TRAINING: I get up at 5am and leave around 530 to go and do Strength and Conditioning with Kyle Holland at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning. It's in Woburn, MA so it takes a little while to get there but I lift and workout from 7 to 830. By the time I drive back I have a little time to unwind before I go and grapple and do some drilling for an hour or so. Then I box with Steve Maze right after for around 90 minutes and I am done with my morning sessions. I am back in the gym at night around 630 and work MMA stuff for a couple hours before calling it a night. I start early and I finish late... but I try to get as much rest as I can. In between all of the other craziness, I try to sneak in as many grappling sessions with Abmar Barbosa as possible to expand on my Jiu-Jitsu and have him run me through drills.

When and why did you start training for fighting? I started submission grappling for fun, and it has all snowballed from there. I began helping training partners train for their fights and wanted to give it a try.

Do you have any heroes? My Dad

What does it mean for you to fight in the UFC? It will make explaining the type of fighting I do a lot easier. I no longer have to go into a big explanation of "Have you seen the UFC? I do that, but haven't fought there yet." I can just say, "I fight in the UFC".

Did you go to college and if so what degree did you earn? Wentworth in Boston, MA. Graduated with a Bachelor's in Computer Science

What was your job before you started fighting? I worked in Tech Support while a student.

Accomplishments in pro competition? A few titles in Combat Zone, World Fighting League and Mass Destruction.

Ranks in any martial arts styles: Purple belt in Jiu-Jitsu.

Favorite grappling technique: Heel Hook

Favorite Striking technique: Left Hook

•    Owns 2004 submission win over former WEC featherweight champ Mike Brown

•    Stout bout was the first time he has gone the distance in a pro fight

•    Win over Pulver in 2006 was one of the year’s biggest knockouts and biggest upsets

•    16 wins by submission

•    Has trained with BJ Penn in Hawaii

•    Has won Submission of the Night four times (Warburton, Melendez, Stephens, Ruediger), Fight of the Night three times (Sotiropoulos, Florian, Stout), KO of the Night once (Pulver)

•    Has won post-fight bonuses in each of his last five fights, and six of his last seven