MIXED MARTIAL ARTS: Patience paying off

[Lumi]

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS: Patience paying off

Horodecki finally finds home, will make WEC debut



Chris Horodecki looks more like a freshman at college orientation than a 14-fight mixed martial arts veteran getting ready to make his World Extreme Cagefighting debut.

Like many his age, the baby-faced 22-year-old has struggled to find steady employment.

He rose to stardom in one MMA league that eventually collapsed, then signed with another organization that folded before his first bout.

In between, he suffered from a bulging disk in his neck that cost him about 80 percent of the strength in his right arm.

Now, he hopes he has found a stable home in an established organization.

"My coach and manager told me to just be patient and good things will happen for me, and good things have," said Horodecki, who will fight Anthony Njokuani on a WEC card Saturday at the Palms.

Horodecki made his debut in the International Fight League at age 18 and became one of the organization's few stars. When the IFL folded in 2008, he became a 19-year-old free agent with a 12-1 record.

"I tried to get him (at that time), but Affliction outbid me," WEC general manager Reed Harris said. "We were right there, and right at the end, they offered him an additional incentive and he went with them."

Horodecki never fought for Affliction. The state of California denied him a license to fight in January because of the disk problem, and soon after the company folded.

In between, Horodecki had one fight on a minor league card in Biloxi, Miss., in June, where he scored a first-round knockout. Other than that, he last fought on an IFL card in April 2008.

Horodecki insists he won't be rusty.

"This will be like my fourth fight this year," he said. "I did four camps. I trained right up until the day before the (scheduled) fight in January. I fought in June. I was supposed to fight in August, and they canceled it four days out after a full camp, so it's like my fourth fight. I'm ready, man."

His longtime trainer, Shawn Tompkins, agrees, saying rust isn't a concern and the injury troubles are in the past.

"He's 100 percent. I wouldn't let him (fight otherwise) as a coach and like a father-figure to him," said Tompkins, who has trained Horodecki since age 12.

Horodecki and Tompkins opted for natural treatment of the injury instead of surgery.

Now fully healthy, Horodecki says he is ready to prove he belongs on the big stage.

"I'm real excited," he said. "It's that feeling of being in a new home, and you just want to make your mark."

Chris Horodecki trains at the Palms on Thursday for his World Extreme Cagefighting debut Saturday against Anthony Njokuani.

 

[Lumi]

Fighter confident, no doubt about it

Fighter confident, no doubt about it

Fighter confident, no doubt about it

Sports psychologist gets Cerrone ready for WEC 45 bout

By ADAM HILL
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Donald Cerrone has hit the couch to try to get past a problem that has plagued his last few fights.

Cerrone is one of the top competitors in World Extreme Cagefighting, but the lightweight has struggled early while losing two of his last three bouts in the organization. Poor first rounds were largely to blame for Cerrone losing decisions to Jamie Varner and Ben Henderson.

Cerrone hopes his visits to a sports psychologist in advance of his WEC 45 main event against Ed Ratcliff tonight at the Palms have fixed the problem, which he attributes to episodes of self-doubt.

"It may not seem like it, but I do (have self-doubt)," he said. "When I'm back in that locker room, I'm like, 'What am I doing? I shouldn't be here.' Trying to turn that negative into a positive energy is what I've been working on."

Cerrone said he now has positive things to think about when he prepares to enter the cage.

"The first session was basically (the sports psychologist) asking me why I deserve to be where I am in the WEC. 'What are your credentials? Why do you say you're the best?' " he said. "It was getting me to just say why I'm the best so he could build off that.

"I said, well, I went undefeated as a kickboxer. I've been in main events before. Those are green-light thoughts. When I start thinking I'm scared or I shouldn't do this, those are the things (I can think of). Those are the things I need to tell myself to just reassure myself."

Seeking outside help was not easy for Cerrone, a fighter nicknamed "Cowboy," who lives up to the moniker when he gets up at 7 a.m. each day to feed his horses, chickens and goats.

"It was definitely tough," he said. "It's really powerful and moving things when you sit down and listen to it, though, so it was good."

Ratcliff says while it's true Cerrone is prone to poor starts, he won't count on a subpar early effort by Cerrone tonight.

"(Slow starts) is not a perception, it's reality. I plan on him not doing that against me. I just plan on him coming out different," Ratcliff said. "I'm expecting him to come at me full, 100 percent the whole time, as I'm going to come at him the whole way."

Cerrone said he dealt with one other issue with his adviser. In the buildup to the Henderson fight, he seemed fixated on getting a rematch with Varner instead of facing Henderson. Cerrone dislikes the lightweight champion and admits part of his mind was on Varner when it should've been solely on beating Henderson.

Cerrone's wandering focus might have been another contributing factor to his loss.

"That's definitely another thing I've talked to the sports psychologist about. Don't look past my opponent, just look 200 feet in front of me," Cerrone said. "It's like driving down a dark road. Your headlights can only see 200 feet in front of you. That's all I need to focus on is what's right in front of me. Just look at Ed Ratcliff and look at what I need to do to get through Saturday night."

As for that still unsettled personal beef with Varner, Cerrone said dealing with that issue with his psychologist will have to wait.

"There's so many things I have to work on," he said. "That's at the end of the list."

