James Te Huna, who fights Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night this Friday (Saturday in Australia), doesn’t hesitate when asked what he learned from his last fight. Before his first round submission loss to Glover Teixeira at UFC 160 in May, Te Huna was mentally ready for a different sport entirely.”I learned that I was in an MMA match, not a boxing match,” he laughs. “The whole lead up to the fight, I had no regrets during training, I did everything right, did a lot of groundwork and kickboxing and this and that but I mentally went into that fight thinking it wa … Read the Full Article Here
James Te Huna, who fights Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night this Friday (Saturday in Australia), doesn’t hesitate when asked what he learned from his last fight. Before his first round submission loss to Glover Teixeira at UFC 160 in May, Te Huna was mentally ready for a different sport entirely.”I learned that I was in an MMA match, not a boxing match,” he laughs. “The whole lead up to the fight, I had no regrets during training, I did everything right, did a lot of groundwork and kickboxing and this and that but I mentally went into that fight thinking it wa … Read the Full Article Here
In 2011, heavyweight Mark Hunt told UFC.com if he didn’t win his next fight he’d be looking for a new organization or a new line of work. If he beats Junior dos Santos in their fight this Saturday at UFC 160, he could be in line for a title shot. And while he doesn’t gush about his own achievements, he admits he’s proud of how far he’s come.“I am pretty proud of it, going from where I was to where I am today, so it’s great.”Heavy hitter Junior Dos Santos believes he can knock Mark Hunt out. Hunt, a former K-1 kickboxing World Grand Prix champion, knows it’s a possibility. But he doesn’t … Read the Full Article Here
In 2011, heavyweight Mark Hunt told UFC.com if he didn’t win his next fight he’d be looking for a new organization or a new line of work. If he beats Junior dos Santos in their fight this Saturday at UFC 160, he could be in line for a title shot. And while he doesn’t gush about his own achievements, he admits he’s proud of how far he’s come.“I am pretty proud of it, going from where I was to where I am today, so it’s great.”Heavy hitter Junior Dos Santos believes he can knock Mark Hunt out. Hunt, a former K-1 kickboxing World Grand Prix champion, knows it’s a possibility. But he doesn’t … Read the Full Article Here
When James Te Huna and his entourage donned suits and performed a dance to the theme from Men in Black as an entrance for his last fight, it seemed to signal his growing confidence.But in truth, the performance (which went viral with MMA fans) gave Te …
When James Te Huna and his entourage donned suits and performed a dance to the theme from Men in Black as an entrance for his last fight, it seemed to signal his growing confidence.But in truth, the performance (which went viral with MMA fans) gave Te Huna a much needed distraction as he battled doubts heading into his bout with Ryan Jimmo. Te Huna, who will fight Glover Teixeira on Saturday at UFC 160, was expecting to get knocked out. And it nearly happened after Jimmo dropped him with a head kick in the first round. “In those last two weeks I knew what was going to happen (I wou … Read the Full Article Here
Ben Alloway, who fights Ryan LaFlare April 6 on UFC on FUEL TV 9, has had an unusually quick journey to the Octagon. Not so long ago, he was working in hospitality and playing soccer locally without any serious aspirations of becoming a full-time athlete. The Gold Coast, Australia local simply began jiu-jitsu as a way to get fit after an injury.
“Not really (did I aspire to be an athlete),” he said. “I did play pro soccer (locally), I got injured, and that’s how I got into MMA. I was actually going to try and get back into the Australian circuit, but fell into MMA and two and a bit years later here we are.”
Alloway, a contestant on 2012’s The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes, credits intensive training for his rapid rise.
“Which Aussie boy doesn’t like to fight? I guess I was just in a position to train full-time doing two sessions a day, so I fast-tracked it a bit that way. Then I had the opportunity to go overseas and train at the H.I.T. squad, and that’s where I decided I wanted to have a crack at making the UFC.”
Alloway has said goodbye to his job as a nightclub manager, and he’s glad to be leaving the life of excess behind.
“The party scene wasn’t too good for my health. I had a lot of fun while I was in it, but MMA sort of brought me out of that industry, which is a good thing in the long run.”
