The “Octagon of Excellence™” award was created by the UFC® to recognize individuals or groups that have excelled in their chosen sport, profession or school. In addition to being named Dekalb County Wrestling Champions for the first time in their school history, the Mustangs also had a number of wrestlers qualify for the state championships. Dr. James Jones, the school’s principal, will also be recognized for increasing the graduation rate at McNair high school from thirty percent in 2003 to over seventy percent in 2009.

The award and check presentation will take place prior to the weigh-ins for UFC® 145: Jones vs. Evans at Fox Theatre on Friday, April 20 at 3 p.m. Official weigh-ins begin at 4 p.m. and will be streamed live at http://www.UFC.com. The entire wrestling team and Principal Jones will be in attendance. The event is free and open to the public.

UFC®145: JONES vs. EVANS will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer’s Choice Canada. In the night’s main event, reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones defends his title against the former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans. Plus, young prospects Rory MacDonald, Miguel Torres, Brendan Schaub, Michael McDonald and Mark Hominick are also scheduled to compete on the six-fight main card.

Read the full interview at FOX News Latino.

Jones, the UFC light heavyweight champion, and his opponent, former UFC light heavyweight champion Evans, appeared on CSS Sports’ SportsNite to promote their April 21 headlining bout at UFC 145. What ensued was a memorable he-said/he-said exchange between the two full of accusations — watch the full segment above.

So when he talks about fighting in four years, it’s not really something that should baffle you.

“So far it’s not too much of an issue being 32,” said the two-time heavyweight champ. “Four years from now I’ll probably have to start increasing the fight sequence, but I’m lucky to be in the heavyweight division. One win puts you in a title shot now; it just depends on it being the right win. Look at Brock (Lesnar). He had the Shane Carwin fight and it was questionable on whether it could have been stopped. His fight with (Cain) Velasquez he completely got destroyed, and now he’s fighting (Alistair) Overeem, and already before the fight even took place, he’s one win away from being right back into a title shot. That’s just the nature of the heavyweight division. If Brock and I were to fight again and I get a good win, boom, title shot.”

Mir’s right, and if he’s learned anything in this business over the last decade, it’s that it’s not only what you can do in the Octagon that sells tickets, but what you do outside it as well. And while one chat with him or one read of an interview he does should be enough to convince you that he’s one of the fight game’s most interesting figures, he did choose a different tact when promoting fights a couple years back, one he’s opted not to take since then.

“I try to keep it as real as I possibly can about my own true personality,” he said. “So I can be a smart ass and be kinda smirky, but it’s a little bit harder for me to build up a fight because a couple fights in the past, after the Brock fight, I started seeing that with some of the turmoil I caused through interviews would sell more tickets. Of course, that came back to bite me, so I’ve really put that on the backburner. Some of the fights now, I don’t build them up the way I used to because of that. For some reason some guys can do it and get away with it; it didn’t work out for me.”

Luckily there is no need to build up his UFC 140 co-main event this Saturday in Toronto because it’s got all the elements needed for a blockbuster. In Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira, Mir is in with a fighter who he knocked out back in 2008, but one who was also dealing with some pre-fight injuries that he feels kept him from performing at his best. Three years and a couple surgeries later, Nogueira is back, he’s coming off an August knockout of Brendan Schaub, and he’s eager for revenge. No trash talk can do any better than that in getting fans amped up for the matchup. As for Mir, the idea of bettering a stellar knockout win could have left little room for motivation, but that’s not the case.

“It helps to know that he (Nogueira) feels the first time was a fluke and there’s people after the fight listening to what he’s saying about the staph infection,” said Mir. “So it isn’t like it was a clean-cut victory the first time around. So I was able to find ways to be motivated and to go out there and put a stamp on it. His excuses actually motivated me very well.”

And while the two former champions aren’t trading barbs in the media, there is plenty of heat behind this rematch, even though it’s three years since the first fight and both have had their various ups and downs. Nogueira went through two fights against Randy Couture (win) and Cain Velasquez (loss) and his surgeries before the win over Schaub, and Mir has gone 3-2, losing to Carwin and Lesnar while beating Cheick Kongo, Mirko Cro Cop, and Roy Nelson. So is Nogueira a changed fighter according to Mir?

“I still think he’s not as fluid when it comes to ground jiu-jitsu,” he said. “I think his hips and knees are still a little beat up. As far as his standup, I think it’s the same. He just stands in front of you and tries to beat you through attrition. And that’s just very difficult to do right now in the heavyweight division with the size and the power that most of the heavyweights in the UFC possess.”

