Interviews

All his life, Justise Winslow has shined brightest in big moments. In four years at St. John's High School in Houston, his team won three division championships. In his lone season at Duke, the Blue Devils hoisted the national title, with Winslow saving his best basketball for the March spotlight.  

After playing a largely secondary role to Jahlil Okafor during the regular season, Winston emerged as a two-way buzz saw in the tournament. He averaged 14.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.5 steals in the Blue Devils' six tournament contests, filling up the stat sheet while opening the eyes of NBA scouts.

The Big Dance helped move Winslow from the mid-teens on most draft boards to where he is now, a virtual top-10 lock and a potential top-five selection in Thursday's NBA draft. The 6'6 ½" small forward told Bleacher Report in a recent one-on-one interview that he expects to be drafted anywhere from No. 3 to 8, though there isn't a favorite in the clubhouse.

"I don't know," Winslow said, when asked if he had a feeling which team would draft him. "To be honest, I know a decent range of teams that I'm projected to fall between. I just think, regardless, I'll just be ecstatic, really happy and excited to be going to that city. Honestly, if I had to put my money on it, I don't know what I'd pick."

Long viewed as an elite athlete with the ability to defend three positions, Winslow's offensive emergence is seen as key to his future. His ferocious open-court driving skills and surprising three-point stroke—he shot 41.8 percent from deep at Duke despite his shooting being considered a weakness in high school—helped him garner comparisons to some of the NBA's best two-way wings. Yet, there are still concerns about his off-the-dribble creativity, a trait he's worked hard to flash in predraft workouts. 

Winslow has met with every team in his general range, finishing up with the Philadelphia 76ers last week. What follows is Bleacher Report's Q&A with Winslow, touching on stylistic plans for Thursday night, why he signed to Roc Nation and what he thinks he can bring to the NBA table, among other topics.

B/R: When you’re giving your elevator pitch to teams—the short summary of who Justise Winslow is and what he can bring to the table—what do you say?

Winslow: I typically tell them that I’m a winner. That I’m a competitor. I’ve won on every level. I go about that and describe the different ways I do that. Defensively, being very versatile, able to guard multiple guys and being able to get the job done on that end of the floor. Being able to stop my opponent using my length, my hands, my feet, cutting the opponent off and making it very hard for them to score.

You know, making winning plays. Being able to create for myself, whether it’s knocking down a shot or getting in the lane and making it easy for my teammates. That’s typically what I’ve done all my life; I’ve been a playmaker. 

That all just adds up to winning plays. I think the bottom line is that I’m a winner, and I’m going to bring that mentality to whatever organization that drafts me. 

B/R: There is a lot of variance with the market size of teams in the area of the draft you’re expected to be taken. You’re from Houston. Is there any part of you that would prefer playing in a larger market?

Winslow: Not really. There are elements of [being in a bigger market] that are definitely helpful. So in a way, yeah, it helps to be in a bigger market to build your brand and your image. Regardless of where I go, I’m going to make the most of it. Whether it’s OKC or New York, I’m going to embrace the city and embrace the community—just make the most of all the opportunities I have to enhance my fanbase. 

B/R: You and Willie-Cauley Stein both signed to Roc Nation. Could you go into how that whole process went?

Just the beginning of the next chapter…I’m proud to be the newest member of the #RocNationSports family! pic.twitter.com/wd2vezlLM2

— Justise Winslow (@IAmJustise) April 21, 2015

Winslow: For me, I decided to declare for the draft about a week and a half after winning the national championship. Conducting different meetings and something just clicked when I went into Roc Nation. How comfortable I felt with them and just the loyalty and trust that they had the best in mind for me.

Meeting Jay Z is inspiring. Being able to meet people on the sports side and the music side and talking to them to see what makes them feel so comfortable choosing Roc Nation, I just thought it would be a great fit.

Bringing along Willie, that’s really been fun. Being able to hang out with him, training with him, getting to know him as a person. It’s all been great being a part of the Roc Nation family.

B/R: What do you think will be the biggest adjustment moving from the college to the pro game?

Winslow: The pace, the speed of the game. Playing with a lot of guys who are my size, are bigger, are strong and fast. Being able to withstand that for 82 games, that's another part that's going to be an adjustment. The long season, traveling, off-the-court figuring out what to do. It's an adjustment being able to stay healthy for 82 games. 

Treating your body right and recovering in the training room will be an adjustment because it's something I've never done before. It's going to be a great first experience. 

B/R: What improvements have you made to your game since declaring?

Winslow: First off, conditioning. Being in the best shape I can. Also being a better player with the ball in my hands. Being able to make quicker reads, being able to score, being a playmaker. You know, especially extending my range has been something I've been focusing on in the draft process. 

B/R: It’s impossible to miss evaluators directly comparing your skill set to NBA talent. The one I keep coming back to after watching film is Kawhi Leonard. What comparisons have you heard from teams, and are there any particular players you enjoy watching on film?

Winslow: I’ve definitely heard the Kawhi Leonard, the Jimmy Butler—those type of guys that are really competing at both ends of the floor. For me, I just watch a lot of film on guys. I’m a versatile guy, so I feel like I can pick up a couple of things from players regardless of their position.

A lot of times I’m watching Chris Paul and Kyrie [Irving] to see how they handle the ball in pick-and-rolls. Or Kevin Durant in isolation situations. Or James Harden, attacking the basket. I’ve been watching a lot of him with the Rockets, his ability to draw fouls. Or Kobe or D-Wade posting up.

I just like to pick a lot of small things up from different guys. But when you do them, it’s never going to be exactly the same. You can add your little style and touch to it. I’m watching them do things and trying to implement it into my game without losing my unique style of play. 

B/R: What do you think is the biggest misconception the public has about you or your game?

Winslow: I don’t really know. I don’t pay attention to the public perception. I’m just very confident in my game. I know what I can do, I know what I can’t do. I usually go out there and play my game, shoot the ball, shoot it from three, penetrate and make plays for others. That’s what I’m confident in doing, that’s my game, along with a lot of other things.

I’m really not too worried about the public and their perceptions or misconceptions about my game.

B/R: If you couldn’t pick yourself, who would you say is the top prospect in this class?

Winslow: I'm not sure. I mean, there are definitely a lot of talented guys. I'm biased, so I'd probably pick my Duke teammates, Jah, Tyus and Quinn. I'd probably pick those guys one, two and three. 

B/R: All season long, Jahlil Okafor was considered by most the top prospect in this class. Now, he’s dropped to two or three, with a lot of people highlighting his supposed defensive shortcomings. Do you think those criticisms have been fair? 

Winslow: I think it's just part of the process. I'm sure whatever guy you look up, the scouts and media will pick up on some of the things they don't do as well and blow them out of proportion. For me, I know how great of a player Jah is.

