By Stephanie Joplin

“People are kind of like ‘What?!’ But a lot of it just comes with my age; it’s either a ‘do it or don’t’ kind of thing.”

Maria ‘KO’ Lopez’s amateur MMA record was difficult to find, not because of bad record keeping, but because she simply doesn’t have one. The feisty 36-year old out of Austin, Texas, will be facing Paulina Granados (1-0) at Legacy FC 20 in Corpus Christi, Texas, on May 31^st at 105 pounds. And yes, this will be her first fight. Ever.

Lopez explains how her journey to the cage began:

“About four years ago, my son [Isaac] and I went to a gym together one day and wanted to start training. It was more for him; he wanted to get into [MMA]. I used to date somebody who did MMA, so that’s how the door opened,” she describes. “We trained for a couple months and after that, my son realized that he didn’t like MMA, but loved to box. I stuck with MMA because I was the complete opposite. I wouldn’t say I have been consistent [training-wise] for four years, since I have always been busy with one thing or another.”

Despite her lack of fights, Lopez offers up a full resume.

“I have done grappling tournaments and with boxing, I haven’t really been able to find fights because [finding an opponent] depends on age and weight class; it’s really hard to find a smaller, older person.”

One might say Lopez’s passion for the martial arts is quite different from her chosen career path:

“I manage a hotel,” she says. “I have been in the hotel business for about 10 years.”

I ask her how many days a week she trains.

“I train just about every day. Six days a week,” says Lopez. “I try to take one day off completely. Another day might be a lighter day where I am doing some running or strength training, but I pretty much I train all week.”

How does Maria find the time and energy to commit to her training?

“Some days are harder than others, and I try not to overdo it,” she admits. “My job is a ‘Monday through Friday’ job. I am forced to wake up a little earlier, start early with training, go to work and then leave to go back to the gym. [My passion for MMA] is what keeps me going,” she reassures me. “Going to work, to me, is like an eight-hour rest period! I go to work and I do my job, but I look forward to the end of the day because it’s time to go do a different kind of work.” She adds, “If I miss a day or two of training and not going to the gym, I feel really bad.”

We talk a little more about her son, Isaac.

“He’s 17. He recently brought up to me that he is ready to start training for his first ammy MMA fight; that made me really excited,” she says proudly. “He is the current 123-pound Austin Regional Golden Glove Champion and the current 123-pound South Texas LBC Champion.”

She continues, “I think [Isaac] wants to make it more of a career; he’s really young. I am not looking to make this my career per se. I probably have another year or so of actually [competing]. It’s now or never.”

If Lopez found herself successful, would she write off further fights?

“No, but there comes a certain point where it’s just time to stop,” she says wisely. “I will always be involved in [MMA]. I am one of the boxing coaches at the gym I train out of, and I corner my other teammates in boxing and in MMA fights. How long can I stay fighting? My body will let me know.”

And what of the mystery man who got Lopez in to MMA in the first place?

“We went separate ways and now we are back together. Have you heard of Nick “The Ghost” Gonzalez? He is also my head trainer. I was able to experience the other side of it: watching, being really close up, the training, being involved as an outsider. I got drawn in through that.”

Lopez, now a blue belt in jiu-jitsu, trains out of The Fit Pit and has recently joined Paragon MMA as well. I ask Maria to talk a little about what she brings to the table versus Granados.

“From what I see, she looks well rounded. I know she is undefeated. Obviously, for me to come in and take this fight, it’s not an easy one. It’s not going to be an easy thing for me to do,” she admits. “But it’ll be a challenge…and I like a challenge. I think I will be okay. Her record doesn’t scare me off or anything.”

I ask if there are any particular areas where she may outshine Granados.

“I don’t know!” she exclaims. “She’s tough; she’s small like me, really strong. It’s going to be a good match. I respect her and everything she has done, so I don’t have anything bad to say.”

She continues, “I am a really relaxed person; I don’t freak out or anything like that. I don’t know that much about her [personality]. I joke a lot and laugh a lot. I think positive no matter what the situation is; I never try to think negative.” She suggests, “[MMA] is a career to [Granados], so we are probably going into [this fight] very differently.”

I ask if Lopez considers that this observation might make her opponent believe she is not interested in finishing this fight.

“I hope not! No matter what I do, if I did it once or ten times, I am going to go in and do what I need to do. It’s not that it doesn’t mean anything to me. I just have less time to do it.”

Does Lopez have an end goal when it comes to MMA, or is this the culmination of her efforts?

“After all I have been doing for the past few years, I want to say this will be reaching the goal of what I have been training for, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will stop on that day,” she reassures me. “It’s not like I am going in, do it, and then be done. I would like to do it as long as I can. I would like to get my purple belt and eventually test for my black belt.”

Does Lopez feel pressure to perform as one half of the only women’s bout on this card?

“I don’t think so,” she says calmly. “To me, the most pressure is from the fact that it is [Paulina's] hometown: being around all her friends and family. I feel maybe more pressure from that, not necessarily because we are females. Every time I go to a fight, the women always have the most exciting fights, anyway!”

