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UFC's Jake Ellenberger wants top-10 opponent but open to John Howard rematch
UFC's Jake Ellenberger wants top-10 opponent but open to John Howard rematch
SAN DIEGO – While Jake Ellenberger thinks his victory over John Howard opens the door to a fight with a top-10 welterweight, he's happy to run it back with Howard.Ellenberger (23-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC) earned a TKO victory in San Diego on Sunday at UFC on Versus 2 after the cageside doctor ruled Howard (14-5 MMA, 4-1 UFC) unable to continue due to a swollen-shut left eye.
"I got the win, which is nice, obviously, but that's not the way you want to win – having the ref stop it like it was," Ellenberger said. "I'd love to do it again."
Ellenberger set in motion the stoppage when he repeatedly took Howard to the ground and delivered several elbows from top position. The blows caused Howard's left eye to blow up, which affected his vision.
It was Ellenberger's second consecutive octagon victory after a disappointing split decision loss to former WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit in his octagon debut this past September.
The Nebraskan got back on the winning track in February with an impressive TKO victory over Mike Pyle at UFC 109.
Howard did his best to let his hands go while the fight remained standing, but those times were few and far between with Ellenberger's persistent takedowns. He shrugged his shoulders at the announcement of the stoppage and later congratulated his opponent on the victory.
It was Howard's first loss in five octagon appearances and followed two impressive knockout victories over Dennis Hallman and Daniel Roberts.
Ellenberger said his plan was to pressure Howard from the outset and take control of the action in stand-up exchanges; wrestling was plan B.
"I knew he was a powerful striker, so for me, I was going to try and beat him to the punch," Ellenberger told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "I think we both have a lot of power in our hands. For me, it was who gets off first. I don't think he's really been pressured in his past few fights.
"I knew if I had to, I could start taking him down. I tried to see how he would react as far as putting pressure with my hands. He hung in there, and he fired right back."
Ellenberger said one of Howard's punches hastened his decision to take the fight down.
"He did clip me once and had me a little dazed, but I knew in my head that, 'I've been here before,'" he said. "I'd been there in training. Mentally, I've got to stay in there, and that's just what I did. I stayed focused. I've fought with emotion, and I don't want to let it get the best of me."
The plan wasn't applauded by the 8,000-plus fans in attendance at the San Diego Sports Arena. But after ceding control of his fight with Condit, he was determined not to make the same mistake.
"I try not to let the crowd play any factor in the fight," Ellenberger said. "For me, I want to just stay persistent, and I like to stay in control of the fight, too. When I fought Condit, it was back and forth, back and forth. Well, I ended up on the short end of that stick.
"I'd rather it stay one-sided and keep the fight in my hands."
The part-time assistant wrestling coach at the University of Nebraska at Omaha shied away from calling out a future opponent and said he'll leave his career in the hands of his employers. Howard, who was not present at the post-event press conference, previously has campaigned for a fight with Anthony Johnson, whom he was scheduled to face in March before Johnson withdrew from their fight due to injury.
"There's so many good welterweights here in the UFC," Ellenberger said. "I'll fight anybody that I have to to get my shot at the title. I think this hopefully puts me back in the top 10 at least or in the mix. There's a lot of guys out there who I could fight. It's up to (UFC matchmaker) Joe (Silva) and (UFC president) Dana (White).
Jason Brilz Will Return to the Octagon a Better Fighter
Jason Brilz Will Return to the Octagon a Better Fighter
by Brent Brookhouse on Jun 2, 2010 2:45 PM EDT in News 
38 comments
My whole game plan was to go out and perform. I had a chance to finish the fight and I didn’t, so it is what it is. I’m not too worried about it. If you leave it up to the judges, that’s what happens. I’m just going to have to start finishing fights, I guess. They said I’ll be back. Joe Silva said before the fight, ‘You’re doing me a favor here, thanks very much and no matter what happens you’ll be back.’ I’m just going to continue to do my thing. It’s been working pretty good for me. I think with every fight I’ve had in the UFC, I’ve gotten better. I’m not the best guy at any one discipline, even at my gym, so I’m constantly learning and picking up new things. I’ll be back bigger, stronger, faster next time and more technical. I’ve got the guys who know how to do it, they won’t let me slack and it will be fun.
Brilz certainly deserves to return given that many fans feel that he deserved the win against the #7 light heavyweight in the world in Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. I scored the bout 29-28 for Brilz but given the close first round it is entirely possible to see how two judges saw fit to give the fight to Nogueira.