I know he's capable, I've seen him play great defense. That's nothing that concerns me. I was always confident standing out on the perimeter that he would have my back. He's a great defender, a great offensive player. He's just a special talent, so those types of things never concerned me. 

B/R: OK, let's move on to some sillier questions. You don’t have to out the team or anything, but what was the strangest question a team asked you during the interview process?

Winslow: How many softballs could I fit in a conference room or something? Like a mathematic equation. 

B/R: The NFL allows prospects to pick entrance music for when they walk up to the podium. If the NBA would decide tomorrow to allow you to do the same, which song would you choose?

Winslow: I would probably play “Cha Cha” by D.R.A.M. Just this thing at Duke after we won the championship, me and some of my boys, it was our song. A song we kinda would dance to, whenever it came on we would just get up and start cha-chaing. 

B/R: Anyone who has ever watched the draft knows it doubles as a fashion show. How would you typically describe your style?

Winslow: Not too flashy. I’ll stand out a little bit, but I like to keep it simple, keep it really subtle. And keep it really swaggy. I have a lot of swagger when I walk into buildings. A lot of blacks, a lot of whites, some reds. I keep it pretty simple but fashionable and stylish.

  

B/R: Tell me a bit about the campaign you’re doing with Axe and how you guys plan on making sure you're on the best-dressed lists on draft night.

Winslow: The Axe campaign has been great. Just getting styling and grooming tips on how for me to look the best and feel the best—and just feel confident throughout the day. Teaming up with them, using their White Label collection products, specifically the Axe Night, that’s really my favorite one. It’s been a lot of fun just doing different things, helping me boost my style and my confidence.

I feel like my experience with GQ and Axe has me looking and feeling great. I’m pretty sure I’ll be the best dressed, the most stylish and the best-groomed guy there.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.

Don't tell Dan "Hendo" Henderson he's 44 years old. 

Don't remind him he's lost four of his last five bouts, two in brutal fashion. 

Don't tell him it seems increasingly obvious the sport is passing him by. 

He won't have it. 

"The gold is still the goal," Henderson told Bleacher Report. "It always has been." 

Strolling into his UFC on Fox 14 matchup against No. 8-ranked UFC middleweight Gegard Mousasi, Henderson's focus and will remain intact. 

"I'm not going anywhere quite yet," Henderson said. "We'll see. Right now, I'm focused on getting through the next four fights on my contract, then we'll figure it out." 

What else should we expect from Hendo at this point? 

The dude is a manimal, the type of fighter who can get pummeled for three rounds, choked unconscious and still bounce back to life with a smile and an "Aww, shucks. He beat me..." attitude that defies logic and reason. 

After absorbing arguably the worst beating of his career against Daniel Cormier at UFC 173, Henderson took the mic post-fight and never wavered. Retirement was an option, and UFC commentator Joe Rogan guided Henderson to the check box indicating "yes, please." 

Henderson declined. He even made light of it. 

"I'm still going to compete," Henderson told Rogan shortly after joking about a failed sabotage against Cormier days before the fight. 

Even now, months after the defeat, Henderson jokes about the fight that saw him thrown, battered and beaten like never before. 

"I learned that Cormier is big and heavy," Henderson said. "I shouldn't have let him get on top of me. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't happy about it. I was bummed out with my performance and how the fight went, but there's nothing I can do about it right then to change it." 

There's that "Aww, shucks" attitude. There's that veteran composure. 

Henderson does not relent—even in defeat—because it's just not something he does. It's not something he's done since beginning his career as a professional mixed martial artist in 1997, and it's unlikely he'll change Saturday in Sweden or any time thereafter. 

He is who he is, and who he is exhibits nothing but grit, determination and toughness inside the cage. 

He's built his career around a powerful wrestling base, a monstrous right hand and shock-absorbent chin, and he intends to move forward using these tools to his full advantage against Mousasi. 

"I haven't forgotten how to wrestle, I just feel like my best way to finish fights is standing up and punching guys really hard," Henderson said. "Obviously, I'm going to be trying to knock him out, but I want to make sure I win every round along the way, so, yeah, I'm sure I'll be putting him on his back at some point." 

His confidence is unyielding. The belief that the finish is always just one solid connection away never fades. 

As the oldest fighter on the UFC's current roster, per MMAjunkie.com, Henderson very much represents a classic case of an old dog who refuses to learn new tricks.

His skill set is the same as it was in the year 2000. He punches hard. He wrestles well. He eats punches with a chuckle and a smirk.

And he still hasn't learned to roll over. 

How Melvin Manhoef can still walk into any bro pub in the United States and not be recognized is an affront to the dignity of most hardcore MMA fans.

But don't worry; he’s working on it.

“Not so much in America,” Manhoef said when asked about being spotted in public. “They recognize me in Europe and stuff but not here. But it will come.”

The next step will come Saturday when Manhoef—perhaps the most fearsome pure knockout artist in the history of MMA—takes on Joe Schilling at Bellator 131.

It will be Manhoef’s second fight for Bellator. The first, a flattening of well-known tough guy Doug Marshall, earned him a shot at the middleweight title.

This is not that fight, but it does hold the promise of another big highlight, as it comes against a fellow converted kickboxer in Joe Schilling. Not exactly a grappling war in the offing.

“I didn’t have to think as much about takedown defense or my ground game” during this training camp, Manhoef said in an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report. “I mean, I did some of that, but I don’t think we’ll do much of that in the actual fight. He’ll want to bang with me, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

That’s where Manhoef shines, and it’s what earns him fans—and there are many of them—around the world.

It’s hard to find an MMA analog for the speed and the power in Manhoef’s hands and feet. His leg kicks slam like line drives to left; his right hook hisses with venom. In racking up a 29-11 pro MMA record, 27 of his wins have come by knockout. No other elite fighter is near that sort of ratio.

So why isn’t he dropping fools in the UFC or at least as a fixture in main events? To this point, it just hasn’t been meant to be for a guy who has made his bones mainly in Europe and Japan. Whenever Manhoef seems ready to get over the proverbial hump, a critical loss brings him back to the pack. A weak ground game and a suspect gas tank are the most common culprits.

Manhoef understands those weaknesses in himself. He also understands that, at age 38, he doesn’t have another decade to fill the gaps.

So there’s a fine line to walk there, a delicate balancing act. Striking is what makes him special, and there are a finite number of opportunities to showcase that to a national audience. Now that, for the first time in his career, he’s fighting regularly on basic cable, he wants to make the most of every chance he gets. And that means laying guys out.

The Bellator brain trust gets it, too, hence this MMA-rules kickboxing match with Schilling.

