Viva Velásquez !!!

The hype behind Cain Velasquez is justified to say the least. It took Cain less than a round to completely decimate Brock Lesnar in their Heavyweight tilt last night. Like Carwin had Brock turtling up against the fence so to did Cain, but unlike Carwin Velasquez paced his attack and was in no danger of gassing out. He battered and bloodied the Champion until the referee had no choice but to intervene.

Velasquez looked every bit the part of the new Champion as he dismantled Lesnar who tried his best to stand with Cain without much success. Brock was able to take Cain to the mat once but could not keep him there for long. Velasquez pummeled Lesnar with punches and followed him to the mat where he continued his assault up until the end.

Velasquez has made combat sports history as he becomes the first Heavyweight Champion of Mexican decent. The Latino people are notoriously avid boxing fans where Mexican fighters have always been ruling the roost at much lighter weight classes, but now that Cain is the HW Champion in the UFC it could tap into the faithful Boxeo fanbase that Zuffa has had their eyes on for a while now.

Heritage aside, Cain is an animal and it is going to be exciting to see what kind of Championship reign he ushers in with this victory. With hungry challengers waiting at the wayside like Junior Dos Santos, it will be no easy road ahead to keep the shiny belt fastened around his waist.

Cain Has The Tools To Dethrone Lesnar

We have been hearing big things from AKA about Cain Velasquez for some time now, and that gym reputation has translated well for the D-1 wrestling champ inside the ring. Lesnar will have his hands full with the challenger and will either become the most dominant UFC Heavyweight Champion in history with a victory or he will make way for the first Mexican Heavyweight Champion in combat sports.

The storyline of Cain trying to become the first Mexican Heavyweight with a major title has been played on constantly with the promotion of this fight, and some fans are tired of the nationality based marketing of the fight/fighter in Velasquez. The thing that people like this fail to realize is that this type of marketing works, especially with the Latino fans particularly in the Boxing promotion arena. Like it or not these types of storylines tug at the pride and heartstrings of combat sports fans. Lesnar doesn't care so much for that aspect of the buildup as he recently equated Cain's heritage to a bean burrito and a Corona.

Velasquez has not shown the kind of KO power or animal ground and pounhavd that the previous challenger in Shane Carwin showed us, until the Minotauro fight that is. Before that he showed marked improvements in his contest versus Ben Rothwell. The fight that may have shown a chink in Velasquez's armor was against Cheick Kongo. In that fight he was dropped and rocked repeatedly by shots on the way in to take Kongo down. Kongo, a kickbower originally, isn't a one punch KO type of fighter. If Shane Carwin had landed like that on Cain he would have been out cold. Brock has no where near the punching technique that Carwin does, but he does have power.

In the wrestling realm, Lesnar has the edge with his size and storied wrestling background he should be able to take Velasquez down and avoid most of Cain's takedown's. Another thing that Lenar has going for him is his unrelenting belief in himself and freakish athleticism. Cain on the other hand has been improving every time he steps inside the cage as evidenced by his big KO win over Minotauro that earned him the title challenger spot. If Cain is able to go at Brock with that same tenacity and boxing accuracy, it could be the end of Lesnar's current title run. Velasquez is undeterred in his quest for a Championship and now having the pride of his Mexican and Mexican-American fans put on his back the challenge is that much more important to him.

Cain may be at a size and power disadvantage but he has the will and skill to pull off the victory, and that is what he intends to do.

Okami's Razor

Occam's Razor states that "the simplest explanation/solution is usually the correct one".

In the case of the Middleweight title picture mess recently caused by Chael Sonnen's proclivity towards PED's (allegedly), the UFC chose the simplest fix and that was to have Vitor Belfort leap frog to the top of the contenders list. Meanwhile Yushin Okami is left without his elusive title shot instead getting to tangle with fellow perennial contender Nate Marquardt.

