SKYLER DUNCAN MMA HEAVYWEIGHT INTERVIEW

Posted on | March 20, 2010 | No Comments

Heavyweight: Lubbock Texas.

ARTICLE COURTESY OF INFORMATIVE SPORTS, CLICK HERE FOR ILLUSTRATED VERSION

Q: So tell our audience- just exactly who is Skyler Duncan?

I am a father of 2 sons Skylen and Rylx and married to my awesome wife Crystal. I have always loved fighting, I mean who didn’t in high school come on. It just continued on. It’s just so much fun.

Q: Does your wife worry about you fighting?

At first yes. She had never seen me fight until here recently. And being in my corner on my last fight she see’s that the fighters aren’t mass murder’s she has relaxed. Plus winning 6 in a row helps to.

Q: The Lunsford fight? Does this mean she’s banned from cageside now? (You don’t have to answer that) I guess it was better for her to see you lose and not be badly hurt, If there is a silver lining in anything.

Well she is not banned for now lol. No she is great, after the fight I went and got in the Hot tub and she came in a told how proud she was. Even though I loss, she made it feel like I didn’t. Which is just what you need when your down.

Q: Did you play any sports or anything in High School?

I played football. I was MLB and boy was it fun. I have always enjoyed contact sports. Nothing better than MMA.

Q: Are you a full time fighter or do you have a normal job also?

I do have a full time job. Me and my wife run a family business on her side of the families. Its called Party Plus Warehouse and we do just about everything for just about any occasion. Sometimes it gets really hard to train as much as I would like, because of all the hours we put in. But its money that we count on, the fight money is just a extra bonus.

Q: How long have you been training in MMA?

I joined the Army after 9/11 and went to various hand to hand combat classes and starting kickboxing. Went I got out of the Army I continued to train. Then starting hearing about MMA and said What the hell lets give it a try. Went 6-0 as an AM and Ready to Rock as a Pro. So I have been training for about 3 years for MMA outside of the Army. I lost my debut and never want to have that feeling again.

Q: Do you see yourself as a kick boxer?

No way. I did kickboxing just learn something new. I never thought I would actually be using it to be a Pro fighter. But I really love Vale Tudo. It’s just something people don’t see everyday.

Q Unless you are Brazilian, you might not be that familiar with VT, would you explain that?

Vale Tudo literally means anything goes and that is what they do down there. no rules no gloves just two men battling it out like true gladiators back in the day. It is one of my dreams to compete in a true Vale Tudo Tourney some day, although I better hurry, that will not be around much longer.

Q: With VT incorporating so many styles how does your normal training schedule consist of?

Well Cardio of course we do about an hour and a half no stops no breaks. Everyday we work on something different than the day before. Stand up, punching techniques and range, ground game shoot everything under the sun. We don’t stay just to one discipline on the ground. We have 7 different instructors that come in once a week to work with me on the ground. It’s more than I need but I lost my last fight on the ground, so I don’t want to let that happen this time.

Q: Is there a different mindset between a Po and an Amateur fight? Or is it still just some dude 25 feet away from you trying to kill you?

To me its all the same. Just a few differences. Money of course is always a good incentive to win. All the lights and smoke are a change for me, when I was an AM your music started to play and you walked out that was it. It is a little more show for the fans than AM fights. But in the end, your are right, just another guy standing in my way of a win.

Q: what made you decide to go pro?

Well, all the phone calls played a major role in that. I had just won my 6th fight in a row in the AM’s and I was on my home and got 2 phone calls from fight promoters wanting me to get my Pro License. So I checked on it and it was a little pricey at the time and I thought I would just wait. The mail came a few days later with a check from a promotion company I had never heard of. The check was for made for well over what it cost me to get all my tests and paper work done. So I call this company and told them that I had some monies left over, the lady said we sent that to you to help out with all costs, and she said just go buy some training gear with the rest. So I did. Sent in all my stuff to the Great State of Texas and they had my license in 2 weeks. I had wanted to go Pro long before that, I thought that I had to have 8 fights before I could, later I found out you don’t.

Q: Would you mind going over exactly what it takes to go to Pro?

It’s a total different mind set for me. Its not the AM’s where the guy you are fighting is some chump off the street, these guys are pro’s thats why they are here, they have done something to make them want to go pro or someone has seen something in them and maybe suggested it., we are all here for one reason or another. As far as the fans go, they are pumped and are here for a great night of fighting and that is what being a Pro means to me. Because with our fans we have nothing. There are no fights without our fans. So thank you, thank you all. From all of us fighters.