But the flip side of that coin is that, eventually, he’ll have to beat a great wrestler or grappler in a major fight if he wants to earn a reputation as an objectively great cage fighter—and not just a great striker—and take his own stature to the next level.

So with the time he has left, Manhoef and those around him must work to carefully divvy up his fights and his training energy. Ride the horse that brought you here into a dark pool of risk. 

“I’m glad they didn’t put my ground game to the test,” Manhoef freely admitted in regard to Saturday’s fight.

But he’s quick to add: “My ground game is growing all the time. It’s getting better, and it’s starting to get a little bit solid.”

He made a point of not looking past Schilling: “Nobody’s as good as him at that level of stand-up,” Manhoef said of his opponent. But that title shot is on his mind. More to the point, it’s Brandon Halsey who looms. The Bellator middleweight champion is also a former Division 1 All-American wrestler, just the kind of fighter who can extinguish Manhoef’s attack.

Manhoef can and will please as many more crowds, but that title fight with Halsey will be a reckoning.

“Halsey will try to get me on the ground,” Manhoef said. “The title shot is still on. After this fight, we’ll discuss it.”

He wants to get there. He has to, if he wants to achieve real balance. But for now, he’ll have another chance to bring the house down with a well-tested, if not universally recognized, formula.

“Why should people watch?” Manhoef ponders the question. “Twenty-nine wins, 27 knockouts. That’s really all that needs to be said.”

Scott Harris writes about MMA for Bleacher Report. For more, follow Scott on Twitter. All quotes obtained firsthand.

Ronnie Lott, one of the great defensive players the sport of football has ever seen and a former 49er, was asked a simple question: Could he have played for current San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh?

Lott laughed.

"Of course. I would love to play for him," said Lott in an interview with Bleacher Report. "He brings passion and devotion to the game every week. You want a coach who fights as hard as you do."

Lott then recounted what it was like to play for the legendary Bill Walsh. Walsh's genius and innovation have been well-documented, but he could wear on his players. Some veterans, while admiring Walsh, also didn't totally trust him, because he ejected veteran players when he felt they were beyond their prime. They also felt Walsh loved Walsh.

Lott remembers having serious disagreements with Walsh, but both men always worked out their differences.

"I got into arguments with Bill all the time," said Lott. "It was part of all the winning we did. We'd argue or have a disagreement, and then we'd move on. We always got everything on the table, and then we'd be done."

Then, speaking of today's 49ers, Lott said, "Who cares if you don't like each other?"

Lott is a key figure to talk to now at one of the most important junctures in NFL history. His Hall of Fame career lasted 14 years. He had a stunning blend of speed and ferocity. He might have been the hardest hitter in NFL history.

What Lott sees now when he watches the NFL is something nearly as magnificent as when he played. "I love watching football now," he said. "The skill level you see is pretty spectacular."

The one question I wanted to ask someone like Lott—who played in an era when big hits were championed, even promoted by the NFL, and concussions were regularly played through—was this: Would Lott have been able to play today?

Could he be the hard hitter he was? Or would today's rules severely alter how he played football?

"I would have adjusted to the game today," he said. "It's pretty simple. I would have learned not to hit guys in the head. I would have learned to use my shoulders. I would have been better than the safeties in Seattle because I would have changed my playing style but had more tenacity. 

"The thing about all of the 49ers players and coaches I played with is that we adapted. We were usually ahead of other teams. So I would have figured it out."

For those who vaguely remember Lott as a good player, he wasn't just that. He was special. He made 10 Pro Bowls at three different spots—corner and both safety positions. Very few players today could do that.

Very few in history have done that.

Today, Lott's significance can be felt with a trophy named after him. The Lott IMPACT Trophy honors college football defensive players who aren't just talented but also aren't constants on police reports. A few of the past winners include J.J. Watt, Luke Kuechly and James Laurinaitis.

"The best part about being involved in the award," said Lott, "is being around good young men."

I then asked Lott a sensitive question. Does Lott, who is 55 now, feel any effect on his health from his playing days, like so many other players from his generation (and beyond) have?

"I feel fine," he said. "To me, you can be a victim, or you can be optimistic. I feel really good about where I am in my life."

Mike Freeman covers the NFL for Bleacher Report.

English football legend David Beckham sat down with Squawka's Sanjit Atwal, giving fans a unique insight into the mind of perhaps the biggest global icon the sport has known in the past two decades. 

The midfielder with the silky touch spoke about his new business ventures, some of his favourite players and the current crop of English stars, among a host of other topics.

When asked about his favourite league to play in and his favourite players, he remained as diplomatic as possible, although he admitted it would have been a dream to play with Argentina's Diego Maradona:

Every league was different. But La Liga and Premiership were probably the toughest I played in. I loved my time in Madrid and that probably challenged me most as a player because the technical level was very high and I was playing alongside the very best.

I’m lucky to have played with many great players in my career – Zidane, Cantona, Ronaldo, Carlos, Giggs amongst others…It would have been a dream though to play alongside Maradona…

Beckham became the face of the sport in the United States when he joined the LA Galaxy near the end of his phenomenal career, and the country left a big impact on the former England international.

He exercised his right to start a Major League Soccer franchise of his own in Miami, Florida, and he spoke of the challenges involved with such a venture:

I’m as excited now about the team as I have ever been. The people are behind the club and there is real excitement about bringing a team there.

Like anything of note, there will always be small challenges to overcome, however we are in a great place and our vision for the city is a strong one.

Of course, no interview would be complete without a discussion about the current state of the game in England. An early exit from the 2014 World Cup has enthusiasm surrounding the current crop of players at an all-time low, although the talent is clearly there.

Beckham singled out two players in particular, namely Raheem Sterling and Jack Wilshere. While Sterling's ascension to the top of the football world has been a swift one, Wilshere has faced a lot of criticism in recent years for his perceived lack of progression.

But Beckham asked fans to remain patient and trust the youngester's coaches:

He [Sterling] is a genuine talent. He had a fantastic season last year and now he needs to achieve that consistency year in and year out like all top players.

We need to be patient and allow him time to grow as a player. I believe he will be a top player for Liverpool and our country for many years to come.

[Jack] can play anywhere in midfield. Look at his performance against City- he was one of the best players and he was in a creative role. He just needs a good run without injuries and I’m sure he will shine for club and country. Roy and Arsene will know how to play him…

Beckham knows a thing or two about disappointing on the biggest stage of international football, with one of the most memorable moments of his career being the penalty miss against hosts Portugal during Euro 2004.

He overcame the criticism to continue building his magnificent career, however, and his demeanor at the time is something youngsters like Wilshere should take note of.

Finally, he was naturally asked what he thought about his former club's summer acquisitions, and he was very positive, saying: “I have no doubt that players such as Di Maria and Falcao will deliver for Manchester United. The very best players always perform at the highest level whatever club they play for.”

