Cro Cop  admitted Saturday that his fight with up and coming UFC heavyweight Junior Dos Santos was probably his final professional MMA bout.

Cro Cop said: “Maybe the ones who have said that I’m done are right. Obviously, I can’t break my mental block in the Octagon. I have twenty years of training like a spartan behind me. It has caught up with me, my body is broken down. I’ve been worn out.”

I wish Cro Cop would get with a real MMA camp, I think it could revitalize him a bit. His current method of training does  not work and that has been blatantly obvious in his UFC career.

Former NFL and NCAA football superstar Herschel Walker will enter a new chapter in his career as a professional athlete when he makes his debut as a heavyweight in the world’s fastest growing sport – mixed martial arts (MMA) – as part of a multi-fight contract he has signed with world championship promotion STRIKEFORCE.

The 1982 Heisman Trophy winner and two-time Pro Bowl competitor will begin a 12 week training camp next month at San Jose, California’s American Kickboxing Academy (AKA), which plays home to a host of the world’s greatest fighters, including STRIKEFORCE Lightweight Champion Josh “The Punk” Thomson.  The 6 foot 1 inch, 220 pound former running back, who already holds a fifth degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and boasts additional training in the combat disciplines of Muay Thai and Kenpo, will be trained by AKA co-owner and head trainer Bob Cook.

“I’ve been training for several years.  I would play college football games on Saturday and then compete in martial arts tournaments on Sunday after church I’m now looking forward to opening up another chapter in my life and to competing in MMA,” said Walker, who recently was a contestant on the second hit season of Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice reality series on NBC.

“I flew to LA last month to watch Herschel train and was surprised to see his advanced wrestling and striking abilities,” said STRIKEFORCE Founder and CEO Scott Coker, a martial arts promoter of over 25 years.  “He’s got work ahead of him, but he’s committed to training at one of the most notable gyms in the sport of MMA so it will be very interesting to watch him progress.”

Walker, a 1999 College Hall of Fame inductee who was also selected to Sports Illustrated’s NCAA All-Century Team that year, has never been one to shy away from the road less traveled.

Following his junior year at the University of Georgia where he had set the NCAA freshman rushing record en route to an undefeated season and Sugar Bowl championship victory over Notre Dame, Walker, a born-again Christian, astonished the sports world by withdrawing from school to play professional ball in the newly formed United States Football League (USFL) rather than wait to enter the NFL draft after the graduation of his collegiate class, a rule maintained by the world’s largest professional football league at the time.

While the vast majority of football players typically follow an intensive weight room regimen, Walker relied on bodyweight exercise, conditioning, and calisthenics while maintaining very little body fat.

Walker was eventually drafted in 1985 by The Dallas Cowboys and established himself as a premiere running back in the league.  In 1986, he was the driving force behind a historic trade

that sent in to The Minnesota Vikings in exchange for five players and six draft picks.

In 12 NFL seasons with four different teams, he became the only player to gain 4,000 yards three different ways – rushing, receiving, and kickoff returns.  He is one of six players to exceed 60 touchdowns rushing and 20 touchdowns receiving and is the only player in NFL history to register a 90 plus yard reception, a 90 plus yard run, and a 90 plus yard kickoff return, all in one season (1994).

Off the gridiron, Walker has achieved a handful of feats, including a seventh place finish in the 1992 Winter Olympics two-man bobsled competition.  He also nearly made the Olympic sprint relay team.

Now 47 years of age, Walker, a native of Wrightsville, Georgia, will look to conquer a whole new world.  It is a challenge he is extremely optimistic about.

“I will go in there and test myself against any 20 year old,” said Walker.  “I know there will be naysayers and I’m fine with that.  I want to prove to people who sit on a couch and don’t do anything but criticize other people that, if you’re a true athlete or martial artist, you’re not old until you can’t get up and walk around anymore.  MMA fighters are said to be some of the best athletes in the world, my plan at the age of 47 is to show the world I am still one of the best athletes as well”

Spike TV will air a portion of the UFC pay-per-view undercard live to its audience for the first time ever, as the network presents bouts from UFC 103 in Dallas, TX commercial-free live Saturday, September 19 at 9:00pm ET/6:00pm PT.  This telecast will mark the first time the network will air a fight-card without commercial interruption.

