» Fighter: Ben Saunders

Contrary to popular belief, the story of modern mixed martial arts doesn’t begin with UFC 1 in Denver in 1993 or with the Gracie family of Brazil. Though of course the Gracies deserve a prominent place in the history of MMA, their intention was never for fighters to begin training across styles.  Quite the opposite!  Their intention was to prove that Gracie Jiu-Jitsu was the most dominant style of martial arts, a traditional and now seemingly archaic notion about dominance of a single fighting art.  Sport MMA is an unintentional by-product of their goal.

No, UFC 1 created the most prominent forum ever for martial arts styles to mix, but the philosophical underpinnings of MMA began in the San Francisco Bay area in 1965 by an ingenious martial arts pioneer: Bruce Lee, known in his native China as Jun Fan.

Read More About Bruce Lee: The Original Mixed Martial Artist, And He’s Coming Back…

UFC welterweight Jake Ellenberger (21-4) has been drafted to replace “Hitman” Martin Kampmann (16-3) versus Fighters.com’s tenth-ranked welterweight  “Killa B” Ben Saunders (8-1-2) at UFC 111 in Newark March 27, according to MMA Weekly.

Read More About UFC 111: Jake Ellenberger Replaces Martin Kampmann Versus Ben Saunders…

There were no fights in the mixed martial arts welterweight top ten in January and, therefore, no movement in the rankings for February.

Fighters.com and UFC Welterweight Champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (19-2) and fifth-ranked “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (23-6) are set to battle for the top spot at UFC 111 in Newark March 27.  Predictions range far and wide, from Hardy has one foot in the grave to Hardy is the man to upset St. Pierre like “The Terror” Matt Serra (9-6) di at UFC 69 in Houston in 2007.

Read More About Predictions on Georges St. Pierre Versus Dan Hardy at UFC 111 Run the Gamut – Fighters.com’s February Welterweight Top Ten…

Fighters.com’s fifth-ranked welterweight “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (23-6) has one chance at beating Fighters.com and UFC Welterweight Champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (19-2) at UFC 111 in Newark March 27.  It’s a slim chance, despite the hype that is being spun to convince us that the Hardy versus St. Pierre matchup is competitive.

Read More About UFC’s Dan Hardy, Ben Saunders Surging – Fighters.com’s January Welterweight Rankings…

UFC 106 undercard matchups between middleweights “Spyder” Kendall Grove (10-5) and Jake Rosholt (6-1) and welterweights “Killa B” Ben Saunders (7-1-2) and “Irish Hand Grenade” Marcus Davis (16-5) will be broadcast on SpikeTV at 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT on November 21, SpikeTV announced.

Read More About UFC 106: Kendall Grove, Marcus Davis to Fight on SpikeTV…

The remaining bouts for UFC 106 on November 21 in Las Vegas Nevada are now finalized, the UFC announced today.

Topping the bill is the return of former UFC light heavyweight champion “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) as he is set to face former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin (16-4) in a rematch of the 2006 fight that was Griffin’s first loss in the UFC.

Read More About UFC 106: Tito Ortiz Versus Forrest Griffin II Now Final…

Welterweight matchups between “New York Bad Ass” Phil Baroni (13-11) and The Ultimate Fighter 7 champ Amir Sadollah (1-1) and “Killa B” Ben Saunders (7-1-2) and  “Irish Hand Grenade” Marcus Davis (16-5) and a lightweight matchup between  George Sotiropoulos (10-2) and “Dynamite” Jason Dent (20-9) were officially announced for UFC 106 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas November 21 by the UFC Wednesday.

Read More About Sadollah vs Baroni, Saunders v Davis Official for UFC 106…

“Killa B” Ben Saunders (7-0-2) defeated Brandon Wolff (5-3-0) via TKO stoppage at 1:49 of round one in an overwhelming display of Muay Thai technique Wednesday night at Fort Bragg during the UFC’s “Fight for the Troops” event.

The fight began with an unintentional low blow by Saunders. Upon the restart, Saunders landed a strong head kick followed by an aggressive and accurate swarm of knees and punches. Displaying clinchwork reminiscent of UFC middleweight champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (23-4), Saunders bloodied and bruised Wolff in decisive fashion.

“I heard his reaction. He was grunting,” said Saunders following the bout. “I knew I had him hurt. It was beautiful. I love it.”

Formerly a Navy SEAL, the game but battered Wolff was visibly rocked and unsteady on his feet following each break from multiple clinches early in the opening round. By fight’s end, Wolff’s face was was a mess of blood and tremendous swelling.

After the quick first round destruction of his opponent, Saunders was enthusiastic in response to Joe Rogan’s comparison of his performance to that of the current UFC middleweight champ.

“That’s awesome man because Anderson Silva is one of my idols,” stated Saunders.

Ben Saunders officially won via TKO due to strikes at 1:49 of the first round.

He was the fighter with a near constant smile. The jovial cast member who won over fans through his seemingly casual approach to a tough sport during the sixth season of SpikeTV’s “The Ultimate Fighter.” A lanky and unconventional martial artist, Ben Saunders (6-0-2) seemed to approach the UFC Octagon with optimism in his mind and the inspiration of Bruce Lee in his heart.

A member of American Top Team, Ben Saunders is poised for a return to the Octagon at the UFC’s “Fight for the Troops” 10 December, north of Charlotte. During the live charity event being televised on SpikeTV, Saunders is set to face former Navy SEAL, Brandon Wolff (5-2).

An almost comic book mythos fills the air as a soldier of the military special forces faces a soldier of the Dragon. One question from the curious is how will Jeet Kune Do continue to fare in the mixed martial arts arena. Much less against a fighter with former military combat training.

Read More About Ben Saunders and The Way of the Dragon…

The rest of the UFC Fight for the Troops fight card, happening 10 December in Fayetteville, NC, has been revealed by USA Today.  The event will be headlined by Fighters.com’s fourth- and ninth-ranked welterweights Josh Koscheck (11-2) and Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-2).

The remaining bouts are:

Luigi Fioravanti (13-4) v Brodie Farber (13-4)
Dale Hartt (5-1) v Corey Hill (2-1)
“Berserk” Ben Saunders (6-0-2) v Brandon Wolff (7-2)
Timothy Credeur (10-2) v Nate Loughran (9-0)
“Hater Hurter” Johnny Rees (10-1) v Steve Bruno (11-4)
Justin McCully (8-4-2) v Eddie Sanchez (8-2)

Five fighters on the card have served in the military.  Fioravanti was a Marine, Hartt, Credeur, and Bruno served in the Navy, and Wolff was a Navy SEAL.

Missing from the card is a previously announced match between former WEC Light Heavyweight Champion “All American” Brian Stann (6-1) and current champ Steve Cantwell (6-1).  Stann, a former Marine, has reportedly sustained a foot injury in training and was forced to withdraw from the event.

Read More About More Fights for the Troops, Stann Withdraws with Injury…