Minnesota MMA “Primetime MMA” Preview: Billy Christianson vs. Ben Neumann

Primetime Sports Bar & Grill in Burnsville, MN will play host to an important 155-pound mixed martial arts bout between Billy Christianson and Ben Neumann.

These two Minnesotans will headline a fight card that is full of interesting and potentially exciting bouts with the amateur fights set to begin at 7pm on Feb. 11 (via MNMMANews.com)

Both fighters sat down with Bleacher Report MMA’s Nick Caron in preparation for the upcoming fight.

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Got the weight cut done finally. That’s the hardest battle. Fighting is the fun part! Christianson enthusiastically told Beacher Report MMA after weighing in. Ben seems like a nice guy, he’s a good fighter. I’m glad I could meet up with him.

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Neumann expressed confidence in his ability to win the fight, but did seem a bit concerned that he was not able to prepare for his opponent in quite the way that he would have preferred.

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I couldn’t find any video on him, so I think he might’ve pulled them off the internet, Neumann said. He’s won his last three fights by knockout, though, so I have a feeling he’s going to come hard, trying to win by knockout.

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Christianson admitted that he doesn’t have any videos online, but also added that Neumann probably had a good idea of his style anyway.

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Why put out more information than I need to? Christianson asked. Everybody knows I like to stand and bang. Ben’s manager, Jeremy [Bjornberg], knows I like to stand and bang, so I’m sure he’s told him that. Ben knows what I’m going to want to do and I know what he’s going to want to do, so we’ll see what happens.

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That “stand and bang” attitude might work for Christianson, but for Neumann, it’s more about the technique than the ability to take and land huge punches.

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The striking game where I train is very different from what everyone else’s view on striking is, Neumann explained. I have more of a gap style. I’m not going to stand toe-to-to and trade punches. I don’t feel like that’s a smart way to fight.

In a case like this where he’s much shorter than me, the smart thing to do is use some of my kicks and keep distance, frustrate him. He’s going to have to get in to hit me. He’s going to have to charge to get close to me and then that makes my takedown easy.

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At 6’1”, Neumann’s reach advantage will be on full display against his much shorter opponent, Christianson, who stands just 5’7” and will need to adapt his style some to make sure he walks out with a win.

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I’ve sparred with people like that are tall like that and I mean, you’ve just got to make it work. It’s tough, but you’ve just got to fight different. I can’t fight his fight, he said.

Normally I like to stand outside and pick people apart, but now I’ve got a different strategy for a taller guy. I don’t see it as a problem. I just need to change up my gameplan as far as my striking goes.

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Though these two are both major up-and-comers with the possibility of national fights on the horizons, there are major stylistic differences between the two. Those differences all start in training where there is almost a polar opposite philosophy in what needs to happen to prepare for a fight.

Christianson and his team work hard every day in training to do more than just replicate a fight.

In fact, the goal is to make training so strenuous that actually competing in the cage on fight night is equivalent to a light workout.

The team even went as far as to bring in UFC veteran Jesse Bongfeldt from Canada who has worked as many as eight five-minute rounds against Christianson at a time.

Meanwhile, Neumann and his training partners at the Warrior’s Cove have a completely different philosophy on training, which all starts with lighter sparring sessions.

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We only throw at about 80 percent strength so that we can work on timing and technique and not focus so much on hitting with all our power, Neumann explained. Power is something that can always add later once you have the technique down.

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But regardless of how they train, both fighters are looking for the same outcome. Not only do they want to win, they want to make a statement by finishing another high-level opponent.

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I see a knockout coming, Christianson said with confidence. And if not, I’m going to stand in there and I’m going to hurt him with my punches. That’s what I do. If he can stay awake long enough, maybe it’ll go three rounds of me standing up with him. But he’s not going to take me down.

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As the No. 6 lightweight in Minnesota according to MNMMANews.com, Neumann isn’t looking past his opponent, but he and his management do believe that he could be on the brink of a big fight with one of the national promotions with an impressive win on Saturday night.

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I definitely need to get a finish. That’s what they’re looking for, right? Neumann said. My goals are to not take damage and to get a finish within the 15 minutes. I know there are going to be tough guys and there will be fights that I can’t finish, but I’ll be looking to get a finish one way or another.

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Regardless of the outcome, though, one thing is certain—the biggest winners of the night will be the fans who show up to Primetime Sports Bar & Grill in Burnsville to watch and cheer on these two Minnesota home-grown talents.

Tickets are $30 for general admission, table seats are $45 and VIP tickets are available for $75.

Order your tickets online at Vital Culture now or pay at the door!

For more MMA news, fighter interviews and opinions, follow Nick Caron: @NicholasCaron