Author: By Thomas Gerbasi

He’s left the crosses, prayer books, and holy water at home, but Clay Guida still has some demons to exorcise this weekend in Las Vegas.

Entering the Octagon at The Palms for the third time, he must not only address his opponent, former WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, but the ghosts that inhabit the Pearl Theater, where he has engaged in two of the most dramatic fights in UFC history, but also walked away with defeats in both.

“They were two Fight of the Years, but two losses, and we’re gonna make good on this one,” said Guida. “The third time’s the charm and we’re gonna kick those ghosts out of the Palms.”

It’s the little things that matter to a fighter sometimes – wearing your lucky trunks, coming in to the same song every time, or just having that extra bit of motivation to push you to the next level. Guida has plenty of motivation, as he’s riding a three fight winning streak in a fiercely competitive division, and he’s fighting on national television once again. But it’s the idea of erasing his losing streak in The Palms after his defeats against Roger Huerta in 2007 and Diego Sanchez in 2009 that has made him even more focused than usual.

“I wouldn’t say I’ve had bad luck; I just haven’t had my hand raised out there,” he said of the Huerta and Sanchez fights. “They were amazing, dramatic fights, about as dramatic as you can see – this crazy whirlwind, knock ‘em down, drag ‘em out, blood everywhere – and they’re fights that people will remember forever. And to me, a true champion is someone that accepts a loss and then learns from it. But on the other hand, I’m never satisfied. Those were great fights, but I made one mistake in each that I paid dearly for.

“The Huerta fight, I was up and I could have taken a nap in the third round and not even showed up and won the fight. But that’s not what we’re about. We’re about going out and trying to finish fights. Against Diego Sanchez, I paid dearly because I backed straight up and I let him dictate the pace from the beginning. The first minute of the fight we got into that rock ‘em sock ‘em robots thing where he kicked me in the jaw, punched me, kneed me, cut me. It took me a little while to get into my gameplan, put him on his back and ground and pound him. Most fans really don’t think about the wins. But being on the inside, I’m more about having fun and getting my hand raised, and I’m kicking those demons out come June 4th.”

Following the split decision loss to Sanchez, Guida was still out of sorts six months later as Kenny Florian submitted him at UFC 107, but since then “The Carpenter” has been unstoppable, finishing all three of his opponents. More important than the wins though, is the idea that he’s found the balance between being exciting and still sticking to a gameplan and fighting smart. Now he’s gone from being simply must-see TV to a serious contender for the lightweight title.

“I’ve matured in my training and I’ve brought some skills to the forefront that I didn’t really know that I had before,” he said. “I have a lot more confidence in my takedowns, more confidence in my submissions, and people have seen a lot of head movement in the last couple fights. I busted up Rafael dos Anjos’ jaw and took him down, I submitted Shannon Gugerty, who was a high-level brown belt; (Takanori) Gomi can punch through a cinder block and I outstruck him, put him on his back and did what we do, which is punish our opponents and make them pay.”

The obvious culprit of the “new” Guida would be his relocation to Albuquerque to train with Greg Jackson and his renowned bunch of standouts. But you may also want to look to an additional source as well – Guida’s living accommodations, a 40 foot RV that has become more than a home away from Illinois, but his own personal sanctuary.

“I guess it’s for peace of mind, and it’s a quiet atmosphere,” he said. “It motivates me. (The way I see it) I’m always on the road to victory. No matter where I’m at, as long as I’ve got my Winnebago, I’m always focused on my goal and my dream, which is having that strap around my waist.”

In recent months, Guida’s RV adventures have become almost as newsworthy as his fighting, a bizarre circumstance that comes with being a free thinker who isn’t too concerned with what people think. So why have people latched on to this aspect of his story?

“Maybe it’s because it’s such a simple idea,” he said. “‘Oh Guida, the half-caveman lives in a van; how fitting.’”

He laughs, his personality outside the cage a polar opposite from what it is when the bell rings. Inside, he’s a dervish intent on making his opponent’s evening as miserable as possible.

