With a record of 30-5, Fickett, 27, is one of the emerging new breed in the sport; he’s had more fights than birthdays. But despite the frenetic pace that’s kept him remarkably active, he’s still learning, taking something with him from each match.

Facing Keita Nakamura Thursday at UFC Fight Night in a welterweight bout, the Arizona-based Fickett is no longer the new guy in the UFC, with six appearances in the show behind him. But that experience has come with a price. And given that it’s only Nakamura’s second UFC fight (following a hard-fought decision loss to Brock Larson last December), Fickett’s hoping that the tables might be turned this time, given the disappointment of his debut in the UFC against Nick Diaz, in February 2005 at the Mandalay Bay. He was TKO’d in the first round of bout where he never really got untracked.

“I was just like really, really scared. I was in tears the morning of the fight. I wasn’t intimidated by Nick, it’s the whole scene,” Fickett recalled. “In his interview he said he had a lot more experience. Then I stepped into the lights and said Holy Cow!”

Fickett didn’t understand what Diaz was talking about. He had twice as many fights (25 vs. 12) as the Stockton-based battler. It was only afterward he realized that Diaz’ aforementioned edge in experience was in the UFC. While Diaz had a mere dozen bouts, he’d fought three in the UFC, and had already gotten through the nerve-wracking experience of getting familiar with the setting. It’s there that all the trappings come home to roost. Big John McCarthy comes in to give you instructions. The walk into the Octagon. Seeing yourself on the big screen. 10,000 pairs of eyes watching. You can’t train for it and the adrenaline dump can be paralyzing before the first blow is even thrown.

The main event featured long time vets Jeff Monson and Travis Wiuff, who have 115 combined fights (!!). In the first round, the two fighters circled for a while, trading a few punches. Monson got Wiuff against the cage and landed some knees; Wiuff responded with body punches. The two ended up in the middle, with Wiuff getting more punches and Monson landing body shots. I scored the round 10-9 Monson, but nothing really happened so it was hard to say.

In the second round, it was Wiuff who landed heavy punches and pushed Monson against the cage. Monson landed some rib shots and Wiuff secured the takedown. Monson quickly stood and landed a few punches. Wiuff held Monson against the cage again. Monson worked his way out and pressed forward with big shots, then held Wiuff against the cage. Monson inadvertently landed a low blow. After a restart, Monson again holds Wiuff against the cage. I scored the round 10-9 Wiuff.

In the final round Monson punched, clinched and landed body shots and then another low blow. After a restart, Monson took a knee to the face. Monson landed a big punch and takes and the two jockey against the fence. Monson eats a knee and Wiuff scores another takedown. I scored the round 10-9 Wiuff. I scored the fight 29-28 Wiuff. One judge scored it 30-27 Wiuff, one judge scrored it 30-27 Monson, and one scored it 29-28 Wiuff.

The co-main event of the evening was an incredible bout between David Menne and Adrian Miles. Why a guy with 61 fights was facing a guy with 7 (according to the announcer; only two according to Sherdog) is beyond me, but to be fair, Miles was a second replacement opponent after Strasser canceled and McGee, an Irish fighter, had Visa problems.

In the first round, Menne landed some leg kicks and Miles came in with a flurry of punches. Menne unsuccessfully attempted a takedown and then jumps on Miles’ back. Miles gets free and lands some knees and body shots while pressed against the fence. Miles lands punches and works his takedown defense but Menne ultimately gets a takedown. Menne gets Miles’ back and works a guillotine. Miles defends by pushing Menne’s arm off, then lands a takedown. Menne manages to get up by the end of the round. I scored the round 10-9 Menne.

In the second round, the two fighters trade punches and again Menne attempts a takedown which Miles defends. Menne eventually does secure a takedown and gets Miles’ back, this time attempting a rear naked choke. Amazing defense by Miles. Again Menne goes for a takedown but Miles stuff his head and takes some body shots before attempting a kimura. Menne ends up on the bottom with Miles attempting an armbar, eating some leg kick and dropping punches and elbows from the top. I scored the round 10-9 Miles.

