Brad Blackburn Interview

Brad Blackburn signs new four-fight UFC deal, sidelined till early 2010 after shoulder surgery

Originally posted on MMAjunkie.com

After a 3-0 start in the organization, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has secured welterweight Brad Blackburn's services by offering the fighter a new four-fight deal.

Blackburn (15-9-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC), who had one fight remaining on his previous deal, inked the new contract on Tuesday, MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) confirmed with his agent, Ken Pavia of MMAAgents.com.

However, it's not all good news for Blackburn; recent shoulder surgery will keep the IFL veteran out of action until at least early 2010.

Blackburn recently underwent the knife for what was expected to be a minor surgery. However, his injury proved more severe than doctors first thought once surgeons began operating on the bothersome shoulder, and Blackburn will now be sidelined approximately six months while he heals.

Click here to read the entire article on MMAjunkie.com

UFC's Brad Blackburn Out Until 2010

Originally posted on MMAweekly.com

One fighter who has made the most of his UFC opportunity over the last year is former IFL welterweight “Bad” Brad Blackburn.

Since making his debut for the UFC this past December, he has won all three of his fights for the promotion, turning in gritty, solid performances against James Giboo, Ryo Chonan, and Edgar Garcia.

It is his success that makes the recent news that he will be out for the remainder of the year that much more disappointing.

As Blackburn confirmed to MMAWeekly.com, “The doctors said when they went in to fix my AC (acromioclavicular) joint that I had a nice long tear in my labrum (shoulder).

“They had to fix both of those and my estimated time for recovery is nine months.”

Early in Blackburn’s fight with Edgar Garcia at the Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale in June, Garcia slammed him, causing the injury, and turning Blackburn into a one-armed fighter the remainder of the bout.

Since the fight, concern had risen in regards to the extent of the injury when it became apparent that Blackburn could not reach across his body with his injured shoulder, prompting doctors to want to check his labrum in addition to his AC joint.

While the news is upsetting, Blackburn remains in good spirits and plans to use his positive state of mind to motivate him towards a faster recovery.

Click here to read the entire article on MMAweekly.com

Brad Blackburn's Sherdog Post-Fight Interview

Brad Blackburn Addresses Controversial Win

Originally posted on MMAweekly.com

Heading into Saturday’s Ultimate Fighter Season 9 Finale versus Edgar Garcia, “Bad” Brad Blackburn was anticipating a war of attrition, and that’s exactly what he got.

Over the course of three rounds, Blackburn and Garcia battered each other, with Blackburn ultimately coming out on top via a close, controversial split-decision.

Upon return to his home in Washington, Blackburn spoke to MMAWeekly.com about his controversial win and what he feels was the deciding factor in the fight.

“I thought I performed well, under the circumstances that I didn’t have my right hand,” he admitted. “It was a big win for me, because he’s a very tough opponent, a very strong striker, and I didn’t have my best weapon.”

According to Blackburn the injury was suffered early in the fight and caused the match-up to become much closer than he felt it could have been.

“I was busting him up right at the beginning and then he went for a takedown, I went for a choke, and he picked me up and slammed me right down on my shoulder,” said Blackburn. “Every time I threw a punch after that, my shoulder would make a crunching, grinding noise.

Click here to read the entire article at MMAweekly.com

Brad Blackburn Ups his UFC Record to 3-0 in TUF 9 Finale Prelims

Originally posted on MMAjunkie.com

In earlier action, welterweight Blackburn kept his undefeated run alive in the UFC – barely – by eking out a split-decision win over the previously undefeated Edgar Garcia (7-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC).

The pair gamely engaged each other in the opening five minutes, and the crowd approved of the entertaining exchanges of stiff jabs and smiling nods of approval. And while both fighters have proven themselves capable wrestlers in previous contests, neither contestant looked once to bring the fight to the floor until the closing moments of the final frame.

Click here to read the entire article at MMAjunkie.com

UFC's Brad Blackburn Eyes More Success

Originally posted on MMAweekly.com

One of the bigger surprises since the folding of the IFL has been welterweight “Bad” Brad Blackburn.

Of all the fighters the UFC brought over from the now-defunct promotion, Blackburn more than likely received the least amount of attention during the transition, but he’s quickly proving that he belongs in his new surroundings.

Having won three fights in a row overall, Blackburn returns to the UFC for this Saturday’s Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale intent on continuing his winning ways and proving he is someone to keep an eye on in the 170-pound weight class.

