ONE FC's 2nd event is in a few hours, and their Owner and CEO, Victor Cui took a few moments out of his busy schedule to speak to BloodyElbow.com about numerous topics.

Cui has been part of ESPN Star Sports for several years, and he was the head Martial Combat before starting ONE FC. Lots of people enjoyed the promotion's debut event last September, but he promises this one won't even compare to that.

"Every show I want it better. I guarantee this show is much better than my first one, and I guarantee my next one will also be better." says Victor Cui in an exclusive interview with Bloody Elbow, "The changes that are important to me, aren't just about the fight card. This is sport entertainment."

Related: Ole Laursen Talks About Headlining ONE FC 2 Against Felipe Enomoto -- ONE FC 2 Weigh-In Results and Photo Gallery - Bob Sapp and Rolles Gracie Almost Come To Blows

"Most promoters, most organizers, are so busy just running their event to make their show happen, because they haven't run a lot of events." says Cui, "I've already ran over 13 MMA events, I've booked over 300 fighters, so I'm on a phone call to every single fighter on the region already. My team and all of us have run some of the best in sporting events, and running a world class event in MMA is easy to me, because I've been doing that for the past decade in Asia."

He credits a lot of his success with his past experience, and he says that's one of the advantages he has over the other organizations in Asia.

"I have the best partners, the best suppliers, the best sponsors, the best government contacts. All of those things that some of these guys have to figure out, I've already have in place," Cui continues, "I started the biggest 9-ball billiards event in Indonesia. I did the same thing with Formula Drift. It's very similar to ONE FC, Asia's best, going around from city to city, with a quality television broadcast."

"Running the events are easy for me, so it allows me to focus on making the fan experience really good. It's like a rock star atmosphere. That's why we have celebrities, VIP's, and socialites all want to come because it's like the night to go to, and they don't want to miss it."

After the jump, Victor Cui details his thoughts on building a fight card.

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After reading a Forbes.com profile of Tucker Max, a controversial Internet star who'd turned into an absurdly successful book author, I noticed that a very brief quote about the good qualities of MMA was almost buried into the piece. I reached out to Tucker in hopes of getting a few quick blurbs about the positive mention of MMA in a mainstream media publication and then mashing the whole thing together as a short post here on Bloody Elbow.

Tucker ruined those hopes by bouncing back and forth with me in a nearly 4500 word Q&A session, which is now the five part interview being featured here on Bloody Elbow. The back and forths that we went through showed that Max views MMA as a source of physical betterment, complex and useful techniques, great friends and astonishing personal growth - which should be surprisingly universal to combat sports followers and participants reading this.

The first part of this interview dealt with Tucker Max's discovery of Brazilian jiu jitsu, subsequent humbling and the transition into training MMA. The second gave us the surprisingly good methodology of his training with MMA hillbilly Reggie Warren and moved us to Max's present day training in Austin, Texas. The third part essentially asked Tucker why he does all of this and why he is willing to stand up on this platform and talk about MMA. In the fourth, I'm tossing him as many questions as I possibly can and he's fielding them with ease. In this last part, I surprise him a bit with a question about Jeremie "Kamikaze" Myers and he launches into a great story before we close things out with a few last questions.

This interview is done partly in support of his latest books, Hilarity Ensues and Sloppy Seconds, yet the interview is 100% Tucker, 100% relevant to MMA and there is no advertising or review thing going on here. Max was genuinely surprised by me reaching out and by my questions and welcomed the chance to talk about something other than his debauchery. I present his answers exactly as written (minus the bleeping out of a few cuss words). The books hit stores earlier this week and can be ordered online as well.

Hit the jump for Part Five.

Part One: Discovery of BJJ, The Jump to MMA, Training at Legend's in Hollywood, CA.

Part Two: How Reggie Warren Buit a Passable Sparring Dummy and Present Day Training in Austin, TX

Part Three: Swimming in Deep Waters and Coming Out Alive

Part Four: The Exact Space MMA Occupies in his Life

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A couple of hours before the weigh-in, we spoke to ONE Fighting Championship's headliner, Ole Laursen as he was cutting the last few pounds for his lightweight bout against Felipe Enomoto.

He has always been one of the bigger lightweights in the region, but couple that with an absence from fighting since October of 2010, and it made this cut a bit tougher than usual. The Filipino-Danish fighter talked about the experience, and finally getting a chance to be fighting again.

