BloodyKnux.com Presents 1 on 1 with Reese Andy

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FCF Radio featuring Reese Andy and Brad Blackburn

On the show, UFC fighters "Bad" Brad Blackburn and Reese Andy discuss their opponents and give their thoughts on the rest of the card.

Click here to listen to the entire interview at FCFradio.com

Reese Andy on Matt Hamill: "I've got him beat in all aspects of the sport."

Originally posted on FightLine.com

Reese Andy recently sat down with UFC.com as he prepares to face Matt Hamill on Dec. 27. He hit on a variety of subjects, including; growing up as a wrestler in Montana, his high school football days and he also gave his thoughts on his upcoming opponent.
Below are some of the highlights from that conversation:

Andy On Matt Hamill:

“Matt Hamill, he’s a strong specimen,” said Andy. “He comes forward, and I don’t see him back up a whole lot; he switches up a little bit to southpaw, appears to be heavy on top and as far as I can remember I don’t think I’ve seen him on bottom. I’ve had more time to train, and Matt Hamill’s more my style.

Click here to read the entire article at FightLine.com

Reese Andy's Looking forward to UFC 92

Originally posted on Knucklepit.com

t’s 3pm in Seattle and Reese Andy is walking in the rain, heading back to his gym in Kennydale (www.westcoastfitness.net/kennydale/index.htm ). Downstairs is the general training area, with a membership of 1,500 bodies at various levels of fitness, and it is open to anybody who wants to get into shape or press some steel. Upstairs is the West Coast Fight Team, where the MMA happens. This is where Reese will be training again in a couple of hours.

“This morning I did a circuit, four five-minute rounds, and then I had to do a burn-out, two-minute round of something else, so we’re getting the heart rate up. I wore a heart-rate monitor today and I haven’t worn one of those in years. Everything is good – I’m just sore from yesterday evening’s workout, but it’s going to be like that from here out until a few days before the fight,” says Andy.

Prior to the UFC, Reese was a member of the IFL Tigersharks, along with such respected names as Brad Blackburn, Shad Lierley, Allan Goes… And Reese still trains with many of his former team members including Blackburn. “I train with him once or twice a week. I train with a group of guys, about four or five of us… Brad’s a little bit lighter, but we use the same mitt guy and we’ll sometimes do some rolling together or sparring. We’ll be getting some more in here, I’m sure. We might train together tonight. Tuesdays and Thursdays are usually the days we work together.”

But Reese says he no longer trains under former Tigersharks’ coach, Maurice Smith. “No. One of the guys from the IFL, Carlos, helps us out, and Mario Miranda, Travis Doerge and Shad Lierley are here, so I’m still training with a couple of guys from the IFL and a few others.”

Andy fought in the Octagon on UFC Fight Night 14 against Brandon Vera, so he has now experienced combat in the cage as well as competing in the ring. But which does he prefer?

“Well, I don’t know if I feel one way or the other… I do feel that the UFC is taking care of me more, but as far as cage or a ring preference, I haven’t noticed an advantage yet. I’ve heard different things; however I’ve only been in the cage one time and the rest of my fights have all been in the ring, when I was in the Icon in Hawaii and in the IFL, so I can’t really say whether I prefer the cage or the ring.”

Reese, I believe Shad Lierley is looking to compete in the next Ultimate Fighter. Have you heard anything?

“Yes, I’m his roommate and hopefully that transpires as well.”

When you train, do you work out with music on?

“Most of the time with music. I usually leave the selection up to the students and don’t get too picky unless it’s something really bad. Last night, for example, there was hip hop on with some cursing. I dug a little bit and gave a student a bad time, but he paid dues to the gym and he needs to be in good spirits too, and I can handle about anything. In my group in college we listened to country music for seven years.”

Sounds like a bit of a transition for you from the stuff your students are playing now.

“Yeah, but downstairs in the gym, there’s always the 80s’ light rock and stuff like that that’s basically DMX-type thing or the radio, so we put on really light music for the fitness members. And then upstairs for the fighters, they always want something more hardcore that’s going to pump them up more for their workout. We don’t want to intervene when they have something on. I think most people are the same way. We haven’t had anyone putting on something off the wall, so…”
Matt Hamill has fought in the UFC before and you’ll be making your debut at UFC 92. Will that be a factor on the night?

