UFC 134's Spencer Fisher: "I'm Going for Broke [Against Thiago Tavares]"

A mainstay in the Octagon for over five years, Spencer Fisher, thanks in large part to his fan-friendly style, has long been regarded as one of the sport’s most popular athletes. After a number of bouts that, as he argues, “haven’t lived up to the hype,” he is determined to get back to “the Spencer of old” in the final years of his career.

A professional mixed martial artist since August of 2002, Fisher, with victories over Josh Neer and Kyle Watson, registered a professional record of 14 wins with one loss before making his Octagon-debut at UFC Ultimate Fight Night 2 in October of 2005.

After making his UFC-debut—a second-round submission victory over Thiago Alves—Fisher picked up a pair of victories before dropping from welterweight to lightweight to face Sam Stout at UFC 58: USA vs. Canada.

Despite dropping a split-decision in his lightweight-debut, Fisher, after his performance against Stout, found his home in the UFC’s 155-pound division and has since registered victories over Matt Wiman, Dan Lauzon, Stout, Jeremy Stephens, Shannon Gugerty, Caol Uno and Curt Warburton.

Despite his success in the Octagon, Fisher has lost three of four matches since late 2009 and is now looking to get back to his winning ways in the coming years.

At the moment, Fisher is slated to return to action against Thiago Tavares, a native-Brazilian, at UFC 134 in late August in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Fisher about, among other topics, fighting at heavyweight, his upcoming match and the prospect of an eventual move to featherweight.  

Ed Kapp: Were you involved in any martial arts growing up?

Spencer Fisher: I was in karate. When I was 15, my grandparents thought that it would be a good way to control my temper [laughs].

Were they right?

That’s what they thought, but it was wrong—wrong answer [laughs]. I did use it for the right reasons, because I got picked on a lot and all of that pickin’-on stuff stopped. I’d say it worked, because it opened the doors to other things. Right after that, I went into boxing.

What inspired the switch to boxing?

It was because it was competitive and I liked the competition—one guy across from you, rather than a team sport. I liked soccer, but boxing was always something that I enjoyed quite a bit.

What were your plans in boxing?

I had no plans, really—I would just fight. I won six or seven tough-man contests as a heavyweight [laughs].

How much did you weigh back in your tough-man days?

225. I went from 195—and then I met my wife—to 220 [laughs]. I’d say 220, but she’d say 225, so it’s probably closer to 225 [laughs].

[Laughs] Did you prefer fighting at heavyweight?

Oh, no. I didn’t realize how gross I looked [laughs]. You know what? I would fight any guy in the UFC—like Thiago Alves at 170—any day of the week. I like walking around and fighting in my natural weight class, but unfortunately for me, the rest of the world doesn’t want to seem to do that.

How about a move to featherweight?

You know what? We’ve talked about it. I was at heavyweight and the reason that I fought there was because I like to eat and I like the sweets. My last fight—the Ross Pearson fight—I didn’t cut any weight; I didn’t step in the sauna once, I didn’t put on any plastics, and I was good. If I diet, I can make 145. I’m a small guy; I’m only ‘5’7”.

Is that something that you’d be interested in doing?

Depending on this next fight, yeah—I really will. Depending on how I feel with Thiago, I’ll take it from there.

To back up a bit, what inspired you to try your hand at mixed martial arts to begin with?

It was the same as everyone else. I was cross-training at the time—doing this and that. The kickboxing, boxing, grappling-stuff wasn’t too foreign to me and when I saw Royce Gracie doing what he was doing to those guys, I was hooked immediately.

What were your first impressions of the sport?

I couldn’t believe that they were head-butting each other [laughs]. It looked like, basically, street-fighting in a cage and I was pumped, man. I wanted to do that.

You thought right away that this was something you would want to do?

Absolutely [laughs]. We would rent the movies—I’m sure, like everyone else—and we would try the moves. We would rent the shows, record them and try the moves on each other later.

When you started training, what were your intentions?

I’m really competitive in everything I do. Of course, when you do this, you want to be the best, but, I just like winning—I like getting out there and fighting, too. When they said that you can go in there and go at someone with full-force and get paid for it, I thought that this was my calling in life. I thought that this was what I was meant to do and I haven’t looked back since.

When did you realize that this was something that you would be able to make a career out of?

I did well, but I realized that I was only going to get so far by fighting the guys that I was fighting—I was a big fish in a little pond, so to speak. I packed up and moved out. I was really competitive and just stuck it out until everyone else realized that this was something that I wanted to do.

Has this drive ever wavered in your mind?

Of course. I’m getting older now and I’ve got a family and there’s a small window of opportunity in this sport. I’m trying to seize it as much as I can, because I know it’s coming to a halt.

Is your wife still a fighter?

She’s a strength and conditioning coach and a realtor. I want to say that she’s retired, but she won’t quiet say that yet, though [laughs]. It’s to be determined [laughs].

Is it at all difficult to having a significant other live the fighter’s lifestyle?

She lives it more than I do—she’s the healthy one of the two of us [laughs]. It makes my job a lot easier because she prepares everything and gets everything ready for me.

How important do you feel your wife has been to your career?

Oh, everything. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be here. She’s helped me out so much along the way. They always say with this job that if you have a family, than it’s going to be very hard to do. I’ve got a family, though, and she helps me out tremendously. I have to thank her for all of the great things that she's done for me over the years.

What do your children think of your career?