"It's been a while since I have gone down as far as 70 kgs, probably K-1 Max back in 2007. All of my fights for Martial Combat were at around 73 kgs." Laursen said after making the lightweight limit on the unofficial weigh-in earlier today, "I was sitting in the sauna and considering taking the 20% cut but I thought 'no way I need that money'. I feel fine now, and I will be 100% by fight night."

"This is the longest break I have had from fighting since my career began, it's been a long time since my last fight in 2010. It just feels natural to be fighting though because I'm always taking fighters to events anyway so it just feels like this is my turn," he continued, referring to providing guys like Wadson Teixeira and others chances to fight for top promotions in Asia.

It's been a year and four months since the Martial Combat Super-Fight champ competed, and while there's a lot at steak as his headlining bout in Jakarta approaches, Laursen remains calm and confident that his skills match up very well against an opponent known for his ground skills.

"I watched a couple of Felipe Enomoto's fights. I'm not really nervous, I feel good," Laursen continues, "I'm a striker and that's what I do best but what the world doesn't know is that I have a ground game, I like to roll and I consider myself a grappler as well as a striker. I think I'm going to go in and try to keep it standing but if it goes to the ground, I know what's up."

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After reading a Forbes.com profile of Tucker Max, a controversial Internet star who'd turned into an absurdly successful book author, I noticed that a very brief quote about the good qualities of MMA was almost buried into the piece. I reached out to Tucker in hopes of getting a few quick blurbs about the positive mention of MMA in a mainstream media publication and then mashing the whole thing together as a short post here on Bloody Elbow.

Tucker ruined those hopes by bouncing back and forth with me in a nearly 4500 word Q&A session, which is now the five part interview being featured here on Bloody Elbow. The back and forths that we went through showed that Max views MMA as a source of physical betterment, complex and useful techniques, great friends and astonishing personal growth - which should be surprisingly universal to combat sports followers and participants reading this.

The first part of this interview dealt with Tucker Max's discovery of Brazilian jiu jitsu, subsequent humbling and the transition into training MMA. The second gave us the surprisingly good methodology of his training with MMA hillbilly Reggie Warren and moved us to Max's present day training in Austin, Texas. The third part essentially asked Tucker why he does all of this and why he is willing to stand up on this platform and talk about MMA. At this point, I'm tossing him as many questions as I possibly can and he's fielding them with ease.

This interview is done partly in support of his latest books, Hilarity Ensues and Sloppy Seconds, yet the interview is 100% Tucker, 100% relevant to MMA and there is no advertising or review thing going on here. Max was genuinely surprised by me reaching out and by my questions and welcomed the chance to talk about something other than his debauchery. I present his answers exactly as written (minus the bleeping out of a few cuss words). The books hit stores today and can be ordered online as well.

Hit the jump for Part Four.

Part One: Discovery of BJJ, The Jump to MMA, Training at Legend's in Hollywood, CA.

Part Two: How Reggie Warren Buit a Passable Sparring Dummy and Present Day Training in Austin, TX

Part Three: Swimming in Deep Waters and Coming Out Alive

Part Five: The Inside Story on Jeremie Myers and What Max Wants From MMA

Continue reading this post »

After reading a Forbes.com profile of Tucker Max, a controversial Internet star who'd turned into an absurdly successful book author, I noticed that a very brief quote about the good qualities of MMA was almost buried into the piece. I reached out to Tucker in hopes of getting a few quick blurbs about the positive mention of MMA in a mainstream media publication and then mashing the whole thing together as a short post here on Bloody Elbow.

Tucker ruined those hopes by bouncing back and forth with me in a nearly 4500 word Q&A session, which is now the five part interview being featured here on Bloody Elbow. The back and forths that we went through showed that Max views MMA as a source of physical betterment, complex and useful techniques, great friends and astonishing personal growth - which should be surprisingly universal to combat sports followers and participants reading this.

The first part of this interview dealt with Tucker Max's discovery of Brazilian jiu jitsu, subsequent humbling and the transition into training MMA. The second gave us the surprisingly good methodology of his training with MMA hillbilly Reggie Warren and moved us to Max's present day training in Austin, Texas. This third part essentially asks Tucker why he does all of this and why he is willing to stand up on this platform and talk about MMA. His answer is surprisingly eloquent.

