Sports
Enumclaw businessman prepares for "NFL" like UFC bout
Patch has a question and answer session with Jeff Hougland, who battles in Las Vegas Saturday in a matchup that can be seen streamed on Facebook.
Jeff Hougland, owner of Combat Sports & Fitness in Enumclaw, is going up against Donny Walker, 31, in a bantamweight Ultimate Fighting Championship 132 on Saturday, July 2, in Las Vegas.
At age 32 Hougland (9-4) has won eight in a row, while Walker (15-6) has won seven straight. The pair were put on the card recently after an injury forced a different fight off the event.
If you want to watch the bout go to Facebook, search for UFC: Ultimate Fighting Championship. “Like” the page. Click the button that says: “UFC 132 Prelims: Saturday 6:15 ET/3:15 PT.” And that’s it.
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Before his big bout, Patch caught up with Hougland for a quick Q and A.
Question: What have you been doing this week to prepare for the big bout?
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Answer: I’ve been doing workouts twice a day, morning and night. I’ve been busy with interviews and photo shoots. I’ve not really
worked on a lot of strategy because it’s a short-notice fight. Our trainers looked at the guy and gave me some advice.
Q: What have you been doing differently to go on your eight-bout winning streak?
A:When I first started I had to go up two or three weight classes, so I was fighting much bigger guys. I hadn’t trained as much and as long as I have now. It helped allowing me to drop down to my natural weight class.
Q: What drives you so you can take the punishment of these bouts, along with dishing it out?
A: Yea, they can get violent, but that’s the nature of the game. I like the competition, the daily training. I love being in the gym. It also drives me to help other people and watch my students grow and achieve their goals. And to be honest, I like winning.
Q: What do you like best and least about this type of competition?
A: Least is weight cutting. That’s never fun. Dieting isn’t always the funnest thing to do either. But that’s part of the game. Sacrifice is a necessity to achieve anything in this sport. Nothing’s better than beating someone one on one – you get all the glory. It’s all yours. And I like the money.
Q: How important to your career is Saturday’s event?
A: This is the biggest fight of my life -- bar none. I’ve won titles in Washington state and stuff. But this is like being called up to the NFL. No other compares to this.
I’d like to thank all my sponsors and the people at my gym.
For more information on his support and more go to: http://nwfightscene.com/JeffHougland.htm or combatsportfitness.com
