FIGHT! magazine is awesome. We’ve developed a great relationship with them over the years (mostly through heavy drinking, cat juggling, and playing bacarat with Danny Acosta) and in this latest issue they printed a one-page article entitled “Five Minutes with Tim Kennedy” that’s pretty cool. If you’re an MMA fan, you have to check out FIGHT! Magazine’s website because they’re awesome and subscribe because it will make you infinitely smarter. It’s easily the best MMA magazine in the universe and chicks will dig you. Almost as much as they dig shooters.

Did anyone catch me on Inside MMA last week flipping tires outside my gym in Austin? Yeah, I know…it’s boring. This workout was after a leg workout, so it incorporates a lot of legs and full
body movements.

Four rounds for time of:
Row 300m
20 scissor jumps (Left leg forward in a lunge, then jump so you land with your right leg forward in a lunge. That’s one)

Time to beat: 6:09
Middle of the pack: 7:02
Last man: 9:35

Jeremiah Riggs is the son of an E-9, so it’s no wonder that he felt an obligation to serve his country growing up. His Pop served four years in the Coast Guard followed by 31 years in the National Guard with tours of Iraq in 1990 and 1991, and again in 2003 and 2004. Jeremiah served a tour with 1st Ranger Battalion that included a fun filled vacation to Afghanistan in 204 just as his old man was returning from Iraq. They gave each other a combat high-five in Germany. True story.

Before joining the Army, Jeremiah had a promising football career at Mississippi Delta College. Before you say, “Mississippi Delta? No pro football players come from podunk schools like that,” go look up a guy named Jerry Rice.

Jeremiah was destined to for MMA fame in the International Fight League until they went totally bankrupt, though he had nothing to do with it. After bouncing around between a few gyms, Jeremiah landed in the birthplace of his idol Abraham Lincoln to train with UFC legend Matt Hughes at his Illinois HIT squad facility.

If Jeremiah looks familiar it’s either because of his cameo appearance on the Jonas Brothers world tour as the piccolo player or because you saw him on VH-1’s show, Rock of Love. Jeremiah was given the name “Big Rig” by Daisy De La Hoya because she noticed he wore a size 14 shoe and figured bug feet…big personality. Or it oculd be because he once drove trucks back home in Mississippi. We’re not sure. On the show Riggs quickly made a name for himself with his southern charm and wild country boy antics. In an MMA fight arranged by the show’s producers Riggs defeated VH1 reality star “12 Pack” by gogoplata and massive cranial hemoraging. Just to pass the time, Jeremiah caught a skunk in the house and performed a song for Daisy wearing only a bass guitar. Dude has cajones.

Fun fact – In the summer of 2009 Riggs was selected for I Love Money 3 on VH1. Jeremiah was kicking ass on the show until a brown recluse spider gnawed on him and he had to withdraw from the competition. Not that the show would have been aired anyway since the winner of the show killed his wife and committed suicide. Sometimes losing can be a good thing.

Ranger Up is proud to sponsor former Ranger Batboy Jeremiah Riggs and his down home, skunk catchin’, noodle fishin’, ass kickin’, skoal can in the back pocket self.

Anyone who’s spent a minute with Tim Kennedy in person or reading his latently sadistic workouts here on the Rhino Den knows what ludicrously good shape he’s in. We all secretly hate him for this, but since he’s a professional athlete, we guess that’s being fit is a good thing. Muscle and Fitness magazine, the premiere health and fitness mag in the world, took notice of Tim’s…abnormal…workouts and wrote a feature on him. This eight page layout shows Tim teaching killer techniques that every guy can use and provides ample eye candy for he ladies, so check it out.

