Chris Wilson
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Even though we already had the inside scoop, the UFC recently confirmed several bouts slated for the UFC 87: “Seek and Destroy” under card at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn., on August 9.
Lightweights Frankie Edgar and Hermes Franca will go toe-to-toe as expected, as well as heavyweights Cheick Kongo and Dan Evensen. In addition, Chris Wilson will tangle with Steve Bruno in a solid welterweight scrap.
The battle between The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 6 170-pound contestants – Ben Saunders and Jared Rollins — has also been scratched from UFC 86 and will now take place at UFC 87.
Of course, “Seek and Destroy” features the 170-pound world title fight between UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre and number one contender, Jon Fitch. Lightweight Kenny Florian and Roger Huerta will also meet up in a 155-pound eliminator match to see who challenges BJ Penn next for his lightweight title.
And a Minnesota event wouldn’t be complete without its native MMA son, Brock Lesnar, who will look to get his first win inside the Octagon against the very dangerous and very experienced, Heath Herring.
To check out the most recent UFC 87 card and rumors click here. For UFC 87 ticket information click here … this is shaping up to be a great card.
Written by admin on June 14th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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(Carneiro and Chonan during a DEEP match in 2005, which ended in a controversial TKO loss for Carneiro due to a cut.)
Joe Silva’s hands have been full this week piling on fighters for UFC 87, and scrambling to replace them for UFC 85. First, the word on “Bedlam” (London, England; June 7th):
— Ryo Chonan has pulled out of his rematch with Roan Carneiro for unknown reasons. Replacing him will be Kevin “The Fire” Burns, a 4-1 UFC newcomer with possibly the cheesiest nickname we’ve ever heard. The UFC is doing Fire no favors by putting him against “Jucao,” who already boasts wins over Rich Clementi and Matt Horwich.
— Speaking of undercard bouts few people will care about, British fighter Neil Wain has broken his nose and won’t be able to face Antoni Hardonk. Filling in for him will be Eddie Sanchez, who has won his last two UFC matches against Soa Palelei and Colin Robinson, and will do his best to deal with fighting across the Atlantic Ocean on two weeks notice.
As for “Seek and Destroy” (August 9th; Minneapolis, MN):
— Frankie Edgar, who took his first career loss against Gray Maynard at UFC Fight Night 13, will be returning at UFC 87 against an opponent to be named later. With Sean Sherk indicating that he wants to be part of the first UFC card in his home state of Minnesota, an Edgar/Sherk bout isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
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Written by admin on May 28th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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A welterweight clash between Team Quest fighter, Chris Wilson and UFC debutant Steve Bruno, originally set for July’s UFC 86 has been postponed to August’s UFC 87 according Wilson’s personal website.
From ChrisWilsonMMA.com:
I just found out my fight has been postponed. The rescheduled date hasn’t been finalized but appears to be bumped to the next UFC [...]
Written by admin on May 27th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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“Despite not getting the outcome I was hoping for, I feel I opened a lot of eyes, both the fighters and the fans know exactly how serious I was when speaking before the fight. I’m not just another guy…. I’m pretty sure I’ll be back considering how this fight got set up and how it went down despite the loss…. I feel like I showed I should be fighting top guys. It would be a shame for the UFC to put me at the bottom of the division, but I’ll take what I can get.”
– Chris Wilson — who stepped up on short notice to take on top welterweight contender Jon Fitch at UFC 82: “Pride of a Champion” on March 1 — tells SutureMagazine.com that he feels his debut performance earned him another shot inside the Octagon. “The Professor” lost a hard fought unanimous decision, but he looked solid in doing so.
Written by admin on March 4th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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(“I’m ready to go in there and shock the world.”)
