TKO Xtreme

“We don’t like endless cycles, our take is more than meets the eye, that’s our answer yeah our answer, ‘cause we don’t care at all.

Don’t call it a comeback no, this witness was injured and overthrown away, this time it’s the last dance so come on, by will alone we set our minds in motion” Motion City Soundtrack – Don’t Call it a Comeback

On Saturday, January 12 UFC veteran David “The Crow” Loiseau will get his chance to reclaim his status as one of the middleweight division’s top fighters when he steps into the cage with Leopoldo Serao at WCO Fighting at the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California.

David “The Crow” Loiseau has been around mixed martial arts for nearly eight years amassing a record of 15-7 during that time. The native of Montreal, Quebec solidified himself as one of the division’s elite when he got the call to appear in the UFC in April 2003. With a resume that included wins over the likes of Joe Doerksen, Tony Fryklund, Shawn Tompkins, and Steve Vigneault, Loiseau entered the UFC with a strong fan following. In his UFC debut at UFC 42: Sudden Impact, Loiseau left an impression on both the fans and UFC as he stopped English fighter Mark Weir with strikes on the first round.

Unfortunately for Loiseau, five months later he returned to the UFC and dropped a unanimous decision to Jorge Rivera. With the loss, Loiseau returned to TKO and fought three times amassing a record of 2-1 with victories over the Chris Fontaine and Curtis Stout.

Loiseau’s return to the UFC came in February 2005 and was the beginning of an incredible run that saw him eventually gain a shot at Rich Franklin’s UFC middleweight title.

First up for Loiseau was a clash with Gideon Ray (14-7-1) at UFC 51: Super Saturday. Loiseau put on a clinic mixing his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with a variety of kicks, knees, punches and elbows. After finishing the first round with some heavy elbows, Ray was unable to continue as a deep gash was opened on his scalp.

Next up for “The Crow” was a shot at UFC newcomer Charles “The Chainsaw” McCarthy. In a shocking turn of events, Loiseau nailed McCarthy with a spinning back kick to the solarplex that had the Miami, Florida native hunched on the canvas grimacing in pain.

With two impressive stoppage victories under his belt, the UFC matched Loiseau with former UFC middleweight champion Evan Tanner at UFC Fight Night 2 with the winner gaining a shot at Rich Franklin’s belt. Under the Spike TV spotlight, The Crow made quick work of Tanner chopping him up with elbows forcing the referee to call the fight on cuts.

Finally after six years of hard work, Loiseau was getting his much desired shot at Rich Franklin’s middleweight title. At the time both fighters were on a tear scoring successive stoppage victories over top competition but the bout marked a serious turning point for both.

Franklin beat on Loiseau for the span of their five round title fight eventually securing a unanimous decision victory. After the bout Loiseau dropped bouts with Mike Swick and Joey Villasenor eventually securing his release from both the UFC and Elite XC. Franklin on the other hand was required to have surgery after he severely injured his hand and knee. In his return bout he was nearly decapitated as Anderson Silva took his belt and busted his nose in the process.

With the run of tough luck Loiseau joined teammate Georges St. Pierre at Greg Jackson’s academy in Albequerque, New Mexico. Loiseau put his new skills on display in May 2007 defeating Freddie Espiricueta via an arm triangle choke. Unfortunately for Loiseau he hasn’t fought since as he broke his hand during the fight and was required to undergo surgery.

My question is could this be the return of the old David Loiseau that at one point was at the top of the food chain in the UFC?

I think there is a very strong possibility that could be the case. During his three fight losing skid, Loiseau looked slow and tentative, nothing like the fighter that built himself on his explosiveness.

Loiseau recently spoke with Mike Russell at The Fight Network and said don’t call it a comeback, I’ve been here for years and I’m looking to reintroduce myself.

“It’s important for me to fight my fight. I’m going to stick to my game plan and make things exciting for the fans. That’s all I care about,” Loiseau says. “I’m going to keep fighting hard. I’m going to reintroduce myself. Don’t call it a comeback, I’ve been here for years.”

“Training with [Team Jackson] is awesome. I went to [Albuquerque] to help get Rashad ready for his fight [against Michael Bisping],” said Loiseau. “Then when Georges [St. Pierre] was getting ready for Matt Hughes, I did that camp with everyone too. I’m ready.”

Judging by the fact that Loiseau underwent training camp with the likes of Georges St. Pierre, Rashad Evans, Keith Jardine, Denis Kang, Joey Villasenor, and Greg Jackson, it’s very likely that Loiseau will be more than ready for the showdown with Leopoldo Serao.