On The Ultimate Fighter, Alloway impressed in his first fight with a second round knockout over Valentino Petrescu. But his next bout was a grueling decision loss to eventual finalist Bradley Scott. Alloway appeared distraught post-fight, and admits he thought his UFC run was over.
But he was given another chance with a fight on the season finale card last December against fellow Australian Manuel Rodriguez. “Benny Blanco” scored a first round KO victory, landing an Anderson Silva-esque front kick to the jaw.
“After I lost to Brad I thought that the ride was over. I didn’t think I’d get that fight on the finale, but getting that chance against Manny, you know they say the sport has ultimate highs and ultimate lows, so I was low for a few weeks on the show when I lost, then when I got the contract to fight in December last year it was another high. So I just had to try and take my chances and secure that contract.”
The 31-year-old Alloway believes he’s ready for LaFlare, a Long Island native with a 7-0 record in MMA.
“I see him as a well-rounded fighter with wrestling probably being his strength. But I don’t see him having anything that I haven’t seen or been up against before.”
LaFlare has not fought much in recent years, so there has been scant footage to study. But Alloway, 13-4 in MMA, is confident in his preparation.
“I’ve got a hold of what I could; he’s only had seven odd fights in four or five years. I got his latest fight from January, but again, he hasn’t fought for two years so there’s not a lot to go on or a lot of recent stuff. But I think we’ve prepared pretty well for him.”
Late last year a new motivation entered Alloway’s life with the birth of his son Chael. And yes, he is named after outspoken UFC contender Chael Sonnen.
“Yeah, he is actually (named after Chael Sonnen), the wife and I were watching Sonnen vs Silva 2, Sonnen got announced and walked out and I said what about Chael? That’s a cool name and she didn’t realize what I was talking about. Then she went with it asked me a couple of weeks later where I got it from.”
Not surprisingly, Alloway counts himself as a fan of the controversial fighter.
“I like who he is, and what he does; I enjoy it. He walks the walk and talks the talk.”
For Alloway, the birth of Chael provides twofold motivation.
“I wanna do well in the sport so when he grows up he’s got something to be proud of, something to show off to his friends about. That’d be a nice feeling for me. Having said that, providing for him is motivation, and having another mouth in the house, if he eats as much as me when he gets older we’re gonna be in trouble.”
Ben Alloway, who fights Ryan LaFlare April 6 on UFC on FUEL TV 9, has had an unusually quick journey to the Octagon. Not so long ago, he was working in hospitality and playing soccer locally without any serious aspirations of becoming a full-time athlete. The Gold Coast, Australia local simply began jiu-jitsu as a way to get fit after an injury.
“Not really (did I aspire to be an athlete),” he said. “I did play pro soccer (locally), I got injured, and that’s how I got into MMA. I was actually going to try and get back into the Australian circuit, but fell into MMA and two and a bit years later here we are.”
Alloway, a contestant on 2012’s The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes, credits intensive training for his rapid rise.
“Which Aussie boy doesn’t like to fight? I guess I was just in a position to train full-time doing two sessions a day, so I fast-tracked it a bit that way. Then I had the opportunity to go overseas and train at the H.I.T. squad, and that’s where I decided I wanted to have a crack at making the UFC.”
Alloway has said goodbye to his job as a nightclub manager, and he’s glad to be leaving the life of excess behind.
“The party scene wasn’t too good for my health. I had a lot of fun while I was in it, but MMA sort of brought me out of that industry, which is a good thing in the long run.”
On The Ultimate Fighter, Alloway impressed in his first fight with a second round knockout over Valentino Petrescu. But his next bout was a grueling decision loss to eventual finalist Bradley Scott. Alloway appeared distraught post-fight, and admits he thought his UFC run was over.
But he was given another chance with a fight on the season finale card last December against fellow Australian Manuel Rodriguez. “Benny Blanco” scored a first round KO victory, landing an Anderson Silva-esque front kick to the jaw.
“After I lost to Brad I thought that the ride was over. I didn’t think I’d get that fight on the finale, but getting that chance against Manny, you know they say the sport has ultimate highs and ultimate lows, so I was low for a few weeks on the show when I lost, then when I got the contract to fight in December last year it was another high. So I just had to try and take my chances and secure that contract.”
