GREENVILLE, TX, March 10, 2013 – The last time you may have heard the name Stephen Banaszak might have been in late 2011. It was then that the Chop Shop MMA trained fighter came out relative obscurity to win the 2011 TXMMA Amateur Fighter of the Year award. The then-21 year old fighter earned that honor by winning 7 straight fights including two for titles over opponents that totaled a 23-13 record – and he won all those fights by submission. Not too shabby for a relative newbie who didn’t begin fighting until that year.
Moving into 2012 the prevailing wisdom was that the community would hear much more from Stephen “The Fear” Banaszak. After all, a year like he had in 2011 and winning the TXMMA Award that year were thought to usher in bigger and better things. Unfortunately, injuries and life in general got in the way and (as far as we know) he only had three recorded fights in 2012 with two of them being losses. He ended his amateur career with an 8-1 record and recently started off his pro career with a loss to another top amateur-turned pro by submission in Memphis, TN based PrizeFight MMA. Not what he expected but something that’s behind him nonetheless. Realizing that things don’t come easy, he’s focused all of his energy into recapturing the success he had as an amateur – without offering up any excuses for his recent unfamiliar losses.
“My last fight against Ryan Collins… we both were making our pro debuts. It didn’t go my way and that’s all that matters. I didn’t do what I am capable of and that’s mainly what I have been doing since is making sure mentally and physically I will be able to perform. At this point in my life I’m just trying to better myself as a fighter and person every day. I just focus on getting closer to God and giving this all I got. I’m 100% percent focused on my fight career and this is my life. I’ve dropped everything for this so I’m just gonna take it as far as my body and the good lord will let me.”
Looking to make every fight count, Stephen will now be stepping back into the cage in Texas on March 23rd when he debuts for Xtreme Knockout in Arlington at XKO 18 when he takes on Humberto Martinez out of the Dallas MMA 300.
“I don’t know anything at all about him (Martinez) so I’ve just been focusing on me (during this camp),” Stephen says about the fight. “There is nothing fancy to training at the Chop Shop. We just beat the crap out of each other all day. I have only been training for two years so we have been really focusing on cleaning up my technique. If I do everything that I’m supposed to do it won’t matter what he does. I will adjust when I get out there and my goal is to make him want to quit, make him not want to fight anymore. That’s always my goal. I just see myself dominating in all areas. I don’t care where the fight goes, that’s where I want to be. I’m old fashioned. I believe fighting should be two people actually trying to FIGHT each other and look for the finish. …None of this playing the points game. If God wants me to come away with the victory then it will happen. Then after this next fight I’m just gonna get back to the grind and get back to fighting.”
Make sure to stay tuned to TXMMA to hear how Stephen Banaszak performs March 23rd at XKO. If he produces like he did in 2011, you could be hearing a lot more about him in the near future.
Fighter Acknowledgements
I would just like to thank God for blessing me with the opportunity to do this and also my sponsors: Texas Tattoo, Crossfit 454, Jessica Bond out at Ollitsac Therapy, Halo Boutique, Elite Massage and Spa, So Dyva Boutique, and of course Chop Shop MMA.