“I’m feeling good,” said a confident Blackburn to MMAWeekly.com. “I had a good training camp for this one, and I feel I’m in better shape than I was for my last fight, so I’m ready to go.”

Having competed on the big stage before, he knows what to expect from the UFC experience, unlike his opponent, Edgar Garcia, who will be making his first appearance in the Octagon.

It’s that veteran experience that Blackburn hopes will stem the tide of the fight.

“I’m going to try to fight smarter, and that will most likely be an advantage for me,” he stated. “I’ve had a lot of wars, and he really hasn’t yet. I haven’t seen him in there with anyone that’s been a threat to him, so I don’t know how’s going to react to when he gets tested.

Click here to read the entire article at MMAweekly.com

TUF 9 Finale additions include Blackburn vs. Garcia

Originally posted on MMAjunkie.com

With just four days remaining until Saturday's Spike TV-televised event, The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale has been bolstered with the official additions of three un-aired preliminary bouts.

The match-ups include Melvin Guillard (21-7-2 MMA, 5-3 UFC) vs. Gleison Tibau (17-6 MMA, 5-3 UFC), Mike Ciesnolevicz (17-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) vs. Tomasz Drwal (15-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC), and Brad Blackburn (13-9-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) vs. Edgar Garcia (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC).

The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale takes place June 20 at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

***********

And in welterweight action, Blackburn, a former IFL fighter, looks to build off his back-to-back UFC victories over James Giboo (TKO) and Ryo Chonan (unanimous decision) when he meets Garcia, a former WEC fighter who joins other refugees from the organization, which closed its 170-pound division. Garcia made an impressive debut during his one-fight stint in the WEC with a 78-second KO of Hiromitsu Miura in January.

Click here to read the entire article at MMAjunkie.com

USAT/SBN May MMA Consensus Rankings: Welterweight

Top 25 Welterweights

#7 Martin Kampmann
#19 Jay Hieron
#22 Anthony Johnson
#23 Chris Lytle
#24 Brad Blackburn

Click here to read the entire article at Bloodyelbow.com

Chris Lytle vs. Kevin Burns official for TUF 9 Finale in June

Originally posted on MMAjunkie.com

A welterweight contest between Kevin Burns (7-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) and Chris Lytle (26-17-5 MMA, 5-9 UFC), first reported in March, has been officially added to the June 20 finale of "The Ultimate Fighter: U.S. vs. U.K."

The organization made the announcement on its official website.

The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale takes place June 20 at The Pearl in the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. It airs on Spike TV.

Lytle will be looking to rebound from an exciting split-decision loss to Marcus Davis at UFC 93 in January. The 14-time UFC veteran hasn't dropped two consecutive bouts since back-to-back defeats to Matt Hughes and Matt Serra in 2006 and 2007.

*********

MAIN CARD
Lightweight finalist No. 1 vs. No. 2
Welterweight finalist No. 1 vs. No. 2
Clay Guida vs. Diego Sanchez
Nate Diaz vs. Joe Stevenson
Matt Brown vs. Anthony Johnson

PRELIMINARY CARD
Kevin Burns vs. Chris Lytle
Mike Ciesnolevicz vs. Tomasz Drwal*
Brad Blackburn vs. Edgar Garcia*
* - Not officially announced

Click here to read the entire article at MMAjunkie.com

Pros Picks: Liddell vs. Shogun

Originally posted on Sherdog.com

Many professional trainers and fighters think they have the answer to those questions. Sherdog.com recently polled dozens of the pros in an attempt to get a read on the pulse of the MMA elite. Some were a little hesitant to comment on the fight, but the brave ones put their names and reputations on the line and boldly picked a winner...

Brad Blackburn: I think the first round should be a very exciting kickboxing match. But after the first round, if the fight hasn't ended, and Rua hasn't upped his conditioning, it's going to be all Chuck from that point on.

Jonathan Goulet: If Shogun is not in shape, like when he fought Coleman, he will get destroyed, but if he is in shape I will give Liddell a split decision.

Erin Toughill: Both are at a crossroads in their career. Both were unbeatable forces at one time, but in my opinion the toe-to-toe fights have caught up with them. At any rate, I see Liddell winning this one. I think they’ll just haymaker each other for three rounds (laughs), but if Liddell uses good footwork and punches and moves, he will win by decision.

Click here to read the entire article at Sherdog.com

USAT/SBN March MMA Consensus Rankings: Welterweight

Originally posted on Bloodyelbow.com

MMAagents.com is well represented on this list with five clients. Here's where they stack up...

