Bleacher Report - Articles by Ann Dain

You Can Run but You Can't Hide: An Exclusive Interview with Chuck Norris

Ann Dain — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:52:53 -0400

Walker, Texas Ranger.

When Chuck Norris wants popcorn, he breathes on Nebraska.

Google won’t search for Chuck Norris because it knows you don’t find Chuck Norris, he finds you. Your search – Chuck Norris – did not match any documents. Suggestions:

Run, before he finds you

Try a different person

Chuck Norris.

This man is nearly bigger than life. He has been synonymous with Martial Arts and a tough guy persona for nearly five decades yet he is as popular now as ever. My children, ages 27 and 28, may not know the names of the four Beatles but they were excited about my opportunity to interview Chuck Norris.

As I researched this icon prior to meeting with him at the weigh-in of his World Combat League 2007-2008 kick-off in Denver, I found over 30 Google page references for him. Many were spoofs on the legend that he has become (e.g.: Chuck Norris sneezes electricity or The only reason the color pink still exists is because Chuck Norris is color blind), but others spoke of the character and background of this remarkable man.

Chuck Norris was born March 10, 1940 in Ryan, Oklahoma. He developed an interest in martial arts following his 1958 enlistment in the Air Force and being stationed in Korea where he served in the military police. In 1961 he returned to the U.S. with a black belt in karate and a brown belt in judo. His legacy, to date, not only includes his well known television career as Walker, Texas Ranger, but a chain of karate schools and multiple entertainment, spiritual and literary credits.

He has published three books: The Secret Power Within, Against All Odds and his most recent book, a novel, A Threat to Justice, was launched in June of 2007.
In spite of the legendary tough-guy image, Chuck Norris is a man with a quick smile, a warm demeanor and highly approachable. When Dan Magnie of Colorado Fight Events and I interviewed him on the eve of the League kick-off (no pun intended!), I asked him to prioritize the many pulls on his time. They were as follows:

Marriage

Children

The Kick Start Foundation

World Combat League

Chuck’s wife Gena, who we also spoke with at length, is a beauty—both inside and out. She has been seen on their Total Fitness Gym commercials and is lovelier even in person. She tells me that she and Chuck have been together since they were introduced by a mutual friend about 11 years ago at Mr. Sushi in California. They cobbled together their 5 children, now have a pair of 6 year old twins and boast having 10 grandchildren between them. They both conceded that chasing after the twins is a major component of their workout routines!

In a one-on-one interview with Chuck, without Gena present, he told me that Gena and her faith help to ground his life. It was clear with how often he turned to her regarding the logistics of the weekend events, that they have a harmonious partnership – both personally and professionally.

With the God and Family components stabilized with Gena, Chuck was able to move forward with his dream of the Kick Start Foundation that had its beginnings as long ago as 1990. Kick Start’s focus is on the middle-school student where karate training takes the place of regular physical education to help the children resist using drugs, develop conflict resolution skills and to reduce youth violence. The program gives students a sense of belonging within Kick Start rather than on the streets in a gang environment. As of this writing, Kick Start has 5,000 participants in Texas inner city schools. It is the Norris’ dream to expand this program nationally. The Foundation sites the cost of $50,000 per year for a youngster to be in a detention center whereas it costs less than $700 per child to be part of Kick Start. Funding for Kick Start comes from profits generated by the World Combat League as well as all profits from his recent book release of A Threat to Justice. Both Gena and Chuck emphasized that although non-profits such as the United Way are supported by the NFL, that the World Combat league exists to support and finance Kick Start.

This same Zen focus on quality of outcome pervades the qualification to be a fighter in the World Combat League. In order to be chosen to compete, a fighter must fit the 3 C’s: Competitive as a fighter, Charisma as a performer and Class as an individual.

All this background information was garnered at the pre-fight weigh-in on Thursday night 10/18 at ESPN Zone in downtown Denver. The fight event was held the following Friday night at The Denver Coliseum. It was an incredibly fast-paced series of matches in a format that enriched the overall local martial arts entertainment experience in that it was stand-up fighting, single 3 minute rounds and was structured in a team competition format. Friday’s season kick-off event pitted The Denver Fury, coached by local fight promoter and coach, Steve Alley, against the Texas Dragons. Also competing were the Oklahoma Destroyers vs. the Los Angeles Stars.

