MMA Prospect Mitch Clarke to Gary Busey: "I Would Crush You"

Widely regarded as one of the nation’s most promising mixed martial artists, Mitch Clarke is looking to make the jump from prospect to contender in the Canadian mixed martial arts scene in 2011.

A former collegiate wrestler at the University of Saskatchewan, Clarke made his professional mixed martial arts debut in mid-2007 and in a little less than four years is undefeated with eight victories and is quickly establishing himself as one of the nation’s top lightweight contenders.

Currently, Clarke is preparing for a match under the Evolution Fighting Championships banner in Lloydminster, Alberta against Ed Rincon at the Centennial Civic Centre on April 23^rd.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Clarke about, among other topics, candy, his match on Saturday and a dream bout with Gary Busey.

How is life for Mitch Clarke these days?

It’s going pretty good; I’m dieting and training hard. It’s going good, but I could be happier—I love candy and not training three times a day [laughs].

[Laughs] You’re at welterweight now, though. That must take some of the pressure off.

No, this one will be at 155, as well. I could probably make 170 tomorrow—if I needed to. 155—not so much.

Do you prefer competing at 170?

I do, but I don’t at the same time. There are a lot of guys at welterweight that are so big now; when I fought one of my opponents, he was close to 190 when I fought him, and I was only walking around, after re-hydrating, at 180. I know that I can’t fight at 170 anymore—I don’t have the bone structure to really compete with those guys at 170.

So, objectively, it’s best for your career to compete at lightweight?

I think so. I look at my size and compared to the other lightweights, I’m the same size as the bigger lightweights—if not bigger. I think it works out well.

Did you notice a lot of differences fighting at 170?

I felt quicker, I felt stronger than my opponent. I think the big thing was that I was able to move better because I didn’t have that excess bulk that I had before. Before, I had to have weight on so I wouldn’t be at a disadvantage and now I just think about functional muscle, more than anything.

Any chance you could dip down to featherweight?

I don’t think so. I get pretty lean when I cut down to 155. Who knows? But I don’t think so; I’ve got pretty big legs and a big back—I don’t think I could cut to 145 without almost killing myself [laughs].

[Laughs] Better stay at lightweight.

The major thing is; I want to do it as safely as possible. You hear about guys doing diuretics and all those things just to get down to weight and I don’t want to do that; I don’t want to risk my body in the future just to make weight. A lot of those guys don’t fight well when they do that—I like doing it the way I do it to make lightweight.

What inspired you to try your hand at mixed martial arts to begin with?

I love competing. I used to wrestle, but I didn’t want to wrestle anymore. I had to cut a whole bunch of weight, and I found that it was taking a toll on my body. Physically and mentally, I just felt drained, and I was getting injured a lot. A lot of it came down to me not doing things properly; I wasn’t exercising properly—I was doing body-building-style workouts, and it, kind of, came back to bite me in the ass. I still wanted to compete so I went down to the local MMA gym in Saskatoon and, basically, got beat up and signed up that day.

It was love at first sight?

You could definitely say that. I love working hard, and you’re never perfect in this sport—there’s always so much stuff that you can work on—and that’s what really makes me want to do it.

When did it hit you that you might be able to turn your hobby into a career?

I was working for the Alberta government as an environmental protection officer, and it was just near the beginning of the recession, and I had a bunch of money saved up. I had three pro fights, and I thought, you know, “I’ll take a fight during this lay-off period, and maybe, I’ll go back to it after this.” I kept winning, and it’s something that I love to do. Why not do something you love to do?

What were your responsibilities as an environmental protection officer?

I did pipeline inspections for the government. During the building and construction of major pipelines for major companies, I would go and inspect their facilities. Also, I was doing public complaints; if someone had a complaint about an environmental offense, I would go and investigate what was going on there. It was a learning experience—there were a lot of crazy things that you’d see.

You didn’t have a passion for it, though?

