Football & MMA

[GeneChing]

I love seeing athletes from other sports tackling MMA (yes, pun intended :o). I hope this starts a trend with the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Former Dallas Cowboy Suni Filikitonga making transition to mixed martial arts (http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2009/jun/09/former-dallas-cowboy-suni-filikitonga-making-trans/)
By Sean Malone of North Texas Fisticuffs

Standing over six feet tall and packing a pain-inducing solid 280 pounds of girth Suni Filikitonga is an imposing figure to say the very least. But as you speak with this tank of a human and you are taken aback by a cool, calm, almost relaxed demeanor. They say you can’t judge a book by its cover and in the case of Filikitonga; his menacing build is overshadowed by a downright laid back persona. But while Filikitonga may be an engrossing and chilled individual, deep inside his massive chest beats the heart of a fighter.

In the state of Texas nothing is as popular as the sport of football. Here in North Texas nothing bolsters that point quite like the rabid affinity for “America’s Team,” the Dallas Cowboys. Growing up here in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex Suni Filikitonga, like many young men, had grand aspirations of playing under the bright lights of Texas Stadium. But unlike the overwhelming majority of individuals with that very same dream, Filikitonga made his a reality.

“I went in as an undrafted free agent as a defensive tackle,” explained Filikitonga who made the Cowboys roster as a defensive end. “I played in 1998, the last year of Troy Aikman, when all the big dogs were still there.”

But while Filikitonga did what few could have ever imagined, making it onto the roster of a professional football team undrafted, his playing days were over before they ever really began as an injury would derail his dreams of gridiron greatness.

“When I was there, I played for a month,” reflects Filikitonga. “I was going into minicamp and we had our first game and I got injured in practice with a sprained knee. I was on the injured reserve list for the second game. After like the second or third game, that is when the decided that they needed to bring in someone else.”

With his dream of playing in the National Football League over before they ever began Filikitonga needed an outlet to curb his competitive spirit. After speaking with a friend he decided to give mixed martial arts a try.

“I had a friend that I had grown up with; he was asking me if I ever did mixed martial arts,” said Filikitonga. “I said, ‘yeah that would be cool.’ In high school I was in wrestling. I attended a class on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at Mohler Jiu-Jitsu where I train now. My coach asked me if I had trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and I was like ‘no, but I wrestled’.

It soon became evident that Filikitonga was a natural born practitioner of the submission martial art.

“They taught me like two or three moves and I tapped out the whole gym with like two or three moves,” Filikitonga said with a laugh.

It is amazing how some people have a knack for excelling in the newest, and foreign of endeavors. Filikitonga natural adaptation to the various nuances of fighting and submission techniques that comprise mixed martial arts is commendable especially when you consider the debilitating injury that ended his football playing days.

It has been nearly five years since Filikitonga began training in mixed martial arts, and for the past three years he has plied his skills as a professional fighter. Boasting a record of 2-1 Filikitonga takes to the cage this Thursday night as the main event of the Steele Cage Promotions fight card at the Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas. Originally scheduled to face tough Tyler East, a new opponent has been tabbed in Ralph Kelly in light of East being injured in training.

Headlining a fight card in your hometown can be a stressful task but Filikitonga shrugs off such notions.

“It’s great for promoters,” Filikitonga concedes. “Promoters are looking for a knockout; everyone is looking for a knockout. That is what I’m looking forward to, giving everyone a knockout. I don’t really try to take it to the ground, but if it goes to the ground I can switch it around and do some ground and pound.”

Filikitonga is keenly aware that fans want to see a heavyweight fighter who has a penchant for rendering foes unconscious. Such expectations seem to weight heavy on his mind, which is a good thing for fans of the sport.

“[The fans] can expect a knockout,” Filikitonga assures. “They want to come out and see a knockout and I am going to give it to them.”

Not one to mince words when it comes to his fighting prowess, Filikitonga is supremely confident in his abilities as a fighter and makes no attempt to hide his desire to fight for the Ultimate Fighter Championship heavyweight championship.

“My goal is to get to the UFC and fight for the heavyweight title,” said Filikitonga. “I would like a shot at Brock Lesner. I’ll get about two more fights and then I want a shot. I mean I’m not scared or anyone but my dad and God.”

[MasterKiller]

Hershell Walker is trying to get a fight also.

[GeneChing]

You've earned your moderator status for the day ;)

Walker is 47 though. How old is Filikitonga?


Pre-PRIDE 33 Interview With NFL Legend Herschel Walker (http://www.mmanews.com/pride/Pre-PRIDE-33-Interview-With-NFL-Legend-Herschel-Walker.html)
Report by: Matthew Boone
Posted on: 02/24/2007 @ 02:42 AM

Luis Cruz reporting...

Herschel Walker was a special guest at the press conference for Pride. I caught up with the NFL legend for a few moments to see what his status and opinion was on MMA.

MMANews.com- I’m here with Herschel Walker. Herschel, did you start watching MMA when it began being televised on PPV in 1993?

H.W.- Yea I did, I’ve been watching mixed martial arts for years. I’ve been watching it, I think, since it was illegal. I’ve been in mixed martial arts myself for about 30 years.

MMANews.com- What disciplines did you study?

H.W.- I started out in TKD and then studied in jiu jitsu. I did TKD for about 25 years and jiu jitsu for about 10 [years]. It’s one of the most disciplined sports I’ve ever been apart of. I’ll tell this to all of you, I think all kids in the United States should study in some form of martial arts. The reason why is it’s disciplined and it has nothing to do with fighting it’s got to do with discipline. That’s what we need, to discipline the kids, it shows a lot of honor and respect.

MMANews.com- Did it ever cross your mind to compete?

H.W.- Oh yea, it’s crossed my mind a great deal. I do so many crazy things and people are always saying I’m doing crazy things, and you always want to measure what you can do. One thing I like about Pride that I said earlier, I competed in Trite abroad and I’ve been on the Olympic bobsled team and I said that’s how you measure just how good you are, being up against everybody in the world and that’s what Pride does. They bring everyone out in the world to compete and if you’re going to say you’re the best in that weightclass, then get it in and see what you can do.

MMANews.com- What are your thoughts on the UFC?

H.W.- The UFC’s got a good sport, they’ve done very well in promoting MMA. I think they’ve opened the doors for a lot of what’s going on right now in the sport. They given a lot of publicity to the young people here that are just starting out here in the states and to get it legalized. I think your hat has to be off to them.

MMANews.com- Now if you choose not to fight, is there any job you would want behind the scenes with Pride?

H.W.- I always said I would like to own part of it. Not just get involved, own part of it. You know I’m the type of guy, I’ll tell you once, this is such a great thing here because it gives everyone a chance to compete. At the same time it opens the door for young people to see it’s not a brutal sport. People thing this is brutal, this is nothing like boxing. If a guy gets knocked down in Pride, the referee may give him a chance to get up, but if he can’t defend himself the fight is stopped. Whereas in boxing a guy may get dazed and keep walking around dazed and get his head beat in and that’s when serious injuries occur. Same as in football, you see guys get concussions and continue to play and then all of a sudden later on in life they have a serious injury. That’s why I said this is something that is controlled and this is something that I really enjoy.

MMANews.com- So you’re saying this is one of the safest sports out there?

H.W.- I say baseball is the safest sport. I shouldn’t say it because they’ll probably get made at me, but I think it’s safer than football.

MMANews.com- Ok Herschel one final question. I know you use to do like 1,000 or 2,000 crunches a day, do you still doing that, keeping in shape.

H.W.- Yea I’m still doing that and I still workout like a crazy person. I figure I’m going to be the George Foreman of football and at fifty make my comeback. [Laughs]

MMANews.com- [Laughs] Alright Herschel well thanks a lot.

H.W.- No problem man, anytime.

[GeneChing]

Football and MMA - two great sports that go great together.

James Johnson, a potential New Jersey Nets draft pick, and his martial arts background (http://www.nj.com/nets/index.ssf/2009/06/james_johnson_a_potential_new.html)
by Star-Ledger staff
Wednesday June 17, 2009, 4:52 PM

Former Wake Forest forward James Johnson, who worked out for the Nets on Tuesday, is projected to be picked somewhere in the middle of the first round in next week's NBA Draft. Johnson may not land with the Nets at pick No. 11, but one thing is certain about the 6-7, 257-pound prospect: no one would be wise to challenge the guy to a fight.

In a Sports Illustrated profile from last January, when he was still playing for the Demon Deacons, Johnson described his first love: martial arts. Johnson, a black belt, said he thinks about fighting all the time and even allows that he will fight again in a mixed martial arts competition (he competed when he was in high school). From the sound of it, any team interested in drafting Johnson, as well as any future opponents, best beware.

[GeneChing]

I'm thinking an armored division for UFC would be good. You know, where the fighters wear helmets and such. I'd watch that.

August 26, 2009, 1:00 am
Former N.F.L. Everymen Look for Success in M.M.A. (http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/26/former-nfl-everymen-look-for-success-in-mma/)
By R.M. Schneiderman

Back in the summer of 2004, when Brock Lesnar left the scripted world of professional wrestling to try out for the Minnesota Vikings, mixed martial arts was largely considered a brutal and unruly spectacle. It was banned in numerous states and its top athletes were paid far less than their counterparts in more established sports.

Today mixed martial arts has become both lucrative and mainstream, and Lesnar, 32, who never made the Vikings, is the U.F.C. heavyweight champion.

