Quickly established as arguably the top facility and fight team in Europe, Wolfslair MMA Academy is now gaining a strong reputation as one of the leading gyms in the MMA world today.

Michael Bisping training at Wolfslair

Wolfslair Academy is a gym located in Widnes, United Kingdom, which has both produced and recently signed several UFC stars and other elite level fighters.

Co-owners and managers Anthony McGann and Lee Gwynn established the fight team as MMA fans with the goal of creating the top MMA facility in the U.K. They quickly achieved their goal and the facility continues to grow.

The gym gained notoriety primarily due to its signing of U.K. based UFC star Michael Bisping. Bisping’s appearance as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) created recognition for the gym, because several of its staff members were featured as trainers on the show.

With the recent signings of former UFC light-heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and heavyweight Cheick Kongo, the gym added two huge names and talented fighters to its roster. These signings have attracted new fighters to the gym for training purposes, as well as more publicity, and sponsorship and endorsement opportunities.

Rampage and Dave Jackson

The trainers at Wolfslair Academy are not internationally recognized MMA figures like the staff of many top-level gyms in the U.S. However, the team’s trainers are extremely experienced and have many achievements within their fields, making them very effective coaches and gaining them praise from fighters.

Wolfslair’s talented training staff, access to the public, and its appeal to traveling fighters and prospective fighters in Europe are its main strengths. These factors contribute greatly to the gym’s rapid growth and success as a business.

The head coach at Wolfslair is Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo black belt Mario “Sukata” Neto. Neto, the gym’s jiu-jitsu coach, is a one-fight UFC veteran and holds a 10-5 professional MMA record against top-level opponents. Neto has many accomplishments in the world of martial arts, including winning the grand masters in BJJ, winning a Vale Tudo championship in Russia and earning a third-degree black belt in BJJ. He was featured as one of Bisping’s coaches on TUF.

Boxing coach Tony Quigley and his son Tony Quigley Jr. are an integral part of the gym’s coaching staff. Rampage was impressed by the instruction of Quigley and his son upon coming to train at Wolfslair, and now spends a substantial amount of his time working with them. Junior Olympic gold medalist Tony Quigley Jr. is a professional boxer with a record of 13-2.

Rampage and Kongo with Tapout members in Wolfslair apparel

Thai boxing coach Dave Jackson is renowned within the muay thai community for his expertise as a coach and his uniquely effective style of muay thai. Jackson has worked extensively with Rampage and Kongo. Kongo was very impressed with Jackson’s style of muay thai and instruction while initially training at Wolfslair, and he has now refined his skills training under him. Jackson was featured as one of Bisping’s coaches on TUF.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and 3-1 professional MMA fighter Kazeka Muniz is Wolfslair’s wrestling coach. Gwynn is the gym’s strength and conditioning coach in addition to being a co-owner.

The gym currently holds a roster with several UFC veterans, including Michael Bisping, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Cheick Kongo, Paul Kelly, and Mario “Sukata” Neto. Other notable fighters include Alex Cook, Tom Blackledge, Lukasz Les, Henrique Nogueira, Curt Warburton and Abdul Mohamed. Many top-level fighters travel to Wolfslair for training purposes, including Andre Arlovski, Ian Freeman, Dean Lister, Tiki Ghosn and Ricco Rodriguez.

Rampage recently took a leave from the UFC to star in the upcoming film, “The A Team.” A dispute with UFC President Dana White also contributed to his decision. Rampage coached the most recent season of TUF along with Rashad Evans. The two light-heavyweights are scheduled to fight on May 29 at UFC 114 in Las Vegas, Nev.

Paul Kelly is 1-1 since making the move to the UFC lightweight division. Kelly looks to improve his record when he faces Matt Veach on April 10 at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi.

After going 9-2 since his UFC debut, Cheick Kongo has lost his last two fights to top heavyweights Cain Velasquez and Frank Mir. Kongo hopes to avenge his losses and get back in the title picture with a win over Paul Buentello in the upcoming UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones on Mar. 23 in Broomfield, Colorado.

