Aaron Simpson Ready To Step into the Limelight

This article was originally posted on MMA Madness

Good things happen to those who work hard and UFC middleweight Aaron Simpson is living proof.

A native of Phoenix, Arizona, Simpson learned the meaning of hard work at an early age on the wrestling mats. He went on to become a two-time All-American and Pac-10 champion for Arizona State University.

Unlike other college sports, though, there is no professional league for wrestlers to go to after graduation. Not wanting to leave the sport behind, Simpson accepted a position as an assistant wrestling coach for ASU. From there, he played a vital role in helping several ASU wrestlers have successful careers, including All-Americans C.B Dollaway, Ryan Bader, and Cain Velasquez.

Eventually, those same wrestlers turned to the sport of MMA and Simpson gradually followed suit.

“I think at that point I had already gone to the gym,” Simpson told MMA Madness. “We were at the old gym and I was just messing around with it. It got going and I had some differences at ASU so I really had an opportunity to get into [MMA] and it just took off.”

Simpson currently boasts a 5-0 professional record, with all five of those victories coming by way of a TKO. He credits his success to his wrestling background.

“Stand up and Jiu-Jitsu is still something I need work on but I have that wrestling base, and it’s made me fast and made me able to get from point A to point B quicker,” Simpson said. “I can move because of my wrestling background and knowing positions.”

Wrestlers are some of the hardest working athletes in the world, so it comes as no surprise that several All-American wrestlers have had a successful transition into MMA. Simpson explains the mentality of wrestlers and what sets them apart from other martial arts.

“They have gone through some pretty grueling practices and training sessions not just for a week or so but we know how to train for a duration for six months,” Simpson said.

“You get that top notch athlete who is a great wrestler and a hard worker and he can pick up all of that other stuff. I’m not saying he’s going to be a great kickboxer or a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu but I really think an important background to have is wrestling.”

Simpson was part of the transfer of light heavyweight and middleweight fighters in the WEC to the UFC. He made his debut at UFC Fight Night 18, defeating Tim McKenzie with Terminator-like strikes for a first round TKO. Simpson will now get a chance to take on a bigger name opponent as he takes on Ultimate Fighter veteran Ed Herman on the UFC 102 undercard.

“It’s obviously the biggest fight of my career and the biggest thing going on right now in my life,” Simpson said. “It’s something I have put a lot of time into and it’s a huge fight for me. Not to take anything away from Tim McKedzie, but he wasn’t that top name that I needed for people to go, ‘oh, this guy’s for real,’ so I’ve got to go out there and perform. Ed Herman has a lot of experience and is a great fighter and is somebody that is going to be a good name to beat."

Like Simpson, Herman comes from a strong wrestling background and uses his relentless takedowns and brutal ground 'n pound to win most of his fights. However, Simpson does not believe Herman will be able to control where the fight goes. It will be a battle between two hard-nosed wrestlers who will be using their wrestling ability to keep the fight standing.

“I think it’s going to be standing,” Simpson said. “I feel he can’t take me down and I welcome him to try it, but I just don’t see it happening. I mean, it could happen it’s not like I’m training for that to not happen, but I think we’re going to be standing a lot. I really feel that that’s where the fight is going to be won and it’s going to be a great fight and it could be the fight of the night. He’s a guy that likes to build his hands pretty good and brawl and I plan on bringing the same type of intensity to him.”

This fight will be taking place in Herman’s hometown of Portland, OR. Coupled with that is the fact that Herman is a name opponent who made it to the finals of The Ultimate Fighter, and he is likely to be looked at as the favorite among casual fans.

However, Simpson will not be fazed by the crowd reaction and is confident that he will be leaving the octagon as the winner. 

“I’ll rise to the occasion, that’s no problem to me. I’ve competed in big environments where I was the underdog so that means nothing to me. None of those Portland fans can do anything to me and they can’t hold me down so that means nothing it’s a matter of me vs. him. Hopefully he’s prepared because I am.”

Regardless of whether the Portland fans boo him, Simpson is looking forward to the atmosphere.

“I feel like I deserve this. I am going to embrace the moment and just enjoy the whole environment and everything. I’ve been in so many little matches and I fought once at Rocky Point, New Mexico where nobody was in the stands and I thought ‘God why am I here? Do I really want to do this?’ so it’s time. I love that the sport has gotten this big and there are so many fans.”