“I got in there and my trainer Collin (Cantrell) started calling me Buffalo because he can’t remember anyone’s names and just makes up nicknames for everybody,” he says about those early days. Just like his love for MMA, the nickname stuck with him well. “My journey through this MMA world has been up and down. I’m known to take a fight on short notice without training. I wish I could say that I’ve trained all these years but I can’t. I prefer behind the scenes of the MMA fight game. My dedication to the training side is not like others. I do this for fun.”
So there you have it, he’s now a guy that fights for kicks as an adult – a far cry from the 2-week old baby who died and came to life when his intestines didn’t work right. Now he’s using MMA as a means to test out that intestinal fortitude whenever he gets a chance. “I think what made me into the person I am today is going through ALOT of crap growing up. Seeing a lot of how you shouldn’t be made me what I am today. I know I’m not the best person people think I should be but I’m all I can be. That’s all I try to do each and every day.”
“My only goal in MMA is to have fun,” he says. “When it stops being fun I’m done. Outside of MMA all I want to do is provide for my family. I have a wife and a one year girl that mean everything to me. I work nonstop to take care of their every needs and wants. That’s who I really am. Not some guy with unrealistic UFC dreams.”
Speaking of fun, he’s had his share of that while doing his share of fighting on the Indian reservations of East Texas. He’s even won a heavyweight belt out there at an event called Caged Chaos, an accomplishment he considers his proudest moment and one that made him the lone champion of his team, Death Row MMA. It’s kind of ironic that several years later, he’ll be fighting the same guy he beat for that belt, Matt Reeves. The only difference is that this time, it won’t be hidden away on some unsanctioned Indian reservation, but under the bright lights in Houston at the Legacy Amateur Series 8 event scheduled for April 14th at the House of Blues.
“Matt has over a year’s worth of hate for me,” Buffalo says about the guy he took the belt from. “He was undefeated before he fought me. He has some one punch knockout power in his hands. I’ve seen it in his other fights so I’ll have to be ready for it. My main training partner for this one is Tim Lashley. This kid isn’t the most technically sound guy but he has tons of heart and the boy is STRONG. We push each other. It helps that he’s only a few miles down the road so when I call him and tell him we need to do cardio he’s always there for me. Gotta love a friend like that. He’s going to make sure I’m used to getting punched in the face. The only challenge I’m focusing on is my weight. This will be my first fight at 205 lbs. my weight is usually around 235-240 lbs. Alyssa Cantu is my personal trainer. She has put together some nice workouts to get my weight down.”
I expect this fight to be a lot tougher than the last one. Matt knows I beat him last time and I know he’s worked on a lot of holes in his game to try to beat me this time. I think all that will work to my advantage though. He has been consumed with this and I’m just chill. I don’t give a shit. I’m out here having fun and beating people up. If I had to give him some advice, I’d say to try not to take it so personal. Live a little. Life goes on after defeat.”