Issue 036
April 2008
Rich Clementi is a veteran of the sport who has travelled the globe, training with and competing against the world’s best fighters. Taking on board insightful travel tips, Clementi bucks the trend of packing an over-sized suitcase full of new-fangled training gadgets, instead opting to carry the bare essentials that keep him ready to train at the drop of a hat.
Sparring gloves
The Lousiana-based fighter is at the forefront of a group of fighters who increasingly find that using boxing gloves to train stand-up in MMA simply doesn’t provide you with a sparring experience that can mirror technical improvements in the cage.
“Believe it or not, I really don’t train with boxing gloves much. I tend to use the heavier, protected MMA gloves. I think that boxing gloves sometimes give you a false sense of protection; so for the most time, I spar with MMA gloves. Fairtex, I think, puts out a good quality glove. I’ve been using their stuff for years. It’s the one that I prefer.”
Shorts
While not fussy about colour or styles, Rich is sponsored by Warrior Wear Clothing – a brand associated with tough, durable shorts. Aware that the Octagon is no fashion parade, Clementi still chooses the fairly funky blue and white ‘Domination’ variety, as worn in his recent victory over Melvin Guillard at UFC 79.
Gumshield
Some fighters swear by their individually moulded mouthguards, but Clementi goes in exactly the opposite direction. “I have a double mouthpiece where the top and the bottom are joined and have a space in the middle. I’ve tried the dentist’s one and I actually had a problem one time in one of my fights when my jaw wasn’t sitting right. It’s been two years since I got it, I would probably divorce my wife before I gave up my mouthpiece!”
Protective equipment
Many trainers insist on using headgear and a range of other equipment for maximum protection in sparring, but aside from the omni-present groin guard, Clementi likes to keep things simple. “I don’t really use shin pads too much. Most of my sparring is done without too much protective equipment. I don’t know if that’s the smartest thing in the world to do, but it’s just how I train.”
Food and supplements
“I’m very strict on eating every three hours when I’m getting in fight preparation, so if it is fight preparation, I will have some food with me. I take in some carbs early in the day and then I just try and pound as much protein into my meals as I can throughout the day.”
However, Clementi has less interest in taking supplements that seem to form an integral part of many fighters’ daily intake. “I take a daily vitamin, but that’s basically it. They say that anything that really works is going to be illegal, so I really don’t mess with too many supplements.”
Avoiding clutter
Keeping his kitbag clear of anything without a definite purpose, Clementi explained his minimalist approach “I’m not one of those guys who are really superstitious. You can call me up and as long as I have my mouthpiece on me, I’m good. I’m not one of those superstitious guys, I even don’t really need certain people around with me, I’m ready to go whenever.”