In the final round, Menne pushed Miles against the fence, but Miles responded with knees and a takedown ending up in north/south. The two stood up and traded big punches, with Miles securing another takedown. Menne ended up on top. Still, I thought Miles had an edge and scored the bout 10-9 Miles. I scored the bout 29-28 Miles (remind me never to mention this anywhere around Mennes’ corner ever again so I won’t end up getting beat up in an alley somewhere), but the judges scored the bout for the hometown fighter Dave Menne.

Drew “the Master” Fickett flew in from Arizona as a late replacement for Gideon Ray. Fickett fought Minnesota’s

own Derrick Noble. In the first round, Noble came in with punches and Fickett responded with an inside leg kick. Noble pushed Fickett against the fence. Drew jumped into a standing closed-guard guillotine, but Noble defended from the ground. The fighters stand and Fickett eats some punches and attempts a single, but does not secure it. He ends up on the bottom and Noble lands big punches. Noble let Fickett back up, and Fickett lands a nice face kick and body shot and ends up on his back again, taking body shots and leg shots. Noble again lets Fickett up and presses him against the cage, landing knees. Fickett lands a takedown and scores a couple elbows from the top. I scored the round 10-9 Noble.

In the second round, Noble comes in with power punches and big kicks including one that leaves the Master wobbly. He ends up on the mat shortly thereafter, managing to get Noble’s knees, secure a takedown, take his back and secure a rear naked choke. Noble had his eyes closed and did not respond to the ref when asked if he could continue (the MN Boxing Commission has stated in the rules meeting and officials training that they look for eye contact or a thumbs up, Noble was unresponsive and in fact had his eyes closed), and Fickett won the bout by ref stoppage due to rear naked choke 1:09 minutes into the second round much to the chagrin of the crowd, cheering for their hometown favorite. Say what you will about ref (and promoter) Nick Gamst (and there is plenty to say), but having attended the MMA Officials Training I thought it was a good call.

The fight of the night was a highly anticipated bout between up-and-comer Shana “Rock Solid” Olsen (#7, IWMMAR) and seasoned veteran Yoko Takahashi.

Olsen came in with punches and Takahashi tied her up, with Olsen pushing her against the fence. Takahashi gets Olsen against the cage and works a takedown of sorts and landing in half guard. She punches Olsen’s leg, gets mount and then tees off with a flurry of punches. Shana works a reversal ending up on top. Takahashi ties up Olsen and scores some punches from the bottom. Olsen advances to side control, works north/south position, goes for big punches of her own. Shana knees the body of Takahashi. Takahashi rolls out and transitions from half guard to side control to knee on belly and then full mount. Shana reverses off the cage. Takahashi lands some kicks from the bottom and tries to set up an armbar and a guillotine. Shana responds by punching over the top I scored the round 10-9 Olsen.

In the second round, Shana comes out with punches and Takahashi scores a takedown. Olsen attempted a guillotine but Takahashi defends and then transitions to North/South, lands punches and ends up back in Olsen’s half guard, then transitions to mount. Olsen gets on top and gets Takahashi’s back, attempting a rear naked choke at a bad angle. Takahashi punches and ends up in mount, with Shana reversing and getting half guard and again scoring some punches. Takahashi attempts a guillotine and Shana escapes and then tees off. Takahashi gets up and Shana lands an elbow to the face. I scored this very close round 10-9 Olsen.

In the final round, the two fighters trade punches and Shana secures a single-leg takedown. Shana ends up on top and lands short punches. Takahashi reverses and gets full mount and Shana again reverses and ends up in Takahashi’s guard. Takahashi, always with an answer for everything, gets back to her knees and winds up in top position. Olsen reverses to the top again and ends up in Takahashi’s guard. Takahashi secures a keylock but Olsen narrowly escapes and tees off on Takahashi. I scored the round 10-9 Takahashi. I scored the bout 29-28 Olsen. Two judges scored it 30-27 and one scored it 29-28, all for Shana Olsen.

