Urijah Faber: First Interview - Second Interview

Jens Pulver: First Interview - Second Interview

All four audio files are in MP3 format. Below is the 30 second WEC 34 commercial as well.

Juanito Ibarra was in your corner for the fight, what did he tell you to do?
“Box like a Southpaw.” I’m a Southpaw and I only got like two minutes with the corner guys and they were like “what’s your style?” and I was like “I’m a wrestler and jiu-jitsu guy with heavy hands” so they said “box like a Southpaw.” So that’s what I did and you can see that it worked out for me.

The first round went back and forth, how did you feel after that round?
I felt fine. I wasn’t used to the dryness in the air in Nevada so my lungs were burning. So that kinda affected me a little bit at first. At then I came out and just started throwing bombs and I caught him with the first one and just laid him out. So, it worked out.

At the premiere party, members of Riddle’s family were congratulating him, including his mom.

We asked Mrs. Riddle what she thought about her son being on The Ultimate Fighter and she was extremely proud of her son. When asked whether she was worried about him getting hurt, she paused, smiled, and then politely said no.

Matt then chimed in and claimed that he first began wrestling in third grade, but left after the first practice because he didn’t want to hurt anybody. “I left practice because I didn’t want to hurt my friends. “Then a few years later I started wrestling, did really well, started fighting and as you can see, I’m doing well,” he exclaimed.

He then complimented his claim with a typical Matt Riddle smile that you will be seeing a lot of throughout The Ultimate Fighter.

His mom talked more about supporting him while he started his fighting career and how his family stands behind his fighting career 100%. His went on further to talk about how proud she was on her son and that no matter what would have happened, he still would have been smiling the entire time.

I was then able to get one final question for the interview.

What did Forrest and Rampage say to you after you knocked Dan Simmler out?
Daaaamn!

There you have it. Matt “The Answer” Riddle after his spectacular knockout of Dan Simmler on episode 2 of The Ultimate Fighter 7. Good luck to Matt and let’s hope Dan makes a full recovery as well.

If you want to train with Matt, check out Rat Pack Fighting Systems in Palmerton, Pennsylvania. You can reach Rat Pack by calling 610-377-3329 or on their website.

Going back a couple years to 2006, Matt Riddle begin his MMA experience at Jay Russell Jiu-Jitsu in upstate New York. After moving from New York to Pennsylvania to live with his family and train locally in April of 2007, he placed 2nd at the NAGA World’s in the Expert Division. Next came NAGA’s Battle at the Beach where Riddle took home the belt in the mens no-gi Expert division along with a win at Grapplers Quest, and at the Copa Atlantica BJJ tournament. While Riddle was winning these tournaments, he was still a white belt with less than two years of jiu-jitsu experience. He recently won his first amatuer MMA fight with a keylock at the “Battle of the Sun II” before trying out for The Ultimate Fighter in Newark, New Jersey where he was selected to be a part of the show.

Not only has Riddle gone further than most fighters in only 8 years, he also doesn’t train at a large regional facility hosted by a big name UFC star or a well-known trainer. Instead, you can find him in Palmerton, at Rat Pack Fighting Systems. MMA Opinion sat down with Matt Riddle tonight during the second episode of The Ultimate Fighter, Season 7 to discuss his past, training with a Gracie Black Belt, and his move from junior high school wrestling to Division 1 wrestling.

So you started wrestling since eight grade?
Yea I started in 8th grade, kept wrestling in high school and went to nationals and then wrestled in Division 1 at ESU [East Stroudsburg University].

What made you start wrestling in the first place?
I was just messing around with my friends, ya know? Then I found out that school had it and it just went from there.

How has your ground game changed since you have been training with Renzo Gracie black belt, Brian Miller?
I already had my own style of jiu-jitsu. I was already at purple belt level. I was getting in better shape and rolling with a lot more people and sparring a lot more for fighting. I don’t think anything has changed - nothing with technique, just sparring partners.

You went from being a big fish in a small Pond here in Palmerton to training with guys fighters like Mike Dolce…
Mike Dolce, Brandon Sene, Gerald Harris, C.B. Dollaway. All great dudes - All American wrestlers. Paul Bradley is an All American Wrestler. And whoever wasn’t a good wrestler or grappler was a good striker. I just can’t wait; it’s going to be a good show. I can’t wait to watch it.

