Feb-8-2010

James Te Huna: Last pick becomes a wanted man

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By Elliot Worsell

Rumours were circulating that the UFC had Australia on their mind, and James Te Huna heard them at every corner. He was working as a bricklayer in Sydney at the time and compiling a noteworthy career as a mixed martial artist on the side. A talented fighter with more wins than defeats, Te Huna’s biggest opponent to date was a troublesome shoulder injury.

As the whispers grew stronger of a possible UFC invasion, Te Huna made the sacrifice he’d always wanted to make. He gave up his career in bricklaying and concentrated full-time on a mixed martial arts adventure.

The UFC were on their way and Te Huna was ready for them.

“It was pretty hard going from my bricklaying work to MMA training every day,” explains Te Huna. “I sensed that doors were starting to open for me in my mixed martial arts career, so I gave up the bricklaying and concentrated on training full time. I knew that if I strung together some good wins there would be a good chance of me joining the UFC when they eventually came to Australia. It was a big risk on my part, and I had to borrow money from friends and family to get there, but I’m glad it all worked out for the best.”

Goals and ambitions are often extremely powerful things. Once Te Huna sensed the UFC was on its way, his shoulder slowly improved and his win-rate dramatically improved.

“My first five years of fighting MMA were very problematic because of injury troubles,” says Te Huna. “I suffered a regular shoulder dislocation – it must have popped out 100 times – and it would just never properly heal. It would always be a problem, regardless of whether I was training or fighting. It’s come out in numerous fights, too.

“Realising it wasn’t getting any better, I decided to go ahead and have surgery on it. I combined the surgery with the right kind of rehab and six fights and six wins later the results speak for themselves.”

Te Huna’s desire to reach the UFC has led him to a new shoulder and six straight victories. He competed four times in 2009 and won each fight by stoppage, three of which arrived in the first round. A light heavyweight with big plans, Te Huna knew reward was just around the corner.

“The way this link-up with the UFC worked was kind of unbelievable to begin with,” he explains. “I was coming off a run of wins and fought a UFC veteran (Anthony Perosh) for a CFC title in Sydney. I stopped him pretty early in the first round and I knew that the UFC were coming to Australia the following year. I realised that if I looked good and finished my opponent quickly, word would get around at the UFC and I’d have a good chance of signing with them ahead of their Australia show.

“The UFC contacted my brother after my fight and he then got in contact with me and told me about the UFC’s interest. I thought he was just joking around with me, to be honest. He’s always joking like that and making prank calls. I didn’t think he was serious or if he even knew anyone at the UFC. He broke the news to me and it was unreal. I’ve been training and competing for the last seven years in the hope of one day joining the UFC and here it is. It’s a dream come true.”

Originally born in Canterbury, New Zealand, Te Huna has lived in Australia for the past 11 years of his life. He boasts a professional record of 13-4 and has competed professionally since April 2003. Having achieved his initial goal of reaching the UFC, Te Huna now has bigger plans.

“I’ve always been a fan of the UFC and watched plenty of UFC tapes during my own time in mixed martial arts,” explains Te Huna. “It’s always been a dream of mine to fight in the UFC and go up against the best light heavyweights in the world. Right from the very beginning I pinpointed the UFC as the long-term goal for me and I’ve now got there within seven years.

“I just want to concentrate on beating the competition in the UFC. Everybody keeps talking about what a huge step-up it is going to be, but I’m confident in my abilities and know that I can beat a lot of top guys when I’m fit and at my best.”

Te Huna’s first test of his credentials will arrive – as the rumours suggested – on February 21st in Sydney, Australia (UFC 110 will air in the United States on Saturday, February 20th). The hometown hero will face Igor Pokrajac at UFC 110 and, despite the threat of a dangerous opponent and the noise of a sold-out 17-000-strong crowd, Te Huna insists he’s not worried one bit.

“I am preparing myself to walk out in front of the big crowd and to be hit with the noise of it all,” says Te Huna. “The hardcore fans are going to be there and I know it’s going to be very loud. It’s going to be a lot different from the normal Australian shows I’ve fought on. The biggest crowd I’ve fought in front of to date was only 4,000 people, so this show at UFC 110 is going to be something new altogether.

“Though I haven’t fought in front of a massive crowd myself, I did have some experience of it when I went over to Japan with Mark Hunt ahead of his fights with Fedor Emelianenko and Yosuke Nishijima. I walked to the ring with Mark and got a taste of what it was like to enter an arena with thousands of fans screaming.”

While Te Huna was in Hunt’s corner, Pokrajac has been a training and sparring partner of Croatian hero Mirko Cro Cop. Blessed with the ability to name-drop some big stars, Te Huna and Pokrajac will take centre stage themselves on February 21st.

“I’ve seen his three most recent fights and also a music video that he starred in,” says Te Huna of Pokrajac. “He’s actually in the video signing and dancing away. So he’s one up on me already – he can sing, dance and fight!

“In all seriousness, though, I understand Pokrajac is very highly thought of in Croatia and is very experienced as a mixed martial artist. I know that he’s a training partner of Cro Cop and that he has shared many sparring sessions with Cro Cop over the years. That’s great experience for any aspiring mixed martial artist. Clearly Pokrajac has been around good gyms and good fighters for much of his career.

“As far as skills go, he’s got good stand-up, nice technique and can also submit guys. He’s well-rounded and similar to me in many ways. I don’t think he’s as good as me, but he’s fought all over the world and needs to be respected. He’s very experienced.”

Top-level experience is something Te Huna clearly lacks at the moment. Having spent the first seven years of his professional career on the Australia circuit, Te Huna has learned to fight, but has yet to meet the cream of the mixed martial arts crop. However, with a UFC contract now in his hand, that is all about to change.

“I’ve already fought a UFC veteran (Anthony Perosh), but he wasn’t really a top UFC fighter,” recalls Te Huna. “I’ve also been over to Las Vegas and trained with Wanderlei Silva, Thiago Silva, Mike Whitehead and all those guys. I think the ability level is roughly the same. It’s all about who catches who first and who can execute the better game plan. I don’t see moving to the UFC as a massive step up.

“I just hope the UFC fans enjoy watching my style of fighting. I’m exciting, I’ve got aggressive ground-and-pound and I like to pick people up above my head, run across the cage and slam them into the floor. I’ve also got sharp and aggressive striking. I always make my fights as exciting as possible for the fans.”

With a promise of excitement and a run of six victories, Te Huna may well be one to keep an eye on at UFC 110. Given the journey he’s come on, he’s just happy to be watched – and picked.

“Funnily enough, my explosiveness and athletic ability has improved hugely over the years,” he explains. “I was no athletic standout at school. In fact, I was the skinny, weedy kid in the back of the line. I was always on the back row of the school photos and was always the kid picked last for the sports teams.

“I didn’t have any athletic talent back then, just pure heart and some discipline. I decided to have a go at MMA, put in those hard yards, and realised that there actually was something I could be good at. Now I’m in the UFC.”

Picked last on the playground, Te Huna is now one of Australia’s most wanted men inside the Octagon.