Meet "The Ultimate Fighter 12" cast: Michael Johnson, a producer's worst nightmare

"The Ultimate Fighter 12" cast member Michael Johnson describes his fighting style as a nonstop, in-your-face attack that breaks the will of his opponents.

When it came to passing the reality-show's interview gauntlet, he applied that style to Spike TV producers - at least verbally.

After two unsuccessful attempts at getting a spot on the show, he promised them he would keep coming back until they put him on.

"I think they were like [expletive], 'Hell with it, let's put him in and see what he's about,'" Johnson, a lightweight out of Springfield Fight Club in Springfield, Mo., told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "'We're getting tired of seeing this guy.'"

It was a big difference from tryouts he attended prior to the show's eighth and ninth seasons. He did everything he was supposed to do and actually made it to the final round of interviews in Las Vegas for "TUF 8." Just steps away from his dream, producers said he "wouldn't be a right fit in the house" and passed. That chafed a bit.

"If anything, it made me train harder," he said. "It made me fight hard, and get my game where [it needed] to be, so when the time came, I was the best fighter I could be."

Still, he resolved to make a strong impression during the "personality" portion of season 11's tryouts, which took place in April in Charlotte, N.C.

"I pretty much went in there this time and told then what the [expletive] was going on," Johnson (8-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) said. "(I said), 'I've been getting tired of chasing you [expletive] around the country. I'm here; I'm not going to go anywhere.

"'If you guys don't pick me, I'm going to try out again. I'm still going to be winning fights. I'm still going to be training hard.'"

That turned out to be just the ticket, and before he knew it, he was on his way to Vegas. But that wasn't the end of the gauntlet. He still had to win an elimination-round fight to earn a spot in the house.

He got the tough, rangy Pablo Garza, and he used his wrestling to dominate the fight for a unanimous decision.

"I actually broke him," Johnson said. "You can tell I wanted it more than he did. I wasn't going to let anybody take that away from me, especially because it was the most important fight - to get into the house and solidify yourself.

"I would have rather had a knockout or a submission, but a win's a win. I did what I had to do."

Johnson said he'll turn the intensity back up during the show. He said that approach has kept him grounded; he admits that without MMA, he probably would be fighting in the streets.

Turmoil came into his life at age 10 when his father died suddenly of a heart attack, and he took his rage out with his fists.

"Fighting (in MMA) keeps me under control," Johnson said. "It keeps me out of trouble. It keeps my head focused, where I have something to work for. I don't have any time to get into dumb [expletive], which is good."

He's also gained perspective about that time in his life.

"I lost something, a huge part of me," Johnson said. "Fighting was my way of not dealing with my dad's passing. Now that I think of it, of course, it was the wrong thing to do, especially putting all that burden on my mom having to deal with it."

Now that he's finally on the show, he's got his eye on a UFC contract as the first step in giving back to his mom.

"To better my family, and to get my mom to where she doesn't have to work any more, and she can have the relaxing type of life," he said of his goals. 

And he'll keep getting in people's faces until that's a reality.

MMAjunkie.com interviewed all 14 of "The Ultimate Fighter 12's" preliminary round winners, each of whom was featured in the debut episode of "TUF 12: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck." Two new interviews will be released each day from now until the season's second episode airs next Wednesday at 10 p.m. PT/ET on Spike TV. Full series coverage can be found on "The Ultimate Fighter 12" page.

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Episode No. 2 recap: "The Ultimate Fighter 12: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck"

After this past week's season debut, we now get to the pivotal second episode of "The Ultimate Fighter 12: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck."

In the debut episode, 28 lightweight fighters went through elimination-round fights, and the winners earned a spot on the cast. This week, they're drafted into two teams.

As the episode begins, the fighters are shuttled to the official "TUF" house. And the place is simply immaculate. And in the usual reality-show dash, the fighters scatter to claim bedrooms (while a few make a B-line for the bar).

A few fighters, though, quickly realize that this year's oddball may be Jeff Lentz, who declares he'll never tap in a fight as he enjoys some of his usual vices.

"I don't think smoking and drinking every night is going to help you in the long run in this kind of sport," Kyle Watson jokes.

"Let them think I have no gas in the tank," Jeff says. I've got cardio for days."