The 31-year-old Alloway believes he’s ready for LaFlare, a Long Island native with a 7-0 record in MMA.
“I see him as a well-rounded fighter with wrestling probably being his strength. But I don’t see him having anything that I haven’t seen or been up against before.”
LaFlare has not fought much in recent years, so there has been scant footage to study. But Alloway, 13-4 in MMA, is confident in his preparation.
“I’ve got a hold of what I could; he’s only had seven odd fights in four or five years. I got his latest fight from January, but again, he hasn’t fought for two years so there’s not a lot to go on or a lot of recent stuff. But I think we’ve prepared pretty well for him.”
Late last year a new motivation entered Alloway’s life with the birth of his son Chael. And yes, he is named after outspoken UFC contender Chael Sonnen.
“Yeah, he is actually (named after Chael Sonnen), the wife and I were watching Sonnen vs Silva 2, Sonnen got announced and walked out and I said what about Chael? That’s a cool name and she didn’t realize what I was talking about. Then she went with it asked me a couple of weeks later where I got it from.”
Not surprisingly, Alloway counts himself as a fan of the controversial fighter.
“I like who he is, and what he does; I enjoy it. He walks the walk and talks the talk.”
For Alloway, the birth of Chael provides twofold motivation.
“I wanna do well in the sport so when he grows up he’s got something to be proud of, something to show off to his friends about. That’d be a nice feeling for me. Having said that, providing for him is motivation, and having another mouth in the house, if he eats as much as me when he gets older we’re gonna be in trouble.”
Martial arts has been a life saver for Mark “Super Samoan” Hunt. Raised in South Auckland, New Zealand, Hunt says he was once a young man with a chip on his shoulder.
“When you grow up with poor surroundings, poor people get angry. They get pissed off that they haven’t got anything that everyone else has got. That’s why I’ve got that chip I was talking about, people who don’t have much get real upset. And martial arts saved me; actually God helped me through martial arts, saved me from being an angry person. There are a lot of kids out there like that.”
Fighting has instilled discipline in Hunt, who takes on Stefan Struve this Saturday on UFC on FUEL TV 8 at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan.
“It takes a lot of hard work to be a martial artist and train all the time, takes a lot of dedication. There are a lot of easier things I could’ve done in my life, but this is what I was supposed to be. It’s God’s plan.”
A father of five, the 38-year-old Australia-based Hunt says one of his children may yet follow him into fighting.
“My youngest son loves fighting. I’ll support him in whatever he wants to do. He loves fighting because I’m doing it. He’s only five years old.”
Formerly a kickboxer and the 2001 K-1 Kickboxing World Grand Prix champion, then an MMA fighter in Japan’s PRIDE FC, Hunt has seen spectacular highs and lows in the fight game, but he believes his long martial arts journey gives him a key advantage over Stefan Struve, who is aged just 25.
“I’ve been fighting longer than he’s been born, 26 years of martial arts and he’s only 24 or 25 so I’ve got a lot more experience than he does. He’s just got his youth, that’s all.”
Standing at 7 feet tall, Struve is the tallest fighter on the UFC roster. Struve is 9-3 in the UFC and on a four fight win streak. But the 5-10 Hunt doesn’t see many threats from the Dutch fighter aside from his formidable height and reach.
“He’s a tall kid who’s been blessed with being a big person. He’s good at jiu-jitsu but that’s all it is. I’ve got a lot more experience than he does.”
In 2011, Hunt staged an impressive career turnaround. After a six fight losing streak, he scored a second round knockout over Chris Tuchscherer and a grueling decision victory over the favored Ben Rothwell. In 2012, Hunt earned another upset victory with a first round TKO over veteran Cheick Kongo. His comeback even inspired a spirited Twitter campaign from fans rallying to get him a championship fight. He didn’t get a title shot, but with momentum on his side, he was scheduled to fight Struve in May of 2012. Misfortune struck as Hunt suffered a knee injury and was forced to withdraw from the bout. In his understated style, he admits being sidelined for so long has been difficult.
“I’m looking forward to it (fighting again). It didn’t really help with this injury, it just happened and it was just a setback for a while and it’s hard to train with a leg injured like that. We’ll see how it goes in a couple of weeks. Gonna party (laughs).”
