Monday, May 23, 2011 at 9:29 AM Monday is here, but to me it feels more like Thursday in regards to my work week. Tomorrow will be my “Friday”, and then off to Vegas which couldn’t get here too soon. Today’s episode of MMAjunkie Radio will be #996 and as the Radio show has grown, so has the listeners and viewers. Many listeners have heard almost every one of those 996 shows, and some are just finding out about the show. A while back, I did a Ph1sh Bowl where I posted some of my favorite and most memorable episodes which can be found here: http://www.gozejitsu.com/the-ph1sh-bowl/2011/1/4/tuesdayrsquos-edition-of-mmajunkie-radio-marked-the.html
What episode was the first one you listened to? Was it in the Tagg days or MMAjunkie Radio? What were your initial impressions of the show and the hosts? When did you go from listening to the show, to becoming part Junkie Nation, and what does the show mean to your everyday life? (Post your answers to these questions in the comments section!) These are some questions and topics that have been covered by the fellow MMAjunkies that have been spotlighted in the past few Ph1sh Bowls. This week will be no different as I am going to be spotlighting at least one member of Junkie Nation leading up to Friday’s 1000th show. Today’s focus is on two MMAjunkies who could probably trick people into thinking that they play in the NFL as offensive linemen! Dudes are huge! Not only that, but they are both nice as can be.
“Big Juan” Ramirez is the first MMAjunkie I am talking about. He has a lot of love for Junkie Nation, and he also participates in other MMA forums and groups. One in particular, which is also made up of many MMAjunkies is the MMA Fight Forum on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=596682309&success=1#!/home.php?sk=group_113089832104787&ap=1 After knowing Juan for even a short bit of time, you will recognize his love for his family, and MMA. Here is what Juan had to say about how he not only got into MMA, but how that transpired into him becoming part of Junkie Nation:
“I became a huge fan of MMA in the mid 90's, living in the backyard of Central California. Tachi Palace, the Home of the WEC, exposed me to many world class fights to me which became an addiction as a fan. I became a hardcore fan by attending shows since then and meeting many of the fighters that have now made their way to the UFC. Aside from that, I understood how importance the role of a fan is, which strongly continues to this day. As a fan, I attend every show and support local MMA media like the best California MMA site, Cageradio.com. I also shop for gear at Visalia MMA which has connected me closer to the MMA lifestyle. I am a weightlifter since the age of 14 and found it difficult to train for MMA due to the lack of time with work and family, but highly value the dedication of the whole MMA lifestyle and mindset.
A few years ago I came across MMAjunkie and was quickly hooked on daily MMA news and articles that just kept me hooked. I came to recognize that there was a radio show that talked about all aspects of MMA…. from fighters, to diets, to training methods, and input from other fans just like me. I started listening a year and a half ago and since then have only missed about 5 shows. Listening to MMAjunkie Radio is a must, just like listening to Howard Stern or heading to the gym… no excuses. I have had a few interactions in the combat chat on sick days at home, but unable to do at work or make call into the show. Being an MMA junkie means that you listen everyday, find other ways to interact with Goze, GG, John Morgan, and Jenny as well as other fans that I have quickly formed great friendships with. We are a tightknit family to all regardless of age, background, or training experience. Being a member of Junkie Nation would be summarized as being passionate to the whole MMAjunkie site, fans, and radio.
I have met GG and John Morgan out here at Tachi, and have praised everyone's dedication for the great lengths of efforts they and staff do for us fans every single day. Another important thing that I enjoy doing when I have the ability to meet several fighters at Strikeforce, Bellator, WEC, UFC, and Tachi Palace cards that I have attended, is to thank them for doing interviews with the MMAjunkie Radio crew, because we are able to see the true thoughts of fighters as well as the sacrifices that they have made. The street fights and even the personal bios are a part of the fighters’ lives that we normally would have no clue about. There is no better team out there than our very own GG, Goze, Jenny, and John Morgan….nor a better group of fans that I embrace than my junkie family. “
The next MMAjunkie is one who is very well known in our community. He has been around since the beginning of TAGG Radio, and can even be heard on one of the Gozejitsu.com commercials, talking about MMAjunkie.com’s Junkie Fantasy Fighting. Although a few people may know him as “Noah Hubbs”, he is very well known as “Buffalo Blue”. BB once played College Football, and there is even rumor out there that he once was able to dunk a basketball….but that has yet to be confirmed. If you were to frequent the Fantasy Fighting Forum, you would find out how much of an icon BB is, whether it is granted or not. He is very good at promoting himself as a Fantasy Fighting god….GOD! All kidding aside, he is one of the main reasons the JFF leagues are as successful as they are; and when you get to know Noah, you will find out that the character “Buffalo Blue” and “Noah” are really two different personalities. Noah once even purchased a ticket for Slick Rick da Fish to attend a UFC in Denver because he is that nice, even though Noah was not going as he lives on the east coast. Here is how Noah became an important member of Junkie Nation:
“Growing up, I was a huge professional wrestling fan, and watched all the old video’s time and time again. Like many people this served as their link to start watching MMA. I remember the first time I rented a UFC event was probably late 1995 or early 1996. Our video store used to have certain video’s that we could rent for 5 videos for 5 days. Since I had seen all of the WWF and WCW videos about three times each, I decided that I would pick up the first five UFC events. I loved the fact it was a real fight, but as with most first time MMA fans I thought the ground game was incredibly boring. I continued to watch for the videos of future events as they came out, but there was not a very good medium at the time to follow MMA. I began to respect the ground game more and more with each event. I followed the sport on a casual basis and occasionally went to a friend who had satellite in order to watch an event live.
