Canada has long been known for its passion for MMA; some of the largest events in UFC history have been held in the Great White North. Canada has also been known for producing some of the greatest talents in the world of MMA: Geroges St. Pierre, Carlos Newton, TJ Grant, Rory MacDonald and Patrick Cote are just a few of the laundry list that come to mind. Moving into the future there is another name that will likely inevitably find its way on to that list: Louis Fisette.
The young fighter coming out of Manitoba who debuted his abilities on season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter recently took the time to speak with us and share how thoughts on his career and the world of MMA today…
So, how did you get started in fighting/MMA in the first place?
Well, it was actually sort of by accident. I had never really had watched the sport, I mean I liked pro-wrestling as a kid, and I watched a couple of MMA fights. Then I finished hockey after high school, like every other Canadian kid, and one of my friends did mixed-martial arts, and he was kind of like: “Oh you should come and try it out some time”, but I actually ended up following through with it. So, I went and tried it out and the learning curve is so steep and you learn things so quickly and I just kind of fell in love with it and that’s how it happened.
Was there any influence as a fighter or person that really pushed you into MMA?
Not really to be honest. Even now I’m not an expert as far as other fighters go, I’ve never really been good with stats and stuff – so, there’s not really anyone who had pushed me into the sport. I wrestled on the couch with my Dad all the time as a kid, but other than that the only guy I really admired coming up was Urijiah Faber.
How would you characterize the development of your own technique?
I think it is a really personal thing, because you really have to do what works for you. So, what works for me, might not work for Uriajh Faber. You can’t just go into a class and say “I’m going to learn this guy’s style”. At the end of the day that technique might not work for you, or might not be appropriate for your body type. I think just as I kind of worked with my body, and found techniques, I changed them for my body – if that makes sense.
You mentioned Urijiah Faber as someone you looked up to, is there anyone else out there in the MMA world today that you really look up to?
(At this point, like a true Canadian, Louis asked me if I could hold on for a minute while he ordered his Tim Hortons… it was a large double-double for those who are curious)
There are a couple of guys in the UFC that I really do enjoy watching, Faber being one of them. I really love to watch Cub Swanson fight. I think his stand-up is really impressive and then when he goes to the ground his game is just as impressive there.
Another one would be Colin MacGregor. He burst onto the scene, what about a year ago? I think he was talked about more than anyone in the UFC when he made his debut, so I would kind of lean towards him. I like how he is outside of the cage, you know he dresses up really nice, he’s kind of got an attitude about him, but he does it kind of a gentlemen’s way, and then when he gets into the cage he’s just a badass.
You spent a little time on The Ultimate Fighter, what did you take away from that experience?
I mean, it kind of lets you know where you are on the totem pole. At my gym, I’m one of the better guys there but I really only roll with two guys, and other than them there aren’t too many guys that get the better of me. I am one of the more skilled guys at the gym, so I never get pushed every single round. So, then to go to The Ultimate Fighter to train with the best of the best and you realize that you’re not necessarily as good as you are.
You lost your first match-up on The Ultimate Fighter, what did you take away from that experience?
With that, it really opened my eyes a little bit. I went in there thinking “I am going to beat whoever they put in front of me and that is that”, and that’s the mentality that I had – that I wasn’t going to lose to anybody… After I lost and got back to my hotel room I wrote a whole bunch of things down – kind of like promises that I would… take my diet more seriously, I would put in more sessions per week. I would be the first one on the mat and the last one off the mat type of thing. So, I really did kind of buckle down more, and I really changed my mindset about things – I really, really wanted to start to put that extra effort in.
With all of this being said, do you have a match-up coming up soon?
Ummm, I don’t know exactly what the future holds. I am almost positive that I will be signing with the World Series of Fighting Canada, so that will be really good. As far as when I will be fighting with them, I don’t know off the top of my head. Originally, I was supposed to be fighting on the February card that was in Edmonton, but that didn’t pan out so now it’s looking like March or April maybe. So, I am just kind of waiting and training… just doing what I do.
Whenever we talk to fighters here at Last Word on Sports, we also like to get their take on some of the key events and ongoings in the world of MMA. I took some time out to talk to Louis about a few of these key issues pressing today…
Anderson Silva, do you think he’s finished?
I’d like to say, no – but, I mean what is 38 now? It’s going to take him a year to recover, by that time he’s 39… I want to say “no”. I really want to see him comeback. I don’t know how good the comeback will go, at that age with that about of time off, how sharp he will be. But, I am going to say that I think he will be back for sure.
As a Canadian, I am sure you have a special place in your heart for Georges St. Pierre. Do you think he will come back to the sport, or do you think he’s really done?
I think he’ll be back, I really do. I think he’ll do it for his own reasons, I don’t think he’ll do it because the UFC wants him to, or his fans want him to. I think he’ll do it when he’s ready. How long is that going to be – I honestly couldn’t tell you.
I think I understand a little where he’s coming from. When you’ve been fighting in MMA for the amount of years that he has been, it’s stressful. I mean I’ve been fighting for only three years now – and you know, you do need a mental break. However, as world champ you don’t really get that time off. It’s always you win one fight, and you’re in talks for the next fight right after… and I think he’s one of those guys who puts himself into 100% of the training and I think it just takes a toll on people.
With St. Pierre and Silva taking a leave from the UFC, who do you think is the best out there right now overall?
I would have to say Jose Aldo is the top dog on my list. I think if you put him pound-for-pound against any guy he would beat them. I don’t know where he stacks up against those guys (on the pound-for-pound list), I think he’s third or fourth? But, I would have to put him probably at the top of that list.
As a Canadian, who would you put as the top Canadian MMA fighter out there today now that GSP has taken leave?
I think everyone knows that TJ Grant is a bad dude, and he’s up there in the lightweight rankings… I’d think he’s one of the best Canadians. Of course Rory MacDonald is impressive, not so much his last fight, but he’s really good. Any one of those guys really.
We’d like to thank Louis for taking the time to sit down with us and share his thoughts. We really look forward to seeing him take the MMA world by storm in the coming future, and based on current results we don’t think it will be long before we see him there. You can follow Louis on Twitter at @lfisetteMMA.
We’d also like to thank Jay at Fresh Start Entertainment for his continuing support of Last Word on Sports. Don’t forget to check him out on twitter at @jayfreshstart or at MMA JAM.
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Main Photo Courtesy Louisfisette.ca, all rights reserved
