Issue 070
December 2010
This month Rosholt, Laiman and Hendricks of Team Takedown hold forth on MMA’s topical talking points.
The Fighters
Q1 What do you think of Josh Koscheck on The Ultimate Fighter?
A: Rosholt
“I think it will be explosive. I think his personality and just the way he is will make it interesting. It’s definitely going to be a season to watch.”
A: Laimon
“I think it’s good. He’s got a good coaching staff around him. I’m a fan of both him and GSP.”
A: Hendricks
“I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of stuff from the wrestling game he brings to the show. I think he might have them work a lot like wrestlers do – how we train and what got us to where we’re at.”
Q2 Does Koscheck stand a chance in his fight against Georges St Pierre?
A: Rosholt
“I think he does. I think it’s going to be a great fight. I think Koscheck is super athletic and can match GSP’s athletic ability. The last time they fought was over three years ago. Koscheck has come a long way since then, and I think it’s going to be a great fight.”
A: Laimon
“He’s selling the fight like he’s going to stand and trade, but if he implements a smart game plan I think he can take GSP down. I thought he won one round last time. If Koscheck’s more pro-active with the takedowns and uses his hands to set it up, we could see a new champ.”
A: Hendricks
“I’ve been telling everybody for a long time: whoever beats GSP has to do exactly what he does. Take him down, hit him a bit. If he stands back up, take him back down. If Josh Koscheck goes in with that game plan – takedown, control, eat up time and pick your shots – I think he can get the ‘W’.”
Q3 Is ‘point striking’ the new ‘lay ‘n’ pray’?
A: Rosholt
“I think it’s crap if that’s what people are trying to do. Get out there and try to win and finish the fight. When you’re out there in a fight, you’re trying to knock somebody out or put them to sleep. You should be out there working to do that every minute of the fight.”
A: Laimon
“People are always complaining about wrestlers or something. To me, seeing two guys that are doing sloppy kickboxing isn’t that entertaining, either. Maybe the drunken fans are entertained, but I like to see people going out there and trying to finish things.”
A: Hendricks
“I think that’s a dangerous way to live. I would much rather someone point-strike me than try to take my head off. That means I get to try to take their head off because they’re trying to out-point me. You can walk through some of those things. I would say point-striking is living a little dangerous.”
Q4 Should Thiago Alves and others who regularly struggle to make weight be forced to compete in the appropriate division?
A: Rosholt
“I think it’s the fighter’s decision where they want to fight, but if you’re missing weight every time, then the UFC or the organization should do something about it. Tell them they can’t fight in that particular division. Tell them if they don’t make weight, they’re gone.”
A: Laimon
“I don’t know. That’s a management question, and I train fighters. If you’re missing it consistently, though, you’ve definitely got some issues. I just think they need to make stiffer penalties; 10% of your purse is a lot, but not really in the grand scheme of things.”
A: Hendricks
“For certain fighters, I’d much rather say if I’m fighting them, ‘Let’s do a catchweight. Obviously, you’re not going to make it. I’m going to make it. I know you’re not, so let’s do a catchweight.’ At least then it’s fair. If he misses that catchweight, then yeah, I think the organization should step in.”
Q5 How do the holidays affect your diet and training?
A: Rosholt
“It depends on when you have a fight. It’s definitely nice to be able to have off around Christmas for the holidays and be able to see family, do some hunting and stuff like that. It would also be a blast to be fighting on a big fight card on New Year’s Day for the UFC.”
A: Laimon
“Winning in the Octagon, there’s no better feeling than that. Conversely, there’s no low that’s as low as losing. I think when you’re in this sport you have to sacrifice a lot of things, and the holidays and good food are two of them.”
A: Hendricks
“I’ve never had a Thanksgiving, thanks to wrestling. I’ve hardly had a Christmas, so that stuff doesn’t really bother me too much. After the fight, we’ll have our holidays. The family part, you can always catch up.”
