TheRealJoker brings us his second interview within Third Column, this time with their BJJ expert, Rodrigo Medeiros brown belt Tim “Crazy Tim” Credeur. Click on Read More to see the whole interview.
Tim “Crazy Tim” Credeur Interview by TheRealJoker
1- How did you get started in MMA?
TC: My father was a boxer and overall hard ass and I grew up in an all black neighborhood in South Louisiana. Fighting was a survival tactic not misplaced anger. So I have been fighting since I can remember. My Grandfather was a bareknuckle boxer as well. I never looked for fights or was a punk but I refused to keep on getting my ass kicked so I beat back and eventually got good at it. I saw the UFC just like everyone else and I hated Royce Gracie. I thought it was a bullshit. I trained in some clownbox traditional stuff and I thought I could take these guys. When I was 16 my best friend and I went to a Marcello Alonso (Carlson Black Belt) seminar and he totally fucked my world up. The next day we started doing UFC in the back yard using the stuff we learned and just really beating each other up. My first training partner was Colin “the Machine” Welch. I joined the Navy and got stationed in San Diego. I started training with everyone. For Jiu-Jitsu I was with Micah Pittman, Charlie Kohler and Marcello Pereira. For Thai Boxing I trained at Black Tiger Muay Thai. Then I just started fighting in Ghetto shows for $50. I loved it. Later I got picked up by Rodrigo Medeiros (Carlson Gracie 3rd Degree) who is a world and PanAmerican Champion. He is my master forever. He has given me so much I will never repay him in my lifetime. He has been what a true martial arts instructor should be. Also John Ouano, Javier Vasquez, Romie Aram, Chris Woolford, Christian Lopez and Jason Brudvik all helped out so much along with the BJJ Revolution Team. I am only 3-1 on Sherdog bu I have had 15 fights besides that in really ghetto shows so I just don’t count them.
2- How did you earn the nickname ”Crazy Tim”?
TC: Javier Vasquez gave me that name. I have a really violent roll for some reason. So one day Javi says why the fuck you gotta be so crazy all the time. It just stuck the guys st onthemat started using it and then it just blew up from there.
3- What is a usual training day like for you before a fight?
TC: Well I really mix it up. Some Days I train at Houston Kickboxing Gym with Mike Altman and Lee King and they help with many technical parts to my standup and we spar alot. I also train at Solis Martial Arts Academy for Jiu-Jitsu with Alvis and all of the guys there. They are all very cool and very technical. Those are down to earth guys and they are very tough. There are going to be some great guys coming out of there soon. Most of my training is with Yves Edwards and the Thug-Jitsu crew. Myself, Yves, Carlo Prater and Rocky Long along with all of the other guys there. We train hard, we do alot of hard sparring and alot of boxing. We always grapple. I love to train. I have stopped teaching to concentrate on trianing for fights but I still train with the Regulators. Jeff Messina, AJ, Barak Messina, Ohm, Blake and Dan are all tough bastards that I have trained them to fuck me up. They almost kill themselves trying to fuck me up. I love it and I appreciate it they are my family. I also have to go on record to thank of course Yves but everyone knows that. Carlo Prater is my brother, we train like animals and he gives me so much that I would be lost training without him sometimes. Also the terrorist AKA Andrew Sall is a student of mine that Carlo and I absolutely abuse but he is so hard that he never quits. His game is exploding and I see him being a wrecking machine in the future. This is my family and I love them all.
4- Who was your toughest opponent and why?
TC: My toughest oppent was my loss to Joey Villasenor. I loved that fight more than any other. I took the fight on 3 days notice and cut 30 pounds. I was young and stupid but it showed me what my heart was made of. I made me believe that I really was a fighter inside. I took some hard shot but never stopped fighting. I think it was a bullshit stoppage but I was getting rocked. I love that fight because it pushed me to seek out yves and get to work on my stand up. It molded me into the fighter I am today. I am glad that I lost. I changed me for the better.
5- How long do you feel it will take until people find out you’re one of the top fighters at 185?