Cheick Kongo Training with Michael Bisping & Teammates @ Wolfslair (2008)

Rising star Cain Velasquez defeated the legendary Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in dominating fashion in the main event of UFC 110 on Saturday to secure a spot as a top contender for the UFC heavyweight title.

Velasquez v. Nogueira

The two ground specialists exchanged in a brief standup battle in the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia.  Velasquez landed a combo, which sent Nogueira to the canvas and he quickly followed up with vicious ground and pound that left Nogueria unconscious.  Referee Herb Dean called for a knockout stoppage, putting an end to the contest at 2:20 in the first round.

“We’ll see what happens with Mir and Carwin – see who wins that – and if the guys come out unscathed, they’ll fight for the title,” said UFC president Dana White at the post-fight press conference.  ”If not, then Cain Velasquez will get that spot.”

Velasquez’s performance earned him “Knockout of the Night” honors along with a $50,000 bonus.

The co-main event featured another legendary brazilian fighter and Pride FC champion in Wanderlei Silva, who squared off against Michael Bisping.  The contest saw both fighters standing and exchanging for the majority of the fight.

Bisping took Silva down several times in the first and second rounds, but was unable to keep him down once on the ground.  Silva caught him in a tight arm-in guillotine off of a Bisping takedown attempt with about 15 seconds left in the second round, but was unable to force a tap.

Silva v. Bisping

Bisping landed two fouls which briefly stopped the action in the middle of the third round: first a kick to the cup of Silva and then a finger to the eye.  Silva took the offensive, coming out swinging for the fences in the last two minutes of the fight.  Silva rushed Bisping and landed a right hook to drop him just before the final bell.

Silva was awarded a unanimous decision with all three judges scoring the contest 29-28 in his favor.

Bisping disagreed with the official decision. “It’s a close fight, but personally, I thought I won rounds one and two,” he said during the post-fight conference.  He also stated that he would love a rematch with Silva in the future.

Australian native George Sotiropoulos defeated Joe Stevenson by unanimous decision in a thrilling and extremely technical match.  Sotiropoulos controlled the fight on the feet, dropping Stevenson in the second and put him in several dangerous situations on the ground utilizing his superior submission game.

All three judges scored the contest 30-27 in a dominant victory for Sotiropoulos.  The match was named the “Fight of the Night” and earned both fighters a $50,000 bonus.

The Ultimate Fighter season eight winner Ryan Bader took down and controlled Keith Jardine on the ground in the first round of the second main-card fight.  Jardine controlled the second round with strong punches and leg kicks and was able to stuff the takedown attempts of Bader.

Bader landed a right hand that hurt Jardine in the third and quickly followed up with a flying knee to the body and a left hook, which dropped Jardine to the canvas.  Referee Josh Rosenthal called for a knockout stoppage, putting an end to the fight at 2:10 of the third round.

Cro Cop v. Perosh

In the first main card fight Croatian legend and Pride FC champion Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic faced overmatched Australian native Anthony Perosh.  Cro Cop was originally scheduled to face former IFL champion Ben Rothwell who was forced to withdraw just days before the event due to illness.  Perosh took the fight on two days notice.

Cro Cop controlled the fight, landing devastating strikes in the standup and denying Perosh’s numerous takedown attempts.  Perosh continually went for the takedown only to end up in Cro Cops sprawl and to receive brutal ground and pound.

Cro Cop landed a powerful elbow from inside the guard, opening up a cut above Perosh’s eye with about a minute left in the second round.  Cro Cop was awarded a TKO (cut) victory at the end of the second round after a dominant performance.

The “Submission of the Night” along with a $50,000 bonus was awarded to Chris Lytle who countered a takedown from Brian Foster to lock in a kneebar, putting an end to the preliminary card bout at 1:41 of the first round.

UFC 110 marked the organizations first trip to Australia and proved extremely successful for the UFC.  The event saw the second-fastest ticket sell-out in the 16-year history of the UFC.  Dana White announced his intentions to return, to Melbourne, Australia for an event in 2011, during the post-fight press conference.

