Issue 111

You’ve had a great career. Is there anything you wish you’d done differently?

“There were things that I’ve done that I’m happy I did. I don’t know if I would have changed much. I had a really good start. I did things a little bit differently, a little unorthodox, but it worked for me. I tried to pass it down to all the younger guys in the gym.

“I didn’t rely on a manager in the beginning because there wasn’t much money being made. Most fighters know that on a local show you only get paid in ticket sales. So your pay doesn’t reflect your performance, it only has to do with how many tickets you actually sold. You needed to perform well to continue to build your resume and your career, and also to bring more fans to the next show.

I understood that concept very early in my career; that my pay is based upon how many people come, so I need to get people there. In order to get people there I needed to promote myself, and then when I got them there I needed to give them something to want to come back to and tell their friends about.

“Knowing this very early I stressed promoting myself. I made T-shirts, I made highlight DVDs of past fights and performances. On Sundays I would go for runs and post up posters with my phone number on them. Which were the fight event posters but I’d put a piece of paper at the bottom with my cell phone number, at any major club, any high-traffic area. Basically people walking by would see it, call my number and say, ‘Hey, there’s these fights.’ And along with that I had a big following through high school wrestling.”

You’ve been a member of Blackzilians, which is one of MMA’s new super gyms. Is moving to a big camp important in MMA these days?

“The misconception people get is that they say, ‘OK, if I join a team that’s really good therefore I’ll get better in myself.’ So that’s the end-all means. The end-all means is to make it to the gym every day and be responsible and be accountable. People believe the end-all means is, ‘If I join Couture, the Blackzilians, this team, that team, then therefore I’ll be champion.’ And that’s not true.

I came from Philadelphia. I didn’t have much, I had a good, solid group of guys around me. None of us were world-beaters, none of us had big names, but the thing that separated us from a lot of other people is we were responsible and we were accountable. We made it to practice and we pushed each other. I feel like that was the difference between us and the other gyms. We didn’t have a big name but we had a great work ethic and we were honest and responsible and accountable.

They’re the main keys; it’s not making it to a place. Because, let’s just say you have a certain amount of work ethic and tomorrow you join Blackzilians, you still need to be responsible and accountable enough to wake up in the morning, to make it to practice, to make it to each session, to eat well, to do the things that are required of you, and also do the extra things that aren’t required of you. Regardless of whether you’re with the best team in the world or not.”

So, there’s nothing that’s going to guarantee a fighter success aside from themselves basically?

“Absolutely. You’re the only one that’s going to control whether you succeed or not. There’s things that can help and there’s things that can add, but you’re the biggest piece of the puzzle; yourself.”