Issue 119
September 2014
As well as loving to punch people in the face, the interim Bellator lightweight champion has found a place in his heart for the Madden franchise
How often do you play video games?
“I play them all the time. While my girlfriend is studying for college exams I’m usually playing video games (laughs). I just recently got back into playing Madden NFL 14. When I’m not training at American Top Team I spend all my time playing video games. When I don’t have any real-life responsibilities to take care of, you can definitely find me playing some video games on my Xbox.”
It sounds like video games have always been a big part of your life, but what was your first console?
“When I was a kid the first one we had was the Super Nintendo. Obviously there were video games before then but our family didn’t have much money, so the first one was that. We’d play Super Mario World all the time on that thing.”
What’s your favorite game of all time?
“That would be the Madden series. I’m a huge football guy and if my life had taken a few different turns when I was younger I’d probably be playing football in the NFL right now and not doing mixed martial arts. However, that’s just the way life is. Sometimes we’re meant to take different directions in our lives. I also like playing first-person shooter games, too, like Call of Duty, and I’ve also started playing Splinter Cell recently.”
Any games you’re desperate to play?
“I just downloaded Watch Dogs for my Xbox. I haven’t had a chance to play it yet but I definitely intend to soon. One of the main reasons I downloaded it is because it’s based in Chicago which is where I’m from. Anything based on Chicago I’m definitely down for.”
Do you ever play against fans online?
“I’ve played Madden against a couple of fans and they actually smoked me, so I haven’t played with many others since. I’m a sore loser, I cannot stand losing at things. I’ll congratulate anybody for beating me at Madden but there’s a good chance I won’t play them again (laughs).”
BACK TO THE FUTURE
VIDEO GAME HISTORY OF MMA
SLIPPERY WHEN WET
‘When you fight someone, you create a special bond with that person afterwards.’ They’re words MMA fans have heard a number of times after a bout.
Fighters will spend 15 to 25 minutes doing everything in their power to beat their opponent around the cage, only to hug it out at the end of the contest as if they were long lost friends.
Legendary fighters such as BJ Penn and Matt Hughes have been able to punch and kick each other without any hesitation when they step inside the UFC’s Octagon. Yet when all is said and done they’ve successfully put their differences aside after the fight to not only train with each other for opponents, but become friends in the process.
This may seem slightly weird to some people as most would assume that throwing a left hook into someone’s jaw is a sure-fire way to not gain a new pal, but they’re not the first group of people to duke it out and shake hands afterwards.
For example, in well regarded SNES game Dragon Ball Z: Super Butoden, players start off as main character Goku, an alien brought up on Earth who uses his super-human abilities to battle whatever evil threatens the planet.
Goku begins by fighting alone; however, when he defeats certain characters, such as green-colored alien Piccolo, or Vegeta, another alien who shares the same home planet as him, they end up joining him in his battle to destroy the bad guys.
We’re certainly not saying we want all of MMA’s finest to invite each other to BBQs or go camping in the woods, but it’s certainly nice to see a budding friendship blossom after a brutal brawl sometimes.
1. I know you claim to be someone called Mr Satan, but we’re pretty sure that you’re actually Japanese MMA veteran Mamoru Yamaguchi.
2. Clearly the creators of Dragon Ball Z: Super Butoden need a lesson on trash talk from Chael Sonnen.
3. Even super-powered green aliens know there’s nothing quite as effective as a swift front kick to an opponent’s jaw.
LAUZON'S BEST BITS
Geek and UFC 155lb contender Joe Lauzon shares morsels from his life in video games
JOE LAUZON ON PC Games
“The PC kids are constantly chasing their own tail because they’re constantly trying to upgrade their RAM, upgrade their video card, upgrade this, upgrade that. It ends up being a chore just to keep your computer so it’ll run everything on the best settings. Whereas consoles are nice because it’s standard. Everyone who has a PlayStation has the same thing, so developers design and plan for that game to look that way on that console. Whereas on PC it’s really, really tough.”
SEPARATED AT BIRTH
LOUIS GAUDINOT - A LEMMING
Lemmings, the famed puzzle game protagonists, may not be quite as popular as they were in the ‘90s when millions of gamers took a liking to the funny-looking green-haired critters, but if you look closely at the UFC’s flyweight division you’ll be able to find MMA’s very own lemming in TUF 14 alumnus Louis Gaudinot. The only thing that could make Gaudinot resemble a lemming even more would be if he walked to the Octagon wearing a blue robe like his gaming counterparts. One can only hope.
