One of the greatest aspects of Mixed Martial Arts is the people who participate in them. Naturally, you are bound to run into a few bad seeds here and there, but the majority of the fighters who take their sport seriously are the most humble and motivated people you could ever care to meet.
“Wild Wild” Wes Hanson, who trains out of Glenville, West Virginia is no exception.
Hanson is an MMA fighter rising up the ranks of the North American Allied Fight Series (NAAFS). On Saturday, February 18, he will be taking his 5-0 amateur record into the cage against the undefeated Thomas Uylenbroek.
Wes recently took the time to speak to Bleacher Report and opened up regarding his training, future goals and motivations.
If one were to search for footage online of one of Wes’s fights, they would likely see a couple of his amateur boxing bouts.
“I don’t really like to let guys see my fights,” stated Hanson. “It kind of hurts me in ways like [not gaining exposure] by people like you. I kind of keep it on the low so my opponents can’t scout me as much. When they look [online] all they see is that boxing. I won a State Title in high school in wrestling, and I keep that wrestling and jiu jitsu in my back pocket.”
In addition to being a State Wrestling Champion at Herbert Hoover High School, Wes excelled in football and went on to play at Glenville State. Although football was his first love, he knows it probably would not have transcended into a lucrative career.
“I was always real good at pound-for-pound sports,” explained Hanson. “In wrestling, when you put somebody my size against me I was stronger than they were. In football I’m going up against 350-pound guys who were almost as fast as me. Realistically, this probably isn’t going to get me very far. I’m not the kind of guy who wants to have a nine-to-five job, and MMA started to blow up. Adam Sepulveda, who trained in our gym, started explaining to me what MMA was all about. I have my wrestling background, I got my standup, that’s a good base. Why not try this out?”
Similar to other major sports, preparation for a fight includes being able to replicate the style of the upcoming opponent. Fighters who participate in the amateur fight circuit often do not have the luxury of studying film. Instead they rely on fight recaps, word of mouth and of course their coach’s advice to gauge what they expect to see in the cage.
“It’s not just a brawl anymore when you get into the MMA world,” said Hanson. “Especially with guys who have records like him at 5-0. If you don’t have a gameplan and go in there blind, the odds are stacked up against you. I’ve gameplanned, I’ve got a certain gameplan that I’m going to stick to. I’ve got great coaches and great teammates around me that help me gameplan. We replicate exactly what we think he is going to do based off what we’ve seen.”
If you have seen “Wild Wild” Wes, then you know the man is built like a video game character. His physique is comparable to some of the fittest fighters fans would see in the UFC. His cardio is also second to none.
“Luckily for me I have an opportunity that not a whole lot of people have, especially as an amateur. I’m still an amateur but I’m living like a pro athlete,” stated Hanson. “Leon Ramsey has a house out in Glenville and our gym is connected to his house. Its got a ring, it has bags, it has everything.
“I get up in the morning, and I eat healthy. I have a really strict diet. I use a program called Body by Vi. These guys came through and helped me out and made a specific diet for me and my regimen. I try to follow that to a ‘T.'”
Once Wes decided to join the MMA game, he didn’t waste any time racking up victories. All five of his fights took place in 2011. Four of those five fights ended in a first round TKO for him, and one went to a decision. At 23, he definitely has time on his side, but he is not going to take it easy in 2012.
When asked if he was going to try and match the number of fights he had last year, Hanson said, “That’s the goal. You’re always trying to better yourself. I’ve only been in the MMA game for eight months. It’s amazing how much I’ve absorbed in that eight months because of the guys I have around me, and because of the coaches and opportunities that I have.”
Behind every great person are people who have been a positive influence during the course of their life. For Wes, he was strongly inspired by two very important men.
“My biggest inspiration is really my grandfather and my dad,” shared Hanson. “My grandfather was in the military; he went through a lot in his day to get to where he is. If it wasn’t for him and my grandmother, I wouldn’t even be around. Obviously the things he went through, and the wars, are going to be way worse than anything that I will ever go through. He was put in a position where he has to live or die, and that really motivates me.
“My father was such a hard worker growing up,” continued Hanson. “He is the same way. We were the undersized guys of the family. We were always that underdog. I feel like being successful would be a tribute to them and my family.”
The authenticity in Wes’s voice as he was talking about his grandfather and dad was remarkable. His motivation for succeeding for his family is unquestionable.
However, there is something even deeper driving Wes: a tragic accident that claimed the life of his High School girlfriend.
“I had a girlfriend in high school,” shared Hanson. “I was a senior when I started dating her, and she was a sophomore. As I graduated and went to college, her junior year in high school she died in a car accident. We were real close. After she died in that car accident, it was kind of like, I was 18 years old and I was in love and thought I was going to marry this girl, it took my whole life for a ride. I didn’t know what was going on.”
Wes continued on to discuss how his friends and family rallied around him to propel him forward.
“Having to come through that and having your family and friends and everyone bond around you so close,” said Hanson. “It just really puts a whole new spin on life. I just feel like I’m not going to go through another day in my life that is going to be more difficult than that time period in my life. I can always turn back to that and look at things and realize that my life is going pretty good.”
For those that know Wes, or follow him on Twitter (@WildWild145), you know that he is a man of faith. He quotes inspirational scripture from the Bible and knows that God will never “Give me anything that I couldn’t handle.”
Wes grew up in a Christian environment at home, although “it wasn’t real strict.” Around his junior year of high school, he started to attend church on his own.
Following the death of his girlfriend, Wes said, “I turned to God and asked him for strength and he pulled me through it.”
Hanson is eager to face the best competition, but he and his coaches are also being very smart in how they are prepping him for a run at the professional level.
“My plan is to win this fight and keep trying to climb these ranks of the NAAFS circuit,” stated Hanson. “This is a really good amateur promotion, and I want that [145 lb] NAAFS title and then hopefully get to defend that a couple times.”
Wes Hanson is priming himself for a fast rise up the amateur ladder. He has only been fighting in MMA for eight months, but he has the maturity of a veteran. He is passionate about what he is doing, and he is proof that regardless of how dark your life may seem at times, you can pull yourself through and succeed.
“Wild Wild” Wes Hanson takes on Thomas Uylenbroek at NAAFS Caged Vengeance 10 on Saturday, February 18th. Caged Vengeance 10 will stream live via PPV on GFL.tv. The live stream will begin at 6:30pm (EST) on both www.NAAFS.tv and www.GFL.tv for a fee of only $9.99.
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