Joe “Daddy” Stevenson joins the MMA History Podcast episode 356 for a rare, unfiltered look at his rise from teenage pro to Ultimate Fighter Season 2 welterweight winner and UFC lightweight title challenger. Stevenson breaks down his earliest bouts, including his 1999 pro debut submission of Joe Camacho (triangle choke) at Empire One with Gene LeBell refereeing, his King of the Cage title runs, and coaching days alongside Cub Swanson and Charles “Crazy Horse” Bennett.

He details stepping away from competition to chase his black belt under Marc Laimon, Joe Silva’s personal visit that led to The Ultimate Fighter, being Matt Hughes’ first pick, his defining finish of Marcus Davis, the armbar win over Jason Von Flue, and the emotional finals against Luke Cummo while navigating the birth of his son Frankie.

Stevenson also covers his post-TUF UFC run, from the near-finish of Josh Neer and the bloody wars with Yves Edwards and Melvin Guillard to the high-stakes Kurt Pellegrino bout that earned him a lightweight title shot against peak BJ Penn, plus training stories with Kevin Randleman, Jeremy Horn, and the Big Bear camp.

A must-listen for fans of early 2000s MMA, King of the Cage, The Ultimate Fighter, and the path that shaped one of the sport’s most accomplished grappling technicians.

0:00 start

0:48 MMA History Podcast intro

1:20 Joey Venti’s guest introductions

1:43 interview start

1:51 Joe Camacho story

4:33 called out by Charles Bennett

8:40 conflict with Bobby Hoffman (rumor)

12:11 retiring to focus on black belt

14:17 auditioning for TUF season 2

20:01 getting to the TUF house

20:45 receiving first pick by Matt Hughes

24:34 Matt Hughes vs Frank Grillo on Kingdom

26:21 training with Gene LeBell

26:50 Joe Stevenson vs Marcus Davis

28:04 Melvin Guillard vs Josh Burkman

28:51 Jason Von Flue joining TUF

29:49 having to keep TUF results secret

32:30 injury prior to TUF 2 finale

33:29 preparation with Marc Laimon

36:02 Joe Stevenson vs Luke Cummo

38:54 prank calls

39:46 Joe Stevenson vs Josh Neer

43:26 conversations with Joe Silva after loss

45:57 Joe Stevenson vs Yves Edwards

50:24 importance of training

53:11 Cornered for fight by Kevin Randleman

54:08 Mark Coleman stats

56:00 training at the Barn

57:18 having a bloody fight with Yves Edwards

58:42 understanding cuts from an officials perspective

1:01:45 interactions with Aaron Brink

1:04:19 Joe Stevenson vs Yoshitomi Mishima

1:07:20 Joe Stevenson vs Melvin Guillard

1:09:24 Joe Stevenson vs Kurt Pellegrino

1:13:21 receiving phone call to fight BJ Penn for the Title

1:18:42 Melvin Guillard grease accusation

1:19:52 judges for Kurt Pellegrino fight

1:20:53 interview wrap up

1:21:00 outro/ closing thoughts

NEW MMA History Clips Channel:

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#mmahistory #JoeStevenson #UltimateFighter #BJPenn

In episode 355 of the MMA History Podcast, hosts Joey Venti and Mike Davis sit down with Arizona pioneer and former Rage in the Cage light heavyweight champion Edwin “Babyface” Dewees. A UFC veteran, The Ultimate Fighter Season 4 contestant, and 50 Fight Club member, Dewees began his pro career at just 17 years old in the unregulated Wild West of early Arizona MMA, where his mother signed the waiver and he stepped into the cage with almost no formal training.

He recounts the surreal atmosphere of Roland Sarria’s Rage in the Cage shows—high school kids fighting multiple times a month, selling tickets, teaching classes for free, and chasing the dream of the UFC while rarely seeing real money. The conversation covers his rapid rise against names like Bill Cameron, David Harris, Antonio McKee, Alan “A-Dog” Sullivan, Joe Stevenson, and Drew Fickett, the intense loyalty and control inside Sarria’s gym, and the complicated relationship with a promoter who doubled as a father figure.

Dewees also opens up about training alongside Joe Riggs, the Lions Den years, a brutal post-career attack that nearly cost him his life, and the long road that finally landed him in the UFC after more than 30 fights.

It’s a raw, unfiltered look at one of the most unique and overlooked chapters in early American MMA. If you love the real stories behind the sport, this is essential listening.

Subscribe to the MMA History Podcast for more interviews with the men who built the sport.

