ass shorts.

Orlandomac: To finish, what can we expect from Jason Mayhem Miller over the next few months?

Mayhem Miller: I’m going to be fighting bro, check me out on TV, or go on to MySpace, Youtube, or TriumphMMA.com where you can check out my dumpster blog. I dump my whole life on there. I live on the inter-webs!

Orlando Mac: Thank you once again for talking to MMAFrenzy.com

Eric: First let’s talk history for a second, can you explain how you got into martial arts?

Travis: I started wrestling when I was in sixth grade, I wrestled through high school and a little bit of college, then I started doing a little bit of Muay Thai, and then the UFC came out and I watched that and I wanted to learn jiujitsu.

Eric: I read that you’re a black belt under one of the most famous BJJ practitioners in the world, Carlos Machado, how did you meet Carlos?

Travis: I was living in South Dakota and I would come down here (Texas) to train jiujitsu and Carlos opened a school down here in Dallas, and eventually I bumped into him and started training with Carlos.

Eric: Let’s jump into more current events. You’ve got a big fight against former UFC champion Rich Franklin in just a couple weeks at UFC 83. What is training like for you and are you preparing any differently for this fight?

Travis: It’s business as usual. I train each fight basically the same, I work my stand up, I work my wrestling, I work my jiujitsu. I only train MMA once a week where you mix it up. GSP from what I hear only mixes it up once a week, otherwise he’s out there training wrestling by itself, training jiujitsu by itself, training stand up by itself. The reason is because you get sloppy when you just do NHB 24-7 and that’s all you do.

Eric: Are you at all nervous in facing someone as dangerous as Rich Franklin?

Travis: No, I’m not nervous I don’t really get too nervous. You know Rich is the former champ and he’s a really dangerous opponent, and I think a lot of people have written him off and I think that’s a mistake. You know Rich has only been beaten by two guys, it’s just that one of those guys has beaten him really bad really quickly, and very recently. I still think Rich has all the tools to beat 95 percent of the guys out there.

Eric: Since Rich Franklin is said to be one of the most well rounded guys in the game, do you have a strategy in mind for attacking him?

Travis: I’m going to go out there and circle him, take him down and beat him up. It’s going to be that simple.

Eric: Since you’re a jiujitsu specialist, is it safe to assume that you would like to take this fight to the ground?

Travis: Of course, I mean every one of my fights I always want them on the ground. You know I’ve won a couple fights on my feet but more than anything I always want my fights on the ground.

Eric: Since Franklin couldn’t seem to get the better of Anderson Silva on two occasions, do you think those losses have made him any less dangerous?

Travis: Well Rich is a professional, and just because he doesn’t match up- you know everybody’s got kryptonite out there, and Anderson is just his kryptonite, you know Rich isn’t Superman.

Eric: Do you think mentally you might have the advantage over Rich since he is coming off of that second loss to Silva?

Travis: I don’t think he’s (Franklin) ever really looked the same since that first defeat against Anderson. You know going out there and giving it your best on your best day, and then getting destroyed like that I’m sure its going to shake your confidence. But I’m expecting the best Rich Franklin and I hope he’s at his best when I get to meet him.

Eric: When you fought Anderson Silva you had the mount at one point and started delivering some good ground and pound, why do you think that you were unable to finish Silva off at that point?

Travis: I just made a mistake, I set up too straight, I got a little bit excited and he took advantage of that situation. I got myself over-extended and he hooked those long ass legs of his under my shoulder and he held me off. It’s one of the things he does, I know about it, but I just made a mistake I just got excited thinking I was going to kill him. But its one of those things you know. You make mistakes, you learn, and you get better.

Eric: There is still some debate as to Anderson Silva’s ground game, in your opinion how evolved is Silva’s jiujitsu?

Travis: Well look at what he’s done to some other fighters, I think Anderson’s got really really good jiujitsu. I don’t think he’s as good as I am even though he submitted me. I was beating him jiujitsu-wise the whole fight, I was out positioning and just got caught the way I see it. That being said you look at him against Nate Marquardt and he (Marquardt) went to take him down and Anderson switched him and I thought Andersons jiujitsu looked great in that fight. Against Dan Henderson, Dan controlled the first round and in the second round he got caught. I don’t think it was necessarily Dan’s best performance and I was pulling for Dan to win that fight, but I thought that Silva would probably beat him even on the ground.