By CagePotato Special Contributor Ben Fowlkes
Chris Wilson is in a difficult spot. The Team Quest welterweight and former member of the IFL’s Portland Wolfpack was offered his first UFC fight just a few weeks ago, against one of their toughest, most highly touted 170-pound contenders: Jon Fitch. Of course he accepted, but now oddsmakers have him as one of the biggest underdogs going into UFC 82. In this exclusive interview he indulges in a little straight-talk about taking a pay cut to fight in the Octagon, training with Dan Henderson, and how he plans to prove everyone wrong on Saturday night.
CagePotato: Jon Fitch is obviously a tough fighter, and he’s riding a fourteen-fight win streak. What are you expecting from him and how are you planning to deal with it?
Chris Wilson: I expect him to come in and do the things he does best, which is throw hard punches, try to get you in a corner, and get on top. That’s his game plan. That’s where he’s most comfortable and that’s what’s worked for him, and I don’t see him trying to change that now. If he were looking to come in and show how good his striking is, I think he would try and do it against someone with much less chance of knocking him out. But if he’s going to stand in front of me it will make his night a lot harder.
A lot of people talk about Octagon jitters when a guy has his first UFC fight. You’ve fought in front of big crowds before in several different organizations, so how do you think your first UFC fight will affect you?
It’s hard for me to say that I won’t be affected by it because I haven’t been there yet. But like you said, I have fought in front of crowds of many thousands of people. Maybe not as many as the UFC brings in, but I know what that kind of pressure feels like. There are certain things that I think will help me deal with it. Being an underdog helps take some of the pressure off me. Also, it helps that I’ve been to UFC events and cornered my teammates there. I’ve walked through that tunnel and out into the arena with the screaming fans. Even if it wasn’t me who was fighting that night, at least I know what to expect. I guess I just have to wait and see.
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Written by admin on February 26th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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When Chris Wilson enters the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, this Saturday night at UFC 82: “Pride Of A Champion,” he will be stepping into the famous Octagon for the first time in his mixed martial arts (MMA) career.
However, his ultimate goal is to walk out of Columbus with a win over top 10 welterweight fighter and UFC title contender, Jon Fitch. Wilson is thrilled to have an opportunity to fight in the UFC.
“It means a lot to me,” Wilson told MMAmania.com. “I always put a lot of pressure on myself to perform well. In that sense, there is some pressure to perform well.”
The Team Quest fighter replaced Japanese fighter Akihiro Gono on the UFC 82 card and he plans on taking full advantage of his opportunity.
“I’m coming in kind of as the underdog, kind of the unknown guy, not unknown completely, people who follow the sport might know a little bit about me,” Wilson said. “Being in the UFC, for the reach that the UFC has, the general public may not know who I am nearly as much as they know Fitch is, so I’m definitely the underdog.”
“To me, it’s really just a great opportunity to go in there and show my skills and show that I’m competitive at the top-level and just because you haven’t heard of me doesn’t mean I’m not a threat to your career. It’s a great opportunity for me and it really couldn’t be any better.”
Wilson views this fight against Fitch as a rare opportunity. It’s not everyday that a fighter who makes his UFC debut against a top 10 contender who is undefeated (7-0) inside the Octagon.
“Obviously it’s not normal for someone who is in their UFC debut to come in against a guy who is in that title shot situation like Jon Fitch is,” Wilson said. “So yeah it’s not normal, but at the same time, I’m not looking for an easy fight. I plan to establish myself in the welterweight division.”
To prepare for the fight, Wilson has been working out with his fellow Team Quest-mates in the mountains of Big Bear, Calif. He had just five weeks notice to prepare for this fight.
“It was a good opportunity to train against tough guys at (high) elevation,” Wilson said. “I feel like I got a lot out of it and I really feel like I’m optimizing the time I have.”
Wilson — who has an impressive career MMA record (13-3) — has been around the sport for a while. He’s fought in many promotions such as King of the Cage, BodogFight and the IFL, defeating the likes of Jay Hieron, The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season five contestant Brandon Melendez, Rory Markham and more.