This fall, a number of former pro football players are trying to follow in his footsteps. As part of the cast of Spike TV’s reality show, The Ultimate Fighter, Marcus Jones, Matt Mitrione, Brendan Schaub and Wes Shivers will compete for a chance to fight in the U.F.C.

If you don’t remember these guys, you’re probably not alone. Mitrione, a backup defensive lineman for the Giants, left the N.F.L. because of injuries. Shivers played one season at offensive tackle for the Falcons and Schaub, a fullback, never made it past the Bills practice squad. In other words, they’re not exactly Pro Bowlers.

Jones, 36, a former first-round draft pick, is the most high profile of the four. In 2000, he had 13 sacks as a defensive end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But he left the N.F.L. in 2003 because of injuries. He had planned to take two years off to heal and then return. But one night, roughly two years ago, while hanging out with friends from college and talking about the U.F.C., Jones and his friends cleared out the living room furniture and began to spar.

“I was a big guy who had never thrown a punch,” he said.

After five minutes, Jones was exhausted. A smaller friend of his put him in a choke hold and Jones tapped out. From then on, he began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

“Now I feel great,” Jones said. “My first four or five months, I lost 70 pounds.”

His cardio, he said, has never been better.

“In M.M.A. man, there is no way out. It’s like playing two-minute football for five minutes.”

Mitrione, 31, said that intensity is part of what attracted him to the sport. A former Shotokan karate practitioner, he stopped training in martial arts in high school after he found success in football.

“Fighting is socially acceptable now,” he said. “Five years ago it wasn’t.”

After injuries forced him to leave football in 2005, he started a supplement company. But he never lost the desire to compete.

“In the N.F.L., there are no other amateur leagues,” he said. “If you get cut, you can’t chase it down for five or six years.”

Mitrione and his former N.F.L cohorts aren’t the first former pro football players to enter the cage. Alonzo Spellman, a former defensive end who struggled with a bipolar disorder, won his first and only M.M.A. fight in 2006. And Bobby Jones (offensive line) and Michael Westbrook (wide receiver) have also earned mixed martial arts victories.

But success in football doesn’t always translate into success in M.M.A. Just ask Johnnie Morton, perhaps the best football player to dabble in fighting. In 2007, the former wide receiver was knocked out in just 38 seconds by Bernard Ackah, a comedian from the Ivory Coast. After the fight, Morton was suspended for refusing to take a drug test.

While the former N.F.L. players may not have made it in football, they are all explosive athletes, according to Rashad Evans, one of the coaches on the show, especially compared with the average heavyweight in mixed martial arts. And Lesnar’s success, Evans said, has proved that power and athleticism can go a long way.

Yet technique is still vital in mixed martial arts, and unlike Lesnar, who was an N.C.A.A. wrestling champion, the former N.F.L. players are largely green. They may initially struggle because of their raw and and rudimentary skills.

Nonetheless, as with Lesnar before them, their presence within the sport’s ranks perhaps says something about where mixed martial arts is going in the future and the caliber of athletes it may be able to attract.

[Shaolin]

I read an article (in Flex magazine) that 5 time world strongman Mariusz Pudzianowski is going to attempt a MMA career.

The next 2-3 years could develope a potentially exciting heavy weight division.

[karateguy]

athletes are athletes.. Certain contact sports compliment each other... I am curious to walker fight

[GeneChing]

Just got this press release from Strikeforce:

FOOTBALL LEGEND HERSCHEL WALKER SIGNS WITH STRIKEFORCE MMA

NEW YORK (September 21, 2009)--Former NFL and NCAA football superstar Herschel Walker will enter a new chapter in his career as a professional athlete when he makes his debut as a heavyweight in the world's fastest growing sport - mixed martial arts (MMA) - as part of a multi-fight contract he has signed with world championship promotion STRIKEFORCE.

The 1982 Heisman Trophy winner and two-time Pro Bowl competitor will begin a 12 week training camp next month at San Jose, California's American Kickboxing Academy (AKA), which plays home to a host of the world's greatest fighters, including STRIKEFORCE Lightweight Champion Josh "The Punk" Thomson. The 6 foot 1 inch, 220 pound former running back, who already holds a fifth degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and boasts additional training in the combat disciplines of Muay Thai and Kenpo, will be trained by AKA co-owner and head trainer Bob Cook.

"I've been training for several years. I would play college football games on Saturday and then compete in martial arts tournaments on Sunday after church I'm now looking forward to opening up another chapter in my life and to competing in MMA," said Walker, who recently was a contestant on the second hit season of Donald Trump's Celebrity Apprentice reality series on NBC.

"I flew to LA last month to watch Herschel train and was surprised to see his advanced wrestling and striking abilities," said STRIKEFORCE Founder and CEO Scott Coker, a martial arts promoter of over 25 years. "He's got work ahead of him, but he's committed to training at one of the most notable gyms in the sport of MMA so it will be very interesting to watch him progress."

Walker, a 1999 College Hall of Fame inductee who was also selected to Sports Illustrated's NCAA All-Century Team that year, has never been one to shy away from the road less traveled.

Following his junior year at the University of Georgia where he had set the NCAA freshman rushing record en route to an undefeated season and Sugar Bowl championship victory over Notre Dame, Walker, a born-again Christian, astonished the sports world by withdrawing from school to play professional ball in the newly formed United States Football League (USFL) rather than wait to enter the NFL draft after the graduation of his collegiate class, a rule maintained by the world's largest professional football league at the time.

While the vast majority of football players typically follow an intensive weight room regimen, Walker relied on bodyweight exercise, conditioning, and calisthenics while maintaining very little body fat.

Walker was eventually drafted in 1985 by The Dallas Cowboys and established himself as a premiere running back in the league. In 1986, he was the driving force behind a historic trade that sent in to The Minnesota Vikings in exchange for five players and six draft picks.

In 12 NFL seasons with four different teams, he became the only player to gain 4,000 yards three different ways - rushing, receiving, and kickoff returns. He is one of six players to exceed 60 touchdowns rushing and 20 touchdowns receiving and is the only player in NFL history to register a 90 plus yard reception, a 90 plus yard run, and a 90 plus yard kickoff return, all in one season (1994).

Off the gridiron, Walker has achieved a handful of feats, including a seventh place finish in the 1992 Winter Olympics two-man bobsled competition. He also nearly made the Olympic sprint relay team.

Now 47 years of age, Walker, a native of Wrightsville, Georgia, will look to conquer a whole new world. It is a challenge he is extremely optimistic about.

"I will go in there and test myself against any 20 year old," said Walker. "I know there will be naysayers and I'm fine with that. I want to prove to people who sit on a couch and don't do anything but criticize other people that, if you're a true athlete or martial artist, you're not old until you can't get up and walk around anymore. MMA fighters are said to be some of the best athletes in the world, my plan at the age of 47 is to show the world I am still one of the best athletes as well"

STRIKEFORCE in March 2009 signed a multi-year agreement to stage live MMA events on the premium cable television network. Last week, STRIKEFORCE announced that it would make its live, primetime debut on CBS with its "Fedor vs. Rogers" mega-fight that it will co-promote with M-1 Global on Saturday, November 7.

About STRIKEFORCE
STRIKEFORCE (www.strikeforce.com <https://mail.svse.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.strikeforce.com/> ) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its "Shamrock vs. Gracie" event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose's HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265. Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series with "Shamrock vs. Gracie." In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.

[Violent Designs]

Eh, just because you excel at football means nothing for MMA.

So many power lifters and other athletes think strength and size alone are enough.

Most of them end up getting subbed by nobodies and quit.

Brock Lesnar is different. Wrestling directly correlates to MMA.

[Dragonzbane76]

Someone tell me why???:confused:


NEW YORK (AP) -- Herschel Walker is starting a new career in mixed martial arts.

The 47-year-old former NFL running back said Monday that he has signed a multi-fight contract with promoter Strikeforce. Walker will begin a 12-week training camp next month in San Jose, Calif.

The 1982 Heisman Trophy winner already holds a fifth-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do.Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/mma/09/21/herschel.walker.ap/index.html#ixzz0Rpv2MxDq
Get a free NFL Team Jacket and Tee with SI Subscription

[GeneChing]

HERSCHEL WALKER TO APPEAR LIVE ON ESPN2 FIRST TAKE

TOMORROW/TUESDAY AT 11:20 A.M. ET/8:20 A.M. PT

WHO: Football Legend-Turned-MMA Fighter Herschel Walker

WHAT: Live Interview on ESPN2 First Take

Walker will discuss his recent signing with STRIKEFORCE® and his upcoming MMA training camp at world renowned American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) gym in San Jose, Calif.

The 1982 Heisman Trophy winner and two-time Pro Bowl competitor will soon embark on a 12-week training camp at AKA. The 6-foot-1 inch, 220- pound former running back, who holds a fifth degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and boasts additional training in the combat disciplines of Muay Thai and Kenpo, will be trained by AKA co-owner and head trainer Bob Cook.

WHERE: ESPN2

WHEN: Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 11:20 a.m. ET/8:20 a.m. PT
Hmm, San Jose, that's very near. Double Hmm, no ground game...:rolleyes:

[SanHeChuan]

The first Football player to fight on TUF, Wes Shivers, showed he didn't even know how to throw a punch, ALL arm. :rolleyes: He also gassed early and couldn't roll.

Being Big is nothing without proper training.



H.W.- I started out in TKD and then studied in jiu jitsu. I did TKD for about 25 years and jiu jitsu for about 10 [years].

