Jay Hieron’s Return to the UFC (UFC on FX 5)

In just two days Jay Hieron will lock horns with Jake Ellenberger making his return to the UFC for the first time in seven years.
Hieron last fought Jonathan Goulet in October 2005 when he lost to TKO due to cut.  This bloodied UFC mat has been on permanent display inside Xtreme Couture MMA right when you walk in.

Jay Hieron in 2006 gave Jake Ellenberger his first professional loss a broke Jake’s 12 fight unbeaten win streak.  Jake Ellenberger is no stranger to Xtreme Couture MMA facility either, he has trained here with the pro team, he has learned nutrition advise from XCAP and Randy Couture, he has fought two other of our pro team members, beating Mike Pyle and losing to Martin Kampmann where Jay Hieron corned Martin.

Jay Hieron has had a great team helping him prepare for perhaps his biggest fight, biggest rematch of his career and of course the pressure of  performing great in his UFC return.

Support Jay Hieron by getting his official Xtreme Couture walk out shirt $25.
https://shop.xtremecouturemma.com/shop_XtremeTees_Item_Universe_X1091_Black.html

Dr. John Fitzgerald’s new Food Sensitivity Test

Dr. John Fitzgerald provides nutritional advice to our professional fighters that train at Xtreme Couture here in Las Vegas.  He is an expert in his field and teaches other doctors how to utilize nutritional supplements in their practices.  He answers questions and provides useful information whenever he is counseling our athletes.

We thought everyone would benefit from the information he provides, so we asked him to start making videos of some important topics he talks about.  Here is the first in a series of videos. The first video he taped is about how to test if your body is sensitive to foods you are eating.  If you are sensitive to the food, it can cause slow exercise recovery, and can slow the rate of fat loss if you are on a diet. Another common symptom is skin problems.

View the Detailed Video on the XCAP Facebook Page – http://www.facebook.com/X.C.A.P.Nutrition

For more information about XCAP Supplements please visit the website www.xcap.tv

 

UFC 142 – Mike Pyle – says Ricardo Funch just can’t win

by Erik Fontanez  via MMAWeekly

The last time UFC welterweight Mike Pyle was in Brazil, he wasn’t there to fight. The cornerman role was his responsibility, backing Forrest Griffin at UFC 134 for the light heavyweight’s bout against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

Come Saturday, Jan. 14, he’ll be in Rio de Janeiro again, only this time he’ll enter the HSBC arena for  UFC 142, looking to get back on the winning track through Ricardo Funch. He hopes to get the same intensity from the Brazilian crowd that resonated before at UFC 134.

“The crowd was great,” Pyle told MMAWeekly Radio. “I look forward to that intensity.”

In his last fight, Pyle succumbed to strikes from a strong up-and-comer in Rory MacDonald. Reasonably, Pyle wasn’t happy about it, and who could blame him?

But being a veteran of the MMA game makes Pyle wise, which allows him to look back on the source of his unhappiness to take away things he can learn from it. Watching tape of a loss, as much as it may sting, provides lessons in what not to do, and he’s all for it. That being said, Pyle went back to the drawing board, talked with coaches, and is ready to move forward.

“You learn a lot more in a loss than you do in a win a lot of times,” he said.

And the man who awaits a forward-moving Pyle at UFC 142 in Brazil is Ricardo Funch. The Brazilian is making his return to the UFC after getting back in the win column, which was preceded by two consecutive UFC losses. Fortunately for him, he’s getting his second shot at the big show due to a Paulo Thiago injury. Thiago was originally scheduled to face Pyle.

No worries, according to the Xtreme Couture fighter. The change in opponent from Thiago to Funch was made with enough advance notice for Pyle to plan accordingly. And while he was looking forward to the challenge from someone with a name like Thiago, Pyle isn’t taking his new opposition any lighter.

“I’m treating Ricardo as just as much of a threat,” he said. “The name’s not there like I would’ve hope for with the Thiago fight, but it is what it is and I’m ready to move forward and get it on with Funch now.”

Pyle is confident. “I don’t see him beating me,” he said. Perhaps the fact he’s so upset from his last loss is a motivating factor when approaching UFC 142. No one enjoys being on the receiving end of a stoppage, and Pyle is surely looking to prevent that from happening two times in a row.

“I wanted be back in there ASAP,” he said.