I remind Lopez that not only will her first fight be shown live on AXSTV, but that the play-by-play action will be called by none other than the legends themselves, Pat Miletich and Michael Schiavello.

“I just smiled really big!” she laughs. “That is really exciting! How many people can say they ever did that, right? Whatever happens, it’s pretty awesome.”

***

Maria would like to thank:

“My trainer, Nick “The Ghost” Gonzalez, my BJJ coach Travis Joyner, my strength and conditioning coach, Esia Rivera, my boxing coach from Fit Pit, Art Cardenas, all my training partners that have put their time and effort into helping me prepare for this fight, The Fit Pit, Paragon, all my sponsors…. and most importantly my son, Isaac Lopez. He is my rock and I am who I am today because of him. Love that kid so much!”

Carlos Diego Ferreira is a name well known in the realm of Texas BJJ, having dominated the Texas State Championships, the IBJJF and Europa in Dallas.  He is looking to make the same kind of impact in Texas MMA, with a 6-0 record, as he makes his Legacy debut at LFC 20 against WEC/UFC veteran and fellow countryman, Carlo Prater (31-13-1), on May 31 at the American Bank Center, in Corpus Christi, TX.

Ferreira is originally from Manaus, Brazil – hometown of the UFC’s Diego Brandao and #2-World-Ranked-Bantamweight Bibiano Fernandes – where he played soccer and studied Capoeira and BJJ: “My coach from Brazil, Faustino Piña Martins Neto, he got me started in BJJ when I was 10, and I fell in love with the sport.  He always pushed me to be my best and motivated and inspired me to pursue my dreams in the U.S.A., and I feel that’s why I’m here where I am today.”  In 2008, he moved to California and began to train in MMA, but eventually made his home in Edcouch, TX. He made his professional MMA debut against Joseph Daily in April 2011, and won by split decision, then went on to win every fight since then by 1^st or 2^nd round submission.

Historically, Ferreira has fought out of Arsenal Jiu Jitsu and Silverback Fight Club; though, for his last two camps, he has spent the majority of his time at his own gym, Team Ferreira, in Pharr, TX.  For his camp against Prater, Ferreira has used as many available resources as he could – he continued training at Team Ferreira gym, and finished off the last few weeks at Gracie Gym in Plano, working with Arjan Carlos Moreno on Muay Thai, and spending time with Coach James Cooper for MMA, as well as training at Silverback.  He has been marshaling all the tools at his disposal to face the more experienced adversary, but he feels his greatest weapons are not those you can learn in a gym:

“In my opinion, the greatest tool would be heart, will, and desire…if you don’t have the heart, will, and desire to train and fight to win, all the training in the world is worthless…But of course, I’ve been training hard and with some of the best coaches and teammates, to come in at my best fight night.
It’s hard to say how the fight will go; but all I can say is, it’s going to be a good fight and I’m going to go in there like it were any other fight and do all I can do to get the victory.”

If Ferreira is successful in his Legacy debut, he wants to go as far as he can in the world of MMA, “I just want to continue working hard and becoming the best fighter I can be. I have a lot to learn to achieve my goals, but with my will and heart, I will never stop pursuing them. I’m going to keep fighting and striving for bigger and better things. And only time and God can tell what’s next for me.”

When his is not in camp, Ferreira enjoys life like many other young men, playing video games, watching movies and spending time with his wife, family and friends here, though he wishes he could spend more time with his family back home: “It’s hard that I can’t spend time with my family from Brazil, but I communicate with them every day, and I hope to have them here with me one day.”

“I want to thank my team, Team Ferreira, coaches and all my family, friends, fans and sponsors. Without y’all, none of this would be possible…they all inspire me in different ways to keep pushing and working hard towards my dreams.”

By Lance Edwards

Eric Garcia is a fighter, entrepreneur and a promoter. It seems as if there’s nothing he can’t be successful at. Garcia holds a 4-0 amateur record, which include wins over the tough Luis Lara (1-2) and the gritty Kolton Englund (6-3) in a fight that earned him the Legacy Amateur 155 lb title. In addition to fighting, Garcia also runs his own promotion, Caged Combat, which has been a hugely successful amateur show in Humble, TX. On July 19^th, Garcia faces Mark Garcia (1-6) in his pro debut, whilst Mark Garcia attempts to break his losing streak which has seen him face some tough opposition.

Legacy:  When and how did you get involved with MMA?

EG: I walked into Team Tooke in April 2008. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life thus far. I have always been a fan of MMA and the early UFC days when there were no weight classes and little-to-no rules; when season one of The Ultimate Fighter hit, I really became interested. I did a little research and found Team Tooke that wasn’t too far from where I lived. I signed up and to this day, have never left. Travis Tooke is one of the best BJJ black belts around. The things I have learned from him and my other teammates and coaches are unbelievable. I started doing private lessons in MMA and boxing with Jace Pitre shortly after I started BJJ with Travis in 2008. To this day, Jace is still my head MMA coach and my fight game continues to evolve with the things he and Travis teach me on a regular basis. Training with Andrew Craig and my other teammates keeps me super sharp also. Competing is something I love to do, whether it be BJJ tournaments or fighting in the cage. Only 1 man wins. It’s the ultimate challenge!!

