Interview with MMA amateur Destiny McCubbin

Mixed martial artist Destiny McCubbin, formerly of West Haven, has been in Las Vegas a while, training very hard as she pursues her goals in the cage. (She's seen above training in the Rich Castro photo and in the two mat photos below she's training with Dewey Cooper) On Saturday, Sept. 16, in Mesquite, Nevada, she's part of a TuffNUff card at the CasaBlanca. McCubbin, whose moniker is "My Time," faces Cindie Torango.

I recently interviewed the Northern Utah fighter:
---

UTAH FIGHT GAME: Destiny, relate some about your experience training in Las Vegas? The gym, your gym mates, your trainers, how has it improved your skills and cardio and strength? 

DESTINY: Hey Doug! My experience thus far training in Vegas has been everything I expected and more. I knew it was going to be straight grind mode day in and day out once I stepped foot through those doors. It's different here. This is all people have it's all we do. Train, Eat, Rest, Repeat. Xtreme Couture is great. It is a big gym with big names. Lol I went from being a big fish in a small pond, to a tiny fish in a huge lake. Awesome coaches full of so much knowledge, and they've all seen and done it all. My head coach is Dennis Davis, a vet of our sport. Dewey Cooper is my striking coach - Black Kobra Striking Systems. He's amazing. Also a vet. I'm his only amateur, and although he trains fighters such as Kevin Lee (UFC), Raquel Pa'Aluhi (Invicta FC) and tons of great boxers , he still puts the time and effort into me. Both of my coaches are very dedicated to coaching and being the best, I'm definitely blessed to be apart of their team. Miesha Tate works with me a lot as well whenever she is in which is awesome because she's such a vet. It's cool to see her still care so much about helping WMMA grow even though she is retired. 

Not only great coaches, but I'm surrounded by teammates who are hungry and grind day in and day out. They push me way passed my limits, Making me dig deep. (They) give me the beatings I need in the gym so we have a nice day come fight night! My two main training partners are Cheyenne Vlismas and Gina Mazany. Cheyenne is getting ready to turn pro. If you haven't watched her check her out. She is actually who inspired me to move to Vegas. I used to tell Josh (Morales, Destiny's friend, and a pro boxer), one day I'm going to train with her - just wait. Now she's my main partner and has helped me so much. Gina recently signed under the UFC. That girl has taken me under her wing and is always there to remind me who I am whenever doubts kick in. She's helped a lot with my wrestling and has made me fall in love with it. 

As far as for me, it's made me so much stronger. My body is starting to change into the body of an athlete. My skills have leveled up so much! I'm stoked about my next fight to see where I stand in this sport now. Something tells me I'm going to shock everybody, including myself. Since I've been here I've been training full time. It's hard training full time as well as working full time, so sometimes it's a struggle staying above water. And it's not like there's not money to be made, it's Vegas. There's money all over the place at the tip of my fingers. But I didn't come here to work a ton of hours at a hotel serving cocktails (lol), or sit and work a 9-5 at a desk. I came here to grind, and grow and chase this crazy dream of mine. So that is what I will do, no matter what it takes. I miss my family and they help me so much whenever they can so I've been blessed with them.

UTAH FIGHT GAME: What do you know about your opponent?

DESTINY: I know she has some slick hands and she's a 4 stripe blue belt in Jiu Jitsu from Missouri with a record of 5-1. I think she's going to bring a good fight for sure but I know there isn't any situation that the fight can go to that I haven't been in during my training. It's funny, everybody asks "Is she tough?" or "So is she good?" Lol , yes of course she is. At this point in my career, even as an amateur, they are all going to be good with the sport evolving like it has everybody is pretty well rounded. And even if she's not, as far as I'm concerned she's the best in the world and I have to train to go out there and beat the best in the world. 

UTAH FIGHT GAME: What do you think your main cage strength is?

