CR Exclusive Interview with Andy Ogle

                                (Photo by mmajunkie.com)

Andy Ogle is best known for being a semifinalist on the first ever TUF: Live season in UFC history, but he’s looking to make that just the first thing on his resume. While on the show, he came out on top in a huge upset over Division 1 wrestler, Mike Rio, in a thrilling back and forth affair that ended in a RNC. Ogle did end up losing to runner-up, Al Iaquinta, but not without impressing with heart and determination before eventually succumbing to strikes.

It was announced on one of the last episodes of TUF that Ogle would not be allowed to fight on the Finale due to a medical suspension from his loss to Iaquinta. Because of this, though, he gets to fight in front of his home country, and in his natural weight class of 145 pounds.

He will be fighting TUF 14 Alum, Akira Corassani in Nottingham, England at UFC on Fuel 5. He was very gracious in taking time from training for the biggest fight of his life for an interview with CR.

Championship Rounds: Hey Andy, thank you very much for agreeing to do this interview! We really look forward to your fight. So your next opponent is Akira Corassani at UFC on Fuel 5. Talk about this fight. How has training camp been going?

Andy Ogle: Like every training camp, I have my good days and my bad days. The bad days are only bad because I want the best from myself and when you train with killers and you are having a low day, they sure as hell give it to you. When I'm having a good day, though, I make sure to return the beatings (laughs). I'm a nice guy.

CR: Talk about what you believe it's going to be like fighting in front of your home country. How will that affect your performance?

AO: When the cage door closes, it doesn't matter where I am because I'll be trying to get the job done. Leading up to it though, I will imagine it will be surreal and I'm lucky to have the right guys behind me to keep me focused and grounded as well as help be supportive.

CR: How much of a better fighter are you since being on the first ever live season of TUF? Talk about the experience.

AO: I really can't answer that (laughs). I'm progressing; I know that but the proof will be on September 29^th at how much I've developed. I just know my desire and training has been killer and when you see me you will see a different Andy Ogle.

CR: You were a huge underdog heading into your fight with Mike Rio but you won that after a back and forth fight, how does the underdog status affect you?

AO: It was just people’s opinion. I was confident within myself and that’s all that matters.

CR: Once you win this fight with Akira, is there anyone you would like to fight afterwards?

AO: I'm not going to look past the guy that wants to punch me in the face right now. Obviously though, I've got to think about the future because I want to make the UFC my home. I just want people to be entertained and want to see more of me. As long as I get that I'll be happy and when I get my next opponent, the fun will start all over again.

Thanks again to Mr. Ogle! Make sure you follow him on twitter @thelittleaxe and support him in his fight on September 29^th!

CR Exclusive Interview with Dakota Cochrane!

Photo by MMAFighting.com

Dakota Cochrane is best known for his short stint on TUF Live when he lost a controversial split decision to the ever improving James Vick in the fight to get in the house. Dakota may be on a two fight losing skid, but he is looking to put that behind him with a win over The Ultimate Fighter Season 2 winner, Joe "Daddy" Stevenson on June 30 at RFA 3 (Resurrection Fighting Championships).

Dakota is looking for a future UFC contract after his last win was over Jamie Varner this past September. He was gracious enough in agreeing to do an interview, taking time from training for the biggest fight of his career.

Championship Rounds: Hey Dakota! Thanks so much for taking time to do this! So, Joe Stevenson is a really big name. Do you believe that a win over him could launch you into a UFC contract. 


Dakota Cochrane: Joe Stevenson is a big name and it is an honor to be able to fight him. Now that is said, I believe it will take a couple more wins to get a contract.  Joe is a big name but was cut for a reason. After losing my last fight I believe I will have to show the UFC a little more than beating Joe daddy.


CR: How do you envision your fight with Joe going?


DC: The fight will be a tough one for sure. I don't plan on losing and neither does he I'm sure.  He will probably try to take me down and submit me while I will try to keep the fight standing.  Game plans can always change during the fight though.