Brilz does appear to need work on his shot as he was reaching and slow against Nogueira, but Rogerio was willing to go to the ground so he wasn't putting up much resistance. Against a better striker who can sprawl and keep the fight standing he will likely have a fair amount of trouble.
The most interesting thing to me at this point is seeing what Joe Silva does with Jason for his next fight. Does he go back down to the lower end of the division or does the UFC see him as a guy they can use against top level guys?
Dana White says UFC 114 judges got it wrong but Jason Brilz cost himself the fight
Dana White says UFC 114 judges got it wrong but Jason Brilz cost himself the fight
LAS VEGAS – Judging by the reaction of the MGM Grand Garden Arena in crowd in Las Vegas when the scores from the Antonio Rogerio Nogueira-Jason Brilz bout were announced at Saturday night's UFC 114 event, there were all of three people in the building who believed "Little Nog" had done enough to walk away with the victory.Nogueira (19-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC) was one of them.
Unfortunately for Brilz (18-3-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC), the other two were Nevada State Athletic Commission judges, and Nogueira was awarded a split-decision victory. Following the evening's post-event press conference, UFC president Dana White admitted he didn't like the call, but he also said it's just the latest example of an increasingly important mantra: Never leave it the hands of the judges.
"I thought the decision was [expletive]," White said. "Listen, we're always in this position. I'm no [expletive] judge, but I thought Brilz won the fight.
"You can't leave it in the hands of these judges. You always hear me saying it, and guys keep doing it."
Brilz, a lightly regarded late replacement for Nogueira's original opponent, Forrest Griffin, appeared to most observers to have done enough to earn a closely contested opening period. The second frame was unquestionably his, while the third was clearly Nogueira's. But it was the closing seconds of the second frame, when a fatiguing Brilz failed to finish a wobbling Nogueira, that White ultimately believes cost the wrestler the fight – not the judges' observations of the opening round.
"I think Brilz could have knocked 'Little Nog' out at the end of the second round," White said. "He should have [expletive] went for it when 'Little Nog' was hurt."
While Brilz's failure to finish cost him a win, the Nebraskan will likely find some solace in the $65,000 bonus check that came along with the evening's "Fight of the Night" award. White said he also believes Brilz's performance should allow matchmaker Joe Silva – who was heavily criticized for arranging the matchup – a bit of peace as well.
"Jason Brilz and Joe Silva both caught a lot of [expletive] for making that fight," White said. "[Brilz] shut a lot of people up tonight.
"Joe Silva is the best matchmaker in the business and maybe the best matchmaker in any combat sport. Jason Brilz came out tonight, and he proved a lot of people wrong. Everybody knows how badass 'Little Nog' is. [Brilz] put on a great fight tonight."
Jason Brilz vs Nog UFC 114
When UFC matchmaker Joe Silva first contacted Jason Brilz about filling in at UFC 114 on four weeks' notice, Brilz assumed they were talking about a fight on the preliminary card. Maybe fellow light heavyweight Luis Cane had gotten injured and had to pull out of his bout with Cyrille Diabate. Maybe it was the other way around.
Regardless, he told Silva, he was up for the challenge.
"I was planning on running a triathlon this summer with my dad, so I'm in shape," said Brilz. "I've been working on some stuff in the gym. I thought, hey this gives me four weeks to concentrate on it. My girls are still in school right now, so yeah, I can do that."
A couple days went by and Brilz didn't hear from Silva. On Monday, he sent an e-mail asking if the UFC would still be requiring his services in Las Vegas on May 29. Silva responded that it may have been a false alarm. It was looking like the UFC wouldn't need him after all, but thanks for being willing to step up.
Brilz put it out of his mind and went to dinner with his family. He considered ordering a beer, but, no, he'd just finished a couple good workouts, so he decided he'd have some water instead. After dinner, he and his family walked around in downtown Omaha, the city where Brilz works full-time as a firefighter. It was a pleasant little evening.
"Then I got home, put the kids in the bath and thought, you know, I'm going to have that beer now. I cracked the beer, had about two sips, then a Virginia number pops up on my phone. It's Joe Silva. I was like, well, I guess I'm not going to be able to finish this beer."
Still thinking it was a preliminary card fight, Brilz agreed to step in before Silva told him who he'd be facing. Only after he asked whether it would be Cane or Diabate or someone else on the prelim portion did Silva tell him he'd be facing top 10 light heavyweight Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, who'd been left without an opponent after former UFC light heavyweight champ Forrest Griffin pulled out with an injury.
