Omar Choudhury vs. Rob Mondloch

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Combat USA - War at Waverly
December 20, 2008
Menasha, Wisconsin, USA

Fighter Interview: Rick “The Jet” Roufus of the Lions Den

Next Friday, former Wisconsin resident and six-time world champion kickboxer, Rick Roufus will return to the motherland and fight on the Combat USA show at the Radisson Grand Ball Room in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The fight will not be a kickboxing bout, instead it will be a MMA bout against BJ Lacy. This bout will mark Roufus’ third professional MMA bout in his newly transformed fighting career. He recently joined forces with the highly respected Lions Den as an athlete and instructor to work on his MMA and ground skills. I recently got the chance to speak with Roufus about his first two bouts in MMA, his future and goals in the sport, and comparisons of the growth of MMA to kickboxing.

Wisconsin Combat Sports: First, how did you become interested in fighting in MMA?

Rick Roufus: The sport of standup is dead and basically it was a new challenge for me. I’ll be honest, at first I didn’t like MMA and I didn’t want to do it but and I gave it some thought. I started working with a jiu-jitsu guy out of my gym. I ended up learning from him and after the Maurice Smith fight I found out that the Lions Den was here and I started working out with Edwin Dewees back in March until now. That’s basically how I got started. I’m going to the Lions Den everyday and training, it’s like a training camp. I’m working with an All-American wrestling coach, Kenny Lester, other wrestlers, good grapplers, all kinds of different guys. I’m getting different looks everyday.

WCS: Good to hear. Let’s take a look at that Maurice Smith fight. How did that come about? I know that you guys fought in kickboxing.

RR: You see, the problem with me is that I’ll fight anyone on any given day. I’m not afraid to get in the ring with anyone. But at this stage of my life, there were so many fights that were supposed to happen. I had actually gotten started in MMA last August right away and I was just anxious to get going. Mo wasn’t going to stand with me at all; he took me right to the ground. Of course, I knew one thing. Being in that sport for that short amount of time taught me one thing. I will never fight anyone above 205 again because the weight is such a difference and I will go in better prepared. That’s why I’m training at the Lions Den. In two minutes of being in there I learned a lot and it was only an experience but now I’m very optimistic about the future, which I haven’t been in a long time. I’m very hungry. I have that fire and that passion back. Kickboxing was so up and down, you didn’t know when you were going to fight, who you were going to fight, if they were going to call you, if they weren’t going to call you. It was just too many games, it affected one’s performance and mental psyche, it was tough.

WCS: So after the Maurice Smith fight you ended up fighting Mike Buell and it went to a three round decision. How did you feel in the cage? Were you fine going the distance or were you looking for a quick knock out?

RR: I know you guys had posted some stuff. First, Buell worked with me back in 2004-05 and then after the Musashi fight we had a bad falling out. There was a lot of stuff that had happened in the locker room with him and the strength and conditioning coach that I had. It literally went fist to fist in the locker room and I have never spoke to him again. So I get a call and Edwin (Dewees) asked if I wanted to fight in Oklahoma and I’m like yeah. So they found Buell and he jumped on the opportunity, he wanted to end it between him and I. As you know, Mike is a submission grappler, he went to Abu Dhabi, he’s definitely no slouch. Getting in the ring and being back I felt good. I just wish I would have knocked him out but that’s alright, he tried really hard to take me down, but my ground defense was getting better and I avoided any problems with that. Plus when I fought, it was outside and only like 40 degrees out there, it was freezing.

WCS: Yeah, you live in Phoenix so I’m sure 40 degrees feels brutal.

RR: Yeah, it was outside in Oklahoma at a casino, it was freezing. Actually, it’s like 112 out here today.

WCS: I heard that Mark Kerr had also fought on that card and you were originally supposed to have fought Kerr in January, although that fell through.

RR: Thank you, you know I look back and I was working with Machii Sports and Mike Van Arsdale and Jahani Curl. Mike had come to my gym on two different occasions when he fought in the UFC, before Babalu and before someone else. I called Mike when I got started and he thought it would be a great fight. Looking back, we don’t understand why fights don’t happen but now I understand why. That would have been a detriment, me fighting Kerr would have been real bad. Being an All-American wrestler, the guy is like 280lbs.

WCS: You recently got in touch with Combat USA’s Adam Sandoval. How did that happen?

RR: I’m just trying to stay busy, trying to get more experience. The goal is try to get to the UFC or one of the different organizations and try to do something. Try to win a title, that’s the basic goal right now.