The attention then quickly turns to Alex Caceres, whom you probably better know as "Bruce Leeroy." Alex quickly find an audience and plays some music on his harmonica, and shares of stories of killing an alligator with his bare hands and wrestling a deer.

The following day, the crew boards the vans and heads to the gym expecting teams to be drafted. Various fighters weigh the benefits of each coach, and some clearly want Georges St-Pierre while others want Josh Koscheck.

In a Team Koscheck meeting, Josh says he wants Michael Johnson first and then discusses some of his other picks. But with Team GSP, Georges and trainer Greg Jackson discuss whether they should pick a fighter or pick the matchup first. (In past seasons, coaches got one or the other.) They also discuss how to handle Marc Stevens, a friend of Josh's. Georges decides to make a fake list of picks with Marc on tops in hopes Josh will spend an early pick on his buddy.

Dana White easily sees Georges' list of names and casually tells him to cover it up. The coach, though, whispers that it's part of his strategy. Sure enough, it works, and when Team Koscheck catches a peek of the list and wins the coin toss, they elect to pick a fighter (rather than getting first dibs of matchmaking) and take Marc. Greg simply winks at Georges as their plan works to perfection.

Georges, meanwhile, picks up Michael, who otherwise would have been Josh's first pick.

"Well played, Georges St-Pierre," an impressed Dana says in a confessional. "Well played."

The draft continues, and the teams include (in draft order):

Team Koscheck
Marc StevensSevak MagakianSako ChivitchianAndy MainNam PhanAaron WilkinsonJeff Lentz Team GSP
Michael JohnsonJonathan BrookinsSpencer PaigeAlex "Bruce Leeroy" CaceresKyle WatsonCody McKenzieDane Sayers "I made it to the show," Dane says in a confessional. "I'm so happy I made it to the show. But it kind of bites me I'm the last guy picked. I'm going to hanotve to prove these guys wrong. ... I'm not some chump."

Dana gives Dane a fist bump and some words of encouragement before the teams break.

"Being picked last doesn't mean [expletive]," he says.

At a Team GSP session, Georges decides he'll be a training partner to push his fighters while his coaching staff leads the troops. He says he picked his team for good reasons and opted to choose not necessarily the best guys, but rather, the ones who could be the best after his staff's coaching.

Later on, Team Koscheck has its first training session. Josh says he believes in "mindless training" with the coaches, including "Crazy" Bob Cook, barking orders and showing the fighters everything they need to know. Josh keeps an up-tempo pace and feels he can win over and inspire his team despite his reputation.

Afterward, both teams converge at the UFC Training Center for the fight announcement. In tonight's episode, one fighter will be the first to earn a berth into the quarterfinals. Georges comes front and center and announces his selection: No. 4 pick Alex/Bruce Leeroy vs. No. 7 pick Jeff. Alex said he wanted the fight and wanted to compete first, and Georges obliged.

Josh is pleased with the matchup and think it'll work to their advantage. After all, if Jeff wins, Team Koscheck gets matchmaking honors.

Back at the house, Alex and Dane are working on sparring in the backyard. Alex explains how his love of Bruce Le led him to wrestling and then to martial arts. The opportunity "was a blessing," he says. Once at the gym, Alex continues his preparations with Georges serving as a sparring partner. The Team GSP coaches stress the importance of winning the fight, and Alex appears relaxed.

Over at Team Koscheck, Jeff, a Kurt Pellegrino-trained New Jersey fighter, says he noticed a shuffle in Alex's sparring at the house that telegraphs any engagement. He and the coaches work on a counter right punch, and they also spend a lot of time on takedowns in hopes of setting up his trademark ground and pound. Afterward, Josh expresses concern over Jeff's coffee and smoking habits, but he says the fighter has shown plenty in the gas tank.

After a quick break, we return to the house the night before fight day. Alex is calm and collected, but Jeff is in the backyard trying to burn off some excess energy. He's a little concerned that he's fighting for the first time without his mom, who always provides some extra motivation.

The following day, Alex remains as calm as ever. But jeff is getting worked up and goes into angry mode and builds up some needed hostility for his opponent. The fighters couldn't be more different.

Soon, it's time for our first opening-round matchup, and it features:

Team GSP's Alex Caceres (4-2) vs. Team Koscheck's Jeff Lentz (6-1).

Referee Herb Dean is the third man in the cage, Dana does the intros, and we're underway.

