The name “Jose Aldo” warrants both fear and respect among featherweight fighters these days, but how much praise does a champion’s training partner deserve before he’s even made his WEC debut?
At “WEC 49: Varner vs. Shalorus“, fight fans will get an opportunity to draw their own conclusions about Renan Barao — training partner of the current WEC champ and a 20-1 Brazilian fighter whose current 20-fight win streak dates all the way back to his pro debut — but while all the hype seems to surround Barao for his upcoming WEC bantamweight debut, people shouldn’t be too quick to count out the challenger, Anthony Leone.
One of several undefeated fighters from Team Bombsquad, Leone himself is no stranger to trading punches with champions. At 21, he left Long Island, NY and headed to Hilo, HI to study MMA under former UFC Lightweight Champion B.J. Penn. Since then he’s compiled an undefeated record of 8-0 and is just as eager as Barao to get his name out there this Sunday at WEC49.
“My opponent is pretty good. He’s 20-1, with a 20-fight win streak, I know that, but he’s never really faced a wrestler or somebody who will switch it up on him like I can,” Leone said. “All the guys he’s fought are mostly Muay Thai fighters… I don’t know, I think he’s got a lot of hype behind him.”
Leone on the other hand has been winning quietly the last two years, jumping back and forth between the 145 and 155 lb. divisions, but always in the mix with the best around and consistently coming out on top by submission or decision.
Before coming back from Hawaii in 2008, Leone turned to the popular MMA forum The Underground in search of a quality camp to join when he got home to New York. Right away, all signs pointed to Cortland based Bombsquad.
“That was all Zack,” said Leone. “We met on The Underground and he asked me, ‘What type of opponents are you looking for?’ Then he gave me three options; an easy opponent, a hard opponent or whoever we put in front of you. I said, ‘I don’t really care.’ I was 1-0 at the time and feeling pretty good. The rest is history.”
Leone has kept busy since he got back to the mainland and has been in and out of the cage just about every three months for his entire career, but it wasn’t until he took a single fight at 135 that he got noticed by the likes of the WEC.
He and his manager had decided a few months back that the WEC was just too stacked at 145 to make a run at a featherweight contract, so when a new promotion called the XCFL offered Leone a title shot and a chance to drop to 135 for a fight with undefeated Boston Sityodtong prodigy in Teteki Matsui, he jumped at the chance.
The result was a bantamweight debut that contained more memorable moments than most’s career highlight video.
Leone revealed new found speed and the same kind of power against Matsui. He took him down with slams from the front as well as behind, unloaded straight left and right punches at an incredible pace and ate more than one headkick as well as an illegal knee to the head while he was down.
“I had to cut 30 pounds to make 135,” said Leone. “I think i got a lot faster but those guys [in the WEC] are so much faster too. It’s got its ups and downs.”
The real difference in the wrestler’s game came when he moved Upstate so he could train with the Bombsquad full time. He explained there were people to roll with in Long Island but nothing could match the sparring he received day in and day out with his brothers at arms in Cortland.
“Moving up to Cortland has been great for me,” he said. “Back when I used to train in Long Island we’d mostly work on my wrestling or jiu-jitsu, but not spar. Then, I come up to Cortland and we’re forced to spar atleast three or four times a week. I never used to like to get hit, but now I’m used to it. I’m never scared to get in cage and take a shot. I know it’s going to happen — I know I’m going to get punched — it’s just a matter of doing it back to him.”
As World Extreme Cagefighting continues to gather up the most talented fighters under 155 pounds, more and more exciting fights have found their way onto the undercard. This weekend’s event will feature Wagney Fabiano along with Raphael Assuncao and Diego Nunes competing in the featherweight and bantamweight divisions, and fight fans can’t afford to miss Barao and Leone.
New York, NY, March 1, 2010 – The 11th season of Spike TV’s most popular original series ever, “The Ultimate Fighter,” for the first time will feature 28 of the best up and coming mixed martial artists in the world competing for 14 spots in “The Ultimate Fighter” house.