I admit to local reporter bias in my admiration of Steve Alley and his team. I have seen many of his fighters train and was excited to witness phe-noms Colby Snyder, Katie Meehan, and Jack Johnson in competition. Unfortunately, the Denver team lost on points when Colby Snyder, Jack Johnson and his alternative Tom Johnson all suffered TKOs. Payback was partially extracted when Katie Meehan of the Denver Fury beat Gia Wilson in the first match-up. In the second half, although Denver Jesse Miles dispatched Oklahoma alternate Matt Foshee; Denver Fury alternate, Kornelija Numic, fought hard but lost by points to Texas Dragon alternate, Angela Hayes.

The Denver Fury may have lost their first team challenge but they have heart and talent – a combination that will surely catch their competitors flat-footed in future bouts. Steve Alley’s fighters now have a better understanding of the unusual WCL arena without restraining ropes or a cage and they also have a flavor as relates to the skills of their opponents. Steve made a prophesy to me that his team would make it victorious to the end of the tour with Denver reigning supreme as the Toughest City in the Nation in the play-offs currently scheduled for May 3, 2008. Hey – if we can believe in the Rockies, we can certainly believe that Steve Alley has a vision of what his team can accomplish as the season unfolds. I believe in Steve!

Matt Serra: The People's Champ Gives Tips to Local Fighters

Ann Dain — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:46:03 -0400

In preparing for my interview with Matt Serra, I had read that he was just 5'6" tall. That was not, however, my impression when I met him.

He emerged from his driver's car at the Douglas County Fairgrounds on Sunday where he was to give a training clinic to about 70-80 serious students. He was so much bigger than I expected—both in demeanor and also, seemingly, in stature.

His neck was as wide as his head and he exuded solid strength and power.

The promoter for this event, Rick Mann of MMA Stars, had arranged for us to interview Matt before the clinic began. He suggested that we “snag” him as he arrived, before he was surrounded with the fighters who had come to work with him.

As he pulled up to the Fairgrounds, I worried that he might be annoyed that a journalist was meeting him at his car, almost before he could emerge with his coffee and gym bag.

Instead I was surprised and delighted that he greeted Dan Magnie of ColoradoFightEvents.com, our photographer Kathie Framarini, and me warmly as we escorted him to an interview room.

He graciously posed for photos with us and seemed to catch the contagious nature of our excitement. We were thrilled to be spending some quality one-on-one time with him.

I had done some research leading up to this interview and had found that another man named Matt Serra was the CEO of Foot Locker. The age spread made me think that perhaps Matt Serra the fighter might be the son of Matt Serra the CEO.

In spite of the similarity in name and the fact that both men are involved in the athletic world, there is no relationship between the two. The father and hero of our Matt Serra is a retired New York City Policeman.

I’d like to go on record here as seeing a cosmic lunar connection over Matt Serra when the calendar rolls into the end of May or the beginning of June.

Matt was born on June 2, 1974. He was the first American to win a Black Belt from Renzo Gracie on May 23, 2000 and he was just married to Ann Serra on May 25, 2007.

I teased him that if he and his wife got pregnant during the end of August or beginning of September, that this pattern would truly be set. Matt laughed and said that as a newlywed, we might be moving a bit fast for him.

We discussed family for a bit as Matt confirmed that his younger brother, Damien, had just been awarded his Jujitsu Black Belt from the representatives of Renzo Gracie.

That makes four Serra men who have earned their Jujitsu Black Belts—Matt, his father, and his younger twin brothers, Damien and Nick. Matt and Nick own two martial arts school together in East Meadow, NY.

Matt also has an older brother and an older sister, but I neglected to ask him if they were also students of the martial arts.

Matt had been a scrapper since he experienced the receiving end of a bully in both seventh and eighth grades. Although he “took care of” his antagonist in eighth grade, he knew even then the importance of channeling his fighting in a more disciplined environment.

