Talking New York MMA on BK Live

NEW YORK

Last week "Sambo" Steve Koepfer and I appeared on BK Live, a show produced by Brooklyn Independent Media and filmed at their brand-spankin' new studio in Downtown Brooklyn. What did we talk about? New York MMA of course.

Watch the video after the jump.

Watch Bellator Vet Phillipe Nover Do Something Gnarly

AWESOME

Phillipe Nover has long been a cornerstone of the Northeast MMA scene - he came up through the local ranks when the local ranks were barely even established, and he's fought in the UFC and Bellator and was a runner-up on a season of The Ultimate Fighter.

The dude is also a medical professional with years of experience, so this gnarly thing he's about to do in the video... DO NOT TRY IT AT HOME.

NYFE 3 Primer: Bantamweight Contender Mike Kuhn

NEW YORK

Twenty-six-year-old West Islip native Mike Kuhn will be stepping up to the plate big time on Saturday night, as he takes on fellow top bantamweight contender Elijah Punzone at New York Fight Exchange 3 for a shiny new championship belt. 

Who is Kuhn and what's he all about? To get some insight, The MMA Journalist reached out to him, and Kuhn was gracious enough to reply. Read and enjoy.

The Latest Clip From the Gerald Javier Documentary

NEW YORK

Here's the latest clip from the documentary on Aggressive Combat Championship king Gerald Javier, courtesy of 750 Sq. Feet. Caution: there's some gnarly stuff going on with the bottom of a foot, so the video might not be for the squeamish.

A Look at the NYFE 3 Card

NEW YORK

Here's a look at next weekend's NYFE 3 card, which is slated for the Amazura Nightclub in Jamaica, Queens. I will have some fighter interviews up during the week, so consider this just a preliminary glance at what to expect.

A Bunch of Vids to Get You Psyched for Today's UFC Double-Header

UFC

History will be made today with two (!) UFC's going down in different parts of the world. UFC Fight Night Berlin starts at noon on UFC Fight Pass, and at 6:30pm the TUF Brasil 3 Finale kicks off. That's a lot of mixed martial arts.

To get you motivated, here are a bunch of videos.

Bernardo Cano Out of NYFE Fight with Injury

NEW YORK

Bernardo Cano, the Golden MMA Championships welterweight title holder who was slated to fight at next weekend's New York Fight Exchange event, is injured and won't be able to compete. Cano fell short in his bid to win the Victory Combat Sports 170-pound strap at Victory V last month, so this would've been the first step on the comeback trail.

Here's the situation in Cano's own words as per his Instagram:

Peace Out to Fellow MMA Journalist Mike Stets

NEW YORK

Mike Stets - a fellow New York-based MMA journalist - left the Big Apple today for the greener pastures of Detroit, M.I. This sucks because Mike is a friend, lived closed by (he was in Astoria; I live in neighboring Woodside), and was a fixture at UFC- and Bellator-related events (Mike was too big time to cover regional-level shows).

The MMA Journalist wishes good ol' Stets luck on the next phase of his journey.

New York Fight Exchange 3 Poster

NEW YORK

Tune in for Some Live Discussion on MMA in New York

NEW YORK

"Sambo" Steve Koepfer and I will be trekking out to the Brooklyn Independent Media studio in Downtown Brooklyn today to take part in a roundtable discussion on MMA in New York. Click here to watch it.

I've been told one of the guests will be a karate man, so hopefully we can get him and Steve to fight.

Another NYFE Hype Video, This One Featuring Fighter Interviews

NEW YORK

With a little over a week until showtime, the New York Fight Exchange has kicked the promotional engine into overdrive. Here's co-promoter Tom Sconzo visiting Renzo Gracie's academy in Brooklyn, interviewing a number of fighters - like Ken Sweeney and Matthew Kaplan - who are scheduled to compete on the June 7 NYFE card. Sconzo even gets jiu-jitsu coach/Japanese hipster extreme Diasuke Yamaji on camera.

Definitely check it out.

Throwback Thursday: Affliction's New York Presser

NEW YORK

The only things separating a press conference from an actual theater performance are the lack of a script and the thin veil of reality. Take, for instance, the Affliction presser, which was held back in July, 2008, on the downstairs concourse of one of Donald Trump's buildings in Midtown Manhattan, and which featured the likes of Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, Ben Rothwell, and all the misguided hopes and dreams of would-be competitors of the UFC. If you were to believe what's said at such gatherings, then Affliction was going to snuff out the flickering flame Dana White held aloft.

