Caged Minds

Mika Frankl sits down Nassir Williams as he’s embarking in his Martial Arts journey. May 4-7 “Nas” is heading to for a National Kickboxing tournament.

Talking points include

• How he found martial arts

• Kickboxing Tournament in May

• How his time in the army made him mature

• What lead to coming to train at Jacksonwink MMA

• The influence Maurice Jackson & Coach Wink have been

• The man he’s determined to fight

• Finding Health

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Mika Frankl is joined by United Fit’ Mark “The Hoss” Hussey. The amateur middleweight mixed martial artist will step into the cage for the third time at High Altitude Face Off XI.

Topics include.

• Returning to Adams State University for this fight
• Takeaway from win at FightWorld MMA 28
• How it felt to be back in the cage after injury
• What the coaches want to see from Mark
• The weight-class he intends to compete at as a professional
• Expectations for the upcoming fight

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After nine-years of Martial Arts training Dwight “Akuma”Maters will make his pro debut April 14th in the main event of JW Fights at the Jacksonwink Academy against Shawn Morgan.

Topics include:

·        Turning pro as a Boxer first

·        Issues finding fights

·        Taking this fight at Super-Heavyweight

·        His assessment of Shawn Morgan

·        The focuses during this camp

·        Using the confidence, he’s earned

·        Coach with the adaptive MMA program

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Jalin Fuller joins Mika Frankl ahead of fighting for the vacant LFA welterweight title in the main event of LFA 156 against Trey Waters.

Topics include:

• The Upcoming fight

• What it will take to be successful

• Evolving submission game

• Timing of the title fight

• Competing against a fellow striker

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At Legacy Boxing Promotions “New Era” Josh Rodriguez will make his pro debut against El Paso’s Jason Lugo. Mika Frankl caught up with the Power & Glory fighter at Jack Candelaria Boxing to reflect on his amateur journey and how he feels ahead of the fight.

Topics include

• His introduction to the sport

• What memories stick out most from the amateur run

• His passion for the sport

• Thoughts on the upcoming

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Mika Frankl sits down with Abraham Perez at the Bob Foster Museum ahead of his first professional title fight. The Main event of Legacy Boxing Promotions “New Era” will see “The Hammer” & Jeronil Borres battling for the vacant IBF Intercontinental Flyweight Title. Topics include. • Why the timing is right for the first title opportunity • Late opponent change • His game and how its improving • How Boxing was something he came to love • Being in the Spotlight • What he expects the fight will look like

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Unbeaten Leonid “Baby Drago” Grachev joins Mika Frankl at the Bob Foster Museum discuss facing Chad Davis in the co-main event of April 8th’s New Ear from Legacy Boxing Promotions. We get into how difficult a fight this will be and how he’ll be pushed in this matchup. Grachev talks about how he’s lifting weights for the first time during his boxing career and how heavyweight allows him to play with his physique.

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Brian “La Bala” Mendoza discusses his April 8th WBC title against Sebastian Fundora. We reflect on the journey Brian taken to get to this point and his breakthrough moment. Brian shares how motivating it was to be at Benavidez vs. Plant. The Rio Rancho native also explains why he’s feeling no pressure ahead of the fight. And why the 29-year-old believes he can expose Fundora’s weaknesses. Mendoza also shares what the move to Las Vegas to train with Salas Boxing has meant to his career.

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The feature women’s fight on the Legacy Promotions “New Era” card will see Katherine Renee Lindenmuth against Danielle Saldanha. The Rosales trained pugilist is coming off a landmark performance defeating Lorraine Villalobos on a Golden Boy promotions card. We get into what it was like fighting on such a big stage and how the fight played out. She’s tasted success, the bright lights but Lindenmuth isn’t letting it get to her head as remains focused and driven for success. This mother, student, lifelong athlete and now boxer details how mentality is evolving and how she’s working harder than ever before.

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Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships is in Delray Beach Florida this Friday for BKFC 38. The main event will see the debut of Daniel Straus against former BKFC champion Dat Nguyen. Straus has been to the top of the mountain as a two-time Bellator Featherweight world champion, overcome a motorcycle accident that nearly took his ability to walk, and throughout it never lost his desire to fight. We get into the upcoming fight, what training camp has been like, and his outlook on this new endeavor.

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At Fightworld MMA 28 will see Celine Haga returning to Albuquerque for a highly anticipated showdown with Amber Brown. A long time MMA practitioner Haga has trained around the world. The journey led Haga to Factory X in Colorado and she catches me up on how her fight philosophy has evolved.  Celine also talks about getting back to the basics, finding herself, and separating the gym from her regular life.