His father first introduced him to martial arts, but when he saw a tape of Renzo Gracie the young Matt knew that this was a man with whom he wanted to train.

He started working with Gracie’s partner Craig Kukok, but when the two split their working partnership, Serra stayed on with Gracie.

The rest is history—all the way up to season four of the Ultimate Fighter in which Matt came out on top, giving him a guaranteed title fight against Georges St. Pierre.

We spent some time discussing the George St. Pierre match as it really catapulted Matt into the big leagues. He was already popular following his wins on the Ultimate Fighter, but he was a 14–1 underdog when he stepped into the cage with St. Pierre.

Matt knew that he was probably the more powerful student of Jujitsu but he saw St. Pierre as being a better wrestler, bigger and more powerful.

He told his cornermen, as he waited for the opening bell, that he was going to give it all that he had. Well, he sure did. He knocked out the much favored St. Pierre three minutes and 25 seconds into the first round.

We all laughed as he spoke of the resulting win in terms of “what fun it was to disappoint a lot of people” who all thought Serra did not have a chance.

As the interview was winding to an end, Matt talked of his fondness for the underdog. He is a huge fan of the Rocky movies and he raved about Cinderella Man. Although he also told us that really likes Bruce Lee movies, he doesn’t identify with Lee in the same way—Lee was never the underdog.

As Dan Magnie and I left the interview, we commented on how friendly and approachable we found Matt “The Terror” Serra.

We stayed and watched the clinic for the first half hour and were impressed by how Matt, the Jujitsu teacher, was able to impart individual knowledge and technique to such a large audience.

He moved between the pairs of fighters, helping them with positioning and leverage. ColoradoFightEvents.com had sponsored 12 fighters from the Denver area to participate in this clinic and we were warmed to see them enjoying their time under the tutelage of such a master.

One of our sponsored participants, Lauren Sugihara, told me that this clinic was one of the best times she has ever had in her life—ever!

Sheldon Marr: Pancrase-Winning Sensei and UFC Grappling Coach

Ann Dain — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 12:54:19 -0400

Submitted by Ann Dain, ColoradoFightEvents.com

I've heard it said that if you enjoy your job that you will never work a day in your life. Sheldon Marr, owner of Grapplers Edge in Aurora, Co., exemplifies this philosophy.

In nearly every interview with fighters and promoters on the Colorado Mixed Martial Arts scene, the predominance of successful athletes have pass some time on the mats at Grapplers Edge. Located in a high-ceilinged basement of a Radio Shack store, the Dojo is hard to find but once stepping inside the door, it is clear that this is a haven for the serious athlete. There is a long broad staircase going downstairs just inside the entrance. The walls along the stairway are filled with neatly framed and cleanly arranged photographs of named athletes that have passed through the doors. At the bottom of the stairs, glimmering in multiple colors are dozens of trophies which, by their heights indicate the number of high-ranking grapplers that have represented this facility. The discipline that is important in both Jiu Jitsu and Pankration techniques is also exhibited in the extreme cleanliness of Grapplers Edge. It was immaculate -- no dust and no locker-room smell!

Sheldon Marr is the son of Wally Marr, a former Air Force Sergeant and Judo Sensei that introduced his son to his first taste of martial arts at the age of 5. He was not some wonder-child who exhibited his talent from the start but persistence and determination won over the young Sheldon who took some beatings both on the mat and from his older sister. Confidence came when Sheldon started wrestling in high school where he developed his own style of competition that combined his Wrestling and Judo techniques. He became nearly unbeatable until he broke his neck two days before his 18 th birthday.

Sheldon underwent major leading-edge surgery to fuse his 6 th and 7 th vertebrae through an incision entry at the front of his neck. For nearly the entire next year, Sheldon was held in traction by either a halo (holding his head steady with multiple pins through his scalp) or other various braces and/or collars. His doctors warned him against ever participating again in Wrestling or Judo. The broken neck occurred in 1976 when he was a Senior in high school. In 1977 Sheldon starting coaching high school Wrestling and against the warning of his physician team, began training and competing in Judo again in 1980. After a series of competitive wins, Sheldon accepted an invitation to join the U.S. Olympic Judo Training Squad at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs in preparation for the 1984 Games. Although he never did participate in the Olympics, Sheldon remains closely associated with the Colorado Springs training facility and with the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Although both Wrestling and Judo are Olympic medal competitions, Grappling or Pankration has not been part of the Olympic Games since 393 A.D. Pankration first became part of the Greek Olympia in 200 B.C. The word means: "All Powers" which in terms of the sport incorporates striking, throwing, holding, breaking and choking. It was eventually outlawed when it had transformed into more of a blood sport as matches were often continued until death.