While he has previously trained with American Top Team in Florida, this time he’s prepared more locally.
“I started off in New Zealand doing modified strongman work; now I’m back here (in Australia) training with the local guys, so it’s pretty good.”
Hunt has worked with a 6-7 jiu-jitsu player to prepare for Struve. It’s a wise move given that the rangy Dutch fighter holds four UFC wins by submission. Hunt, best known as a granite chinned knockout artist, has fallen prey to submissions in the past.
“I’ve trained with a tall guy for my jiu-jitsu, his name’s Marco (Carlos Gracie black belt Marco Villela).”
But when asked if he’s found any tall sparring partners for the standup, Hunt replies with more of the candid humility he’s become known for.
“I had a little bit of training with a couple of boxers, a couple of kick fighters. It hasn’t been too great at all, but I get what I can get.”
This fight marks another return to Japan for Hunt, the country where he has fought for much of his career. And he recently enjoyed a stint on one of Japan’s famously bizarre game shows, participating in a tug of war alongside Alistair Overeem and among other notable fighters. Novelty factor aside, Hunt displayed some impressive strength as he beat a sumo wrestler, gigantic MMA fighter Bob Sapp, and a professional strongman to be crowned champion.
“Yeah I loved doing that show; it’s good for my popularity over there. Fighting is fighting, but it’s all part of it, so it’s great. They had a few other fighters there like Alistair (Overeem), Bob (Sapp), and it was great. I had a lot of fun.”
While Hunt is once again the underdog against Struve, that’s nothing new for the “Super Samoan,” who was once the unheralded fighter from New Zealand who won the K-1 Grand Prix, then the PRIDE newcomer who beat legend Wanderlei Silva, and now the UFC fighter who is in the midst of an unlikely comeback. When asked about his status as underdog, Hunt cites a maxim from the standup game.
“It’s good, I like it that way. What you don’t see coming hurts the most. I don’t mind being the underdog, it’s fine.”
Martial arts has been a life saver for Mark “Super Samoan” Hunt. Raised in South Auckland, New Zealand, Hunt says he was once a young man with a chip on his shoulder.
“When you grow up with poor surroundings, poor people get angry. They get pissed off that they haven’t got anything that everyone else has got. That’s why I’ve got that chip I was talking about, people who don’t have much get real upset. And martial arts saved me; actually God helped me through martial arts, saved me from being an angry person. There are a lot of kids out there like that.”
Fighting has instilled discipline in Hunt, who takes on Stefan Struve this Saturday on UFC on FUEL TV 8 at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan.
“It takes a lot of hard work to be a martial artist and train all the time, takes a lot of dedication. There are a lot of easier things I could’ve done in my life, but this is what I was supposed to be. It’s God’s plan.”
A father of five, the 38-year-old Australia-based Hunt says one of his children may yet follow him into fighting.
“My youngest son loves fighting. I’ll support him in whatever he wants to do. He loves fighting because I’m doing it. He’s only five years old.”
Formerly a kickboxer and the 2001 K-1 Kickboxing World Grand Prix champion, then an MMA fighter in Japan’s PRIDE FC, Hunt has seen spectacular highs and lows in the fight game, but he believes his long martial arts journey gives him a key advantage over Stefan Struve, who is aged just 25.
“I’ve been fighting longer than he’s been born, 26 years of martial arts and he’s only 24 or 25 so I’ve got a lot more experience than he does. He’s just got his youth, that’s all.”
Standing at 7 feet tall, Struve is the tallest fighter on the UFC roster. Struve is 9-3 in the UFC and on a four fight win streak. But the 5-10 Hunt doesn’t see many threats from the Dutch fighter aside from his formidable height and reach.
“He’s a tall kid who’s been blessed with being a big person. He’s good at jiu-jitsu but that’s all it is. I’ve got a lot more experience than he does.”