Legacy: You have your own promotion. Why did you set it up, and how has running a promotion been?

EG: I’m loving promoting MMA events. Being a fighter and now promoting has shown me both sides of the show. When I started my promotion back in 2010, Mick Maynard’s promotion was probably the only other local ammy promotion around, and might I say Mick’s shows are top notch. I knew there were a lot of ammy fighters in town and out of town that wanted a chance to showcase their talent. With Lonestar Beatdown (now Legacy Amateur Series) being the only local ammy promotion around, it was very hard to give every single fighter a chance to fight. I wanted to make another amateur promotion available to help showcase some of the talent that was waiting for their shot. I look at Mick and the great things he has done for the sport, and want to try and do the same. Running the promotion has its ups and downs. I think the worst part about being a promoter is having to call a fighter when their opponent gets hurt or pulls out and break the news to them. It’s happened to me numerous times, so I know first-hand how it feels to train hard and a week out be told that my opponent is out and I have no fight. I do everything I can to get these fighters that really want to fight a fight. After all the training and medicals and everything they go through to get to the fight, I owe it to them to keep them on the card. As far as the future of Garcia Promotions, I will continue to put on ammy shows as long as there are fighters out there that want to fight. Jace Pitre and I also have some future plans of putting on a Professional MMA show in the near future.

Legacy:  You had a successful amateur career. Are there any changes in your training and preparation now that you have made the move to professional MMA?

EG: I am 4-0 as an amateur, a very rocky ammy career at that. I wish I could have fought a lot more often, but it just didn’t work out that way. Between injuries and opponents getting injured, I managed 4 fights over 3 years time. I feel like because of that, I never found my rhythm in the cage and never got to really showcase my skills. People have yet to see what I bring to the cage; they will see July 19. As far as training goes, I have trained for every fight like it’s the toughest fight I will ever have. My training is always intense, and I take it very serious. I will have no excuses on fight night for a loss; losing is not an option for me. I will train for my pro fights the same as I have trained for my ammy fights. Andrew Craig, Travis Tooke, Jace Pitre, Jose Llanas, Chris Lopez and my other teammates are constantly growing in this sport and getting better every day. As these guys get better and I continue to train with them, I evolve and get better as well.

Legacy:  What are your thoughts on your upcoming fight and your opponent?

EG: I’m fighting Mark Garcia on July 19. Mark is a gamer. He’s the type of guy who will fight whoever is put in front of him. This is a sport, and I consider Mark a friend until the cage door shuts, and he is standing across from me. At that point, I will put our friendship aside for however long it takes for me to finish the fight. After the fight, regardless of the outcome, I will consider him a friend again. I don’t look at this fight any different than any of my previous fights. Jace and Andrew will tweak some of the training we do, and we will train some specific things for every opponent. This will be no different. I don’t consider him any tougher than any previous opponent I’ve had, and I will train and push myself to the limits every training session to prepare for the fight.

Legacy: Any predictions for how the fight will end?

EG: This fight ends when I’m ready for it to end. I have a lot of confidence in my skills. I consider myself well-rounded and can finish a fight anywhere. I’m not one to say how I’m going to finish a fight, but I will make the exception this time. No disrespect to Mark at all, but I’m going to call this victory by first round TKO.

Legacy:  After this fight what’s next? Anyone you’d like to face?

EG: I like to take it fight by fight. Anything can happen in a fight. Everyone has a 50/50 chance of winning. I’d like to fight at least 3 times this year and be 3-0 by 2014. I don’t have any specific person that I’d like to fight. I’ll just consider whatever is offered.

Legacy:  A couple of your teammates are fighting on the same card. Is that an advantage in training or a disadvantage, and why?

EG: I think it’s great to have 2 of my teammates on the same card fighting the same night! Jace has made me the fighter that I am, and it’s an honor to fight in the same cage that he will be in that night. Chris Lopez is a good friend and great training partner to me as well. Being able to prepare with these guys and have fights the same night is going to be an advantage to all of us. Andrew Craig is also fighting Chris Leben two weeks before we fight, so we will be preparing with his as well. We are going to push each other harder than ever, and all four of us will come out victorious on fight night!

Legacy: When you aren’t training, what do you do for work; and what do you do in your spare time?

EG: When I’m not training, I’m spending time with my beautiful family or running one of my businesses. I have three kiddos, so there is always something to do! Homework, after school activities, etc. keeps me busy with the kids. On top of that, preparing for one of my Cage Combat shows, running my Limousine service and just recently I reopened my private ambulance service, so I’m always doing something. I make time for everything: God first, family second, then everything else after that.