Q: What’s it like to see a guy go limp in front of you?- I’ve never fought, But like many MMA fans I played football, I’ve dropped a guy a game but with the uniform, you don’t see the eyes and its not really the same.

Well its exciting and kinda of scary at the same time. The feeling is unexplainable when you hit ’em and see the eyes, and I am excited. But afterwards I always go and check on the other fighter. We are all here to get known and get in the big leagues. But I never like to see anyone get really hurt. Its not good for them or their families. Thats what I think about. But I’m just a big softy. LOL

Q: What goes through your mind the 10 seconds before the ref starts the fight?

Not a thing. Just staring at the other guy. Tryin to get in his head before it even starts. Thats it. Not much, but it works for me.

Q: How far an advance do you get for a fight?

Normally about 2 months notice. And we will train just like normal until we are 30 days out. Then its all on me. No breaks, No days off do it to it. Everyone at our Dojo does everything they can to help whoever is fighting be ready. We do the Vale Tudo circle. That is where I am in the middle and start sparring against one person, then 2 minutes later a fresh person from the circle comes in and so on. You don’t know where they are coming from so you have to be ready for anything. Each guy at the Dojo has their strong suits, and when we do the circle, they show it off. Normally the circle lasts about 15 to 20 minutes, sometimes longer, just depends who all is there at that time.

Q: Since the TUF10 show, with so many fights coming down to cardio- did your training change?

Our cardio has always been our core for training. No gas in the tank you can’t win the fight. Our cardio has changed a little, but not because of the show, we just had to make it harder. If you can stand after our cardio, then you need to do it again.

Q: How do you train Cardio in MMA?

Crazy stuff. We do a little of everything push-ups, jumpin jacks, squats, run, body carries, medicine balls, kettle bells, punching techniques, bear crawls, and more. The thing is like push-ups, we do 8 different kinds, so we work every muscle we can. Its just an hour and a half of what I would describe to another military person as basic training PT. Its rough but its just so much damn fun.

Q: As a heavyweight, what were your thoughts on the TUF show overall?

I was pulling for Darrell Schoonover. He is a Texas boy and I always go for a Texan. He just hit a rough patch, we all do it. Its just how you pull yourself out of it, is how you come back. A champion is made by how they handle their defeats, not by how long they can sit on top of the cage after a win.

Q: Where is your next fight and do you know who you are facing? (http://sharkfights.com/events.html)

My next fight is for Shark Fight Promotions voted best Pro Promotion Co. in Texas. I will be fighting a man named John King in my hometown of Lubbock, Texas. So Train, train, train and we’ll get a win.

Q: Do you know anything about King?

I know nothing about him. I have tried to do some homework but I was un able to find anything about. That just makes it more fun for me. It will be a total surprise for him and me.

Q: Is that difficult for you? I know playing football you have hours of tape to watch, you have practice vs the scheme , etc. How hard is it to go against a guy that all it says is- style: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu/ Taekwondo

For me its all the same. It could say he is a boxer, wrestler whatever. I train as hard as I can to do the Best I can. What he does will only make me adjust myself for him in the ring. I would like to see some video of him just to see how he moves and how he keeps his hands. Other than that no worries.

Q: Is there any additional pressure put on you fighting in your hometown?

A ton. Fighting other places you know no one and no one will probably see you outside of the ring. Fighting at home makes it a little rougher. I see most of the people going on a daily bases, work , neighbors, fight team, friends and family. Who most of my family has not seen me fight, because normally my fights are pretty far away. Not this one. It’s time for a big win in front of Lubbock, Texas, but most important are my two sons, who think daddy is the Hulk. They put more pressure that anyone.

Q: Have your sons watched you fight before?

No they have not. Not that I haven’t let them, but like I said my fights are usually far away so we didn’t want to have to keep them the car 10 hours of driving. They have seen me spar at our Dojo and they just love it. So hopefully, that will stick with them and they will have a great time. They might as well see some of the moves they are learning in action. They are my future Cage Fighters.

Q Finally, is there anything you want your fans to know about you?

Well I have pretty much layed it all out there, but I do what my fans to know, When you come see me fight, I will always give everything I have in the cage. Even if that means I have to be carried out, at least my fans know it was all for them.