The Cerrone-Ratcliff bout tops a 10-fight card. The first bout is scheduled for 4:30 p.m., with the live broadcast on Versus (Cable 38) at 7.

Lightweight Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone will fight Ed Ratcliff tonight on the World Extreme Cagefighting 45 card at the Palms. Cerrone has visited a sports psychologist to help him prepare for the fight.


http://www.lvrj.com/hottopics/UFC.html

 

[Lumi]

Previewing WEC 45: Donald Cerrone vs. Ed Ratcliff

Previewing WEC 45: Donald Cerrone vs. Ed Ratcliff

Previewing WEC 45: Donald Cerrone vs. Ed Ratcliff

Cerrone looks to earn shot at revenge on either Varner or Henderson

It?s been somewhere in the vicinity of five years since the last time WEC lightweight Donald Cerrone was on the back of a bucking bull.

Still, when Cerrone received an offer to ride a ceremonial ?first bull? at a Professional Bull Riders event in 2010, ?the cowboy? didn?t think twice.

?It?s been about five or six years since I was on a bull,? said Cerrone, who used to travel the rodeo circuit as a bull rider before becoming a professional fighter. ?Hell no, I?m not nervous. I hope they give me a badass bull.?

It?s that same fearless nature that has turned Cerrone (10-2) into one of the fan favorites of the WEC.

The 155-pound fighter came up short in two championship fights this year ? to Jamie Varner in January and again to Ben Henderson in October for the interim title ? however both could be considered as one of the top fights of the year.

Cerrone looks to take the first step towards placing himself back at the top of the division when he takes on up-and-comer Ed Ratcliff (7-1) in the main event of WEC 45 on Saturday at The Pearl at The Palms.

An impressive win over Ratcliff would likely earn him a shot at revenge over either Varner or Henderson, who already are scheduled to meet in a championship fight next month.

?I want to face one of them ? the winner or the loser,? Cerrone said. ?Ben, I like him a lot but I don?t think he has what it takes to beat Varner. Even though I hate loser-ass Varner, I think he?ll outwrestle Ben. Ben?s chin is also suspect, so I think Varner will knock him out.?

Regardless of what happens between Varner and Henderson, Cerrone realizes he first needs to take care of business this weekend against a standup artist who trains alongside WEC bantamweight contender Dominic Cruz.

One issue that Cerrone addressed coming into this weekend was the slow starts that plagued him in both of the championship losses.

He was dominated in the first round of his January fight with Varner and appeared non-aggressive and sluggish during the second and third rounds of the Henderson fight.

To address the problem, Cerrone sought out the help of a sports psychologist, who pinpointed Cerrone?s self-doubt as a possible source of the problem.

?The first session he asked me why I thought I deserved to be where I am in the WEC,? Cerrone said. ?It was to get me to say things like I was an undefeated kickboxer, I?ve been on main events, I?ve done this. B

?I had a lot of self doubt. It may not seem like it, but back in the locker room I was thinking, ?What am I doing here? I shouldn?t be here.? Now I?m turning that negative energy into positive energy.?

One downside of using a sports psychologist? It does give Cerrone?s opponents some easy material to crack jokes ? material Ratcliff didn?t let go to waste.

?He?s going to need a mental psychologist after the fight because I?m going to give him a beating,? Ratcliff said. ?He?ll have three losses and not just the two.?

For a man that?s perfectly willing to jump on a bull after a five-year break, maybe a mental psychologist wouldn?t be the worst thing.

Quick Hits:

Ratcliff is a talented striker with just one loss on his record, but he?ll still enter the cage as a heavy underdog Saturday night against Cerrone.

Benefiting Ratcliff, however, is that Cerrone has expressed a desire to stand and trade with him, instead of taking the safe route on the ground where he would have a clear advantage.

That willingness to put himself at risk will cost Cerrone, according to Ratcliff.

?I think his strength and weakness is one,? Ratcliff said. ?He?s willing to take a beating, as we?ve seen. I?ll give him a beating. I?m down with that.?

Cerrone says the willingness to stand with Ratcliff comes down to his belief that he?s simply better than his opponent in all areas.

?I?ve seen him fight a couple times on the undercard,? Cerrone said. ?His wrestling isn?t there. His submissions aren?t there. I?m real confident, I just don?t think he has what it takes to beat me. I would have a big advantage on the ground, but I feel like I need to go out there and let (my hands) go.?

While many believe Cerrone probably is right when he says he?s the better striker, it should be interesting to see if ?the cowboy? goes back on his word and takes Ratcliff down if he ever finds himself in trouble.

Last Time Out:

Cerrone: Unanimous decision loss to Ben Henderson at WEC 43.

Ratcliff: Unanimous decision win over Phil Cardella at WEC 41.

The Lines: Cerrone, minus-525; Ratcliff, plus-325

Final Words:

Cerrone: On his cowboy life: ?Every morning I get up at 7 a.m. and feed my horses, chickens and goats. It?s the real deal. I live out on a ranch in Albuquerque, N.M.?

Ratcliff: On being a main event: ?I am feeling more comfortable with it. I haven?t had this opportunity before. Before it was, ?You have a fight coming up, come take these pictures and fight.? Now it?s, ?Come take these pictures, do these interviews, talk to y?all.? I?m feeling this. It?s a little bit of a coming out party for me.?