Spencer “The King” Fisher (22-4) has become the poster child for MMA in the state of
Rich Wyatt: Growing up in Cashiers, what kind of sports were you into as a kid?
Spencer Fisher: I played soccer a bit growing up. I was also a big pro wrestling fan as a kid. We had two channels and on Saturday mornings I used to always watch pro wrestling and cartoons.
Rich Wyatt: How did you first get introduced to mixed martial arts?
Spencer Fisher: Mark Zachary in Cashiers was the local Karate teacher in town. I began training in Karate and excelled at it. Like everybody else I saw some of the first UFC events and it captured my interest. At the time there was a guy teaching Jeet Kune Do in
Rich Wyatt: When did you first venture out to
Spencer Fisher: I went to a Jens Pulver seminar in
Rich Wyatt: Do you still train there primarily?
Spencer Fisher: No. I’ve opened my own gym in
Rich Wyatt: You made your UFC debut back in 2005 against Thiago Alves, a man who is challenging for Georges St. Pierre’s world welterweight title in July. You submitted Thiago in the second round. What was that like, fighting such a talented opponent in your UFC debut?
Spencer Fisher: Well, I didn’t really care who the opponent was. Getting in there was my lifelong dream. I would have fought someone 100 pounds heavier than me. Having come from a small town like I did, it was just a great feeling and a real dream come true.
Rich Wyatt: You began to really get a following after your highlight reel knockout of Matt Wiman and your two wars with Sam Stout. What has been your favorite fight thus far in your career?
Spencer Fisher: I’d say my fight with Josh Neer sticks out the most. It was actually before I had even had a chance to fight in the UFC. That fight gave me a gut check on whether or not I really wanted to do this for a living. It was a match on a Victory Fighting Championship show out here in the
Rich Wyatt: You’ve won your last two consecutive UFC fights and now have a fight scheduled for the UFC’s June 13th show in
Spencer Fisher: No. I’ve been over for some of the
Rich Wyatt: Your upcoming opponent will be Caol Uno (25-11-4). What do you see as Caol’s strengths and how do you see this fight going?
Spencer Fisher: Well, his strengths are his heart and conditioning. It’s no secret that my weakness is my wrestling and he seems to be a strong wrestler. I see him going for a single leg the whole time. I think he’s an exciting fighter and I look up to the guy. Ironically, I met Jens shortly after he had fought Uno. I think it’ll be a great knockout victory for me.
Rich Wyatt: Tell us what a typical week of training is like for you while in training camp before a fight?
Spencer Fisher: Well, like I mentioned earlier, I own my own gym now. I teach all my own classes and go in at 8:00 AM. I’ll teach a class from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM. I usually work cardio from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM. Some days we work plyometrics. Other days we work drills like running with a weighted sled uphill. We do a lot of reps. I try to stay hydrated and drink lots of water. We also get more intense with sparring as we get closer to the date of the fight. I train with lots of talented sparring partners.
Rich Wyatt: If you win this match, where do you think that puts you in the pecking order of the lightweight division? Also, is there anyone out there in particular that you’d really like to fight?
Spencer Fisher: A win against Uno would have to throw me in the mix. I’m not a guy who cares about titles or rankings. I think B.J. Penn is the best in the world right now. He’s the man and I’d love a shot at him. I want to fight whoever wants to fight me. My thing is: I’m not going to be out there and fight boring. I always look to finish and expect my opponents to do the same. I’m going out there to knock you out. I’ll fight anybody that they put in front of me that will come to fight.
Rich Wyatt: The state of
Spencer Fisher: It’s growing. You know, I’m excited about it. People forget that UFC 3 and UFC 5 were in
Rich Wyatt: There had been guys from
Spencer Fisher: I love it. Meeting all these guys, the guys I’ve always looked up to, has been great. I’m just a big fan of the sport and I still look up to these guys that are my peers and that I work with. It’s a great feeling to be a part of something like this and I’m glad to see
Rich Wyatt: As time goes by and more and more athletes begin competing here, do you think that we’ll begin to see more guys from
Spencer Fisher: I can’t imagine why not. I know several guys from
Rich Wyatt: I understand that your wife, Emily, has competed a few times in MMA. What’s it like cornering for her?
Spencer Fisher: It’s the worst feeling in the world. The only thing worse would be watching your kid fight. It’s a bit of a helpless feeling. I can help train and prepare her, but it all falls on her in the cage. There’s nothing I can do to help her in there. Actually, she just fought recently and she’s been successful so far.
Rich Wyatt: Who do you like in the B.J. Penn-Kenny Florian fight for the lightweight title later this summer?
Spencer Fisher: That’s a good question. It depends on which BJ shows up. Does he want to prove a point to everyone that he’s still the best in the world? If so I think it’s no contest. If he comes in bored or uninterested, Florian is hungry and will take it. It’s a tough one to call.
Rich Wyatt: You have perhaps the best fighter entrance music in the sport. Can we look forward to hearing Johnny Cash’s “God’s Gonna Cut You Down.” playing on June 13th in
Spencer Fisher: It’s funny because I think that I started a craze with that. It’s like I tell people all the time: I’m from
Rich Wyatt: Is there anything that you’d like to say in closing?
Spencer Fisher: I just want to thank everyone for their support. To all the up and coming fighters there in
MMAForReal.com would like to thank Spencer Fisher for taking time to talk with us. We wish him the best in his upcoming fights.
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