Alex goes high with a head kick and then stuffs a takedown with a well-timed knee. Neither do much damage, though. Alex throws some big kicks from distance, and Jeff answers and connects. He immediately clinches against the cage, and a patient Alex patiently jockeys for position with his back against the fence. The fighters compete for underhooks before Alex throws a knee to the body. Jeff answers with one of his own. Jeff looks for a toss, but Alex defends. The fighters remain clinched against the cage with Jeff pushing his opponent into the fence. They continue jockeying for position while trading the occasional knee. Alex fakes a takedown attempt to get the dominant position, but Jeff quickly reverses and puts his opponent back against the cage. Herb tells them to get busy, and Alex locks on a guillotine choke. Jeff lifts him up and carries him around the cage, but Alex clings to the hold. Unable to get the position he needs, though, Alex eventually lets it go, and Jeff gets the takedown shortly afterward. Jeff works from side control, but Alex quickly works to his feet. Jeff presses him into the cage, and after a brief scramble on the mat, they're back standing against the cage. Jeff continues pressing Alex against the cage, but Herb calls for a restart with 30 seconds to go. The fighters trade ineffective high kicks before each fighter connects with a punch. During the wild swings, Lentz scores a slick judo-toss takedown right before the round ends. It's enough to take the round 10-9 on the MMAjunkie.com scorecard.

After a quick conference with their corners, the fighters return to the center of the cage for the second and possibly final round.

Alex again goes high with the kicks but can't find his mark. Jeff follows his lead and then swings wildly from distance. The fighters collide and clinch against the cage. Jeff again is the aggressor and pushes his opponent into the fencing. Alex gets off the cage, drags his opponent to the mat, and takes Jeff's back. He's briefly in trouble, but Jeff rolls over and works from top position in half guard. Alex tries to back out and then uses the butterfly guard, and after delivering a few punches, he masterfully locks in a triangle choke. Jeff immediately knows he's in trouble and postures up and tries to slam his way free. He can't shake Alex loose. Alex only tightens the hold, and seconds later, the man who said he would never tap out does just that, and Alex earns the submission win.

Team GSP 1, Team Koscheck 0.

Josh says the submission was telegraphed and calls it a "disappointing loss." Jeff said he just tried to bust his way through the hold but that it obviously didn't work.

"I don't really root for guys on this, but I was glad to see him win," Dana says of Alex.

The fighters embrace after the bout, and Alex is all smiles. Team GSP celebrates the victory, does his best Bruce Le impersonation, and this episode of "TUF" comes to a close.

For the latest on this season, stay tuned to "The Ultimate Fighter 12" section of MMAjunkie.com.

Catch new episodes of "The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck" every Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Spike TV. MMAjunkie.com recaps each episode of the reality series, and full series coverage can be found on "The Ultimate Fighter 12" page.

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Meet "The Ultimate Fighter 12" cast: Dane Sayers, first-time lightweight

In the constantly evolving world of mixed martial arts, weightcutting has quickly developed into a necessary evil for competitors looking to fight at the sport's highest level.

Just ask Dane Sayers (9-1), who's fought as high as light heavyweight in his two-and-a-half year career, and competed for the first time ever as a lightweight his elimination contest on "The Ultimate Fighter 12."

"To be competitive in this sport, you have to be cutting," Sayers told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "You have to play the game."

Sayers introduction to the game didn't exactly come in typical fashion. Growing up in North Dakota, Sayers only took an interest in the sport of mixed martial arts after a brief high school wrestling career. Of course, the bustling metropolis of Fargo didn't allow him a multitude of training options.

"The only gym I could find was this really traditional kung fu school," Sayers said. "The guy was just doing a little jiu-jitsu, mixing it in there and saying it was an MMA gym. I trained with them for about six months, but I didn't like their vibe, so I left."

"Red Horse," so dubbed through his Chippewa and Blackfoot Indian heritage, then went to a more traditional weightlifting gym where a chance encounter led him to a new place to train.

"I was hitting the heavy bag in there," Sayers said. "I didn't know what I was doing, but a boxer came up to me and said, 'Hey, you've got good power, but you've got do this and this.'"

Those discussions led Sayers to hook up with veteran fighters Miguel Cooley and Ethan Boyle. It was Boyle who introduced Sayers to another non-traditional approach to fight preparation.

