The Reverend and Velvet Girls

I promised news about MMA Gospel and the future of the site and show. I never break a promise so here we go:

I, The Reverend of MMA Turk Vangel, am stepping down from my position at MMA Gospel and MMA Gospel Radio. I know many out there feel I am the backbone of the site and show but I tend to disagree. This was my baby for a while and there comes a time when you have to let your baby go out on it’s own. I am turning the site over to Dan. Dan has been doing a tremendous job of keeping content up here while I was away working on my future. He has contributed to about 90% of the content over the last few months and amazing content it is! Dan will do a great job of keeping this site going and making sure it only gets better in the future. The Gospel of MMA will still be preached so stay tuned to MMA Gospel as they continue to give you the final word on all things MMA.

As far as MMA Gospel Radio goes, I am no longer going to be doing that. It will be turned over to the very capable hands of my co-host, partner and friend, Gary Friedman. Gary has done an outstanding job over the time we have worked together getting guests, putting together interviews and cussing on air to make you laugh. Of course he usually bombs with a joke every now and then and we joke about him being creepy but it is what makes him a great part of the show. Do not go away as the show will add a new co-host and keep pushing to be the best out there.

I want to thank everyone who has become a part of the MMA Gospel congregation. All those loyal listeners, readers and general fans who i have met through my time with MMA Gospel Radio and the sites I worked at before bringing MMAGospel.com online.

I thank all the managers, fighters, clothing company owners, etc. that have made this such an enjoyable ride. Special thanks goes out to Bas Rutten, Michael Schiavello, Travis from MMA Scraps, Jason Miller, Tim Kennedy, Jake Shields, Demico Rogers, Chris Lozano, Ariel Helwani, Nicole Alves and Kevin Iole. You all made this trip one that I will never forget. I owe you all something for taking the time to know me and help me along the way.

I guess the next question you will be asking is why are you stepping away? The site and show are very time consuming and of course a full time job in the sport was what I was striving to achieve. This is a goal I believe I was close to accomplishing given the time but right now I have very little of that. I am focusing on a different set of goals right now. Going back about 15 years ago I had a goal I wanted to achieve and it is now going to become my focus. MMA has been great to me and I will forever love the sport but there comes a time when one needs to move on and blaze a new trail.

Thank you all for the great memories and keep supporting MMA Gospel because the men I am leaving in charge are sure to do great things with it, far greater than what I could have accomplished. After all, they were the backbone of this venture the entire time.

I know I did not mention everyone here but believe me I have thought of you all. The list is just to long for this piece.

The Reverend Turk

UFC 118 is this weekend along with the UFC Fan Expo in Boston. The UFC is headed to Boston this week for a full schedule of events and extra special coverage of the UFC Fan Expo!  Don’t miss Saturday’s live keynotes from UFC President Dana White, UFC Hall of Fame favorite Chuck Liddell, and a fun filled hour with “So You Think You’re Smarter Than a UFC Octagon Girl?” streaming live from the Expo floor leading up the main event of the evening UFC 118 EDGAR vs. PENN 2.

Here is the schedule of events and with the live stream following the break:

Wednesday 8.25.2010

UFC® 118 EDGAR vs PENN 2 Pre-Fight Press Conference – Faneuil Hall Boston, MA

LIVE STREAM: 12:00pm PT (3:00pm ET)

Friday 8.27.2010

UFC® 118 EDGAR vs PENN 2 Official Weigh-In – TD Garden Boston, MA

LIVE STREAM: 1:00pm PT (4:00pm ET)

Saturday 8.28.2010

UFC® Fan Expo Special Coverage – John B. Hynes Convention Center Boston, MA

LIVE STREAM: 10:00am – 1:00pm PT (1:00pm – 4:00pm ET)

EVENT NIGHT

UFC® 118 EDGAR vs PENN 2 Post Fight Press Conference – TD Garden Boston, MA

LIVE STREAM: Approximately 10:30pm PT (1:30am ET)

"The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Tito Ortiz and "The Voice" Michael Schiavello

“The Voice Vs Tito Ortiz” is the third installment of the series hosted by “The Voice” Michael Schiavello which airs Friday on HDNet.  The first episode of “The Voice Vs” featured UFC color commentator and stand up comedian Joe Rogan. The episode reached legendary proportions when these two men got together for the first time on television. It worked so well that HDNet ordered more shows which led to the second episode featuring the always colorful Jason “Mayhem” Miller, Strikeforce fighter, stand up comedian and color commentator.  Now we are graced with the third installment starring “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz who is never short on words and often controversial.  The gettin’ is good as Michael once again works magic going one on one with some of the most notable people in the world of mixed martial arts.

