Issue 132
September 2015
Fighters Only asks four fighters for their opinions on five of the most relevant matters of the moment.
The Fighters
Q1. Renowned extreme sports fanatic Donald Cerrone is this month’s cover star. Do you have any cool or dangerous hobbies outside of fighting?
PENDRED
A. “I’ve always been a bit of an adrenaline junkie but I definitely don’t partake in as many extreme sports as he does.”
CORRALES
A. “Fighting is pretty dangerous itself. I spend my time outside of fighting just hanging out and enjoying time with friends and my lady.”
DUFFY
A. “Not really. Outside of MMA I don’t really do much. Fighting is my whole life, so I don’t really do anything else.”
HEIN
A. “I like his fighting style and the way he behaves, but I wonder how he does that stuff as my contract forbids me from any dangerous extra activities, like parachute jumping and motorcycle riding.”
Q2. There is a growing trend of fighters traveling from gym to gym for fight camps. Do you ever train away from home?
PENDRED
A. “It’s something I’ve always been into. It’s one of the perks of our job that we can travel and do our job across the world. You get to experience different bodies and different ways of training, different techniques.”
CORRALES
A. “I’m very blessed here in Southern California, it’s the mecca of good gyms. There’s so much good training here and I still get to sleep in the comforts of my own bed. I do get a chance to mix it up with other gyms in the area.”
DUFFY
A. “For me, it’s just a natural progression. It wouldn’t be something I’m a massive believer in. It’s good to see different places and ways of doing things, but once I’ve found a camp I’m comfortable with, I like to stay there.”
HEIN
A. “I’ve been to a vast amount of training camps in Germany, but I have to say that although we have a lot of motivated trainers and motivated fighters we don’t have the structure yet. We’re way behind the States.”
Q3. If you were the UFC’s matchmaker, who would you match Andrei Arlovski up with for his next bout in the Octagon?
PENDRED
A. “I’d love to see him and Ben Rothwell fight. I know they fought a few years ago but it wasn’t in the UFC. They’re on a similar path right now, they’re both very close to the title and it’d be a great fight.”
CORRALES
A. “That was a very exciting fight and he put on a good show. He beat a contender in Travis Browne so maybe give him someone like Stipe Miocic. That would be a serious contender matchup.”
DUFFY
A. “It’s good to see Arlovski back. I’d like to see him and Frank Mir. Obviously they’re two of the guys who have been around for a long time. I’d just like to see two of the old-school guys going back at it.”
HEIN
A. “I didn’t expect him to win against Travis Browne. I was amazed. He’s put together some awesome wins. I’d like to see Werdum fight Arlovski. It would be an interesting story. Both have come back and look better than before.”
Q4. In this issue we’re marking 10 years since one of the greatest MMA events ever: Pride Final Conflict 2005. But what’s your favorite moment from the Japanese promotion?
PENDRED
A. “I didn’t watch too much Pride to be honest with you. I first came across the UFC when it used to be on Bravo (Irish cable channel) back in the day. I started watching Pride when I became an even bigger fan of the UFC.”
CORRALES
A. “The Nick Diaz and Takanori Gomi fight. It wasn’t in Japan, but it was a big deal here. That one sticks out to me, but there are so many, like the ‘Rampage’ slam and Fedor (Emelianenko’s) comeback victory against Kevin Randleman.”
DUFFY
A. “I was a massive fan of Pride. My best memory would be of Wanderlei (Silva) winning the (2003) middleweight tournament. I was always a massive fan of Wanderlei and it was a great time for the sport.”
HEIN
A. “When Dan Henderson knocked out Wanderlei Silva. Wanderlei is a hero of mine, don’t get me wrong, but Dan Henderson, I love him. At the time I couldn’t see anybody at middleweight beating Wanderlei, but he did it.”
Q5. Luke Rockhold appears destined to get the next shot at Chris Weidman’s UFC 185lb title. Does the former Strikeforce champ have the skill-set to win?
PENDRED
A. “Yeah, 100%. I trained with him before he was champion and I thought he was one to watch, he had everything. He has really good standup, he’s phenomenal on the ground, he’s got great wrestling.”
CORRALES
A. “He definitely does, but at that level every guy has the skill to become champion. It’s just a matter of can he do it, and that’s a tough task. I don’t see anybody beating Chris Weidman at 185lb.”
DUFFY
A. “Rockhold has looked great in his last few fights, so it’s definitely a very good fight. It’s a stacked division, so yeah, it’s possible. I’m on the fence as to who wins, it’s probably a bit too close to call.”
HEIN
A. “He’s ready. He could cause Weidman serious trouble. But Weidman astonishes me every time. I didn’t believe my eyes when I saw what he did to Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort.”
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