Although Kelly Kobold is best known for her decision loss to Gina Carano on October 4th’s Elite XC Heat fight card, the girl’s got more wins than Gina’s had fights. Kobold has been fighting professionally since July 2002, and her 16-3-1 record includes notable wins over two of MMA’s top tier fighters, Adrienna “AJ” Jenkins and Shayna Baszler.
Kobold trains at Team Bison, along with many of the Twin Cities’ top fighters such as Mike Bjork, Cory Walmsley, Brandon Foxworth, Sammy Morgan, Paul Giegorff and the undefeated Brett Rogers. Team Bison has over 400 wins in the cage, 25 regional titles and has fought all over the world. Since I was in Minnesota for the holidays, I decided to stop by the gym and check it out.
Wrongful Conviction: Gina Carano vs. Kelly Kobold - EliteXC ‘Heat’ Gina Carano put herself on the map with a TKO destruction of Kaitlin Young at EliteXC ‘Primetime’ back in May. That performance had a lot of people paying attention to something they never had before: Women’s MMA. “Conviction” once again lived up to expectations and looked insanely hot during her three round clinic on the very game Kelly Kobold when she returned to television this past October. Make no mistake about it: This was a real test for Carano because the 16-2-1 Kobold was not a plant. She was a well-rounded mixed martial artist with an impressive resume. Carano rose to the challenge, showing both technique and style, and for the first time in history the expression “Fights like a girl” was used as a compliment.
Scrumbags: Chris Lytle vs. Paul Taylor - UFC 89. I don’t think it’s an insult to say that Chris Lytle will never be the UFC welterweight champion. But by that same token, he’ll never be unemployed either. “Lights Out’ is either fearless or hard-up for cash, because his go-for-broke gameplan is the same for every fight. That includes his three round war with Paul Taylor at UFC 89, a battle good enough to earn ‘Fight of the Night’ honors and a place on my list of ten best. “Relentless” was just that, sticking it to Lytle at every turn, and the two hammered away at each other from one side of the Octagon to the other. With plenty of bombs and some very impressive dirty boxing, Lytle and Taylor shamed the main event between Chris Leben and Michael Bisping with a dizzying display of striking. Lytle’s next fight is against Marcus Davis at UFC 93, and no question we can expect him to pick up right where he left off.
Winner: Chris Lytle by unanimous decision. This was another close fight, but the judges gave it to Lytle. Despite a 2-3 record, Taylor brings his fight to each event and should be back sooner rather than later.
Cowboy Bebop: Donald Cerrone vs. Rob McCoullogh - WEC 36
The now 9-0 Donald Cerrone was on an absolute tear coming into his fight against “Razor” Rob, and both men were using the WEC 36 contest as a springboard into a title fight with lightweight champion Jamie Varner. “Cowboy” was electric right out of the gate, dropping the venerable McCullough twice in the opening stanza and once in the second before nearly finishing him with an armbar. Credit to Razor, who was not only able to weather the storm, but for also keeping it competitive through pure heart and determination, sweeping Cerrone on two occasions to stay alive. Cerrone took the contest in dominant fashion, but watching McCullough’s composure and never-say-die attitude was a testament to the kind of talent they have in the WEC. Anyone still think Donald Cerrone isn’t ready for a crack at Varner?
Winner: Cerrone by unanimous decision. Like most great fights, there are no losers here. I still don’t like that the UFC chose to eliminate weight classes in the WEC, but we can at least be grateful it wasn’t this one.
Top 20 Most Watched Fights includes Five MMA Agents' Clients
A list compiled by MMAweekly.com includes five MMA Agents' clients proving Ken Pavia gets his fighters big fights. Here's where they fall on the list...
#1 EliteXC on CBS (5/31/2008): James Thompson vs. Kimbo Slice--- 7.281 million viewers (Aired from 11:27 PM to 11:40 PM)
#9 EliteXC on CBS (10/4/08): Kelly Kobold vs. Gina Carano--- 5.171 million viewers (Aired from 9:45 PM to 9:59 PM)
#15 EliteXC on CBS (5/31/2008): Phil Baroni vs. Joey Villasenor--- 4.348 million viewers (Aired from 9:47 PM to 9:48 PM)
#19 UFC on Spike TV (7/19/2008): Reese Andy vs. Brandon Vera--- 3.847 million viewers (Aired from 10:58 PM to 11:19 PM)
#20 EliteXC on CBS (5/31/2008): Brett Rogers vs. Jon Murphy--- 3.824 million viewers (Aired from 9:26 PM to 9:27 PM)
One woman stands alone atop women's mixed martial arts. Her name is Gina Carano . Right now, her fame (not her record) has made her the most popular name in women's MMA. On Saturday, at EliteXC's newest CBS event, Kelly Kobald is going to try and knock Carano off that mountain.