Read the full story here

Championship Fight Gone Bad

1min jump rope (double-unders)
1min wall ball (20lbs)
1min pull-ups
1min 10m shuffle run
1min kettle bell snatch
1min rest

5 Times!

Lee Stuckey saves more people before 9am than most people do all day. Okay, not really, but he did triage three civilians who were in a horrible car wreck earlier this year. Two of the car’s occupants were thrown out 50 feet while going over 70 mph. Lee was the first on the scene and being a responsible jarhead, he took care of them for over an hour until EMTs and Life Flight took the victims away. The way he puts it, “I almost put them in my car and evacuated them myself! I hadn’t even finished a half a cup of coffee yet.” That’s one reason we like him.

Another is his drive to develop MMA as therapy for PTSD. After a nasty encounter with an IED, he was stationed at Camp Lejeune’s Warrior Transition Center where he saw too many combat Marines slide down the slippery slope of depression and alcoholism. He rounded them up and got them into a gym where the intensity of the workouts helped them relax and sleep peacefully, a major accomplishment for those suffering from insomnia and nightmares.

Lee is also an unapologetic redneck and has pushed us to develop a line called just that – Unapologetically Redneck. We’re not crazy about it either.

Ranger Up is proud to sponsor a good ole boy from GREENBOW, ALABAMA…Marine Lieutenant Lee Stuckey. Oorah!

Tony Sills is a staunch Republican whether he knows it or not. He wishes Bush could have been President longer, hates Democrats and how they’re convinced of their own superiority, and the White House. He also hates racism of all kinds and doesn’t believe in slapping a kid’s hand when he steals a car.

Here’s the other reasons we like him:

You would think anyone named Maverick would be an egotistical hothead that says, “because I was inverted” a lot. Tony’s nickname is Maverick and not only does he hate Tom Cruise, but he doesn’t have mommy issues, either.

When he’s not teaching them how to fight, Tony’s hobbies are hunting and fishing with his kids. This week they’re hunting wabbits. Soon it will be politicians.

There’s a fine line between Blue Falcon and Platoon Clown. Tony once sabotaged a guy by putting women’s underthings and perfume in his locker before an inspection. We have to opt with Platoon Clown on that one.

Recently he was accepted as a Drill Sergeant candidate and vowed to crush any Platoon Clowns he comes across. So much for having a sense of humor.

Tony is in school for criminal justice and desires to be one of those cool CSI guys…as long as he can use his Magic 8 Ball as evidence.

Tony’s competed three tours of Iraq, but considers living in the Fort Hood area more dangerous than any place overseas.

Ranger Up is proud to sponsor Tony Sills in his quest to be the next MMA champion of Texas…and Antarctica. Ranger Up Sarge!

Nick Ring is injured, Rich Attonito is injured, Hammortree is injured…my chances of getting that wildcard spot are looking better and better. Of course, that’s not the way I want to get ahead, but if no one else is able to step up and fight, then put me in coach. Nick did a good job of hiding his injury, but some of us could tell he wasn’t 100%.

This week’s episode jumped straight into the fight between Seth Bazscynski and Joe Henle. Does that tell you anything? That’s right – the fight’s going into the third round. Yet again, another fight surprised everyone. We all thought Seth would walk right through Joe. The two are on totally different levels, but if there’s one thing you have to know by now about MMA fighters, it’s never underestimate the power of ambition. Joe wanted that fight so badly that he stepped up and brought the heat. Too bad his cardio let him down.

The first round Joe escaped some serious submission attempts by Seth. First he wriggled out of a triangle and then a guillotine. Joe rained down some decent ground and pound to remind Seth him he wasn’t a pushover too. Props to that. I don’t think anyone disagrees that Joe won the first round. The second could be argued for either guy. Seth got the better of the striking and almost choked Joe out at the end of the round, so he clearly won that round and with the score 1-1, we go into the third.

On the sidelines, you could see what was coming. As a fighter, you learn to recognize what a guy in the cage is going through and we could all tell that Joe was gassing. Being on Team Punishment, I was happy. The fight count was 4-2 before this fight and if Seth could pull of the W then we’d be almost even. Sure enough, Joe gassed out and Seth got the unanimous decision.