“I’m gonna push a guy to his breaking point and we’ll see what he’s made of and if he’s ready for the big show,” said Guida. “And this goes for my future opponents too. We’ll see if they want to be number one contender or if they deserve to be number one contender or if they deserve to be champion. Because I know deep down inside I’m the best lightweight in the world and I just gotta get out there and prove it. Anthony Pettis is in my way and he’s not gonna stop me. He’s a speed bump, he’s not a road block.”

That’s not to say Guida is dismissive of the talented youngster from Milwaukee, who captured the attention of the world with his off the cage kick in his WEC title-winning effort against Ben Henderson last December. Guida promises no such antics from his end on Saturday.

“That’s not the dude’s style,” he laughed, paying tribute to “The Big Lebowski” in the process. “I feel better with both feet on the ground and that’s what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna take his feet off the mat with our own will. We’re not gonna let him jump off the cage and implement his game plan. We’re moving forward, we’re gonna push him around the cage and dictate the pace, and I know people say it all the time, but when we do our best is when I come out and strike first and set the pace. I think Ben Henderson, Shane Roller, and all these guys have respected him too much and gave him too much space. We’re gonna shut that down from the get go.”

But back to that respect thing, and Guida has plenty of it for Pettis, calling him the “most creative and innovative fighter” that he’s faced. At the same time, he wants to send a message to “Showtime” that “It ain’t the WEC anymore. He fought a five round main event in a potential Fight of the Year, but he fought a guy who respected him too much. Ben Henderson is a very skilled fighter and I don’t think he believed in himself in that fight. It’s gonna be completely different come June 4th. Anthony Pettis is riding a wave, I love watching him fight, and you’re not gonna find a more exciting guy to watch – he just comes up with stuff and goes with it. The guy’s got more of a highlight reel in one fight than I probably have in my entire career. But I’ve got almost as many losses as he has wins, so I’ve been through the fire and I’m gonna show him what it’s all about. He’s gonna look for a way out and I’m gonna give it to him.”

And if a Fight of the Night comes out of it, great. But this time, the most important thing for Guida is winning in the Palms and slaying an old demon.

“I don’t think about the bonuses, I don’t think about Fight of the Night or Fight of the Year. I think about going out there and performing, keeping my gameplan at the front of my mind, and going out there and winning. I don’t care if I submit him in the first, second, or third. I’m not worrying about the excitement of the fight. I’m thinking about just going out there, staying confident in my skills, doing what I do best, and imposing my will on my opponent and showing him what the Midwest is all about.”

Chuck O’Neil isn’t one to settle for just anything. It’s not the way he’s built. So when he talks about his goals, admirably, he’s aiming high.

“I just want to achieve greatness in life,” said the Boston welterweight. “I want to make my mark on this world and you get one opportunity to do it.”

Again, it’s an admirable thing to say, but when it comes to the twists and turns of life, sometimes you get more than one swing at the plate, and if anyone should know that, it’s O’Neil, who scratched and clawed his way from obscurity into The Ultimate Fighter 13 competition and then into the big show, never taking ‘no’ for an answer.

Now that’s the attitude that can start you on the road to greatness.

Born in Bourne, Massachusetts, O’Neil ironically began training in mixed martial arts after seeing the first season of The Ultimate Fighter. A year later he was in a fight in Manchester, New Hampshire, getting submitted by Eric Bauer in the second round. Motivated to get better, he began building his game, his record, and his reputation. By 2010 he even scored a spot on a local Bellator show, where he stopped Damian Vitale in the third round. But by the end of the year, the opportunities were drying up.

“I felt like I was at a point where it was time to move on out of the New England area because it was really hard for me to get fights,” he said. “A lot of guys were dropping out, pulling out, and not accepting fights. I’m just an awkward guy to deal with at 170 pounds, so it was tough for me to get fights. I was at this crossroads – get this chance (The Ultimate Fighter) or have to start fighting outside of the New England area.”

He got the Ultimate Fighter gig, but not really, as he was an alternate for season 13, there to compete only if someone left the show. Lucky for him, Myles Jury tore his ACL during the coaches’ evaluations and was forced out of the competition.

