Kim Couture is married to Randy “The Natural” Couture former UFC Light and Heavyweight champion of the World. Kim had her first MMA Amateur fight about two weeks ago in Portland, Oregon for Full Contact Fighting Federation. I listened in as she spoke with Frank Trigg and Gorgeous George of Tagg Radio this past week.

It was no surprise to hear Kim explain how hard it is to break into the sport when your husband is one of the most popular of all MMA fighters. Kim explained,” It’s been quite the spectacle. Trying to find out who really wants me or if they just want to get Randy there in their corner. It kind of sucks. I’m just trying to do my own thing. I want to fight. I want a good opponent. I want a good show.” Kim also said, “I don’t want them trying to get me on because they want to know how many days before can we get there and if Randy is going to be there and if he is: is he interested in signing autographs? Can he do this? Can he do that?”

As for Kim’s first MMA bout she says, “It was a great experience. I don’t have really any nerves for whatever reason. I don’t get nervous about things. I felt good. I had great training. I was healthy. I wasn’t sick. No injuries, so I was good to go.” Kim defeated Jessica Cruz in the third round by TKO. The fight aired on HDNET. You can still view the fight if you missed it at: http://www.xtremecouture.tv/VideoStream/Video_Free_Bouts_KimMMA.asp

The Couture’s run a franchise of gyms along with a large staff including Randy’s son Ryan. Kim is the Vice President. Six of the eight Xtreme Couture Gym’s can be found at locations throughout the United States as indicated on the map below. They are in the process of opening 2 more gyms as well. One is located in Centereach, N.Y. At an Xtreme Couture Gym you can expect classes for men and women ages 6 and up. Gym’s boast bag training area, boxing ring, cardio equipment, mat area, mma retail pro shop, men and women showers, octagon cage, private mat room, weight equipment, private training and professional instructors.

You can listen to Kim “Sugar Free” Couture on Tagg Radio. It is posted on the official Tagg Radio archives page: http://taggradio.com/index2.php?page=archives.

By: Penny Buffington

UFC Lightweight Champion Bj "The Prodigy" Penn puts his title on the line fighting former champ Sean "The Muscle” Sherk May, 24 2008 live on PPV at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Nevada.

When I spoke with Sean this past Wed. 5/15/2008 nearly one week before the fight he told me, "This is chance at redemption for me. I lost my belt for something I didn’t do. This is an opportunity for me to redeem myself, get my belt back and beat one of the better fighters in the world. You know? Become the 2 time UFC Lightweight Champion."

Sean had his title stripped after a drawn out steroids accusation. The title became vacant allowing Bj to swoop in and take over the title after defeating Joe “Daddy” Stevenson in Jan. of 2008.

I had to agree with Sean when he stated, “This is obviously a fight people have wanted to see for a long time. Me and Bj have been two of the top ranked fighters for five or six years now. This should be a dream match up.” He went on to say, “This is probably the biggest fight of my career. You’ve got two of the best lightweights on the planet and the fans, there going to be happy.”

for audio clips of this interview go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntXqXADX5sI

By: Penny Buffington

Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez: Fighting his way toward a shot at the title Diego Sanchez is the winner of the first season of Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter. Diego had an undefeated mixed martial arts record up until 04 of 2007. He lost 2 fights in a row. His last fight was at UFC 82 in March of 2008 where he defeated David Bielkheden by ground and pound submission. His mixed martial arts professional record is 18 wins and 2 loses. In past interviews that I have read on Diego I saw he had said he wanted to retire undefeated. When I brought this up to him he said. "The loses were a blessing in disguise .They made me train harder. I feel like I didn't lose any of my pride. I lost close fights and fights like that happen all the time." I asked Diego if it were true he had a staph infection before his lose to Koscheck, which was first diagnosed as hepatitis and would have instantly ended his UFC career, to which he replied "Yeah there was some sort of medical malfunction. It was pretty scary to tell you the truth. It was probably the scariest thing that has ever happened to me." Diego hopes to get a chance to avenge his two loses with rematches. What he wants most is a shot at the title. He told me, "I am really focusing on being ready for a title shot." Diego fights at 170 pounds in the welterweight division where the title is currently held by George St Pierre. Diego left trainer Greg Jackson's camp when Greg brought George on board last year. Diego didn't want to train that closely with a man who’s title he plans to take. Despite the rumors there is no love loss from Diego for Greg. He told me he has, "Nothing but love and respect for Greg. I wouldn't have gotten where I am today if it weren't for him. I am living my dream of living by the ocean." He is now training out of North Country Fight Club in California. We will get to see plenty more of the "Nightmare" on June 21 live from The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. There Diego will take on Luigi Fiorvanti during the season finale of The Ultimate Fighter 7. Diego recently signed a 2 year contract with the UFC and he told me "I believe I will be with the UFC for the entirety of my career." That is great news for us fans but I can’t say the same for UFC welterweights.Look out for the Nightmare! Photo courtesy of Diego’s management (North Country Fight Club) with permission

By: Penny Buffington

Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson can be seen on Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter 7. He is a coach opposite Forrest Griffin. At the end of the shows season the UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton will put his title on the line to fight Forrest Griffin who has a pro mma record of 15 wins and 4 loses. The fight will air live Saturday, July 5, on Pay-Per-View from Las Vegas, NV.

I spoke with Quinton on Tues, May 30th directly after he finished a 2 hour work-out with his coach and manager Juanito Ibarra. Rampage doesn't prefer to surround himself with a lot of people because "It's hard to trust people." When I asked him about his experience on the The Ultimate Fighter 7 he said, "I didn't expect for it to be so much work. I'm not a coach and I don't really want to enjoy doing it again."

I asked Quinton who else he would like to fight in the future, Quinton replied, "I want to fight any of the ones that have beaten me in the past." His record is 26 wins and 6 loses. Rampage lost to Mauricio Rua back in April of 2005 while fighting for Pride. Other loses include, Wanderlei Silva, whom he lost to twice, once in 2003 and again in 2004. To come up with another loss we would have to go all the way back to 2001.

Quinton Jackson is a proud family man living with his four children, three boys and one girl. If you would like to check out his MySpace page go to: http://www.myspace.com/rampagejackson. You can also visit his webpage to see many of his videos http://www.allrampage.com/.

The UFC is the most popular of all mma organizations. Quinton told me that "the UFC really cares about their fighters where Pride was all about themselves." Sounds like Quinton has found his place to shine. He asked to "thank my supporters." Wow that is a lot of thank-yous! He would also like to thank the companies that support him.

by Penny Buffinton

photos courtesy of Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson's myspace page with permission