UFC 110 – FULL

Ever since its advent in 1993, The Ultimate Fighting Championship has been the paramount battle ground for mixed martial artists. It has been and still is the event fighters participate in to prove their prowess and skill not just to themselves, but to the world. Greats such as Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture passed through this system and gained international fame by beating opponents into submission there.

So here we are, at UFC 104. Wow. One hundred and four contests. The proving grounds are no longer graced by the likes of Liddell and Couture however; the grounds of UFC 104 belong to Anthony Johnson and Yoshiyuki Yoshida…at least in the welterweight category.

Johnson, an American fighter known for his kickboxing style, owns an impressive 7-2-0 record, with both losses happening to have been in UFC events. His last fight was against American Luigi Fioravanti at UFC Fight Night 17 (taking place between UFC 94 and UFC 95) on February 7th, and the result was memorable: a four-and-a-half minute technical knockout of Fioravanti on punches. Watch the fight, and as you watch you’ll see Johnson’s a pretty intense fighter.

Yoshida is a Japanese fighter known for his Judo style and a solid 11-3-0 record. His last fight was in the welterweight division of UFC 98 on May 23rd against former Navy SEAL American Brandon Wolff. And guess what? Yoshida put the ex-military man in a Guillotine choke that would make even Dana White cringe. Don’t take my word for it though; check out the video and see for yourself. Anthony Johnson might want to make those last minute changes to his will sometime soon.

UFC 104 looks to be a great match-up, especially in the welterweight class. A battle between two fighters in their prime always makes for great TV, and you don’t want to miss it. UFC 104 airs live on Pay-Per-View Saturday, October 24th at 10 p.m. Get excited with the preview video below and be sure not to miss what your buddies will be talking about for weeks afterward.

In November, 1993 the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado, hosted UFC 1: The Beginning. The Arena, capable of seating 17,000, only sold 2,800 seats for the event which had a dismal 86,000 PPV purchases.

Despite poor sales and attendance, the controversial event had lucrative potential; a second tournament was scheduled to air in March, 1994.

UFC 2: No Way Out took place at the Mammoth Gardens in Denver. The Gardens with a capacity of 11,000, only sold 2,000 tickets, but PPV purchases skyrocketed to 300,000.

It was quickly picked up by major PPV distributors like Viewers Choice and TCI Cable.

UFCs 3, 4, and 5 were all mini PPV hits, and really brought the organization and sport of MMA into the spotlight. However, not all the attention it gained was posotive.

After a brief Campaign held by senator John McCain asking governors to put a stop to no-holds-barred fighting, the UFC was banned in 36 states.

They were dropped by major cable and PPV providers, and forced to hold events in states like Wyoming and Iowa, where there was very little public appeal for the sport.

However, after negotiations with state athletic commissions, the UFC revamped their product; adding rules, weight classes, and safety measures.

In 2000 the dust cleared and the controversy was mostly forgotten. Most state athletic commissions granted the UFC sanctioning and John McCain was even quoted as saying “The sport has grown up. The rules have been adopted to give its athletes better protections and to ensure fairer competition.”

Casino Moguls Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta along with boxing promoter Dana White, purchased the UFC in 2001 for $2 million, and created Zuffa, LLC as the parent company, making White the president. Shortly thereafter, the UFC returned to PPV television, just in time for UFC 33.

UFC 33, took place in September, 2001 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Zuffa had hardly capitalized on their purchase with a disappointing $816,660 gate revenue and 75,000 PPV buys; 11,000 less than UFC 1.

However, over the next few years, with the guidance of White and corporate muscle of Zuffa, PPV numbers grew and the UFC gradually brought once more, the sport of MMA into the spotlight.

In 2005 Zuffa struck a deal with Spike TV to air The Ultimate Fighter series. The show was an instant success, and Spike agreed to pick up the show. The series, which will begin it’s tenth season in September, proved to be a huge promotional success.

PPV numbers exploded. 280,000 viewers purchased the UFC 52 PPV; the first UFC event to air after season one of the contender. The event was a far cry from the PPV disaster of UFC 33.

In 2006, only a year later, the UFC set the all time PPV annual revenue record, generating over $222,766,000; Surpassing both boxing and WWE PPV revenue for that year.

