Mike Swick

Our Gym In Thailand & Story With Tiger.

2011-10-07T03:48:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys,

As some of you know Roger Huerta and myself have started working on

our gym in Phuket, Thailand and are really excited about it. Though

its been a dream of mine for a long time and a passion for both of us,

there has also been an attack from Tiger Muay Thai about our venture.

Not a violent attack, calm down people. A verbal attack which in

todays social networking friendly world can be rough to sleep on.

Instead of stating facts and debating us, they are choosing the

alternative(basically the opposite of stating facts and debating us).

I feel after getting trashed by them for the last month or so, it is

time to state our side of the story. My choosing of this time has

inadvertently forced you to chose this time to read it. Sorry if you

were busy.

Before I get into this, there have been a bunch of inquires since this

hit the net, asking us why we haven't fought lately and is this all we

are working on or do we have fights coming up. Both Roger and myself

are as committed as ever to fighting and have both had unique breaks

in our career for various reasons. I, myself have been battling a

serious health issue with my esophagus that has dropped 30+ pounds off

me since competing at Middleweight in the UFC. I finally got my health

under control and gained my size and strength back and was all set to

comeback at UFC 134 this past August but had a training accident 2

weeks before that snapped my ACL and tore my MCL and Meniscus. I had

surgery and am rehabbing that at this time. Before the injury I was

having the best camp of my life at AKA and felt that after 4 years of

issues, I was finally going to comeback better than ever. By that I

mean to win and to win in a really exciting and violent fashion. Just

like you guys like. I will fight again as soon as I am healed. As

for Roger, he is making his return next month in Texas against War

machine in the UWF show on November 26th. (http://www.uwfmma.com)

Fitch, myself and Baroni will be there to meet the fans and show

support. Baroni and I are also going to commentate the fights. I plan

to spike his punch and bring his motorcycle helmet. Yes the same one

he, for some reason, wore during the entire filming of our infamous

Cobra Blood Drinking video. Gonna be good times!

Anyway, we have put together an over qualified and highly connected

team in Thailand to work with us which will give us plenty of time to

focus on our careers while running this gym. Our best fights are still

ahead of us. Life deals ups and downs and one of the things Roger and

I have in common is that no matter what life deals us, we don't give

up. Luckily we are filming this whole adventure so you will eventually

get to see what a real treat its been learning Thai law, Thai labor

law, setting up a Thai business, why Roger makes me take the subway

over a tuk tuk, scouting land, negotiating land, buying land, dealing

with snakes, dealing with snakes are are not human but are actually

highly venomous deadly snakes and a lot more. We had some hurdles that

were so big I had to put Roger on my shoulders to climb over, but we

did and are trucking forward. I am sure we are far from done either!

Ok, back to the good stuff! ;)

Tiger Muay Thai is claiming that Roger and I are traitors, like Aldrich

Ames in the 80's, since we have trained at their facility before and are

now doing our own gym in Thailand. Ray Elbe(Tiger Head MMA Trainer,

Spokesperson) has been maliciously bad mouthing us to everyone at Tiger

and to anyone that will listen, though after we announced we were doing

this, we met with him and came to an agreement in which he was very

respectful and understanding in person. Soon as we left Thailand

we were traders and had disrespected Tiger. It is uber sad considering what

all we have done for Tiger and done for free. I have put on 2

seminars, one bringing in over 100 people, attended numerous events,

let them film for their youtube and even reffed their NeverTap Asia

grappling tournament. I never got paid for any of these things as they

used the footage and photos to promote their gym for the last 4 years.

What I did get was free privates($18 each) with the Muay Thai trainers

and a free stay at one of their nearby bungalows which ran $10 a night.

In the 4 years I was in Phuket, I did less than 10 privates at Tiger Muay

Thai and received paid accommodations for about a week and a half. I

never trained in the MMA class at their facility. Only taught MMA to students.

The only time Ray and I were ever even on the mat together is when he

asked me to roll with him in preparation for his debut on The Ultimate

Fighter season 9. Even leary because I had heard how he verbally

bumped and grinded a few people I know who were higher level fighters

in the UFC I went ahead and rolled with him and gave him all the advice

I had on being prepared for the show. No matter what people had told me,

I was nothing but nice to him. And by that I mean, people told me not

to be nice.

In Rogers case, he obviously was there a lot longer than I was. He

stayed at Tiger several months doing free seminars, helping out with

the classes and doing tons of promotional videos and interviews for

the gym. He wasn't paid anything but did receive free training and a

bungalow that retails about $100-$200 a month. Roger is the kind of

guy who would have done it even if they didn't give a bungalow and

free training. Thats just who he is. I can't even tell you how many

privates I saw him doing for free with students and friends while

there.

There was never any agreement that we signed saying that Tiger is a

gang and that we are members of it and in return for tons of our PR

with bungalow/training compensation we are to never ever even think

about living our own life and pursue our own thing, post gang life.

(*This comment is not insinuating that Tiger Muay Thai is a gang.

Everyone knows that no gang would use a slightly edited and reversed

version of the Bengals mascot as street cred)

These are actual quotes Ray wrote in his blogs that are still on his website in

the archives… This is obviously before we announced we were doing a gym.

"A few of you may have noticed UFC Star Mike Swick walking around the

Tiger Muay Thai and MMA Phuket Training facility the last couple of

days. Swick is vacationing on the island of Phuket and has been to TMT

several times in the past. During last years Nevertap Asia grappling

tournament he put on one of the best Nogi grappling seminars we have

ever had."

"Huerta who appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, is one of the

nicest professional fighters I’ve met,I can see why Bellator saw his

marketability…He’s one of the most exciting latino fighters in the

world!"

"Seminar was scheduled to last 2 hours…and Huerta has given the guest

3…what an amazing day!!!!"

"I can’t tell the people who didn’t attend the seminar enough how much

of an opportunity they missed. Roger Huerta is more then a fighter–he

is a philosopher, a traveler, and as Yogi Simon would say…an

‘EL’…"

"Huerta is one of the most humble people I have ever met…His seminar today

was one of the best…if not…the best…seminar…Tiger Muay Thai has ever

had. Unless you won the lottery today…you missed out."

"Huerta has fought at the highest level of MMA—He’s regarded as one of

the top Lightweight fighters in the world… Yesterday he gave an ‘MMA’

seminar to close to 80 guest of Tiger Muay Thai…and it was amazing."

"Thanx to Roger ‘El Matador’ Huerta for the seminar he gave to the

guest of Tiger Muay Thai before heading back to the states.

It was a great opportunity for many of the guest of Tiger Muay Thai and

MMA Phuket to train with one of the top fighters in the world!"

Of course the current blog quotes now have changed significantly. We

obviously expected they would but trying to recruit Rogers next opponent

he help give him insight shocked even us. Shenanigans!! Yikes!

War Machine responds how anyone would I guess…

WarMachine170

@tigermuaythai if he trained with you guys for a year why would u wanna help

me beat him?

20 Sep

Good question. Anyway, moving on…

Its not like I just moved in on Phuket yesterday with a master plan.

It was days ago! Many! I have been training Muay Thai in Thailand

since 2000, well before there was a Tiger Gym. I have trained at many

different gyms spanning from Bangkok to Pattaya to Koh Samui to

Phuket. I have trained in parking lots, peoples houses, hot open

fields, concrete basketball courts, on the beach and Thailand's newer

facilities. Obviously Phuket being my favorite because of the

beautiful beaches, amazing scenery and friendly people. Through the

years I made many friends in Phuket and was there way before I trained

at Tiger Muay Thai. They act like they are the only gym in Phuket and

we are moving in to threaten them.

As far as gyms in Phuket... Our gym is not on the main road of Tigers

and the other 2 gyms. It is in Phuket where there are probably 50+

other gyms. All operate on the island and most are pretty chill. The

only issues I have ever seen between gyms in the 4 years I have been

going there is with Tiger and others. This is a big reason I retracted

my offer to buy Tiger while I was in negotiations with the gym owner,

Will, a few years ago. I dealt with him for over a year while trying

to buy Tiger Muay Thai. I made a lucrative offer that he was

considering but after finding out certain things, I politely retracted

and we shook hands as he wished me luck on doing a gym on my own in

the future, as he knows it was my dream. After this happened I stayed

away from Tiger completely so it wouldn't look like I was being

malicious in my attempts to do my own thing. I didn't train 1 time

there in the last 3 years except 2 1hr sessions a few months ago when

told to do so by the gym owner. Yikes at my last contradiction.

Anyway, I was in Thailand and we had just posted that Roger and I

teamed up and that we are doing our own gym and he knew I was training

for a fight, UFC 134, and insisted on us training there so long as we

didn't try and steal his trainers. We agreed because we had hoped that

us doing a gym would let us all work together and improve training for

all the thousands of fighters that flock to Phuket each year.

That was not the case though. They wanted us to train there so that

they can promote us training together at Tiger then later accuse us of

stealing trainers to make us look bad. We were set up like cloak and

dagger. Of course we didn't know this at the time so I tweeted that I

was training there but by day 2 everyone was coming up to us saying

that Ray was bashing us and saying this and that. So after only my

second session in the last 3 years, we left. Fortunately for us,

another gym(Phuket Top Team) not only welcomed us to train but

welcomed us with chin down and open arms and we made a plan to all

work together and create the best training experience for anyone

interested in seriously training Muay Thai and MMA in Phuket. Since

then many other people and facilities welcomed us to our new home.

We are not trying to take Tigers customers or trainers. That is just

silly! There are a ton of great fighters that become trainers everyday

in Bangkok plus trainers move like vintage David Caradine in Kung Fu.

In the 4 years I was in Phuket, I can't tell you how many trainers

came and went from all the gyms. Success lies in recruiting young

talented trainers and taking care of them and their families. There is

a successful formula as I will get into that in 2 paragraphs and one

sentence from now…

Even with Tiger attacking us, we have no malicious intent towards

them. Not even you Ray. I mean I wouldn't give you a hug or anything

but yea whatever. To everyone reading this, If you train at Tiger and

like training at Tiger and wanna go back to Tiger, we hope that you

do. We truly do. We obviously welcome everyone but also have our own

customers who we have met and friended through the years who wanna

train with us in a gym like we are building. We will bring in more

customers than we can probably facilitate year round so it is silly to

think we would be poaching from other gyms customers. Like I said

before, other gyms know and see this and thats why they have formed

friendships with us as we will help to build their student base and

names as well.

We are just 2 guys who are building our dream gym in paradise using

the skills, experience and connections that we gained from fighting in

rings around the world ourselves. Thats what makes us different. Roger

and I wanna create a gym that has the same curriculum, work ethic and

training as all the top gyms we both have trained at over the course

of our career. We wanna have top level MMA fighters come to tropical

Thailand and be able to get the same or more of a demanding training

session that they would get in their top gyms back home as well as

train with some of the best Muay Thai trainers on the planet. We also

wanna introduce inexperienced MMA fighters and hopefuls to the type of

training they will need to embark on in order to take them to the next

level of their abilities. Not only other fighters but I have trained

with thousands of our troops overseas while doing Military tours in

over 10 countries and I can't wait to invite all of you to our

facility to continue our training and friendships. Military are VIP at

our camp! ;)

We are not businessmen looking for quick profits and money. We are

fighters looking to spark greatness in the fighters of tomorrow while

living out the adventure of a lifetime.

