(Bennett’s bringin’ the Krazy to BET tomorrow night.)
It’s tomorrow night, Ladies and Gents. I’m referring, of course, to BET’s “Iron Ring” which kicks off its debut show at 11 p.m. (ET). MMAPayout has a solid rundown of the show, being described as a mix of TUF and the IFL with a twist. The twist being hip hop celebrity types owning the teams. The show is thirty minutes, but the debut will be two back-to-back joints.
Here’s what MP is saying:
The one hour premier episode (two thirty minute episodes combined) focuses largely on the celebrity owners and their coaches. The show has a gritty feel provided by low key production and locations as well as a strong hip hop influence. The opening scenes looks more like the rawness of fight club than the spectacle of major MMA. Whether this will be the case once the actual competition begins remains to be seen, but the product definitely has a distinctive feel, unlike any other MMA production. Street Certified may be a more appropriate title for the series than it was for EliteXC’s previous offering.
There are six teams with fighters reppin’ lightweight – 170 lbs by “Iron Ring” terms – middleweight, and the heavies. Jamie Foxx’s pal, Rashon Kahn, will be the token speech-maker. Chuck “Krazy Horse” Bennett and Shonie Carter are two of the coaches and the other four are Roberto Traven, Abdul Mutakabbir, Jermaine Andre, and Novell G. Bell. WTF? you might be asking, so we have the scoop on those dudes after the jump.
Roberto Traven is nicknamed “Spider” and comes from Rio de Janeiro, so naturally he’s trained in BJJ. He fought in UFC 11 and UFC 34, losing via submission to Frank Mir in the latter. After starting his career with six straight wins, he lost three in a row and last fought in 2005. He is 6-3-1 overall.
Abdul Mutakabbir is the head of the SWAM Academy of Modern Martial Arts and has been a martial artist since he was eleven. He was the New York State Triple Crown Champion for 20 years. That’s decent I guess, but I was once runner-up in a Mario Brothers tournament on my block. Beat that. Mutakabbir is also the creator of the FuJuKa Boxing System which combines various martial arts and emphasizes practical street fighting.
Jermaine “Bam Bam” Andre is 13-4 in MMA and founded Andre’s Mixed Martial Arts Training Academy. He is also a Muay Thai Kick Boxer, Shootboxer, San Shou KickBoxer, Streetfighter, and Body Guard. He’s a three-time U.S. champ and a World champ. The dude is thick – he’s 5’7″ and 185 lbs. And the kid can get all literate, too: he’s written seven books.
Novell G. Bell goes by the “Black Taoist” and is trained in several martial arts by like a million “masters”. He’s big into the spiritual side of things, so that’ll be an interesting mix what with uber-mellow dudes like Lil John running around.
The team run-downs:
MONEY MAYWEATHER BOYS
Owner – Floyd Mayweather
Coach – Roberto Traven
LW – Andy Roberts
MW – Dymond Jones
HW – Abdelaziz Essafoul
TEAM LUDA
Owner – Ludacris
Coach – Abdul Mutakabbir
LW – Joe Comacho
MW – John Fields
MW – Franz Mendez
HW – Joe McCall
TEAM NELLY
Owner – Nelly
Coach – Jermaine Andre
LW – Eric Marriott
MW – Darryl Cobb
HW – Mike Cook
TEAM GRAND HUSTLE
Owner – T.I.
Coach – Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett
LW – Josh Gaskins
MW – Primus Moore
MW – Jamie Yager
HW – Joe Thomas
TEAM DIPSET
Owner – Dipset
Coach – Novell G. Bell
LW – Josh Key
MW – Daniel Akinyemi
HW – Carlos Moreno
HEAD BUSTERS
Owner – Lil John
Coach – Shonie Carter
LW – Macrus Brimmage
MW – Brian Rodgers
HW – Abongo Humphrey
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The coaches on the show are legit, exceot for ” Krazy Horse who admits he does not train but still has 19 wins. Jermaine Andre has a record of 13 and 9.Roberto Traven won Abu Dhabi.Novell Bell is a Kung Fu artist which can have some benefit in MMA since alot of MMA fighters are more brawler and less chess player. Shonie Carter has a record of 36 and 19, with losses to fighters like the great Pat Miletich and Karo”The Heat”Parisyan. The reason they could not get Rampage I am sure has to do with his UFC contract. Yves is preparing to kick KJ Noons ass. Din had a fight recently, so I am sure he was not available. Also, I have learned when people preface a statement with “This is not racist” a racist statement will be close behind. I am an educated black man, in law school, who happens to like hitting people in the face. ” I AM WHITE”…I wish my race gave me “credit” for school. Yet it does not. I qualified for the same grants that you would have if you applied for them. And if you pay attention to the show you will see that there are more than black fighters. Besides.. if you really feel the things you type while hiding behind a computer screen, why are you watching BLACK Entertainement Televison to began with. Roberto Traven won Abu Dhabi.