"I thought, okay," said Brilz. "I already said yes to the fight. I'm not going to back down now."
And yet, a lot of guys – even the professional tough guys that populate the UFC roster – might have at least wanted a minute or two to think about it. This is Nogueira we're talking about. The former Pride standout earned a Knockout of the Night bonus with a first-round demolition of Cane in his UFC debut, adding to a list of victims that includes names like Dan Henderson and Alistair Overeem.
Brilz has a very respectable 3-1 record in the Octagon, but he's yet to be featured on the main card of a UFC event. Going from prelim action against Eric Schafer to a pay-per-view bout with Nogueira is undoubtedly a major leap.
Still, it sounded just about perfect to Brilz.
"At this point in my career, I don't really care who I fight. I just want to be tested. And Little Nog, you know, he'll definitely test me. What the heck. I'm thinking, co-main event in Vegas? Sign me up."
For better or worse, the UFC did just that. Now he has to get ready for the toughest fight of his career, and just a little over three weeks from now. Brilz insisted that he doesn't get nervous before fights and doesn't expect this one to be any different in that regard, but acknowledged that the sudden jump up in competition makes him feel a little like he "got a default into the final heat at the Olympics."
As for how he plans to approach Nogueira, Brilz said it would be tough to find a sparring partner to simulate his style on such short notice, but added that he expects a fast-paced bout and thinks "getting in [Nogueira's] face" will be key.
"Just like in my other fights, I'm going to come right at him. I'm going to worry about his game, but I'm not going to deviate from my game to accommodate him. I'm going to throw my game plan out there. If it works, great. If it doesn't, well, I haven't thought that far."
Former Opponents Become Training Partners
On Saturday May 1st Elite Performance MMA & Team Hollowpoint headed to Columbus, NE in support of Women’s MMA. Elite fighter Tera Carper fought her way to a 2nd round submission win over an aggressive Alexandria Strobe at Tri-State Cage Fighting: Columbus. Carper Vs. Strobe was the only female fight on the card but proved to be one of the best fights of the entire night, validated by Tera winning the TCF Submission of the Night Award.
There seems to be a story behind every Elite fight trip and ironically this one starts and ends with a display of true team spirit. Cassie Garnette, fellow Elite female fighter and once rival opponent of Carper’s, was there to get Tera warmed up and ready for her fight. These two women have actually met in the cage and fought brutally against each other, before both arriving at Elite and becoming teammates. This type of thing happens from time to time at Elite Performance. When competitors want to get the top training, they eventually end up at the largest gym in the Midwest. As Cassie and Tera have become friends and assisted each other in training and fight prep, they have added a great element to their growth as competitors – true team training.
BRILZ def. SCHAFER Live on VERSUS
JASON BRILZ VS. ERIC SCHAFER
Elite Performance fighter Jason “The Hitman” Brilz faced Eric “Ravishing Red” Schafer in a 3 round battle in the first ever UFC Live on Versus. Brilz plan of pushing the pace ended up serving him well has he drove harder and harder to victory in each successive round. Great work, Elite fighter!
When asked before the match, what advice he would give to new fighters, Brilz responded:
Jason Brilz: Cardio. It’s all about cardio. You can pick up the techniques, but if you can only throw the techniques for a minute, so what? You have to be able to throw the combos at the end of 15 like you did at the beginning. You can’t get so physically exhausted looking for that takedown that you finally get him down, plant your arms on the mat and get choked or arm-barred. You need to have the kind of training where you have a fresh guy on you every minute or two.
This philosophy paid off, as you can read below! .jpg)
In Round 1 of this match, the fighters clinch up early, Schafer’s back to the cage. Brilz drives knees to the inside of Schafer’s thigh before they separate. Brilz moves in with some hard shots to the body and mixes up a few shots to the head before they clinch again. Brilz gets the single leg takedown, but Schafer gets right back to his feet. Both fighters land some hard shots, Brilz the overhand right, repeatedly, as Schafer tries to establish a jab. Schafer stuns Brilz with an uppercut. Brilz shoots the takedown, but Schafer wins the positioning battle and ground and pounds Brilz. They get up and Schafer lands a knee to the face. Brilz is rocked at this point, trying to recover. Schafer hangs back, not going for the finish.
