Athletes
Nate Landwehr Is Going Full-Steam Ahead In Vancouver
Riding A Highly Entertaining Three-Fight Win Streak, Nate Landwehr Hopes To Have His Breakout Moment At UFC 289: Nunes vs Aldana
The Nate Landwehr hype train is full steam ahead going into UFC 289: Nunes vs Aldana. The proud Clarksville, Tennessee representative is riding a three-fight win streak bolstered with three consecutive Performance Bonuses and several moments that can only be described as Nate “The Train” things.
The former M-1 featherweight champion came into the UFC with a reputation as an all-action brawler, but things got off to a rocky start. In his first three fights, Landwehr was knocked out twice, both via knees from Herbert Burns, and then, Julian Erosa. Of the latter, Landwehr called that moment the best thing to happen to him because it sparked the realization he needed to make a change. After speaking with close friends and his wife, the 35-year-old moved his camp to MMA Masters in Miami, and the results speak for themselves.
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“When I'm in Miami, I'm just focusing on one thing, just an undivided ton of focus, laser focus,” Landwehr told UFC.com. “One goal, one mission. I always tell these guys, ‘I got a nice bed at the house; I don't sleep in it. I love my wife; I don't get to see her.’ It’s midway through 2023, and I've been at the house maybe four weeks this year. I got my mind on this. I ain't got time to waste.”
Landwehr admits some disappointment in not being able to stay home in Clarksville and still realize UFC success, but the coaches and training partners available in Miami have upgraded his game tenfold.
“I was trying to build it (in Clarksville),” he said. “I figured if I built it, they would come, but they didn't come. So, I was like, ‘Let me go somewhere where they're already at,’ and it really was my wife that pushed me, and it was hard.”
Since then, Landwehr has seemed more composed in the fire. Where he might’ve just bitten down on his mouthpiece and pressed the action, he takes a measured approach.
Reasons To Watch UFC 289: Nunes vs Aldana
That’s not to say he is betraying his nature. Just watch his 2022 Fight of the Year contender with David Onama in San Diego. After getting hurt badly in the first round, the former track athlete broke Onama down with his pace and volume.
“I've realized I don't have to win every second,” he said. “I could let them wither away. It's like I know my body is capable of doing things. I come from collegiate track, and I know that most people on the roster can't endure. Their body just can't endure the way my mine can. I just let them kind of wither away. Somebody got something (on me)? I ain't got to be eager to get it back. I could defend, use my feet to get out the way, use my guard to protect my chin and just get him in a second.”
Highlight: Nate Landwehr Snags Third-Round Anaconda Choke Submission | UFC Fight Night: Ladd vs Dumont
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Highlight: Nate Landwehr Snags Third-Round Anaconda Choke Submission | UFC Fight Night: Ladd vs Dumont
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Landwehr will need every ounce of that pressure and pace in his biggest test yet: Dan Ige. The Hawaiian has been a consistent presence in the Top 15 for the last couple years before going on a losing skid he emphatically ended in January with a knockout win over Damon Jackson.
In Landwehr’s eyes, he views Ige as “the perfect dance partner” and vows to be the first man to get Ige out of there early.
“It's not personal, but it's personal,” Landwehr said. “I don't hate him, but he's the enemy right now. Every fight is the most important fight for me, and he's the most important fight right now. He's important to me. I'm important to him.”
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While Ige has one-punch knockout power – the best display of which came in his sub-30 second knockout of Gavin Tucker – he is a well-rounded fighter with rock-solid wrestling.
Knowing this, Landwehr is fully expecting a mixed attack coming his way, but he has shown a solid defensive grappling game throughout his UFC tenure. It’s a major test for him, but he knows the opportunities at hand if he passes it with flying colors.
“I would bet a thousand, maybe even the whole purse, that he shoots (for a takedown),” he said. “I feel like the whole mantra of my camp is, ‘I'm coming in unranked and I'm walking out a star,’ and that's it, man. I'm going to really cut a promo, and I can't cut that promo unless I win. It’s win, cut a promo, go home.”
A fighter whose personality seeps into everything he does, Landwehr can’t help but entertain, much to the chagrin of his coaches. Landwehr jokes he is the “only man to give someone another chance” referencing his tendency to let his opponents back up when swarming them might result in a TKO for himself. Against Onama, he gave him every chance to get back into the fight, but ultimately got the win and left the San Diego crowd on its feet.
UFC 289 COUNTDOWN: Nunes vs Aldana | Oliveira vs Dariush | Full Episode
Although one might think a pay-per-view debut is a spot to lock in and keep things more conventional, that wouldn’t be “Nate the Train.” In Vancouver, he intends to burn bright and send a message to the Top 15 of the featherweight division as well the viewers at home.
“We're performers, we're showmen,” he said. “We're not competing with other fighters. We're competing with everything. Why go see the new Transformers movie? Go get the pay-per-view.”
UFC 289: Nunes vs Aldana took place live from the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada on June 10, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!