The series boasts a new format, which will be introduced to viewers in the show’s premiere episode. The smash hit will also feature two coaches who need no introduction to mixed martial arts fans, UFC legends Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell and Tito “The Huntington Beach Bad boy” Ortiz.
The new season premieres Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at 10:00 PM ET/PT featuring the following cast members:
RICH ATTONITO
Fighting out of: Deerfield Beach, FL / American Top Team
Record: 7-3
Age: 32
A 2001 graduate of Hofstra University in Long Island, Rich Attonito wrestled several different weight classes as a member of the Pride wrestling team including the 167lb. and 197lb. divisions. Attonito has been training with American Top Team since he moved to Florida in 2006. He is the strength and conditioning coach for UFC veteran Luigi Fioravanti.
SETH BACZYNSKI
Fighting out of: Canyon, AZ / Apex MMA
Record: 11-5
Age: 28
Training partner to TUF alums Santino DeFranco (season 9) and Efrain Escudero (season at Apex MMA in Arizona, Seth Baczynski is a full-time water inspector at Liberty Water.
CHARLES BLANCHARD
Fighting out of: Coconut Creek, FL / American Top Team
Record: 7-2
Age: 24
A 2-time All State wrester in high school, this single father is a jiu-jitsu brown belt and a published poet.
JOSH BRYANT
Fighting out of: Tulsa, OK / Absolute Combat Alliance
Record: 10-0
Age: 29
A member of the Absolute Combat Alliance camp in Tulsa, OK, Josh Bryant sports a perfect 10-0 professional mixed martial arts record. When not training, Bryant works as a manager for Mazzio’s Italian Eatery in Oklahoma.
CHRIS CAMOZZI
Fighting out of: Denver, CO / Gumm MMA
Record: 11-3
Age: 22
Camozzi is a freestyle fighter from Denver that works as a bouncer in his spare time. Two of his three losses are to TUF alums Jesse Forbes (season 3) and Jesse Taylor (season 7).
BRENT COOPER Fighting out of: Long Beach, CA / Team Oyama
Record: 5-1
Age: 31
Of Sioux Indian descent, Cooper is a pipeliner by day for Shell Oil, and a devastating striker by night, with four of his five wins coming via TKO.
JACEN FLYNN
Fighting out of: Meridian, ID / No camp
Record: 8-2
Age: 31
Jacen Flynn possesses an 8-2 mixed martial arts record that includes wins over Dennis Kang and Dean Lister. Away from the Octagon™, he is a social worker.
JAMES HAMMORTREE
Fighting out of: Ocala, FL / USA Martial Arts
Record: 4-0
Age: 23
Following one season at Weber International, where he starred on the football team as a linebacker and on special teams, Hammortree left the program in order to become a full-time firefighter in Ocala, FL. The former high school wrestler owns a 4-0 professional record with all four of those bouts taking place in 2009.
JOSEPH HENLE
Fighting out of: Thousand Oaks, CA / Big John McCarthy’s MMA
Record: 3-0
Age: 26
Joseph Henle splits time training at Big John McCarthy’s MMA and working as a substitute teacher and wrestling coach in Thousand Oaks, CA. Henle earned his MBA in Financial Planning from California Lutheran University in ’06. He speaks fluent Japanese.
The self-proclaimed baddest man in Minnesota, Charley Lynch owns a 6-0 professional record with zero of his bouts going to decision.
KRIS MCCRAY
Fighting out of: Dumfries, VA / Chute BoxeRecord: 5-0
Age: 28
Son of a military father, Kris McCray was raised in Germany, where he excelled on the soccer pitch and garnered All-Europe honors in high school. In 1999, McCray moved permanently to the United States, where he has served parts of 8 years (6 active, 2 inactive) as a member of the US Army Reserve, while also finding time to earn his Associates Degree in Social Studies from Northern Virginia Community College.