O’Neil was in, but in his first fight he was submitted by Zach Davis. He was on the outs again, but he would get another chance when he was brought back for the Wild Card fight. This time he made his opportunity count with a second round submission of Javier Torres. Next were the quarterfinals, but after an impressive decision win over his previous conqueror, Davis, his joy was tempered when it was revealed that his opponent tore the retina in both his eyes, basically ending his fight career. That sobering fact hit the 25-year old O’Neil hard.

“We’re not in a patty cake sport,” he said. “You’re putting your health on the line every time you step into that cage or even anytime you step into the training room. And the light really comes into your eyes when you see it from a different perspective, knowing that this could be taken away from you at any moment. And having Zach’s opportunity taken away from him was just horrible. I was really concerned about him afterward, and I felt awful. He’s a great guy, an awesome competitor and tough as hell. And to hear that he’s never gonna be able to fight again just crushed me.”

O’Neil would fight on though, only to get stopped by Tony Ferguson in the semifinals. But despite the loss, “Cold Steel” made an impression on viewers and on UFC President Dana White as a scrappy fighter whose toughness could cover a multitude of technical sins.

“I think Dana put it best when he said that I didn’t have the best skills in the world, but I was one of the toughest guys there,” said O’Neil. “And that’s what it is. In the New England area we may not be the most skilled guys, but we’re really tough, and you can only hold us down for so long before we’re gonna rise to the top.”

Since the show, O’Neil has been working with trainers Mark DellaGrotte and Jimmy Quinlan and training partners like featherweight contender Josh Grispi to make sure that when he shows up in Las Vegas to take on castmate Chris Cope this Saturday, he’s not the same fighter people have been watching on Spike TV for the last 10 weeks.

“I never had the best jiu-jitsu,” said O’Neil, who nonetheless has submitted five of the eight men he’s beaten. “I had decent jiu-jitsu and a couple of moves that worked well, but I’ve been really starting to work on my jiu-jitsu and wrestling a lot and putting in extra time with DellaGrotte at Sityodtong and working a lot of mitts and gameplan stuff, so I definitely feel I’ve evolved a lot as a fighter, but I still have a long way to go before I reach my full potential, and it’s gonna be great when I do, but I’m having fun along the way.”

And hey, if the jiu-jitsu or wrestling stuff doesn’t work, tough never hurts, and Chuck O’Neil has got plenty of that in reserve.

“As corny as it sounds, I found within myself what was gonna make me happy in life at a very young age,” he said. “With that, I learned my limitations and how to control my body and push myself forward through a lot of hard situations. I’ve seen a lot of crap in my life and it helps me push on through it. You can’t feel sorry for yourself, you gotta keep pushing hard, and I was blessed with an opportunity and I wasn’t gonna let anyone take it away from me. I go out there and fight, and I don’t give up.”

It’s a move stuck in an endless loop on any true mixed martial arts fan’s permanent highlight reel, and something that can’t be avoided in discussion with the young man who performed it. So, Anthony Pettis, are you tired of talking about what’s simply referred to as “The Kick”?

“I don’t think it’s ever gonna get old,” he laughs.

It’s certainly not gotten old watching him leap off the cage late in the fifth round of his WEC lightweight championship bout against Ben Henderson last December and nail the champion in the head with the gravity and belief defying kick that made him an instant star in the world of viral videos and quick-cut highlight clips. The maneuver was so good that it practically overshadowed his impressive performance in beating Henderson via five round decision for the 155-pound belt, at least to casual fans.

“I think to the newer fans that have just been exposed to me, yeah, definitely, most people remember me for the kick,” he said. “But I think guys that have seen my career and seen where I was at and where I’m going, I think it just added to it.”

As soon as Pettis hit the WEC in 2009, he looked like something special when the bell rang. He submitted Mike Campbell in his first bout, and after a hiccup in the form of a split decision defeat against veteran Bart Palaszewski, he went on a four fight tear that culminated in his title-winning effort against Henderson.

That was inside the cage.

Outside of it, the proud Milwaukee native has a quiet charisma and a compelling back story, both of which were displayed to the world last year when he was the subject of MTV’s documentary series “World of Jenks.”