At 16-2-1, Kelly Kobald has made a career and name for herself at small venues and smokers (underground shows) around the country. She went undefeated in her first 17 fights, only losing her two most recent to two of the top competitors in women's MMA.
The self-proclaimed "brick shit-house" Kelly Kobald is ready for her shot at glory. "I've worked hard and I think that I've earned this shot," she said in a recent interview at Brunette's Gym in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she trains with Mike Reily and Team Bison.
"I've been at big shows before, so I don't get starstruck. I'm ready."
Kelly Kobold - Back with a Vengeance - PRO MMA Exclusive Interview
Originally posted on ProMMA.info
Kelly Kobold is preparing herself for the biggest fight of her career. A fight that in many people’s opinion would never have happened had she won her last two fights. On October 4th, Kobold will face poster-girl for female mixed martial arts, Gina Carano, on the main card of EliteXC’s CBS Saturday Night Fights.
Kelly went on a tear through female mma going undefeated in her career until problems on the homefront caused inevitable distractions that played into her fist two defeats. With all the drama long behind her, Kelly has had a year to refocus on her career and looks to make all of those that expect Gina to walk through her some very unhappy campers.
PRO MMA had a chance to catch up with Kelly and talk with her about how she feels she matches up with Gina, being the underdog, and shocking the world.
PRO MMA: Hey Kelly, Thanks for taking this time with us we know you’re really busy preparing for your fight with Gina Carano. How are you feeling right now physically? Are you injury free for this fight? Kelly: I am injury free for this fight. I’m really, really excited. I think this has to be the first fight I’ve ever had where I didn’t have something go wrong in a training camp where I just had a flood of doubts as to whether or not I could actually do the fight so I feel great about this training camp.
PRO MMA: How’s training been going down at Team Bison? Kelly: It’s wonderful. It’s really home for me as far as training goes. I’ve got great teammates there, you know, great friends that genuinely care about my progress as a fighter. It’s not just me going out to fight, you know, it’s them, they’re in there with me because they’ve trained so hard with me to prepare me for it.
PRO MMA: I know you normally train with a bunch of guys that are a lot bigger than you but have you brought any females down to help prepare you for this fight? Kelly: There have been a couple females down here at Team Bison and then when I go down to Minnesota Mixed Artial Arts Academy a couple days a week there’s a bunch of girls down there as well.
PRO MMA: What are your thoughts on Gina and how do you feel you ladies match up? Kelly: I think we match up just fine. I’m a well rounded opponent that’s good on the ground and on the feet so I think it’s going to be an exciting fight no matter what. She’s definitely a tough fighter and it won’t be an easy fight for either of us so I think we’re going to have one of the best fights of the night.
PRO MMA: It seems like you will definitely be the biggest, strongest and most experienced opponent that Gina has faced in her career. Would you agree with this? Kelly: Oh definitely I would agree with that. You know with her new diet and nutritionist and everything she’s been following to make weight for this fight, I might just end up being the bigger of the two.
PRO MMA: Weight has long been an issue for Gina. How’s your weight coming along? Kelly: Well I’ve definitely had some fights where you don’t even have to weigh in; sort of underground warehouse type things where it’s like “We’ve got two women here, now go fight.” But for the majority of my fights I’ve had to weigh in and I’ve never missed weight before so it won’t be an issue for me. I’m incredibly professional and I feel like making weight is very, very important otherwise there wouldn’t be weight classes.
PRO MMA: What will your game plan be with Carano? Will you be looking to trade with her, take the action to the mat or just go with the flow? Kelly: I’m just going to impose my will. I’m just going to go out there and play off of how she reacts to what I do. It’s just about being one step ahead of your opponent. I definitely intend to push the pace of the fight.
Even in her hometown, Kelly Kobald is used to being cheered against. She doesn’t know why, but she’s a natural heel. So if fight fans shower her with boos during her fight with Gina Carano at Elite XC: “Heat” on October 4th, it won’t bother her in the slightest.
“This isn’t going to be anything new for me,” she said in a media teleconference Thursday. “I’m sure that I won’t notice. I’m much more focused on my fight game. I turn my attention internally for that. Whenever I’m in the cage it’s just a white-hot rush of noise. The only voice I hear is my own voice in my head and the referee and my corner’s voices. Everything else becomes white noise.”