In 2011, Hunt staged an impressive career turnaround. After a six fight losing streak, he scored a second round knockout over Chris Tuchscherer and a grueling decision victory over the favored Ben Rothwell. In 2012, Hunt earned another upset victory with a first round TKO over veteran Cheick Kongo. His comeback even inspired a spirited Twitter campaign from fans rallying to get him a championship fight. He didn’t get a title shot, but with momentum on his side, he was scheduled to fight Struve in May of 2012. Misfortune struck as Hunt suffered a knee injury and was forced to withdraw from the bout. In his understated style, he admits being sidelined for so long has been difficult.
“I’m looking forward to it (fighting again). It didn’t really help with this injury, it just happened and it was just a setback for a while and it’s hard to train with a leg injured like that. We’ll see how it goes in a couple of weeks. Gonna party (laughs).”
While he has previously trained with American Top Team in Florida, this time he’s prepared more locally.
“I started off in New Zealand doing modified strongman work; now I’m back here (in Australia) training with the local guys, so it’s pretty good.”
Hunt has worked with a 6-7 jiu-jitsu player to prepare for Struve. It’s a wise move given that the rangy Dutch fighter holds four UFC wins by submission. Hunt, best known as a granite chinned knockout artist, has fallen prey to submissions in the past.
“I’ve trained with a tall guy for my jiu-jitsu, his name’s Marco (Carlos Gracie black belt Marco Villela).”
But when asked if he’s found any tall sparring partners for the standup, Hunt replies with more of the candid humility he’s become known for.
“I had a little bit of training with a couple of boxers, a couple of kick fighters. It hasn’t been too great at all, but I get what I can get.”
This fight marks another return to Japan for Hunt, the country where he has fought for much of his career. And he recently enjoyed a stint on one of Japan’s famously bizarre game shows, participating in a tug of war alongside Alistair Overeem and among other notable fighters. Novelty factor aside, Hunt displayed some impressive strength as he beat a sumo wrestler, gigantic MMA fighter Bob Sapp, and a professional strongman to be crowned champion.
“Yeah I loved doing that show; it’s good for my popularity over there. Fighting is fighting, but it’s all part of it, so it’s great. They had a few other fighters there like Alistair (Overeem), Bob (Sapp), and it was great. I had a lot of fun.”
While Hunt is once again the underdog against Struve, that’s nothing new for the “Super Samoan,” who was once the unheralded fighter from New Zealand who won the K-1 Grand Prix, then the PRIDE newcomer who beat legend Wanderlei Silva, and now the UFC fighter who is in the midst of an unlikely comeback. When asked about his status as underdog, Hunt cites a maxim from the standup game.
“It’s good, I like it that way. What you don’t see coming hurts the most. I don’t mind being the underdog, it’s fine.”
Explosive striker James Te Huna, who fights Ryan Jimmo at UFC on FUEL TV 7 this Saturday at London’s Wembley Arena, wasn’t always an impressive athlete. But the self-described uncoordinated kid found his niche in combat, saying in 2010, “When I finished school I took up boxing, put a lot of hours in the gym, just worked hard at it, became good at it, and yeah – the fighting game was good for me.”
Te Huna made his MMA debut in Australia in 2003 at age 21, losing his first fight by armbar. Winning more than he lost, his early career was nonetheless dogged by a chronic shoulder injury. At its worst, Te Huna was forced to consider quitting fighting when it dislocated in a 2007 loss to Hector Lombard. In one of the many small miracles that make up his triumph from over injury, however, Te Huna’s shoulder recovered and he beat his next two opponents to earn a spot in an Australian light heavyweight tournament.
In 2009, Te Huna sensed that winning the eight man elimination tournament was his ticket to the UFC. Rolling the dice, he quit his job as a bricklayer and borrowed money from his family to finance full-time training. The gamble worked: he paid his family back and defeated three opponents by KO (including current UFC light heavyweight Anthony Perosh). He’d earned a spot in the Octagon.
The UFC debut of the Australia-based New Zealander against Igor Pokrajac in 2010 followed the consistent thread in his remarkable career. Suffering a broken arm in the second round, Te Huna demonstrated his toughness by continuing to fight and finishing his opponent by TKO in the third. The broken arm did not heal easily, with Te Huna being told by a doctor he would never fight again. But he bounced back once more, and returned to the UFC after a year’s layoff.
