Photo courtesy of MMAPhotography
FromtheGut recently had the chance to sit down with Full Force Untamed Light Heavyweight champ Travis ‘The Show Stopper’ Bartlett. After having a very successful amateur boxing career, Bartlett has quickly established himself as arguably the top light heavyweight in the New England MMA scene. For those of you who are not familiar with ‘The Show Stopper’, let’s get you up to speed.
FromtheGut: What led you into MMA?
Travis Bartlett: Well ultimately Marcus Davis got me into MMA. You see, we boxed together for years back in the day. I was a promising up and coming boxer and Marcus had just turned pro. I went on to become ranked sixth by USA boxing as an amateur, and Marcus went on to be a pro contender. I fought anyone at anytime and earned respect in the boxing world by doing and not talking, which I credit to Marcus, trying to follow in his footsteps. I fought the Canadian National Champion, when I had a mere ten fights and knocked him out in 28 seconds. My career was going along smoothly when I found out I was going to be a dad. Taking time off in 1998 would prove to be crucial and I never got back on track, I fought only a couple more times. I ended my boxing career 77-19, with my final loss to my good friend Steven Vukosa, that came in the finals of the 2000 New England Golden Gloves as a heavy weight (I fought all my previous NE Golden Gloves as a light heavyweight). Flash ahead to December 2006, weighing 282lbs I was asked by a local boxing trainer to come to his show and wrap hands. Marcus had a young mma fighter who was boxing that night. I hadn’t seen Marcus in years and I was in horrible physical condition. After a few moments of “how ya been” he said he wanted me to come to the gym to spar with him. I thought he was crazy, I was fat and drinkin beer on a daily basis. A few weeks went by and the thought of training again started to weigh on me hard. My first day in his gym was late January 2007, we decided to do some San Chou. I was so much bigger I figured I would save my energy and just land a couple of big shots. Well, when I thought he was going to punch he would kick, when I thought kick… he’d punch and every once in a while he would throw in a take down. I was bewildered and my ego was crushed and I knew in that instant I couldn’t go the rest of my life knowing he could so easily take me apart. I had my first fight a few weeks later.
FromtheGut: Where are you currently training? Who are your training partners?
Travis Bartlett: I train at Team Irish in Brewer, Maine. My partners are Marcus Davis, Garth Krane, Mike Laliberte, John Lemnke and many more.
FromtheGut: Where did the nickname ‘The ShowStopper’ come from?
Travis Bartlett: I got the name from my first mma fight. I knocked the guy out in 57 seconds and he was hurt pretty severely. The entire medical staff and EMT’s had to look after the guy and the entire show was halted for an hour and twenty minutes. I was only the second fight and my former teammate Dale Hartt was fighting in the Main Event so the long pause upset him a little and that’s when another training partner Colby Brown started calling me “ShowStopper” and it stuck.
FromtheGut: Who has been your toughest opponent to this point?
Travis Bartlett: My toughest opponent thus far has been the UFC 100 submission of the night winner Tom Lawlor. Not only is he the only one who has beat me but he also is a gifted wrestler and comes from a great training camp. His wrestling style was the biggest chink in my armor, but now luckily I have Garth Krane to work on my wrestling. Garth is the best wrestler that I know and he is the general manager of Team Irish. I work on my wrestling more than anything else now and it is actually improving my striking. The less I fear the take down the more I can let my hands go. Going to the ground in a fight doesn’t bother me in the least, that is why I believe my KO’s will be quicker and more frequent now.
FromtheGut: Who would you say your fighting style is comparable to?
Travis Bartlett: My style is similar to Chuck Liddell’s, because of my footwork and pinpoint punching and countering.
FromtheGut: In your last fight ( A TKO victory over Guillermo Echuaca) you took an accidental poke in the eye. The crowd started to get on you for taking the allowed time to recover. Did the crowds reaction get to you?
Travis Bartlett: When I was getting booed by the crowd it didn’t get to me at first, because I have fought in front of large crowds so many times. But when my vision didn’t seem to be getting any better and I had to keep waiting, I could feel the crowd thinking I was looking for a way out of the fight. That is when I got fired up and said its time to shut this crowd up.
FromtheGut: What’s up next for you? Has an opponent been named yet?
Travis Bartlett: My next fight is going to be September 26 for WCF again. I was hoping to defend my Full Force Untamed title in August but I found out today that is not going to happen. My opponent is unknown at this time but I have been assured of a fight.
FromtheGut: A couple more wins and you may get a shot in the UFC, would you stay at light heavyweight or drop down to middleweight?
Travis Bartlett: If I get to the UFC, I’m not sure if I will move down in weight or not. I fought at, and did the best at 201 as a boxer so I think that’s where I am best, but I have already started training and eating better to get my physique back to where it should be. I think a lot of people will be surprised come WCF 8!
FromtheGut: What do you do when your not training?
Travis Bartlett: When I’m not training I am the consummate family man. Mostly sports with my three wonderful children. We enjoy playing or watching almost any sport together, we’ve even made up a few sports. I also love to golf, because it is to me, the most challenging sport I have ever played. My wife at times holds her own on the golf coarse with me!
FromtheGut: Is there anyone you’d like to thank?
Travis Bartlett: There are three people in particular that I must thank, for they are the soul reasons for my success. The first of coarse is Marcus Davis for inspiring me to fight again and for training me in a way that has sped up my transition into MMA. What I mean is, Marcus and I come from southpaw boxing backgrounds with some traditional karate roots. Marcus has cut out all the things that I don’t need to learn and adapted a much more simplified MMA package for me to learn. He is able to do this because he has already been down that road and knows what I should and shouldn’t take the time to learn. Marcus is a tremendous trainer. I have worked with some of the best in boxing and Marcus has all the qualities to become a great one. His ability to explain, and teach, and his understanding of the fight game is truly incredible. When he is finished fighting he will be the next Mark Dellagrotte!
Great interview with Travis, Bill and Frank. Travis is a GREAT guy and Team Irish does not get enough pub and respect around here…Bangor is only 4 hours away! LOL!