By Scoop Malinowski

MMA Insider Gary Marino shares his perspective on the MMA world in this Q&A:

MMAOnline.com: You always had close relationship with UFC Officials, the owner of the site was ’shocked’ to learn  that you now had an IFL team. How did this all come about with you and IFL? We hope they didn’t give you stock options (stock’s worth $0.06).

Gary Marino: “Right, well, I don’t know much about stocks but I did always have a relationship with Dana. Still do. He’s a very good friend. I haven’t been able to get to many UFCs lately but Dana’s always been a good friend who’s taken care of myself and my family. He’s a good guy in my book. He’s always treated me and my family like his family. There’s one thing I always say about Dana - he paved the road for a lot of us who have careers because of his work, of his pursuing his dream. He’s done pretty well for himself. He’s the man. He’s made it possible for a lot of us to pursue our dreams. He’s made the UFC pretty great. As far as the IFL, I’ve always maintained relations with Keith Evans. I’ve been working on it for the last four months with Keith. I told him I have relations with a lot of fighters on the east coast. There’s so much good talented fighters in the north east that a lot of people don’t know about. Team Bomb Squad will represent the north east.”

MMAOnline.com: What can you tell us about Team Bomb Squad, and your coaching staff? You are going to be put up against teams like Miletich and Team Quest? I’m sure you have a few tricks up your sleeve…

Gary Marino: “Being a matchmaker for a few years I look at a lot of good potential matchups. I know we’re going up against big name guys like Sperry. We’re like blue collar guys, no Hollywood managers. My coach is Ryan Ciotoli. We’ve always been good friends and had good relations when I was a matchmaker. I thought he was perfect for being the coach, he coaches wrestling at Ithaca College and was a great college wrestler. Ryan’s one of the really good guys in the sport and we’re looking forward to working together for the season. We’re guys who love the sport. We’re there to give our guys a shot to fight some of these guys in the big shows. It’s a dream for these guys to be across the ring from Mario Sperry in our first competition. The talent on the east coast is no joke. I’d say Mike Massenzio is the best 185-pounder on the east coast. He’s definitely stepping it up. Our guys are real gamers, they don’t want cakewalks. This is their chance to show what they got. John Howard is our 170-pounder. 155 - we’re still working on - we’ll know in three or four days. Team members include Matt Lee, Nate Lamotte, Kevin Jordan and Spencer Page.”

MMAOnline.com: IFL is undergoing a major over-haul in regards to their staff and production. What are your thoughts of their long-term growth in MMA?

Gary Marino: “Well I think they’re going in the right direction. The best thing they’re adding in is the local teams on the local shows and the single match competition. There seems to be more buzz about it. People are grasping on to the direction they’re going. There’s more options for the fighters and the camps to be in there in the big show. I don’t hear too many people say bad things. And the shows are great productions. The next show in Ner Jersey is going to be a great show and the one at Mohegan Sun on May 16 is going to be another great show. I think there’s definitely a good buzz about the IFL this year.”

MMAOnline.com: Lets talk Kimbo. Pro Elite wants to take credit for him. But few fans know that you were the guy as Cage Fury Match maker who not only recruited Kimbo to MMA and booked his two biggest fights. Please talk about that recruiting process.

Gary Marino: “From the minute I saw Kimbo fight Sean Gannon on the internet I was a Kimbo fan. I thought it was pretty wild stuff. I followed him on the underground and the internet, like everyone else. After being hired as matchmaker for Cage Fury I had a goal to get him a fight. Guys like Kimbo are who made the sport what it is - the jiu jitsu fighter, the street fighter, the wrestler, the striker, the street fighter, how would they do in a competition? Kimbo brought that back. He’s a curiosity. I’ll never forget the night the Cage Fury 4 promoter asked me if I could find Ray Mercer a fight. As soon as he mentioned Ray Mercer, I thought, KIMBO SLICE! This is perfect. Because it was hard finding the right opponent for Kimbo, an opponent that would offer something for Kimbo. We weren’t gonna put Kimbo in is very first fight, in against a guy like Fedor. I called Kimbo’s manager Mike Imber and said I finally got a fight for Kimbo. Ray Mercer the former (WBO) Heavyweight champion. The former heavyweight champion against the street fighter. They said, Perfect. I was always waiting for that perfect guy to come around. And Kimbo had no fear going into that fight which is amazing. He has so much drive and is so mentally tough. I was surprised how he handled himself in front of that big crowd. It was great stuff. People overlook that fight with Ray Mercer. That was really his first MMA fight.”

MMAOnline.com: What was going through your head watching Kimbo vs Tank, knowing that this was YOUR match that another promotion had put on?

Gary Marino: “Yeah, I was obviously happy that it happened. I knew it was going to be great no matter what happened. Kimbo is what Tank was 12, 13 years ago. I knew it would be awesome. It was exciting to watch it. All I ever wanted was to see that fight. I also felt a little down because it didn’t happen on a show I was working on. That fight would have put us on the map. In one way it’s s shame. But I was excited for them. What was going through my mind? I wish I was there. I was wondering what the Cage Fury promoter was thinking too. But very happy it was happening. Glad they pursued a fight I originally put together. I’m thrilled to be a part of bringing Kimbo to MMA.”

MMAOnline.com: Tell us about your experience with Kevin Ferguson as opposed to Kimbo Slice?