As Round 2 begins, Brilz staggers Schafer with a left hook right out of the gate, but they quickly clinch. Brilz starts in with the knees to Schafer’s thigh, the same leg as in round one. They exchange solid uppercuts from the clinch. A stiff jab and a straight right from Schafer. Brilz clinches, but gets tripped down onto his back. Schafer starts ground and pound from half guard. Brilz reverses but gets caught in an omopalata, from which he quickly escapes to north-south. Schafer tries to get up, but Brilz shoves him to the mat. He finally does get up and eats a couple hard shots from Brilz. Both men look really tired at this point, with a minute left in the round. Brilz scores a takedown and puts on a top-side guillotine, but can’t secure it in the short time.
Both fighters still appear gassed as Round 3 begins, but Brilz is pushing the pace, landing punches to the head. He swings wide and clips Schafer several times with the right hand. Schafer is staggering backwards around the cage, just waiting for one good shot to end his night. Brilz is firing, but doesn’t have enough gas to land the necessary bomb. He instead takes Schafer to his back, but Schafer reverses to top position and starts ground and pounding. Brilz gets up. Schafer drags him down, but Brilz lands in top position, and starts dropping short slip elbows with about 40 seconds left in the fight. Brilz moves to side control, hammer fisting the exhausted Schafer all the way to the bell.
Jason Brilz def. Eric Schafer by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), R3.
With a record of 3-1 in the UFC, Brilz only loss comes from a controversial decision against Elliot Marshall. This decisive victory finds Jason right on track and headed for more wins! Great job!
Jason Brilz UFC on Versus
BRILZ HOPES CHANGE IS THE KEY IN UFC RETURN
Tuesday, March 16, 2010 - by Mick Hammond - MMAWeekly.com
While not undergoing a drastic overhaul of his life and career as some fighters have done, he realized a mistake in philosophy and he intends to rectify it to get back on the winning track in 2010.
“What I’ve learned is that not everybody has the same mindset that I have,” Brilz explained to MMAWeekly.com. “(My mindset is) you go into a fight and you want to finish the fight, whatever it is, you want to implement your game plan and finish the fight.
“In my last fight (Eliot Marshall) just wanted to outpoint me, which he did. I have to learn to get better and implement my game more.”
Aside from making a mental adjustment, Brilz seeks to continue the training philosophies he maintained over the years for gradual improvement.
“I’m always looking to get in better shape, get stronger, and get better techniques,” he stated. “I try to pick up something new every week, one thing that I can really work on over the course of a week.
“I think the main thing that I wanted to work on was finishing the takedown, my stand-up, and getting better transitions from punching to a takedown. From faking a shot to a nice, crisp combo to a takedown. I’ve been working on that quite a bit.”
As part of the UFC’s debut on Versus March 21 in Colorado, Brilz will take on Eric Schafer, a fighter he feels he has much in common with.
“I’ve always been a big fan of his,” said Brilz. “He’s a blue collar worker fighter; he comes right into the fight, comes in shape, and comes from a good camp.
“I don’t see him backing away; I expect Schafer to come right at me. I see him swinging for the fences and welcoming the game if it goes to the ground.”
With the UFC’s recent heavy rotation of their contracted talent, Brilz was asked if he felt he needed to add more flair to his fighting style to help stay in the company.
“I want to take every fight very serious and I’m going to try to finish and put on an entertaining fight every time,” he commented. “Win, lose, or draw, if it gets me to the main card, so be it.
“I’m not going to go out there and throw all caution for the win and start swinging for the fences, chin up type of deal. I want to have good strategy, but try to make it exciting.”
Brilz may not see his fight with Schafer as a loser leaves town type of situation, but he doesn’t intend to roll over for anyone if it means his contract.
“I love the organization, it’s a very well run business, and everybody has actually been nothing but nice to me, so I definitely want to stick around a while,” he said. “I’ll do whatever I have to do to stick around.”
Sometimes it’s the small changes that are needed to make a big step forward, and for Brilz he hopes he can make the right changes needed to continue his UFC dream into this weekend and beyond.
“I’d like to thank CrossFit Omaha, Elite Performance, and Tapout Mouthguard for sponsoring me,” he concluded. “Come March 21 me and Eric Shafer are going to have a good ole fight, so come and watch it.
“All I can control is my own work ethic, so I want to keep striving hard and whatever happens, happens.”
Tuesday, March 16, 2010 - by Mick Hammond - MMAWeekly.com
While not undergoing a drastic overhaul of his life and career as some fighters have done, he realized a mistake in philosophy and he intends to rectify it to get back on the winning track in 2010.
