Check out the Latest Episode of the East Coast MMA Show

NEW YORK

Check out the latest episode of Tom Kilkenny's East Coast MMA Show, which was recorded last night and features Tom's Aggressive Combat Championship co-promoter Eugene Perez and fighter Tevin Dyce. They're still pretty peeved at me over that Deadspin article, but that doesn't mean it isn't a good listen.

NYFE 3 Primer: Submission Machine Ozzie Perez

NEW YORK

Oswald Perez is really, really good at tapping people out. Don't believe me? Then consider this: every time he steps into the cage, he emerges with the "W" by way of armlock. That's a pretty impressive feat, and you can credit the 21-year-old Jungle Gym instructor's success on a number of things - his top-notch training background, his work ethic, his talent. But regardless of the how and why, the fact of the matter is he's getting it done, and on Saturday, at New York Fight Exchange 3, Perez will have another opportunity to get it done.

The MMA Journalist caught up with the Bronx native for a quick interview. Read on for a little insight on the submission machine.

Get Punched in the Face at Ronin Athletics

NEW YORK

Christian Montes' Ronin Athletics has long been a part of New York City's MMA instruction tapestry. And now, thanks to a video done by Business Insider, you can get an up-close and personal look at what it's like to train there without actually getting punched in the face.

AKBF Fight League Poster

NEW YORK

NYFE 3 Primer: Champ Jerome Mickle Getting Ready

NEW YORK

Jerome Mickle is one of the best welterweight fighters in New York City right now, and he's defending his New York Fight Exchange belt at NYFE on Saturday.

To motivate you to come down and watch him go to work, here's a video of "The Bull" preparing for the fight.

The Senate Bill That Could Kill Amateur MMA in New York

NEW YORK

Last month the State Senate passed their version of the bill that would lift the ban on professional MMA in New York, and as usual, the Assembly's concurrent version is languishing in limbo. I've already taken a closer look at the Senate's bill - S6502, sponsored by Senator Joseph Griffo - and given the rumbles in Albany (or lack thereof), there isn't a lot of confidence that S6502 and its sister in the Assembly are going to make it to the governor's desk for a signature this year. But there is something else, another Senate bill authored by Senator Griffo, that is worth keeping an eye on.

NYFE 3 Primer: Anthony Pipola Up Close

NEW YORK

When Queens native Anthony Pipola sets foot into the New York Fight Exchange cage on Saturday night, it will probably be one of the easiest fights he's ever had. And no, that's not because of anything to do with his opponent or what happens during the bout. It's because to get to the venue, he won't have to drive hours upon hours - like he did when trekked upstate for a fight near Buffalo, or that other time when he fought in Philadelphia.

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?