Come on gene you gotta read what you post. :p

[GeneChing]

I read so much, things get pretty blurry. :o

[GeneChing]

I'd love to see football gear modified for MMA...helmets, shoulder pads, etc. It would be more gladiatorial. ;)

Mixed Martial Arts: Former LSU fullback wins USA-MMA (http://www.lsureveille.com/mixed-martial-arts-former-lsu-fullback-wins-usa-mma-1.1992759)
Shawn Jordan star of River Center fights
By Chris Branch
Published: Sunday, October 11, 2009
Updated: Sunday, October 11, 2009

Shawn Jordan couldn’t lose this fight. Not in front of his crowd.

The former LSU fullback’s fight against fellow heavyweight Corey Salter (7-13) was the main event at USA-MMA and Beat 2 Sleep’s Louisiana vs. Florida event at the River Center on Friday.

Sporting a red Mohawk, Jordan entered the cage to a standing ovation from the crowd at the mixed martial arts event. But he didn’t have the start he was hoping for. Jordan took some shots in the early portion of the opening round — shots hard enough to leave him bloodied. But they didn’t faze him.

With his nose, mouth and chin dripping blood, Jordan let Salter know he wasn’t hurt and grinned from ear to ear.

Jordan, listed at 6-feet and 245 pounds, took the fight to the ground, picking up and slamming Salter to the mat, much to the crowd’s delight. Jordan delivered blow after blow to Salter’s face after mounting him. Salter couldn’t defend himself against Jordan’s “ground and pound” game. He tapped.

The stoppage at 3:18 in the first round enticed a raucous ovation from the crowd. The hometown guy was victorious again, pushing his record to 4-1. He celebrated the win with a back flip.

Salter had been a late change on the card. Jordan learned of the notification Tuesday but seemed prepared nonetheless. Salter came into the fight on a six-fight losing streak, while Jordan was coming off his first loss, a first-round knockout against Kenny Garner.

Jordan said afterward the early shots didn’t affect him.

“He busted me up, but I’ve trained with some rough guys, so I’m used to it,” Jordan said.

Jordan has no plans after this fight, although his performance should garner the interest of promoters.


“Wherever I’m going to fight next — I don’t care.” Jordan said.

Other local fighters shared the stage with Jordan on Friday with mixed results.

Former Tara High School wrestler Ben Kristonis fought challenger Chris Marquez. Kristonis didn’t last long.

He took the fight to the ground, trying to utilize his wrestling skills. Bad decision.

Marquez locked Kristonis’ right arm in an armbar and forced Kristonis to tap 1:48 into the first round.

Former Baton Rouge High wrestler Thomas Webb was likely the second most popular fighter of the night next to Jordan.

Webb put on a masterful performance in front of a hometown crowd, easily winning a unanimous decision against Jason Abernathy. Webb toyed with Abernathy. The fight was nearly stopped three times with Webb opening up a severe cut above Abernathy’s left eye. Abernathy stayed on his knees for several minutes after the final bell.

Baton Rouge native Matt Brown fought an entertaining fight against undefeated Will “Furious” Florentino in a fight remembered more for the post-fight festivities.

Brown and Florentino fought a close bout until Florentino caught Brown in a deadly triangle choke. Brown refused to tap.

Brown passed out after several minutes in the choke, ending the fight at 3:57 in the second round.

In his post-fight interview, Florentino kneeled on the center of the mat and proposed to his girlfriend in the stands. After she apparently accepted, Florentino sprinted out of the cage and into the stands to greet his new fiancée.

[GeneChing]

A year old ttt on a slow newsfeed day...

Former SCSU lineman Council pursuing MMA career (http://www.thetandd.com/mma/article_3546263a-17c1-11e0-84d8-001cc4c03286.html)
By BRIAN LINDER, T&D Sports Editor The Times and Democrat | Posted: Tuesday, January 4, 2011 5:45 am

Joe Council stepped up to the heavy bag and unleashed.

Pistoning his arms back and forth, Council pushed his fists into the bag as quickly as he could, creating a repetitive "thump, thump, thump." After 15 seconds, he switched from speed shots to power shots, rolling his hips into the blows more and delivering his fists to the leather bag with a great "thwack, thwack, thwack!"

After alternating between speed and power twice, a total of a minute of continuous shots, Council stepped away, took a deep breath and looked for another drill to run through. Just over a month ago, Council was a defensive lineman for the South Carolina State Bulldogs, helping the team win the MEAC title and play in the FCS playoffs the past three seasons.

But when the 12th-ranked Bulldogs' season ended with a 41-16 loss to Georgia Southern in the first round of the FCS playoffs Nov. 27, Council turned his attention to the world of mixed martial arts.

He found a home at Black Force MMA, a small gym located in the front of a strip mall off Bacons Bridge Road in Summerville.

"I went there, and it was my first time getting to learn anything," Council said. "Before, I didn't know how to hold my hands. The most I learned was how to pass guard, and I kind of learned how to throw a kick. I've learned so much at Black Force."

Council's infatuation with MMA began as a child.

"I got two tapes that had Royce Gracie and some older fighters on them," he said. "We picked them up at the flea market. I wanted to see if it was real or not, and once I saw it, I knew it was something I wanted to be doing."

In the gym, the 6-3, 250-pounder stands out with his chiseled frame, power and unrivaled athleticism. But, Council is not relying solely on that. In fact, Black Force MMA owner Dwight Decker called Council "a sponge" in refering to his approach to learning mixed martial arts.

"I love being in the gym," Council said. "I get in the gym, and there is a unique peace from being in there. Those guys I'm with are just like me. All of us are the same. It's a great feeling, and everybody is so good. I'm learning something new every day. And, we have some really good fighters.

"I definitely have to learn a lot of stuff," he added. "You know, I can get caught in a choke or something like that just because I did something wrong that was really small. It's learning ... just like a chess match. There is so much more that I need to learn. I'm just starting. I'm not even near where I need to be. But, I'm coming in to (Black Force) to earn my respect and just work."

Despite his pursuit of mixed martial arts, Council hasn't given up on football. After recording 14 tackles, three for loss and a sack in 2010, Council is preparing for S.C. State's pro day this spring.

"I'm going to be doing both (MMA and preparing to work out for pro scouts)," Council said. "I get back to training for pro day as soon as I get back to school. And, I will be training at Black Force. Fighting helps with football though, I think. My main thing is, see what I can do with football, get the fundamentals in mixed martial arts, and by the summer, I will definitely know."

Council said he believes his best chance as a football player on the next level is as a 3-4 defensive end.

"I just have to be a rough, tough, strong guy," he said. "One gap. Hold a gap. I can play defensive end and move around a little bit. My coach is telling me to stay around 255-260, and staying at that size, I can also do MMA. I'm naturally about 250.

"I definitely see myself as somebody who has to go out there every day and battle. I see myself as being a workman in the league. That's my mentality. Everything I've had, I have earned."

Council calls pro day "the most important day of my life."

But, if things don't go his way and he doesn't get a shot with a pro team, Council is prepared to move forward in his pursuit of MMA and potentially a professional career as a fighter.

"Definitely ... I would love to be a fighter," he said. "I love every aspect of it. Going in there is like living a dream. You just go out there and bang heads.

"Everything about it attracts me. I like everything associated with MMA and fighting. It just feels like I belong."

[GeneChing]

Now there's a big name...:cool:

Tim Tebow Trains in Mixed Martial Arts with UFC Heavyweight Brendan Schaub: Fan's Reaction (http://sports.yahoo.com/news/tim-tebow-trains-mixed-martial-arts-ufc-heavyweight-160200687--nfl.html)
Yahoo! Contributor Network
By Eric Holden | Yahoo! Contributor Network – Sat, Jul 7, 2012 12:02 PM EDT

We're probably not going to see New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow testing his skills in a UFC octagon anytime soon, but Yahoo! Sports reports that he has been training in mixed martial arts with UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub at the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Training Center in California.

Is Tebow A UFC Fan?

I can't say this move really surprises me, as Tebow is a noted fan of the UFC. The Jets' quarterback posted two tweets to Schaub regarding his matchup against Ben Rothwell at UFC 145 in April.

Tebow (@timtebow) tweeted "@BrendanSchaub I'm so proud of you brother...all of your hard work will pay off tonight. #FinishStrong."

After Schaub lost, Tebow posted ""@BrendanSchaub life is not about when you get knocked down but about having the perseverance to get back up. Proud of you brother #Heart."

College Football Ties

His friendship with Schaub apparently stems from the UFC star's college football career with the Colorado Buffaloes, while Tebow was still playing college ball in Florida.

Tebow was smart to dip into the tough waters of mixed martial arts, as the sport features some of the best-conditioned athletes in the world. MMA ties into football, as many of the same skills can be honed by training in the sport.

There's a lot of hand-to-hand combat on the football field, and mixed martial arts training provides helpful skills like balance, leverage, coordination and quick lateral movement, which can be utilized in a football game.

New York Jets cornerback Kyle Wilson, along with a slew of other notable NFL stars like Clay Matthews, Jared Allen, Shawne Merriman and Antonio Cromartie, train in mixed martial arts over the off-season, so it's really not that odd that Tebow jumped in on it.

Kyle Wilson's Take

"There's a lot of hand-to-hand action out there," Wilson said in an Inside MMA interview. "When the receivers try to block you, they're trying to get their hands on you. You have to try to get past those big lineman who are trying to get their hands on you."

He added "Anything where someone is trying to get at you and block you, trying to get after the ball carrier, quarterback or whatever, [MMA training] teaches you ways to handle that."