I am not sure what fights will air, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Efrain Escudero vs. Cole Miller, Jason Brilz vs. Eliot Marshall, and Robert Emerson vs. Rafael Dos Anjos fights were shown, seeing as each one of those fights has a participant from past “Ultimate Fighter” shows.

Fedor, the #1 Ranked MMA Heavyweight in the World, To Be Seen for the First Time by Broadcast Television Audience

The CBS Television Network will return to the mixed martial arts (MMA) cage with STRIKEFORCE: FEDOR VS. ROGERS, to be broadcast Saturday, Nov. 7 (9:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT). SHOWTIME Sports® will produce the four-fight event with host Gus Johnson calling the action and MMA legend Frank Shamrock and Mauro Ranallo serving as color analysts.

In 2008, CBS aired the first live MMA fights on network television, with three successful events earning time period-winning ratings in all key young adult and young men demographics.  CBS’s most recent broadcast in October 2008 ranked as the night’s highest-rated program on both broadcast and cable in adults 18-34 and men 18-34, topping all other sports programming in those demographics, including the Major League Baseball playoffs and college football.

On Nov. 7, the world’s Number One-ranked MMA heavyweight fighter, Fedor Emelianenko of Russia, will face undefeated American Brett Rogers of Minnesota in the marquee match up. The fight marks the first bout for the highly coveted Emelianenko since his promotional company M-1 Global signed an agreement with STRIKEFORCE to co-promote major events.

“There’s no question this is a sport that is fast becoming a force in popularity and as a business,” said Kelly Kahl, Senior Executive Vice President, Prime Time, CBS Television.  “We’re excited to be the platform that will enable millions more to see the athlete regarded as the very best in his sport. The Number One heavyweight on the most-watched network has a very nice ring to it.”

Simply referred to as “Fedor” by fans around the world, the 6-foot, 235-pound Russian is one of the most dominant fighters in the sport.  He is a master of the Russian military combat system Sambo and boasts a record of 30 wins, one loss, no draws with 16 wins by submission, seven knockouts and seven decisions. The 28-year-old Rogers (10-0) is a massive physical specimen standing 6-feet, 5-inches tall and weighing 265 pounds.  He possesses two of the heaviest hands in the sport of MMA, an attribute that has helped him knock out all 10 of his professional opponents.

“It is an honor to have the opportunity to bring the STRIKEFORCE brand to CBS,” said Scott Coker, Founder and CEO of STRIKEFORCE.  “We are looking forward to bringing MMA back to the network and to having the world’s No. 1 heavyweight—Fedor—compete for the first time on live network television against one of America’s most promising young, undefeated stars—Brett Rogers.”

STRIKEFORCE has experienced significant growth since it launched its first MMA promotion on March 10, 2006.  After signing a landmark deal to air live events on SHOWTIME® earlier this year, STRIKEFORCE earned the premium network its highest MMA rating ever on August 15 with Carano vs. Cyborg.  Shortly before the live telecast, the main event principals—Gina Carano and Cris “Cyborg” Santos—were the most searched terms on Yahoo! and Google, while the fight was the most discussed subject on Twitter.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski will appear on MTV’s Bully Beatdown tomorrow night.

Bully Beatdown is hosted by mma journey man Jason “Mayhem” Miller. In the show, people who have been bullied get in touch with Mayhem to get some help dealing with their man-handler. Mayhem confronts the bully and offers them 10,000 dollars to step into the cage with a professional MMA fighter.

The fight consists of 2 rounds. The first round is submission grappling only. If the bully can survive 3 minutes in the cage with the MMA fighter, he wins 5,000 dollars. He loses 1,000 dollars every time he is submitted.

Round 2 is straight kickboxing. The premise is simple. If you survive the 3 minute round, you win 5,000 dollars. If you are knocked out or the referee intervenes to stop the match, you lose all 5,000 dollars.

Here is a preview of the episode.

ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP® CONFIRMS REMAINING BOUTS FOR UFC® 103

MIRKO CRO COP vs. JUNIOR DOS SANTOS
MARTIN KAMPMANN vs. PAUL DALEY
JOSH KOSCHECK vs. FRANK TRIGG
TYSON GRIFFIN vs. HERMES FRANCA
EFRAIN ESCUDERO vs. COLE MILLER
DREW MCFEDRIES vs. TOMASZ DRWAL
JIM MILLER vs. STEVE LOPEZ
NIK LENTZ vs. RAFAELLO OLIVEIRA
RICK STORY vs. BRIAN FOSTER
ELIOT MARSHALL vs. JASON BRILZ
VLADIMIR MATYUSHENKO vs. IGOR POKRAJAC
ROBERT EMERSON vs. RAFAEL DOS ANJOS

LIVE FROM THE AMERICAN AIRLINES CENTER SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2009

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – As the saying goes, everything’s bigger in Texas – including the fight cards. With the superfight between former middleweight champion Rich Franklin and Vitor Belfort already signed, the Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) is set to put on a record 13 fights for UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort, which is presented by TEQUILA CAZADORES, live from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on September 19.

Tickets for UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort are still on sale and are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster.com, AmericanAirlinesCenter.com, American Airlines Center Box Office and by phone at 1-800-745-3000. Prices do not include service charges.

Mirko Cro Cop (fighting out of Zagreb, Croatia) has fought some of the best heavyweights in the world. The seasoned striker with 25 professional wins is coming off a TKO victory against Mostapha Al Turk in June, but the former PRIDE® Grand Prix champion could be facing one of his toughest challenges in recent memory when he takes on the dangerous Brazilian Junior Dos Santos (fighting out of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil). With two knockout wins in his first two UFC fights, no one has lasted longer than 80 seconds in the UFC against the 25-year-old. The 6-foot-4, 238-pound fighter will need to bring his sharpest standup game yet against the feared Croatian kickboxer.

Coming off the biggest win of his career, welterweight contender Martin Kampmann (fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) is fresh from an impressive split decision victory over former World Extreme Cagefighting® welterweight champion Carlos Condit in April. Since dropping down to the 170-pound weight class, the 27-year-old former Danish Thai boxing champion is a perfect 2-0 but will be pitted against the extremely explosive Paul Daley (fighting out of Nottingham, England). An exciting striker that has fought around the globe, Daley owns KO wins over UFC veterans John Alessio and Duane Ludwig and is making his UFC debut.

A former national college wrestling champion, Josh Koscheck (fighting out of Fresno, Calif.) has compiled 10 UFC wins in his career. The Waynesburg, Pennsylvania native has wins over Diego Sanchez, Chris Lytle and Dustin Hazelett, but he has never faced someone like returning UFC veteran Frank Trigg (fighting out of Las Vegas, NV.). One half of two memorable fights with then UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes, Trigg has the experience, wrestling background and Octagon savvy to give Koscheck the most difficult test of his career. With two UFC victories already on his resume`, Trigg makes his first trip back into the Octagon™ since 2005.

At only 25 years old, Tyson Griffin (fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) has already compiled six wins in the UFC. The powerful lightweight fighter holds victories over Clay Guida, Gleison Tibau and most recently a unanimous decision win against Rafael Dos Anjos in April. But now the Sacramento, California born mixed martial artist turns his attention to another tough Brazilian in Hermes Franca (fighting out of Miami, Fla.). The decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt holds two submission victories in the UFC and is coming off a unanimous decision win against his former jiu-jitsu instructor Marcus Aurelio at UFC 90.

Winner of the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter™, Efrain Escudero (fighting out of Tempe, Ariz.) remains undefeated (12-0) as a professional mixed martial artist and holds a win over Phillipe Nover in the show’s finale. Now the former All-American college wrestler and Mexico-born fighter will face the red-hot Cole Miller (fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.). The 25-year-old Augusta, Ga. native is coming off two consecutive submission victories, tapping out Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Jorge Gurgel and TUF 8’s Junie Browning in successive bouts. The 6-foot-1 lightweight has four total wins in the UFC, and he’ll be looking for number five on September 19th.

