Athletes
Trey Ogden | Challenge Accepted
Lightweight Looks To Keep Best Year Of His Life Rolling vs Thiago Moises Saturday In Las Vegas
Trey Ogden bought a German Shepherd.
That was the answer when I asked him if he liked the workload that comes with teaching at his Marathon MMA gym, coaching a host of UFC up and comers and fighting in the Octagon, all while being a husband and father.
Then he told me about his dog.
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“I got him from a breeder,” Ogden explains. “One of my jiu-jitsu students is a dog trainer, but also was on the police force and trained police dogs. So he hooks me up with this breeder and I told the breeder I'm looking for a family dog. And what I was told was that they separate these dogs as puppies into two litters - high drive and average drive. And the high drive dogs go to military police or people who are wanting to do competitions with the dogs, and the average drive dogs go to suckers like me who will take them (Laughs). But, in hindsight, how could they tell at five weeks old what a puppy's going to be like? So I end up with this German Shepherd and he's nuts, man. He is high drive, he is for sure a working line dog, and he's taught me a lot about myself because he made me realize that some animals just have an innate drive, more so than others, and I always thought that I didn't like the high workload and the high pressure, high stress. I'm starting to realize that I actually thrive off it in the sense that I am high drive just by nature.”
He needs to be in order to make sure all aspects of his life get the time they need, and, so far so good. When we spoke last month, Ogden was a day away from breaking training camp for his Saturday bout with Thiago Moises to travel to Tampa in order to make it in time for his fighter Miles Johns to go through the weight cut for his bout against Felipe Lima. Ogden would arrive on time, work Johns’ corner, then it was back to Overland Park to finish up camp. Now, he’s back in Vegas and looking forward to extending his current unbeaten streak to four.
I’m tired already. The 35-year-old Ogden? He’s looking to get started on 2025 after what he agrees was the best year of his life in 2024.
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“It was pretty good,” said Ogden, who won his two trips to the Octagon last year, beating Kurt Holobaugh and Loik Radzhabov, while also leading his fighters to solid years in the UFC, as well. “It's been challenging with the workloads a lot, but I would say it's definitely been the most productive and successful year of my life. For sure.”
Ogden doesn’t give away much when it comes to outward expressions of joy, but his actions show his love for everything he’s involved in. How else do you explain the open mat on Thanksgiving at the gym?
Trey Ogden Fight Week Interview | UFC Fight Night: Dern vs Ribas 2
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Trey Ogden Fight Week Interview | UFC Fight Night: Dern vs Ribas 2
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“It was a great,” he said. “We always do an open mat for every holiday, like Memorial Day and Thanksgiving, the 4th of July. It's fun. And we get such a good crowd. One of my students does DJ stuff, so we'll have a 90-minute DJ mix made for the open mat, a new one for each open mat. So we always have a new playlist and a lot of big energy. And normally, Thanksgiving's the lightest open mat with everyone out of town and stuff. But that one was pretty good.”
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Now he gets to compete in the biggest fight of his career against the longtime lightweight standout from Brazil.
“This one has a different feel to it because I'm on a win streak now in the UFC,” Ogden said. “So I've begun a run and I'm getting to fight a guy who was formerly in the Top 15. He's definitely the best name I've got to fight, and I think this is the fight that starts to move me up into the conversation. So it's a big one.”
Not the first big one, though. So if you’re expecting Ogden to fold under the pressure awaiting him, that’s not going to happen. If we’re being honest, he’s been in more pressure-filled situations than this.
“I would have to say that I've had three other fights that stand out because in these other fights, I was in do or die moments with my career. When I fought on Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight, that was one. I fought JJ Okanovich for the Fury lightweight title in front of Dana White on my 32nd birthday after being passed up by the UFC on some short-notice opportunities and Dana White’s Contender Series for several years. So I knew that this was my one and only opportunity to make it happen. So that was obviously a massive fight for my career in turning the course of my life.
“Unfortunately, I lost a split decision in my UFC debut (to Jordan Leavitt), so the very next fight I fought Daniel Zellhuber. At the time, he was 12-0, undefeated, looked invincible, and my back was to the wall in that fight, too. I figured if I lost that fight, I'd probably get cut. And then I won that fight.
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“But then right after that, unfortunately, I lost a short notice fight to Ignacio Bahamondes. And so then I was 1-2 in the UFC when I fought Nicholas Motta, and that was the fourth fight on my contract. And so those three fights were probably my biggest career moments where it was just like, this is do or die. If I lose this fight, it's over and I'm too old to battle back into the UFC.”
A controversial call in a fight he was on his way to winning with Motta left Ogden with a no contest verdict. But since that November 2023 bout, all he’s done is win. And it’s not all about the physical part of the game, but the mental part.
Ogden goes back to his win over Okanovich, the one man standing between him and everything he shed blood, sweat and tears for.
“Right before we walked out, James Krause was my coach at the time, and he said, ‘Look where Dana White's sitting. If you win, you can say something to him.’ And I look at Dana White and then I look over and I look at JJ, because I could see him backstage and we're next on deck. And I just remember thinking the only thing that stands in between me and everything I've been working for is just that guy. And he just became super human to me in that moment. And instead of all the pressure being on me, I felt some instant relief. I was like, all I have to do is beat that dude tonight right now, and I make it all happen.”
A little over three years later, Ogden is back in that same place. Beat Thiago Moises and he can take his career to the next level.
Challenge accepted.
UFC Fight Night: Dern vs Ribas 2 took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 11, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!