» Fighter: Mark Bocek

Light heavyweights “All American” Brian Stann (7-2) and “Sho Nuff The Master” Rodney Wallace (9-0) will matchup at SpikeTV’s The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale in Las Vegas December 5, the UFC confirmed Tuesday.

Read More About UFC TUF 10 Finale: Brian Stann v Rodney Wallace, John Howard v Dennis Hallman Confirmed…

American Top Team lightweight Mark Bocek (6-2) tapped “Kid” Alvin Robinson (10-7) via rear naked choke at 3:16 of the third round at UFC 91 in Las Vegas Saturday night.  It was a back-in-forth battle, but Bocek looked the better in the end.

In round one, Robinson began with a couple strong kicks only to be taken down eventually and controlled during the remaining pace.  Bocek executed good transitions with strong elbow strikes to land a choke that was stopped by the end of the opening round.

By the second, Bocek looked to have control of the fight.  Almost executing an omaplata late in the round, Robison escaped only to find Bocek scrambling upon his every move.  The second round ended with Robison pulling guard and Bocek in top position.

Bocek looked clearly ahead on the score cards by the beginning of the third.  Almost immediately, Bocek pinned Robison to the cage with Robison pulling a guillotine only to be slammed hard on his back.  Under a swarm of punches, Robison rolled over numerous times to escape.

Bocek finally got a body triangle capturing a rear naked choke.  Under pressure, Robison tapped out.

Fighters.com recently talked to Canadian fighter Mark Bocek (5-2) as he prepares for his UFC 91 fight in Las Vegas 15 November.

Fighters.com: Mark, you’re a very experienced Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter recently competing at the ADCC submission grappling world championships in 2007 where you quickly defeated Drew Fickett (35-6).  Your next opponent,”Kid” Alvin Robinson (10-6), is a jiu-jitsu brown belt.  Do you think experience will favor you in the upcoming fight at UFC 91?

Read More About Bocek: I’m training to be as complete as possible and I’m ready to go wherever the fight goes….

The UFC has officially confirmed a welterweight bout between “McLovin” Dustin Hazelett (11-4) and “Barn Cat” Tamdan McCrory (9-1) and a lightweight bout between “Kid” Alvin Robinson (9-3) and Mark Bocek (5-2) on the UFC 91 card, 15 November in Las Vegas.

Hazelett, a member of Team Jorge Gurgel, submitted Josh Burkman (18-7) via second-round armbar in June.

McCrory won a unanimous decision over Luke Cummo (6-6) in August.

Robinson’s last fight was a loss to Nathan Diaz (10-2) via third-round triangle choke in January.  He reportedly took time off this year to deal with injuries.

Bocek, of Toronto, was submitted by Mac Danzig (18-5-1) in April via third-round rear naked choke.

Fighters.com’s second-ranked heavyweight,current UFC co-Heavyweight Champion, and UFC Hall of Famer “The Natural” Randy Couture(16-8) spoke exclusively with Fighters.com from his Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas Monday afternoon.

Couture graciously confronted and answered questions about his beef with the Zuffa, LLC and UFC President Dana White and third-ranked “Maine-iac” Tim Sylvia’s (24-4) and his own prospective fight with sixth-ranked “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (27-1), shared opinions about fifth-ranked welterweight Matt Hughes (42-7), “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (3-0), and Brock Lesnar (1-1), and made picks on future fights.

Fighters.com: You’ve said you’ve accepted that you might get a bad court ruling and not fight again. Have you lost some competitiveness from being inactive for so long?

The Natural: I still want to compete. I’m still in training as much as I can be with all this other stuff going on. I still seem to be able to hold my own, even with the lack of serious, hardcore training, with all the top guys that I have in the gym. I’m having fun being in the gym learning new tools, new skills and being there with a lot of the other guys that have been there for me, so I’m not too worried about that. The courts are going to do what the courts are going to do. We’ll deal with it when it comes in.

Fighters.com: Not many fighters have wives who also train. Does that give you both a different perspective and more understanding?

Read More About Fighter of the Month: Randy Couture…

Tonight in Montréal, Mac Danzig (17-4-1) will debut as a TUF champion versus Candian Mark Bocek (5-1).  I caught-up with Danzig and asked him about Bocek, life after TUF, and his photography.

Fighters.com: Are you the type of guy who watches tapes and have brushed-up your jiu-jitsu to fight Mark Bocek; or, do you just train to fight your game?

Mac Danzig: A little bit of both.  I watch as much tape on a guy as I can; but, I train to fight my fight. A guy like Bocek, with only six fights, is still evolving.  He’s not the guy you see in the fight with Frankie Edgar.  He’s susceptible to an uppercut or a knee; and, I’ve been training for that; but, Bocek is the type of guy who, if you miss, will take advantage of it.

Fighters.com: I’ve talked to Bisping and Evans about their TUF championships and both agree it’s a major career accomplishment.  You were an established fighter prior to TUF.  Do you agree it’s an important fighting accomplishment for you or more of a career move to gain exposure?

Mac Danzig: Yeah, it’s an accomplishment; but, mostly it’s been a vehicle to get exposure.  I was at a point where I was trying to find my place in the sport.  It was after PRIDE had fallen and I didn’t know if I was going to be able to get another fight in a big organization.  Not that I was thinking about retiring; but, I wasn’t able to support myself fighting.  Now, I’m able to support myself and focus on fighting.

Fighters.com: Do you think your serious attitude on TUF against the backdrop of some the knuckleheads illustrated the difference between professional fighters and tough athletes?

Mac Danzig: I wasn’t 100% with how the producers edited the show; but, on that point, yeah, I think it came across.  A lot fans tell me they liked the show because it showed who was serious.  Only about five or six of us were serious about fighting on the show and the rest were there just to get on TV.

Fighters.com: Tell me about your move to Xtreme Couture.

Mac Danzig: There’s no egos here.  Everyone is here to help each other.  It’s like a big family.  If anyone did show up to start problems, it wouldn’t be tolerated.

Fighters.com: At your photography site: www.macdanzigphotography.com, there are a lot of desert landscapes.  Why do you like the desert?  Have you been able to get out into the Nevada desert since moving to Las Vegas?

Mac Danzig: It’s just desolate; but, there’s so much going on that’s not human.  So much nature.  There are all these old ghost towns.  I’ve got some things planned after my fight in Montreal.

Fighters.com: Are you a serious hobbyist or could you see yourself paying the bills on photography one day?

Mac Danzig: I’d love to make a living as a photographer after fighting; but, it’s hard for someone like me because I want to stay on the artistic side.  Most working photographers have to take assignments.  I want to continue photographing what I like and if people want to buy it or use it, that’s great.

Fighters.com: I just read a piece about Kenny Florian being “not your average” fighter because he’s a smart guy.  Noguiera was in law school, Liddell has a college degree,  Rich Franklin and Jeff Monson have masters degrees.  How much does intellect play in the field of fighting?

Mac Danzig: You have to be intelligent to stay focused and control your emotions.