As for Mir, he has not stood still behind a game that was once characterized as being one-dimensional. He is no longer just the “jiu-jitsu guy.” He can stand and bang with opponents and his wrestling is even coming along, something that can be attributed to something not too many elite fighters still have – a willingness to learn.

“It’s ambition,” said Mir. “I want to be the best I can possibly be. And anytime I sit there and I ignore an answer from somebody because I don’t feel that they don’t have the right credentials, then I might miss out on something. And I’m very orientated toward being the best I can possibly be, and that means you have to get information from everywhere. I’ve never been one to think that someone has to have a long list of credentials to be someone to listen to. I surround myself with as many people as I can that are very proficient, and I just keep an open mind and I see the benefits of doing things better.”

One of those very proficient people Mir has around these days is grappling wizard Ricky Lundell, a young man who is rapidly becoming coach to the stars, with a roster including Mir, Joe Lauzon, Roy Nelson, and Dan Hardy, among others. The way Lundell sees it, the key to Mir’s recent success is his open mind when it comes to learning new things.

“It’s flattering for me to able to work with somebody like that, and Frank is a very humble individual,” said Lundell. “Despite some people’s views of him having a cocky attitude, he is extremely humble and he’s one of the easiest guys that I’ve had the opportunity to work with. He really steps up and takes into account his entire game and he wants to get better, so he’s humble enough to step up and do those things necessary.”

For Mir, the goal is always the same – to become the perfect fighter. He knows he’ll never reach that point, but it can only make you better to try.
 
“It’s an unattainable goal that you just keep striving for,” he said. “I don’t think that it will ever come. Ricky’s close with Cael Sanderson and I would be curious to hear if he thinks his wrestling could get better. I’m sure he would say yes, that there are things he can do and improve upon. I’ll never be perfect and I’m never gonna completely accomplish all my goals. I’m realistic that I have a short time frame of age and injuries and hopefully I can accomplish as much as I can within that time frame before those things become too insurmountable.”

He knows that he can’t fight forever, but at the same time, Mir isn’t in any rush, so having his wins over Cro Cop and Nelson fly somewhat under the radar isn’t a cause for concern. Instead, he’s content with the slow road to glory this time around.

“I have no problems with it because the way I look at it, it just gives me more time for opponents like Cain Velasquez, or Carwin or Lesnar that have better wrestling than I do,” he said. “It gives me more time to work with Ricky and (Mike) Whitehead to try to close that gap as much as possible. Every day in the gym is another day to train and I feel like I have the right mindset about that, so if my opponent and I fight tomorrow, I feel like I’ll win; if you tell us we’re gonna fight in a week, I’ll have an even better chance of winning, and if we fight in a year, my chances will increase that much more because I’m in the gym trying to improve all the time.”

That’s not the fighter most associate with Frank Mir. He admitted himself to being kind of “smirky” as times, and his blunt “tell it like it is” style has turned off some fans. But he is a dedicated athlete, an intelligent observer of things in the fight game and outside of it, and he’s also a husband and father. He admits that as he grows older, the sacrifices to get to this level of the sport are sometimes harder to make.

“There is a battle that goes on inside my heart,” he said. “Obviously I have to be in the gym and training; it’s just part of my nature. So I can usually move practices. Then I really started noticing in this last camp that I’m four weeks out and my daughter has a recital, and you’ve got to miss it because you can’t move your training around. And I’ve never had those moments before where I’m driving to the gym and was actually pissed off about having to go. I guess it can be kind of childish in a way because most people have to work a 9 to 5 job and do things where they have to miss out on their children’s events. But then it starts coming into ‘why am I still doing this, do I need to accomplish something more? Is there something I need to prove, am I being selfish? Have I not provided a good lifestyle for my children? Can I provide a better lifestyle for my children if I continue to do this?’ So I’m weighing things out and those are the issues I’m gonna have to struggle with more in the future than the issue of injuries.”

As for now though, the training and the sacrificing for the Nogueira fight is done. Mir is in Toronto and waiting for the opportunity to show off what he’s been working on in his hometown of Las Vegas. It’s showtime, but not just for Mir, but for his camp, all of whom are eager to see their fighter test himself against one of the sport’s greats.