With all four of his UFC wins coming via KO/TKO, Drew McFedries (fighting out of Bettendorf, Iowa) has the power and the talent to put anyone’s lights out. It took the Ames, Iowa born fighter only 37 seconds to take Xavier Foupa-Pokam out in his last fight at UFC 98 and the talented middleweight will need every bit of his standup skill when he mixes it up with the aggressive Tomasz Drwal (fighting out of San Diego, Calif. / Krakow, Poland). The heavy-handed 27-year-old is coming off of two knockout victories, including a devastating TKO win over Mike Ciesnolevicz in June. Drwal, who has a 16-2 record, will look for his third UFC win in 2009.

Jim Miller (fighting out of Whippany, N.J.) has impressed many during his time in the UFC. Winner of three of his four UFC fights, the Sparta, New Jersey native earned a unanimous decision win against the experienced Mac Danzig at UFC 100 in July. Now the lightweight with the 14-2 pro record faces UFC newcomer Steve Lopez (fighting out of South Bend, Ind.). A national qualifier as a college wrestler, the 25-year-old Lopez holds a 12-1 record and makes his UFC debut on September 19.

Two fighters that are making their UFC debuts, Nik Lentz (fighting out of Eden Prairie, Minn.) and Rafaello Oliveira (fighting out of Knoxville, Tenn. / Janja, Brazil) are looking to put on a show in their respective premieres. Lentz, an El Paso, Texas native, wrestled at the University of Minnesota, where he is one semester away from graduating in Pre-Med. Lentz puts his 18-3-1 career mark against Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Rafaello Oliveira. Riding a three-fight win streak, the 9-1 Oliveira has three wins by submission and three by TKO.

Heading into his second UFC fight, Rick Story (Vancouver, Wash.) is coming off a three-round battle with John Hathaway. The 25-year-old welterweight holds a 7-3 pro record and is looking for his first UFC win when he takes on Sallisaw, Oklahoma’s Brian Foster (fighting out of Granite City, Ill.). With an impressive 14-3 pro record, Foster has eight wins by KO/TKO, four by submission and is making his UFC debut.

Making plenty of noise in the ultra-stacked light heavyweight division is Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Eliot Marshall (fighting out of Boulder, Colo.). With back-to-back wins against Jules Bruchez and Vinny Magalhaes, the Franklinville, N.J. native is a perfect 2-0 in the UFC and 7-2 overall. Marshall looks for his third UFC win when he faces Jason Brilz (fighting out of Omaha, Neb.). The Bismarck, North Dakota fighter also has wins in his two UFC fights, including a unanimous decision victory against Tim Boetsch in March.

Making his return to the Octagon after six years, Vladimir Matyushenko (fighting out of El Segundo, Calif.) is back and has won nine of his last 10 fights. The 22-4 Belarusian holds seven wins by submission and seven by TKO and is looking to shake up the light heavyweight division when he returns to face Igor Pokrajac (fighting out of Zagreb, Croatia). A protégé of Mirko Cro Cop, Pokrajac is on an eight-fight win streak and brings a 21-5 record into his UFC debut.

A veteran of four UFC fights, lightweight Rob Emerson (fighting out of Irvine, Calif.) is remembered for his 12 second TKO victory against the aggressive Manny Gamburyan. Now the 28-year-old from Huntington, California looks for his third UFC win when he takes on Rafael Dos Anjos (fighting out of Rio de Janeiro). The 24-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion last fought Tyson Griffin in a three-round battle that turned many heads. Now Dos Anjos heads into his third UFC match against the experienced Emerson.

SPIKE TV TO TELECAST LIVE UNDERCARD BOUTS PRIOR TO A UFC PAY-PER-VIEW FOR THE FIRST TIME

Network To Telecast UFC® 103 Undercard Bouts From Dallas Live And Commercial-Free On Saturday, September 19

“The Ultimate Fighter 8” Champ, Efrain Escudero, Featured On Undercard

New York, NY, August 21, 2009 – Spike TV will air a portion of the UFC pay-per-view undercard live to its audience for the first time ever, as the network presents bouts from UFC 103 in Dallas, TX commercial-free live Saturday, September 19 at 9:00pm ET/6:00pm PT.  This telecast will mark the first time the network will air a fight-card without commercial interruption.

“Providing an action-packed UFC pay-per-view, live and commercial free, to our viewers on both coasts, further illustrates Spike TV and the UFC’s commitment to its fans,” said Kevin Kay, president, Spike TV.