CR: I personally scored your TUF fight 10-9 for you over James Vick. Why do you think the judges gave the fight for Vick despite the fact that you were out grappling him for a majority of the 5 minutes?


DC: I'm not one to complain but I also believe I won that fight through aggression and octagon control.  Honestly, [I'm] not sure what the judges saw to give him that fight.


CR: How has training been going for your fight at RFA 3? Anything different?


DC: Training has been really tough for RFA 3 because I need to show my true potential against Joe Daddy, win or lose.  Not a whole lot of differences [in training], but I'm putting my game all together.  I tend to stand up or take it to the ground, so just trying to work on my middle game.


CR: Your last win was against Jamie Varner, which is very impressive. Talk about how it felt to defeat a former WEC champ.


DC: Beating Jamie Varner was very fun, but that is not what I want my career to be based around.  I want to be known for beating several people at that level instead of just Jamie Varner.


CR: How was the experience competing on the first live season of TUF? How were the auditions?


DC: The experience on TUF was priceless.  I couldn't have gotten that much practice doing auditions and interviews anywhere else.  I'm still not good at them but definitely a little more confident.  Only being there the first week, I didn't get to see the house which kind of bummed me out. But I was super happy to be back home with my family.


CR: Which of your accomplishments means the most and why?


DC: My biggest accomplishment is taking care of my family: making sure there is food on the table, roof over their head and clothes on their back.  As far as fighting goes I go out to every fight and give my best effort no matter who it is.  Sometimes it doesn't go the way I would like but I know I gave it my best and trained my ass off.


Thanks to Dakota Cochrane for the interview. Make sure you follow him on Twitter @DakotaCochrane and on Facebook!

The Ultimate Fighter Live Finale Prelims Recap

John Albert argues Kim Winslow's call.

To start off, this season of TUF was disappointing in the fact that the fighters that were on this season aren’t exactly the most promising or UFC caliber, but they are here to change how we perceive their skills.

John Albert vs. Erik Perez: Controversy; the one word that would sum up this fight. Albert came out strong and was taken down but Perez landed himself straight into a tight triangle. Perez defended intelligently and stepped over and went for an armbar himself on Albert. Albert also defended intelligently by trying to step over, but suddenly, Kim Winslow, the ref, stopped the fight claiming it was a verbal submission. Even Perez said that he didn’t hear anything, in the post fight interview. Albert was instantly arguing the finish, and so was everyone who were watching. It’s really too bad too because Albert really does have a bright future. He is also a very entertaining fighter.

Possible matchups for Albert and Perez: This fight started off very entertaining. It ended with controversy. The only solution to this is a rematch and I certainly wouldn’t mind.

Joe Proctor vs. Jeremy Larsen: Proctor was a decent favorite heading into this fight. Many people, including my brother and I, believed that Proctor would win this fight by submission. Proctor trains out of Boston with Joe Lauzon, meaning that he has a strong ground game and has some decent striking. Proctor didn’t want to go for the submission, he wanted to make a statement, and he did. He finished Larsen with a knee and punches within the first two minutes.

Possible matchups for Proctor: One of the more promising fighters this season, Proctor has one major thing that he needs to work on: fight IQ. I know that he one by TKO this time, but Larsen just simply isn’t UFC caliber. Proctor needs to know when he should take the fight to the ground. A fight with fellow TUF Live cast mate, Sam Sicilia would be a slugfest and if Proctor plays it smart, he could submit him but that would be hard to do.

Sam Sicilia vs. Cristiano Marcello: This fight wasn’t the prettiest. It was filled with sloppy standup and cardio problems. Sicilia needs to work on both his conditioning and his standup. What he needs to do with his standup is he needs to not just throw for the KO with every punch. If Sicilia could work on his patience, cardio, and technique, he could have a bright future. But this fight was a sloppy mess. It was just these bombs being swung left and right by both these guys but Sicilia was throwing them with more technique, while Marcello was just throwing with his chin stuck right out in the air. Eventually, Sicilia caught him and brutally finished him with ground and pound.

