MMA Universe

Mike Russell, UFC - For Eric "Red" Schafer, being a mixed martial arts fighter has never been about being a tough guy or becoming rich and famous - it has always been about testing how far he could go in the sport, how much he could improve both physically and mentally and about how much fun he could have doing it.

Frank Curreri, WEC - If you lose your next fight, will you retire? The inquiry creates a slightly awkward air for both the interviewer and interviewee. But it is to be expected. When you're a former UFC champion and have been on a significant slide in recent years - media interviews can easily start to feel like FBI interrogations.

Chuck Mindenhall, UFC - One of the more interesting yet barely discussed subplots in the battle between up-and-coming welterweight John Howard and stalwart Dennis Hallman this past December was the impossibly coincidental clash of the nicknames—Doomsday versus Superman. In the DC Comic world, the berserk killing machine Doomsday ended Superman's run as a super-productive Samaritan with an aggressive stand-and-trade philosophy. After the two exchanged shockwave inducing hands, the turning point came when Superman died.

Frank Curreri, WEC - He's a former collegiate wrestling star with only 18 months in the MMA game. But as Chad Mendes crams for his WEC debut against unbeaten Erik Koch (9-0), the Urijah Faber protégé makes it abundantly clear that he is a quick study.

Chuck Mindenhall, UFC - When asked about his life as a carpenter versus his life as a fighter, Clay Guida has an adage that sums him up completely: "I put my tool belt on every day when I put my training gear on." And that's true—he's a blue-collar worker who fights that way, with one aspect of his life hardly distinguishable from the other.

Frank Curreri, WEC - So, Deividas Taurosevicius, who are you training with these days to get ready for L.C. Davis? "I'm training with my sparring partners," he responds earnestly in his thick Lithuanian accent.

Frank Curreri, WEC - Despite his opponent's recent stretch of bad luck, 11-year pro Javier Vazquez knows better than to underestimate a former UFC Champion. A Gracie Barra Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, Vazquez sternly dismisses talk of there being an "Old Jens Pulver" and a contemporary Jens Pulver whose skills have slipped over time.

Frank Curreri, WEC - A fighter's essence can often be summarized in one word. For Karen Darabedyan, "chill" seems most fitting. No mental switch needs flipping when this maven of mellow steps into the cage. The Californian's flat-line demeanor stands out because he wears it equally both inside and outside of competition. Unlike many of his peers, the 155-pound WEC fighter can steamroll an opponent with the same nonchalance that he displays while grocery shopping or talking on the phone with a reporter.

Mike Russell, UFC - In 2003, after more than six and a half years in mixed martial arts, Vladimir Matyushenko walked away from the sport and figured that his days as a fighter were behind him.

Chuck Mindenhall, UFC - Being thrown into the Octagon with Jon Fitch in only your second UFC fight can be career suicide, and as such, somewhat unnerving. That is, unless you're Mike Pierce, one of the welterweight division's toughest son-of-a-guns to come into the UFC over the past year. Dude is built like a stevedore. And talk about even-keeled: When Pierce got the call to fight a month earlier than his scheduled bout with the equally-harrowing AKA product, Josh Koscheck, he never hesitated.

Armando Alvarez, UFC - He didn't want to tap. He was unbeaten, a winner of "The Ultimate Fighter", and one of the Octagon's brightest rising stars. The armbar applied by Evan Dunham was strong; it was locked in tight, but Efrain Escudero was not about to surrender.

Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - Put Antonio Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira in the same room with Wanderlei Silva, and they're just not two fighters anymore; they're two countrymen, two friends, laughing and joking with an ease that contradicts the actuality that they will soon step into the UFC Octagon with the task of proving once again why they are so revered in the sport of mixed martial arts.

Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - Fight fans can be a fickle group. If an athlete wins all the time, all is well. But if he loses one fight, and all of a sudden the sky is falling. Never was this phenomenon more evident than on the morning after Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira's second round TKO loss to Frank Mir in December of 2008.

Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - If you go by the numbers, Cain Velasquez should be overwhelmed. But he's not. If you look at the man who will be facing him in the Octagon this weekend, the legendary "Minotauro" Nogueira, you may think Velasquez will be looking for the first plane out of Sydney, Australia before the bell rings. But he's not.

SYDNEY, February 18 - Twenty-four hours ago Anthony Perosh was training at his gym in Sydney, with half an eye on a stopwatch and the other on the scales. Scaling a trim and fit 215-pounds at the time, Perosh was preparing friends and halfway through the process of cutting down to light heavyweight, the division he's campaigned in for his last seven bouts.

Elliot Worsell, UFC - The date was November 14, 2009 and the opponent was Denis Kang. For Britain's Michael 'The Count' Bisping, nine minutes with Kang was enough to transfer negative thoughts to positive ones and, crucially, restore every ounce of his crumbled confidence.

Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - With all due respect to the 1986-89 version of Mike Tyson, from August of 2000 to October of 2004, Wanderlei Silva was the baddest man on the planet. 15-0-1 with 1 no contest during that period, the man dubbed 'The Axe Murderer' was a tornado of terror in Japanese rings for the PRIDE organization, defeating the likes of Kazushi Sakuraba (three times), Quinton Jackson (twice), Dan Henderson, Ikuhisa Minowa, and Guy Mezger along the way.

Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - You don't need to remind Elvis Sinosic about the good ol' days. He remembers them well - fighting with different rules in every fight, going into work on Monday with a black eye and getting horrified looks when he told people how he got it, and competing in a sport that few, if any, knew or cared about.

Elliot Worsell, UFC - George Sotiropoulos knows how good he is, but admits that UFC fans may be none the wiser. With two immensely impressive Octagon wins under his belt in 2009, people are getting a good idea as to what the submission-loving Australian can do. However, Sotiropoulos is the first to concede that, while wins over Jason Dent and George Roop are commendable, they're unlikely to land him a UFC title shot anytime soon.

Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - Ask Ivan Hippolyte about the sparring sessions he put Mirko Cro Cop through at Amsterdam's Vos Gym in preparation for the Croatian star's UFC 110 bout against Ben Rothwell this weekend at the Acer Arena, and he breaks into a wide grin.