“This is much more exciting for me,” said Lundell. “I get to take a lot more time and effort and work on a real gameplan. It’s a lot more of a chess game against somebody like that (Nogueira). I actually get to go to war. Whereas you go up against somebody like a Kongo or a Cro Cop, I don’t have to think so much about what’s gonna happen once we get to the ground; I just have to focus on getting to the ground and keeping their stuff up to par. Now against somebody like Nogueira, I get to actually put a gameplan together and develop off of Nogueira’s ticks, the things that he does without even thinking about it. How can we catch Nogueira in his perfect movement? Not beat him when he makes a mistake; that’s not what happens at the upper level. We beat him when he moves perfectly. We beat him when he scoots the way he always scoots or when he turns on the hip he always turns on or when he tries to lock on the submission that he always tries to lock. Then we counter that appropriately and sub him. At this level, it’s exciting because you get to develop gameplans that are based on perfection, not based on the old Gracie way of ‘as soon as he makes a mistake I’m gonna relax and catch him.’ That works, but the percentages are way lower; people are too skilled now. We need to make it happen for ourselves.”

Frank Mir has been making things happen for a decade in the world’s toughest sport. And as crazy as it may sound, the best may be yet to come.

Frank Shamrock – September 24, 1999 – UFC 22
Result – Shamrock WSub 4
One of the most memorable fights from the early UFC era, Ortiz and Shamrock went to war for three rounds where it was safe to say that either man had a good chance of eventually pulling the fight out. By the fourth round though, Ortiz was losing steam and his conditioning betrayed him as Shamrock pounced and finished him. Ortiz learned a valuable lesson that night though, and never again would conditioning be an issue for “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy,” who instead adopted a Spartan philosophy when it comes to preparing for a fight.

Wanderlei Silva – April 14, 2000 – UFC 25
Result – Ortiz W5
Before Silva would go on to establish himself as one of the sport’s most feared competitors during his memorable run in PRIDE, the Brazilian fought Ortiz for the vacant UFC title and got soundly decisioned over five rounds. While not the most exciting UFC bout of all-time, Ortiz stuck to his gameplan and more importantly, absorbed anything “The Axe Murderer” threw at him and stifled the offensive fury of his opponent en route to the victory.

Ken Shamrock I – November 22, 2002 – UFC 40
Result – Ortiz TKO3
Though Ortiz was already firmly entrenched as UFC champion, Shamrock’s return to the UFC brought a whole new legion of fight fans into the fold in what was to that point the biggest event in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. And what those new fans saw was a one-sided thrashing of Shamrock by Ortiz, who became, without question, the undisputed poster boy for the UFC that night. Two more fights would follow with Shamrock, with even more decisive results, as Ortiz would score back-to-back first round stoppages.

Randy Couture – September 26, 2003 – UFC 44
Result – Couture W5
Couture, in his second fight at 205 pounds after back-to-back stoppage losses in the heavyweight division, was seen as just another notch in the belt of Ortiz, who was riding high and had the ego to go along with it. Couture took Ortiz back down to earth though with a relatively easy five round decision that shattered Ortiz’ new aura of invincibility and forced him to re-evaluate his game. Couture’s playful spanking of Ortiz late in the fight only added insult to injury for the Californian.

Chuck Liddell I – April 2, 2004 – UFC 47
Result – Liddell KO2
Looking back, the result of this fight was inevitable. With controversy and allegations of ducking his former buddy Liddell swirling around him, Ortiz took this megafight and then made the fatal mistake of trying to punch with the puncher. Liddell, in control from the start, finished matters in the second, bloodying and stopping his foe in emphatic fashion.

Vitor Belfort – February 5, 2005 – UFC 51
Result – Ortiz W3
Originally scheduled for UFC 33, the off-again, on again bout between Ortiz and Belfort had lost some luster over the years due to the declining fortunes of both men at the time, but it finally came off at UFC 51, and Ortiz, in the last bout of his contract at the time, proved he could truly win ‘the big one’ as he survived an early onslaught from “The Phenom” to roar back and take a stirring three round split decision over the talented Brazilian. Ortiz would subsequently leave the UFC and sit out the next 14 months in an acrimonious dispute with the organization.

Forrest Griffin I – April 15, 2006 – UFC 59
Result – Ortiz W3
Ortiz returned to the UFC after a bitter contract dispute and began the second phase of his career with not only a stint as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter reality show, but with this bout against one of the fighters who filled the popularity void in Ortiz’ 14 month absence, Forrest Griffin. The question was, would Ortiz be able to capture the fans back in his return, which coincided with the UFC’s initial foray into California? The answer was a resounding ‘yes’, as Ortiz pounded out a close three round decision over Griffin, and did it in a packed house at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim that cheered his every move. The Bad Boy was truly back that night, but after scoring the last two of his three wins over Shamrock, he would not get his hand raised in the Octagon for nearly five years.
 
