Abu Dhabi Blog Day 4

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

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...

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...

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...

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

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!

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.