MMA Gospel Radio is rapidly emerging as the leader in MMA podcasts and the final word in all things MMA. From the UFC to shows near your hometown, MMA Gospel brings you up-to-the-minute news, rumors, live fighter interviews, fight results, and breakdowns of upcoming fights.

MMA Gospel Radio is hosted by Reverend Turk Vangel with co-hosts Drew Hall and Gary Friedman. Columnist Josh Turner also contributes editorials and opinions.

MMA Gospel Radio founder Reverend Turk Vangel started many years ago as a wrestler in junior high. This led him to the world of freestyle wrestling, which he loved due to the slams and the generally more aggressive style it presented.  He was lucky enough to compete in the AAU Junior Olympics, the Pan Am Games, and the freestyle nationals.  In 1993 he was introduced to the UFC with a video tape.  He watched everything he could get his hands on and became a fan of Royce Gracie (14-3-3) and “El Guapo” Bas Rutten (28-4-1) over the years.

Eventually, the Reverend began to train in mixed martial arts to get a better understanding of the sport. He began training at Beavercreek Martial Arts, a Jorge Gurgel (13-5) affiliate school under professional fighter Michael Patt (12-4). There Turk studied Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai.  His love for the ground game grew from there.

Reverend Turk would scour the Internet looking for MMA news and listen to podcasts until he decided that he needed to bring a show to the fans, something that was pure MMA and not comedy with some MMA thrown in to the show.  He started by doing small segments on Bengalsworld News Radio. This led to the birth of MMA Gospel Radio and the MMA Gospel Blog.  MMA Gospel Radio is now the top ranked MMA podcast online as voted on by the fans and the Reverend is looking to keep moving forward and giving the fans what they want.

Reverend Turk is married to a gorgeous wife, Mackenzie, and has a beautiful daughter named Lotus. When not covering mixed martial arts and interviewing fighters, he is a machinist and a welder that has worked for custom motorcycle companies such as Led Sled Customs and 138 Cycle Fabrication.  Now he spends his time working for the Air Force building prototypes for the Air Force Institute of Technology.  His loves, other than MMA, are his family, custom built bikes, and rat rods.

Drew has been an MMA fan since 2001 and has been training for a year-and-a-half in the arts of Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Muay Thai underneath Nathan Fitch (1-1) at Son of Siam.  He is going back to school for his broadcasting degree and has written articles on popular MMA websites. His favorite MMA fighter is “Mayhem” Jason Miller (22-5).

Gary Friedman began his combat sports writing career in college at State University of New York at Fredonia where he wrote a boxing column called “In the Ring with Gary Friedman.”   Gary is a lifelong boxing fan who has become a huge MMA fan.

After attending UFC 1 in 1993, columnist Josh Turner knew he was hooked on the sport and began following MMA fighters and promotions.  Turner began training in Muay Thai in February 1997. In 2000, Turner began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Turner has trained at gyms including Hybrid Academy and Linxx Academy.

Although MMA is his great passion, Josh’s proudest accomplishment is his family.  As a proud father, Josh enjoys spending time with his daughter and attending her sporting events.  Josh is also a successful business owner and does consulting work as a business development coordinator.

Welcome Reverend Turk Vangel, Drew Hall, Gary Friedman, and Josh Turner to Fighters.com:

Reverend Turk: turk@fighters.com
Drew: drew@fighters.com
Gary: gary@fighters.com
Josh: josh@fighters.com

And tune-in here at Fighters.com on Saturday, October 31 at 5:00 PM ET/2:00 PM PT for MMA Gospel’s debut as the official voice of Fighters.com.  MMA Gospel encourages listeners to call in to the show or join us in the live chat room at www.blogtalkradio.com/mmagospel.

Gomi will try to further his climb back from his first two consecutive loss slide since 2003.  At Shooto Tradition Final in Tokyo last May, he broke the streak with a second round KO of Takashi Nakakura (10-2-1).  According to Sherdog, VTJ ’09 promoter Kazuhiro Sakamoto (12-4) hinted that Gomi could face a UFC fighter in October, revealing Sakamoto has contacted Zuffa, LLC, parent company of the UFC and WEC, about exchanging fighters.

At a press conference in Tokyo Tuesday, Gomi wouldn’t commit to a future in MMA after VTJ ’09, citing his aspirations in professional surfing.

