El Octagono (Ok-tog-a-no) is an MMA-related program, which is 100% dedicated to the broadcasting of mixed-martial arts in Spanish, as well as, in English.

On the website, you will find updates on the latest in MMA news, events, fight results, and “hot topic” opinions.

Together, Randall "El Flaco" Villafañe (I had to look it up—it means “the Skinny” in Spanish) and Camilo "El Parcero" Ortiz (Parcero is a Colombian slang term that feeds off of the word “Parce,” which is like saying bro or homeboy) host a website, a Facebook page, a Podcast program on iTunes, and last but not least, a number of video capsules with great lessons on how to train in MMA.

After all, if MMA is hoping to attract new fans in various new marketplaces, then the fans must become as educated as possible—right?

The owners of El Octagono pride themselves on being able to bring the MMA industry to a very dedicated community currently growing within the sport, and that is the Spanish speaking community.

These two guys love MMA with a passion and they are completely dedicated to spreading the word as fast as they possibly can. They are true ambassadors to the sport.

This is my interview with both men (yes—simultaneously).

But since I’m just a small-town, Irish-Canadian boy, I decided that I would give myself my own Spanish nickname, so as to not feel too left out.

Considering that I learned all of my Spanish many years ago from watching the movie “The Three Amigos,” I deemed it appropriate that I should be known as the warrior with a pen, “El Guapo.”

Anyway, enjoy!


El Guapo: ¡Hola Gentlemen!

El Octagono: ¡Hola James Ryan.

El Guapo: Please...call me “El Guapo.”

El Octagono: [LAUGHS] It’s great to hear from you, El Guapo. We love your articles.

El Guapo: Well, thank you very much. It’s always my pleasure to meet fellow MMA enthusiasts who are doing so many positive things to help this great sport.

I actually just finished listening to the interview that you guys did yesterday with Dana White. Great job! So, how cool is it to have the UFC President directly endorsing what you do?

Camilo: Thanks, ya it’s awesome. We recently had the chance to interview Dana, Uriah Faber, and Leonard Garcia. We also plan on interviewing Chael Sonnen, Jamie Varner, and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in the next few days.

El Guapo: That’s cool! So, how did you guys get started in MMA broadcasting?

Camilo: I actually started doing interviews at my old job, which was a place called Univision Radio in the sport show “Locura Deportiva,” and thanks to Rafa "El Alcalde" Brito, I was able to participate and interview MMA fighters for his national radio show. He still has that show and collaborates with us.

Both Randall and I had been doing radio and random projects, so we basically already knew how to put a show together. One day, we just decided that we should start our own MMA show in Spanish. Believe it or not, there’s nothing else out there and the market potential is massive.

We’re also looking at putting an on-line interactive magazine together, complete with videos. And a TV pilot.

El Guapo: What’s the TV pilot going to be about?

Camilo: Basically, the same thing. It’s gonna be the latest in MMA news, and it will also feature MMA fighters who would get a chance to show more of themselves behind the scenes.

Randall: Initially, one of Master Zen’s students over at Zen’s Place, Nicky Castaneda, was a real standout competitor, outshining the rest of his group, and he ended up winning a few big competitions in the state of Florida. This really put the Zen Fight Team on the map on a larger, more national level.

We thought that the kid really showed a lot of potential so we took advantage of the opportunity and filmed him and got his interview. We really wanted other parents to see that MMA wasn’t as violent or as gruesome as some other people had tried to portray it to be.

Camilo: And of course, we did all of this in Spanish.

In the pilot, we have an Octagono girl named Christine Benavente, and she has her very own section. As a special guest for the pilot, we did an interview with Cain Velasquez right before his big fight against Nogueira.

El Guapo: I am thoroughly impressed by your ambition to go after the Hispanic market. You guys are clearly on the forefront of something massive in terms of demographic and a prospective fan-base.

Given the long history of fight fans in the Hispanic communities, between boxing and now MMA, is there a specific message that you would like to get out there?