As far as AKA.... This is a gym I am a core member of and will forever

be a part of. I have been at AKA for over 10 years and was there when

we named it AKA from Team Shamrock. Javier, the owner, was one of the

first guys I talked to about doing a gym in Thailand and he and the

team thought it was a fantastic idea for me even though it wasn't an

AKA named franchise. Even before I asked for it to be affiliated with

AKA. They were happy for me, wished me well and said they can't wait

to come and train there. Not only that but there are several MMA gyms

within miles of our facilities in San Jose. There is no Gang type

mentality where we bash other gyms and they bash us. We all offer our

style of service and product and all have our own student base. This

is why the AKA name and franchise is so successful and has built

Champion after Champion from the ground up. Thomson, Cook, Mendez and

myself were there when Cain and Fitch and Koscheck and Cormier and Wilcox

and Kyle and Rockhold and many others came in the door with little or

no MMA experience. They trained hard with AKA's proven formula and all

became stars. Almost everyone that was there in the old days that

stuck it out and didn't quit became stars. Gyms that offer a good

product, good service, a good business module and who focus on their

team, don't usually hate and worry about what other gyms are doing.

And for the people mentioning a possible reality show. Stay tuned to

find out. This gym will probably be as socially connected and visible

as any has been before.

We wanna thank everyone out there for the ongoing support we have

received. For those asking about more info, we will make it available

as soon as it happens. Obviously Roger and I have been an open box via

our Twitter and Youtube sites. If you wanna see Phuket and see Cobra

Blood Drinking, Snake Eating, Monkey Training, Shark Fishing and more,

get caught up on my Youtube so you can be prepared when you come out

and hang with our crazy asses.

http://www.youtube.com/OfficialSwick

And for you tweetie birds...

@OfficialSwick

@RogerHuerta

**A Few Of Our Phuket Videos**

Most Posts Now On Facebook / Twitter

2011-01-23T23:11:00.001-08:00

Hey Guys! Sorry I haven't updated this in so long! I am still very active on my Facebook, Youtube and Twitter pages so please follow them for news and updates!

Facebook Page

YouTube

Twitter

Thanks!

-Mike

2010 WSOP Cash And Update...

2010-07-04T18:11:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys,

I am only 2 days away from the WSOP 2010 Main Event and I am excited to play. This has been my best year to date in tournament winnings.

Here is the article MMAJUNKIE.com did about my WSOP event #42 cash...

Mike Swick Finishes 10th... (MMAJunkie.com)

Here is the video PokerNews.com made...

WSOP 2010: Mike Swick... (PokerNews.com)

I'll keep everyone updated on the Main Event via my Twitter site...

@OfficialSwick

Thanks guys!

WSOP Main Event

2010-06-30T01:08:00.001-07:00

I will be playing the Main Event at the World Series Of Poker in Las Vegas next week. I will probably start on day 2 which is Tuesday July 6th. Please follow my twitter for updates...

@OfficialSwick

My UFC Fan Expo Schedule! Plus WSOP!

2010-05-25T21:36:00.000-07:00

Here is my schedule for the UFC Expo & WSOP next week in Las Vegas...

Thursday, May 27th:

4pm-6pm - Filming Real Quick for UFC.com at the Expo

Friday, May 28th:

10am-12pm - Signing At The Toe2Toe Booth

12pm-1pm - Signing At The AKA Booth

1pm-3pm - Signing At The BSN Booth

3pm-6pm - Signing At The UFC Booth

8:30pm-10:30pm - Attending THQ Launch Party

Saturday, May 29th:

10am-12pm - Signing At The Toe2Toe Booth

12pm-2pm - Signing At The Fight Factory Booth

2pm-4pm - Signing At The BSN Booth

5pm-10pm - Attending UFC 114

10pm-2am - Hosting post-fight party at Crown Nightclub in The Rio

Sunday, May 30th:

5pm - Playing event #4 at WSOP Rio. Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better

Friday, June 4th:

6pm - Playing in Karina Jett's "All-In For Autism" Charity Poker Tournament at The Golden Nugget

SEE YOU GUYS THERE!!!

Hosting Post Fight Party WIth Fitch In Vegas This Weekend!

2010-05-25T18:10:00.000-07:00

I will be hosting a UFC 114 post fight party at Rio with Jon Fitch on Saturday, May 29th. It will take place in the Crown Nightclub and starts at 10pm. I'm coming up with a contest to give away 2 VIP passes so stay tuned!

Free Signed Tour Shirts!

2010-05-25T18:01:00.000-07:00

For every order you place at CombatLifeBrand.com through June 15th 2010, we will include a free Combat Life World Tour shirt(worn in photos and videos above/below) autographed by myself. Sizes and colors vary depending on availability. As usual, you will also receive a free signed promo card as well!

Back From The Tour!

2010-05-25T17:41:00.001-07:00

Hey Guys! I am back from my month long overseas Military tour and everything went great! We visited Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Djibouti, Kuwait and finally Iraq. As soon as I get time, I will be posting some photos from the trip.

Here are some videos I recently posted from Iraq and Africa....

*Hanging Out At Saddam's Former Palaces In Baghdad*

*Teaching The Troops In Iraq*

*Shooting Guns In Iraq*

*Talking With Khat Drug Dealers In Africa*

To See More Videos And Photos From My Trip, Check Out My Pages:

YouTube.com/OfficialSwick

Twitter.com/OfficialSwick

Facebook.com/OfficialSwick

Draining My Elbow In Paris France...

2010-04-27T05:00:00.000-07:00

In Paris I had to take matters into my own hands and play Doctor. We went to a pharmacy and bought some needles and I drained my elbow which was at an all time high as far as inflammation and pain since surgery. Of course, I filmed it to show all of you sick monkeys out there!

New Military Tour Updates!

2010-04-19T16:28:00.000-07:00

Started this military tour on April 14th which began in Germany. We spent 2 days in Germany visiting bases and doing seminars. It was great seeing everyone again. I had previously visited Germany with the USO before my UFC 99 fight. A lot of the same servicemen were there and we had a blast.

I signed helmets and even babies!

Even found time to check out the arsenal....

We then drove to the Netherlands to visit the troops there. We spent this night in an old abandoned military hotel. It was crazy because we were the only people in this whole hotel. Not even hotel staff. It was kinda strange but entertainingly unique.

Here is our bus driver Mike. He is a cool dude! At a truck stop, I found this book and made him pose with it. How crazy close does he look to that guy on the book?!?!

Doing our seminar by a local base...

This kid took the shirts right off our backs!

This kid is only 15 years old! They grow them big in The Netherlands!

For dinner we drove from The Netherlands back to Germany to eat Chinese food... huh?

They even had Kangaroo at this place!

Got caught txting as usual...

On day 4 we arrived in Belgium to rest before flying to Kuwait but because of the Volcano ash all flights were on hold. We just spent the day sight seeing the local attractions.

Enjoying my first ever Belgium Beer.

Got caught txting again...

After seeing this guy, Kyle had to have a pose off!

For dinner, we ate on base where an alarm went off forcing everyone out of the restaurant. Kyle and I were apparently the first patrons ever to take our food out with us during these situations. We were hungry and had steak on our plate!

On day 5 we took off to Paris, France to visit the US Embassy. This will buy some time until the flights open and we can then finally get to Bahrain. Unfortunately, it looks like our trip to Kuwait is canceled.

Hopefully we will get down range soon! I am very much looking forward to the combat zone parts of the trip. The Eiffel tower is cool and all but I would much rather be eating my sandwich in front of the cross swords in Baghdad.

New Video - Minotauro Nogueira Mistakes Dubai For Brazil

2010-04-15T19:19:00.000-07:00

Nogueira cracked us up yet again on the beach in Dubai. This guy is like the Brazilian James Bond! Shot on the beach in front of the world famous Burj Al Arab, Dubai's 7 star super-hotel.

Back In Germany!

2010-04-15T19:10:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Germany this morning after a long flight from the US. Germany is as nice as I remembered it from my last trip here. Upon arriving we went straight to the Army Barracks at Heidelberg. At 6pm we did a Q&A and took photos with the troops. Had a blast and will head to Spangdahlem Air Base tomorrow to visit the Airmen and do a MMA seminar.

Signing promo cards just isn't the same as signing a combat tested helmet. I love you guys for what you do!

First UAE Video Blog! Desert Adventure...

2010-04-11T02:12:00.000-07:00

Here is the first of my UAE video blogs... In this one, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Ross Pearson join me for some desert fun outside of Abu Dhabi. Includes dune driving, playing with camels, and of course me hurting myself! Enjoy!

More UAE videos coming soon including.... "Driving Armed Patrol Boats In Terrorist Waters", "Nogueira Has Goggles?!?" and "Pants On The Sand, With My Hat Turned Sideways, Looking Like A Fool With My Pants On The Sand". Ok, I am just bullshitting about the last one but that would have been funny! LONG LIVE LARRY PLATT!!

Back Home And Straight To The Doctor!

2010-04-10T02:51:00.001-07:00

I made it back from the UAE last night, where I enjoyed a great nights rest in my own bed. This morning I had to go straight to my Doctor to get my elbow drained. Apparently, falling off sand dune surf boards and doing seminars is not the best post surgery rehab.

Here is a video so you all can see what I saw!

(If You Heard A Beeping Sound Half Way Through The Video... YOU WIN! CONGRATS!)

My Abu Dbahi Videos Will Be Posted Soon!

Abu Dhabi Blog Day 5

2010-04-09T11:42:00.001-07:00

Today we went to the desert to drive the dunes and find camels. The first camel we found wasn't doing so good...

Then we found some camels that were still alive...

After I tried to sneak some food, an argument broke out and Big Nog and I had to square off against two hoofed opponents.

Big Nog passed his camel completely out! I had to wake up and comfort the drowsy even-toed ungulate. Thats right, go ahead and google it!

My camel and I made up and became best friends.

After a long humid day, I accepted and invitation to relax... Of course the joke was on me because all those black dots I am sitting on turned out to be camel shit! When in Rome...

After the dunes and camel adventure we went to a local camp where I temporarily blended in with the locals. They eventually caught on after spotting me tweeting on my cell phone.

Abu Dhabi Blog Day 4

2010-04-06T04:01:00.000-07:00

This morning I met up with Anderson Silva after his interviews and he seemed in great spirits as he always does. I am very excited for his and all the fights this Saturday. Its going to be a great card!

At noon, I left for the UFC venue location to do some filming for the UFC documentary. They have been following us for 3 days and are doing a huge documentary on the buildup of this show. I am assuming it will air on Spike TV about a month preceding the event.

Here is a very exclusive picture of the venue which is still in construction. They built this whole place in under 2 weeks and will tear it all down right after the event!

Since we look the part, we decided to do the YMCA exactly where the octagon will be constructed. Probably a UFC first...

Here is the current top secret location of the actual UFC octagon....

I am now about to go and get a workout then rest until we leave for Dubai at 5:30pm. There, we will shoot some videos for showtime at the Virgin Mega Store. I think the indoor ski resort is near, so hopefully I will get to visit it.

Abu Dhabi Blog Day 3

2010-04-05T12:21:00.000-07:00

We spent day 3 at the US Embassy with the Marines and staff. For security reasons we couldn't take photos or video but here are a couple they took....

On Day 3 we traveled to Dubai to do a Radio One interview. It was my first time in downtown Dubai and the architecture was amazing! This is truly one of the most unique cities in the world.

After the radio interview we got lost and ended up on the beach. Immediately upon getting out of the vehicle, Nogueira takes off his shirt and pulls swimming googles out of his pocket! This was baffling considering we had no plans to even go to a beach that day. Thats a true Brazilian right there! He said "I go to swim now" and took off for the water. We literally watched him swim laps in the ocean for almost an hour before he exited like a Brazilian James Bond.

After getting back to the hotel we had some time to relax which I spent in my room watching A-Team re-runs. We then met up to go to the world famous Abu Dhabi Combat Club. Well, Ross and I. We yet again lost Nogueira, which has happened 5 times in the last 2 days. He is a true ninja.

The Combat Club was the most amazing gym I have ever been to. Its truly a spectacle. We did an autograph signing and talked with the media for about 2 hours while watching the training.

