Well, Redimaniacs… I just got back from a little birthday/victory vacation, so I thought I would do a blog. I have been slacking all summer on that front, but I have been busy training for my fight. Summer was very boring for me. No booze, no beer, no bad food, no fun. Training twice a day is not fun, especially when there is so much partying going on in Milwaukee in the summertime. That said the training camp was great! The Roufusport gym really made a big breakthrough this summer reaching the next level. I was relatively healthy with no major injuries (though a few Pat Barry leg kicks had me hobbling around for a few weeks).

 

 

I did round after round of people trying to tear my head off while I tried to get them down. I knew I had to get Houston down after seeing him brutally KO Jardine and Sakara. I did not want to be the next guy to get animated into a human rocketship. My conditioning was great after hours and hours of wrestling, striking, BJJ, crossfit, hill running, and other forms of self torture. Once it was in my world, I believed that I would be able to dominate, but it was not going to be fun getting it there.

 

 

We arrived in Omaha on Saturday, and all I can say is that Omaha is weird. We were right downtown, but there was no one around. We walked to eat, and only saw a few people for blocks until we got to the restaurant area. It was like being on a movie set. The people we met were very nice, but they were few and far between. Weigh-ins were on Tuesday, and I had a pretty easy cut. I normally am over 220 lbs on the week of the fight, but I had cut to 218. Using my weigh cutting tricks, I woke up at 211 on Tuesday morning. A bit of jogging and sauna and I was 205 in no time. I met Houston before the weigh-in and let me say this-He is one of the nicest fighters I have ever met. He is polite, well-spoken, and very funny. We talked a while which is weird before the fight. I weighed in at 205, started my rehydration, and went to eat with my family and teammates. I hit the sack at 2 am…

 

 

I woke up on fight day at 10 and did some yoga. Yoga really helps me relax physically (especially after the cut) and minimize the pre-fight anxiety. I then napped until 4. We headed over to the arena at 5 and started the pre-fight rituals. I felt a bit sluggish warming up, but otherwise was not too nervous. I came out to very load BOOs, but I saw some familiar faces (Reese and Mary Shaner) that were cheering for me. When Houston walked out the ring was shaking, it was crazy loud. I could not hear anything. It was cool to hear all that support for an MMA fighter (even if it wasn't me). Only thing that was like that was when GSP came out in Montreal.

 

The fight went as expected. I ate an early knee, which didn't hurt, but pissed me off. I thought, "Damn, this will be making a highlight film", and I am sick of seeing the Bisping headkick highlight that shoots lightning through my body on UFC Unleashed, haha. I kept pressing, feeling very comfortable in the clinch. I knew if I kept the pressure on him he would not be able to unleash any bombs. When I finally got him down I was happy, because I was still very fresh and uninjured.

 

I immediately got him in the "beatdown" position which has been one of my favorites lately. Few people can get out, and if they do they will have expended a lot of energy. Houston was so strong that he exploded out and to his knee (though it took a lot of energy) I flowed into a tight arm-in guillotine (one of my other favs). I think I could have forced it, but Houston was using a lot of gas getting out of it, so I decided to switch it to a sweep to keep cooking him. I mounted him and began to unload with ground and pound. I heard his corner, Master Bob, yell 1 minute left, so I turned up the heat hoping for a TKO. When I heard 30 seconds left I knew he would survive the round, so I decided to look for a submission. I used an old school sidechoke set up and got the tap with 7 seconds left.