“No, since I did the UFC Fight Night, I feel it’s still the UFC to me, whether it’s p-p-v or a free card. I got the first one out of the way and this one should be a little less stressful, not being the co-main event, and not as bad.”

You’ve fought in front of large crowds before, so that shouldn’t be a drama.

“No.”

Is wrestling still the backbone of your game?

“I think it is. When people are trying to take me down I’m going to give them a lot to fix since I have the background. And if I see an opening to take them down I’m already able to get it better than the other guy. But as far as doing lots of drills or lots of wrestling, I don’t spend quality time the way I used to.”

Click here to read the entire article at knucklepit.com

Andy vs Hamill official for UFC 92

Originally posted on MMAmania.com

Light heavyweights Matt Hamill (4-2) and Reese Andy (7-2) will go toe-to-toe inside the Octagon at UFC 92: “The Ultimate 2008″ at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The promotion today announced the match up, which is not guaranteed to make the televised pay-per-view (PPV) telecast on New Year’s Eve weekend.

Hamill is coming off a tough technical knockout loss to his friend and former training partner, Rich Franklin, at UFC 88: “Breakthrough” back in September. It marked the second loss in his last three appearances for the former contestant on The Ultimate Fighter.

The loss was perhaps not as hard to swallow as the performance — Hamill refused to apply his elite wrestling skills and instead was content to eat more than his fair share of punches from “Ace.”

Expect to see him go back to his roots against Andy, who is no slouch himself on the ground.

Andy was on a four-fight win streak, including impressive victories over Krzysztof Soszynski, Justin Levens, Mike Ciesnolevicz and others, before colliding with Brandon Vera at UFC Fight Night 14 back in July. The former International Fight League (IFL) standout lost a lackluster unanimous decision that night in Las Vegas.

Click here to read the entire article at MMAmania.com

Reese Andy vs. Matt Hamill close to official for UFC 92

Originally posted on MMAjunkie

UFC light heavyweights Matt Hamill (4-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) and Reese Andy (7-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) will look to rebound from recent losses when they meet in December at UFC 92.

Sources close to the fighters tell MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that bout agreements have been distributed and are in the process of being finalized.

"UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008," yet another stacked year-end card for the UFC, takes place Dec. 27 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

.....

"The Ultimate Fighter 3" cast member will now meet Andy, a former IFL fighter who -- with many other UFC newcomers -- debuted with the organization at UFC Fight Night 14 in July. Andy's four-fight win streak, which included victories over current "TUF" cast member Krzysztof Soszynski and former UFC fighter Justin Levens in the IFL, came to an end with the unanimous-decision loss to Brandon Vera.

Click here to read the entire article at MMAjunkie.com

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)

Click here to read the entire article at MMAweekly.com

FCF Radio features Carlo Prater, Anthony Johnson, Thomas Denny, Jake O'Brien, Reese Andy, and MORE

In this episode, Jeff "Wombat" Meszaros and Kelsey Mowatt run down the latest news in mixed martial arts. Then, Canadian wrecking machine Gary "Big Daddy" Goodridge stops by to talk about his recent fight in Affliction and his thoughts on Fedor Emelianenko. Brazilian Carlo Prater is also on the show to discuss his upcoming fight against Brock Larson in World Extreme Cagefighting.

Check out the interview at http://fcfradio.fcfighter.com/ (copy and paste the link)

Reese Andy Looking to Spoil the Truth

Saturday, July 19, 2008 - by Mitch Gobetz - MMAWeekly.com

Reese Andy may not be known by a lot of fans, especially casual UFC fans. However, he has a chance to propel himself to the forefront of the light heavyweight division, as he will take on Brandon “The Truth” Vera, who is making his debut at 205pounds, on Saturday night at UFC Fight Night 14.

Quite a few fighters, including Dan Henderson, turned down a fight with Vera, but Reese Andy didn’t hesitate. “I was excited about the offer,” said Andy recently on MMAWeekly Radio. “I wasn't going to pick and choose to get into the show I want to get into. I know other guys turned it down and they have their reasons why they're doing it. I'm not going to turn anything down like that.”

Andy has been out of action since June of last year against Krzysztof Soszynski in the International Fight League. Even thought the IFL seems to be in some deep trouble, it wasn’t a lack of fights that kept him out of commission. “After my last fight, I had to get arthroscopic knee surgery and the elbow was all messed up on me last year. I don't think the IFL could keep everybody, so it worked out well for me.”

