I really got into mixed martial arts in college thanks to the first season of the Ultimate Fighter during my freshman year of college and I still remember sitting in a small dorm room with five or six other guys cheering on as Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar beat the crap out of each other for three incredible rounds. At that point I was hooked and researched/watched as much MMA as I could. While in college I first met my good friend Billy Peden who would eventually end up being my roommate and as it turned out, he was just as much of an MMA freak as I was. During breaks and summers Billy and I would often get together to watch UFC PPVs and Fight Nights. I eventually got to know Billy's brother Bryan who was a member of the wrestling squad at Cape near my hometown aand Billy and Bryan eventually joined gyms and started grappling and boxing. I've had the opportunity to roll with them a few times and have always been impressed in how much I've learned from just a few short rounds with them.
On Saturday, June 25th, Bryan will be taking on his first fight. I took the opportunity to chat with Bryan, so here's what we talked about.
Justin: So Bryan, you're scheduled to take on your first amateur MMA fight this summer?
Bryan: Yea, I'm schedule to fight on June 25th in Fredericksburg, Virginia for Barbarian Fight Club's Summerfest event.
Justin: What weight class will you be fighting at?
Bryan: I'm currently walking around at 205, but I'll be fighting at 185 and my opponent's name is Alex Loving.
Justin: For those people who want tickets to the show, how can they get them?
Bryan: Check out BarbarianFightClub.com for tickets. There are actually going to be two shows in one day. I'll be fighting on the earlier show which opens up at 12:30pm and starts at 1:30pm.
Justin: This will be an amateur fight, correct?
Bryan: Yes, it is an amateur fight, so there will be three, three minute rounds and will be held in a cage.
Justin: Can you tell us anything about your opponent?
Bryan: Not really, I don't know who he is as it only got posted to the website recently. He's from Richmond and trains at Total Victory. He's only 19, but he's 3-1.
Justin: Where do you currently train?
Bryan: Right now I'm training at Seaside Dojo with Team Buck Em Up but we're currently building it up. I'm working on my stand-up with Billy as he's trained in boxing, so he's really helping me out. My background is based in wrestling and I've been working with HW from Cornell as well. Kyle King has also been helping me out with my BJJ.
Justin: This is going to be your first time fighting, but I understand you've done some grappling tournaments as well?
Bryan: Yea, I competed in and won my weight class at Dog Fight: The Good Fight in Dover Delaware, which was a submission grappling tournament. I took on three guys at 190 pounds and won by neck crank/body lock combo, points, and finally by triangle.
Justin: Ok, lets talk a little about what got you into the sport.
Bryan: I really got into the sport after watched Diego Sanchez fight Nick Diaz on a UFC card. Sanchez was throwing punches so hard on the mat I thought he was going to break his hands. His intensity was crazy and made me want to watch more and more. I eventually started training 2-3 times a week and have been training heavily over the past 4 summers.
Justin: Would you say that is your favorite fight?
Bryan: It's one of my favorites, but my absolute favorite fight has to be Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg II. To see Matt Hughes get low blowed and almost choked out and then come back, carry Trigg across the cage, slam him and then choke him out was nuts. Just a crazy thing to see.
Justin: What fighter, past or present would you say you'd like to model yourself after?
Bryan: Hmm, that's tough. Right now I'm really enjoying watching Rick Story fight. He has a wrestling background like me, but has no problems staying on the feet and is always aggressive and coming forward. His last fight with Thiago Alves was a major step up in competition and Story still managed to win and do so impressively. We actually met Story at Fight Night 20, remember?
Justin: Oh yea, that's right. He had just beaten Jesse Lennox.
Bryan: Yea, I just remember him being cool enough to take some time to take a picture with us and to talk for a minute. I became a fan of his then and just watching his intensity and style make me want to fight the same way.
Justin: Great, well good luck Bryan, I'm sure we'll do a post-fight interview as well to see how things go, but until then is there anything else you want to say?
Bryan: Nah, I just want to get the word out their that I'll be fighting on the 25th and if people want to come check it out they should go to BarbarianFightClub.com.
Photo is from my collection.(Bryan is in the green)
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