Myles Jury vs. Chris Saunders: Jury is one of only three people from this season that didn’t make it to the finale that could really make it somewhere (Pichel, Lawrence). He showcased some very crisp standup for a UFC debut and has a deadly guillotine. He landed some solid straights and had great footwork. Jury can definitely get somewhere in the UFC, its always a good sign to see someone in their debut looking like a veteran.

Possible matchups for Jury: Jury deserves a step up in competition. His standup is very good, crisp and technical. A person, who my brother and I both believe would be a good match-up would be with past TUF winner, Efrain Escudero. Escudero has been struggling lately but this could either be either a saving grace for Escudero or the coming out party for Jury.

Daron Cruickshank vs. Chris Tickle: This fight was closer than I was expecting. I though that Cruickshank would rather easily dispatch Tickle but Tickle won the second round rather easily. Cruickshank still looked good though. His inside trips were executed beautifully but doing them as many times as he did can eventually leave them to be both expected and easily countered.

Possible matchups for Cruickshank: It took me a while to find someone that would be a good matchup for Cruickshank but I found one that would show where Cruickshank is in the ladder and how good his skills are. Ramsey Nijem and CJ Keith are fighting on the 22 of June. The winner of that should square off with Cruickshank for an entertaining scrap.

For the Main Card Recap Click here

The Ultimate Fighter Live Finale Predictions

Dave’s Picks

First off I would like to inform you all that my beautiful wife predicted every single fight correctly except one this entire season of TUF. No, she does not help me with my predictions…but maybe she should..

Main Card

Jake Ellenberger vs. Martin Kampmann: What a great fight. I love watching these guys but in my opinion Ellenberger is on another level at this point. Kampmann is a dangerous guy who can beat anyone if they get careless but Jakes is just a monster. Kampmann is almost impossible to finish but I think Jake needs to do that early on or he may be in trouble. Jake has shown that his gas tank can run dry due to his insane pace he keeps up and this one is a 5 rounder. If I was Jake I would intelligently try and finish this quick and I believe he can. I see Jake putting on pressure, getting a knockdown and then finishing Kampmann with crazy ground and pound. = Ellenberger by TKO in round 2. My Pick for KO of the Night!

Mike Chiesa vs. Al Iaquinta: Anything could happen in this fight but knowing that Al trains with Matt Serra makes me put some faith in him. The other thing that gives me great confidence in picking Al is that when I interviewed Urijah (Click here for that interview) he said he thought Al would win. Urijah coached both of these guys the entire time and he is choosing Al. I think Al has much better standup and better wrestling but Chiesa has a knack for pulling off crazy stuff. But I feel pretty safe picking Al. = Al by unanimous decision.

Max Holloway vs. Pat Schilling: Max Holloway is a little monster. The kid is only 20 and has crazy standup skills. Go watch his youtube highlight video. I really like this kid a lot. We interviewed him recently (Click here for that interview) and you can tell he is just a great kid loving his time in the big leagues. But Schilling is no joke as well. This fight could be closer than I am expecting but I see Holloway dominating. = Holloway by TKO in round 1.

Jonathan Brookins vs. Charles Oliveira: I can’t wait for this one. This will be a very fun fight. Brookins is coming off the greatest win of his career by absolutely destroying Vagner Rocha and Oliveira is coming off a successful featherweight debut. If you were to ask me about this fight a year ago I would have likely picked Oliveira by a close decision but after their last couple fights I have to go with Brookins. However, this fight will be very close and expect some fireworks on the feet and on the ground. = Brookins by split decision. My Pick for Fight of the Night!

Prelims

Justin Lawrence vs. John Cofer = Lawrence by unanimous decision.
Myles Jury vs. Chris Saunders = Jury by split decision.