The Red Devils' start to the 2014-15 season has been dreadful, but following their impressive 4-0 win over Queens Park Rangers on Sunday, they suddenly find themselves just two points behind city rivals and top title contenders Manchester City.

A culture of negativity had taken over Old Trafford in recent weeks, but the immediate success of the new signings seems to have lifted the fans' spirits for now. Beckham urged people to trust new manager Louis van Gaal, saying: "We have an experienced manager who has won league titles in many countries so you have to trust him to deliver success."

Van Gaal certainly has his work cut out for him, but the endorsement of one of the club's most legendary players can only be helpful to his situation.

Beckham's career on the pitch may be over, but given the success of his business ventures and the many endorsements he still has, there's little doubt the legendary midfield maestro will remain one of the sport's greatest ambassadors for the foreseeable future.

After years of battling in WWE and TNA rings, Chavo Guerrero is set to do his fighting inside the panels of a comic book.

Guerrero has been a tag team champion at WCW, TNA and WWE, teaming with men like his uncle Eddie and the powerhouse Hernandez. He has since found a new partner in Lion Forge Comics. 

He is one of the many members of the famed Guerrero family to make an impact on the pro wrestling industry. Working under a variety of gimmicks during his 20-year career, he consistently delivered a compelling blend of high-flying and mat wrestling.

Load up any match of his either against or alongside his late uncle, and chances are you'll witness something superb, an artwork created between the ropes.

That's an art form he practices far less often these days. Most fans last saw Guerrero find a pink slip in his Feast or Fired briefcase before seeing him step away from the spotlight.

He has since dedicated more time to his family, only taking occasional bookings on the independent circuit, and is now the inspiration for a comic-book series.

Warrior's Creed is the story of Guerrero battling La Iniciativa de Voltan, a villainous group looking to siphon the powers hidden in the Guerrero family DNA. Evil scientists and a lagoon filled with dragon's blood await readers.

On the comic book that will bear his likeness, Guerrero told Fox News Latino, "This feels very natural to me. I've gotten into trouble my whole life fighting for what I believe in. I believe in standing up to bullies and that's what this character and series is about."

This move from the ring to the page is a natural transition, as pro wrestlers are essentially comic-book characters come to life.

Mick Foley penned a comic-book series featuring WWE Superstars. Box Brown turned Andre the Giant's life into a graphic novel. Now it's Guerrero's turn at the medium.

Fabian Nicieza, the co-creator of Deadpool, handles the writing duties. Eddie Nunez, who worked on Fanboys vs. Zombies, is the artist for Warrior's Creed. Guerrero will be doing the superheroing.

The series will be available in both English and Spanish, and digital and print forms when it launches in early 2015. Bleacher Report had a chance to talk with Guerrero about the new project, his future in the ring and memories of his career.

Bleacher Report: How did the Warrior's Creed project come about? Is that something you came up with, or did Lion Forge come to you?

Guerrero: I was in Vegas at the CES, the electronics convention. I ended up hooking up with my buddy "Rampage" Jackson. And he had a comic book out with Lion Forge and I didn't know too much about it, but out of the blue we saw Lion Forge guys there. The owner David, we just hooked up with him. He was a fan and we talked awhile, and it was kind of cool. I got an email or text from him about a month later asking 'Are you serious about doing a comic book?' and I'm like 'Heck yeah, man.'

B/R: How much did you know about comics before? Were you a big fan?

Guerrero: Yeah, I was an old-school comic guy. Just like anything, the new millennium, social media kind of changed the way that everything in media is done, and that's true for comic books too. I was a huge comic-book fan. Spider-Man was my favorite, Superman and all that kind of stuff. Now comic books have come to a different level where they have Walking Dead and Deadpool and all these different crazy-ass comics. And they're super popular. 

This one (Warrior's Creed) is going to be in English and in Spanish. We're gonna hit that Latino market, you know? And Lion Forge is really good about that. They understand that demographic.

What Latinos don't have and Hispanics don't have a lot is superheroes. If you look at any kind of superhero out there, whether it be anything from Marvel or anything from DC or anyone, you look at them, they're big, strong white dudes.  

There aren't many Latinos out there. Lion Forge is smart to jump on that. The Hispanic market is the largest demographic in the world. 

You think about guys like Stan Lee, they're going to write what they know, which is a Caucasian guy. They can't write an African-American or they can't write a Latino because that's not them. It's like me writing a Caucasian movie or screenplay or whatever. It's not me, you know?

B/R: Then there's the danger of dipping into stereotypes when you're writing about people you're not familiar with.

Guerrero: Absolutely. Every time in WWE that they would write a promo for me, I would say by the way, 'it's homes, not home.' 'Oh but we didn't know.'

To show you how out of touch really Vince McMahon is...He's a billionaire, he doesn't relate to a normal person. Me and Eddie ended up doing that one skit with Big Show and we put some Ex-Lax into his burrito. He ate it and had to go have a big bowel movement.

At first, Vince didn't want to do it. He didn't know if the rest of the world knows what a burrito is. He had to go ask people. Of course they know what a burrito is. He was so out of touch that he didn't know.

That's what happens when you're a billionaire.

B/R: Guess that's a good problem to have, though.

Guerrero: Right? Exactly. I wouldn't mind having that problem.

B/R: What else are you up to? You've done a few stops at Vendetta Pro Wrestling recently and you were working in Mexico just last week, right?

Guerrero: Yeah, I'm still doing a little bit of wrestling. Really, the only reason I left WWE is because of the schedule. My kids are getting to the age that they needed me now, you know? They needed their dad home. And that schedule is so hard. So now, I'm not really going to wrestle that much. I wrestle here, there. A little bit.

I really do enjoy it. It's something that is always going to be there, going to be a part of the Guerreros. At the same time, it's hard to go back to wrestling all the time. It's something I'm definitely trying not to do, to not be gone so much anymore. If I do any time wrestling, it's going to be very, very short.

B/R: Would you be interested in just doing something short-term for WWE or TNA if the opportunity came up?

Guerrero: No, not TNA. I don't like that product. It's just...not good. I do not want to do something with them anymore. WWE, that's a tough one because that schedule is just tough.

B/R: What were some of the differences in working for those two companies? TNA gave you a lighter schedule?

Guerrero: A much lighter schedule, for sure. But WWE knows how to make money. That's what they do. TNA, they are owned by a billionaire and they have gotten kind of piss-poor.

B/R: You're definitely not the first person to think that, but it's interesting to hear that from you.

Guerrero: I would say whenever a wrestler is working for a company and is talking about that company, you never get the full story. You get the watered-down version. They say what they gotta say.