Throw the fact that he’s only 24 years old into the mix, and while it’s great to see a young phenom make his mark, it could also be a recipe for disaster if he can’t handle life in the spotlight. Pettis has taken it all in like a pro though.

“It’s very difficult,” he admits. “There’s so many opportunities for me to just believe the hype. Everybody’s telling me ‘you’re the best, you’re the greatest, you’re gonna be lightweight champion,’ and it’s so easy to play into that and believe the hype, but I know what it took to get me where I’m at and it’s gonna take even more to get to where I want to be. So I just stay focused and keep doing what I’ve been doing and I think it’s gonna pay off.”

His first chance to cash in comes this Saturday, when he takes on perennial contender Clay Guida in one of the most highly-anticipated bouts of the year. Pettis’ UFC debut was supposed to be against the winner of January’s Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard title fight, but that plan went out the window when the two fought to a draw and then were scheduled for an immediate rematch, which got scrapped when both fighters got injured. That left Pettis as the odd man out, and not willing to wait for Edgar and Maynard to settle their business, he stepped up to face Guida.

Along the way, he’s taken some jabs from his fellow fighters, the fans, and the media, wondering why he was being given a UFC title shot in the first place. But the facts have never gotten in the way of a good story, so what’s conveniently been forgotten is that Pettis didn’t lobby for a title shot; it was part of the deal for the winner of the WEC’s last lightweight title fight. He was the winner, hence a title shot.

“I didn’t ask for a title shot, I didn’t say ‘hey, the WEC should merge,’” said Pettis. “All that was even before I won the title. I was just focused on getting that title, and now that I’m here, I think a lot of people are doubting that I should be here. So I want to prove that I belong here.”

Pettis is one of the last remaining standouts from the organization which put the lighter weight classes on center stage to make his UFC debut, but his comrades have been lighting things up in the Octagon thus far, paving the way for Pettis to now do his thing.

“I said it even before we merged that the WEC guys at 155 were more entertaining and more dynamic fighters,” he said. “A lot of the top level UFC guys were just wrestlers that liked to grind you out and finish guys that way. The WEC guys are versatile. Ben Henderson, Donald Cerrone, Shane Roller, Anthony Njokuani, there are a lot of good guys that bring a lot to the table. So I knew my level of competition in the WEC was high, and these guys winning (in the UFC) just proves that fact.”

You couldn’t get more dynamic than “The Kick” though, and he can win a UFC title and reign for 10 years and people will always use that highlight as a touchstone when it comes to Pettis. So how much do you have to practice that to get it to the point where you’re willing to try it in a fight?

“We didn’t practice it really, really hard where we expected to throw it,” he said. “It was just one of those things we played around with. I did it when I was having fun sparring, and that’s when the crazy things happen. When I’m having fun in there and I feel comfortable, I can do anything I want. So I didn’t practice it a lot; it was just one of those things I had fun with and played around with.”

And when the opening came, he figured out the distance needed, set it up and went for it, right?

“I wish it was like that, but it wasn’t,” he laughs. “My body went on zombie mode and it just happened, I can’t even explain it. Even after it happened, I’m like, ‘I just landed that kick? Wow.’”

That was the reaction of everyone who saw it, and while you can probably guarantee that it won’t happen again this weekend, he does claim to have some more wild tricks up his sleeve.

“It’s gonna be hard to top, but I got a lot of crazy moves. That’s just one of the kicks in my arsenal. I’ve got a lot of things that I practice and play around with and I do, and if I feel comfortable in there, you’re definitely gonna see one.”

Guida doesn’t go for making opponents feel comfortable in the Octagon. In fact, it’s the opposite, as “The Carpenter” likes nothing better than making his foes feel miserable for 15 minutes or less. Pettis is cool with that, and he’s expecting a long night.

“I always prepare for the worst and expect the best,” he said. “For me it comes down to just doing what I do best. I can’t get into the hype and think ‘oh my God, he’s gonna take me down and he’s gonna hold me down for 15 minutes.’ I gotta focus on my gameplan, know what I bring to the cage, and just take advantage of his weaknesses.”

