Issue 003

May 2005

Well then fight fans, what a month we have ahead of us here! As if last month’s issue wasn’t good enough we are bringing you even more in the ever-expanding phenomena that is Fighters Only. In my photo below you’ll see The Machine getting to grips with yet another stunner — unfortunately, I can’t get away from gorgeous celebrities trying to get a piece of me! I tried wearing a jockstrap that hasn’t been washed since I fought Travis Fulton in 1999, but even the six-year-old muskiness of ‘eau de Machine’ couldn’t drive them away. 

Only joking… but I just wanted to remind everyone of Celebrity Wrestling, which is on ITV 1 on Saturday nights. As with Fighters Only, the increased profile of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) in general can only be helped by the good exposure of its stars and as such we call for everyone to help support the sport in any way they can.

In this month’s issue we have an exclusive report on UFC 52 less than two weeks after the show itself. None of these three-month-old fight reports for us boys! Ken Pishna yet again brings us his ringside views from the world’s ultimate fighting show. Hywel Teague continues his ‘History of…’ series by highlighting the high-impact sport of K-1. Our man in Japan, Dan ‘The Wolfman’ Theodore, gives us his diary of events when qualifying for the Pride tryouts — look out for The Wolfman’s signatory moves, disclosed for the first time in a martial art publication!

We also have insider information on the final and results of Spike TV’s reality show The Ultimate Fighter. Believe me, I don’t think there has been any love lost in that training camp between any of the competitors. If you don’t believe me, check out our exclusive interview with Sam Hoger. 

Our Fighter Profile this month is on the Fighters Only sponsored fighter  Renato Sobral or ‘Babalu’ to his friends. Ever wondered why he’s called Babalu? Well find out inside! 

Finally, we have up-to-date reports from around the world, part three of your monthly pull-out supplement on my favourite Training Tips and also the latest edition of our Fantasy Fighter competition to win a first class trip to Vegas to watch The Ultimate Fighting Championship. If you haven’t seen it yet, check out our new website on www.fightersonlymag.com — just like the magazine, it is full of information and loads of chances to win prizes.

Well, I’m off to train now. If you didn’t know, I will be fighting for the vacant Cage Rage World Title on April 30 at the Wembley Conference Centre. The Wolfman has been giving me some tips to surprise my opponent, so I predict a first round win by submission via a ‘Wolfensteiner’! 

Hope you like it, and remember…Train hard, fight easy

Ian ‘The Machine’ Freeman