Carlos Newton (seen here with short locks) is a really nice guy, especially for someone who serves knuckle and knee sandwhiches for a living. But you'd never guess that if you saw any of his footage from the UFC or International Fight League (IFL). Newton, now a coach for the IFL's Dragons, is one of the top grapplers in the world, was UFC middleweight Champion in 2001, developed "Dragon Ball Jiu-Jitsu," his own blend of jiu-jitsu, and has been nicknamed "The Ronin" by fans of his successful stint as a fighter in Japan's Pride Fighting Championships.

So when he came by Black Voices to discuss his love for Missy Elliot, in between meetings where he attended as head architect, I was as surprised as you'll be to read this Off Topic.

The girl is dope.

Can you play any of her stuff on the piano?

Naw, naw, naw. I totally lost all my piano skills from when I was a kid. I took piano lessons when I was younger. The only thing I really remember is 'Pink Panther,' because 'Pink Panther' has a nice catch to it. That's about it, man.

So it would be safe to say that you aren't using your piano skills to woo any chicks up North as a single man?

Not at all. You play the 'Pink Panther' theme, but they think you can do a lot more. Maybe later.

So you must let them know that you crush people with your bare hands for a living?

Yeah. It goes over well, though.

You have taken your fight game over the world, right?

I am probably the most well traveled fighter in the world, I would think.

Which countries have the best fighters?

Brazil, per capita, has the best fighters out there. Japan has some awesome fighters; the U.S. also. Between those three countries, they really do shuffle around a lot. And then everyone else is trying to catch up.

Wow. So honest. I hope that doesn't get you in trouble in the ring!

Oh naw, I couldn't care. I will let my fists do the talking.

You, Vernon White, Jamal Patterson, Curtis Crawford, are some of the few black fighters in the IFL. Why don't think you there are more?

Well, martial arts has always been a different demographics from boxing. It's your middle and upper-class. Us being black individuals, we are that lucky few that existed that weren't middle or upper class or ventured to that other side of the fence. In my case, that was the scenario. I grew up in one of Toronto's ghettos and I used to have to rollerblade an hour just to get to the gym. I [would] rollerblade everyday and at the end of the class, the sensei would walk up to my friend Joel and say pick your opponent. He would walk over to me, bow, and I would be like 'Man, I would bust your ass. I rollerblade here! That's all I need to win.' In the winter time, I rollerbladed.

You rollerbladed in Toronto an hour in the winter? How cold was that?

It was cold. I was young and when you're young and sweating, you don't really feel the cold. At 19, I had got mono from being so run down. I was just exerting myself. But back in the day, cats couldn't beat me.

I thought it was interesting that a tough guy like you collected comic statues.

Yeah, yeah, I'm a big geek like that. I'm one of those geeks you don't make fun of. It was fun. I love my statues. I still collect them. The CEO of the IFL, he is a big comic book guy, Gareb. We have that in common and I'm very happy to see that. That was one of the things that made me comfortable with the league. That the guys at the top had an imagination and were open minded to take this to the next level.

Let's switch gears and talk about your love for architecture. When did you get involved with that?

It's kind of funny but in Canada, I was volunteering in a hospital working with seniors. All of the families, you help them out but they can't find a place for their loved ones to live. I said OK, I'm going to try to solve that. I went ahead and founded my own small retirement home, but in order for that to work, I had to learn to do a lot of the work myself. Planning, designing -- all that myself. And through the course, I discovered I really enjoyed it. I was hooked on it after that. I realized all the guys around me running the big show were real estate guys that made millions upon billions, I said I gotta get a piece of that. I went in that direction and I got my corporate on and I'm running with it. I showed a lot of talent for it too. It was very natural to me. I could stay up until 2AM sketching concepts and next thing you know, I realized that I should make money of this and make a living off something I enjoy, plan for the future after fighting. Now my project I have going on is in Anguilla, where I was born. A lot of people don't know where Anguilla is but it's right besides St. Martin and that's where I plan to do my next project. I have a construction and development company in Canada. Five years, but it has come a long way.

When you go back to Anguilla, you must be the hometown hero?

Yeah, I'm cool there. I think everyone knows me.

What's after fighting for you?

Raising some super-duper kids.

Should we have the audience to submit proposals? Is their a significant other in your life now?

I have a queen. She's cool, her name is Kristal. She's a champ. She's an interesting girl with a Chinese background, but she grew up in Zaire. She's more black then me sometimes. She speaks African, she speaks Creole, and yeah she's tight. Her first language is French. She's one of a kind. She's in med school right now studying to be a doctor. I have to keep that one.