Brandon Seguin fought St. Paul’s Isaiah Larson. In the first round, Larson got a single-leg takedown, ate a lot of punches and ended up in Seguin’s guard. He landed some body shots and elbows from the top, stood up out of guard and took some upkicks while landing punches from the top. Seguin wrapped Larson up in guard again and Larson landed a few more body shots. I scored the round 10-9 Larson.

In the second round, Larson pushed Seguin against the fence and the two traded punches, with Larson landing an elbow to the face and Seguin countering with a body kick and inside leg kick. Larson got Seguin to the ground and ended up in his guard. Seguin scored some nice punches from the bottom, Larson responded with punches over top, and the fight was stood up. Seguin landed a nice flying knee and Larson responded by securing a body lock and then eating some knees. Seguin then had a point removed for an inadvertent low blow. Larson landed some punches, secured a takedown and again ended up in Seguin’s guard but punched from the top. Both fighters stand and Seguin tees off. I scored the round 10-8 Larson (including Seguin’s point loss).

In the final round, Seguin gets a body kick, flying knee, punches and a big knee. Larson gets Seguin against the fence but Seguin tees off. Larson attempts a takedown but Seguin responds with punches, a body kick, more punches, a knee to the face, an elbow to the face and more body shots. The two fight for underhooks when the round ends. I scored the round 10-8 Seguin. My final score was 28-27 Larson, but the judges scored it 29-28 Seguin.

Ray “Ipswich Cobra” Steinbeiss flew in all the way from Arizona to fight Omaha, Nebraska’s Matt Delanoit. Steinbeiss started the round with a nice combination followed with a body kick. He attempted a takedown and transitioned to clinch. Delanoit managed to get a takedown, but after a short scramble Steinbeiss ended up on top. He landed some punches but Delanoit responded with a triangle choke attempt. Steinbeiss flattened out Delanoit and escaped the choke, ending up in Delanoit’s guard momentarily before transitioning to half-guard and landing a great left elbow. Delanoit trapped Steinbeiss’ right arm and tried to play rubber guard, but Steinbeiss transitioned into half guard. He took some hits to the body and landed an elbow. Delanoit attempted an omaplata which Steinbess defended. I scored the round 10-9, Delanoit.

In the second round, Delanoit threw a strong right and Steinbeiss responded with a takedown and big slam. Delanoit secured a heel hook and won by way of tapout at 1:44 in the second round. In Steinbeiss’ corner was UFC fighter C.B. Dollaway, who revealed that Steinbeiss twisted his ankle on the first kick he threw and heard it pop about 8 times, explaining Ray went for takedowns even with an impressive standup game. “The heel hook was just the icing on the cake,” Dollaway said.

Fan favorite Brock Larson took a breather from official business (as a promoter for this event) to fight Iowa’s Brian

Green. After a lot of circling, Larson pressed Green against the fence and scored some knees and punches. He then got a strong takedown and gets Green on his back. Green attempted an armbar and Larson responded with a big slam, followed by a series of short punches. Green regained half guard while eating punches. Green attempted a kimura and Larson responded with some elbows, and then transitioned to mount and back mount. He landed some ground and pound and then locked in a rear naked choke in 4:39 of the 1st round.Wrestler Ryan “Are You Ready” Roberts took on St. Cloud’s Chaz Haag. Haag missed his first few punches and Roberts responded with a big punch that connected. Haag dropped to the ground and Roberts landed punches to win by KO in just twenty seconds.

Travis “the Ironman” Fulton, who has over two hundred recorded fights, took on Brad Kohler (11-13). The two veterans first fought in 1997, with Kohler coming in ahead. Fulton was hungry to avenge the loss. He scored an inside leg kick, followed by a beautiful kick to the face, winning by KO at 1:01 of Round 1.

Wrestler Nate Schutt was up against Bobby “the Bully” Ferrier. Ferrier came in as a late replacement for Brian “the Duke” Geraghty (who pulled out of the fight when Schutt came in three lbs. over weight.) The two fighters traded punches, with Schutt securing a takedown and transitioning to side control and then mount. Ferrier managed to get Schutt back to mount, but then ate a flurry of relentless punches. Schutt secured a rear naked choke victory at 4:33 of the 1st round.