Ryan Bader – July 2, 2011 – UFC 132
Result – Ortiz Wsub1
After a series of injuries and surgeries and a nearly five year stretch where he went 0-4-1 (albeit against Liddell, Rashad Evans, Lyoto Machida, Griffin, and Matt Hamill), it appeared that the end of the line had come for the 36-year old Ortiz when he signed to face rising star Ryan Bader at UFC 132. But Ortiz, now healthy, reached deep and pulled off a prime performance earlier this month, as he rocked and dropped Bader with a right hand before finishing him with a guillotine choke. It was an emotional and career-saving victory for the former champion, who will now step right back into the Octagon just one month later to face Evans in a rematch of their 2007 draw. It almost feels like 2002 all over again.
 

“This is what I wanted since the beginning,” said St-Pierre. “Let’s do what was supposed to be done originally. I’ve always wanted this fight – now I want it even more. I can’t wait for Super Bowl weekend.”

The bizarre set of circumstances surrounding St-Pierre vs. Diaz began when Diaz missed two fight announcement press conferences in Toronto and Las Vegas, prompting the UFC to pull Diaz from the bout and insert Carlos Condit into the UFC 137 main event. Penn, who was originally scheduled to face Condit, was without an opponent, so Diaz was then inserted into the co-main event slot. When St-Pierre injured his knee, the GSP-Condit bout was pulled, and Diaz and Penn put on a main event to remember Saturday night, with Diaz rebounding from a slow start to pound out an impressive three round unanimous decision win. Well, impressive to everyone except Diaz.

“I thought I put on a poor performance and I didn’t fight a smart fight,” said the Stockton native. “I’m not happy with my performance at all.”

St-Pierre wasn’t too pleased either when it came to Diaz’ post-fight comment that “I don’t think Georges is hurt, I think he’s scared.”

White spoke to the champion, who was in Vegas cornering victorious middleweight Francis Carmont.

“I’ve known Georges St-Pierre since 2004, and he’s one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met, and he’s exactly the same no matter what the situation is or who he’s fighting. Since 2004, I’ve never seen him like he was tonight. Georges St-Pierre flipped out tonight after Nick Diaz was in the ring. Nick needs motivation – he’s got it. He’s gonna fight Georges St-Pierre. ‘He’s the most disrespectful human being I’ve ever met, and I’m gonna put the worst beating you’ve ever seen on him in the UFC,’ that’s what Georges St-Pierre said.”

Condit will step aside, allowing GSP vs. Diaz to take place, and the Albuquerque contender will likely fight on the same card and get the winner of the title fight should he emerge victorious.

“You gotta come off like that just to get a fight,” said Diaz. “I gotta be the bad guy. You point your finger and make me the bad guy. I’m the bad guy now, and now I get a fight.”

It’s going to be a long wait ‘til February.

Days before the two highly-ranked 155-pounders collide, Stephens said that despite a pedigree that includes 12 Octagon appearances – versus just one Octagon test for Pettis – the knockout artist (Stephens) nevertheless perceives himself as the underdog headed into a contest that is virtually a lock to produce some fireworks. And it’s a comfortable spot for the husky roughneck who boasts more than his fair share of victories.

“His camp has talked some crap about me but that’s easy for them to do because they get to hide behind their fighter come fight night,” said Stephens (20-6). “He’s going to be the one suffering the blows. That’s not my focus, to talk s—. I know I said some things about ‘Showstopper’ Stephens (publicly) but that’s what I do. I’m very confident. That’s what I’m going to do: I’m going to stop his show.”

Winner of four of his past five bouts, Stephens’s lone loss came via split decision to Melvin Guillard – a ferocious and intimidating top contender in the hunt for a title shot. For his most recent training camp, Stephens placed particular emphasis on footwork and has tried to mimic the movements of elite fighters such as Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones and Anderson Silva. Though he pronounced himself “more light on his feet,” Stephens also intends to pressure Pettis (11-2) for as long as the fight lasts. To prepare for the unpredictable kicks Pettis might try to unleash on Saturday night in Houston, Stephens has sparred regularly with a Hawaiian fighter named Max Halloway, whose unique style also features an array of wild and crazy kicks.

“I have a great chin and standup and I’m a striker myself … so Anthony’s not going to do anything that I haven’t seen,” Stephens said. “One thing Anthony doesn’t do — he doesn’t throw any combinations. He has power in his kicks but he also hasn’t fought a striker like myself, who can bring the kind of pressure like Bart Palaszewski did. I hit a lot harder than Bart and I’ll be in his face a lot more. I’m constantly evolving. Ever since the Melvin Guillard loss I move a lot better, Anderson Silva-style. I’ve become more fluid.”