As for his foe’s wild dervish-like attack, complete with hair and sweat flying in all directions?

“You just gotta aim for the middle,” laughs Pettis. “The thing is, you don’t know what style he’s gonna bring. He can come as the composed Clay Guida, where he doesn’t really move around and he looks for that shot and grinds you against the fence. Or he can come all wild, throwing those wild punches and those wild kicks. In MMA, anything can happen. A striker can get knocked out by a wrestler, and a wrestler could get submitted or taken down by a striker. So with a guy like Clay Guida, you just gotta be ready for everything and anything.”

Anthony Pettis is ready. He’s been ready for a while now, waiting to showcase himself on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage. It’s almost like he’s been made for this and he knows it. Now he has to convince the rest of the UFC lightweights.

“I hope Clay comes a hundred percent,” he said. “I’m tired of guys doubting my skill level and who think I’m not supposed to be where I’m at right now. So I want to get in there and prove a point and show these other lightweights that I’m here to stay.”

In September of 2009, Tim Credeur fought the fight of his career against Nate Quarry, only to lose a heartbreaking three round decision.

Seven months later, he was faced with the biggest fight of his life, and it was one he couldn’t afford to lose.

It all started with the usual medicals he needed to get for his UFC 113 bout with Tom Lawlor in May of 2010. It was his first fight back since his 15 minute war with Quarry, his first UFC loss, and fans were anticipating the middleweight showdown. It was a routine process until it wasn’t routine anymore, and Credeur’s doctor called him in to explain that there was something showing up on his brain, but that he wasn’t sure what it was. Worst case scenario, it was a brain tumor. Even worse than that, since it was located in the hypothalamus, it was inoperable.

Credeur, 32 at the time, had been training in martial arts since he was a teenager. Fighting was a huge part of his life. A bigger part was his wife Mamie, and as he left the doctor’s office, he struggled to come up with a plan on how to tell her.

But she called first.

He froze, not ready yet. But even if he was, she had news of her own. She was pregnant with their first child. The specter of death and the promise of life intersected that day in Louisiana, and if Credeur wanted to get a glimpse at the cruel jokes life can play on us, he instead got an eyeful.

“As nervous as I was about not fighting again, I had to shelf that,” said Credeur. “It wasn’t really the priority. My wife is my number one priority and I had to figure out a way to shelf my problems and shelf my frustrations and be excited with her and make her feel okay. So I didn’t tell her anything for a little over a week. Then we talked about it and figured out what we were gonna do. It was kind of a blessing in disguise because since I couldn’t fight, I had to focus on some other things. I had the opportunity to build my business, build my gym, train a bunch of other fighters and focus on things I hadn’t been focusing on. I had been focusing on myself.”

There was still the unknown mark on his brain scan though, and as the months went by, he had to return to the doctor several times.

“We had to do multiple scans over time,” he said. “It was so small and so minor that they weren’t sure if it was the beginning of an aneurysm or a tumor. They weren’t really sure what it was, but maybe it was too dangerous for me to be fighting.”

Each subsequent scan brought a little hope, but at the same time, more questions.

“Am I gonna be able to be the father that I’ve always wanted to be?”

“What’s gonna happen to my wife?”

Finally, after a crushing wait of nearly seven months, Credeur got some unexpected good news.

“I’m okay, the thing in my brain was kinda just an anomaly, a freckle, something I was probably born with,” he said, sounding drained after reliving the worst ordeal of his life. Two weeks later, more good news as Mamie gave birth to Audrey in January of this year.

Tim Credeur was alive, was going to stay that way, and he was a daddy. But the first person he gives credit to is his wife.

“My wife’s tough, man,” he said. “She’s amazing. She’s been with me through thick and thin for ten years and she stuck by my side and we gutted through it, we made it work, and we’re okay.”

There was only one thing missing…

A fight.

And after getting cleared to resume training and his fighting career, Credeur signed a contract to face Ed Herman this Saturday on the Ultimate Fighter Finale card in Las Vegas. For the native of Lafayette, Louisiana, it’s like reconnecting with an old friend.

