photo 1 of 75 NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 28: Tom Watson weighs in during the UFC on Fuel TV weigh in at Capital FM Arena on September 28, 2012 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
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Tom WatsonTRAINING: About 7:30 am every weekday Miss Jones brings up my tea tray and insists I dress. It is unacceptable to be seen in my dressing gown outside of my bedroom she tells me, and just for this I may wear it to the weigh-ins. A man in his robe to the public, a genuine stance of defiance. You see, I have to change my clothes about four times a day from the sweat-drenched training attire provided by Lonsdale into something more comfortable. As trivial as this sounds, it's rather a grind. With training starting at 9, resuming again around 2.30 followed by an evening class, the changing is almost unbearable. As you can imagine not only does this issue of such frequent changing irritate me greatly but it also keeps my maid quite busy. Maids are not cheap. Weekends the days are differing but still typical. Early morning, I jog. Afternoons I choose to read, sew (just kidding) or call on friends. One of my favorite social activities is hosting a tea party but I don't get too much time for that these days. Sadly, most Americans aren't too fond of the stuff.
Thoughts on opponent, Sam Alvey? When I think of Alvey I can't help but drift my mind to Ghandi, the famous advocate of non-violence. Alvey's aim as the 'smiler' is his meager attempt to bedazzle his opponent before fights with his beaming teeth and charm; to win over their mind, heart and persuade them that the 'smiler' is a jolly fine chap! But an important element in non-violence is to offer the opponent an out, a face-saving way to change the mind. A few of his trademark right hooks usually suffice, but can we be sure that his willingness to suffer won't come at a risk? When and why did you start training for fighting? My fight career began at 16 years old, when I realized that by living a few years of my life like most won't, I could live the rest of my life like most can't. What ranks and titles have you held? UCMMA Middleweight MMA Champion, 3 time BAMMA Middleweight World Champion, ISKA Cruiserweight British Champion, 3 time ABA Southern Counties Champion, Full Contact Unlicensed Boxing Champion, Cliff Richard Invitational Chess Champion 1991 Do you have any heroes? Karen and Michael J Watson What does it mean for you to fight in the UFC? Anywhere that I can represent Queen and Country is a great honor. Did you go to college and if so what degree did you earn? BA (Honours) Degree of the highest order in Media and Cultural Studies What was your job before you started fighting? Agricultural land owner and licensed slaughterman Specific accomplishments in amateur competition? Amateur Boxing Standout 2006, Multiple ABA Southern Counties Champion Specific accomplishments in pro competition? MFC Knockout of the Year 2010, Five Time Fight of the Night Winner, Three time Knockout of the Night Winner, Longest Reigning BAMMA Champion Ranks in any martial arts styles: BJJ Purple Belt Favorite grappling technique: The one that works Favorite striking technique: Repeat as above
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