Issue 161

December 2017

How Chris Brennan trimmed down to make history in the UFC

CHRIS BRENNAN

• First seen Jan 1996 (independent event)
• Last seen June 2012 (KOTC: Aerial Assault)
• Record 21-13-1

Chris Brennan fought 36 times and faced some of the most formidable opponents in the game. He now owns and operates a successful gym, with satellite locations all around the world.

It’s an unlikely life for a native of Compton, California who had a scattered youth, moving 19 times and going to nine schools in nine years. He got into a lot of trouble and pursued a lot of athletic endeavors, but none of them seemed likely to lead to him becoming one of the most well-traveled men in MMA.

“I fought a lot. I ran a lot and I got in lots and lots of trouble.” Brennan said. “I was angry and not into team sports at all. That’s how I ended up in gymnastics, surfing, BMX, motocross and bodybuilding. When I was a bodybuilder, I was juiced up so much I gained 100lb in two years.”

However, pumping iron was part of an unlikely path to high-level combat competition, in the early days of no-holds-barred fighting when he started to run in similar circles to some of the biggest characters from the first UFC shows.

“Bodybuilding led me to bouncing, and bouncing led me to meet some friends that all got into MMA at the same time. Kimo Leopoldo, Todd Medina and I had all bounced at the same bars and Joe Son was trying to manage everyone. Being in Huntington Beach made it very easy to fight, but also to find places to train and people to train with once the UFC arrived.

“I had been arrested for fighting before. Once the UFC popped up, I think we all figured, ‘wow, what a great way to make some money, get in fights, and not get in trouble for it’. Little did we know there was a lot of time and effort involved. It got harder and harder. Kimo got in UFC 3 because he was huge and impressive looking. Todd got in UFC 5 for some of the same reasons, and he was tough as s**t. I didn’t get in till UFC 16 because once I stopped bodybuilding, I dropped down to 170lb so it was hard to get in with no weight classes.”

After some fights in the Midwest – including unexpectedly equaling Pat Miletich over 20 minutes to take a draw – Brennan made it to the UFC for its first ‘lightweight’ (170lb) tournament. He won the first-ever bout at the new weight class, but lost the final to future UFC Hall of Famer Miletich, in their third meeting.

‘The Westside Strangler’ went on to compete all over the world in promotions like Pride, Shooto and King of the Cage, before retiring in 2012. He runs Next Generation MMA, based in Frisco, Texas, with affiliate schools in England, Ireland, Norway and Australia, and he is training his own next generation for success

“It’s is a great time for me,” he says. “My eldest son is coming off his first win in MMA at only 17 years old, choking out a 27-year-old at XKO here in Dallas. My kids are also doing amazing on the grappling circuit, so all things are good for me. It’s all pretty emotional for me, but I’m loving it.

“I accomplished much more than I ever thought I would in this sport. I mean, at the beginning I was an arrogant bodybuilder, so I figured I could beat anyone. But once I seriously started training, I just wanted to be a great fighter, a great teacher and a great coach. I think I accomplished all of that."