The Ultimate Fighter ~ Season 3 Meet the Fighters

As the fight fans may have noticed I've been extremely busy the past month. I haven't forgot about the fights, believe me. The Ultimate Fighter Season 3 is upon us, the 1st episode was last week and tomorrow night we'll get the second installment. If you are unfamiliar with the program it is a reality show for fighters. Much better than the contender! This show brings top quality guys, 1 of which has already attempted a shot for a title, not a successful shot unfortunately for him. During this reality show they show the workouts and training, ultimately they fight for the right to stay on the show. Let's meet the coaches and thier teams.....(all profiles copied from The Ultimate Fighter.com. (On a side note if you are interested in learning more about the sport or the show you can join thier forums, there's a lot of good information and it's completely free. Keep in mind that anyone can join so don't think everyone on their knows what they are talking about. The fighters, past, present and future do frequent the forums to speak with their fans. Most the big time fighters are also on myspace if you know where to find them. You can to most of them from my page if you have one. Bruceleeroy's Myspace )


TEAM ORTIZ




Tito Ortiz
Light Heavyweight
6'2, 205
Age: 31
From: Huntington Beach, CA

Tito Ortiz was the first ever UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. With a 13-4 MMA record, Ortiz holds victories over Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort, Vladimir Matyushenko, Evan Tanner, and his Season 3 coaching rival Ken Shamrock. Ortiz is best known in the fight game for his intense training regimen and strong work ethic.

“They’re gonna learn a lot, they’re gonna learn the Tito Ortiz style,” said Ortiz. “But they’re also gonna be training with me. I’m not just gonna be the coach showing them how to do it; I’m gonna be the coach doing it with them.”



Michael Bisping
Light Heavyweight
6'1, 205 lbs.
Age: 26
From: Liverpool, England

Team: Ortiz

If World War II had not occurred, Michael would probably be living as a Count in Poland, as his family ancestry traces back to royalty in his native land. Instead, the 26 year old is living the self-described “working class” life in England, but is aspiring to become an Ultimate Fighter. Born in Cyprus, Michael attended Blackburn College, majoring in Electrical Engineering, and has two children ages three and five. He began learning jiu-jitsu at eight years old and lists Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture as his favorite UFC fighters. When he’s not practicing mixed martial arts in Liverpool, he works as a DJ on the weekends. His nickname is “The Count.”




Matt Hamill
Light Heavyweight
6'2, 205 lbs
Age: 29
From: Loveland, Ohio

Team: Ortiz

Matt comes to The Ultimate Fighter 3 with an incredible athletic resume. The 2004 inductee in the Division III Wrestling Hall of Fame was the first U.S. wrestler to win gold medals in freestyle and Greco Roman competition in the 1997 World Games for the Deaf. The three-time NCAA National Champion attended the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester. Matt has been featured in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd” and was featured on the cover of NCAA News as a junior at RIT. In 1997, he was named USA Deaf Sports Federation Athlete of the Year. Born and raised in Cincinnati, Matt is a graduate of Loveland High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Bengals fan trains with The Ultimate Fighter Season 2 coach and UFC Middleweight champion, Rich Franklin.



Noah Inhofer
Light Heavyweight
6'2, 205 lbs.
Age: 24
From: Yankton, SD

Team: Ortiz

At the last minute, Noah booked a flight and traveled all the way from his native Yankton, South Dakota to Boston to make the open tryouts for season three of The Ultimate Fighter. Even though he’s attending the University of South Dakota and studying to become a special education teacher, he thinks his wrestling background and two years of jiu-jitsu experience will earn him a shot at the six-figure, multi-year UFC contract. Noah is 24 years old, runs his own lawn mowing business, and holds an MMA record of 5-2.



Danny Abaddi
Middleweight
5'11, 185
Age: 22
From: Orlando, Florida

Team: Ortiz

Born in Amman, Jordan, Danny (real name Muntaser) of Jordanian and Egyptian descent, moved to Brooklyn, New York when he was two years old. His family moved around quite a bit and he ended up attending and graduating Olive Branch High School in Olive Branch, Mississippi where he played soccer. Danny began taking taekwondo in Brooklyn and was a black belt by the age of eight. The taekwondo child-prodigy began teaching the sport at age 12 and currently travels the country teaching. The 4-star black belt works and trains at Victory Martial Arts in Orlando, Florida where he currently he lives. The 28 year old currently holds a 2-1 MMA record and 14-1 Pro Kickboxing record. Among Danny’s other talents are break-dancing and kickboxing.



Kendall Grove
Middleweight
6'6, 185 lbs.
Age: 23
From: Maui, HI

Team: Ortiz

The 23 year-old nicknamed “Spider” was born and raised in Maui and attended Baldwin High School where he was an All State wrestler in the 170lb division and was a standout wide receiver on the football team. His brother Chad was an All-WAC wide receiver at the University of Utah and his cousin, Kaluka Maiava, is a freshman linebacker on the powerhouse USC Trojan football team. After high school, Kendall moved to Las Vegas to pursue his dream of being an Ultimate Fighter and currently has a 7-3 professional MMA record. The outdoor enthusiast surfs and plays paintball in his spare time.