WCS: In Combat USA they are doing some interesting things with the rules. Basically, instead of the three, five-minute rounds, they are changing it up to seven, two minute rounds. They are also going to instill some zero passivity on the ground rules, so if there is no action on the ground, the ref will give a five second count and the fight would get stood back up, assuming there was no action on the ground for that period of time.

RR: First, I know everyone is going to be worried and ask, can Roufus fight on the ground? I am working very hard, my top game is fine, it’s the bottom game that I am working. I have been working the submission grappling without a doubt, the sprawl, the takedown, you name it, everything. Day in, day out, I’m working very diligently. I may be older but I’m there with them young bucks and they’ll tell you, I work as hard as them. WCS: What can you tell me about your opponent? His name is BJ Lacy, I think he is (9-7-1) or (10-7-1), he’s primarily a stand up guy.

RR: I don’t know much about him, I was told he’s a stand up guy and he’s about one of the only guys that wanted to fight me. I don’t much about him at all, to tell you the truth.

WCS: Adam Sandoval just got a TV deal for Combat USA, so he’s looking to take the show national. Are you going to be doing multiple fights with Combat USA or is this a one shot deal?

RR: He called me yesterday and wants to sign me to a fight in June. I haven’t heard back from him. He asked me if I had Dewey Cooper’s contact info, so he wants to try and get Dewey Cooper.

WCS: So does that mean we’ll get to see more of you in Wisconsin?

RR: Hopefully, right now we’ll see. You get your wins and I’ve been in contact with Joe Silva, so we’ll see where it goes from there.

WCS: Yeah, it seems like that is your goal, to get into the bigger show, get in some fights, get a little bit more experience.

RR: At this stage, for me, there is a new goal. I’m not doing this to continue to fight on the small shows. I’m doing it to gain more practice, get used to the cage, getting myself used to getting taken down, guys trying to do this or that submission, so when I get into the big show I’m ready for anything and everything.

WCS: I know this is a little off track, but what comparisons do you see with MMA to kickboxing in let’s say the 80’s and 90’s? Do you see comparisons as the sport has grown?

RR: Oh my god, it’s apples and oranges. This sport has superseded what kickboxing has ever in it’s life has been, without a doubt. The sport in its twilight in the 80’s was on ESPN primetime every Wednesday. It was on CBS very sparingly but it is nothing, nothing like MMA is today.

MMA is so mainstream and there are so many different organizations besides the UFC. You have Affliction and IFL and so many others it’s ridiculous, and all these organizations are paying big dollar. I think the problem was back in the TK days, they were greedy and never wanted to work together. Everyone was cutting each other’s throat.

WCS: I was wondering what your view was and if you thought it was going to rise up and teeter back down similar to kickboxing.

RR: I thought at one time K-1 was going to but when K-1 came to America in 98. Most people if you asked them in Vegas at that time what K-1 was, they would say rock climbing, a videogame, nobody knew what it was. What they should have done was marquee the athletes and maybe it would be different. I think what changed the whole face of the entire sport was when the Gracie’s bought the UFC back in the 90’s, that changed it. Then when I fought Perrio in 1994, the sport died, that was the biggest the sport ever got. It bombed on the television ratings because they decided to do it the same weekend as the NCAA Final Four, which is a stupid idea to try and go up against, it’s the biggest weekend of betting and college sports. After that the sport bombed, I went home and then on came K-1.

Now, if your asking about stand up, you can be the greatest stand up fighter in the world but if you don’t have any MMA, you’re done, your like a fish in no water. You have to have your base, which may be stand up, but you have to have knowledge of wrestling, submissions, grappling, and jiu-jistsu. If you don’t you’re going to get eaten alive.

WCS: Have you had to change up your striking game to adapt to MMA at all?

RR: Yeah, I have had to make an adjustment, a little bit.

WCS: So you’re coming back to Wiscosnsin. Do you come back to Wisconsin on a regular basis?

RR: Yeah, I try to get back up there. My wife and I are from there, my in-laws live up by the Dells, Lake Camelot. We try to go and visit for at least for a week and spend time with the kids and just relax. I also have a 19 year old daughter who is going to be 20 in November that I go to visit or try to bring here down to visit. Wisconsin is great in the summer time, unfortunately the winters are very long.

WCS: Well, that’s about all I have for you right now Rick. Is there anything else I should know or anything you want to say to your fans.

RR: Well, I’m reinvented, I’m hungry, and there is going to be a new Rick Roufus. I appreciate all the support over the years that Wisconsin has given me. I’m going to come back in bigger and better fashion than I was before.

WCS: Thanks a lot Rick and good luck in your fight.

RR: Thank you for your time.