The only thing that's strange about Tebow training in MMA is that it's rare for a quarterback. In the past, it's been mostly defensive lineman and cornerbacks who trained in MMA over the offseason.

Tebow, on the other hand, is closer to a tight end than a quarterback, so I can see why he would want to improve his hand-to-hand combat skills and lateral movement techniques.

Good For The Sport?

Perhaps the best thing to come of this situation is that it increases awareness of the UFC and the benefits of MMA training.

The sport isn't even legal in New York, so having a well-known backer like Tim Tebow gives MMA a better image. Hopefully, having Tebow on our side will lead to the UFC eventually earning the privilege of putting on a show at Madison Square Garden.

Eric Holden is a lifelong UFC fan and supporter of the New York Jets. Follow him on Twitter @ericholden.

[Hebrew Hammer]

Shawne Merriman and former all pro full back Lorenzo Neal both did MMA training in SD during the off season. Neal was also a collegiate wrestler at Fresno State. He even tried Sumo, there's a vid out there somewhere, when the Chargers played in Japan. They both trained with local Thai Boxing trainer, Mel Menor. Here's a couple of links.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/gallery/featured/GAL1159887/13/17/index.htm

Here's Mel's new gym:

http://ao8training.com/

By the way Tebow's a stud, I didn't care much for him in college but he's won me over in the pros. I had some Tebowmania to go with my Linsanity.

[GeneChing]

More about football than MMA, but perhaps someday, if he succeeds, we'll return to this post.

Tennessee Titans’ Akeem Ayers Helped by Martial Arts Workouts with Jacksonville Jaguars’ Marcedes Lewis (http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2012/12/29/tennessee-titans-akeem-ayers-helped-by-martial-arts-workouts-with-jacksonville-jaguars-marcedes-lewis/)
December 29, 2012
Written by Craig Peters

Nashville, TN – When Tennessee Titans’ Akeem Ayers learned that coaches envisioned an expanded role for him as a pass rusher this season, the second-year linebacker sought to strengthen his hands and improve what he could do with them.

Ayers returned to Los Angeles in the off season and incorporated Taekwondo and mixed martial arts workouts into his training with Jay Glazer. Although it might seem quite different, Ayers isn’t the only player who’s turned to the martial arts training and discovered benefits.

Ayers frequently faced Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Marcedes Lewis in the sessions. Despite playing for AFC South rival teams, Ayers and Lewis are friends. Their college football careers did not overlap at UCLA, but they connected when Lewis revisited campus and wound up training at the same facility where Ayers was preparing for the 2011 NFL Draft. Ayers said Lewis, a seven–year pro, gave him very helpful information on what tight ends try to do against linebackers.

“Since you had an actual tight end there, he kind of helped me, gave us the insight on what works against tight ends and what doesn’t work and just ways I can beat tight ends,” Ayers said. “Being in the atmosphere where I’m able to actually practice on someone and get insight from a tight end was a huge advantage. I pretty much worked on the things that he told me that work best.”

Ayers will finish this season with more tackles, sacks, quarterback hits, tackles for loss and passes defensed than his rookie campaign. Ayers also recorded his first career interception this season in a win at the Miami Dolphins.

The improvements have been impressive since they built on his rookie season in which he had 88 tackles, two sacks, seven quarterback hits and three tackles for loss in becoming the Titans’ first defensive rookie to start all 16 games since Tank Williams in 2002.

“He was one of our most improved guys in the off season, and he followed that up by starting the season pretty much on fire,” Titans linebackers coach Frank Bush said. “He did all the things we asked him to do and played in about four or five different packages and was able to handle it.”

Ayers has worn one helmet but many hats this season. He’s set the edge on rushing plays to keep containment, he’s dropped into coverage, and he’s rushed opposing passers as a defensive end or on linebacker blitzes.

“We’re trying to take advantage of all the things that he’s capable of doing, as far as playing linebacker and being part of our nickel package and then also lining him up and letting him rush the quarterback,” Bush said. “We’ve got several different things that we try to do with him because the kid is talented and he can go make plays.”

Bush said coaches initially threw a considerable amount on Ayers’ plate so they could fully evaluate his best strengths and how he could provide the most significant impact.

“He handled most of it for the most part,” Bush said, “and we’re smart enough to say, ‘OK, these are the things that he’s really starting to excel in,’ so we backed off in some areas and kept pushing in other areas, and he’s responded. He’s done a good job, and we know at any moment he can make a play for us.”

As the season progressed, Ayers’ role changed, especially on third down. Earlier this season Ayers shifted from strong side or “Sam” linebacker to weakside or “Will” linebacker when the Titans substituted their nickel package, but coaches have been able to put rookie Zach Brown in at weak side linebacker and utilize Ayers to apply pressure as a pass rusher on third downs and other situations where pass attempts are highly likely.

“Zach Brown came along strong and is improving every week,” Ayers said. “That’s enabled me to go get in the rotation with the defensive ends. In the base defense, I’m still the Sam linebacker, standing up and doing all the things that linebackers do, but when it’s time to rush the quarterback on third downs, they’ve got me in the rotation. It’s a lot but once you get the practice in and keep practicing, you kind of get used to it.”

Ayers said his shift into that role has been made smoother by the fact that he performed similar duties at UCLA. Ayers said the martial arts training has benefited his game at linebacker and as a pass rusher.

“(Glazer) made it more relevant to football,” Ayers said, “so just using physical hands, getting the tight end’s hands off you but doing it in an aggressive, physical way, and once you get a lot of repetition at it, it becomes natural and you just keep doing it and it just really helps.”

The training, however, didn’t prepare Ayers for what is perhaps his most important role. The 23-year-old became a father of twin daughters, Payton and Cassidy, five months ago. He said it’s been a “great experience.”

“It’s a lot for a first-time parent to have two babies in the house at once, but as the months go on, it becomes easier, and it’s a good feeling, especially having two young girls that can grow with each other,” Ayers said. “It’s been a great experience to have them around the house and watch them grow every day and learn new things every day. It’s probably been one of the best experiences I’ll have. I have no complaints, you know, I love it.”

Bush said he’s pleased with the way Ayers leads by example, by his work ethic and determination.

“I think more than anything, he’s starting to understand that even though he’s not a team captain per se,” Bush said, “they do look at him as somewhat of a leader in the sense that they expect him to make plays when he’s out there and he steps up and tries to get that done.”

“He hasn’t missed a practice, he works at it even on days he doesn’t feel up to par — he may have a nick here or there, but he somehow gets out here and practices,” Bush continued, “and once he’s out here, he works and I don’t think anybody questions his work ethic, and I think that’s part of his leadership.”

[GeneChing]

There's a vid if you follow the link. Also worthy of note here was the Superbowl XLVII connection of the Jones brothers (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1208945#post1208945).

Retired NFL player teaching mixed martial arts football techniques (http://www.kpho.com/story/20953643/former-arizona-cardinals-player-teaching)
Posted: Feb 03, 2013 9:49 PM PST Updated: Feb 03, 2013 9:56 PM PST
By Adam Longo - email
SCOTTSDALE, AZ (CBS5) -

He says it was like a light bulb went off in his head.

Former Arizona Cardinal and ASU lineman Scott Peters played seven years in the NFL.

Sidelined for some of that time by an ankle injury, Peters began to cross-train in Brazilian jiu jitsu and mixed martial arts.

It helped him to bounce back quicker, but it also gave him an idea. Now he is looking to upset the established method of doing business on the football field.

"Guys are taught from an early age to lead with their face, their helmet," says Peters.

Repeated head contact and sharp blows to the helmet are shortening players careers and causing problems for them after retirement.

"The old-school method is still being taught, unfortunately. This is what guys are learning at the lowest levels on up to the NFL. That's what I did when I played, and that's lead with your forehead first," says Peters.

Born out of Peters' mixed martial arts training, he has begun teaching and incorporating new techniques to players both young and old by fusing them into blocking moves. He finds these techniques are more effective. They reduce helmet-to-helmet contact.

"This is the evolution of the game of football, especially in the tackle box," says Peters. "This is the great eliminator, the great equalizer."

Peters' system is called "SAFE" football.

"It's coming forward with your hips and your hands up," he explains. "It mitigates, if not eliminates the need for helmet contact within the tackle box, which could eliminate the majority of concussions."

The University of Washington has hired Scott and brought him up to Seattle to train their players with the SAFE football techniques.

"The explosive movements that he was demonstrating on my players was quite unique, and I was going, hmm. We ought to continue to research this even more," says University of Washington offensive line coach Dan Cozzetto.

Peters says he doesn't see teaching SAFE football as a job but as a mission to help players at all levels reduce the number of hits to the head.

"I'm looking at this as an obligation from the standpoint of helping a solution to the concussion crisis, and it is a crisis at this point," says Peters.

His clients include a number of NFL players and the Penn State football program.

[Syn7]

Many football players wrestled too. I think it's a good base for a transition into MMA. Not ideal, but pretty good. They are already very physical, can take pain, work themselves till they drop. Better base than something like basketball where touching a guy is a foul. Unless the rules in mma change to avoiding getting hit for five minutes, lol.

A good healthy strong linesman with real endurance and conditioning should do pretty well.

[GeneChing]

...when will the NFL legalize guillotines? :rolleyes:


NFL pass-rushers turn to mixed martial arts tactics (http://www.nwasianweekly.com/2015/01/nfl-pass-rushers-turn-mixed-martial-arts-tactics/)
Posted on 06 January 2015.
By Arnie Stapleton
AP Pro Football Writer

DENVER (AP) — Denver defensive end DeMarcus Ware considers himself a mixed martial artist on the football field.

