When Mitch Clarke first learned that he was to take on John Cholish in the UFC—the pinnacle of professional mixed martial arts competition—the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan product was admittedly caught off guard.
“I was getting ready to go to a strength and conditioning session and I got a phone call from my manager saying, basically, that my original fight was cancelled,” Clarke, 26, explained to Bleacher Report. “I started to get kind of uppity. Then he said it was because I was fighting in Toronto for the UFC.”
“I was surprised when I heard the news, of course. I was expecting to get a few more fights in before I would get a shot at this.”
According to Clarke, however, his bout against Cholish at UFC 140 on Saturday evening could’ve been over well before it was scheduled to begin.
“I was supposed to keep it confidential,” Clarke explained. “My manager said that I could tell my coaches, but to tell them not to tell anyone and, of course, not tell anyone myself. I told a couple of my coaches and, eventually, I looked at my phone and I had 30 texts, 12 missed calls—everyone was saying that I was fighting in the UFC.”
“I thought that something really bad had happened, because I really wasn’t supposed to tell anyone. I guess someone from Cholish’s camp had spread the word, though … I was not a happy-camper. I thought that I would for sure get in trouble and maybe even lose my job.”
Fortunately for Clarke—and Cholish, a student of the legendary Renzo Gracie—the two combatants kept their jobs with the UFC. Despite the leaked report, the two are still to meet in the Octagon on Saturday evening.
Although Clarke, who is undefeated through the first nine professional matches of his career, is a few months—or years—ahead of his own schedule, he nevertheless feels ready for his Octagon-debut.
“He’s good at a lot of things, but he doesn’t keep a tremendous pace,” Clarke noted. “He’s more systematic. It’s a very interesting fight. I’m a good grappler, I work my stand-up a lot, too, and I like to keep a higher pace.”
“I feel confident in my abilities. I think this is a very winnable fight.”
Looking past his match on Saturday—although the Canadian lightweight is quick to insist that he isn’t looking past Cholish—Clarke is hoping to one day become a star within the confines of the UFC.
“I’d like to be someone who competes well and someone that people want to see fight,” said Clarke, who is the proud owner of six submission victories and another two by way of knockout. “I want people to buy the pay-per-views that I’m on to see me compete.”
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