SuperBad: MMAmania.com Exclusive Interview with Dustin Hazelett

Now that I’m fully rested from my Canada trip (and then some), I got back in touch with UFC welterweight fighter, Dustin “McLovin” Hazelett.

I had spoken several times with Hazelett over the last few weeks, trying to get him to comment on his upcoming fight with Josh “The People’s Warrior” Burkman. As instructed by the UFC, Hazelett wouldn’t comment on his next opponent until the fight was made official.

But this didn’t stop Burkman from throwing in his two cents in an interview with MMAWeekly.com. You can find those comments here.

Now that the fight is official, Hazelett opened up about the upcoming fight, responded to Burkman’s “I’ll even retire if it does go to a decision” comments, and even addressed his new nickname. The following interview is a conglomerate of our three previous conversations.

Dustin Hazelett faces Josh Burkman at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 7 Finale on June 21.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): I’ve been trying to get you to comment on your upcoming fight with Josh Burkman at The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale on June 21, but you wouldn’t budge. This didn’t stop Burkman from talking about it, though, including saying that he would retire if the fight goes to a decision. Do you find this disrespectful?

Dustin Hazelett: Yeah, I found it pretty insulting. I think it shows a lack of respect for myself. But also, he might be concerned with the UFC cutting so many people. With his last five fights going to decision, he might be worried about getting cut if he loses or goes to a decision. So I think that might be why he said that.

To me, I don’t think it matters if a fight goes to a decision, as long as it’s an exciting fight. Of course everybody wants to finish, but if it’s an exciting decision, I don’t think the UFC cares about that. So I think it was still a pretty insulting comment.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Word is that Burkman left his camp in Utah to go train with Xtreme Couture in Vegas for this fight.

Dustin Hazelett: Yeah, I heard that.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Given that it is one of the top MMA camps in the world, does that draw up any additional concerns for you?

Dustin Hazelett: No, that doesn’t add any additional pressure. You know, Burkman’s a tough opponent. I’m not taking this lightly by any means. But it doesn’t add any additional pressure that he’s going there.

A lot of times when you go to a camp, especially your first time going there, sometimes it doesn’t work out well — people don’t know you, so it can be hard to get the adequate help you need. So it’s hard to tell whether or not it’s going to be that much more beneficial for him or not.

I don’t know how they do things there, I’ve never been there. But I’m not going to worry any extra about that, I’m just going to worry about what I have to do — worry about my training.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Burkman was quoted as saying that he wasn’t going to try to clinch or take this fight to the ground. He said, “I’m going to try and knock this dude out. So much for not giving away a game plan … there’s my game plan.”

Dustin Hazelett: (Laughs)

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Personally, I’m not buying it. I find it hard to imagine a Burkman fight without him trying for one of his trademark slams. What’re your thoughts on it? Do you think he’s afraid to go to the ground with you?

Dustin Hazelett: I don’t know, I mean, he might be. I don’t know if he’s afraid to take me to the ground, but I would say that he probably realizes that he stands a much better chance of winning if he keeps it standing.

Personally, I think people kind of over-estimate my ground game. You know, I’m not even a black belt. But I’ve pretty much been fighting all wrestlers lately, so I’ve looked really good (on the ground).

I think (Burkman) realizes his best chance to win is to keep it standing. But I don’t like to commit to things like that, to saying, “I’m not going to do this,” or “I’m not going to do that,” or “I’m going to do this.” You know, because what if he gets rocked and decides, hey, I need a little time to recuperate. A takedown would give him that opportunity, or a clinch, but then it looks like he’s going back on his word.

So personally I think saying stuff like that is a bad idea. Whether or not he’ll actually follow through with it, I don’t know. I didn’t think Koscheck was going to stand as much as he did, but he did, even when I rocked him, he just started firing back more instead of taking me down. So it’s hard to say exactly what (Burkman) is going to do.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): How do you think you’ll fare in a stand-up battle with Burkman?

Dustin Hazelett: I think I’ll do well with him in a standup battle.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Well you did with Koscheck, you caught him with a kick.

Dustin Hazelett: I feel very confident in my standup abilities. I’ve been working extremely hard on my standup because I know I’m getting to that point where everyone worries about my ground game and realizes that it’d be easier to fight me standing than take me down, because if you put me on my back, that’s where I’m strongest. So I realize that everyone’s going to want to start standing with me. Plus, I love doing kickboxing anyway. So I always do a lot of that. But I’ve been working really hard on it.