COURT MCGEE
Fighting out of: Orem, UT / Throwdown Elite Fight TeamRecord: 9-1
Age: 24
A Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist out of Orem, UT, Court McGee beat “The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom” runner-up DaMarques Johnson in 2007 by submission
A teammate of TUF (season alum Tom Lawlor at Jungle MMA, Clayton McKinney is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt that supplements his training by working security at a local bar in Orlando.
Kyle Noke, from Mooloolaba, Australia, is the former bodyguard of “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin. Currently training with Jackson’s MMA in New Mexico, Noke defeated TUF (season 6) alum George Sotiropoulos in June 2005 and current castmate Kyacey Uscola this past September.
VICTOR O’DONNELL
Fighting out of: Milford, OH / Vision MMA
Record: 8-1
Age: 27
Hailing from Milford, OH, O’Donnell suffered his first professional loss this past September against cast mate Costantinos Philippou. Before that, he had won eight contests, seven of which by submission.
NORMAN PARAISY
Fighting out of: Coconut Creek, FL / American Top Team
Record: 5-1
Age: 23
Norman Paraisy was born and raised Paris, France. The 5-1 Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist left France in order to pursue MMA in the states and is now a member of the American Top Team.
COSTANTINOS PHILIPPOU
Fighting out of: Merrick, NY / Serra-Longo
Record: 5-1
Age: 30
Costantinos Philippou is a former boxer with 3 professional and over 80 amateur fights on his record. The 30-year-old server from Merrick, NY was born and raised in Greece. He currently trains out of the Serra-Longo camp.
GREG REBELLO
Fighting out of: Buzzards Bay, MA / Sityodtong USA
Record: 9-2
Age: 27
Greg Rebello trains full-time at Sityodtong USA in Massachusetts under the watchful eye of Mark DellaGrotte. Currently in peak physical condition, Rebello at one time weighed in over 300lbs before dedicating himself to fitness at the age of 18.
NICK RING Fighting out of: Calgary, Canada / B.D.P. Martial Arts
Record: 10-0
Age: 30
Nick Ring returned to MMA in May 2009 following a three year stint away from the sport after suffering a devastating knee injury. In that time, Ring boxed professionally to the tune of a 4-1 record with 3 knockouts.
JORDAN SMITH
Fighting out of: Clearfield, UT / Throwdown Elite Fight Team
Record: 10-0
Age: 24
A 7th grade teacher by day, Jordan Smith is a former professional boxer that trains with fellow cast member Court McGee at Throwdown Elite Fight Team.
BEN STARK
Fighting out of: Tamarac, FL / American Top Team
Record: 3-1
Age: 27
Born and raised a practitioner of the Orthodox Jewish religion until the age of 6, Ben Stark began training with American Top Team in Florida as a sophomore in college. When not at the gym, Stark picks up shifts at “The Original Fat Cats,” and also finds time to breed snakes.
LYLE STEFFENS
Fighting out of: Tucson, AZ / Apex MMA
Record: 5-2
Age: 26
Lyle Steffens is a firefighter and an EMT in Tucson, AZ. He trains with fellow cast member Seth Baczynski at Apex MMA.
BRAD TAVARES
Fighting out of: Las Vegas, NV / TapouT
Record: 4-0
Age: 21
At 21, Brad Tavares is the youngest of this season’s cast members. Originally from Hilo, HI, Tavares recently relocated to Las Vegas and trains full-time with TapouT
WARREN THOMPSON
Fighting out of: Marietta, GA / Team Khunpon / Roberto Traven BJJ
Record: 5-0
Age: 23
Warren Thompson, aka “The Kool-Aid Man,” is a muay-thai fighter from Marietta, GA. The volunteer firefighter splits his training in Atlanta between Team Khunpon and Roberto Traven BJJ.
KYACEY USCOLA
Fighting out of: Sacramento, CA / Team Alpha Male
Record: 18-15
Age: 28
Kyacey Uscola joins the cast with 33 professional MMA fights on his record. He trains with Team Alpha Male and Urijah Faber out of Sacramento.
