Hallman steamrolls Davis, "Fancy Pants" shocks "Bang" on Strikeforce prelims

Originally posted on MMAjunkie.com

KENT, Wash. - While "Superman" was briefly in the building on Friday night, it was a different set of "Fancy Pants" that dropped the biggest "Bang."

Veteran Dennis "Superman" Hallman (41-12-2) and fast-rising, undefeated prospect Lyle "Fancy Pants" Beerbohm (10-0) each scored impressive first-round victories on the preliminary card of Friday's "Strikeforce: Villasenor vs. Cyborg" event at the ShoWare Center in Kent, Wash.

The six-bout preliminary action preceded the evening's Showtime-broadcast main card.

Hallman wasted no time with Justin Davis (11-8), an 11th-hour replacement, during the final preliminary bout of the event. Hallman immediately took Davis to the ground and won via rear-naked choke at 20 seconds of the first round.

It was Hallman's second fight – and win – of 2009. The former UFC fighter did not fight in 2008 and only once in 2007. He owns two victories over Matt Hughes, a distinction he shares with Georges St. Pierre. The fight occurred at a catchweight of 200 pounds because Davis was added to the card Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Beerbohm remained unbeaten in the cage with easily his most impressive win to date, stopping Duane "Bang" Ludwig (18-9) with a schoolyard choke from the side at 4:27 of the first round. Beerbohm, known as "Fancy Pants" for his colorful shorts, was also 12-0 as an amateur.

Brian Caraway (11-3) dominated Alex Zuniga (2-2) from the opening bell, but he could not finish the fight. Caraway held top position for most of the first and second rounds and won the fight on his feet in the third.

Click here to read the entire article at MMAjunkie.com

Strikeforce hosts open workout in Washington with Hallman, Devela, four others

Originally posted on MMAjunkie.com

Strikeforce fighter and 12-year-MMA-veteran Dennis Hallman – along with rising prospects Len Bentley, Brian Caraway, Cory Devela, Steve Hadsel and Landon Showalter – will conduct an open-to-the-public workout on June 17 at Vision Quest Sport and Fitness Center in Auburn, Wash in anticipation of Friday's "Strikeforce Challengers: Villasenor vs. Santos" event

All six fighters are appearing on Friday's card at the ShoWare Center in Kent, Wash.

Headlined by a main event of Joe Villasenor and Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos, Friday's event is the California-based Strikeforce organizations second trip to Washington.

The day's activities begin at noon PT, and the public is invited to attend the session at Vision Quest Sport and Fitness Center, 1101 Supermall Way, Auburn, Wash., 98001. Admission is free.

Hallman (40-12-2) will be headlining the evening's preliminary card against 11-year veteran Cedric Marks (26-18). Devela (9-2) will look to bounce back from a September 2008 loss to Terry Martin when he opens the evening's Showtime-televised card against Luke Rockhold (4-1)

Click here to read the entire article at MMAjunkie.com

Pro MMA Broadcast Featuring Bryan Caraway

Click here to listen to the entire interview at ProMMA.info

Rated Exclusive: Bryan Caraway Post-Fight

Pro MMA's interview with Bryan Caraway and Meisha Tate

Here’s another PRO MMA exclusive interview, this time with Bryan Caraway and Miesha Tate. Bryan talks about his fight from earlier in the night at Elite XC: Unfinished Business, his contract with Elite XC, and how he got hooked up with MMA agent, Ken Pavia. Miesha talks about what the future may hold for her and how it feels to be in a relationship where both are fighters.

The First Couple of MMA: Bryan Caraway & Miesha Tate

Bryan Caraway and Miesha Tate
Uploaded by prommainfo

Interview with EliteXC Fighter Bryan "Kid Lightning" Caraway

By: dwizzlesworld.blogspot.com

Here is D Wizzle's interview with MMA fighter Bryan "KidLightning" Caraway. Caraway is a featherweight fighter from the state of Washington. He has a 10-2 professional record and is coming off a big win against Alvin Cacdac at the last Strikeforce show in June. Nine of his wins have been by submission.

This interview was done before it was announced that Caraway's next fight would be against the highly touted Wilson Reis at EliteXC's next big show on July 26 in Stockton, California.

Hey Bryan, how's it going? Congratulations on your win at Strikeforce!