Emanating from the American Airlines Center, the undercard features high-action battles with some top rising stars in the UFC lightweight division.

“The Ultimate Fighter 8” winner Efrain Escudero (12-0), an All American collegiate wrestler fighting out of Tempe, AZ puts his undefeated record on the line against “The Ultimate Fighter 5” alum Cole Miller (15-3).  Fighting with American Top Team in Coconut Creek, FL, Miller won four out of five fights in the Octagon including a victory over the controversial “The Ultimate Fighter 8” Junie Browning last April.

Also on the undercard, hard-hitting veteran Drew McFedries (8-5) fighting out of Bettendorf, Iowa, is coming off an impressive victory (TKO in the 1st) in his last fight against Xavier Foupa-Pokam.  His opponent is Polish native Tomasz Drwal (16-2), training currently in San Diego who has won his last two contests in the Octagon, including a victory over Mike Ciesnolevicz in June.

Check out my twitter account here and follow live tweets from Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira UFC 102 press conference.

@InsideOctagon

UFC 100 ON SPIKE TV KNOCKS OUT THE COMPETITION ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 15

Draws More Men 18-34 Than The PGA Championship On CBS

And MLB On Fox

New York, NY, August 18, 2009—Spike TV’s telecast of UFC 100 (originally airing on pay-per-view July 11) drew more Men 18-34 (513,000) than anything else on television on Saturday, August 15.  Airing from 10:00pm-12:30am ET/PT, the telecast drew 2 million viewers, a 1.8 rating in Men 18-34, a 1.7 rating (950,000) in Men 18-49, and a 1.5 household rating.

The telecast bested heavy sports competition during the day in the advertiser-coveted demographic of Men 18-34:

UFC 100 (Spike TV) – 513,000

PGA Championship (CBS) – 479,000
MLB Baseball (FOX) – 242,000
Strikeforce (Showtime) – 181,000

I recently had the chance to speak with Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le. We talked about his movie career, injuries, previous fights and CBS/Strikeforce deal.

Check out the Q and A below:

Q: Are you going to be at the Strikeforce fight Saturday? Who are you picking in the main event?
A: I am going to go with the Striker, Gina.

Q: You have had some injuries you have been healing up while pursuing acting. Are you 100% healthy right now?
A: I am about 80% . I am just taking it slowly and not rushing back into anything and re injuring myself . I tried to get ready for the first card on Showtime for Strikeforce. Me and my trainer Javier Mendez  gave it a about a three week run, and the soreness took longer to go away then expected, so I had to pull out.

Q: Do you have to do any therapy?
A: A lot of people don’t realize that the therapy is only as good as your rehab. If you are not getting quality rehab it’s just not going to heal right.

Q: Are you able to train while you are in therapy/rehab?
A: No, no, I am able to train. I have just been working on my injuries. Now I am able to hit the pads and work a little bit more. I just have to be very careful . I don’t want to re-injure it and be out even longer. This can affect my whole career. I do most of my own stunts, so I don’t want to jeopardize any of my careers going right now.

Q: Are there any stunts that are propositioned to you and you say no, I don’t want to do that?
A: On Pandorum I wanted to do every single stunt and I ended up missing three of them. I think the producer knew that I wouldn’t take no for an answer. They were shooting a B unit at the same time they were shooting my stunt. I didn’t know about it until after, but I was very grateful because I found out that one of the stunt guys who did the high fall onto the table, the table didn’t break on the first try and he tweaked his elbow a little bit , and that could have re-injured my elbow.

Q: Did it take a lot of convincing to the producers to do your own stunts?
A: I just told them I like to do all my own stunts. They let me try out a few of them, they give you a couple of tries. They give you a rehearsal. If you are able to do it then they let you do it, but if you can’t pull it off then they use the stuntman. But pretty much I have been able to do all of my own stunts better then the stuntman himself.

Q: Do you have any more movies coming out this year?
A: Pandorum is coming out September 18th with Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster. That is a big one. I have a supporting lead. That is a big role for me. A lot of dialogue and a lot of action. I did like 97 % of all my own stunts in that movie. That was a brutal shoot. We worked like 14-15 hours a day. It was go time. It was in Berlin. I didn’t get a chance to see much of Berlin in the first two months.