Legacy: On your card are two title fights. Who do you think will win out of Matt Hobar and Angel Huerta, and who will be victorious out of Bubba Bush and Larry Crowe?

EG: I don’t like to pick winners in fights, but I know Angel is going to bring it. I’ve trained with Angel and consider him a friend, so I’m rooting for him and hope to see him do well and come out victorious. As far as Larry and Bubba, I can’t even call that one. Both of their last performances were great, so I expect nothing but fireworks on this one and may the best man win.

Legacy: As a promoter, what fight in the MMA world, amateur or professional, would you most like to see at this point?

EG: As a promoter, I’d like to see the Jones vs. Silva fight obviously, as I’m sure every other fan would. As far as locally, there are tons of fights I’d like to see. I’m a fan of lots of the ammy guys that have fought in my shows. Some have now gone pro. For the pros, I’d like to see Geoff Neal get some action in the Legacy Cage. Geoff Neal vs Jared Perez, Geoff Neal vs Lester Batres or Charlie Ontiveros? Charlie vs Lester? Gerardo Abadie vs Charlie? I’d like to see Ryan Hollis vs Domingo Pilate. I’d like to see Kolton Englund turn pro and fight Hossan Walker, since that fight was supposed to happen on a Cage Combat card. I’ve probably mentioned too much, but I consider all these guys tough and like to see them fight. Also, I’d like to see my bro Chris Lopez get a few more fights in the Legacy Cage before the end of the year.

Legacy: Anything you’d like to add?

EG: I am thankful for everything I have in this life. I feel like I have accomplished so much at just 31 years old. I put Jesus Christ 1st in all that I do, and because of that, everything falls into place. The sky is the limit in all that I do, fighting, business, family etc. Thank you Lord for everything! Thank you Coach Travis and Jace; Andrew, Jose, Chris, Cameron, Todd Moore and all my other training partners as well as Plex Sports. Also, the other teams that allow me to get extra work in, 4 oz, GB Woodlands, Paradigm, Coach Mike Altman, and everyone else that allows me and my teammates to come in on a regular basis. I also want to thank my dad for being at every fight to support me. Having him in attendance gives me the extra push to win. Legacy FC 21, July 19, 2013, I’m the first fight of the night!! Get there early, because it won’t last long!!!!!

Pain! Pain! Pain! There is something about pain that makes you decide how much you really want to accomplish something. Just as I was starting to feel halfway decent about my skills and was getting a little more cardio reserve built up, it happened.

I was lucky enough to be told to spar with Macaco before he left for his next fight. Of course, during my sparring session right before that I was moving pretty well, then managed to throw a kick and break/ jam my toe. I don’t accept excuses from the fighters I work with, so I wasn’t going to give any to Macaco as to why I couldn’t spar with him. Luckily I didn’t, as my toe would play no factor in the next 5 minutes of pain. First minute goes by and I feel ok. I am moving around and throwing a few combos. I stopped a few takedown attempts, and then it happened. Macaco decided to actually move, and attempt to hit me. Haha… It was miserable. Next thing I knew, I was on the ground with him, and if you had told me I had been put inside a blender of fists, knees and elbows, I would have believed you. It was demoralizing. The worst part is when you realize he is not really trying. If he was going 50%, I would be shocked. Without trying to hurt you, Macaco knows how to inflict just enough punishment that you don’t get hurt, but you do feel it.

It’s these moments that you will come to a realization of whether or not this is the sport for you. As I laid there being pummeled, many thoughts ran through my head. You’re too fat for this, you’re too old, you don’t have the ability anymore. A few times I wanted to just give up. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t see. I couldn’t do anything, but get hit. Then it hit me. No, not his fist that never stopped hitting me. I love this sport. My only thought was that I wanted to get in better shape and try again to see if I could do better the next time. I thanked Macaco for the beating, and then sat outside the cage and looked around. Even with the aches and pains, there was nowhere else I would rather have been. Don’t give up ladies and gentlemen. The only goals you can’t achieve are the ones you don’t finish.

This week: 227 lb

Twitter: @shonuffstuff

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By Lance Edwards

There are a few figures in the MMA scene that you always hear good things about, and Jace Pitre is one of them. Whether people are talking about his skill level, his ability to coach or him as a person, people always seem to say positive things about him.  Jace Pitre has a professional record of two wins and one loss, with his loss being a split decision to highly regarded fighter, Jesus Rivera (7-2).  Pitre hadn’t been seen in the cage since 2009, but made his comeback against Hossan Walker in March 2013, and returns to the cage on July 19^th to face Eric Schechinger (1-1) at Legacy Fighting Championship 21.

Legacy: Jace, how are you feeling coming up to this fight?

JP: I’m feeling good; I took three and a half years out, and returned this year. I took time out because I had a herniated disc and some radiating pain, and also I was working a job in the oilfields, and having to go off to North Dakota for forty-five days didn’t really make it possible to do a training camp. I did that job for three years, and now I’m able to fight again.

Legacy: How did you injure yourself?