I've done WWE, I've done TNA. I've worked for them. You don't bite the hand that feeds you. Now that I'm independent and don't work for anybody, now you get the real story.

I enjoyed working for TNA. The first six months were great. I thought at the time when I got there that their locker room was the best in the world. And there was a 30-second window that I thought they were going to compete and really give WWE a run for their money.

Then whatever happened and they went on the road and after that, they just couldn't pay anybody anymore. They just dropped everybody.

But it was fun. I have fun everywhere I go. If I don't have fun then I'm not going to be there. I just want to get in that ring in front of those fans. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZjnXFym3_o

B/R: So there's still that pull to the art form for you? You still hunger for the crowd?

Guerrero: Absolutely, man. That's what it's about. Those fans are the best gift. You can't get that high anywhere else. In front of that crowd and having a great match and all the world is coming out, it's pretty amazing. That's why we do it, you know?

B/R: What match or rivalry or moment are you most proud of in your career?

Guerrero: I've been asked that a whole bunch of times, and I've had so many different matches. There's not one match that sticks one out. They were all great in their own sense. Working with Rey Mysterio, working with Eddie, working with CM Punk and with Kane, they were all great.

I can't narrow it down to one match. There were matches where we just beat the crap out of each other, matches where we would tear the house down in Mexico. 

B/R: How much does all that blur together after doing all those house shows, those matches week after week?

Guerrero: People would think that. But I have a pretty good memory still. I can remember almost every match. There are certain times when it blurs together, but for the most part, they don't. I remember something about each match.

B/R: How much do you watch the current product, either WWE or TNA?

Guerrero: Not so much, man. To be honest, I really don't. You don't get the true regional, awesome match too much anymore. If I do watch it, I watch it for a specific match. I can't sit through all the B.S.

I taped the channel that Raw was on, and this was before Wade Barrett got hurt, I saw when he faced Dolph Ziggler. They put on a pay-per-view quality match out there. They tore the house down. They stole the show.

I texted them both and said, "Wow, that was awesome." It was fun. You don't get to see that too often that guys go out there and have time and make use of that time.

B/R: Did you see the Vickie Guerrero send-off?

Guerrero: I did. I liked that lot. I really liked how Vickie stood for the family and when she said to McMahon, 'There's one family, one name that means as much as the McMahons, and that's Guerrero.' That was awesome. 

People they know, everywhere I go, they know that name Guerrero. It transcends wrestling. I can't say it's bigger than wrestling, because wrestling is pretty big (laughs), but bigger than WWE.

They know it in different countries. When I went to India for Ring Ka King, people were going "Chavo! Chavo!" I'd never been to India and people were recognizing me on the street.

B/R: Was the Guerrero name ever a burden at all? Do you feel you were wrestling in a shadow?

Guerrero: No, it was definitely not a burden. This is what happened: You got that name, you get the door opened for you faster and easier, but you have to live up to the people that have been there before you. But you can't. It's impossible.

When my father broke in, they all said, "You're not going to be as good as your father." And they were right. When Eddie broke in, you're not going to be as good as your brothers, Chavo, Hector, Mando or your dad, Gory. They were right.

You can't be as good. You can only be yourself. That's all you can be.

Every one of us is unique and every one of us does things better and worse than the others. There's only one Eddie. There's only one Chavo. There's only one Chavito. There's only one Gory.

Once you realize that then the pressure's off. Then you go out and do your own thing. There are things that we do collectively as a family that we do better than anybody.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWc7n26d4HU

B/R: That's a positive way to look at it.

Guerrero: There's always haters out there who will put you down no matter what. You'll never be as good as or you'll never do what so-and-so did. But those haters are the ones that sleep on their moms' couches and go work at McDonald's.

The most successful people that I've ever met have been extremely wealthy people. Never did any of those guys hate on me. They say, "You can do it. You can do anything you want. Go chase it." Because they had the same people telling them that they couldn't do it.

Successful people are the ones pushing you on, telling you that you can do it. It's the haters that tell you you can't do it because they've never been successful and will probably never be successful. 

If you believe in yourself, if you believe in what you do, you can achieve it. You may not achieve it exactly the way you want it, but you can achieve it better than you think in other ways.

 

B/R: That's good advice for everybody. Back to Warrior's Creed for a second, are there going to be appearances from other Guerreros in the series?

Guerrero: My family is in it. It's actually about our whole family having that whole warrior's creed in us, having these superpowers that we've unlocked. We're able to fight off this evil syndicate that's like the Mexican mafia almost. They're all trying to get this Guerrero DNA because that will change them also.

The concept of it is pretty amazing. I gave them an idea and they totally ran with it.

B/R: How much do you contribute beyond that initial idea?

Guerrero: They didn't just come out and say "Here's your story." They asked me what I think. I said, "Look, Guerrero means warrior." It really does. That's a real name. It's not something made up. There are lot of different kinds of warriors and Guerreros in Mexican wrestling, Lucha Libre style. But they're called the Black Warrior or Gran Guerrero.

This is our actual name. We've been warriors our whole lives. We've been boxers and wrestlers and matadors, Olympian judo champions and you can trace our bloodline all the way back to the Aztec Indians. 

All quotes were obtained first-hand unless otherwise noted.

Steven Siler decided it would be a good idea to start training. 

After all, he was 12 fights deep into his professional MMA career, accumulating a 5-7 record over that stretch. He'd horse around with his friend—former UFC welterweight Jorge Lopez—and pick up some techniques, but as far as a formal training regimen goes, Siler had none. 

He was just a scrappy kid who wanted to be on local TV and earn a few bucks, so once he turned 18, he granted his own wish.  

"He (Lopez) started training a little bit, so we got to meet some of his fighter friends," Siler told Bleacher Report. "One of those days, I saw his fighter friend on local TV, we had a TV show called Ultimate Combat Experience. They put on weekly shows and the second I turned 18, I thought, 'Man, if I can take a beating from Jorge, I'd be able to handle these small guys any time.'

"I had no background, no nothing, just kind of went in and wanted to be on local TV and get paid anywhere from $50 to 100. It felt so badass to do. I fought 12 fights without even stepping foot into a gym. After the 12th fight, he was like, 'Yeah, man, you definitely have the heart to do this, but how about you take up training? You could take it seriously!'" 

It's funny how training can impact a fighter's career. After enrolling in a formal program at a local jiu-jitsu gym, Siler started winning—a lot. 

He rattled off 10 straight victories—not nine, as Sherdog and Wikipedia will have you believe. "They didn't record them all," he said. As a result, the feisty kid from Utah suddenly had some legitimate techniques to match his heart and determination. 

This run of success, while great on paper, made it difficult for Siler to find a fight, and it wasn't until he took a vacation to California that the next step on his journey materialized. 

