Talking with MMA fighters Carl Dieckmann and Ben Guymon

Last week we interviewed Ed Whitmore, who is fighting Carl Dieckmann for the 185-pound SteelFist pro title this Saturday at the Legacy Events Center in Farmington. This week, we chatted with Dieckmann (he's the one sans a shirt in the above football photo) about the fight and what it's like to come back after a few years out due to a long-term injury from football.

Dieckmann: "While playing footbalI broke my Fibula and Tibula. After my surgery to fix the damage I developed compartment syndrome. Long story short; my body tried to kill my leg off. 

"I am stubborn and decided I wanted to fight and continue pushing myself. Boxing and wrestling and jitz all the time., while adapting a smarter way to train, so as to not reinjure myself!! ... I love combat, I wanted to compete and was offered a fight by Blake Sprouse! 

"I admire the older guys, who fight to fight!! ... I never really research whom I fight, I rely on my knowledge skills and toughness and go out and truly see who comes out on top!! (The gentlemen in the above photo) have been my rock and rebuild crew!! #Oilerforlife #Gofightwin #BTW

Whitmore versus Dieckmann looks to be a great bout, and we wish both good luck.

A CHAT WITH AMATEUR BEN GUYMON

Also on Saturday's card is a three-round amateur bout between Box Elder County's Ben Guymon, who trains with Pat Reeves' Pack at Foley's gym in Ogden. His opponent in the 145 pound bout is Kyle Frazier of One Hit MMA. 

Ben, seen working out with fellow Pack member, amateur Eric Munoz, was kind enough to spare a few minutes to talk about the bout. 

Guymon: "I've been training 6 days a week for this fight. I do drills on Monday, spar on Wednesday and grapple  Thursdays. I then have a mitt session on Friday. ...

"I also lift kettle bells every other day, and run or do some form of cardio on the days I don't lift. My trainers are Patrick Reeves, Billy Zumbrun and Dave Foley. My training partners are Eric Munoz, Geovanni Gavilanez, Todd Pacheco and Justin Roberts. ...

"(My opponent's) name is Kyle Frazier. He trains at One Hit MMA. He's a wrestler and a kick boxer. ... I define my style as freestyle. There is a little bit of everything in what I do. I constantly work on being a complete fighter. I got bullied every day when I was a kid. As soon as I could, I started in Martial Arts. I began with Shaolin Kung Fu and a variety of other Martial arts, including Muay Thai and Judo. ... 

"When I was 17 I saw a couple of UFC cards. I thought it looked fun, so I sought out some trainers and got to work! ... I would love to make fighting my career, and will work myself to the bone to get there! ... Georges St. Pierre is the fighter I most admire. I always thought it was cool how much respect he showed his opponents. Yet he was still dangerous."

Thanks Ben, I'd like to chat with him more about how learning MMA helped him deal with childhood bullying. We wish Ben and Kyle the best on Saturday night.

A FEW MORE STRAIGHT RIGHTS ...

Munoz, by the way, is set to fight in Ogden in April. ... There's a Brigham City amateur boxing card on Feb. 25. Dave Foley of Foley's gym provided me a list of gym fighters who will compete. They are: Carson Matthews, 12, 95 pounds; Lizbeth Herrera, 17, 147 pounds; Alex Treadway, 18, heavyweight; Luis Cornejo, 16, 135 pounds, Vinnie Apodaca, 10, 86 pounds; and Cole Kunzler, 17, 120 pounds. Other gyms with fighters are invited to email me their fighters competing: doug1963@gmail.com

Finally, professional boxer Josh Morales left the hospital today after being seriously ill for a while. There's a Go Fund Me account for those wishing to help here.

MMA pro Ed Whitmore readies for SteelFist title bout

Ed Whitmore, an 185-pound MMA pro with an 11-5 record, from Provo ((see above), has enjoyed success with Team Unbreakable. In fact, most of his recent bouts have been for regional titles, including SteelFist and The Clash,

He's part of SteelFist promotion's Feb. 18 card at the Legacy Events Center in Farmington, where he'll fight another Utahn, Carl Dieckmann, for the SteelFist 185-pound pro title. It's an intriguing match. Dieckmann, of Team Extreme, 11-2, is returning after a three-year absence. Whitmore has wins over Cody Udy, Cisco Alcantara and Mike Crisman. Dieckmann has wins over Alcantara, Crisman and Shawn Conroy.

I chatted with Whitmore as he prepares for the five-round bout:

On training: Whitmore: My training for this bout is about the same as always. It includes several sparring sessions and several grappling session per week, along with lots and lots of cardio conditioning. 

On Carl Dieckmann: Whitmore: I don't know very much about my opponent's fighting style. I heard that he got hurt somehow and wasn't expected to return to MMA. Having over two years off might be a good thing for him or it might be a disadvantage. It's hard to say. 

On his fight style: Whitmore: I define my fight style as Mixed Martial Arts. You have to be good at everything in this sport and so that's what I focus on: everything. I hate watching boring fights and I hate being a part of boring fights even more. I'm not here to just win; I'm here to bust people up and make them never want to fight me again. I'm motivated to train hard for two reasons: hurting my opponent and giving a good show. I've always been into fighting, often unsanctioned. I grew up moving around a lot so there were always new people to throw down with. When I was 21 I discovered an MMA gym close to me and started training there. That was almost 8 years ago now. I see myself as having the discipline and skill of an athlete mixed with the aggression and toughness of a brawler. 

On long-term goals in MMA: Whitmore: My long term goals are to get to the highest level that I can. I'm here to fight because I love it and I don't anticipate stopping anytime soon. I haven't even reached my physical prime yet!

"Fighters that I admire are guys who put it all on the line, fighting with relentless fury. I like guys like Robbie Lawler, Diego Sanchez, Dan Henerson, and Cody Garbrandt.

Thanks a lot for the interview Ed, and we wish you the best on the 18th. It will be a good matchup. Dieckmann is a strong opponent; kudos to SteelFist for the match. More info on card here.

SOME BOXING NEWS

Chatted with Julian Stevens of Lights Out gym in Clearfield. He had a couple of amateur boxers compete on a card in Idaho last weekend. Here's his report:

STEVENS: "Ozmanny Sanchez, 9 years old, fought Ty Harris from Pocatello 11 years old. (He) lost a close decision in his first fight but improved every round. Destiny McCubbin (also an amateur MMA fighter) won against Hailey Russel, out of Mori Academy. She looked phenomenal. We couldn't get our elite fighters matched but John Daniels, Josh Morales, Chris France and Jon Bryant should all be fighting on the 25th in Brigham City."

FINAL BLURBS

Professional boxer from Logan, Christian Nava, says he's likely to be in the ring again soon, perhaps in March. ... MMA professional from Ogden Jordan Chandler will be fighting on the SteelFist April card. Opponent is yet to be named. ... Pro boxer Jose Haro of West Jordan says training is going well as he rehabs from a foot injury. ... Also, please spare some thoughts and prayers for the aforementioned pro boxer Josh Morales, who was seriously ill earlier this week.