Editors Note: Mike Reilly is the owner and head instructor of the MMA gym Team Bison, located in St. Paul, Minnesota. Team Bison is home to many of the Twin Cities’ top fighters, including Brett Rogers and Kelly Kobold. Reilly has agreed to join FiveOuncesofPain.com as an occasional contributor in order to provide our readers with an inside perspective of a respected MMA trainer.

First off, to be clear: We have a great deal of respect for Fedor. Likewise, we have a great deal of respect for Arlovski, Abongo, and everyone else that has ever worked hard and shared the stage with us.

However, respect or no respect, we don’t like to finish second. Second place is simply not a place where Brett Rogers will be happy. So while thousands of people will say; it was a great job, good fight, etc; We appreciate the love, but that is simply not something we are ready to settle for.

The desire to fight the best, to be the best has never been stronger. In 2010 we want to fight four times, and we want every fight to be a top ten opponent, a champion, and most of all, we want Fedor again.

Brett came to this fight for the first time really ready. A big part of that preparedness came from the support of our sponsors and friends. Remetee and Throwdown led the pack, supporting us in every possible way. I can not say enough about their support that went way, way, way beyond financial support, clothing, or any material posessions. The people that run and work with Remetee and Affliction opened their hearts and home to us. EA Sports gave Brett one of the greatest thrills of his young career as well as great support. Polanti Watches stepped up for Brett big time and gave us a symbol of the life he is chasing for his family. Of course we also want to thank Full Tilt; a long time sponsor of Brett and Strikeforce.

Among our family now is Strikeforce. Strikeforce brought a show to CBS the way it should have been done. As an organization we could not be happier to be with Strikeforce, and furthermore, we’re honored to have had the chance to carry the Strikeforce banner for this show.

Strikeforce gives the fans great fights time and time again. Above that, the way they work with fighters and the heart of the company represents, in my opinion, what the business should be about. Simply put, I would put more faith in Scott Coker’s word then any written contract. You can go right down the line in the company, Rich, Bob, Carrie, Mike, Shannon, and every single person involved in the promotion has been outstanding.

Falling right in line with the Strikeforce way of handling things are both Showtime and CBS. The Fight Camp 360 show was simply awesome. I’m glad people got to see what Brett is all about, hard work, loyalty, family. I think people like to judge fighters by what they see in the cage, but that is not the truest depiction of the real person; the day to day man. Showtime really showed that part of the story. We are grateful for them and all the press that went out and got the real story.

We also have to thank the critics. We pretty much ignore you for the most part; but please believe we hear you. We see the negativity, the snipping, and all too often the really sad, small and sick malicious spirit that fuels your voices. While it offers just a small part of the puzzle, it absolutely serves in motivating us to try harder. Not only to build a better fighter, but also to become better people. It is often a challenge to be grateful for you, but at the end of the day, and with a great deal of help from God; we strive to find a way to be gracious to you.

Finally, we want to thank all our training partners, family and friends. All the great people who opened their gyms for us, as well as offering advice and encouragement. To Ikkabod, who recorded a sick song for us, and the fans who believe in the American dream.

Back home we will spend the next few weeks with friends and family, then we will be back at it; getting better, faster, stronger; because that is what we do.

In the cage that night, Fedor was the first to mention a re-match; so rest assured, we want that. Likewise, Strikeforce has a great list of heavyweight fighters and we look forward to seeing them all in 2010.

Outside the cage look for Brett to use his story to help other people find something positive. Brett will be working with knockoutdogfighting.org to help put an end to the cruelty of dog fighting. Brett’s motivation is not just for the dogs, but for the young people that get sucked into this criminal and nasty abomination. Brett recently added a dog to his family (Prince Buddy Rogers). Hopefully in 2010 Brett and Buddy can help knockout dog fighting.

Editors Note: Mike Reilly is the owner and head instructor of the MMA gym Team Bison, located in St. Paul, Minnesota. Team Bison is home to many of the Twin Cities’ top fighters, including Brett Rogers and Kelly Kobold. Reilly has agreed to join FiveOuncesofPain.com as an occasional contributor in order to provide our readers with an inside perspective of a respected MMA trainer.

When you come to L.A. you expect to see fake, shallow and hollow. You expect tourist traps, seedy scenes born of shattered dreams. You expect the people to be phony, smarmy sycophants. If this is what we expected to see; we were sorely disappointed.

