Fighters Only

Issue 164

November -0001

Famous fighters on prospects, favoured techniques and pre-fight relaxation

The Fighters:

Ed Herman - “Short Fuse”, and now a short index finger, too

Chris Honeycutt - Bellator middleweight who always makes “The Cutt”

Emily Ducote - History maker in Bellator’s female 125lb division

David Rickels - “The Caveman” who boasts a record 19 Bellator bouts

1. Are there any young prospects you train with we should look out for?

Ed Herman

Yes, there are two young guys who stick out to me: Ricky Simon and Austin Vanderford definitely have bright futures in the sport.

Chris Honeycutt

I train with some pretty strong guys who have not had much notoriety yet. The most well-known prospect and my biggest asset in the gym is my teammate, Ed Ruth.

Emily Ducote

I train with two girls who definitely have a great future in MMA. LeAnn Adkisson is a 3-0 amateur making her pro debut in 2018, and Morgan Solis is already a 2-0 pro!

David Rickels

Chris Harris is a savage – he’s a 9-2 pro at 170. Steven Nguyen is a ninja at 4-0, a 145 pro, while Tyler Ingram is 8-1 ammy and 1-0 as a pro. We’ve got some killers

2. What’s your favourite technique in MMA?

Ed Herman

Knees to the face of my opponent!

Chris Honeycutt

I have been wrestling since I was four, so that’s what I feel is my strongest and most comfortable technique. But my favourite is boxing.

Emily Ducote

My favourite MMA technique is probably a Rear Naked Choke.

David Rickels

Double hammerfist (AKA caveman smash), or the open hand slap to the ears.

3. Which of your coaches pushes you the hardest?

Ed Herman

Longtime MMA veteran and BJJ blackbelt Fabiano Scherner pushes me the most out of all my coaches.

Chris Honeycutt

Wrestling at Edinboro under Tim Flynn you learn that only with hard work and dedication can you really give yourself the best opportunity to succeed in anything.

Emily Ducote

Giulliano Gallupi, my head coach, calculates and plans my entire camp. Nutrition, strength and conditioning and all fight training (BJJ, wrestling and boxing).

David Rickels

Definitely my strength and conditioning coach Marquis Bradley. He is a great motivator.

4. What’s the best performance of your career?

Ed Herman

I would have to say my knockout win over Tim Boetsch at light heavyweight back at UFC Fight Night Dillashaw vs. Cruz

Chris Honeycutt

I’d like to believe my best performance is always my most recent win, but my victory over Ben Reiter was the fight were I learned to be comfortable and confident in my hands and kicks.

Emily Ducote

My favourite performance hasn’t happened yet. Every fight I am learning more and improving, but I haven’t put it all together in the cage yet. But I am still proud of all my performances.

David Rickels

I felt best in my last fight vs Adam Piccolotti. I’m really starting to feel like a veteran out there. My “f**k this guy” attitude is really strong right now.

5. How do you relax before a fight?

Ed Herman

Before the fight I like to put my mind somewhere else and just joke around with my team. I like to keep it light and upbeat.

Chris Honeycutt

I just watch TV and hang out with my coaches until I have to report to the locker room. In the weeks leading up to a fight, I hang out with my girlfriend and wrestle with our three dogs!

Emily Ducote