Steve Byrnes and Luke Zachrich on new season of "The Ultimate Fighter 7"

Originally posted by Dann Stupp on mmajunkie on Mar 07, 2008 at 3:20 am in - News -
Meet the lastest cast of UFC hopefuls.

As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) first reported, the upcoming seventh season of "The Ultimate Fighter" will feature 32 fighters rather than the usual 16. During the past month, we've revealed 18 cast members, and we now know the other 14.

Spike TV today revealed the full cast to Yahoo! Sports.

"The Ultimate Fighter 7," which debuts April 2 after UFC Fight Night 13 on Spike TV, features 32 middleweight fighters competing for a UFC contract. UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and "The Ultimate Fighter 1" winner Forrest Griffin will serve as coaches.

Cast members MMAjunkie.com previously reported (all reported names turned out to be on the cast) include:

Paul Bradley (5-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Matt Brown (7-6 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Steve Byrnes (6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Timothy Credeur (9-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Mike Dolce (3-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
C.B. Dollaway (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Gerald Harris (6-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Mike Marrello (6-1-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Prince Mclean (4-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Aaron Meisner (3-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Reggie Orr (4-5-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Jeremiah Riggs (1-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
David Roberts (5-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Amir Sadollah (0-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Brandon Sene (2-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Dan Simmler (0-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Jesse Taylor (6-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Luke Zachrich (7-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Additional names revealed by Yahoo! Sports include:

David Baggett (4-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Erik Charles (0-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
John Clarke (5-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Daniel Cramer (0-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
John Hall (3-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Nick Klein (3-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Jeremy May (5-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Dave Mewborn (0-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Matthew Riddle (0-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Dante Rivera (10-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Nick Rossborough (0-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Patrick Schultz (0-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Cale Yarbrough (0-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
John Wood (6-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC)

The Pav Says...

The Pav says… 2006 is behind us so I thought it would be appropriate to give out MMAagents awards for accomplishments throughout the year. So without further ado and fanfare, here they are…

Ring Entrance of the Year

The line starts and ends with Mayhem Miller. His ring entrances are often better than the rest of the card. Who needs a warmup when you get a five-minute dance into the ring?

Honorable mention to Razor for always having a matching and organized corner; Steve Byrnes, because, after all, who can’t help but cheer for a Marine that comes out in fatigues and the American flag; and Matt Wiman, for the arrogance he brought into the ring against Spencer Fisher despite long odds.


TKO of the Year

This was a close call, but we have to give it to Wes Sims for his victory in October against Kimo in Hawaii’s X-1. After turning on the blood faucet just seconds into the contest with a right, it appeared the fight was over when the doctor was looking at Kimo in the corner. Wes actually took off his gloves only to realize the fight was still on. After getting taken down and in danger of letting the victory slip away, Wes hit Kimo again in the face, and this time the blood rush was too great and the fight was stopped.

Honorable mention to Razor Rob for opening up a game Ryan Healy, who stood and banged with McCullough to his credit; Ricco Rodriguez for avenging his loss to Ron Waterman and boxing H2O so many times in the face during round one that it was over on the stool; and Ivan Salaverry for his textbook performance and perfectly executed game plan against Art Santore.


Comeback of the Year

Three years is a considerable layoff, even if you are pro wrestling in Japan, working as a stuntman and being Tito Ortiz’s primary training partner. Once back in the ring, Justin McCully did not miss a beat. He disposed of Derek Thornton in a little over two minutes at X-1 and three weeks later beat down Warpath in a little over three minutes at Valor Fighting. Neither fight was ever in doubt. Look for more from the “Insane One” in 2007.

Honorable mention to Chris Lyte for making it to the TUF finals before getting robbed of a decision in “The Comeback” season finale; UFC vet Zack Light for coming back better than ever after a four-year layoff, with an improved physique and conditioning; and Justin Levens for fighting back from a string of tough losses to win two fights in convincing fashion.


Sub of the Year

Mike Pyle’s triangle submission of Shonie Carter for the WEC belt takes the prize. Carter has only been subbed four times in 57 fights and Pyle pulled it off in two minutes of the first round.