Ever since his rookie year in 2005, he’s spent as much time in the offseason working on his handwork with a second generation Bruce Lee student as he has working out at a traditional gym.

Ware is part of a growing number of NFL pass rushers who have adopted the grappling and striking techniques of MMA. It helps them outmaneuver the ever-expanding 330-pound tackles and get to the ever-quicker quarterbacks before they can throw the football.

Ware credits the moves he’s learned and refined under the tutelage of Valentin Espiricueta, owner and operator of AppliedMMA in Dallas, for helping him amass 127 sacks over his decade in the NFL.

“If I didn’t learn martial arts, I’d be just a basic dip-and-rip guy just trying to go around the corner,” Ware said.

Instead, Espiricueta’s star pupil and eight-time Pro Bowler uses swift swipes and whirlwind motions to set up and ultimately vanquish pass protectors. Like a fighter getting the best of his opponent in the octagon.

Sparring or grappling with technical fighters and their trainers teaches NFL players to swat away and otherwise avoid punches from offensive linemen. It also aids their cardiovascular training, tenacity, and acumen.

“What we’re doing, at least in the grappling aspect of our sport, is we’re manipulating another man’s body, putting it where we want it, whether that’s putting it on the ground or moving it to the left or right or off-balance,” said Matt “The Immortal” Brown, a 33-year-old welterweight UFC fighter from Columbus, Ohio. “So, to learn how to control another man’s body is surely going to be an important skill for them. Anytime it’s one-on-one, man against man, there’s going to be some correlation.”

Packers pass rusher Datone Jones said MMA training helps his “hand-eye coordination, balance, body control, and just being able to strike, being able to endure more.” The ancillary benefit, he said, is greater flexibility, “so it’s working on more areas so you get stronger, flexible, faster, looser.”

Vikings pass rusher Brian Robison said mastering MMA techniques and transferring them to the football field “allow you to rush the passer a little bit easier.”

Ware was introduced to the martial arts aspect of pass rushing by Greg Ellis, a defensive end in the NFL from 1998 to 2009.

Ellis learned of Espiricueta’s training methods from Randy White, who played for the Cowboys from 1975to 1988.

“Greg Ellis told me, `You’re not going to have this speed forever. But you can have the quickness.’ So, one thing I learned when I did have a lot of ability, like Von Miller, was I would actually just beat guys from here,” Ware said, tapping his right temple, “instead of beating them just with athleticism.”

Espiricueta combined the Filipino martial art known as Kali with the Bruce Lee style of Kungfu known as Jeet Kune Do, or JKD. Practitioners of JKD believe in smooth, minimal movements and with maximum effects and extreme speed. It is referred to as “the art of fighting without fighting.”

Espiricueta, who studied under Bruce Lee student Dan Inosanto, has worked with numerous NFL players, but said Ware “took it to a different level.”

He developed a training program customized for football players in response to the league’s rule change in 1978 that allowed offensive linemen to open their hands and leave their arms extended, rather than use the hit-and-recoil techniques like boxers.

“It was all about the hands and how to get their hands off you,” he said.

That rule change led to a transformation in the trenches as offensive linemen ballooned past 280, 290, and then 300 pounds, overpowering defenders by sheer size. Nowadays, they’re typically 330 pounds and outweigh most defensive ends by 75 pounds and linebackers by 100.

So defenders either have to be fast enough to get around them or quick enough to swat away their hands when they punch.
A dip-and-rip or jab step just doesn’t always do the trick anymore. But with martial arts techniques, “you figure out what’s the best leverage point and he can be 350 pounds and it doesn’t matter, you’re going to beat him,” Ware said.

“The tackles now, they’re so big and they’re pretty quick,” Ware said. “And they use their hands to set you up or they use their arms for leverage because usually their arms are longer than a pass rusher’s. So, you have to figure out how to defend yourself from that, and with mixed martial arts, you sort of figure out how to set guys up and use certain moves so you dictate what they’re going to do.

“If you do it so many times, eventually, you figure out the timing of when they’re going to punch — because eventually they have to punch.”

And when they do, that’s when Ware will use his martial arts, maybe with something Espiricueta came up with called the “side scissor.” The pass rusher uses both hands to swipe away the punch to his chest and throw the tackle off-balance.

“It’s like a chess match. You’ve got to be patient,” Ware said. “If you beat him just three times and have three sacks in that game, you had a monster game.” ■

AP Pro Football Writers Dave Campbell and Rob Maaddi and AP Sports Writer Genaro C. Armas contributed.

[GeneChing]

Mixing in martial arts to improve on-field performance (http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000567511/article/mixing-in-martial-arts-to-improve-onfield-performance)
By NFL UP! Ambassador NFL.com
Published: Oct. 28, 2015 at 02:50 p.m.

Football is commonly referred to as a combat sport, but combat skill is not trained throughout the year. Basketball players can shoot jump shots daily and find pick-up games whenever they choose. Football players, however, are limited in the offseasons to training for their sport. For this reason, players in the NFL have started to use boxing and various martial arts in the offseason to help them become better players. Martial arts provides football players a unique method to stay in shape while training their hands to improve on-field performance.

Below are three ways that NFL players use combat training to improve during the offseason.

Hand Combat Drills

Hand combat training is designed to sharpen the player's "weapons for battle." This type of training requires a partner, who provides the athlete opportunities to focus on spacing, timing, accuracy and speed specific to their sport. The drills should be practiced in brief, focused and frequent sessions at least twice a week with workouts ranging from 10 to 60 minutes. As the athlete improves, speed and intensity can be added along with protective equipment (like Thai pads).

Coach Ben Creamer of Ignition APG has specialized in hand combat training for more than 10 years and has been working with the Cincinnati Bengals, including one of NFL's current sack leaders for the season, Carlos Dunlap. Other NFL players who have used Creamer's hand combat program at Ignition include Connor Barwin of the Philadelphia Eagles and Luke Kuechly of the Carolina Panthers.

"Hand combat training has grown quickly because players understand the importance of 'preparing their weapons' for battle," said Creamer. "For years, there was a gap in specific development outside of the team practice. So, players are now seeking this style of training during the offseason ... and continuing it throughout the year."

"Using hand combat training has helped my reaction. My hands and pass rush moves are quicker and more reflexive when going against offensive tackles during a game," said Carlos Dunlap. Dunlap trains hand combat once a week outside of the work he gets in practice and also follows a pregame routine that warms his hands up prior to kickoff.

Boxing

Players traditionally use boxing in the offseason to develop skills that can be translated on the field. Boxing can be used to train hand-eye coordination as well as quickness and stamina. The cardiovascular endurance workout that an NFL player gets from a boxing workout is intense, yet low impact on the lower body. Within each workout, the player must learn how to breathe effectively and how to pace himself between punching combinations. Boxing teaches striking and how to evade a defender, which can translate into useful football movements.

Grappling

Grappling and martial arts activities - such as wrestling, judo and jiu-jitsu - are great ways to train balance, the push-pull relationship, body positioning, leverage, hip mobility and total body endurance. A takedown in wrestling is much like a tackle in football. In addition, there is a great deal of hand-to-hand combat during wrestling, judo and ju-jitsu matches. Another benefit that comes from grappling is learning how to properly "fall," absorb force and roll along the ground. This skill can reduce the amount of wrist, elbow and shoulder injuries that can occur anytime a player hits the ground in a game or practice. Any young player looking to gain an advantage during the offseason should consider grappling for these benefits.

Some of the NFL's best linemen were wrestlers in high school. Super Bowl winning offensive lineman Josh Kline of the New England Patriots was a heavy weight champion in the state of Ohio in high school. During his time training with Ignition for the NFL Combine, Josh displayed great agility as well as the ability to bend at the hips and knees. Other NFL standouts that wrestled in high school were Ray Lewis, a state champion in Florida, and Roddy White, a champion in South Carolina.

- Clif Marshall is the Performance Director at Ignition Athletics Performance Group. He also serves as a consultant to the Cincinnati Bengals Strength Staff. Since launching an NFL training business at Ignition in 2008, Marshall has trained hundreds of NFL athletes on all 32 rosters, including league MVPs and top-10 draft picks. Ignition has trained a number of players who hold all-time NFL Combine records.

There's a vid too, if you follow the link.

[GeneChing]

Parity In The NFL May be Dying, But It Is Alive And Well In Mixed Martial Arts (http://blog.seattlepi.com/oregonsportsnews/2015/11/04/parity-in-the-nfl-may-be-dying-but-it-is-alive-and-well-in-mixed-martial-arts/)
By David Golden on November 4, 2015 at 5:32 AM

http://blog.seattlepi.com/oregonsportsnews/files/2015/11/parity-in-the-nfl-may-be-dying-but-it-is-alive-and-well-in-mixed-martial-arts.jpg

Parity. NFL fans across the country have been told over and over that parity exists in the NFL. Fans like myself rally around the idea that this year could be THE year, and “we” definitely have a chance. Even today, Seattle Seahawks fans still believe their beloved team is a contender, even if signs point to things possibly slipping away. The truth is, half the teams in the NFL are terrible, ten teams are ok, and five are good. As a friend of mine said to me recently, “Widespread mediocrity in the NFL is what keeps all of us believing that this year can be ‘our year.’” While football is near and dear to my heart, it has become increasingly more difficult to be a fan of my team. Maybe this is why I have leaned so heavily on my love of mixed martial arts over the last decade.

