Mac Danzig Q & A

By Gary Herman

With twenty-one fights and over six years experience, Mac Danzig had almost no choice but to win the Ultimate Fighter. Danzig came into this season’s show as easily the most experienced fighter. How could he explain not beating Tommy Speer in the finals with Speer’s eleven fight and two years worth of experience?

Fortunately, Danzig never had to worry about that. He rolled through the competition with very little trouble at all. Danzig quickly ousted Joey Scarola and John Kolosci (twice) in the preliminary rounds. Then, in the finals, Danzig choked out Speer in two minutes to become the season’s champion.

Shortly after winning TUF at welterweight, Danzig announced that he would be returning to his more natural weight in the lightweight division as he embarks on his UFC career.

Recently, we caught up with Danzig to discuss what it was like being the most experienced fighter on the show, his views on season six adversary Richie Hightower, and what he thinks of the UFC’s lightweight division.

Question: Looking back at your Ultimate Fighter Season Six championship victory over Tommy Speer, what did you think about the fight?

Mac Danzig: It was a good fight. It definitely went the way I wanted it to. I knew what his weaknesses were. I knew that if I put him on his back then he’d be in trouble. It was just one of those things where you go for your Plan A – it works – and it becomes a short night.

Q: On television at least, you came off a little grumpy about being in the Ultimate Fighter household. When you watch the show now, was it an accurate account of how you really were?

MD: Yes, that’s what the house brought out in me. It changes people, and it can bring out the negative in a lot of people. It can also bring out a different side of people. That’s definitely a side of my personality that I don’t have to deal with in normal life because I’m not in that situation – stuck in a house with fifteen other guys and with cameras stuck in my face all the time.

But I knew what I was getting into when I signed up for the show. Unfortunately, that’s how I dealt with it. But, at the same time, I have no regrets. At least if I was a little grumpy, I was still straight up with people and told them exactly how felt whereas some of the other guys would smile to your face and talk like they were your buddy. Then, when you weren’t around, they would say bad things about you. Like me or not, I was totally honest with people.

Q: I’m thinking you maybe referring to – at least partially – Richie Hightower. He had some unpleasant things to say about you, but when it came time to fighting you, he did not seem interested. What were your thoughts on that?

MD: That was no surprise to me. He isn’t a warrior or anything. He was just on the show hoping to win a fight. He got lucky with the picks, won a fight, and got himself a little extra cash and some TV time. In a way, it’s kind of disgusting because there are a lot of guys out there that would have really taken that opportunity for it was worth and fought their hearts out. Some guys that have been training for years would have loved to have that spot. That probably lead to a lot of my anger towards him in the house, but at the same time, you can’t get too mad at it because that’s just the formula for the show and it works.

Q: You were clearly the most experienced fighter this season and definitely one of the most experienced fighters to ever appear on the Ultimate Fighter. What made being on the show so appealing to you – knowing that you would be so much more skilled and experienced than everyone else?

MD: Being on the show, as far as exposure goes, is very important. We all know that exposure is really everything as far as making a living being a fighter, getting the right fights, and getting endorsements. With Pride being purchased and absorbed by Zuffa and myself still having one fight left on my Pride contract and knowing that I am not going to be able to fulfill it, this was the next step. I knew that being on the show would be a better choice for me than fighting my way up starting in preliminary bouts for UFC shows. Instead of doing that, I decided to take the opportunity on the show that was offered to me even though I was fighting in a weight class above what I normally do. I knew it would be great exposure, and I knew I could win.

Q: Now that you are back at your normal weight class in the lightweight division. Is there anyone specific that you want to fight?

MD: No one in particular. If you look at the top 20 lightweights in the UFC, every single one of those guys is a great fighter. I’m just happy to jump in the mix with any of those fighters. I’m looking to make some waves and have some exciting fights.

Q: Of course, the big fight coming up in the lightweight division is BJ Penn vs. Joe Stevenson for the interim lightweight championship. Do you have a prediction on that fight?

MD: I’ll say this as far as Stevenson-Penn goes. BJ Penn is probably one of the most talented guys in the fight game, and Joe is no slouch at all. But, if BJ does what he’s supposed to do and does those things correctly in the beginning of the fight, he is really going to be dangerous. However, the longer the fight goes, the more it is in Stevenson’s favor in my opinion. I know Stevenson trained really hard for this, and I think he’ll be ready for a long fight. BJ has shown that he fades the longer a fight goes on, and that was a problem for Penn throughout his career. Unless we see the fight end early, I would say the longer the fight goes it would be in Stevenson’s favor.