Dogs are forbidden to wag their tails at this location! At least they can still walk around naked which is a severe crime for humans here. 2 foreigners were caught kissing in public a while back and spent over a month in jail. 2 others were found bumping uglies on the beach and they got an even longer sentence. They don't play around in the Middle East!

Abu Dhabi Blog Day 1 And 2...

2010-04-03T22:37:00.000-07:00

Finally in Abu Dhabi and its amazing! This is the first chance I have had to blog since our schedule has been so chaotic. I will fill you in below with pics and recaps to keep you guys updated...

This is the first thing I saw arriving in Abu Dhabi...

The first night I grabbed a taxi and set out to explore the city. It was dark and I couldn't see much but did find some cool cultural hangouts. I should have taken more pictures but figured I had plenty of time still...

The next morning bright and early I met up with Big Nog and Ross Pearson and we went to the USO Dubai base. After going through security we met up with the Navy and did a seminar and Q&A in their shipping warehouse. Immediately following that, they took us on an armed patrol boat and actually let us drive it. Considering these were terrorist ridden waters, it was a very unique and exciting experience. The boats were armed with 50 cal machine guns and automatic grenade launchers.

After leaving USO Dubai, we stopped by Subway then shipped off to Minad Airbase where we met with many different airmen groups including the Aussie, Canadian and British. We did seminars and Q&A for them all...

We ended the night hanging out with the British troops where they were partying like its 1999! Pool, Ping Pong, Darts and even a live DJ! They even let me show my skills on the turn table. Big Nog was groovin! At the end of the night, the British Base Commander stopped by to say hi and get autographs for his twin daughters...

All My New Thailand Videos Linked...

2010-03-24T17:48:00.000-07:00

I posted all my Thailand videos on Twitter in real time but since things wash right through the social networking rivers their, I am posting all the videos with descriptions here... Let me know what you think and please subscribe!

(Mine & Roger Huerta's Thailand Vlog - The Best!)

(I Teach Huerta How To Charm Venomous Snakes)

(Night Out In Red Light District With Tiger Muay Thai)

(Buried Alive In Thailand)

(Served To Me As A Cheesburger!)

(I Blow My Tire Out In Thailand)

(Huerta & I Eat Some Bugs)

(I Race A Kitchen On The Mean Streets Of Phuket)

Sorry for the absence...

2010-03-24T17:36:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

Sorry for the absence, I have been mostly using Twitter to communicate lately. I will post my longer updates here...

I also recently joined Facebook due to the fake accounts portraying me. If something stupid is posted I wanna at least make sure I am the one who said it!

http://www.facebook.com/officialswick

Thanks guys!

-Mike

Mike forced out of UFC 103

2009-09-05T20:07:00.000-07:00

Written By: Mary Swick

I regret to inform you that Mike was forced to pull out of his September 19 bout at UFC 103 against Martin Kampmann. This past week during training, Mike suffered a Grade 2 head concussion after a takedown when he landed on the back of his head. After being examined by two physicians, he was told not to fight. Against doctors orders, Mike had still hoped to heal in time to fight in Texas. After symptoms continued through training in the days following, Bob Cook stepped in and pulled him from the fight.

Although Mike is extremely upset, he is anxious to get back in the ring and fight again soon. Mike released this statement...

"I am very sorry to the fans who were looking forward to this fight. I was very excited to come back home to Texas and fight in front my family, friends and fans. I am also sorry to the UFC, they have spent a lot of time promoting this fight. I am in great shape and will continue to train hoping to get an opportunity to fight again soon. I will post any updates on my Twitter page at Twitter.com/officialswick. I want to thank all the fans for their support. The emails and Tweets have been great and has made this unfortunate incident much easier to deal with. "

Nikelback Rocks!

2009-09-05T18:32:00.000-07:00

Written By: Mary Swick

I've been a huge fan of the band Nikelback ever since I heard their first hit single "How you Remind Me" on the radio. Since then, I've searched local venues hoping they would tour to a city nearby. Several years later, Mike was fortunate enough to meet the bass guitarist for Nikelback, who is also named Mike. They have since become friends and poker pals. Although Mike had hung out with them on several occasions, I had yet to meet my favorite band. Needless to say, when Mike informed me that they would be performing in Mountain View, I was thrilled. Not only did we attend the concert, but Mike introduced me to the band before they performed. Mike and Chad, both Nickelback band members, were incredibly down to earth.

The concert exceeded my expectations. The music, the pyrotechnics, the banter with the crowd, it was truly an amazing experience.

Another UFC fight, Another Victory! Written By: Mary

2009-08-17T12:56:00.000-07:00

Written By: Mary Swick

Things have been pretty hectic around the Swick residence. Since his last fight, a knockout victory over Ben Saunders at UFC 99, Mike has been busy promoting and preparing for his upcoming fight against Martin Kampmann. The moment the fight was confirmed and it was announced that the winner takes on GSP for the title, he hasn't left the gym.

Fortunately, we were able to spend some quality time in both Germany and in Amsterdam before his next training camp began.

Post fight party downtown Germany. We hung out at a local pub till dawn.

Spending time in Amsterdam.

For more footage of UFC 99 in Germany, please click HERE

Germany Photos - Day #1 - City Touring & Fight Training

2009-06-08T17:58:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Germany today. After checking into our hotel we had a chance to walk around the neighborhood.

This bridge was covered with pad locks. Cool idea to leave your mark. The locks were all signed by random people who happen to be walking this bridge with an extra lock in their pocket and a marker. Oddly, I forgot to bring my extra pad lock and therefore couldn't leave my mark...

It seems that pork is the main item on the menu here. After spotting a pink, smiling pig, I jumped at the chance to ride this oddly happy swine.

We finished the short neighborhood walk with a visit to a local pub.

Later on, I met up with Cain, Dave and Javier for a night workout session. Cain and I ran first and then did some rolling....

After rolling with Cain, I did some pad work with Javier. Felt really good. Can't wait till Saturday!

The Good: I Have A New UFC Action Figure. The Bad: FITCH BROKE IT!

2009-05-24T16:10:00.000-07:00

(Click Photos To Make them Larger)

That's right, an action figure! I couldn't believe what I was looking at inside the UFC office this weekend in Las Vegas... I was looking at a small, little, plastic ME! I thought it was so cool that I went and got Fitch to come check out this bite size replica of myself and this is what happened....

First, I show Fitch just how happy I am that I have an action figure....

Then I show Fitch how I can coordinate with it so that we look as one. I explain how it is very flexible and can do submissions. I forget to mention that this is JUST A PROTOTYPE FIIIIIITCH!

He, as a 190 pound human, armbars my 6 oz action figure thus ripping his arm off....

In the process making me very sad....

Since this story took place, I have knocked him out in the video game about 10 times....

Playing The $2.5 Million Guarantee FTOPS Poker Main Event Today...

2009-05-17T01:45:00.001-07:00

I will be playing in the $2.5 Million Guarantee FTOPS Poker Main Event today online. The tournament is $500+$35 to buy-in with a guaranteed 1st place prize of $432,000. I invite all to come and play or just to chat! For more poker info, please visit....

*Click For More Poker Info*

I will be heading to Vegas for the World Series Of Poker after my fight on June 13th. I will probably get to Vegas on the 20th or 21st and will play my first event on the 22nd. Looking to start this year with event #44, the $2500 7 card RAZZ. More details will be posted in the future, right now I am just focusing on the fight in Germany!

Recent Updates/Small Talk On Twitter...

2009-05-12T23:38:00.000-07:00

I have not posted a new blog in a while because... First, nothing really cool has happened... Second, Twitter has taken over for the small stuff. I have been Twitting all the small details of daily life and training and saving the bigger news for here.

To see my Twitter page, please click...

My Official Twitter Page!

Training has been going great! I am in great shape and just wish the fight was sooner! The UFC Countdown show came in a filmed my training last week so I guess we will be featured on Spike TV the week of the fight.

Also, the UFC video game is coming out in only 7 days! Be sure and get your copy on May 19th! Just don't beat me up too bad!

Succumbed To The Twitter Bug!

2009-05-04T07:51:00.000-07:00

I have finally succumbed to the Twitter bug! I will be posting daily about training and life through my next fight in June.

http://twitter.com/officialswick

FOLLOW ME! ;)

Meaningful Story From Germany...

2009-05-03T01:43:00.000-07:00

The highlight of my whole trip was at the end. After meeting all the injured servicemen and giving them shirts and caps from my new clothing line, we surprised them the next day by escorting them onto the CA-17 aircraft which eventually transported them back to the States. When we got to the flight line it was touching seeing the guys wearing the shirts I had given them, though the highlight was yet to come...

After all the patients were loaded onto the plane, we stood in the center-front part of the aircraft and visited with some of the staff. There was a patient that was strapped in the bottom gurney near us that we had previously visited the day before. He was a victim of an incident which had his arm pretty messed up. He was wearing my shirt and it had the sleeves cut off of it, I am guessing because his arm was so large from all the medical wraps and braces. He was a little sedated due to the pain and didn't even know we were on the plane at this point. I kept an eye on him so that if he noticed us, I would smile and wish him well.

Eventually he looked over and saw that we were on the plane. He then raised his arm out from under his blanket and smiled. Ordinarily, that would be touching enough but what made it even more touching was that he was holding the cap I had given him in his hand. Talk about powerful! He couldn't even wear a cap but was full willing to hold it the whole way back to the states. He didn't even know I was going to be there that day.

I felt so sad and humbled that such a small gift would mean so much to someone. It was the very reason I started Combat Life in the first place and if I never make a penny thats fine with me, because thats what its about right there.

At the time of this post, there have been 4,966 American deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan. There have been 31,230 American's wounded in just Iraq alone and that's just the official records. It is estimated at over 100,000 wounded. It is absolutely disgusting the lack of attention and support that our troops are receiving from the public.

These guys are the most heroic and selfless people I have ever met. They don't make much money, they don't get any credit, and yet they serve our Country without hesitance even if it means getting hurt or killed.

So as for all the Servicemen and women who are reading this... Before you tell me that I inspire you, please know that you truly inspire me. It takes a very special person to perform the duties of our Military and though it seems you are sometimes forgotten and looked down upon by the very Nation you protect, know that you have huge support from us in the UFC.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!

Pictures From My Military Tour In Germany!

2009-05-02T23:18:00.000-07:00

Our cross country vehicle.

Fitch jamming to Reggae on the bus. The beer was not mine!

After checking into Spangdahlem Air Base early, we traveled to nearby Trier, one of the oldest cities in Germany. There were a lot of old Roman ruins to explore.

If you look to the left in the picture, you can see Fitch wandering around like the kung-fu guy, searching for answers.

Fitch and I doing a radio interview...intensely!

Hanging out at the USO Warrior Center

One of our 4 scheduled signings. This one was at Ramstein Air Base.

Talking to a class of Airmen about physical fitness, diet and nutrition.

This servicemen gave me the patch off his uniform that he wore the whole time he was in Iraq. He said it was good luck and he wanted to pass it on to me. It meant a lot and will be framed on my office wall along with the military coins I received from this trip.

Teaching a seminar with Jon Fitch and Dan Hardy at Spangdahlem Air Base. All of these guys were very familiar with MMA and they even had a base combatives program. I am starting to see these forming at a lot of military bases now. Its good to see!

I don't know what I was doing here. I guess I was showing how to throw a hand grenade from your back.

Seargant Major O'Neal escorted us through the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center to visit the wounded servicemen. Their stories were touching and heroic, though they all kept a humble demeanor. I gave them all T-Shirts and Caps from my new clothing line. It was only a small token considering what these guys give every day, but they were very gracious.

The next day we surprised the wounded servicemen by showing up at the airfield to escort them onto the C-17 airplane, which will transfer them back to the States for further treatment.

