UFC Fight Night 21 is in Charlotte at Bojangles Coliseum this Wednesday night. There have been few major sporting events that have come to Charlotte in recent years that have excited me, but this is one. Monday afternoon at their hotel downtown, many of the fighters were on hand for interviews and training sessions inside one of the hotel ballrooms. 

 

           One of the most impressive traits of all the fighters present Monday was the professionalism each one displayed while addressing the media. Having been around many pro athletes from other sports in interview sessions, many times there is a feeling that the guys are just going thru the motions and not thinking before speaking. They look at watches, sigh, and just give off the "is this over yet," vibe.How many times have we picked up a paper on a Monday after an NFL game and seen the same tired quotes from players and coaches a like. A former radio show at WFNZ used to have a segment on the mid-day show called,” Count the Cliché’s,” to poke a little fun at this. 

 

            Kenny Florian was the first guy made available today. A former Boston College soccer player (a fact I learned today) Florian says that his last loss to Champion BJ Penn,” was a blessing in disguise.” He felt that his training had become stale and after that performance he set new goals for each fight and has found, “a new excitement,” in training and preparing for fights. “I still think I can be a champion in this sport,” was emphatically stated by Florian. Florian has been a headliner on Pay-Per-View cards in the past and a victory over Takanori Gomi Wednesday evening could vault him back into the title picture. Florian called Gomi, “a legend in the sport and a most dangerous fighter with fast hands and a good wrestler.” 

 

            Takanori Gomi, regarded as one of the best lightweights in the world, makes his UFC debut Wednesday evening against Kenny Florian in the co-main event. Gomi was the final lightweight champion for Pride before being purchased by the UFC. Gomi was very honest in discussing his last couple of fights in saying he got lazy, but is in better condition now. Some athletes make comments about not caring about what the fans think of them, but Gomi made a point to say he doesn’t like to be booed by the fans. Hopefully, Gomi will not feel the first fight jitters many have felt the first time under the lights of the UFC. Florian and Stefan Struve both discussed the jitters they each felt during their first time in the cage Monday.  I also remember Rampage’s first fight and the nerves he discussed having post-fight with Joe Rogan. Florian said he now knows how to turn that nervous energy into a positive for his fights and I have to wonder if Gomi will be able to do that his first time in the Octagon against a world class opponent Wednesday night. The cage seems to present some issues to guys from Pride, where ring ropes were used. 

 

            In the other co-main event, Stefan Struve will take on the last Ultimate Fighter winner, Roy Nelson. Struve just recently celebrated his 22^nd birthday and this will be his 27^th pro fight Wednesday evening (5^th in the UFC). Much has been made about the perceived weight difference between the two in thid fight, but Struve states he is up to about 250 now so, “there won’t be much difference.” He is getting bigger and stronger now but does not want to do so too quickly. Struve is considered the underdog in this fight, but thinks his ground game has come along to a point where he can handle Nelson, should the fight go there.

 

            Roy Nelson is every writer’s dream and a potential nightmare for a promoter. Nelson was willing to discuss any and everything pertaining to his fight Wednesday night and the overall landscape of the heavyweight division. Nelson, when asked about how wanted to handle Struve's reach advantage  stated,” I have to stay in my range, not his.” Nelson also thought that while Struve may have more fight experience, he has more life experiences. Nelson did think that Struve’s wide guard would potentially pose a few issues if he is not smart at all times.  Struve will be there every round and Nelson did not think he could get inside the 22 year old’s head, as he did with some on the Ultimate Fighter.

 

            When discussing the Shane Carwin knockout of Frank Mir, both fighters seemed to feel the fight would have had a different outcome. Carwin "now gets to fight for the real title,” against Lesnar, according to Nelson Monday afternoon. Nelson also feels that the heavyweight's went from a division with 1-2 guys to the division to watch within the UFC. He also feels everyone could name ten stars in the heavyweight division right now.

 

            This is only two of the eleven fights scheduled for Wednesday evening. If you are a fan of guys standing and banging with each other, make sure you catch the Nate Quarry- Jorge Rivera fight. Rivera was asked about potentially taking the fight to the ground and his response was very simple: that is not my game; I want to stand and bang. Wednesday evening should be a great night of fights and tickets are still available on Ticketmaster and at the Bojangles Coliseum box office.

 

           

Tuesday afternoon, the weigh-ins will be taking place at Bojangles Coliseum at 4 PM. All of the fighters for Fight Night 21 will be present and this event is free and open to the public. If you can not sneak out of the office, you can watch this live streaming at       www.UFC.COM/live. 

 

Doors Open: 4:00 pm ET
First Bout: 5:00 pm ET
Live Broadcast on SPIKE: 8:00 pm ET