“The biggest thing that I missed was the competition,” he said. “Competing’s in my blood. I’m not the greatest athlete and I’m not the greatest talent, but that fire to compete and the enjoyment of being in the ring and getting into some battles with some of the best fighters in the world is what I miss the most. We’ve got to support our families, but I don’t really care so much about the money, and I’m not trying to be famous. I’m not trying to do nothing else other than getting some fights. That’s all I really want to do. That’s why I got in this sport. I started when I was about 14 years old and I’ve been headlong into it ever since then.”

He almost lost it too, but that only makes him want it more.

“Sometimes horrible things that happen to us are really just blessings in disguise,” he said. “So I’m lucky to be able to walk away from those things a better person, a stronger person, and I thank God for the gifts we have and the blessings we have. I’m blessed to be able to compete in a sport that’s always been my dream and something I wanted to be a part of. Now more than ever, I’m more inspired, more focused, and more dedicated, and more excited.”

Fight fans should be excited as well, because Credeur is one of those rare souls who will always deliver a supreme effort in the Octagon by being completely willing to put himself in harm’s way. The Quarry fight was the most shining example of this, as he basically threw his black belt in Jiu-Jitsu to the side in favor of a slugfest with one of the hardest-hitting 185 pounders in the world. And the shocking part of the whole ordeal was that Credeur was winning exchanges and hurting Quarry on a number of occasions before the “Rock” would roar back and tag “Crazy Tim.” It was a grueling battle to remember for Credeur, regardless of the result.

“I might drop some fights sometimes, and Nate Quarry beat me fair and square, but Tim Credeur is not gonna beat Tim Credeur,” he said. “I’m gonna get in there every time and fight my heart out. I’m never gonna go in there and try to eke out a decision or fight the smart fight or keep my distance and win on points. I’m never gonna fight like that. I’m not saying the way I fight is any smarter; maybe it’s not, but at least when I’m fighting, people are gonna be standing up in their living rooms hollering at the TV. If at some point that costs me my career, I don’t care. I’m gonna keep on doing it until the wheels fall off.”

That’s toughness you can’t buy and you can’t learn it either. Where does Credeur’s come from? Louisiana soil.

“Let’s be honest,” he said. “I was not a widely recruited high school athlete for any sport, I’m not this great Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion talent that was scouted by the UFC. I’m not that and I never have been; I’m just a guy that worked really, really hard and made sacrifices a bunch of other people weren’t willing to make to be where I’m at. And when I get in there, I’ll be damned if I’m gonna beat myself. As best as I can, I’m gonna fight until either he falls down or I fall down or my heart explodes. That’s the only way that I really know how. Some of that is because of the way that I’ve been raised. In Louisiana, there’s a really blue collar mentality. We work for everything we have. So many things go wrong in our state – hurricanes destroy our homes, our lives are destroyed by the whims of the oil barons, and the oil explosion in the gulf pretty much ruined our economy. I think Louisiana is ranked 49th in the country in everything – education, roads, everything. It’s a hard life down here, and it’s tough. So to get by it takes hard work, sacrifice, and dedication. And that’s all I know.”

Audrey Credeur will learn those lessons some day as well, and when she does, that will be more important to her father than any victories in the Octagon or world championship belts around his waist. If he didn’t before, he certainly knows now how precious life is, and he’s living every moment of it to the fullest. Is there any better legacy to leave your child?

“I just hope that when my daughter looks back at my life, she’s proud of who her dad is,” he said. “I want her to be filled with pride at the sacrifices I made for her, the way I raised her, the integrity that I showed in my life and the kind of man that I was.”

Longtime lightweight standout Kurt Pellegrino won’t be stepping into the Octagon anytime soon, as “Batman” announced on his website today that he’s taking a break from the sport for the time being.

“I have spoken at length with Joe Silva about my decision and have decided not to renew my contract with the UFC,” wrote Pellegrino. “I want to take the time to regroup, refocus, and rethink what it is that I want to do going forward. I want to do things that I enjoy right now and refresh my mind.”