Kobald got the phone call from Elite a few months ago. Upon the collapse of BodogFight, she was left in contract limbo, unable to get a fight. The gaming website and fight promotion was her first taste of a bigger platform, and it was suddenly gone. After slugging her way through every type of fight, including underground warehouse scraps, a call from Elite was a breath of fresh air. One she felt she deserved.
“It’s about goddamn time,” said of her first thoughts on facing Carano. “I’ve been held up and haven’t been able to fight professionally other than exhibitions or grappling tournaments. I’m excited to get back in there and do what I love to do.”
Kobald racked up sixteen victories in five years of competition before dropping two straight losses in late 2007. To her credit, they were against two of the toughest female fighters out there, one being Tara LaRosa, widely considered to be the best American female fighter out there. Kobald says the personal problems that led to the stall are now behind her.
When EliteXC makes its return to network television on Oct. 4, Gina Carano will again be featured as one of the promotion’s centerpieces. However, it is her opponent who feels she finally has an opportunity to shine.
Kelly Kobald will meet the unbeaten Carano during the live CBS telecast of EliteXC “Heat” at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla.
“I don’t look at this fight as me taking on someone who has become the face of women’s mixed martial arts,” Kobald says. “Gina just happens to be the person who everyone thinks is the top person right now, and she’s a big fighter who’s a good striker, but she’s got holes in her game that I’m going to exploit.
“This isn’t about [Carano],” she adds. “This is about being my fight and my opportunity to show what I’ve got. I just happen to be fighting the most widely known female MMA fighter around. It wouldn’t matter who was across the cage from me. I just want to inflict as much damage as possible on whoever’s across from me.”
EliteXC's Kelly Kobold plans to "win very decisively" over Gina Carano
Originally Posted on MMAjunkie.com
She may not be the "Face of Women's MMA," but Kelly Kobold (16-2-1) knows she belongs on the CBS broadcast of "EliteXC: Heat."
As Kobold told the media on Thursday's EliteXC conference call, she's been waiting.
"It's about damn time," Kobold said of the opportunity. "I've been held up with contract negotiations and with the collapse of Bodog(FIGHT). I've been held up and haven't been able to fight professionally other than exhibitions or grappling tournaments for over a year now. I'm finally excited to get back in there and do what I love to do."
Kobold will get her chance to do what she loves on Oct. 4. And due to the rising popularity of Kobold's opponent, Gina Carano, the Minnesota native will get to practice her passion under the bright lights of a national-television audience.
Kobold says she is unfazed by her opponent's popularity or the scale of the event.
"I'm grateful for the publicity, but it doesn't matter who's standing across the cage from me," Kobold explained. "I'm just grateful that I have a huge audience to perform in front of.
"It won't be my first fight in front of a large audience. So I don't think any pressure is going to be on me about that. I'm just looking to go out there and perform to the best of my abilities. I've not been known for boring fights, and this definitely won't be one of those boring fights."
True to her word, Kobold went undefeated through the first 17 bouts of her career. With one draw mixed in, Kobold earned eight submissions and six knockouts in her 16 victories.
TJ De Santis and Lotfi Sariahmed were live on the Sherdog Radio Network Wednesday for Beatdown, and were joined by female mixed martial artist Kelly Kobold.
Originally posted by Fight Hype.com By Percy Crawford | August 20, 2008
PC: How is everything going Kelly?
KK: Everything is going great. I'm training a lot.
PC: How is training going for your fight with Gina Carano in October?
KK: Training couldn't be going better. I have a really good training partner that has already fought Gina (Kaitlin Young). I have some great training partners and an amazing training camp. I'm training with Brett Rogers, the heavyweight from Elite XC and Team Bison, and I'm also training with former UFC champion Sean Sherk and also Brock Lesnar at Minnesota Mixed Martial Arts Academy as well. I couldn't have a better group of people to train with.
PC: How much will you take from Kaitlin's fight with Gina as far as seeing some of the mistakes she made and not committing the same mistakes, as well as utilizing some of the things she had success with?
KK: I'm going to use film from all of Gina's fights. Gina hasn't had a fight that I don't have film on, unless you're counting Muay Thai fights, but I have all of her MMA fights. I can definitely see her progression as an MMA fighter and the improvements that she's made and I can also see mistakes that she made in her first fight that she was still making in her last fight and hopefully I can capitalize on them. I think her fame kind of works against her in a sense that I could get so much footage on her.
