Issue 161

November -0001

Four in-form UFC athletes, five quickfire questions to answer...

The Pros


Demetrious Johnson The world’s best fighter – period

Jordan Rinaldi Quick-finishing UFC lightweight submission artist

Darren Till English UFC welterweight talent honed in Brazil

Leon Edwards Well-rounded Brit on a winning run in the 170lb division

Q. Which fight are you most excited for in the rest of 2017?

Demetrious Johnson

  • Tony Ferguson vs Kevin Lee. I’m also excited to see Cody Garbrandt get back in action, and I’m looking forward to ching Michael Bisping in there.

Jordan Rinaldi

  • Stephen Thompson – a good friend of mine – and Jorge Masvidal. I think that one will be fantastic.

Darren Till

  • I can’t wait to see Cody Garbrandt and T.J. Dillashaw. Even though T.J. is one of the top boys, Cody is a great striker and he’s a really good wrestler, too.

Leon Edwards

  • GSP and Bisping will be an interesting fight. I want to know how the layoff has affected GSP, and whether Bisping’s cardio and size can get him the win.

Q. Have you ever been ripped off by the referee or judges?

Demetrious Johnson

  • My first fight with Ian McCall was tough. The judge said he had me winning the fight, but he gave McCall a 10-8 because he took my back. Uh, OK…

Jordan Rinaldi

  • I was screwed over in my hometown against Ronnie Rogers. It was a pretty horrible decision. I thought I won every round, but he got the split decision.

Darren Till

  • I had a few crazy decisions in Muay Thai. When I fought for my world title in Canada, I destroyed the guy, and they gave it to him. He was the hometown boy…

Leon Edwards

  • I kneed Delroy McDowell in the head as he was coming off his knees. They turned it into a DQ and I f**king lost!

Q. What's the best strike you’ve ever thrown in a fight?

Demetrious Johnson 

  • Armbars. John Moraga, Kyoji Horiguchi – all of ’em.

Jordan Rinaldi 

  • The uppercut against Dennis Bermudez. Right at the beginning of the fight, it knocked him completely backwards, but it also broke my thumb.

Darren Till 

  • In my fifth MMA fight in Brazil I fought at middleweight and the guy was bigger. I landed a beautiful left hand which knocked him out for 15 minutes.

Leon Edwards

  • The shot that knocked out Seth Baczynski for the 50 grand is my best so far.

Q. How much do you interact with fans on social media?

Demetrious Johnson 

  • If you post anything negative about me you will be blocked and banned. I just ban people all the time. Ban, ban, ban! Instagram is great. Twitch, I love it!.

Jordan Rinaldi 

  • As much as possible. I just found out I had 10 message requests – so, sorry fellas! I apologized and thanked them for the support.

Darren Till 

  • You’ve got to be on it and letting your fans know what’s going on. I’m on all social media, and slowly but surely I’m building the Darren Till empire.

Leon Edwards

  • I’ve started to do it a lot more recently. A couple of years ago I wasn’t very active, but now I realize it plays a big part in getting fights – and getting money.

Q. What’s the most difficult part of your nutrition plan?

Demetrious Johnson 

  • I really enjoy beer. It puts me in a mood where I’m just chill, but I haven’t had a drink in seven weeks! I could use a good drink right now.

Jordan Rinaldi 

  • Keeping away from Oreos and pizza. I have a DiGiorno frozen pizza every Sunday – it’s my cheat meal. Oreos are definitely my Achilles’ heel.

Darren Till 

  • Just sticking to it. I’d love to come home and say, ‘Right, I’m getting a pizza tonight, or a McDonald's, but I can't, that's the hardest thing.

Leon Edwards

  • The hardest part are the urges – knowing you can’t have certain things you love. I love M&Ms. After every fight, I get a big bag and go crazy!


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