INTERVIEW WITH MARC LAIMON

I was fortunate enough to speak with Marc Laimon before PFC 7. Marc was there to corner up-and comer Ulysses Gomez. Gomez is just one of many rising stars being trained at Cobra Kai, (Laimon’s Las Vegas gym). Getting the BJJ coach/trainer on the phone is no easy task these days, as he went from Oklahoma (cornering Jake Rosholt) on March 15th, back to Vegas, then to Cali for the Gomez fight on the 20th.

After being an assistant coach on The Ultimate Fighter for three seasons, his school has grown. “ After the first season attendance spiked”, but Marc says “ there’s more quality than quantity” regarding his fighters. When asked, who are the next big names in MMA he didn’t hesitate. Laimon said, “Pretty soon everybody’s going to know the name Jake Rosholt, when he take’s that belt in the UFC.” That’s a bold statement considering Jakes a middleweight. Does that mean taking the belt from Anderson Silva? “ That’s tough to say, I think there are some other guy’s who could take him out. If Lindland (Matt) was in the UFC I think he would beat Anderson Silva”. Eric Bradley, Johny Hendricks and Shane Roller are some of the other names Marc say’s we’ll be hearing soon.

You can hear the passion Laimon has for the sport as he talks of the next generation of fighters we’ll be seeing. “ The next few years you’re going to see some real athletes. Right now the athleticism is low because there’s no money in it. Once there’s that big payday, you’re going to start drawing the real athletes out, and it’s going to be real exciting, I can’t wait! The Jake’s, Johnnie’s, Shane’s, and Bradley’s are going to really push this sport into the next generation, kind of open peoples eye’s to what real athletes, and real professional MMA fighter’s are”. He also stated that right now “ from 185 and up in MMA, overall is weak, I mean they have some guys, but I don’t think their talent level is there, and the guy’s that do have it are at the tail end of their careers”. So when Rosholt gets there? “He’s gonna mess people up, I mean I wish I could clone this kid and let them fight, the kids a freak”.

Laimon doesn’t just work with up-and-comers, although that’s what he’s been concentrating on, “ I’m really focusing on the up-and-comers, their work ethic is there and I believe in these guys 110 %.” This is not to discredit his work with some of the more seasoned professionals he works with. As a trainer you want to work with the very best and Laimon certainly has the roster Joe “Daddy” Stevenson, Jay Heiron, Kendal “Da Spyda” Grove and Jason “Mayhem” Miller are just a sampling. UFC Heavyweight Heath Herring recently asked, after his fight with Cheik Kongo, if Laimon would have him back. Apparently “ The Texas Crazy Horse” thought he was going to be in a stand-up battle with the French Kickboxer. Turned out most of the action was on the ground and Herring barely took the win. Now he’s looking to Laimon for some help on his ground game. When asked if he would work with Herring again Laimon certainly didn’t rule it out but stated that they had not discussed it. The competition is getting tougher and even the top tier fighters cannot simply get by with a one-dimensional strategy.

There are many getting involved in this sport to just make a buck, Laimon simply wants to see it grow, and only with the very best of athletes. He has a real passion for the new guys—as he should. MMA is just now starting to become mainstream. Athletes from every genre are cross training trying to catch the wave. MMA gyms are popping up from the cities to the suburbs. Eventually they will have to be weeded out. If you are looking for the very best up and comers in this great sport, look no further than the fighters being produced by Marc Laimon at Cobra Kai.