Rothwell interview: ?It?s not a comeback. It?s an unveiling?

Walking into Roufus Sport Academy in Milwaukee, I crossed paths with a man who resembled UFC heavyweight Ben Rothwell, but this one looked slimmed down from the man who beat Gilbert Yvel in a decision at UFC 115. Rothwell sustained a knee injury in that fight, and has been rehabbing his knee since.

This same Rothwell-lookalike made his way through a killer sparring practice, followed by a conditioning session where coach Duke Roufus bounced up and down on this fighter's abs as he did crunches.

Turns out that this was Rothwell, and he's looking at his UFC 135 bout to show how he's improved during the layoff.

"I've really worked hard on myself. It's not a comeback. It's an unveiling," Rothwell told Cagewriter. "I have been off for more than a year, and instead of using it as a layoff I've used it as a huge building block. I posted a few pictures, and people said, 'Whoa, this guy ain't the same.' When I came back to Duke, he said, 'People who are off because of an injury usually gain 20 lbs. You look like you've lost 20 lbs.'

Rothwell has 37 fights under that belt, and he sees that experience as an asset in preparing to end the layoff in a bout with fellow veteran Mark Hunt.

"I've been fighting for so long, and I've had layoffs, I've been out. I think I'm one of the few guys who can come back from such a long layoff and not look like I've missed a beat. I'm really banking on that fact. As far as Americans go, I'm one of the most experienced guys in the sport. I've been fighting the longest. I'm 31-7, and I've gone through a lot, inside and outside the Octagon."

He hurt his knee in the first round of the bout with Yvel, but is proud that he was able to complete the fight with a victory.

"It was a big challenge for me because I knew my knee was hurt, right at the beginning of the fight. I was in a must-win situation. I'm known for having exciting fights, and it wasn't one of my more exciting fights. Unfortunately for the crowd, they didn't like it, but for me, it was a tremendous mental victory because I knew what I was up against. I was on the brink of defeat, and I fought through and I won. I went through a three-round bout on one leg and won."

Back for a title run

Now, Rothwell wants to make a run for the title, in part because he isn't happy with the way other fighters have acted towards fans.

"A lot of these guys, especially champions, I see how they act, and it enrages me. It's not right. It's not fair," he said. "I fight for the fans because without them, I wouldn't be able to do this. A lot of guys talk the talk, but people know when they meet me, I smile in my pictures. I love giving autographs because I am very thankful for everyone that's made the sport possible. That motivating factor has made me who I am now, and it's time to go out and take what's mine."

He wants to be the kind of champ that fans deserve because MMA, and all the people involved in the sport, made such a marked difference on his life.

"When I was 17, 18 years old, I was on a path of destruction. I had no guidance. I had a gorilla on my shoulder. It wasn't even a chip. I was very lost. The sport has completely changed me. It's made me a far more humble person. It showed me the truth about a lot of people, and it showed me the truth about myself. The sport has given me a reason to be a good person. I have a lot that I fight to protect, and this sport gave me all that. I am forever indebted to it."

Nuvo Gene Tea
Boresha Bsweet
B Latte
Boresha Argmatrix
Boresha Comp Plan

Kaufman tears apart Carmouche?s face at Strikeforce Challengers 17

Liz Carmouche shocked the world by hanging with Strikeforce champion Marloes Coenen, but she couldn't catch Sarah Kaufman off-guard. The former champ was prepared to stuff Carmouche's takedown game and worked beautifully behind a jab on her way to an easy unanimous decision victory, 30-27 on all cards, at Strikeforce Challengers 17  in Las Vegas.

Kaufman (14-1) lost her title to Coenen last October. Now she'll wait to see what happens on the next Strikeforce card in Chicago. At the end of the month, Coenen defends her title against Miesha Tate. Unless there's a controversial decision in that one, requiring a rematch, one would think Kaufman gets the next shot to get her gold back.

"What I need to happen is Marloes Coenen to defend that title. I need to be the next fight in there," Kaufman told Showtime announcer Mauro Ranallo. "I want to take the title back, I want to avenge my loss and I hope the fans want to see that."

If she boxes the way she did tonight against Carmouche, any fight fan will enjoy Kaufman in the cage. Carmouche has only been a pro since early 2010 and it showed. Her aggression cost her throughout. She'd charge into the pocket to throw a right and leave her left hand too low. Kaufman nailed her throughout with short rights inside. The real damage was done by the volume of Kaufman jabs. By the middle of the second round, it appeared that Carmouche nose was busted. At the end of the round, there was blood splattered all over her face and shoulders.

"I feel pretty good about the win. I know Liz, even though she doesn't have a large record, is very tough, very strong. And she puts up a good fight. She's in here to fight," said Kaufman.

Kaufman was also brilliant with her takedown defense. Getting the fight off the feet was the only shot Carmouche had in the fight, but she was thwarted on all but one takedown attempt. Even in that case, Kaufman rose to her feet within 10 seconds.

Nuvo Gene Tea
Boresha Bsweet
B Latte
Boresha Argmatrix
Boresha Comp Plan

First bouldering at Stanage Plantation, Derbyshire, UK

Location: Stanage Plantation Date: Sunday 27 July Sunday shone this weekend. A planned trip to the gym was quickly canned and instead we made a trip out to a new bouldering spot. After a recommendation that Stanage plantation had some good climbing (thanks Jonny!) we checked my bouldering guide book and set out. If you’re reading this wondering [...]

