Ultimate Fighter interview with Solomon Hutcherson of Team Dagger

[rbk10]

5/18/2006 4:19:00 PM

Ultimate Fighter interview with Solomon Hutcherson of Team Dagger

by Jason Milloff

The Ultimate Fighter Interview
Milloff@gmail.com (*New Email Address)


Solomon Hutcherson Interview
Conducted by Jason Milloff on May 15, 2006


Question: Who were some of your early influences in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts?

Solomon Hutcherson: “Before I started competing, I was fan of the early pioneers of the sport. Ken Shamrock, Royce Gracie, and Tank Abbott were some of the fighters that influenced me early on. My first match was in 2002. That same year I saw BJ Penn in action. He really impressed me because he was such a complete fighter. His Jui Jitsu and standup skills were amazing. As I became more involved in Mixed Martial Arts, I began to appreciate the cross-trained fighters who excelled in all aspects of the game. I wanted to pattern myself after them.”


Question: Coming into the show, which coach did you want to train under; Ken Shamrock or Tito Ortiz?

Solomon Hutcherson: “Believe it or not, I came in wanting to be coached by Ken Shamrock. He’s an icon in this sport. I had complete confidence in him as a coach. That confidence quickly faded away though. I was shocked when he announced that he didn’t know any Jui Jitsu. It was disappointing that he neglected to bring in another coach who could have worked with us on that aspect of our game. I came in wanting to work on my cardio and Jui Jitsu skills. When all was said and done, I don’t feel like I improved much in those areas.”


Question: Everyone on the show had a lot of respect for your wrestling skills. Were you the strongest wrestler in your weight class this season? What is your background in regards to wrestling?

Solomon Hutcherson: “I know I was the strongest wrestler there. I smoked all those guys when we drilled wrestling during the practices. I’ve wrestled freestyle and folkstyle since 1988. I wrestled for Racine Park High school where I qualified for the state tournament during my sophomore, junior, and senior years. Jason and Matt Case both wrestled for that school. They would later go on to found the Real Pro Wrestling League. I placed 6th in the state (Wisconsin) during my senior year. After high school I wrestled for Triton Junior College in River Grove, Illinois. My daughter was born in 1991 so I ended up leaving school in the middle of the year. That was it for my wrestling career.”


Question: What was it about Rory Singer that caused so much friction between the two of you?

Solomon Hutcherson: “Tito Ortiz made Rory his first middleweight pick. That right there rubbed me the wrong way because I felt like I could crush him. There were a lot of things about Rory that rubbed me the wrong way. He gave off the impression that he could walk through me and everyone else on the show. Rory had the attitude that he was above everything going on around him.”


Question: What was your game plan going into your fight against Rory?

Solomon Hutcherson: “My plan going in was to just basically crush him. His wrestling skills were way under par compared to mine. He kept saying that I wouldn’t be able to take him down. As we saw, he couldn’t stop my takedowns during that whole 1st round.

You always end up learning from a loss. I had never gone into any of my prior fights taking things so personally. I was in the position of living out a dream. I have been watching the UFC ever since I was a kid. I finally had the chance to get inside the Octagon. That really got to me on an emotional level.

I think I listened to Ken Shamrock a little too much during the fight. His instructions while working my corner turned a lot of comfortable situations into uncomfortable situations for me. I was real confident fighting from the top but Ken was concerned that Rory was going to catch me in a submission from the bottom. I could have taken Rory down at will during that fight. When I began to tire out I should have stood back up and caught my breath. I had the ability to control where I wanted the fight to take place. My conditioning wasn’t where it should have been. That’s what lost the fight for me.


I exerted more energy than I thought I did in that first round. I saw the high-kick coming and tried to shoot for a single leg takedown. Rory was able to adjust and I ended up ducking right into his knee. I guess it was just a classic mistake that wrestlers sometimes make. I have asked Rory for a rematch and he has declined the offer. We’ll see what happens with that because I definitely want a rematch with him.”