Jordan Denny vs. Jose Rodriguez rematch slated for Gladiators 49 UPDATED

Amateur fighters’ Jordan Denny and Jose Rodriguez recently fought each other at Combat USA: Seasons Beatings on December 22, 2007 and look to do battle again at Gladiators 49 on February 16. Jose “The Crazy Rican” Rodriguez took the fight on short notice and came up short on the judges cards (29-28). All three judges scored the bout a unanimous decision in favor of Jordan Denny of Team Vaghi/Fox Valley Grappling Club located in Appleton, Wisconsin.

Jose Rodriguez fights on Team Fighting Irish, which fights out of the new Waukesha MMA gym headed by Reese “Old Man” Shaner. Rodriguez sports a (2-2) record as an amateur with two first round victories via rear naked choke against Casey Liederbach and Robert Mondloch. His other loss came at the hands of Mark Severtson at Gladiators 47 in October of 2007, who pulled out the win via unanimous decision.

The bout was a classic matchup of grappler vs. striker.

Round 1

Early in the first round Rodriguez took the back of Denny. Unable to get the rear naked choke, Rodriguez pulled a nice transition to armbar underneath the ropes. Somehow he ended up falling off the canvas and onto the floor, hitting his head. Denny claimed in his post fight interview that Rodriguez never let go of the armbar even after hitting the floor. The fight resumed again on the feet with Denny landing a right high kick followed by some taunting and a spinning backfist that missed its mark. Denny proceeded to take Rodriguez down but Rodriguez instantly wrapped up a triangle choke followed by an armbar attempt. Denny managed to escape, unleash some ground and pound, but was quickly stuck in another arm bar. With another escape he landed some big knees to finish out the round.

Round 2

Early in the second round Denny stalked Rodriguez around the ring, and maintained ring control. Rodriguez threw a left body kick, which might have been the only strike he landed throughout the entire fight. Denny threw the flying knee as Rodriguez dove in for a takedown that missed. Rodriguez capitalized on a second attempt, but was quickly stood up by referee Al Wickerson for not ground striking or attempting a submission. Denny would lands some knees and get another takedown taking it into Rodriguez’s world again. Realizing his mistake, Denny stands back up and lands some decent striking. Rodriguez manages to toss Denny to the canvas, latch onto an Americana before transitioning into an armbar. It appears that Denny was saved by the bell; but it might have been to little, to late, for Rodriguez.

Round 3

The fight in my eyes is a round apiece going into the third with Rodriguez winning the first round and Denny winning the second. Rodriguez looks tired early in the third and his takedowns are not what they were earlier. Denny catches Rodriguez with a big right hook that sends Rodriguez falling into the ropes. Instead of stopping the fight, the referee allows Rodriguez to get back up. Denny makes the mistake of taking Rodriguez down, who quickly reverses Denny and takes his back. Denny is able to defend the rear naked choke attempts before ultimately escaping and raining down blows until the bell rings.

Denny improves his amateur record to (1-0) with a win over Jose Rodriguez. Had this fight had taken place in a cage I don’t think it would have gone the distance and either fighter could have taken it; Rodriguez by submission or Denny by TKO/KO. Their first bout was listed as a featherweight matchup of 145lbs, while the future matchup is slated to be a bantamweight matchup of 135lbs.

I’m not sure why Jordan Denny is taking this fight again in that he has nothing to gain from it other than experience. It is now up to Jose Rodriguez to prove the doubters wrong and show that his loss was a fluke, due to short notice, lack of preparation. My prediction is that, in a cage, there is no way this fight is going to go the distance. I assume Jose Rodriguez is going to work more on his ground striking and Jordan Denny will be cognizant about takedowns and keep the fight out of Rodriguez’s world of grappling and submissions. Good luck to both of you, I hope we get another fight of the night.

UPDATE: I talked to the promoter this afternoon after hearing from Jordan Denny. He confirmed there was a mix up on his list and this fight is not happening at Gladiators 49. Jose Rodriguez is more than likely going to fight on the card but against a different opponent. I'm sure these two will fight again but it will be somewhere down the road. Sorry for any confusion.

This article was originally posted on http://www.wicombatsports.com/ on 01-04-08

Combat USA: Seasons Beatings Results

Here are the unofficial results from the Combat USA show on Saturday. Expect a full write-up from Tyler Welch in the next couple of days.

Combat USA: Season’s Beatings
Waverly Beach
Menasha, WI
12/22/2007

Welterweight Bout – 170 lbs (Professional)

Jon "Whitetrash" Freidland of Neutral Grounds BJJ – Milwaukee, WI

vs.