Te Huna then squared off against current top contender Alexander Gustafsson in February of 2011. After a strong start Te Huna appeared outclassed by the Swede, who won by a rear naked choke in the first. The difficult loss forced Te Huna to re-evaluate his training. Of the adjustments to his training, he said in 2011, “I changed up my boxing coach, I’ve been training with Lincoln Hudson, he works with Olympic boxers, and he’s got a whole bunch of pros that he coaches. I used to think my hands were all right until I went to this guy. His boxers just towelled me up and exposed all these bad flaws that I had so I went to him and just fixed them right up.”
In Lincoln Hudson, who remains Te Huna’s boxing coach, he has found a rare gem. Trainer of former world champion boxer Vic Darchinyan, among other notables, Hudson is a latecomer to the world of MMA. But Te Huna describes him as a professor when it comes to breaking down the standup game in the Octagon. Hudson, together with Aussie kickboxer Stuart McKinnon, and BJJ instructors Richard Sergeant and Fabio Galeb, now form the core of Te Huna’s homegrown fight camp.
The changes paid dividends for Te Huna in his next fight against Ricardo Romero at UFC 135 in September of 2011. As usual, he was forced to deal with difficult injuries before the fight, as a dislocated finger on one hand and a torn ligament on the other made making a fist difficult. Nevertheless, his fists were closed tight enough to KO his opponent in the first round.
Te Huna then fought Aaron Rosa in March of 2012 in Sydney, Australia. This time he entered the Octagon with perhaps his strangest injury yet: a third degree ice burn after an ice pack was left on overnight. Unfazed, he quickly poured pressure on Rosa. Just over two minutes into the first, Rosa wilted under a powerful barrage of punches, giving Te Huna a TKO victory and earning him a fight against battle-hardened veteran Joey Beltran.
Before the fight against Beltran, Te Huna reflected on his struggle to find confidence as a fighter, saying “I felt like (I belonged in the UFC) after my second fight. I watched Gustafsson put away Matt Hamill. He fought Matt Hamill after our fight and he just toyed with him. Matt Hamill’s a really accomplished wrestler and he couldn’t get him down, and after I watched that fight I was like I do have the skills to stay in the UFC,” he said. “That was the hardest thing; my first two fights in the UFC I kept on questioning myself. After I watched that fight I believed that I belong in the UFC. I started getting better and better, and started being confident and believing in myself.”
In Beltran, Te Huna faced an extremely durable brawler. Te Huna landed powerful shots on “The Mexicutioner” and nearly finished him in the first. But Beltran’s remarkable chin and heart kept him in the fight. While Beltran landed some blows of his own, Te Huna was busy enough in the second and third to claim a unanimous decision victory. It was a feat made all the more impressive when Te Huna revealed that he suffered a broken left hand and foot in the first round, injuries he has now successfully rehabbed.
Following his three fight win streak, the 31-year-old Te Huna now faces the toughest test of his career in Ryan Jimmo. Jimmo has won his last 17 fights, and as a former Canadian karate champion, he presents an interesting stylistic challenge for Te Huna. The Canadian was long known as a cautious counter striker. But a seven second KO over Perosh in his UFC debut quickly dispelled the idea that he isn’t a dangerous finisher. If Te Huna wins he will make a strong case for a fight against one of the division’s top ten. After an arduous MMA journey with a fair share of injury and disappointment, the stakes have never been higher for Te Huna.
Explosive striker James Te Huna, who fights Ryan Jimmo at UFC on FUEL TV 7 this Saturday at London’s Wembley Arena, wasn’t always an impressive athlete. But the self-described uncoordinated kid found his niche in combat, saying in 2010, “When I finished school I took up boxing, put a lot of hours in the gym, just worked hard at it, became good at it, and yeah – the fighting game was good for me.”
Te Huna made his MMA debut in Australia in 2003 at age 21, losing his first fight by armbar. Winning more than he lost, his early career was nonetheless dogged by a chronic shoulder injury. At its worst, Te Huna was forced to consider quitting fighting when it dislocated in a 2007 loss to Hector Lombard. In one of the many small miracles that make up his triumph from over injury, however, Te Huna’s shoulder recovered and he beat his next two opponents to earn a spot in an Australian light heavyweight tournament.