Getting back to today, Sheldon Marr is a strong proponent of bringing Grappling into the Olympic Games. Although there was some lobbying and talk of re-introducing Pankration to the 2004 Games in Athens, there had been so many sports added to the 2000 Sydney Games that none new were added in 2004. The 2012 Olympic Games will be held in London and Sheldon Marr predicts that Grappling will debut in those competitions. He feels very encouraged now that Jason Townsend, formerly of Xtreme Couture MMA, is the new manager of Developing Wrestling Styles at the USA Wrestling Headquarters in Colorado Springs. Between Jason's new position and FILA adopting Grappling as a Wrestling style, the inclusion of this discipline seems to be on the horizon.

When asked his predictions for the future of MMA as a professional spectator sport, Sheldon sees it becoming more popular as Grappling becomes more mainstream. He also sees fans for the sport growing as the format expands to include other approaches such as the multi-team concept of the IFL. As he said: "The UFC is not the only show in town".

The young looking Sheldon Marr will turn 50 years old this year. Although he reports that he doesn't get down on the mats much these days, he was limping on the day of the interview in anticipation of another knee surgery after twisting it the wrong way because, yes, he was working with a student on the mats.

Grapplers Edge is only open in the evenings and on weekends. Sheldon Marr's 9 - 5 day job has been with the Denver Sheriffs Department since 1992 and as a Senior Defense Tactics Instructor with them since 1994. His instruction begins with verbal tactics to generate voluntary compliance by the perpetrator and then physical restraint techniques are taught for when verbal tactics fail. For the past 10 years, he has also been a Trainer for the FBI where once or twice annually he conducts seminars at locations that are always changing.

In spite of the busy schedule, family is a major priority for Sheldon. He is the divorced father of Nick, Cameron and Lauren and the time spent with them is very important. On the day of our interview, Cameron was snowboarding with his grandfather, Wally. Genetics are strong in the Marr family. Wally is by no means retired and wind surfs and mountain bikes when he's not on the ski slopes.

When asked if all of Sheldon's outside activities had caused him to consider a succession plan for Grapplers Edge, a note of pride came to his voice as he talked of his son Nick, now 23 years old. His father reports that Nick trains hard and is solid muscle. Sheldon also picked him as one of 4 amateur fighters who he identified as having quiet potential to be big in the MMA world. In addition to Nick, he mentioned Freddie Aguilar, Matt Lackey and Eric Koble. With Sheldon Marr's keen eye, these young men merit close attention as they compete their way up the ranks.

As the interview hour wound down to an end, Sheldon was asked if there were any events on his radar screen that he wanted to emphasize. He was very excited about the Pancrase Tournament being held the weekend of March 15, 2008 in Broomfield Co (check coloradofightevents.com for details and some results). He acknowledged that some of the strongest competitors would not be there this year as they were training for the Olympics (in Wrestling and Judo) but he still felt that there would be a lot of talent to be witnessed at the event.

Sheldon's team came in 1st place with nearly 3 times the number of points than the team that came in #2!

Sheldon is also focused on the UFC event being held at the Broomfield Events Center on April 2 nd. Already Anthony Johnson is training at Grapplers Edge. He's been in Denver since the third week in February becoming acclimated to the thin mountain air and taking advantage of the skilled sparring partners he can find at the Dojo. UFC Veterans Houston Alexander and Karo "The Heat" Parisyan are also expected on the local mats and based on the reputation of Grapplers Edge, the list of visiting professional competitors is bound to grow before UFC Fight Night 13 on April 2 nd.

