An In-Depth Look with Douglas Frey; Preparing for a Bantamweight Showdown with Steven Peterson at XKO 10!

March 16, 2011 – One of the co-main events at XKO 10 on April 9th will be a bantamweight title matchup for the vacant belt between Steven “Ocho” Peterson and our next interviewee, Douglas Frey.

Coming off an impressive first-round TKO victory over Randy Villareal at XKO 9, Douglas Frey enters this matchup looking to fulfill the dream of attaining his first professional title. A fourteen fight veteran, Frey will be taking on a dangerous opponent with title aspirations of his own in NDBJJ’s Peterson, also a winner at XKO 9, dismantling Quaint Kempf with a rather vicious armbar within thirty seconds to claim victory.

Read on for an in-depth look at Douglas Frey prior to his Bantamweight Title Bout at XKO 10.

Doug, I wanted to talk to you regarding your upcoming April 9th 135 title shot at XKO 10. Before we get into that, I wanted the fans to get to know a bit about you as a person. What were you doing before you were fighting?

Before I was fighting I was attending UTA and working on a degree in accounting. Just living a normal life.

Other than MMA, what other sports/hobbies are you into? What do you do for fun when you’re not training?

Other than MMA I really enjoy watching and playing futbol (soccer), rock climbing, disc golf, running, cooking, and kickin it with my hot girlfriend. I am always training, whether it is physically or mentally. A strong mind builds an iron will.

What did you want to be growing up? How and when did you decide to become a fighter?

As a child I wanted to be a ninja and live in the shadows as an outlaw. But for real, growing up I remember telling my mom and writing in my journals that I wanted to be a brain surgeon. To me it sounded pretty cool to be able to work on people’s brains.

What’s your routine like now, especially with the title fight coming up? Can you run us through your normal schedule?

Even though this is a title fight my training stays about the same, except I do more rounds when sparring and grappling. I don’t want to give away too many of my training secrets but every week I, like most fighters, work on every area of MMA. Muay Thai, wrestling, BJJ, running (hills, distance, sprints), and strength/conditioning. I have been blessed with great training partners and great coaches.

Do you any specific training regimen, diet, or anything that is different than normal when you’re training for a fight?

I am a firm believer in a healthy diet. Not only when training for a fight but day in and day out, it is a lifestyle. The only thing different in my diet during fight camp is that I am pretty much a vegetarian. I find that I have more energy and faster recovery for grueling training.

What’s your source of motivation? Why do you do this?

My motivation has to come from knowing that if crazy stuff ever popped off in this world and we were in total chaos, I would be able to defend myself and my family. There’s nothing better than walking into a room and knowing that you are probably the toughest s.o.b. around. Also, I have been a bit of a knucklehead my whole life, always getting into fights and always being the underdog. Now I have a positive outlet to release pent up energy.

On April 9th, you’ll be taking on Steven Peterson out of JD Shelley’s camp. What do you know about him?

I am taking on the young gun, Steven Peterson. He is very creative with his strikes and comes from a much-respected BJJ camp in NDBJJ. I know he is tough, that is all.

Any predictions for this fight? How do you see it unfolding in your mind?

The only prediction for the fight that I have is that there will be a nice shiny belt around my waist at the end of it. I am expecting a 5 round war and if it ends earlier that’s OK too.

What would winning the XKO title mean to you?

Winning the XKO title will mean a great deal to me because it means that I get to keep the belt where it belongs, at The Gym.

Any last words for your sponsors and fans?

Mucho respecto to my sponsor The Dragon’s Breath in Bedford. Check them out at www.thedragonsbreathbedford.com or go by the shop at 2301 Central Drive, Suite F, Bedford, TX 76021.

BIG thanks to all of my training partners: Chas Skelly, Chris Holdsworth, William Campuzano, Jason Sampson, Ryan Benoit, Tristan Grimsley (Ross), Johny Hendricks, NASH, Shane Roller, Chris Feist, the Rosholt brothers, Johnny Bedford, Liam McCarty, Brandon Crick, Alex Russ, Casey Erwin, Charles Byrd, All of my Arlington Muay Thai teammates, the list goes on and on. If I forgot to mention you and you’re reading this I apologize and you can attempt to choke me out the next time you see me.

BIG thanks to my coaches: Chris Yates, Marc Laimon, and Allen Mohler

And of course THANK YOU to all of the fans that make what I do possible.