Both Yushin and Marquardt have been beaten down by Silva before so it is of no surprise that the exciting KO puncher Vitor Belfort gets the next crack at Anderson. Although Okami holds a victory over Silva due to an illegal strike on the ground that knocked out Japan's number one Middleweight Mixed Martial Artist. At the other end of the contenders spectrum, both Okami and Marquardt have both been thoroughly handled by the infamous Wrestler/Politician/Realtor/Fighter. Now that Sonnen has come through with a failed drug test those victories have lost some of their luster even if Sonnen was clean at the time.

In the contest between Okami and Marquardt, the strategy should follow Occam's Razor in that Okami should stick to the simplest solution to the tough veteran that is "Nate The Great". The simplest solution you ask? Wrestling, control, and ground and pound. A blueprint laid out by Chael Sonnen in his victory against Nate, less the steroids of course. Okami has been able to out-muscle many a Middleweight in his stint as a UFC contender and he should use that to take Nate to his weakest point: fighting from his back.

Occam's Okami's Razor may be to choose the simplest path to victory and a possible shot at Anderson which has eluded him for so long, but if Okami's luck has anything to do with it Murphy's Law will be in full effect.

UFC 119 Results: Mirko and Mir Snuggle, Mirko Goes To Sleep.

The main event of last nights UFC 119 card from Indianapolis was one of the worst in recent memory, it was a replay of Tim Sylvia vs. Brandon Vera but with a surprise KO at the end of round three. Mirko Crocop looked timid and afaraid to engage Mir and risk a take down, while Mir shoved Mirko against the cage and whispered sweet nothings into his ear. This was the whole three rounds until a surprise knee from Mir caught Mirko's chin and put his lights out. It was still no redemption for the shit fight that preceded the knee, but at least it was something. Mirko is not the fighter he once was, and hasn't been for some time, but fans kept holding on to hope for Mirko to shine again. That was not the case last night and The 2006 Pride open weight Grand Prix winner should think about hanging the gloves up in light of a performance like this.

Matt Serra decided to play rock-em sock-em robots with Chris Lytle. The fight was all boxing, no kicks, takedowns, elbows, etc. Just throwing hands with Lytle was a stupid proposition on the part of the former champ. He has KO power, but not nearly as crisp as Lytle with his hands. That was the deciding factor as Lytle battered Serra with punches for three rounds. Next time out maybe next time out Serra will choose to mix it up and use that much discussed Black Belt in BJJ that he owns.



OFFICIAL MAIN CARD RESULTS
Frank Mir def. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic via knockout (knee) - Round 3, 4:02
Ryan Bader def. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Chris Lytle def. Matt Serra via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Sean Sherk def. Evan Dunham via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Melvin Guillard def. Jeremy Stephens via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
OFFICIAL PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS
C.B. Dollaway def. Joe Doerksen via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 2:13
Matt Mitrione def. Joey Beltran via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Thiago Tavares def. Pat Audinwood via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 3:47
Waylon Lowe def. Steve Lopez via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
T.J. Grant def. Julio Paulino via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Sean McCorkle def. Mark Hunt via submission - Round 1, 1:03

Bellator 30 Results: West and Makovsky Meet In Bantamweight Finals

Jose Vega vs Ed West

Jose Vega and Ed West fought to advance in the Bantamweight tournament. The fight wasn't a fan friendly affair for the most part as Vega controlled position on the ground and against the cage for most of the fight. the only saving grace in the ground combat was Ed West's constant submission attempts that had Vega in defense mode and unable to mount much of an attack of his own. Each of the first two rounds saw West come close to a sub, but Vega was able to escape. Ed West takes the fight via Split Decision.

Ed West Def. Jose Vega Via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Bryan Goldsby vs. Zach Makovsky

Bryan Goldsby wasn't off of his ass for more than a minute or two as "Fun Size" took him down with ease. Zach was able to improve position and work for submissions throughout, but never able to finish Goldsby. Makovsky advances to meet Ed West in the finals.

Zach Makovsky Def. Bryan Goldsby Via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Baker beats Leukemia and Jeremy Horn.

The amazing story of Baker going through Leukemia while fighting in Bellator's Middleweight Tournament is the stuff that movies are made of. Tonight MMA/NHB vet Jeremy Horn was not up to the task of taking out "The Beast" Bryan Baker.