If an MMA fighter is mediocre at the highest levels of the sport, his or her time there will not only be short, it will be painful. In the early days of MMA, a fighter with a great wrestling background and below average striking could be just as dangerous as a fighter with a dozen kickboxing titles. However, as the sport has progressed, the total summation of fighting skills required to be one of the best in the world seems to have increased, and the great fighters of years past have slowly faded away. Today’s fighters have spent most of their lives learning to be multi-disciplined and this has presented a more even playing field. Beyond that it has exposed those who would otherwise hover in the middle of the pack. This new breed of fighter has done as much for parity as it has for legacy. The modern day MMA champion is dominant. When we look at the UFC, we see dominant champions like Jose Aldo, Demetrious Johnson, Ronda Rousey, and Jon Jones (prior to being stripped of his title), who are some of the most dangerous fighters the sport has ever known. These fighters have been fixed atop their posts and have taken on challengers who are incredibly well prepared and determined to work past the middling fighters who are on the verge of being cut.

While the best fighters have risen to the top and stayed there, it would seem that fighters across the sport have continued to play leapfrog in the rankings and jockey for position as they try to take gold away from the elite of the sport. This is where parity is more relevant. It can take a great deal of time for a fighter to get the call from a top organization like the UFC. Many up and coming fighters come to the UFC with eight or better fights under their belt and usually these fighters are the best from their local region. In some cases these fighters barely have a foot in the door before they are released. If these fighters fail to show great potential in the cage they won’t spend years on the roster, they will be sent packing with the option to get better or get out of the game. It’s the harsh reality of the business but it creates parity that is unmatched in any other professional sport.

The sense of loyalty that comes from being a life-long fan of a team can never be replicated. That familial connection one can have with a team is unique, obsessive, and amazing. However, this connection is just as gut wrenching as it is incredible. Should you suffer year after year if a guy like Tom Brady doesn’t pilot your team? Of course not. So rather than buy into the lie that parity is alive and well in the NFL maybe tune into the next UFC event and find out what parity looks like, fist to fist.

I don't really follow football. I should now because the Superbowl 50 is coming to our area. I even had a chance to work that, but I passed it by because it would have taken too much effort to make the cut for that crew, more than I could afford at this time. I might work some of the pre-game events. There's a Metallica show the day before, and I can surely get on that crew, plus it's more my speed. ;)

[GeneChing]

NFL'S KROY BIERMANN
I'D TRY MMA
... If My Famous Wife Let Me (http://www.tmz.com/2016/07/26/kroy-biermann-mma-kim-zolciak/)
7/26/2016 6:09 AM PDT BY TMZ STAFF
EXCLUSIVE

SHE'S THE BOSS TMZSports.com
NFL linebacker Kroy Biermann says he'd be all the way down to try his hand in a real-life MMA fight ... if his famous wife, Kim Zolciak, would let him. So, we asked her!
Kroy was co-hosting the "TMZ Sports" show on FS1 Monday night when he told us he's a huge MMA fan -- who happens to have a wrestling background.
You gotta see what Kim says when we bring up the plan -- long story short, she shuts him down faster than Conor McGregor shut down Jose Aldo!
BONUS -- we also ask Kroy -- who happens to be a free agent -- where he wants to play next season and if Kim has a say in where he signs. Check out the clip!

There's a clip if you must see it.

When I hear people say "I'd try MMA..." I just gotta give one of these :rolleyes:

There is no "try."

[GeneChing]

How Georgia Running Back Nick Chubb Fought to Reconstruct His Career (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2663172-how-georgia-running-back-nick-chubb-fought-to-reconstruct-his-career)
By Barrett Sallee , SEC Football Lead Writer Sep 19, 2016

http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/003/625/025/hi-res-b84b3c602b0f88c4a34ae29d42f0d66b_crop_north.jpg?w= 630&h=420&q=75
Scott Cunningham/Getty Images
Georgia RB Nick Chubb

ATLANTA — Georgia running back Nick Chubb sprawled to keep his opponent from grabbing his legs and bringing him down. The 5'10", 228-pounder was doing his best MMA impression.

But Chubb wasn't trying to avoid an SEC linebacker, and he wasn't running between the hedges. A mere five months after tearing three ligaments in his left knee, including his posterior cruciate ligament, he was in a martial arts studio, grappling with taekwondo black belt Sean Borders.

"The movement and the different ranges of motion that the body is going through works the muscles and tendons in different ways," said Borders, who runs Borders Black Belt Academy just outside Athens with his twin brother, Cole. "Taekwondo involves stuff that they're typically not used to doing, and it strengthens the muscles that they might not during their typical weight training."

A few months earlier, on Oct. 10, 2015, Nick Chubb was sitting on the training table on the Georgia sideline at Tennessee, a broken man.

He had reeled off 13 straight 100-yard games in the run-heavy Georgia offense, but on his first carry against the Volunteers, Chubb took a hit while going out of bounds that ended his season and put his football future in doubt.

"Everybody loves Nick Chubb. Everybody respects Nick Chubb. I am sure Bulldog Nation's heart sank when you see a guy like that on the sideline," said then-Bulldog head coach Mark Richt on the night of the injury. "He is a true warrior when it comes to playing football, and he is one of the finest people we have on this team."

Ron Courson, director of sports medicine at Georgia, described the nature of the injury to ESPN's Olivia Harlan:


Follow
Olivia Harlan ✔ @Olivia_Harlan
Think Todd Gurley & Nick Chubb both had "a knee injury"? Think again! Fascinating.. UGA AD of sports med Ron Courson
4:32 PM - 8 Sep 2016
52 52 Retweets 127 127 likes

Eleven months later, Chubb carried the ball 32 times for 222 yards and two touchdowns against North Carolina in the 2016 season opener, capping off a miraculous rehabilitation effort, though he's struggled a bit in the two games since, gaining 143 yards on 39 carries.

"I could have done two things, either laid down and never got up, or what I did, and pushed myself," Chubb said after the North Carolina game. "I had a lot of support from everyone around me, and this game, I wasn't out there by myself at all, there was all the other guys out there with me and allowed this type of performance."

Those people who helped Chubb get back to 100 percent after such a devastating injury came from within the Georgia program and out.

"You should give a lot of credit to Ron Courson and his staff," first-year head coach Kirby Smart said, "because they really pushed Nick. And then the second is Nick Chubb is a special person. He's got great humility, a great family, and he works so hard. Not many of you guys know what this kid went through."

http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/article/media_slots/photos/002/532/302/hi-res-426a8a79c4a6ba7783ebde6c96920680_crop_exact.jpg?w= 650&h=434&q=85
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart (left) and RB Nick Chubb

Courson got creative with Chubb, which is how the star running back ended up on a mat learning mixed martial arts as part of his rehab.

After an injury-riddled 2013 season that saw several Bulldogs go down with knee injuries, Courson tapped the resources of the Borders Black Belt Academy. In a group setting with several members of the football team, the twins taught taekwondo as several Bulldogs rehabbed various injuries. Among the students: Chris Conley (ankle), Malcolm Mitchell (knee) and Justin Scott-Wesley (knee).

With Courson by his side, Chubb walked into the academy as Georgia began spring practice in March. Courson and the Borders brothers worked together to develop a routine that protected Chubb's knee, but also pushed him to the point of wincing at times.

http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/article/media_slots/photos/002/532/305/hi-res-de1fc4d31b69c9344316e9a802fbcf8a_crop_exact.jpg?w= 650&h=434&q=85
Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
Georgia RB Nick Chubb after injuring his knee against Tennessee in 2015

"The first few weeks were a feeling-out process," Cole Borders told Bleacher Report. "You could tell that we all began feeling more comfortable with each other, especially with Nick. Everybody was on alert making sure that we weren't pushing it too hard. Once we got to the second month, we started feeling more confident with his body and what it was capable of doing. By June, we were pretty much rocking it like we would with a typical person who isn't recovering."

This unorthodox aspect to Chubb's rehab process went along with the territory for the first-year, first-time head coach of the Bulldogs.

"I hadn't been a part of it," Smart said when asked if he'd ever had a player use martial arts as part of rehab. "I went and watched it a couple of times, and was really impressed with what he was doing."

Part of the rehab included MMA-style training that put stress on Chubb's injured knee and got him used to the rigors of being hit repetitively again—as he would be soon by SEC defenses.

"We're not trying to make anybody an MMA fighter," Cole Borders said. "Our main focus on it was to tailor his workouts to what he needs. We did a lot of individualized ground-fighting drills where he's on the floor working on range of motion with his knee. We worked on tightening the leg up, extending it all the way out, and manipulating it in a bunch of different positions."

The Borders brothers taught Chubb the art of the sprawl—a technique used as a defense to attempted leg takedowns.

"That's sort of like a controlled tackle," Sean Borders said, "which helped him get used to somebody coming in on him. He also did a lot of solo drills, like planting off his feet, hip thrusts, hip escapes and trips. All of that worked his knee in ways that he wasn't used to."

Chubb also worked out with the Georgia track team, which wasn't as much of a jolt to his system.

The Cedartown, Georgia, native competed in the state track and field championships during his senior season at Cedartown High School, which is where UGASports.com's Radi Nabulsi grabbed this ridiculous image:


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I was asked if #UGA RB Nick Chubb might be a bit stiff. No, he's not. Here he is showing that 40-inch vertical.
12:08 PM - 13 May 2014
1,176 1,176 Retweets 705 705 likes

Smart credits Chubb's unusual rehab menu and his relentless work ethic as big factors in his ability to hit the ground running to start the 2016 season.