7-5 in the UFC from 2006 to 2011, Pellegrino consistently delivered compelling action, winning a Fight of the Night award for his 2008 victory over Thiago Tavares and a Submission of the Night award for his finish of Fabricio Camoes in 2010. Following back-to-back losses to George Sotiropoulos and Gleison Tibau, both by decision, the 32-year old New Jersey native has decided to take a step back.

“At this time I am choosing to take some time off and step away from the sport as a fighter,” he wrote. “Over my most recent fights I have come to the realization that at this point I no longer can, nor want to make fighting my first priority. Never in my career have I lost two fights in a row and my last fight’s decision in particular was especially hard for me to swallow.”

“Most importantly I want to spend more time with my family,” he continued. “My daughter is four years old and I can’t tell you how much of her life I’ve missed dedicating my life to training for fights. I did so willingly and I’ve made a lucrative career with the UFC, but I’m not sure I could ever say any amount of money was worth it. My wife and I just welcomed a baby boy and I can’t bear the thought of missing as much of his ‘firsts’ as I did my daughter’s.”

The pro MMA record of Pellegrino, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, stands at 21-6.

The rear naked choke was sunk in tight by Tory Bogguess, but in the interest of space and time, we’ll only reprint a couple of the thousand thoughts running through the mind of the recipient of that choke, UFC lightweight Danny Downes, who was seconds away from possibly losing the “UFC” in front of “lightweight” if that May 6th submission attempt was successful.

First thought…

“I have to put my arm here, relax, control your breathing, listen to your corner.”

Second…

“You idiot, you did it again, you’re caught in something.”

Downes had been here before, nearly a year earlier, when he faced Chris Horodecki and lost his WEC debut and his perfect pro record via rear naked choke. Since that bout, he decisioned China’s Tiequan Zhang and was gearing up for his UFC debut. But while waiting, he wanted to stay sharp with a local fight in Milwaukee against the 5-4 Bogguess.

This wasn’t what he bargained for. But you never know what you’re going to get in a fight, another lesson learned for “Danny Boy,” who calmly looked for an escape hatch.

“I gave myself a little mental lashing with a couple expletives, but I just stayed composed, and once I got out, I was like, all right, let’s get back to work.”

Downes escaped the rear naked choke, but a guillotine was waiting for him. He escaped that one as well, and finally, at the 3:39 mark of the first round, he finished Bogguess via triangle choke.

What a night.

“Hindsight’s 20/20, and obviously it worked out, so it’s like ‘oh yeah, it was a brilliant move,’” he laughs. “But then if I lost, it would have been the dumbest thing ever, so I suppose the result skews how it went. But all things aside, it was worth doing to stay sharp and it also put more attention on me than I would have gotten for other things. You can spar, you can train, you can do as many pushups as you want, but even if you’re fighting someone no one’s heard of, a fight’s a fight and the experience of being in the cage, you just can’t replicate.”

That’s fighting talk from a real fighter, but maybe not what you would expect from a Marquette University graduate who double majored in International Affairs and German and interned for the United States Secret Service. And that’s the hook isn’t it? The unlikely prizefighter battling it out in the Octagon when he could probably be doing whatever he wanted to in life.

“It’s like the Rocky story,” said Downes. “I’m just a little more well-spoken than him. If you see Brock Lesnar go in a cage and beat up a person, well, yeah, look at him, he’s a beast. People see me, and through my whole career, I’ve had people telling me, ‘yeah man, when I saw you walk in the cage, I thought you were gonna get your ass kicked.’ (Laughs) There’s that part of it, and I also get the ‘you don’t seem like a fighter thing.’ People ask me ‘what do you do?’ I’m in the UFC. ‘No, but seriously, what do you do? Don’t lie to me, we just met.’ No, really, I promise you. And if I may be bold, I’m charismatic to a certain extent. It’s something different. There were guys on the (Chicago) Bulls like Jud Buechler and Bill Wennington, and they were kinda unathletic, slow white guys, but they were always the fan favorites, and every team has those guys.”

Yet as self-effacing as the 25 year old Chicago native may be, he isn’t here for his personality. There are plenty quick-witted folks out there, but few get invitations to fight in the WEC or UFC, and Downes, while a work in progress, does have the raw talent needed to take his game even further. But with just nine fights, two on the big stage, is he ready for his opponent this weekend, Jeremy Stephens?

