Elliot sent this in:

So here’s something worth stating from the outset – Australians Chris Haseman and Elvis Sinosic don’t like each other. There are no Christmas cards exchanged, no pleasant handshakes, no smiles, no nods of appreciation and no words of respect between these two. The lively light heavyweights remain two of Australian’s most prominent mixed martial artists and yet they can’t stand to be in the same room together.

What about the Octagon, though? Now there’s somewhere they can find common ground. Asked to share Octagon space at UFC 110 in Sydney, Australia, Haseman and Sinosic didn’t require a second invitation.

“I don’t think there’s any hatred between us, but I just don’t like the guy,” states Haseman, the older man at 40 years of age.

“I’m not going to lie and pretend to get on with him. Elvis and I will never get on like that and I’m more than happy with that arrangement. I get the impression he feels very much the same way about me, too, so we’re on the same page as far as our dislike goes.”

That’s the only page that these two share. Both up-and-comers at the time, Haseman and Sinosic originally met in the cage 13 years ago. They met in Australia and Haseman, competing in only his third professional fight, scored a controversial victory via a chin to the eye submission. Sinosic, with only one previous fight under his belt, disputed the loss and a rivalry was then born.

“Back in those days, I’d probably only fought in the cage a handful of times,” recalls Haseman. “I didn’t have much experience and I didn’t know a great deal about the sport. I just wanted an outlet to fight in. As far as actual skills go, I was just a raw novice back then – the equivalent of a UFC debutant nowadays.

“Both Elvis and I were in the same boat actually, because mixed martial arts wasn’t really big in Australia back then. There were lots of things we still needed to learn and plenty of areas we needed to work on.

“Since that fight I think we’ve both grown, gained experience and are now pretty much the finished article. It’s going to be interesting to meet up again at the complete opposite end of our careers.”

Thirteen years is a long time. If you don’t believe that to be the case, ask Chris Haseman. Thirty-two fights later, Haseman still thinks back to the night he met Sinosic. He constantly dreams of the day they’ll meet again. The small issue of winning and losing doesn’t matter to Haseman – he just wants to put the record straight and silence his bitter rival.

“I’m just fed up with the way Elvis carries himself and the excuses he’s always coming up with,” explains Chris. “I’ve never heard him once just come out and say, ‘you know what? I just got beaten up today’. There’s always a reason or an excuse for every defeat he suffers. They’re not even good excuses, either. I think he should just take responsibility for his career and face up to the facts. I honestly just don’t like the guy.

“We’re just two completely different characters. I go out there and do things, whereas Elvis just talks about doing things. That’s the key difference. I don’t make excuses, whereas he does. I can accept reality – he can’t.”

With battle lines firmly drawn, Haseman and Sinosic won’t be doing much talking or high-fiving over the next week. However, the intense rivalry shared by both is something that has created an opportunity on February 21st (UFC 110 airs in the United States on Saturday, February 20th) in their home country. Two of Australia’s key mixed martial arts pioneers will get the chance to settle their feud on the biggest MMA event to ever invade their country.

Despite the mutual dislike, Haseman and Sinosic are about to make history together.

“I know very well that this is the last chance for me,” admits Haseman. “To be honest, I never saw it coming and never even expected to be here again. I’m 40 years old now and have had a long, hard and extensive career. I knew that the UFC were coming to Australia and I’m aware that that has played a big part in me returning to the UFC.

“There’s also the additional matter of a rematch between Elvis and I, which has been brewing for the best part of 13 years. Everybody with an interest in Australia MMA has been waiting for this rematch to happen. As far as the hardcore MMA fans go, this rematch between Elvis and I is a very big deal.”

A bonafide veteran of the sport, Haseman has taken his act on the road numerous times in a 14-year pro career. He’s competed in Japan, Holland, America, Russia, England and his native Australia. He went three rounds with Evan Tanner at UFC 38, losing on a unanimous decision. Haseman knows all there is to know about the sport of mixed martial arts.

Sinosic, comparatively fresh at 38, has 21-bouts to his name and has competed in the UFC a total of seven times. He’s faced Tito Ortiz in a UFC title match, Forrest Griffin, Tanner, Jeremy Horn and, more recently, Michael Bisping.

Both men have grown, adjusted and adapted to this growing sport since their first meeting 13 years ago. While Sinosic’s skills may have improved, Haseman believes his attitude has remained the same.

“From what I know of Elvis and what from what I’ve seen of him since our first fight, I’d just call him a good grappler with Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills,” assesses Haseman. “I’m aware of what he can do on the ground, but I’m not at all worried about it. I’ve been in the ring with too many great fighters over the years to worry about what Elvis Sinosic can do to me.

“I don’t consider Elvis a world-class UFC fighter or anything like that. He’s just an opponent that I really want to defeat. I know a win won’t do much for my career, but it will do a lot for personal pride and it will help shut Elvis up. From an Australian perspective, I think respect will be achieved when I beat Elvis. That’s good enough for me.”

With respect the order of the day, Haseman will presumably take victory by any means necessary. However, with points waiting to be proved for over 13 years, there’s winning and then there’s really winning. Haseman won’t entertain the idea of anything other than a knockout victory on February 21st.

“As far as game plans go for me, I’m just planning on hitting him – and hitting him hard,” states Haseman. “If he doesn’t go down from the first shot, I’ll keep hitting him hard until he does. That’s pretty much what I need to do. I don’t go in there and over-think things too much. I’m the sort of guy who just goes out there and fights.

“I’m just going to be happy to put this one to bed now. It’s been 13 years in the making and I’ve now finally got the chance to shut him up. Either way, I just hate the way he goes on and on making excuses. I’m sick of it and we need to sort it out once and for all.”

Occasionally, fighters create pseudo-rivalries in order to sell tickets or generate interest in an otherwise ordinary fight. We sometimes see heated rivals suddenly forget all about their previous disputes at a bout’s conclusion. Yet Haseman-Sinosic feels a little different. While other rivalries are constructed in 13 days of panic promotion, Haseman and Sinosic have been brewing this bad boy for 13 years.

“I don’t like the term ‘bad blood’ and hate to use it when talking about a fight, however, there’s probably no other person in Australia I’d rather fight than Elvis Sinosic,” says Haseman. “That sums up how I feel about the guy.

“Put it this way, I could still fight at middleweight without a problem. If anything, that is probably my best weight to fight at. Despite that, I’m happy to take this fight with Elvis at light heavyweight simply because I want to fight him so badly. I don’t care what weight we fight at. I wouldn’t fight at light heavyweight for anyone else. I’m going to be fighting in a division above my natural weight against Elvis, but it’s the sacrifice I had to make in order for the fight to happen. There’s nobody else out there that I really want to fight at this point in time.”

At 40 years of age, Haseman admits there aren’t many miles left on the clock.

“The journey’s coming to an end and at 40 years of age, I can definitely feel it’s getting that way,” admits the veteran Australian.

“I just want to have that same feeling on February 21st that I used to have when competing in the early days. I want to know that I can still do it and still feel the same things I did back then. That’s all I ask for going forwards. I’m not looking to make any big plans or set a timetable out. I just want to take one fight at a time and see how much there is left.

“Let me get through Elvis, see how I feel afterwards, and then we’ll consider where we go afterwards. I’ve got a lot of things happening in my life right now and at my age you start taking every day as it comes. I’ve always said that I’d never turn the UFC down if the chance arrived and that’s the only thing keeping me going right now as far as my fighting career goes. This chance with Elvis at UFC 110 has re-ignited the spark.”

History and respect are often the two biggest incentives for any fighter. Haseman and Sinosic share history and demand respect on February 21st. Only one can get it.