Thanks! I was stoked to be fighting for Strikeforce.

Your style of fighting was listed as "Cowboy Karate" at Strikeforce. Can you give me a definition of that?

Yea, we are from the Northwest so we're a bunch of tough country dudes with technique! It's really just supposed to be funny and it keeps everyone guessing.

You looked really good against Alvin Cacdac. You were on him from the start and eventually forced him to tap from the rear naked choke. Did you expect to have such an easy fight?

I never expect to have an easy fight but I trained really hard for it, and I knew he was a stand-up guy so I figured he couldn't hang with me on the ground. It actually went EXACTLY how we planned it.

Your girlfriend Miesha Tate fought on the card and won also. Is that the first time you guys were on the same card together?

Yea, it was pretty cool!

Were you more nervous about your fight or her fight?

A different kind of nervous for her. I always throw up before my fights because I'm so competitive, and I hate losing more than anything. But for her, I'm worried about her getting hurt or jacked up!!

The crowd booed when you won since Cacdac was from San Jose. How did it feel to win against the hometown fighter with the crowd booing you?

Well, winning always feels awesome, but that adds a little zing to it! (laughs)

Do you have a nickname?

Yea, it was "The Kid" for a long time because I started fighting when I was only 19 so Dennis Hallman nicknamed me "The Kid" but everybody I trained with said I'm lightning fast so now its "KidLightning."

How is the MMA scene in Washington?

The amatuer MMA scene has blown up huge and the pro scene is growing as well with Strike Force coming here. As far as the Northwest, MMA is huge in general and I believe we produce the toughest fighters around.

Where do you train at and who are some of your trainers and training partners?

Well I trained at Yakima MMA with Rich Guerin while I was in college for about three years so he was really influential in who I am today as a fighter. I originally started with Hallman for a little while, and then he introduced me to Rich because he was a lot closer to where i went to school. But now, I moved back over to the Olympia area a few months ago and I'm training with Dennis Hallman again. I have some good training partners like Eddy Ellis, Matt Lininger, Wesley Welch, Cory Devela, and just recently Mike Joy. I also go and train with Lyle Beerbohm, Sterling Ford, and Cody McKenzie. We make trip up to Ivan Salaverry's gym, and drive down to Team Quest a lot and I train with some real tough guys there like Matt Lindland, Chael Sonnen, Ryan Shultz, Ian Loveland, Zack George, Dave Jansen, Nathan Coy, and Ed Herman. All the Quest guys are cool.

Of all your wins so far in your career, which one was the most satisfying?

Uh, I don't know... probably the Strikeforce show is up there when I dominated Noah Thomas. Noah was supposed to fight Josh Thomson, but Josh got cut so they called me up on short notice, and I was supposed to get beat up but it was totally the opposite. He then got on TUF 5 so that makes it even better that i beat him.

Are there any opponents that you would like to fight next?

I just wanna fight who ever is gonna get me to that next level and noticed that much more!

What part of your game do you think you need to work on the most?

I like to think I'm pretty well rounded but probably if I had to pick, it would be stand-up.

How is your stand-up?

My stand-up's actually pretty slick so I'm told, but being a wrestler forever, I'm more comfortable on the ground. I just need to get more confidence in my skill on my feet.

Thanks a lot for your time Bryan. Congrats on the win again and I hope to see you fight again soon. Do you have any final words for the fans out there?

Just watch out for me! I'm gonna be coming up for sure. I live, eat, and sleep fighting. Training is all I do. I'm focusing my whole life on fighting so you better believe I'm gonna be the champ!! Thanks for the interview! Stay up.

Caraway Wants to be the Best at 145

Thursday, July 03, 2008 - by Tom Hoisington for MMAWeekly.com

When Central Washington University closed its wrestling program in 2004, team member Brian Caraway was left with a problem.

"I've always liked that grappling and combat sports are raw, real, and unpampered," Caraway says. "I've always been the kind of person who liked to do what others won't."

With intercollegiate wrestling no longer available as a means to scratch that itch, Caraway was on the lookout for new challenges. Luckily, teammate and friend Matt Lininger had just the thing.

"Matt referred me to his cousin, Dennis Hallman, and I began training MMA with Dennis that summer," he says.