Brad Blackburn, a teammate of Andy’s, will be making his debut against James Giboo. Having a teammate peaking at the same time as himself only helps Andy in his pursuit to victory over Vera. “We both kind of got smiles on our faces because the IFL isn't doing too hot and we kind of felt like we were doing quite well in the organization and we want to be taken care of,” he explained. “Now, everybody is jumping ship there and getting on other shows. At least the guys who've done well are. The road don't stop.”

Andy is a pretty modest guy, but he realizes that a win over Vera would probably put him on the fast track to UFC fame, considering that Vera is one of their most popular competitors. “I would think so now. I always try to look at it like… ‘yeah, it's pressure’ because just doing the training, the sparring, the working out is hard enough just to out there for one night, fifteen minutes. I do think it will help me as a fighter get more recognition.”

This will be Vera’s first drop to light heavyweight. Some fighters react differently to cutting weight. Instead of recklessly pushing the pace, Andy believes he’ll see how it goes once he enters the Octagon.

“That's something I have to feel out. I may turn it up a notch. But he's kind of like I am. He doesn't like cutting weight. I don't like cutting weight. I don't think anyone out there enjoys cutting weight. People don't want to think about cutting out food. That's why I don't want to fight at 185. I like weighing around 210, 212 and being able to hit 205 in a day.”

While many fighters look to implement a specific game plan in their fights, Andy likes to feel it out in the ring and take advantage of opportunities that his opponents might give him. “I usually don't try to do one thing. I usually wait for an angle and I take it. A hand drop, I'll come over the top. If he starts relaxing, I may turn up the pace and look for a submission, look to pass, look to strike.”

Even though UFC jitters get to many fighters in their debuts, this won’t be the first time Andy has fought in front of large crowds. In fact, he believes his experience will come into play in this fight. “I definitely do. My first fight was in SuperBrawl Icon in front of 8,000 people on a week and a half notice,” he reflected. “That's not a small scene there. I think the Palms are 3,000 or 4,000 attendance. Smaller venue, packed in, loud atmosphere.”

All in all, Andy is looking to spoil Vera’s debut at light heavyweight and go in there calm and collected. “I'm going to some deep breaths and some deep relaxation breathing, and I'm going to take the fight I normally take.”

Jake O'Brien and Reese Andy featured on Full Contact Fighter Radio

In this edition of FCF Radio, "Wombat" is joined by UFC fighters "Irish" Jake O'Brien and Reese Andy, who faces Brandon Vera on Saturday, July 19.

Copy and paste this link to hear the full interview.
http://fcfradio.fcfighter.com/

Andy's UFC debut to be televised

By Gazette News Services - BillingsGazette.com

Former Billings Skyview and University of Wyoming standout wrestler Reese Andy will be making his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut on live television Saturday, July 19 on Spike TV at 7 p.m. Mountain Time.

Andy, with a 7-1-0 professional mixed martial arts record, will battle Brandon Vera (8-2-0) in a 205-pound match in the co-main event. The fights will emulate from The Pearl at The Palms Casino Resort.

The main event will pit Anderson Silva (22-4-0) against James Irvin (14-4-1), and will also be televised.

Overall, seven fights are on the card with three that may not be broadcast due to time limitations.

In addition to the fight card, a one-hour long preview titled "UFC Countdown: Silva vs. Irvin" will be shown four times in the Billings area on Bresnan Communications cable channels. The times are 9 p.m. Thursday, July 17 on Spike, 9 a.m. Friday, July 18 on Spike, 5 p.m. Friday, July 18 on Versus and 5 p.m. Saturday, July 19 on Spike. Spike is cable channel 40 and Versus is 404.

According to producers, the show will center on Silva and Irvin, but will have about 15 minutes previewing the Andy-Vera battle.

In a phone interview with The Gazette, Andy said a film crew shot footage of himself with workout partners and brothers Darren and Mike Andy, both former Falcon standout wrestlers. The footage included working out, sparring and playing cards.

Radio: The Time Is Now For Reese Andy

by Ariel Helwani, MMARated.com

Nursing injuries for the last year, Reese Andy (7-1) often wondered when his time would come. The Seattle-native amassed a 5-1 record for the International Fight League with his final victory coming in a June 2007 win over MMA veteran Krzysztof Soszynski. Since then he had an arthroscopic knee surgery and an elbow surgery to clean out some bone chips.
Some thought he would need a tuneup fight, or two, to dust off some ring rust but he won't be receiving that luxury as on July 19th, Andy faces Brandon Vera at Ultimate Fight Night 14 in Las Vegas. Of course, this is a big fight for a couple of simple reasons:

1) Andy's UFC debut

and

2) Vera's light heavyweight debut

MMARated Radio caught up with Andy to discuss his UFC debut, returning from an injury, Brandon Vera dismissing him and his future inside the Octagon.

