Drew McFedries Interview

Irish Whip Fighting recently chatted with UFC middleweight Drew McFedries. He’s coming off of a huge KO win over Jordan Radev and is scheduled to fight Patrick Cote early next year. In this interview, McFedries gave IWF a look into the world of MMA training, booking, and fighting. Originally conducted for MMA Madness.

Irish Whip Fighting: How did you get started with the UFC?

McFedries: Really, I don’t know how I got in. I had been training at MFS [Miletich Fighting Systems] for years... I was just coming out of my battle with Crohn’s disease and I was helping Sam Hoger train for Rashad [Evans] at that point, and somehow I managed to get into pretty good shape. I had a local show which was for an extreme challenge or something. My manager said “Hey, you’re doing well, lets look for more fights.” I didn’t know he’d be looking into the UFC. I was doing fights for 600 bucks, you know? He says “I got a fight for you. The guy’s name is Allesio Sakara.” I was thinking “Why would he come to Iowa.” And that’s when he told me that it was for the UFC. I asked him if he was serious…I couldn’t believe it. Here’s the kicker: he called me 17 days out so I only got 14 or 15 days of training. [I] fought Sakara [and] won that fight and it was just a great experience. I’ve never had [a] thrill ride like that. I was lucky enough to train with guys who are really good and I was just helping guys get ready for fights but I got into such good shape and the UFC opportunity came up. When he told me I had that fight, I was only 195 so I just ate well and stayed under 205. In two weeks it really showed. I weighed in at 202 or 203 and it was great. I was eating at the weigh in!

IWF: What’s it like working with Pat Miletich?

McFedries: Yeah, it’s very interesting -- MMA is getting so big right now -- but when I started doing this it was in its bare bones stage. I would fight amateur fights -- two or three guys a night. They had tournaments back then and you didn’t know when your next fight was going to be. Back then, it was incredible to meet him [Miletich] and fall into a big syndicate. I didn’t realize how big it is, but it never dawned on me how big he is. He’s like a Michael Jordan of the sport and when I realized what I was getting involved with, I was like, wow this is huge and the knowledge base he has is incredible. We’re here in Iowa, and wrestling is real big so he has that down, his Jiu-Jitsu skills are great, he’s trained in Brazil and Asia. It’s crazy, we get these guys that are the hardcore Brazilians and Pat forgets that he knew things that they are showing him. You think you can out-strike him and you try and he takes you down and he gives you hell on the ground. Coming up with his own system, that’s his thing and he’s one of the first guys to train everything. Fighters think, “I’m a good striker, I’m gonna stick with that.” If you get outdone at what you’re good at, you’re gonna get hurt. I have my own spin off of some of the things he’s taught me. I love to be on top, ground-and-pound, and I like to box with them. I credit Pat for most of my stand-up. He trained the shit out of me for three years full time.

IWF: Talk to us about your big win over Jordan Radev. What did you do differently from the Martin Kampmann fight in order to prepare?

McFedries: I came off the Kampmann fight with a little sour taste in my mouth because I slapped him around and I won the stand-up fight. I saw him [Kampmann] three weeks ago and he said he didn’t remember me knocking him down. I blew my wad trying to KO him and that’s why I lost. I thought the ref would stand us up for sure. I did NOT want that to happen in the Radev fight so I really, really prepared my stand-up. I went overboard on punch output, business, [and] power -- I overdid it because if I do possibly get tired, I want my last shot to be a KO. We changed up some stuff last minute when we realized how short he was. With him being so short, the last thing I would do is take him down but we changed up my boxing for a short stance so my hands needed to be in the right place and it really paid off. The hook I hit him with it was a tight inside hook. But it was a hot shot. And we trained that shot all week. I threw it a little off balance but it was enough.

IWF: Would you ever want a rematch against Kampmann?

