UFC’s Dodson is aiming for three titles simultaneously

MANILA, Philippines – Surely, one cannot ever accuse UFC fighter John Dodson of selling himself, well, short (pardon the pun, John). Standing all of 5’3” and tipping the scales at 135 lbs., the American Octagon gladiator is supremely confident of himself and his skills — and is not shy about showing it.

In town to drum up further interest in an already mixed martial arts-crazy country, Dodson shares in an exclusive interview with The STAR that he took the reins in his life very early. He and his younger brother Eric weren’t bullied. In fact, he insists, “We fought the bullies. We were the bully beater-uppers… All the people who wanted to join gangs, we wanted to save them from that. We thought of that as our career.”

Funny and witty, he continues, “I’m from the desert. I’m from New Mexico. It’s called the land of entrapment for a reason.” Growing up in Albuquerque, Dodson had big dreams from as far back as he can remember. As a kid, he would watch animé, other cartoons, and movies where protagonists had superpowers. “They had some type of ability that allowed them to be great… so now I’m doing the exact same thing. I get to highlight the characters that make me me — and that’s having that fun personality and I enjoy life… and do it with a smile whether it is on the Octagon punching somebody in the face or somebody punching me in the face.”

Dodson speaks at a hundred miles an hour, and he smiles broadly and infectiously. A perfect ambassador for the sport both owing to his impressive record in the UFC cage (seven wins, two losses), and the articulateness and enthusiasm he carries. Someone remarks that he is like a bunny, and Dodson grins.

“I just don’t ever wanna sit and stop, because it sucks being bored. Only boring people are bored. Those that don’t try, fail,” he maintains, firing lessons quickly and freely.

Dodson holds a black belt in the martial art of Gaidojutsu, which was developed by his longtime coach Greg Jackson. The fighting style combines wrestling and kickboxing techniques with judo locks, plus other features from grappling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and kickboxing.

He credits his mother for getting him into a lot of sports. “I played every single one that she put me in — tennis, racquetball, handball, football.” Dodson was even into track, football, and, get this, basketball. “I was like Spud Webb and Muggsy Bogues,” he says with a smile. Incidentally, Bogues is the same height as Dodson, and remains the shortest player to ever enter the National Basketball Association.

When asked how he would differentiate fighting styles of lower weight classes to, say, heavyweights, Dodson insists, “We move so quickly, our technique is crisper, our punches are faster, our kicks are harder, our movements are more graceful.” The agility, he adds, is comparable to gymnasts and parkour practitioners (called traceurs). “Other weight classes throw one punch, two punches, three punches, and they’re tired.”

Still Dodson concedes that heftier fighters get a lot of the attention. “We have to make sure everybody can see us in that same limelight.” Now a bantamweight, he started a flyweight, and wants the world to see him as one having “true punching power that can keep moving up weight classes… I will lay bodies in front of me and make sure that everybody will be in awe.”

The ultimate dream for Dodson is to hold the flyweight, bantamweight and featherweight titles at the same time. “I’m a very, very hungry person. I’m motivated,” he underscores.

But behind the cockiness, the fighter puts in the work and sacrifices needed to stay on top of his game. “Those 15 or 25 minutes of glory on the Octagon that they grant us is just that. (Behind that are) two to three months of training camp.”

While there’s no word yet on his next opponent, Dodson says he continues to train and help other fighters train, too. He runs five miles a day, undergoes strength conditioning, sparring matches and wrestling classes — while making sure he has ample time to recover. There’s also mitt control, ground control and cage control. “I spend 14 to 16 hours a day for this job,” he reports.

Dodson says that people may not be aware of it, but his MMA record is 19-7. “I have so many other fights that you guys didn’t see or didn’t know about.” Behind what people see now is a lifetime of work, he stresses. “I was a nobody (that became) one of the best,” says Dodson, also known as “The Magician” for his variety of moves. “And the finished product isn’t finished just yet.”

“I’m gonna stay as long as I can. I can’t promise you that I won’t get hit by a bus tomorrow… I can’t predict the future. But when the ride’s over, it’s time for me to get off, I’ll find a different ride to go ahead and take.”

For now, he delights in his family, and a chance to motivate other people. “I inspire people now in this day and age to make sure that they could become something than that what they are now… inspire people and reach for a higher potential of what they can truly be.”

(John Dodson’s open workout for the UFC Bantamweight Fighter Tour was held last Saturday at the Robinsons Place Manila. The UFC will return on Oct. 15 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena with UFC Fight Night Manila. For more details, visit www.ufc.com/manila.)