10 Questions With Travis Fulton (10/23/2008)

[DarrickPatrick]

10 Questions With Travis Fulton (by Darrick Patrick)

Travis "The Ironman" Fulton is a professional mixed martial artist who has competed in organizations such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship, World Extreme Cagefighting, International Fight League, King Of The Cage, Pancrase, Cedar Valley Fighting Association, Extreme Challenge, American Fighting Association, Max Fights, Iowa Challenge, Smash MMA, Fightfest, Revolution Cage Fighting, Ironman Competition, Northstar Fighting Association, Royalty Fight Night, International Fighting Championship, Rumble On The River, Friday Night Throwdown, Rochester Fights, Spring Brawl, Xtreme Kage Kombat, All Fighting Championships, Downtown Destruction, Judgement Night, River City Fight Club, Ultimate Throwdown, Iowa Extreme Fighting, Dangerzone, Bar Room Brawl, Victory Fighting Championships, Reality Submission Fighting, Cage Fighting Monterrey, SuperBrawl, Xtreme Cage Fighter, Kickfest, Durata Fights, and Independence Day Showdown.

He also has appeared in the Freestyle Combat Challenge, International Fighting Alliance, Sabin Showdown, International Cage Combat, CAGE, Minnesota Extreme Fight, Rage In The Cage, Sokol Hall Brawl, Blairstown Brawl, Extreme Combat, Thursday Night Fights, Iowa Challenge Eliminations, Ultimate Submission Challenge, Cagefighter Championships, American Reality Combat Federation, Lincoln Fights, Rock N Rumble, Gladiators, Extreme Boxing, Tuesday Night Fights, Millennium Brawl, Iowa Vale Tudo Championships, Ultimate Wrestling, Iowa Free Fight, Rings, Holiday Fight Party, Lionheart Invitational, Midwest Fighting Championship, Absolute Face Off, Cage Combat, Neutral Grounds, HOOKnSHOOT, New Year's Eve Knockout, Submission Fighting Championships, World Vale Tudo Championship, Kombat Zone, Fearless Freestyle Fighting, Rock N Brawl, Southern Iowa Ultimate Fighting, Friday Night Fights, Ultimate Enticer, and Brawl At The Ballpark.

At the time of this interview, Fulton notably and respectably has over 240 professional mixed martial arts matches to his credit. The website Sherdog.com currently lists his record with a total of 189 wins, 45 losses, 10 draws, and 1 no contest. He is also a professional boxer with over thirty-five matches on his resume.

Darrick: What led you to competing in professional mixed martial arts?

Travis: To be honest, I have always wanted to be a fighter. At first I was mainly interested in boxing, but then the movie Bloodsport was released and I became obsessed with it. I was convinced that I was going to enter the Kumite and win. It wasn't until I had actually started fighting that I found out that the Kumite was completely fictional and the movie wasn't based on any facts whatsoever.

Darrick: Who is someone that greatly influenced you while growing up?

Travis: My dad, of course. He was always into sports and encouraged my brothers and I to play. Although he didn't force us to play the sports that he liked, let alone make us play. In fact, my little brother wasn't much of an athlete and didn't compete in any sports after junior high. My dad worked third shift, but would still skip sleep on Saturday mornings to watch a wrestling meet, baseball, or football game.

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

Travis: If you'd have asked me five years ago, I would have had plenty of tips to give. These days...well, I just don't know. The sport has changed a lot.

Darrick: What does a typical training session for you consist of?

Travis: People might be shocked to find out that I train far more now than I did when I first began fighting. Heck, even when I was fighting in the actual UFC I was training maybe one day a week. It was a mental thing. Now, I go to kickboxing class at my gym and I'll stick around afterwards to grapple. So basically it's working focus mits, bags, and light sparring.

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

Travis: Once again, the sport has evolved and unfortunately, so have the people in it. I've only met Randy Couture once - he was a nice guy and he seems really down-to-earth. I think he's a great spokesman for the sport. A lot of the other guys that I knew before they became "stars" turned into dickheads once they became MMA celebrities.

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

Travis: Yet again, had you asked me five years ago, my answer would have been much different. These days I just like the way I feel after a tough training session. Like I actually accomplished something.

Darrick: Outside of competitive fighting, what are your other interests?

Travis: I'm a complete nerd. (Laughs) I collect baseball cards, I like to fish, read a lot, hang out with my daughter, play softball all summer long, and spend entirely too much money on porno.

Darrick: What moments in your life have you been proudest of so far?

Travis: The weird thing is that I accomplished a lot of great things in high school sports, but at the time they were sort of meaningless to me. I didn't really think that I had done much of anything. To win a big wrestling match or come through with a clutch hit in a baseball game didn't mean a lot. Really, I just couldn't wait to get home and play Nintendo. I'm not very satisfied with where I've taken my fighting career, so I'm not really all that proud of what I've accomplished there. So if anything, I'd say being a good father to my child would probably be my greatest accomplishment.

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

Travis: I'll spare you the perverted response to this question and give you a rated G fact about myself...um, I'm related to Abraham Lincoln.

Darrick: What is your oldest memory?

Travis: I remember being at the hospital and my dad taking me to a room to pick out a toy to play with. I asked my mother and she said that I was two years old when that happened.

FOR OTHER EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS BY DARRICK PATRICK:

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

You can also check out Travis Fulton in the following places:

Official Travis Fulton MySpace Profile:

http://www.myspace.com/ironmanfulton

Travis Fulton on Fight Finder:

http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Travis-Fulton-80

Travis Fulton Photo Gallery at Sherdog.com:

http://www.sherdog.com/pictures/gallery/fighter/80

Travis Fulton on BoxRec.com:

http://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=18561&cat=boxer