For Brett Rogers and myself, Los Angeles truly was a city of angels.

We took the week long trip away from our home camp to shake up our routine, sharpen our focus, and of course to meet with some press to Promote the Nov 7 Strikeforce event on CBS. It was a leap of faith. We had never met our hosts face to face, the people we would train with, or the press with whom Brett would be sharing his story.

What we found is L.A. was a city with their arms and hearts open to us. Remetee, partially owned by All Star Baseball Player Ryan Braun, was our host for the week. They made sure our every need was met and met in style. Brett is the only MMA fighter to wear the Remetee brand more generally found on top named boxers and other sport’s stand outs, and they made sure to give us a taste of the life enjoyed by stand outs in other sports.

At the same time we got to experience one thing that has always made MMA such an amazing sport. MMA fighters, coaches and gyms almost universally keep an open door for other fighters. We got the opportunity to train at Throwdown Elite in San Diego, with Josh Barnett at CSW, at Black House, Bas Rutten’s gym, Lotar, Millinia MMA, Gold’s Gym and of course Affliction. Every place we went, coaches and fellow fighters went out of their way to help us, share their thoughts on the fight and wish us well. While so many people were kind and helpful to us I really want to point out Chase Gromley, Emanuel Newton and John Marsh. Despite Chase having a huge fight of his own at UFC Oct 24th he went way out of his way to train with us at 4 different gyms. One of his coaches, John Marsh; likewise went miles out of his way to work with us. We like Emanuel Newton. Honestly, L.A. hospitality put Minnesota nice to shame.

Likewise the press that we worked with out there was great. Adam Carolla, The crew from the Daily show, Skinny Mag, SI, HD Net and many others. I was especially touched by Josh Gross article about Brett “defying the odds.” Josh has reported on Brett’s fights long before anyone knew who Brett was. Josh Gross is not know for soft or sentimental reporting. Not one who easily rallies for the underdog. While the tone of Josh’s article remains neutral; one can not help but to appreciate the emotional power of the story unfolding. Likewise Ester Lin and Casey took a day with us on Redondo Beach. Ester and Casey are fantastically talented artists and equally delightful company. All in all the Press has been great. Everyone has been highly respectful of our training needs while trying to get their stories.

Most of all we have to thank our sponsors Remetee and Throwdown who took such amazing care of us while in the city. Our Driver, Remi Martinez of Executive Limo Service got us through the traffic, to three dozen locations on time every time and in style. They set us up with clothing, Affliction, TLFI, Remetee and Sinful for our wives so we can always be stylish.

Getting ready to fight the number one guy on the planet is a tremendous amount of work. It is difficult, challenging and at time daunting. However we are enjoying the journey and grateful for all the new friends we have made.

Editors Note:  Mike Reilly is the owner and head instructor of the MMA gym Team Bison, located in St. Paul, Minnesota. Team Bison is home to many of the Twin Cities’ top fighters, including Brett Rogers and Kelly Kobold. Reilly has agreed to join FiveOuncesOfPain.com as an occasional contributor in order to provide our readers with an inside perspective of a respected MMA trainer.

First I would like to apologize to the many people who called, wrote, and otherwise tried to reach me for a comment about Brett Rogers facing Fedor. I hate having to give the comment, no comment; but any other statement would not have been appropriate. Now that the situation is passed I would like to make a few things clear:

We never asked to fight Fedor. We are under contract with Strikeforce and happy to be Strikeforce. We have not sought any bouts outside of Strikeforce. We were however approached to fight Fedor by Affliction. Of course we agreed to the fight immediately provided all the details could be worked out among the many parties involved.

I know many fans think this should be like loading a game in their X-box. Push a few buttons and your favorite fighters fight again and again and again. But the real world is just slightly more complicated. There are multiple companies involved with a variety of competing interests. These are real people, with real families, real commitments, responsibilities and frailties.

I know that some people want to make this a story about failure, or greed, or stupidity. As someone who was close to the story I can tell you I saw none of those things. In this story I saw courage, respect, and effort. We want to believe that those things will always be enough to make it work, but sadly even our best efforts still fail.

