I recently caught up with Nick Agallar after the last Freestyle Combat Challenge show in Racine two weeks ago. I had the opportunity to talk to him about his fight that night with Shane MacDonald in front of his hometown crowd. We also discussed the Art of War television show, in which he is a captain of the GI team and his upcoming fight with Chris Brennan in the season finale.
Also, if you haven’t heard, Agallar is opening his own gym in Racine called ACS or Agallar Combative Systems. We discussed how that will affect his future with the Freestyle Academy and lastly, we talk about up and comers from the Kenosha, Racine, and Waukegan area.
Wisconsin Combat Sports: First off, why don’t you tell us what happened in the fight tonight?
Nick Agallar: First, I just want to apologize to everyone who watched it because that was horrible. He went out there and he’s fought one of our guys before and he usually comes out swinging and comes out hard. He’s good on his feet, his ground kind of sucks. You know, he tagged me a couple of times with the leg kick. That was decent because I got a swollen leg. I threw a couple of high kicks and missed. I hit him with a left hook when I came in, not the biggest, but I know it hurt him a little bit. Then I body locked him and threw him down and then he started screaming about his nutsack.
WCS: Other than tonight’s fight, how did it feel to fight in front of your hometown crowd? You went to high school here and you were a wrestling star.
NA: It felt good, I love fighting at home and we have the best crowd and everybody loves me here at home. On the same token, I almost feel bad about the fight and having him whine about his nuts, it was embarrassing the whole way the fight went down.
WCS: I saw the fliers, you’re opening a gym or is it already open? Why don’t you tell me about that.
NA: Yeah, I’m opening a gym called Agallar Combative Systems or ACS.
WCS: Do you have a website for it yet?
NA: The website will come soon. It’s located in Curt’s Sports Complex or the old YWCA. He’s also going to have a pool and a sports medicine area separate from my gym. It will have physical therapy, massage, and acupuncture. It will be like a one stop shop for everything.
The gym is 1600 square feet and I have it all matted with an 18 by 18 foot ring, so it will be real nice with great locker facilities and showers and everything, so come on down and get beat up.
WCS: Are you still going to train at Freestyle Academy?
NA: Yeah, we’re still going to train at Dave’s and we’re still a team.
WCS: How about instruction, are you still going to teach at Freestyle Academy?
NA: I don’t know. I’m still going to train with those guys when I have a fight those guys will come down and if Dave has a fight, I’m still going to go down because we’re buddies. The problem is that he has his two gyms that he owns and I have to pay rent on this one. I have to put classes on and the more classes the more money and so on, but I’ll be there working out with those guys off and on.
WCS: Alright, so you’ll be teaching and instructing there. Is there anyone else you’ll be bring in for instructors?
NA: Yeah, we’ll get into that in the future.
WCS: Like a Jiu-Jitsu coach or a certain striking coach?
NA: Well not yet, my brother is a high school wrestling coach and I have a lot of really good wrestling friends who are going to join, so we are going to be based on wrestling. After that, I’ll be the main guy but I have a couple people in mind for some standup.
WCS: Alright, with Art of War, is it like nine separate shows that they are going to turn into episodes or what’s the deal with that?
NA: As far as I know, it’s nine separate episodes on TV starting in like July. Well, it’s posted somewhere, I don’t remember and it ends in September. The first show we did on April 19th was for the first two episodes. On May 24th in Oklahoma is the next one. I’m not fighting there I know that much. Me and Brennan will be there as coaches. I just got an e-mail like two days ago from the main guy named Clyde and he said that they are trying to put a show together June 7th. I don’t know if I’m supposed to say that, but every month there is supposed to be a show.
WCS: So are you going to be on the June show?
NA: They want us both to fight once before the finale and I think they are looking at June and then me and Brennan would fight in August, which would get aired as the final episode in September.
WCS: So you have no idea who your opponent would be in June?
NA: No, no idea.
WCS: Chris Brennan, he’s been around for like ten years, he’s been in all the big shows, he’s got good wrestling, pretty good standup, and he’s got a good submission game. What’s your game plan for the fight?
NA: Me and Brennan are going to brawl I think. A good fight really brings the best out of two people and I think he’s really looking forward to it and I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve talked to the guy, I like the guy, he cracks me up, he’s kind of cocky but he cracks me up. I don’t think that lately he’s fought at his peak, well I don’t want to say he’s past his prime, but I don’t think he’s trained as hard. But for this fight I think he’s going to train really hard. He’s going to come out there and try to prove something. Both of us have kind of been on the backlight a little bit and this fight will get us some recognition again. So it’s a big fight for both of us.