Copy and paste the link to check out the radio interview.

http://mmarated.com/articles/article/news/20080707/radio__the_time_is_now_for_reese_andy-14790.html

UFC Signing IFL Talent Blackburn and Andy

by Luke Thomas (www.bloodyelbow.com) on Jun 20, 2008 11:10 AM EDT in News

In a move that strangely acknowledges just how talented the IFL's roster is or at least once was, the UFC has been signing several IFL fighters recently and not all of them standouts. To wit:

The inclusion of Andy and Blackburn is very intriguing, as they were two of the IFL’s better fighters. In the past, it has been said that the UFC has such a bias against the upstart New York-based fight promotion that it wouldn’t sign any of its fighters.

However, there doesn’t appear to be a bias, as in recent months the UFC has selected former IFL fighters such as Gerald Harris, Mike Dolce, and Dante Rivera for the cast of its seventh installment of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality TV show. Now, with the recent signings of other former IFL fighters such as Blackburn, Andy, and Andre Gusmao in recent weeks, the anti-IFL theory has been blown completely out of the water.

That "Andy" is Reese Andy and the "Blackburn" is obviously Brad Blackburn, two former IFL aces. On top of that, Sam Caplan is reporting the UFC recently signed Rory Markham, a Miletich product with explosive boxing and heavy hands, who could make his UFC debut as early as July 19th.

One could argue that it's merely the fevered push to get a July 19th show together that's forcing the UFC to reach for the most available and usable resources. In other words, it's not from a strategic standpoint that the UFC is seeking fighters who've competed and done at least moderately well in the IFL. That argument could be true and until we see what sort of contracts these fighters have or how quickly they are cut if they lose, we don't yet know. But there's clearly some merit to the position. You have to think the UFC wants Vera to trounce Andy and much of July 19th's undercard will be filled with newcomers and virtually anonymous IFL stars.

But the interesting thought here is what would happen if a similarly positioned "rival" league went belly up. Would EliteXC's stars be snatched up by the UFC? Maybe, maybe not. Some of those fighters in EliteXC are stars that simply haven't made their way to the UFC yet like Jake Shields. But others - Scott Smith, Robbie Lawler - are either UFC washouts or fighters who chose to leave the UFC for more hospitable pastures. Ultimately it speaks strongly of the IFL's roster that so many, so quickly are making their way to the UFC and other promotions. One has to wonder how many of the top talent in the IFL are chomping at the bit for Zuffa to give them a call. Wagnney Fabiano, anyone?

Reese Andy vs. Brandon Vera at UFC Fight Night 14 fight set

By: MMAmania


As expected, former heavyweight contender Brandon Vera (8-2) will make his light heavyweight debut at UFC Fight Night 14 at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday, July 19.

“The Truth” will take on Octagon newcomer and International Fight League (IFL) veteran Reese Andy (7-1) in the Spike TV special co main event, according to Sherdog.com.

It’s a quick turnaround for Vera who just competed at UFC 85: “Bedlam” on June 7, losing to Fabricio Werdum via first round technical knockout. However, the stoppage appeared to happen a bit too soon — Vera protested the call almost immediately.

Regardless, it marked his second straight defeat in the division after a unanimous decision loss to Tim Sylvia at UFC 77: “Hostile Territory” in October 2007 the fight prior. And the loss to Werdum more than likely forced his hand to dip down to 205 pounds, which should not be a difficult cut for the Muay Thai specialist.

Andy is on a four-fight win streak, including impressive victories over Krzysztof Soszynski, Justin Levens, Mike Ciesnolevicz and others. He also has a win over Icon Sport Middleweight Champion Kala “Kalohe” Hose earlier in his career.

Like Vera, Andy is accustomed to fighting at heavyweight. However, this will certainly mark the biggest test to date for Andy — Vera will likely come in ticked off and faster than ever. He can make some serious waves in the loaded UFC 205-pound class.

And it all starts on July 19 … maybe.

To check out the rapidly growing UFC Fight Night 14 card click here.