Earlier this month, UFC 100 was held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. However, in sharp contrast to UFC 33 only 8 yeas ago, the event grossed $5,128,490 at the gate and set a record 1,500,000 PPV purchases.

Last year the UFC generated over $250 million, 90% of all MMA revenue. This year, that  statistic is expected to take a substantial jump with the release of their video game UFC 2009 Undisputed and record high PPV numbers.

In less than a decade, Dana White and Zuffa transformed the UFC from a struggling business, experiencing financial deficits of more than $35 million only a few years ago, into a billion dollar corporation; synonymous with the entire sport of MMA.

A few words on the demise of Affliction’s fight-promoting business and how Afflictions efforts will be viewed in the annals of MMA history.

Josh Barnett's positive test destroys Affliction: Trilogy

Firstly, Affliction’s failure proved that on the grand stage of modern MMA in America, brand awareness is more important than putting on quality fights. Both Affliction: Banned and Affliction: Day of Reckoning featured cards that were loaded with quality fights between quality fighters, but without any vehicle to promote to promote their cards (other than the internet), only hardcore MMA fans took notice and were willing to put down money to watch Affliction. In the end, both cards failed to turn a profit, and Josh Barnett’s single-handed sinking of Affliction: Trilogy was the final nail in the coffin.

Any meaningful promotion Affliction tried to start was blunted by the fact that many casual fight fans buy into UFC President Dana White’s expletive-laden rants. Ever since Affliction started promoting fight cards, White has constantly trashed Affliction VP Tom Atencio, Affliction’s main draw Fedor Emelianenko, and many of the other ex-UFC fighters who fought on Affliction cards. And while some of these criticism had basis, many were just spiteful attacks aimed to hurt Atencio, a former business partner of White and the UFC. However ludicrous some of the attacks were, though, they worked; many non-hardcore or longtime fans of MMA fully bought into White’s argument that Affliction was made up of scraps that fell off the UFC table, that none of the fighters would make it in the UFC, and that Fedor, widely regarded throughout the world as the number one pound-for-pound fighter in MMA, was nothing unless he came and “proved himself” in the UFC.

The way casual fans in the US are so illogically loyal to the UFC is a triumph for White and the UFC marketing machine Zuffa has built. From the massive exposure the UFC gets on Spike TV to the ongoing success of The Ultimate Fighter to the slow-but-sure battle of legitimizing MMA in America as a major-league sport, White has led the way in making MMA mainstream, and along the way has plastered his own face onto every UFC product, marketing himself as well (if not better) than the marquee fighters in his organization. His tactics have won over a whole new legion of fans, but the truth is that most of the new converts are fans of the UFC organization only, and don’t know and don’t care about any other facet of MMA which is not of the Zuffa brand.

P4P champ Fedor will be in the UFC sooner or later

Other nationally recognized promotions like Strikeforce still manage to thrive because they keep their payrolls relatively low and stress that they don’t seek to challenge the UFC in terms of market share. Affliction, by bringing in Fedor and a host of other highly-regarded and expensive names, tried to challenge the UFC as the top dog and were promptly beaten down, forced to cease all fight-promoting operations and slink back to being an official sponsor of the UFC, the position they were in before they sought to promote their own shows.

For lesser-known aspiring fighters, the end of Affliction means one less option in getting national exposure; that’s not a huge deal, with companies like DREAM, Strikefore and Bellator also around, but remember that competition between companies always works in favor of the fighters and the fans. Affliction’s demise may bring Fedor into the arms of the UFC and make possible a host of superfights that fans have long wanted to see, but in the long term, less competition will hurt fighter’s rights and erode the product being sold to fans. For every big-name fighter that the UFC will poach from Afflictions roster, a less-known fighter from the UFC will be cut loose, his dream of fighting in the big show prematurely ended. Meanwhile, fighters on the Affliction undercard are now left scrambling for a new fight anywhere else after seeing their paycheck snatched away from them at the last minute.

Affliction and its “trilogy” of cards will serve as an example to any other promoter who wants to expand into the US in the future that Dana White is the boss of MMA stateside, and it pays not to cross the boss.