WCS: Yeah, the way I look at it is, this is a big fight between two big name fighters. Obviously that’s why it’s headlining the season finale. Where do you see his advantages being in this fight?
NA: I think we’re both pretty equal all the way around.
WCS: My opinion is that I think on the feet your both pretty equal, wrestling is pretty close, maybe he is a little better at submissions.
NA: So your saying I’m going to lose? (Laughs)
WCS: No of course not. (Laughing)
NA: My ground, I guess I don’t use it much since I’m usually on top. I’m actually good on the ground. If you ever roll with me, I’m very good at Jiu-Jitsu.
WCS: I haven’t, but my brother tells me that your incredibly strong and that your one of the strongest guys around.
NA: I’m dick diesel strong for 155, put that in there, dick diesel.
WCS: Well, I’m going to have to look that up because I have no idea what that means.
NA: (Laughs) Anyway, I know Chris is going to be very strong. He’s very big for 55 and he cuts down.
Actually, now that we’re going through this, I would give me the advantage on the feet. I think I’m a little bit more aggressive and a little bit more wild on the feet. Not to say that I couldn’t get tagged, or that he couldn’t either. In wrestling I’m good, but my real strong point is that I can control people. My strength is a big factor, if your going against a guy who is just as slick as you, and you can out muscle them, that’s a part of the game. Anybody at the gym will tell you that I’m strong.
WCS: So give me a prediction on the fight?
NA: I don’t want to do that. I think I’m going to win and I’m going to train my ass of for it. It’s a big, big fight and I’m looking forward to it. I think I can finish it, I just have to keep working and overwhelm him, just keep it rolling.
WCS: Back to the Art of War. After August, have you signed any kind of long-term deal with them or is it just this season and then we’ll see what happens? Have you talked to any other organizations?
NA: No, right now I’m just talking with them. What’s funny is, I don’t have any contract signed. We’re still negotiating on the Brennan fight. It’s going to happen obviously because they’re paying me to fly out to all the other shows. I don’t have a contract to fight in June even. They just want to get me in there.
It’s weird because people hear things before I hear them. Like that WEC thing a while back that said I’d be fighting at 145.
WCS: Oh, your talking about Pequano.
NA: Yeah, the guillotine guy. I didn’t even hear about that until I read it on Sherdog. That was crazy because since then they haven’t really said anything to me.
WCS: Well, he’s also a 145er. How much do you cut by the way?
NA: Not much, I’m big framed, but I don’t cut that much. I usually weigh like 170 maybe.
WCS: Well that’s all I have for you. Anything else I should know.
NA: Just that I have a beautiful wife and an eight-month old beautiful girl at home. They’re beautiful and I love them.
WCS: Oh yeah, one more thing. Is there anybody we should keep an eye on? Any up and comers from Strassers?
NA: Well, you probably know most of them. Jameel’s (Jameel Massouh) doing well, he turning it on. Sergio (Gomez) lost those two in the WEC but they were both kick ass fights with very tough guys. Brian (Geraghty), same thing, he’s tough, he just hasn’t fought at the right weight for a while. He’s going to be a 45er from hell, very tough and very technical.
WCS: Well, I know about those guys, give me an up and comer to keep an eye on.
NA: I think an up and comer that’s going to be good is Gerald (Meerschaert). He’s young and he’s only 20 years old. I think Gerald is going to be very good.
WCS: Yeah, I think he’s like (6-2) now.
NA: “300” is going to be tough. Adrian Gutierrez.
WCS: Yeah, I saw him fight a couple shows ago and he fought a much bigger opponent and came back from behind to win it.
NA: What’s nice is we have that foreign exchange thing going on. We have some tough Japanese guys. Ricardo Damm is going to be here starting a belt system.
WCS: You mean Ricardo Damm is going to move here to Wisconsin?
NA: Yeah, he’s moving to Kenosha but he’ll teach and train at Kenosha and Waukegan.
WCS: What do you mean by a belt system? Jiu-Jitsu?
NA: Yeah, like I know Jiu-Jitsu really well but I’m not certified in a belt. Who else do we have? We had two guys tonight at 155 who fought each other Andy (Holm) and Ryan (Anderson). Both of those guys are going to be extremely tough.
WCS: Yeah, Andy looked like Corey Hill when I saw him.
NA: What is he like 6’9”? (Laughs) And Ryan has a lot of heart and is very strong for his size. Hopefully, I didn’t forget anybody.
WCS: Well, thanks a lot for the interview and good luck in the Brennan fight.
NA: Thank you.
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