Ben Nguyen Blasts the UFC on TUF
Ben Nguyen Blasts the UFC on TUF
By Neil RookeThe sound of a door slamming echoed inside the changing rooms at Next Edge Academy. That was the last time Ben Nguyen’s locker door would make
By Neil Rooke
The sound of a door slamming echoed inside the changing rooms at Next Edge Academy.
That was the last time Ben Nguyen’s locker door would make that sound for a while. He took one last gaze around as he prepared himself for the journey of a lifetime. As he walked out of the gym, the cold November air starkly contrasted to what awaited him in Thailand.
It was the first destination on his road-map to becoming a better martial artist. His goodbyes were only supposed to be temporary—he always intended to return and continue training and fighting out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota—but he didn't know for sure where the path would lead him.
That was four years ago, in 2012. Since then, the mixed martial arts has taken him far and wide.
“I was thinking that I was going to be coming back,” Nguyen said. “I never thought that I’d be gone for so long. A month ended up turning into over three years [laughs]. It never crossed my mind that I’d be ‘gone gone.’ I never thought I’d be living on the other side of the globe. I always just thought that I was gonna go away just to go on an adventure and then I’d come back. That adventure led to another thing and then to another thing and now I’m living in the land of Kangaroos and Vegemite and I’m loving it.”
Nguyen made his UFC debut in May 2015 and won back-to-back fights inside the Octagon while fighting in Australia. Impressively, he ended both of his matches by way of stoppage in the first round, proving that flyweights can scrap, and finish, fights just like the fighters of any other weight division.
There is a common belief among some UFC fans that the 125-pound division is boring—mainly because of its dominant champion, Demetrious Johnson—which is something Nguyen disputes passionately.
“That’s so bullsh*t,” Nguyen said. “Watch that fight [at UFC 197]. The two flyweight fights were awesome, they were outstanding. Demetrious Johnson just kicked ass—how do people not love that?”
Recently, the UFC announced plans for a season of "The Ultimate Fighter" that would feature flyweight competitors. It seemed like a great idea until it was revealed that the winner of the season was guaranteed a shot at the UFC’s flyweight championship.
“I felt like there were so many other people who deserved a shot rather than a nobody," Nguyen said. "I feel like it was a decision that was made somewhere within the company that wouldn’t have gotten approved by the rest of the company. It somehow got thrown all the way up to the top and somehow got passed through and they did the casting calls and when the rest of the company figured out it was a terrible idea, that’s when they just decided to can it, because everyone was against it. I even spoke to one of the producer’s of the TUF show when I was in Vegas earlier this month and he said it was a terrible idea as well.
“The fact that they didn’t speak to Demetrious Johnson—that was just ridiculous. To have him coach a group of people who are potentially going to fight him, that’s just madness.”
UFC Fight Night 91 will be the first show the organization hosts in South Dakota. Naturally, when the news hit that there would be a UFC event in Sioux Falls, Nguyen’s interest peaked.
“A couple of years ago, I never would have guessed MMA would ever take off in South Dakota, especially in the big leagues like the UFC,” Nguyen said. “We had MMA banned from Sioux Falls, and that only just got overturned not too long ago. To have things moving the way they are now, it’s just incredible.
After his back-to-back UFC wins, Nguyen is now slated to face Louis Smolka on July 13 at UFC Fight Night 91. The Hawaii-based contender has won three straight fights and has just one blemish on his professional record.
Nguyen plans to make the most of this opportunity to fight in his hometown. No matter what opponent the UFC would have assigned, he was going to be up for the task.
“This is going to be my UFC 200,” Nguyen said. “I’d rather be fighting on this card than the main event of UFC 200. This is so huge for me. I’m so excited for it, not just because I’ve got a fight lined up but because it’s in my hometown. It’s unimaginable that the UFC would come to Sioux Falls, but it’s happening and I’m gonna be on it.