This interview is done partly in support of his latest books, Hilarity Ensues and Sloppy Seconds, yet the interview is 100% Tucker, 100% relevant to MMA and there is no advertising or review thing going on here. Max was genuinely surprised by me reaching out and by my questions and welcomed the chance to talk about something other than his debauchery. I present his answers exactly as written (minus the bleeping out of a few cuss words). The books hit stores today and can be ordered online as well.

Hit the jump for Part Three.

Part One: Discovery of BJJ, The Jump to MMA, Training at Legend's in Hollywood, CA.

Part Two: How Reggie Warren Buit a Passable Sparring Dummy and Present Day Training in Austin, TX

Part Four: The Exact Space MMA Occupies in his Life

Part Five: The Inside Story on Jeremie Myers and What Max Wants From MMA

Continue reading this post »

After reading a Forbes.com profile of Tucker Max, a controversial Internet star who'd turned into an absurdly successful physical book author, I noticed that a very brief quote about the good qualities of MMA was almost buried into the piece. I reached out to Tucker in hopes of getting a few quick blurbs about the positive mention of MMA in a mainstream media publication and then mashing the whole thing together as a short post here on Bloody Elbow.

Tucker ruined those hopes by bouncing back and forth with me in a Q&A session that ranges from describing his discovery of the sport, the move to direct participation and the many connections he made with professionals and friends. The five-part interview is nearly 4500 words long and is interspersed with many highly passionate and profound thoughts at the positive experiences and values combat sports have for him and their applicability to others.

The first part of the interview dealt with his discovery of Brazilian jiu jitsu, subsequent humbling and the transition into training MMA at the original incarnation of Legend's in Hollywood, California. This second part looks a bit deeper into his actual training and moves us to Tucker's present, while I start to ask questions about what he gets from the sport.

This interview is done partly in support of his latest books, Hilarity Ensues and Sloppy Seconds, yet the interview is 100% Tucker, 100% relevant to MMA and there is no advertising or review thing going on here. Max was genuinely surprised by me reaching out and by my questions and welcomed the chance to talk about something other than his debauchery. I present his answers exactly as written (minus the bleeping out of a few cuss words). The books hit stores today and can be ordered online as well.

Hit the jump for the second of five parts encompassing Tucker's experiences and views on mixed martial arts, as told in his unique voice and featuring brief glimpses of some very prominent MMA fighters and figures.

Part One: Discovery of BJJ, The Jump to MMA, Training at Legend's in Hollywood, CA.

Part Three: Swimming in Deep Waters and Coming Out Alive

Part Four: The Exact Space MMA Occupies in his Life

Part Five: The Inside Story on Jeremie Myers and What Max Wants From MMA

Continue reading this post »

In this age of callous self promotion and cheap provocation designed to sell a few more units, it is understandable to cast a doubtful eye towards a New York Times-bestselling author talking about training in mixed martial arts. However, Tucker Max is no fake and especially not when it comes to MMA.

In a recent Forbes article by Michael Ellsberg, Max very briefly credits MMA as an integral component towards his journey towards being a better, healthier person than the womanizing thrill-seeker who went out and did the things that make up the autobiographical comedies that power the book phenomenons I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell and A**holes Finish First.

The relevant quote from the Forbes interview is as follows:

"I've learned more about by myself from training MMA, than from any other thing in my life, except psychoanalysis."

Because Ellsberg is more interested in the psychoanalysis tangents and relaying how he keeps comparing himself to Tucker, the Forbes article spends almost no time on MMA. I reached out to Tucker in hopes of getting a few quick blurbs about the positive mention of MMA in a mainstream media publication and then mashing the whole thing together as a short post here on Bloody Elbow.

Tucker ruined those hopes by bouncing back and forth with me in a Q&A session that ranges from describing his discovery of the sport, the move to direct participation and the many connections he made with professionals and friends. The five-part interview is nearly 4500 words long and is interspersed with many highly passionate and profound thoughts at the positive experiences and values combat sports have for him and their applicability to others.

Of course, this recent media surge is in support of his latest books, Hilarity Ensues and Sloppy Seconds, yet the interview is 100% Tucker, 100% relevant to MMA and there is no advertising or review thing going on here. Max was genuinely surprised by me reaching out and by my questions and welcomed the chance to talk about something other than his debauchery. I present his answers exactly as written (minus the bleeping out of a few cuss words). The books hit stores on Tuesday (2/7/12) and can be ordered online as well.

