Fighters Only

Issue 162

December 2017

The former college wrestling champ is now the Bellator bantamweight king.

How does it feel to carry that belt over your shoulder?

It’s everything I dreamed of. I get to show it off a little bit, but I will play it cool. That thing is going to pretty much be untouched after a couple of days. That belt has a lot of blood, sweat and tears behind it, but there is a lot more to fight for.

What do you think you did best in the fight?

I feel like I showed a lot of poise. Dantas is known for coming on strong and applying pressure. I feel like I did a good job at keeping him at bay and keeping the fight at my range and controlling the fight.

Going back and looking at the film, I wish I'd executed the game plan and got off a little more, but I am definitely happy with the result.

How were you able to stay get the better of Dantas in both striking and grappling exchanges?

I really feel like my style of fighting forces people to fight at my pace and at my style. I did a lot of things I wanted to do and I kept him worrying about what I was going to do next. I have that explosiveness that you really can’t see until it has already happened.

One of the highlights of the fight was an insane suplex in the first round. Have you been getting a lot of attention for that?

The highlight was getting some good feedback. It's something I want to continue to do – make the wrestling interesting and something people look back and see the good technique. You will definitely see more of that in the future.

Was there a moment in the fight when you really knew things were going your way?

Probably in the middle of the fourth round – the moment I got back on top after he reversed me.

I landed some elbows and I heard him breathing really hard. After that, I realized I was still breathing normally and at that moment I knew it was a battle of wills and we were going to see who fought that hardest when they were tired. It was around that time I felt like I had it.

I knew I had to keep pressure and fight at my range and make sure this guy didn’t fight his way back into the fight.

What were you thinking when the decision was announced and your hand was raised?

It was a dream come true. It was a blessing. Being at the pinnacle of your sport... When I was wrestling I was at the pinnacle and due to injuries, it really forced me out of the sport. It made me reevaluate where I was going in terms of combat sports. When that got taken away it was really eye-opening.

To be able to climb all the way back from all that adversity, man, I couldn’t believe it. The hard work all paid off but it’s still back to the drawing board. The work is not done.

Who do you see as your biggest or most dangerous challengers?

There are always new guys coming in and there are guys in the mix right now that I haven’t fought. I’m always looking for the next best guy to fight. You have Michael McDonald, who came to the organization and will be fighting soon. My job is to get back here in San Diego, where I have the best coaches and training partners and hone my skills.

I don’t feel like my title fight was the best indicator of me and what I am capable of. I guess I will be happy with it now and keep working to improve.

There are several of NCAA wrestling champions in MMA, but few have won titles. Do you regard that as a big accomplishment?

Absolutely. When you look at the champions’ banners hanging up, I call that murderer’s row. It’s good to be in the rafters in your high school, it’s cooler to be in the rafters at your college like I am at North Carolina State and it’s very special to now be in the murderer’s row in Bellator.

How important was wrestling in shaping you as an MMA champion?

It was life-changing. Wrestling saved my life. In wrestling, you have to focus on yourself, as opposed to being on the football team or the basketball team or any team where you can blame someone else.

It really gave me time away from the streets and time away from my friends and any negativity that was going on around me. It forced me to focus on my own future at a very early age.

I really credit wrestling a lot for a lot of my success.