“I always tell people I’m either stupid, arrogant, or confident in my abilities, and it’s probably just a combo of the three,” said Downes, who took the bout on short notice when Jonathan Brookins was forced out due to injury. It’s not the first time he’s answered a Zuffa call with ‘yes’ before the question was asked, and you have to admire his chutzpah and impatience.

“If they said ‘would you want to fight BJ Penn?’ obviously that would be a big opportunity, but that’s not really the best thing for my career,” said Downes. “So it’s just picking and choosing. Stephens has been there a while, he’s big and strong and not a pushover by any means, but I like the way I match up against him, I like the opportunity, and I think it’s the right move for me.”

And he probably would say yes to a fight with Penn now anyway.

“I probably would.”

For now though, it’s Stephens, and a fight for Downes which “Lil’ Heathen” himself admits is a no lose situation for the Roufusport team member. If he wins, it’s gravy; if he loses, well, the oddsmakers said he would. Downes doesn’t quite look at it that way.

“You’ve got a lot to lose besides brain cells from getting punched by Jeremy Stephens,” he said. “If you look at it honestly and look at oddsmakers and who they’re picking and how the majority of the people think this is gonna play out, if I win, it’s an upset. And if you view it as an underdog / favorite thing, I guess he has more to lose, but I have a lot to lose too. The UFC is competitive and you’re always risking something, and not just your health. Especially at lightweight, it’s such a competitive thing, and you can’t take fights haphazardly and just get in there and lose, because you never know if you’re gonna have another one. So I wouldn’t say I have nothing to lose. I would say that this puts me in a better position than him, and I definitely plan on playing the spoiler.”

That’s as bold as he’ll get when it comes to calling the fight, and frankly, it’s refreshing, because trash talk and callouts become a dime a dozen after a while, so to hear some witty humor and honesty in place of bluster is a welcome change. Downes is smart enough to know it too.

“Everyone likes big, strong athletes, but people don’t want meatheads,” he said. “If I walk out there and say ‘I’m gonna kick your ass,’ or ‘I’m gonna knock you out,’ people are gonna be like ‘well, that’s not gonna happen.’ So it’s like Biff and Marty McFly from “Back to the Future.” You can’t go up there and threaten Biff. It doesn’t make any sense and no one would buy it; they’d laugh at him. So I try to use the weapons I have.”

And those weapons are getting sharper with each fight, leading to the obvious question: with everything on your side outside the Octagon, why step inside of it to fight? It’s a generic query, but if you’ve been reading so far, you know you won’t get a generic response.

“You know how they talk about Freud and the tri-part division of the mind?” he asks. “It’s all Id. When I’m in the cage, I don’t have to worry about if I paid my bills or all the other stuff in the back of my head. I’m just there, and I’m singularly focused on one objective. It centers you. I call it primitive, but not as a negative connotation; I mean it in a good way. It’s you against another guy and you’re fighting for supremacy. It’s not who can hit a ball a certain way or throw something in a basket, it’s two guys going in there and it’s that innate desire to win. There are violent aspects of it, but it’s not for violent people. It’s that test. That’s why people run marathons. I think that’s stupid; I wouldn’t want to run for five hours, I think that’s a terrible idea. But people do it because they’re trying to push themselves to that limit. You want to see how far you can go. If you can get punched and then come back, my coaches say you find out a lot about a guy in a fight, and that’s why I do it. It’s that challenge.”

Can you get more real than that? Probably not, but Downes will try, giving a glimpse not only into his own psyche but that of most of his peers.

“People appreciate the honesty, and if you reveal part of your vulnerability, I think that endears you more to them,” he said. “A lot of guys go ‘yeah man, I’m not scared at all.’ I have no problem saying oh yeah, I get scared. I’m just being honest. That doesn’t mean I’m terrified, that doesn’t mean I’m gonna go out there and fight to not get hurt. But any fighter that says they go in there and they’re not worried or don’t have nerves is being disingenuous, and I think people recognize that.”