 

 

I was so pumped that I made some funny faces after the fight and even gave a Houston salute, but I swear it was not to be cocky. I was looking for something to do with my hands and the first thing that came to mind was his move (that he did before the fight), so I did it instinctively. I am dumb, but I am not an asshole. I don't remember what I said in the post fight interview, but I forgot to dedicate the fight to Evan tanner. Evan is truly a hero of mine. In fact he is one of the most influential people in my life. We have followed similar paths (pre-med, fighting, alcoholism, gambling, similar philosophies on society, and a quest for meaning). I tried to yell it after the mic was gone…

 

We went back to the hotel, showered up, and hit the hotel bar. I got to talk to some very cool MMA people including referee Josh Rosenthal, photographer Tracy Lee (http://www.combatlifestyle.com/), and UFC voice Mike Goldberg among others. We took off to the Nomad club for the post party. I was already getting tipsy from the few drinks at the hotel (haven't had a drink in 9 weeks), and the people there were buying me shots. At Nomad were the Guida brothers, Ed Herman, Jake Ellenberger, and even Houston Alexander.

 

 

 

At 1 the bar closed so everyone went across the border to an Iowa strip club. It got a bit rowdy as everyone was having fun. The club closed at 3, and everyone went out side and ate hotdogs. Got to talk to Rogan a bit, but I was pretty trashed, so I probably was incoherent. We took a limo back to the hotel. In the lobby everyone was getting rowdy, so my team carried me away and then roughed me up a bit. We hit the room, ate some pizza, and then I stayed up all morning posting stupid stuff on the internet. We flew home at noon, and then I slept for a whole day straight.

 

 

 

 

Thanks to my sponsors…

Sprawl (best shorts out there) http://www.sprawl.tv/

Jesus Didn't Tap (no he didn't) http://www.nosubmit.com/

Tapout (great support of fighters) http://www.nosubmit.com/

Legit Fightwear (great new fight company) http://www.legitfightwear.com

Combat Corner (best fight shop around) http://www.combatcorner.com/

 

Special thanks to…

All my teammates that push me everyday. Keep an eye out for Roufusport! http://www.dukeroufusgym.com/

All my coaches. Duke Roufus (Head MMA coach), Scott Cushman and Stan (striking), Rob Smith (wrestling), Scott Huston (BJJ), Ryan Atkins (Crossfit), and Al Bundy (life coach)…

My Corner. Duke Roufus, Jason Kaz, and Pat Barry.

 

My manager Jeff Curran http://www.teamcurran.com

 

My sponsor guy, Brian, at Sucker Punch Entertainment http://www.suckerpunchent.com/

Thanks everyone,

REDFORD

http://www.redschafer.com/

P.S. Team Red shirts are available in 2 designs: Old-school Stache and New-school Thinker. Only $20. I saving up for a tanning membership for my next fight.

 

 

Well my Redimaniacs, I guess I won. I rematched Bill Hill yesterday and TKO'd him at 2:52 in round 1. The fight went like this (though my memory is a bit fuzzy)... We started off, and I threw a leg kick like I do every fight. I wanted to play around on the feet again, but Bill bum rushed me into the cage, which surprised me. It almost seemed like he wanted to get me down, but I reversed him and did an outside trip to take him down. I landed in a half guard and started working some ground and pound. I really wanted to work my strikes here and skip submissions unless it was absolutely given to me. I landed some hands and elbows and after a scramble ended up in the mount. Bill actually landed some hard punches that cut my lip from the bottom. Seeing my own blood angered me, so I really turned up the strikes. After a few hard elbows, Bill turned over, and I continued the strikes from on his back. Bill's mouthpiece went flying out, and it kind of made me want to hit harder. Bill seemed to be giving me the choke, but as I went for it he tucked his chin, so I continued to punch until referee Al stopped it. I appreciate Bill taking the fight, and he is a real tough guy. I was just on a mission that night. I hope Bill is healthy and continues to do well in MMA...

I would like to thank my coaches: Henry Matamoros (BJJ), Duke Roufus (MMA and Striking), Scott Cushman (Striking and Conditioning), Rob Smith (wrestling), and Kaz (life coach). Thanks to all my training partners; we really have something special going on in Milwaukee! Congrats to my kids that did the demo; they rock! I am also proud of all my teammates: Omar, Gary, Adam, Rob, Chico, and Mike V. They all did great too...