So tell me about the fist time you got humbled?
Humbled? I don’t get humbled! (laughs)

What about the first time you hit a brick wall?
The one thing I will say about the competition out there. I could basically handle anything that they handed me, I’m a pretty good natural athlete and I have really good technique. The only thing was the athleticism and the fact that I was dealing with high caliber wrestlers like myself; Division, All American, State, and National champions. That was the only difference. The jiu-jitsu and striking was more like what it is, if I can use “what it is.” (laughs)

Did it take a day or two to reset yourself – to push further?
Yea, when I first got out there, the first couple days, the All Americans with the takedowns were like throwing me around. Because I go so light at practice they were messing me up. Then like two days later I was like “I’m not taking this shit anymore” and I started dominating them.

Did living in a house with no connection to the outside world change your training mentality?
The only difference is before a fight when you got nerves, you can normally calm it with TV, video games, internet. You can talk to your family and friends. When you’re out there, you can’t talk to anybody, you just gotta fight. It’s good, you know, it’s good. It helps you in a way and it doesn’t help you. It’s like a positive and a negative.

Did you make any lasting impressions out there in Las Vegas?
People will not forget my name after this season. (laughs)

Did you notice any natural rivalries?
I won’t be surprised if by the end of show if everyone in the house wants to mess me up. I would not be surprised. (laughs)

Now that you’ve returned, what part of your game do you most need to work on?
The biggest part of my game that I’m missing right now is experience in the cage. Other than that my athleticism, my grappling, my striking, everything is top notch except I need to get more time sparring and fighting in there. And that’s it and that will get better with time.

How about your diet? Did you change anything?
Before, about a month out, I definitely go on a more high protein diet and I still eat carbs, but I hold off on all the junk food. More natural, whole grains, lettuce, meats, and it just flushes me out and I lose a lot of weight.

So how did you end up finding Rat Pack Fighting Systems?
Actually I was still training at Jay Russell Jiu-Jitsu and my family lived here and I was basically chilling out here for a holiday, for Christmas and wanted to roll and I looked it up on the internet, for places in Pennsylvania, local areas. It came it, I trained there - liked it. And then my roommate and I had a falling out and then I had to come down because I was out of money because I wasn’t working and my family supported me until I got where I am now.

Many thanks to Matt Riddle for taking the time out on a very busy day to talk with us. Good luck, Matt and thanks to Rat Pack Fighting Systems for hosting a great premiere party!

To learn more about what Matt Riddle had to say about his first fight on the show, check back tomorrow for the second part of the interview only at MMA Opinion. Matt will soon have his own blog online as well. Keep checking back and we’ll post up a link.

Jason Bradford: First of all I want to thank you, Kurt, for taking the time to chat with me, and giving me some insight on what’s going on in your world, as you prepare to fight at UFC Fight Night 13.

Jason Bradford: How do you feel as you prepare for your up and coming fight?

Kurt Pellegrino: Good 100%. I’ve been training since beating Alberto Crane, this is probably the best condition I’m ever going to be. This is the best shape I’ve ever been in!

Jason Bradford: Speaking of training, can you tell me who has inspired you or influenced you to push yourself, creating the fighter you are today?

Kurt Pellegrino: Really “myself” just wanting to win. I look up to Dan Henderson, he’s one of my favorite fighters. I try to emulate his game plan just being a good wrestler with striking. If I can end up like Henderson that would be awesome, and if I can carve my name into the game getting people to fight like me, that would be cool too!

Jason Bradford: In your experience how much of the fight game is mental opposed to physical?

Kurt Pellegrino: I think the whole fight game is mental. You know when a fighter walks in there, scared and intimidated, that’s how the other fighter wins! When people fight Nate Diaz or Nick Diaz, they intimidate the other fighter so much, that fighter doesn’t fight his fight. I,ve been wrestling and fighting for years. Going up against bigger and stronger guys for years. I’m not intimidated, and I’m not going to be spooked, so I really think it’s all mental. It’s just going in there and doing what you want to do and not what the wants you to do.

Jason Bradford: UFC Fight Night 13 is slammed full of talent, with MMA fans saying it’s one most exciting fight cards ever. How does it feel to be on that card and placed in that category?

Kurt Pellegrino: It feels good. Thank God I’m fighting for the UFC the greatest fight organization in the world. They did a great job once again. I don’t really look at how good the fight card is, if it was just me and Nate Diaz fighting with no one else, I would still get in there and do my job, but it is an awesome card, thanks to UFC and Joe Silva.

Jason Bradford: Your up and coming opponent, Nate Diaz winner of the Ultimate Fighter series, with getting massive exposure and becoming a very popular fighter with the newer fans of MMA. Do you feel as a seasoned vet not getting that kind of exposure, that you have to work and push harder to get your name out there?

