Issue 050

June 2009

Unlike many other fighters who got their first taste of mixed martial arts through watching old UFC video tapes or the early SEG pay per view events; Ian Freeman’s introduction to the sport came during a shift working as a bar doorman. After getting into a fight with a man who was high on drugs outside of the bar and beating him so bad he feared he would actually kill him, Ian was told by a friend that rather than punching the man, he should have “used jiu-jitsu and choked him unconscious”. Upon hearing this, Ian’s simply replied “jiu-fucking what?!”. From that one moment ‘the Machine’ was born.

Already an experienced boxer, Ian quickly took up jiu jitsu, curious to find out about what his friend at the bar had been talking about. “I hated it at first. Being a boxer I just hated being on the ground and having people on top of me. I remember just always wanting to get back to my feet and take control of the fight”. Ian’s frustrations were however, short lived. After only six months of training Ian was itching for his first fight, despite being told that he needed more training. Ian went on to have his first pro fight at the British Grand Prix in 1999, competing three times in one night. “I just remember it not lasting long” he recalled.

Ian describes himself as someone who “constantly strives to succeed in everything that they do” and when the UFC came knocking at his door he was quick to accept their offer. Being no stranger to being called up for fights at short notice, in a matter of days Ian had already accepted a fight and then, in what seemed like a blink of an eye he was stepping off of a plane and being greeted by Kevin Randleman at the airport. His first fight with the organisation came at UFC 24 against Scott Adams and despite losing the fight; Ian knew he would be back.

For Ian, his most defining moment came during a fight on his home soil at UFC 38. The fight with Frank Mir that night was more than just a fight for Ian, it was one of the most important, difficult moments of his entire life. Ian’s father had been diagnosed with cancer and was extremely ill. With the situation taking a turn for the worse, Ian informed his mother than he wasn’t going to fight that night at the Royal Albert Hall and would instead, be with his father. Ian’s mother however, had a different view. Ian recalls his mother telling him to go out, fight and make his father proud, saying “fighting would be the best thing you could do for him”. Despite being the heavy underdog in the fight, Ian won a first round stoppage by dissecting Mir in front of a rowdy British crowd and scoring the victory via TKO, dedicating the fight to his father in the process. The win however was bittersweet as unknown to Ian; his father had sadly passed away.

Ian was criticised by some following the announcement that was being forced to pull out of an upcoming UFC fight against Forrest Griffin due to an injury. Ian recalls the horse riding accident that caused the injury and that would later lead to his retirement. He remembers hearing people ask “what was he doing horse riding before a fight?!”. Never one to back away from criticism Ian responded “Why shouldn’t I be horse riding before a fight? Why should everything in my life be sacrificed before a fight? Doing that will only make you go insane. You need a good balance. You need that escape from training and fighting sometimes”. Ian’s view may differ from those who say that they eat, sleep and breathe training, however when you look at his impressive 19-7-1 record and glance at the list of names that he has defeated; it’s difficult to criticise ‘the Machine’ on his balanced approach to training.

When asked if he would do anything in his career differently, a few things come to mind for Ian. Looking back, Ian admits that he wouldn’t have fought Andrei Arlovski so soon after fighting Frank Mir “I was still mourning the loss of my father and should never have taken that fight so soon”. He also would not have taken the fight against Melvin Manhoef – his comeback fight with Cage Rage following his accident and subsequent retirement. This was a difficult time for Ian due to his mother being extremely ill. Finally, Ian admits that if he could do it all again, he would sometimes say no to opponents. If there is one thing you can say about ‘the Machine’ it’s that he never backed away from a fight, but if he was starting out all over again Ian would choose fights a little more carefully. With experience comes perspective however, as Ian has learned from his mistakes “I never had anyone telling me not to take fights. I have that experience and can now offer advice to others. I can stop someone from taking a bad fight”.

Ian is well known for taking on all challenges and even now continues to do so. Not only did he win the Cage Rage light heavyweight championship last year with an impressive win over Paul Cahoon, when asked what is next ‘the Machine’ revealed that he isn’t stopping there. Not only is he working on a brand new website but also on a new ‘MACHINE’ clothing range – something he hopes will appeal to both fight fans and the public in general. 

One thing is for sure – ‘The Machine’ is certainly living up to his name!