As he discussed the matchup over the course of a 30-minute interview, Stephens mentioned the word “hype” several times in reference to Pettis, a fan favorite since appearing on MTV’s “World of Jenks” and since delivering a Matrix-style kick (in a WEC title bout last year) that remains unlike anything the MMA world has ever seen. The popularity of Pettis far trumps that of Stephens, but the latter insisted it doesn’t bother him in the least.

“It all comes with timing. I’m not a jealous or envious guy,” the 25-year-old Stephens said. “He got what he deserves – the fame and the highlights. And he can have all of that. I’m sure he’s trained really hard for this fight and wants to get on track in the UFC (after losing his UFC debut against Clay Guida). He doesn’t want to lose his job or all the sponsorships that he probably got off ‘that kick.’ So that will be beneficial for me. When you beat somebody you steal their energy, you steal their momentum. You take something from them. That’s why no one likes losing; no one likes getting their energy stolen.

“I’ve been fighting in the UFC since 2007 and I’m looking to steal some of that energy from Anthony Pettis. He has a long ways to go in his career and I’m going to go in and expose him. And if that means more fan followers and the limelight then I’m ready for it. But I don’t mind being low-key and chill. I’m more that low-key kind of guy. I’d rather ride in the backseat than the front seat.”

The turning point in his career, Stephens recalled, was in early 2009, following back-to-back losses to Joe Lauzon and Gleison Tibau. Amid the disappointment, a sobering reality sank in for the fiery Iowan.

“I knew that if I buckled down and quit with all the partying,” Stephens said, “that I could be one of the best in the world. I just had to make some changes, get out of Iowa and come here to better training with the best in the world (to San Diego). I took a leap of faith, I took a risk to be a champion. The Justin Buchholz fight was the turning point in my life.”

For this training camp, Stephens occasionally sparred with UFC bantamweight kingpin Dominick Cruz, whom he effusively praised.

“He deserves a lot more recognition than what he gets,” Stephens said of the champ. “He’s one of the hardest working, most humble guys I’ve ever met. He’s always at the gym constantly. He’s a great leader and is always positive. He’s got a great team and brings in a lot of guys. Just being around him is great energy. I really look up to him.”

Rather interestingly, this marks the second straight fight for Stephens against a Duke Roufus protégé. In October, Stephens tormented and battered Danny Downes over 15 minutes. If they ever invent a “Not An Ounce of Quit In Him” award, an overmatched Downes proved he should be a frontrunner for the honor in 2011. Relatively few fighters would probably march on under such nonstop and prolific abuse (Stephens even cranked on a gnarly kimura that bent Downes’ arm so deeply it was painfully uncomfortable to watch). Yet the epically gutsy Downes fought on, never tapped, never came close to quitting and miraculously survived until the final horn.

“I was impressed by his heart. Danny Downes has got my respect,” Stephens said. “He took a lot more punishment than Pettis will; I think Pettis will fold.”

Stephens conceded that he was uncommonly nervous before the Downes fight because “I had everything to lose that night and he had everything to gain.” Stephens feels he’ll be in the opposite situation on Saturday against Pettis.

“Weakness is not in my heart, it’s my time to rise,” Stephens said. “I’ve got a family to feed, I’ve got a job to do. I really want to finish Anthony Pettis and make a statement on October 8th.  So I’m going to go out there and destroy him, rip him apart.”

UFC 129 Predictions:Take a look to the right and you will see our UFC 129 predictions and what we will be betting on! We have been (once again) very disappointed at the latest fights on the UFC cards, but it looks like 129 is going to be a banger. Take a look below at all of our 129 picks in the blog.

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UFC 129 Predictions:Take a look to the right and you will see our UFC 129 predictions and what we will be betting on! We have been (once again) very disappointed at the latest fights on the UFC cards, but it looks like 129 is going to be a banger. Take a look below at all of our 129 picks in the blog.

If you want to see the current LINES, check our always auto-updated: UFC 129Picks

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UFC Predictions

Fight Analysis: Matyushenko is a notoriously heavy-handed fighter coming off a huge win and Brilz, while a tough-ass fighter, is coming off a loss and hasn’t quite looked up to peak. This is a ‘keep the fight standing’ for Vladimir and if he is able to follow that gameplan, he wins this by knockout easy. I see this fight ending via heavy-hands.

Prediction: Matyushenko by TKO

Don’t forget to check out the full predictions page at: UFC 129 Picks

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