Issue 063

June 2010

When you beat three high-caliber opponents in the same night (earning a winner’s check of ten grand in the process), the expected natural reaction would be something along the lines of ecstasy, elation, or at the very least, satisfaction.  

Not Rob ‘The Bear’ Broughton, who confirmed himself to be the UK’s number one heavyweight, beating three men in one evening in an old-school tournament in January. The tournament win impressed talent scouts so much, he’s just signed a four-fight contract with the UFC. Broughton spent years building his experience, beating best the UK has to offer and even battering Eric ‘Butterbean’ Esch. Broughton currently stands at the peak of his career – a former Cage Rage champion, he is now the number one in his weight class on UK shores. It all seems a far cry from his previous life as a bouncer, where one particular incident left Broughton with a significant scar across his abdomen. “I got stabbed,” is all he will offer on the subject. “Nobody can beat me – they just want to stab me and run me over.”  

Far from getting carried away with his new career path, the 28-year-old catch wrestler is more inclined to pick his own game apart, starting with his greatest strength. “I need to improve my wrestling – I’m still not happy with it. My submissions are my forte but I want to improve my takedowns. I need to work more on my boxing and my Thai, and I plan soon to throw out some head kicks too.”  

Part of Broughton’s self-improvement plan involved a move to the Wolfslair, home of Michael Bisping, ‘Rampage’ Jackson, Cheick Kongo and many more. Broughton made the switch shortly before Christmas, although he still maintains a link to his old club, considered one of the last bastions of traditional Lancashire catch-as-catch-can wrestling.  

Now he plans to improve his hands by attempting to stand with the likes of Kongo and Jackson, the latter of whom does not hold back according to Broughton. “Not many people have got heavy hands like Rampage,” he admits. “We had a good spar the other day where I caught him and he caught me, but he’s got fucking heavy hands – they’re like bricks!  

“I was also Cheick Kongo’s sparring partner for the Frank Mir fight. I’ve never met a striker like Cheick; he’s hard work when you’re standing.” The biggest surprise though, says Broughton, was the quality possessed by ‘The Count’, Michael Bisping. “I’ve wrestled with Bisping. His fitness is unbelievable – he’s a lot better than I thought he was.”  

The same has been said of Broughton many times. Recognisable by his less-than-athletic appearance, ‘The Bear’ is perennially underestimated – both in quality and fitness. Boasting six victories via TKO, Broughton possesses fearsome power in his hands and is a nightmare to deal with on the deck, but the biggest mistake an opponent can make is to think he will outlast the wrestler. “The tournament was the hardest thing I’ve ever done but my fitness paid off. My strength and conditioning was the best it’s ever been,” says Broughton.  

By joining the UFC, Broughton will be thrown among the best heavyweight talent in the world, and he knows exactly who he would like to debut against. “I know I’d definitely have a good fight with Kimbo,” he says. “There are a few people I wouldn’t mind fighting. I’d do well against Stefan Struve, Kimbo, Roy Nelson. I’ve come across big and tough people before, that suits me. I want the top heavyweights in the UFC.”