Eric: Many people said that you got beaten at your own game (jiujitsu) when you submitted to Anderson Silva. I wanted to know if you specifically submitted to the hold or the strikes which he delivered while you were stuck in that position.

Travis: The hold. I got choked. I wasn’t submitting to the strikes- he caught me. It was just one of those things, I was in it for a long time and I thought I was out and I got caught. My hats off to Anderson he was the better man that night, but there have been other fighters that have been caught before and they come back and they prove that it was a fluke. And that is what I’d like to do, I’d like to come back and prove that Anderson’s win over me was a fluke.

Eric: If you were able to get another shot at Silva, how different would your game plan be the second time around?

Travis: The game plan is going to remain basically the same. Just once I get into a good position like the mount or the side mount I’d take my time. You know, not sit up quite so far. I’m still going to take him down, still going to beat him up from there- But I do think that I am a better fighter than Anderson Silva. I still think Anderson is a great fighter and he beats almost everybody, and I think there’s only a couple guys that can beat him, and I think that I’m one of them.

Eric: Do you see a definitive weakness in Silva’s game that can be exploited?

Travis: I don’t think he’s got the best jiujitsu out there and his wrestling isn’t bad, but it’s not up to my speed. Someone like Matt Lindland I think would give him a lot of problems.

Eric: Now it’s been over a year since you last fought, do you think this is works in your favor?

Travis: I don’t think it’s a problem. I’ve had gaps before between competition and it didn’t affect me. I’m in my gym everyday training and it’s just another day at work for me.

Eric: I hope this isn’t too much of a sore subject, but looking back on that fight against Anderson Silva, can you say why exactly you had trouble making weight?

Travis: I was just trying to see how heavy I could come into the fight, see how much weight I could cut. I thought I could have a little advantage being heavy but I found out that I can cut 204lbs, I can’t cut 208lbs. So 204lbs is my limit and I’m coming in a lot lighter for this fight. The weight shouldn’t be a problem for this fight and I’m not interested in doing the monster cut anymore. It was just a mistake and I was really playing Russian roulette with the wrong fight. I would never again do to myself what I did the two days prior to that fight in the sauna, it just wasn’t healthy.

Eric: Was the weight issue an isolated incident, or have you ever had problems like that in previous fights?

Travis: I’ve never missed weight before. I grew up wrestling in high school and college and I never missed weight once.

Eric: So what would you say is your walking weight?

Travis: Right now I’m 196, 197 lbs, but in between fights I can walk around a little heavier at around 215 lbs.

Eric: Jumping topics here, regarding your time on the The Ultimate Fighter, what was your experience like and what maybe can this season’s new batch of competitors expect?

Travis: Hell…Hell. That’s all you can say about that, it sucks. I hated it I thought it was the worst thing ever. But you know a guy like Matt Serra he loved it, he had his best friend Drago (Pete Sell) there and when you have friends or family or whoever around its definitely a lot better. I really didn’t know the other guys and of course you can become friends with them over the course of the show, but I still hated it. I hated that show.

Eric: Can you comment on your current contract situation with the UFC?

Travis: I’ve got five fights left on my contract so it doesn’t look like I’ll be going anywhere soon unless they cut me.

Eric: I was curious about the whole signing process with the UFC, do you personally sit down with Dana White and negotiate or how does it work?

Travis: Oh there is no negotiation, I’ll tell you about my last negotiation. I went on The Ultimate Fighter, I didn’t have a contract with the UFC at the time. I sat down in front of their lawyer, they had brought me out to Vegas on their dime, and they say if you want to be on The Ultimate Fighter this is how much you will make, here’s your contract, its two inches thick, you’ve got five minutes to look at it and sign it. So just like every other fighter that walked in there I said okay, where do I sign.

Eric: Prior to your appearance on The Ultimate Fighter you had fought in the UFC three times, but you never had a multi fight deal with the UFC?

Travis: I never had a multi-fight deal before now, they had to sign me for each individual fight. First one was against Marvin Eastman for 3,000 and another 3,000 to win. I made $6,000 that night. Only the past two years have I been able to make a living fighting. You know, not all of us are B.J. Penn

Eric: So would you prefer to stay in the UFC for most of your career or are you open to fighting elsewhere?

Travis: I’d rather stay with the UFC. They’re the number one organization in the world and I don’t think anyone is really a close second. This is where I’ll get the most publicity, this is where I hope to stay, I want to be the UFC Middleweight champion.