Bryan Baker def. Jeremy Horn via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

The Full Results are below:

OFFICIAL MAIN CARD RESULTS
Brent Weedman def. Jacob McClintock via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 3:05
Bryan Baker def. Jeremy Horn via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Zach Makovsky def. Bryan Goldsby via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Ed West def. Jose Vega via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
OFFICIAL PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS
Thomas "T.J." Barber vs. B.J. Ferguson*
John Troyer def. Josh Clark via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Ron Sparks def. Greg Maynard via knockout (punch) - Round 1, 0:50*
Jeremiah Riggs def. Mike Fleniken via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Mike O'Donnell def. Stoney Hale via submission (armbar) – Round 2, 0:50

Will A Loss To Mir Signal The End For Mirko?

Image courtesy of http://www.alleycatsgarden.com

Watching the UFC 119 preview show we were privy to some of Frank Mir's usual pre-fight posturing and trash talk, as per usual. A couple of things "Muuur" spouted out had me thinking, one of them being that he was going to give Mirko a reason to finally hang em up. The second was his dig at the Pride era of MMA in this tired old UFC vs Pride argument where Mir states that he wants to show people who thought that Pride was everything how wrong they were.

Firstly, Mir may not be off the mark when it comes to Mirko retiring if he loses this fight. Before his last couple of wins, Mirko was not the world beater he once was and we have yet to see him face a top heavyweight this year to gauge where he is really at. No disrespect to Pat "HD" Barry, but he isn't at the top of the division yet as tough as he is, and Anthony Perosh is no world beater. The win against Barry was a big one for Mirko however because it showed that he can still hang with the young guns in the UFC. Although Pat is a better striker than Mir, he has no where near the wealth of knowledge and experience on the ground where Mir will have a decided advantage against Cro-cop.

Mirko had looked to be on his way out last year when he couldn't contend with Junior Dos Santos after making his re-entry into the UFC with a TKO of Mustapha Al Turk. Could another loss put Mirko to the mindset he was in after the Dos Santos fight? It is very possible as Crocop isn't aging in reverse ala Benjamin Buttons, but just as any athlete who has competed as long as Mirko. If he cannot contend with Mir then the elusive UFC title shot he so wants will be too far from reach to even seem realistic. Mirko has not been the same since the knockout to Gonzaga and the American MMA promotion's talent may have passed Mirko by. However, Cro-cop did look good against Barry even though he was tagged several times. I still reminisce about the Pride days of Mirko Crocop and hope for a Championship run from the legend, but all that may be for naught if he cannot get past Frank Mir.

As far as the Pride vs UFC debate that Mir decided to bring up lets see:
Anderson Silva - Pride FC vet and current Middleweight Champion as well as the ranking of one of the top p4p fighters in the game.
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua - Current 205lb Champion.
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson - Former 205lb Champion and current contender at light-heavyweight.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira - Former HW Champion
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira - Current contender at 205lbs.

Need we go on?

In all honesty Frankie boy is just talking up the fight and trying to get those PPV percentage points, so you must take it with a grain of salt. On the other hand he did bring up a solid point in regards to Mirko retiring if he loses. Here is to hoping that we see Crocop continue on with the UFC and be successful.

When Life Gives You Lemons: Vitor Next Up For Silva

I guess we know who Tyson will be rooting for. 

The MMA world is still aghast of recent news of Chael Sonnen testing positive for elevated testosterone levels from steroids. The perennial trash talker had done the unthinkable during the fight with Anderson and nearly pulled off the upset. Come to find out, even with Chael beefed up on roids he still couldn't beat "The Spider". That is a testament to how good Silva really is as he was fighting Sonnen with a rib injury and wasn't 100% himself.

With the rematch between Sonnen and Silva now in the dumps thanks to Chael's "If you ain't cheatin, you ain't tryin" attitude the UFC was left to scramble for Ando's next opponent. The Middleweight contenders of the division were tied up in bouts themselves with Okami facing Belfort for the next shot. Thankfully when news broke that Belfort was injured and out of his number one contenders match with Okami, it was just a cover for him to pull out of the fight and into a bigger one with Silva.