You know, I did really well with Koscheck standing until he caught me. And Burkman fights a lot like Koscheck, only he’s not as explosive. So I think (the Koscheck) fight was a really good experience for me, because now I know exactly what I have to do. I knew going into that fight not to paw my jab, but I did it anyway, and that’s when he caught me. But that’s a mistake I won’t make twice.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Burkman has lost two of his last three fights and desperately needs a win. He also hasn’t finished a fight since January 2006. However, 10 of your 14 fights have ended in the first round—a complete 180 from Burkman. Given that he needs a win—and, as he’s stated, not a win via decision—he could act in desperation to try and finish you. Do you think that presents an opportunity and has it played into your preparation at all?

Dustin Hazelett: I realize that he’s probably going to come out really hard. Even in a lot of his fights that have gone to decision, he’s actively tried to finish people. Looking at his last couple of fights, especially in the UFC, his opponents haven’t been cans and nobodies. One of his least known recent opponents was Forrest Petz, who’s a really tough guy. He’s from around the same area that I train in. (Burkman) beat (Petz) in a decision, and I thought it was an exciting fight.

I definitely think he’s going to come out hard in this fight. And I always come out hard and come out aggressive. So I think it’s going to be a hard clash in the first couple rounds. You know, I’m not gonna really, you know, pace myself too much, because if I’m trying to pace myself and he’s going full go, then I’m gonna lose. It doesn’t matter how much energy I have if I get finished.

I think it’s going to be a really exciting first round, for sure. But like I said, it’s hard to tell exactly what he’s going to do, but in the past, he’s always come out very aggressive in the first round.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): …Which sometimes has worked to his detriment, because he has, in the past, gassed a bit by the third round. Do you think that conditioning will be a factor at all?

Dustin Hazelett: Yeah, I’m working my conditioning extremely hard for this fight. I know he comes in shape, and like you said, sometimes he gasses in the third, but the pace in the first and second is pretty high. Anybody at that pace is going to gas out, it’s just a matter of time. So I’m really hitting my conditioning hard so that I can keep up a very high pace for this fight.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You’re now 3-2 in the UFC (10-4 overall). It’s safe to say you need a win. How many fights do you have remaining on your contract?

Dustin Hazelett: Three.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): I was at your UFC 82 fight against Josh Koscheck. You looked impressive and seemed to have won the first round. Your striking looked much improved. How much had you worked on your stand up?

Dustin Hazelett: I worked on my standup a lot for that fight. I realized that taking (Koscheck) down would be extremely hard, so I had to be able to win the standup. So that was my first priority for that fight: to win the standup. I did a lot of work on it.

I made a lot of mistakes, though. They weren’t really obvious mistakes, they were smaller mistakes. But where I was fresh in the first round, I was getting away with them. But in the second round, it kinda looked like I lost the standup…I don’t really remember much of the second round, but it looked like my pace slowed a little bit, and with a fast guy like (Koscheck), if you’re making a mistake, you can’t get away with it. And he caught me. But if I would’ve done it like I was supposed to, it would have been much better.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): In the second round, Koscheck caught you with a head kick to set up the win. How badly were you rocked?

Dustin Hazelett: What happened was, he threw a big right hand. I blocked it, but it knocked me down to my right some. It knocked me down to my right a little bit—just a bend to the upper body. Then he threw the head kick. So the right hand knocked me right into the head kick. I had my hand up to block the head kick, but his foot still caught me behind my hand and rocked me. It knocked me down. I started to stand back up, but he kinda jumped on me and started hitting me. It didn’t look like I was out, but like I said, I don’t really remember the second round.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Well in the first round, it looked like you were close to submitting Kos. How close were you?

Dustin Hazelett: The triangle was decently close. I messed up — I got preoccupied with underhooking the leg so he couldn’t slam me, and ended up letting the arm go, so he had some room to move around there. If I had kept the arm trapped, and then underhooked the leg, it would have been a lot closer, but I messed up there.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): The loss snapped your 3-fight win streak inside the Octagon, but the fight also placed you on the map for a lot of fans who might not have been aware of you before that fight. And you’re also, what, just 21, 22 years old?