Eric: Have you ever fought outside the U.S.?

Travis: Yea, England twice, Denmark, Sweden. I’m actually undefeated outside of the United States.

Eric: So you might have some good luck going for you in Montreal then?

Travis: Absolutely, it’s actually the big venues in Vegas that I’ve had trouble with. I can win on The Ultimate Fighter I can win at the Hard Rock, but I just can’t win at the MGM or the Mandalay Bay.

Eric: Assuming you beat Rich Franklin, how much closer do you think that brings you to another shot at the title?

Travis: If I win this fight in dominating fashion I think you’ll see Travis Lutter and Anderson Silva fight, there’s a lot of color to that one. You know Anderson Silva’s talked shit about me since our fight, he said he thought his jiujitsu was better and that his knees were hurt which is why I was taking him down so easily, and I called bullshit. When I missed weight he also made some comments. I don’t have a bad thing to say about any other fighter, I just don’t like Anderson Silva. Long story short, I don’t like him and I want to kick his ass. I’ve emailed Dana White and said the first thing I want when I beat Rich is to fight Anderson Silva, let me fight him again. I just dislike the guy.

Eric: So how do you see this fight with Rich Franklin ending, what’s your prediction?

Travis: All I care about is that I go out of there with my arm raised. If it ends in the first, second or third round that’s great. But if it goes to a decision I don’t mind as long as my hand gets raised at the end of the fight, and I can go on and have a good life.

Eric: Getting back to your time on The Ultimate Fighter. As you probably know Matt Serra comes off as a bit of a heel at times due to his outspoken personality. In your experience with Serra would you say that he’s a generally likable character, and that his public portrayal might be a little misleading?

Travis: With Serra I think it’s what you see is what you get. I like Serra a lot I think he’s a great guy. We were on opposite teams on the show and we didn’t know each other before. We knew of each other because we’ve been to Abu Dhabi together but we definitely weren’t buddies. Now I guess you could say were friends, I consider him a friend you know I call him up see how his trainings going, shoot text messages back and forth, etc. The thing with Serra is he speaks his mind. You know he’s not going to come out there and pretend to be friends with you if he doesn’t like you. If he doesn’t like you he’s going to call you a prick or an asshole or whatever. And there’s something to be said for somebody like that in this over P.C. civilization that we live in, it’s actually nice to see something like that. I think that’s why he has so many fans. You love him, you hate him, but you’re still going to show up to watch him fight. I wish I could even be a little more like that sometimes so I got a lot of respect for Serra.

Eric: Alright, so what would be your prediction for Serra-GSP II ?

Travis: Well I’m cheering for Serra, nothing against GSP but Serra’s my boy and I think Serra can knock him out again, I think he (Serra) could submit him, and I think GSP could win a decision. But I don’t see GSP knocking out or submitting Matt. I think he could ground and pound on Matt for five rounds and pick up the decision, but that’s about the only way I see GSP winning.

Eric: I’d just like to get your opinion on something before you go. Given all of the newer MMA promotions which are emerging as of late, do you think they at all pose a threat to the UFC’s success?

Travis: Well the thing is you got lots of guys throwing their hats into the ring saying that they are fighters but they don’t have the skill. Look at HDNet fights, most of the guys on there, nothing against them, but they shouldn’t be fighting yet they should still be training. I don’t think that’s necessarily good for the sport.

Eric: Lastly, do you have any sponsors you’d like to thank at this time?

Travis: All my sponsors from my past probably don’t get enough recognition but the future sponsor that I got right now is Warrior Wear. Hopefully I’ll even get a few more before the end.

Eric: Alright well thank you for taking the time to do this, and good luck in Montreal.

Travis: Thanks a lot, I appreciate it.

Now looking to bounce back from the loss and climb the lightweight championship ladder, Miller, who will return to the octagon in July at UFC 86, discusses his fight preparation, advice for up-and-coming fighters, who he would like to face in the future, and more in this exclusive interview with MMAFrenzy.com.

Curtis Clontz: Thanks for the opportunity to interview you. American Top Team has announced that you will be fighting at UFC 86, any idea on who you will be fighting? If not, who would you like to fight?

Cole Miller: There is an idea of who I will be fighting.

Curtis Clontz: How is your training coming for that fight?