Understand that is the lesson of the cage. Most of the time when guys step inside the steel they are ready, willing and able to lay it all out on the line. They give their blood, their passion, their heart to win and half the time they come up short. That is just how it goes folks. But I would rather be numbered with those who strive mightily and fail then those sheltered cowards who heckle and hiss from the shadows of the sidelines.

Yes, Affliction the promotion failed. True fans of the sport will mourn it’s passing. Personally I will rejoice in their efforts and give them a great deal of credit for trying something daring, for enriching the lives of fighters and fans. While we never got to step inside their ring (damn close…twice) we were still touched by the respect and professionalism shown by the entire Affliction team and we are proud to number them among our friends.

Finally a word on Fedor. He is the unqualified best in the game. The quintessential fighter. Accepting a fight against him on nine days notice may seem foolish or simply a money move; but it is not. The bottom line is you never know when, or if you will get another chance.

Brett is not in this game to be good, he is not in it to be great; his goal is to be the best. How, as a fighter, could he have turned down the possibility of taking his greatest test? No chance he walks away from that opportunity.

When Fedor mentioned Brett by name as the replacement he wanted we were very honored. There are some who think great champions in this sport should mock their opponents, spit on sponsors and flip off the fans. We are not in that group. Neither is Fedor. We hope one day we get to share the stage with him.

I have heard the haters and they all have one thing in common – they really do not understand the sport very well. Brett came up through the ranks the old fashion way. He didn’t get to be on a TV show. He didn’t gain internet fame by acting a fool. His route was a little boring. He worked, took care of his family and slowly, carefully nursed the fire of his dream.

In 2007 Brett took on the then regional Champion Josh Melicar and bounced him in 9 seconds.

His first step on the big stage with EliteXC he crushed hometown hero Ralph Kelly early in the first. Brett’s first step on Showtime proper would be against James Thompson. The PRIDE veteran was a huge favorite to crush the upstart Rogers. All of the Colossus experience and the spirit of Manchester could only keep him on his feet for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. The man who beat Dan Severn, who beat Don Frye – downed.

Then first fight ever on network television. The pressure to deliver was enormous. Again Brett came through, 1 minute; left John Murphy laying.

Back to Showtime, Strike Force Brett draws the undefeated Iron Rings Champion Abongo Humphries. For the first time in his pro career Brett was favored to win and honestly looked past Humphries a bit. Brett broke out a new weapon in his arsenal and used his knees to drop Abongo.

Finally Andrei Arlovski. Few people if any had Arlovski ranked anywhere below 5th in the world. Many cling to the fact that he was dominating Fedor before one bad decision. Brett came in a 4 to 1 dog. That is the part of the story everyone knows; here is a few things you don’t.

It took Brett about 1 full minute to agree to the fight with Andrei. We said we wanted top 5. We didn’t take it because Brett had something to prove. Brett took the fight because that is where he belongs.

And there was another motivation. Arlovski is Affliction; Brett is Strikeforce. Brett was brought to the world on Showtime. It was Strikeforce that signed him and pulled him back into the game after 11 months marooned on EliteXC isle. We were happy to carry the SF banner into that fight; honored for the opportunity and very proud we represented our family so well.

People dog on Brett by dogging on his opponents. But we don’t pick our opponents. Brett has taken what ever has been put before him and smashed it down. Every fight he has put leather to chin, bodies to canvas. This sport is about finishing and finishing decisively. Brett has done that – EVERYTIME!

I have been around the game for a long time. I know fighting and Abongo, Murhpry and Thompson are not walk through fights. These are tough, talented fighters who just are not in Brett’s league. 

Arlovski is one of the best in the world. A champion’s champion. Unlike his fight with Fedor, Andrei didn’t make a mistake. Brett came with a strong game plan. It seems fast to the fans’ but that is what happens when Plan A works; but believe plans B,C,D and E where there and ready.

Brett shouldn’t be penalized because no one has been able to push him to prove the rest of his game. Rather he should be exulted for taking away his opponents options, taking away their game plan and taking away their consciousness. That is the mark of a champion, the mark of a great fighter; the mark of a man who should be ranked TOP 5. In my opinion this should reflect to WAMMA top 5

Fedor Emelianenko: Hey, he’s Fedor – until someone beats him he is the last emperor and I believe he will stay that way until we introduce him to the next black president – can we Knock out Fedor… Yes we can!)

