Issue 071

January 2011

“Ninety percent mental” he may be, but Evan Dunham’s also the UFC lightweight division’s most exciting contender

Boxing legend Muhammad Ali once spoke about what it takes to be a champion: “They have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.”

Evan Dunham isn’t a champion yet, but, after his three-round war with Sean Sherk at UFC 119, few would question that he has the talent and the fortitude necessary. The 28-year-old fighter tells FO about his first loss as a professional: “It still feels pretty bad; there’s no way around that. It’s going to sting for years and years and years. I’m just trying to take the positives, learn from it and let it drive me for my next fight.”

Having amassed a 4-1 record in the UFC (11-1 overall), Dunham’s shown the strength of character not only to bounce back from a loss, but also to continue his rise up the ranks of the UFC lightweight division. His nickname, ‘3-D’, is testimony to his multidimensional skills. “I don’t think I have a big weakness," Dunham says, "all areas of my game are pretty sharp. But I think all aspects could be improved. There’s always room.”

Many fighters struggle in the aftermath of a loss, particularly one as controversial as Dunham suffered. “This sport definitely tests you in adversity,” he says. “When you get cut, hurt, knocked down, lose… how do you come back? When things are going well it’s easy to win. The real test is when you’re down and things aren’t going your way, how do you find a way to come back and win? It’s about how you deal with adversity, and I think I deal with it real well.”

Well-rounded Dunham is the epitome of a ‘Renaissance fighter’. But if there’s one area where he truly excels it’s psychology. “Being mentally prepared is a huge part of it,” he says. "I really hold that true to myself. It doesn’t matter what shape you’re in, you have to believe in yourself. If you don’t, nobody else is going to.” Adorning Dunham’s ribcage are the words ‘ninety percent mental’, and it’s no drunken joke. “I got the tattoo when I was still working nine-to-five, trying to make it as a fighter. It’s tough working long days and trying to fit in practice, any guys who are in that position will tell you it’s not easy. I always believed if I worked my ass off I could achieve good things. I focus on the present, meaning if I do everything I can do today, then good things will happen in the future. To me, the tattoo means you can do anything as long as you put your mind to it. It’s a matter of going out there and believing in yourself.”

Although he holds a degree in sociology from the University of Oregon, Dunham spent his pre-days installing cables, and “crawling under houses and buildings four or five times a day.” His career took a major turn for the better when his close friend and fellow MMA fighter John Gunderson invited him to train with the notoriously spartan Ken Shamrock’s Lions International Fight League team. He says: “I was lucky enough to get a chance to try out for a Ken Shamrock team fighting against a Royce Gracie team in the Philippines.

I made that team, fought, and loved the whole experience. After that, I knew this was something I was made to do, and put everything I had into training and getting better.” His route to the UFC was the old-fashioned method of winning on smaller shows, rather than through The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), a show that Dunham admits he would have “loved to have taken part in, but I always seemed to just miss try-outs.” 

Dunham immediately alerted fans to his potential with a first-round knockout of Per Eklund in his UFC debut. Four fights later, the loss to Sherk doesn’t appear to have cost him any ground in the lightweight pecking order. His next fight is rumored to be against perennial challenger Kenny Florian (See preview page 96). “I don’t like calling anyone out,” Dunham says, “because I plan to be in the sport long enough to fight everybody. He’s a great fighter, I like his style and I think he has a skill-set that’s very similar to mine. A fight with him would be great.” He’s anti-trash talk though. “I don’t do it, because I respect my fellow competitors.” He continues: “I’m going to go in and hit them in the face anyway, what more build-up is needed?”

Dunham’s combat résumé is already impressive. First Sherk, a former UFC lightweight champion; now Florian, a fighter always around the top of his division. Bouts of this standard appear to be the future, but how does he feel he ranks alongside the elite lightweights? “I think I compare real well. My overall game is very solid. I obviously have things I need to strengthen. Against Sherk the thing I really learned was that I need to implement my game plan for all 15 minutes, not just when I want to. But, everyone in this sport has something to work on; if they don’t think they do, then they’re joking. Not today or tomorrow, but I hope to get in there for the title some day.”

The current challenger for the lightweight belt, Gray Maynard, is a teammate of Dunham’s at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. The similarities don’t end there. Both come from a grappling background, but are always improving their striking pedigree. They’re roughly the same age, with Maynard three years Dunham’s senior; and both are rising stars in the division. Thankfully for the fans, Evan does not have a problem fighting teammates, having already beaten Tyson Griffin who also trains out of Xtreme Couture. Dunham says: “I didn’t have a problem against Tyson. The biggest obstacle is that one competitor has to step away from where he’s comfortable and completely change his camp for potentially the biggest fight of his life. I wasn’t bothered about hitting Tyson in the face; that’s not a big deal, that’s what we do.”

Dunham’s time will come. When looking for a potential champion in MMA, there’s an unofficial checklist. Is he part of a great camp? Dunham trains mainly out of Randy Couture’s gym, alongside fighters Martin Kampmann and Forrest Griffin. Do the fans appreciate him? After his last fight, undoubtedly yes. Does he have the skill? His only (controversial) loss as a professional has come to a former champion.

All that remains is for Dunham to prove he has the will to match his skill. He said: “I’m going to push myself even harder in the next camp, out of the anger and aggression towards the loss. I’d hate to be the guy standing across from me in my next fight.”