With former Light-Heavy Weight Champ - Mauricio Shogun Rua
I love cage fighting. To be respectful, it's called Mixed Martial Arts, but I prefer calling it cage fighting because it gets my adrenalin pumping! I didn't always love cage fighting, but now it's a passion of mine, right up there with show-tunes and stand-up comedy. I was first introduced to MMA in the Summer of 2009 when my husband, David, insisted on watching a reality show on spike entitled "The Ultimate Fighter". Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson coached a number of talented fighters that season, including a personal hero of mine,
Brendan Schaub.
Being intverviewed by Brendan Schaub
at the UFC Expo in Boston.
"This is gross." I said to David, as I watched a cage match for the first time. Every time someone landed a jab, started in on serious ground and pound or started bleeding I'd hide behind a pillow and cringe. But then slowly I began to enjoy watching Rampage and Rashad constantly argue with each other on the reality show. Rashad would call Rampage stupid or something, and Rampage would do just that and put a hole in a door. Getting to know them as characters slowly sucked me into MMA.
The Ultimate Fighter Winner of Season 8, Ryan Bader
Finally, David convinced me to go out with him to a bar and watch an actual Ultimate Fighting Pay-Per-View Event. It was UFC107, Penn Vs. Sanchez and as we sat, watching one fight after another, I started to enjoy the commentary more than I enjoy most television shows. "Is that Joe Rogan?" I asked David, who I'm sure was sick of explaining the sport to me by this point, and he confirmed it was Joe! As I sat confused I asked again, "The Joe Rogan that was on News Radio and Fear Factor? Stand-up comedian Joe Rogan?" by now David was emerged in the fights, but still gave me a "Yes, Dear". That night BJ Penn won the bout and I got so enthralled I started running around the bar impersonating BJ licking the blood off his gloves.
One of my favorite UFC Referees, Mario Yamasaki
So, one of my favorite stand-up comedians is explaining this sport to me in a way that I can actually understand and is entertaining while doing so. Naming submissions as they're being executed and explaining how and why they're effective in the octagon. Joe goes so far as to say what a fighter is going to do and before you know it, their doing it. But don't let me take away from Mike Goldberg, who Joe playfully calls "Goldie". I'm a huge Goldberg fan as well. (He retweeted me once on Twitter!) Joe and Goldie, are admittedly, one of my favorite parts of watching the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
George Rivera and Howard Wilson are about to beat my ass.
Recently, David and I have moved into a house with roommates, one of which is an MMA fighter.
Curtis Hembroff, (of Kenai, Alaska) is currently 4-0 in his professorial MMA career. Having recently moved to Hollywood for fight training, I'm thankful to not only make a new friend, but to have an in home personal trainer, as well.
Mike Swick was so nice, he took a picture with me
even though we had followed him into a VIP Private area!
Someday I hope to commentate with Joe and Goldie, but until then I will settle for watching the fights at Capitol City in Hollywood - that place has the sickest screens you could ever dream of watching a fight on.
Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan,
doing what they do best.