As I walked to my car following the interview with Sheldon Marr, I felt that I had barely scratched the surface of this man and his Dojo. From the office where we had our interview, there was a window that looked out on one of the Grappling rooms with mats both on the floor and on the walls. On this day, there were Grapplers ranging in age from 15 to 60. We had talked about the many well-known amateurs and professionals that had benefited from Sheldon Marr's coaching over the years but he stopped and insisted that: "It's not me - I've just been lucky to have attracted a lot of great athletes". The silent applause from the framed photographs covering the walls respectfully contradicted his modesty.

MMA: Duane Ludwig-Takanori Gomi Preview

Ann Dain — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 09:48:19 -0500

Submitted by Ann Dain, ColoradoFightEvents.com

Without a peep from local press, except in the on-line community, Colorado’s favorite UFC champion and K-1 veteran, Duane “Bang” Ludwig, left for Japan in the pre-dawn hours of March 1st, to participate in the inaugural World Victory Road event against Takanori Gomi.

Although the buzz of this event is just becoming more visible in U.S. MMA circles, the Tokyo promoters are looking forward to their Pride lightweight champion kicking some prestigious American butt.

Did they not do their research?

Rumor has it that Gomi has been exploring a possible overture from UFC President, Dana White but for him to increase his value, doesn’t he need to expunge the memory of his gogoplata submission to Nick Diaz in July 2007?

Perhaps philosophically, he can dismiss that loss because it was overturned and determined to be a no-contest when Diaz was tested positively for marijuana but I have to ask every former flower child:

Wouldn’t being high on marijuana diminish one’s ability to perform rather than enhance it?

On March 5th, the local favorite, Gomi, and our champion, Duane “Bang,” will compete against one another. Oh, but to be a cricket on the wall for that event!

This will not be televised or even a Pay-Per-View event in the U.S., but if our boy comes home victorious, every MMA writer will be right on top of this story as an “I told you so.”

Accompanying Duane “Bang” on this trip is his Manager, Sven Bean, his coach, Betiss Mansouri, his corner, Eliot Marshall, and his lovely and supporting wife, Jessica.

Sven Bean tells me that Duane is more cut and ripped than he recalls him ever being. Although the invitation was only proposed recently, Duane was already preparing for another bout in Tacoma, WA, in an upcoming Strikeforce event against Steve Berger, so his focus has been unwavering on victory.

Duane “Bang” Ludwig is a former IKF (International Kickboxing Federation) and American Muay Thai Light and Middleweight Champion among other prestigious credentials. He is best known for his K-1 record, but his Jiu Jitsu training has been intense and he feels confident in his ground game. A signature move of his is one that he adopted from his early fascination with martial arts films when the Karate Kid flattened his opponent with a balanced bird-like whip kick.

Heads up, Gomi. Duane “Bang” Ludwig has continued to “up” his game both on his feet and on the ground.

He isn’t traveling to Tokyo as a token sacrifice to elevate the prestige of a fighter who has not had an opponent other than a sparring partner in over a year. If a fight goes the distance on home ground, there could always be interpretations as to whether a local hero could lose but my guess is that Duane “Bang” has no intention of turning this decision over to the judges.

An Interview With Georges “Rush” St. Pierre in Colorado

Ann Dain — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 01:48:36 -0500

What a wonderful departure from my day job it was when I received a phone call at my office from Dan Magnie, President of ColoradoFightEvents.com, extending an invitation from Keith Schmelzer of Rocky Mountain Bad Boyz to interview Georges St. Pierre the at T’sKO Fight Club in Wheat Ridge.

WOW! Was it hard to concentrate for the rest of the day? Did I carefully choose what I was going to wear for the interview? Georges St. Pierre? What brought him to Denver? I couldn’t wait to find out!

After a call to ensure that local sports photographer Kathy Framarini was available, we agreed to meet at the gym at 10:30 AM on that Thursday. Trevor Wittman, the owner, head trainer, and striking coach at T’sKO had invited us for 11:00—but who could wait?

The day before, not only was Georges St. Pierre working out at T’sKO—but the ferocious Keith Jardine, Nate “The Great” Marquardt, Duane “Bang” Ludwig, Diego Sanchez, and Greg Jackson were also there.