Rory Singer
Middleweight
6'2, 185 lbs.
Age: 29
From: Athens, GA

Team: Ortiz

Born in Brooklyn, Rory grew up in Marlboro, New Jersey and was a star wrestler at Marlboro High School. Rory studied Biological Engineering at the University of Georgia and is currently attending the School of Nursing in Athens, Georgia. The 29 year-old began learning jiu jitsu six years ago and currently holds a professional MMA record of 9-5, including bouts in Japan and South Africa. The avid reader of such novels as “The Lord of the Rings trilogy” recently was roommates with Athens, Georgia’s most famous MMA fighter, The Ultimate Fighter Season 1 light-heavyweight champion, Forrest Griffin.



Mike Stine
Middleweight
6'0, 185 lbs.
Age: 27
From: Long Island, NY

Team: Ortiz

Born and raised in Hicksville, Long Island, Mike was a 2005 quarterfinalist in the prestigious boxing tournament, the New York Golden Gloves. He is a graduate of Hicksville High School where he was All-Long Island in ice hockey and attended Farmingdale College where he earned an Associates Degree in Criminal Justice. He has been training in mixed martial arts for four years and currently holds a 3-0 professional MMA record. The 27 year-old Islanders fan and fishing enthusiast currently runs a Tiger Schulman gym in Great Neck, Long Island.

Status: Eliminated - Episode 1
Mike was defeated by Kalib Starnes by TKO in the first middleweight fight.

TEAM SHAMROCK



Ken Shamrock
Light Heavyweight
6'1", 205
Age: 42
From: San Diego, CA

If you’ve followed mixed martial arts for any length of time, you’ve heard the stories. You know about the legendary Lion’s Den tryouts - tests of strength, skill and will that have broken so many over the years with their sheer intensity. The orchestrator of these tryouts, UFC hall of famer Ken Shamrock, didn’t give any breaks to any aspiring fighter, because on his team, if you passed the test, you were truly serious about your craft.

And if you were serious, Ken molded you into a fighter. Guy Mezger, Tra Telligman, Vernon White, Pete Williams, Jerry Bohlander. All UFC veterans, all world class fighters.

So there’s got to be mixed feelings among the hopefuls who will eventually share a house with Shamrock when he coaches Season Three of the Spike TV reality series ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’ On one hand, they’ll get instruction from one of the sport’s legends; on the other, they may have to go through hell to get there.



Tait Fletcher
Light Heavyweight
6'3, 205 lbs.
Age: 34
From: Los Angeles, CA

Team: Shamrock

Joe Rogan’s (“Fear Factor”) personal bodyguard has worked in security for such celebrities as Adam Sandler on the set of “The Longest Yard.” The 34-year old and current resident of Los Angeles has appeared in commercials for both Nissan and Coke. A graduate of Alpena High School in Alpena, Michigan, Tait moved to New Mexico to attend St. John’s College in Santa Fe to study Classical Literature. He began training in jiu jitsu in New Mexico and currently has a professional MMA record of 3-1.

http://www.theultimatefighter.tv/fighter_photos/JesseForbes.jpg

Jesse Forbes
Light Heavyweight
6'2, 205 lbs.
Age: 21
From: Tempe, AZ

Team: Shamrock

Only 21 years old, his parents would rather see him attending college than training in mixed martial arts, but Jesse has decided he wants to be a fighter -- and an ultimate fighter at that. Jesse was a two-time All State wrestler Corona del Sol High School in Tempe, Arizona and went on to wrestle two more years in community college. He has an excellent ground game, and is learning to become a good striker training with Drew Fickett. Jesse is a south paw, holds a MMA record of 2-0 and wants to become as successful as Rich Franklin in the Octagon.



Josh Haynes
Light Heavyweight
5'9, 205 lbs.
Age: 28
From: Medford, OR

Team: Ortiz

No stranger to the world of MMA, this 28 year Medford, Oregon native trains with Team Quest and UFC fighters Nate Quarry and Randy Couture. Josh is a graduate of Grant’s Pass High School in Medford and studied Computer Science at the University of Southern Oregon. Josh also spent six years in the Army and was stationed in Ft. Benning, Georgia. Over the years, he has built an impressive MMA record of 9-4 with 1 KO. At the same time, he has also built an excellent professional career, applying his computer science degree as a hospital network engineer. But Josh decided it was finally time to pursue his dream of becoming an ultimate fighter, and quit his job to train full-time. He started fighting at 330 pounds, and has dropped over 100 pounds to fight at 215. His oldest son was diagnosed with brain cancer at birth, and having watched his boy endure multiple surgeries already, Josh stays completed focused and driven to do whatever is necessary to become a success and take care of his family.



Mike Nickels
Light Heavyweight
6'4, 205 lbs.
Age: 34
From: Denver, CO

Team: Shamrock

This 34 year-old tattoo artist from Denver is a 2005 gold medalist in jiu-jitsu at the 2005 Pan Am Games. Mike excelled at football as both a tight end and defensive end at East High School in Denver. Following high school, he traveled the country training elephants and prides himself as being an amateur animal activist. Mike is married with two kids and currently has a professional MMA record of 3-1. He owns a tattoo studio in Denver, “Twisted Sol,” for more than 10 years, which he’s grown into quite a successful business with 14 employees.