Some former Division I wrestler named Chad Mendes needed a fight, and nobody would take it. 

Siler would. 

"I was really big-headed, thinking how badass I was," Siler said. "I was actually on vacation in California and my coach called me, like, 'Hey, we have some Division I wrestler guy. They're offering you this much money.' I wasn’t able to get a fight for the life of me, so I said, 'All right. I'll take a fight against anyone.'

"So I took the fight on two weeks' notice not knowing who this kid was, just coming in confident, thinking, 'I'm going to smash this kid, beat him up. He's just going to try to lay on me. It's going to be nothing.' Then he ended up coming out with hands instead and completely threw me off." 

From cracking a beer on the beach to getting cracked in the skull by Mendes—that was Siler's California vacation. The knockout loss halted his winning streak, but he'd come right back and amass a 4-1 record before landing on Season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter. 

Siler lost to eventual winner Diego Brando via knockout, but he said the opportunity and the experience he gained were well worth the time invested. After defeating Josh Clopton at the show's finale, he had a legitimate UFC career. He'd been training for roughly four years at this point, and he inked a deal with the UFC. 

This fairy tale felt surreal even to Siler, and he mentioned that fighting guys such as Cole Miller and Mike Thomas Brown—fighters he grew up watching—caught him off guard and really opened his eyes to what he was accomplishing. 

"It was only my second UFC fight (against Miller), so at that moment, I was in the cage, and I remember right in the first round we went through a couple exchanges, and I actually stopped in the middle of the fight and I literally thought, 'Wow. I'm in the cage with Cole Miller. He's been in the UFC for so many fights,'" Siler said. "(Against) Mike Brown, I didn't really get the chance to have that kind of moment because it went by so quickly, but...I love telling everyone, 'Hey, I fought the former champion and I knocked him out.'" 

Now, however, Siler finds himself cornered. He's lost two straight and is set to face American Kickboxing Academy's Noad Lahat at UFC on Fox 12 on Saturday. 

"It's a fight, so there's always a threat," Siler said. "He could always land a big punch, or his ground game, from what I've read, he's pretty good on the ground...I'm not going to worry about his plan, I’m just going to stick to mine." 

It's worth noting, however, that Siler doesn't necessarily view this as a "do or die" moment in his career. His last loss—a TKO to Rony Jason at UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Henderson 2—was hardly definitive. Jason caught Siler with two hard punches, sending his foe to the canvas, and the referee quickly intervened. 

Too quickly, in fact. 

Siler threw an upkick and was in the process of landing a second as the referee made his move and halted the bout. The referee made a tough, split-second decision in the heat of battle, so Siler doesn't hold a grudge. 

But it was still the wrong call. 

"I've seen a lot of people say it's probably one of the worst ones (stoppages) in UFC history," Siler said. "I was landing the upkick, so it was frustrating, but it's the ref's call...It's my fault for getting hit, but it was definitely a bad stoppage."

Controversy behind him, Siler moves into his bout refreshed and rejuvenated. He strolls into the fight as a first-time father, and he said this new layer to his life has helped him relax and reflect upon what's most important. He's about to engage in a fistfight with a grown, trained man, but Siler feels good, and negativity has no place in his current mentality. 

"This is going to be my first UFC fight with him (Siler's child)," Siler said. "I've been really excited, carrying him around all week, showing him off. All the UFC reps get to see him and hold him and play with him. It's been a good experience, something that, when he gets older, I think he's going to appreciate being around the UFC environment.

"I actually don't feel any pressure at all. I know that I'm going to perform really well. I've had a good feeling about this fight since the time they offered it to me."

From not training and losing fights to training and winning fights, from fighting on local TV for a slice of fame to fighting on Fox for his family—that's the progression of Steven "Super" Siler. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAMWS1IgyR4

As he rides into his UFC on Fox 12 fight against Lahat, he's looking for the finish, and he doesn't care how he gets it. The former submission ace recently discovered he possesses some potent power in his hands and knees, and he's content with either method of victory. Whatever gets the job done works for him. 

"I'm fine wherever it goes. I love to do both (submissions and knockouts)," Siler said. "I've only had two legitimate knockouts. They were awesome feeling, but also choking someone out, you're making them quit, and that's always good too." 

If anyone can relate to Derek Jeter right about now, it's Cal Ripken Jr.

Ripken, like Jeter, was a shortstop who spent all of his brilliant 20-plus-year career with one team and is considered an ambassador for Major League Baseball. Also like the New York Yankees captain, Ripken's final All-Star Game featured his very own dramatic, if somewhat controversial, performance.

After all, it was back in 2001 when Ripken played in his 19th Midsummer Classic at age 40—the same age as Jeter—and opened the scoring in the bottom of the third inning with a dramatic run home run off Chan Ho Park in his first at-bat, prompting all sorts of speculation that the Los Angeles Dodgers righty might have put one down the middle deliberately for the Baltimore Orioles star.

Well, Tuesday's All-Star Game was the 14th—and final—one for Jeter, who is retiring at season's end, and you've no doubt seen, heard and read all about "Groove Gate."

That would be the suggestion—and soon-after retraction—by Adam Wainwright, the St. Louis Cardinals right-hander who started for the National League, that he may (or may not) have grooved some pitches for Jeter, who led off for the American League with an opposite-field double.

Ripken, now a TBS MLB analyst, chatted with Bleacher Report about his last All-Star experience and shared his thoughts on "Groove Gate."

And because Ripken—a Hall of Famer who holds the record for the most consecutive games played with 2,632—shares so many similarities with Jeter, he also discussed his own sendoff from the sport and what Jeter might expect as he says goodbye.

Q: Obviously, the big topic in the wake of the All-Star Game is what Adam Wainwright said about the way he pitched to Derek Jeter in the first inning. What are your thoughts on all of this?

Ripken: I think it's a little contrived. You've got a big-league pitcher throwing a big-league fastball. Pitchers do make mistakes and throw it down the middle from time to time when they don't intend to.

As for the notion of whether Wainwright grooved a pitch, I think a better interpretation is that he has such respect for Derek that he was going to give him a fair chance to perform. I think what Wainwright was saying is that Jeter has earned the respect where, in this particular setting and in this particular game, I'm just gonna go right after him, and Jeter is going to have a fair chance to get a hit.

I can see why people will start to jump to conclusions, but the reality is: Did Adam Wainwright throw it in there at 65 miles per hour? No. [Laughs]

Q: How do you compare what happened with Jeter's first at-bat with your memorable home run off Chan Ho Park in the 2001 All-Star Game:

Ripken: It's kinda comical to me, because I hit that homer on a first-pitch fastball that was 95 miles per hour, and it was in the shadows in Seattle's Safeco Field, too. [Editor's note: The pitch registered at 92 mph in the video above.]