CLEBURN WALKER
Fighting out of: Keller, TX / Team Lutter
Record: 9-3
Age: 26
Born and raised in Texas, Cleburn Walker is a full-time fighter and instructor at Team Lutter. He suffered a recent loss via submission to TUF (season 3) alum Jesse Forbes this past June.
The former US Navy officer currently works full-time as a corrections officer for the Hillsborough County jail in Manchester, NH. Weatherby rotates his training between 2 gyms: Renzo Gracie Academy in Derry, NH, and Mickey Wards Boxing Gym & Xtreme MMA.
JAMIE YAGER Fighting out of: Los Angeles, CA / Kings MMA
Record: 2-1
Age: 25
A standout varsity letterman in baseball and football, Yager was the 2001 Athlete of the Year at South Pasadena High School in California. He picked up training MMA as a hobby, and went straight from training to the professional ranks in February 2008 as part of BET’s Iron Ring, where he defeated his opponent by TKO.
During the six-week taping of “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz,” the competitors endured a grueling regimen of jiu-jitsu, judo, Muay Thai, karate, boxing and wrestling. The intense competition among the fighters continues after they leave the gym – at the Ultimate Fighter House. These warriors must live together, knowing that any day they might be forced to fight each other in the famed UFC Octagon™.
The two finalists will square off in a live finale on Spike TV, where the winner will be declared “The Ultimate Fighter” and net the six-figure contract and a cash prize. UFC President Dana White will once again serve as host of the series.
After each show, Spike.com users will get exclusive extended footage from each episode and an exclusive video leak of the upcoming episode.
Craig Piligian of Pilgrim Films and Television, Frank Fertitta III, Lorenzo Fertitta, Dana White of Zuffa, LLC, and Kevin Kay of Spike TV are the show’s executive producers. Brian J. Diamond, senior vice president, sports & specials, Spike TV is co-executive producer and Christopher Martello is executive in charge of production for Spike TV.
Spike TV is available in 98.6 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. A unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press.
UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn is currently seeking refuge at his mother’s house in Hawaii as the beautiful “Big Island” braces itself for an incoming Tsunami with reported waves of six to fourteen feet.
An enormous 8.8 earthquake off the coast of Chile is the cause for the impending natural disaster.
The massive tidal wave is expected to hit the shores of Hawaii at approximately 11 am local time, which will be 4 pm ET.
5 Oz. thoughts and prayers are with all of the natives of Hawaii and their families in hopes that the damage to the island, if any, will be minimal.
Check out B.J. discussing Hilo’s long history with Tsunami’s on BJPenn.com while the storm warning blares in the background below:
UPDATE: Luckily it looks like there were no casualties or serious property damage from the reported Tsunami, which ended up being more like a serious high tide.
The MMA News caught up with lightweight contender Gray “The Bully” Maynard, who is coming of a recent decision victory over the always dangerous Nate Diaz. Maynard remains unbeaten in his 9 professional bouts and a title shot seems to be on the horizon for the Extreme Couture standout.
Terry (TheMMANews):”You are coming off win vs. Nate Diaz. Tell us a little bit about that fight, and what the game plan was going into it.”
Gray: “Anytime you’re going up against a tall southpaw with a lot of reach and great jui jitsu, it’s always going to be a tough fight. Going into the fight we were confident I could win the stand up battle and the ground game. But I needed to be smart and posture up if I got on top of him.”
Terry (TheMMANews):”With Diaz being the only fighter to beat you, during the Ultimate Fighter show, did you feel more pressure going into this fight?”
Gray: “Of course I wanted to avenge the loss I had to him earlier. Nate’s a tough opponent, so it was easy to keep focused on my training for the fight.”
Terry (TheMMANews): “Diaz is a fighter that feeds off emotion, and making things personal in the Octagon. This is usually not your style but Diaz seemed to bring out this quality in you. Was this a result of all the trash talking instigated by Diaz during the fight, or was there a bit of dislike towards one another going into the fight?”
Gray:”Not at all. I think we both are competitors and know what we need to do when we get in there to compete. That’s just what Nate does when he fights and that’s ok. I’m also the type of guy that doesn’t back down or let anyone push me around. I don’t really try to instigate anything either. I might have gotten a little carried away in there, but that happens and I need to learn from it and improve in that area for my next fight.”