Josh Barnett: Josh is the most dangerous match up for any fighter in the world right now. Tough and talented and now with a razor’s edge. A champion with something to prove is deadly.

Brett Rogers: He has destroyed everyone in his path. No one has ever even had him hurt or in trouble. Outside of training I have not seen the man bleed. None of his opponents have ever made it to a post fight press conference. Short of salting their fields – what more does the guy need to do?

Frank Mir: He has recently beat two top guys. He is my odds on favorite to win the title a second time. Though on the small side he is a very complete fighter and beating Nog earned him this spot.

Brock Lesnar: He’s the UFC Champion. Yes he is only 3-1, and yes there are many questions about him; but he holds the belt and anyone holding the UFC belt deserves top 5.

When Brett (Rogers) fought eleven months ago on CBS, “DO WORK” was the slogan emblazoned on the back of his shirt. Big Black’s famous directive speaks to more then just what you see in the cage. Doing work is what MMA is all about and not just for the fighters but for everyone involved.

During mt first UFC experience, I caught on right away that the ship sails on the tide of people like Donna, Bert, Joe and many others putting in 18 hours days. Before crashing up on the shores, EliteXC likewise was populated by hard working passionate people like J.T. Steele, J.D. Penn and Jessica Hudnall.

Like the UFC and EliteXC, Strikeforce is no exception when it comes to how it operates behind the scenes. Hard work by staff members such as Carrie, Jeff, Jamie and Jamie’s sons created an environment where all fighters had to do was worry about fighting.

Matchmaker Javier Mendez did an outstanding job constructing a brilliant main card full of hard hitting action. Meanwhile, every minute of Saturday’s show was captured by Tom Casino’s ever-blinking lens. At the head of this hard working train is the engine who could, Scott Coker. Coker’s Strikeforce has been a case study in working from the grassroots to the mountain tops: smart risks, faith in fans and fighters, and most of all hard work.

The work goes beyond those involved in the running of promotions. The growth of the sport over the years has been supported by a wealth of sponsors, reporters and merchandisers who have brought us to the mainstream. However, one sponsor/merchandiser does stand above the others: TapouT.

Starting out in the first days of the game, the TapouT crew would travel from town-to- town and show-to-show. Like the sport itself, TapouT is an American success story. With a memorial for Charles “Mask” Lewis being held this week, I would like to acknowledge all of TapouT’s contributions to the sport. Hundreds — if not thousands — have tried to mirror the success by thinking their business was just about hanging out at fights and partying like rockstars. However, some of the competitors neglected to realize all of TapouT’s hard work that was put forth before fight night.

Success inside and outside the cage always comes back to hard work. For fighters, training partners, and coaches, the hours are long while the tasks are brutal. On Saturday night, fans saw the effect of Brett’s knees on Abongo’s body. Back in Minnesota, dozens of training partners know all to well what the camera showed. One more round, one more rep, one more time. Oceans of sweat and buckets of blood went into Saturday night’s show. Inside and outside the fence. Nothing worthwhile comes easy. On behalf of Brett and our entire team we want to thank everyone involved in the game.

For those who want to be involved in the sport, no matter if you want to be a fighter, a coach, promoters, journalist, referee or merchandiser… from commission members to ring girls, announcers to camera operators, I have two words of advice for you: DO WORK!!!

When our travel agent first booked us on the HMS EliteXC we were impressed with the service and quality of the trip. Sadly the best our travel agent could do was book us in steerage but after a short talk with the 1st mate we found ourselves in a first class cabin with a private walk out balcony and personal porter.

Ten minutes later we hit an iceberg.

We now find ourselves huddled in a lifeboat with other refugees in the frozen waters of MMA limbo. What I find odd is how many people are rejoicing the death of EliteXC. Well maybe odd is the wrong word… how about horrified, angry, saddened, disgusted of just plain old pissed off?

From day one the naysayers predicted a horrible and sudden death to the promotion as they have with every promotion. They now revel in being right as naysayers always do when things go wrong for others. It is a sad sickness of the human condition to relish the failure of others. Shameful and wicked would be the Jesuit description; though I doubt today’s world allow room for such judgments.

