Issue 183

October 2019

The ever-modest coach on life at American Top Team and working the front desk.

American Top Team won Gym of the Year at the 11th Annual Fighters Only World MMA Awards for the third straight year. What does that mean for you?

It’s pretty big because I believe it’s the most prestigious awards show in the world. That’s the one. There are a lot of people that will say they have the best gym in the world. But I feel we can legitimately say that with confidence. It’s literally voted the best gym in the world. And I feel it’s true, with the coaching staff and the depth that we have of fighters right now. A lot of our big guns are coming into their prime and our team is coming into its prime.

You were also named Coach of the Year. How does that feel?

It’s nice and of course it’s flattering. It’s the cherry on top for the team award. It’s really a team effort and we have a lot of great coaches I’m just kind of the guy representing all of them with this individual award. That award really is for Steve Mocco, Katel Kubis, Marcos DaMatta, Conan Silveira, Din Thomas, Dyah Davis, Steve Bruno, it’s a big group of coaches and we are all pulling weight. I think I am in a lot of corners so I am the guy that gets seen more but it’s definitely a team effort. We have so many great fighters that could be coaches at a lot of the top gyms around the world or they will be moving into coaching positions. We are all just exchanging knowledge and getting better together.

What are some of the standout moments from the past year?

The really big ones for me were Kyoji Horiguchi winning two titles, in RIZIN and Bellator. Dustin beating Holloway for the UFC interim title. Jorge Masvidal getting the fastest KO in UFC history. Amanda Nunes knocking out Cris Cyborg in under a minute. Colby Covington winning the interim title. There were so many big fights. The team has been rocking and rolling. There were a lot of big name, main event fights. There are so many more that I am leaving out. Right now we have so many fighters in the top five in their respective classes. We also have a fighter at each weight class who is top five caliber fighter that is scratching at the door to becoming a champion which is pretty incredible. 

The Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway fight at UFC 236 was a classic. Being so close to Dustin, what was that moment like for you as a coach?

It was beautiful. This is a guy who is a really close friend of mine, too. It was beautiful to see. The guy has taken the long road. He took the second longest road to a UFC title in the history of the organization. That’s impressive. This is a guy that didn’t get any handouts. He earned it. He punched his way to the top. The Holloway fight was really the defining moment of him getting to put the gold around his waist. In this year he also fought Gaethje, in a fight of the year, amazing war. Every time that kid steps in the cage it’s a fight of the year, fight of the decade candidate. He just has one speed and that’s kill. He goes forward, punches hard and doesn’t stop until the fight is over. He is a dangerous dude. That sets up a really big one with Khabib.

Now, sitting here as Coach of the Year, at what point did you know you wanted to transition from champion fighter to coach?

I always wanted to coach and I always knew it would be at American Top Team. I have always been a fight fanatic. I have always been a really big fan of the sport. I have always been a gym rat. I am always playing with technique and ideas and studying and watching film. It’s not work for me. It’s a way of life. It’s what I do anyway. It was an easy transition. At American Top Team I think they were grooming me as I was getting older for that position. They were letting me know that they wanted me there when I was done fighting. I have done everything at that gym. I worked at the front desk for years. I fought all the way to a world title there. Now I am a coach. I have worn a lot of hats there. It’s my home. I knew it was only a matter of time until I was in this position. 

Sometimes coaches are just coaches from early on but to have a guy who put in the time from the ground up, who became a world champion in that gym, it would be hard to have a more fitting and qualified coach. Do you sense that being that guy in the gym? 

The funniest part is that I worked at the front desk for years. I wasn’t a manager or anything like that. I was probably the lowest guy on the totem pole in the gym for several years. Even when I won the world title I was still working at the front desk. If you called on weekends I was there answering phones and signing people up. A lot of people wouldn’t know who I was but if you were a big fight fan you probably got a kick out of it. Like ‘What are you doing here?’ I’m collecting insurance, making some money. I am being fiscally responsible.