Daron Cruickshank vs. Chris Tickle = Cruickshank by unanimous decision.
Cristiano Marcello vs. Sam Sicilia = Marcello by 3rd round submission. My Pick for Submission of the Night!
John Albert vs. Erik Perez = Albert by unanimous decision.
Jeremy Larsen vs. Joe Proctor = Proctor by unanimous decision.

Sam's Picks

Main Card

Jake Ellenberger vs. Martin Kampmann: In a welterweight clash that will undoubtedly be an amazing fight, the winner is next in line for a title shot. At least, that’s how I feel about it. Apparently, Johny Hendricks is the next one to receive a title shot after Condit but I disagree. Hendricks is 4-1 in his last 5: decision loss to Story (not impressive), TKO victory over TJ Waldburger (pretty impressive), squeaked by Mike Pierce (not impressive), KO’d Jon Fitch in 12 seconds (extremely impressive), and squeaked by Josh Koscheck (not impressive). I don’t see how that deserves a title shot. Now what Ellenberger and Kampmann have done is much more impressive and worthy of a title shot. Kampmann is 3-2 (with the two being very controversial decision losses) and Ellenberger 6-1 in the UFC with the loss also being a controversial decision loss. But hey, lets get back to the fight. Between these two, the most impressive as of late is by far Ellenberger. A 50 second KO of Jake Shields, a dominating decision win of Diego Sanchez (besides the 3rd round), and another KO of a game Sean Pierson. Kampmann on the other hand, was being dominated by Thiago Alves until Alves made a horrible mistake and Kampmann capitalized on it. Personally, I think that the deciding factor will be Ellenberger’s power and momentum in the UFC. But if he doesn’t finish, Kampmann will win by unanimous decision = Ellenberger by 2nd round TKO. My pick for KOOTN and 1st for FOTN!

Mike Chiesa vs. Al Iaquinta: Iaquinta has rolled along the competition in TUF despite his two close fights between Jury and Pichel, he never really took damage in those fights. Chiesa on the other hand, has taken lots of damage in his last fights. Almost being finished by Lawrence with a body shot and submitted by Vick. He has a lot of heart, but simply not the technique that Iaquinta holds. Look for Chiesa to pull off the upset and comeback if he isn’t finished in the first. I will be cheering for him = Iaquinta by 1st round TKO.

Max Holloway vs. Pat Schilling: I see this fight being a one sided beatdown handed by Max Holloway, and no I’m not just saying that because we got an interview with him, its because I thought that the second I saw this fight announced (which was before the interview). Schilling was destroyed by future contender in Daniel Pineda, and he looking terrible and not UFC caliber. Holloway, on the other hand, despite losing in the first round really impressed me in his debut. He was winning the standup against one of the top contenders in Dustin Poirier before being finished with a bizarre mounted triangle/armbar = Holloway by 2nd round TKO.

Jonathan Brookins vs. Charles Oliveira: This fight is probably the hardest one to pick on the whole card. These guys are both young phenoms who are undoubtedly going to fight for the title in the future. I’m going with Brookins on this on this one because he has been more impressive, knocking out the always dangerous Vagner Rocha brutally in one minute and barely losing to (now) title contender Erik Koch = Brookins by split decision

Prelims
Justin Lawrence vs. John Cofer = Lawrence by unanimous decision. My 2nd pick for FOTN!
Myles Jury vs. Chris Saunders = Jury by split decision. My 3rd pick for FOTN!
Daron Cruickshank vs. Chris Tickle = Cruickshank by 1st round TKO
Cristiano Marcello vs. Sam Sicilia = Marcello by 2nd round submission (choke). My pick for SOTN!
John Albert vs. Erik Perez = Albert by unanimous decision
Jeremy Larsen vs. Joe Proctor = Proctor by split decision

RIP Mr. Chiesa.