Interview with Will Shutt of Team OJJ

Posted on | November 16, 2007 | No Comments

By: Joe Ball

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Midwest Cage Championships 8 Tournament Champion

Q. How long have you been a Mixed Martial Artist?
A. I have been training for about three years and training for two.

Q. Where did your career begin, and what led you to the sport of MMA?
A. My career began in Des Moines, I had my first fight in August of 05 against Jeremy Stephens. I started out as a fan that just wanted to check it out, I had no plans of doing this for a living, I had my first fight-got my butt kicked and I’ve been hooked ever since.

Q. What part of your game has developed the most due to your involvement with Team OJJ?
A. I owe everything I know to Team OJJ(Oregon Judo & Jiu-Jitsu). When I first walked through the doors at the Oregon Martial Arts Club I had no experience at all. They shaped me into the fighter I am today.

Q. You have great hands, did you have any formal boxing before MMA? And how many K.O’s have you had in your career up to this point?
A.I’ve never competed in boxing or any other sport before entering MMA. I focus alot on my hands because that’s my favorite thing to do. I only have one clean KO on my record most of my other wins are TKO.

Q. Have you had any submission victories and which submission is your favorite?
A. I have had two professional wins by Rear Naked Choke but my favorite sub would have to be the Triangle Choke.

Q. Alot of us who have seen you fight know you have quick hands. That being said, what is a perfect fight for you and what type of opponent do you match up the best with?
A. I fight better the harder my opponent fights, so the perfect fight for me would be the two of us fighting our hearts out the whole fight and then winning by knock out with five seconds left on the clock, it couldn’t get any better than that! As far as the best match up for me, I like fighting strikers because that’s what I like to do.

Q. Is there any one moment that sticks out the most for you since you began fighting?
A. There has been too many great moments in my life since I began fighting for me to chose only one. I think just becoming a fighter would be the best moment in my career.

Q. Tell the world of MMA about your gym/training partners/coaches.
A. I moved to Oregon in January 06 to train at the Oregon Martial Arts Club where I cross train in Judo, McQuary Jiu-Jitsu, Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, Boxing, Muay Thai Kickboxing, and Pankration. My instructors there have taught me so much especially my MMA/Grappling coach Scott McQuary who has put in alot of his personal time into training me, and my Muay Thai instructor Sean Haylee who I credit my stand-up game to. I also have great training partners there who push me everyday including Enoch Wilson who has also had a huge influence on making me the fighter that I am.

Q. Who or what is your biggest influence in the sport, and if you had to pick one who is your favorite Fighter?
A. My biggest influence is my family and friends who have been there for me since the beginning, they haven’t let me down and i’m not gonna let them down. Favorite fighter? Hmm… Bas Rutten hands down.

Q. What is your ultimate goal as a fighter and what steps are you taking to get there?
A. My goal right now is to just be the best fighter that I can be, I want to get my shot at the big show but until that happens I’m just gonna continue to improve and take one fight at a time.

Q. Do you have any good rivalries in MMA or anyone specific you want to fight in the near future?
A. I’ll fight anyone really as long as they’re good I never want an easy fight I’d rather fight someone that can beat me than someone who doesn’t have a chance. There are a few people in the big shows that I’d like to fight but I have to earn those fights first.

Q. Do you have anything to say to those in the Boxing community that fell that MMA is less of a true sport than Boxing?
A. There are alot of people in the boxing community that are giving us a hard time saying that MMA isn’t a real sport, but unless they get in the cage and see what MMA is really all about their opinion doesn’t mean anything to me at all. Unless you train and compete in Mixed Martial Arts you have no idea what it really entails.

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