JP: It was a lot of wear and tear over the years. I had done athletics my whole life, and the incident that just topped it off was that I was doing judo, and I got thrown and had pain. Three weeks after, I couldn’t do anything. It was just the icing on the cake.

Legacy: How did you get involved in training?

JP: Well, I started in Austin in 2002 training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I was there for about a year, and then moved out to California to train. I then moved to Houston, and have been here since. Last year I opened a school, and it’s been a difficult challenge to train, run a school, and train guys for fights. I have a lot of support from Travis Tooke, which helps.

Legacy: How did you start training under Travis?

JP: Well, I was training at Alvis Soliz’s gym at the time, and I heard about Travis, but he was out at Gracie Barra in Brazil training with Master Carlos. When he got back, I went down to his garage and we rolled. It went from a training session to training ten years with him. The rest is history. If you know Travis, you know he’s a great guy and an excellent teacher, and being around him has really benefitted me.

Legacy: Do you regard yourself as a Jiu Jitsu practitioner doing MMA, or a complete MMA fighter?

JP: I’m pretty well rounded. If I get a fight to the ground, there’s not much anyone can do to me. <laughs> Well, not nothing, but I’m confident there. I feel very comfortable on the ground. I like ground and pound and being in top position; but if it’s on the feet, it’s on the feet, and I’m happy there too. I was first and foremost a good ground guy, but I’m well rounded and can be considered a mixed martial artist.

Legacy: People speak well of your boxing skills. Have you competed in boxing?

JP: I actually never competed in Golden Gloves. I was having trouble getting fights in MMA; so I turned pro, and I was firstly an MMA fighter. When you go pro in MMA, you can’t fight amateur boxing anymore, which I think is a bit stupid as they aren’t the same sport. I have trained about five or six fighters who have competed in Golden Gloves and amateur boxing, which is funny because I haven’t myself.

Legacy: What are your thoughts on this fight?

JP: Well, it’s just another fight. I’m looking to get out there and get a finish. I felt my last fight was tougher than I’d expected. I’d had a long time off, and I didn’t perform as well as I would have liked; so I want to go out there and finish this fight.

Legacy: After this fight, what’s next?

JP: I feel like I have maybe five more fights left. I’m thirty-three. I’m not going to be the next UFC champion. I’m in this for myself. I feel like I want to prove to myself what I can do, and also I like to lead by example as I train my students to fight. That’s why I’m doing it.

Legacy: Do you have any favorite fighters you like to watch?

JP: A couple, the same guys as everyone else really. I really like to watch and support the guys I’ve trained with like Yves Edwards, Andrew Craig, James Head, Colton Smith, and Tim Kennedy. I love watching those guys.

Legacy: When you aren’t training, do you have other hobbies?

JP: I play guitar, but I don’t have a whole lot of time really. I like watching PBS, and am into Breaking Bad at the moment; I like doing outdoor things as well.

Legacy: Is there anyone you’d like to fight next?

JP: Whoever they want me to fight I’ll fight. I don’t care who I fight after this.

Legacy: Anything you’d like to add?

JP: I hope everyone can come out on July 19^th to watch what will be a great night of fights. My student, Eric Garcia, is making his professional debut, and Chris Lopez is fighting as well. There are a lot of tough guys on the card, and if you can make it you really don’t want to miss it!

For more information on the Legacy 21, check out the fight card

http://www.legacyfights.net/fight-cards/

For information on training with Jace Pitre, visit his website

http://www.jacepitremma.com/

By Trula Howe

Alptekin “Alp” Ozklic (7-1, Team Vaghi and St. Charles MMA), will be making his Legacy FC debut against Legacy and Bellator flyweight, Jimmy “The Brick” Flick (6-1, Full Contact Fight Academy), at LFC 20 which takes place on May 31 at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, TX, and will be broadcast live on AXS TV. Ozkilic, a decorated wrestler at the national level (2X All-American and Greco-Roman national champ), is also well-known for his stint as the wrestling coach for Team Cruz on TUF 15.

Ozkilic grew up in Istanbul, Turkey playing soccer, his first passion. “I was actually recruited by pro soccer teams to play on their youth team, but unfortunately, my dad wanted me to focus on my education and didn’t really support my soccer career.” So, needing another outlet for his athleticism, he found wrestling (Turkey’s national sport, Greco-Roman style) at his school, and signed up on the team. He dedicated himself to the sport, as he did in soccer, and went on to become the national champ, earning a scholarship to Nassau. “I only wrestled Greco-Roman up until college, so I had to learn a whole new style when I came here. My coaches who recruited me had a lot of faith in me, so they helped me a lot to adapt to the new style.” Not only did he adapt, he excelled, placing twice at Junior College Nationals, and earning several scholarship opportunities. He chose Lindenwood, where he was a two-time All American.