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At Fightworld MMA 28 Amber Brown will step in the cage in her home state for the first time since her pro debut. "The Bully" will be squaring off with sneaky grappler Celine Haga in a bout that's been rumored to happen for several years. Brown had been scheduled to end a three year layoff at LFA 137 before a family tragedy struck. Never one to shy away from adversity Brown feels this is the time to get back in the cage.

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At UFC 285 rising Strawweight Tabatha Ricci will battle former title challenger Jessica Penne. The fight was originally scheduled for November and the rebooking gives Ricci in her fourth UFC fight her first taste of a big crowd. After three fights at the Apex Ricci will step inside the octagon in a packed T-Mobile arena. We also get into Tabatha's friendship with Julija Stoliarenko, the strange manner the fight with Polyana Viana played out, and where the "Baby Shark" nickname came from.

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Hungry to get a world title fight, unbeaten Abel Mendoza is finally getting positioned for national recognition. February 24thTriller Fight Club presents Tapia Fight Night at the Rio Rancho Events Center giving the former ABF Intercontinental Americas Featherweight and WBC Fecombox Super Featherweight title holder the platform to draw world-wide attention. Mendoza shares what it was like going to South Korea and competing in an exhibition on a Manny Pacquiao exhibition card. We start to look at the future and the big names he’d like to share the ring with. We also set the record straight on what his record is.

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The bright lights and the big stage are calling. February 23rd Katherine Renee Lindenmuth will have the biggest fight of her career debuting for Golden Boy Promotions against two-time world title challenger Lorraine Villalobos. This past September Lindenmuth went on the road for the first time as a professional learning many lessons from fighting Yadira Bustillos in Salt Lake City. Katherine is under the tutelage of Tony Rosales who’s been finding new ways to push his fighters training to the next level for this huge challenge.

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Mika Frankl talks with Alandria Brown ahead of her LFA 153 fight with Rachel Martinez. This one has been awhile in the making as they’ve already been scheduled to fight twice prior. We get into how training camp has gone, what it will be like fighting a fellow wrestler for the first time, and how she made a home at CSW. Alandria also shares how her style is a complete contrast from the fighter she originally envisioned herself being.

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Power & Glory Boxing’s “Bombita” Lorenzo Benavidez will be in a rematch at Tiller Fight Clubs Tapia Fight Night against Jordan Gregory. Learn how this fight came together, how Lorenzo felt about the first meeting, & the adjustments he’s made to be more effective. Benavidez won’t be the only fighter from his team on the card he’ll be joined by his running body and oldest teammate Jordanne Garcia. We also talk about what it means to be fighting at the Rio Rancho Events Center and his 49ers.

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Gene “The Kid” Perez has nearly done it all. From Muay Thai to Boxing, MMA, and even Bare-Knuckle MMA. February 17th at BKFC Knucklemania 3, Perez will have his first Bare Knuckle Boxing match against Eric Dodson. The 44-fight vet talks about what doing Bare-Knuckle MMA was like. The Belen native also shares his plan to put Dodson through a gut check. Plus what it means to him to be competing on this stage.

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Mika Frankl talks to Steve Trujeque following a  successful pro debut at Wrecking Crew Promotions The Rumble at Revel. Trujeque had to overcome some early adversity to get his hand raised as is the story of his life.

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Mika Frankl caught up with Maximus Moya after his decision over Jazzma Houge at The Rumble at Revel.

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Josh Torres recounts what led to his unanimous decision win over Todd Manuel. We also get into what is a busy month for Team Pitbull with a pair of guys fighting at BKFC Knucklemania 3 & Josh's fight at Tapia Fight Night. "Pitbull" also get into how hard it was to keep focus on this fight with another one looming.

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Matthew Griego improved to 13-0 after a  knockout of Bryan Aquino. "The Diamond Boy" talks about his performance & addresses the controversy surrounding the fight.

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Anthony Sanchez joins Mika Frankl for a conversation about his BKFC debut. At Knucklemania 3 Sanchez will rematch Derek Perez taking their rivalry from the cage to the ring. In August of 2021 Sanchez beat Daniel Arriaga in the first sanctioned Bare-Knuckle fight in New Mexico state history winning a School of Hard Knocks title.