0:00 start

0:35 MMA History Podcast intro

1:07 Joey Venti’s guest introduction

1:32 interview start

2:15 first pro fight at 17 years old

4:37 high school wrestling career

5:21 Richard Hamilton

6:13 Lions Den in Arizona

7:42 meeting Frank Trigg

7:49 experience with Homer Moore

8:44 dealings with Rick Roufus

9:31 training with Mauricio Zingano

9:38 Victor Estrada

10:13 training at Roland Sarria’s gym

11:36 meeting Don Frye

12:20 Edwin Dewees vs Bill Cameron

15:58 moms opinion on fight with Bill Cameron

16:39 Roland Sarria fallout with Rickson Gracie

17:30 receiving support from a Marine Corps recruiter

18:35 taking helicopter to hospital after beating

25:30 Edwin Dewees vs Chris Meyers

28:51 Edwin Dewees vs Davis Harris

31:20 Roland Sarria working as a male dancer

32:13 payment for Rage in the Cage

32:53 Edwin Dewees vs Antonio McKee

35:24 payment for winning tournament

38:57 Edwin Dewees vs Trinity Boykin 2x in one night

40:11 Roland Sarria running shows simultaneously

40:42 goal of making it to the UFC

42:00 teaching MMA for free

44:18 being taken advantage of in early career

45:55 dark money entering the sport

46:45 Edwin Dewees vs Sean Williams

47:28 Edwin Dewees vs Allan Sullivan

49:54 unable to cross train at other gyms

51:31 tension from training with Bob Karmel

53:55 Ryan Bader and Jamie Varner

56:10 Joe Riggs vs Alex Stiebling

57:24 Edwin Dewees vs Christophe Leininger

1:00:30 Roland Sarria receiving help from students

1:01:23 Edwin Dewees vs Jeremy Edwards

1:03:08 Edwin Dewees vs Joe Stevenson

1:05:29 Edwin Dewees vs George Lockhart

1:06:25 altercation with Drew Fickett

1:07:58 Edwin Dewees vs Drew Fickett

1:08:49 Drew Fickett crashing car into restaurant

1:09:49 rematch with Drew Fickett

1:12:22 declining any sponsors

1:13:37 Edwin Dewees vs Shannon Ritch

1:16:47 Edwin Dewees vs Sam Adkins

1:17:28 Edwin Dewees vs Todd Medina

1:19:52 Edwin Dewees vs Homer Moore

1:26:29 Edwin Dewees vs Auggie Padeken

1:27:06 experience fighting in Hawaii

1:29:16 Roland Sarria issues with Santino DeFranco

1:30:42 Dominick Cruz in the training room

1:31:15 Edwin Dewees vs Chappo Montijo

1:33:15 getting a call from the UFC

1:35:19 Matt Hughes and Joe Riggs training camp

1:36:01 Joe Riggs weight cut story

1:38:09 sneak peak for part 2

1:40:36 outro

NEW MMA History Clips Channel:

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#MMAHistory #RageInTheCage

TJay Thompson, the architect of SuperBrawl and Icon Sport and a foundational figure in early Hawaiian MMA, joins the MMA History Podcast to detail how a Boston native managing female oil wrestling at Gussie L’Amour’s nightclub near Honolulu Airport fell into promoting fights in 1996. With no prior combat sports background, he ran packed monthly no-holds-barred events in the roughly 400-capacity bar using a homemade steel, cable, and plywood ring before partnering with Norwegian strongman and World’s Gym owner Ode Haugen to move the shows to Blaisdell Arena under the SuperBrawl banner.

Thompson recounts the early financial losses that nearly ended the promotion, the turnaround to profitability on the road in Guam, and key cards including SuperBrawl 2’s Vitor Belfort versus Jon Hess main event—promoted as Victor Gracie and held under true no-holds-barred rules—that drew Shaquille O’Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers. He covers Jay R. Palmer’s rapid rise as an untrained street fighter and his notorious head-stomp finish of Maurice Corty, the brutal 30-minute John Lober versus Frank Shamrock war that turned the Blaisdell crowd against the Lion’s Den, Matt Hume’s early influence on matchmaking and rules, Dan Severn’s willingness to take half his purse after a poorly attended El Paso show, and the creative workaround of staging SuperBrawl 7 as an ancient pankration-style “Pain Creation Tournament” to navigate Hawaii’s ban on extreme and ultimate fighting.

The conversation also touches the tense Relson Gracie–Egan and Enson Inoue rivalry that dominated the local scene in the late 1990s. This episode captures the chaotic, high-risk origins of one of MMA’s most influential regional promotions and the characters who built Hawaiian MMA from the ground up.

0:00 start

0:48 MMA History Podcast Intro

1:19 Joey Venti’s guest introduction

1:35 interview start

1:52 start in MMA promoting

6:55 Foxy oil wrestling tapes

8:30 Jay R Palmer

9:16 hosting events at the Blaisdell Arena

10:55 mistakes made by promoters

14:34 Hosting Superbrawl 1

15:56 Jay R Palmer career highlights

18:15 SuperBrawl 1 card

19:23 attendance for SuperBrawl 1

21:32 Vitor Belfort vs Jon Hess (last NHB fight)

26:40 video rights for SuperBrawl 2

28:55 dealings with Carlson Gracie

29:05 Lakers in attendance at SuperBrawl 2

30:50 Maurice Corty vs Jay R Palmer

34:27 relationship with John Perretti

36:37 Zane Frazier

37:26 Pete Williams vs Mark Coleman controversy

40:09 John Lober vs Frank Shamrock

44:56 Pat Miletich vs Jason Nicholsen

46:38 Danny Bennett vs Jay R Palmer

47:50 connecting with Matt Hume

52:10 Danny Bennett vs Jay R Palmer (rematch)

53:25 SuperBrawl 4 fight card

53:49 SuperBrawl 5 success

54:46 experience with Dan Severn

58:32 SuperBrawl 6

1:00:04 brawl at the Pan Ams

1:04:19 aftermath from the Pan Ams

1:06:54 Baret Yoshida leaving Relson Gracie

1:09:56 SuperBrawl 7

1:10:23 SuperBrawl 8 fight card

1:13:02 Ronald Jhun

1:14:39 SuperBrawl 9 in El Paso

1:16:01 teaser for part 2

1:16:57 interview wrap up

1:18:00 outro/ closing thoughts

NEW MMA History Clips Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@mmahistorypodclips

Instagram

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Apple Podcast

MMA History Podcast

YouTube

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Mike - The MMA Detective - @mikedavis632

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ZELLE: Cutthroatmma@gmail.com / ph#: 773-491-5052

Thank you for your support.

#SuperBrawl #TJayThompson #MMAHistory #HawaiianMMA