Why So Blu?

Interview with Adam Bogle – MMA Fighter

This week at Why So Blu features the third of our three MMA fighter interviews and we’d like to extend a big thank you to the athletes as well as CageStars for their time and hospitality.  In this interview, we focus our time on the energized Adam Bogle.  As Bogle gets ready to deliver a beating on his next opponent, he also took a moment to educate me and the Why So Blu readers on mixed martial arts and his experience in the cage.  As with his fellow UFC-hopeful brethren, Bogle is focused on that June 26th matchup in Sheffield, Ohio that will feature UFC champion, Anderson Silva.  Without further ado, let’s hear from Adam and the intense and gritty path he has followed.

WSB: Adam, I’ve talked to a few of the fighters so far.  Everybody seems to have their own signature style; Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, some other fighters are in to kickboxing, what is your weapon of choice?

Adam: I’m pretty well-rounded.  I come from a Jiu-Jitsu background, karate/kenpo.  I’ve been in karate since I was about 10 years old.  I have more of a karate background.

WSB: When did UFC or MMA enter your life, even as a spectator, how old were you?

Adam: I was about 15 or 16, but I’ve been in martial arts since I was 10.

WSB: Was it kind of like a godsend the first time you saw something like this?  What was your experience like?  Was it something where you said, that’s what I want to do?

Adam: My experience was more like, “Wow that could keep me out of trouble!”

WSB: With all the different styles out there, is there a certain style out there that concerns you if you’re going to go up against a fighter that utilizes that style?

Adam: A boxer with very long arms.

WSB: Is it the reach?

Adam: Yeah, that’s what gets me.

WSB: Would the same apply to someone that’s taller and has a long range with their kick?

Adam: No.

WSB: Why is that?

Adam: I come from a karate background.  I can tell when they telegraph.  I can see when that foot’s coming from a mile away.  I can read their body language. When I see that, I’m pretty good. I wait ‘til they kick, then counter.

WSB: How often do you train?

Adam: Everyday, except for weekends.

WSB: Now with your fight coming up, you don’t know what weight your opponent is going to be at, correct?

Adam: I would say around 135 or 145, but I think it’s 135.

WSB: Is it difficult for you to adjust to that weight?

Adam: Sometimes.  When I don’t fight for a while, I weigh about ten pounds heavier, but it’s easy for me to lose weight.

WSB: How soon before the fight do you know what your opponent is going to be at so you know to match that?

Adam: I already know who he is and I got a pretty good aspect of him.

WSB: Okay, so you got a jump-start on matching the weight with him.

Adam: Yeah.

WSB: Who were your inspirations, your idols?

Adam: Lyoto Machida, but he kinda got knocked out.  He’s still an inspiration.  I still look up to Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell; they hang in there.

WSB: How do you prepare for a fight?

Adam: Believe it or not, meditating.  I sit down and breathe and just relax and rethink everything.  Just think, think, think and hopefully by the time the fight comes, I’ll be ready to go.

WSB: Do you use an aspect of that exercise in the ring?

Adam: Meditating?  I try to but sometimes it doesn’t work.  You got a couple thousand people watching you and a lot of people want you to win, so it’s a lot of peer pressure.  You think about it ‘til you get up to the ring, but as soon as that door closes, it’s a different world.

WSB: Obviously there is a great amount of focus on your opponent when you’re in the ring.  Do you still hear the audience around you?

Adam: No.

WSB: You shut that out?

Adam: Everything disappears.

WSB: Any fears in the ring?

Adam: The fear was getting knocked out, but I got knocked out in my last fight.

WSB: Is that a bit of a plus in one aspect?

Adam: I think it’s a plus because I thought it would hurt and be real scary, but it’s not.  I’d rather be knocked out than passed out. [laughs]

WSB: When you’re training, do you go through any tapout exercises for any kind of resistance, for how long to hold on, if anyone puts you in any kind of submissive move?

Adam: I train on reverse moves, getting out of, escapes, so if I get caught in one, I’ll know what to do to get out.

WSB: Your opponent you’re facing next month (June 26th), what do you know about him, other than his weight?

Adam: I saw a video on YouTube and he’s like ground-n-pound so far. He’s not too bad of a fighter.

WSB: What does that mean? What is ground-n-pound?

Adam: Get him on the ground, pull him out, tie him out, hammerfist, punches.  Anything except like tapout, anything except submissions.

WSB: Is that more of like a wrestler kind of style? Get you down on the ground?

Adam: Yeah, and ground-n-pound.

WSB: Alright, thanks Adam!

Photography courtesy of Scott T. Morrison / Discovery Photo