Sato has dug himself an even deeper pit than Gomi, losing his last four and six of his last seven.  “Lion” Takeshi Inoue (13-3) TKO’d the veteran at Tradition Final.  His opponent at VTJ ’09 is also yet to be determined.

However, a featherweight matchup between Inoue and Brazilian “Pequeno” Alexandre Franca Nogueira (13-5-2) was also confirmed.

“Pequeno” was TKO’d by countryman “Junior” Jose Aldo (14-1) in his WEC debut in Sacramento in June 2008.  That was Nogueira’s last fight and only fight in the WEC after testing positive for the anabolic steroid Boldenone after the fight.

Though not a Shooto event, VTJ ’09 will include Shooto fights contested under variances on international MMA rules as Shooto consider changes to its own rules to better comply with international MMA rules standards.

VTJ ’09 will take place at JCB Hall in Tokyo October 30.

Both UFC title contenders will compete in the -87.9kg division, along with “Toquinho” Rousimar Palhares (11-3). Sengoku judoka Kazuhiro Nakamura (13-9) and DREAM welterweight Andre Galvao (3-0).

UFC welterweight champ “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (19-2) will compete in the -76.9kg division, along with the UFC’s “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (11-3), Japanese free agent “K-Taro” Keita Nakamura (15-4-2), and Brazilian free agent “Uirapuru” Marcelo Azevedo (3-5).

In the -98.9kg division, Strikeforce light heavyweight “Babalu” Renato Sobral (32-9), free agent “Brazilian Tiger” Ricardo Arona (13-5), The Ultimate Fighter 8 contestant “Pezao” Vinicius Magalhães (3-5), former UFC and PRIDE fighter “Boogey Man” Dean Lister (11-6), The Pit’s “Brazilian Pit Bull” Glover Teixeira (7-2), Brazilian heavyweight free agent “Pe De Pano” Marcio Cruz (6-2), and Aussie light heavyweight “Hippo” Anthony Perosh (6-4).

Strikeforce heavyweight contender “Vai Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (12-4-1) and American free agent “Snowman” Jeff Monson (27-8) highlight the +99kg division. Former IFL heavyweight title challenger Antoine Jaoude (8-3) and M-1 Global heavyweight Rogent Lloret (6-1) will also compete in the highest weight divsion.

In the lowest weight division, -65.9kg, WEC featherweight contender “Big Frog” Jeff Curran (31-12-1) and WEC bantamweight contender Rani Yahya (14-3) will compete with SHOOTO vets “Iron” Hiroshi Nakamura (4-3-4) and “Finisher” Baret Yoshida (5-6-1).

Every division will also include grapplers who don’t compete in MMA.

Every other year, the ADCC creates the most interesting moments and exciting matchups in submission grappling. Always a highlight, the absolute division pits grapplers of all weight classes against each other to crown an absolute champ. Past absolute division matchups include DREAM welterweight “Mach” Hayato Sakurai (35-10) versus former UFC heavyweight champion “Suave” Ricco Rodriguez (32-8-3) and DREAM lightweight “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (17-4) versus Sengoku heavyweight Roger Gracie (2-0).

Emirati Sheik Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his BJJ instructor Nelson Monteiro created the event that has become the gold standard in submission grappling in 1998 and in 2003 the tournament began touring to locations outside the UAE.

The grapplers will compete at Pavello Olimpic de Badalona in Barcelona beginning at 11:00 AM on 26 September. Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.

As a child, Bahadurzada immigrated to the Netherlands from war-torn Afghanistan, but became stuck there without a passport as his fight career took off.  In July 2007, he was finally allowed to travel to Japan to fight (and beat) Shiko Yamashita (10-4-3) for the Shooto title.

Fighters.com: Can you describe the difference between your feelings when you first arrived in Holland after leaving Afghanistan, then when you first arrived in Japan to fight after being stuck in Holland?  Holland must’ve been both a place of refuge from war-torn Afghanistan, but then like a cage keeping you from furthering your fight career?

Siyar Bahadurzada: When I first came to Holland I felt like I was given a second chance.  I just went for it and kept trying to make something out of my life.  I learned to speak Dutch in almost six months.  I was [studying] very hard and, besides, not to forget, I’m pretty gifted in learning languages. I can speak several languages very well.

But, when I went to Japan, I felt different.  Coming to Holland was different because I was saved from the war; but, when I came to Japan, I felt like, “Now it is my time to shine.  My 15 minutes of fame is on!”  I feel invincible when I’m in Japan.  Somehow, the environment in Japan drives me to my limits, motivates me to take one step more and go for my dreams!