For an MMA enthusiast, this was the Power Ball!

Upon our arrival at the club, Kathy, Dan, and I met with Keith Schmelzer, who introduced us to former IBF middleweight world champion Verno Phillips, who had just arrived at the gym to train for a Madison Square Garden match scheduled for February. Verno had been slated to fight middleweight world champion Cory Spinks this month, but for unknown reasons that matchup had recently been scrubbed. I was fortunate to get an interview with the soft-spoken Verno, who graciously answered my questions about his life and career.

Verno speaks with a gentle, lilting accent from his early years in Belize. He was brought to the United States with his family when he was ten years old, after already having had his first ring experience in Belize at the age of eight. His next fight came at age 14, and he has methodically built a sustained and successful career ever since.

Among his many accomplishments, Verno has been the recipient of over 1,000 trophies, including the IBF Light Middleweight Championship and the WBO Light Middleweight Championship. Verno’s parents are now deceased, but would be proud to see that their son is a successful, thoughtful, and strategic competitor who has a lovely wife (who is also his manager), a beautiful home in Parker, and a seven-year-old son who is being groomed by his parents to make his way into the professional world, rather than that of the ring.

I was surprised to hear that the young looking Verno is 38 years old. When asked where he sees himself in five years, he gestured to his head and said that if he was “still clean in the head”, he wanted to still be competing. When he feels that he is jeopardizing his mental acuity, he will re-evaluate his future, but for now is confident that he has established the foundation to remain financially comfortable whatever career path the future may bring.

The interview with Verno was not without distractions. On the mats were UFC greats Georges St. Pierre, Nate Marquardt and Luke Cadillo. Local Rocky Mountain Bad Boyz belt-holder in the 145 weight class, Nic Buschman, had arrived to have GSP autograph his title belt (although he did confide to me that Matt Hughes is his idol). I did get a moment to talk with Nic, and asked him what it was about Trevor Wittman’s gym that drew such an elite group of fighters. He told me that it was all about inspiration. He takes his training only from Keith Schmelzer (who he refers to as “Mr” Schmelzer) and from Master Mike Silva. I have been a fan of Nic Buschman in the local fight scene, and was pleased to hear that he will be turning pro at the end of January 2008.

As I was about to try and grab yet another interview with local UFC star Nate Marquardt who was coming out of the mat area, Georges St. Pierre had showered and dressed and was ready for his designated appointment with me. All this to say: check back for the Marquardt interview—it is long overdue and one that I’ve been looking forward to scheduling for nearly a year now!

As Kathy Framarini snapped some amazing portraits, GSP focused on my questions that, I admit, started out in a nervous celebrity-struck stammer! He was so gracious that it wasn’t long before I ignored the prepared questions and really got to know this remarkable athlete.

As I have found with most successful fighters that I have interviewed, Georges St. Pierre started at an early age—in his case, age seven. His father was a black belt in karate, and GSP found it necessary to learn to fight and defend himself after experiencing many playground toughs.

Georges St. Pierre grew up in a remote area of Quebec Province, and consistent education frequently meant having to change schools. He was the oldest child in his family, with two younger sisters.

Listening to GSP respond to questions in his heavy French accent made me ask him if it was challenging to have an interview in English. He laughed and said that three or four years ago, he hardly spoke any English at all, so he thinks he has gotten much better.

I asked him about reports that he engaged the services of a sports psychologist to prepare him for his fight against Josh Koscheck after his loss to Matt Serra. He explained that this had been a very challenging time in his life where he was distracted by many difficulties—including a car accident where family members died, business problems, government tax problems, and physical injuries.

The positive result of his time with the sports psychologist makes him a firm believer that the mental game is highly underestimated. He continues to use this tool to make himself more focused and a more unpredictable opponent.

Although I had read that Georges St. Pierre had been born May 19, 1981, it was still surprising to me that this accomplished, composed man sitting with me was only 26 years old. When I asked him if he was married, he smiled broadly and said that he was very single—“free as a bird”. Take note ladies!

