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UFC ON VERSUS

--THE SAVAGE SCIENCE will present live play by play coverage of UFC on VERSUS on March 21 live from the FirstBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. Join us for the BEST live fight narrative in the world–the action begins 9 PM Eastern/6 PM Pacific!

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DREAM 13

--THE SAVAGE SCIENCE will present live play by play coverage of DREAM 13 coming to you from the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan on March 22. Join us for the BEST live fight narrative in the world–the action begins 3 AM Eastern/12 AM Pacific!

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STRIKEFORCE: CHALLENGERS

--THE SAVAGE SCIENCE will present live play by play coverage of STRIKEFORCE: CHALLENGERS on March 26 live from the SavMart Center in Fresno, CA. Join us for the BEST live fight narrative in the world–the action begins 10 PM Eastern/7 PM Pacific!

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UFC 111: GSP VS. HARDY

--THE SAVAGE SCIENCE will present live play by play coverage of UFC 111: St. Pierre vs. Hardy live from the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ on March 27. The event will be headlined by a welterweight title fight between Georges St. Pierre vs. Dan Hardy and feature a heavyweight showdown between Frank Mir and Shane Carwin! Join us for the BEST live fight narrative in the world–the action begins 10 PM Eastern/7 PM Pacific!

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UFC FIGHT NIGHT: FLORIAN VS. GOMI

--THE SAVAGE SCIENCE will present live play by play coverage of UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Gomi live from the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, NC on March 31. The event will be headlined by a lightweight battle between Kenny Florian and Takanori Gomi. Join us for the BEST live fight narrative in the world–the action begins 8:00 PM Eastern/5:00 PM Pacific!

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BELLATOR XIII

--THE SAVAGE SCIENCE will present live play by play coverage of Bellator Fighting XIII live from the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Florida on April 8. Join us for the BEST live fight narrative in the world–the action begins 7:30 PM Eastern/4:30 PM Pacific!

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BELLATOR XIV

--THE SAVAGE SCIENCE will present live play by play coverage of Bellator Fighting XIV live from the Chicago Theatre in Chicago, Illinois on April 15. Join us for the BEST live fight narrative in the world–the action begins 7:30 PM Eastern/4:30 PM Pacific!

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STRIKEFORCE: NASHVILLE

--THE SAVAGE SCIENCE will present live play by play coverage of Strikeforce: Nashville live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN on April 17. The event will be headlined by a middleweight title fight between Jake Shields and Dan Henderson and feature the US debut of Japanese submission god Shinya Aoki! Join us for the BEST live fight narrative in the world–the action begins 10 PM Eastern/7 PM Pacific!

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MFC 25: VINDICATION

--THE SAVAGE SCIENCE will present live play by play coverage of MFC 25: Vindication live from the Edmonton Expo Center in Edmonton, Alberta on April 17. Join us for the BEST live fight narrative in the world–the action begins 10 PM Eastern/7 PM Pacific!

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SavSci Interview: Amir Sadollah

Written by Yael Grauer   |   Thursday, November 19 2009

amir2Yael Grauer interviews 'The Ultimate Fighter 7' winner and banana lover Amir Sadollah
I first attempted to get an interview with Amir Sadollah when I was writing for 8 Count News in January. I received no response from his management, possibly due to the fact that nobody actually reads that site. I tried to flex my journalistic muscles again in July, when I was writing for the bigger and badder MMA Opinion, and again had no luck. By October, I had given up and started compiling conspiracy theories about why Amir wouldn't give me an interview. Is it because he somehow got wind of the fact that I was a huge Dollaway fan and was jealous because CB got more fights than him? Or was it because he's Iranian and I'm Israeli? That would be a hard one to sell since I doubt either of us actually care. Is it because he found out how bad I made him look when I played him in UFC Undisputed? I'm not sure how he would've found out about that, though. I mean, it was at this guy's basement in St. Cloud. And besides, it really wasn't personal. I just suck at video games.

I got Savage Science's Managing Editor Jim Murphy to approve this conspiracy theory article idea, though he told me I needed to find a way to work aliens and the New World Order in. I asked Amir to comment on the potential conspiracies simply so that I could include the overused "Amir Sadollah did not respond to requests for comment" blurb in the piece. Somehow, he agreed to the interview right then and there. I'm not sure whether this is replicable, but I'd like to share my secret tricks for all the aspiring journalists out there. Without further ado, read on to see what Amir has to say.