Dustin Hazelett: Just turned 22 in April.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): How’s it feel to be fighting in the UFC and to have seen so much success so early in your career?

Dustin Hazelett: I mean it feels really good, but I’m kind of a perfectionist, so I’m not too thrilled coming off a loss like that. But the thing about that loss…the same thing that makes me feel better about it is the same thing that really pisses me off about it. And that’s that I messed up, and that’s why I lost. It’s not like he was better than me and he was beating me the whole time. I could have won that fight, but I messed up.

I learned a lot from it. The reason I wanted that fight was because I want to fight tougher guys, I wanted hard fights; I want to fight the best out there. I don’t regret wanting that fight or taking that fight. I definitely learned a lot from it. The next time I fight, I’m not going to make the same mistake.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): How did you first get into fighting?

Dustin Hazelett: When I was in middle school and early in high school, I got bullied a lot. I had my head shoved in the toilet a couple times. So I got into martial arts more as a necessity, more of a survival thing. Then I just fell in love with it and wanted to train all the time.

I was originally doing traditional jiu-jitsu, and then I saw the UFC and I was like, “Ah man, that’s what I want to do, I gotta do that.” I then realized that the traditional jiu-jitsu that I was taking wasn’t effective for mixed martial arts and it wasn’t that effective in general. So I quit that, and I started training in my garage for a little bit because I didn’t have my license yet. I was learning off of Maurice Smith instructional tapes.

Then finally I got my license, and I started driving to Huntington, WV, which was a 45 minute drive from the part of Kentucky I lived in, and started training Brazilian jiu-jitsu there. They didn’t teach striking there, so they said, “If you want to fight, you gotta get really good at jiu-jitsu first, because we don’t teach any striking.” I was like, “Alright.” So I started doing jiu-jitsu in the gi, no gi, doing tournaments almost every weekend, and fell in love with jiu-jitsu.

And then one day, they were just like, “Hey, you wanna fight?” And I was like, “Hell yeah, I wanna fight.”

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): And now you’re with Team Gurgel.

Dustin Hazelett: Yeah, the gym I was at was an affiliate of Jorge Gurgel.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): How do you like training there?

Dustin Hazelett: Oh, I love it. It’s a really great place to train. They got everything you need to make it big. Plus you got a lot of good guys to work with, and you know all the guys there are highly motivated and all really want to be there. So it’s a really good atmosphere.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Have you thought about training outside of Ohio?

Dustin Hazelett: I planned on travelling around a little bit and learning from different places, but I would never leave the team. You know, just to go somewhere just to learn for a couple weeks to learn, maybe a month or so. Definitely. But the problem with that is funding and timing. I don’t want to go right before a fight. And funding is kinda limited for fighters. But eventually I’d like to travel around and learn some stuff from some different people.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): What’s the story with your new nickname “McLovin”? Are you a fan of SuperBad?

Dustin Hazelett: (Laughs) Yeah, it was probably two or three days before I fought (Jonathan) Goulet. We were out at the Palms — that’s where they had us staying because that’s where we were fighting at. They had a movie theater downstairs. So Jorge and I just kept going down to watch movies out of boredom.

We watched SuperBad and we were walking out, and I said, “McLovin’s an awesome name, I’m gonna change that to my nickname,” just jokingly. And he was like, “Ha! Now you can’t go back on it.” So he called Bruce Buffer and had him put it on my card. I was kinda worried about it at first, but he was like, “Ah, don’t worry, it’ll be cool.”

Then my mom watched the movie, which she wasn’t a huge fan of the movie because she’s a pretty strict Christian. If you’ve seen the movie you’ll know that there’s some pretty bad scenes in it.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Yes, there are.

Dustin Hazelett: But she watched the McLovin parts and was like, “That was just like you in middle school.” I didn’t realize it was that much like me, I just thought it was a cool nickname, but apparently it was pretty similar to me.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Back when you were getting swirlies?

Dustin Hazelett: Yeah.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Did you ever go back and kick those bullies asses?

Dustin Hazelett: No, I wanted to, but I realized if I went back and kicked their asses, then I’d be the bully. I went to a really small school. I’m from a very rural part of Kentucky. It’s Lawrence County in eastern Kentucky. It’s a town supported mainly by coal mining. My dad and my brother are both coal miners.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Well Dustin, I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with us. Would you like to thank any sponsors, and do you have any parting words for your fans?

