The Triangle Choke: Luke Zachrich Interview

Interview with Middleweight Luke Zachrich as he prepares to face Eric Schambari at Bellator 16 on Thursday, April 29

Former Ultimate Fighter participant Luke Zachrich will face Eric Schambari in the Bellator Middleweight Tournament (Bellator 16) live on Fox Sports Net on April 29th. Zachrich, 9-1, is a talented fighter who has a legitimate shot at winning the Bellator Middleweight Title. In the midst of training Luke took some time to speak ProFighting-fans.com's Editor-in-Chief Scott Dryden.

SD- You haven't competed in over a year. Talk about that and the reasoning.

LZ- Well unfortunately going into my last two fights I was having a lot of pain in my knee. Running was impossible and certain positions while grappling were too painful. I had to grind through it assuming I probably had some torn cartilage or something along the lines. So after my fight in May I went to see the teams orthopedic doctor, Dr. Tim McConnell of Reconstructive Orthopedics. After my examinations he scheduled me for a routine clean up surgery. When they went into my knee he found a vertical tear in my ACL. So I went in for a surgery that I was planning on being back at 100 percent in 10 days and it turned out to be a 3 month lay off. I took the time to get the knee back to normal and got back in shape then had a fight canceled 4 days prior to the event. It really sucked because I was so prepared for that fight and everything was on point. Then I got a call from my manager saying MMA Big Show canceled all the pro fights. Then I was supposed to fight again 1.5 months later and had issues with the opponent so that fight was off too. It was unfortunate the fights didn’t happen but in the big picture I’ve been in constant training camp for the past 9 months so I don’t feel rusty at all.

SD- You are now in the Bellator Middleweight tournament. Speak about the opportunity, the format and the talent within the division.

LZ- Bellator is a great opportunity! The pay is great, the tournament format is great... the cream rises to the top in this type of situation. The great thing about the MW tourney is that there isn’t one weak fighter in the whole field. Everyone has tough fights no matter what your first round draw is.

SD- Where have you been training for this bout against Eric Schambari?

LZ- About 80 percent of this camp has been done in Columbus, Ohio. I have a great team of coaches and training partners here. I do my BJJ at Arthur Ruffs. Arthur is a black belt under Rodrigo Medeiros (a multiple time Pam Am champ and a no gi world champion). Rob Pilger is my boxing coach. He has brought a lot of new elements to my striking game. Another huge asset to my camp in Columbus is Joe Heskett. He is an assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State. Joe was a 4 time All American and NCAA Champion. He has had me doing a lot of wrestling with him and Nickolai Timbs who is a former OSU wrestler too. Then I still head back to Cincinnati about once or twice a week to train with Nathan Fitch at Son Of Siam. Nate is such a great Muay Thai coach - it's worth the drive and when I can't make it he comes here to Columbus to make sure we stay in sync. I also still make trips to Jorge Gurgel's for sparring and grappling as much as I can just to get different looks.

SD- Schambari is a tough competitor with some quality wins. What challenges does he present?

LZ- Schambari is very aggressive, looks like he is in shape but I don’t feel he has the overall skill set that I do.

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SD- You are used to the limelight having competed on The Ultimate Fighter, however this is a live fight on national TV with a win and advance scenario. Do you expect some nerves?

LZ- Honestly leading up to this fight has been the most calm I’ve ever been. Being on TUF and having a camera stuffed in your face for 6 weeks pretty much got all that out of my system so what it all comes down to is a fight is a fight no matter what. I don’t really care about the cameras so I don’t really anticipate any added pressure just because it’s televised.

SD- What can your fans expect on April 29th?

LZ- An explosive, action packed fight. I’m going to do my best to put this kid to sleep.

SD- Thanks Luke, we wish you the best.

LZ- As always thanks to you too, Scott.

By Scott Dryden
ProFighting-fans.com Editor-in-Chief