As his collegiate wrestling career was drawing to a close, Ozkilic began thinking about the path his life would take: “I was lost, and didn’t know what to do. I still wanted to train and compete, and I just couldn’t imagine myself not competing after my college career.” Ozkilic’s roommate, Josh Sampo, began to train in MMA and he attended his fights as well as a few training sessions. “I honestly didn’t even know much about MMA. I may have seen one or two fights, and it seemed fun.” So, at Sampo’s invitation, he joined Team Vaghi. He found his new path and has been with Team Vaghi/St. Charles MMA for the last three years.

It was through a friend and peer at Alliance, that Ozkilic met and began to work with Dominick Cruz. They were looking for a wrestler for Cruz’s camp against Demetrious Johnson, and after hearing about Ozkilic, they invited him to train. “They liked what I did while training with Cruz, so I stayed in touch with them. I have been training with Alliance MMA on and off since then, so when he got the TUF coaching spot, they invited me on the show. It was absolutely a great experience; not only did I get to coach, I also got to train with many great fighters.”

As far as his own MMA career, Ozkilic earned his blue belt in BJJ and won the 150 and under division at the Missouri State BJJ Championship.  He went 6-0 as an amateur cagefighter, winning a belt for his 5th fight, and defending it for his 6th, after which, (along with the difficulty of finding opponents) his coaches determined it was time for him to go pro. He won his first 5 pro fights as well, and suffered his only loss to Chico Camus (12-4, Roufusport, and now UFC fighter), by decision. However, he won his last two fights, his most recent fight a win over Josh Robinson by TKO late in the 2nd round. Ozkilic has never been finished, either as an amateur or pro.

Now, he faces in Flick an opponent with most wins by submission, and his only loss to Legacy Flyweight Champion Will Campuzano, at LFC 16. But Ozkilic is not worried by his opponent’s resume: “I have very good submission defense, and it really doesn’t intimidate me. My wrestling is more solid than his and most of the division. I have been working with my boxing coach JD Absheer. He trains great boxers in St. Louis. I have been able to go toe-to-toe with good pro boxers while sparring. I have been also working on my ground and overall MMA with my other coach, Dustin Severs, and head coach Mike Rogers. I work on my wrestling every day, and it just keeps getting better. People think I don’t need to work on my wrestling, but that’s my strongest skill, so I have to make sure that’s always sharp.”

With all the commotion about the possibility of wrestling being taken out of the Olympics, Ozkilic remains positive about the situation: “Everybody is freaked out about losing wrestling from the Olympics, but that is not a set decision. The IOC will make their final decision in September. I think nations who are great at wrestling, such as U.S, Iran, Russia, and Turkey, have been doing a great job of lobbying against this decision. The Wrestling World Cup was in Iran this year, and it was great to see those countries come together, even though they have had political issues in the past. This process will just make the wrestling community so much stronger.”

If Ozkilic does go on to defeat Flick, he is very clear about what he wants for the future: “I would love to fight Campuzano. I don’t really think he can keep up with my conditioning: I am ready to go 5 rounds in high pace. If he is not available, I would like Banuelos. Before I agreed to fight Flick, so many guys turned down fights against me, like Dustin Ortiz and Nate Williams; and these guys are ranked higher than me. I appreciate Flick agreeing to fight. I heard he asked for a tough fight too, so I respect that. I just want to get a few more tough fights, move up in the rankings, and eventually be a prospect in the UFC. I can beat more than half of the guys in the flyweight roster in the UFC right now, and I’m just getting better every day.”

When he is not in camp, Ozkilic stays in the gym training full time, and helping teammates if needed. He makes sure to stay in fight shape in the case that he gets a tough short notice fight.  “I don’t want to miss any opportunities right now. I enjoy coaching, but it was taking a lot of time away from my own training. At some point, though, I would love to coach college again.”

You’ve seen logos all over fighter’s shorts, and you’ve probably trained alongside somebody at your gym that wears one; but you’ve never really talked to somebody who owns a Training Mask 2.0. I was in the same boat. So, when I recently noticed my cardio slipping, I called up Richard Burmaster (of Operation FattyNoMore fame) and asked him if I could review the Training Mask 2.0 for my quest to get my most valued athletic possession back, my endurance. A couple years back I ran the Houston Half Marathon with only one training session the week of the run. Now granted, I was a few years younger and I was training almost every day at Sugar Land MMA, so I understood when I recently hit my endurance wall while playing some basketball.