When asked what his goals were for the next five years, he stated without hesitation that he intends to become the undisputed champion. I asked him if he was considering changes in his personal strategy. He acknowledged that there might be some, but that his first priority was to support the career of his training partner, Nate Marquardt.

GSP proceeded to describe Marquardt as an excellent ambassador for MMA; that he is a well-spoken person, led a lifestyle that was a good example to others, and even added humbly: “better than me”. When pushed a bit further and asked if any of the changes he was considering involved a change in weight class, he gave me a small smile, a subtle nod, and no elaboration.

I asked if he had any advice that he would pass onto a new fighter looking to enter MMA competition. He answered immediately that he would tell them: “never let someone tell you that you can’t do what you want to do.”

As the interview was drawing to a close, I asked GSP if he had a message to convey to his many fans. He said that he would want to wish them all a Happy New Year, with health for them and their families. He went on to explain how important it was never to under-estimate how important health is as we appreciate our lives.

This answer made me ask him if he had ever experienced an injury that made this focus on health such a priority. He told me that he had once torn his ACL, but it had healed through a combination of rest and time, rather than surgery.

For the critics of MMA that believe this is a sport of brutal bashing—akin to cock-fighting and a barely refereed melee—take note that the champions are true athletes of brawn, through disciplined training and scholars in the science of strategic cage and life maneuvers.

For photos of the event, see: http://picasaweb.google.com/ColoradoFightEvents/GeorgeRUSHStPierreAndColoradoFriends02

An Interview with Clarence Thatch, Living Legend of MMA

Ann Dain — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 02:53:53 -0500

http://picasaweb.google.com/ColoradoFightEvents/ClarenceThatchInterviewPhotos

Have any of you readers seen the recent Spike TV re-run of the August 26, 2006 UFC 62 fight between Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin?

These competitors had been former contestants in the first season of The Ultimate Fighter—and at UFC62, they fought each other again. At least three times during the match, one would smile at the other and extend an open palm in a high-five acknowledgement of a well delivered punch or kick.

This was not in-your-face posturing—this match was a competition between highly skilled and disciplined athletes.

In the late 1990s, Senator John McCain referred to the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as akin to human cock-fighting. In a 180 degree contradiction, my experience has been that MMA embraces both compassion and heart.

This is nowhere more evident than in the real life example of local living legend, coach and MMA “Zen-master” Clarence Thatch, who promotes the cosmic MMA paradigm: “The ability to fight is the ability to get along.”

In preparing to meet Clarence at Barnes and Noble for our initial interview, I had spent several unsuccessful hours on the internet looking for a photograph of him. Dan Magnie, President of ColoradoFightEvents.com and I went to the book store and then split up to look for a man built for boxing—which was about all I knew of Clarence’s background at the time.

We ultimately had him paged, and another shopper came to find us because he wanted to meet the legendary Clarence Thatch. Unbeknownst to us, Clarence was waiting for us at a table outside, so we never did connect for this first meeting. When we set up our next appointment to meet at the outside café area, I asked Dan if he would please snap some photographs of Clarence so his next interviewer would be able to find his picture on the internet!

Ever since Dan and I interviewed promoter Sven Bean back in July of 2007, I had wanted to meet Clarence Thatch. I had done background research on him and found testimonials from fighters who credited Clarence with not only their skills, but also with their individual confidence and strength. He coaches them to athletic dominance, and also counsels them on what to eat and how to live their lives as more productive human beings.

Clarence became Sven’s Sensei, and the two men still hold each other in the highest esteem. Clarence says that without Sven, the fighters that Clarence trains would not be where they are today; that Sven is the “ladder” for the qualified fighter.

The heart of Clarence that makes his wake so powerful is best illustrated by an incident that happened outside Barnes and Noble. As we sat chatting outside, an older man walked past our table several times—and each time he rubber-necked at us until he bashfully approached our table and began to introduce himself to Clarence. Clarence didn’t let him finish the introduction, as he grasped the man’s hand, called him by name, and asked how his son Daniel was doing.

The man’s eyes filled with tears at the recognition. He responded with an update on his son, and ultimately moved-on after promising to stay in touch. Assuming that this was a recent Thatch client, I asked Clarence how long ago he had trained Daniel. He thought for a minute and responded that he estistimated that it was ten to fifteen years ago, and was surprised that I was surprised that he had remembered Daniel's father of Daniel!