 

I think I was more mentally and emotionally prepared for this fight than I ever have been. I did my work in the gym and felt prepared. I started doing yoga which has not only helped my flexibility, but has helped me to relax (I did a half hour the morning of the fight that was perfect). I have really figured out my pre-fight routine; everything from diet to training to weight cutting. I feel extremely confident going into my UFC fight at the end of the summer! I cannot wait to start that camp.

I will be taking a week off and then June will be light. I will focus on bulking up, cleaning up my stand up, and learning more technique. While the last 2 weeks have been a bit of a rollercoaster personally, I don't think I have ever felt more healthy than I have in the last few days. This has been a great year so far (after a bleak 2007), and I only see better things on the horizon.

Thanks to all my friends, family, and fans.

ERIC

 

Hey Redimaniacs.



I am fighting May 17th in Milwaukee. This will be my last fight in Wisconsin for a while. as I am back in the UFC soon. Come out and support me and all the other tough local fighters. I am fighting Bill "The Truth" Hill, who is a veteran of over 30 fights who has gone to war with many UFC vets. I have to take this seriously, because if I lose my UFC fight is off. I am going in to this in great shape and ready to kick some ass...

..

I have tickets for sale, a lot of great seats are still available. Tables for waitress service are available for $100, $80, and $60. Reserved seats are available for $50 and $30. Any tickets bought through me will include a free autograph picture, as well as my greatest thanks...

See you guys and girls next weekend, and check out my new web page www. redschafer. com

RAVISHING RED SCHAFER

Hey my Redimaniacs,

I have had a busy few months lately. On Febuary 16th I won my latest MMA fight. I fought Ryan Antle (12-7 coming into the fight) from Iowa. My goal was to keep it on the feet as long as was doing ok. If that was going south, I was going to go for the takedown and try and ground and pound. The last thing I wanted to do was to go for a submission... Well, I won with a submission in 41 seconds, oh well. I started off with jab and cross which landed. I followed that up with a body kick that sounded like it landed pretty hard. Ryan shot in on me (which I was not expecting) and I instinctively went for a guillotine. The guillotine has been my money move, so I cinched it in and tapped him out. Props to Ryan for taking the fight on 2 weeks notice (2 other fighters dropped out due to illness and injury),

 

On March 1, I competed in the Arnold Grappling Championships in Columbus, Oh. I did not do half bad. I won the NO-GI Mens Advanced Heavy Weight division submitting all my opponents. I did not get to do my gi division, because I had tickets to the UFC (Silva versus Henderson), and it was getting late. I did also participate in a 40 man pro division where I lost on points. I was not happy with the ref giving certain points, but oh well, can't win them all.

 

On March 15 I decided to do the King Grappler tourney again in Madison, WI. I won all 5 of my matches via submission, winning the advanced no gi heavyweight and the King Grappler +175 tournies. There were a lot of great competitors at the event...

 

For the first 2 weeks of April, Duke Roufus and I went to go help Alan Belcher train for his UFC 83 fight versus Jason "Dooms" Day. We got to meet a bunch of great people, enjoy the great weather, and eat some awesome food (not to mention all the high level training).

Duke and I enjoying some Crawfish...

Me, my man purse, and some bachelorette at the post fight party...

Alan and I doing some grappling...

 

On April 12 I finally completed one of my major goals in life. I recieved my Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Blackbelt after 11 years of training. Prof. Pedro Sauer awarded Dr. Tim Westlake and I with them after a self-defense technique test (thanks to Dr. Tim for helping me through it). My coach and friend Henry Matamoros was there to help us out. It was an honor to be awarded it after all these years of hard work, but now I have to prove that I earned it!

 

As far as the future, I am fighting May 17th on the Gladiators Fighting 52: Thunderdome card. Not sure who I am fighting, but I don't like easy fights. I have tickets on sale, so let me know what you need. VIP tables are $100, $80, and $60. Reserved floor seats are $50 and $30. The best seats are going fast, so shoot me a message ASAp. All tickets bought through me get a free autographed photo estimated to be worth 25 cents.