Derek Abram – American School of Martial Arts – Savage, MN

Jon “Whitetrash” Freidland wins by TKO – (Ground and Pound) – Round 1 (3:55)

Welterweight Bout – 170 lbs (Professional)

Scott Beck of Unified Martial Arts – Fond du Lac, WI

vs.

James Vanderwielen of Third Heaven – Beaver Dam, WI

Bout cancelled by Beck due to weight issues.

Lightweight Bout – 155 lbs (Professional)

Morrison Lamb of Fox Valley Grappling

vs.

Anthony Pettis of Roufusport – Milwaukee, WI

Bout cancelled by Lamb due to undisclosed reasons.

Light Heavyweight Bout – 205 lbs (Amateur)

Karl Turek of Serrano's Fight Team – Milwaukee, WI

vs.

Prentice Wheeler of Warrior’s Cove – Brooklyn Center, MN

Karl Turek wins by Rear Naked Choke – Round 2 (2:47)

Heavyweight Bout – 265 lbs (Amateur)

Jason Shabo of Haus of Combat – Green Bay, WI

vs.

Adam "The Monk" Singleton – Fitness Fighting – Green Bay, WI

Jason Shabo wins by Armbar – Round 1

Welterweight Bout – 170 lbs (Amateur)

Reed "Tard" Empke of Neutral Grounds BJJ – Milwaukee, WI

vs.

Tyson Fields of St. Cloud Boxing – St. Cloud, MN

Reed Ehmke wins by Triangle Choke – Round 1 (1:51)

Lightweight Bout – 155 lbs (Amateur)

Mike Biddle of Unified Martial Arts – Fond du Lac, WI

vs.

Danny Downs of Roufusport – Milwaukee, WI

“Danny Boy” Downes wins by TKO – Round 2 (:45)

Heavyweight Bout – 250 lbs (Amateur)

Bernie Reinhardt of Team Klieman – Green Bay, WI

vs.

J.R. "Super Chunk" Briones of Team Fighting Irish – Waukesha, WI

J.R. “Super Chunk” Briones wins by KO – Round 1 (1:29)

Bantamweight Bout – 135 lbs (Amateur)

Rob Monloch of Haus of Combat – Green Bay, WI

vs.

Matt Brown of Fox Valley Grappling – Appleton, WI

Rob Mondoloch wins by Unanimous Decision – Round 3 (30-27) x 3

Featherweight Bout – 145 lbs (Amateur)

Jordan Denny of Fox Valley Grappling – Appleton, WI

vs.

Jose “Crazy Rican” Rodriguez – Team Fighting Irish – Waukesha, WI

Jordan Denny wins by Unanimous Decision – Round 3 – (29-28) x 3

Middleweight Bout – 185 lbs (Amateur)

Brad Resop of Unified Martial Arts – Fond du Lac, WI

vs.

Andy Kandal – Independent – West Bend, WI

Brad Resop wins by Triangle Choke – RD 1 (2:32)

This article was originally posted on http://www.wicombatsports.com/ on 12-24-2007.

Anthony Pettis vs. Morrison Lamb off the Combat USA Card

The Combat USA show tonight suffered a major blow to the professional portion of the card. It was learned from a source close to Wisconsin Combat Sports that Morrison Lamb has been forced to withdraw from the card for undisclosed reasons.

Anthony Pettis who is (3-0) as an amateur recently made his professional debut at the Gladiators Fighting Series show on December 1, 2007. He showed remarkable standup and submission skills finishing his opponent Mike Skinner via guillotine choke in only 36 seconds of round one.

The (1-0) Pettis took the fight on short notice against Morrison Lamb recently. His Roufusport camp has shown a desire to test the young up and comer by letting him fight a tough journeyman fighter in Morrison Lamb.

Morrison Lamb of Fox Valley Grappling Club in Appleton sports a (2-6) professional record but has fought notable local fighters Sherron Leggett and Stephen Ledbetter. Both Leggett and Ledbetter have recently fought in the highly acclaimed WEC.

Wisconsin Combat Sports will keep you posted with up to date information about fights in our area. When more information on Lamb’s withdrawal is uncovered we will report it to you.

This article was originally posted on http://www.wicombatsports.com/ on 12-22-2007.

Fighter Interview: Reed Ehmke of Neutral Ground BJJ in Milwaukee, WI

Reed “Icculus” or “Ridiculous” Ehmke is 28 a year old white belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and fights out of Neutral Ground in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is an amateur fighter and holds an undefeated record of (2-0). He will be fighting this Saturday in the Season’s Beatings show hosted by Combat USA in Menasha, Wisconsin. I had the chance to sit down and talk with him about his opponent and background. We also talked about weight, his nickname, and dream fights. Enjoy the interview.

