10 Questions With Rob Kimmons (3/9/2009)

[DarrickPatrick]

10 Questions With Rob Kimmons (by Darrick Patrick)

Rob "The Rosedale Reaper" Kimmons is a professional mixed martial artist who has appeared in organizations such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship, World Extreme Cagefighting, Shooto, Titan Fighting Championships, American Bushido, International Fighting Organization, World Series Of Rumble, Victory Fighting Championship, Midwest Cage Championships, International Sport Combat Federation, HOOKnSHOOT, and World Cage Fighting Championships. At the time of this interview, his next scheduled match is against Joe Vedepo at UFC Fight Night 18: Condit vs. Kampmann on April 1st, 2009.

Darrick: How did you end up competing professionally in mixed martial arts?

Rob: I rented UFC 2 from Blockbuster when I was in middle school and decided then that I wanted to do it. I got into wrestling in high school, Jiu-Jitsu after school got out, and also started fighting the same week I started training in Jiu-Jitsu. I fought sixteen amateur fights prior to going pro and it really helped me get a good base before jumping up in competition.

Darrick: Any words of advice for other individuals looking to train in MMA?

Rob: Find a good school with lots of people and not much ego. If everyone there acts like they're the best, then it usually means they are pretenders.

Darrick: Who are a few of the people in the sport that you highly respect?

Rob: I really respect Randy Couture for being such a stand-up guy. I like how humble he is. I rolled with him once and he schooled me, but he wouldn't accept compliments afterwards. Just real down-to-earth. Also, Wanderlei Silva was always my favorite fighter and I still look up to him.

Darrick: Your next scheduled fight is against Joe Vedepo on April 1st. What are your thoughts about this upcoming match?

Rob: I believe it will be a good match. Both of us really need to win right now. He is a good wrestler, but so am I. I am the better striker though, I think. I can take the better punch too, but anything can happen in a fight.

Darrick: What brings you the most fulfillment out of martial arts?

Rob: Winning. I love training, but the actual fight isn't that fun anymore. I love the moments after I win, but there is so much pressure on me in the fights now at this level that it takes some of the fun out of it.

Darrick: Who are some of the people that greatly influenced you while growing up?

Rob: My dad - I was blessed with a great family. I also was blessed to find God in my life. I was pretty crazy in my late teens and early twenties with drinking, fighting, and endangering my life. Once I found God, my life changed for the better. I still have bad days, but since I quit drinking and started living for God, a bad day means being grumpy or cussing. Where as it used to mean getting in a fight or waking up in jail.

Darrick: Outside of MMA, what are your other interests?

Rob: My family, I am very close to my family. I have a beautiful wife and three boys. They wrestle, so I go to kid's tournaments during the season. I am also a movie enthusiast, I love all kinds of movies. Some of my favorite genres are Akira Kurosawa's samurai movies, Spaghetti westerns, and lots of different foreign movies. I also watch some television series such as The Office, Heroes, Jericho, and The Sopranos.

Darrick: Tell us something about you that most people don't know.

Rob: I was a chess club champion in high school. I don't ever play though anymore since most of the people I know don't play.

Darrick: What is your oldest memory?

Rob: Some of my oldest memories would be playing in my grandma's backyard with my cousin Bo. We would chase rabbits, catch crawdads, kill snakes, and collect bugs. There was a creek that ran in front of a big wooded area where we played and we would also explore those woods. It really was a great place for kids to grow up.

Darrick: If you were stuck in a bomb shelter for the rest of your life, what three items would you take in with you besides food and water?

Rob: If I could only bring in three items for the rest of my life, the first I would bring with me is a Bible. Reading the Bible keeps me sane. I need the biblical knowledge to keep me grounded. The second item would be a big television. Whether it is for movies, video games, DVDs, or just TV. I would be bored to death without it. The third thing would probably be my PS3 equipped with Fallout 3. Hopefully by then there would be a Fallout 4 though because I already beat the third one like twenty times.

FOR OTHER EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS BY DARRICK PATRICK:

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=4974388&blogID=343519835

You can also check out Rob Kimmons in the following places:

Official Rob Kimmons MySpace Profile:

http://www.myspace.com/252074423

Rob Kimmons on Fight Finder:

http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Rob-Kimmons-9863

Rob Kimmons Photo Gallery at Sherdog.com:

http://www.sherdog.com/pictures/gallery/fighter/9863