 

Also make sure you get your Ravishing Red tshirt for the 17th. They are available through me or stop in to Combat Corner to get one...

OK, see you guys around. Shoot me a message to get your tickets...

Thanks for all the support,

REDFORD

 

PS Looks like I am back in the UFC this summer, cannot say much right now, but as soon as I can I'll let you know more!

Many people think that fighting is all super models and ferraris. Well, they are all wrong. While I meet many beautiful women, I have yet to meet a super model. But I must admit that my Dodge Neon is pretty sweet. Actually fighting is a pretty cool way to make a living, but many people don't know that the the worst part of fighting is the dreaded weight cutting! Weight cutting sucks as the Ultimate Fighter TV show has shown. Every season is highlighted by some drama caused during the weight cutting stage. Well I want to show you what actually goes on.

(Be warned... After looking at these pictures, I realize that it is a little ""fruity" looking at a pastey white boy in his underwear. If you have a weak stomach, then do not continue. You have been warned).

 

Well the first thing is deciding how much you want to cut. Too much and you could potentially weaken yourself so much that it affects you on fight day; too little and you might be considerably smaller and weaker than your opponent. After a bit of practice, I can safely cut between 15-20 pounds of water in the 24 hours before the weigh in. Since this fight was as big as a UFC fight, I wanted to keep my weight cut smaller than normal. I was weighing around 220 the week of the fight. The night before the weigh-in (Thursday), I like to get a decent workout and sweat a few pounds off...

After the workout I had a protein shake (my final liquid) and weighed in at 218 lbs. I got home and watched some movies, trying to keep my mind off of drinking and eating.

I woke up around eleven and made some breakfast. I had 3 egg whites and a slice of whole wheat bread. I like to eat a bit to give me some energy and nutrients, but avoid water. The guys and I met at the gym at about 4 pm (weigh-ins are at 7). I felt ok, a bit hungry and thirsty, but not too bad. My buddies Kaz, Ryan Williams, Omar, and Paul were cutting too. I weighed in at 213 before the hell started.

Now the fun starts. First I coat myself in Albolene. It is this greasy shit that helps open your pores (it is sold as a makeup remover). It goes everywhere: up my but crack, on my boys, in my arm pits, everywhere...

Omar here is doing it too. He cuts to 125 lbs. He does not cut as much as me, but do to his smaller frame, the same amount of weight would be much tougher. 10 lbs to me is similar to 5 lbs to him...

All done. As we were lubing up, this creepy dude kept walking over and talking to us. If there is one place that I hate to have a conversation with a stranger, it is a locker room. I also hate when dudes walk around with their balls hanging out. Come on! That towel over your shoulder would be much better covering your disgusting old-man balls. Now I throw on the plastics...

This vinyl contraption keeps the heat in and prevents any sort of "breathability". Definately not good for your health. Sometimes it gets so hot in the suit that your organs start to hurt.

So the suit is on and now I cover myself in more clothes. I put on cotton running pants and 2 hoodies. Add the hat and gloves and very little heat can escape. Here are Omar, Paul, and I about to hit the treadmill.

So now we hit the treadmill. I can only do it for 30 minutes. Since my body is already weak and dehydrated, I do not want to risk destroying my body. I alternate slow and fast paces. After a few minutes the sweat starts to pour, and once the flood gates start, it really flows. I can feel puddles filling up in my sleaves; very cool. After a few minutes I really start to feel weak, so I make sure I take it easy (I am not trying to get a great workout, just trying to keep the body warm). The 30 minutes goes by slow, but it helps when you are with a bunch of other guys that are suffering with you.

After I am done I stagger to the next room and stretch for 5 minutes. The sweat keeps coming, but I start to get a bit claustrophobic, so I need to get the damn suit off. After a quick shower to cool off, I weigh in at 208 (5 pounds sweated off on the treadmill). Now I throw the plastics back on and hit the sauna...