WCS: First off, tell me a little about your opponent.

Ehmke: My opponent’s name is Tyson Fields from Minnesota. That’s about all I know about him. I think he’s an MMA guy, and does a little bit of everything. I think he does some sort of management for a fight team.

WCS: Stylistically, what type of fighter are you? Are you a sprawl n’ brawl guy, jiu-jitsu specialist, stand-up fighter, or a wrestler?

Ehmke: Wrestling is probably where my strong points are right now. I guess a freestyle fighter would be the right verbiage. I definitely like the takedown and ground and pound from there.

WCS: Ideally if a fight unfolds your way, how do you see that fight happening?

Ehmke: I’d like to stand toe-to-toe for a little while. Judge each other’s hands and legs, then most likely lead into my shot. From there I’d like to either pass guard or land in side control and work for advancement from there.

WCS: Do you want to make any kind of prediction for the fight, whether it be via submission or knockout?

Ehmke: I think it will be a submission and it will probably be a three rounder. Hopefully I’ll come out on the winning end.

WCS: Tell me a little about your background. What kind of sports you were in growing up? What got you into BJJ, and tell me how the progession into MMA occurred?

Ehmke: I grew up wrestling. I started watching UFC when I was a little kid from UFC 1. I was always really turned onto the thought of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I moved out to Colorado and kind of lost track of all that. About six months before I moved back to Milwaukee I joined a Jiu-Jitsu club and it’s just captivated my attention. I pretty much live and breathe Jiu-Jitsu now. MMA is just kind of a side note for me right now, just something to do that I enjoy, but Jiu-Jitsu is what I really would like to progress in.

WCS: You have a (2-0) record, tell me about your previous fights.

Ehmke: My first fight was in June and my both of my previous opponents were strikers. The first guy was an undefeated Golden Gloves boxer with no MMA experience. The second guy was a U.S. Muay Thai academy kickboxer. Kind of the same story with him, I think he had limited, if any, MMA experience. Both fights were pretty much carbon copies of each other. I walked across the mat, threw a couple punches to get their hands up, shot, landed in side control with a guillotine. I slipped the guillotine, got knee on belly to mount. Then I just started to rain down on them until they gave me an arm. Then I arm barred them; both were in the first round within about a minute thirty.

WCS: Your undefeated and assuming you win on Saturday and go to (3-0), how long does someone stay amateur? Are you thinking about going pro? At what point would you decide?

Ehmke: Right now, pro is not anything I am bothering my mind with. I’m just concentrating on my next fight and leaving it in my coach’s hands. When he decides it’s time then I’ll definitely be at the front lines ready to do whatever he says. I’m not going to make any plans or assumptions without him giving me the okay prior to that.

WCS: This fight is at 170 lbs, I had heard that you were possibly going to fight at 155 lbs. What weight class are you more comfortable at? Is it 170 or do you feel you would be more dominate at 155?

Ehmke: I think with my strength to weight ratio, 170 is definitely my target weight. Not to say that I won’t drop to 155 if the right opponent presents himself or the right opportunity comes along. Right now I’m a pretty big 170, I’m six foot and I walk around a little bit over 180 with 7% body fat. Cutting a lot more weight than 10lbs would be hard and it would take a little time, but it’s definitely something that’s a possibility down the line, not something I’m planning on currently.

WCS: Who are some fighters you look up to? Is it due to the type of person they are or does it have to do with what type of fighter they are stylistically?

Ehmke: Randy Couture has always been a hero of mine ever since I saw him as a little kid. His involvement in the USA Sunkist kids wrestling team for freestyle and Greco Roman is something I admired about him when I was younger. Rich Franklin for being a good guy and a school teacher. He’s educated and represents the sport well. Also my coach (Jon “White Trash” Freidland); he brings a whole new level of class to the sport even though he has a pretty trashy nickname. He always handles himself out of the ring as positively as he can and I’ve tried to adapt that to my style as well.

As far as styles of fighting, Anderson Silva is hands down the most devastating fighter I’ve ever seen. I’d love to model my style after him and be as good as I can at any position.

WCS: If you could fight anybody you wanted in a dream fight, whom would you choose and I mean anybody?

Ehmke: I’d want to fight Mask from Tapout. Not to talk to much trash, but the whole scene that they are trying to create in MMA is not really where I think the sport needs to head. I’d like to see people represent it more as a professional sport and not a clown and paint show, not a circus. That would be my ideal dream fight. Joe Rogan would be a close second.

WCS: Your nickname, what is it and what’s the story behind it?