"When you're going out and doing extra taekwondo at night, early mornings, there's a reason why he's in the shape he's in, and it's because of the way he works," Smart said.

http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/article/media_slots/photos/002/532/311/hi-res-2ddd5a1681d41b70acb71f8eb5b93d73_crop_exact.jpg?w= 650&h=433&q=85
Scott Cunningham/Getty Images
Georgia RB Nick Chubb against North Carolina in 2016

The staff took the reins off of Chubb when Georgia opened fall camp on Aug. 1. Though they insisted at times that he not overdo it, Chubb says his rehab work gave him a sense of confidence that the injury was behind him.

"I had already been through it in practice," Chubb said after the North Carolina game. "I've practiced hard, been tackled in scrimmages, so I was prepared. The coaching staff, training staff did a great job with just the whole team. It was a great outcome."

An outcome that involved an innovative rehab and the heart of a champion.

Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Statistics courtesy of CFBStats unless otherwise noted. All recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Odds provided by Odds Shark.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on SiriusXM 83. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.

I could see the MMA (http://www.martialartsmart.com/mma-gear.html) conditioning, but TKD (http://www.martialartsmart.com/tae-kwon-do-styles.html) seems counter-intuitive for a knee injury.

[GeneChing]

Report: Greg Hardy focusing on MMA career now (http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/10/11/report-greg-hardy-focusing-on-mma-career-now/)
Posted by Darin Gantt on October 11, 2016, 11:31 AM EDT

https://nbcprofootballtalk.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/05-greg-hardy-w529-h352-e1459891602102.jpg?w=250
Getty Images

Greg Hardy couldn’t find anyone to let him play football in exchange for money.

So he’s now looking for a way to make hitting people lucrative for a change.

According to MMAFighting.com, the former Panthers and Cowboys defensive end “has decided to put his football career on hold to pursue” mixed martial arts.

Of course, the NFL was actually the one who decided to put his career on hold, as no one is willing to touch him after he proved to be not worth the headache to the Cowboys last year. They gave him a second chance after his domestic violence arrest and subsequent year on the commissioner’s exempt list with the Panthers, and he played OK but also created a number of distractions which alienated coaches and teammates alike.

The 28-year-old Hardy has apparently been training in the Dallas area.

“I’m very focused and excited to start my MMA career,” Hardy said in a statement. “I’m going to do this the right way, I can assure you of that.”

He said similar things prior to joining the Cowboys, and while he was trying to hustle up work this offseason, including a visit to Jacksonville.

He was recently arrested on cocaine possession charges in Texas, though he said someone slipped the bag of drugs into his wallet while he was paying for a large group of people at a club the night before.

Trading that helmet for gloves.

[GeneChing]

There's a vid, but the article pretty much covers it, I imagine.


Focusing again on MMA training, Greg Hardy realizes NFL window is nearly closed (http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/07/17/focusing-again-on-mma-training-greg-hardy-realizes-nfl-window-is-nearly-closed/)
Posted by Mike Florio on July 17, 2017, 8:37 AM EDT

https://nbcprofootballtalk.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/496337010-e1500295046574.jpg?w=221
Getty Images

Friday’s extended podcast interview with agent Drew Rosenhaus included questions about one of his more notorious clients: Former NFL pass rusher Greg Hardy.

Last seen on a football field participating in the Spring League, Hardy (according to Rosenhaus) decided not to participate in the Spring League Showcase held over the weekend in California, focusing instead on his MMA training. Yes, Hardy continues to aspire to become a mixed-martial arts fighter.

He also aspires to get another chance in the NFL, but Rosenhaus realizes the window is nearly closed for Hardy. If nothing happens over the next month or so, it’s likely over for Hardy, who turns 29 later this month.

As to why Hardy continues to find no interest in the NFL after starting 12 games for the Cowboys in 2015, Rosenhaus attributes the situation to a confluence of factors, with the 2014 off-field incident that triggered a paid suspension for most of his franchise-tag year with the Panthers and a four-game unpaid suspension in 2015 and his issues while with the Cowboys coming together to keep the rest of the league from pursuing Hardy.

Although the production has been there at time for Hardy, with an 11-sack season in 2012, a 15-sack season in 2013, and six sacks in 12 games after not playing for more than a year in 2015, Hardy isn’t regarded as being good enough to justify the potential distractions and P.R. problems that would flow from putting him on an NFL roster. A rash of injuries to pass rushers could change that, in theory. But it may take plenty of injuries to get down to Hardy’s name on the list of available veterans.

[GeneChing]

Former NFL DL Greg Hardy to face Joe Hawkins in first amateur fight on Nov. 4 (http://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/21036552/former-nfl-defensive-lineman-greg-hardy-books-first-amateur-fight-mma)
5:16 PM PT
Brett Okamoto
ESPN Staff Writer

Former NFL defensive lineman Greg Hardy has booked his first amateur fight in mixed martial arts for Nov. 4 in south Florida.

Hardy, 29, broke the news on social media. Representatives at First Round Management confirmed the bout to ESPN. Hardy will face Joe Hawkins inside Havert L. Finn Center in Fort Pierce, Florida.

A controversial figure in the NFL, Hardy hasn't played football since 2015. He was arrested in 2014 after allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend. The domestic violence case was eventually dropped, and Hardy's record was expunged.

http://a2.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2015%2F1106%2Fr23502_1296x729_16% 2D9.jpg&w=570
Greg Hardy hasn't played football since 2015. AP Photo/Brandon Wade

Hardy was arrested in September 2016 for possession of cocaine.

In late 2016, Hardy revealed he had started training for MMA in south Florida and intended to pursue a professional career. Representatives told ESPN that Hardy's current focus is his amateur debut, and there is no set timeframe for booking a pro fight.

For what it's worth, UFC president Dana White told TMZ last year that Hardy would need to "win some serious fights" before the UFC considered him. The UFC typically doesn't sign athletes with little to no background but has made several high-profile exceptions.

In an interview with MMAFighting.com in 2016, Hardy said, "I have a lot of different issues that I'm definitely working through and working on. I would say [training MMA] helps me channel everything. It helps me just come back down to earth, be humble, because these are machines that I see every day. I get choked out, punched in the face and laid out on the mat daily, and that's not something that a guy my size and my stature with my history has ever come across."

Hardy had six sacks in 12 games for the Dallas Cowboys in 2015. He was a Pro Bowl selection for the Carolina Panthers in 2013, when he registered a career-best 15 sacks.
Busted for coke. Just what MMA needs...:rolleyes:

[GeneChing]

'farcical' <- good word nowadays. I should make more use of it. :p



Greg Hardy Wins Farcical MMA Bout (https://deadspin.com/greg-hardy-wins-farcical-mma-bout-1820975041)
Tom Ley
Yesterday 10:58am

https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--DTZ6loBJ--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/kdw26oyqz6d1hqhzwbgh.jpg
Photo credit: Brandon Wade/AP

Former NFL player Greg Hardy is trying his hand at MMA, and won his debut fight in 32 seconds on Nov. 4. On Friday, he won his second fight in 96 seconds, and the video footage indicates that it was the dumbest fight in history:



Brian Oswald (https://twitter.com/briancoswald/status/936819053003337731)
@briancoswald
Former Cowboy Greg Hardy (2-0) defeats Mississippi amateur debutant Kenneth Woods (0-1) in just 32 seconds by knockout at AKA: Rite Of Passage 2. Via @FloCombat
8:47 PM - Dec 1, 2017
48 48 Replies 102 102 Retweets 74 74 likes

This fight was put on by American Kombat Alliance, a fight promotion that apparently thought it would be a good idea to pit a flabby amateur with no fights under his belt against a former NFL defensive end.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tom Ley
Managing Editor

You should follow the link to the fight. It'll take less than a minute of your time and put a smile on your face... or a smirk.

[GeneChing]

Will Hardy deserve his own indie thread soon? Perhaps...

This ESPN article is funny when juxtaposed with the one above.


Greg Hardy on track for February fight in Dallas for LFA promotion (http://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/21681446/greg-hardy-expected-make-next-amateur-fight-dallas-legacy-fighting-alliance)
5:17 PM PT
Brett Okamoto
ESPN Staff Writer

Former NFL defensive lineman Greg Hardy's next amateur mixed martial arts bout is likely to take place in Dallas, the city where his professional football career ended in 2015.

Current plans are for Hardy, 29, to fight at a yet-to-be announced Legacy Fighting Alliance event in mid-February. Representatives for Hardy and LFA confirmed the plans to ESPN on Tuesday.

Hardy began training in MMA late last year and is 2-0 as an amateur, with two first-round knockouts. He trains out of American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida.

According to Hardy's representatives at First Round Management, the team is still focused on "bringing him along," and there is no timetable for his professional heavyweight debut. Barring unforeseen changes, February's amateur fight will mark Hardy's first appearance in the LFA promotion.

LFA CEO Ed Soares told ESPN he's looking forward to Hardy's debut and would be "very interested" in promoting his first pro fight, whenever the time comes.

It's worth noting LFA is considered one of the premier regional promotions in the U.S. and has a history of placing athletes in bigger shows.

LFA has an especially strong relationship with the UFC. It was formed in 2016, following a merger of Legacy Fighting Championships and Resurrection Fighting Alliance. Former Legacy owner Mick Maynard is now a UFC matchmaker.

Hardy has expressed a desire to eventually fight in the UFC. UFC president Dana White has not ruled it out, but said multiple times that Hardy's development has a long way to go.