While not fun, the sauna is a lot easier than the treadmill. I like to do 10 minute sessions. I was still sweating pretty well today, but it really starts to slow down if you are reaching your limit. After each session I like to hop into the pool to cool down my core body temperature. Here Paul and I are cooling down. Plus I am secretly peeing in Paul's direction. When your body hits cool water, it naturally casuses your kidneys to expell urine. It is extra water weight lost, plus it is funny in my head. Just kidding Paul

After the second session, I weighed in at 206.5. I did one more session to get to 206. Last time I overshot a bit, so I decided to call it a day at about 6:05. I hired Kaz, my man servant, to go buy some fruit, and the team headed off to the weigh-ins...

The time from when you are done cutting until the actual weigh-in is often the worst. You feel horrible, hungry, thirsty, and pissy. Plus you know that the scale is sitting right in front of you, tempting you, while you wait for the official time. I try to avoid the site of food and beverages, because I might snap. Luckily I was the 3rd guy to weigh in. Now the most important rule: if you are weighing in and taking pictures, then wear something better than tighty-whities. Oh well. Now the moment arrives...

206 on the money (205 plus the 1 pound allowance). In 24 hours I have lost almost 2 gallons of water weight (a gallon weighs a bit over 8 pounds). Much success...

Now take a stupid photo to celebrate! Now I can drink. I start with a protein shake (Banana cream MuscleMilk was the winner today). Kaz says that protein helps the body absorb water faster. I start drinking my half pedialyte, half water mixture. Orange pedialyte is the greatest tasting thing in the world at this point. I try to drink 1 quart every hour for the next few hours. The body can only absorb a certain amount of water per hour, so do not chug to much, because you could get sick. Now it is off to the medical tests.

Above I am getting my blood pressure tested. It was slightly high, probably do to the stress my body just went through. Also "Old Man" Reese was right next to me, and he scares me. One punch from Reese's ham-sized fists will really hurt my face. Next is the lung/heart check...

Apparently, my lungs and heart are OK. She did get startled when my deep breath was jerky. I said it was because I was flexing for this picture. What a douche... Now I eat some fruit and finish the paperwork crap.

Now we are off to get some real food. We hit the Outback and got some pasta and chicken. I probably drank 6 huge waters during the meal. I am weighing 211 when I get home. This is Lunchbox and me. He lives an alternative lifestyle...

 

Well I hope you enjoyed this (except for all the half nude photos). I plan to be around 220 by fight time tomorrow. Hopefully all the shit was worth it. Wish me luck.

 

RED

 

Hey my dozens of Redimaniacs. It has been a busy winter for me: helping with training camps, cornering fights, and of course getting ready for my own fight. If you don't already know I am fighting on February 16th in Milwaukee, WI. I am still under UFC contract, but I felt that I needed to get a little competition experience under my belt before I returned to the big show. The UFC has let me take this fight in my home state. Originally I was slated to fight the Gladiators 205lb champ, Rob Wince, but he broke his forearm. A replacement was found, but he got the flu. So now I have a new opponent, Ryan Antle (12-7 pro according to the FCFighter database). Do not know much about him, but he has a lot of fights and his 12 pro wins are nothing to take lightly. I need to win, because if I lose then the UFC will not want be back. I predict a win with the Kaz-o-tine in Round 2...

If anybody needs tickets, please get them through me. Great $50 and $30 reserved seats are still available. Message me if you are interested. I need the extra money to get a yearly pass at the tanning salon. Apparently I need a little "color".

The weekend after I am doing a seminar in Green Bay, WI. Come join me to learn my secret jiu-jitsu submissions. It will be cheap at $50 and will go for 10 am til 1ish, and (barring injury) I will roll with anybody who wants to. It will be no-gi and focus on submission grappling and mma ground work. It is at...