Hit the jump for the first of five parts encompassing Tucker's experiences and views on mixed martial arts, as told in his unique voice and featuring brief glimpses of some very proment MMA fighters and figures.

Part Two: How Reggie Warren Buit a Passable Sparring Dummy and Present Day Training in Austin, TX

Part Three: Swimming in Deep Waters and Coming Out Alive

Part Four: The Exact Space MMA Occupies in his Life

Part Five: The Inside Story on Jeremie Myers and What Max Wants From MMA

Continue reading this post »

Tyron Woodley is very likely the top welterweight on Strikeforce's roster. A wrestler by trade, he's dominated his opponents using takedowns and top control to break their wills. This weekend he's fighting Jordan Mein in what is a number one contender fight for a future shot at the vacant Strikeforce welterweight title. I had the pleasure of speaking with Tyron the day before he opened his new gym in St. Louis to find out what's going through his head as he prepares for the biggest fight of his career. The gym is called 'ATT Evolution' and is a huge step towards his goal of opening a non-profit for children..

Matthew Roth (Bloody Elbow) - So there was some big news the other day that Showtime extended the deal with Strikeforce to 2014. What's your take away from that announcement?

Tyron Woodley: My take away is that I was fighting January seventh regardless so for me I was really focusing on my next bout and my next opponent. Getting in there and showing fans what they need to see so they can realize that this is why I should be the champion. It's great news that the organization is sticking around. I didn't feel I was in jeopardy of being without a job. Had they disolved the organization, I feel like someone would have seen value in me and wanted to pick me up. So for me it was focusing on things I can control. I can't control what they decide to do with the organization. Of course I would like to win the belt since I've been in Strikeforce for a while and paid my dues to work my way to the top. Overall I just focus on things that I can control.

Matthew Roth (Bloody Elbow) - Is there any disappointment that fighters won't be able to signed over to the UFC? Is there any disappointment on your end or no not really?

Tyron Woodley: No, not really man. Everyone's in a rush to jump ship and fight in the UFC. It comes with a lot of territory. Number one you are showing the organization that supported you that if anything better comes along you are looking to jump ship. Two, they're deep. You lose a close fight and you can be unemployed. Are you going to go back to Showtime and ask them to sign you again? So for me it's being loyal to the people I work for. It's the same organization and obviously you've got to be careful by the way you do things. For me it's focusing on the Strikeforce belt, getting a world title. Having a belt, having a title is gonna put you in a better position no matter what happens and if I do go to the UFC which obviously -- the goal is to be number one and those guys are in the UFC, so I can't be telling a story that I never planned on fighting in the UFC ever. You gotta do it the right way. You gotta do it with that belt and with some steam. You go over there like Nick Diaz, Jake Shields, Dan Henderson, and Alistair Overeem. They went over there to fight the top five in the world immediately and some of them for the belt.

Matthew Roth (Bloody Elbow) - So you've fought for the old regime, the old owners in Strikeforce and now the Zuffa-owned Strikeforce and you were at UFC 136...what's the biggest difference between how things used to be run and how they're run now. And what's the difference between the Strikeforce product and the UFC product in your eyes?

Tyron Woodley: I think that Strikeforce did great with what they had. The resources were obviously no where near what UFC has. They didn't have the marketing power. They now have the funds to do a lot of things so I think Strikeforce did the best with what they had. They signed some big names: Fedor Emelianenko, Josh Barnett, Dan Henderson. They signed a lot of top guys with what they had so I think that's a credit to them being strategic. Since being purchased by the UFC they've just become more. There's more to the product and there are improvements with how it's presented on television. The interviews. They've really shown us how to push ourselves as a brand as a fighter. So they want your branding to be strong because it's good for them.

Matthew Roth (Bloody Elbow) - Now the fight this weekend, you're fighting Jordan Mein. Has there been any discussion that this is gonna be for the belt or a number one contender for the belt?

Tyron Woodley: I'm already the number one contender. They made this fight because I needed to fight. And because it's a good match up. This fight won't be for the belt nor do I think it should be for the belt. I think he's a tough kid and I think he has a good record. He has a lot of fights and a lot of experience but overall, US fans need to get to know him a little bit better. He also just got to Strikeforce. So of course he'd love to take my fans and move forward for the belt. My job is to make sure that doesn't happen.

More after the jump...

SBN coverage of Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine

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