From a personal perspective, Elite treated fighters and fans wonderfully. We were never left waiting for rides or pay or per diem. We were always provided with great opponents, venue and given the largest stages this sport has seen on which to compete. Every member of the staff including Gary, Jared, Jeremy, JD, JT, Jessica and everyone else always met us with a smile, kindness and respect. They always did their best to make sure everything ran on time; friends and family were taken care of and we always felt appreciated. That is not always the case, even with top tier events.

From the perspective of someone who works with and for fighters it is tragic to see another well-paying, well-meaning company slip under the waves. Most fans think of fighters like characters in a video game. But these are real flesh and blood people with the same concerns as every other work a day person in this nation. These are not millionaire athletes. To date there has been less then a dozen fighters who will hit $1,000,000 in their entire careers. Most “A” level fighters will make less then $100,000 with purse and sponsors combined. With Elite gone the number that will make even that amout will drop dramatically.

Simply put there are too many fighters to be supported by one or two organizations. The fewer promotions there are the more fighters who will be competing for spots that will be worth less and less. This is not a reflection on any one promotion — this is the basic nature of market forces. Fighters will be forced to take greater risks for less reward and the promotions left standing will reap the benefits. I’m not making a moral judgment here, but neither will I rejoice in a situation that will destroy the fighting careers of many fine young athletes.

As we watch the last of her stern slip beneath the waves there are those who will curse her architect. Some will malign the Captain and her crew. Still others will rage their anger at God. However, for us still among the flotsam we will simply mourn her, grab an oar and row like hell.

Mike Reilly is the owner and head instructor of Team Bison MMA in St. Paul, Minnesota. Team Bison is the home to many competitive mixed martial artists such as Brett Rogers, Sammy Morgan, and Kelly Kobold. Mike was cageside working Kobold’s corner during her Oct. 4 fight against Gina Carano on CBS’ Saturday Night Fights. In Mike’s latest column for Five Ounces of Pain, he provides our readers with a unique look into the event.

You can judge a sport by how bad it hurts when you lose.

In MMA losing is devastating. Physically, the pain inflicted by the victors is meaningless. MMA fighters are used to physical pain. Injuries and blood are part of the game. After the fight, the pain of a loss remains not only in the days after, but the weeks that follow it as well. A loss effects not only your most recent fight, but the very next one as well. Your pay will be less; your spot on the card drop; and sponsors dry up.

Winning doesn’t mean doubling a fighter’s pay day; it means quadrupling their money and moving them one step further towards the top. Making matters worse is that your next opportunity to redeem yourself will not present itself for months. Yet it is in the dust of defeat that we still find greatness. The lessons learned in victory do not rival the magnitude of the ones you learn in defeat.

EliteXC’s Oct. 4 show on CBS was one of the best cards I have ever been part of. While Elite remains the favorite target of the Internet fanboiz, this show had everything. Fighters showed amazing heart, skill and spirit. We saw massive upsets coupled with back and forth battles that kept fans on the edge of the seats.

Then came the main event.

The intrigue was amusing. More theories have sprouted up than compared to the Kennedy Assassination. In fact, the next day at the Flagler Dog Track I was playing poker with a guy who knew “for a fact” the entire thing had been rigged by the mob. Just for that, I had to crack his Jacks and send him to the rail.

People saw what they wanted to see in Kimbo Slice and they saw what they wanted to see in Kimbo going down. Now if Kimbo has had a harsher, more dogged critic than me, then I don’t know who that person might be. Remember, I’m the same guy who helped author an open statement to Kimbo that became quite the talk a few months back. However, Kimbo did not get exposed in that fight vs. Seth Petruzelli; he did not get embarrassed; and he certainly didn’t get paid off by some shadowy figure on the grassy knoll.

On October 4, 2008, Kimbo Slice became a fighter; a real, full-fledged, dangerous mixed martial arts fighter.
We watched the fight from the locker room cheering for Seth. I have been a fan of Seth’s for many years and hoped he’d make the most of this amazing opportunity. In a flash, Seth had jumped from an also-ran with potential to being a superstar. But we saw something else. In defeat, that horrible pain, that gut wrenching, soul ripping feeling that the fight is lost. The moment gone. That pain was in Kimbo’s eyes and that pain will make him dangerous.

Kimbo had a tough night. The guy carries the show on his back and then gets put on his back with a lightning strike no one saw coming. But fighters are not measured in how they fall; but rather in how they get up. In this game everything can turn on a second. One mistake, one misstep at any time and it can be over. No one gets out unbloodied, unmarked. No one leaves the field without wounds. But how will that warrior come back?