Wilson is a well-rounded fighter who has strong stand up with a fairly decent ground game. Before joining Team Quest, in fact, Wilson was unsure of his ground game. But now that Wilson is with the prestigious camp, he feels confident in taking the fight to the ground. And he credits Team Quest with the assistance.
“I came into Team Quest with a decent repertoire of striking, but when you’re trying to use your striking against that caliber a fighter, even you’re striking has to get better,” Wilson said. “My all around game has risen from being at Team Quest. I am the fighter I am today because of Team Quest.”
Wilson gets to work out with the likes of former UFC middleweight contender and Olympic wrestling silver medalist, Matt Lindland, as well as Chael Sonnen and, of course, the main event challenger for UFC 82 this Saturday, Dan Henderson.
He acknowledges that Fitch is a good wrestler, but he believes he has dealt with better in training.
“Fitch, he may have been captain of the Purdue wrestling team, but sorry, Fitch is no Lindland, Fitch is no Chael Sonnen, Fitch is no Matt Horwich,” Wilson said. “I don’t think he’s got the wrestling skills of the room that I’m in and I don’t think he’s got the submission skills of the room I’m in, but a fight is a fight.”
Wilson knows that Fitch won’t be an easy task, but he believes that he will be prepared, come Saturday night.
“I definitely don’t underestimate Jon Fitch, he’s number four, he’s earned his spot and he’s a tough fight no matter how you look at it, but I do think that I have a much better chance against Fitch than most people give me credit for.”
A win on Saturday night is the most important thing for Wilson. He isn’t feeling the pressure and is looking to make a lot of noise this weekend.
“There is a little less pressure on me because nobody really expects anything out of me. Hell, half the people don’t even know who I am and the other half want to see me to lose. It’s because they like Fitch,” Wilson said. “So it’s like I’m going in there as the underdog and I’m looking to ruin everybody’s night, except mine. I plan to stop his streak and ruin Dana’s (White) plans for his title shot.”
No doubt about it, if Wilson can go out there and win, he would do just that.
Chris would like to thank his sponsors, including Premier Fighter, Metabolic Adaptation, Mike Dolce at Strengthcoachonline.com and Sports Lab. For videos of Wilson in action click here and here.
Written by admin on February 26th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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Next Saturday night at UFC 82: “Pride of a Champion” Jon Fitch will continue his climb up the welterweight mountain when he takes on Chris Wilson, who will be making his debut inside the Octagon.
Fitch goes into this fight with 14 straight wins, seven of those in the UFC. And he acknowledges that going through Wilson — who is on a hot streak of his own — will be no easy task.
“He’s pretty lanky, long and has a pretty good one-two combination, good stand-up, he’s pretty dangerous in that regard,” Fitch told MMAmania.com. “His ground is okay, it’s not great, but he’s dangerous on the ground because he is long and a lot of times the long guys are pretty tricky with their positioning and can do things most guys can’t, so it’s important to keep your game tight with guys like that.”
Fitch is well-aware that Wilson is confident going into this fight and views this as a good thing.
“I only want to fight the toughest guys out there and if you’re afraid to fight somebody or are not really confident going into a fight, then I don’t want to fight you,” Fitch said.
Originally, Fitch was slated to take on former Pride FC fighter, Akihiro Gono. However, a Gono injury forced him out and brought in Wilson.
Both Gono and Wilson are two different fighting styles and Fitch has had to prepare differently for Wilson than he would have for Gono.
“Akihiro is kind of in-and-out, picks his spots to fight, while Chris tends to move a little bit more, also the size makes a difference, a shorter Gono compared to a longer Wilson makes it a big difference,” Fitch said. “I’ve been changing things up with different grappling partners and sparring partners, to match up size and striking ability.”
Fitch knows what he must do to walk out of UFC 82 in Columbus with his 15th straight victory.
“I need to keep my game really tight, don’t get loose, because that’s when he tends to catch people,” Fitch said. “I have to keep it tight and keep the pressure and try to break him with my pressure.”
With Fitch now being among the elite, it’s only a matter of time until he gets a shot at the welterweight title.
