Stephen “The Fight Professor” Quadros (born November 9, 1952 in Santa Cruz, CA), is an American broadcaster specializing in play-by-play, color commentary and interviews for the combat sports genre on cable, pay-per-view and DVD. His resume encompasses over 100 international mixed martial arts events since 1997.
A longtime martial arts practitioner and devotee, Quadros is currently the color commentator for Showtime Sports’ mixed martial arts programming (Strikeforce, Strikeforce Challengers, premium cable, USA).
Previously, Quadros was the original host and play-by-play commentator for the PRIDE Fighting Championships alongside Bas Rutten (iN Demand PPV, Fox Sports Net, DVD, Japan) and has done play-by-play and color commentary for events such as the International Fight League (Fox Sports Net, USA), ShoXC and EliteXC (Showtime Networks, USA), Cage Rage (SKY Sports, DVD, England), Hardcore Championship Fighting (BELL ExpressVU, DVD, Canada), World Extreme Cagefighting (HDNet, DVD, USA), K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 (ESPN, DVD, Japan), Rumble on the Rock (iN Demand PPV, USA), Too Hot To Handle (DVD, Holland), Kuwait Shidokan Jitsu Warriors War 1 (DVD, Kuwait), APEX Championship Fighting (TSN, DVD, Canada) and King of the Cage (DVD, USA).
Mr. Quadros has been reunited with his PRIDE broadcasting partner Bas Rutten as part of the upcoming UFC Undisputed 3 video game (PS3, Xbox 360). When the game is played in "Pride Mode", Quadros and Rutten will provide the commentary duties. UFC Undisputed 3 will be released on February 14, 2012.
Additionally Quadros is the host, along with San Diego sports radio personality Jeff Dotseth, of Clinch Gear Radio, a mixed martial arts (MMA) related program, that is broadcast live every Wednesday from 1-3pm PST on Sirius XM (Sirius channel 94, XM channel 208). And in January 2011, Clinch Gear Radio also became the voice of mixed martial arts for AFN, American Forces Network.
He was also the host for the 2005 and 2006 Black Belt Hall of Fame Awards at Universal Studios.
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Quadros was the drummer for SNOW (1978-1981), a heavy metal band that included Quiet Riot guitarist Carlos Cavazo. SNOW opened for Iron Butterfly, Quiet Riot and Johnny Winter and headlined musical venues such as The Troubadour, The Starwood, Whisky A Go-Go, Pasadena Civic Auditorium and Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. The group independently released it's only record in 1980, which included popular SNOW songs "Crack The Whip" and "No Way To Treat A Lady", and received airplay on Southern California radio stations KROQ and KLOS.
Upon the departure of drummer Peter Criss, Gene Simmons spotted Quadros, while he was still a member of SNOW, in "Carmine Appice's 1st Annual Drum-off" video and invited him to audition for KISS, though Quadros would not land the position.
Stephen also drummed for Los Angeles-based rock bands Orange (1976-1977) and Dangerface (1982-1983).
In 2004, Quadros appeared as a founding member of Sacred Cowboys, performing with the group at Los Angeles-area clubs such as the Knitting Factory, House of Blues (Hollywood) and the Cat Club. Fronted by W. Earl Brown of the HBO series “Deadwood,” Sacred Cowboys’ single, Gear Grinding Daddy, is featured on the soundtrack of "Dunsmore," an independent film in which Brown starred.
Quadros is also a member of 7th Sun, along with JT Curtis (lead guitar, vocals), Adam Kury (bass, vocals) and Mike Russeck (keyboards, vocals), who released their debut album "From The Beginning" in 2008 (iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody). Quadros, Curtis and Kury also compose the trio that is Whipped Cream, a Los Angeles-based Cream tribute band.
Currently Mr. Quadros and the Cavazo brothers, Carlos and Tony, have reformed SNOW, along with vocalist Andrew Freeman. The group played it's first live gig in over three decades at The Key Club on the Sunset Strip on December 10, 2011
When carpal tunnel syndrome interrupted Quadros’ musical career, he transitioned into acting, broadcasting and journalism.
Quadros has either starred, guest-starred and co-starred in more than 30 major motion pictures and television series since 1988. His on-screen credits include Cradle 2 the Grave (2003); The Last Run” (2004); “Sworn to Justice (1996); CSI: Miami; Numb3rs; Without A Trace; Pacific Blue; Walker, Texas Ranger; and Murder, She Wrote. Quadros also played "Angel Martin" alongside Traci Lords in the (1991); movie Shock 'Em Dead
Combining his theatrical training with an extensive martial arts background in Shotokan, WingTsun, boxing, kickboxing and submission grappling, Quadros became a Hollywood fight choreographer. He served as fight coordinator for The Perfect Sleep (2006) and Skeleton Man (2004); fight technical advisor for Cradle 2 the Grave and Exit Wounds (2001); and fight choreographer and 2nd unit director for Pit Fighter (2005).
Quadros co-authored “Bas Rutten's Big Books of Combat” and contributed to “UFC's Ultimate Warriors: The Top Ten” and “The Ultimate Martial Arts Q&A Book”. He also served as a judge for the Ultimate Fighting Championship 8.
During his broadcasting career, Quadros has introduced phrases that have become commonplace within MMA lexicon. For example, during the PRIDE 12 broadcast on December 9, 2000, at Japan's Saitama Super Arena, he used the term “Lay and Pray” to describe a relatively slow-paced fight between former Japan national Greco-Roman wrestling champion Kazuyuki Fujita and Dutch Muay Thai stylist Gilbert Yvel, which ended in a decision.
“There’s ground and pound, that’s when a wrestler, primarily, is on top and throws punches downward," said Quadros. However, in a classic wrestler versus striker matchup, Fujita took Yvel to the floor repeatedly and held him in the downed position.
He then directed a rhetorical question to fellow PRIDE broadcaster Bas Rutten. "Can I coin a phrase tonight? Can you call it lay and pray?"
Today, the term "lay and pray" has become commonplace among MMA broadcasters and fans. Specifically, it is used to describe a situation where a wrestler or grappler keeps his or her opponent pinned or controlled on the mat to avoid a stand up, boxing, kickboxing or Muay Thai style fight, with little or no urgency to finish the fight via knockout or a submission.
Stephen was the founding editor of Black Belt Presents: FIGHTSPORT with Stephen Quadros (2001-2002), a full-color glossy magazine with newsstand distribution published by Black Belt Magazine. Prior to that, Quadros was a contributing editor/columnist for Black Belt (1998-2001) and Fighters Only (2005-2006), editor-in-chief of Kickboxing Ring Report (1993-1998) and was published in popular combat sport publications such as Inside Kung Fu, Karate/Kung Fu Illustrated, Grappling Magazine and Full Contact Fighter.
Quadros was the host of the eponymously titled Stephen Quadros Show on the Sherdog Radio Network, which debuted on June 12, 2007. It was a weekly, one-hour program that aired live on Tuesdays at 12:00 PM PST, featuring commentary by Quadros and co-host Aaron Crecy, listener calls and interviews. The show featured live segments with mixed martial arts stars such as Dan Henderson, Randy Couture, Quinton Jackson, Renzo Gracie, Frank Shamrock, Ken Shamrock, Bas Rutten, BJ Penn, Rashad Evans, Matt Lindland, Matt Serra, Ian Freeman and Don Frye. Quadros left Sherdog Radio Network in 2008, citing his schedule could no longer accommodate it.
Clinch Gear Radio Moves To Sirius XM
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