Tito has always been controversial and over the top which has led to the polarizing opinions of the fans. You either love him or hate him seems to be the consensus as no one sits on the fence. So when I started watching I was intrigued as to which Tito we would see and how Michael would approach his guest this time around.  One of the things that seems to endear Schiavello to his guests is that he starts off very light hearted and cracking jokes. Is it this style that leads Michael to get closer to these men than most?

This episode is no different as we watch The Voice make Tito comfortable with some comedy and of course getting his guest to discuss something he loves. Tito starts by discussing wrestling and how it effected his life. Without giving away to much I will say that I learned a few things about Tito and possibly where his attitude and persona were born.

At times Tito looked a little stiff and uncomfortable but his ability to talk honestly about the tough subjects made me wonder if it was just the bright lights and the cameras coming at him from a perspective he was not used to experiencing. As a fighter he is used to being in the cage when the cameras are on him and during his stint on “The Ultimate Fighter” he could focus on coaching whereas on “The Voice VS” it is just him and The Voice in uncomfortable chairs.

“The Voice Vs Tito Ortiz” was filmed inside the Punishment Athletics warehouse in Huntington Beach and there were many images of the city I have grown to love spread throughout the show.  The amazing shots of Surf City USA go hand in hand with the comfortable nature of The Voice as he interviews Tito Ortiz.  I do wonder how comfortable Michael was in that heavy coat in the Orange County sun just as Michael Schiavello wondered about the legend of the infamous London brawl involving Lee Murray, Tito, and Chuck Liddell.

Also on this episode is what I am finding one of the best parts of “The Voice Vs”.  Choke Out, Knock Out, Wedgie or Bowl of Fried Shrimp gives Tito four men. He has to choose one to knock out, one to choke out and so on.

This, like the previous two episodes is one not be missed and can be seen this Friday night, August 20, at 10PM ET on HDNet.

WEC Cruz vs. Benavidez takes place tomorrow night at the Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada and airs live in Versus. The official weigh-ins take place today and you can view the live stream right here at MMAGospel.com starting at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The live stream is available after the jump.

Hector Lombard Victorious at Bellator 24 (Photo: http://www.tomhillphotos.com)

Last night at Bellator 24 we witnessed the current welterweight champion Hector Lombard (24-2-1) win via knock out in just 38 seconds over former NFL running back Whisper Goodman (16-9). Hector is an impressive fighter with only two defeats both coming by way of decision. A champion of his caliber should not be fighting a Whisper Goodman and it leads me to wonder if the best years of his career are being wasted.

Hector is 32 years old and as stated previously has only suffered two defeats. Those two losses came back in 2006 in Pride Fighting Championships against the likes of Akihiro Ghono (31-15-7)  and Gegard Mousasi (24-3-1).  Essentially we are looking at man who is the prime of his career and has rolled off twelve consecutive victories since the draw with Kyle Noke in 2007. Now is the time Hector should be facing top tier competition yet here we see him in a non-title fight (something that is becoming far to common in Bellator) against a man no one believed had a chance.

I will admit that I enjoy Bellator and what they bring to the table for mixed martial arts fans but one has to wonder if they are holding Hector back from greatness or protecting him from being exposed.

An organization will want to hold tight to it’s champion so one can not fault Bellator for their champion clause which forces Hector to “re-up” indefinitely as long as he is the champion even though he technically only has one fight remaining on his contract.  However Bellator needs to give Hector some real competition as no champion should be forced to fight second tier talent.

His next fight ,which is scheduled to be a title defense, is against season 2 tournament winner Alexander Shlemenko on October 28. While Alexander will be a much better match-up for Hector, pitting striker versus striker, it is still not the competition Hector will need in order to cement his place amongst the MMA elite before the end of his career.

Many have asked me what should become of Hector and how Bellator should handle the situation.  Lombard should be called up to the UFC where he was supposed to fight in 2007 at UFC 78 but could not due to visa problems.  In order for this to happen Bjorn Rebney and Bellator would need to let go of their champion.  That is not as easy as it sounds when you have a highly promotable fighter like Hector who seems to KO anyone in his path in a matter of seconds.

Bellator finds themselves between the proverbial rock and a hard place when faced with the Lombard situation. They could release him and allow him to move into the larger organizations, say the UFC or even Strikeforce. This move would be the best for Hector and his career but it leaves Bellator with an empty title, one less highly explosive fighter to promote and forces them to admit they are nothing more than a feeder organization to the aforementioned promotions.

Do they do what is best for Hector or do they focus on what is best for their promotion? This assumes that holding onto Hector best for them. The argument can be made that having a champion with  no real contenders and feeding him what have become easy victories is not good for either the fighter or the promotion. Does calling out heavyweight Josh Barnett after his win last night mean Lombard is bored with what Bellator has to offer?  This is why I have no desire to run a mixed martial arts promotion.

Let’s say Hector was released and became a free agent to explore his options. The two best bets are obviously the UFC and Strikeforce but which one holds the key to his legacy?

