Kickin’ Ass, Puttin’ Out Flames, and Wearing Belts….Naked!

Kickin’ Ass, Puttin’ Out Flames, and Wearing Belts….Naked! 

By Randy Thomas
 
A couple years ago, a relative unknown stepped into the MCC cage to take on crowd favorite, Ronnie “The Warfrog” Britt.  Fifteen minutes later, fight fans knew Bryce Teager (7-4) was for real.  Handing Britt his first professional loss, Teager rocketed straight up the ladder to become one of the top contenders for the Lightweight Belt.  Next on his plate was Paul “The Gingabread Man” Bird whom Teager defeated in the very first round of their title bout.  And just as fast as he came in, he was gone….
 
“I was lucky enough to land a career as a firefighter in Papillion, NE.  The first year is your probation year, so it is not advised to participate in any activity that might get you injured.  I wasn’t willing to give up a great job and lose the ability to support my family, so I decided to take some time off and focus on my new career.   I still made sure I stayed in shape and rolled lightly from time to time, but it definitely wasn’t the ideal situation for my MMA career. “  
 
A collegiate football player for Wayne State, Teager grew up in South Sioux City, Nebraska.  He did not have a background in martial arts or boxing.  In fact, mixed martial arts was never even in the future for him.  It wasn’t until he was dared, by a few teammates, to step in the ring at an amateur fight night.  He won his first fight by submission.  Although his coaches were not too pleased, he knew he would return to the ring when the season ended.
 
After graduating, he was able to put his Exercise Science degree to use when he landed a job as the strength and conditioning coach at the University of Nebraska, Omaha.  It was there he met UFC hopeful, Jason Brilz.  Brilz was the wrestling coach from UNO and invited Teager to come in the room and grapple. 
 
“Brilz used to absolutely tool us.  I decided I needed to get better so hooked up with the guys at MidAmerica Martial Arts.  There was several guys there who would eventually make it to the UFC.  It was just what I was looking for.”
 
Teager has never had an easy fight.  He’s never said no to a challenge or asked for a lesser opponent.  With three of his losses coming from an Affliction/Dream veteran, a Strikeforce contender, and a 2 time UFC fighter, he learned a lot.
 
“I took those fights with very little experience.  I still don’t have a ton of experience, but I am a lot better fighter now.  After getting beat down in those fights I went on a five fight win streak, and I plan building my record back up to show that I am a better fighter than the record currently shows.”
 
One of his former opponents, John “Hurricane” Halverson, agrees with that statement.
 
“I fought Bryce as part of a three fight deal to get me back into the UFC after my first loss with the promotion.  Although he did not have a great record at the time, I had saw both his prior fights (with Wilcox and High).  He was one of the toughest people around at 155 lbs.  I remember in both of those fights, he kept coming and coming.  There was no quit in him.  Both losses were by razor close decisions that could have went either way.  I was pretty nervous, but I knew we’d have a good fight and he would push me.  He did.”
 
At MCC 26: “Triple Crown”, Teager returns to defend his belt in the main event.  His opponent is equally tough, equally gritty, and the has the same “never say die” attitude.  He will face off against former featherweight title holder and WEC veteran, Chris “Mad Dog” Mickle.
 
“The Mad Dog is an exciting fighter.  I know he will go 100% bell to bell.  He has really great BJJ skills, great conditioning and has a solid chin and is very experienced as well.  Overall Chris is a well rounded fighter.  However, he does have a few holes in his game and hopefully I can exploit them.   If I had to make a call right now, I can see the fight going like this:  He will punch my face…I will punch his face…repeat for 25 minutes.   But, when the smoke clears, I think it will be the fight of the night with my hand raised.”
 
Teager’s competitive nature and willingness to compete with the best has brought him this far.  He does, however, keep a modest outlook on the future of his mixed martial arts career.  He see’s the sport more of a hobby.  It’s not going to make or break him, and he will not let it define his success as a fighter.  Success to him is giving 100% and preparing the best he can.  If he makes it to the big show- great.  But, if not, at the end of the day, he’s still a firefighter, saving people’s lives.  He has the support of his wife (who he says enjoys watching him get socked in the face), and he’s a role model to his three children, Zoe (4 years), Brock (2 years), and Maddie (12 weeks).  He doesn’t have much free time, but he has a great life.
 
With a few more weeks to push his body to the limit, Bryce Teager is looking forward to a war.  He’s excited to defend his belt, but he wants it known, he’s not ready to give it up easily.
 
“I have a lot of respect for Chris, but the belt looks way too good on me (especially when I wear it around the house naked occasionally), so on April 16th the belt is coming back to Papillion, NE.   I wish Chris good luck during his preparation and during the fight and hopefully we can both go back to our families healthy and maybe have a beer after the fight.   Thanks to MCC and all the fans.  See you in a few weeks!”
 
Tickets for MCC 26: “Triple Crown” are available on-line at www.MidwestCageChampionship.com, by phone at 515-229-8566, or at all Dahl’s ticket outlets.  For more news, fighter blogs and interviews, check out the web site.