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Danny wasn't impressive at all in TUF. Jorge has a lot of potential but he hasn't quite proved himself yet. He lost to Jason Von Flue during TUF and on his UFC prime time debut, he lost to Mark Hominick.
You have to give Jorge some credit. Mark Hominick is an up and comer in 155lb class. He'll face Joe Stevenson and whoever wins this bout will probably get a shot at the lightweight title, which will be either Sean Sherk or Kenny Florian at UFC 64.
Jorge should've had a different fight plan against Hominick. For a BJJ blackbelt, he decided to trade punches and kicks with a standup fighter and although he held his own quite well, he lost the decision. If he'd been more aggressive in take downs, he'd won that fight.
After a successful appearance at UFC 60, Mike Swick will face arguably his toughest test to date this Saturday. The former Ultimate Fighter season 1 contestant will put his four-fight UFC winning streak on the line against the always dangerous David “The Crow” Loiseau. Swick recently appeared on MMAWeekly SoundOff Radio to discuss his upcoming fight.
“Training has gone perfect so far. Everything is right where it needs to be,” said Swick. The American Kickboxing Academy fighter moved to San Jose, California five years ago and trains with other fighters such as Paul Buentello, Josh Thomson, and Trevor Prangley. “When you surround yourself with top level fighters, it’s always good for you because you learn so much on a daily basis.”
David Loiseau is coming off a loss to UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin. “The Crow” is looking to rebound with a victory over the up-and-coming Swick. “He’s a very tough guy,” said Swick regarding his opponent. “I see him as being the number one contender of the UFC. I take him very seriously.”
“We have a couple of strategies of how to beat Loiseau and we’re going to keep trying them until something works,” added Swick. “There are definitely some chinks in his armor and we’re going to focus on those points.”
Although his last four fights have ended in the first round, Mike is training hard and is prepared to go the distance. “Conditioning is a big part of my training. You can never assume that you’re always going to have a quick fight. Conditioning, I think, is one of my strongest assets. We focus a lot on cardio and muscular endurance,” said Swick.
The only blemish on Mike Swick’s record is to former TUF housemate Chris Leben. The two met at WEC 9 where Swick dominated most of the fight until he was KOed by Leben. Mike was very confident that a rematch would happen in the future. “I know the Chris Leben fight is going to happen eventually,” answered Swick. “…Too many people want to see it. One way or another, it’s going to happen eventually. When it does happen, I’m going to be very happy.”
Assuming that he is successful this weekend, Swick commented on a possible title shot in the future. “That’s for the UFC to say, but I definitely want it for sure. I would take it in a heartbeat,” responded Mike. “Again, I’m not looking past this fight at all. Depending on how this fight goes and how I do, I guess it will be up to the UFC whether I deserve a title shot or night.”
UFC 63 is schedule for Saturday, September 23rd and will be headlined by the highly anticipated rematch between Matt Hughes and BJ Penn.
Good one. Here is an interview from his opponent, David Loiseau.
Why not quit? Closing in on 25 minutes, David Loiseau was far behind on the scorecards in his UFC middleweight title fight against Rich Franklin, and the injuries cropping up on his bloodied and swollen face weren’t getting any better. He had dropped the champion in the third round, but was unable to capitalize.
Why not just chalk it up to a bad night and look for the exit?
“My whole mentality, the way I train, is that I train so hard that believe it or not, the training is harder than the fight itself,” explains Loiseau. “I make sure that I suffer so much in training that 25 minutes like that against Franklin is something I can handle. So I wasn’t planning to get hurt like that, but I could handle it because I trained that hard. Thank God I’ve got a lot of heart, and I’ll never quit, no matter what.”
Even more impressively, Loiseau kept looking for the one opening that could change things. One opening, one split second, and everything could change. Eventually, Loiseau ran out of split seconds and was on the wrong end of a shutout five round decision. But he never stopped coming.
