Michigan has a funny reputation when it comes to MMA. We were the place for UFC 9 which was exactly the shining moment for the organization. The state came in, just before the show, and fighters were threatened with jail time if they threw punches. MMA pretty much fell off the map for quite a while after that. Then someone found a loop hole in the laws as they pertained to MMA in Michigan. The law stated that amateur and exhibition MMA were not regulated and therefore not against the law. Promotions started hosting events and things were starting to look up. Then it crashed again. The Boxing Commission and State Attorney General's Office began threatening to, and finally did, serve Cease and Desist orders. Their viewpoint was that if the law doesn't say it is legal then it's not legal. Being a Police Officer I know I can't arrest someone for driving a car while wearing a red shirt. Yet if I took the state's standpoint on it, I could. Why? Because the law doesn't specifically state that it is legal to wear a red shirt while driving. So things slowed down and then the laws came into being on March 28th of 2008 and Amateur was unregulated, while we are awaiting passage of Professional regulations.
During the off times, there was little you could do MMA wise. You could go to Ohio and watch or compete in shows, but, you also had the expense of doing that. One relief we had was that King of the Cage was doing regular events in Mount Pleasant. See they were hosting the events at an Indian Casino and since Indian Land is self governed the MMA Laws did not apply. It was through this promotion that a shining star emerged. We really had very little known talent in Michigan; little, as in numbers-wise, not with regard to the talent itself. We had the Legendary Dan "The Beast" Severn, who had reached almost mythical status from his fights in the original UFC. Even with this we had little else in the MMA world to celebrate. That is until James Lee burst into the MMA World. James is a dominating force in MMA. He took the KOTC Light Heavyweight Title and destroyed anyone who challenged him. His debut in Pride really shocked people. James took the fight on short notice and knocked out his opponent, Travis Wiuff. With the collapse of Pride, James is now a part of the UFC stables. As a Michigan Man myself, I take pride in knowing that we have world class athletes.
One thing that surprised me about James Lee was how approachable he was. Here is a man who is well known in MMA and has quite a future ahead of him. He's down to earth and will sit and talk to you at length. He is also taking his knowledge and experience and sharing it. He recently opened the Mash Training Center in Metro Detroit. I thought I would take a minute or two and get the perspective from someone who is right on top of the bubble. He is at the gates of greatness and is ready to step into it. I presented James with some basic questions and asked him about his thoughts on MMA.
James Lee 5'11 205 pro record 25-3
I live in Sylvan Lake, Michigan
Pancrase Brave Tour champ, Gladiator Challenge middleweight champ, KOTC light heavy world champ, Pride 33 champ, and UFC vet,
I wrestled for 21 yrs, Jiu-Jitsu 16 yrs, Kick Box 16 yrs, and I'm a Pro Boxer.
Q: King of the Cage is a well known promotion. Some of the greats of MMA have risen to glory from there. How does it feel to have held the Light Heavyweight Title for King of the Cage?
A: It was a great honor for me to have the KOTC belt for 2 years and the first and only fighter from Michigan to have it. It was great fighting for them. They are a fantastic organization to fight for!
Q: Having fought for Pride and the UFC how would you describe the challenges in being in such a deep pool of talent?
A: It is tough fighting in deep talent pools because of politics. They can either throw you to the wolves or they can build you.
Q: In your debut in Pride, you shocked a lot of people with an impressive knock out of one the Elite in MMA Travis Wiuff. How did this win affect your career?
A: It was a dream come true to fight in Pride and beat Travis under the conditions I did it in. That was an example of Pride trying to throw me to the wolves, LOL! But I prevailed on a 2 day notice and haven't looked back since
Q: You have worked with smaller promotions, either as a fighter or coach for fighters. What is your view of how smaller promotions could improve?
A: The smaller promotions need to care more about the fighter and not just letting anyone fight and better match ups
Q: Who are the top fighters you would like to face? Why?
A: Quinton "Rampage" Jackson I want to fight to get the belt and I want to fight the best and get paid, LOL!
Q: As a fighter, you see the numbers of people jumping into MMA. What advice do you have for them?
A: Fighters should train longer before fighting and be more serious and commit to training.
Q: As a trainer how do you approach making your students more prepared for the cage?
A: I try to stimulate them mentally and have them be consistent in their training. Here at mash gym we provide top level training.
Q: Which do you prefer, Cage or Ring, and why?
A: I prefer a cage because the fighting is continuous.
Q: Thank you for your time. What can we expect to see from James Lee in the near future?
A: You can expect a win from me in UFC 88 on Sept 6the and having the premiere training facility in Michigan! Check us out at mashgym.com Thanks!
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