The transition from Judo to Mixed Martial Arts can be a hard one but for Australia’s rising Featherweight star, Michael Tobin (8-0), he was habituated on becoming the best fighter he could possibly be.
Before, not a day went by without the former Roshambo champ slapping on his Judo Gi. But what started off as a simple hobby soon turned into hunger to compete at a higher level, and when a realization along with just a simple change in rules emerged, a new passion was exhumed as well.
“I started Judo at 10-years-old and when I got to 12, I started competing but not knowing what I was actually doing. I got second place in the nationals that year and then from there, changed to a proper Judo club and started practicing Judo at a higher level,” Tobin recalled to MMASucka. “When I was 15, I started Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to get ahead of people in Judo because the ground game in BJJ was at a higher level.”
“I started MMA two years ago just because the rules in Judo were changed and it didn’t suit my game. I went pro just after 6 months of striking. My good base in Judo enabled me to have a perfect balance for the sport and it wasn’t long till I realized I was good at submitting people too.”
In a short career that has spanned just a little over two years, Tobin has racked up an unscathed resume of eight straight victories, seven of which by tapout. And while the submission ace maintains there will come a point in the sport where he will eventually taste defeat in the MMA realm, he’s not afraid of experiencing that ‘losing’ feeling one bit.
“I mean, it’s not like I haven’t lost before. I’ve lost heaps of fights in Judo, it hurts for a little bit, but after that no one really looks up and talks about it,” the Australian continued. “First off, for people to have records that remind you of their losses, it’s pretty shocking. A loss is a loss; you take it on the chin and get back in there. To me, this next fight is just like my first fight. I don’t tell myself I’m going to be 9-0 after this and all that. Win or lose, it won’t matter. I’ll just keep on fighting and strive for wins.”
The highly touted combatant gears up for his biggest test yet later this week, in an 8-man tournament for REBEL Fighting Championship’s inaugural 145-lbs title. It may understandably be a course for concern for the Australian ahead of this overwhelming prospect. After all, add to the mix that the fighters competing in the brackets include former WEC champ Miguel Torres and former UFC fighter Will Chope and well, there might just be an interesting tale that’s just waiting to be written.
Find out what Tobin had to say as we rallied more of his thoughts ahead of the much anticipated tournament on Friday night:
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- On fighting for the first time on foreign soil in MMA…
Tobin: “I fought a few times overseas for Judo. I’ve fought in various countries and to me, it’s sort of like the same fighting at home, except there’re bigger crowds. But it’s generally just the same feeling, as soon as the referee says go or whatever, you just click on and you do your own stuff.”
- On his training camp at Potential Unlimited MMA ahead of this fight…
Tobin: “The guys that I train with are mostly Bantamweights but they’re at the top end of the spectrum. There are 5 or 6 dudes who are solid and are at a perfect weight for me to train with. And because I’m bigger, they don’t hurt me and since we’re similar in weight, I can throw as hard as I want and not worry about them getting hurt. There’s also Dylan Andrews, who’s in the UFC right now, along with Benny Alloway, who used to train with us there as well. It’s good to have these high level athletes that are better in different aspects of the sport than I am.”
- On his fighting style…
Tobin: “It’s more grappling based, I prefer to be against the cage or pushing someone on the cage. Once it hits the ground, I’m really comfortable because of that BJJ base I have. I really enjoy doing that.”
- On people underestimating his striking game…
Tobin: “I know that my grappling is a lot stronger than my striking, but my striking is decent. Usually I just use my striking to set up takedowns, so that catches people off guard because I’m not looking for a takedown off the bat. That’s what they’ll be expecting, so if I throw in a few punches or kicks, they’ll probably be impressed that I can fight a proper fight. But once I hit the ground, that’s where I want to be because I find it safer.”
- On representing his country…
Tobin: “For Judo, I’ve always represented Australia. The government pays for me to go there and do work so it’s sort of like for them. For MMA, since the government isn’t involved, I guess I’m representing Australia in a way but I’m there more for myself. It’ll just be me enjoying what I like to do most.”
- On fighting in REBEL FC…
Tobin: “The matchmaker, Chad Sanderson, dropped some high level names that were set to be competing in the tournament. I thought it was cool and saw it as just another event to enjoy myself in, and the fact that I was getting another chance to fight overseas made it better.”
- On fighting Pat Promrangka in the first round bracket…
Tobin: “He’s a really strong wrestler. He’s very physically fit. I’ve watched some of his fights and I’ve noticed he’s always fought hard and gives his best. I actually faced him in a Jiu-Jitsu competition before and it’s not that he’s bad on the ground, I just think I’ll have the advantage because of my years of experience. If it does come down to wrestling vs. Judo, however, I think it will be about timing.”
- On what fans can expect from him come fight night…
Tobin: “I just want to show people that Australia isn’t as weak as what some people make it out to be. Most people think Australians are dumb and they just want to punch someone and that sort of a thing. But my fighting game is based around a technical element, where I enjoy both striking and grappling. In some of my fights, I don’t even strike when I’m on the ground. I just get in the zone to grapple so I’d really like to show my high level grappling to the fans and put on a good show and fight for them.”
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REBEL FC 2: Battle Royale takes place August 1 at the Suntec Exhibition and Convention Centre in Singapore. The main card for the event features the aforementioned 8-man tournament, while the prelims is set to showcase a host of names from both the local and international circuit.
Keep it locked to MMASucka.com for more exclusives throughout fight week.
Credit: Michael Tobin
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