"Before you know it, I'm training in this guy's basement," Sayers said. "He's got wrestling mats in his basement, and I trained with him for about nine months."

Sayers enjoyed the training, but he hardly felt ready to step into the cage as a professional. His trainers thought differently.

"[My trainer] lined up a fight, essentially, and he says, 'You can fight this guy at 185 pounds; he's 6-foot-4 and he's 9-4,'" Sayers said. "I didn't think I was ready, but he assured me if I just took the guy down, I could pound him out and be fine. For some reason, I just trusted the guy. I was like, 'Alright. I believe you.'"

Sayers did exactly that, and an MMA career was born. At 5-foot-11, Sayers' frame was probably better suited for a different weightclass, but he was still learning to "play the game." In fact, Sayers did exactly the opposite and competed as a light heavyweight at one point before finally settling in as a welterweight in recent times.

But now, Sayers will try his hand at the 155-pound division – and who knows what the future might hold. After his first-ever cut to 156 pounds for the elimination fight to earn his way into the house, featherweight might even be in Sayers' future.

"They brought all of us to cut weight at a 24-Hour Fitness," Sayers said. "I had eight pounds to cut of water. I was training for that. I was doing a lot of sauna stuff. I figured I could get my body used to the heat and sweating a lot, but what ended up happening was the scale was two pounds heavy at the 24-Hour Fitness. I weighed in on it, and somebody told me that it was heavy, a local there, but I'm not about to leave the most important weigh-in of my life up to some gossip from this guy.

"I ended up at 153 pounds."

Wherever he ends up, Sayers says he's committed to rounding out his game and becoming the best fighter he can possibly be. He's already seen the difference in speed and technique as he's moved to the lighter divisions, and he wants the world to know he belongs in the division based on his skill and not just his size.

"I want to show everyone watching on the television show that I'm not just some crazy guy that's really strong," Sayers said. "I have skill, too."

MMAjunkie.com interviewed all 14 of "The Ultimate Fighter 12's" preliminary round winners, each of whom was featured in the debut episode of "TUF 12: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck." Two new interviews will be released each day from now until the season's second episode airs next Wednesday at 10 p.m. PT/ET on Spike TV. Full series coverage can be found on "The Ultimate Fighter 12" page.

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Meet "The Ultimate Fighter 12" cast: Marc Stevens, Koscheck's prot�g�

"The Ultimate Fighter 12" coach Josh Koscheck often incites a wide variety of emotions from those around him.

Depending on who you talk to, the top welterweight contender is either a future champion of the sport or a wretched villain.

For "TUF 12" cast member Marc Stevens (12-5), the emotion is somewhere in between. You see, Stevens wrestled under Koscheck's tutelage at the University at Buffalo, and when he saw his coach on the original season of "TUF," the pupil thought he might as well give it a shot, too.

"I had been wrestling my whole life since I was about four years old," Stevens told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "I wrestled for Josh Koscheck at Buffalo. I was only there for a semester, and that was long enough to figure out college wasn't for me. I went home and started working and partying and having a good time.

"The first season of 'The Ultimate Fighter' came out, and I saw Koscheck on there, and I thought, 'Hell, if he can do it, I can do it.'"

So Stevens began training in earnest, driving 45 minutes each way to a gym in Syracuse, N.Y., and in 2006, he decided to turn pro. He's since racked up a respectable 12-5 record, making him one of the most experienced competitors in this season's cast.

"I've definitely paid my dues," Stevens said. "I've had more fights in a month than some of these guys have had in their whole career."

In addition to his pugilistic pursuits, Stevens opened his own gym to help pay the bills. He remains close to his family and has enlisted the help of his friends to build a solid support network as he chases his dream.

"I surround myself with a lot of really good people," Stevens said. "My boxing coach told my little brother and me, 'Show me your friends, and I'll show you your future.' I try to surround myself with successful people and people that are going to help me I have specific goals that I want to and that I'm going to reach."

Of course, locked in a house for six weeks, Stevens admits it's a little tough to turn over the reigns of those operations to his team for so long.

"I surrounded myself with really good people that I trust to run my gym," Stevens said. "I know my parents are going to be stopping in. My mom does all the books. My dad trains there.

"Laying in bed at night, I'm laying there looking up at the ceiling wondering if one of my instructors burned the school down. I've been there and seen them hit little kids in the head with dodgeballs, so I can only imagine what's going on right now. But once I get out of here, even if it's in shambles, I can rebuild it."