We didn’t get to savor the win though because Dana and the coaches lined us up in the bleachers to make the wildcard announcement. I tell you what, my heart was pumping. I looked calm on TV, but I was thinking, “please just give me another chance.” When Dana announced Kacey Uscola as the first wildcard pick, my heart sunk for a moment since he’s on my team. I wasn’t sure if they’d pick Court McGee for the second spot since he was on Chuck’s team just to make it even. Then Dana announced me as the second wildcard.

Life is good.

Don’t count me out yet.

By the way, I notice no one has been commenting on my blog. Why no love, Rhino Den readers? Do I have to bribe you with free stuff? Okay, that’s not beneath me. Funniest comment on this blog gets a free shirt.

Four rounds for time of:

10 Kettlebell swings (2 pood)
10 Burpees
400m Row

Time to beat: 10:45
MIddle of the pack: 13:51
Last man: 17:21

First of all, Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone! Being 1/25th Mexican I felt it was important to celebrate our victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla by throwing back a few Tequila shots while watching the show last night. Good thing I did too. It wasn’t easy reliving the aftermath of my first loss (right now you’re probably shocked that I used the word, “aftermath” huh?).

It was tough watching the highlight reel of me getting my ass kicked, but you have to live and learn and what I learned was to never leave a fight in the hands of the judges. You have to finish the fight or live with the consequences of what three other people think. It’s up to them once the final horn sounds, like it or not.

For the most part, everyone got back into the swing of things and helped me get over it. I felt like a few guys were trying to convince me that the loss was due to overtraining, but I don’t know. I gassed and lost and that’s all there is to it really. My new goal was making the best of the TUF opportunity before it was over and staying ready in case that wildcard came my way.

So there we are working takedown drills when I throw Hammortree and he lets out a grunt. Right away I knew something wasn’t right and when I saw his face I was sure he was hurt. Fuck. I want the wildcard, but not by hurting another fighter, you know? He grabbed at his ribs like something gave way in his sternum, so we were all concerned. Luckily after some time in the hospital he was okay.

The coaches challenge sucked. Was it fun to get out of the house? Yes. The game? Nope. We got our asses kicked and even when it’s a simple game of dodgeball, losing sucks. Who knew that Brazilians never played it before? Our assistant coaches could catch a cold before they caught a dodgeball, so we lost, no payday, more disgruntled fighters on Team Punishment. Great.

So Chuck picked Court McGee to fight Nick Ring and instead of the usual fighter stare down, Nick gives Court two snaps up, strikes a pose, and says, “No you di’nt.” Nick’s got some kind of thing with latent homosexuality that his lisp and Canadian accent only make worse. He doesn’t seem to mind coming across as gay and most of us actually thought his antics were pretty funny and he can back it up with his fighting, so…yeah. There you go.

I tell you what…that fight was a lot closer than I thought it would be. I expected Nick to end it early. Court must really want to make an impression on the UFC because he brought the heat, baby. I was impressed with Court’s hands in the second round and his ability to absorb the punishment because Nick Ring can kick! During practice we’d hold pads for each other and do thigh kicks and let me tell you, Nick’s got some power behind those legs. Of course, Court knew this and countered well whenever Nick threw low kicks. In the end I thought it was a draw and should have gone to a third round, but the judges disagreed…Thank God! We needed that win to pick us up.

Chuck was pissed, but the motto above the training room doors says it all – don’t leave it in the hands of the judges.

Alex Soto immigrated from Mexico with his family and immediately won the SFC (Schoolyard Fighting Championships) by defeating 10 guys in a row when they picked on his cousin. Now this 145 pounder can officially call himself a champion, or “El Campeon” in his native tongue. Soto won the UWC Mexico featherweight title on April 23rd when he beat the snot out of Rafael Salomao in the first round. Though he wasn’t showered with cash and new cars, the hot ring girl chicks couldn’t get enough of his adorable mug. We’d say that’s worth fighting for. Soto was a member of the 25th Infantry Division’s LRSD in Afghanistan (learn more about him here). Congrats Alex! Or as they say in Mexico, Congrats Alex!

I lost. It sucks, but hold that thought.