Dustin Hazelett: Thanks for the support. Sorry for the poor performance in my last fight, but it won’t happen again.

Written by admin on May 6th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Josh Burkman and Dustin Hazelett and TUF 7 Finale and UFC Fighter Interviews and UFC Ultimate Fight Night (UFN) and UFC The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and MMA.

UFC Quick Quote: Josh Burkman to retire … maybe

“No more decisions. I’m going to do everything I possibly can to make sure this fight doesn’t go to a decision. I’ll even retire if it does go to a decision. I can’t have them anymore…. After this fight nobody will talk about my wrestling background anymore, because I’m not even going to try to clinch. I’m not even going to try to go to the ground. I’m going to try and knock this dude out. So much for not giving away a gameplan … there’s my gameplan.”

– Josh Burkman jokes (I think) with MMAWeekly.com that he will retire if his upcoming welterweight fight with Dustin Hazelett at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 7 Finale on June 21 goes to a decision. “The People’s Warrior” has had his last five fights go to the judges scorecards and he’s dropped two of them (Mike Swick and Karo Parisyan). He narrowly won a split decision over Forrest Petz during that span.

Written by admin on April 9th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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Got UFC Fight Bookings If You Want ‘Em…

(Tyson Griffin could potentially settle his grudge with Nate Diaz in July. Photo courtesy of MMAWeekly.)

— Ultimate Fighter 6 semi-standouts Ben Saunders and Jared Rollins will meet at UFC 86 (July 5th, Las Vegas). Saunders, who has been working out with the death squad at American Top Team, most recently defeated Dan Barrera via unanimous decision at the TUF6 finale last December, while Rollins suffered a third-round TKO loss during his “Fight of the Night” against Jon Koppenhaver on the same card.

— Tyson Griffin will likely be fighting at UFC 86 as well, against a yet-unnamed opponent that could be Nate Diaz. Diaz recently called out Griffin after his star-making triangle-choke of Kurt Pellegrino at UFN 13, and the UFC might give the baby his bottle, so to speak.

— The TUF 7 finale card on June 21st is turning into a full-fledged Fight Night, with three fights booked (so far) that don’t involve the show’s castmembers. Besides the previously mentioned main event between Diego Sanchez and Luigi Fioravanti, Josh Burkman will take on Dustin Hazelett, and Marvin Eastman claims that he’s fighting fellow middling middleweight Drew McFedries; the match will be the last one on the Beastman’s UFC contract. Burkman vows to retire if his fight against Hazelett goes to a decision.

Written by admin on April 9th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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Happy to be back: MMAmania.com exclusive sit-down with UFC fighter Josh Neer

On April 2, Josh Neer will make his return to the Octagon after almost two years away from the promotion when he takes on lightweight division veteran Din Thomas at UFC Fight Night 13 in Broomfield, Colo.

The Des Moines-based fighter out of Iowa is eager to get back in the eight-sided cage.

“It feels good to be back in the UFC,” Neer told MMAMania.com. “It’s just a different atmosphere then the other shows.”

“The Dentist” recently inked a three-fight deal with the UFC and looks to take full advantage of his opportunity when he takes on Thomas.

“My goal is to win and see how far I can get,” Neer said. “I think before I went in there thinking ‘if I lose oh well as long as I make it exciting.’ Now I want to be exciting but I also want to win.”

Neer has fought in smaller promotions between his stints in the UFC. His last fight was in October, when he defeated Nick Sorg at a Cage Combat Championship show. He won that fight via arm bar submission in the first round.

Neer also competed once in the IFL, fighting as a replacement on behalf of the Quad Cities Silverbacks. Neer lost to Mark Miller in the first round via knockout. His current MMA record is 23-6-1 (2-3 in the UFC). His last UFC fight was against Nick Diaz at UFC 62 during which he lost via submission in the third round.

Neer makes his return against a tough fighter in Thomas who last fought in September against Kenny Florian at Ultimate Fight Night 11. The American Top Team fighter lost the bout and suffered a knee injury in that fight. With Thomas looking to get back on winning ways, Neer knows this fight will be a challenge.

“I think Din Thomas is a tough opponent,” Neer said. “Anyone who has wins over Clay Guida, Jens Pulver and Matt Serra is certainly no push over.”

