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This show we pull out all the stops again and have stacked the card yet again. Once again the man by the name of Aaron Tru is back on the mic with co-hosting duties and you know what that means… THIS SHOW IS GONNA BE SICK! Get me some cough syrup!!

I had the opportunity to speak with Welterweight Daniel “Ninja” Roberts about his upcoming fight on July 3rd at UFC 116 versus Forrest Petz. Roberts is fighting out of Tulsa Oklahoma, with a current 9-1 professional record. Daniel is absolutely HUNGRY for this win, as it would mark his 10th professional win. Roberts told me that this is a great matchup for him as most losses for Petz been by submission, and Roberts is submission specialist. He trains with Cesar Gracie, Gilbert Melendez, the Diaz Brothers, and the rest of the Skrap Pack. He has trained in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for 13 years, and is a 3 time NAGA champ, 2 time NAGA world finalist, jiu jitsu champ, 2 timejiu jitsu world medalist, and jiu jitsu world finalist, so he definitely has grounds to hope for a strong submission win on the 3rd. Roberts had told me that although fighting in the UFC is a huge accomplishment for him, he’s not going to be completely satisfied until he gets that win, and that win is going to be the best feeling in the world. Besides getting this win at UFC 116, Roberts’ long term goal is to win the Welterweight title, and given the drive and determination he expressed to me during our interview, I’d say its safe to say that may happen down the road.

Not only did we talk about Roberts’ upcoming fight we discussed recent fights, and the MAIN EVENT at UFC 116. I asked Daniel’s impressions of the Fedor/Werdum fight, given that he is a strong BJJ fighter himself. Daniel expressed to me that it was a great fight, however talk about a rematch at this time may be a bit premature. “I’d love to have a rematch with Don Howard, who beat me in march, and caused my only loss, but sometimes, when you’re beat, you’re beat, and you’ve gotta accept it, move on and learn from it. Sometimes you need to build your way back up, and earn the rematch. Its not a given. And that’s the exciting thing about MMA. Anything can happen, and you never know from fight to fight what’s gonna happen. All you can do is learn from what does happen.”

I also asked him about his opinion the main event at UFC 116- Carwin v Lesnar. “Carwin is a tough fighter, he’s been knocking everyone out lately. But Lesnar does have the advantage on the ground with his wrestling background. If Lesnar plays his fight smart, he’ll keep Carwin on the ground. If not, it leaves it WIDE open for Carwin to leave him in the same position the other fighters he’s fought lately are in. Knocked OUT! But the truth is that this is MMA, and it could go either way.”

We also discussed Roberts’ tips for beginning fighters. ” Get into a good camp! Train hard, and have a good work ethic. MMA is probably the hardest sport I’ve ever done, probably the hardest thing in life I’ve ever done. Its A LOT of work! You have to put in the effort to get what you want accomplished. This is NOT a lazy sport. But sometimes because MMA is such an unpredictable sport, its not going to matter how much effort you put into a fight. Sometimes you are going to take a loss. Its the nature of the beast. All you can do is NOT GIVE UP, learn from it, and continue to work.”

Daniel would like to thank all his sponsors including Carried Out Fight Gear, as well as his trainers, and the rest of the SKRAP pack. Be watching for a follow up interview after UFC 116- hopefully we will have a Submission win to write and read about! Follow Daniel on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ninjaroberts, and also at his website www.ninjaroberts.com.D

Time to get to know MMA Fighter and active duty Army Sergeant Paul Riley a little bit better. I had the opportunity to talk to him, about, life, love, and of course fighting, and I was not disappointed. Paul is currently deployed in Afghanistan, his 4th Combat deployment, and he has some big plans coming up for when he returns home. I’d be watching it if you end up fighting with this guy when he returns. Trust me when I say, he’s just ITCHING for a good fight. If you want, you can become a fan on Paul Riley’s facebook fan page for more interviews and updates. By the way, this is my FIRST interview ever, so… hope you have as much fun reading it as I did writing it!

MmaAddictive: Tell me a bit about you as a person, outside of mma. We know you are in the army, and are currently deployed. How are you filling up what down time you have?