TC: I don’t care if anyone ever thinks I am a good 185 fighter. I fight for the love. I am just going to keep on fighting and see where I get. I got a great job, I am almost finished with a finance degree and a beautiful fiance I am about to marry. I fight because I love it not because I need to. I don’t like all the hype that much. I don’t want to be famous. I just want to kick it with Mamie, my fiance, and fight a couple times a year. If it works out and I do well great but I am not fighting for that, I live to fight I do not fight to live.
6- How popular do you think this sport will be 10 years from now?
TC: This sport will be ridiculous in 10 years. It has grown faster than I have seen any other sport grow ever. This sport will put boxing out of business. I love and I will always be a crazy fan. I am in it for life.
7- In your own words describe to me the difference between TMA and MMA?
TC: TMA is a great hotbed for new talent. My old partner Saul Soliz really need to be given credit for all that he has done in this state for MMA. The boxing commision is just stuborn. The TMA scene is great for newcomers to cut the teeth at the fight game without really having to worry about a dentist appointment. On the otherside it is tough for top level guys to fight like that because it takes away alot of weapons and makes it something of a grappling match. It has its good side and its bad side but it is great for the sport overall and everyone should always support the shows. I go to everyone and I love it.
8- Now describe to me the difference between submission wrasslin and jiu-jitsu?
TC: Submission Wrasslin is what I gently refer to as just people trying to steal jiu-jitsu without getting it from a legit source. There is a real difference between guys who get together and do moves they saw on the last UFC or PRIDE and guys who have trained under legit masters. I call that style Submision wrasslin. I quess its just uneducated but to hell with it I was a submission wrassler until I went get my schoolin. and let me tell you Rodrigo schooled me well and destroyed me everyday in everyway thats where I got me education on the mats with good instruction form a proven master.
There is a difference and you can see it in the roll.
9- You recently tapped me in like 15 seconds, how did that make you feel?
TC: Tapping you made me believe you need to work on grappling techniques young grasshopper.
10- How much do you think your game has improved since training with Yves Edwards?
TC: My game has skyrocketed since traing with Yves. He has really taken me in and helped so much. I have more confidence in my stand-up now. I beleive I can punch holes in people, I believe I can kick people to death and knee their heads. It is in the training that we get so much better, We all really push each other. He is like an evil little monster that I try to destroy everyday but he never goes away he just keeps hitting me….make it stop….he hits so hard….just stop my brain is broken. No I am kidding but seriously without Yves I would be a clown, he made a huge difference in my fight game and I appreciate it very much. Thug-Jitsu 4 Life What!!!! (yeah I am obviously white)
11- How much do you think Yves’ game has improved since training with you?
TC: Yves’ jiu-jitsu in my opinion is the most underated trait of any UFC fighter fighting today. The world thinks he can only stand but it changing.
He tapped Rich Clementi and Franca had no game for him. His game is getting great. He is a functional genius in my mind. He sees me do a move and then asks me like one question about it and 5 seconds later he is tapping someone with that move. He is dangerous and he will be the next 155 champ…..count on it BITCH!!!!!!!
12- Everyone that has seen you knows that your jiu-jitsu is so far off the chain you can even see it with a pair of binoculars, which leads me to my next question. Can you submit a gorilla? If so, how?
TC: I don’t know if I could submit a gorilla but I would damn well try my ass off. I love a challenge.
13- Do you ever dream of beating up Jet Li?
TC: No but I do dream of tooling Jean Claude Van Damme. What a clownboxer that guy is. A little jizzle jazzle and he would be smoked, toked and sent packing. I loved BloodSport though when I was a kid. Who cares if Frank Dux is a liar that was a damn good lie and I was really entertained by it. He needs to quit training and start lying all the time, it’s called writing movie scripts because his martial arts life is over…Frank Dux that is.
14- Anything you would like to say to your fans in closing?
TC: I don’t think I have any fans. If I do you can come and let me know if you see me. I am a nice guy and I am funny most of the time. But I really don’t thing I have any fans so this is a stupid question. FREE THE REAL JOKER!!! I love my woman Mamie Fredrick and I could do nothing in my life without all of the strength that I draw from her. She is the cornerstone of my life and I am nothing without her. If am with her say hi she is moving to texas for me and it will make her feel more at home if people say hi, so help me out plus she is super hot. Thanks to everyone out there and PEACE!!!