Kristian Rothaermel
Light Heavyweight
6'0, 205 lbs.
Age: 33
From: Metairie, LA

Team: Shamrock

Hurricane Katrina was a nightmare for New Orleans resident, Kristian. His father died in the catastrophic storm and most of Kristian’s possessions were destroyed. The 33 year-old stayed in the ravaged Gulf Region to help rebuild homes. Now he is looking to start a new life by joining The Ultimate Fighter 3. Kristian studied English Education at The University of New Orleans. The former high school teacher describes himself as a hunter, thinker, and fisherman. He is an avid reader of everything from Chinese poetry to the classics and received a scholarship in college to study poetry in Prague. At 21 he began learning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and currently holds a 40-3 professional MMA record. His nickname is “The Weather Underground.”



Ed Herman
Middleweight
6'2, 185 lbs.
Age: 25
From: Portland, OR

Team: Shamrock

The 25 year-old member of the legendary MMA squad, Team Quest, out of Portland, Oregon, trains with UFC legend Randy Couture and The Ultimate Fighter Season 1 participant and rising star Chris “The Crippler” Leben. He also trains local police in Portland on the latest and most effective mixed martial arts moves. Born in Vancouver, Washington, Ed graduated from Columbia River High School and was an all-state wrestler in the 168lb. division and a standout defensive lineman on the football team. He currently holds an impressive 14-2 professional record. When he’s not training, Ed teaches kids mixed martial arts at the Team Quest gym in Portland and bartends in the evenings. He currently lives with his girlfriend.



Solomon Hutcherson
Middleweight
5'11, 185 lbs.
Age: 33
From: Racine, Wisconsin

Team: Shamrock

The pride of Racine, Wisconsin, Soloman was a superstar athlete at Racine Park High School where he was an all-state linebacker in football and a feared wrestler in the 171lb division. The youngest of seven children, he attended Triton Junior College in Illinois and studied Fire Science. He has been competing in mixed martial arts for four years and currently holds a 10-2 professional MMA record. Soloman has three kids and works laying cement for a concrete company in Racine. A big sports fan, Soloman roots for the Raiders and his hometown Brewers and Bucks.



Ross Pointon
Middleweight
5'8, 185 lbs.
Age: 28
From: Stokeontrent, England

Team: Shamrock

Known as “The Gladiator,” the 28 year-old from Stokeontrent, England near Manchester, took up mixed martial arts seven years ago. The graduate of Trentham High School is a black belt in karate and currently owns The Gladiator Gym, where he teaches kick boxing and mixed martial arts. Ross made it on the “The Ultimate Fighter 3” after impressing UFC President Dana White and other UFC top brass at an open-casting call in London. He currently holds a 4-6 professional MMA record. The hard-kicking Brit is single and has a young daughter.



Kalib Starnes
Middleweight
6'3, 185 lbs.
Age: 31
From: Vancouver, BC, Canada

Team: Shamrock

The current #2 ranked middleweight in Canada has an impressive professional MMA record of 8-0-1. Kalib currently lives in Vancouver, British Columbia and is part of the renowned Revolution Fight Team. When he is not competing in mixed martial arts, Kalib is participating in spoken-word competitions and is an avid reader of poetry and linguistics. He lists Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn among his favorite authors. Kalib grew up in Surrey, British Columbia and attended Nakusp Secondary School where he played soccer. He began his fighting career when he took up Brazilian jiu jitsu in his late teens.

OK, I nailed season 1 picking both champs, my predictions from last season were horrible. I will say that I'm becoming a big fan of Mark Hammill, you have to love this story. A deaf mixed martial arts fighter. Let me just say that if you watch the fights you probably here the yelling and screaming coming from the corner. That is, believe it or not, a big deal. Your coach knows you and has studied your opponent. When Mark steps into the ring he has one extra hurdle to overcome. You also have to like his work ethic, he seems like a very dedicated guy. You know I have to route for my Team Quest representative, Ed Herman. The Team Quest guys, along with a couple other fight teams, know how to bring it. You have to have something training with all those guys from time to time. I know Tait from myspace, he's pretty active on there so I'll be keeping an eye out for him. Kalib is probably the favorite of most in the middleweight division, he's pretty polished. No one Lightheavyweight really stands out to me, Kristian has tons of ring experience but may lack the heart needed to be at this level. It all remains to be seen.

For my predictions....

Lightheavyweight - Josh Haynes.

Hey, he's another Medford boy like me. They grow them a little tougher in Southern Oregon, I know! This is the second season in a row to feature a fighter from my veryown Rouge Valley area. I'm picking him cuz he's from my area. My best friend back home worked with Josh for a little while as well. Good luck Josh.

Middleweight - Rory Singer
I'm picking Rory because I like his style. If he's half as tough as his former roommate, Forrest Griffin, watch out for him!