In 2009, Te Huna sensed that winning the eight man elimination tournament was his ticket to the UFC. Rolling the dice, he quit his job as a bricklayer and borrowed money from his family to finance full-time training. The gamble worked: he paid his family back and defeated three opponents by KO (including current UFC light heavyweight Anthony Perosh). He’d earned a spot in the Octagon.
The UFC debut of the Australia-based New Zealander against Igor Pokrajac in 2010 followed the consistent thread in his remarkable career. Suffering a broken arm in the second round, Te Huna demonstrated his toughness by continuing to fight and finishing his opponent by TKO in the third. The broken arm did not heal easily, with Te Huna being told by a doctor he would never fight again. But he bounced back once more, and returned to the UFC after a year’s layoff.
Te Huna then squared off against current top contender Alexander Gustafsson in February of 2011. After a strong start Te Huna appeared outclassed by the Swede, who won by a rear naked choke in the first. The difficult loss forced Te Huna to re-evaluate his training. Of the adjustments to his training, he said in 2011, “I changed up my boxing coach, I’ve been training with Lincoln Hudson, he works with Olympic boxers, and he’s got a whole bunch of pros that he coaches. I used to think my hands were all right until I went to this guy. His boxers just towelled me up and exposed all these bad flaws that I had so I went to him and just fixed them right up.”
In Lincoln Hudson, who remains Te Huna’s boxing coach, he has found a rare gem. Trainer of former world champion boxer Vic Darchinyan, among other notables, Hudson is a latecomer to the world of MMA. But Te Huna describes him as a professor when it comes to breaking down the standup game in the Octagon. Hudson, together with Aussie kickboxer Stuart McKinnon, and BJJ instructors Richard Sergeant and Fabio Galeb, now form the core of Te Huna’s homegrown fight camp.
The changes paid dividends for Te Huna in his next fight against Ricardo Romero at UFC 135 in September of 2011. As usual, he was forced to deal with difficult injuries before the fight, as a dislocated finger on one hand and a torn ligament on the other made making a fist difficult. Nevertheless, his fists were closed tight enough to KO his opponent in the first round.
Te Huna then fought Aaron Rosa in March of 2012 in Sydney, Australia. This time he entered the Octagon with perhaps his strangest injury yet: a third degree ice burn after an ice pack was left on overnight. Unfazed, he quickly poured pressure on Rosa. Just over two minutes into the first, Rosa wilted under a powerful barrage of punches, giving Te Huna a TKO victory and earning him a fight against battle-hardened veteran Joey Beltran.
Before the fight against Beltran, Te Huna reflected on his struggle to find confidence as a fighter, saying “I felt like (I belonged in the UFC) after my second fight. I watched Gustafsson put away Matt Hamill. He fought Matt Hamill after our fight and he just toyed with him. Matt Hamill’s a really accomplished wrestler and he couldn’t get him down, and after I watched that fight I was like I do have the skills to stay in the UFC,” he said. “That was the hardest thing; my first two fights in the UFC I kept on questioning myself. After I watched that fight I believed that I belong in the UFC. I started getting better and better, and started being confident and believing in myself.”
In Beltran, Te Huna faced an extremely durable brawler. Te Huna landed powerful shots on “The Mexicutioner” and nearly finished him in the first. But Beltran’s remarkable chin and heart kept him in the fight. While Beltran landed some blows of his own, Te Huna was busy enough in the second and third to claim a unanimous decision victory. It was a feat made all the more impressive when Te Huna revealed that he suffered a broken left hand and foot in the first round, injuries he has now successfully rehabbed.
Following his three fight win streak, the 31-year-old Te Huna now faces the toughest test of his career in Ryan Jimmo. Jimmo has won his last 17 fights, and as a former Canadian karate champion, he presents an interesting stylistic challenge for Te Huna. The Canadian was long known as a cautious counter striker. But a seven second KO over Perosh in his UFC debut quickly dispelled the idea that he isn’t a dangerous finisher. If Te Huna wins he will make a strong case for a fight against one of the division’s top ten. After an arduous MMA journey with a fair share of injury and disappointment, the stakes have never been higher for Te Huna.
