UFC Hall of Famer Dan Severn on retirement, Jones-Sonnen, Royce Gracie, and bullying

Fred Richani here for the Sportscore your.com at the Action Martial Arts Hall of Fame Mega weekend in Atlantic City with one of our favorite guests Yi Hall of Famer Dan the be S how you doing Dan. I’m fabulous there, Fred fabulous can’t beat beat it. It’s a martial arts Extravaganza all around us behind the curtain. You got people competing in Taekwondo karate Judo and all around us all the race vendors and behind there seminars taking place you name it. It’s all here and you seem to be in a very happy mood for a guy that just recently retired and a lot of times a lot of times guys say, oh, maybe I’ll hang it up.

Maybe I won’t I’ve interviewed you the last 3 4 years and every time I ask you’re like, well, you know, maybe I’ll still do some Greco Roman wrestling maybe I’ll still punch some guys in the face what made you finally decide to hang up the gloves. Well, I have been contemplating retirement for like the last 3 four years, but I was hoping for just one more big match to go out on. So, I’m a big believer of Simply taking your destiny into your own hands. I reached out to a few people, you know, they basically had interest in doing a match. But for whatever reasons those matches didn’t did not materialize and I’m like, I’m not going to wait around until you guys finally decide to do something I’m moving on with my life.

So I put out a press release as of December 201 11 letting all the various promoters and promotions know that if you were thinking about utilizing my skills it better happen in the course of 2012 cuz at the end of it. I’m done and here it is I’m done, but think of it only as taking one iron out of the fire and throwing three more right back into it. Well, we know you have your danger zone Training Center you’re doing all that you’re here doing some seminars what else are you doing in life after the cage, Fred. You don’t have enough time that battery will run out by the time I get done saying all the things that have going I’ve been probably one of the most busiest guys prior to ever starting a cage fighting career and you know, I’m just I’m doing a lot of good things that I think a lot of people will find quite interesting.

I’ll throw that out as a teaser and simp say if you want to know more about the man they call the Beast simply go to Dan go to Dan.com and they’ll know all they need to know of course, and you are a wrestler by trade recently the new season of The Ultimate Fighter began Jon Jones versus CH sun and their teams going at it on tough. Nobody has given cha sunnon a chance. Is there any conceivable way. You can see him utilizing his wrestling and somehow some way upsetting Mr. Jones. I would never count anybody out when it comes to match things simply happen, you know, so i’ I’ve learned that myself in my own career never count anyone out when I thought I was going into a less San type of situation.

So, both men best keep their guard up and use the attributes that brought him there in the first place and you mentioned not keeping your guard up. I’m assuming you’re talking about your match match up with ho Gracie and I understand you were actually trying to get a rematch with him around the time I believe of UCC 134 when they were going to Brazil. I know ho was angling for some type of match on the card unfortunately that didn’t happen. How close were you to getting that rematch of hoist Gracie, well, it was brought to my attention that he had. Made UFC official aware that you know, he had interest in being a part of that card when a couple friends of mine brought that to my attention.

I quickly contacted USC to let them know that if this was to take place that ho wouldn’t be in the car. I wanted to throw my name in the Hat as one of the potential candidates as an opponent for him just because I think it would have been marketable there would have been history and to do that. All right there in Brazil would have been huge. So I don’t know how close it ever was, but at least. I made my wants be known. Absolutely. And one guy that you had the pleasure of mentoring who’s become a great fighter is sugar Rashad Evans. He’s taking on Antonio jerio noera at the time we were conducting this interview at UFC 156.

There’s been talks of if he wins this fight he perhaps he’ll cut down to 185 and challenge Anderson Silva for the middleweight Championship? What do you think of his chances against a spider who’s been absolutely Unstoppable the last six years, you know, Rashad is a very intelligent. Fighter he has the tools he has that mindset. He can do whatever he wants to do. It’s just what are his goals and his aspirations. So don’t don’t count Rashad out. He’s a good guy and watch out and you are a good guy. You are promoting a positive message as are we with our friends at bullying we’re kicking it.

We’ve talked to you before about their great cause. He’s just explained to us what they’re doing and how we’re combating bullying together. Well, I mean, it’s a combination of things. Obviously you see like the banner here behind us, but they kicking the pram. They’re all about making a difference there amongst kids, you know, cuz it’s we live in a different world now today is what the cyber world. So bullying it’s not just simply out on the play playground of just picking on kids in a physical type of way. It’s more this mental type of thing of just saying names. It’s kind of sad that it results of that.

I mean there’s there are some old little Rhymes, you can put out there that sticks and stones may break your bones, but name should never hurt you. But you know, it is interesting though. When you look at what is happening and how people can bully you and be a coward themselves because it’s not like they’ll attach their name to it. So, you don’t know where the sources come from. So that if they were reported to authorities, you know, they’re just they’re hiding. So, it’s just a coward picking on some inocent person. So I like for what the kicking it stands for, you know, making a difference.

That’s what my life has always been about making a difference and the biggest thing is being involved with kids. Well, Dan s great message as always you’re a great guy. He’s Dan the be S UFC Hall of Famer I’m Fred richan. We’re the Sports Courier. And we’re kicking buan together.