Paul Riley: I’m a pretty fun guy outside of the cage I think. I’m naturally cocky but I put a fun jokester spin on it so no matter how much I get under your skin people can never get enough of me! Some call it cocky, some call it crazy…I just call it the opposite of boring! Over here I’ve just been working out a lot during my down time. I’ve been lifting and running a lot…if I’m feeling sluggish I’ll run 4 miles, its usually 6 per day though. It took me a little longer to acclimate to the altitude and the trip through all of the time zones but once I was on track with that I started throwin in some boxing workouts and some rolling. I’m gonna be in good shape if nothing else after this deployment.

Mma: Yes, sir, deployments are definitely good times to get in shape.

Tell me some about your family. I know you are married to a great wife, and have an adorable son…

PR: My wife is awesome! I have put her through a lot and she is still there for me. Even after a divorce. We reconnected and now we are re-married. She has stood beside me through 4 combat deployments and is doing it for my 5th one right now. I had just started training seriously in MMA when we separated a few years ago so now that I’m fully committed to it and we are re-married it is a new chapter for us and she is getting used to it. I think she like it deep down.
My son Jordan is the MAN!!! He is only 5 and is already training in MMA at Stand Alone MMA’s Little Spartan Program in Chico California. He is a flirt already, has a temper, and an appetite just like mine. I love him more then anything.

Mma: Sounds like you have a whole lot of support from them, and sounds like you’re a great daddy. Happy Father’s Day, by the way!

What are your plans for when you come back from Afghanland?

PR: When I get back I’ll be training at SSF for 6-8 months along with Rob Raddford and others up around the Cincinnati area. Tuff-N-Uff out of Vegas has offered me fights so I’m definately going to jump on that opportunity for my last few ammy fights. Then I’m moving back to California, training my ass off at some top camps, and timing it right with my manager, sponsors, and family for my Pro Debut!

Mma: So, basically, the other fighters out there who may end up fighting you should be concerned!

What’s your training background? Who has trained you and where? What was it like training with the Diaz brothers?

PR: I started boxing at 12 on and off. Then when I got out of the military the first time I met Pro Fighter Shaun Beckett and started learning BJJ with him and he showed me how to put it together with my boxing background. He is the one that opened the door with Nick Diaz. I was lucky enough early on to be introduced to the training of the sport by top guys like that. Once I came back in the military I started training at SSF Submission Acadamy in Clarksville TN under Ron Dayley. He has put together the best gym in the area hands down. He has a wealth of knowledge and is one of the best guys I’ve met. Now that I’ve signed with Fighters Guard Management out of Cincinnati I’m still going to be training at SSF but now I have the opportunity to compliment my training with Rob Raddford who is Rich Franklins boxing coach. So I’m really looking forward to getting back to the states training wise.

Mma: Sounds like great training… again, more reasons for the fighters that are gonna face you to be worried.

What inspires you? What gives you your reasons to wake up every day?

PR: I have 2 inspirations. The main one is my son, hands down! The other is all the people that hurt me as a kid and who have ever doubted me. I get boiling hot with anger sometimes when I reflect back on the things I was put through as a kid :abuse, abandonment, you name it. Fighting is my therapy for it all. I can block my past out and make the people from my past hang there head in shame by watching me succeed, and if they don’t want to watch me succeed and win then they can live and run like the cowards they are. All of this brings me back to my main inspiration though and that’s my son. I may never get rich or be a household name like some of the top guys in the UFC but he will grow up without the pain and hurt that I had to grow up with and he’ll see me as a parent that was always there for him no matter what and he will see the sacrafice and determination it takes to be not only a fighter but most importantly a real man, husband, and father. Everything I do is to keep him away from being hurt like I was and to mold him into a better man then I am.

Mma: Again, sounds like you are a great dad, Paul. He’s lucky to have a role model like you…

Ok, I’m gonna lighten things up a bit, what song would describe you as a person?

PR: Sexy Back by Justin Timberlake…LOL!

Mma: Just might be true Paul… you just might put ACU’s in style!

What quote is your defining quote?

PR: Honey is only sweet when you are man enough to chew Bees!!!!

Mma: HA! That was a good quote… never heard that one before, makes sense…

Who in the world would you want to meet if you could? Could be someone dead or still living?

PR: Usama Bin Laden so I can cut his throat with a dull rusty knife and make the last thing that that coward sees is my beautiful smiling face as he bleeds out…slowly I hope! Again some people will call that crazy, I call it giving him what he deserves!

Mma: I’d have to agree with you there. He deserves every bit of anything we’re gonna give him when we catch him. Last but not least…

Tell me your best joke!!! Make me laugh. Dare ya!