Fitch has UFC wins over Brock Larson, Josh Burkman, Thiago Alves and most recently, Diego Sanchez. Fitch believes that he has been in the UFC long enough and has won enough to earn a title shot.
“I think that I’ve put in the work to deserve a title shot. I’ve never heard of anybody with the record in the UFC that I have not getting some kind of title shot. I don’t understand why I wouldn’t or what the deal would be for me not to get it,” Fitch said.
“I don’t get a control say unfortunately. Otherwise, I would have had all marquee match-ups against named fighters instead of against guys who people haven’t heard about who are just as tough as those marquee guys.”
It’s going to be hard to deny Fitch a chance at the title if he wins at the Nationwide Arena this Saturday night. His long win streak is unheard of in this division and in the sport itself. He gives credit to hard work and having fun.
“It’s hard work, just keeping your eyes on the work in front of you and getting done and having fun along the way. I really enjoy the workouts,” Fitch said. “I enjoy learning new techniques and I don’t let any of that other stuff get to me. I’m not here to be famous. I’m not here to be a rock star.”
That might be inevitable, however, if everything goes according to plan for Fitch in 2008.
Written by admin on February 24th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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Props: ChrisWilsonMMA.com
Chris Wilson (pictured on right next to training partner Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou) is updating his blog frequently leading up to his welterweight showdown with top division contender, Jon Fitch, at UFC 82: “Pride of a Champion” on March 1 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. This might be a good chance for all the readers sending me emails like, “Who the hell is Chris Wilson and why is he fighting Jon Fitch?” to find out more about the Team Quest fighter who took the bout on short notice. YouTube.com, of course, is also a good spot to check out some footage.
Written by admin on February 18th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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“I don’t see how I could not get one. I am seven and zero in the UFC right now and 14 straight wins against tough opponents. Who else has done that and not been given a title shot? I think I’ve earned it.”
– Top welterweight contender Jon Fitch tells ADCC News that he deserves the next chance at the 170-pound crown if he can get past Chris Wilson at UFC 82: “Pride of a Champion” on March 1 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Of course, Karo Parisyan is confident that he’s the next in line if he can topple Thiago Alves at UFC Fight Night 13 on April 2 from the Broomfield Event Center in Broomfield, Colo. Without question there’s a ton on the line for Fitch and Parisyan in their next bouts. It should be real interesting to see how this all unfolds … especially if Wilson and Alves pull off the upsets.
Written by admin on February 7th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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With Akihiro Gono out with a hand injury, MMAmania.com has learned that Chris Wilson (13-3) might step up to face top welterweight contender, Jon Fitch (15-2), at UFC 82: “Pride of a Champion” on March 1 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
It would mark the Octagon debut for the red-hot Team Quest fighter if and when bout agreements are finalized.
Wilson is a veteran of the International Fight League (IFL) and Bodog Fight. He has strung together four straight wins against solid competitors such as Rory Markham, Jay Heiron and Derrick noble during that stretch.
He’s a tough guy who will be thrown in the deep end against an experienced UFC veteran like Fitch in his Octagon debut. It’s an incredible opportunity, however, to make an instant splash in the organization much like Houston Alexander did when he burst onto the scene to dash the title chances of Keith Jardine.
Fitch, however, is undefeated (7-0) in the Octagon since his debut in 2005. He has also not lost a professional fight since 2002 — more than five years. His rise to the top of the division has been long and hard and it didn’t get much easier with this fight … it’s dangerous.
In the recent past, we’ve called for Fitch to take on Karo Parisyan and Marcus Davis, who are top guys and well-known among fans. Those fights are not going to happen in the immediate future. Therefore, we’ll have to just sit tight and hang on for the ride.
This should actually be a tough fight for both guys if the Wilson who appeared in the footage that I’ve seen shows up in Ohio in top form.
For the latest UFC 82 fight card click here.
Written by admin on January 22nd, 2008 with comments disabled.
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