Neer has focused on improving his stand-up during his time away from the UFC.

“One thing I’ve been doing differently is moving my head and cutting angles,” Neer said. “I think I got caught up in just straight boxing for awhile. I’m trying to do everything now with the kicks, knees and elbows.”

Neer is not worried about his time away from the UFC. He’s confident that he has fought well enough to not worry about the time away from the Octagon.

“I think I’ve fought pretty well outside of the UFC. Pretty much all the guys I fought were pretty decent,” Neer said. “I beat T.J. Waldburger pretty quick, who turned around and beat Pete Spratt his next fight. I beat a game Paul Rodriguez in the first round. My only set back was against Mark Miller when I got caught with a punch I didn’t see. When I’m motivated I can beat about anyone.”

He sure sounds motivated for his UFC return. And a win over Thomas will certainly make Neer a relevant fighter in the UFC lightweight division.

Written by admin on March 6th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Din Thomas and Josh Burkman and UFC Fight Night 13 and UFC Fighter Interviews and UFC on SpikeTV and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and UFC Ultimate Fight Night (UFN) and UFC Lightweight Division and MMA.

Josh Burkman to Mike Swick: ‘Sometimes you forget things when you’re scared!’

Props: MySpace.com

Quoteworthy:

“I was ready for a war and so was Swick. I saw it in his eyes at the press conference, weigh-ins and the staredown I thought it would be a war! But when the fight started Swick realized he was not the better fighter… he was in there with a better fighter than he prepared for. Half way through the first round that look he had was gone and he wanted out! He wasn’t in there to fight after the first round, I took it from him and we both know it. He’s still trying to figure out what happened, but sometimes you forget things when you’re scared! After the first he knew I was there to fight and He wanted no part of it! When I would get a hold of him he would just hold on cause he felt safe there… I probably should have backed of the takedowns and clinch but I felt i was in control of the fight and that it was obvious. 2 criteria’s for judging are aggressiveness and Octagon control. When did you start getting as point for good defense! I stood in the center most of the second round just to prove a point. Maybe it would have been better received if i would have called him on, but that’s not my style. I felt if he didn’t want to fight I could at least throw some kicks and some other crazy stuff to show I was there to fight or maybe it would get him to engage… I guess I was wrong.”

Josh Burkman comments on his recent unanimous decision loss to Mike Swick during the main event at UFC Fight Night 13 on January 23. It did not live up to expectations and “The People’s Warrior” intimates that it could have been because Swick was scared. In the bulletin, Burkman goes on to say that he feels he won the fight.

Written by admin on January 30th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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UFC Fight Night 12: Fighter paydays and salaries for ‘Swick vs. Burkman’

MMAmania.com (www.mmamania.com) has received the fighter payouts for UFC Fight Night 12 from the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) for the SpikeTV special event held on January 23 at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 5 lightweight winner, Nate Diaz, was the top earner on the show, pocketing $30,000 for his first round stoppage of Alvin Robinson. Not far behind was Patrick Cote, who took home $28,000 for his win over Drew McFedries.

Here are all the UFC Fight Night 12 payouts:

Mike Swick — $20,000 ($10,000 to show, $10,000 to win)
Josh Burkman — $10,000
Swick defeated Burkman via majority decision

Patrick Cote — $28,000
Drew McFedries — $10,000
Cote defeated McFedries via technical knockout (strikes) in round one

Thiago Tavares — $18,000 ($9,000 to show, $9,000 to win)
Michihiro Omigawa — $5,000
Tavares defeated Omigawa via unanimous decision

Nate Diaz — $30,000 ($15,000 to show, $15,000 to win)
Alvin Robinson — $7,000
Diaz defeated Robinson via submission (triangle choke) in round one

Kurt Pellegrino — $20,000 ($10,000 to show, $10,000 to win)
Alberto Crane — $4,000
Pellegrino defeated Crane via technical knockout (strikes) in round two

Gray Maynard — $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 to win)
Dennis Siver — $7,000
Maynard defeated Siver via unanimous decision

Jeremy Stephens — $10,000 ($5,000 to show, $5,000 to win)
Cole Miller — $8,000
Stephens defeated Miller via technical knockout (strikes) in round two

Corey Hill — $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 to win)
Joe Veres — $3,000
Hill defeated Veres via technical knockout (strikes) in round two

Matt Wiman — $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 to win)
Justin Buchholz — $4,000
Wiman defeated Buchholz via submission (rear naked choke) in round one

Keep in mind the salaries listed above do not include fight bonuses, sponsorships, percentages and other unofficial payments. It also does not include deductions for expenses such as insurance, taxes, etc.