For all my poking, prodding and provoking Kimbo, I believe the man will come back better, stronger and more focused than before. Kimbo’s next opponent had better come ready for war because they won’t be fighting Kimbo the sideshow or Kimbo the “YouTube Legend”. They will be fighting Kevin Ferguson: MMA fighter; and a hell of a good one at that!

Our game is great because it hurts so bad to lose that you have no choice but to come back better. Glory to the victors and congratulations to Seth, Gina, Arlovski and the rest. But take heart those who stood to watch the other warrior’s hand raised; those whose dreams lay shattered in the dust. Take heart and stand tall for you are no less the warrior. The next time you walk through the door to risk it all you will come through better.

I have stood with my fighters hundreds of times. I have raised them up in victory and helped them up in defeat. Win, lose or draw I have looked in their eyes and never been less then awed at the greatness they behold. I hope every camp can look at their fighters in victory or defeat and see the same thing. We have a great sport, because even in defeat there is honor, glory and a reason to dare once more.

Editor’s Note: Mike Reilly is the owner and head instructor of the MMA gym Team Bison, located in St. Paul, Minnesota. Team Bison is home to many of the Twin Cities’ top fighters, including EliteXC’s Brett Rogers and Kelly Kobold. Reilly has agreed to join FiveOuncesOfPain.com as an occasional contributor in order to provide our readers with an inside perspective of a respected MMA trainer. Below is his first submission, in which he talks about Kobold’s upcoming fight this Saturday vs. Gina Carano during EliteXC and CBS’ “Saturday Night Fights.”

On Saturday October 4, EliteXC will live up to its name as it brings the world one of the top marquee matchups that can be made in the game today. Anytime you get two top five fighters in the world in the cage you have done something special. And this is a bout that only Elite has had the courage to put together, as they are the only major national promotion willing to give females fighters their just due.

There is nothing easy about becoming a professional fighter. Real fighters make sacrifices in every part of their lives whether it be what they eat and drink or how much and when they sleep. Social lives are generally not a luxury they can afford when you have to spend your time weight lifting and running and just spending hours on conditioning, sparring, drilling, learning.

Most have to work their way up through the ranks fighting for $200 in dirty arenas in front of 700 drunken fight-crazed lunatics. Fans see the 10 seconds to 15 minutes in the cage and think that’s everything they need to see to judge a fighter?s heart, soul and personality.

Now add all that up and multiply it while having every one of your training partners be bigger, stronger and vastly smellier. For women taking their first steps into the world of MMA, it would be like the average wrestler jumping into a gorilla cage.

When Kelly Kobold first strolled into Team Bison she was 18 with no combat sports experience. Fifteen minutes after our first hand shake her nose was bleeding, her eye was swelling and she was gasping for breath. Last night getting Kelly ready for Gina Carano we rolled a bit and afterwards my nose was bleeding, my eye was swelling and I was the one gasping for breath. It made me realize just have far Kelly and women’s fighting have evolved.

I figure only one out of every ten guys that steps on my mat will last for any length of time. The crucible is simply too tough. That is how it should be. When you step into an MMA gym no one is going to give you respect; you have to earn it. In this world you have to earn everything you get, every day. For women this is multiplied. Society is not ready to accept female fighters and often even their families and friends cannot accept what they do.

To top it off, the highest level of MMA does not even acknowledge women?s fighting, as the UFC and Spike TV want women with full bras and high heels. Clinging to a outdated misogynistic view of the world that makes the Mullahs proud, they will not even entertain the idea of women fighting in the Octagon. But EliteXC, along with Showtime and CBS, has the courage to honor these amazing young women warriors. Many hardcore fans never miss an opportunity to mock Elite but this is an organization who made the breakthrough to national television. They are also developing homegrown talent and on October 4 they will pay homage to the greatness of the spirit of our sport as their spotlight shines on Kelly Kobold and Gina Carano.

I rarely make predictions about fights, but I will make one about this show. Millions might tune in Saturday attracted to Kimbo/Ken but on Sunday all anyone will be talking about will be the women fighters. When Gina and Kelly clash you will see skill, strength, and speed but most of all you will see the heart of the lioness.