No. I found that working in an office really broke me down; I’d wake up in the morning, and I wasn’t happy when I woke up—I don’t have that problem when I do this now. I’m happy to get up and go eat, you know, oatmeal—or whatever the hell I have to eat—and go train. I work hard, but at the same time, I wasn’t in love with the environmental field. It’s something that I can do later, but you’ve only got so much time to compete as a professional.

Where do you think you would be had you not decided to take the mixed martial arts route?

I think fairly overweight. Like I said before, I’m basically a fat kid at heart; I love candy and all that other stuff. When you have an office job, all you do is sit all day and do paperwork. You get to get out of the office every once in a while, but it’s not in my nature just to sit around and do nothing for hours on end.

Why did you get into that field?

One of my uncles has the same degree as me. He actually works in the industry—doing mud-testing and stuff like that—and he thought it was a good fit for me and I went that route. As a kid, I thought that I could change the world with a degree and at the same time make lots of money doing it. Unfortunately, I found out that that’s not entirely true. The biggest thing with an office job is that I found that not much got done because of all the red tape surrounding it.

How frustrating is that?

It’s very frustrating. When I first started, it was, “Yeah—I’m going to help the environment.” But I barely made an impact, to be honest; there’s so much red-tape in the environmental industry—I think that’s probably the thing that broke me down. It’s all just paperwork, paperwork and red tape—nothing gets done.

Where you ever happy doing that job?

Cashing the pay-cheques—that’s about it [laughs].

[Laughs]Did you have any other ambitions growing up?

This sounds weird saying it, but I always wanted to be a professional athlete. I wanted to play football, but then I realized I was 5’9”, 5’10” and under 200 pounds—that’s never going to happen. Also, I sucked really bad at football. I always wanted to be someone in athletics—I think that really comes from my dad; my dad used to love certain people in sports, like Walter Payton and all of these other great athletes. I think that’s why I really aspired to be one—they’re in the public eye and you want to be like those people; those people can make a difference—I think.

What difference do you think you can make as a mixed martial artist?

Right now, not too much [laughs]. But, I love teaching, and I love MMA, and you know, I don’t think it really comes down to you having to make a difference on the world-stage—because it’s very hard to do that. It comes down to helping one person, and you can do so many little things. It’s about the little things that you can do to make a difference, you know, not being a jerk-off to people. You see so many guys nowadays that get to the professional part of the sport, and they change as a person; they become arrogant, and I think that leads to people thinking that the sport is full of meat-heads and arrogant people. I want to help change that perception.

What is the general response you get when you tell people that you’re a “cage-fighter”?

Usually they are surprised. If you take a look at me, I’m not scary-looking, I’m not mean looking [laughs], and I usually have a smile on my face—unless I’m dieting, in which case there will be a big grimace—but a lot of people are quite surprised. I’m quite soft-spoken and not overly loud. It takes a lot of people off guard.

Do you feel that there are still a lot of misconceptions of the sport?

Definitely. Like you said, when I tell people that I’m a mixed martial artist, they say, “Oh, so you train UFC.” No—no, I don’t. That’s like saying I’m going to go train NFL or go train NBA. A lot of people think that people who are fighters are meat heads or aren’t intelligent and that it’s, basically, a human cockfight—that’s definitely not true, either.  Usually there’s not a lot of bad intentions involved—you just want to win. That’s the way that I look at.

Why do you fight?

I like fighting—it’s fun [laughs]. To be honest, there’s nothing like it, and after I’ve won, too—there’s nothing like that feeling after you win. It’s kind of a selfish look at it, but everyone’s looking at you after you win. There’s nothing like that feeling—there are no drugs like it—it’s something that’s hard to explain. I love doing it, I love the hard training—I think that’s why I do it.

What’s going through your mind when you step into the ring?

Usually it’s something along the lines of; “Holy shit, this guy is probably going to punch my face in.” I’m not joking. When I walk in, that’s when all the questions come to your head, “Did I train hard enough?” You have to know that you’ve put in the time and effort to do it properly. As soon as I enter the ring, everything is clear—I find. I don’t think about anything—it’s pure calmness; calmness before the storm. 