“You (have to) be smart about it, but at the same time you (have to) be eager to balance that out.”

One of the things that stands out most about Pyle is his work ethic in the gym. Over the years, he’s put in his time there and proven again and again that hard work pays off. But as he’s gotten older, training has changed. He trains smarter, not harder, he said, and switches things up from time to time to keep things new and prevent redundancy.

This is the kind of approach that makes one competitive, even after more than 12 years of fighting.

“You have to keep your mind fresh and open to new things.”

 

Xtreme Couture has Yet Another MMA Champion – Ulysses Gomez

Congratulations to Ulysses Gomez – Bantamweight Champion!!

Gomez took home the Tachi Palace Fights Bantamweight Title on Friday, Dec. 2, in Lemoore, Calif.

Ulysses Gomez (with belt), with the help of his Xtreme Couture family, including striking coach Gil Martinez (center left).

 

Eddie Alvarez knows Michael Chandler is a real threat

Bellator lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez is not motivated by a desire to keep his belt. He is motivated by the fear of losing it.
“I have a lot of demons, and that boosts me,” he said. “That helps me prepare the way I do for these sort of belts, so I always, always, always, fight up.”
At first glance, though, it would appear he’s not fighting up, but rather down. The third defense of his title is against a guy with the fraction of the fights he has – a mere eight outings compared with his 24. But as Alvarez notes, it’s those kind of guys that often surprise you.
“The only way you can make up for experience is through good work ethic,” he said. “From watching Michael Chandler, it looks like he has that. He’s a smart guy. He knows what he has to do in order to be prepared for someone like me.”
The undefeated Chandler (8-0 MMA, 5-0 BFC) attempts to wrestle the belt from Alvarez (22-2 MMA, 6-0 BFC) when they meet Saturday at Bellator 58, which takes place at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla..

The main card airs on MTV2 (and in high-definition on EPIX), and preliminary fights stream live on Spike.com.
Chandler is one of the brightest prospects to emerge in Bellator’s lightweight division. He won the promotion’s season-four lightweight tournament with a win over the highly touted Patricky “Pitbull” Freire. A four-time NCAA qualifier at the University of Missouri who trains at Las Vegas’ Xtreme Couture, his skills mirror the champ’s in many ways. Crisp striking skills match an ability to put opponents on the mat.
But for Alvarez, it’s not about what Chandler brings to the table. It’s about a constant fight to outrun his hardscrabble past in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia.
“I go back to my old neighborhood,” he said. “It never lets me forget where I came from, what I want to achieve, and where I want to go. When you live like that long enough, it becomes so painful to you that it’s not a want for you to go back there; it’s a need for you to never go back there, and it’s like water.
“To succeed you need water. The success becomes like water. It’s a necessity.”
Alvarez long has been considered one of Bellator’s most prized possessions, and many observers believe he should be fighting on the biggest stage in the UFC. So far, he’s resisted that tug, choosing instead to stick with the fast-developing promotion and beating a series of high-profile fighters both domestically and internationally (his triumphs include Tatsuya Kawajiri, Joachim Hansen, Josh Neer and Roger Huerta). In April, he returned to Bellator after an injury layoff and halted the rise of another young gun, that of featherweight and lightweight tournament champ Pat Curran.
But as Bellator is poised to take a big step up in exposure when it begins airing on Spike TV in 2013, Alvarez is focused on being the best fighter he can.
“What is important is that I continue to grow every day,” he said. “People could come up to me and worship the ground I walk on and I could say, ‘Hey, I’ve done this and I’ve done that.’ But the only thing I’m focused on is what can I do better and what I’m going to do.
“What really is important to me and really means something to me is that I continue to grow every day. Regardless of what people think of me whether it’s great or whether it’s bad or what I’ve done in my past, it really has no effect on how I train or my attitude toward myself. My only concern I have is that I want to get better.”
That kind of grounded thinking has likely contributed to Alvarez’s current win streak, which stretches over seven fights and two years. On Saturday, he’ll try to beat back another guy who’s just as thirsty as he for excellence inside the cage.
But is he as afraid to lose?
“I don’t believe Michael is going to bring anything I haven’t seen before, but you don’t know until you get in there,” Alvarez said. “He’s got a right hand, a left hand, two legs and a head. He’s a human being just like anyone else I’ve fought, so he definitely has the ability to beat me.”

by Steven Marrocco  – MMAJUNKIE

Martin Kampmann : UFC 139 Interview

UFC welterweight Martin Kampmann training out of Xtreme Couture MMA  has a vitally important fight with Rick Story coming up this weekend at UFC 139. Kampmann has dropped two bouts in a row and a third loss would be a setback in his quest for a title shot.