This is one bad dude right here! He suffered from an explosion and had shrapnel all in his legs. Before we took this photo he was strapped down to a gurney about to be transported onto the plane. When he saw us he made the nurse unstrap him so he could stand up and take a picture. Must have been really painful, absolutely incredible!

Seeing the guys who were wearing the T-shirt I gave them the previous day was touching. The small things say it all. I will blog more about this experience in my next blog...

Sitting in the cockpit of the C-17 before takeoff. Its a little more intricate than the 1979 Cessna 172 Skyhawk I use to fly in flight school. Quite a bit heavier as well!

The Rest Of The Photos Will Be Posted In The Photo Galleries On MikeSwick.com In The Next Day Or So....

So Check There For More!

Greetings From Germany!

2009-04-27T12:15:00.000-07:00

Germany is beautiful! We arrived yesterday but had a jam packed day so this is the first time I have had a chance to update the blog. We landed yesterday at 8am and drove straight to Spangdahlem Air Base. After arriving we checked in then Fitch and I toured a couple surrounding cities. We made it to Luxembourg to see Pattons grave and got there just at closing time. We also toured some ancient Roman ruins. We got back to the base at about 8pm and I crashed out.

I woke up at 4am this morning and took a long run. We all met up at 7am for breakfast and then visited the ALS/FTAC to give a lecture on diet and nutrition to the Airmen class. We talked and answered questions for about an hour or so and then headed over to the Base Martial Arts Club and gave a 2 hour MMA seminar.

At 11am we held an autograph signing which lasted about 2 hours. Then we enjoyed a much needed lunch!

By 3pm, we were on our way to Landstuhl Medical Center to visit with wounded troops. We visited 3 wards and talked with several patients. It was great seeing how much they appreciated us coming. I gave them all T-Shirts and caps from my new clothing line and they were very gracious. I met some real heroes today.

It always blows me away to hear these guys say how we are their inspiration and that they look up to us, when I feel the same about them. I mean as far as civilian life goes, we are pretty extreme.... but these guys are the real heroes. They go out to Iraq and Afghanistan and get into firefights that they sometimes don't come home from. Then, even when they make it out alive, it could be at a great cost. I have all the respect in the world for our military and always will. It was great seeing the character of people who represent our country today. I was so humbled.

After visiting with patients for several hours and having dinner with them, we drove to Ramstein Air Base, I checked into the hotel and am now writing this blog. Long day for sure but worth every second.

Tomorrow we have another packed day starting at 7am again. We plan to go to the Armed Forces Network studio and record some commercials. We are also going to the flight line to witness the uploading of patients onto C-17 Military Aircraft. After that, we will do an autograph signing here at Ramstein and then head to Wiesbaden Army Airfield, which will be the last base we are visiting.

I tried to upload photos from the day but I am having technical problems with linking the camera to my Mac so it might be a day or so before I get the photos uploaded, but I will soon!

Stay tuned for more!

Our Mexican Get-Away Pictures...

2009-04-22T00:44:00.000-07:00

After several weeks of consecutive hard training, I decided to sneak off to Mexico for a long weekend before hitting the last 8 week stretch of my fight camp. Mary and I decided Cabo would be the right place and we were off. I have been so busy since getting back, with training and traveling, that I am just now being able to post these photos...

Even on vacation, I still can't stop playing poker! The scenery was amazing though!

Mary and I rented a boat and received the Cabo tour.

During the tour we visited a cave....

Then I went inside the cave... Sat Down... Then felt that sitting in a cave was totally overrated...

After hanging out on the beach and relaxing for a couple days, Mi Amigo from the hotel told me that there was a really cool "Old City" outside of Cabo and it would be cool for us gringos to hang out at and take photos. He said it would take about dos hours to get there so we looked it up and took off... Quatro hours later, we were still driving!

After going to the spot on the map, all we found were a few cows...

Feeling frustrated, I put my hands to the side because that silently expresses frustration.

After further investigation, we found the amazing city!

But it wasn't so amazing and definitely not worth a day of driving on the longest and most boring road ever built...

Again I cleverly express frustration, even without using my hands this time...

This opportunity just seemed too good to pass up!

Orlando Seminar Photos...

2009-04-21T23:48:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos from the seminar I held this past Sunday in Orlando, Florida. The seminar, presented by Ground And Pound Athletic Wear, was a success and I had a blast meeting everyone and helping out! Ironically enough, I did this seminar at Tiger Martial Arts, which is a gym that is about 4 miles from my next opponents... Ben Saunders! What a Coinci-dink!

Fort Bragg Photos...

2009-04-21T23:28:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos from the Spring BBQ at Fort Bragg from this past Friday. Oakgrove Technologies and myself came out to raise money for the family readiness program. At the end of the days festivities, I presented a brand new SIG P220 to the lucky winner of the charity raffle.

On Saturday I will head to Germany to visit a few more military bases. I am very excited about this trip. I will be posting photos and videos on this blog and my webpage so check back! MikeSwick.com

Military Tour This Month!

2009-04-14T16:22:00.000-07:00

I will be heading back to Fort Bragg this Thursday to do a special presentation for the Special Forces guys. This will mark my 3rd trip to Fort Bragg, including fighting there last December on the UFC Fight For The Troops card. I love this base and the guys are always so supportive!

On the 25th of this month, I will leave for a military tour through Germany. I think we will hit 3-4 bases. It will be great to support the troops and to get a taste of Germany since I will be fighting there on June 13th.

I will be posting photos and videos from these trips here and on my website at MikeSwick.com so keep checking back!

Seminar This Weekend In Florida!

2009-04-14T16:17:00.000-07:00

(Click Photo To Enlarge)

Join me this weekend in Florida! I will host a UFC fight party for UFC 97 on Saturday night and will be doing a seminar on Sunday at Tiger Martial Arts!

New "Real Quick" Episode Posted At UFC.com!

2009-04-09T15:16:00.000-07:00

We just posted up a new episode of "Real Quick" at UFC.com!

On this episode I go to THQ headquarters and play the new UFC Undisputed game as well as talk to all the game developers. I also took odd jobs around the office including answering phones and cooking in the kitchen.

Very cool game! Out May 19th!

Weekend Update!

2009-03-30T00:28:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the feedback guys! I am glad everyone likes the site! We can all thank Booeep for that!

Until Booeep took over MikeSwick.com, I never really knew my websites statistics. Well, in depth anyway... We now have a complete analytics program and the weekend stats were really cool! We had a great "Re-Launch" weekend with people clicking onto the site from 31 different countries! Among the list were a few surprises... Latvia, Egypt, Cyprus, Serbia, Slovenia, and Ecuador were definitely countries I didn't expect to see! So whoever you guys are... thanks for tuning in and send me some photos!

For those of you that have bought the new Swick-Fu shirts and want to be featured on the site, send us your pics! (swickfu@gmail.com) We will be updating the Swick-Fu fan gallery in a couple weeks with the newer pics that are coming in. As you will soon see, there are some ninjas serving in Iraq!

If you haven't done so already, Make Sure You Enlist to get updates on appearances, promotions, opportunities, poker tournaments, store sales, lowering your mortgage rates, where to buy cheap gas, Obama's stimulus plan, etc... Ok, so maybe not the last 3 but you never know what you might find out! It's easy to enlist, just go to the top right side of the MikeSwick.com site and click the big red "Enlist Now" button. IT'S FREE!

The teaser for the new episode of Real Quick should be up at UFC.com tomorrow. I think we are going to go live with the episode on April 6th. The episode came out really good; I went to THQ headquarters in Los Angeles to live out a life-long dream.... To play myself on a video game. You will see the first time I played myself on UFC 2009 Undisputed. I looked just like me! Crazy! To show my appreciation to THQ, I also took odd jobs around their office for a day. I answered phones at the front desk and cooked food in the THQ cafeteria. I also interviewed the President of THQ as well as the Japanese development team live via satellite video conference from Japan. I'll let everyone know when the episode is posted...

Thanks Everyone!

New Website And New Highlight Video Now Live!

2009-03-26T19:38:00.000-07:00

(Click On The Image To Visit The New Site)

The new website is finally up! Over 1000 photos, videos, and articles! Sorry it took so long but this was quite the site to put together. We have worked feverishly for a month getting everything together and posted!

The site also features my brand new highlight video. TSM did an amazing job putting together one of the most professional highlight reels I have seen. For more of their work visit TSMStudio.com!

We also have the new Swick-Fu shirts availble in the store as well as new 8x10 signed promo cards. You will see more of the Swick-Fu shirts in the new edition of "Real Quick" when it goes live in a week or so.

Check out the site and be sure to register and leave a message in the message center!

Thanks for all the feedback and support!

New Website About To Launch!

2009-03-26T00:56:00.000-07:00

The new website should be launching today, if everything goes as planned! The site is loaded with over 1000 pictures and videos. Sections will cover Travels, Fights, Poker, Photos, Videos, A Message Center, The Store and we will be bringing back Swick-Fu Worldwide!

Stay tuned and keep checking back, I will post here as soon as we flip the switch!

Tribute To Charles "Mask" Lewis...

2009-03-21T02:32:00.000-07:00

I wrote this a while back and was saving it to put on the new website when it launched but its taking so long, I want to go ahead and post it....

On March 9th 2009, the MMA community lost one of its most outgoing, genuine, and memorable personalities. Charles “MASK” Lewis was an Ambassador for MMA and led the most famous crew in the sport, Tapout. I can’t remember being at an MMA show that he was not at. Not only was he at every show, but he was always smiling and always amped up with life.

His nickname for me was “Sergeant Swick” , because he thought I looked like a GI Joe, and he would say it each and every time he saw me. “SEEERRRRGGGEEEAAANNT SWIIIIIIIIIIIIICK!” would be heard from across the venue and when my eyes would find him, he would always be smiling… or sticking his tongue out… or roaring like a Lion…

Charles always made me feel welcome and included even though he knew I was a Sprawl sponsored fighter. I remember him giving me free shirts and caps even though he knew I was with Sprawl. He said he understood and that if I ever wanted to come over to the dark side to call him.

I never got around to going over to the dark side but I did talk to Charles on the phone numerous times which was as interesting as hanging out with him in person. He would yell into the phone with such enthusiasm no matter what the conversation was about. And he never, EVER, let me say goodbye. As the conversation started to dwindle down, you would just hear “OOOOOOOOUT!” and that was it. He was gone.

The last time I got to hang out with Charles was when we did the HDNet show “Inside MMA” together in Los Angeles in October of last year. It was the longest I probably have ever got to talk to him one on one in person. It’s hard to imagine that I will not see him at the shows anymore. He will be heavily missed…

You made it man, you really made it. Rest in peace buddy…

Real Quick With Mike Swick Is Back!

2009-03-18T00:34:00.000-07:00

Thats right, I am finally filming another edition of Real Quick. I will head out to Los Angeles first thing tomorrow morning to invade the THQ headquarters and get my opinion of the new UFC video game. I will try and take some pictures and will of course let you know when the video is up!

Back From Texas (Photos)

2009-03-17T20:44:00.001-07:00

(Swick-Fu Ninjas!)

I arrived back from Texas last night. The seminar went great! It was really cool hosting a seminar at the first gym I trained in MMA, over 12 years ago!

After the seminar I got to spend some much needed time at our Ranch with my family. It was great to just relax out in the country and get away from it all. My Mom, knowing my fight is still 3 months away, kept the table covered with good homestyle cooking. I also got to reunite with one of my secret indulgences, Blue Bell Ice Cream. I have to say that Blue Bell Banana Pudding Ice Cream is absolutely the best ice cream in the world. The only downside, or maybe upside, is that it does not distribute to California. Luckily they at least ship, so I do get some after fights.

(At The Ranch...)

(Playing Rock Band With My Mom)

(Teaching The Seminar At Bushi-Ban)

For the rest of the photos from the seminar, please check the photos section at MikeSwick.com! The all new site will launch on the 20th! Well, hopefully!