How about when the bell rings and the action starts?

To be honest, I get that same feeling that you get when you’re in university, and you write a test and you start thinking about how to break down the equations. That’s not for everyone. I try to be very calculated and think about what I need to do—what is the game plan? How can I stop him from doing this? The problem is that you have to worry about not over-thinking.

Do you ever think, “What am I doing here?”

Oh yeah [laughs]. Usually in the locker room when I’m getting my hands taped, you get that little poke—almost—in the back of your brain, saying, “Why are you doing this? You’ve got a degree, and you can be making money, not getting punched in the face.” At the same time...Getting punched in the face isn’t as bad as people make it seem; everyone makes it seem like it’s the worst thing ever—it really isn’t. There are much worse things.

[Laughs] It’s not that good, though. Is it?

It’s not, like, awesome. I’d rather go eat ice cream than get punched in the face, but it’s not as bad as you make it seem. I’m not interested in getting in slugfests and having brain damage later on in my life, but at the same time, it’s not as bad as it could be.

A lot of guys say that they enjoy getting punched in the face. Do you think they’re lying?

They’re dirty liars—all of them [laughs]. I don’t like getting punched in the face, and anyone that tells you different is lying, or they’ve got something wrong with them...I know when I’m sparring, I don’t go out of my way to let someone tag me because it doesn’t feel good.

Do you ever intend on hurting your opponents?

Sometimes—there have been a couple times.

Yeah?

Like when I fought Paul Grandbois, and he told me that I wasn’t going to submit him. I had the intention of—I don’t know how to say this without sounding like a total jerk—I intended on breaking his arm, and I almost did. I did everything I could, and I’m pretty sure I dislocated his shoulder with a kimura. But, that was just me trying to win, as opposed to thinking, like, “I have to break his shoulder off!” You almost think about it like you’re scoring points, and every time I punch someone or go for a submission, I’m scoring points...Usually, I don’t think about getting angry, because my coaches tell me that you can’t fight with rage or anger—it just leads to mistakes.

What is impossible in mixed martial arts?

Keeping all of your brain cells [laughs]. Impossible? That’s a hard question. I think anything is really possible in this sport. I think a lot of people never thought that this sport would become a mainstream sport—and it’s definitely that. I really don’t know. I don’t know if there is anything that is really impossible—except people not getting hurt; someone is going to get hurt. I don’t mean, like, tragically, but you get bumps and bruises.

Is that what gets you out of bed in the morning—knowing that nothing is impossible?

Yeah, I think so. At the same time, people will tell you that even if you’re at the top you still can’t go far. That’s obviously not true; you look at Randy Couture or Chuck Liddell—and yes, those are guys that have been around forever and are at the very top of the sport—but there are a lot of things you can do in this sport. Yeah, that’s what drives me to get out of bed in the morning.

What do you feel is your greatest strength in the sport?

My sweet beard. Realistically, my biggest strength is how I approach the fight. I really think about being calm, cool, and collected, how I can solve this problem. That and my grappling—I really think that I have pretty good grappling and ground and pound. That’s not to say that I don’t do stand-up, but my grappling is definitely my biggest strength.

Is your training schedule ever too tiring? Is it ever too much?

It used to be. My strength and conditioning coach, Shara Vigeant, noticed that I was getting burned out a lot—I was putting in a lot of hours training—so she, kind of, had a meeting with my coaches. She’s the mastermind behind me not getting over-trained.

How important is having a strong strength and conditioning program?

I think it’s what separates the men from the boys. Without her, I wouldn’t be able to make 155, and this is the strongest I’ve ever been—even though I’m at lighter weight-class. Not only am I stronger and I’ve got good conditioning, but I’ve got good muscle conditioning; I feel that I can hold submissions forever now. I think a good strength and conditioning coach is the key to winning when you want to take this seriously.

