Full Interview

When Zuffa announced that they would be folding the WEC's welterweight division into the UFC's welterweight division, many fans wondered what would happen to some of the top fighters.  Even WEC welterweight title contender Brock Larson was a little nervous what would happen.  Thankfully he was brought over and has gone 2-1 since returning to the UFC.  MMA Recap's Brent Todd caught up with Brock Larson to discuss Larson's most recent loss, his thoughts on training and more.

How'd you get into mixed martial arts?
I started training bjj with a buddy of mine, we got some gracie tapes and then from there we hooked up with minnesota martial arts academy and started training. After some training, I got my first fight.

What was going through your mind with your first professional fight?
I was scared shitless because Sherk was always beating up on me at the gym and they assured me that my opponent wouldn't be like Sherk. I went in and I won and I have been doing it ever since.

Talk me through your most recent fight with Mike Pierce? What do you think you should have done differently?
Well you know we knew he would rely on his wrestling because he is a division 1 wrestler so we worked a lot on trying to keep it standing. Unfortunately he kept me down and every time I tried to move, he kept hugging my hips which prevented me from doing much of anything. It was a boring fight and I never got punched in the face.

Backtracking a bit in your career, you earned your way to a title shot with Carlos Condit, and lost. After the loss you went on three fight win streak (at the time) to put yourself back at the top of the list. Then the WEC decided to disband the welterweight division. What were your thoughts at this time?
I was nervous, but I was also excited because I knew it was time to move to the big pond and test myself against some other opponents.

Since you were supposed to fight Condit a second time, do you think that is a fight that will happen now that you are both in the UFC?
I don't think it will happen for a while. It isn't like fans are clamoring to have this fight happen again. There's so many other opponents for both of us, that it probably won't happen until we both prove ourselves in the UFC and it would probably be for like a contenders matchup.

Do you have a timeline for your next fight? Any particular person you want to fight?
Not yet. I am taking some time off and having minor surgery done on my knee. As for who the next fight is against, I don't care if it is a new guy or a veteran, I will get in with any of them.

Which fight did you learn the most from?
The Fitch fight I learned the most from because it showed that I couldn't just go out there and throw my hands around. After that fight I knew I needed to work on setting up my takedowns to work my ground game.

Do you still train out of Minnesota Martial Arts Academy?
I do but not for a full training camp. For the Pierce fight I decided to try Matt Hume's camp out in Seattle as some other guys had been talking about it. After so many years at MMAA, I just needed a fresh look at how to do things.

Which aspect of your game do you work on the most?
I am still working my hands and my feet. I don't really need to work on my ground game that much as I do that for a warm up and I have been doing it for so long. Now I am focusing on getting my feet in the right place and the hands to go with it.

Do you watch tape of your opponents to set the gameplan?
We did for the Pierce fight and that was the first time I had ever done that.

Do you feel training in the colder climate is an advantage or a disadvantage?
Hey Rocky did it and he was pretty tough right? I don't think there's any advantage to training in a warmer climate other than running as everything else is done inside.