Anyways, I believe everything happens for a reason.  And, I believe now I am not 10% of what I’m going to be in the next five years.

Fighters.com: You were criticized for celebrating after Santos dislocated his elbow and explained that you were letting off frustrations from hardships before the fight.  Do you care if people accept your explanation or not?

Siyar Bahadurzada: Yes, I do care.  Because I am not what people think I am after seeing that fight.  It’s true.  I did not give a fuck about Cyborg in the ring while his elbow was hurt; but, would it help to run to him and keep telling him that you’re sorry for what happened and this and that while the only one he needs at that moment is a doctor to check on him?

Besides, after the fight I wanted to visit him in the dressing room; but, he was gone to the hospital.  When we went to the hotel, I wanted to visit him in his room.  He was still in the hospital.  Early the next morning, I wanted to visit him again.  I saw his corner men and expressed my sadness for what happened to him in the fight.

Later, when he came back from the hospital, I was in the lobby and met him.  I told him that I was sorry for what had happened and that he gets his rematch whenever he asks me to.  So, I handled the situation my way. Of course, it was not in front of the millions of fans; but, anyways, I did what I thought was right and stand behind my decisions!

People criticized me for what happened in the ring; but, as I said before, my right hand was broken twice and I had an elbow operation.  I did not even jog the last six months and then I got sick in Afghanistan, while I was visiting family for 3 weeks.  I took 4 kinds of antibiotics to heal. That even worsened my conditioning and to summarize it: I trained for ten days for the fight against Cyborg.  What people do not realize is that I took that fight against Cyborg because I knew I would beat him. W hy would I accept a fight like that if I did not believe in myself.  But anyways, there will be a rematch between us and now.  Even if Cyborg does not consider a rematch, which seems to me out of question,  I will insist on that rematch!  Because, I want to prove a lot of people wrong!  I am very much motivated for that rematch!

Fighters.com: Call out who you want to fight next in the Sengoku Middleweight Grand Prix and why?

Siyar Bahadurzada: Jorge Santiago!  Because, I think we will have a great fight.

Fighters.com: If you win the tournament, how can you beat “Grabaka Hitman” Kazuo Misaki (21-8-2) for the Sengoku middleweight title?  Why would the rematch be different than the original fight?

Siyar Bahadurzada: If I win the tournament?  I’d rather say: When I win the tournament, I will come after Misaki!  He is a good fighter; but, I learned a lot from my last fight against him and this time I will not make the same mistake again, that I can promise!  I will beat Misaki this time.  I know it.  He knows it!

Fighters.com: Another naturalized Dutchman, Gegard Mousasi (24-2-1), considers himself the top  middleweight mixed martial artist in Holland.  Is he the best Dutch middleweight?  Do you want to disagree with him?

Siyar Bahadurzada: Right now, he is the best middleweight in Holland, until proven wrong!  He is the DREAM Middleweight Champion and fought great!  He deserved the belt by beating the toughest guys in the tournament!  My compliments for his achievement!  He proved he is the best middleweight in Holland for now; but, I am on my way to become the Sengoku Middleweight Champion, then it’s up to the fans to decide who is the best middleweight in Holland.

Fighters.com: Because of your childhood with little opportunity in Afghanistan, you’ve said you intend to take advantage of every opportunity you have; but, has their been an opportunity you regret not taking full advantage of?

Siyar Bahadurzada: No. I pretty much fought for everything that I have got today.  I am very satisfied with my achievements in the sport, university, and business.  But, I am a perfectionist.  I want to be the best in everything that I’m involved in. So, watch me come up with surprises in the future!

Fighters.com: You told Sherdog in February that the UFC is “treating their fighters like shit.”  Can you give an example of how the UFC mistreats their fighters?

Siyar Bahadurzada: I do not want to go in details on that; but, look at the poster boys of UFC back in the days: Tito Ortiz and Randy “The Natural” [Couture]?  They deserved better than being treated like that!  But, that is my humble opinion.

Fighters.com: How often do you return to Afghanistan and how are you contributing to improving the situation in your nation of birth?

Siyar Bahadurzada: The last nine years I visited Afghanistan once.  I support Bayat Foundation.  It is an organization which helps needy people in Afghanistan.  Once I sent my entire fight purse to Afghanistan for the kids who were cold and did not have clothes and anything to eat.

Fighters.com: Do Afghans recognize you or recognize the sport of MMA?

