Fighters Only

Issue 067

November 2010

Catch the latest news and hot interviews updated daily by our worldwide team of reporters.

NEWS: GOMI CONFIDENT HE CAN HANDLE EDGAR, TAKE UFC TITLE

Former Pride lightweight champion Takanori Gomi has his eye on the UFC title and thinks that he stands a better chance of beating current title holder Frankie Edgar than he does of beating former champion BJ Penn. “BJ [and Kenny] Florian have a jiu-jitsu base, so I had a hard time dealing with them, but the champion has a wrestling base so I can fight him calmly,” he said at a press conference in Japan. “I’m aiming for the belt? Yes, I am. I think I can take the belt. Hmm… I wonder if I’m stronger than the champ?” he added with a smile.

NEWS: UFC RETURNS TO MICHIGAN AFTER 14-YEAR ABSENCE

The UFC is headed to Michigan for its first event in the state since UFC 9, which took place 14 years ago in Detroit. UFC 123 will take place in Auburn Hills, a relatively affluent satellite city of Detroit once known as Pontiac Township. UFC 123 will be headlined by a fight between former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida and Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson.

VIDEO: MARQUARDT TALKS PALHARES, ANDERSON, SONNEN

INTERVIEW: QUICK Q&A WITH GSP

FO: Is training the nervous system for explosiveness the next big thing in mixed martial arts?

GSP: “I don’t do strength and conditioning. The reason I lift weights is to make me more marketable, to make my shape more symmetrical. I don’t lift weights to have an effect on my performance, I don’t believe in it. I believe sometimes you can do some exercises that help the nervous system – like Olympic lifting, it makes you more explosive. Olympic lifters are the most explosive athletes in the world. Also gymnastics; I like gymnastics, I think it makes me more athletic.”