This fight is one that fans have been clamoring for since Vitor signed with the UFC but because of Belfort's injuries has never happened. Thanks to Chael's misfortune that is no longer the case, this fight will be exciting and probably even more-so than the Sonnen fight was (Pre-Steroid allegations). Vitor has the power and hand speed to connect on Anderson and possibly knock him out and he is a big 185lb fighter. Vitor's weakness has always been his mental state, when he gets broken down in the ring he loses his confidence and edge. That has not shown to be the case since his move to Middleweight however, and it remains to be seen if it will stay that way.

Anderson is going to have his hands full with Vitor, but he won't have to worry about a wrestler this time out at least! On the feet I believe that Anderson will still come out on top in this fight, but Vitor has the tools to prove me wrong.

TUF 12: Bruce Lee Roy Taps The Marlboro Man

The eccentric characters on The Ultimate fighter always get their fair share of screen time on the show and this season is no different. Team GSP's Alex "Bruce Leroy" Caceres is one of the show's aforementioned eccentric guys, but proved that his smile can be deceiving as he can throw down when the time comes. Jeff Lentz, who gives the smokers out there hope of being a professional athlete, was not impressed with Alex's ode to Bruce Lee or his constant cheese come fight time. Lentz didn't really come out and try to kill the guy as the lead up would have had you think, but used his striking to get in close and hold Caceres against the cage for the majority of the first round.In the second, Leroy had been taken down by Lentz and secured a fight ending triangle choke. Lentz was forced to tap as he couldn't escape the submission.

Next week's preview show Bruce Leroy gloating to Lentz in the house after the win and going on about how he underestimated him. That would be one major disadvantage of living in the house together when you have the person you lost to throwing salt in an open wound so to speak. The previews also tease a guest appearance by the man himself, "Iron Mike Tyson" who drops by to meet and greet with the fighters and coaches as well as having front row seats to the next match-up.

The win tonight by Caceres makes it GSP - 1 KOS - 0

Pudzianowski Stops Butterbean In The First

In a fight that had serious implications for the future of the Heavyweight Division, Mariusz Pudzianowski stopped the 44yr old "King of The Four Rounders" in the first round of their fight at KSW in Poland. The winner of this contest will undoubtedly go down in the annals of history as one of the greatest to grace the ring, and tonight that man was Pudzianowski.

On a serious note, the fight is a good step forward in Pudzianowski's career as new as he is to the game. Butterbean has got to be close to the end of his run in the combat sports arena as he is now getting up there in age. Mariusz is coming off of a loss to Tim Sylvia at a Moosin event earlier this year and didn't look too great in the loss.

The fight between these two behemoths didn't last long. It stayed on the feet for a short time where The Bean landed a few jabs to Pudz's face until the former "World's Strongest Man" Champion went for a single leg and got Butterbean to his back. From there Pudz was able to land shots and keep Eric Esch from getting back to his feet. After a few moments of seeing Butter get beaten, the ref had seen enough and called it a day for the former Boxer.

Who knows what is next for Pudzianowski, hopefully some serious training and some progression as a mixed martial artist. AS for The Bean? I think it may be time to hang em up.

Bellator 29 Results: Grove and Konrad Meet In Heavyweight Finals

Neil Grove cemented their spot opposite one another in the first ever Bellator Heavyweight tournament. Grove finished his fight early and violently as he dispatched of submission fighter Alexey Oleinik early in round one via TKO. The stoppage may have been a tad premature, but Oleinik was not defending well and clearly hurt. Grove's heavy kicks started the beginning of the end for Oleinik as Grove jumped on him after dropping him with the body kick and finished the fight on the mat.

Grove's opponent for the Heavyweight Tournament Championship, Cole Konrad, took a completely different path to the finals as he stuck to what he knows. Konrad took down Damian Grabowski early and often to land another decision victory. Grabowski had no answer for Konrad's control once the fight hit the floor. Konrad attempted a submission from the top and landed some strikes, but not much of substance.