Nuvo Gene Tea
Boresha Bsweet
B Latte
Boresha Argmatrix
Boresha Comp Plan

Overeem out of Strikeforce HWT GP, but still fighting for Zuffa

The Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix has been very solid so far, but if there's one complaint it might be the amount of time it's taking to progress.

Zuffa, looking to speed things along, scheduled the semifinals for Sept. 10. Alistair Overeem says he can't fight in September, so now in a surprising move, Zuffa has dumped him from the tournament.

It's a shocking development, involving the guy who most still felt was the favorite to win the whole thing and eventually secure a fight with UFC champion Cain Velasquez down the road.

Instead, it'll be Daniel Cormier who steps up and faces Antonio "Big Foot" Silva.

The story picked up steam this afternoon when Overeem appeared on AOL.com's MMA Hour.

"What's going to happen next? I don't know. I've had some threats of cutting me out of the tournament if I don't participate. I don't know if they're going to do it. Personally, I don't like to be threatened. If people start talking like that then?be my guest, but then I'm really not going to sing to their tune," Overeem said.

"For them to unilaterally declare, okay, [September 10] is going to be the second round, which I never agreed on, and then threaten me if I don't want it, it?doesn't really show a lot of respect,"

It was more than "a lack of respect," there were actions behind the words. Overeem is out, but that doesn't mean he's getting booted from the Strikeforce roster. He's the Strikeforce heavyweight champ and UFC president Dana White pointed out that Overeem's still with the company.

"Sept. 10 was the date Showtime wants us to go, so it's the date we've got to go. It's unfortunate that Alistair is unavailable, but situations like this are why there are alternates in the tournament," White told MMAjunkie. "Overeem is under contract, and when his pinky toe heals up, we'll get him another fight," White said.

Nuvo Gene Tea
Boresha Bsweet
B Latte
Boresha Argmatrix
Boresha Comp Plan

Working in the business: Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports columnist

MMA is not just a sport, but also a business that creates jobs for people all over the world. Cagewriter takes a look at some of the people and jobs that keep the MMA wheels churning. First up: Yahoo! Sports columnist Kevin Iole.

Cagewriter: What are your job duties?

Kevin Iole: My job is to come up with feature stories and columns that would appeal to a wide audience that follows boxing or MMA. Occasionally, I cover events, I meet with a fighter, sometimes I go to lunch or dinner with a fighter or manager.

Hardly a day goes by where I don't do a radio interview of one sort or another. A lot of times I'll do short TV gigs, discussing upcoming fights or my thoughts on fighter.

I'm supposed to stay on top of breaking news from an analytical standpoint. When news breaks, what does it mean? It's not necessarily my job to be the first guy to get it out there, but it's my job to explain to people the significance of the news.

CW: But you do break news sometimes.

KI: A lot of times, what I do when I get up in the morning, something as a reporter for more than 30 years I've gotten in the habit of doing, is make calls to people in the industry. That's how you find stories. That's how you develop relationships with people. That's the biggest part in our business. I find a lot of good stories that way, and I ending breaking news that way.

CW: What is the best part of your job?

KI: I can really live a dream. Ever since I can remember, I wanted to be a sportswriter. I love fights. I love both boxing and MMA, and I get to write about the biggest fights, the biggest stars, to say my opinion on a day-to-day basis. I can't imagine doing anything else.

CW: But what's the worst part?

KI: The biggest downside is that I can't be a fan. I'm a fan of the Steelers, and if the Steelers score a touchdown, I'm standing up cheering. I'm clapping my hands. When I cover fights, I may see some of the best fights in history, and I can't cheer. I can't clap my hands. I can't root for any particular side. I've got to be neutral.

The other downside is travel. Getting on airplanes, staying in hotels, being away from my family. I did over 100,000 miles in travel for Yahoo! last year. As much as being in exotic places is nice, I wish there was a Star Trek thing where I could get beamed into these places.

CW: What did you do before this to prepare you to be a columnist?

KI: I was a reporter for many years. I started with a small paper in Pittsburgh, and then moved to Vermont. I was there for close to 10 years, and then after having met my wife, she and I moved to Las Vegas. I was with the Las Vegas Review-Journal for about 17 years. By the time I got to Yahoo!, I had over 25 years of experience as a reporter.

CW: What advice would you give to someone starting out in MMA journalism?

KI: The first thing is to just write a lot. If you're sitting at home watching the fight, run back to your computer and write about it. Compare it to what other people do.

The second thing is read a lot of good writing. Whoever you think is a good writer, whether it be in boxing, MMA, or any other sports, read good writing. Pay attention to how they transition from paragraph to paragraph, or how they make their case. Also understand what the elements of a news story are.

Look at your work with a critical eye and ask, what could I have done better? How does somebody else do that exact same story? What points do they make better? Why is their story better than mine? If you look at that and pay attention, you're going to be able to do it. Assuming that when someone wants to be a writer, they have some skills to begin with, it's just a matter of developing them. It's not something that comes naturally. Sometimes, it's a long and tortured process.

You have to go through it multiple times before you decide that's the final product. Sometimes, people want to sit down and after 15 or 20 minutes and say, 'OK, I'm done,' and think that what they have is the best they can do. They can definitely do better.

A lot of young writers are too wordy, and they use too many big and extraneous words that can be left out. A good rule of thumb is less is more.You need to think if somebody on the subway on the way to work, they're reading your piece. Are they going to jab the guy next to them and say, 'Hey, read this?' Or will they just go to something else. If you know they're going to jab the guy, then you've done your job. If not, you've got to work to do.

Nuvo Gene Tea
Boresha Bsweet
B Latte
Boresha Argmatrix
Boresha Comp Plan