For example, the UFC often hands out extra cash for “Fight of the Night,” “Knockout of the Night” and “Submission of the Night.” We’ll pass along those figures as soon as possible. The total base fighter payroll for UFC 79 was $232,000.

For complete results and coverage of the UFC Fight Night 12 click here and here.

Written by admin on January 24th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Drew McFedries and Joe Veres and Thiago Tavares and Dennis Siver and Alberto Crane and Kurt Pellegrino and Corey Hill and Justin Buchholz and UFC Fight Night 12 and Michihiro Omigawa and Josh Burkman and Jeremy Stephens and Mike Swick and Matt Wiman and Nathan Diaz and UFC Payouts and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Gray Maynard and Cole Miller and UFC on SpikeTV and Alvin Robinson and Patrick Cote and UFC Ultimate Fight Night (UFN) and MMA.

UFC Fight Night 12 results, coverage and winners LIVE tonight!

Click the banner above or right here for up-to-the-minute results and blow-by-blow coverage of UFC Fight Night 12: “Swick vs. Burkman.”

Quick results of the prelim fights are in and LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of the main card action starts is NOW UNDERWAY with the SpikeTV telecast.

If you’re going to leave comments and discuss the fights with all the other MMAmania.com readers be sure to do it on the main UFC Fight Night 12 results post and not this one.

Written by admin on January 23rd, 2008 with comments disabled.
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UFC Fight Night 12 quick preview, analysis and predictions

UFC Fight Night 12 is set for tonight (January 23) from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. The two-hour event airs LIVE at 9 p.m. ET on SpikeTV.

Remember: MMAmania.com will provide LIVE updates and blow-by-blow, round-by-round commentary of the main card action throughout the telecast. As usual, it promises to be a great discussion during a decent line up of fights.

To get us pumped for the festivities MMAmania.com contributor Jesse Holland and site veteran “PW” went toe-to-toe below to try and predict the fighters who will leave the Octagon with their hands raised tomorrow during the featured fights of the evening.

It’s important to note for the predictions that while someone may be lauding a certain fighter, he isn’t necessarily the guy who he thinks is going to win. Basically, we never want this to come out sounding repetitive. At the end of each analysis, therefore, you will see the individual picks.

Let’s get to it:

Mike Swick (10-2) vs. Josh Burkman (9-4)

Jesse Holland: Mike Swick is back, and that’s bad news for welterweights not named Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck or Georges St. Pierre. While I’m not entirely behind his move to 170 pounds, there’s no question he can bang with the best. Aside from a flash KO at the hands of Chris Leben back in 2004, Swick’s only other loss was to the powerful Yushin Okami at UFC 69. Despite having rocked in the second round, Swick’s frustration got the better of him as the much larger Okami muscled his way to a unanimous decision. Prior to that Swick was on a 5-0 tear through the middleweight division, disposing of Joe Riggs with a guillotine at UFC 60 and dominating the durable David Loiseau at UFC 63. His nickname is “Quick” for a reason: he’s got blistering combos and can hustle on the ground. Burkman is tough but has yet to prove he can overcome a top five contender as seen in his losses to Jon Fitch at Fight Night 4 and Karo Parisyan at UFC 71. Swick may not be ready for GSP, but he’s certainly ready for Josh Burkman.

MMAmania.com reader “PW:” This fight is huge for both Josh Burkman and Mike Swick because the winner will force his way into welterweight title discussions. Swick used a definitive speed advantage to compile a 5-1 UFC record as a middleweight, before dropping to welterweight after getting out-muscled by Yushin Okami. Burkman should be better equipped to deal with Swick’s speed than the larger middleweights. He is also physically strong with good wrestling and grappling skills. While Swick is no slouch on the mat, as evidenced by two wins via “Swickotine,” as though he invented the move, the ground game gives Burkman his best chance to win. He needs to maintain top position and outwork Swick for 15 minutes. Otherwise Swick’s cleaner and more technical stand-up will decide the fight. Burkman’s last four fights have all gone the distance, and I don’t think this one will be any different.

