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Stephen
Quadros is a man of many talents. Currently he is a sports
broadcaster and host for The International Fight League
and Cage Rage. He is a leading freelance Combat Sport and
Self-Defense journalist, and
writes for Budovideos.com. He is an actor, fight
choreographer, and is very involved at all levels of the
martial arts community. He is a lifelong drummer and plays
the skins for The Sacred Cowboys and Whipped Cream.
This rock-n-roll entrepreneur
is
not simply a jack-of-all-trades though. The 54 year-old is an
entertainment pioneer with a genuine passion to entertain,
contribute, and educate. He is considered by many as the
most credible of all MMA broadcasters. The humorous artist
is very personable, and holds
nothing back in this interview!
NWFS:
Thanks for your time Stephen! How has life been treating
you?
Stephen
Quadros: It's like my Dad used to tell me, "I'm
busier than a one-legged man in an ass kicking contest"!
In my life change is constantly happening. And with change
come rewards. Broadcasting, music, at least one offer to
direct my first feature film, you know, business as usual
for The Fight Professor.
(Laughs)
NWFS:
Between acting [over
30 films and TV shows now!], film fight choreography,
training and teaching martial arts, playing drums in
multiple bands,
journalism on multiple platforms, and
sports broadcasting...
have you satisfied your creative
thirst yet?
Quadros:
That's a really good question. I would have to say...no,
hell no. I'm really just scratching the surface of my
potential. Howard Stern always bragged that he was the
king of all media and in the 1990s he kind of was in some
ways.
But my time is
coming...
There
will come a point where my life will consolidate
automatically. This will be a natural occurrence. Meaning:
a financial situation will present itself that will cause
me to focus my entire energy on that exclusively. And that
situation will call upon all my talents to work as one.
This is going to happen; it's only a matter of when.
Honestly,
I would love to be the head of a well-financed, major
fight organization. That would be a great honor. I believe
I am one of an elite few on the planet that could take
things to another level. I have a lot to offer in this
capacity. But in the meantime, I'll have fun regardless
of which way I step...
NWFS:
You're very resilient and creative with your career.
You've been blessed to work with some great companies
and individuals. You've maintained relevance and
dominance as an authority in the very competitive mixed
martial arts industry. What kind of goals and standards do
you set for yourself
to accomplish the things you do?
Quadros:
My one goal is to be the best I can be, no matter what it
is that I pursue professionally or competitively. Of
course that goal manifests itself in different ways
obviously. The latest adjustment that I am in the process
of making is to simplify. Believe me, my life gets
complicated sometimes. (Laughs...) Catch the
details in my upcoming book, just kidding. Oh, I'll be
writing a book, but not now.
I don't have the time.
I
lust to be original, to make a difference in what ever I
do. We are all human and have influences but I will create
change in a positive sense. I will lead by example. Since
most people reading this don't really care about my
musicianship or the fact that I may or may not be one of
the world's greatest drummers, let's keep it in the
tight little box known as the fight business.
MMA is like human life - it is always changing. At this point there probably won't be a secret technique that pops out of the woodwork and dominates like when Royce Gracie exploded onto the scene in 1993 with Jiu-jitsu. All the information in fighting and martial arts is pretty much out in the open.
But the refining of techniques will create a morphing and what I term "extension techniques". The anaconda choke that the Nogueira Brothers started using a few years ago is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. That and the gogoplata, which was developed by Nino Schembri in Jiu-jitsu tournaments long before it became the hip new move in Pride, are extension techniques. Striking and wrestling will also develop extension techniques. Five years from now the sport will look far more advanced than it appears today. The vision will be like the old sci-fi comic books and how in many ways they have become reality today.
But
I am not here on the planet to solely teach martial arts
or predict the future winner of fights for gambling
opportunists. I am here to add something to the human
experience. And because I am heavily involved in mixed
martial arts I will fully use that as a platform to
inspire athletes to perform to their highest degree, to
journalistically document and commentate on the
athlete's accomplishments as well as their arcs in life.
I will create television and movie programming that will
dig deeper into the area of entertainment, as well as
piquing people's imagination. And finally I will perform
music that awakens the soul for those who
understand/appreciate it. I'm going to stop here before
I REALLY get started...
(All laugh...)
NWFS:
I've always appreciated your insight on the evolution of
this industry. So I have to ask you, what do you think of
the Fertittas buying Pride?
Quadros:
It creates a lot more questions than it gives answers.