The fight between these two polar opposites may end up just being another wrestling clinic from the jiggly Konrad. However, Grove has the intensity to end the fight violently during the brief moments that he is not on his back in this fight. Both fighters are relatively new to the sport, even though Grove has twice as many bouts they probably have the same amount of minutes in the ring since nearly all of Cole's contests have gone the distance.

Kudos goes out to Bellator for putting on exciting cards each season with whatever talent they can scoop out from underneath the other major promotions in the game. They are really cultivating the talent of prospect fighters as well as housing some of the game's best like Eddie Alvarez and Hector Lombard.

MAIN CARD
Jameel Massouh def. Nick Mamalis via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 4:27
Cole Konrad def. Damian Grabowski via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Neil Grove def. Alexey Oleinik via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 0:45
Brett Cooper def. Matt Major via TKO (punches) - Round 2, 1:27

PRELIMINARY CARD
Sasa Perkic def. Nick Dupees via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Kyle Weickhardt def. Luis Ramirez via knockout (kick) – Round 1, 0:30

Video Roundup: "The Reem" & "The Fighter"

The career of Alistair Overeem from THE REEM on Vimeo.

The next installment of Ubereem's documentary series is out and reflects upon his career up to this point. watch it and experience the awesomeness that is "The Reem"! After the jump the trailer for the Mickey Ward biopic "The Fighter" which is an awesome story by itself, so hopefully they don't screw it up with the big budget film.

UFC Fight Night 22 Results: Things Get Slippery For Palhares

Miller Rocks and Submits Ross Pearson

Ross Pearson looked to be the better striker in this match-up, but that didn't stop Miller from landing a straight right hand that rocked the Brit and bring upon the finish. After Pearson was rocked Miller smelled blood and went for the kill. He put Pearson against the cage and dropped him with a left hook then jumped on his back to get the tap with a RNC.
After the fight Miller says what is on every fan and fighters mind, the trend of point fighting and avoiding any and all risk to run out the clock and win on points. Miller is a fan's fighter and goes for the finish, and whether he is winning or losing, he puts on exciting contests every time out.

Jim Miller Tops Gleison Tibau

Both Miller and Tibau had there moments in the first round of their lightweight tilt, but it was Miller that landed the harder shots in the opening stanza. In the second Miller rocked Tibau in the opening minute and immediately went for his back to grab the submission, but Tibau was back to his feet in no time and left Miller hunting for a takedown that never came. That left time for Tibau time to recover and get off a couple of good takedowns of his own. The third was a bit of a stalemate with neither fighter making a decisive case for the round. It was a close fight, but I gave it to Miller based on the effectiveness of his strikes. The judges see it the same and Jim gets the unanimous decision.

Efrain Escudero and Charles Oliveira

Escudero came into this bout a hefty four pounds over the 155lb limit and looking the part as well. In the first round Oliveira tagged Effy repeatedly with a flying knee, punches, and kicks while Escudero seemed content to hold Charles against the cage until he loosened up a bit in his striking. Later in the round Oliveira worked for a takedown unsuccessfully until he finally pulled guard. In the second, Oliveira worked hard for a takedown and ate shots for his troubles until getting Efrain down, but Escudero didn't stay there long as he bounced back to the feet. In the third Oliveira continued his assault on Efrain's lead leg and afterward traded nut shots with Efrain. After the break from the nut shot Oliveira comes out with purpose and gets the slam/takedown and takes Efrain's back while Escudero is standing to get the tap via rear naked choke. This kid Oliveira is an exciting prospect and will give lots of fighters problems with his sick jiu jitsu and nasty leg kicks.

Palhares Marquart Ends in Controversy

Enter the new grease-gate conspiracy. Rousimar Palhares had landed a takedown after a lackluster couple of minutes in the opening round. When Nate tried to scramble he wound up with Rousimar on top and Palhares went for the leg-lock as he always does. Here is the slippery part, Nate Slipped out easily and pounded out Rousimar. Palhares immediately complained that Nate was greased before the stoppage and basically gave up and got TKO'd. The doctor and referee both inspected the legs of Marquardt and found nothing. Nate explained that he warmed very much before the fight so he could get a sweat going to thwart the submission attempts of Palhares. It is suspicious that there was no post-fight interview with Palhares however, but hey if Rogan says there is no controversy it must be true.