Kampmann stated: “With the Diego fight I made mistakes, but I still beat him up. His face  was a wreck afterwards and he still has the scars to prove it. I  definitely believe I won that fight and I got the better of him. I would  love to avenge any one of those two losses because I think I’m the  better fighter and I can beat any of those guys.”

Then he states he lost the Shields fight because he made a lot of mistakes, but Martin also has this to say:

“For the most part wrestlers take people down and lay on them. That is  how I lost to Jake Shields. I was kneeing Jake in the face and in the  body. I had a solid submission attempt with a choke. He landed one punch  on me in that entire fight and he didn’t once try to submit me. He won  the fight by getting on top of me and humping my leg. I think the  current scoring system favors wrestlers too much. You can punch a guy  ten times in the face, but if he takes you down and cuddles with you,  they give the round to that guy. It is what it is.”

Pretty candid from Kampmann there, which continues throughout other topics in the interview. He talks about his upcoming fight with Story in more measured terms:

“I’d love to make it a more technical striking match, but I don’t think  that is what he is going to do. I think he is going to want to come in  close. I think that is his strength; he’s a strong dude who wants to  come in swinging. He might get clipped, but when he’s in the pocket like  that he’s dangerous. From a distance though I will be able to pick him  apart.”

“He tries to take his opponents to the ground a lot. He is a wrestler by  nature. I’m sure he is going to try and take the fight to the ground,  but I’m prepared for that. I’m totally ready to counter or stuff the  takedown. If it does go to the ground I’m very confident in my Jiu-jitsu  skills too.”

But he turnes the heat back up when talking about Nick Diaz and the whole Diaz/Condit/GSP saga:

“I personally think Carlos Condit got screwed. Nick Diaz has been pretty  good at hyping himself up. To be honest, I don’t think Diaz is that  good. Anytime he has fought any good wrestlers he has had problems. I  think he’s going to lose badly to GSP. Diaz is good at running his mouth  and doing his thing…you know…being a punk. I would love to fight Nick  Diaz sooner than later. I would absolutely love to fight him somewhere  down the line.”

If you are in Vegas and looking for a free place to watch UFC 139, come to Xtreme Couture MMA. No cover, No Cost, just a night of great fights.

Follow Xtreme Couture on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/XtremeCoutureMMA

 

Jay Hieron ready for Title Match this weekend – Bellator 56

A 2008 U.S. Olympian and former ESPY award nominee for Best Collegiate Athlete,  Ben Askren, the reigning Bellator Welterweight Champion, will put his title on the line for the first time against Xtreme Couture fighter Jay Hieron.

Askren and Hieron have made no secret that this fight will be a grudge match of sorts as both competitors have used social media to display their dislike for one another.

While both fighters certainly respect each other’s accomplishments, contrasting styles and personalities have added another level of intrigue to an already highly-anticipated fight.

“I’ve been looking forward to this fight for a while,” Askren said. “I’m more excited to dominate Jay than anyone I have ever fought, so October 29th can’t get here fast enough. We’re going to put on a show.”

For Hieron, the former UFC veteran and Las Vegas-trained fighter is looking to extend his winning streak to 11 with a championship victory over Askren. “The Thoroughbred” earned his title shot by claiming the Season 4 welterweight tournament with victories over Anthony Lapsley, Brent Weedman, and former judoka Olympian Rick Hawn. While the New York native fully understands the Midwest crowd will mostly be in Askren’s corner, that doesn’t bother the confident Hieron.

“I’ve been getting ready for this fight for months, so location doesn’t matter,” said Hieron. “I’ve got one goal in mind, and that’s punching this guy in the face and taking his belt. We all know the game he is going to bring to the cage, and everyone knows mine, so it’s going to be a war, simple as that.”

 

 

Vinny Magalhaes Defended His Belt in Grand Style!

No one thought Xtreme Couture fighter and submission specialist Vinny Magalhaes could knock out an  opponent with a head kick.

Not even Magalhaes.