Fighting June 13th In Germany!

2009-03-08T03:32:00.001-07:00

Well, its not 100% official yet but I did sign the contract to fight Ben Saunders on June 13th in Germany at UFC 99. After almost getting the Alves fight, I have been really curious who the UFC was going to ask me to fight next. Well, Saunders was their choice and I obviously accepted. I have been training hard and predict I'll be in the best shape of my life for this fight.

The new website is coming together great and we plan to have it up on or before March 20th. So stay tuned for updates!

My next appearance is scheduled for March 14th in Pasendena Texas at Bushi Ban. I am holding a 3 hour seminar which will start at 10am. I hope to see you there!

For more info on the seminar, please call Bushi Ban at 281-479-7979.

Bushi Ban World Headquarters
7770 Spencer Highway
Pasadena, Texas 77505

NEW WEBSITE!

2009-03-06T01:55:00.001-08:00

We will be launching a brand new MIKESWICK.COM very soon! Stayed tuned for updates, its going to be a huge site! Over 1000 photos and videos, as well as an integrated blog. I think we will launch at the end of next week but I would say by the 20th to be safe.

Seminar In Pasadena Texas March 14th!

2009-03-06T01:48:00.000-08:00

I will be hosting a seminar at Bushi-Ban World Headquarters on Saturday, March 14th in Pasadena, Tx. Bushi-Ban is where I started training in MMA in 1996!

The Seminar will start at 10am and go untill 1pm. I will cover all aspects of MMA as well as answer questions.

For more info including pricing, please call (281)479-7979.

Bushi-Ban
7770 Spencer Highway
Pasadena, TX 77505

Congrats Reggie(170MMACHAMP)!

2009-03-06T01:41:00.000-08:00

Congrats Reggie(170MMACHAMP)!

Reggie, screen name 170MMACHAMP, was the last man standing in my online poker tournament last night after 4 hours of play. I will let everyone know when the next one is but it will only be available to affiliates and contacts of mine. If your not on my list yet, either sign up with the "swick" code or keep checking back here!

Join My Online Poker Tournament!

2009-02-27T02:06:00.000-08:00

(Photo By: Jason Foy)

Join me for some online poker! I will be hosting an online poker tournament at Full Tilt this Wednesday at 10pm Pacific time. 1am Thursday morning Eastern (Full Tilt Time).

This is a public tournament so everyone is free to join. I do hold tournaments just for my affiliates, so if you are already on Full Tilt and want to get on my affiliate list, send us your email at swickpoker@gmail.com

To sign up with Full Tilt and join my affiliate list and team:

- Visit FullTiltPoker.com
- Click The Green Graphic On The Left That Says
(100% Deposit Bonus Up to $600, Click Here)
- When Asked, Use Bonus Code "swick"

This Bonus code(swick) will not only put you on my Affiliate list, but will also grant your 100% signup bonus.(Up To $600) So basically, if you first deposit $100 dollars... Full Tilt will add another $100. Your bonus money gets unlocked as you play.

To find my tournament once logged onto Full Tilt Poker:

- Click The "Requests" Tab
- Click "Find Tournament By ID..."
- Type Tournament Number "81675310"

It will pull it up.... Then Just Register!

This tournament is called "Mike Swick's Late Night KO".

Buyin: $22.00
Game: No Limit Texas Holdem
Type: Knockout Tournament
(You receive a $4 bounty every time you knockout another player.)

When my new website launches, I am going to start hosting special affiliate tournaments with extra prizes and added cash.

There will also be some poker Pros in this tournament and probably Bruce Buffer as well.

REGISTER NOW!

Good Luck Guys And I'll See You There!

Hawaii Photos...

2009-02-24T01:14:00.000-08:00

My Hawaiian adventure is now over but the photos and memories remain!

Aloha From Hawaii!

2009-02-22T01:09:00.000-08:00

You never know where I will end up next! I don't even know where I will end up next! Anyway at this time I am currently in Hawaii and it is beautiful here! I am with Mary, along with a couple friends(Creig and Kara), and we have filled our last couple days with zip-lining, ATV Adventures, and plenty of sun!

I will be posting all the photos as soon as I can...

I will be back in San Jose on Monday and I'm set to leave for Russia on Wednesday to corner for Mike Kyle as he fights in the M-1 show in St. Petersburg. I will post more details of upcoming appearances, seminars, and travels soon!

Cool Things Coming...

2009-02-12T00:10:00.000-08:00

Sorry its been a few days but nothing too exciting has happened. I have been in training and helping get Koscheck ready for his upcoming fight in England.

As for the injury rumors... Yes I am injured and have been for a while. I broke a bone in my foot about a month before the Goulet fight. I obviously stopped kicking but continued training through it thus not letting it heal up properly. I am still training but padding it up more to let it heal. Its doing real good and getting much better. I will find out soon when and where I will be fighting next and I'll post it here.

Lots of new things coming up...

I will launch a brand new website soon, we are in the process of creating that now. I will have an incredible number of photos and videos on it. I am also installing a brand new store on the website that will have fighter shirts as well as signed promo cards. That should be up within the next 2 weeks. I am also starting a clothing and accessory brand which will also launch in the near future.

On Sunday I am doing a photoshoot with Jason Foy to get content for the new site and company. I will post some photos here after the shoot. You can see his work at http://www.f8-photography.com

I will also be posting info on some upcoming seminars. In the next few months I will do seminars in Texas, Florida and Canada. The next seminar will be in Deer Park, Texas at Bushi-Ban(http://www.bushiban.com). That is the martial arts academy where I discovered MMA, many years ago. That seminar will be at 10am on Saturday March 14th. I'll post more seminar info soon!

On February 26th, we will go skydiving with the Army's Golden Knights (www.usarec.army.mil/hq/GoldenKnights). We will take photos and videos and be posting that here as well....

And lastly, I am trying to schedule a trip to Iraq and Afghanistan in the next couple months. This is something I am extremely passionate about doing so hopefully we will get it scheduled soon...

Weekend Update (UFC 94 Las Vegas)

2009-02-03T22:23:00.000-08:00

Sorry its been this long getting my weekend update posted, I have been swamped! We left Thursday for Vegas and spent all weekend there for UFC 94. I had a great time but was sad that my friend and teammate Christian Wellisch lost a split decision. We had 2 guys from our team fight, Fitch and Christian. Christian came up a little short in a 3 round split decision loss to Jake O'Brian and Fitch absolutely dominated Akihiro Gono. To make things more interesting, Gono came out in a dress and danced in drag all the way to the octagon. I asked Fitch what he thought looking down at the teleprompter before the fight and seeing that and he said he had to look away to avoid laughing. He said the funniest part was watching Gono's corner guys coach him in between the rounds while still wearing their dresses under the fight t-shirt. Crazy indeed!

Here are the weekend pictures...

(Hanging Out With Some Cool Fight Fans At The MGM Grand.)

(Self-Photo At The UFC With Mary.)

(Talking With David "The Crow" Loiseau Before The GSP-Penn Fight. Been A While Since We Were Stairing Across The Octagon At One Another At UFC 63. He Is A Really Cool Guy, I'm A Big Fan.)

(Fitch's Intimidating Opponent!)

(Fitch Ready For War!)

(Right After Fitch Walked Out Of The Octagon With His 9th UFC Win.)

(Post-Fight Dinner At Fiamma. Great Food!)

(Anthony Kiedis, Lead Singer Of The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Even Stopped By our Table To Say Hi. He's A UFC Fan And Has Been To Our Gym In San Jose To Visit As Well.)

Lots of cool things coming up so I will keep this updated as often as I can!

New Thailand Video Posted...

2009-01-25T14:27:00.000-08:00

Here is the latest video we just posted from the Thailand trip...

I am back in San Jose now getting adjusted to the new routine. I got to train a couple days last week at AKA with the team, which I really missed while being away... Everyone is doing good! Christian and Fitch are ready for war and Koscheck is right behind them getting ready to peak for his February fight.

I will be heading to Vegas this Thursday for the UFC and I am excited! Its going to be a great card! We have Fitch and Christian fighting so I am pumped for that, plus the main event is going to be awesome!

Seminar Pictures From Thailand...

2009-01-20T05:57:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures from the seminar I held on January 16th in Phuket, Thailand. It was a great turnout and I had a great time hanging out with everyone. Its always great giving back to up and coming fighters and even more so, having them really appreciate your time and help!

Here are some random pictures of one of my training sessions with Robert. He is one of Tiger Muay Thai's best Thai trainers. He showed me a lot of cool stuff, most of which wasn't photographed like the blurry examples below!

Seminar Went Great!

2009-01-16T11:12:00.001-08:00

I did my seminar today at Tiger Muay Thai in Phuket, Thailand and it went really good. It was a great turnout with over 100 participants! I did a 2 hour seminar and then a "Question and Answer" for another 45 minutes. I will post pictures from the event as soon as I get the time.

Tomorrow I will host the NeverTap Asia tournament. I am excited to see the competition and matches. Afterwards, there will be a BBQ and some amateur MMA fights in the cage. Should be really cool!

More updates and pictures coming soon!

A Few Days In The Islands...

2009-01-10T05:55:00.000-08:00

David and I ventured to the Phi Phi Islands for a few days of kayaking, swimming and diving. We will take our first dive tomorrow. We are expecting to see some amazing marine life, considering this is one of the worlds premier dive sites. Though I am training at Tiger Muay Thai while in Thailand, I miss AKA and the team already. I will be anxious to start my next fight camp as soon as I get back home.

We will head back to Phuket in a few days and I will start more intense training there until I depart Thailand on the 19th. I will also be hosting an absolutely free seminar at Tiger Muay Thai on January 16th. I will then host the Nevertap Asia tournament taking place there on the 17th.

Sparring Former WBO Champion Michael Katsidis...

2009-01-06T11:08:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pics from my sparring session with former WBO World Boxing Champion Michael Katsidis a few days ago at Tiger Muay Thai Gym in Thailand....

Jungle Elephant Trekking...

2009-01-04T21:43:00.000-08:00

I have driven many different kinds of cars and boats in my lifetime. I have even driven a Cessna 172 Skyhawk airplane, but today was the first time I ever drove an Elephant!

Of course I had to take pictures of the wildlife. These monkeys were everywhere!

I somehow snapped a picture at the exact moment this small monkey got punched by the bigger one.

Fishing Pictures...

2009-01-01T11:16:00.001-08:00

We actually caught bigger ones but only video taped them and didn't take pictures! Seriously! ;)

Our crew cooked us our own private dinner of the days catch...

More Animal Adventures In Phuket...

2009-01-01T10:54:00.000-08:00

This Elephant plays the harmonica, can hoola-hoop, and is waaaaaay too friendly!

This Gibbon was my favorite.

This Monkey Tried To Kill Me! Look At Those Teeth!

Then he wanted to be my friend!

He loved David!

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM PHUKET!

2009-01-01T10:36:00.001-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

We brought in the New Year with a seaside dinner and live music at Molly Malone's here in beautiful Phuket, Thailand. Fireworks brightened the sky over the Andaman shore throughout the night as thousands celebrated the New Year on Phukets Patong waterfront community. My friend, Peter (GM of Molly Malones) , showed us a great time in his ultra popular and packed Irish Bar located on the water in Patong. We toasted Chocolate Vodka shots, listened to the live band, played pool, and finally brought in the New Year on the front patio under a full sky of fireworks.

My first New Years resolution.... Visit Thailand More Often!

Long Day Today!