From EliteXC title shot to No. 1 contender eliminator, the news most likely didn’t even elicit a shrug from the UFC veteran. Fickett is not about championship belts or media exposure. He simply fights to test himself against the best.

In fact, Fickett was already armed with a proverb for his current situation.

“Karate up!” was the rally cry for the heavy underdog when he thought he was going up against perennial 170-pound powerhouse Jake Shields (Pictures). The slogan was borrowed and modified from the ultimate underdogs, the 2004 Boston Red Sox World Series champions, whose mantra was “cowboy up.”

When you’re a cowboy and you get knocked off your horse, you “cowboy up.” When you’re a 28-year-old fighter from Tucson, Ariz., and your fight nearly gets scrapped, you “karate up.”

Fickett is no longer the underdog against his new opponent, South Korean fighter Jae Suk Lim (Pictures), but the mantra still applies. It’s time to suck it up because Lim is too good of a fighter to take lightly.

Lim is currently the reigning Spirit MC middleweight champion, having earned the title on March 3 in Seoul, South Korea. Though not discussed in any top-10 lists at 170 pounds, he posts a 9-3 professional record and defeated Daniel Pinedo (Pictures) in his EliteXC debut.

Currently the top welterweight outside the Zuffa umbrella of fight orgs was Fickett’s former opponent, Jake Shields (Pictures). After Shields withdrew due to a severe back injury, Fickett’s game plan and training strategy was left on the cutting room floor.

Shields was a dominant wrestler with a good top game, which gives way to Lim, who is known more for his striking prowess.

The Lim contest is the first of a three-fight deal with EliteXC for Fickett that comes on the heels of his move to the Armory in Jupiter, Fla., where he spent the majority of this training camp. Fickett had kindled a relationship with Armory fighter Kurt Pellegrino (Pictures) after the two fought at UFC 61 in July 2006.

“Kurt’s been a good friend of mine for a while now after we fought,” Fickett said. “I went out there to help him train for Alberto [Crane]. So now I came out to train for my fight. I really like their conditioning coach, and they have a lot of good wrestlers. I really like the atmosphere out there, and it’s laid back.

“I’m more of a coach at Southwest MMA. Sometimes it’s hard for me to get pushed because you have to coach the fighters and get a workout in for yourself.”

Still a fundamental part of Southwest MMA in Tempe, Ariz., Fickett’s balancing act of teaching and training has him hoping to reap the rewards of the extra work inside the cage. He’s riding a three-fight winning streak and is not shy in declaring that fighting a top-10 opponent gives him a renewed sense of vigor in his fight preparation.

“I think this is the first time I’ve really been motivated for a fight in the last few years,” Fickett said.

Squaring off with an unknown opponent is something Fickett knows all to well. In a story that sounds more folktale than fact, in June 2005 Fickett was called upon to fight in a show he was merely attending as a fan. Coming off a loss in his UFC debut to Nick Diaz (Pictures) four months earlier didn’t factor into his decision to step up. As the legend goes, Fickett allegedly ate a few hot dogs, jumped rope for 20 minutes and then pounded out a TKO victory.

In sports terminology he is the definition of a “gamer.” Earning a 32-5 record over a 10-year span finally earned him the elusive title opportunity, but what’s championship glory worth to a no-nonsense veteran?

“I just wanted to fight more,” he said. “I’m not a political fighter. I don’t care about titles. I don’t care about being famous or anything. I love to fight. I love to fight game guys who are really good. I don’t like messing with all the politics involved.”

Get a win in San Jose and a title shot in beautiful Honolulu awaits. Slip up and the two fights remaining on his non-exclusive deal may take on a much lower profile.

Anytime promoters select an opponent to put in front of Fickett, one thing is for sure: It’s difficult to defeat a fighter who has everything to lose but believes he has absolutely nothing to lose.

Watch Drew Fickett (Pictures) defeat his current training partner, Kurt Pellegrino (Pictures) at UFC 61.
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Source: New Opponent No Problem for Fickett
by Tommy Messano