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Mika Frankl caught up with the BKFC Women’s Flyweight champion Christine “The Misfit” Ferea after the Knucklemania 3 press conference. During the press conference it was announced that Ferea will be facing a former WBC Boxing champion from Thailand who’s 2-0 in BKFC in a non-title bout. This will be consecutive fights for Ferea in the Land of Enchantment and she’s making a second home at Sanchez Brother Boxing. The further we get into “The Misfit’s” title reign were seeing more of her personality come out.

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Big show vet Kevin Croom will be returning to his second home the Duke City for a scrap at Knucklemania 3 with Chevy Bridges. The UFC vet talks about making the move to Bare Knuckle from MMA and shares his plans for success in the sport, and how freeing the sport is. Croom also dives into why he doesn’t over analyze his opponents and he’s embraced mustache life.

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I caught up with Jayme “Atombomb” Hinshaw at Fit NHB just before training. At Knucklemania 3 the former KOTC champion will take on BKFC vet Charisa Sigala. Hinshaw chats me up about how camp is going, the win at BKFC 28, what will make the difference at Knucklemania 3, & the toughness it takes to compete in Bare Knuckle.

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Chevy Bridges is my guest ahead of his Knucklemania 3 fight with UFC vet Kevin Croom. The "Wild Man" will be returning to the squared circle after a year on the sidelines due to injury. We deep dive into what the last year has been like for Bridges and how its bettered him as a person. Chevy shares his thoughts on the mele at the Knucklemania press conference. And how he feels about coming back to Albuquerque where he lived and trained for several years.

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Jesse Tafoya looks to add a second pro title to his collection at PFC 26 when he faces Jesus Urbina for the vacant PFC Flyweight championship.  “The Tornado” has won four fights in a row with three coming by first round finish. We get into the adjustments Jesse made to go on his win streak. And the relationship he has with martials arts.

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It’s been nearly three years since Jordanne Garcia fought. At Wrecking Crew Promotions, The Rumble at Revel she’ll step back in the ring. We dive into the roots of her “OMG” nickname. The time away gave Jordanne the time to experience life and fall back in love with the sport. We also get into some dark times Jordanne has had to fight through over the last year.

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Mika Frankl got a minute with BKFC president David Feldman prior to the Knucklemania 3 press conference at Tingley Coliseum. We cover John Dodson’s amazing debut and the future of the BKFC flyweight division. No one can stop talk about the battle on I-25 were Diego Sanchez will square off with Austin Trout. The main event is a grudge match that will unify the BKFC Light-Heavyweight title. Plus news on two more additions to the card.

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A lifelong athlete chasing success, Michael Petersen is determined to have his career as a pugilist surpass his time playing baseball. A rough start to his professional Boxing career forced Petersen to make some major changes like relocating from Clovis to Albuquerque. At the Rumble at Revel, Petersen, in search of his allusive first pro win will square off with Justice Jiron.

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John Dodson will have a quick turnaround from his first round knockout win at Rizin 40 to facing Jarod Grant at Kuncklemania 3. The first round knockout of Hideo Tokoro followed a first round knockout of Ryan Benoit at BKFC 28. "The Magician" isn't satisfied with just being successful in multiple sports but has some historical goals he's pursuing.

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From the Bob Foster Museum MMA Legend Diego “The Nightmare” Sanchez and his Boxing coach, top notch pugilist Josh “Pitbull” Torres sit down with Mika Frankl. The two “Duke City” warriors are teaming up ahead of Sanchez’s Bare-Knuckle debut. A cross sports spectacular that highlights New Mexico’s in state rivalry of north vs south, Albuquerque’s Sanchez a long time vet of the UFC against former world champion Boxer Austin “No Doubt” Trout form Las cruces. As Torres's coaching career continues to expand his own fighting career is about to hit overdrive as he's scheduled to compete at The Rumble at Revel on February 4th & Tiller Fight Clubs Tapia Fight Night on 24th.

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“The Diamond Boy” is right in the center of the spotlight. The Center peace of Wrecking Crew Promotions will face Bryan Aquino in the main event of The Rumble at Revel on February 4th. Sick of being on the sidelines Griego and his family have taken control of his Boxing future setting up the toughest fight they can to keep pursuing the dream he’s had since he was five years old.

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Josh “Pitbull” Torres will get his 2023 gong by facing Todd Manuel in the co-main event of The Rumbel at Revel. Torres shares the big goals he has for an active year. “Pitbull” also touches on how being fit has helped prolong his twenty-year career in the sport. A career that’s spanned through a couple different generations of fighters. While he’s confident about February 4th Torres recognizes he has a game challenge in his path. Torres’ fighting career is just as active as his coaching career which includes being in Maximus Moy’s corner on this card and in the corners of Josh Moreno & Diego Sanchez at KnuckleMania 3.