2008-12-29T09:55:00.001-08:00

Today was a very long but incredible day in Phuket. We started the day off at a Monkey Farm where I got attacked by a crazy monkey and my friend David got peed on! Well kind of. More on that later... We then went and visited some elephants at the Elephant Farm. After that we went to Kata beach and did a long swim in the ocean. Once we swam ridiculously too far out, we had a diving competition to see who could reach the bottom of the ocean first and bring up sand as proof. David won, to my amazement, and so I had to go back down super charged to seek my revenge. Forgetting how bad my sinuses are, I really jacked up my ears from the pressure. I think we free dove 30-40 feet. So for the next hour after, salt water periodically poured out of my nose every time I leaned forward.

After that we headed to a spa and did a cardio workout as well as strength training. I worked my legs, which needed it! Then as if this wasn't enough, I went to Tiger Muay Thai in the evening and sparred top ranked pro boxer and former WBO lightweight titleholder Michael Katsidis. We boxed a few rounds and I thought it went really good. I will post pictures and videos of all of the days activities as soon as I can, we're taking the boat out tomorrow so I gotta get up in 6 hours!

Busted In Phuket!

2008-12-28T10:16:00.001-08:00

After 2 days in Phuket, I finally got busted! It was bound to happen eventually. I am not even 100% sure what I did wrong. Thats bad I guess. I think I ran a red light and made an illegal turn. Either way, I had to drive my motorcycle straight to the Chalong Police station to pay my fine. After spending the rest of the night reading "Motorcycle Driving In Thailand As A Foreigner For Dummies" over a seafood dinner, I am ready to obey the laws of the Thai roadway tomorrow!

More updates, pictures, and videos soon!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2008-12-25T08:05:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas! We are now in Thailand and spent Christmas day in a very unique way...

We started the day off at the Floating Market....

(Click Photos To Enlarge)

The first thing I bought was a Thai Guitar made of wood and snake skin. I am a horrible musician but that didn't stop me from trying. You can see our Thai driver in the background trying to off himself!

The market was really interesting. The locals try very hard to sell you just about anything. If we had of bought everything that was offered to us, our boat would have sunk for sure. They were very nice though.

After the market, we visited the Coconut Sugar Farm...

Then we traveled over to an Elephant Farm. We played with some Elephants, posed with some tigers, then watched an Elephant show...

Even after all of these completely random and spontaneous Christmas Day adventures, we still felt we had to solidify an even more random and unique ending to this very memorable day. So for Christmas dinner, we got serenaded by the live singing of a Thai Elvis impersonator. Yes we did...

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THAILAND!

Yesterday we had a busy day as well. We visited a Safari and I got to use my new Canon Rebel XSI digital camera. Here are some of my shots....

After the Safari, we found some tiger handlers and they let us feed and play with a couple baby tigers...

We will continue our journey on to Phuket Island tomorrow and thats where I will stay the remainder of my stay here... More to come!

Off To Thailand!

2008-12-21T08:06:00.001-08:00

I leave tonight for Thailand and I am excited! It will be a nice change of scenery and I am looking forward to the tropical climate!

I always say, while in Thailand, that the next trip I am packing nothing but a backpack! I always over pack and you can buy most everything there. Well, I just finished packing my 2nd bag so, again, I am bringing 100lbs of luggage! I will say that this time a majority of it is food which will be consumed on the trip. I have a case of Muscle Milk RTDs, a case of Muscle Milk Oatmeals, A tub of Muscle Milk "Cake Batter" powder, and a case of Morph Bars. I also packed all my supplements and vitamins. Hopefully customs won't confiscate it all! Its hard to find good supplements in Thailand.

During my last fight camp, I must have swam 100 miles inside the 24 hour fitness pool. Since my fight didn't require me to swim any, I am hoping all that hard work will pay off and I will swim dolphin-like in the beautifly clear Andaman ocean!

One cool thing about going to Southeast Asia is that I always manage to get into something thats so crazy, I have to ask myself if I am really doing it... On the last trip it was a toss-up between shooting machine guns next to a mine field in Cambodia and going into the snake pit in Thailand. I think being in that snake pit and having 3 poisonous snakes strike at my hand was the loudest I have ever physically heard my heart beat.

I will be posting blogs, pictures, and videos as often as I can so check back!

New Post Fight Video Blog Uploaded!

2008-12-16T02:09:00.000-08:00

Book Signing In San Jose This Monday!

2008-12-13T01:02:00.000-08:00

I will be doing the Nationwide UFC Octagon Book Signing this Monday in San Jose, CA. If you are in town stop by and check it out!

Monday, December 15 - 7:00 pm
Barnes and Noble
2200 Eastridge Loop
San Jose, CA

Post Fight Thoughts...

2008-12-11T03:26:00.000-08:00

As I sit here on my laptop in my hotel in Raleigh, I am still in shock of the experience that I had last night. It was amazing fighting in front of 10,000 service men and women in support of such a great cause as the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.

I have always been a huge fan and supporter of our military and last night I got to take part in a huge campaign of support. If the numbers are correct, the show raised over $4,000,000 for The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund!

The fight obviously went the way I wanted. So I am very happy about that! Its always a great feeling when you pour your heart and soul into a training camp and it pays off. I trained so hard for the last 3 months and worked on so many things to improve my boxing and speed.

I definitely gotta thank my team, AKA, I couldn't have done it without them! Wheetsie, my boxing coach, has spent countless hours with me since the Davis fight working on my boxing and speed. Javier Mendez has also logged the hours holding mitts for me. Dave Camarillo has been amazing with the progression of my ground game and Bob Cook is just the best overall cornerman/advice coach out there. My coaches and teammates at AKA are the best in the business!

I also want to send a shout-out to the best wrap and cutman in the business, "Stich"! I only trust my hands to you man!

So right now, its 8am here in Raleigh and I am still awake as usual post-fight. At noon, Koscheck and I will be heading back to Fort Bragg to meet with the Special Forces soldiers for a special (Non-UFC)appearance where we will do a signing and give away some gifts. We will also be meeting up with the Golden Knights to setup a skydive with their team. We will film the days festivities so be sure and check out my YouTube page in a couple days to see the videos! We will also post the behind-the-scenes video of this fight as soon as we can... YouTube.com/Officialswick

Friday I head back to San Jose but will be leaving for Thailand sometime in the next 10 days for some R&R and training. I will be posting videos and blogs from Thailand so be sure and check back here and the YouTube page!

Thanks for all of your support!

Fight Day...

2008-12-10T12:11:00.000-08:00

Well, its finally fight day! I am very excited! Everything has went good and today, the match finally arrives...

Its 3:15 now and I am set to head to the venue with Koscheck at 6:45pm. In the next 3 hours I will just relax at the hotel and carb up.

The UFC said its going to be a full to capacity 10,000 seat venue filled with our heroic military personnel. Thats going to be such great feeling walking out knowing that all the men and woman cheering are our brave soldiers who fight our horrific battles overseas in the name of freedom!

I will try and post my post-fight thoughts here as soon as I have a chance after the fight....

I want to thank all the fans for their support! You guys have stuck by me through my ups and downs and I plan to reward you tonight!

Fight Week At Fort Bragg...

2008-12-08T21:16:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I haven't updated in a few days. I haven't been on the net much. Koscheck and I arrived here on Saturday. We meet up with some friends from the base here and have been getting good training and weight cutting in. Tonight we had a short workout and tomorrow we will do our final weight cut.

Weigh-ins are tomorrow at 5pm, which is a little later than usual. I did very good on weight this time and am right on target.

I will update more before the fight!

Last Hard Day...

2008-12-03T23:31:00.000-08:00

Well, today was officially my last hard day of training! Only a week till the fight, so now its just technique, cardio, rest and recovery. It is a good feeling when this point in the camp arrives, especially when you know you have put in the best fight camp yet. Its good to be finally finished with the grueling training days, its good knowing the kind of shape you are in, its good knowing that in less than a week you will be back in the ring, and finally its good knowing that the gloves and shin pads are coming off! Its about to be for real and no holding back! I can't wait!

We will leave for North Carolina on Saturday. I can't even describe in words how excited I am to be healthy and fighting again in a week. I guarantee this will be my best performance yet!

I will try and post another video blog tomorrow or so on the YouTube page. I know its been a while, I have just been so busy.

After the fight we will be posting a lot of stuff up on here and the YouTube page. I plan to leave for Thailand in late December and will be posting daily from Phuket with pictures and video updates from the trip. I am excited to get back there!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

2008-11-28T00:14:00.000-08:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

I know I am a little late but I had a super busy day! It was pretty much like every other training day except at the end, I had some turkey. A lot of turkey actually...

I started the day off at the gym as usual. Fitch, Ron and Javier all broke free of Thanksgiving festivities to come in and help Koscheck and I train. Javier kindly put us through a 16 round workout that would surely take away any guilt from our evening meal plans.

The rest of the day and evening was spent with Mary's family. That is where I engulfed myself with a guilt-free Thanksgiving meal. I also went on to lose a "Boys Vs Girls" game of Scene-It. I have watched every movie on that damn game but am never in a state of mind to guess them from half blurred pictures, quotes, and clips on a moments notice. I save that fast paced thinking for the gym and ring. I did somehow guess Aeon Flux from a still photo which was suprising even to me, considering I have never even seen that movie.

Less than 2 weeks to go....

Focusing Through The Controversy...

2008-11-21T16:22:00.000-08:00

Hey Guys, sorry I haven't posted in a few days... If you've seen the Internet lately, you know all the controversy that's been going on at the gym. Its been a crazy last few days with the situation plus media all over the gym. I have just tried to lay low and focus on training and my upcoming fight.

As for the fight, I feel really good! Training has been great! Working a lot with Koscheck, Fitch, Pat Minihan, Nate Moore and Nate James. Today was my final workout of the week, I'm taking the WHOLE weekend off! Trust me, I need it! Koscheck and I were on the chopping block today, having guys rotate in on us every round during sparring. I finished up with a long roll with Dave Camarillo. It was a great week ender and I plan to just lay low and rest this weekend.

Tonight is the Strikeforce event here in San Jose, so I am going to head down there and support my teammates Bobby Southworth and Luke Rockhold. I am also excited to see the Joe Riggs fight. He was in the gym last night and looked ready. Aside from the ring time we shared in the octagon at UFC 60, I have always liked Joe. He is a really cool guy and one of my favorite fighters to watch.

That's about it for now, I will try and post a weekend update if anything cool happens. I know you guys don't wanna hear about me laying around the house playing poker and Call Of Duty 5!

Weekend Update...

2008-11-17T01:23:00.000-08:00

What a great night of fights this weekend! That was an action packed UFC show! I was sad to see Randy lose though, he's such a warrior and just great person. Kenflo kept his momentum going with a very nice win over Stevenson. And of course the Riley/Gurgel fight was amazing!

My training is going great and I am in record shape for this one. My resting heart rate is dipping into the 40's so that's always a good indication that I am where I need to be. I am healthy and feel very strong, fast, and explosive. These are the qualities I plan to use to my advantage on December 10th to give me, and the fans, my best and most exciting fight to date.

I will try and post a new video blog this week on my youtube page. I know its been a while, I have just been so busy with training. When I get home, I just eat and sleep!

I will also be heading back to Thailand right after my fight for training and vacation. I will be filming a lot of new stuff on this trip so this blog and my youtube page will be updated daily with all of my adventures. I do plan to get back in the snake pit and gain more experience as a snake handler as well as some lessons in handling Crocidiles. I am also thinking about trying some exotic foods, scorpions perhaps... I also plan to do something else that I have always wanted to do but I won't spoil that just yet! Should be interesting...

Here is a small clip from the Inside MMA show I did with Randy, Mask, Bas and Kenny...

Time for bed, tomorrow starts another long week of training! 24 days to go!

Hosting UFC Party This Weekend In San Fran!

2008-11-13T01:39:00.000-08:00

(Click Photo To Enlarge)

Our Wedding Photos!

