Marcus Finch Interview

Marcus Finch discusses his upcoming pro MMA debut

When we spoke awhile back, you had mentioned that one of your short term goals was to finish your amateur career and get the ball rolling as a professional. How does it feel now that you are at that point?

I always work hard and train like a mad-man, even on the days that I am supposed to be off, I may go on a long run to get something in. But, this is really just making me work even harder.

I feel like I have become more technically sound. I have gone with my boxing coach Brian Kenmore a lot, some days I go only with him. I have also been with my muay-thai coach Dahei Haile and jiu-jitsu coach Cory Boyle as well as a couple of strength coaches quite a bit. I have worked a lot more with those guys and matured so much more.

What do you look forward to the most to starting your professional mixed martial arts career?

I just look forward to getting in there and upping the competition level and making me step up and mature in my fighting game. I mostly look forward to the better competition and helping me grow and advance as a fighter.

Marcus Finch will make his pro MMA debut at Absolute Action MMA on October 16, 2010.

Could you fill our readers in about where you are training? I know you had mentioned last time that you were thinking about creating your own gym. What is the status on that?

I still do my own thing but I am also officially training with Vision MMA. They have a bunch of good guys over there. They have guys like Victor O’Donnell, Daniel Strauss, and Roger Bowling, all of them guys. They have a lot of good guys there who help.

Is there anyone at Vision MMA that you worked with specifically with this opponent in mind?

I actually have worked with all of those guys over there. It’s like a little family environment over there. It is really a great gym and I look for it to be one of the best gyms very soon.

This June, you were getting ready for an amateur bout for Absolute Action and mentioned that you would like to get one more additional fight before turning pro. How did that bout go and did you get to fight in any other amateur bouts?

In that fight, I won by TKO in the 2nd round but I dominated the entire fight. I actually had broken my hand in the 1st round of that fight and had another fight coming up in August. I wasn’t able to take that other fight. My hand wasn’t fully healed and my coaches didn’t want me to take it and risk anything for my future.

You have achieved a great deal as an amateur including collecting three belts in different organizations. Do you feel that that adds any pressure when beginning your professional career?

No, because I’ve always trained, even when I was over at Cincy MMA, five minute rounds with 30-second breaks. I have always trained at a high level. Over at Vision MMA, we train five-minute rounds with a lot of round robin sparring. I stay in and they give me a fresh person, so I have always trained at a high level.

Tell me a little about you professional debut. Who is your opponent, what organization is it for, when is it?

It is for Absolute Action MMA at Turfway Park (Florence, KY) this coming Saturday (October 16th) at a catch-weight of 190-pounds. I guess they had a little trouble finding me an opponent, so they got this guy named Roger Minton. He agreed to a fight at 190-pounds and he looks to be coming down from a pretty heavy weight.

Have you been able to break down your opponent, possibly find any video or talk to someone who knows your opponent?

The way we train, we train to be well-rounded, and even if we don’t have a fight, we still train hard. That way when it’s time for a fight, we just turn it up a little bit more. I did get to see him fight at 257-pounds a year ago, but he could be a whole different fighter now, so I can’t really go on that.

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When we spoke last, you listed your strengths as your power, conditioning and having a good chin. Do you still consider those to be your top strengths?

I would say that I am more technically sound now, I still have the conditioning and I am well-rounded.

What are some of the things that you think you need to improve on to become even a better mixed martial artist?

Everything. I think I need to incorporate a few more disciplines. I need to work those disciplines into my style and become more well-rounded.

What are some of your goals now that you are going to be making your professional debut?

I still want to be the best that I can be. First of all, it’s to get this fight out of the way and win decisively. After that, start climbing the ladder and improve.

Would you eventually be interested in moving up and fighting at a heavier weight later in your career or does that not interest you?

Wherever the competition is, I want to dominate the weight class. When I’m the best in that specific weight class and beat all the top people in that division, I’ll go up or down and fight. It’s all about where the top competition is.

Who, if any, are the mixed martial artists that you look up to and would like to follow in their footsteps?

Anderson Silva, because he is a monster. He definitely dominates the weight class that he is in. He is not a good fighter, he is a great fighter. He is the most technically sound person in MMA, if you ask me. At least as far as do what he would like to do and control the fight that he is in.

Do you ever have a chance to sit down and watch any of the big fights?

I’m kind of like a mad scientist. When I’m not training, I’m thinking about it watching UFC Unleashed, watching stuff on the internet. You probably would think that I’m crazy. I even watch fights when I’m at work. I eat breath and sleep this.

What do you do outside of training? Do you train full-time or do you work full-time?

I wake up at 5:00 AM and get ready for work. I go to work from 7 to 3 working as a nurse’s assistant. After work, I began my training for the rest of the evening. I then go to bed and wake up to do the same thing the next day. Even on my off days, I’m training probably two times a day.

I understand that no fighter is ever 100% healthy, but all things considered, how is yours heading into this pro debut?

I don’t have any lingering injuries at all. Actually this is the first fight that I have been at weight, so I have been doing a lot of technical things and testing my hands. I haven’t hit anybody for real since I broke my hand.

Marcus, I’d really like to thank you for giving me the time for this interview. I would like to wish you good luck on this fight, and look forward to following your career. I know that we will hear big things from you in the very near future.

Is there anyone outside of the fighting circles that you would like to give a mention to?

First and foremost I would like to thank the Good Lord, my family for believing in me, Scott for helping me out with things like this interview, and thanks to all my coaches and teammates.

By Nick Russell
ProFighting-fans.com Senior MMA Staff Writer