PR: Paul-Knock Knock!
Bobbi- Who’s there?
Paul-Tuna!
Bobbi-Tuna who?
Paul-You can Tuna Piano but you Cant Tune a Fish!
I know cheesy but I stole it from Rocky Balboa..lol

Mma: Love it!!! Haha! Sounds like you are a standup dad, and a standup man… Cant wait to see what you can do in your fights, Paul. Anybody you want to thank?

PR: I would like to thank Paramount Supplements for helping me out with all the stuff I need while I’m deployed, Intimidation Clothing, and my manager Scott Dryden with Fighters Guard Management…he is opening a lot of doors for me and we click together real well!

Mma: Thank you Paul! Thanks for giving me my first interview ever! You better take care of yourself over there, cause we are ALL gonna be itching to see your fights!

SAN JOSE, Calif., (May 19, 2010) – Just days after another successful STRIKEFORCE event in St. Louis, Mo., CEO Scott Coker took time out to answer six questions.

STRIKEFORCE moves to Portland, Ore., this Friday night for a Challengers Series event, which will be televised live on SHOWTIME® at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Question: How did the results from Saturday’s event reshuffle the STRIKEFORCE heavyweight division?
Coker: “I think Alistair Overeem reinforced his status as a dominant champion in the division. “Big Foot” Silva showed the world that he’s also among the elite fighters in the division He fought a very game Andrei Arlovski and displayed tremendous skill on his feet during some great exchanges between the two. Overall, we saw some very exciting action in the heavyweight division on Saturday night, giving us more to look forward to.”

Question: What are your thoughts on the state of STRIKEFORCE’s middleweight division?
Coker: “Our middleweight division is arguably our deepest weight class in terms of talent. The fight between Jacare Souza and Joey Villasenor on Saturday is an example of how tight the competition is in this division. Joey fought a great fight against a guy that is regarded as one of the best in the world in the 185-pound division. At the same time, I think Jacare learned that there aren’t any easy fights in STRIKEFORCE. Jacare clearly dominated the first round against Joey, but Joey continued to come at him and press the action no matter how badly he was hurt.”

Question: What is going to happen with Jake Shields?
Coker: “Jake is our champion and a great Jiu-Jitsu stylist. We are still in a period of negotiations with him, so we’ll see. We inherited Jake’s EliteXC contract last year and we have to find an agreement that works for both sides. I think it is clear, though, that no single fighter makes or breaks our roster in any weight division.

“STRIKEFORCE has a great track record of seeking and acquiring the fighters we want to compete in our organization. It’s important not to forget that the No. 1 male and No. 1 female MMA fighters on the planet fight for STRIKEFORCE.”

Question: What’s next for “Feijao?”
Coker: “Feijao’s got a very fast paced, exciting style of fighting and I think he surprised a lot of people on Saturday with his knockout of Antwain Britt, who’s another one of the sport’s top prospects in the light heavyweight division. We’ll continue to test Feijao with top competition and see how he progresses. A title shot could be in his future if he continues to fight the way he did on Saturday.”

Question: What did you think about the non-televised fights on Saturday’s card?
Coker: “We had some great submissions and other interesting results in the preliminary bouts. I take my hat off to Jesse Finney, who is not only a great competitor, but also a great promoter and pioneer of MMA in the St. Louis market. Jesse put on a great show on Saturday. He’s still unbeaten and still hasn’t been taken the distance of a fight after five starts. The fight between Lyle Beerbohm and Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro was a very tactical fight as well. Both fighters displayed great grappling skills and produced one of the best fights of the night.”

Question: What are you looking forward to?
Coker: We’ve got a very busy schedule with a lot of great matchups. This Friday, we will be back on SHOWTIME® with our Challengers series. We have a great main event between Matt Lindland, a former Olympic wrestling silver medallist and highly accomplished MMA star, and “King” Kevin Casey, a former Rickson Gracie protégé and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu expert. We’re also looking forward to having Tyron Woodley back in the cage and to having Roger Bowling, another great prospect, make his STRIKEFORCE debut.

“On June 16, we have a tremendous card scheduled in L.A. featuring Robbie Lawler vs. “Babalu” Sobral, during the E3 gaming expo and, just 10 days later on June 26, Fedor will defend his status at the world’s No. 1 heavyweight and pound-for-pound fighter, against another top contender and incredible submission artist, Fabricio Werdum.”