Evan Anderson's first amateur Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight may have ended in favour of his opponent, but the Carlyle resident knows that this fight is still the first step on the road to a professional career.
In an interview with The Observer en route to his first amateur Hard Knocks Fighting contest, Dec. 13 at Calgary's Century Casino, 22-year-old Anderson said, “I would just like to fight as many fights as I can and turn professional as soon as possible.”
Anderson's first match-against John Nyguyen of Calgary ended in a second-round knockout, but prior to the match between the 145-pound fighters, Anderson was philosophical about the match, and eager to step into the ring.
“As for the fight, as an amateur, you don't know your opponent, so you just implement your game plan and do what you're best at.”
Anderson, a welder, trains at Regina's Queen City Martial Arts every weekend. The 145-pound fighter describes mixed martial arts to the uninitiated as “a smart streetfight.”
“It's definitely not what a lot of people think. It's like a controlled rage. A good way to explain it is like being in the zone, but you definitely have the mindset that you're going to win. You're not going in to lose.”
“In amateur (MMA), there's no knee or elbow to the head allowed,” adds Anderson. “But it's like a street fight.”
Mixed Martial Arts is a full-contact sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, from a variety of other contact sports and martial arts.
MMA competitors come from a number of backgrounds, including: judo, Brazilian jujitsu, boxing, karate, Muay Thai, and others. Fighters usually begin with a base art and then learn other martial arts to round out their skills.
Anderson says he first learned Brazilian jujitsu and Muay Thai.
“I began when I was 13,” he says. “Scott Nicholson taught me. “I've pretty much been preparing to fight since I was 13. When the opportunity to fight my first amateur fight in Calgary came up, I wanted to do it.”
“I definitely want to turn professional. That's my goal and I want to make it my career.”
