Fight Night Breakdown: The Training Camps
The sum is always greater than its parts. It’s true with women and it’s true with fighting. Every fighter needs heart and talent, but without the proper guidance it’ll be impossible to realize his full potential. With Fight Night 20 about to air free on Spike January 11 at 9pm/8c, let’s take a look at the matchups and see what kind of training each fighter is taking into their bouts.
Gray Maynard vs. Nate Diaz
Gray Maynard
Born: Phoenix, Arizona
Trains: Las Vegas
Legion: Gray “The Bully” Maynard trains at one of the most prestigious fight schools in the world, Xtreme Couture. With his elite wrestling background, Maynard quickly felt at home in the gym founded by Olympic wrestler and UFC legend Randy Couture. He currently trains closely with Forrest Griffin and even served as Griffin’s wrestling coach on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest.
Nate Diaz
Born: Stockton, California
Trains: Stockton, California
Legion: The self-proclaimed “Pride of Stockton,” Diaz and his brother Nick have long-trained at Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu in Pleasant Hill, California. Cesar Gracie, son of Carlos Gracie, has groomed Diaz to become one of the UFC’s most dangerous grapplers.
Efrain Escudero vs. Evan Dunham
Efrain Escudero
Born: San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico
Trains: Tempe, Arizona
Legion: Escudero trains mostly under Drew Fickett at Southwest MMA, where he continues to hone his transformation from elite wrestler to champion fighter. Sporting a record of 36-13, few fighters can offer Escudero the breadth of knowledge and experience that Fickett can. With his help, Escudero is on the road to becoming a top mixed martial artist.
Evan Dunham
Born: Eugene, Oregon
Trains: Las Vegas
Legion: Another veteran at Xtreme Couture, Dunham walks into the cage with the backing of countless champions and world class trainers. His background in wrestling makes him a perfect fit at the hard-nosed gym and his flawless 9-0 record makes him a big test for The Ultimate Fighter winner Escudero.