I’ve always been curious to see how the Training Mask 2.0 could help me out in my weekend warrior adventures, but never believed in it. So I researched the lowest price on the Training Mask 2.0 and found out that Wu-MMA (a local MMA equipement store in Houston) was the place to get it. Price really is an issue since the MSRP is almost $80, so finding a slightly cheaper price helped me take the plunge. The Training Mask website does a good job of explaining the science behind elevation training and how if impacts your lungs, but all you need to know is that you wil be hurting after you use it. Fast forward two and a half weeks later, and here are my thoughts on it:

Pros:

• The Training Mask 2.0 comes with various air resistance caps that replicate 12,000, 15,000, and 18,000 ft. of elevation. This is perfect for every level of athlete. I jumped in and used the 18,000 ft caps, but I wisely switched down to the 15,000 ft caps for the remainder of my workouts.
• I noticed the best results were during fitness conditioning. I usually fly through conditioning rounds of push-ups, squats, etc., but I caught myself struggling only a few rounds in with the training mask. It also is perfect for mitt and heavy bag work. I wouldn’t recommend it for BJJ.
• While it won’t cut your workout time by much, it will give you that fatigued feeling faster and help you mentally overcome the fatigue hurdle more often. I finished all of my workouts, but I felt more tired after a similar workout without the Training Mask 2.0 on.
• Comfort — Training Mask did a fantastic job of creating a product that fits great and doesn’t hurt after long use. The mask will move some if you have a righteous beard, but some Vaseline around the seal will help keep it on tight.

By Rich Burmaster

Damnit, I hate injuries! Repetitive injuries are the worst for me. The past week, I have been dealing with an elbow that keeps popping. Hard to get motivated to keep training when you’re constantly moving around in pain.

Dear Roy Nelson fan,

While I am with you in supporting a fellow fatty, let’s not get carried away and think that just because Roy can do it, you can do it. Lost in the rotundness and mullet is the fact that Roy is a very accomplished martial artist. Holding the rank of black belt under Renzo Gracie is a great achievement. Attaining that rank in 4 years is almost unheard of. People forget that Roy is a special athlete, who just happens to prefer to eat when and what he wants, and does not care about looks. Roy is also able to generate some of the heavyweight division’s best one punch K.O. power with his knowledge of using his weight. I’m not saying us fatties can’t achieve greatness like him, but let’s try to at least train as much as he does first.

 
I was hoping to finish this month in the 220 range, but it looks like I will be around 226. That’s a nice drop so, but not where I want to be. This week, I will start back at Metroflex also, and I’m sure I will hate it more than Macaco’s warm ups.

Twitter: @shonuffstuff

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“I promise you, I am going to raise a lot of eyebrows on May 31^st.”

It’s nearly two weeks before I am even assigned the interview with Legacy FC 20’s 145er, Adam Schindler, but this is the message he sends me after I text to congratulate him on his upcoming bout with Chris Pecero.

This Strikeforce and Bellator veteran is one determined individual.

“I was supposed to fight Pecero first on this card, and Junior Assunção

was supposed to fight Chris Jones in Dallas [at Legacy 19],” ‘Schindiggity’ tells me. But they had Assunção and [Robert] Drysdale on the same card and wanted to split them up, so they replaced me with Assuncao against Pecero. Assunção pulled out, and Legacy re-offered me the fight. Ragan [McDaniel, Adam’s manager] texted me and asked me if I wanted it, and I said ‘of course!’”

This will be Schindler’s first appearance in the cage since his heart-breaking, freak-accident loss to Chase Hackett in May of 2012. During the fight, Adam tore his ACL clean through, and he has been battling to come back stronger ever since.

“I have been trying to fight all freaking spring, man. Mick [Maynard]’s actually offered me three different opponents at 145 for Legacy since February. I have accepted all three opponents, and all three opponents said ‘no.’ They didn’t want to fight me.”

I ask Adam for his thoughts on his Legacy FC 20 opponent.

“I think [Pecero] is tough. I watched some of his fights last night. He has good, tight kickboxing, but I don’t think he really has a lot of power behind anything. He’s a real tough, scrappy kid and I like that he’s not afraid to fight. But anything he throws out there is not going to be on my level.”

May 31^st marks a pivotal point in Schindler’s career; not only is this his first fight in over a year, but it is also his first chance to truly prove himself in the Texas MMA elite.

“No one has seen the extent of what I can do and what I have been working on for two years,” he says firmly. I ask Adam to elaborate for me:

“I haven’t fought in Texas since December of 2010. In my opinion, the only legitimate loss in my mind [since then] is the Ronnie Mann fight,” Adam explains. (He was knocked out four minutes into the first round.)

“When I took my fight with Jeremy [Spoon, in October 2011] I had been injured and got cut in training earlier that month. I took the fight on nine days notice; I hadn’t sparred or done anything for eight weeks before they called me to fight him. I still had an open cut on my head, but I thought I could still beat him…I cut 24 pounds in nine days,” he recalls. “I don’t know. When I watched it back, I thought the decision could have gone either way. But that was me coming off the couch.”

After the decision loss to Spoon came Schindler’s dominant TKO, Team USA win over Yoshiaki Takahashi.

“I knocked [Takahashi] down and beat on him half a round before they stopped it,” he says. Adam insists that despite this victory, MMA fans have yet to see the best of him. “I think I am going to surprise a lot of people. They really haven’t seen a real fight out of me.”

Adam’s devastating injury is a testament to this argument. The Chase Hackett fight is a sore subject, but not because of the wound itself. The Colorado State Athletic Commission controversially overturned the no-contest ruling to a TKO victory in Hackett’s favor.