But that’s exactly how Magalhaes (9-5) defended his M-1 Global  light-heavyweight belt Friday night against Russian contender Mikhail Zayats  (14-6) in the main event on the M-1 Challenge XXVII mixed martial arts card  at Grand Canyon University Arena.

Magalhaes, a world champion grappler and jiu-jitsu competitor, followed a  straight right with a swiveling right-head kick that Zayats never saw. Zayats,  dazed, dropped to his knees, and Magalhaes pounded him with punches to the head  until the fight was called 1:13 into the third round of the scheduled five  rounds.

“I have been practicing it (the head kick) all the time; I just have not had  the confidence doing it,” said Magalhaes, a Brazilian who trains in Las Vegas.  “The first two rounds were not going my way, so I felt like I had to try  something that was not going to be expected.”

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Ryan Couture big win over Maka Watson

The 29-year-old Ryan Couture is just four fights into his pro career but all four have been on nationally televised Showtime cards. He was coming off a loss, but showed that he’s learning what his strengths are and playing to them.

Couture was a solid high school wrestler and he’s taken his MMA grappling to another level, but when he lost to Matt Ricehouse back in June he relied too much on his striking. Friday, he went back to his bread and butter to score a split decision victory, 29-28, 29-28 and 28-28, and distroyed Watson by the final minutes of the fight.

“He’s tough as nails. That was not that fun, but I’m real glad to get the W,” Couture said. “Some things went according to plan and other things I didn’t do as  well. I wasn’t  very sharp when he was on top.”

Couture (4-1) turned to his grappling from the opening seconds of the fight when he jumped on Watson’s back and got the fight to the mat. He controlled him on the ground and worked for various chokes for nearly four minutes. With 45 seconds left, Watson was able to escape and get top control. He got off a nasty elbow to slice open a bloody cut on Couture’s forehead.

In the second, Couture once again got the fight to the mat and controlled things until two minutes left. This time when Watson, got top control he got off nasty elbows and most of his shots went unanswered. In third, Couture got it to the ground for the final 3:45 of the fight to seal the victory.

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Vinny Magalhaes defeats Fabricio Werdum – Wins Gold at ADCC – Men’s Over 99kg division

Men’s +99 kg Division

2011 Champion: Vinny Magalhaes

Final:

Vinny Magalhaes def. Fabricio Werdum on points.

Third place:

Roberto de Abreau def. Gerardi Rinaldi by kneebar at 0:36.

Semi-finals:

Fabricio Werdum def. Roberto de Abreau on points.

Vinny Magalhaes def. Gerardi Rinaldi on points.

Quarter-finals:

Fabricio Werdum def. Jeff Monson by armbar at 4:12.

Cyborg Abreu def. Glover Texeira on points.

Vinny Magalhaes def. Jose Junior by heelhook at 2:56.

Gerardi Rinaldi def. Janne-Pekka Pietilainen on points.

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Going For Gold – play by play call by Patrick Tenney

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Vinny and Fabricio trading collar ties and we’ve remained in this standing position for a few minutes now as neither man is making headway towards a takedown.

Fabricio just worked a short arm drag but Vinny immediately popped back up, Vinny with a short shot and tried for the takedown but ended up pulling into half guard.  Vinny went to closed guard momentarily but back to half guard we go as Fabricio tries to rotate around the outside to pass.  Vinny working to an omoplata and it looks in!!!  Vinny keeping the omoplata as they roll and it ends up with a sweep and Vinny is up on points.  Huge move with the omoplata after Vinny showed some impressive flexibility to get the position.

Both fighters back standing now after a short scramble.  Fabricio has to be thinking that he absolutely needs the takedown here.  Fabricio is able to snatch Vinny down into the turtle and initiate a crucifix but abandons it as Vinny rotates around and pulls closed guard.

Fabricio has gotten around Vinny’s hips and gets an armlock/triangle combination from the back, they roll out of bounds and Vinny won’t tap, this looks in, wow, Vinny is trying to rotate out and this looks serious, Vinny’s arm might be gone here unless I’m not seeing something but he just isn’t tapping.  Vinny is stuck stuck stuck but is keeping Fabricio’s leg up and Vinny rotates out holy crap, his arm has got to be hurt.  Vinny looks fine though and they reset on the feet in the center of the mat.

Fabricio shoots on Vinny and fails and time is called.  Vinny has won, incredible heart showed by Vinny to survive that armlock.  Vinny is your over 99kg gold medal winner.