Ehkme: It started out Reed “Tard”. I don’t even know how I got that nickname, someone at the dojo mentioned it and it seemed like it would be funny. My theory on a nickname is that it doesn’t matter what your nickname is; you could be Mike “The Maniac” and I’m going to fight you the same way. Names don’t mean anything. I think it’s going to be changed to Reed “Icculus” which is just as dumb, but a little bit less offensive. Hopefully I won’t get so many rolling of the eyes when I tell people my name. It might also be a little bit more marketable.

WCS: Do you have any sponsors or want to give shout outs to anyone?

Ehmke: I’d like to give a shout out to Neutral Ground Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, first and foremost. Shag Clothing Company does all my custom printing for me. Also, Decibal Night Club and Gothic Body Tattoo and Piercing, they have all helped me out in their own ways. I’d definitely like to give them thanks. Most importantly, I’d like to thank my coach Jon Freidland and my parents.



For more information on the Combat USA: Season’s Beatings show check out Tyler Welch’s preview article or the other interviews we’ve posted this week. Please support the local MMA scene and it’s athletes by going to the shows. Wisconsin Combat Sports will be there this Saturday covering the action. We hope to see you there.

This article was originally posted on http://www.wicombatsports.com/ on 12-20-2007.

Fighter Interview: Brad Resop of Unified Martial Arts in Fond du Lac, WI

In part three of this three part interview series I introduce you to another middleweight fighter from Fond du Lac, WI. 29 year old, Brad “Pitbull” Resop sports a (1-0) MMA record and his next fight is an amateur fight on December 22 at the Combat USA show in Menasha. He faces off against newcomer and a former training partner in Andy Kandal. Kandal now fights out of West Bend, Wisconsin. In this interview, Resop talks about his opponent and how he became interested in fighting in mixed martial arts.

On his opponent Andy Kandal:

“It’s his first fight. He trained here with us for a little while. He thinks he’s more of kickboxer with a little Greco-Roman wrestling. That’s all I really know about him. I heard he has a pretty weak heart. He likes to give up if you get him on his back. That’s going to be the gameplan, is to get him down.”

Background:

“I got into the sport through my teammate Scott Beck. I watched him fight and thought it didn’t look hard at first, so I thought, “I’ll give it shot”. When you watch it on TV it looks easy and everyone thinks, “Hey, I can do that.” I started training down here and learned it wasn’t as easy as I thought it was. I began to love the challenge and I was learning something new everyday. My wrestling background has kept me in it and it’s fun. I’m also not getting any younger so I thought I should do something.”

On his style:

“I grew up wrestling my whole life. I also like Jiu-Jitsu. I like to think that I have heavy hands. I like to put guys on the ground and ground and pound.”

On organizations:

“I’d like to fight for Throwdown FS, I like the Vale Tudo rules. I went to my first Gladiators show on December 1st in Milwaukee. They put on a really good show. I haven’t had a cage fight yet, so I’d like to get in there. Madtown puts on really good shows, but I’ll fight for whoever pays me.”

Favorite fighters:

“My favorite fighter is Vitor Belfort. He’s a Jiu-Jitsu fighter, but his hands are so good. I have tried to adapt his style. You always have to worry about him taking you down, but he can easily end it on the feet just as fast. I also have to root for the local boys, so I’d say Eric Schafer. In a small town like this, Eric’s putting this town on the map. There are so many guys out there, I try to steal a little bit from everyone’s arsenal.”

On Gladiators 48 – Season’s Beatings:

“I’d give Fight of the Night to Sam (Thao) vs. Omar (Chowdury). Sam walked in there and he didn’t have his gloves taped and was wearing jogging shorts, I thought, “This kid’s going to get murdered.” That was a great fight. It was back and forth and I thought Omar’s Jiu-Jitsu had it, but Sam really took it to him. Just a great fight.”

Brad Resop would like to thank:

“Unified Martial Arts for training me and making me the best fighter I can be.”


Expect more interviews and profiles from fighters in the Combat USA show this week. An interview with Neutral Grounds fighter, Reed Ehmke should be posted in the next day or two. Please support the local MMA scene and it’s athletes by going to the shows. Wisconsin Combat Sports will be there next Saturday covering the action. We hope to see you there.

This article was originally posted on http://www.wicombatsports.com/ on 12-19-2007.

Fighter Interview: Scott Beck of Unified Martial Arts in Fond du Lac, WI

In part two of a three part interview series with fighters from Unified Martial Arts in Fond du Lac, I introduce you to Scott Beck. Scott is another fighter that will be fighting on the Combat USA show this Saturday entitled Season’s Beatings. Beck is 28 years old and sports an MMA record of (3-3). He faces off against James Vanderwellen of Third Heaven in Beaver Dam. The two recently did battle last September with Vanderwellen getting the win. Beck will be looking for redemption in this rematch to even the score. In my interview Scott talks about his past, the present, and his future in mixed martial arts.