PC: It seems Gina's weight is an issue in every fight. Are you prepared to deal with the weight issues that never seem to go away with Carano?
Kobold-Jenkins considered, "Without a doubt...the greatest female fight in MMA History"
Posted by MMARated.com by Yael Grauer, MMARated.com
Finally, female mixed martial artists are starting to garner the kind of mainstream acceptance and respect they so rightfully deserve. With the names Carano, Cyborg, Baszler and LaRosa gaining as much recognition as their male counterparts, it's time to look at the top five greatest female MMA fights.
5.) You had to know Shelby Walker vs. Angela Wilson would find its way onto our list. The late Shelby "Girl" Walker will always be remembered for recording the fastest KO in MMA history when it took her only five seconds to dispose Wilson in this May 2003 bout.
4.) Widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound female fighter in the world, the undefeated Megumi Fujii faced Misaki Takimoto at “Shooto - The Victory of Truth” in Tokyo on February 17, 2006. Take note as Fujii's multiple submission attempts and skill in all three ranges pays off throughout this epic war.
3.) Roxanne Modafferi is an MMA machine. The Fatal Femmes Fighting’s lightweight champion holds the distinction of being the only fighter to have defeated Jennifer Howe in Howe’s 15 professional MMA bouts. Impressively, she has actually done so twice. First she snapped Howe's eleven-fight winning streak while also snatching away her IFC Women's middleweight belt in November 2004, and then she did it again in this March 2005 rematch.
2.) Lisa Ward vs. Masako Yoshida at the inaugural Fatal Femmes Fighting show in February 2007 comes in at number two. Held at the Japanese American Cultural Center in Los Angeles, this card’s theme was a collection of Japanese versus American fighters. Two of the best from their respective corners of the earth showed tremendous heart and skill in this five-round battle.
1.) Without a doubt, this is the greatest female MMA fight in history: Adrienna "AJ" Jenkins vs. Kelly Kobold-Gavin in a March 2007 NFF bout in Minneapolis, MN. Going into this fight, Kobold-Gavin was 15-0-1 while Jenkins was sporting a 10-1 record. Throughout the fight, both fighters showcased their ground skills and continued to push the action in a perfect display of what makes female MMA so special. (By the way, you are about to hear a hell of a lot more about Kobold-Gavin in the next few weeks as she is rumored to be facing Gina Carano on the October 4th EliteXC on CBS card.)
We're back with another edition of "THE MMARated Radio Show" and what a show it is. This week, Ben Fowlkes and I break down some intriguing UFC 87 subplots, dissect Dana White's video blogging skills and look at a crazy time for the Affliction promotion.
We're also joined by female MMA star Kelly Kobold who officially announces on the show that she will be facing Gina Carano at the October 4th EliteXC on CBS show. Kobold certainly had some interesting things to say about Carano's position as the face of women's MMA as well as their upcoming bout.
Enjoy! To hear the entire show copy and paste this link. http://www.mmarated.com/articles/article/news/20080807/_the_mmarated_radio_show_-16013.html
Report: Gina Carano vs. Kelly Kobold-Gavin at Oct. 4 EliteXC
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Aug 02, 2008 at 2:18 pm ET
After her dominating win over Shayna Baszler at last weekend's "EliteXC: Unfinished Business" event, Cristiane Cyborg (5-0) was mentioned as a possible Oct. 4 opponent for EliteXC poster girl Gina Carano (6-0).
Instead, the undefeated Carano is expected to face Kelly Kobold-Gavin (16-2-1), according to Mike Chiappetta of NBCSports.com, citing a source close to one of the fighters.
The bout is expected to be announced soon, according to the report.
The Carano vs. Kobold-Gavin fight will be one of the main draws for the October CBS-broadcast event, which takes place at the 22,000-seat BankAtlantic Center near Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Heavyweight Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson is slated to headline the event.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) reported last weekend that Carano, a gladiator on NBC's "American Gladiators," had been announced as an Oct. 4 competitor. However, an opponent wasn't immediately revealed.
Kobold-Gavin, a six-year MMA veteran, hasn't competed since August 2006, when she suffered a unanimous-decision loss to Julie Kedzie at a BodogFIGHT event. It was her second consecutive loss after strarting her career with a near-spotless 16-0-1 record.
