411 MMA Interviews: Frank Lester
Posted by Jeffrey Harris on 06.22.2009
Frank Lester from Team USA on The Ultimate Fighter speaks on his experience in the TUF house before his fight on The Ultimate Fighter finale. Lester has no love loss for Jason Pierce, who he would still like to fight.
On tonight's finale for season 9 of The Ultimate Fighter, Team USA member, Frank Lester, will be competing against Team UK member, Nick Osipczak. Frank Lester made it into the TUF house as an alternate, beating Kiel Reid to earn his spot in the house. Lester lost his next fight against Team UK's, James Wilks, but was given another chance when fellow Team USA member, Jason Pierce was unable to compete for his fight. Lester, still banged up and healing from his last battle, stepped up to face Dave Faulkner, who was unable to continue after two rounds, giving Lester the victory. This makes Lester the first alternate in the history of TUF to lose his quarter final fight, get brought back to fight again and make it to the semi-finals.
Lester is currently training at Team Quest, the training camp for Lester's coach from the show, Dan Henderson. Lester is 3-2 in his professional MMA career and has a tough challenge ahead in the undefeated Nick Osipczak. Lester spoke with me late last week after arriving in Vegas:
Jeffrey "The Vile One" Harris: So are you prepared for this fight with Nick, and what do you think about Nick?
Frank Lester: Absolutely I'm prepared for this fight. I think Nick's a good guy, and he's a really tough kid. He's a huge welterweight. He's about 6'3", I think his reach is around 76". So he's got a bigger frame than me, he's got a longer range, so I've just got to get on the inside and beat him up.
TVO: Taking that fight with Faulkner after being in a brutal fight you were still pretty banged up from just days earlier, taking everything Faulkner had, and coming out on top and winning, how did that experience feel to you on the show?
FL: Ah man, it was kind of unreal. It was something that you can't imagine going through and you definitely can't pre-plan. It was one of those situations where after losing to James [Wilks], not feeling so good about myself and my performance, and having Pierce bitch out and make our team look bad, it wasn't sitting well with me. So I decided to step up and fight, and I didn't think I was going to go in there to win or lose, I just kind of wanted to slug it out so that's what I did and I came out on top.
TVO: I'm kind of disappointed you aren't fighting Jason Pierce because I would love to see you or Richie Whitson just crack him in the mouth.
FL: Well you know nothing would make me happier than fighting Jason Pierce either, so if you want to continue to throw that suggestion out for the people, I would love to fight Jason Pierce.
TVO: Earlier in the season a lot of fans were talking trash about Team USA and the behavior in Team USA. But after you won your fight, I saw a lot of unity in Team USA and the whole team being happy for you, and then Team UK coach, Michael Bisping, took it very personally. So its funny when you read all the feedback and see how events later evolve. Were you aware of any of that?
FL: Even going into the house, I was an alternate. I wasn't picked right away. And Kiel Reid, the opponent I fought to get into the house, is a tough kid. I mean I would've -- if I could pick anybody to pick Jason Pierce's spot in that house, I would pick Kiel Reid because he's a true to heart fighter, you know what I mean? And he would've fucking kicked ass. So its not that we weren't unified as a team, we were an awesome. We just had a fucking piece of shit who didn't want to be a part of our unity, I dunno. He didn't want to fight. He gave up our training secrets to the other team, and its pretty obvious where his loyalties were lying, they weren't to us.
TVO: I was pretty offended when he basically lied to Henderson's face. That's freaking Dan Henderson, you know?
FL: And the whole reason Pierce immediately after winning his fight into the house and moving in, during training when Dan Henderson would give us directions, he [Pierce] would break and go, "Why? Why do we do that? We should do this. Why are we working on this?" And everybody was just like, "what the fuck is up with this guy?" That's Dan Henderson. Like who is this kid thinking he's telling Dan Henderson how to run practice. And he always had something to say. I come from a military background, and Dan Henderson being who he is, when he told me to do something, I did it. I didn't know why I did it, but I did it because he told me to.
TVO: So have you been training at Team Quest as of late?
FL: I have. After the show, I took about 5 or 6 weeks off completely. I went to New York, saw my daughter. I just took some time off. I was beat up bad. I didn't train for about 6 weeks, but shortly after that, I went up to visit Dan in Temecula, and sat down at his house. We had a BBQ with the rest of the guys at Team Quest, and he gave me the invite to move up there and start training with his team, and I did. I left my apartment, and I took all my stuff and I packed it in a U-Haul, and I moved up to Temecula. And I've been there for the last 3 and a half - 4 months training with Team Quest.