“Fortunately I was blessed with very good skills, speed and explosive power, so until the last bell, I always have a shot to win the fight,” he said. “That gives me hope and that’s why I never quit – because I always have a chance.”
It’s an attitude shared by most mixed martial artists, but Loiseau’s determination is a little more pronounced for a good reason. At 17, he was involved in a horrific car accident that would fracture his spinal cord and the C5 and C7 discs in his back. Doctors told him that his days as a contact sports athlete (he was kickboxing and playing high school football at the time) were over.
He wouldn’t let things go that easily though, and after surgery and a year and a half of rehab even more torturous than a 25 minute championship match, Loiseau returned to his doctor and was given the green light to compete again.
“That’s probably the number one reason why I’m still fighting,” said ‘The Crow’. “I went through a lot of ups and downs during my fighting career, and the thought of that accident – I could have been dead or in a wheelchair, thank God I’m still healthy – keeps me going. Every day I thank God for being alive and I keep moving forward.”
This is one fighter who won’t walk away from a fight that easily. It’s just not in his makeup. So it shouldn’t be surprising that seven days after losing to Franklin, Loiseau was back in the gym.
“As hard as it is to believe, I was back a week after,” he chuckles. “I didn’t train hard, but I did work in the gym, training on different stuff.”
Mainly, Loiseau looked at the technical and mental mistakes he made during the fight, and he admits that being the headliner in a championship match can take a different toll on you.
“There were a lot of things I could have done better, but there was a lot of pressure,” said the Montreal native. “It was a championship fight, it was very stressful, and I wasn’t really myself. And Rich is a very good fighter and a great champion. But I didn’t fight the way I could have fought and should have fought.”
Loiseau plans on getting back in the win column at UFC 63 on September 23rd when he faces rising star Mike Swick, who is not only unbeaten in his Octagon campaign, but who has yet to see the second round in a UFC fight. Loiseau knows that Swick is fond of a fast start, but he’s going to be ready for anything on fight night.
“I can adjust to any style, and a fight is a fight,” he said. “In MMA, you can’t really say, ‘well that guy fights like this,’ especially with the top fighters, who can change strategy from fight to fight.”
But is Swick ready for the step up to the former number one middleweight contender?
“I’m not the cocky type to talk bad about my opponents, so we’ll see on the 23rd,” said the classy Canadian. “I know I’m ready to beat Mike Swick, I’m ready for that fight. I focus on what I have to do to win this fight. I believe he’s a great fighter, he’s not overhyped, and I’m looking forward to putting on a great show.”
With a win over the highly regarded Swick, Loiseau would jump right back into the title picture at 185 pounds, where Franklin will defend his crown for the third time at UFC 64 on October 14th against Brazilian star Anderson Silva. It’s a fight the 26-year old Loiseau will be watching with great interest.
“It’s a very, very close fight,” said Loiseau of Franklin-Silva. “These guys are evenly matched. Franklin’s got the size and the UFC experience and Silva’s got the speed, the accuracy and the international fighting experience, so we’ll see what happens. It should be a great fight for the fans.”
And will fighting the winner be a great fight for David Loiseau?
“I take one fight at a time and I never look past my opponents,” he said. “I don’t care about what’s after Swick; all I think about is Mike Swick. I eat, sleep, and train Mike Swick – I’m focused and looking at the 23rd of September, and I’m ready to go. So whatever is going to happen in the future, ask me on the 24th, or the 23rd at night. (Laughs) Then I’ll tell you all about it.”
Danny Abaddi definately has his work cut out for him fighting Jorge Gurgel who trains with Rich Franklin...
Wonder what the odds are for Abaddi to win... =)
He did not look good at all on TUF 3. He's supposed to be a TKD instructor and I was hoping for a better showing from him but he got choked out early.
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" ... Those who win every battle are not really skillful - those who render others' helpless without fighting are the best of all." - Sun Tzu
UFC 63
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