Maddog ready to unleash at MCC21

Chris "Maddog" Mickle

By: Bruce “PhyteGuru” Huckfeldt

What is more dangerous?  Bullets flying at your head or having your face stomped so hard, it breaks your jaw?  Just ask Chris “Maddog” Mickle, he’s experienced both.  Mickle (30-12-2), a mixed martial artist of five years, will be headlining the 21st Midwest Cage Championship card against Eric Marriott.  A newcomer to the sport with just over a year of professional experience, Marriott accepted the bout only a few weeks notice.  With wins over Ted Worthington and Joe Benoit, Marriot drew enough attention to himself that the MCC was interested. Marriott (11-1-1) received a call from the MCC and was told that Chris Mickle’s original opponent, Erik Koch, would be heading to the bright lights of the World Extreme Cagefighting promotion.  Marriott was already preparing for a a bout June 12th, and will now focus to do battle with the Maddog. Mickle, never one to complain, accepted the new opponent just as he has many times in the past. When I asked about how an opponent change affects Chris, he stated, “Doesn’t matter who I’m fighting, I’m going to destroy them regardless. I’m coming off of a loss, and I can’t wait to unleash.”

Mickle has faced a lot of tough warriors including six UFC veterans and one WEC fighter.  He was facing what would become top-tier competition within one year from his pro debut. Chris stood toe-to-toe with guys like Jeremy Stephens, Clay Guida, Cole Miller, Rich Clementi and Jay Estrada.  I asked Chris who was the toughest fighter he’d ever fought and Who hits the hardest? “I’d have to say both would be Jeremy Stephens. All three fights with him were my toughest fights. They were back and forth and our last fight was the hardest I’ve ever been hit, obviously putting me unconscious.” Although Mickle didn’t always do as well as he’d like to, he always came back.  During a 2004 Point of Impact show, Mickle received some extremely heavy hands and included some stomps to the face which snapped Mickles jaw into pieces.  Most people would think to themselves; “Am I crazy?”  Not Chris, within six months, he was back into the cage doing what he loved. Battling mano-a-mano with another man to see who was better skilled.

When Chris returned home from his second tour in Iraq, he tuned into WEC 38 and saw a young Jose Aldo quickly dispose a very game Rolando Perez.  I asked Chris how the Aldo fight came about and he replied, “My manager, called Sean Shelby, the WEC matchmaker, and said lets set this fight up, Chris wants it, and can beat him. Lets do it. Then voila!” A few emails and a couple phone calls later, Mickle was granted his wish and would soon be fighting for the WEC. What most people didn’t know is that Chris was just short of 200 pounds when he returned from Iraq in November last year.  “I was benching 365 for sets of five.  We did a lot of bench and squat competitions.  I still had an 8-pack,” he noted. In March of this year after a fifty-plus pound weight cut, a shredded 145 pound Mickle stepped up to face the extremely talented Jose Aldo at WEC 39.  Though he was riding a heater of seven victories out of eight fights, Mickle lost the fight by TKO in the first giving him his first loss in two years.  I asked Chris how long it was before he was back in the gym after the fight with Aldo.  His response, “I was back in the gym two days later and I’ve been working just as hard as I was then, adding new techniques into my arsenal.” It had taken Mickle 30 wins to make it to the big show.  When I asked Chris, “After the loss to Aldo, did the WEC tell you to go get a few wins and then they’d have you back?” He proudly stated, “No, I asked if I could have a couple fights before I could come back, and they accepted.”

Chris has fought all over the Midwest but has made it as far east as Florida and in the bright lights of Las Vegas. “I would like to fight all over the world. I want to fight anywhere that has a cage or ring. I love fighting. I’ll have 100 pro fights. Definitely.” I asked Chris about fighting in places like Brazil or Japan and if he would like to go anywhere else. He stated, “I’ve trained and fought other places other then the Midwest. I would love to train and fight all over the world every single day for the rest of my life. But my wife, daughter, and family come first and mean the most. So the Midwest with my family is where I’ll be!” Is there anyone you would like to thank? “I would like to thank my training partners at Des Moines Extreme, Pete at Round Kick, Mikey Van Meer, everyone with Midwest Cage Championship, My manager, all my friends, family, fans that are always supporting me, and most of all, my wife Shea.”

Chris, the current Midwest Cage Championship featherweight champion, will look to start a new streak against Eric Marriott on June 26th. Can Marriotts submission skills out-do the heart and experience of the Maddog? Or will it be a stand-and-bang session? You have to be there June 26th to find out.