Issue 104

August 2013

There’s a real buzz about Bellator’s new lightweight tournament champion – and it’s not just confined to his life inside the cage

BEST CAREER MOMENT?

“My win against Ricardo Tirloni (Bellator lightweight tourney semi-final, November 2012) was probably one of my best moments. I’ve had closer fights than that in the past, I’ve won and lost closer fights, but it was still a good fight. I wouldn’t call that fight razor thin because I felt like I won every round, but it was a fun fight. The look of disdain on his face when he realized he lost was pretty cool too as he was a bit of a bad sport about it.”

BEST OPPONENT?

“That would have to be Dennis Davis (June 2008). At the time, that was the hardest fight of my career. He had almost 20 fights at that point and that was only my fifth professional fight. I also cut down to 150lb as the fight was at a catchweight and that really took a lot out of me. By the time the third round had come around, I didn’t have much left. It was a tough one as he busted me up pretty good, but I won.”

BEST PERSONAL TRAIT?

“I’d say my creativity. I started life as an artist. I was doodling and drawing since I was just a kid. When I was like four or five I would draw these massive scenes of a castle battle, it was almost like a Where’s Waldo picture. There were arrows flying everywhere, it was an epic battle.”

BEST ADVICE TO A YOUNGER YOU?

“I’d tell myself to not worry about making everything perfect because it’s never going to be perfect. I would also tell myself to get some other hobbies outside of fighting (laughs). When I started fighting it’s all I did and it kind of took its toll on me because when you only think about fighting 24 hours a day it stresses you out, but now I have a couple of things that I’ve got going for me. I’ve got my bee-keeping, which is really rewarding.”

BEST INSPIRATION?

“My mom. I lived in a single-parent household and she raised five kids by herself. She’s definitely my biggest inspiration because she did what was damn near impossible by taking on a task like that and luckily we all turned out to be exceptional human beings.”

BEST CARTOON RESEMBLANCE?

“I’d say Wolverine from The X-Men. I’m not the tallest guy, but I get cut up and I tend to heal pretty quickly. I could have that healing factor going on (laughs). I like his mannerisms and figures of speech. I call people ‘bub’ every now again too.”

WHAT’S BEST, A KNOCKOUT OR SUBMISSION VICTORY? 

“I haven’t got many knockout victories to my name (laughs). I’d say a win is a win, but I do get a sense of satisfaction from submitting people. I’ve only got choke submission wins, so my opponents still go unconscious, it’s just minus the traumatic brain injury they’d suffer from me punching them to unconsciousness.”