Issue 121
November 2014
Interim Bellator champion Will Brooks used his manager’s connections to launch himself out of MMA’s regional circuit and into the spotlight.
With all the growth and exposure mixed martial arts has enjoyed over the last decade, making a name for yourself above the regional circuit can be tough, even for the most talented of athletes.
Bellator MMA interim lightweight champion Will Brooks had to take on the Illinois regional MMA circuit for a good 18 months before he got the attention his potential warranted.
Once he was finally noticed by Monte Cox, the man who helped start the careers of Robbie Lawler, Pat Miletich, Matt Hughes and Tim Sylvia, Brooks’ career had a dramatic upswing. His days fighting in bars and banquet halls were over, rapidly replaced by the bright lights of Japan’s Saitama Super Arena, the longtime home of Pride FC.
“Within two weeks of signing with Monte Cox he calls me and says that I’m going to Japan to fight Satoru Kitaoka (Dream 18, December 2012), one of Japan’s top guys. To go and experience the Japanese culture, meet their fighters and see a different approach to the sport, it was a totally different experience for me. I wouldn’t go back and change it at all,” Brooks explains to FO.
After beginning his athletic career as a football player, Brooks suffered a knee injury while in college which sidelined him for the rest of the season. Needing a way to stay in shape, he was introduced to mixed martial arts by a friend and became instantly fascinated by the sport.
“I had a background in wrestling and ended up training MMA full time,” he says. “I had a couple of amateur fights and they went really well. However, some things happened in my life that meant I had to move away from MMA.
“I started doing a nine-to-five at an electronics store called Circuit City, but lost my job there when they closed down. I wasn’t sure what to do with myself until I saw one of those UFC replays and the Georges St Pierre vs. Matt Hughes fight was on TV.
“Joe Rogan mentioned in his commentary that wrestlers usually transition into the sport really well. I had a couple of amateur fights already, and had nothing to lose, so I figured that I’d give this MMA thing a shot. So I packed up my stuff and moved back to Schaumberg, Illinois, to start training again.”
He soon outgrew those training with him, becoming the best guy in the gym – a problem many young, talented fighters experience. Yet once Cox became his manager he arranged for Brooks to go and train at the prestigious American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida. And he hasn’t looked back since.
Speaking from the ATT mats, Brooks says: “I came out here to train for a couple of days and fell in love with it. I loved the work ethic, the training partners and the vibe that is at the gym. I ended up going back home, but I’d already decided that I was going to move out here.”
While he was clearly ahead of the rest in his old gym, Brooks was now training with more MMA veterans than he’d ever been around in his life. Taking full advantage of his surroundings, he absorbed all the advice he could from within the ATT walls.
Despite only being in the sport for three-and-a-half years, Brooks managed to make a name for himself by competing in the Bellator 155lb tournament. The first time didn’t go as well as he expected, after it took Saad Awad 43 seconds to knock him out in the season eight semi-final in early 2013. However, in season nine, he won it, even defeating Awad en-route to the final and a $100,000 check.
With a guaranteed title shot now his, Brooks bided his time, waiting for Bellator champ Eddie Alvarez and Michael Chandler to settle their trilogy. However, when Alvarez suffered a concussion and had to pull out of the first Bellator pay-per-view, Brooks was brought in to face Chandler for the interim strap.
Despite being a heavy underdog, he defeated Chandler for the belt in a thrilling five-rounder. For the 27-year-old, it was a moment he’ll never forget.
“I was just so stoked to be a part of the fight, win the title and hear the crowd screaming for me. I was able to express myself in this art form and show people how good I am. I’ve received a lot of support and praise from fans, even from the fans who really didn’t like me very much. It’s good to see that a lot of fans appreciate me as a fighter and a person now,” Brooks adds.
With the interim belt tightly wrapped around his waist and Alvarez now with the UFC, Brooks may need to change his title to just ‘Bellator champion’ sooner rather than later. However, with Monte Cox guiding his career, the challenge of being the top dog in Bellator’s most dangerous division is one he certainly believes he can handle.
