Caged Fury 14 Preview -Dan Spohn Interview

The NAAFS is one of the fastest-growing mixed martial arts companies in the United States, and they are known across the Midwest and beyond for putting on high-intensity fights featuring skilled fighters. One such fighter is Dan “The Dragon” Spohn, who is rising to the top of the stack for the first time in his career and is being featured as a main event fighter in the upcoming Caged Fury 14 on February 26 th. Spohn is a hard-charging fighter with an excellent gas tank, which will undoubtedly be put to the test when he squares off with UFC veteran Josh Hendricks. Dan took time out from training to speak with ProFighting-Fans.com Senior Staff Writer Curt Heinrichs to preview the event.

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Thanks for taking some time to speak with me, Dan. What is your martial arts background and what got you interested in becoming a mixed martial artist?

Actually, my background is in traditional-style Kachido Aikijitsu. It’s a mixture of styles that comes from Japan. It involves swords and katas, and I started straying away from that because I wanted to do some rolling around to get into fighting. I grew up with 3 brothers and we wrestled all the time as kids. It’s mostly what we did. I trained with my brothers and we all had different styles and backgrounds in mixed martial arts and I’ve tried to put it all together.

In your last fight, you beat then-NAAFS Heavyweight champ John Hawk. Talk a bit about that fight and your game plan when you matched up with Hawk.

My game plan for the most part was to keep it standing. He looked pretty comfortable on the ground and he like to get people on the ground and pound them out. I did a pretty decent job of that, I thought. I didn’t really control the center of the cage quite like I wanted to, but I kept him in my range and used my striking advantage and it worked well for me.

You started your fighting career with a 9-4 record as an amateur before beginning your Pro career 3-0. How have you improved as a fighter since your days as an amateur?

I think the biggest part is general comfort in the cage. You have to get in there a lot and get used to how it feels to get in there and fight in front of people. Once I got comfortable in the cage, I could really show how I could fight.

In your next fight, you will be taking on UFC veteran Josh Hendricks as the main event of Caged Fury 14. What does it mean to you to rise through the ranks of the NAAFS and fight in the main event?

To be a main event anywhere means a lot. It should mean a lot to any fighter, but especially to be a main event fighter in the NAAFS in Ohio means a lot. It’s one of the biggest organizations, and to be the main event against a guy who’s been in the UFC really means a lot. This is my biggest fight yet and I’ve been training really seriously.

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Speaking of Hendricks, what do you know about him and what do you expect to see from him heading into the fight on February 26 th?

I know he’s really experienced. He’s got a lot of fights, especially as a pro. He’s coming down from heavyweight, so he’ll be a really big guy. If he sticks to his usual game plan, he’ll probably try to close the distance. That’s one thing we’re going to try to keep him from doing. I don’t want him to get comfortable and my main thing is to take him out of his game so I can work mine.

Hendricks is known for being a dangerous fighter in all aspects of the game. What has your training consisted of in preparation for such a well-rounded opponent?

Not really, I train in a way where I try to get better in all aspects at all time. The one thing that I’ve worked on is training with heavier opponents, so I can be used to fighting a heavier guy. I work with guys that weigh 260-270 so I can be used to fighting someone of his size. I know he’s going to be bigger than me come fight night, and I am trying to be ready for that.

While you’ve spent your whole career at 205 lbs., Hendricks is actually dropping down from Heavyweight for the first time. What problems does a bigger fighter pose for you and do you have any larger training partners at Cambridge MMA to prep with?

We’ve figured he’s be well over 205 during the fight, and I’ve been working on keeping my weight a little higher so I can put some back on after the weigh-in. I’m obviously not going to be 205 come fight time, but I’ve been working with bigger guys and hopefully it shouldn’t mess with my game too much and I’ll be ready for him.

Does fighting a UFC veteran or being in the main event change your outlook on the fight?

I go in pretty much with the same fight. To me, every fight is a title fight. Every fight is a little more important than the last. You have to fight to get to the next, so I don’t think about any fight except the one that I’m going into next.

Do you have a prediction for the outcome of the fight?

I know what I want to happen, but there’s really no way to predict it. You go in there and have a plan and that changes once you get hit or roll one way to another. Ideally, I’d like to finish the fight fast, but we’ll see how it goes.

Thanks again for taking time for an interview. Is there anyone you’d like to thank?

I’d like to thank my trainer, as always, Tim McConahey. Of course thanks to my training partners that I roll with. I actually had a chance to roll with Thad Schlicter, who I fought. I’d like to thank him. Joe McCall, I’ve worked with him since he’s a bigger guy. I’d like to thank my wife for being patient with me, I’d like to thank everybody.

By Curt Heinrichs
ProFighting-fans.com MMA Staff Writer