Issue 109
December 2013
Considered by many to be one of the hardest working lightweights in the stacked UFC 155lb division, FO got a sneak peek inside Ross Pearson’s latest training camp
For some, moving up to the UFC’s lightweight division might seem like a curious decision to make, especially considering it’s one of the most stacked divisions in MMA. However, where most have failed, Ross Pearson has excelled.
After a less-than-impressive 1-1 stint down at featherweight, where he defeated Junior Assuncao via unanimous decision but was violently knocked out by Cub Swanson, Pearson decided it was time to make his return to the lightweight division at the back end of last year – and hasn’t looked back since.
Before he jumped into the Octagon against perennial top contender Melvin Guillard in his native UK at the end of October, Pearson invited Fighters Only to San Diego for a fight camp exclusive. From his intense strength and conditioning regime to working the pads with some of the best striking coaches around, Pearson was definitely a man on a mission.
And while ultimately his clash with Guillard would end via a frustrating draw due to a downed knee strike that left Pearson requiring stitches to his head, the former TUF winner showed flashes of a fighter confident of pushing on to the next level.
STRIKING
With five brutal finishes in 15 fights, Ross Pearson has quickly become one of the most dangerous lighter weight strikers in MMA. As always, Pearson spent a large part of his camp honing his skills even further with the world-class striking coaches at his disposal.
Pearson often trains at Alliance in San Diego. Head coach Eric Del Fierro said: “Ross was already a great striker when he came here, but what we were looking to improve was his balance and the power in his punches. We’ve also helped him with his transitions from striking to takedowns.
“Every camp, we look to add new weapons but also sharpen up what he already has, so for this specific camp we have been doing a lot of sparring with bigger guys and keeping him fast.”
He adds: “Ross has a definite love for the sweet science, he truly enjoys hitting people. He is very aggressive and has mean intentions in every strike.
“What makes Ross such a good striker is his ability to put together combinations and maintain power for as many rounds as it takes. He hits just as hard in the fifth round as he does in the first.”
STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING
For the majority of his career, Pearson has mostly done his strength and conditioning in the United Kingdom with esteemed S&C coach Barry Gibson.
Gibson makes sure Pearson is constantly worked and put through his paces, using a variety of exercises to not only get the best out of him in the gym, but also get the best out of him in the Octagon.
Pearson explains: “Mondays we do heavy lifting. We did heavy squats, back squats and that was six sets of four at maximum weight. And then I did weight chains, again: six reps of four and as heavy as I can pull.
“And finally we do a little finisher, like a little conditioning blast. Nothing that’s going to kill you, because you’ve just worked on heavy lifts. Wednesday is a little more explosive. We do raft pulls, overextended push-ups, etc.”
He adds: “Friday is more of a conditioning day. It’s like a fight circuit, so there’ll be a little bit of lifting, punching and grappling. It’s three five-minute rounds flat out – as hard as you can go.”
NUTRITION
While he may be occasionally influenced by his girlfriend Kristie McKeown, who’s a ring girl for Australian UFC cards, to enjoy a small bowl of ice cream for dessert, Pearson usually keeps his diet simple and eats a lot of meat, vegetables and, according to him, seafood.
He says: “If I ever go to a restaurant, it’s a seafood restaurant. I like a lot of seafood. Seafood, steaks, chicken, green veg and a little bit of fruit. In San Diego there’s a lot of fresh seafood and there are actually a lot of good restaurants downtown. That’s all I ever seem to eat.”