Could you tell me about your time at Wanderlai Silva’s academy?

I’ve been there for my last four fights—I usually go there for a week. The first time that I went, when I was over-training, I was there for almost seven hours one day training with the coaches Michael Costa, Mike Smith, Vitor Vianna and Sydney Silva—their two Brazilian jiu-jitsu coaches—I just soak so much in. I get beat up by all of these really great athletes and great fighters. I think a lot of fighters don’t go to other camps and find new styles to deal with, and I think that’s so important. There are so many good camps out there, and I think people need to move around a bit more so they don’t get used to their training partners. I love going down there. Wanderlai Silva is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met; he remembered me last time I came down there, and I can only guess how many people he sees in a week—let alone over a year—and he trains with the guys. He’s, probably, one of the nicest people—fighter or otherwise—that I’ve ever met.

How does it feel to train with those world-class guys?

It’s a really humbling feeling. You take a look at it, and it’s crazy; you’re training with someone you’ve seen on TV—who got you into the sport, who made you want to try this. It’s crazy the amount of knowledge these guys have.

Do you plan on going back?

I do want to go back. I just recently cornered a guy from down there; Dave Mazany—he fought in the last Aggression and he’s from Wanderlai’s. He wanted me to come down there because we’re both about the same size—we’re both lightweights. I plan on going back after this fight.

Do you have any other travel plans?

I definitely want to go to ZUMA out in Victoria with Adam Zugec. The guy is the mastermind behind Diego Wilson, Sarah Kaufman, and a bunch of other really good fighters—he’s really smart. I want to go down to Team Quest, eventually, down in Temecula. Richie Whitson is down there and I helped him get warmed up when he fought Curtis Demarce, so he wanted me to come down.

Is traveling part of the sport you really enjoy?

I do. I don’t really like flying—to be honest. I’m, kind of, a big sissy in that way. I’m scared I’m going to die [laughs].

[Laughs] Isn’t it the safest way to travel?

That’s what I keep hearing, and they say, “It’s much safer than driving a car.” But I don’t really believe that. It’s the take-offs, probably.

How about the landing?

I usually try to sleep while I’m on the plane. It’s a scary thing for me.

You’d rather take the bus?

Not to Vegas from here—that’s a solid two-day endeavour, I think.

[Laughs] That’s not something you’re willing to commit to?

No, I’ll just swallow my pride and take the two-hour plane ride down there instead [laughs].

[Laughs] How are you feeling going into your next match?

I feel good, you know? My weight is down to below where it needs to be. I think I added a lot of really good things to this training camp; I started training at Frank Lee’s Muay Thai, and I’ve added more high-level sparring—I think I’ve taken all of the right steps to improve myself. My strength and conditioning is going well; I’m not overtrained. I think I’ve done everything right for this fight, and I feel good.

What problems does Ed pose to you?

He’s really comfortable standing; he’s got a long reach. My hands and his hands are similar—technically—but because he’s got so much experience and because he’s more of a stand-up fighter, he’s more comfortable there. That’s what causes problems—I’ve got to be more weary of his strikes. He’s also a durable guy; I’ve watched him fight, and he takes a bunch of leg kicks, and he’s always coming forward. I think the time that he can catch me is when I’m standing still and letting him move forward. I think I’m a better grappler, I think, overall, my striking is better, I think I’m in better condition and I’m stronger. But, realistically, until I get in there, I don’t really know what’s going to happen.

Do you have a prediction for how it’s going to play out?

Yeah; I think I’ll, probably, win by TKO in the second or third round.

Second or third?

Yeah. Not that I’m a slow-starter, but I think my style works really well, and I like to grind guys out in the first round—wear them out—and then in the second or third round, I’m more comfortable with what I want to do.

You know, rankings are what they are, but last time I checked you were the No. 9 ranked lightweight in Canada according to MMACanada.net. How do you feel about that?