Green Bay Bjj & MMA
2740 Packerland Dr
Suite D
Green Bay, WI

All interested parties contact my jiu jitsu buddy Greg @ 920-471-7482. Check out http://www.greenbayjj.com 

After that come on down to "Carnage in the Cage" at the Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena. We'll watch some dudes punch each other in the face and then go out and party in Green Bay. I will probably get drunk (no tolerance since I have not drank alcohol in 6 weeeks) and make a complete ass out of myself.

My favorite weekend of the year is coming up. Arnolds weekend is a kickass time. I will compete in the grappling tourney and hopefully bring back a few medals. The fitness expo is a cool place to meet fighters and other pro athletes. Then UFC 82 is Saturday night. Dan Henderson versus Anderson Silva is going to be a kickass fight, plus the rest of the card is awesome.

Finally check out the King Grappler tourney on March 15th. I won the tourney in November, and I plan on repeating again this year.

Plus my BJJ coach, Henry Matamoros, is doing a super fight versus a really tough dude, Ryan Hall. See you there...

Also I have a new design for a Team Red Shirt, check it out. I think I might change around some of the words, like add Ginger Warrior or something. Any ideas?

I plan on writing a picture/video blog after every event to keep everyone informed, so stay tuned.

REDFORD

 

Hey Redimaniacs,

I hope you are enjoying the holiday season. If you are looking for a great festivus present do not forget to buy a few Team Red shirt. You can order them through me, plus they will now be available at everyone's favorite MMA store, Combat Corner.

On December 1 I did a special submission match during the Gladiators Fighting "Seasons Beatings" card. I went against Jesse "Candy Hands" Veium (12-2 MMA record) from Greenbay, WI. The match was much tougher than I would have liked. I started out by pushing him into the fence, because I wanted to slam him. As I was setting up the slam, he was working in the guillotine. Instead of defending the choke, I ignored it as I was dead set on performing a sweet slam. I picked him up, turned him toward the center of the cage, and did a sweet jumping slam...

...but when we hit the mat, I realized that the choke was in deeper than I would have liked. Jesse cranked on it, and I was really in trouble. The thought of tapping was crossing my mind...

...but I needed the win money to buy some new windshield wipers, so I toughed out over a whole minute of gurgling hell. When he finally let go, I knew his arms we cashed so I went on the offensive and passed guard. I grabbed his tired arm and quickly cranked a hard kimura behind his back for the tapout...

Thanks to Jesse for the tough match. He is a great guy and very dangerous grappler. I was in a lot of trouble.

 

At the show I also made an announcement. We asked the UFC to let me do one fight outside the UFC in order to get more ring experience. So on February 16th I will be making my return to Wisconsin MMA on the Gladiators Fighting "Warriors" card. I will be fighting their current 205 lb champ, Rob Wince. Wince is a tough dude out of Ohio that trains with the Hammer House. So keep the calendar open and come to Milwaukee to watch the battle. Get tickets through me. Send me a message and I will hook you up. Tickets are 30, 50, 60, 80, or 100 dollars.

One last note, I have a move named after me! In Eddie Bravo's new grappling book "Mastering the Twister", on page 206 Eddie names a move (where I set up the side choke from the back) that I performed in my UFC 62 win over Rob MacDonald "the Schafer". What an honor, Eddie one of the greatest innovators in BJJ history. His books and DVDs are kickass. Check them out...

Hope everyone has a great Festivus and I'll see you on the 16th. Let me know if you need tickets...

RED

Hey Redimaniacs,

This Saturday (Dec. 1) is Gladiators Fighting 48 "Season's Beatings" here in Milwaukee. There are some badass fights including a bunch of my buddies; Gary "The Hobbit" Schaumberg (145 lb title), "Hair Sweater" Omar Choudhury (125 lb title), Anthony "The Prodigy" Pettis (pro debut), Jesse "Smooth Jazz" Willis (pro debut), Reese "Old Man" Shaner, Jason "Slot Machine" Kazmierczak, Kyle "Lunchbox" Courtier, Mike "The Kitchen Knife" McConnell, Terry "The Jedi" Hahn, Aaron "Socks of Lightning" Bridges, Ryan "Cocktails & Dreams" Williams, Corey "The Face Puncher" Hammack, plus more...