Siyar Bahadurzada: Yes they do.  I’m their first champion in MMA ever.  They really respect me and treat me like a hero.

Fighters.com: During the time when you were only able to fight in the Netherlands, did you build a strong Dutch following?

Siyar Bahadurzada: Yes.  Lots of people come to my fights because I fight exciting fights! I can fight for 15 minutes and can also KO my opponent in an blink of an eye. I have KO’s and submissions skills.

Pancrase Results

Pancrase held its fourth iteration of its 2008 Shining tour in Azelea Taisho Hall in Osaka Sunday.

In the main,  event, “13″ Daisuke Hanazawa (9-9-5) scored his first “w” of 2008 with a two-round UD over Takefumi Hanai (2-4-2), Hanai’s third consecutive loss.

Featherweight Soyu Tanabe (4-3-1) knocked out Pancrase regular Kenji Takeshige (4-7-1) at 3:44 of the first round.

Middleweight Masahiro Toryu (5-3-3) denied Shuji Morikawa (0-2-1) his first “W” by submitting him in a guillotine choke at 3:36 of round one.

In other fights, Kenji Shimada (4-2) knocked out Takashi Hasegawa (3-6-3) at 1:58 of round one.

“Strasser” Kiichi Kunimoto (5-2) won a two-round UD over “Yuushi Edaori” Yu Shiori (5-1).

Isao Hirose (2-0) also scored a decision unanimously over “Punch” Nobuhiro Yamauchi (4-3).

DEEP Results

Three-hundred-and-fifty miles away in Tokyo Saturday night, DEEP continued its clubDEEP series at Shinjuku FACE.

In the main event, Toshiaki Kitada (7-3-2) and “Nukinpo!” Ippo Watanuki (7-6-2) fought to a two-round draw in a featherweight match-up.

Welterweight Yasushi Kitazaki (8-4-1) won a two-round split decision over Sotaro Yamada (5-4).

Lightweight Takafumi Otsuka (6-2-1) slammed Isamu Sugiuchi (7-7-2) at 3:51 of round one and pounded out a TKO.

Middleweights Yoshitomo Watanabe (6-7-2) and Ryoji Suzuki (3-2-1) fought to a draw.

“IMN Grappling” Kazuya Hirose (1-0) spun a back fist into American Guy Delameau‘s head, knocking him cold at 1:40 of round one.

Shooto Results

Sunday in Sapporo, on the northern island of Hokkaido, Shooto put on its second GIG NORTH show.

“Mach” Hayato Sakurai‘s (32-8-2) student Tomonori Taniguchi (3-5-2) won a two-round unanimous decision over Sapporo boy Daisuke Ishizawa (3-5).

Another of Sakurai’s students, Kunio Nakajima (1-2-1) scored his first “W” with a majority decision over local “Aniki” Hidekazu Asakura (1-4).

Light heavyweight Akihiko Adachi (4-4-2) TKO’d winless Nobuyasu Fujikawa (0-2-2) one minute into the second round.

Undefeated Sapporo product Fumihiro Kitahara (2-0) tapped “Cat” Hayato Sato (1-5-1) in an armbar at 2:46 of round two.

In his pr debut, Yusuke Sato (1-0) knocked out Tatsuya Yamamoto (1-1) with a flying knee in just 56 seconds.

Mach Dojo’s “KG Shinto” Hiroki Kuga (1-1) won a unanimous decision over Sapporo’s winless Yoshiki Noguchi (0-3).

Finally, hometown featherweight “Mitsuru” Atsushi Kobayashi (1-0) debuted victoriously with a first-round TKO of “Yokosai” Toshihiko Yokoyama (1-3) at 3:48.

Baron sank the death blow as “Mach” shot for a takedown.  The final tap touched the mat at 4:50 of the first round.

The “L” is Sakurai’s first since getting KO’d by third-ranked “The Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (28-3) in 2005.

Baron hasn’t lost since 2006, ironically to Gomi by rear naked choke submission.

The Shooto Tradition event also featured a 154-pound title fight between Takashi Nakakura (10-2-1) and Ganjo Tentsuku (9-3-2).

It was a hard-fought slog for both Japanese warriors, but the judges saw the fight 30-28, 30-29, 20-39 for Nakakura.

“Ironman” Akitoshi Tamura (12-6-2) ended a 143-pound war with Shooto vet “Moon Wolf” Rumina Sato (24-12-2) at 2:37 of round three with a north/south choke submission.