“It makes me wanna fight even harder. I feel like I’ve got something to show. I’ve gotta go in there and show everyone what I’ve accomplished by leaving South Dakota and coming back. This is my time to show what I can do.”
The sound of a door slamming echoed inside the changing rooms at Next Edge Academy.
That was the last time Ben Nguyen’s locker door would make that sound for a while. He took one last gaze around as he prepared himself for the journey of a lifetime. As he walked out of the gym, the cold November air starkly contrasted to what awaited him in Thailand.
It was the first destination on his road-map to becoming a better martial artist. His goodbyes were only supposed to be temporary—he always intended to return and continue training and fighting out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota—but he didn't know for sure where the path would lead him.
That was four years ago, in 2012. Since then, the mixed martial arts has taken him far and wide.
“I was thinking that I was going to be coming back,” Nguyen said. “I never thought that I’d be gone for so long. A month ended up turning into over three years [laughs]. It never crossed my mind that I’d be ‘gone gone.’ I never thought I’d be living on the other side of the globe. I always just thought that I was gonna go away just to go on an adventure and then I’d come back. That adventure led to another thing and then to another thing and now I’m living in the land of Kangaroos and Vegemite and I’m loving it.”
Nguyen made his UFC debut in May 2015 and won back-to-back fights inside the Octagon while fighting in Australia. Impressively, he ended both of his matches by way of stoppage in the first round, proving that flyweights can scrap, and finish, fights just like the fighters of any other weight division.
There is a common belief among some UFC fans that the 125-pound division is boring—mainly because of its dominant champion, Demetrious Johnson—which is something Nguyen disputes passionately.
“That’s so bullsh*t,” Nguyen said. “Watch that fight [at UFC 197]. The two flyweight fights were awesome, they were outstanding. Demetrious Johnson just kicked ass—how do people not love that?”
Recently, the UFC announced plans for a season of "The Ultimate Fighter" that would feature flyweight competitors. It seemed like a great idea until it was revealed that the winner of the season was guaranteed a shot at the UFC’s flyweight championship.
“I felt like there were so many other people who deserved a shot rather than a nobody," Nguyen said. "I feel like it was a decision that was made somewhere within the company that wouldn’t have gotten approved by the rest of the company. It somehow got thrown all the way up to the top and somehow got passed through and they did the casting calls and when the rest of the company figured out it was a terrible idea, that’s when they just decided to can it, because everyone was against it. I even spoke to one of the producer’s of the TUF show when I was in Vegas earlier this month and he said it was a terrible idea as well.
“The fact that they didn’t speak to Demetrious Johnson—that was just ridiculous. To have him coach a group of people who are potentially going to fight him, that’s just madness.”
UFC Fight Night 91 will be the first show the organization hosts in South Dakota. Naturally, when the news hit that there would be a UFC event in Sioux Falls, Nguyen’s interest peaked.
“A couple of years ago, I never would have guessed MMA would ever take off in South Dakota, especially in the big leagues like the UFC,” Nguyen said. “We had MMA banned from Sioux Falls, and that only just got overturned not too long ago. To have things moving the way they are now, it’s just incredible.
After his back-to-back UFC wins, Nguyen is now slated to face Louis Smolka on July 13 at UFC Fight Night 91. The Hawaii-based contender has won three straight fights and has just one blemish on his professional record.
Nguyen plans to make the most of this opportunity to fight in his hometown. No matter what opponent the UFC would have assigned, he was going to be up for the task.
“This is going to be my UFC 200,” Nguyen said. “I’d rather be fighting on this card than the main event of UFC 200. This is so huge for me. I’m so excited for it, not just because I’ve got a fight lined up but because it’s in my hometown. It’s unimaginable that the UFC would come to Sioux Falls, but it’s happening and I’m gonna be on it.
“It makes me wanna fight even harder. I feel like I’ve got something to show. I’ve gotta go in there and show everyone what I’ve accomplished by leaving South Dakota and coming back. This is my time to show what I can do.”