April 2009

Akiyo Nishiura Name: “Wicky” Akiyo Nishiura Professional Record: 9-3-1 Notable Wins: Hideki Kadowaki, Jong Man Kim and Fanjin Son Colorful and brash are some of the words that best describe “Wicky” Akiyo…

Sherdog was born at Boeing. Yes, Boeing the aircraft manufacturer. This was in 1997, when Jeff Sherwood was 29, living in Huntington Beach and tearing it up on the Southern California beer and softball circuit. Not a circuit that…

Although he has fought professionally for only about 3 years, UFC Welterweight Anthony Johnson has already authored a series of devastating knockout victories that have raised his profi le to that of major prospect. Johnson’s…

“Khai Muay kap kum mak kup,” Mark DellaGrotte chants as he locks up his Muay Thai Academy at the end of another long day of training. As if praying, he clasps his hands together at his forehead and bows, uttering the Thai phrase…

One day, undefeated defensive genius Lyoto Machida decided to start knocking men out. He succeeded. His reward: a shot at the UFC light heavyweight belt. On July 25, 1945, prior to his fi ght with the highly-rated Jackie Graves,…

Killer instinct. You either got it or you don’t, right? Wrong! I believe that killer instinct is learned and honed over time. To ward off the uneducated MMA fan, I do NOT mean “killer instinct” in the literal sense. Nobody…

When people comment on how much I have improved my fi ght game I always joke that since my skills were at zero when I was on The Ultimate Fighter, I could only get better. Prior to fi ghting for the UFC, I had a record of 3-0 in my then…

Mixed martial arts is the fastest growing sport in the world. It garners more attention and new fans daily. The emergence of so many new athletes sometimes makes it hard for fans to notice some of the fi ghters on the verge of making it to…

The kid was mad at himself. The fi rst punch had already landed, and he hadn’t seen it coming. Now, his heart was racing and the adrenaline was coursing through his body. The crowd was already gathering, the fi ght was on, and…

The distance across most MMA cages is approximately 30 feet. For a fi ghter, closing that space represents crossing the point of no return and what happens at the moment of impact can mean victory, defeat, injury and potentially…