2008-11-11T14:44:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the professional photos taken at our wedding by Jarvis Photography. They did an amazing job capturing all the great moments of our ceremony. This is just a few of the 800+ they took that day! we won't get the finalized and edited CD with all the pics for another few weeks but I figured even raw, these were amazing!

The wedding was held on September 13th, 2008 on South Lake Tahoe. We choose Edgewood as our venue and it was the perfect choice!

"Here I Come" - My New Single On iTunes...

2008-11-05T21:32:00.000-08:00

I am actually a music producer now... well, sort of...

You see, a few months ago, I got a strange but very exciting call from my friend Jason in Florida. Jason is also the owner of TSM Studios, the parent company that does all of my media and internet marketing. (trusunmedia.com) Anyway, he said that he was working with a record company that wants me to help co-produce a new single. Then he tells me who wants to co-produce it with me... Grammy Award winning producer Rockwilder! I was very excited then, though a little nervous of what my obligations would be and if I could perform them…

After talking with the record company and Rockwilder, I flew to Florida and got my orders... Pretty easy actually, I just had to sit with Rockwilder in the studio and tell him what I liked and what I didn't while he did his magic. They wanted to create a fight song and wanted me to tell them what, as a fighter myself, I like and would get motivated by. It would ultimately become my new “Fight Song”.

We listened to music and beats for a while and then I picked the one I liked best. After modifying the music just right, we called amazing lyricist "Whuteva" in Queens. We emailed him the music and gave him an outline of what wording and attitude I was looking for. Overnight he laid down the full lyrics. Then we just tweaked them a little by adding and taking away key words and phrases and bingo, it was done! 2 full days in the studio with Rock, working with Whuteva in Queens via email and phone, and we had a single! Over the next few weeks, the single got fine tuned and mastered and finally it has been released on iTunes!

I think it's the perfect mix! Its lyric’s, are motivating and strong and if the beat doesn't pump you up, nothing will!

Rockwilder and Whuteva did an amazing job putting this together for me. Whuteva, bridges the gap between church and the streets. No stranger to the industry, Whuteva has traveled across the globe performing alongside 50 Cent, Eminem, Method Man and Redman. He’s recorded with Grammy Award winning producer, Rockwilder, penning track’s such as “Mardi Gras” on the “Friday After Next” soundtrack and the highly acclaimed “Hustler” on the "Blue Octane" album. Whuteva has performed on TBN’s “Praise the Lord”, BET’s “106 n Park”, ABC’s “The Jimmy Kimmel Show” and GMC’s “Hotlist”.

Though I am not in the music industry, I am a big fan of it. Being able to see what life is like for a top producer and co-produce a single was just amazing!

So that's how I became a producer, well co-producer... Or as I like to say... co-co-co-producer! ;)

Click Here To Sample/Buy

"Here I Come"

I highly recommend "Hustler" as well. It's one of my favorite songs. It is also produced by Rock and features Whuteva. You can search for it on Itunes. It was a part of their wake boarding album "Blue Octane" and was one of the first songs I heard from Whuteva and Rock when arriving in Florida. It's ridiculous!

Here are some of the songs Rockwilder has produced...

50 cent – like my style
American Idol Ruben Studdard - Shining Star
Busta Rhymes - One
Busta Rhymes - Do It To Death
Busta Rhymes f. Lenny Kravitz - Make Noise
Busta Rhymes f. Rah Digga - Gettin' It
Busta Rhymes - Better Stay Up Out The House
Christina Aguilera, Mya, Lil' Kim, Missy, Pink - Lady Marmalade (Grammy Award)
Christina Aguilera - Dirty
Destiny's Child - Free
Destiny's Child - If
Eminem f Dr Dre - If I Get Locked Up
Fabolous - Get Right
Fat Joe - Murder Rap
Ice Cube - Hundred Dolla Bill Y'all
Janet Jackson - Trust a Try
Janet Jackson - Truth
Janet Jackson - Feels So Good
Janet Jackson - When We Oooh
Janet Jackson - Better Days
Janet Jackson - The Who
Jay-Z - Do It Again
Jay-Z f. R. Kelly - Guilty Until Proven Innocent
Jay-Z & Angie Martinez - Mi Amor
Jay-Z - For My Thugs
Kelis f Nas – In Public
Left Eye Lopez - Hot
Lil' Kim - N.O.T.O.R.I.O.U.S. K.I.M.
LL Cool J - Imagine That
Mary J. Blige - Keep It Movin'
Mary J. Blige f. Jay-Z, Lenny Kravitz - Rock Steady
Method Man – True
Method Man – Act Right
Method Man f. The Rock - The Rock's Theme: Know Your Role
Method Man & Redman - Cisco Kid
Method Man & Redman - Da Rockwilder
Mos Def f. Pharoahe Monch, Nate Dogg - Oh No
Mya Why you Gotta Look so Good -
Nas – Lost tapes
Redman - Let's Get Dirty
Redman - Whut I'ma Do Now
Redman - Case Closed
Redman - What U Lookin' 4
Redman - I'll Bee Dat
Xzibit - Front 2 Back

Halloween Pictures!

2008-11-03T22:24:00.000-08:00

*Click Photos To Enlarge*

(Mary Went As A UFC Fighter And I Went As A Hardcore Soldier In Support Of The Troops For My December Fight At Fort Bragg...)

(Mary Thought I Looked More Like A Duck Hunter!)

(As So Bailey Went As My Duck Hunting Dog...)

(Cosmo Went As A Bumblebee Colored Batman... I Guess He Went Old School...)

(Erin Went As A Baseball Player On The "Naughty Curves" League...)

(David Went Out On A limb And Tried To Pull Off A Cowboy. Stayed In Character All Night!)

(Christian Was Mr. Clean!)

(Craig Was The Basketball Player Inspired By "Semi-Pro" As Kara Was A Ref, Or A Zebra... After Spotting A Giant Penis Costume In The Crowd, She Admitted That She Was Going To Go As That But Didn't Have The Balls... Quote Of The Night IMO.)

(Joe And Heather Looking Scooby-Dooish...)

(We Forgot To Include Christian In This One. You Can See Him In The Back Right Flirting With The Ladies...)

(David And I Try To Stop Craig From Leaving The Party Early!)

(The Ladies...)

(Mary Posing With Christian As David And I Are Outside Painting Obscenities On His Car With Silly String. Unfortunately, We Can't Show The Finished Product Here...)

(Cleaning Mr. Cleans Surprisingly Clean Head...)

Inside MMA...

2008-10-29T15:28:00.000-07:00

Just got back from Los Angeles where I taped an episode of HDNet's "Inside MMA" with hosts Bas Rutten and Kenny Rice. The guest panel included "Mask" from Tapout, the legend Randy Couture, and myself. It was a good show with lots of MMA updates so be sure to check it out on HDNet Friday, October 31st at 9:00 pm ET!

Back To Training...

2008-10-27T22:56:00.000-07:00

I arrived back to San Jose on Sunday night after a pretty intense weekend at the UFC in Chicago. It was great seeing the family and friends, the fights were good, but I obviously didn't like seeing Koscheck get beat. It just wasn't his night. Thiago definately has good standup and seems very strong and well conditioned. Koscheck definately showed how his standup has improved but was just not good enough to beat Thiago on this night.

I leave tomorrow for LA to tape the "Inside MMA" show on HDNet. It will be my first time doing the show and I am excited. Josh Thomson has done it a couple times and told me tonight that it was fun.

Today was back to the grinder. I sparred and grappled during fighter training, then Bob put me through his workout tonight. It was a full day and I am going to get caught up on some much needed rest now!

Steel Cage Comedy Night!

2008-10-23T21:10:00.001-07:00

If you are in San Jose area on November 20th, be sure and come check out The Steel Cage Comedy Night at the San Jose Improv. They will be interviewing me on stage and asking some crazy questions. Kris Tinkle is the headliner and he is really funny! <--- I will delete this last line if he busts my balls too much!

Off To Chicago...

2008-10-23T20:46:00.000-07:00

Had a good session at the gym today, we did a marathon roll. We basically did 10 rounds of straight no-gi jiu-jitsu. No gloves and no striking while grappling. Each round was 5 minutes just like our fights and we took a 1 minute break in between the rounds. We switch partners every round, so by the 10th round we have grappled with almost everyone. The session lasts an hour. Afterwards, we worked some drills.

This evening I did some cardio and now I gotta pack... I leave first thing tomorrow for Chicago for UFC 90. I am very excited to see this card!

Meet Wheetzie!

2008-10-21T21:13:00.001-07:00

(Wheetzie, as I usually see him...)

Meet Huitzilin, or "Wheetzie" as we call him. Wheetzie is a fairly new addition to the AKA Fight Team, and a trainer I have spent a lot of time with in the past few months. His specialty is boxing and he has already made a lot of improvements to the team. He use to train Javier back when he was competing so after we lost our last striking coach, Javier brought him in to help out.

The cool thing about Wheetzie is that he is not only a good boxing coach, but also an Aztec Witch Doctor! So like after training, if you feel like you pulled something.... all you have to do is tell Wheetzie and he will take some deer urine and some kind of goat root, mix that with some mexican sun water and wild grass and blend it counter clockwise a certain number of times and... Bingo! It will heal you over night! Seriously though, I have boiled some plants of unknown classification and soaked my arm in it. He's legit!

(Wheetzie, using some Aztec Concoction.)

Training, Training, Training...

2008-10-21T00:10:00.000-07:00

Just been training, sleeping, eating and then training some more. I did do a few interviews in the last few days so as soon as they are posted I will let you guys know. I will also be flying into LA on the 28th to do HDnets's "Inside MMA" TV Show, so I should have more info on that soon.

Koscheck and Bob leave tomorrow for Chicago. The bad news is that I won't have Bob the remainder of the week to put me through his grueling torture routine. The good news, however, is that I won't have Bob the remainder of the week to put me through his grueling torture routine! It's kind of like doing sprints with Javier Mendez(AKA Trainer)... It's one of the hardest things ever because he loves running me into the ground, BUT I always ask him to run me. It’s a sick thing, this fighter mentality... The harder it is, the more you want and think you need it.

Speaking of sprints, let me tell you how fun doing sprints with Javier is.... I arrive at the track early to warm up and get loose by jogging. I am usually quite scared during this jog because I know in a few short minutes I will be expected to have the running capacity of a damn cheetah. Pretty much on cue after a mile jog, Javier arrives to the track. He always has that same evil smirk on his face and asks me "How do you feel today?". This is a strange question because I am always tired due to the morning’s workout, but the answer doesn't matter to him. I use to think that if I was exhausted and worn out already before running, and told him, that I would have an easier run. That’s just not the case. He doesn't care. He is going to push me to my max every time. So I usually answer "I'm cherry" and we get started. So usually he has me start by running 2 880's. That’s 880 yards, or 2 laps on the quarter mile track. I know, right? Half a mile sprints are crazy huh? That’s what I thought too. Apparently not to him... So I have to run those in 2:30-2:45 each. That’s a little over a 5 minute/mile pace for half a mile. After that, he'll have me do 6-8 440's(that’s one lap). It all depends on how much I am gasping for air and cussing him. He has me do those in 1:15 or less. The downside is the break, he barely gives me one. In the first few days of sprints I might get close to a minute in between. After we continue regularly, the rest time drops. By fight time I am usually on 30 seconds or less. Sometimes, after 4 or 5 440's he will say something like... "If you run the next one in under 1:05, we will stop now". Of course I get excited at the possibility of running my last sprint of the day and wheeze around the loop and usually always fall in the 1:08-1:10 area. One time though, I had the eye of the tiger and whizzed a 1:02. He couldn't believe it and wondered if he started the timer right, meanwhile I was having a heart attack while laying flat on my back on the turf.

After the run Javier walks a few laps with me and we talk about gym stuff. I'll have to admit that post-sprints feel amazing! Nothing better than getting those over with! These sprints also improve my recovery a lot. I notice it when sparring. I will be tired after the round and by the time the 1 min break is over, I am ready to go again.