McFedries: I’ve never really looked back on any fight and said I want that fight again. I’ll do what I get paid [to do] but I’m not interested in the rematch. If for some reason I became a champ, I’d try to fulfill my losses but that’s [neither] here nor there.

IWF: Talk to us about the upcoming Patrick Cote fight. How are you preparing?

McFedries: I do what I have to do and I don’t really change anything. I don’t really care; I do my own thing. I’m a fighter that shows that. Some fighters say, “Oh, I want to end it in the second,” but not me. I’m gonna lay it out there in the first three minutes. People come to see a fight and I’ll give them a fight. I train hard and hopefully when I go out there and fight it shows I trained hard enough.

IWF: Where do you see yourself in five years?

McFedries: I actually have thought about it. If I can make it to 35, I would love to do MMA. I got two fights left on my contract, so I don’t know what Ill make of these next two fights. This is what I’ve been doing for 8 years, battling through diseases and infections and this is one constant and I don’t see why I couldn’t do it for five more years. Every guy’s dream is to have a title shot. I’m really hoping that if I beat Cote, they will give me a title shot. Other than that, I’d love to continue. Look at Evan Tanner. He just got re-signed. I know he’s been at Bodog and different places but he came back.

IWF: What would you call the biggest win of your career?

McFedries: I really don’t think I have one. I’ve had a lot of fights and most of my stuff was bar room stuff as a pro. I think I lost twice, to [Nate] Quarry and Kampmann. The other guys I fought didn’t make me compete for a win. I really believe that I could’ve beat Quarry if I was in better shape. Instead of certain fights, I’ll talk about training sessions and I go, “I can’t believe I did 8 rounds with Sylvia” and I can go all those rounds. At MFS, we got NFL guys, we got UFC guys, and when you got guys getting ready for fights and then you go to Sylvia, it’s like holy hell I can’t believe I made it through.

IWF: Who do you see as the top of the 185-pound division right now?

McFedries: Now that Rich is out of the picture, I know they resigned Tanner, so I think it will be him. I think they will build him up. He’s at a championship level all the time. I really can’t see anyone [else]. Anderson [Silva] is so good and most of the 185 [pounders] are run-of-the-mill. I kinda throw myself in that group. I think I have great stand-up. I wouldn’t be comfortable in the ring with Silva just because I don’t have the experience. But other than that, I could deal with it.

IWF: What about Dan Henderson?

McFedries: They’re making up these PRIDE guys to be the best thing around. I knew that Hendo could only beat Jackson with a good shot and a ground-and-pound -- that’s the only the way.

IWF: Can you talk about the steroid issue in MMA? Why are fighters taking them if they know they will get caught?

McFedries: The last thing I would ever do is something to get my sponsors to dump me or make my family think I’m a loser. I don’t know. There’s a lot of injury that goes on with the sport. These guys get torn ligaments or shoulders and they’re taking the chance that they might not get tested. Franca said that but the steroid he used was top of the line stuff. I really don’t know. The way MMA is set up, there’s not insurance or backing and these guys don’t have a choice but to fight. They will do whatever they have to do in order to win. They get to 30 years old and hit a rough spot, and don’t know if they can do it, and think they’ll wash it out. I really don’t know. A lot of these guys are feeding their family. I have heard that [if] you go win your fight, they hand you your check. Even if you get suspended, they don’t take your check.

IWF: Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva?

McFedries: That’s tough but I’m a bigger fan of Wanderlei. He’ll win by TKO. He’ll stand him up and beat him all over. That’s just his style. He’s the “Axe Murderer”, man!

IWF: Matt Hughes vs. Georges St. Pierre? You’ve got to be a big Hughes fan.

McFedries: Definitely a Hughes fan. I say Hughes by submission I don’t know what submission but it will be a submission. He’s a very driven individual, he got his eyes on Georges, and he’s gonna beat him. Matt knows he has to win this fight so he will lay it to GSP. If he wants to, he will find a way to get you down. If Matt wants it, he will submit him.