#16 Jay Hieron
#19 Anthony Johnson
#20 Chris Lytle
#22 Brad Blackburn
#25 Mike Pyle

Click here to read the entire article at BloodyElbow.com

BRAD BLACKBURN’S next UFC fight, ROY NELSON in action, JACOB NUESSER from Fightchix

Click here to listen to the entire interview on The Rear Naked Choke, Featuring Joe and Ted

Brad Blackburn Meets UFC Newcomer Edgar Garcia at TUF9 Finale

Originally posted on MMAjunkie.com

UFC welterweight Brad Blackburn (13-9-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) will meet undefeated UFC newcomer Edgar Garcia (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) in June at The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale.

News of the fight first came from FiveOuncesofPain.com, which learned of the bout from sources close to the negotiations.

The bout will likely end up on the preliminary portion of the June 20 event, which concludes the ninth season of the UFC's reality series, "The Ultimate Fighter."

Although not officially announced, the event will likely take place at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

Blackburn, a former IFL fighter, made his UFC debut in the summer of 2008 and has since posted victories over James Giboo (TKO) and Ryo Chonan (unanimous decision). Since launching his career with a 9-9-1 record, the 31-year-old is 4-0, which included an impressive 40-second TKO victory over highly touted Jay Hieron in June 2007.

Click here to read the entire article at MMAjunkie.com

5 MMAagents.com Clients make the Top 25 BloodyElbow Welterweight List

Originally posted on BloodyElbow.com

#12 Jay Hieron
#18 Brad Blackburn
#21 Chris Lytle
#22 Anthony Johnson
#23 Mike Pyle

Click here to read the entire article at BloodyElbow.com

170 Rankings (February, 2009)

Originally posted on MMAworldrankings.com

14 Chris Lytle 26~17~5 Indianapolis, IN
15 Anthony Johnson 6~2 Los Angeles, CA
16 Brad Blackburn 14~9~1 Olympia, WA
18 Jay Hieron 17~4 Long Island, NY

Click here to read the entire article at MMAworldrankings.com

BloodyElbow's Top 25 Welterweights

Originally posted on Bloodyelbow.com

MMAagents' Fighters in the Top 25
#16 Jay Hieron
#19 Chris Lytle
#23 Brad Blackburn
#24 Anthony Johnson

Click here to read the entire list at bloodyelbow.com

MMAmadhouse.com's List of Top 10 Non-UFC KOs includes Blackburn-Heleno

Originally posted on MMAmadhouse.com

6. Brad Blackburn vs. Delson Heleno
Brad Blackburn sprawls and knocks out his opponent almost all in one motion.



Click here to read the entire list at MMAmadhouse.com

Brad Blackburn continues career resurrection in UFC run

Originally posted on MMAjunkie.com

It wasn't too long ago that Brad Blackburn (13-9-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) was a lightly regarded prospect in the IFL.

Two-straight wins over Delson Heleno and Jay Hieron changed that reputation in the IFL, and two more victories over Ryo Chonan and James Giboo since coming to the UFC have left Blackburn in an enviable position.

In a recent interview with TAGG Radio (www.taggradio.com), the official radio partner of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com), Blackburn said a departure from past habits has lead to his current successful run.

"I just like to fight, and (in the past) I didn't train for it," Blackburn said. "[Promoters] were like, 'You want to fight next week? And I would say, 'OK, whatever.'

"I wasn't training. So I'd go fight, and that's why I couldn't fight more than one round. If you look at my earlier fights, all my wins were in the first round. Any fight that went past the first round before the (Guatavo) Machado fight (in April 2006), I lost."

Blackburn admitted his less-than-desirable reputation.

"I was a one-round wonder," Blackburn said.

The 31-year-old broke out of that mold once and for all with his gutsy, unanimous-decision win over Chonan at UFC 92. Blackburn admitted he was tested throughout the 15-minute affair.

Click here to read the entire article at MMAjunkie.com

Brad Blackburn on today's TAGG Radio

Originally posted on MMAjunkie.com

UFC welterweight Brad Blackburn, who moved to 2-0 in the UFC with a recent unanimous-decision victory over Ryo Chonan at UFC 92, is a guest on today's edition of TAGG Radio.

Blackburn (13-9-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), a former IFL fighter who owns career victories over the likes of Jay Hieron and Chris Wilson, will discuss his UFC 92 victory and plans for 2009.

Catch TAGG Radio, the official radio partner of MMAjunkie.com, Monday-Friday at noon EST (9 a.m. EST) at www.taggradio.com.

Click here to listen to the entire show at taggradio.com