Caraway took to the new sport quickly, and was soon fighting amateur bouts. "My first four or five fights, I was basically untrained, other than my wrestling experience," he says now.

No one would mistake the Caraway of today as untrained. Over the past year and a half, he has amassed a seven-fight win streak in Northwest regional promotions like SportFight and IFC – Caged Combat. Perhaps even more impressive, none of the wins have gone to a judges' decision: he defeated six opponents by submission and one by knockout.

"(My finishing ability) comes from my work ethic and how I prepare," says Caraway. "I'm surrounded by great sparring partners and great technical training."

He also cites wisdom gleaned from the last blemish on his record, an armbar loss to John Gunderson all the way back in September 2006.

"We fought at 155 (pounds); he's a big lightweight, while I'm a true 145er," Caraway now says. "As a result, it was the only time I went into a fight doubting myself. However, after the first round, when I realized I could hang with him, I may have been overconfident coming out for the second. I allowed myself to get caught in a submission with just eight seconds left in the round."

The lesson? "To know and trust my skills," he says. "And to fight my fight, regardless of what the other guy's doing."

Most recently, he stepped up in competition (and down in weight to a catch weight of 140 pounds) to face Alvin Cacdac on last Friday's Strikeforce show. The venue may have been larger, but the results were the same; Caraway submitted Cacdac with a rear naked choke just 1:39 into the first round.

"Afterwards, (Strikeforce employees) told me they hadn't really expected me to win, but it was an opportunity to get some exposure," he says. "If I had to cut weight to 140, whatever. I had to take advantage of the opportunity to get my name out there."
Caraway actually had a double helping of exposure on the card; following his win, he returned to the cage to help corner girlfriend Miesha Tate to a three-round decision win over Elaina Maxwell.

"It's pretty cool, being with someone in the sport," he says of the situation. "(Miesha) understands if I have to be somewhere at night. She understands if I'm grumpy from cutting weight. She gets the demands of being a top-level athlete, and she supports my dream, where others in the past have thought I was crazy for doing this kind of fighting."

What's the next step in achieving that dream? Caraway, recently back under the management of Dennis Hallman after stints with Rich Guerin at Yakima MMA and Matt Lindland at Team Quest, says EliteXC and World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) are both possibilities. He also says return engagements with Strikeforce are a possibility.

All of it – the training, the fights, the travel – goes to serve one purpose, according to Caraway.

"I just want to be one of the best 145ers in the world," he says, "if not the best."

Caraway to fight Reis at Elite XC's "Unfinished Business"

By: Sam Caplan - fiveouncesofpain.com

A featherweight (140 lbs.) bout between Wilson Reis and Brian Caraway is the latest fight to be added to EliteXC’s upcoming “Unfinished Business” card on July 26 in Stockton, Calif.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com learned of the news after contacting EliteXC Vice President Jared Shaw.

According to Shaw, the Reis vs. Caraway matchup will be the opener of SHOWTIME’s telecast at 8 p.m. ET, which will feature two fights and lead into CBS’ second-ever telecast of “Saturday Night Fights” at 9 p.m. ET.

Shaw also revealed to Five Ounces of Pain that light heavyweight sensation Rafael Feijao could be added to the card if a proper opponent can be secured.

A title will not be at stake when Reis and Caraway fight. Shaw indicated that it could be until next year until a title at 140 pounds is instituted by the promotion.

Reis, one of the fasting rising stars in the lighter weight ranks, is 2-0 in EliteXC and 4-0 lifetime as a pro. He made his EliteXC debut during the promotion’s ShoXC event this past January in Atlantic City, N.J., where he submitted former Division I wrestler Zach Makovsky with a rear naked choke in round 2. He followed up the win by submitting Justin Robbins with another rear naked choke, this time in round 1, during the undercard of EliteXC’s debut on CBS’ “Saturday Night Fights” in Newark, N.J. this past May.

Caraway fought and won on last Friday’s Strikeforce show that featured Josh Thomson winning the Strikeforce lightweight title from Gilbert Melendez. Fighting Alvin Cacdac, Caraway won via a rear naked choke submission at 1:39 of round 1. The victory was his seventh straight and improved his overall record to 9-2.

Training under Dennis Hallman, Caraway is undefeated at fights contested at 145 lbs. or lower.