Like "Just WHEN is the next 'Pride' event
scheduled?" "Will 'Pride' events from Japan
be televised in the US anymore?" "Will the new 'Pride' blackball certain
individuals and athletes, of their choosing, for helping
the old 'Pride' in the days when it was a dominant
force in MMA?" and of course "What will be the
distinct difference(s), if any, between the new 'Pride' and, say, UFC Japan, besides of course the
use of a ring instead of an Octagon?"
The
temptation could easily be to try to show how the UFC
fighters and concept was/is 'better' than Pride was/is
all along. And now that "Pride" is owned by the same
people who own the UFC there would be no opposition to
such spin doctoring or even revisionist history, "if"
that were to happen.
Some
Pride fighters who once roamed freely inside the ring of
Pride in Japan will now be relocated into a new "zoo". The UFC and
the Octagon will be their new terrarium and they will be
expected to perform the same tricks they did before, under
slightly different rules and regulations. Hopefully
everything will work out just peachy and we will return to
the next episode of Mister Rogers' Worldwide MMA
Neighborhood. We'll see...
NWFS:
I
love it! What's your take on the match-ups for The IFL show at
The Everett
Events
Center? Both team competitions should make for an exciting night
of fights!
Quadros:
Have you seen the lineup? It's fantastic! I mean, WOW,
what a card! I would have to draw particular attention to
the lightweight match between Savant Young (Sabres) and
Ryan Schultz (Wolfpack) and the welterweight clash between
Jay Hieron (Anacondas) and Brad Blackburn (Tiger
Sharks),
along with the best lightweight currently in the IFL Chris
Horodecki and Benji Radach, Mike Dolce, Allan Goes, Matt
Horwich, Vladimir Matyushenko, this card is stacked!
NWFS:
Totally!
Fight of the night predictions?
Quadros:
Jay Hieron versus Brad Blackburn is my pick for fight of
the night. I feel that both guys are hungry and talented
on so many levels. Savant Young against Ryan Schultz also
has the potential to steal the show.
NWFS:
Let's say Kurt and Gareb come to you to build the
ultimate A-Level IFL team, and salary caps are a
non-issue. You have no restrictions. Who would be on your
team, including an alternate, and why?
Quadros:
Fedor Emelianenko / Heavyweight
Chuck
Liddell / Light-heavyweight,
Dan
Henderson / Middleweight
Georges St.
Pierre / Welterweight,
BJ
Penn / Lightweight
Mauricio
Rua / Alternate.
Mauricio
and Chuck could easily switch places, and you could make a
case for Matt Lindland switching with Dan Henderson.
And
if any of these fighters get beaten in the interim, from
the time I make this list and the time this interview
comes out, I don't care. The fighters I mention have
either shown complete championship abilities or have come
back from a low point and still displayed said abilities.
All are very relevant to the game today.
NWFS:
Well, I'll tell you what.
I'd certainly want Stephen Quadros in the broadcast
booth! You've been the sports caster for about
a dozen companies including The IFL, Cage
Rage, Pride FC, K-1,
King
of the Cage, and so
many more. How many events have you provided commentary on
now? You
should be celebrating your 100th broadcast pretty soon
from my records!
Quadros:
(Laughs) And I
SHOULD be in the broadcast booth! I am good for the game
in that capacity. Shifty backroom politics or playahatin'
can't hold ME back! (All
laugh...)
I
haven't actually sat down and counted how many events I
have commentated on. But...including live shows, shows
I've laid down commentary on in studios...and of course
the pay per views of UFC that I have shouted at while
dining at Hooters, I would say, yeah, it's probably the
better part of 100.
NWFS:
What the funniest thing you've seen in your travels?
Quadros:
When I was in a nightclub in Brazil in 1999, and a rather aggressive girl I had been chatting
with for about five minutes started SCREAMING and cursing
at me because I momentarily glanced at another woman. At
the time it was NOT funny, but borderline terrifying. I
thought to myself "Hell
no...do I look like John Wayne Bobbitt to you?" But
the reality was that the howling Exorcist banshee chick
was just so-so and the woman I glanced at WAS hot. Things
eventually worked out for the best though...
NWFS:
You
rock star, you... So are there any new projects coming up you can clue us in on? What's
around the corner for you?
Quadros:
I will have my own radio show on Sherdog.com
that will debut in a couple of weeks. I am really excited
about that. It's going to be FUN!
NWFS:
I
look forward to it! It's always a pleasure to speak with you Stephen! Thanks
so much for the honor of an interview! We wish you all the
best, and will see you ringside on June 1st!
Quadros:
Thank you for interviewing me Mike!
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