Hector is a knock out artist but one that pushes forward throwing albeit heavy yet sloppy strikes. This style would probably play well in Strikeforce and could make for some interesting match-ups. You have guys like Tim Kennedy, Mayhem Miller and Jacare Souza waiting to test his grappling ability and show off that black belt in judo while swinging for the fences.

Then we have the UFC where he could likely compete in one of two weight classes. While he fights at 185 and would bring  some excitement to that division (imagine Hector versus Vitor Belfort in a slugfest) there is always the shot to drop to 170. This drop would  inject that division with the  fresh talent that is desperately needed as current champion Georges St. Pierre seems to be forced to face the same men over and over again.

Only time will tell what will happen with Hector Lombard and Bellator. What do you think should happen with Lombard?   Stay tuned to MMA Gospel as we keep you updated on the future of Lombard and until then, congratulations to Lombard on yet another victory inside the cage.

I sat back with excitement as the video started to play. My review copy of HDNet’s “The Voice Vs. Mayhem Miller” had begun and the anticipation of watching these two over the top characters go toe to toe had come to a head. Michael “The Voice” Schiavello is a play by play broadcaster for combat sports around the world. He is well known for his exuberant style and one-liners that only he could truly pull off.  Jason “Mayhem” Miller is a mixed martial artist known for his always entertaining ring entrances, his animated personality, and for being the host of MTV’s “Bully Beatdown”.   How could anyone not be excited to see what happens when these two men square off one on one in front of the cameras?

Without spoiling the show for all of you I want to give you a brief glimpse of what to expect and my own personal thoughts on the show.

The show starts with some interesting background on Miller including some of those pictures everyone has but never actually shows anyone due to sheer embarrassment.  As myself and Gary Friedman found out first hand, it is difficult to keep Jason Miller on topic but Schaivello does a fantastic job of allowing the conversation to flow naturally but still keeping control of the direction of the conversation.

Mayhem stays true to form and is quite hilarious often giving us some stories you may have never heard before but will be glad you tuned in to hear. From martial arts superstition, to Scooby Do and the A-Team to playing with dolls, the show flows almost seamlessly.

Jason “Mayhem” Miller is one of the polarizing fighters out there today where people either love him or hate him. Those that love him will become even more enamored with him after this show and will probably never erase it from their DVRs.

This is for those that hate him: I highly suggest you watch this show. I felt like I got a better glimpse inside the head of Jason. Yes, the over-the-top personality is still there but Schiavello knows how to, bit by bit , strip that away and allow the viewer to see these flashes of the real Jason Miller. A man who as a child may have been teased, a guy who deep down is like many of us and has struggled just like we have to make ends meet.

You may not come away feeling any different about Jason but none the less I suggest you sit down or set the DVR to record “The Voice VS Mayhem Miller”  this Friday July 30th starting at 10pm ET/ 9:30 PT onloy on HDNet.  You will get some good laughs, interesting stories and see two friends and colleagues face off like only these two could.

The only negative thing I can say about the show is that I noticed Michael walking down PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) at Main Street in Huntington Beach and it dawned on me that he was five minutes from me and I never got a call to have a soda. Shame on you Michael!

HDNet hit a homerun with mixed martial arts (MMA) fans when they premiered “The Voice Vs” featuring Michael “The Voice” Schiavello in a sit down with comedian and  UFC color commentator and Joe Rogan.  A network would be a fool not to listen to the fans and so “The Voice VS.” will continue with part two featuring Schiavello with Jason “Mayhem” Miller.

The Voice was a guest on the 50th episode of MMA Gospel Radio where he revealed he was in Los Angeles to film two more episodes of the show. One would be with a UFC fighter and the other would be a very big personality.

We will be treated to the “big personality” in Jason Miller on July 30^th at 10pm ET on HDNet when Michael gets to have what amounts to a great conversation with a fighter that is known for his larger than life personality.

Miller and Schiavello have had the chance to work together in the past as broadcasters calling the action on HDNet. This time will be much different though.

Jason is one of those people that you never know what will come out of his mouth from minute to minute. Also a guest on the 50th episode of MMA Gospel Radio you can hear for yourself the off the cuff comments one gets from Jason.

Put these two on camera at the same time to just chat about who knows what and the result is bound to fantastic.

Stay tuned to www.mmagospel.com as next week we will be bringing you a 30 second promo for this installment of “The Voice Vs.”

Tim Kennedy (Photo: Strikeforce)

MMA Gospel Radio welcomed Tim Kennedy (13-2) back to the show and for those that heard that first interview, you know anything can happen when we have him live on the air.  Tim is preparing for his fight against Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (11-2) for the vacated Strikeforce middleweight title.  Tim is a Army Special Forces sniper and professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter.

Tim told us about what made him decide to join the military in the first place and what led him to the Army as opposed to the Navy SEALs or the Marines. How accurate was his story? That is for you to decide.