Final predictions:
Jesse Holland — Swick via unanimous decision
PW — Swick via unanimous decision

Drew McFedries (6-2) vs. Patrick Cote (11-4)

Jesse Holland: Drew McFedries has very dangerous hands and considering he hasn’t gone to a decision in nearly eight years, he should be single-minded in his approach. To win he needs a first-round knockout. Cote is the type of fighter that can be content with letting McFedries swing away until he’s out of gas and then slap on a submission. Whether Cote is more apt to engage after his TKO wins over Jason Day and Kendall Grove remains to be seen, but knowing McFedries power I’m sure he’ll be in no hurry to stand and strike. McFedries has never been about technique and that’s surprising considering his affiliation with Pat Miletich. If McFedries can have confidence in his hands and stalk the more reserved Cote, he should be able to finish him in the first.

MMAmania.com reader “PW:” After a 0-4 start to his UFC career, Cote was given new life with a spot in The Ultimate Fighter 4. He scored wins over Jorge Rivera and Edwin deWees before losing to Travis Lutter in the final. He has since scored a lackluster unanimous decision win over Scott Smith and an impressive first-round KO of TUF 3 winner Kendall Grove. Cote has knock-out power, although he is a cautious fighter and averse to taking big risks. Drew McFedries earned first round knock-outs in his two UFC fights that stayed on the feet but got choked out the one time he went to the ground. Cote would be wise to take this to the ground and use his superior submission skills, but McFedries’ friends at Miletich FS surely have him prepared for this.

Final predictions:
Jesse Holland — Cote via submission
PW — McFedries via technical knockout

Nate Diaz (7-2) vs. Alvin Robinson (9-2)

Jesse Holland: Nate Diaz may be known for his slick jiu-jitsu, but Alvin “Kid” Robinson actually holds a higher submission ratio with eight of his nine wins coming by way of tapout. Alvin hit a bump in the road with his loss to Kenny Florian at UFC 73, but that’s nothing to be ashamed of considering the kind of performance KenFlo has turned in since graduating from The Ultimate Fighter. To overcome Diaz he’s going to have to fight fire with fire. His submissions are what got him this far and they are clearly his best weapon. He needs to take it right to Diaz and while there is always a risk when you start mixing it up on the mat, it should be known that Diaz can be submitted. Nate was armbarred by Hermes Franca at WEC 24 so it’s not unheard of to make him tap. Robinson shouldn’t waste any time fooling around on his feet where he’s at a disadvantage. If they both bring their grappling A-game, expect a very evenly matched, fight-of-the-night contender.

MMAmania.com reader “PW:” This fight will help either Nate Diaz or Alvin Robinson make a move up the incredibly stacked lightweight division. With both fighters being extremely well versed in jiu-jitsu this has Fight of the Night potential. In fact, it makes me wish Frank Mir was calling the action instead of Joe Rogan. Diaz defeated Manny Gamburyan in the TUF 5 finale due to an injury and got a first round submission win over Junior Assuncao. After getting completely overwhelmed by Kenny Florian in his octagon debut, Robinson rebounded with a dominant ground and pound win over BJJ specialist Jorge Gurgel. Robinson will try to do the same to Diaz, but Diaz is much better than Gurgel.

Final predictions:
Jesse Holland — Diaz via split decision
PW — Diaz via submission

Thiago Tavares (12-1) vs. Michihiro Omigawa (4-5)

Jesse Holland: Michihiro Omigawa is going to face the 12-1 Thiago Tavares, whose only loss was a decision to lightweight phenom Tyson Griffin. I’m trying hard to build a case for the 4-5 Judo practitioner but against Tavares I find myself grasping at straws. On the plus side he does train with PRIDE veteran Kazuhiro Nakamura, who if nothing else can show him how to at least make it to the judge’s scorecards. To his credit Omigawa has two TKO wins in 2007, but looked a bit flat against TUF graduate Matt Wiman. In order to win Omigawa needs to be flawless and hope that Tavares has some kind of undisclosed injury prior to the fight.

