Aug-3-2008
Ben Saunders – Smiling All The Way to The Top
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Womens G Velour Suit - Kelly Green
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By Debbie Lee
The select few who consider fighting as a professional career quickly discover that countless obstacles come with the territory: physical injuries, financial woes, self-imposed mental pressure. But among the worst and most-feared hurdles is the ultimatum.
Loved ones have been known to place a single, highly unreasonable demand on aspiring fighters: choose between the family and the sport. Ben “Killa B” Saunders once knew how it felt to be put in such a position. However painful, he had only one solution.
“I had to completely shun my family,” said Saunders. “At one point, they were calling my dreams a lost cause. It was too negative; it was too much additional stress on my life. I had already lost my job, my car broke down, and I was about to get evicted. I didn't know what the hell was going on in my life; all I knew is that I wanted to fight.”
The decision paid off and Saunders is now all smiles - literally. Following his appearance on season six of The Ultimate Fighter, he not only saw a coveted UFC contract but a family reconciliation.
“It’s an amazing feeling to stick with your goals and dreams and have everyone eventually come around,” Saunders said. “The Christmas after the show aired was probably the best holiday I’ve had in my life. It was the first time everyone in my family was proud of me and accepted what I do.”
Despite being only 25-years old, Saunders traveled a long road to earn both his family’s respect and a place in the welterweight division. Unlike some of his peers, who discovered the sport later in life, the Fort Lauderdale, Fla. native said that his love of fighting dates back to early childhood.
“When I was 10 years old, my best friend and I saw an ad in Black Belt magazine for the first UFC event,” said Saunders. “His dad ordered it for us and by the end, I was convinced that it was the most amazing thing I had ever seen in my life.”
Saunders was immediately sold on a future in MMA– even if no one else could be convinced of it.
“Throughout middle school and high school, you have teachers asking what you want to be. I’d say, ‘a professional fighter,’ and they thought I was completely insane. Throughout my entire life, I’ve been told that fighting is not a real job and that I ought to consider a different profession. But I don’t live with a backup plan. Short of being damn near paralyzed, this is all that I want to do.”
Without a support system to rely on, Saunders often got by on his own resourcefulness. When his parents couldn’t afford tae kwon do lessons, he purchased books and used his best friend as a sparring partner. At 14, in order to pay for lessons in Jeet Kune Do Concepts, he willingly took up a job at McDonald’s. And when he couldn’t formally participate in high school wrestling due to lackluster grades, he practiced with the team anyway, offering to show them submissions he picked up while watching UFC events.
Upon graduation, Saunders relocated to Orlando. Prior to the birth of his current training camp – American Top Team -- his foremost priority was to train with UFC veteran Din Thomas. “I convinced my father that I would also go to college,” said Saunders, “but there are only 24 hours in a day.” Between training, working, and school, something had to give.
“Leaving school was a hard choice,” he said. “This was in 2001 and fighters weren’t making any money back then. I earned only three hundred dollars from my first pro fight and there was no one to help support me.” For the next six years, Saunders took up odd jobs and fought in smaller promotions, unsure of whether or not he sacrificed friends and family for naught. Only after he landed an unexpected spot on 2007’s TUF 6 did he feel validated.
“It’s funny, I never really looked into getting on the show,” said Saunders. “But when I flew in for the interviews, I really started to sell myself. Living in the house sucked at times, but I’d do it all over again. Being on a reality show didn’t change my life, but being with the UFC has definitely helped my career dramatically.”
That season, Saunders -- wearing his trademark smile on his bloodied face -- defeated Dan Barrera by split decision in the sixth preliminary round. After a loss to Tommy Speer in the quarterfinals, he faced off against Barrera once again at the Ultimate Finale 6. Saunders eked out a unanimous decision victory, but he said that it was a less-than-ideal outcome.
“I respect Barrera for going the distance, but I would have respected him a lot more if he had TKOd me,” said Saunders. “The whole time I was so relaxed and, of course, smiling, but it was one of the most boring, frustrating fights of my career. I went three five-minute rounds and there wasn’t a mark on me.”
Saunders has higher expectations for future performances.
“The next time, I’m looking to fight in an aggressive fashion and give the crowd some excitement.”
His next opportunity will be on Aug 9 at UFC 87 in Minneapolis, Minn., when, he’ll meet late replacement Ryan Thomas in the Octagon. Saunders naturally hopes to keep his professional record (5-0-2) free of losses, but he’s reluctant to make specific predictions.
“I can tell you that I’m going to shoot in, pick him up, and launch him upside down like a cartwheel and kick him in the head mid-flight exactly three minutes into the first round,” he joked, “but the truth is, you never know. My strategy is simply to win by any means. All I can say is that I’m definitely not looking to go the distance. And if I lose, the only thing I’d want is to lose in perfect fashion. That said, I’ve had nine months to work on my entire arsenal and I expect to go to war.”
Regardless of the outcome, Saunders will be sure to maintain the goofy optimism he displayed on TUF 6.
“Some people have to get angry and hype themselves up to get into fight mode,” he said. “They believe in the intimidation aspect of the sport. But for me, MMA is a game. I have no reason to think about the fight until I’m warming up. I know every position possible, so there’s nothing you can to do scare me. The more serious my opponent gets, the more I smile.”
Saunders added, “I gave up everything to get to the UFC, and now I’m here. Why the hell wouldn’t I be smiling in the biggest way?”
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