Honorable mention to Marin Kampmann’s weathering the storm against Crafton Wallace, beating him on his feet, then taking him down and ending it quickly; Pyle for his 17 second guillotine against John Cole, and Mayhem for a huge sub of Robbie Lawler.


KO of the Year

Quite simply, Razor’s knockout over Olaf Alfonso is one of the best KO’s in MMA history. Olaf is known to have a good chin, but the Razor combo that sent Alfonso’s mouthpiece into orbit and put him to sleep was a thing of beauty.

Honorable mention to undefeated heavyweight Jake O’Brien ending Jay White’s career with a short left hook for a 14-second knockout in the WEC; Niko Vitale for his soccer-kick KO of Tim Williams; and Justin Levens’ big knockout over Justin Hawes.


Prospect of the Year

Heck, he is on the north side of 30, but at 170 look for huge things from Mike Pyle on Showtime. Now that he is back to his natural weight, he will be unstoppable.

Honorable mention to Martin Kampmann, who showed unbelievable potential in 2006 with three big wins; Anthony Torres, who remained undefeated and won his UFC debut, and Steve Byrnes, who made his UFC debut in December.


Fight of the Year

The Karo Parisyan fight with Diego Sanchez was probably the UFC fight of the year and could have gone either way. Karo actually spit his tooth out in the first round, and flipped Diego feet over head a number of times. This was stuff that legends are made of.

Honorable mention to Hector Ramirez for his fight with James Irvin that won UFC fight of the night; Karo’s fight with Drew Fickett, which also won UFC fight of the night; and Martin Kampmann handing Thales Leites his first defeat in 10 fights despite being knocked down in the first round.

Warrior Spirit of the Year

The award goes to Vince Lucero for his willingness to fight any opponent on any notice for virtually any purse, just for the opportunity to compete. Despite being little more than a wrestling coach during a two-year retirement, he stood toe to toe and traded with Eric Pele for three rounds in his comeback fight. He thought it would make for a more entertaining fight. Oh yeah, he took the fight on two weeks notice.

Honorable mention to Alex Stiebling for always answering the call; Zack Light for never saying no to an opponent or weight class; and Ricco Rodriguez for losing 80lbs to get back into fighting shape.


Fighter of the Year

It is hard to pass on Jake O’Brien, who went 6-0 at heavyweight with five finishes, but Razor Rob edges him out with a 4-0 record and three knockouts. Those victories include McCullough avenging his only loss in his last 12 fights with a unanimous decision victory over Harris Sarmiento.

Honorable mention to Jake, who went 2-0 in the UFC during the year; Mayhem for his dominant performances in Hawaii and the WFA; Chris Lytle for making the TUF finals; and Karo Parisyan for an entertaining year, despite fighting injuries throughout.


Best of luck to the boys in 2007, here is hoping that it will be as equally memorable as 2006.

12/18 Press Release

MMAagents Press Release
www.MMAagents.com


Karo outlasts Fickett in UFN 7 “Fight of the Night,” Byrnes drops decision
Falaniko Vitale to face Jeremy Horn in IFL SuperFight Jan 19th

With millions of viewers watching on Spike TV, Karo Parisyan won a unanimous decision over Drew Fickett (30-27 on all three scorecards) after three grueling, bloody rounds at Ultimate Fight Night 7 on Wednesday night at the Miramar Marine Corps Base in San Diego.

Parisyan is best known for his highlight-reel judo tosses, but “The Heat” stood with Fickett for most of the fight and was able to control the pace while landing the heavier strikes. When it did go the ground, both fighters showed their ability to scramble as the nearly 3,000 Marines inside the spacious airplane hangar roared with each change of position. The UFC honored it as the “Fight of the Night,” with Parisyan improving his UFC record to 6-2, and 16-4 overall.

In the non-televised opening bout of UFN 7, “The Sergeant” Steve Byrnes lost his UFC debut against fellow first-timer Logan Clark by unanimous decision. A former Sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps, Byrnes entered the cage to a thunderous ovation wearing his fatigues and carrying the American flag.

