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| Inside the Cage |
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Written by Ultimate Grappling Magazine |
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Page 1 of 4
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
 Photo by Joshua Hedges
CINCINNATI, Ohio -- If you've ever wondered how a guy like Rich Franklin finds out who his next opponent is, join the club. Do the UFC officials call him, meet him in person or what?
"Well, it's different for me now that I have the belt," says Franklin. "Being the champ, I am going to fight the No. 1 contender, and you can guess who is next in line. While I have not signed a deal with David [Loiseau], they are going to throw David Loiseau at me next because he's the No. 1 contender in my class. It's a done deal [This interview was done prior to the March fight]. Because I am the champ, David Loiseau is next, and I do not have much of a choice. [Of course], as the No. 1 contender, he is in line for a shot."
If Franklin were not the middleweight champ, things would play out a bit differently.
"If I were not the champ, things would be a little more complex," he says. "They [UFC officials] would come to me and say, 'We'd like you to fight so and so.' My manager might respond by saying that the opponent is worth more. If it doesn't work out at that time, I might fight the opponent down the road. [Overall], if I (or any fighter) don't have a title, there is more negotiation in the grand scheme of things."
Behind the Tattoos
 Mushin Cobbrey
CHICAGO, Illinois - It's Sunday morning, the day after Shidokan. There is a powdery snow all over the Windy City, and we're in the Chicago Fitness Center waiting to do a photo shoot with Muhsin Corbbrey. He is looking for a partner so he can demonstrate some of his Shidokan moves, and he comes back with Richard Trammell, one of Shidokan's top fighters.
Trammel is sporting some tattoos, so we get him solo right after Muhsin's story. Following is Richard's story on the tatts.
"My left shoulder has the Shidokan symbol," he says. "After I won the Shidokan TEAM USA Championship my third time, I promised myself I'd put it on. The two panthers represent my fight name from when I was a kickboxer and boxer in the 1990s [T'Challa from Marvel Comic's Black Panther]. The initials in Gothic English are my mother's. A mother, of course, is a woman who is always there for you."
For more information about Richard, go to www.shidokanatlanta.com.
Where Does It Hurt?
 Photo by Joshua Hedges
INSIDE THE OCTAGON - In UFC 57, Brandon Vera squared off against Justin Eilers. Vera, who is from San Diego, California, scored a KO at 1:25 of Round 1 and ran his record to a smokin' 6-0. He is red-hot, but Eilers landed two blows that rocked Vera's world.
"I got hit twice," says Vera. "They weren't super-hard. I mean, they didn't drop me, but man, that s*** hurt. He's got heavy hands. He hit me with a jab cross. I should have parried both of them and moved out of the way."
Despite scoring the KO in less than 90 seconds, Vera said he has to bring it sooner from now on.
"I fight Thai," he says. "My style is Thai. In Thai, you've got five rounds. You warm up the first round. In the second round you pick it up a little bit. In the third round you bang, in the fourth round you bang and you try to kill each other in the fifth round. I need to start bringing it to MMA. As soon as the bell rings, I [need to] go right away. He caught me off-guard, but I hung in there and got in the clinch."
Vera also said he's been working his southpaw stance.
"I'm becoming an ambidextrous fighter now, working southpaw and regular stance," he says. "I am working on throwing heavy kicks from both sides, setting up the hands on both sides and going ape***t with it."
That is just what his opponents didn't want to hear! -Eddie Malone
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