Cole Miller: Training is going pretty good. I’ll start hitting it hard pretty soon. It’s important to be in tip top shape so I’m going to start training for triathlons again so I’ll be in phenomenal cardiovascular shape.

Curtis Clontz: How does your training differ between normal training and specific training for a fight?

Cole Miller: Training for a specific fight just means the sparring is harder, the grappling is harder, I do more wrestling, and everything is serious, and I’m mean in the gym. If I’m not fighting its more for just fun because I love what I do.

Curtis: When training for a fight do you have a specific training schedule that you do or does it change? Please explain.

Cole Miller: The training schedule gets set by me and my team. In fact it doesn’t seem like there are enough hours in a day sometimes, between the workouts and the driving and eating between and prepping food and teaching I have no time for anything else.

Curtis Clontz: How much tape of your opponent do you watch? If so, what are you looking for? If not, why not?

Cole Miller: I just like to see how he fights. Does he break? Is he mentally tough? Is he technical? Is he a bully? I don’t really pay attention so much to the specific techniques because fighters are constantly evolving their games. The good ones are anyways.

Curtis Clontz: A question some of the fans wanted to know was if you do anything odd or irregular before a fight?

Cole Miller: I always shave the morning of the fight, but that’s about all.

Curtis Clontz: One of the things fighters struggle with is weight.

Cole Miller: I do too, only I struggle to walk around more than 7 pounds over 155.

Curtis Clontz: Tell us about your diet.

Cole Miller: Well it’s mostly all natural and organic. The diet for this fight will be strict. I’ll be taking in a lot more calories than in the past.

Curtis Clontz: What is your walking weight?

Cole Miller: Pretty big for a 145’er [laughs].

Curtis Clontz: If you are a true 145, any interest in challenging Faber or making a move to the WEC?

Cole Miller: I would do that if 155 doesn’t work out, but I’m not necessarily wanting to challenge Faber. I would just want to earn my way to fight whoever would have control over the title.

Curtis Clontz: Can you give any hints or anything that seems to work well with you when dieting or cutting weight?

Cole Miller: Don’t be a bitch. I’ve made 143 while walking at my current weight and at one point when I was 152 pounds I made 135. Get in the sauna, suck it up, and don’t be a punk.

Curtis Clontz: That’s the best advice I’ve heard yet! The Ultimate Fighter has been a huge avenue for young fighters to step into the UFC. Curtis Clontz: What were the best and worst parts of being on the show?

Cole Miller: The best part was the people and the end result of making it to the UFC. The worst was the people [laughs].

Curtis Clontz: Do you have any regrets about the show?

Cole Miller: None. The experience was good overall.

Curtis Clontz: What was it like working with Jens Pulver?

Cole Miller: I wouldn’t have traded it for anything. He’s an awesome coach and person.

Curtis Clontz: At what point did you realize that you could fight at such a high level?

Cole Miller: Just recently.

Curtis Clontz: Did something happen to make you realize that?

Cole Miller: No just in the past year or so I started realizing there are a lot of guys out there who aren’t any good. TV twists your mind you have a certain expectation that fighter A is of a high level. Fighter B beats fighter A and you see the fight on TV. Later you train with fighter A and he’s not so high level and it turns out fighter B isn’t either. You just see these guys fighting on TV so you assume because you’re not there yet that you are far away from that level but really some of these guys aren’t good at anything, they’re just tough.

Curtis Clontz: If you could give any recommendations to amateur fighters what would it be?

Cole Miller: Don’t let anyone tell you that this is just a phase or that you won’t make it to the high level. F*** those mother f****** and tell them to kiss your ass if they don’t like what you do or what you’re passionate about. Weed those people out of your life. Even if it’s your family, they’ll come around or they won’t.

Curtis Clontz: What would you say is the most common mistake made among young fighters?

Cole Miller: It’s easy to get good in the beginning because you don’t know shit, so you think you’re getting good when really you suck. Make sure you have humility because if you don’t, someone’s going to whoop your ass and its going to blow up in your face and you’re going to look like a jackass so bad you’ll probably quit doing what you like to do.

Curtis Clontz: If Dana White came to you and said you could fight against anyone, who would you pick and why?

Cole Miller: Roger Huerta, because he’s this golden boy that gets all this publicity. Not that I don’t think he’s earned it, but I just think I’d be the worst kind of matchup for him.

Curtis Clontz: Some of the fans have shown interest in seeing you fight Nate Diaz or Joe Stevenson, any desire to fight either of them? Why or why not?

