The Rear Naked Choke, Featuring Joe & Ted

Ho-hum.  Another live ring-side show at an IFL event, another sick job by The RNC crew.  

First and foremost, congratulations to the IFL belt winners:

Featherweight: Wagnney Fabiano
Lightweight: Ryan Schultz
Welterweight: Jay Hieron
Middleweight: Matt Horwich
Light Heavyweight: Vladmir Matyushenko
Heavyweight: Roy “Big Country” Nelson

We got Randy again!  Randy Couture!  The Natural! 

Randy talked about the crap that he went through in the second half of 2007 and looked ahead to 2008, giving an explantion of all things Couture.  We’re not going to spoil the surprise — click the badge over there on the right and start listening to the show right now!

Joe & Ted welcomed Carlos Newton to the show once again.  Carlos kicked it off and talked about Wagnney, Canadian MMA and his new house, not to mention what he is looking forward to in the new year.  He’s going to start training all over the place, so get excited!

 IFL Commissioner Kurt Otto then sat in for some quality time.  Rather than focusing on the peripherals, Kurt talked about the fights and forced Joe & Ted into their predictions.  Hear the Commish relaxing and talking about MMA as a fan.  It’s quality stuff, and it will help you get to know Kurt a little bit better.

The ringside live show — a concept invented here — was the culmination of a four-shows-in-three-days bonanza.  Joe & Ted also broke new ground by going live from the weigh-in!

 Here is a recap of the three - yes, THREE - shows the guys did on Dec. 27-28:

The first night, Joe & Ted arrived on the scene and sat down with heavyweight combatants ”Big Country” and Antoine Jaoude.  Oh yeah, in the mean time, our pal Benji Radach stopped by, ahead of his 185-pound title match with Horwich.

On Friday afternoon, the guys went live from the weigh-in at Mohegan Sun and had (get this): Ken Shamrock, Ian Freeman and Pat Miletich!  Unbelievable! 

Ken gave the intel on his fight plans for 2008, and they are big plans!  Check out the show to find out what the MMA legend has planned for the coming months and hear him talk about his brother, Frank Shamrock.  Get the latest on Shamrock vs. Shamrock!

Ian recalled his days as a brawling doorman in the UK, and told the story about what made him switch from being just a boxer to essentially bringing MMA to its newest hotbed.  He also revealed which football (American word: “soccer”) team he supports (American words: “roots for”).   

 Pat’s appearance on the show was a long-awaited highlight for Joe & Ted, to whom he refers as ”Those Lawyer Guys From New York”.  Mr. Miletich wants to take the “Naked” out of Rear Naked Choke - hear why, and email us on TheRNC@joeted.com to tell us what you think (tell us you want to keep it).  We might even put up a poll, so vote to keep it in there (sorry, Pat!).  

On Friday night, Tim Hughes, the awesome IFL Ring Announcer, took on co-hosting duties for a huge show that featured Shawn Tompkins, who is Randy’s right-hand man at Xtreme Couture, and Commissioner Kurt.

Tim is such a polished pro, and Joe & Ted always are especially honored when he joins them.  He also knows a heck of a lot about MMA and the people involved in it.  Hear about what Tim is doing with HDNet Fights and get some background about his incredible history in the industry.  You’ll have immediate voice recognition, “THAT’S TIM HUGHES?!  I KNOW THAT GUY!”

Shawn joined us to talk about the Xtreme Couture guys: Chris Horodecki and Jay Hieron, and a little bit about Benji Radach.  His relationship with Chris is special and unique.   Shawn’s involvement in Xtreme Couture has been a huge key to its astounding rise to prominence, and Team Tompkins is not too shabby, either!

 These shows are must-listens for even the casual fan, not to mention the hard-core enthusiasts. 

 JUMP ON THE TRAIN!

The World Grand Prix Finals are here, and Joe & Ted are there!

The guys will do a couple of shows from the IFL hotel, and you never know who is going to show up and grab a headset! On Thursday, Dec. 27 and Friday, Dec. 28, one-hour shows are scheduled to begin 9:30 pm EST. Of course, the start time and length of shows are subject to change (which is good news, because the reason we would make a change is to get more/better guests).

As usual, on Dec. 29 from ringside at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., Joe & Ted will be conducting a live show before the fight card kicks off. The last such show ended up featuring Randy Couture and Renzo Gracie, and you never know who is around and who will show up for some laughs! That show is slated to commence Dec. 29 at 5:30 pm EST.

In the final studio shows before Christmas, Joe & Ted welcomed two true IFL insiders.

Drew Archer is the operations manager and is the “matchmaker”. Shannon Knapp is the IFL’s fighter liaison, its initial employee, and the first lady of MMA! No one knows the fighters as well as Drew and Shannon (she is the only person who can even come close to matching Ted’s amazing prediction record)!

IFL Commissioner Kurt Otto had a conference call on Dec. 19 and Joe & Ted monitored it. Listen to catch the commish’s comments and the guys’ reactions to the IFL’s 2008 roadmap.

The great news is that league events will remain on live TV. Additionally for fans of The RNC, the three-arena rotation includes Mohegan Sun, the Izod Center in the NJ Meadowlands, and the Orleans in Las Vegas. The first two of those are close to Joe & Ted, meaning more live-and-in-person shows!

Keep checking back to the site as we add updates, and look out for additions to The Rear Naked Gallery, which quickly has become a fan favorite. Be on the lookout for our new logo and other changes along the way. And do not be afraid to tell us what you think by dropping up a note at TheRNC@joeted.com, or using the site to comment!

Listen to the Show
Download Bas Rutten and more on the RNC!

“El Guapo” Bas Rutten hates it when people do not use their turn signals and do not obey airport safety regulations.

Wagnney Fabiano likes to make friends so much that he’s willing to give out his phone number.

LC Davis is the king of Kansas and Missouri.

Dan Miller is the purveyor of the “guillotine from hell.”

Elias Rivera has been a professional fighter since age 9.

Those are some of the highlights from the last few weeks on The Rear Naked Choke, Featuring Joe & Ted, here at www.joeted.com! Our player is over there on the right somewhere, and you can listen right from there. You also could check out our TalkShoe page to browse, and additionally can subscribe to The RNC on iTunes.

The guys had on Bas Rutten as a complete surprise. They were doing a show about the history of the show when Bas came on and, as only he can, lit it up. Hilarity ensued as El Guapo talked about life and fighting, and even did his Tony Montana immitation!

Fabiano joined the guys on the phone from Brazil! He talked about his little dogs, his penchant for winning by submission, and his need for sponsors.

Davis brought with him a virtual entourage, easily making that our mostly highly listened and chatted live show! He reveals what the LC stands for, discusses how to train under Pat Miletich and reveals what it’s like to be a coach.

Miller talks about one of the greatest submissions in MMA history, what we at The RNC have named the “guillotine from hell” against David Phillips on Aug. 2 in the IFL Team semifinals. YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!

Rivera is slated to fight Dec. 29 in his home state of Connecticut and talked about how he got his start. The owner of a local Chinese laundry in the South Bronx was the key. Listen up to get the whole story of the Team Dog Pound mentor!

Keep listening for the best in the IFL as we move closer to the World Grand Prix Finals, Dec. 29 at Mohegan Sun in Conn. We’ll be doing weekly shows leading up to it, and will do shows from the IFL remote headquarters Dec. 27 and 28, with a live show from ringside right before the event!

Listen to the Show
Download Bas Rutten and more on the RNC!