Question: Despite being on opposing teams, you and Kendall Groves became real good friends. Did that ever become an issue with your teammates? Are you and Kendall going to continue training with each other?

Solomon Hutcherson: “My friendship with Kendall was never an issue because we pretty much kept it on the down low. Our goal was to go to the finals together. I definitely see us training with each other in the future.”


Question: I know that Kendall Groves recently helped Tito Ortiz prepare for his fight with Forest Griffin. Who are some of the fighters that you are currently training with?

Solomon Hutcherson: “I train with Dave Strasser and Nick Agallar at the Freestyle Academy located in Kenosha, Wisconsin. This week I’m going to Milwaukee to work out with Duke Roufus. I’m really looking forward to that.”


Question: What did you think about Noah Inhafer leaving the show the way he did?

Solomon Hutcherson: (Laughing) “Wow! That was something I couldn’t even fathom. , If you’re a fighter this show can open up so many doors for you. I guess his girlfriend cracked the whip on him pretty hard or something. I would have had to say later for her.”


Question: I know all the fighters were pretty much cut off from the outside world during the taping of the show. Were you allowed to receive letters? If not, why do you think Noah received one?

Solomon Hutcherson: “I was told there wouldn’t be any contact allowed to the outside world unless it was a dire situation. I’m guessing she must have labeled the letter in a way to indicate an emergency. It got though to him so she must be pretty crafty”


Question: How do you view your overall experience on the show?

Solomon Hutcherson: “I consider myself a laidback, personable, type of guy. A lot of us out here in the Midwest have that type of personality. The whole experience was totally new to me. I never had to live under the same roof with a group of guys who might end up being my opponent the next day. If I came off as being depicted differently it was just because I was in a different situation and surrounding than what I’m used to.

The level of competition surprised me. I thought the cast was going to be made up of fighters who didn’t have a whole lot of experience. I thought the premise of the show was to assemble a group of guys new to the fight game and have them learn from the veteran coaches. A lot of the fighters who were chosen came in with strong credentials already. Rory Singer trains other fighters and operates his own gyms. Ed Herman has been training with Team Quest for awhile now.

Being able to hold my own and do well against the other fighters on the show really bolstered my confidence. It let me know that I am ready and capable of taking my fighting career to the next level.”


Question: Have you gotten any word on your status for this season’s finale? Have you been offered a fight on the card?

Solomon Hutcherson: I don’t think I can comment on that yet. I’ll just say to keep your eyes out for me. I’ll be there and I’ll be in real good shape.”

[Morox]

I would only have one question for Soloman.

Where's your teeth?

[andrewilbe]

Not the asshole I expected for his first interview (that I read) after the show.......that's good because I think he has potential to get in the UFC......AND GET KILLED!!!

[Mr. Death]

Sweet. I hope Rory doesn't make it to the finals so that we can see Rory v. Solomon II at the Finale.

[rbk10]

He is intelligent, but he has a lot more to prove now than he did before his fight with Rory.

[ShoelessRye]

I wouldn't give him a rematch either if I was Rory. Soloman has no respect. I'd want to fight somebody ranked higher than me to further my career, not slum at Sol's level so he can try to use me as a stepping stone. I'd have nothing to gain and everything to lose sorta deal. Sol would have to make it worth my while.

[ghettobooty17]

I'm not a fan of Solomon and I'm still not. The only thing I want to see is him losing...again.

[shloho]

He tried to sound polite, but we all know how he acted on the show. Too bad first impressions are what really count.

[Kingjonasv]

Keep in mind that TUF you see on the show may be the frankenstien of what really happoned. yeah Sully talks trash, yes hes outspoken and Arragant. I kinda think that they tried to make the cast appeal to all the different personalits the viewers may have. Rory as a uptight, neat freak. Kendal as everyones favorite homey. Ross hard headed Entertainer. kristen the lol poet. and soloman the Clubber Lang of TUF. I say hes all right in my book. I pity the next fool

[trailblazer]

the interviewer forgot to ask what it feels like to talk tons of shit and then be beaten down like a ragdoll.