Cole Miller: I haven’t really heard anything about either of these matchups being of interest, but me and Nathan train together for our fights, and there are a lot of 155ers so I don’t feel the need to single out someone like Nate. It’s not like there’s only 8 guys in the division. It’s the deepest division so you can take your pick.

Curtis Clontz: If you could make any MMA fight happen, what would it be?

Cole Miller: BJ Penn vs. Gesias Calvacante, BJ Penn vs. Anderson Silva, or BJ Penn vs. St. Pierre 2

Curtis Clontz: Will Randy and Fedor ever fight?

Cole Miller: Yes. Unfortunately neither will be at their best at that point, similar to Chuck and Wanderlei.

Curtis Clontz: What are the best things about training at the American Top Team?

Cole Miller: The people, we’re a family

Curtis Clontz: Tell us about the staff that helps train you.

Cole Miller: They give everything to us fighters, and we give all of ourselves to them. It’s the best combination I think there can be between coaches and fighters.

Curtis Clontz: What does the future hold for Cole Miller?

Cole Miller: A lot of people getting beat up.

Curtis Clontz: Is there anything that you would like to say to the fans or about your sponsors?

Cole Miller: Thanks to Tapout and thanks to everyone that stayed by my side from the beginning. F*** everyone who doesn’t like me.

Curtis Clontz: Thanks for the chance to pick your brain, any parting comments?

Cole Miller: Thanks for the interview. To all the aspiring fighters – Train hard.

Jeremy “Gumby” Horn is a legend in MMA that still somehow stays under the radar. Most long-time MMA fans know him well though many new fans have no idea who he is. Horn is one of the most experienced fighters in MMA at just 32-years-old. Earlier in his career Horn trained in Bettendorf, Iowa with Pat Militech but he now trains in Salt Lake City, Utah with his own camp, “Elite Performance”. His notable career wins include victories over Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin, Vernon White, and David Loiseau. He has also faced MMA notables Dan Severn, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Renato Sobral, and Anderson Silva. In 1999 alone Horn fought 21 times losing just one contest. His current record stands at 88-17-5.

Jeremy was kind enough to share his thoughts with me on the current MMA landscape, his contract status, where he sees his career going, and more. Enjoy the interview…

FixXeR- What are your predictions on the upcoming UFC matchup between Dan Henderson and Anderson Silva?

Jeremy Horn- I think that’s a tough fight for both of them. It depends on who can push the fight into their strong point.

FX – Steroids have been in the news recently for other sports and there have been some fighters in MMA testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. What is your stance in this subject?

JH - It’s hard to criticize guys when they are fighting for a living. They are doing what they have to to compete. In a perfect world no one would use but this isn’t a perfect world.

FX - There has been a lot of controversy of the UFC on how they pay their fighters. Do you agree with the way fighters are being paid?

JH – I think as the fight world grows the fighters should be paid accordingly. I think the fighters are a bit behind the scale but they are getting more than they used to.

FX – With the recent blowup of the UFC, MMA has become very popular. What advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue mixed martial arts?

JH – The best thing to do is get with a good gym and take it slowly. Unfortunately promoters care more about records than skill.

FX – You have beaten such top name fighters such as Forrest Griffin, Josh Burkman, David Loiseau, Dean Lister, Vernon White, and handed Chuck Liddell his first professional loss. What would you say is your greatest achievement to date is?

JH – I’m still waiting on it.

FX – Do you still have any fights left under your contract with the UFC?

JH – I’m not under contract.

FX – With a professional record of 88-17-5 and only 32 years old, do you plan on fighting much longer, or are you just getting started?

JH - I’ve got a lot more to do in the sport still.

FX – Are there any young MMA fighters you see making a big impact in this sport in the near future?

JH – There are a lot of very talented guys coming up in the sport. It’s only going up from here

Thanks to Jeremy Horn for the interview. He is a class act. When asking him for the interview there was no hesitation at all and he gladly accepted. With the sport growing as much as it is, I hope that for us fans that new fighters learn something from fighters like Horn, Anderson Silva, and Rich Franklin. We fans don’t care how good or bad you fight at an event, it’s how you present yourself and respect everyone including your opponent.

For more information on Jeremy Horn check out the following links:

• UFC Profile
• Wikipedia Profile
• MySpace Profile

If you are interested in a seminar with Horn, please call 801-538-5355