DESTINY: Four months ago I would have said stand up, mostly boxing with that "pull the trigger" demeanor. Now I feel so much more well rounded in my wrestling, and ground game. Dennis has tons of cool, dirty tricks up his sleeve that I can't wait to use! My stand up isn't just a boxing stand up anymore either after working with Dewey. He's showing me how to use all of the weapons I have. "No hesitation with the combination " as he always says. I've only been with him about 2 months now, but I'm very excited to see where my striking is at in 6 months.

Thanks so much for sharing time with us, Destiny, and good luck on Sept. 16. 

---

Some tidbits: Former Davis County prep athlete Court McGee, now well-known as a UFC veteran, returns to the Octagon on Nov. 11, where he'll meet Sean Strickland in Norfolk, Va., as part of UFC Fight Night 120.

Fierce Fighting Championships is unveiling its card in Tooele on Sept. 30. Main event matches Trever Carlson versus Antonio Arroyo. Another pro match that seems very interesting matches veteran Tanner Cowan against Nate Kearsley.

MMA pro Mike Jones, who often fights locally, will compete against Adam Vigil at Legacy Fighting Alliance 22 on Sept. 8 in Broomfield, Colo.

Next week the blog will interview MMA pro John Valentine on his upcoming SteelFist bout on Sept. 16 against Rowdy Akers. The week after we should have an interview with Akers. It's the final pro bout for both.

AJ Garcia versus Troy Dennison part of SteelFist in July

SteelFist's July MMA card in Salt Lake City is being slowly unveiled. An intriguing lightweight match is between Ogden's AJ Garcia, who recently defeated Rowdy Akers in his pro debut, against a tough veteran, Troy Dennison.

Other bouts include the pro debut of former University of Utah and NFL football player, Ben Moa. The heavyweight will meet Trevor Kuresa. Another pro bout matches Carson Gregory, who won a wild pro bout recently, against Jeff Roman, welterweights.

Finally, Mike O'Laskey will try to defend his SteelFist amateur welterweight belt against TJ Mitchell. More bouts will be announced over time.

---

Here's a look at scheduled events from the state athletic commission. August 11 at the Weber County Fairgrounds will be Elite Fight Night 27. We'll be there. SteelFist is scheduled for Sept. 16 (we hope to be there) and Fierce Fighting Championships is back Sept. 30 in Granstville. ... In July, Mesquite, Nev. will host Junior Golden Gloves. We'll work to get a list of local fighters competing.

---

Just a reminder, Daniel Franco, injured after losing his nationally televised bout to West Jordan's Jose Haro, Utah's USBA featherweight champ, is still on the long road to recovery. According to his dad, Al, the prayers, thoughts and contributions have really helped this resilient young man. A Go Fund Me account for Daniel is here.

Some local boxing, Utah MMA updates

Welcome to Part 3 of this week's Utah Fight Game blog. Lots of news. Above is Ogden MMA pro Jordan Chandler (on top) fighting Kerry Lattimer last month in SLC. . He is fighting June 3 in Price as part of the Fierce Fighting Championships. It's at the Carbon County Fairgrounds. He's fighting undefeated Cy Nelson in the co-main. Main bout matches Mike Jones and Ben Robinson.

Here's the card from Mixed Martial Arts.com website. Fierce Fighting Championships also has a strong presence on Facebook.

Later in June, on the 23rd, SteelFist is having its 50th card at Riverbend in SLC. LJ Schulz and Anthony Miller headline and Steve Chan and Miles Welk are co-main. Ben Guymon fights Kaden Weston in a good amateur match up. SteelFist also has a strong Facebook presence with info on all the bouts. I'll be sending interview requests to the four headliners, and others,

--

MORE BOXING NEWS: Last week there was Junior Olympics amateur competition in SLC. From Lights Out gym in Clearfield, Dylan Bahena won, as did Ozmanny Sanchez. Deontay Nish and Manny Reyes lost decisions.

All Heart Boxing in Weber County had Adrianno Benn, in 15-16 125 pounds, competing, and Mehki Benn, 15-16, 101 pounds, competing. "Adrianno is going to Colorado on May 26 for regionals," said Jason DeCarlo of All Heart.