First let’s talk about Clayton McKinney. He went and got his shoulder operated on, proving to everyone in the house that he really was injured and not faking it. We all felt a little bad about it until he did something I couldn’t believe. Tito Ortiz made a point of apologizing about riding his ass and doubting McKinney. He Rangered Up, shook his hand, and said he was sorry. So what did McKinney do? Flipped Tito off as soon as he tuned his back. Douchebag. Any remorse I felt for McKinney was instantly gone. That’s like flipping off a Drill Sergeant after he does push-ups for you in front of the Platoon. It’s straight up disrespect.

Now on to the fight. Did the producers make Josh look like the lovable hero and me look like a ghetto chump? Yeah, but you know what? They didn’t have a choice. Josh is the nicest guy in the house and there’s nothing about him not to like. I respected his skill going into the fight, but I respected him as a person too. When other guys were talking crap or doing something stupid, Josh was writing in his journal and keeping to himself.

Despite his hero status (and apparently my villain status), I knew I could beat him and keep rolling through the rest of the house. When the fight started I dominated it. I was getting my strikes in and taking him down. In the middle of the first round, I got his back and knew the fight was over. I thought for sure I had the rear naked choke or armbar, but I got in a hurry and didn’t get myself set before trying the submissions. That’s a rookie mistake that you aspiring fighters need to remember. I should have chilled, listened to my corner, and set it up. Instead I went for broke and he got up.

When the second round started all I could think was, “Damn I’m tired.” I don’t normally gas out and after only five minutes I was exhausted. It must be something about that facility in Vegas because it’s happened to other guys too. My legs felt heavy, my breathing was deeper than James Cameron’s pockets, and my arms needed Viagra to stay up. The five pounds of hair on my head didn’t help either (I begged the UFC to bring in a barber or I would cut it off myself and they kept stalling on me until the last week of filming). I looked like Sanjaya or Jimmy Neutron.

Anyway, it was a boring fight and I apologize, but some good came out of it. I took some hard shots and fought off some serious submission attempts. I went the distance with a tough guy and came out a better fighter. I gave it my all and didn’t quit.

If there’s one thing that I wish they would have shown it’s the post-fight pep talk in the locker room. Tito’s a master at picking you up when you’re down and after my fight, he really got the team pumped back up.

Don’t stop watching the show just because I lost. There’s still the wild card hanging out there and only me, Uscola, and Hammortree are healthy enough to claim it…for now. Someone’s getting hurt in the next episode.

Five rounds for time of:

Row 250 meters (or sprint 400m or 1min max on treadmill)
10 Turkish get-ups (with a 60lb kettlebell)
20-yard Gator walk

Time to beat 15:01
Middle of the pack 18:44
Last man 23:25

“The Landlord” is not an intimidating nickname, but it’s original and it fits RU’s newest fighter, Steve Carl. When Steve isn’t training, he owns three rental properties, one of which is occupied by his former math teacher who sent him to the principal’s office on more than one occasion for being a smart ass (karma’s a bitch, huh?) That’s one reason we like him – he’s the class clown.

Another reason is his work ethic. If all work and no play make for a dull life then Steve is as bored as a Trekkie at a Star Wars convention. During a year-long tour of duty in Korea he ventured outside the gates of Camp Stanley exactly four times, and three of those were to recover broken vehicles. He worked tirelessly as a wheeled vehicle mechanic to keep the fleet rolling and his only moment of levity was when sweat froze to his face during an early morning mountain top run.

Born and raised in Iowa, Steve participated in the state sport – wrestling – but only after his delusions of NBA grandeur were destroyed by his small stature. He didn’t win a single wrestling match in 7th grade, but stuck with the sport anyway and was the basis for the Corey Haim-Charlie Sheen movie, Lucas. That’s persistence.

Despite being in a car accident that shattered his leg and left him bedridden for six months (sounds like Frank Mir), he still trains and fights full time and is one of the favorites to win the Bellator welterweight tournament that begins on April 22nd.