mixed-martial-arts-feature

ROSS "THE BOSS" MASON
Silently Confident

©Marc Wickert,
www.knucklepit.com
19/6/2006

Photos ©Cage Rage

Today, Mason is a well-polished mixed martial artist: with Thai boxing, freestyle wrestling, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu added to his trick bag. However, Ross does lean towards the stand-up game. "I prefer striking because it’s more entertaining, although ground can be entertaining… I’m alright at grappling, but I do prefer the stand-up fight because I feel there’s more action."

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DEVIN COLE

“It’ll Be Hard for Him to Put a Submission on if I’m Punching Him in the Face.”

photos © IFL

Devin’s initiation into wrestling seems to have come about mainly through his being in the right place at the right time, although he says wrestling does run in the family, slightly: “It does a little bit: My brother Darrin was a two-time Oregon State Champion, but there was a flier around when I was in third grade, saying to come and try out: So I did. And I fell in love with the sport.”

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MIKE CIESNOLEVICZ

“I’ll Find a Hole in His Game”

photos © IFL

“One day I got a call from a guy who asked me if I wanted to take a fight. I wasn’t really training for a fight, but I thought, what the heck? I was working out all the time, so I figured I might as well give it a try. I took the fight on two weeks’ notice, and I won. After that I knew what I wanted to do.”

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BRYAN VETELL
IFL's Number One Locksmith

"Then about three years ago, I got the competitive bug again. I can't even say why. I tried to avoid it and not do it for a while. You know, I really did try to say, 'No. I don't watch UFC or PRIDE anymore.' But before I knew it, I was sucked back in. And before I knew it I was training out of Queens with a good group of guys who really helped me get my stand-up and basic Jiu Jitsu down."

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MAURICE “MO” SMITH

IFL Tiger Sharks Coach

photos © IFL

His first MMA fight was with Battlecade: Extreme Combat 3, against their Heavyweight World Champion Marcus ‘Conan’ Silveira. The fight lasted three rounds, before Maurice landed a kick to the side of Conan’s neck - as he had done against Morelli - resulting in Smith becoming the first legitimate kickboxer/striker to win in the MMA arena..

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ALEX REID
The Reidernater Is Poised for Pandemonium

With an inborn tendency to be competitive and the determination to seek out the ultimate fighting system, Alex turned to MMA. "It was just a natural progression. I started off doing kung fu/karate-style tournaments before moving on to boxing, kickboxing, a little bit of judo, jiu jitsu. MMA was a natural progression for a young lad wanting to find the latest and best style.

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MARK ‘THE BEAST’ EPSTEIN

Heavy Hands and a Lion’s Heart

©Marc Wickert
www.knucklepit.com
13 August, 2006

Ironically, it was more or less therapeutic purposes that caused Mark to take up a fighting system. “I just thought it was a good way of getting rid of some stress and tension, while at the same time utilizing the discipline of training. And from a young age, I’ve always managed to get involved in scraps because I’m naturally quite aggressive,” says Epstein.

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CAGE RAGE

Dave O’Donnell Talks to knucklepit.com

©Marc Wickert
www.knucklepit.com
11 August, 2006

“I’ve been doing martial arts for 29 years. And I saw UFC about eight years ago (November 12, 1993). I watched a little man called Royce Gracie rewriting martial arts with takedowns and BJJ. I mean, I’ve got some good shit… I was doing this street fighting style, which is an excellent style, but after watching Royce, I thought, I’m going to leave that and do mixed martial arts.

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CHUCK LIDDELL
When the Octagon Freezes Over

Part 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8

Although Chuck Liddell is recognized as being one of the best strikers in MMA, his ground skills should not be underestimated. Chuck wrestled at San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara for four years, and was appointed captain of the school wrestling team. He has also fine-tuned his submission skills under the guidance of renowned BJJ instructor John Lewis.

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TIM SYLVIA
Casting a Spell

Part 1-2-3-4-5-6

Tim’s third Octagon appearance was at UFC 44 on August 26, 2003, and proved to be a battle of the giants between Sylvia (6’8") and Gan McGee (6’10"). Again Tim won by knockout with his concrete fists in the first round.

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