Obviously, that ended up not being the case.

You can relive the glory here:

New York State Assembly Speaker Rep: "The Union Issue is Fiction"

NEW YORK

It's business as usual in Albany, especially when it comes to politics, money and truth. Case in point: the Assembly's MMA bill. Not that they would come out and admit it, but in an interview with Breitbart Sports for a run-of-the-mill article on the battle for sanctioned MMA in New York, the office of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver denies that Culinary Union influence is a factor in keeping the MMA bill on ice - which, of course they would.

Here's the relevant quote:

But the office of New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, whom [UFC COO Lawrence] Epstein labels as “very, very much aligned with organized labor,” disputes the notion that a union three time-zones away has influence on the Empire State’s decision to keep out MMA. The powerful speaker has consistently kept similar bills from receiving a vote in the past. “The union issue is fiction,” Michael Whyland, press secretary for Speaker Silver, bluntly tells Breitbart Sports.

Epstein counters with this gem:

“The local union here in Las Vegas has hired a lobbyist in New York,” Epstein notes. “His name is Neal Kwatra. They’re paying him tens of thousands of dollars to lobby on mixed-martial arts in New York. Why would a Las Vegas union be meddling in the internal politics in New York?”

There is less than a month left in the legislative session. Think anything is getting done?

New York Amateur MMA: The Importance of Reporting Fight Results

NEW JERSEY

For years, fighters who've fought in New York have had a hard time doing the same in New Jersey, with would-be competitors having to get the full range of medical screening normally reserved for pros. This is done for the obvious reasons, and until the law in New York is amended, things probably won't change.

But one important component of the New York amateur MMA machine that can be fixed is something that's wholly in the power of the promoters. According to Nick Lembo of the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, the reporting of official fight results is something that's making the engine sputter.

Another Poster for Golden MMA Championships' Upcoming Show

NEW YORK

UFC Fight Night 45 Primer: Jim Miller Up Close

UFC

Jim Miller is headlining UFC Fight Night 45 opposite Donald Cerrone. Jim Miller is also awesome. So in advance preparation for the July 16 event in Atlantic City, N.J., here's some footage from an open workout Jim did with his brother Dan in the week leading up to UFC 159 last year. 

Yes, they're on mats set up inside a Modell's Sporting Goods store in Midtown Manhattan. Where else would you like them to be?

Minnesota Fighter in Bad Shape After Near-Death Experience Saturday Night

NOT AWESOME

A fighter competing in a Minnesota regional show is recovering after suffering a near-death experience after a bout on Saturday night. Dan Kiser is the fighter's name, No Mercy II was the show, and the injury came about after Kiser was stunned by an up-kick and was immediately choked out.

Here's local news site MNMMANEWS with the details of how it went down:

After some ground and pound, Kiser stood up and looked to rain down punches on the grounded Johnson. But Johnson landed a couple of up-kicks, hurting Kiser. After the second up-kick landed, Kiser was visibly stunned and a scramble ensued. Kiser grabbed on to Johnson's leg and looked for a kneebar.

After a few moments, Kiser's body went limp. It did not appear that Johnson landed any other significant strikes. Johnson latched on to a rear-naked choke and the ref quickly noticed Kiser was unresponsive and stopped the fight.

After Johnson let go of the choke, Kiser did not wake up. He stopped breathing momentarily, but was breathing again when he was put in the ambulance. He was taken to a local hospital and then was moved to Sanford Medical Center in Fargo, where he remains today.

Obviously it's tragic any time a fighter is injured to the point where it's unclear if he'll live, but what does this have to do with New York MMA? Oh, you know, just the whole "sufficient cageside medical care" thing.

Dead Serious 11 to Feature Lots and Lots of Amateur Fighters

NEW JERSEY

The eleventh installment of the Dead Serious amateur MMA promotion is going down at the Rahway Rec Center in Rahway, N.J., on Saturday, and if the preliminary card posted on mixedmartialarts.com is of any indication, bring a sleeping bag - there's going to be a lot of fights.

Muay Thai Challenge: War 23 Poster

NEW YORK

Happy Memorial Day - Here Are Some Fights From Reality Fighting 2

NEW JERSEY

Reality Fighting 2, Wildwood, N.J., circa November 2, 2002. Note the octagonal ring, the youthful vitality, and the general innocence of us all.

Happy Memorial Day.