Why So Blu?

Interview with James Pfeiffer – MMA Fighter

In my third go-round with covering mixed martial arts events this past January, I had the opportunity to see Norwalk, Ohio-native James Pfeiffer take the octagon in a match that went the distance with Pfeiffer exiting as the victor. In the grapple-heavy match, both fighters wore each other down, surpassing the limits of exhaustion for the common man. Pfeiffer, however, with an appetite for winning and a physique that makes women swoon over the 22-year old, was the one raising his arms after the 3-round decision. In March, Pfeiffer once again took it to his counterpart in what would be the most teeth-clenching, adrenaline-inducing match I’ve yet to watch.

If you read my recap of that evening, you’ll know that Pfeiffer muscled out of two arm pins, repelling the onslaught of his attacking foe and claiming a standing applause victory. On April 23, 2011, Pfeiffer was on the card again with his 3-0 record, this time going against Alan “The German Buzzsaw” Hoelzle from Buffalo, New York, whose octagon tally stood at 3-2. On the night of Pfeiffer’s standing-O win, Hoelzle also fought with a winning outcome as well. Now that the two brought their combined 6-2 record to the table, some in the audience thought it was anybody’s game. Pfeiffer knew it was his alone.  With his 12 years of wrestling experience along with accents of martial arts, he is without a doubt a force to be reckon with.

“The Predator,” as his MMA-namesake goes, is not a lable that’s there for just a cool or even imitimidating effect, but rather the accuracy it holds.  In the interview that follows below, I’ll cover the topic of his chameleon-like fighting style in the caged ring.  Sometimes mirroring his opponent with a ‘fight fire with fire’ mentality and other times applying a completely opposite technique, Pfeiffer is just like the movie alien Predator, blending in with his environment, or more accurately, his enemy’s method of attack and waiting with the patience of a hunter as he launches his unapologetic arsenal upon the poor fellow on the receiving end.  Relaxed and level-headed, one may not expect the fighter mentality that James Pfeiffer casually conceals outside the octagon…