MMAmania.com reader “PW:” After opening his career 16 straight wins (12 if you believe the Sherdog site over the UFC site) Thiago Tavares suffered his first setback, dropping a decision to Tyson Griffin. Michihiro Omigawa also lost a decision to Matt Wiman in his first and only visit to the octagon. Tavares has a significant striking advantage with his Muay Thai. Omigawa is a judo specialist, so even if he manages to avoid Tavares’ knees and elbows and throw the larger and stronger Tavares, he will then have to deal with Tavares’ BJJ. Tavares is the younger, stronger, fitter and better fighter and will have the advantage on the feet and on the ground.

Final predictions:
Jesse Holland — Tavares via anything he wants
PW — Tavares via technical knockout

That’s a wrap, folks.

For the complete UFC Fight Night 12 fight card click here.

Remember to come check us out after the show for all the latest results, recaps and thoughts on the second major UFC event of 2008.

What do you think? Now it’s your turn … let us have it in the comments section and share your thoughts and picks for UFC Fight Night 12.

Written by admin on January 23rd, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Thiago Tavares and Mike Swick and Drew McFedries and Josh Burkman and UFC Fight Night 12 and Michihiro Omigawa and UFCmania event preview analysis and predictions and UFC on SpikeTV and Nathan Diaz and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and UFC Ultimate Fight Night (UFN) and Patrick Cote and Alvin Robinson and MMA.

UFC Fight Night 12 weigh-in results for ‘Swick vs. Burkman’

Believe it or not (based on the lack of collective enthusiasm) UFC Fight Night 12 takes place about 24 hours from now and the fighters all tipped the scales this afternoon at the the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the official weigh-in.

Former middleweight contender, Mike Swick, had no apparent problems making weight for his welterweight debut against Josh Burkman in the main event of the evening.

In fact, the entire field of all 18 fighters made their respective weight limits with apparent ease.

Here are the official results via UFC.com:

170 lbs.: Mike Swick (170) vs. Josh Burkman (170)
185 lbs.: Patrick Cote (184) vs. Drew McFedries (185)
155 lbs.: Thiago Tavares (155) vs. Michihiro Omigawa (154)
155 lbs.: Nate Diaz (155) vs. Alvin Robinson (155)
155 lbs.: Kurt Pellegrino (155) vs. Alberto Crane (155)
155 lbs.: Gray Maynard (155) vs. Dennis Siver (154)
155 lbs.: Cole Miller (155) vs. Jeremy Stephens (155)
155 lbs.: Corey Hill (154) vs. Joe Veres (155)
155 lbs.: Matt Wiman (155) vs. Justin Buchholz (155)

*Note: Fighters are allowed to weigh one pound more than the division limit in non-title fights.

There should be a video highlight package of the UFC Fight Night 12 weigh-in available soon, which we include in this post as soon as possible.

Reminder: The televised portion of the SpikeTV special begins Wednesday, January 23, at 9 p.m. ET. We will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of the main card action at this time when the event begins to air from The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

UFC Fight Night 12 quick results, however, will begin to flow earlier than that here at MMAmania.com at about 7:30 p.m. ET with the prelim fights.

Feel free to hit us up before, during and after the show for some good discussion and coverage — it should be a nice night of FREE mixed martial arts (MMA) action.

See you all tomorrow right here at showtime.

Written by admin on January 22nd, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Drew McFedries and Joe Veres and Thiago Tavares and Dennis Siver and Alberto Crane and Kurt Pellegrino and Corey Hill and Justin Buchholz and UFC Fight Night 12 and Michihiro Omigawa and Josh Burkman and Jeremy Stephens and Mike Swick and Gray Maynard and Matt Wiman and Nathan Diaz and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Cole Miller and UFC Ultimate Fight Night (UFN) and UFC on SpikeTV and Alvin Robinson and UFC Weigh in Results and Patrick Cote and MMA.

UFC Fight Night 12: Mike Swick on first welterweight fight against Josh Burkman (Video)

Props: UFC.com

Former middleweight contender Mike Swick talks about his move to the welterweight division and his upcoming fight with Josh Burkman during the main event at UFC Fight Night 12 on January 23 from The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.

It should be a solid scrap.

For the rest of the fight card, which will air on SpikeTV at 9 p.m. ET, click here.

Written by admin on January 10th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Mike Swick and Josh Burkman and UFC Fight Night 12 and UFC on SpikeTV and UFC Welterweight Division and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and UFC Ultimate Fight Night (UFN) and UFC Videos and MMA.

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