Kurt Pellegrino: I’m going to fight whether or not people want to see it on TV or not. I love the fans and I think the fans really want to see me fight. The UFC has aired 3 of my fights. I’m really looking forward to just keep fighting for the UFC, and the fans recognize my talents so thats why I’m fighting in the UFC. Once I get past Nate the fans are going to see me more and more.

Jason Bradford: Along the same lines, with the Ultimate Fighter show gaining so much popularity, and the newer fighters getting so much exposure, the newer fans automatically think these guys are some of the best fighters out there. Which they are very talented, but the fans are not seeing as much of the veteran fighters, which are the best fighters out there. Do you feel you have something to prove since you are fighting the winner of the Ultimate Fighter?

Kurt Pellegrino: People watch that show, then go to some of the fighter polls online and I think I am only like voted 33% chance to win this fight. Which I find is funny, because everyone is voteing for him because he is a household name. That’s o:k with me. I don’t have to prove anything to anyone, but myself! I just have to go out there and prove to myself that I belong here, in the cage with Nate Diaz. You know he has to prove that he belongs in the cage with me too. I’m going out there to win for myself and my family before I fight for someone else.

Jason Bradford: You’re styles are somewhat similar, you guys both stand and bang for a while , then look for the take down. Is there any area that you feel you have a distinctive advantage over Nate Diaz?

Kurt Pellegrino: I definitely have an advantage in the wrestling. I have an advantage in that,whoever I fight. My wrestling is real strong. My base on top is really good. It will be the best he’s ever fought. I don’t think there is a fighter that he has fought that is better than me. If he beats me, I will raise his hand up after the fight, take the mic from Joe Rogan and say this kid is for real.

Kurt Pelligrino: You know there is no hard feelings against Nate. He is a good kid. I like his brother Nick to . They are both cool cats, and hopefully after the fight we can go and have a couple of drinks and laugh about punching each other in the face.

Jason Bradford: On the other side of the coin do you feel he has any advantage over you?

Kurt Pellegrino: Only that he is a south paw. He is long and lanky, where I am short and stocky. That’s the only miss match and I will figure it out. Like I said if he beats me, he beat the guy who was definitely prepared to fight him.

Jason Bradford: One of your ex-training partners, “Hermes Franca” beat Nate Diaz in the WEC a few years back. Does that experience give you a little insight on the type of fighter, and how tough he is?

Kurt Pellegrino: I think Nate beat him up pretty bad with strikes. To be honest Hermes didn’t really train hard for that fight, and still squeaked out a good victory. It was still a great fight, and Nate did a great job. Hermes was a huge veteran, so he was better rounded. Nate did a great job, it’s still a huge accomplishment. I thought Nate was winning until Hermes caught him. It just shows me how tough this kid really is. It’s going to be a tough fight, so hopefully I will end this night with my hand raised too!

Jason Bradford: Any special training for this fight?

Kurt Pellegrino: Cardio…All Cardio.

Jason Bradford: What is your prediction, when the octagon gate closes and your faced with Nate Diaz?

Kurt Pellegrino: My hand raised at the end of the fight. I’m not looking for a K:O, or fight of the night. I just want to be victorious.

Jason Bradford: Is there any other fight at UFC Fight Night 13 you are interested in watching?

Kurt Pellegrino: I am really looking forward to seeing one of my best friends “Frankie Edgar” we grew up together in New Jersey. I really want to see him fight , and hopefully he does well. I’m really rooting for him.

Jason Bradford: Anyone else that is getting a lot of hype, that you want to test your skills against?

Kurt Pellegrino: No, not really. I’m just really focused on winning this fight!

Jason Bradford: Also in you weight division there is the B.J. Penn vs. Sean Sherk title fight. Any predictions?

Kurt Pellegrino: Both fighters are great. Who ever wins is going to be a great Champ. I’m not looking forward to fighting eitherr of them if I have to.

Jason Bradford: Who has been your toughest opponent?

Kurt Pellegrino: Myself! Everyday I train to beat myself, pushing myself to the highest level. I did it for this fight, and after this fight I will take a little break just to breath. I really killed myself, pushing my body to extremes, so after Nate I need a little bit of a break. If I come that day to play, I really don’t think there is any one out there who can beat me!

Jason Bradford: Once again thank you for taking the time to speak to me, and sharing some insight for your fans. I want to wish you good luck in your fight. I look forward to talking with again, Thanks!

Kurt Pellegrino: Thank you!

This is a fight you do not want to miss. It airs live on Spike TV on Wednesday, April 2nd. Good luck Kurt!