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Legacy Fighting Alliance returns to the land of 10,000 lakes this Friday for LFA 150. Duke City MMA’s Jalin Fuller will face the streaking, Scott Writz a fight that “The Gentleman” welcomes, as it’s taken quite the effort for him to find a willing dance partner. Fuller lets us know what he’s been working on over the last eight months & what difference will see in his performance.  And Jalin shares what his new years resolution is for 2023.

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After four years away from competition “The Kamikaze” will be throwing down this Saturday in El Paseo in a muay Thai fight with 4oz gloves. Kam is a dedicated driven individual running his own business and still getting to the gym every night. Not having fought in some time Kam has kept learning, been a coach and a corner giving him a front row seat to the continued evolution of the sport. This fight will be a different kind of challenge as Jumawan will be competing at the heaviest weight he ever has.

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Fit NHB Heavyweight Billy Ray Valdez is set to make his pro debut at Cage Fury Fighting Championship 116. Between training sessions, I grabbed Valdez to reflect on his amateur run and find out about his passion for the sport. We also get into the approach Billy has taken at progressing at the sport. Plus, what separates his game from other heavyweights and what are his strongest attributes.

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Chris Brown is heading into his 8th fight in the LFA. It will be his third main event in a row for the company. But this time the LAF welterweight title is on the LFA. At LFA 148 Brown will face Mexican Olympic wrestler Alfonso Leyva. The two are no strangers as Leyva spent his first six-months of training along side “Breezy the Future” at the JacksonWink Academy. Brown talks about what he remembers about Leyva and how he feels his game has grown. We also get into what Chris’s win over Haris Talundzic proved and how he felt about answering many doubters’ questions at LFA 141.  And of course, I need to know what winning the LFA title would mean to capture the LFA title.

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This weekend at Saturday Night Fights at Inn of the Mountain Gods unbeaten Abraham "Hammer" Perez look to improve to 6-0 when he faces his toughest test to date Durango Mexico's David Vargas Zamora. Perez shares his thoughts on the upcoming fight along with how camp went and his unique approach to improving an already stellar defense. The "Hammer" also makes his intentions clear for what of win he shooting for. We also step outside the ring and find out what are his favorite things.    

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The main event for Fightworld MMA 27 is a rematch 6-years in the making as Randy McCarty runs it back with Sidiah Parker. Over the last couple of years McCarty has been very active on the boxing scene and explains what’s the biggest adjustments he must make switching between the two sports. Six years is a long time, and “Wreck It” expects that this fight will be a different one as both have grown. And we find out how Randy’s game has improved over the last year.

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At Saturday Night Fights at the Inn of the Mountain Gods Xavier “X-Man” Madrid will face Clinton “The Native Kid” Chavez. The “X-man” join me from his new spot Madrid Sports Performance to talk about opening his own facility after having to get creative with his training. Of course, we talk about the match-up with Chavez and why it’s been in the making for a while. Madrid also touches on the adjustments he made since his last fight at the beginning of the year.

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This past March Freddy Sandoval on ten-days returned to the cage for the first time in more than twelve years at Bellator 276. With a full camp to prepare Sandoval will face Eric Mcconico Jr. at Freedom Fight Night 3 November 4th. The head coach at Sandoval Fight Systems for this camp Sandoval has let go of the reigns and went back to being a student. The mental side of MMA is a giant aspect of the game. We touch on confidence and what of performance would he be satisfied with.

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The main event of Fury FC  71 will see Andres “The Bullet” Quintana against Nate “The Natural” Richardson. Mika Frankl caught up with “The Bullet” at Luttrell/Yee MMA & Fitness to talk about a whole list of things. At Fury FC 57 Quintana fell short of winning their Featherweight title accepting the fight with an opponent nearly 5 lbs. overweight. He also had to overcome a broken jaw that required two surgeries. We of course cover what is expected to happen November 6th when two high level strikers go to battle. Lastly, I find out why Andres is so dedicated to his craft.

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UFC Fight Night this weekend Steve Garcia return to the Featherweight division for a meeting with Chase Hooper. The “Mean Machine” talks about everything leading up to UFC 274, getting acclimated to the time change, and it all led to his return to 145 lbs. Garcia a former Bantamweight also addresses getting used to fighting opponents taller than himself.

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