411mania MMA Interview: Sammy 'The Bull' Henson
Posted by JB Lederman on 05.08.2008
411's JB Lederman sits down with the 2000 Olympic silver medalist and corner man/training partner of The Iceman, Chuck Liddell!
JB Lederman: Please describe your training routine for the 2000 Olympics. How rigorous was it? How many hours did you spend per week training?
Sam Henson: 30 hours a week training and another 10 watching video and prep for opponents. Around 4 hours a day of technique, drills, tactics, and live wrestling. Lifting 4 times a week and sprint or conditioning work every day. 6 days a week.
JBL: With an incredible 71-0 record on the mats, 34-0 in 1993 and 37-0 in 1994, did you have any aspirations toward MMA yourself? Do you fight or would you like to fight?
SH: MMA was in its infancy when I was done with my college experience and since I was 8 years old I wanted to be an Olympic and World Champion. Looking back if MMA was where it is now I would have still went for the Olympics first and then crossed over into the MMA World.
As of right now I am 37 a little late to start but sometimes I get the urge and then I come home to my four kids and realize I don't have the time. I would have to take away time from them and become a person who I am not anymore. When I was training I was in a different frame of mind as a person.
JBL: How close are you to your former weight and do you stay in shape?
SH: I am in competition weight and I stay as close as I can to the shape I was in my off time of competition. You never know?
JBL: If you cut weight, can you describe the process of cutting weight and how debilitating it is to the wrestler?
SH: Cutting weight is a science and within the science you have different variables such as: how well you know your body, how mentally tough are you. Some wrestlers compete better when they stay big and some wrestlers compete better when they are smaller and quicker.
1) Number one objective is find out who you are as a wrestler, i.e. do you perform better big or cut.
2) Take in consideration if you cut weight how much you can cut in a month, week, and day.
3) How fast do you recover? If you weigh in overnight does this still affect you?
3) Don't cut out water until the end.
My experience with great wrestlers who have cut major weight is they feel being strong, lean, and fast and are normally in better shape than wrestlers who cut major weight but perform badly. These wrestlers usually are not in shape, try and take the easy way out, become weight cutters only (not wrestlers), and cheat to get the job done.
My experience with great wrestlers who decide they are not weight cutters is that they feel better being strong, big and healthy although don't mind watching what they eat. These wrestlers too are in great shape but know they don't have the mentality to cut major weight. Doesn't mean they are not tough they just know how they perform best.
JBL: What qualities do wrestlers have that translate well to the MMA game? How similar is wrestling to MMA?
SH: Qualities that wrestlers have that I believe no other discipline can reach is work ethic. No sport trains as hard as wrestlers. Other disciplines don't even come close. Conditioning and the lack thereof makes or breaks a man. Lack of conditioning will separate all men. Example: A great boxer gets tired, not so great anymore. Great jitsu gets tired, not so great anymore. Also a wrestler's mentality mixed with great mat awareness is a dangerous combination.
Sammie Henson vs. Radoslav Velikov:
JBL: How did you meet Chuck Liddell?
SH: I met Chuck Liddell and our Poly University Wrestling Golf tournament in San Luis Obispo last fall.
JBL: How did you become a member of his corner team?
SH: At the Golf tournament we began to have a conversation and after about 2 minutes I realized this is my type of guy. I decided to go out on a limb and offer my time to him. Chuck does so much for our program. I knew he had lost the last two fights and thought I might be able to help. Chuck has so many people that want something from him, so I let the offer stand and about a month afterwards he gave me a call and ask if I would put him through a workout.
His coach John Hackleman is a master trainer but sometimes it helps to bring someone fresh in to just assist and maybe catch things. I offered to help train him and along the way we grew a partnership. Hackleman and Chuck ask me to attend the fight with them and be in the corner. It was an honor.
JBL: What do you add to his training or preparation for fights?
SH: I added a new dimension to his training. I have a sense of the cage because I have spent a better part of my life on the mat. What I mean is no matter if it is wrestling, boxing, grappling or whatever I see things coming and can figure out people's tendencies in any situation. I know positioning no matter if it is punching, shooting a take down or rushing and man to the edge of the cage.
John Hackelman has great knowledge but I give insight with a different perspective in this arena. Even though I have never fought "in the cage" I see these things coming. I also watch video and assist with the fighter's weakness. Like the last fight, when Chuck clinched Silva with his head in his chin and locked his hands around his arm and head. I told Chuck in training that this guy has a tendency to pull out if we get the headlock on him. Especially because Chuck is so tall. And sure enough, as he locked it up Silva pulled out and Chuck threw a damaging elbow.
I believe that Hackleman and myself are a great combo: the striker and the wrestler. Hackleman has a great knowledge of the fight game and it is an honor to watch him and learn as well from him.
Also, do a lot of sport specific conditioning!!
Silva vs. Liddell from UFC 79:
JBL: With which (well known) wrestlers do you still have contact?
SH: IN the wrestling world: John Smith, Kevin Jackson, all of them. I guess you mean MMA. My boy Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Matt Linland, Gray Maynard, Mo Lawal (up and coming fighter), Urijah Faber, Chad Mendes (up and coming fighter).
Thanks to Sammie "The Bull" for this exclusive interview. Visit his website at SammieHenson.com for motivational speaking dates and wrestling camp information.
