411 MMA Interview: Troy Mandaloniz
Posted by Jeffrey Harris on 02.21.2009
The former TUF 6 contestant, Troy Mandaloniz, checks in with 411mania for an exclusive interview before his bout with Paul Kelly at UFC 95.
We last saw Troy Mandaloniz fight in the Octagon at The Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale show in December 2007. Mandaloniz defeated his friend and former Team Serra training partner, Richie Hightower, by TKO in the first round. Now Mandaloniz fights in the UFC again for the first time in over a year, facing Paul Kelly at UFC 95 in London in one of the preliminary bouts on the card.
Mandaloniz has been training with UFC Lightweight Champion, BJ Penn's camp recently and looks forward to fighting a native Englander that's been critical of Mandaloniz's ground game. Mandaloniz was gracious enough to speak with me from his home in Hilo, Hawaii for an exclusive interview with 411mania:
Jeffrey "The Vile One" Harris: Where are you right now and how are things going with your training?
Troy Mandaloniz: I'm training in Hilo, Hawaii, my hometown. Everything is good. I'm at where I'm supposed to be. I'm winding down now. All the hard sparring is out of the way, just kind of finishing up here. I'm in really good shape, almost down to fight weight.
TVO: This is your first fight since the TUF 6 finale in December 2007 where you beat fellow TUF 6 teammate, Richie Hightower. Do you think there will be any issues or concerns since you haven't fought in the Octagon in over a year?
TM: Definitely a bunch of jitters. It's been a while. I had some injuries to overcome, I gained some weight. I was dealing with some neck problems, but everything's back to being good. It's not like I left the scene. I've been part of a few training camps . . . and I opened a school with Kendall Grove, and kind of stayed fresh with the training and stayed fresh with all my techniques and training. It's not that big of a concern to me. I don't think I've lost anything, I've gained a lot since that fight, and I'm ready to display that.
TVO: What do you think of Paul Kelly who is coming off of a loss to Marcus Davis at the last England UFC show?
TM: I know that he's out there talking a lot of **** about me, he's saying that he's stronger than I am, that I'm no genius on the ground, and that my endurance is questionable, and that I've been gaining a lot of weight and sitting on the beach. I think that's very disrespectful. At least my submission loss was to a ju-jitsu practitioner, so I don't think he should talk to me about not being a genius on the ground or whatever. I might have to take his ass down and tap him out just for saying that. I mean you can expect a good fight; I'm not looking past him one bit. I think he might be overlooking me a little bit. I'm an animal, I'm a maniac. I don't think he wants to piss me off.
TVO: During your season of TUF, I was very disappointed how Matt Serra handled everything when it came time for his team members to fight each other. You lost to your teammate and former UFC fighter, Matt Arroyo. Do you think he could've handled things better when it came time for you to fight Matt Arroyo?
TM: Most definitely, I mean he kind of had a little bit better bond with Georgie [Satiropoulos], Matt, and Ben [Saunders] because they were more fluid ju-jitsu practitioners. I'm more the guy that likes to stand and bang. He [Serra] kind of had that little partnership with them, but Serra's a great guy. It put him in a weird place. I don't hold it against him, it's just what happened.
TVO: Is there anyone you'd really like to face this year?
TM: Right now, I'd really like to face Paul Kelly. I'm a little frustrated with some of the stuff he said about me, and the long layoff has gotten me really, really hungry. Like I said, I'm not looking past him -- this might be my make it or break it fight with the UFC. They could let me go as soon as this fight's over. So I really have to come with a good performance, and that's all I'm concerned about right now. I'd like to fight like three times this year at the least though.
TVO: Is there any skill you've tried to bone up on in anticipation of your fight with Kelly?
TM: With all the negative publicity I get on my ju-jitsu, I've really been working hard on my ju-jitsu, really hard on my wrestling, but like I said, I love to stand and bang. I think it's going to be a kind of contest of who's going to shoot first: he rocks me, I'll try to take him down; I shoot on him, he'll probably try to take me down; but I'm open that we stand there and bang for the whole three rounds, go ahead and get that Fight of The Night.
TVO: What's the hardest part about MMA training for you?
TM: Anyone who knows me, knows I love to eat, and I hate having to cut all the carbs. I hate the dieting part of it; it wears your body down really hard. Any fighter will tell you, they hate cutting that weight, that's the hardest part of it all. Training is tough, but the hard part is almost over, the fun part is coming up.
TVO: Any regrets on your experience on TUF?
TM: It all comes down to losing to Arroyo. It's kind of weird when you train with somebody, he sleeps in the bed above you in a bunk bed, and then you've got to fight him, sometimes that last training session really kind of wears on you. It was stuck in my brain that this guy's top game was so good, that I didn't want to get taken down, it kind of messed me up real bad. And it came down from him getting ready to train for Mac, I hate to say it, I beat the **** out of him. I really got down to myself, I couldn't believe that I lost to him so easily, but in training after that, I was really giving it back to him. I regret my performance in that fight. I really think I could've went further.
TVO: Was it hard fighting Richie at the finale?
TM: Definitely. I mean, War Machine, that guy is like a brother to me. We were friends before we even got on the show, but I made a very close friend in Richie throughout the experience. He cooked me dinner every night. It got to the point where everybody kind of hated us. Me, Richie, and War Machine, we were kind of the outcasts. We all shared a room, and I love the guy. I'd die for the guy. Having to fight him was weird, you know we almost cut weight together and stuff, but at the last minute I decided not to. But then again, when he was bouncing across the ring, giving me that look like was going to hurt me, that all went away real quick.
TVO: Is this your first trip to England? And are you excited about fighting overseas in England even though you will kind of be the bad guy fighting a local Englishman?
TM: I've been to England with Kendall. I haven't competed there. The fans are great there. That event that I was at, I didn't hear very many boos. I mean, I'm always the underdog. I was a big underdog in the Richie fight. I'm a big underdog in this fight. Paul Kelly's saying he's out of my league and whatever -- I really don't care what the crowd sounds like. I want go in there and perform and get the hell out of there. I like the people in England. They're a great fanbase, I get a lot of good, positive stuff from them on the internet, and I'm looking forward to going out there and fighting one of their own.
TVO: Any sponsors you'd like to give mention to before your fight?
TM: Yes: Metal Mulisha, Cage Fighter, Vandal Eyewear, Fitness Hawaiian, NCFC Management, and BJ Penn.com.
TVO: Thank you so much, and good luck with your fight. I hope it is going to be a barn burner.