CC. What are the best things about being a pro fighter?

EH. There are a lot of good things; I get to support my family doing something that I love. I get to travel and see the world. I get to meet a lot of cool people. One cool thing is that you get the chance to influence people and motivate people that you have never even met. I get MySpace emails, and stuff like that on my fan site from people thanking me for motivating them to get off of their ass. It is pretty cool to be able to motivate people you have never even met.

CC. Worst?

EH. Man, you know, I think the hardest part is staying in good shape all the time, and staying healthy, and being disappointed. You know, in the summer when all of your boys are going to the river, you have to say no that you have to go sit in the hotbox sweaty gym all day and train. That’s probably one of the hardest parts. I like to get out and have fun. That is probably the hardest part with all of the time you have to put in to be top notch.

CC. If Dana came to you and said you could have any fight, who would you pick and why?

EH. Any fight I want. Haha, I would like to fight Jason McDonald pretty bad. I would love to fight him. Kendall Grove and Jason are both on my list. Another guy is Kazuo Misaki who I lost to a couple of years ago in Japan. I was winning that fight until I made a mistake and got caught. I don’t have any animosity toward any of those guys, or really anyone else, but those are three guys that beat me, and I would love to get that back. I feel that if I had a shot at any of those three guys it would be great.

CC. Rumors today on the internet is that Wanderlei is dropping, any interest in fighting him?

EH. Wanderlei is dropping, huh. I would fight Wanderlei. I watched him as a kid, I mean that is not who I would want to fight right now, but if they came to me I would take the fight.

CC. If you could put together a dream fight, which would it be between?

EH. Of course I want to see Randy and Fedor throw down. There is a lot of stuff out there it is hard to say. Maybe Gomi and B.J. Penn, There are a lot of good matchups it is hard to pick. Personally, I would like to see Ryan Schultz, a teammate of mine, get a rematch against JZ. They fought to a draw, I was at that fight and Ryan won that fight hands down. I am not sure what the judges were watching but I would love to see that rematch. I think that Ryan Schultz is one of the baddest men out there!

CC. Presidential Candidate John McCain has gone on record saying that MMA is human cockfighting, what are your reactions to these absurd statements?

EH. Those statements were made a few years ago, about how the UFC used to be. In a way he was right. It was very brutal back in the day. In a way it helped push the sport to the level that it is at now, to be a professionally ran sport with the great set rules and commissions. If he is still saying that I don’t think it is cool. It is not. Anyone that doesn’t like it, they don’t have to watch. People that are educated on our sport know that it is a legit sport, and that it is not as bad as people think.

CC. I personally feel that the NFL is a lot more violent than MMA.

EH. I think it was NBC or someone big like that, that did a story on the UFC and IFL awhile back and it was a real good story. In that they compared the two, and how football and other sports have a lot more injuries than we do.

CC. What would you recommend to young fighters that are trying to crawl their way into the UFC?

EH. I would recommend working hard; harder than they could ever imagine. I can remember back when I thought I was working hard it is a joke now. Working hard and being dedicated are important. Having good partners and a good team around you is also important. There are a lot of crooks getting into our sport these days, so fighters have to watch their backs. Having a coach that is not going to throw you to the wolves that will build you up, and back you up is also important.

CC. What is the biggest problem you see with young fighters?

EH. There are promoters that are all about making a dime off of everybody and they don’t care about the fighters. You have guys that want to make money and jump right into the Pros. I believe in coming up amateur and fighting your way up, like in boxing. Most of the guys have a lot of amateur experience, and I think that MMA guys should do the same. I am not saying have as many as the boxers do, but at least have a handful of fights. A lot of guys go in there and get hurt, or get a bad taste in their mouths, and it ruins it for them.

CC. What do you think about steroids in MMA?

EH. I think there was, I think their used to, but it is getting a lot better. Especially with the merger of Pride and UFC, most of the big shows are in the U.S. now and they are testing everybody. I am glad too, I don’t want to have to do steroids because everyone else is, I don’t want to have to do it because everyone else is, just to keep up. Which eventually would have happened, but now in the UFC the guys coming in from Japan are a lot smaller. I think it is a great thing for the sport that they are stepping up on the testing.

CC. Other than MMA, what sports do you enjoy?

EH. I have been an athlete my whole life, I enjoy watching football. I don’t really got down and play anymore. I am a little bit of a basketball fan. I like to go and ride quads. I enjoy wakeboarding

CC. Are you still coming to Virginia at the end of March?

EH. Yea as far as I know, my agent is taking care of that. As far as I know they are still advertising it, and that I am going to be there.