On Style:

“I started out at Third Heaven in Beaver Dam. I have a good BJJ background. I have a pretty decent Muay Thai background, and I work a little boxing. I used wrestle also.
I’m better at submissions, but in this upcoming fight I’m looking to stand up. I feel comfortable on the ground, but I feel I have a huge advantage in the stand up department.”

Sports background:

“In high school I did wrestle, I wrestled for 4 years. I never took it anywhere after that, I wish I would have. I’ve been a fan of the UFC since it originated in the early nineties. I’ve been an athlete my whole life and I thought, I’m getting older here. I better do something now. About a year and a half ago I got into this, I wish I would have started sooner, but I’ve come a long way since I started.”

Favorite fighters:

“Randy Couture, he’s the pinnacle of the sport and he stood up for the fighters. He’s making a point and making a stand. This isn’t a small business anymore, you put your time and effort in, and you deserve to get compensated for it. Another fighter I look up to because he’s from my hometown is Mr. Eric “Ravishing Red” Schafer. I met him a quite a few times, he’s a great guy. He’s another great ambassador of the sport. He also arm barred me about 30 times in three minutes one time.”

Goals:

“I want to take this as far as it will go. I don’t have the choice to fight amateur anymore; I have to stay pro. I want to make sure that I get the best training possible. I just bought a membership to Duke’s and after this fight I am going to start going there to train. Some of the best guys in the state and Midwest train at Duke’s. Actually, some of the best fighters in the world train at Duke’s. He’s a four-time world champion kickboxer. Eric Schafer, he’s almost a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu. That’s where I want to be, I need to get beat up by those guys and learn from them. I want to fight at 170lbs, but I have fought at 185lbs, which is basically my walking weight. My next on February 16 against Shawn Wilkerson at Gladiators in Milwaukee will be at 185lbs.”

On his opponent:

“James Vanderwielen, I fought him also September 1st for Title Town Combat. So there is no confusion. My corner went to his corner and said, “We’re not going to touch gloves.” That was the plan, but I decided to touch gloves anyway and got caught with a punch. It kind of took me out of my game. We ended up going to the ground, which is what I wanted to avoid doing. I ended taking him down, which surprised a lot of people. I got caught and got mounted and he won the fight. I was asked to take this rematch, I wasn’t looking for it, but I wasn’t going to back down either. Jim’s a great guy and I respect him. It’ll be a good fight.”

Prediction:

“I’m going to win, I feel I should have won the first fight. I’m looking for the first round knockout.”

Beck will also be fighting another rematch on February 16th in the Gladiators show versus Shawn Wilkerson. This is a rematch he’s been looking for since their last bout. Here’s his take on redemption:

“I fought Shawn Wilkerson on May 12 in Illinois. I’m not going to make any excuses whatsoever; I got caught in a guillotine choke. I don’t like the Illinois rules, if I have my choice I will not fight in Illinois until they allow elbows. I believe that if the elbows were allowed I would have won that fight. I’ve been looking to get him, since the fight. I’ve gone through Pat O’Malley and Ron Faircloth. He avoided both of their phone calls and finally Duke got him for me, so I appreciate that.”

Beck would like to thank:

“Everyone who’s helped me train the last couple of months. I want to thank Adam Sandaval. I trained at the Haus of Combat. He’s been great. I want to thank Mike Biddle for training with me two, sometimes three times a day. Brad Resop has helped in my standup by punching me in the face a little bit.



Expect more interviews and profiles from fighters in the Combat USA show this week. An interview with Unified Martial Arts fighter Brad Resop should be posted in the next day or two. Please support the local MMA scene and it’s athletes by going to the shows. Wisconsin Combat Sports will be there next Saturday covering the action. I hope to see you there.

This article originally was posted on http://www.wicombatsports.com/ on 12-17-2007.

Fighter Interview: Mike Biddle of Unified Martial Arts in Fond du Lac, WI

I braved below zero temperatures a weekend ago to go train with and interview a few members of Unified Martial Arts in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Their gym, which is located in old warehouse had a broken heater and was being supplemented with a kerosene heater. Needless to say, there is a certain level of determination and being hard core that goes with training in that kind of environment. Three of their members are fighting in the Combat USA show in Menasha on December 22, 2007. Here is my interview and profile with Mike Biddle.

