The Grind

Dreams are made and destroyed at the regional level of mixed martial arts. Before the big name pros compete on the largest stages of the sport, they go through the many trials and tribulations of fighting within the local scene. Connecticut pro, Dan Dubuque is on this long and arduous journey.

While one may not frequent the ice cream stand, burger joint, nightclub or bar, a deep satisfaction comes from truly living in one’s own image. Fighters have minimal problems with this. For there is no time to ponder upon the different avenues which life could have swept them in. Mere moments, fragments of time, are vastly important. In Dan Dubuque’s case, falling behind just a couple of minutes could result in the difference between one pound and two, between knockdown and knockout, between win and loss.

Dan Dubuque

Dan Dubuque is an experienced fighter on the New England regional scene. Over the course of his career, he mainly competed in the featherweight division. As an amateur, he exclusively competed at the 145 lb. weight limit. In the pro ranks, he dabbled in other divisions. At lightweight, he is undefeated as well as the professional champion for the Plymouth based organization, Cage Titans.

As the champion of Cage Titans, the fighter planned a move down in weight to capture the promotions bantamweight title. In August at Cage Titans XL, Dubuque took to the cage, in between fights, in order to call out the winner of the events bantamweight title contest. Ultimately, challenger Jay Perrin defeated champion Johnny Campbell, and Dubuque looked to have himself a title match set for the next card. Before anything was set in stone, the new champion Perrin announced he would take off the next and final event of 2018 for Cage Titans. Thusly, making the next opportunity for a title shot in January.

Cage Titans XLI

Although he did the due diligence, making a claim for a title challenge, one wasn’t guaranteed to Dubuque. To further cement his claim at the bantamweight title, Dubuque booked the former champion, Johnny Campbell, for a potential #1 contender bout for November and Cage Titans XLI.

In pursuit of this new division title, Dubuque began the long task of preparing his body to make the weight limit. The cut prep began mid-summer. His diet tightened while his belt buckles loosened. His hard work cumulated on Thursday, November 1st of fight week in Plymouth, Massachusetts. There he began the water cut.

MMASucka cameras followed the pro fighter Thursday night, capturing his weight cut process.

Related: D. Dubuque CTFC XLI Post-Fight Interview