Stevens carried a four-fight official win streak into "The Ultimate Fighter" house. He felt he was on the verge of making into the UFC on his own terms, but scheduled bouts against Hermes Franca and Mike Campbell fell through at the last moment, leaving Stevens without a marquee win to impress UFC brass.

"I was trying to line fights up that would have got me in," Stevens said. "I would have liked to go that route. I don't like being away from my family and my school for six weeks, but we've gotta do what we've gotta do."

So Stevens will try to make his way into the UFC by outlasting 13 other hungry lightweights. It's a chance again to become Koscheck's student, and this time Stevens hope to stick around a little longer than a semester.

"I don't feel any pressure," Stevens said. "I put the pressure on myself. I came here expecting to win."

MMAjunkie.com interviewed all 14 of "The Ultimate Fighter 12's" preliminary round winners, each of whom was featured in the debut episode of "TUF 12: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck." Two new interviews will be released each day from now until the season's second episode airs next Wednesday at 10 p.m. PT/ET on Spike TV. Full series coverage can be found on "The Ultimate Fighter 12" page.

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"The Ultimate Fighter 12" episode No. 2 discussion thread

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Meet "The Ultimate Fighter 12" cast: Sako Chivitchya, the latest Armenian prospect

The impulse that drove "The Ultimate Fighter 12" competitor Sako Chivitchyan to the working world also prompted him to risk everything for a career in MMA.

Chivitchyan (5-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC), a native Armenian and longtime Los Angeles resident, had trained from age 9 in judo as nephew to famed trainer Gokor Chivichyan and took his first fight at 15 years old at an underground night club in San Pedro, Calif.

He felt fighting was in his blood.

But at age 19, his outlook changed drastically after he and his friends were jumped by a gang in his home, and he ended up the victim of a gunshot wound to the leg.

Chivitchyan was unsure if he'd be able to train or walk again, let alone pursue a career in fighting. So he went to college and started working in real estate. He would make a good living and make his parents happy. Besides, MMA wasn't exactly a growth industry in the early 2000s.

"When you do through an experience where your life flashes in front of you, you mature so much more," Chivitchian told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "You become more responsible, and you know that you don't have too much time."

Meanwhile, he watched as MMA began to blossom, and he saw longtime friends and training partners Karo Parisyan, Manny Gamburyan and Roman Mitichyan carve a path in the sport. He knew he could do the same with his judo skills. It became harder and harder to sit idly by.

"The more it grew, the more I thought about it," he said. "I knew I had to go back. One day, I decided I was going to sacrifice my personal life (and) my financial life, and chase my dream."

So at 21, Chivitchyan put school and real estate on the backburner and returned to fighting, six years after that first fight.

Chivitchyan returned full-time to the Hayastan Studio in North Hollywood, Calif., and made his professional return in January 2009. By year's end, he had racked up four victories.

He says his 5-0 record is deceptive because - like many of his teammates - several of his early fights weren't sanctioned.

Chivitchyan brings one of the most impressive grappling resumes to the set of "TUF 12" - he is an 11-time national champion and won two junior Olympic championships in judo. He admits, though, that his striking game is a work in progress and says he works diligently in Muay Thai and boxing to round out his game.

He chuckles at the hot-blooded reputation his Armenian-American teammates have earned on the reality show. (Gamburyan and Parisyan came inches away from outside-the-cage fights on "The Ultimate Fighter 5" while Mitichyan had a heated confrontation with doctors who told him he couldn't fight on "The Ultimate Fighter 6.")

He doesn't exactly promise to be different when he gets cooped up in the fighter house.

"We all have our switches in our head," Chivitchyan said. "We're a small country, and there's not too many of us. So we've always got to back each other up and support each other. We're a little hot tempered. We have a long history of being pressured our whole life.

"But we have good hearts. We're all about respect. You respect us, we'll respect you back. If you don't respect us, we'll go crazy on you. That's it."

MMAjunkie.com interviewed all 14 of "The Ultimate Fighter 12's" preliminary round winners, each of whom was featured in the debut episode of "TUF 12: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck." Two new interviews will be released each day from now until the season's second episode airs next Wednesday at 10 p.m. PT/ET on Spike TV. Full series coverage can be found on "The Ultimate Fighter 12" page.

View the original article here