Rhett Butler, UFC - For former kickboxer turned MMA fighter Steve Steinbeiss, when he entered the UFC he expected a different outcome. The event was UFC Fight Night: Diaz vs. Guillard and it was the UFC's first appearance in Oklahoma. The striker was facing a veteran talent in Ryan Jensen and the stage was all set to show why he was chosen for the biggest show in the sport.
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Rhett Butler, UFC - Rob Kimmons has just divulged a secret he never thought he would casually unearth during an interview. The secret is more of an admission into his mental state at what he at one time considered the apex of his career and this secret has also haunted his UFC performances to date.
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Elliot Worsell, UFC - Here's a tip to all future opponents of UFC lightweight Paul Kelly - be nice. Compliment his grade-one haircut, the colour of his eyes or the unique twang of his Liverpool accent. Marvel at his ability to speak in jumbled morse code, yet still sound as passionate and direct as any competitor in mixed martial arts today. Tell him how strong his ground-and-pound is, how sharp his elbows are and how relentless his pace is. Whatever you do, don't question his punch power, and please don't wind him up.
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Chuck Mindenhall, UFC - Would Ben Saunders have beaten Jake Ellenberger at UFC 111 in New Jersey? The world will never know. When Thiago Alves had to drop out of his fight with Jon Fitch only two days before their scheduled bout, the UFC turned to the "Killa B"—himself setting to face Ellenberger—and asked him to switch intended targets. His response: Hell yeah. Forget about the fact that he just got bumped into a fight with a perennial welterweight contender on 48 hours notice with no time to scheme, diagram and soak it in. He wasn't about to miss the chance to—as the old saying goes—fly into flight.
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Chuck Mindenhall, UFC - Right after he fought Evan Dunham on June 12 at UFC 115, Tyson Griffin made the type of request that always plays like music to Dana White's ears: Get me back in there as soon as possible. Having dropped a tough split decision to his Xtreme Couture training partner—yet coming out of the fight healthy—Griffin made the call and volunteered his services should anything open up for him.
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Chuck Mindenhall, UFC - Epiphanies can occur mid-bout for fighters, and thankfully for some the light bulb comes on before they're lying supine on the canvas. Johny Hendricks had a little mid-fight epiphany in his last UFC bout with TJ Grant this past May, somewhere in the last round of a drag-em-out affair. The gist? Well, let's just say Hendricks realized he'd been keeping things a little too civil for his own good.
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Mike Russell, UFC - Roy Nelson may not fit the cookie cutter stereotype of what most people picture when they think of an MMA fighter, but the unassuming, 34-year-old Las Vegas native makes no apologies for being a wolf in sheep's clothing whose skill set is often underestimated due to such preconceived notions.
Sure he may not have a six-pack, nor is he covered in tattoos but one thing is for sure: Big Country can fight.
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Mike Russell, UFC – If you’ve ever thought you had a tough go in life, talk to DaMarques Johnson and your tribulations will likely seem trivial – not just by comparison, but when put in perspective by the adage he has lived his life by since he was a child.
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Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - Ask Brock Lesnar what he missed the most during a nearly one year layoff due to illness, and he fires back with a typically quick retort.
"The paychecks."
What follows next is a deep laugh that probably wasn't heard too much in the Lesnar household after a bout with what was eventually discovered to be diverticulitis put the baddest man on the MMA planet in a hospital bed and threatened his career.
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Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - When a back injury kept two-time Division II All-American linebacker Shane Carwin from making a run at a career in the NFL, there was no telling him that this was just a detour and not his final destination.
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Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - In this Saturday's pivotal meeting of lightweight contenders at UFC 116 in Las Vegas, if Kurt Pellegrino is fire, then George Sotiropoulos is most certainly ice.
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Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - You see some interesting things in Las Vegas at six on a Sunday morning. Nearly two weeks ago, Chris Leben was leaving The Palms hotel, catching a cab to the airport following his stirring Knockout of the Night win over Aaron Simpson the night before.
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Martins Denis, UFC - "Don't regret your past… learn from it, regrets just make a person weaker."
That phrase seems to be a perfect one for Croatia's Goran Reljic, who faces Kendall Grove at UFC 116 in Las Vegas on July 3rd. In fact, it's so perfect that the 185-pound prospect has posted it on his personal Facebook page.
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Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - Homecoming. Packed house screaming your name. A big knockout victory in a must-win situation. If it sounds like a Hollywood blockbuster, it's not, but it might as well have been for Brendan Schaub, whose 47 second knockout of Chase Gormley in March was only missing the popcorn.
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Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - Florida. A couple years ago. Before rebooting his mixed martial arts career in his native New Jersey, Kurt Pellegrino was living and training in Florida, and just happened to run into someone who would change his outlook on a lot of things relating to life and his run towards a UFC lightweight title.
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