Q: Do you have a time table in regards of when you want to return to fighting or are you ust going to wait until you are 100% healthy?
A: I am hoping that I can return by the end of the year or early next year. I talked to Scott Coker and he mentioned CBS. That means I’ll be doing double time on the rehab and making sure I don’t re-injure my elbow.

Q: It seems like the CBS/Strikeforce deal is up in the air. Do you think it is definitely going to happen?
A: I definitely think it is going to happen. That is why Scott Coker brought it up to me. He asked if I would be ready to go? I said yeah, if it’s the end of the year or early next year I think I will be ready to go. I just can’t tweak my elbow again.

Q: How did you hurt the elbow? Was it a combination of injuries over the years?
A: I had a surgery after my 5th MMA fight. With all the jiu-jitsu and sparring and overuse of the elbow over the years, I needed another surgery. A minor surgery ended up being a major surgery. It’s almost severe as one of those [major league baseball] pitcher’s surgeries. They said I would not be able to train for three months after the surgery.

Then I found out that Renzo gracie dropped out of the Frank Shamrock fight. That was two weeks after my surgery. My trainer says you might not get another chance. What do you want to do? By that time we had about 3-4 months to train. So they said three months before you can really start using it [the elbow], with all the rehab, and I jumped right into rehab and using it like 3-4 weeeks later. I came into AKA with this big old brace on my arm and I looked like the bionic man.

Q: See that is something I didn’t know. I didn’t know you jumped into that fight after such a major surgery.
A: Yeah. And I had an awesome performance. I can only get lucky so many times. I feel like that was a combination of luck, determination and will to win. Usually i have more pop on my punches. Pretty much all of my fights end up in KO and I finished Frank with a kick to the arm and broke it. I hit him with a lot of shots and made him bleed.

I never been hit so many times in a  fight in my whole career. I wasn’t able to get enough sparring in. I could do a lot of cardio. I was able to simulate someone coming at me, but it wasn’t like live, go time. But I pulled it off and it turned out to be one of the best fights of the year. And I ended on that note, and that’s it. I just have to make sure the elbow is good. I have had two surgeries on this elbow. If I have to do another one, that might be the end of my career.

Q: What kind of surgery was it?
A: The first one was a scope, and the second one was supposed to be a scope to clean it up, but it ended up that they had to move the whole ulnar nerve over because there was a big bone spur that was poking in it, and my hand started to atrophy.

Q: Do you think that you threw more kicks in the Shamrock fight then you normally would because of the elbow?
A: I think that he was open for kicks and he was blocking with one arm and that is great for me. I do a lot of timing. I like guys to shoot in on me and I’ll stuff the shot once and I’ll give them my leg and if they shoot from far away I definitely kick at the same time because I can maneuver and I can defend the single leg really well and even the double. But Frank took high shots on me, took my back once and was waiting for those spinning back kicks and he timed it pretty well. I was able to escape and execute them [the kicks] with a lot of counter punches and a lot of kicks and do some damage to Frank. The second to last kick, that broke his arm. He was a warrior who didn’t want to go down. I think that fight and that injury took the life out of Frank. he hasn’t looked the same since. They say Frank came into the Diaz fight with injured ribs , but I think he came back from the broken arm too early because I know he a second surgery.

Q: Is there other Sanshou fighters in MMA that are as successful as you?
A: No, no, I think I am the most successful Sanshou fighter right now. But I have a French kid in here who is like a Sanshou champion, Thomas Dungee. He is fighting on the September Young Guns card in Oklahoma. He is one to watch out for, he actually throws sidekicks. He has great take down defense and he is getting good at submissions. I told him no submissions unless you really have the guy hurt, because people really like to see those kicks to the face.

Also, September 18th, big movie [Pandorum]. If people wondered , I am not having little bits and parts in movies. I had little parts in fighting, but this is a big role. I am one of the leads.  I helped carry this movie and this is a chance for people to critique and see if they like me as an actor or not.

I am sure there is a lot of people out there wondering if I am just in there because I am a champion, but I actually had to win this role from a lot of marquee Asian actors. And I beat them all out in audition. There was nothing physical about this audition. It was just how good can you read your lines.