TOMMY SPEER: FROM FARMBOY TO ULTIMATE FIGHTER

[complete]

TOMMY SPEER: FROM FARMBOY TO ULTIMATE FIGHTER
Saturday, December 08, 2007 - by Damon Martin - MMAWeekly.com

Not picked as one of the favorites to start the season, Tommy Speer made his name known by winning three extremely tough bouts en route to “The Ultimate Fighter” finale and a showdown with former teammate, Mac Danzig.

Growing up in the small town of Elgin, Minnesota, Speer woke up every day and did the things that every farmer does, but today it’s with the opportunity to become the next Ultimate Fighter and walk home with a guaranteed Ultimate Fighting Championship contract.

As soon as Speer ended up as a member of Matt Hughes’ team, the comparisons started almost immediately because of his obvious background similarities and pension towards overpowering opponents with his size and wrestling ability, much as the former welterweight champion did early on in his career.

Now with the chance to solidify a career in the UFC that has launched names like Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, and Michael Bisping, the Minnesota native understands the importance of the fight with Danzig.

“It’s been a fun ride and this is a make or break opportunity in my career,” said Speer. “I’ve got to go out there and set the tone for me coming into the UFC and for my weight class.”

Since the show ended, he has concentrated solely on improving his game and getting ready to face Danzig by continuing to train with his show coach Matt Hughes and not working on the farm as much.

“I used to sit around on my farm and just train whenever I can for any fight,” Speer stated. “I did that for (World Extreme Cagefighting) when I fought there. I went down to Hughes’ camp and just focused on my training and not milking cows.”

During his first two fights on the show, he endured multiple submission attempts by his opponents, still managing to fight out and get wins in both bouts before knocking out George Sotiropoulos in his last trip to the Octagon on the reality show.

He will now face the fighter most fans and experts picked to win the show.

Can Speer’s power, size and wrestling out maneuver the quick submissions, technique and experience advantage of Danzig?

Tune in Saturday night to find out when The Ultimate Fighter season six comes to a close.

[super ninja]

I cant wait to see him fight in the ufc. How do you think he will do complete?

[Wyatt]

He needs some full-time FIGHT training before he'll be succesful in the UFC. Pulling and flipping tires is great for strength, but that can only get you so far as was shown when Mac picked him apart so easily. Whether or not he can actually leave the farm long enough to train properly will be his make or break as a fighter IMO.

[complete]

He's just pure raw strength and talents that is so uptapped. If he does get the proper training, the sky's the limit for him.

It was clearly shown that the superior technique won over the strength when Mac easily defeated much bigger and stronger opponent.

[souldrum71]

Originally Posted by complete

It was clearly shown that the superior technique won over the strength when Mac easily defeated much bigger and stronger opponent.

Very true. Mac totally dominated Tommy with superior technique. Not the best fight of the night, but certainly a prime example of technique over raw strength.