During my early years of high school in 1999 and 2000 I never really watched much mixed martial arts, but I found it with a new found passion in 2001 as a senior in high school. I could at least find a bit more info here or there on the internet and started following who was fighting at the upcoming events. My first event pack to really following was UFC 31 and it was one of only two events that both my favorite fighters (Carlos Newton and BJ Penn) both fought on. Before the event I had scene and read as much as I could on BJ and was convinced he would be great. From that point on I continued to follow the UFC, but when I followed Carlos Newton over to Pride for Pride 19, I was hooked unlike never before. That was the night he submitted Pele with a beautiful armbar transition. I had to go back and try to watch every previous Pride event and had to see every event I could get my hands on from that point.
Around 2002 I started to lurk on the MMAWeekly forums from time to time, and would throw my two cents in occasionally. Within a year or so I was constantly posting on the forums and debating MMA as none of my close friends had any interest in the sport. It was actually through these forums I was lead to TAGG Radio and eventually MMAJunkie. It was there I met a restaurant manager who fought in the fantasy fighting leagues named kingofabuelos (known to us now as John Morgan) and another poster who went by the name of gorgesjorj (know today as GorgeousGeorge) As fate would have it, the owner of MMAWeekly Ryan Bennett (RIP Hitman) would pass away on May 31, 2006. This was actually where the idea of TAGG Radio spawned. Ryan hosted a show every weekday at Noon Eastern Time. Many people in the mma community grew up listening to him through college and at work. Often times Frank Trigg would co-host with Ryan and callers suck as Rick from New York (Budo) and Sam all jam would call in and talk mma with Ryan on a consistent basis.
I would say no more than three or four weeks after Ryan’s death we were in the Live Fighter Chat (ever wondered where the combat chat spawned from, now you know) during a Pride event and George started brainstorming with a few of us about the possibility of him starting a radio show to fill the void left by Ryan. What seemed like it might be a pipe dream at the time was anything but to George. Nine months or so after that initial conversation TAGG Radio was born. It was a proud day to watch George bring this idea to reality. I made it into the combat chat whenever possible during work in the early days and watched the radio show grow by leaps and bounds.
During its time as TAGG Radio, I had the pleasure to be live on the program with Goze and Alton during a couple days before UFC 84. It was an absolute blast though we might have had a bit too much fun on the night in between the shows. When I heard that TAGG Radio would move to MMAJunkie, I knew I wanted to make an effort to visit their forums and contribute if possible. Since that time I have been back in studio at UFC 100 and George and Goze openly pushed Junkie Fantasy Fighting to bring attention to that area of the site in which I am heavily involved. That’s really what always made the show so unique. They reach out to their listeners and help support them in whatever they are doing. The fantasy leagues went from 70 or 80 people an event to having close to 150 or 160 an event. Much of that credit has to go to them talking about it on the air and getting listeners involved in the league.
At the end of the days, while this is certainly about mixed martial arts, through the years you also build very good friendships with many of the people. What’s so unique about the MMAJunkie and MMAJunkie Radio community is that everyone is from different walks of life, but when we come together, it’s as if we have known each other forever. Whether it’s a Sunday afternoon phone call with George talking about rankings for a couple hours, a night out in Vegas with Goze and Alton, or running into fng at the Strikeforce Columbus event and shooting the breeze for a few minutes, this group of people is a part of all our lives, and a pretty damn good part at that.”
Thank you all for reading the Ph1sh Bowl. After today, the magic number is at 3! Stay tuned for the Ph1sh Bowls that will be coming out each day until show 1000. Be Champions!
Reader Comments (5)
That pic is so freaking funny. These are really cool Ph1sh, I like the twist.
What a great article! MMA Most Wanted just met Juan Ramirez on FB. It's great to make new friends! Thanks Juan! MMA Junkie is doing great thing in MMA ! Keep going! Good luck from MMA Most Wanted!
I think I remember that episode with Buffalo Blue, was pretty good but then again I like everything. I'll try and get in the forums more often.
Is juan the guy that GG said was huge? Not fat huge but solid? I remember he mentioned something like that. Maybe I'm crazy.
Wow! -Wyler Swiss watches I totally impressed!