Matt Mitrione Talks about the NFL, TUF 10, Kimbo Slice & more
Exclusive Interview with UFC Heavyweight contender Matt Mitrione
Former professional football player Matt Mitrione caused quite a stir on Season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter with his actions inside the cage and in the house. Few took Mitrione seriously as an MMA fighter until he dismantled the well-respected Scott Junk. Despite Mitrione’s antics and his loss to James McSweeney in the quarterfinals, fans and fighters alike started to see the raw talent in the long-armed Mitrione. The talent was on full display when he dismantled the intimidating Marcus Jones on The Ultimate Fighter Finale. Now, Mitrione will face the highly-publicized Kimbo Slice at UFC 113. In the midst of his training camp at the Roufus Academy, Mitrione took some time to speak with ProFighting-fans.com Editor-in-Chief Scott Dryden.
SD- Speak about your career both collegiately and professionally and what you learned from that.
MM- As far as what applies to MMA, I learned a tremendous amount about work ethic and discipline and where that can get you. MMA is different because it is a team environment but once you step into the cage it’s just you, your opponent, the referee and God. If you don’t push yourself in practice and cardio you will pay the price. Cardio is the worst part. Cardio really sucks. No one likes to do cardio. If they say they do they are lying. You put yourself in situations to make sure you are prepared and as well conditioned as possible. If you allow your training partners to take it easy on you and not push you, you are limiting yourself on how good you can be. That is what football taught me, to never take it easy and to always push myself.
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Matt Mitrione defeated fellow TUF 10 contestant Marcus Davis on the TUF 10 Finale. |
SD- Where did you play in college and the NFL?
MM- I played at Purdue University. In the pros I played at for the New York Giants in 2002 and 2003. I was with the 49ers for a cup of coffee in 2004. I was with the Vikings in 2005 and they brought me back in 2008.
SD- What position did you play?
MM- I played D-tackle and D-End. I was a swing man playing all four positions across the line. I was a pass rusher so they would bring in on 2nd and long or 3rd down passing situations.
SD- Looking back at your experience on The Ultimate Fighter- were the “mental” issues just a ploy to get attention or what was going on there?
MM- That was just me dicking around, just acting crazy. I’m nuts. You have to be nuts to do what we do. I mean jumping in a cage and fight someone who is trying to hurt you. You have to be nuts to do that. It was really me being bored. It was my own form of self entertainment. Anyone that knows me thought it was hysterical. For those who don’t know how I am or what makes me tick they thought I was crazy.
SD- Following your victory over Scott Junk you ticked Big Baby (Marcus Jones, also a former NFL player) off. He wanted a shot at you and few gave you a shot. How confident were you coming into that fight?
MM- I was 97% sure that I was going to completely demolish him.
SD- You took him out with relative ease. How has your game progressed since that fight?
MM- You know it’s been mat time. I have so much time wrestling with the Purdue wrestling squad and guys like Jake O’Brien. That has really helped my game tremendously. In the Midwest its wrestling and jiu-jitsu. There is always going to be big guys that can roll. I’ve really developed a lot of patience and conditioning. I’ve really gotten my ground game better, my sweeps, etc. I’ve spent a lot of time on it. As far as stand up; I felt like I really needed to hone in on my stand up skills. I’m a natural puncher and a natural striker but there was no really tutelage there that I took too. That is why I decided to come up to Coach Duke's (Duke Roufus) camp and spend 6-7 weeks away from home to really focus on my stand up to be more efficient.
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SD- You now have a big fight coming up at UFC 113 against Kimbo Slice. Before we get into the fight what were your thoughts regarding all of the attention he garnered on the show?
MM- The first four weeks or so was the Kimbo show then it turned into the Matt show. You know he did a lot to bring a ton of attention and ratings to TUF. I say good for him, great for him. I mean Kimbo is a cool ass dude. He is humble and from what I saw has a really good work ethic. I was really impressed with him and having nothing bad to say about Kimbo whatsoever.
SD- As you come into the fight with Kimbo what are your concerns and where do you think you have the advantage?
MM- I think he has some power. He seems pretty quick and relatively athletic. He seems pretty aggressive. Honestly I don’t see too many things that will be bad for me. If he wants to stand and bang with me, cool! I don’t think there are too many people that can take what I throw to the chin. I’m excited; I’m long, strong and athletic. I’m in pretty good cardio shape. I don’t see any drawbacks to the fight. If I stand there like a punching bag then it might be different. I don’t see that happening.
SD- Thanks Matt, I know you are busy but one last thing. Do you have any messages for your fans?
MM- For anyone that saw through what was going on TUF and had an open mind and saw my personality; thanks a lot. It truly means a lot to me and my family. Honestly, Dell has a gaming platform called Alienware which is one of my main sponsors. They saw marketability and personality in me. That is phenomenal to bring a corporate America company like Dell to the UFC. That opens windows for everybody. All we have to do is make sure we handle ourselves with class and dignity. Pretty soon the UFC is going to be like the NFL where we are a major force to be reckoned with. I appreciate everyone’s support but most of all I appreciate them supporting the sport of MMA.
By Scott Dryden
ProFighting-fans.com Editor-in-Chief
Photos used with permission by the UFC