To top off that, I am doing a super submission grappling match versus MMA up-and-comer Jesse "Candy Hands" Veium (12-2 pro MMA record, 9 wins by sub). This is not a MMA match, but it will be exciting. Slams and submissions, but no strikes...

Tickets are available through me; all seats are at VIP tables with full waitress service ($40, $60, $80, and $100). It is inside the Harley-Davidson Dealership, so there is not a bad seat in the house. All tickets purchased through me will get a free Ravishing Red autographed picture estimated to be worth upwards of $1.50...

Then come and party with us at the post party, where we will get the victors so drunk that they will start stuff on fire. It will be great!

RED

Well, it has been 10 or so days since UFC 77, and I have done a lot of thinking...

First off, the bad stuff. I don't know if it was nerves, lack of experience, ring rust, or some combination of them all, but by the second round my muscles were so cashed that I could barely hold on to Stephan. My cardio was fine, my training was great, and I was ready for 3 rounds. In fact I was barely breathing hard in between rounds. But my arms felt like I just got done with a set of 50 pushups. I was fighting so tight in the first round that I burned my muscles out. I guess not competing in 11 months will effect you a bit but not to that extreme.

The more I have been thinking about it, the more I see some things I can do to fix the issue. First off I want to do more grappling tournaments. While they do not stress you out like being in front of 17,000 people, they still provide that competition feeling that you can not reproduce in the gym. Also, I am doing a grappling match at the next Gladiator fights on Milwaukee (Dec. 1). It is not fighting, but again, it will help me get used to competition again and staying relaxed while performing in front of a crowd. We might also be looking at taking a fight out of the UFC. It will be good to get some more ring experience, and I will try to push the fight into the later rounds to get that late fight experience. To many of my fights pre-UFC were first round subs. I really need a good 3 round war to test myself...

Now for some positive things... Technically, I was very happy with the first round. My striking was good. I landed my kicks, a sweet elbow (my first from the feet), and never took any strikes myself. I did get stuck in a front headlock, and that is why I pulled guard (better than getting kneed), but I reversed it quickly and took the top position. I really wanted the choke, but I heard that the time was almost out, so I just wanted to land some strikes to win the round.

The second round sucked, haha, but I guess I blame most of it on my muscle fatigue. My guard pulling and wrist grabbing guard were terrible, but I was so cashed that I could not do what i wanted to. I saw the opportunities to sweep and scramble, but my body would not respond. And again, the muscle fatigue was not from any lack of training, it was more due to anxiety. Stephan proceeded to GnP me at will til the stoppage...

The one thing I want to do is learn from this. My first thing was to get the aweful taste of the loss out of my mouth. I decided to due the King Grappler tourney this weekend. It is part of my plan to compete more, so why wait. I signed up for the gi, nogi and the king grappler tourney (nogi, submission is the only way to win). I started off in the gi, and my first match I was very tight, just like the fight. I won, but my forearms felt like rocks. After that I started to relax and have fun. I won all my matches that day (7 in all), and by the final King Grappler matches I could not even get tired. Wow, what a difference. I would like to thank Bacon, Travis, and Bruce for the great matches.

Here are some pics, check out Wisconsin Combat Sports for more...

 

Thanks to Mark from Badgerland BJJ for the great day!

REDFORD

Hey all my Redimaniacs... Just thought I would check in and say hi. We are relaxing after a nice workout at Jorge Gurgel's gym. Cincinnati is cool, not as wild as Vegas, but still very nice. I had my video and photo stuff done today, tomorrow is the press conference and the start of the weight cut. I am leaner than normal, but it will still suck. I will probably resist the urge to strangle Kaz a few times on Friday morning.

Sorry, I have no time to respond to messages, but keep them coming. I read them all every day and appreciate the support. Make sure to catch the weigh-ins on Friday and the war on Saturday...

Later,

REDFORD