Chan Ho Park had no conscious thought that he was going to throw a fastball down the middle; he had just come into the game at that point after Randy Johnson pitched the first two innings. I came up to lead off the inning, and it was the first pitch he was about to throw, and more than likely, it was gonna be a fastball. I was looking for a fastball, or at least a pitch to hit, early in the count—and I got it.

Q: Your career and Jeter's career are related and intertwined in a lot of other ways, too. You both played shortstop. You both played for the same team for your entire career. You're both iconic, well-respected figures in and around Major League Baseball. Have you talked to Jeter over the course of his final season?

Ripken: No, I haven't talked to him yet, and I'm sad about that. I was doing the broadcast for a game of the Yankees-Twins series in Minnesota just before the All-Star break [from July 3-6], and I thought I'd get a chance to run into Derek. But it rained a little bit that day, so we were scrambling, and I didn't.

I'm disappointed in myself that I haven't searched him out and talked to him a little bit. I've been watching him, though. He's going to go through some emotions, and it's only going to get more emotional for him as it goes on—even though he's the best at handling his emotions and keeping things under control. You can't help but get emotional for him.

Q: Seeing how you went through a similar farewell tour back in 2001 that Jeter is in the middle of right now, what sort of advice would you give him?

Ripken: He's going to have even more responsibility to the fans and the media down the stretch. That's going to be a little more intense, and yet, he still has to focus on playing baseball. When your main job is playing everyday, you really wanna preserve your focus for that.

I think it's wonderful that he's getting the opportunity to say goodbye the way he is. I know it's not necessarily in his personality to do it with a farewell tour, but I think the real value in announcing retirement ahead of time [as Jeter did last February] is that he can say goodbye, fans can say goodbye to him, and we can all bring closure to such a great career.

If I had a chance to talk to him, I would say, "Don't try and control it all. Go with the flow, and enjoy your last swing through the league. You deserve to feel those good feelings. It's going to be an emotional time. Don't try to fight that—let it happen."

To talk baseball or fantasy baseball, check in with me on Twitter: @JayCat11

The team of analysts for the UFC on Fox Sports 1 and Fox broadcasts has been providing the most in-depth coverage that mixed martial arts has seen in its 20 years of existence.

With a collection of seasoned fight veterans and a handful of well-versed hosts at the helm, the people who work the pre- and post-fight shows for the UFC have consistently raised the bar.

The UFC's hectic 2014 campaign is in full swing, and that means Jon Anik is a very busy man. The Massachusetts native has become a staple on the UFC's commentary team roster and is the lead man calling the action for UFC on Fox Sports 1 broadcasts, which have been coming at a fast and furious pace in 2014. 

The packed schedule has already taken Anik, the host of UFC Insider, and his partner in the commentary booth, Kenny Florian, around the world and back several times, and the year has yet to reach the halfway mark. Nevertheless, Anik has already established himself as reliable behind the mic, and his play-by-play calls have made him a fan favorite in relatively quick fashion.

In addition to his solid presentation in the booth on fight night, he has also proved to be as durable as they come in the commentary realm. The Las Vegas transplant has pushed through events in packed Brazilian venues without air conditioning while never missing a beat at the commentator's table. When there is a job to do and fights to call, he always shows up, and no lack of modern electrical convenience is going to stop him.

Yet, despite the steady grind of the UFC schedule, he has made time to swing by this column on several occasions and don his analyst hat for Bleacher Report readers. On his most recent visit, Anik used his golden voice to break down the action that is slated to go down at UFC Fight Night 44 this Saturday night in San Antonio.

Bleacher Report: We always start at the top of the card for these breakdowns, and we'll keep that tradition rolling for Fight Night 44. The main event features a matchup between Cub Swanson and Jeremy Stephens in a fight that will hold heavy implications on the future of the featherweight title picture. Despite his five-fight winning streak, Swanson has kind of been the odd man out in the collection of potential contenders at 145 pounds. Stephens had been a longstanding staple of the lightweight division until a rough patch led him to try his hand in the featherweight fold. 

Both fighters have found solid success as of late and have come to a position where they are within striking distance of a title shot. Do you believe this is a situation where it is the right fight at the right time for both men?

Jon Anik: I think that is absolutely the case. I'm so excited to be calling this fight. When this main event was announced, I knew we had the card in New Zealand on the same night, but I was so excited to be able to call that fight. This is a matchup between two guys who are very exciting and are both so worthy of getting a main event slot. Cub Swanson was kind of in a strange spot for a while.

He was lined up to fight Darren Elkins, but ultimately chose to have elbow surgery, and that put him on the sidelines for a bit. If you know anything about Cub Swanson, you know he's the last guy that wants to be idle or be dealing with a 13-month layoff. Over that time, the majority of the other guys in the top five were booked, and that didn't leave him with too many options because anything outside of a title shot or a fight with Chad Mendes just didn't make sense for him.

That changed when Jeremy Stephens came into the picture. He's undefeated since dropping down to featherweight, and he brings some rock-solid name recognition into this fight. He's fought some of the best lightweights in the world, and his style will make for a really interesting main event with Swanson.

I think Cub may have had some frustrations early on, but this fight being a main event is a great opportunity. It is his chance to take out a bigger name than Dennis Siver or George Roop, and I do believe the winner of this fight will compete for the featherweight title before we close the book on 2014.

B/R: With the respective styles Swanson and Stephens bring into the fight, the probability this will be an action-packed tilt is high. That said, one of the themes surrounding this fight that I'm not seeing in the lead-up is how both fighters hold a bit of underdog status in the bigger picture at 145 pounds.

Swanson is the longest-tenured featherweight on the Zuffa roster and is just now reaching the top of the ladder and getting some recognition. Stephens had been competing in the lightweight ranks for several years but never was able to make it over the hump to become a contender.

There have been scenarios where fighters have been deemed future contenders without doing half the work Swanson or Stephens have put in. Do you agree that this piece of the spotlight is a long time coming for both fighters?

J/A: Without a doubt it is. I remember calling the card in Minneapolis on the night when Jeremy Stephens was dealing with his legal issues. This is a guy who was below .500 in the UFC before he moved to featherweight and started to turn things around. Granted, he still earned some big wins, but his overall record was still below .500.

Both of these guys have dealt with adversity inside and outside of the cage and fought back to be in a top spot. 

For as debilitating as that eight-second knockout loss to Jose Aldo was, here Swanson is just one fight away from getting a shot at the title and a potential rematch with Aldo if he gets past Chad Mendes at UFC 176. It's a remarkable story.