One more thing about All Heart. The gym, along with Lights Out in Clearfield, has scheduled an amateur boxing card on June 3 at the Legacy Events Center in Farmington. More info here.

Finally, undefeated pro boxer Larry Gomez will be fighting on June 9, at The Complex in SLC. We'll let you know more information as we get it.

Here is a list of upcoming events via the state athletic commission website.

DON'T FORGET TO READ OUR TWO PREVIOUS POSTS THIS WEEK.

This one features an interview with MMA amateur Bryce Edminister.

This one includes a Golden Gloves recap and interviews with amateur boxer Jon Bryant and MMA pro John Valentine.

An interview with MMA amateur Bryce Edminister

Again, we have a lot of information for the Utah Fight Blog this week, so I plan to release information over a couple of days, or three. Today features an interview with MMA amateur Bryce Edminister, who fights Nick Estrada at Sand Hollow May 13 at the South Valley Slam. You can see Bryce (above on the left) in a recent bout. He trains at David Castillo's The Garage in Davis County.

We will also have (tomorrow) an interview with John Valentine, also fighting at Sand Hollow. He recently competed in an open Jiu Jitsu tournament in Las Vegas, taking home first place.

We also have info from the National Golden Gloves, and by tomorrow or Saturday hope to hat with Jon Bryant, and his trainer, Julian Sanchez, about the Louisiana experience. Utah's representatives have finished their bouts there.

Finally, we'll update info on the upcoming SteelFist card in June. We will have interviews with fighters as the date draws near. ONE MORE THING: Fierce Fighting Championships has announced a card in June. We'll certainly be covering that as if gets closer. One interesting bit is that Ogden pro Jordan Chandler, who recently won at SteelFist, is scheduled to fight on the card.

Here's the interview with Edminister (6-3-1) who meets Estrada (3-0)

--

UFG: What motivates you about the bout, to go through training?

Edminister: Honestly there's a lot of reasons why this next fight is going to be pivotal one in my fight career. I've been in this game for just over 5 years. That's five years where I've learned different lessons, experienced different situations and have identified what separates the great from the mediocre. I'm at a point in my career where everything is starting to come together on a whole different level than it has before. Seeing everything in my game click and progress is really what is making the grind all worth it. This next fight is going to set the tone for these upcoming years. It's go time! 

UFG: What's your fight style? What is a key strength of your opponent and how will you neutralize that.

Edminister: I like to think I have my own unique style but at the end of the day, especially at this day and age of MMA, we are all just Mixed Martial Artists with our own strengths. I like to think of myself as a technical grappler, with solid footwork on my feet, and decent power in these hands...I guess I'll claim that as my style, ha ha. Nick Estrada has an undefeated record from his relentless pace and heavy hands that have overwhelmed his opponents in the past. I plan to use my angles and footwork to neutralize him on the feet and I have a lot of confidence in my Jiu Jitsu if we end up on the canvas. Nick is a tough individual and this will sure be a fun one for the fans! 

UFG: What's your training like daily? Who is coaching you? Who is working out and sparring with you?

Edminister: We have a very solid approach to the day to day training for this bout. I am happy to claim The Garage as my home here in Layton. My coaches Anthony Lobato, Jason Tafoya and David Castillo are the best in the business. Each bring a different angle and input that has shaped me into the Mixed Martial Artist I am today. With them and my team at The Garage behind me, I am more than confident in how we run our training, sparring, and preparation for this bout. 

UFG: How is MMA improve you and your life. What are some longer-term goals in the sport?

Edminister: Look at the end of the day we are all fighting for something. Some of us in the literal sense and some of us in a metaphorical sense. MMA has taught me that there's always a path to the next level of anything. Sometimes all you have to do is find the path and be willing to step out of your comfort zone and see where new roads lead; a mindset that has impacted my life both inside and outside of the cage. When I win this fight I plan to keep this train rolling with another until my coaches pull the trigger on my professional career. It's coming soon, keep an eye open!

Good luck on May 13, Bryce.

Remember, there will another fight game blog on Friday and likely Saturday as well.