Gary Marino: “His manager, Mike Imber, Ice Mike, I always dealt with him. We went to Miami to sign the contract for Ray Mercer. We did the signing, went out to dinner (the Capitol Grill on South Beach), I tell you what, he’s the nicest guy. Very polite. He’s a gentleman. He’s absolutely a nice guy to talk to. Just a great guy, we all enjoyed the dinner. Obviously, when he gets in the cage he flips the switch. Seeing him on the internet I was like, Wow, what would it be like to meet him? He’s just a great guy. I remember he was thrilled when he came to Atlantic City to do interviews. He went in to check out the cage. He was thrilled, he was so excited, taking pictures. Kevin Ferguson is a great guy. Kimbo Slice is a fighting machine.”

MMAOnline.com: What happened to Cage Fury, Will they be making a comeback? They had a very good operation and Boom, gone? Can you provide any insight what happened with the Original Tank - Kimbo fight?

Gary Marino: “Boom, gone is a good word. We were climbing a mountain. When we got right to near the top, it exploded and we got knocked all the way to the bottom. I can’t tell you exactly what happened because I’ve had no contact. There were rumors that an investor backed out. I never really got a straight answer. I was never told what was happening. He cancelled the show and I never heard from him again. He just left everybody behind. No fighter was paid. And I was never paid for three months of work. I’ve heard rumors of a Cage Fury comeback. It’s a shame the way it happened. We put a lot of work into it. I was counting the days till Cage Fury 6. What a card that was gonna be. Couldn’t believe it got cancelled. I was shocked.”

MMAOnline.com: You booked a bunch of your guys on the last Ring of Combat Event in Atlantic City and were the top indy matchmaker and now your running a team? When is Gary Marino promotions debuting?

Gary Marino: “Yeah, I tell you, if anyone wants to put up the money, I’d accept it, love it, I’d love to do a show. I have a good relationship with all the managers and all the fighters. I wish I had the money to do my own show, I don’t. But if anybody ever approaches, Here’s the money - I’m in [laughs]. I love every part of the game. It’s just a thrill to be a part of it, in any form, even to do this interview. To participate with a team in the IFL - this is great stuff. We’re living a dream.”

MMAOnline.com: You were one of the guys around MMA before the big UFC Explosion and also become one of the east coasts top matchmakers. Where do you see the sport going/growing/changing in the next five years?

Gary Marino: “Well I’ve been around since the beginning. I’ve gone to most of the UFC shows, boy it’s really come a long way. It’s getting bigger, bigger, seems like every day. It’s just a matter of - now it’s obviously a frenzy is the word I use - everybody’s jumping in. In a year, two or three of the big players will stay up on top. Obviously the UFC is up there. Strikeforce is doing great - that was a great fight on Saturday night with Cung Le and Frank Shamrock - I was on the edge of my seat. All these shows coming up - it’s just getting bigger and bigger. I think it will continue to grow as far as availability. A short time ago it was only available on pay-per-view. Now it’s much more accessible. It’s so big now it’s talked about where ever you go. The sky’s the limit. This is going to be a big year. The availability is like the way boxing used to be. HD Net is fantastic too. You got UFC, Spike, pay-per-view, IFLs, Showtime, great stuff. There’s a show every week.”

MMAOnline.com: The UFC has been the only MMA group that can sustain popularity, promote a brand, and make make a profit. What does the IFL have to do this year to reverse this trend?

Gary Marino: “I think the IFL is definitely going in the right direction right now. I always liked the idea of teams even though fighting is an individual effort. At the end of the day what you’re there to see is individual fights. I like the variety of fights and styles, the coaching aspect. Good fighters fight each other. I love what they’re doing with the challenge teams - our team in the north east, American Top Team southeast, teams from the midwest, California, Chicago. Like I said, there’s a lot of positive buzz about the IFL and people are excited.”

MMAOnline.com: You were around many of the eartly UFC events when Zuffa took over. As a fan and person who works in the sport, did you ever think this sport and UFC in particular would get as big as it has?

Gary Marino: “I never knew. All I knew was the first UFC I ever saw - I will never forget that night in 1993. I was sitting at home and ordered the pay-per-view when I saw that first fight. I couldn’t believe what I saw. It was shocking - an organized street fight. I called everybody I knew, Did you see that?! I was hooked from that day on. I went to the live show at the MGM in 2001 and thought to myself, Wow, they made it. Then from there, I can’t believe it’s where it is. Now it’s like an absolute frenzy. I thought it would be popular but not like it is. Everybody always thought the Heavyweight champion is the baddest man on earth. This proves - this is a fight - boxing is boxing, using your hands. This is the closest thing to a real fight you can get. Fighting is definitely different than boxing. They literally created a whole new sport. Today we have the real fight sport. You get to see a real fight. And so many more people can participate in it. There’s so many more opportunities for guys to be in it. It’s available to so many more athletes.”

MMAOnline.com: What are your thoughts on the UFC - Randy Couture Lawsuit?

Gary Marino: “Boy I don’t know much about it. I hear little bits and pieces. I would imagine they both got their reasons for what they’re doing. I don’t know much. Somebody’s right, somebody’s wrong. I don’t know who. In my experience, I’ve seen a lot of crazy things. All I know, Dana’s done a lot of things for a lot of guys. Randy Couture is a gentleman, an ambassador for the sport. I don’t know, I really couldn’t say.”

MMAOnline.com: How about Couture vs. Fedor, who wins?

Gary Marino: “I would love to see that. I hope they make it. I’m hearing little things like it might be possible. It would be the biggest pay-per-view in the history of the sport I think. If the UFC signs Fedor, they might be able to get Randy to do it. I can’t see Randy submitting Fedor. I can’t see anybody beating Fedor. Fedor might be a little too much. But who knows.”