I think it’s fair. After this fight, I want to start fighting guys above me on that list—I want to start proving that I’m one of the best. If I’m not fighting the best guys, I don’t want to be one of those guys that’s 17-1 with a green mohawk and a bunch of crappy tattoos that’s fighting in Battle in the Barn 42 [laughs]. Realistically, I want to make it to a big show, and I want to show people what I can do and what I’ve been training to do.

[Laughs] Do you feel that there are too many crazy haircuts in the sport?

There are a lot, you know? Two that I liked were Douglas and Dhiego Lima—the brothers in the MFC.

Those guys are good.

They are. I like the way they do their hair—especially Dhiego; he had the Brazilian flag carved into his hair. I think that’s pretty cool. Personally, I probably won’t ever dye my hair or anything like that—it’s too curly and long.

That’s almost like a prerequisite if you want to get on "The Ultimate Fighter."

Yeah. Realistically, you need to stand out and whatever helps you stand out—props to you—but at the same time, I think, my crappy sense of humour and technique stands out for itself.

You don’t have any tattoos—do you?

I don’t.

Have you thought about getting one?

I have thought about it, and I have a tattoo sponsor, but at the same time, I don’t know what I want to put on my body for the rest of my life. I keep changing what I like every five years.

[Laughs] It’s a good thing you didn’t go ahead and get an environmental protection tattoo.

I’d definitely look pretty stupid.

Have you thought about taking the "The Ultimate Fighter" route?

I have, but at the same time, I don’t know what weight class to compete in. Sometimes, it takes a while to get down to 155—my walking-around weight was 188 six weeks ago—so I’d probably have to go at 170. I’d love to get on there.

From today, what is your ideal career plan?

I would like to get a big fight in a big organization, and I’d like to own my own gym—those are things that I really want. I’m not saying that’s five years in the future or whatever, but when I’m done fighting, I want to be a coach.

Is that something that you’ve always been interested in?

I like teaching. Before I took the environmental route, I wanted to be a teacher—I guess I kind of made the wrong turn there [laughs]. I do like teaching other people how to do things; I like teaching things properly.

In the meantime, do you still have your eyes on Gary Busey? You said that last time we spoke, but it hasn’t been set up, yet.

No. I keep asking promoters and nothing has come of it.

Have you been watching him on "The Apprentice?"

Oh, man—that guy’s amazing. I love him; he’s awesome. Realistically, who do I want to fight? I’ll take whoever I can get—I fight to fight and I like preparing for fights. Realistically, I’d like to fight outside of Canada—I love fighting here in Edmonton—but I’d like to use this skill that I have abroad.

Like in Japan? Europe?

I’d love to fight in Japan, and I’d love to fight in England. I’d love to go somewhere else—even in the States.

Realistically, how far do you think you can go in this sport?

I think the sky is the limit, realistically. It’s how far you’re willing to go. A lot of the guys that I started with have quit—well not really quit—but they didn’t train as hard as they could have and they got mediocre results. You’ve got to think of yourself as a product and, basically, advertise yourself. Look at Ryan Ford; he gets out there and he sells tickets—everyone knows who he is in the area and he does a great job marketing himself. That’s what people need to learn.

How would you like to be remembered when it’s all said and done?

I’d like to be remembered as a humble champion—but we'll see how that goes [laughs].

[Laughs] Are you questioning whether you’ll get a championship or if you’ll remain humble? Do you think you’d have a tough time staying humble?

I don’t know. I think it would be pretty easy to stay humble. I do tell people that I piss excellence, but I don’t actually mean it. I just want to stay grounded and keep plugging away.

Is there anything that you’d like to say to your fans while you have this opportunity?

I don’t have anything off hand that’s mildly funny. I don’t know—stay in school.

That’s good advice.

Don’t work for the government—it’s soul-crushing.

[Laughs] How about Gary? I know he’ll be reading this.

I would crush you in the cage. This could come back and bite me in the ass if he wants to fight me.