Issue 167

Q. What sort of advice would you give to a novice fighter who is looking for their first gym?

“An up-and-coming fighter should look for a place where they can go to classes and really learn a skill-set. If you can find a gym that is teaching mixed martial arts, so you don’t have to bounce around multiple gyms, then that’s great. If you can find a gym that teaches you multiple skill-sets and you can find a team that makes you feel happy to be around them that’s important too."

“Early on in my career I went to so many different places and I had to find guys to train with me, now I’m at a gym where I can train all the different arts in one place. There are so many hassles I don’t have to deal with now because of that.”

Q. What are the differences in the way you used to train compared to the way you train today?

“Earlier on in my career, I tried to be a big, strong welterweight. But now I’m trying to be a smaller, faster welterweight. I think that being the smaller, faster guy helps me to be more disciplined in my diet and in my lifestyle, and helps me to be a better martial artist."

“Early in my career I always say that I was a ‘fighter’ – the definition of a fighter is ‘to struggle.’ I would get up to 200lb and then when training camp started I’d have to get rid of 30lb. That was how I maintained balance. I’d get in shape for fights and then when I was out of camp I didn’t stay in shape."

“Now I stay under 190lb and when I’m in camp I’m 185lb. Now I’m a martial artist and the difference between a fighter and a martial artist is that they’re always aware and trying to get better.”

Q. What do you think is the most important thing a mixed martial artist needs to be successful?

“One of the greatest things I have is the support from my family. From the start of my career I’ve always had my family behind me. Everyone supported me and was behind me. Even in the hard times, I always had people there for me and they’re still there for me now. But now I’ve got my wife, my son, and my team behind me too. It’s important to be around people who believe in you and support your dreams.”

Q. What’s the best advice you’ve received from a coach?

“Some of the best advice I’ve had was when my coach said to me, ‘At the end of your career, you don’t want to look back and say, I wish I would’ve done more.’ When I was told that it switched things in my head to really focus on what I was doing so at the end of my career I could look at my career and say, ‘I’m as good as I could have been and did everything I could do.’ I want to look back on my career and feel satisfied about the career I had.”