They like it—they enjoy it quite a bit. They like to see me on TV and I think they like the free food [laughs]. That’s my biggest thing, too. Sometimes we’ll go places and people will say, “Oh, you know what? I’ve seen you on TV, I love your fights, and let me take care of this for you.” I like it, too [laughs].

[Laughs] I don’t blame you. Does that happen quite a bit?

Yeah. And I’m not complaining. I never really realize how much people keep up with the UFC until I go somewhere and I see something like that happen.

How did you come into contact with the UFC to begin with?

My teammates were all fighting in the UFC.

Was there any hesitation to sign that contract?

None—I would’ve fought for free.

Did you have a “welcome to the UFC moment?”

[Before my first fight], I was crying because I was nervous and I was excited, but I was crying because I was in the UFC and it was one of the happiest days of my life. It was awesome. A lot of people still didn’t get what I was doing—they thought that I was going to be bouncing off turnbuckles. They didn’t get the idea that I was doing a legitimate sport and they got it then. It was nice.

What does fighting in the UFC mean to you?

Again, it’s an accomplishment and it shows people that I wasn’t crazy for not getting a regular nine-to-five job and this is something that I’ve wanted to do and now I’m living it.

How do you feel about what you’ve been able to accomplish in the UFC so far?

I’m not satisfied. I look to put on great fights and some of my fights haven’t lived up to the hype. When people watch me fight, they always get their money’s worth, because I’m always there to fight. There have been a few fights, though, that haven’t lived up to the expectations of the fans or of the UFC and I’d like to get that back.

What makes a fight “great?”

Heart. You’ve got to love this sport and you’ve got to love what you’re doing. I absolutely love it and I’ve, kind of, re-found it. I’m getting ready to go to the gym right now and I’m starting this camp early.

What inspired your refocus?

My family. Dana White and Joe Silva and those guys pay my bills and they’re cutting guys left and right. If you’re not willing to do something, there are a ton of guys behind you that are going to be willing to do anything. It makes me hungrier, because I’ve got to fight to stay alive.

Is this a new outlook?

Ed, it’s kind of new. People don’t realize it, but you’re only as good as your last fight. There are real athletes coming over to this sport—we’re real athletes—but there are going to be people that are starting at a younger age and this is all that they’re focused on doing. It really gives you a kick in the butt to get your shit in line.

When you learned that the UFC would be absorbing the WEC, what were you initial thoughts?

Again, it was extra pressure. At the same time, though, there are a lot of guys from the WEC that I would love to fight.

Do you feel that there is a spot in the UFC for Spencer Fisher?

Absolutely, but it has to be the Spencer of old; I used to go out there and let it all hang out and it has to be that guy, again.

Is there any doubt in your mind that the Spencer of old is back?

Oh, no—there’s no doubt about it. I’m willing to do whatever I have to do to go out there and get it—it’s back.

How are you feeling going into your upcoming match?

Like I said; I’m going for broke. Every fight from this point out, it’s kill or be killed. I know that’s a cliché and everyone says that, but it’s true. Every fight that you see me fight in, you’re going to say, “Wow.”

It’s kind of gotten away from that, because, as I get older, I start to make game plans and strategize and this-and-that. I’m going back to what got me here in the first place and that’s being in great shape and having the tenacity to push people to the limits. I’m not going to break.

Do you prefer one outlook over the other?

No. I think game plans are just that; guidelines. And you’ve got to change on the fly. A coach told me that one time and it’s so true. You’ve got to go with the flow.

Are you excited to make the trip to Brazil?

More than anything else. I’m a huge, huge Gracie fan—and, of course, I’m there to take care of business—but the thought of being a part of that is exciting.

Does traveling overseas at all change the way you approach a fight?

No—not at all.

What problems do you feel Thiago poses to you?

He’s young and he’s shorter. All of my problems have come with shorter fighters and he’s shorter than myself. He has excellent ground skills and he’s aggressive.

Do you think that he’s going to be bringing the same mentality to the Octagon that you do?

No. Thiago breaks—we’ve seen it time and time again. He can say whatever he wants—and we’re going to find out, regardless—but I know that he isn’t as mean as I am. I know he’s been knocked out a couple times. I know that’s in the back of his head—he can say that he wants to—but I know that when the going gets tough, he’ll get going.

How big of a factor is this going to be on fight night?

Huge. He knows the type of fighter that I am; I can end this fight with either one of my hands. He’s been getting knocked out that guys that aren’t even supposed to know how to punch. I think it’s going to be a huge factor. And the pressure is on for him; he’s fighting in front of his countrymen and it’s do-or-die for him.

Do you make predictions going into your fights?

Ah, no—I really don’t. It’s a fight and anything can happen and I’m aware of that, but I plan on winning and doing everything I can to do that, but you never know.

Assuming you win, what do you feel is the next step in your career?

Honestly, I’m thinking about dropping to 145 and playing that option out.

How do you feel you match up against the UFC’s featherweight division?

I think I’m right in the game. I think I’m one of the faster lightweights, but I think I’ll be equally as fast dropping to 145.

Have you thought about how much longer you’d like to compete?

As long as my body and the UFC will allow it. I have injuries, but I’d say that I have two or three years left in the sport.

What do you feel you can accomplish in that time?

The sky is the limit, right? If you’re getting three or four fights every year, there’s no telling where you can go.

What will you be satisfied with?

Putting on great shows from here on out.