We recently had the chance to run some quick questions by Machado BJJ black belt Travis Lutter, who is busy preparing for his upcoming fight against Matt “The Law” Lindland in UFC 52. This interview is also a teaser for a larger upcoming interview piece from the Lutter camp that should raise a few eyebrows. So enjoy some short answers from Travis, and also check out the shamelessly promotional Windows desktop wallpapers I’ve created for you out of Travis’ knockout of Marvin Eastman, in both regular and widescreen versions. Enjoy.
Travis Lutter: Mini-Interview
TXMMA: Travis, Now that your win over Marvin Eastman has placed you into the 185-pound picture in the UFC, have you felt any different or been affected in any way by the new-found exposure?
Travis: In some ways it has changed things for me, it gave me the chance and opportunity to fight in the UFC again. But basically everything is the same; we are training for another fight but everybody is a little more excited.
TXMMA: Before we talk directly about your upcoming opponent in UFC 52, Matt “The Law” Lindland, et’s look at your division in the UFC for a moment. When you watched UFC 51, did you expect Tanner to beat Terrell, and why?
Travis: Yes I did think he would beat Tanner, because he has impressed me more in his fights with his explosiveness but I also know Tanner is a exceptional fighter.
TXMMA: Do you think Terrell’s BJJ game near the fence was shut down by Tanner’s experience, fatigue, a lack of familiarity with working off the fence, or all of the above?
Travis: It is hard to say unless I was the one on the fence I would hate to guess what went wrong.
TXMMA: This was a loaded question of course, since stylistically in two strong wrestlers in the division in Tanner and Lindland this is a situation many of their opponents find themselves in. Have you been training at all with a mind for the fence and having an opponent potentially trying to ground and pound you there?
Travis: Kenny McClure (Machado BJJ black belt) has been working on a game to help me in that situation.
TXMMA: This brings us to Matt Lindland, your opponent in the upcoming UFC 52. Lindland is of course looking to prove his loss to Terrell was a fluke, and you need a win over Lindland to continue marching up the ladder at 185 pounds. What are your thoughts on Matt as an opponent, and how do you see his wrestling-based style matching up to yours?
Travis: I am looking forward to this fight and we are working out a plan on how to get the win in a variety of different ways.
TXMMA: Looking forward, you may have to take on another fighter from the jiu-jitsu world, Dave Terrell, and another Texan, Evan Tanner. Any thoughts on these two fighters as potential opponents?
Travis: I am willing to fight anybody the UFC puts in front of me so who it is makes no difference to me.
TXMMA: Let’s look closer to home, back in Texas. What are your thoughts on how the BJJ scene in the state has progressed in the past couple of years?
Travis: I think that the quality of the BJJ is improving ever year in the Midwest. Everybody is training hard and helping to make everybody else better.
TXMMA: Does your fellow Machado black belt Kenny McClure plan to have another Texas Submission Challenge this year? I felt last years’ debut of the event was fairly successful in many ways, both in how it was run and in how it was attended, with guys like Jeff Monson and Pablo Popovitch from American Top Team, and Diego Sanchez attending.
Travis: Kenny ran that tournament with his friend Doug from Houston. I thought it was a great tournament and I hope they have another one. The more tournaments that this area has the better i think it is for BJJ.
TXMMA: On that thought, what were your impressions of Diego Sanchez from his showing at the Texas Submission Challenge?
Travis: I think he is a very tough competitor and heard that he beat him (ATT’s Popovitch) latter in the year in a different event.
TXMMA: Getting back to the local scene, you’ve been training with the guys from the Dallas Lion’s Den for a while, how do you feel that has helped your game overall?
Travis: The guys from the Lions Den, Guy, Alex, Tra, and Willie Thompson have all had a great impact on my game. I have really enjoyed working with them helping one another get better in a lot of different ways.
TXMMA: Lastly, who do you feel are the next potential breakout stars to look out for from the state of Texas? My personal pick at this point would probably be Buddy Clinton. Would you agree or disagree with my pick?
Travis: I think Buddy has done really well for him self up to this point, I really think he will keep going and achieve great things.
Thanks to Travis Lutter for taking the time to answer our questions, and remember this is only a taste, an extensive Lutter interview will be due out in the near future. In the meantime, check out Travis’ school, Travis Lutter Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, located at 5200 Airport Freeway in Fort Worth, TX. The number is (817) 291-0496, and their website is http://www.nextgenbjj.com.