TVO: On the show you mentioned how your marriage was over, do you mind talking about that at all?
FL: No, not at all. In September of last year, right before a fight on short notice against Lance Evans, I was struggling financially and I was really focused on training. I wanted to make it as a fighter, and I wasn't making much money, and I had a 1 year old, and I'd been married for 5 and a half years and my ex-wife didn't want to go back to work. She wanted to take care of the baby, which I understand, but at the same time she wanted me to get a normal job. And, I dunno man -- things didn't work out. She moved back to New York with her family, and she left me. She said I wasn't going anywhere. She said I was wasting my time, and I dunno, she gave up on me and kind of called me a loser and was like, "fuck this guy."
TVO: With regards to Michael Bisping. He seemed to like to talk a big game, but when it back to him, he didn't seem to like it very much?
FL: Ah, it seems like he can dish out a whole lot of criticism, and he dished out a whole lot of shit-talking about -- when we lost fights, he'd be liked, "Oh, they got smashed!" Blah blah blah. But the second Jason Dent beats Jeff Lawson, "Ah! He had bronchitis!" Or when I beat Faulkner, "Ah! He bitched out!" Any time one of their guys lost, there was some excuse, some reason. "Oh, he only lost because of this. He didn't get beat. He only lost because of this or bronchitis. He's been sick or whatever." But when we lost, "Oh, I told you!" He can dish out so much crap, but he can accept any other criticism himself.
TVO: I thought it was pretty disgusting when he's coming out in front of you and Hendo and going, "I have faith in my fighters! Let's do it by the fight," and all that.
FL: That put me in a really bad situation because you know, nobody thought I was going to win that fight. I didn't even know if I was capable of winning that fight, but somebody had to step up dude. Somebody had to. I was too proud to be part of the whole thing to let us go down like Pierce -- Pierce made us look like bitches man. I couldn't. But when Bisping came out, and they started saying that stuff, you know how shitty I felt? Because the coaches didn't want to put me in a bad situation or put any pressure on me, so they didn't want to accept, but at the same time I almost wish he [Henderson] would've been like "Oh, OK," especially after I won. But at the time, I probably wouldn't have liked him saying, "OK, let's do that." But he [Bisping] made himself look like a jackass because it was his fighter that quit.
TVO: Have you been working on anything specifically for the fight?
FL: I've been working on a lot of clinch, you know just Hendo techniques. Things that I can use to help me win and put myself in a better position. A lot of clinch, takedowns, takedown defense, position control, you know what I mean? Just stuff like that, man. But it's going to be a tough fight. Nick's a tough fucking kid man. Its kind of unbelievable because you look at him and you don't think he's going to be as tough as he is, but he's a tough kid and he's a cool kid.
TVO: On the Faulkner fight, I don't think we saw the weigh-ins for that fight in that episode. Were you able to make weight for that fight?
FL: I was, but it was really hard and I had to get help from my room to the van, to the van into the weigh-ins, so I cut about 28 pounds in about three days, and it was the hardest most miserable thing I've ever done in my life. I don't know how I did it, but I know God was looking out for me because that whole time period -- as I'm talking to you and answering these questions, I remember parts from the first three weeks of the house, but the last 10 days, I dunno for some reason, I dunno if I had a concussion or everything just happened so fast, I don't remember that last fight. That whole last episode I watched, watching it was like watching it for the first time, like it wasn't even me.
TVO: Shout outs or anyone you would like to thank before the fight?
FL: Yeah, for sure. Some of the guys at Team Quest named Chris Cope, Tarec Saffiedine, Lew Polley, Krzysztof Soszynski (who fights in the UFC), all those guys have been helping me out tremendously. Coach Ed, Dan, and my daughter, Jordan, she's always my inspiration. I'm just doing my best man, and thank you.
TVO: Any sponsors you would like to thank?
FL: I would like to thank Clinch Gear and my dad.
TVO: OK, Mr. Lester?
FL: Yeah.
TVO: Thank you and good luck in your fight and we'll hopefully see you again in the UFC really soon.
FL: Alright, thanks a lot man.
I'd say that Lester is an official badass in my book. Remember you can bookmark 411mania.com/mma to your favorite places or save us as your homepage to get all the latest live event coverage as well as MMA news and interviews.
