Issue 041
September 2008
Terry Etim
Imagine this: you’re 22 years old, you’re undefeated and you’ve just signed a contract with the UFC. You’ve gone from fighting on regional-level domestic shows to one of the biggest stages in the world. Who do you get selected to fight against? First, a champion wrestler (whom you choke into submission). Second, a world-class jiu-jitsu player (who you lose to via decision). Third, a veteran with three times as many fights as you (again, a decision loss).
But not for one moment does lightweight Terry Etim complain about the matches he has been given. “I think once you get to the UFC you want to fight the best out there and I was happy to be fighting them. As soon as I joined the UFC I was happy with the names that were there, because they were the people I wanted to be fighting. I’d been watching them all, even since before I started. Now I’m fighting them, and in Vegas: it’s a dream come true.”
Despite the two consecutive losses, the UFC saw enough in Terry to invite him back in October to fight Canadian kickboxer Sam Stout on UFC 89 in Birmingham. They feel Etim’s chance to shine is to come, and Terry himself in confident it will be this fight that fans get to see what he is really capable of. “It should be an entertaining fight. As we all know now, everyone’s well rounded, but I think it will be a stand-up war. I’ve seen some of his fights and he’s had some wars against Spencer Fisher, and one of them was fight of the year. It’s gonna be a good fight.”
Until now Etim has fought mostly grapplers, and the chance to go toe-to-toe with a fellow kickboxer is something he is looking forward to. “I think he’ll want to stand up, he’s a Canadian kickboxing champion. I don’t think he’s seen enough of my stand up to be too scared of it. After the first round I think he’ll have other ideas and will try to take it to the ground.
“Every one of my fights I’ve been dying to show people what I’ve got. Nine of my ten wins have been by submission, a lot of people think I’m a submission guy. I’m going to get to show I’m not only a submission fighter.”
Striving to improve his all-round game, Etim has travelled to Rio de Janeiro, Thailand and even Kansas to work on his submissions, striking and wrestling. “In America they’re ahead in the wrestling, I think we’re ahead in our striking. To be the best I’m going to be I’ve got to go away and keep on learning and getting better,” he said.
“In the future I want to be a champion; that’s my goal. I want to
be the best in the world. It might sound like high hopes, but that’s how I set my goals. At the moment, I’m just going to take each fight as it comes and see what happens, and keep on getting better.”
At this stage in his career, Etim is all too aware how competitive his weight category is. “I think it’s the most stacked division in the UFC, every fighter out there is good. As everyone knows once you get to the UFC there aren’t any easy fights, every fight is tough, but to be a better fighter you’ve got to fight better people.
“I’m just thinking about this fight, I’m coming off two losses so this fight is the biggest fight of my career so far, I’ve got to make sure I’m the best I’ve ever been and I’ve got to win this fight.”