“Savant” Trenell Young (9-7), recently of the IFL, upset “Lion” Takeshi Inoue (14-3) by two-round UD scored 19-18 all around.

Fighters.com will post an interview with Young about his surprising Shooto debut this week.

123-pound Yasuhiro Urushitani (14-3-6) and Ryuichi Miki (6-2-3) fought to a majority draw, Urushitani’s second consecutive draw, and third draw in his last four fights.

Top 155-pound contender Yusuke Endo (11-2-1) submitted debuting vince Ortiz (0-1) in 3:34 of round one.

Frenchman Bendy Casimir (14-4-2) won a unanimous decision over “Torao Supernova” Shinji Sasaki (6-2) in another 155-pound contest.

Hayate Usui (9-6-1) won a majority decision over Sakae Kasuya (3-3-3).

“Shinpei” Noboru Tahara (4-2) cut Katsuya Murofushi (3-3), causing a stoppage by TKO :46 of round two.

Sakurai himself is a former Shooto World Champion and comes off a mauling of Hidetaka Monma (14-8-3) at DREAM.1 last month.

Baron fought last December, submitting Niek Tromp (4-2-2) by guillotine choke in the first round.

The fighters share a common opponent from their past.

Former PRIDE Lightweight Champion “The Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (28-3) iced Sakurai in the first round of 2005 PRIDE fight.

Gomi tapped Baron by rear naked choke eight-months later, also in PRIDE.

At 132-pounds, Masakatsu Ueda (8-0-1) snatched the featherweight title vacated by Akitoshi Hokazono (6-0-2) from Koetsu Okazaki (5-1-1), Hokazono’s training partner, by three-round unanimous decision.

The wrestler Ueda kept the fight on the mat to control Okazaki for the “W” and new jewelry for his waist.

At 143-pounds, Hideki Kadowaki (13-7-2) took “Ironman” Akitoshi Tamura‘s (11-6-2) Shooto trinket in an uninteresting majority decision.

Top ten featherweight Hatsu Hioki (15-3-1) finished “The Finisher” Baret Yoshida of Hawaii by TKO at 4:51 of round one.

In a 2008 Lightweight Rookie Tournament match-up, Hiroshige Tanaka (1-0) knocked out Kenichiro Marui (0-1) at 3:01 of round one.

123-pound Shooto veteran Mamoru Yamaguchi (2-4-3) took a unanimous decision over Masaaki Sugawara (6-3).

132-pound “Hadairo” Tetsu Suzuki (6-5-3) also won unanimously on the cards versus Hiroyuki Tanaka (6-4-1).

Finally, 143-pound Hiroshi Nakamura (5-3-3) won a majority decision over Tenkei Fijimiya (7-3-2).

On 21 March Shooto rumbled into Kitazawa Town Hall featuring a pair of 2008 Rookie Tournament middleweight bouts.

Nipponese Naoki Hirayama (1-0) began the night and his pro MMA career with a unanimous decision over Shin Kochiwa(0-1); and, Yoishiro Sato (1-0) tied Hirayama with a UD over pitiful Toru Ishinaka (0-4-2).

In the evening’s main event, 65-kilo Yuji Inoue (4-3-1) broke a two-fight losing streak with a UD over Kyotaro Nakao (5-7-2).

In a 2008 Rookie Tournament welterweight scrap, Kazuya Satomoto improved to 4-1 with a triangle armbar submission of Mach Dojo’s “KG Kokoroto” Hiroki Kuga (0-1).

At 56 kilos, Hiroharu Matsufuji (2-4) submitted pathetic Katsuhisa Akasaki (2-14-1) in a Kimura at 3:04 of round deuce.

In the same weight class, Shinichi Hanawa (4-6-1) outlasted Joji Shimada (1-4) to a unanimous decision victory.

Finally, 52-kilo Katsuya Murofushi (3-2) wrapped Kenichi Sawada (3-8-2) in a triangle choke for the first round finish.

Two moons forward in Hiroshima, 56-kilo Takeshi Okada (4-3-2) and debuting Mike Hayakawa (0-0-1) fought to an even clip for a majority draw scored 19-19 twice and 19-20 for Hayakawa.

In a 2008 Rookie Tournament lightweight bout, Makoto Akazawa (5-1) submitted Katayoshi Ono (0-1) in a rear naked choke.

Finally, Kentaro Watanabe (1-0) won his debut unanimously in a decision over Jun Nagasoe (0-1).