“[The fight] was for a belt, and they wanted and needed a champion. He was a ‘hometown hero’ kid. They didn’t like how it went down, and changed it a week later. It’s b*******t,” he tells me. “When people ask me, I say my record is 10-4 with one no contest. I accept the Jeremy [Spoon] loss because that’s my fault. That’s my risk for taking that on that late notice. But I will never accept that loss to Chase; it was a freak accident. I was controlling the fight, and I was taking him down. How can you say you won the fight without getting your hand raised?”

So how does one move on from such a disheartening event?

“S*** happens. I don’t know anyone where, if you fight long enough, you’re not going to lose or get knocked out every once in a while. You have to have a short memory,” he laughs.

“I’m stronger now than before the injury,” he assures me. “I was running within 12 weeks of a full ACL replacement. I really dedicated myself to making this knee as good as possible. I have been doing 100 percent training since December, about 24-30 hours a week.”

In addition to an intense camp, Adam finds it important to train his mind as well.

“I really like [hot] yoga,” he says.  “I got into it when I was in Thailand a few years ago. I have such an intense training schedule that it’s nice to have a session where I get a good stretch, a good burn and a really good sweat. I don’t have to deal with the mental stress of getting hit or competition. It’s a very calming atmosphere.” He continues, “It helps with flexibility; that is something I wanted to focus on. I wanted to make a point to incorporate it into not just this camp, but in my life. I need that mental relaxation.”

Although Adam is positive about his future, it is evident his past weighs on him heavily.

“I’m not a real religious person, but I believe strongly in the power of the mind and the power of belief. Having faith in yourself is half the battle,” he tells me. “Who knows where I would be now if I hadn’t gotten injured? All my friends and training partners are in the UFC already. Daniel [Pineda] and Andrew [Craig] are two of my best friends in Houston. Tim [Kennedy], Yves [Edwards], Colton [Smith] and Kamal [Shalorus]…we get it in on the daily. I feel like I am the most talented person outside of the UFC, especially in my weight class.”

Brian Melancon, Schindler’s former Bellator opponent, is fighting on the UFC 162 card in July. I ask for Adam’s reaction to seeing someone he defeated get into the Octagon before he did.

“Brian is an awesome guy, I am super happy for him. It solidifies my knowing that that’s where I am going to be. It’s right around the corner,” he acknowledges. “I’m not in a rush; it will happen for me,” he says with confidence.

“I have had a rocky road,” Schindler admits. “I have never really had it easy. I will get there; it’s just a matter of time.”

***

Adam would like to thank: “Mick, for always trying to get me match-ups. After my injury he said he’d have me back as soon as I was well, and I really appreciate him putting forth that effort. Also Ragan for always having my back. My coaches Elton, Tim and Rodrigo Cabral and my teammates at AMT and John’s Gym.”

Legacy Fighting Championship 20 will take place on May 31, 2013 at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, TX, marking Legacy’s first event in the city. Headlining the event, which will air live on AXS TV, will be a lightweight battle as the well-traveled veteran Carlo Prater (31-13-1) returns to the Legacy cage to take on undefeated Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt Carlos Diego Ferreira (6-0). Prater has fought all over the world and in several of the top promotions such as WEC, Strikeforce, and the UFC; he has also finished 17 of his opponents by submission. His opponent Ferreira, however, is no slouch on the ground. Not only has he submitted all but one of his opponents, Ferreira has also been ranked in the top 100 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitors by the IBJJF, which is the international organization that governs Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Also scheduled on the card is the Legacy debut of WEC and UFC veteran Damacio “The Angel of Death” Page (15-8) as he takes on undefeated Patrick Ybarra (5-0), who has finished all of his opponents in the first round, including a flying armbar finish in his Legacy debut at Legacy FC 17.

Jimmy Flick (6-1) looks to get back on track after suffering his first career loss to Legacy Champ Will Campuzano by taking on Alp Ozkilic (7-1) in a flyweight bout.

Strikeforce and Bellator veteran Adam Schindler (10-5) will make his Legacy debut against Corpus Christi’s Chris Pecero (8-5).

The main card will be kicked off with a pair of unbeaten flyweights as Matt Schnell (2-0) takes on Elias Garcia (3-0).

Main Card (AXS TV)

155 – Carlo Prater (31-13-1) vs Carlos Diego Ferreira (6-0)

135 – Damacio Page (15-8) vs Patrick Ybarra (5-0)

170 – David Douglas (8-5) vs Hector Munoz (10-4)

145 – Adam Schindler (10-5) vs Chris Pecero (8-5)

125 – Alp Ozkilic (7-1) vs Jimmy Flick (6-1)

125 – Elias Garcia (3-0) vs Matt Schnell (2-0)

Preliminary Card

145 – Gerald Gagnon (debut) vs Kirk Hubble (1-2)

170 – Marcelo Lumakang (2-8) vs Corey Bellino (6-2)

105 – Maria Lopez (debut) vs Paulina Granados (1-0)

170 – David Siller (debut) vs Jared Perez (debut)