Feb-1-2010

Chris Tuchscherer - A Clean Slate for 'The Crowbar'

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By Thomas Gerbasi

You would have a tough time getting a bunch of writers to agree on anything regarding mixed martial arts, but last August 29th, an entire press section – at least the male part – groaned in unison when Chris Tuchscherer was dropped to the canvas by an inadvertent kick to the groin by Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 102 in Portland.

It definitely wasn’t the way Tuchscherer had pictured his UFC debut going, yet after a few agonizing minutes on the mat, ‘The Crowbar’ decided to fight on. It was a brave move, but obviously hindered by the foul, Tuchscherer wound up getting stopped at the 2:27 mark of the round.

“It was one of those deals where I let my pride get in my way,” said Tuchscherer, now 17-2 with 1 NC. “I’ve always been a stubborn guy. It was my first UFC event, and I wasn’t about to lay down and not keep fighting. I’m gonna go out and just fight. After the fact I looked at it and thought to myself that I probably shouldn’t have gone out because I wasn’t a hundred percent. And when you’re fighting a very high-caliber guy like Gonzaga, you need to be there one hundred percent.”

Gonzaga’s kick was certainly the shot felt ‘round the world as people recounted Tuchscherer’s nightmare in the weeks following the bout. For his part, the North Dakota native took it easy on his father-in-law’s farm, staying far away from the gym.

“I’ve been helping out on the farm with him a lot over the last couple years, so I went back, sat on the tractor for about a month and didn’t do any training, so I think everything healed up.”

More than five months removed from the bout, Tuchscherer is even able to make light of the incident, noting how, in hindsight, the timing of the bout was perfect for him.

“We just found out not too long before that that my wife was pregnant,” said Tuchscherer, whose wife is due with their second child in March. “We don’t know if we’re gonna have anymore, so good thing I got that one out of the way.”

Tuchscherer’s subsequent laugh is infectious and genuine, and it’s clear that it’s coated with a dose of maturity that comes with being 34 years old and past the stage where mean mugging and an intimidating persona is part of the daily routine. The former Division II All-American wrestler is comfortable in his own skin, not enthralled by the trappings of future fame, and is just happy to be competing. It’s practically the same approach embraced by his opponent this Saturday at UFC 109 in Las Vegas, Tim Hague, who also had a night in Portland that he’d like to forget, as he was halted in a record seven seconds by Todd Duffee on the same UFC 102 card where Tuchscherer lost to Gonzaga. And ironically enough, the two shared the same locker room.

“He’s a nice guy,” said Tuchscherer of Hague. “I met him at the last fight, we were in the same locker room, and then when I was down in Vegas for the (UFC fighter) meetings we sat next to each other at supper. When I went home I thought ‘this guy is real nice, and I’m gonna end up fighting him. Just watch.’ And a few weeks later we got the call.”

Yet while Tuchscherer would probably rather fight someone he wouldn’t normally break bread with, he has no issue fighting Hague in a ‘Crowbar’ vs ‘Thrashing Machine’ bout that sounds more like a monster movie than a mixed martial arts bout.

“It’s a job,” he said. “My job is to go out and perform for the crowd and put on a good show, and that’s what I’m gonna do.”

That attitude isn’t that surprising when you consider that Tuchscherer is getting beaten up by his friends five days a week in the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy, and when your friends are named Brock Lesnar and Cole Konrad, that’s some tough love right there, as well as a guarantee that the 6 foot 1 Tuchscherer won’t be intimidated by the 6 foot 4, 265 pound Hague on fight night.

“I train with some of the biggest guys in MMA with Brock and Cole Konrad,” he said. “Brock walks around at about 285 and Konrad’s around 300, and I roll and train with these guys every day.”

As for Lesnar’s recent bout with diverticulitis which took him out of the gym, Tuchscherer says that he was still able to get in quality work on the days when the UFC heavyweight champ was on the sidelines.

“It’s always nice to have Brock in there and to roll with the champ, but I’ve been with Brock with two years and I have the confidence that I can be in there with the big guys,” he said. “And Konrad’s gonna be a monster too some day. I’ve also got guys like Jon Madsen, who was on The Ultimate Fighter show, and Travis Wiuff a little bit, as well as other guys here and there.”

He also feels that despite the negative result of his first UFC bout, he was able to get the first time Octagon jitters out of his system as he approaches Saturday night’s second bout.

“Just getting out there the first time took away the jitters,” he said. “Anybody that goes out there and says that they’re not nervous, I don’t believe it. You always get nervous right before you get in there, especially in the UFC. It’s the biggest fight organization in the world, the fans are screaming, and it’s nothing like I’ve ever felt before.”

Then seconds into the Gonzaga bout came something else he had never felt before, but that’s all in the past now. All that matters is Saturday night.

“I want to wipe the slate clean from the Gonzaga fight and I’m looking at this as my first fight in the UFC,” said Tuchscherer, who is keeping things simple in terms of expectations once the bell rings.

“I hope the fans look at my fight and see that I’m for real.”