“What I’ve learned is that not everybody has the same mindset that I have,” Brilz explained to MMAWeekly.com. “(My mindset is) you go into a fight and you want to finish the fight, whatever it is, you want to implement your game plan and finish the fight.
“In my last fight (Eliot Marshall) just wanted to outpoint me, which he did. I have to learn to get better and implement my game more.”
Aside from making a mental adjustment, Brilz seeks to continue the training philosophies he maintained over the years for gradual improvement.
“I’m always looking to get in better shape, get stronger, and get better techniques,” he stated. “I try to pick up something new every week, one thing that I can really work on over the course of a week.
“I think the main thing that I wanted to work on was finishing the takedown, my stand-up, and getting better transitions from punching to a takedown. From faking a shot to a nice, crisp combo to a takedown. I’ve been working on that quite a bit.”
As part of the UFC’s debut on Versus March 21 in Colorado, Brilz will take on Eric Schafer, a fighter he feels he has much in common with.
“I’ve always been a big fan of his,” said Brilz. “He’s a blue collar worker fighter; he comes right into the fight, comes in shape, and comes from a good camp.
“I don’t see him backing away; I expect Schafer to come right at me. I see him swinging for the fences and welcoming the game if it goes to the ground.”
With the UFC’s recent heavy rotation of their contracted talent, Brilz was asked if he felt he needed to add more flair to his fighting style to help stay in the company.
“I want to take every fight very serious and I’m going to try to finish and put on an entertaining fight every time,” he commented. “Win, lose, or draw, if it gets me to the main card, so be it.
“I’m not going to go out there and throw all caution for the win and start swinging for the fences, chin up type of deal. I want to have good strategy, but try to make it exciting.”
Brilz may not see his fight with Schafer as a loser leaves town type of situation, but he doesn’t intend to roll over for anyone if it means his contract.
“I love the organization, it’s a very well run business, and everybody has actually been nothing but nice to me, so I definitely want to stick around a while,” he said. “I’ll do whatever I have to do to stick around.”
Sometimes it’s the small changes that are needed to make a big step forward, and for Brilz he hopes he can make the right changes needed to continue his UFC dream into this weekend and beyond.
“I’d like to thank CrossFit Omaha, Elite Performance, and Tapout Mouthguard for sponsoring me,” he concluded. “Come March 21 me and Eric Shafer are going to have a good ole fight, so come and watch it.
“All I can control is my own work ethic, so I want to keep striving hard and whatever happens, happens.”
True MMA Store Opening at Elite !
MMA Store opening at Elite Performance!
As the sport of MMA has grown so rapidly, a huge need has arisen for all sorts of training gear and supplies related to both training and competition. Until now, there has been no retail outlet in the Omaha area where athletes could get products in every price range to support their participation in the world's fastest growing sport.
Elite Performance Martial Arts, located at 11261 John Galt Blvd, is opening Omaha’s first such outlet March 8th, 2010. Much of the inventory will have arrived and will be available, with other brands coming soon. You will find Combat Sports, Hollowpoint, Fairtex, Windy, Ringside, and others to meet your needs.
Come on in and check out training gear, apparel, supplies, and more, starting Monday, March 8th!
Jason Brilz vs Eric Schafer
- UFC ANNOUNCES BRILZ VS SCHAFER ON VERSUSThursday, January 21, 2010 - by Ken Pishna - MMAWeekly.com
A light heavyweight bout pitting Jason Brilz against Eric “Red” Schafer was added to the March 21 card, and the previously reported fight between James Irvin and Alessio Sakara was confirmed.
Brilz (17-2-1) is coming off of a loss after a 13-fight unbeaten run. He lost a unanimous decision to Eliot Marshall – who faces Vladimir Matyushenko on the Versus card – at UFC 103 in Dallas. Brilz won his first two bouts in the Octagon.
Schafer (11-4-2) is making his second tour of duty in the UFC. He went 1-2 in his first go around, but has flipped that around this time, defeating Houston Alexander and Antonio Mendes before losing his last bout to Ryan Bader.
Neither fighter is likely to be shown the door for losing, but a loss would definitely put the loser in a precarious position.
MMAWeekly.com reported the likelihood of the Irvin vs. Sakara bout earlier this month.
Another light heavyweight bout pitting Jon Jones against Brandon Vera headlines UFC on Versus 1 at the Odeum Colorado in Broomfield, Colorado, on March 21.
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