Byrnes controlled the takedown game, establishing full mount at one point and also getting several near-submissions with leg-lock attempts, but took punishment from the top position throughout as Clark landed punches, elbows and upkicks from his guard. Byrnes’ pro record falls to 6-1 with the loss.

Pavia, Ciscone, and Associates, LLC, in conjunction with MMAagents, would like to make you aware of the upcoming fight dates for some of the fighters we represent:
Falaniko Vitale will take on Jeremy Horn in the IFL SuperFight on Friday, January 19th at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, CA. This middleweight matchup features two of the best 185-pounders in MMA today and will be shown as part of IFL programming on Fox Sports TV.

A native of Honolulu, Hawaii, “Niko” has compiled a 21-6 professional MMA record, including wins over Matt Lindland, Dave Menne, Masanori Suda, Yushin Okami and Aaron Riley. Most recently, Vitale defeated Tim Williams by a first-round KO at Extreme Wars 5 on October 6, 2006 in Oahu, Hawaii.

With 98 official pro fights and a 78-15-5 record, Horn holds victories over some of the biggest names in the sport, including Chuck Liddell. The last time Horn fought he was knocked out by Lindland in an IFL SuperFight on September 9th 2006.

We are actively soliciting fighter sponsors for these events. We realize that the economics of the MMA fight game today dictate the need for fighter sponsors. As such, we coach all of our clients to use best efforts in displaying logos and to make mention and give thanks in all public opportunities, and we also send out post-fight sponsor packets with photos of sponsored fighter wearing sponsor logo on shorts and shirts and wearing sponsor company gear when applicable. We encourage the use of these pictures in advertisement when applicable and without conflict.

The costs vary greatly depending on fighter and event. If you should have any interest, or would like to request more information, please contact my assistant Scott at 949-892-8702 or by e-mail at scott@mmaagents.com. I can also be reached directly by e-mail at kenpavia@mmaagents.com.

Q & A with G.T.

Q&A with G.T. - Steve Byrnes

A former sergeant in the U.S. Marines, Steve Byrnes is making his UFC debut against Logan Clark on December 13, 2006 at Ultimate Fight Night 7 on Spike TV. Fittingly enough, the event is being held at a marine base in San Diego, CA.

"The Sergeant" has been undefeated since making his professional mixed martial arts debut in January 2005, compiling a 6-0 record with six submissions.

Most recently, Byrnes dominated Joshua Ferreira at Hawaii-based X-1 show in October 2006 en route to a rear naked choke victory midway through the first round. Dressed in camouflage, full fatigues and with the American flag in hand as he makes his entrance, you know that Byrnes is always ready to go to war.

I recently sat down with Steve as he was getting ready to head to the mainland for his UFC debut.

GT: Steve, you are making your debut in the UFC Dec 13. Tell me what you thought when you received the call.

Steve: I was shocked. This is something that all fighters want. My dreams had come true and this will be a day I will never forget. This is the best opportunity in my life.

GT: What is your fighting background?

Steve: My background is in wrestling. I have been wrestling since I was 12 years old. I have been grappling for eight years. I consider myself a submission fighter.

GT: Tell me about your upcoming fight in the UFC?

Steve: I am facing Logan Clark and he is 7-0. I have trained harder for this fight than all the rest of my fights. I will do whatever it takes to get a victory.

GT: Should all go well in the UFC, what do you see for yourself in the future?

Steve: I see bigger and better fights. I want to become a professional fighter full time. My main goal is to make this a career.

GT: You were the head instructor for the Marines MMA class. Tell me about this experience.

Steve: I am a 1st degree black belt. My job was to teach other Marines how to teach MMA. I was the head instructor trainer. It was exciting and an experience that I will never forget.

GT: Tell me how you met Ken Pavia. And has he made your dreams come true?

Steve: I met Ken at the weigh-ins at my last fight in X1 (Hawaii). He walked up to me and told me that Phil Baroni had mentioned me. He asked me what I wanted to do in my career. I looked him straight in the eyes and told him that I wanted to fight in Vegas. He gave me his card, I called him a week later and he made everything he promised a reality. Ken Pavia has made all my dreams come true.