Full Results:

MAIN CARD

* Nate Marquardt def. Rousimar Palhares via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 3:28
* Charles Oliveira def. Efrain Escudero via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 2:25
* Jim Miller def. Gleison Tibau via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
* Cole Miller def. Ross Pearson via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 2, 1:49

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Yves Edwards def. John Gunderson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Kyle Kingsbury def. Jared Hamman via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
* Dave Branch def. Tomasz Drwal via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Rich Attonito def. Rafael Natal via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
* Anthony "T.J." Waldburger def. David Mitchell via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Brian Foster def. Forrest Petz via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 1:07

Exclusive: James Lee Talks UFC in Detroit, Return to The Ring, and Strippers!

James Lee is a staple of the Michigan MMA scene and one of the coolest mofos you'll meet in the game so it's a shame that he won't be competing on the UFC's first card in Detroit since 1996. Lee has had an extended absence from combat sports since injuring his back in his last fight and some legal issues with some unscrupulous gym owners which may have led to some fans thinking he was retired. That is not the case. The injury coupled with legal troubles from a dispute with his former fight team home have kept him in limbo, but he tells us that it won't be long until he is ready to compete again. Having fought for the UFC, Pride, and a number of other promotions since the days of NHB, we look forward to seeing Detroit's own hold it down for Michigan in the cage soon. James also talks to us about meathead MMA fans, UFC in Detroit, and Strippers. Check out the interview and if you are a Michigan MMA hopeful be sure to get down with James Lee's Mash Fight Team.

Was Anderson Silva Exposed At UFC 117?

Now I am not one to hate the player, nor the game for that matter, but I can't help but think Silva was exposed a bit in the fight against Sonnen. He is no doubt about it a great fighter and a beast with his hands and feet when he is on point, but on point he was not. Silva had never been through a beating like the one he took Saturday and he looked worse for the wear afterward.

Silva has been known as the best striker in MMA for some time now and that did not seem the case as he was rocked several times by the wrestler Chael Sonnen. With a showing like he put in against Chael it would seem very likely that if he were to have been granted the Boxing match against RJJ that he so desperately wanted that he would have been knocked out cold.

Vitor Belfort has recently been chiming to Dana White asking for the fight against Silva that he lost out on due to injury tweeting: "Dana please give me the fight that every one wants to see. This fight will be the fight of the century. Give me Anderson." It seems to me that he may be so anxious to get at Anderson because of the flawed performance he put in Saturday. Belfort's light bulb probably lit up brightly when he thought of the staggered state that Silva was in after punches from Sonnen. If Sonnen would not have tired and gotten a bit sloppy with his ground and pound while leaving his neck and arm available for the wrenching, he would be the new Middleweight Champion.

Anderson and his camp have come forward and revealed that Silva's ribs were injured and he went to work anyways. Now that Silva is out until 2011 recovering from said injuries he will have the chance to fully heal and make people like me eat my words when he steps back in the cage. Until then the Middleweight contenders are probably foaming at the mouth watching tape of Mr. Silva taking a drubbing by the Republican master of shit talking, Chael Sonnen.

AMIR KHILLAH MAKES TUF 12 ROSTER

The Ultimate Fighter 12 roster was released and Kalamazoo Native Amir Khillah is on it. He will have the chance to be trained by either George St, Pierre, or Josh Koshcheck. Amir is a man dedicated to his sport. He is a perfect face to represent mixed martial arts. He has devoted his life to the sport he loves. He owns his own gym, and runs his own gym (Lightning Kicks), In Kalamazoo Michigan. He has worked very hard for this chance on TUF 12. He owns black belts in multiple disciplines including, Tae Kwan Do, Tang Soo Do, and Hapkido. He also has earned a red belt in Brizillian Jiu-Jitsu. He has trained with Matt Huges of H.I.T. Squad, among many others. He trains full time with Jeremy "Gumby" Horn. He has complied a 6-4 record. It will only get TUF'ER September 15Th

Here is a gym profile we did with Amir Khillah about Lighting Kicks in Kalamazoo Michigan.