Hardy hasn't played football since 2015. He was arrested in 2014 after allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend. The domestic violence case against him was eventually dropped and expunged from his record.

Hardy was also arrested in 2016 for possession of cocaine. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drug charge and avoided jail time.

Born in Tennessee, Hardy had six sacks in 12 games for the Dallas Cowboys in his final season. He made the Pro Bowl in 2013, as a member of the Carolina Panthers.

[GeneChing]

You know you've won well when the entire fight can be compressed to into a twitter post.


Greg Hardy gets UFC contract after 57-second knockout in professional MMA debut (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2018/06/13/greg-hardy-gets-ufc-contract-after-57-second-knockout-in-professional-mma-debut/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.39d0712887aa)
By Des Bieler
June 13 at 1:45 AM

https://www.washingtonpost.com/resizer/IaCMxwYLKxRnjpykCoCaJwFz8Ws=/1484x0/arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/ND4OAMTLBY3KNJTAI2NLROX6CY.jpg
Greg Hardy played one season with the Cowboys after four-plus with the Panthers. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Greg Hardy, the former NFL player whose promising career fizzled after charges of domestic violence and continued behavioral issues, was awarded a contract by the UFC on Tuesday, following his professional debut in mixed martial arts. Squaring off against another former NFL player, Austen Lane, Hardy scored a 57-second knockout and said afterward he was “super excited” about the opportunity to join the combat-sports giant.

The 29-year-old former defensive end last played in the NFL in 2015, and after pivoting to MMA the following year, he went 3-0 as an amateur, all by first-round knockout. He continued that trend in his first professional fight, part of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series.

Hardy (1-0) quickly sent Lane (4-1), a former defensive end and 2010 Jacksonville Jaguars draft pick, to a knee with a hard right hook. After Lane got back up, he was immediately met with a left hook that ended the heavyweight fight.


Sporting News
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Greg Hardy won by knockout 57 seconds into his pro MMA debut.

6:50 PM - Jun 12, 2018
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White, the UFC president who runs the series as a separate promotion that seeks out up-and-coming MMA talent, made offers Tuesday to Hardy and another winner that evening by first-round knockout, Alonzo Menifield. The latter, a light heavyweight who had fought last year in the first season of White’s series, ran his record to 7-0 by dispatching Dashawn Boatwright (3-1) in just eight seconds.

“This means everything,” Hardy said (via MMA Fighting). “It’s awesome. I don’t really have the words, I’m just super excited. I’m just really glad I got the opportunity, man.

“Austen came out fighting hard like I thought he would, and it was just a great fight. I got lucky and came in and did what I was supposed to do, and it worked out.”

On Monday, Hardy had called White “an angel,” saying, “I honestly couldn’t begin to explain why, I can only express my appreciation and gratitude for the opportunity to be here and show what kind of athlete I am, and show what I have developed into.”

White has received some scrutiny for his interest in bringing Hardy aboard, particularly after his company released a statement in May, following the domestic violence arrest of UFC fighter Nick Diaz, in which it said that it “does not tolerate domestic violence and requires all athletes to adhere to the UFC Fighter Conduct Policy.” At a news conference after Saturday’s UFC 225 event, White said of Hardy, “I guess he had a real bad drug and alcohol problem. Started getting into MMA, cleaned himself up.

“If you talk to anybody he trains with, male or female, they say that he’s a very good guy, he’s very humble. Everybody deserves a second chance,” White continued. “And the guy was never charged with anything, he was never sentenced or anything like that. So, we’re going to give him a shot.”

Hardy was sentenced in 2014 by a North Carolina judge to 18 months’ probation, with a 60-day jail sentence suspended, after he was found guilty of assaulting a female and communicating threats. A member of the Carolina Panthers at the time, the 2013 Pro Bowler had been accused by an ex-girlfriend of using physical force against her after they had a night of drinking, and of putting his hands around her neck and threatening to kill her.

Hardy denied assaulting the woman and claimed that she suffered bruises while hurling herself into a bathtub in his apartment after he said he wouldn’t sleep with her, and that she threatened to kill herself if she left his building. He appealed and asked for a jury trial, and the case against him was dismissed in February 2015 after the woman failed to appear in court, with prosecutors suggesting that Hardy had privately reached a financial settlement with her.

Hardy’s charges were expunged later that year, which was quickly followed by the emergence of evidence from his domestic violence case, including photos of the woman’s bruises. Meanwhile, reeling from accusations of domestic abuse toward Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson, the NFL had rendered Hardy inactive for most of the 2014 season by placing him on the commissioner’s exempt list, and then the league suspended him for 10 games in the 2015 season, a ban subsequently reduced to four.

Hardy was released by the Panthers in 2015 but was quickly picked up by the Dallas Cowboys, which brought the team criticism, including from the mayor of Dallas. As that season progressed, the Cowboys were reported to have developed concerns about Hardy’s off-field partying and lateness for meetings, as well as about his run-ins with teammates, and the team declined to re-sign him for the following season.

That effectively ended Hardy’s NFL career, with the likely final straw a September 2016 arrest for cocaine possession. The troubled past has led some to question why White and the UFC would want to get involved with him, but Hardy said Monday that he felt misunderstood by his critics.

“You’ll find that 99.9 percent of the time people are talking bad about me, they’ve never met me,” Hardy said. “Never been anywhere near me, in any instance when I was on the field, signing autographs or doing one of the millions of things I do for my fans, or even people who are not my fans.”

“I just think if you give me a chance, you’ll find out,” he added, “and if not, honestly, I accept your opinion, and just keep watching — it’s gonna get entertaining.”

White indicated Tuesday that Hardy would not make an immediate move to the UFC, but would first get some more seasoning in MMA fights with other promotions.

THREADS
Football & MMA (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?54183-Football-amp-MMA)
Greg Hardy (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70817-Greg-Hardy)

[GeneChing]

Chris McCain swaps football for MMA (https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/07/04/chris-mccain-swaps-football-for-mma/)
Posted by Mike Florio on July 4, 2019, 1:25 PM EDT

https://nbcprofootballtalk.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/gettyimages-865189314-e1562261009201.jpg?w=768&h=433&crop=1
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Former NFL defensive end Chris McCain is only 27, and if he wanted to continue to play football there’s a chance he could. But he has decided to try a different sport.

As explained by Gilbert Manzano of the Southern California News Group, McCain hopes to make it in MMA.

McCain became a solid contibutor to the Chargers in 2017, racking up five sacks in 15 appearances. The Chargers applied a $1.9 million restricted free agency tender offer for 2018, but an accusation of spitting on a woman and grabbing her neck, which resulted in two counts of misdemeanor battery, prompted the Chargers to rescind the tender. (McCain denies the allegations.) He later signed with the Colts, but he was released during the 2018 preseason.

McCain has decided not to return to football, because he believes football was the root of his problems.

“I had hit the worst points of my life when I was playing in the NFL,” McCain said. “I just can’t [return to the NFL]. There is no point. More money, more problems. No point. Less money, less problems. I’m not making nearly as much as I was making in the NFL, and I don’t hear from nearly over 80 percent of the people I met and know, which I’m thankful for. God showed me something. I’m blessed with the people still in my corner and people I talk to, but definitely showed me something.”

So McCain, who also played for the Dolphins and Saints, texted former Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman, expressing an interest to try fighting.

“I just got a lot of anger and frustration,” McCain said. “I really needed to figure out what it is I can do to really help me express myself, and football just wasn’t enough. I’m getting tired of being fined for stuff. Fighting in the locker room. Fighting on the field. Sitting out a practice because you’re fighting in practice. Had joint practices with different teams, getting in fights on that. It was just a lot. I just think this is what I need to be doing. . . . To be in the NFL, it’s not worth the stress and depression. It’s really not.”

His new sport is worth it, because he believes his new sport is helping him.

“This is my therapy, me beating you up, and I can beat you up the right way,” McCain said.

He makes his official MMA debut on Saturday, as he attempts to beat up Jamal Harris (0-2) as an unpaid amateur in Merriman’s second Lights Out Xtreme Fighting event.

McCain hopes to eventually fight Jon Jones. McCain has a very long way to go to get to that point, but if the talent he showed as a pass rusher translates to the octagon, McCain could end up having an interesting second career.

Battery? Will we see him on our Busted MMA thread (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?52219-Busted-MMA-fighters-and-fights) next?

[GeneChing]

Browns hire martial arts expert Scott Peters as assistant OL coach (https://brownswire.usatoday.com/2020/02/14/browns-hire-martial-arts-expert-scott-peters-as-assistant-ol-coach/)

https://usatbrownswire.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/usatsi_2223846-e1581685140346.jpg?w=779&h=467&crop=1&zoom=2
Jeff Risdon
6 hours ago

New Browns assistant offensive line coach Scott Peters is not someone players will want to fight. Even though Peters has been retired from the NFL for over a decade, he’s still able to whip some tail.

Peters, hired Thursday to be the top assistant under OL coach Bill Callahan, is a martial arts expert. He’s won several Brazilian Jiu Jitsu world championships and also competed in MMA events. In fact, Peters created his own MMA gym and has trained the likes of Chain Velasquez and Brock Lesnar at his The Lions Den gym in Arizona.

He’s a former NFL offensive lineman, playing center and guard for five teams between 2002 and 2008, finishing his career with the Cardinals team that lost to the Steelers in the Super Bowl. I was going to look up his fight record but I got other things to do first. Maybe later.