I really do think Swanson being the longest-tenured featherweight on the roster is what was eating at him before this fight came together. He wanted the title shot and believed he had done enough to earn it. If you look at the guys he has defeated on his run, you could certainly make the argument he deserved it. 

This is a big opportunity for both of these guys, and I believe they both understand how important this fight is. The title shot Swanson has been chasing will materialize with a win, and a victory for Stephens would mean he went from being a middle-of-the-road lightweight to dropping down and putting himself on the fast track toward the featherweight title. 

B/R: Let's move on to the co-main event between Kelvin Gastelum and Nico Musoke. This fight feels to be a showcase bout for The Ultimate Fighter winner to keep the wheels of progress rolling. Make no mistake about it, Musoke is a tough customer, but this seems to be a matchup for Gastelum to put a few more miles under his wheels before he jumps into deeper waters.

When you look at his last fight against Rick Story to where he will be in this bout against Musoke, what are your thoughts on Gastelum's progression since winning The Ultimate Fighter?

J/A: I think the Rick Story fight in a lot of ways was a step back for Gastelum. A lot of people thought it was pretty underwhelming. Kelvin Gastelum has been nothing but intense inside the Octagon, which certainly flies in the face of the way he is outside of fighting. But I think his reckless abandon was neutralized a bit by Rick Story.

That was a fight his team campaigned for with Joe Silva, and I'm sure there were thoughts of it being a case of the 22-year-old biting off more than he could chew. He was able to get the win via split decision, and I think he really learned a lot in that fight. They say you learn a lot from losses, but I think you learn a lot from split-decision victories as well, and I expect to see a different Gastelum in this next fight.

That said, I've been championing Nico Musoke's cause all week. This guy has been a machine during his time in the UFC, and all the chips have been stacked against him. He made his debut against Alessio Sakara in a short-notice fight, and it was a challenge he was able to get through with flying colors. He then came out in his next fight and backed everything up with another victory.

To me, Nico Musoke is a live underdog here. I know Gastelum is the undefeated prospect, but Musoke is a cerebral fighter who comes from a smart camp. He will also understand the pressure he is going to be dealing with in this fight. I know this looks like Gastelum's fight on paper, but I really wouldn't be surprised if Musoke gives him all he can handle for 15 minutes. 

B/R: Staying with the "live dog" theme you just mentioned, Cezar Ferreira is coming off a fight where that exact situation got the best of him. The Brazilian knockout artist suffered a stunning knockout loss to C.B. Dollaway in his most recent showing. That loss seemed to really cool off the buzz that had been attached to "Mutante" since his time on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. 

How much damage did Ferreira's status take in his recent setback and how crucial is it for him to get a win over Andrew Craig on Saturday night?

J/A: Mutante is a guy I've been saying should have been fighting on pay-per-view cards for a while now. He has all the tools to be a great mixed martial artist and is about as physically imposing as you are going to find at middleweight in the UFC, but he's a little bit off form right now. His aggression was used against him against C.B. Dollaway, but this is also a guy in which mounds of hype and expectation were placed upon. Being Vitor Belfort's protege is going bring that kind of attention, but I really think it was due to the work he did on that first season of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. 

The fight for Mutante is about as "must-win" as it gets against Andrew Craig, who is a very hard guy to put away. To me, this fight has all the makings for Fight of the Night, and I was really excited about it when the lineup for this card was announced. A lot of people are expecting Cezar "Mutante" to fight for a UFC title before it is all said and done, and the window on that opportunity becomes a lot smaller with a loss in this fight. I think he recognizes that urgency and we'll see it in his performance against Craig.

B/R: Another story that seems to be running somewhat under the radar coming into Fight Night 44 is the merry-go-round Joe Ellenberger has been on in an effort to make his UFC debut. He was supposed to be on the same card as his brother Jake at UFC 173 back in May, but his opponent was pulled to fill in on another fight, and everything just went crazy from there.

Ellenberger has been forced to endure several opponent changes over the past two months, but he will finally step foot inside the Octagon for the first time in San Antonio.

What kind of toll does that kind of emotional roller coaster take, and do you think it will affect his performance on Saturday night?

J/A: Man, that was crazy for Ellenberger, but I actually think some of the pressure may be off now. I'm not sure if anyone has ever had to endure six or seven rumored opponents before making their actual UFC debut. But a while back, Joe was forced to deal with a serious medical issue, and I don't believe he'll be fazed by any of this stuff. He's a very good fighter, and that's what it all comes down to.

The medical issue took him out of fighting for about two years, but he's really come back and picked up where he left off. He doesn't make a lot of mistakes—at least from the film I've watched. He also has a nice finishing ratio as well. I think a fighter like Joe Ellenberger worries a lot less about the opponent he's facing than what he plans to do in there. 

When we talk to fighters leading up to their fights, it seems they are either focusing on what their opponents are going to do or have put the focus entirely on their own game plan. In a situation like what Ellenberger has been through, where six or seven guys have been put in and taken out, the only thing you can do is focus on the fight you want to fight and be ready when it's time.

B/R: Finally, we'll go back to the featherweight division to wrap things up. Ricardo Lamas is coming off a setback against Jose Aldo where his bid for the 145-pound strap was denied. But before that fight ever materialized, there was a really long layoff where he sat out and campaigned for a title opportunity, while the rest of the division continued to scrap it out. 

This fight against Hacran Dias is his chance to begin his climb back up the featherweight ranks. But with the current state of the 145-pound division, do you believe Lamas is looking at a long road back to title contention, or could there be an express lane for him to travel?

J/A: You have to finish guys, and I really believe that. I think Ricardo Lamas can finish Hacran Dias, but I also think he could get finished in this fight as well. I personally gave Lamas a good chance of defeating Jose Aldo, whereas my colleagues at Fox Sports 1, Kenny Florian and Dominick Cruz, did not. I was really underwhelmed by his performance in that fight, and everything he said he was going to do against Aldo in that fight he didn't do. That said, Lamas is a guy who is very good at game-planning, exploiting your weaknesses and can finish you in a number of ways.

I think we are going to see a great and inspired performance from Ricardo Lamas this weekend. It's almost as if the title shot is now in his rear-view mirror and he did nothing with it. Now, it is his opportunity to prove that he was worthy of the shot he was given and being the No. 1 contender. He certainly looked worthy on paper, and big wins over Cub Swanson and Erik Koch went a long way toward him getting that title shot.

But that opportunity is in the past, and now is when you prove it. When you are fighting guys who are ranked below you and chew them up and spit them out. But Hacran Dias is a very tough fighter in his own right. He's just had a really tough time with injuries, dealt with layoffs and is in the shadow of his Nova Uniao teammates. 

I think Lamas could have a fast climb back up the featherweight ladder, but he's really going to have to finish his opponents.

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.