Yael Grauer:  I've read that you started training after seeing similarities between surgeons and fighters. Can you describe what those similarities are?

Amir Sadollah: I guess I just always transposed the personality traits of how I thought a fighter should be and how surgeons tend to be. Being self motivated, driven, intelligent, and self reliant were all traits I felt a good fighter should have.

YG: You train at Xtreme Couture with Forrest Griffin--got any good stories?

AS: He yells at us from time to time, and he may or may not be a citizen of these United States. Also I'm not sure how close he is legally allowed to live to any schools.

YG: How did you get on TUF without an MMA record?

AS: I had an undefeated amateur record and I was the most handsome applicant. But I thought I was trying out for "The Amazing Race."

YG: Since you won TUF, you had to withdraw from two fights due to injury and then, when you finally got to fight, you were the victim of several illegal blows and what many believe was a premature stoppage. I know how frustrating this is for MMA fans and can't even imagine how frustrating this must be for you. How do you handle it?

AS: I'd like to think I learned all I could from the experience, about myself and otherwise. There is always a lesson, even in defeat. I suppose the future will show just how much I was able to use to better myself.

YG: Tell us about your upcoming fight against Phil Baroni.

AS:I am very excited to get back in the cage and against a veteran like Baroni. Run of the mill answer, I know, but all the cliche stuff is true in this case.

YG: You and Baroni fight in the same gym (Xtreme Couture).  Do you already know each other's game plans from sparring together?

AS: I wouldn't say we have worked out together too much, but between that and watching fight tapes, you have an idea of what to expect and prepare for any situations. Thinking you know what will happen can be a trap.

YG: For people who haven't seen it, can you describe Aftermath? (Ed note:  if you haven't seen it you can watch it here)

AS: It's an internet based after show for this season of TUF. Basically I interview the fighters using questions people posted on the Spike.com message boards. I've been called the David Letterman of TUF internet based shows. I have also been called awful. Both of these are kind of accurate.

YG: There have been rumors (responding to the Aftermath) that you are already working on your post-fight broadcasting career. Can you respond to that?

AS: No, I can't say I have any intent of focusing on anything other than my fighting career at this moment. I enjoy doing little things like this for the change of pace. But fighting is what I love, and the reason possibly dozens of people will read an interview with me.

YG: Do you really play golf?

AS: When I get the chance, for sure. I was hesitant to let myself like it at first, I felt like I was cheating on my beloved sport. But I have resigned to allowing myself the occasional three way. Wait, what are we talking about?

YG: You did a seminar at Maryland Martial Arts... Do you have any more coming up?

AS: If by seminar you mean cheating retirees out of social security paychecks... then no. Not anymore.

YG: You came in to your last fight under weight... Why are you fighting at 170 again?

AS: Last time I accidentally cut too much because I had a cheap scale in my hotel room, but it was nice to see how much weight I could cut if I had to.

YG: Having lived in the TUF house... a lot of people really hate CB. Do you think he got a bum rap on TUF?

AS: I think a lot of the slack he caught on the show was just because he came off a bit cocky. I never had that impression of him, he is just a talented, confident guy. Reality shows tend to paint a character rather than a person.

YG: You are of Iranian descent, and Iran has the best wrestling in the world. Have you ever thought of making a trip out there to train?

AS: I would absolutely love to some day. Unfortunately there is a lot of red tape involved with travel there, but hopefully I'll be able to do that someday.

YG: Gotten tasered lately? (Ed. note--Watch Amir get tasered in the video below)

AS: Only on dates.

YG: You train at Xtreme Couture where obviously Gina Carano and Kim Couture have trained in the past, but also Erin Toughill, Elena Reid, Elaina Maxwell and others. How do you feel about women's MMA? Are you a fan?

AS: I don't share the "women shouldn't fight attitude" that some have, I'm just a fan of good fights. Both genders are capable of putting on good and bad fights.

YG: How many fights do you have left on your contract?

AS: Good question, I feel like I should have an answer for that.

YG: Anything else you want to add?

AS: Thanks for the interview, and thanks to the seven people who read it. Also, I like bananas.

YG: Best of luck to you in your fight on the 21st and thank you again for the interview.

Amir Sadollah gets tasered

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written by j.west , November 19, 2009
Another great interview Yael. I am a little concerned that you are starting to think like the eccentric but lovable SavSci managing editorsmilies/cheesy.gif Great site with great writers!
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