Although Clarence’s dimpled smile could pass for a man in his young 30's, he is actually 45 years old with two young daughters: London, 14, and Jordan, five, as well as a 19 year old son Brandon, who is an aspiring, talented (and very handsome) MMA competitor. It was clear as Clarence talked about his children that his pride for each of them is individual and special.

Clarence grew up in Denver as the second of four boys. His father had been a Marine and a fly-weight boxing champion who fought in China and Russia. He pushed the boys from the time they were little, and began his formal training at age six.

Although Clarence resented the pressure, he came to believe that there was nothing he could not do. To that end, Clarence is also a proficient musician who plays the saxophone, guitar, and piano, and is currently learning the bass.

During his professional fighting career, Clarence has fought all over the world, trained with the Gracies, worked with Bruce Lee, and earned accomplishments that include:

-Four time World Heavyweight Sabaki Champion (no pads, no gloves, full-contact karate)

-Former ISKA World Cruiserweight Kickboxing Champion (62-2 career record)

-Professional Kickboxing Association (PKA) World Champion (35-4 record)

-Former USKBA Super Heavyweight Champion

-Professional Boxer (20-0 record)

-Licensed Judge with the Nevada State Boxing Commission

-Vale Tudo / Shooto / Submission Grappling (international competitor, coach and trainer)

-Fourth Degree Black Belt in Enshin Karate (under Enshin Founder, Yoko Ninomiya)

-Certified Instructor of Jeet Kune Do Concepts and Filipino Martial Arts, under Paul Vunak

-Certified Instructor of Jeet Kune Do, under the legendary Dan Inosanto

Clarence hardly talks about these accomplishments, and instead focuses on the work he does through his gym, 3D Martial Arts, which he has owned for 26 years. His focus now is to inspire young people in their growth as MMA athletes, using skills that incorporate boxing, wrestling, muay thai, jujitsu,and kick boxing—although always with a focus on safety and protection.

The wide reach of Clarence Thatch’s influence acts as a bridge between promoters, fighters, and the Denver Boxing Commission. He helps promoters match fighters’ strengths and styles for maximum challenge and fan enjoyment. He helps enhance fighters both through improving their physicality, as well as their skills on how to handle increased media attention and how to transition a sport hobby into an income-producing career.

The most recent illustration of Clarence’s advocacy was the communication to the Denver Boxing Commission that the absence of ankle and wrist wraps on the fighters was increasing the probability of joint injury. His reasonable approach, coupled with the respect he holds in the Denver boxing community, led to the Commissions’ reversal of the ban on wraps, and as such, the fighters now have greater protection in the ring or cage.

Stories about the good that Clarence has brought to his protégées may someday be the object of a full-length biography by this writer. As I draw this article to a close, I scold myself for not having saved space for the story of the troubled young man who was kicked out of school for his constant focus on violence—and who ultimately had his life turned around by Clarence, who made him focus instead on what he could give back to his community.

I have met this young man—he is angelic.

And then there is the story that I only have space to mention briefly, about the young woman who had a substance-abuse problem and a dead-end job. Clarence helped her develop a positive self-image to the extent that, when introduced to me, her first words were: “I’ve been drug and alcohol free for over 18 months thanks to my relationship with Clarence."

In an interview with Real Fight Gear, another one of Clarence’s women fighters, Chrisanne “Brickhouse” Roseleip, was asked:

RFG: “Clarence Thatch is a trainer that has been around for quite some time
and competed at the highest levels. Do you get an extra boost of confidence
from working with him”?

Brickhouse: “An extra boost of confidence? That is an understatement! I have the
utmost confidence because I have Clarence in my corner. Clarence Thatch
is the most amazing coach a fighter could ever ask for. I have never
met a person with more knowledge and heart for fighting and for life.
Clarence has the ability to bring out the best in any fighter, and he
has definitely made me the fighter I am today. He has believed in me
and taught me things most fighters only dream about... “

Yep—the stories could go on and on...