Last week I got the opportunity to speak with Solomon Hutcherson on the telephone. Hutcherson recently defeated Marcus “The Loudmouth Assassin” Hicks in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on May 31, 2008 with a referee stoppage at 1:29 in the first round and was in Wisconsin for a brief period of time before traveling out to Las Vegas to help his friend and TUF 3 castmate, Kendall Grove of Team Dagger. Since his loss to Luigi Fioravanti on the Finale of TUF 3 in June of 2006, Solomon has not been defeated. His four-fight win streak currently stands at two years and his manager is looking to get him into a major organization like EliteXC. Hutcherson has traveled and trained extensively over the last two years since the show and he is looking to move back to Wisconsin again and train. In my interview we talk about his most recent fight, his travels, EliteXC, and Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Combat Sports: So what’s happening Solomon? Any fights coming up at all?
Solomon Hutcherson: Well, I just fought Saturday in Edmonton, Canada.
WCS: So what happened, first round KO right?
SH: Yeah, first round stoppage, referee stoppage.
WCS: And that was against Marcus Hicks?
SH: Yeah, the “Loudmouth Assassin” got his mouth closed.
WCS: (Laughs) So where are you living now, Wisconsin, Vegas, Hawaii?
SH: I’m in transition right now. I’m staying in Racine right now. For my next bout after I go out to Vegas for the Kendall fight, I’ll make a decision whether I’m going down to American Top Team down in Florida for a bit, but I do plan on getting my own thing started here in Racine.
WCS: So are you getting in some training right now either at Strasser’s or Agallar’s?
SH: Actually, I’m training with Racine Catch Team.
WCS: Yeah, the wrestling team.
SH: I’ve been staying in Racine, my old man hasn’t been doing to well so I’ve had to stay home. I was going to go train at Extreme Couture and Cobra Kai back in Vegas, but I think I’m going to make a move pretty quick here so I can be a little closer to the family. It’s been two years; I’ve been in Vegas getting everything started to get back into the limelight of mixed martial arts. I’m making a push for it and my management is working on my next fight to be in EliteXC.
WCS: Wow, EliteXC has a lot of good middleweights right now. That’s definitely their best division the way I see it with (Robbie) Lawler, (Scott) Smith, (Phil) Baroni, (Kala) Hose, (Frank) Shamrock, Cung Le, and (Joey) Villasenor. That’s a stacked division and theirs plenty of blockbuster fights for you.
SH: Definitely, I’m looking to put Wisconsin mixed martial arts on the map and I want to make sure Wisconsin Combat Sports has my back.
WCS: Yeah, we have your back. I’ve written some articles on you although I’m not sure how often you check out the site at all. I wanted to ask you what happened with the cancelled Hardcore Championship Fighting one you were supposed to do? (Amir Rahnavardi)
SH: Actually, it was an error on my part. The last time I competed there against Nabil Khatib when I broke my hand and I did an interview with you guys at Duke Roufus’ bouts, I got into the country with just a birth certificate and proof of me having applied for a passport, so I figured the same would apply. But they passed a situation in January of 2008 that I didn’t pick up on where there is no international travel into Canada without a passport. So I didn’t have a passport at the time, didn’t have enough time to go by the road, so I kind of got screwed on that deal, but HCF has tanked anyway.
WCS: Well it sounds like that guy (Dave Houshair) is starting something new. I don’t remember the name of the new organization (LFC/Raw Combat) but it sounds like he just split from the partner and he’s starting his own thing. I heard that they have some bigger names like (David) Louiseau and Hector Ramirez.
So what’s going on with American Tom Team? Do you know someone down there or just got invited?
SH: Yeah, Ricardo Liborio used to come down to the Freestyle Combat Challenges when I was fighting on the local circuit in Wisconsin. He gave me the offer back then, he knew I wasn’t fighting up to my potential and I wasn’t at that time. I hadn’t even fought in six months when I got the green light for the Ulimate Fighter 3 season. I was actually shoveling cement and a kid from Strasser’s came up and told me that there were a couple guys that I beat vying to get on that Ultimate Fighter 3 show. I was maybe a little pissed at the work, went in there, didn’t get in right away but I got a call and that put me back in the runnings for pursuing a mixed martial arts career. I learned a little lesson on the show about my cardiovascular training, but I’ve been undefeated since then.
WCS: Yeah, you have like four straight wins now right?
SH: Yeah, yeah.
WCS: So you’re also going out to help Kendall train for his next fight. What’s his fight again and when is it?
SH: He’s fighting Evan Tanner on the 21st of June.
WCS: Tanner, oh man, I knew that, I just spaced it, it’s the Finale of the Ultimate Fighter. So when are you going out there, next week or something?
SH: Yeah, next week I’m going out there.
WCS: And how long are you going to be there? Right up until the fight?
SH: Yeah, right up to the fight.
WCS: So tell me more about the EliteXC deal. Is it signed already or just in the works?
SH: Well, I fought last week in Canada and my management is working on something right now. I haven’t heard anything as of yet, but it’s only been a week. They’re working on it now, but I’m looking to fight. I want to continue the streak and I’m open for all comers.
WCS: So after Kendall’s fight are you coming back to Wisconsin or is all up in the air right now?
SH: I definitely want to come back to Wisconsin. I’m from Racine and there’s a wellspring of opportunity and talent that comes from here and I’m looking to solidify a strong base of mixed martial arts out of the Midwest. I think we can do that, we have so many talented wrestlers that can scrap and Milwaukee has a plethora of kickboxers and boxers that have seen the light as far as mixed martial arts is concerned. I think it’s going to be a pretty exciting time for mixed martial arts in our neck of the woods.
WCS: Anything you want to say to your fans or sponsors?
SH: I’d like to say to my fans, thanks for toughing it out. I haven’t been very computer accessible, I’m pretty computer illiterate. I’m getting a laptop after this next fight and get everything all squared away. I haven’t been able to keep up with stuff online because I don’t have direct access to a computer right now. I never thought I needed to, but I do. I found out I had a fan base and I had no idea that so many people were into mixed martial arts and knew who I was until I started moving around to Vegas and California and the places I train. I’d like to thanks them for their support and let them know that, I’m coming out guns a blazing with the gas to finish a round.
WCS: Thanks alot Solomon.
SH: Thank you.
Solomon Hutcherson vs. Marcus Hicks 05/31/2008
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