Issue 083
December 2011
The Alaskan native needs to have all his gear close at hand at all times, and that includes chewing tobacco
UFC 16oz GLOVES
“I think these are made by Century and they are pretty good, they do the trick. I got them for free during my stint on The Ultimate Fighter and I’ve not needed a new pair since. These ones still work for me and the fact they were free makes them even better.”
HANDWRAPS
“I got those wraps from Urijah Faber’s gym, I cross-train over there a bit and I bought those over there. They’re great handwraps. I like them a little bit stretchy so they tighten everything up and I also like them really long so I can really protect my hands.”
SHIN GUARDS
“I prefer these fabric ones over the usual thick, padded ones so I can actually feel how hard I am kicking and can best gauge the power in the actual fight so I can kick without injuring myself. And these are also great for grappling as they don’t have Velcro all over them and they stick to your shins a lot better.”
ASICS GYM BAG
“This is my Asics bag, which a lot of wrestlers carry around. I always wanted one ‘cos all the wrestlers always had them and I was jealous. So my buddy Mike from Spokane, Washington, finally hooked me up with one of his old ones. So I’m pretty excited with it, even though it’s got a little bit of tape on it.”
COPENHAGEN CHEWING TOBACCO
“I started chewing when I was 15. I quit for a while, for my last fight, and I quit for about six months. But old habits die hard and I guess I am back to chewing again. I will quit again soon.”
THROWDOWN MMA GLOVES
“Throwdown hooked me up with these gloves as I train at Throwdown’s gym along with Xtreme Couture and also Wanderlei Silva’s too. Throwdown corporate hooked me up with these as I needed some for sparring. They are great ‘cos you can hit a little harder than in your usual MMA gloves and you can still grapple with them. These are actually my favorite gloves to train in as they feel so much like fight gloves, but they don’t hurt your opponent when you hit them and you can still get people in a guillotine with them.”
MOUTHGUARD
“I just use a boil and bite mouthguard ‘cos I lose so many. I’ve had a couple of doctors make me a real nice mouthguard but I never really liked how they fit and so when I lost them it wasn’t a big deal. The fitted ones always feel too big, but these boil and bite ones are perfect for me. They fit good and really lock my jaw into place. Plus, I’ve never been knocked out with a punch to the chin so obviously they are doing something right. And, at just 99 cents each, I usually just boil, say, 10 of them so I’ve always got one to hand.”
GUN STORE LOGO SHORTS
“The Gun Store are my sponsor and they’re true MMA guys. They sponsor a lot of fighters and have a great reputation within the sport. I’ve spoken with a lot of corporations who were keen to give me a couple of hundred bucks here and there, but Chris at The Gun Store is the only one who truly understands what a fighter needs and he does an awful lot for me. They’re great.”
THAI CUP
“I have this Thai-style steel cup as they’re amazing. I’ve heard Joe Rogan talk about them all the time and they’re starting to get really popular, but I’ve been using mine for a while. They’re the best cup you can get; they protect you all the way and they’re a thick steel so they actually hurt your opponent.”