Kobold-Carano Possible Matchup for October, Kampmann's Injury Status Unclear
by Mike Sloan (msloan@sherdog.com) - Sherdog.com
Gina Carano (Pictures) is expected to return to the EliteXC cage at the promotion’s Oct. 4 show, likely to be televised on CBS, her management has confirmed with Sherdog.com. Though no opponent has been named, Bodog Fight veteran Kelly Kobald (Pictures) is believed to be the leading candidate.
The unbeaten Carano (6-0) last fought as part of EliteXC’s CBS debut on May 31. She won by TKO against the tough Kaitlin Young (Pictures) when ringside doctors deemed Young’s left eye was too swollen for her to continue. Carano missed weight by several pounds and said she would gladly give Young a rematch. She has also called out fellow female terror Tara Larosa (Pictures), who recently signed with the American Fight League. Carano informed Sherdog.com by text message that she has “been traveling a lot” and expects to be back in the gym in a week or two.
Based at the same Minnesota Martial Arts Academy at which Young trains, Kobald (16-2-1) kicked off her professional career with a 17-match unbeaten streak but has lost back-to-back fights to Larosa and Julie Kedzie (Pictures).
The Pit eyes Las Vegas location
Southern California houses many famed fighting academies, including The Pit. Home to such strikers as Scott Lighty (Pictures) and former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell (Pictures), The Pit, a state-of-the-art MMA school, has long been considered one of the country’s premiere fight schools.
According to founder John Hackleman, The Pit will soon branch out and open a new facility somewhere in the heart of Las Vegas. Hackleman was in Las Vegas on Sunday, scouting various locations, but “The Pit Master” has not zeroed in on a spot just yet. He said he has his sights set on an area on or near the busy intersection of Sahara Avenue and Decatur Boulevard in Las Vegas. A site just off the Strip, possibly near the industrial district near Sunset Boulevard in Las Vegas, and a location in Henderson, Nev. -- the city directly to the southeast of Las Vegas -- are also being considered.
Hackleman hopes to break ground on The Pit in Las Vegas sometime in the next three months and has designs on opening two facilities in Sin City, one for professional, hardcore fighters, the other for beginners, kids and families.
Kampmann not as injured as reported, or is he?
It was reported in last week’s “Sin City Sentinel” that UFC middleweight contender Martin Kampmann (Pictures) was set to undergo routine arthroscopic knee surgery to repair a lingering injury and would be out of commission until at least October. However, according to both Kampmann, and his manager, Ken Pavia, that might not be the route the Dane takes.
“I’m not injured or nothing,” Kampmann told Sherdog.com through his MySpace account. “I can train and fight, too. I have a minor problem with my meniscus that needs to get taken care of eventually -- maybe now or maybe after one more fight. It’s a minor thing but will still require some weeks off once I choose to get the surgery. So far, I’m undecided as to when to get it, but if I fight first, I will still kick ass, no problem.”
It remains unclear whether or not the popular Danish middleweight will move forward with the procedure. Luckily for Kampmann and his fans, the injury is not as serious as first thought. A decision will likely be made in the next few weeks.
The 26-year-old Kampmann returned from a year-long absence from competition and submitted Jorge Rivera (Pictures) with a first-round guillotine choke last month at UFC 85 in London. He has won nine fights in a row and is the only man to hold a victory over Brazilian Thales Leites (Pictures).
Quick Hits
• Xtreme Couture’s Gray Maynard (Pictures), still rehabbing a right wrist injury, told Sherdog.com via text message that he will likely fight at UFC 90 on Oct. 25 in Rosemont, Ill., a northwest suburb of Chicago. Maynard admitted a few names have been thrown around as possible opponents but stopped shy of commenting on who his next foe might be.
• Las Vegas fight fans have another Saturday filled with fistic action ahead, as there are three events from which to choose this weekend. A major boxing event featuring Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito has grabbed all the headlines, but for those who prefer to avoid the sweet science, Dennis Warner and In Sync Productions will deliver another stellar night of professional muay Thai at the Las Vegas Hilton. In addition, muay Thai instructor Master Toddy will host an amateur smoker at his training center in the afternoon.
• Kit Cope (Pictures), the popular former muay Thai champion who has crossed over into MMA, told Sherdog.com that he expects to return to action sometime in August, though nothing has been finalized. Recovered from reconstructive knee surgery and separated ribs, Cope last fought on May 30 when he submitted Dave Lehr Cochran (Pictures) with a triangle choke at a World Fighting Championships event in New Jersey. The organization for which Cope will compete next remains unclear.