Mike Biddle

Mike Biddle is 27 years old and is co-owner of Unified Martial Arts gym in Fond du Lac, WI. He is the head instructor for kickboxing and MMA, while co-owner Jason Burroughs is the head Jiu-Jitsu instructor. He is recovering from a broken finger that was sustained while training with Gary Schaumberg, Gladiators new 145lb Featherweight Champion. He’s had some ups and downs in getting his fight MMA fight. Here’s his take:

“I’ve been trying to get a fight since September. I was supposed to fight September 29, but I got a Staph Infection. I had to pull out of that one. Then November 11, I was supposed to fight in Wisconsin Dells and that show got cancelled. Now this fight on December 22, my opponent was to be Pat McHugh. He broke his arm in training I was told, so he cannot fight. Adam Sandaval who is the promoter for Combat USA has been looking for a fight for me. I’m hoping he is able to get me one. I have been trying to get a fight now for three months so it is frustrating.”

Biddle recently took first place in the King Grappler tournament in Madison in October winning the 160-170lb intermediate division. I asked him how he became interested in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

“I was working at Quad Graphics and was introduced to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by a guy named Z. Porski, a BJJ blue belt from Poland. When he moved back to Poland I started looking for a gym to train. It seemed like Fox Valley was the only place to go at the time and then I heard about Will at the Welcome Mat. Will Ernsberger, had previously trained with Henry Matamoros and Red Schafer, before that group split up. I hooked up with the Welcome Mat and have been hooked ever since. We moved to the old Goodrich high school balcony in Fond du Lac for just over a year. We couldn’t get an agreement with the athletic department, so we decided to start our own school, Unified Martial Arts.

On his style:

“It doesn’t matter where the fight goes, I can win the fight standing or on the ground. I’m not afraid to be on my back in an MMA fight. I think I have a decent ground game. I’ve been working on my stand up for the last year. I went down to Duke’s for a little while. I’ve also been training with Mike Vaughn, doing everything I can to get my standup going. I think my standup is surpassing my ground game now, which is great.”

“Ideally, I would not shoot in. I would stay standing. If I get hit with some shots and feel like he’s better than I am, then I would definitely try to shoot. I’m aggressive and I want to come out throwing punches and kicks right away. If he wants to take me down then he can do that, I work my sprawl hard. I train my ass off no matter where the fight goes.”

Sponsors:

“In Your Face Tattoos in Fond du Lac, which is owned by my friend Gavin Bowe. I’m also sponsored by the Coliseum Bar & Grill in Fond Du Lac. Lastly, by Hopper’s Screen Printing in North Fond Du Lac.”

On Gladiators 48:

“I was most impressed with Sam (Thao). Omar (Chowdury) did everything in his power to try and defend, but no one was going to stop Sam that night. He was determined and he imposed his will. Also my friend Gary Schaumberg, who we all know has been the man. Now he has the belt and I’m really proud of him for that.”

MMA Story:

“The first time I go to Duke’s to spar, I have to spar with Dan LaSavage right off the bat. I’m like OK, cool, I’ll do this. We start out, he hits me a couple times, and I’m like holy shit, this guy is really punching me in the face. He was hitting me and I was so freaked out that I couldn’t handle it. I just kept flinching so bad from him hitting me. I’m thinking, “Oh my god this guy is killing me and Cushman jumps in and starts telling him what to do. I’m getting kicked left and right. Cushman yells, “Head kick, Head kick.” Then bang – I got kicked right in the face. I ended up having a concussion from that. I didn’t have my hands up because I was stupid. My eye socket was all swollen, it was horrible, just bad. The lesson, keep your hands up and if your not on someone’s level, you probably shouldn’t spar with them.”

Danny Boy Downes

Since I interviewed Mike Biddle on Saturday, December 8th, I have learned that Combat USA has found an opponent to fill in for the injured Pat McHugh. Mike Biddle will now face Roufus Sport fighter Danny Boy Downes on December 22 in Menasha.

Downes has an amateur MMA record of (2-0) and has finished both of his opponents in the first round. In August, at a Gladiators show, Downes beat Jared Polden at 1:09 via TKO and most recently he fought and beat John Lovejoy at Gladiators 47 in October, via TKO at 1:00. It should be a tough test for the (0-0) Mike Biddle.

Expect more interviews and profiles from fighters in the Combat USA show this week. I’d like to thank Mike Biddle for inviting me up to Fond du Lac to train and interview the guys. Interviews with Unified Martial Arts fighters Scott Beck and Brad Resop should be posted in the next few days. Please support the local MMA scene and it’s athletes by going to the shows. Wisconsin Combat Sports will be there next Saturday covering the action. I hope to see you there.

This interview was originally posted on http://www.wicombatsports.com/ on 12-16-2007