Issue 075

May 2011

British ‘Fight of the Night’ machine ‘Tellys’ runs you through the gear that’ll have him UFC bound again

Gumshield

“My mouthguard was made for free by a dentist of mine and I’ve got to say it’s really good. I’d have lost so many more teeth if I hadn’t had a custom-made mouthguard, and my teeth are the only things I’m self-conscious about! During my career I’ve lost one tooth at the back and one right at the front, and the front one’s really noticeable. I can’t get a proper replacement put in though because it costs $4,000 every time you have it done, and I can see it getting punched out once a week.” 

Sandee Boxing and MMA Gloves 

“I use Sandee boxing and MMA gloves. They’re really good gloves. The MMA gloves that I use for rolling are UFC gloves, but my boxing gloves are Sandee. My sparring mitts are Sandee and so are my shinpads. I’ve used a bunch of other gloves in the past, but these Sandee mitts last for ages and they never seem to split or anything.” 

Sandee Head Guard

“Again that’s Sandee. I get it for free, but if I was in a position where I needed to go and buy one I’d definitely go for Sandee. Quite often I’ll just put one on a couple of weeks before the fight when things get to the business end, and that’s when I’ll use the Sandee head guard. It’s white, just like all my kit, that way you can see the blood and it makes me feel harder! [Laughs] I always get cut in stupid ways; the remote control off the timer falling on my head, or I go for a stupid takedown and get kicked in the face. Bisping cut me one time when he thought he had his timing nailed, the ugly bastard. He was drilling uppercuts for the Rashad Evans fight and he split my head open. The punch didn’t drop me though – I want that on record!” 

Cage Fighter Shorts

“I have Cage Fighter shorts. They’re my sponsors and they look after me really well, but they’re just awesome shorts anyway. I’d wear them regardless of sponsorship because they’re really light; some shorts are made for grappling like the Sprawl shorts, but the Cage Fighter shorts are less stiff on your legs and that’s what I like.”

Under Armour Rash Guard

“I have an Under Armour rash guard. Some fighters don’t like wearing rash guards but it doesn’t bother me. It saves getting ringworm.” 

Asics Running Shoes

“I’ve got a really smelly old pair of Asics that I’ve had for years. I look like I’ve robbed them off a f**king homeless person. They’re ripped, they’re destroyed, but I just can’t bear the thought of breaking in a new pair of trainers. They’re the best trainers I’ve ever had – they’re the only pair!” 

Supplements

“CNP always. They’re the best supplements. They put a lot of time and heart into them. I use the CNP Pro Slams before training, the Pro Recover after training and I have a Pro Peptide before bed if I want to cut carbs out. They’re good for snacks too because they’re just the perfect 270 calories of exactly what I need and they last six hours. Dieting’s big for me. I was in the best shape I’d ever been physically and technically for the Dennis Siver fight [at UFC 105] and I was convinced I was about to sit him down and pound him out before he caught me.”

Random Items

“There’s always a pair of crusty old knickers that get passed around the boys’ gymbags. Nobody knows where they came from, but somebody will walk off home with them in their bag without knowing. It’s all about whether or not you’ll find them before your girlfriend empties your gymbag. [British UFC lightweight] Terry Etim’s one of the biggest wind-ups you’ll ever come across for stuff like that. Strangely, I put a really nasty pair in [BAMMA featherweight champ] Mark Adams’ bag and nothing was ever even mentioned for around six months. Either his bird found them or he did. He probably ended up keeping them – the freak!”

Paul Kelly spoke with Ben Blackmore.