On His Way Back to the Top; Getting to Know TJ O’Brien

TJ O'Brien

On His Way Back to the Top; Getting to Know TJ O’Brien
 
TJ “The Spider” O’Brien is no stranger to holding the MCC Championship title.  The former featherweight belt holder will face off against Jake “Dirty Bird” Brown at MCC 24 “Reloaded”, although he will move up one weight class to the 155 lb. division, in hopes to capture the vacant Interim Lightweight belt.  A quiet competitor who does all of his talking inside the cage, we recently caught up with “The Spider” to get to know him in and out of the fight game.
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MCC; How old are you?
 
TJ: I am 22 years old
 
MCC:  What sports have you played leading up to MMA?
 
TJ: I’ve played football, basketball, soccer, plus I ran track and cross country.  I was most successful at track and competed three years in the Iowa State track meet.
 
MCC: What high school are you from?
 
TJ:  I graduated from Martensdale-Saint Mary’s.  It’s a fairly small school.  In fact, I think we has a grdtuating class of 45 people.
MCC:  At what age did you get turned on to MMA?
 
TJ:  I was 17 years old, and I started training when I was 18.

MCC:  Where did you first start training at?
 
TJ: Basically,  I started training with friends.  (He jokingly added: mainly when we were drunk)  We would have submission wrestling matches and boxing matches almost every weekend.  When I became more serious about training, I worked my stand up at Westside Boxing Club and did my jiu jitsu with Greg Ferry.  After about six months I ran into Chuck Grigsby at the YMCA, and he said I could come check out his gym; Team Revolution.  It was great because I went from training once a week with the same people, to rolling every night with different body types and skill levels.  After I left Team Revolution my best friend from high school Alex Harper and I started training together at Aspen and in Simpson College’s wrestling room.  Around the beginning of this year I realized I needed to get back to a real camp where I would have people to push me and I though Roundkick would be a great fit, and it has been so far.  I also still work out with Mike Miller a couple days of the week in the wrestling room at my old high school.
 
MCC: Explain your first fight, and your thoughts were going into it. 
 
TJ: My neighbor had pulled out of a fight and asked if I could fill in for him.  I took the fight on six hours notice and drove to Boone. I  had never even been to a live MMA show, so I had no idea what to expect.  The guy I was fighting was a home town guy with a skin head and tattoos all over his body.  I was scared, but I was able to get out there and knock the guy out in about 20 seconds with some knees and punches.  I was hooked immediately.
 
MCC:  Are you still nervous when you fight?  What are your thoughts going into each fight now?  
 
TJ: Each fight is different. Sometimes I’m nervous and sometimes I get nervous because I’m not nervous, and I always think there is more I could have done to get ready for the fight.
 

MCC:  You have an impressive record with only a couple losses.  Explain why you feel you have those losses, and what they did for you in training and as a fighter.
 
TJ:  My first two losses were to Erik Koch and Allen Hernandez>  It was pretty early in my career, and back then I was training maybe three times a week and not training with the quality of partners I should have been.  The Koch fight I thought I unstoppable because I was submitting everyone I rolled with and didn’t think there was anyway I could get submitted. Erik proved me wrong and my arm is still messed up from the arm bar he tapped me with.  Then, I completely underestimated Hernandez and thought my athletic ability would be enough to beat him.  But, he is a very athletic and looking back that is one fight I don’t think I had much of a chance in.  My most recent loss was to WEC vet Chris Mickle.  All I can say about that fight is I didn’t stick to the game plan and became too impatient.  This is something I have been working on.
 
MCC: What is your current training schedule now?
 
TJ:  I train about every day of the week.  I lift weights more than most fighters I know, and that takes about a hour and a half a day.  I also do a lot of kettle bell training, tire throws, wheel barrel pushes, sledge hammer drills and all kinds of crazy stuff.  I usually do about a hour and half of rolling or stand up drills a day.  I’m doing everything I can to become a well rounded mixed martial artist.
 
MCC:  Do you have a game plan going into each fight, or do you train and fight the same for each fight?
 
TJ: I always have a game plan and love it when I get video of my opponent so I can break them down and come up with a game plan.  A lot of thought goes into the fight before training camp even starts.
 
MCC: You are a former champion in the featherweight division. Why have you flexed back and forth from 145 to 155? Do you plan to go back to 145?

TJ:  Oddly enough, I feel I’m a little to small for the 155 division and I’m a little to big for the 145 division.  It puts me in a weird spot.  Therefore, I bounce back and forth depending on the opponent.  For me to make 145 I have to loose fat (which I don’t have much of) and a lot of muscle.
MCC: Most people think your triangle is your strength. Do you agree? If so, what do you feel are your other strengths? 
 
TJ: I think it is what sets me apart from a lot of people.  I do a lot of leg lifts, plus I have really long legs and some good setups, so it is my go to move. Even though people know it’s coming, they have a hard time avoiding it. My whole jiu jitsu game is pretty tight, and the last couple months I have really been working my top game and takedowns.  Most people assume that because my jiu jitsu is good that I have weak stand up, but that’s not the case at all.  Plus, I have a 77.5 reach and I hit pretty hard, so I’ve been told.
 
MCC: What do you do for your free time?
 
TJ: Free time?I really don’t have much free time, but when I get the chance I like to watch TV and party.
 
MCC:  You like to party, huh?  So, does that become a distraction while training or leading up to your fights? 
 
TJ: Drinking and partying…most people that know me know what my distractions are.  But, I don’t have a girlfriend or family like a lot of the fighters around  here so luckily, I have plenty of time to train.
 
MCC: What’s your ideal goals for 2010?
 
TJ:  That’s easy- to keep my win streak going and make the big show (UFC/WEC)  I’m tied with Evan Tanner for second most wins by triangle submission, so I would like to pass him on that list in 2010.  That would be a huge milestone in my career.
 
MCC: Who would you like to thank for getting you are where you are today?

TJ: I have to thank all of my training partners that I’ve had and all the people that drove me around the last year to practice when I did not have a license.  Also I want to thank all my fans and MMA fans in general that support local shows, without them I couldn’t do what I love to do.