We also asked Tim what his “Fatality” move would be in the “Mortal Kombat” game if he was a character. How do you feel about ripping someones arms off and beating them to death with them? Is that what is in store for Jacare on August 21 in Houston?

Maybe you want to know what how Tim goes about training for a fight and the intensity of those workouts. Well, to paraphrase Tim, close your eyes and imagine two rabbits in a room. Now imagine the rabbits doing lines of coke and going at it, that is me in training.

Tim is a very funny guy and also a pleasure to interview but he is also very serious about his training and both of his careers. A proud soldier, he has difficulties knowing just what to say when people thank him for his service.  He told us his job as a soldier is something he would actually do for free. Hopefully the U.S. Army doesn’t hear this and ask him to do just that.

To listen to the entire interview just click the player here and enjoy the comedy that is Tim Kennedy or use the following link:

Tim Kennedy on MMA Gospel Radio

AP Photo/Eric Jamison

UFC 116 ended last night with Joe Rogan calling UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar (5-1) the “baddest man on the planet” after he defeated Shane Carwin (12-1). It is hard to make a statement such as that after watching his performance and comparing him to some of the other fighters in the heavyweight division around the world.

Brock did defeat Shane which is something I did not see coming. I was sure Brock would have his chin tested for the first time, which we did, and that it would be as soft as a down pillow. Let’s start by saying Brock did a good job of recovering and winning the fight via submission in the second round. Congratulations Mr. Lesnar, you actually won over some fans last night.

Now to the real story of who the best heavyweight in the world is and why it is not Brock Lesnar.

Brock Lesnar took some hard shots from Shane in the first round and crumpled like a house of cards in a wind storm. Not only did he crumple, he essentially ran away using the good old “duck and cover” defense. While it works for children in a school yard getting beat by a bully it does not work for a man many will now proclaim as the top heavyweight in the world.

“The Baddest Man on the Planet” would never cower like what we saw Brock do last night. Had it not been for Shane Carwin gassing out after five minutes of complete dominance through ground and pound Brock would be a footnote in the UFC heavyweight division lineage.

I will concede that is is Shane’s job to come into a fight in shape and be able to fight for a full five rounds. This is a man who had been asked many times if he could go five rounds, hell, if he could make it out of the first. All of his fights hd ended in the first round and Shane wanted to prove to the world he had the conditioning of a champion. Sadly, that was not the case and Brock was able to take advantage of an exhausted Carwin, taking him down and submitting him via arm triangle.

Americans love comeback stories as seen throughout modern film and television. The Rocky series is based around the comeback, “Rudy” deals with overcoming adversity and coming back against all odds. These stories and many more litter the big screen we as Americans flock to on a weekly basis. Brock won over many fans last night with his comeback yet to call tag him with the aforementioned moniker is ridiculous. Do we credit Brock for surviving the onslaught from Shane Carwin or do we admonish Shane for gassing and not being able to put away the champion?

I believe we do both and anything less would be unfair.  I can’t see Brock winning that fight if Carwin had the cardio to go five rounds and be as relentless as he was in the first round.  The baddest man on the planet would have never turned his back and climbed into a shell like a turtle being poked by a stick. That man would not have needed another fighter to gas in  order to claim victory.

So who is the baddest man on the planet? Many believed it to be “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (31-2) until his submission defeat to Fabricio Werdum ( 14-4-1) at Strikeforce: San Jose.  Others have mentioned heavyweight striking sensation and horse meat addict “Demolition Man”  Alistair Overeem (31-11).

Even with the loss to Werdum, which I believe will be avenged very soon, Fedor has earned that moniker more than Brock. Never have we seen Fedor cower and turn his back in the face of an onslaught. He is the type of fighter that pushes through and finds ways to win like he did against “The Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (14-8) or against many of the other fighters he has faced throughout his career.

Alistair is a wrecking machine that does not know the meaning of cower. This man loves to hurt people using his K-1 level striking. From brutal knees and kicks to punches that are more like a wrecking ball than a punch, he punishes his opponents.

The only way to see who truly is the baddest man on the planet is to put these men, including the next UFC heavyweight title contender, Cain Velasquez (8-0) into a tournament in the same organization and see who finds their way atop the pile. My guess? It would not be Brock Lesnar who climbs to the top. No, it would be Brock that would break at the mere sight of these men. Sadly we will never see this happen and therefore we will have to continue to have these discussions and listen to those that actually believe what Joe Rogan said last night.

Fedor will be back and will not make the mistake of jumping into the guard of a highly decorated jiu jitsu fighter such as Werdum. Alistair is still on a path of destruction leaving heavyweights in his wake. Cain is the up and comer looking to cement his place in the history books. Brock is, well, he is not the baddest man on the planet but he does happen to the UFC heavyweight champion.