Prior to completing the interview Ed wanted to give a shout out to his sponsors Condom Depot, Warrior Wear, and all of the guys from Team Quest with recent fights which included StrikeForce at the Dome, all the IFL guys from Team Quest who fought on February 29th, and Jon Fitch’s latest challenger, Chris Wilson.

I want to thank Ed Herman for giving me this opportunity to pick his brain, and wish him nothing but good luck on his training and upcoming fight. Expect more articles related to Ed Herman and the Team Quest camp in the future, and possibly exclusive interviews as well.

CC. Rumors around the internet (graciemag.com) are that you are fighting Demian Maia at UFC 83, are these rumors true?

EH. Yes that’s true.

CC. After your KO in your last fight, can we look for you to throw more of the leather in your future fight?

EH. Yea, you know. It would be nice to get another knockout. He is a submission grappling world champion so I figure I would be a lot smarter if I keep the fight on our feet.

CC. It never hurts to get that knockout of the night bonus either.

EH. I would rather get a submission of the night; I think it would be cool to get a submission over the world champion.

CC. How has your training for the fight been going?

EH. Great! Originally I was suppose to fight March 8th, they rescheduled to April 19th, which gives me even more time to get in even better shape, so that was fine by me.

CC. What type of cardio workouts do you do?

EH. I run, I do a lot of stairs, running hills, airdyne workouts, and things like that.

CC. Are your workouts anything like we seen on Sean Sherk’s UFC All Access?

EH. I do some stuff like that, I workout at a place called SportsLab. We work on things like plyometrics. I run a lot of steep stairs like they showed him doing in the All Access, I run hills. I don’t get on my hands and knees, but I do run hills.

CC. When you are training for a fight how much tape of your opponent do you watch?

EH. I watch a little bit yea, I have a boxing coach that watches tape on it, as well as Robert Follis, my Jui Jitsu coach Fabiano Scherner. They all take a look at it and tell me what they see.

CC. I am sure that helps out a lot, there are some fighters that train their style, and have the mentality if they are going to beat me then they are going to beat me.

EH. Well I am not going to change my style for them; I am still going to fight the same way. I will know what to look out for, what your opponent is going to do. If he is going to try to take me down, then I will take a look at his takedowns, what kind of shot he shoots, and stuff like that

CC. How does training differ when you are training for a fight, and not?

EH. It differs a lot you know, I try to stay in shape all the time, but when I have a fight coming up; usually 8-10 weeks out I am in the gym 2-3 times a day. If I am not in the gym then I am somewhere else working out. I usually just step up the cardio, and make sure I am in top shape.

CC. Can you tell me a little bit about your diet? I heard a rumor that you have a different diet than most, is that true?

EH. Um, everyone has a different diet I guess. I walk around at 210-212 so as the fight gets closer I get tighter and tighter with my diet. Yea, we refer to it as the Dolce diet. My strength and conditioning coach, who is kind of like my nutritionist Mike Dolce designs a diet. It is a lot of common sense. It is cutting out a lot of simple sugars and carbs. It is a real simple diet, it is very clean.

CC. Is it hard to stay on?

EH. You know, it gets rough; it gets tighter and tighter as the weeks go by. You know, you will be thinking about those Cheetos and things like that. Things that I don’t really crave that much, I don’t really eat fast food, but when you’re cutting weight and dieting, and drive by McDonalds, you want to stop.

CC. Do MMA organizations need to regulate weight cutting?

EH. I don’t think so, no, because if a guy cuts too much weight then it is his own fault. You have to be good at every aspect of the game, your diet, how you cut weight. You have to have it all down to a T, that is part of being a champion doing things right.

CC. If you are cutting wrong then you are going to gas in the 3rd.

EH. Right, people throw an outfit on, and cut 30lbs the day of weigh-ins aren’t doing it healthy and it is hard to do. Hopefully the people that do it stupid don’t ruin it for the rest of us that know what they are doing.

CC. Do you think that cutting weight is a big deal in Mixed Martial Arts

EH. I think it is a big part of the game, yea. As long as you do it right it is a good thing. I have it down to a science now. Making weight is easier now than it’s ever been, and I am bigger now, and I think it is just part of the game.

Prior to completing the interview Ed wanted to give a shout out to his sponsors Condom Depot, Warrior Wear, and all of the guys from Team Quest with recent fights which included StrikeForce at the Dome, all the IFL guys from Team Quest who fought on February 29th, and Jon Fitch’s latest challenger, Chris Wilson.

Check back tomorrow for Part 2!