Terry (TheMMANews): “You are currently the only fighter to beat Frankie Edgar who has been announced to fight BJ Penn for the lightweight title. Is this a title shot you feel you deserved at this point, or are you ok with patiently waiting to be next in line?”
Gray: “Frankie has beat some tough opponents. I think it’s more of a timing issue than anything. The UFC plans fights months ahead of time, especially a title fight. That’s why they are able to put on the best fights in the world, because they give everyone proper time to train and prepare. They knew Frankie and BJ would be ready to go on the date they had planned. That’s what they decided, this is a business and I’m an employee. I don’t take anything personal and they know what’s best for the company and the fighters. I’m confident that I will get my shot at the belt. I just need to stay focused and keep growing as a fighter.”
Terry (TheMMANews): “You were originally brought in by BJ Penn as a training partner how was this experience at the time, and have you trained with BJ since?”
Gray: “I had a great experience training with BJ in Hilo. It was definitely an eye opener early in my career to the sport. He knows so much about MMA and has a great training environment down there. I didn’t have a chance to train with him again until the TV show. That was a little different because there
are some restraints on how and when you can train, so I wasn’t able to get as much out of it as I did when I went to Hilo. But it gave me an opportunity to fight for the UFC.”
Terry (TheMMANews): “BJ Penn has looked unstoppable in his recent bouts at lightweight. How do you feel the fight between him and Frankie Edgar will do down, and do you feel the only way to beat BJ at this point is to learn from George St Pierre and out wrestle him?”
Gray: “First of all nobody is unstoppable. This is the fight game and on any given day anybody can be beat. I grew up wrestling since I was 3 and I can’t even count how many times I’ve heard that a guy can’t be beat and then he gets beat. A couple wrestlers that come to mind is Dan Gable and Alexander
Karelin. It’s just the way combat sports go, that’s why it makes them so interesting. But, BJ has looked great his last couple fights. I don’t like to predict fights, I know they both will be prepared and come in with a good game plan. I haven’t really sat down and got a game plan for BJ yet, because I haven’t had to fight him. GSP did give a blueprint on how to fight BJ, but that doesn’t mean it will work for everyone. I’m excited to watch their fight though.”
Terry (TheMMANews): “How has the experience of training with UFC legend Randy Couture and
his Extreme Couture gym been?”
Gray: “Randy has be a great leader for all of us. His knowledge and work ethic is second to none and he’s always trying to improve. It’s a great place to train and I’m fortunate to be a part of the family. We’ve been together for a while and it’s made me the fighter I am today.”
Terry (TheMMANews): “With you being one of the most accomplished wrestlers in a 155 pound division that is filled with talented wrestlers, has your main emphasis since making the change to MMA been working to improve your striking game, or are you always looking to improve on your wrestling skills to stay on top of the game?”
Gray: “I’ve been with my boxing coach for about two and half years now. I have really enjoyed working with him and learning the sport. There’s so much that goes into training for MMA, it always seems like there isn’t enough time in the day to fit in everything. But I always get wrestling in somewhere. It’s important for me to grow in every area, even in wrestling.”
Terry (TheMMANews): “If you are to fight win one more fight before being given a title
shot, what is the fight you feel would be the most beneficial to your career at this time?”
Gray: “It’s not really my job to pick my fights. It’s a talented weight class with
lots of possibilities. I know the UFC has a plan, I just have to wait and see what their plan is for me.”
Terry (TheMMANews): “Is there anything you would like to say to your fans?
Thanks for watching and supporting me and the sport of MMA. Without you
guys all of this wouldn’t be possible. Thank you. Check out www.graymaynard.com”
The name “Jose Aldo” warrants both fear and respect among featherweight fighters these days, but how much praise does a champion’s training partner deserve before he’s even made his WEC debut?
at Apex MMA in Arizona, Seth Baczynski is a full-time water inspector at Liberty Water.