If you’re wondering why I usually run alone, as described above, it's because I don't wake up in morning. I can never go to sleep until 2am and since my first session doesn't start until noon, I sleep in till 11am. Some of the team, like Thomson, gets up at like 5am. Apparently, they are the guys who wake the roosters up. So Josh and others will run early, take a break, then come into noon training. Koscheck will sometimes run right after training. Like, literally. We will be unwrapping our hands and Kos will run by in fight shorts/shoes and head straight out the door. No one really knows where he goes... probably because we just continue to unwrap our hands and get dressed. Fitch ninja runs. That’s when you don't run at all but have the cardio capacity of someone who does. He does do cardio at 24 hour fitness like we all do though. Sprints are only done maybe 2 days a week, but we do cardio routines on the elliptical and treadmill almost every night. It all depends on if we did Bob's workout that day or not. I will also swim a couple times a week but that story is more boring than this one, so I'll spare you!

Ok so there you have it, our running routine. Hope you wanted it to begin with because if not, you wasted a lot of your precious life away reading to this point for nothing.

And for those of you who know me really well.... yes I am also playing online poker while typing this.... Losing too! I'm going to bed!

Pictures From Ft. Bragg

2008-10-19T02:27:00.000-07:00

Since I am fighting at Ft. Bragg for UFC Fight For The Troops on December 10th, I thought I would post some pics from when I was there last year. It was an amazing trip filled with good training, high explosives, and plenty of gun shooting.

(When we first arrived. It was Mark Gross, Bob Cook, Matt Major, Josh Koscheck and I.)

(Getting briefed on what to expect at the "Killhouse" demonstration.)

(Standing on top of the "Killhouse" while they blow off the doors, then charge in shooting the mock terrorist. Very loud and intense! I liked it!)

(Posing with the really bad ass dudes who did the "Killhouse" demonstration.)

(Doing some shooting in their new start-of-the-art "Killhouse". We shot real handguns but at laser targets. Kinda cool how that worked.)

(Posing with the soldiers that we competed against in the "Killhouse". Kos and I actually did pretty good. Both Kos and I are also recreational shooters who do shoot often. We didn't tell them that part, but it didn't matter... They totally kicked our ass! Now, there is a laser produced woman hostage running around somewhere with a missing ear thanks to my shooting!)

(Here they tried to teach us how to properly free fall. Matt Major starting swimming like he was in the ocean and accidentally kicked a shoe off, which flew around the chamber almost hitting me in the face.)

(After a long day, we met up with the Army combatives guys and did a seminar for them.)

Wedding Pictures Coming Very Soon!

2008-10-16T23:22:00.000-07:00

So everyone has been asking about the wedding pictures and they will be posted right here, on this blog, very soon! Apparently this was a longer process than I initially thought. The photographers we hired took almost 1000 photographs so you can imagine how long it takes to get everything processed. The wedding was amazing though! More than I could have ever dreamed possible. The photos captured just how amazing so as soon as I get them, I'll post them!
Here are a couple pictures our friends took...

SWICKILLA on XBOX 360

2008-10-14T22:29:00.001-07:00

Ok guys, YES I do play video games sometimes, and YES I am on XBOX LIVE. My nickname on there is... da da da dum.... SWICKILLA. I know, I know, so cliché! Its a long story... So anyway, I do play XBOX LIVE sometimes at night after training with some guys from the gym. Dave Camarillo is one of them and he is like a damn video game ninja, so he kills me over and over. Unfortunately for me, they talked me into getting the wireless headset so now I have to listen to them taunt me as they are destroying me nightly. We usually play around 10pm west coast time. Its great therapy to get my mind off the long training day and it relaxes me. I hear its good for the Hand-Eye Coordination, so I guess I got that going for me too. Currently, I am playing Battlefield: Bad Company, but awaiting the new Call of Duty. We will sometimes play the latest Grand Theft Auto and Call Of Duty 4 as well.

Ok, so the reason I am writing this blog and giving my screename away is because I need to recruit a team of extremly gangster ninjas. I need to add a couple of you up that are just straight nasty. That way I have a fighting chance when I go up against the Camarillo Jiu-Jitsu Gorilla's. They are like Cobra Kai and I am like Ralph Macchio. I need me some Miyagi's!

So send me a friend request ONLY if you truly are the ONE! You gotta back it up with like some kind of stats or something. At least have a mean quote that sounds intimidating!

8 Weeks Till The Fight...

2008-10-14T22:13:00.000-07:00

So today was the last workout before I hit the 8 week point. Tomorrow will be exactly 8 weeks untill fight night. Hitting the 8 week point isn't really changing how I have been training, but I had a goal. My goal was to be in good shape by the 8 week mark, so that I will be on track to be in the best shape of my career by December 10th. Well, I had a great day today that ended with a solid 4 mile run in great time. I would say I accomplished my goal. I plan to really focus on my technique over the next 8 weeks and spend a lot of time at the gym. I want to be vastly improved, even since the Davis fight. Jonathan Goulet is a well rounded fighter and I want to make sure I can cover him in every area of the fight and dominate there. I guess I can't get any more detailed about what I am technically working on but its not Wing Chung! Though I did do a little Drunken Monkey the weekend before last, but that was just therapy for a hard week of training! Sometimes a session of drunken monkey brings on a very long, well needed night of rest, and it did! Now, I am through with drunken monkey! Well at least until after the fight!

I am still excited about Koscheck getting the Thiago fight! I am booked and ready to go! Bringing Mary, my friend David, and even the parents to this one. Can't wait!

Kos Takes Fight, Bob Kicks My Ass!

2008-10-13T22:46:00.000-07:00

What a day today for Koscheck. I have to say, one of his best training days we've seen. It could have been because Bob Cook approached him before training and told him that he has an opportunity to fight Thiago Alves on the 25th at UFC 90. Either way, Bob said "Lets see how training goes and see what you wanna do". We had him go 4 rounds with different opponents switching in on him every 2:30 and he smoked through. It's not easy when you are on the chopping block and having to fight two fresh opponents every 5 minute round, but Kos did it, and did it with explosive power and speed right through to the last second. After the rounds he got out and looked at Bob and said let's take that fight!

So now it's official, Josh Koscheck will face Thiago Alves on October 25th at UFC 90 in Chicago. We are all very happy this opportunity came up for him because he has been training for so long and has been wanting to fight. He was dreading having to wait untill December. Its a great matchup and I think it will prove that he deserves another crack at St. Pierre.

Though Bob had exciting news for Koscheck today, it wasn't so exciting for me. He put me through one of his hardest workouts yet! After an hour and a half of moderate technique work(Bag and Mits) Bob had me do a variation of the cardio routine that he is infamous for at the gym. 30 minutes straight with no breaks. 1 minute sprinting on the Airdyne Bike Machine at OVER 80 RPMs and then a minute with Bob all the way through the whole 30 minutes. My minutes with Bob consisted of situps where he holds me down, sprints with him holding back on me with a bungee harness, bag work, mit work, rope machine, and uppercut bag where he makes me do constant flying knees. I have to say its one of the most grueling things we do at AKA because it's so damn long and continuous. Not only does your body gets exhausted but your mind too. I'll give you an example.... In the first 5 minutes, your mind is like "Hell yea, bring it on Bob, I am gonna crush this today..." but when you hit the 20 minute mark and realize you have 10 more solid minutes, your minds usually along the lines of... "Ahh Shit!". Nonetheless, you push through and he always makes us finish strong. Finishing this workout strong takes strong mental fortitude and thats what you better have before you ever start this workout.

I gotta also give a big Congrats to my teammate Ron Kesler for his win this past weekend. He took a fight on 1 day notice, cut 15 pounds, and dominated the guy all three rounds. Again, thats the mental fortitude you see everyday with the guys I train with. Thats just how we are at AKA. I feel I have the greatest job in the world, the best co-workers I could ask for, and I wouldn't trade it for anything!

Weekend Update!

2008-10-12T22:44:00.001-07:00

Nothing too exciting happened this weekend, just trained and relaxed. I am getting in good sessions on Saturdays now but Sundays are generally off days so I can recover for the next week. Fitch just took off to Thailand for a month so he will not be at the gym for a while. My main training partners for the next month will be Josh Koscheck, Josh Thomson, Bobby Southworth, Cain Velasquez, Pat Minihan, Paul Buentello, Davin Clark, Matt Major, Wayne Phillips, Nate James, Luke Rockhold and Ron Kesler. Jake Shields should be in quite a bit as well. I am just glad Kos and I will both be fighting on the same card again. Its always better to have a teammate fighting on the same card as you, especially one thats the same weight class. This Wednesday will start the 8 week crunch. I am well ahead of schedule so far!

Couple great movies out... First, I definately recommend "Body Of Lies". What an amazing movie! Very well made, I was glued to the screen the whole 2 hours. If your into the whole War/Spy/Action movie genre, GO SEE IT! The second movie I saw and liked as well was "Religulous". What a well-made documentary. One of the best edited documentaries I have ever seen. It also helps when you have such a talented, smart and quick-witted host as Bill Maher. This movie was right up his alley and I am sure he had as much fun making it as we did watching it.

Make sure you guys register and vote! This is such an important election and our future depends on who we pick as our next Commander and Chief. I am not telling you who to vote for but please do your research and vote smart! Everyone's vote does make a difference! I was doing the "Vote For Your Right Campaign" with UFC and a lot of people didn't think their votes mattered. (They would end up registering) To think back of how many people we got registered and how many are still registering, its definately going to make a difference!

First Post Here With All The Updates!

2008-10-11T02:35:00.000-07:00

This is my first blog here on the new site and I am excited to start blogging. It is so great to see how far this sport has come, with TV shows and Magazines everywhere you look. It's also great to see the fan base explode like it has. You guys are the best fans and I appreciate you!

I guess first and foremost, I just got married! That's pretty exciting! Took me long enough I guess! ;) Mary and I got married in Lake Tahoe and it was amazing. I opted out of my honeymoon though to head back to San Jose to start fight camp for my upcoming fight. The honeymoon will have to wait until after!

My next fight will be Ultimate Fight Night at Fort Bragg on December 10th. It will air live on Spike TV and will be a part of a 3 hour fundraiser for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. I am so happy to be a part of this card. Not only because I support and love our troops, but also because I actually spent time at Fort Bragg with the soldiers. Last year I did a seminar with their MMA Combatives guys and they gave us a demonstration of their own. Their demonstration literally blew me away! We had the privilege to stand on top of a "Kill House" as they blew its doors off and entered while shooting up the mock terrorist. It was a very powerful experience that I will not soon forget. There are photos still posted in my blog on my MySpace page from this trip. www.Myspace.com/MikeSwick.

So anyway, to be able to go back and now fight on the base in a UFC is very exciting. My opponent will be Jonathan Goulet. If you remember, we were supposed to fight back at UFC Fight Night 11 but I had to pull out for a separated rib injury. I am very excited about this fight and am expecting fireworks. I am healthy and training hard as ever.

As I stated above, this fight is part of a fundraiser for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund which is a great program designed to help allocate money to injured and disabled veterans as well as the families of deceased veterans. If you would like more info on this fundraiser you can check out their website at: www.fallenheroesfund.org

We also recently launched a YouTube page that will be loaded with videos in the coming days/weeks. My new video blog is now posted explaining details of my next fight along with a couple technique videos and a lot of videos of me traveling around with friends. We plan to post interviews, behind the scenes footage at fights, travels, and a lot of training videos including cardio and workout routines that we do at The American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, CA. So be sure to subscribe! www.YouTube.com/OfficialSwick

Here Is My First Video Blog From My YouTube Page...

I will try and keep you guys as updated as possible!

Thanks,

-Swick