10 Questions With Nik Lentz (by Darrick Patrick)
Nik "The Carny" Lentz is a professional mixed martial artist who has competed in organizations such as Cage Fighting Xtreme, Ultimate Combat Sports, X-1, Beatdown At 4 Bears, Xtreme Fighting Organization, EFX, Brutaal, Twin Cities Throwdown, and Xtreme Kage Kombat. At the time of this interview, his next scheduled match is against Drew Fickett at Beatdown At 4 Bears: Hinkle vs. Tuchscherer on March 21st, 2009.
Darrick: How did you end up competing professionally in mixed martial arts?
Nik: I wrestled for the University of Minnesota for a couple of years, but decided that I did not want to wrestle anymore. I don't remember exactly why, but I made the decesion to try out a MMA fight. I liked it and it turned out that I was a lot more gifted at fighting than I ever was at wrestling.
Darrick: Your next scheduled match is against Drew Fickett on March 21st. What are your thoughts about this upcoming fight?
Nik: I feel great about it. I have been trying to step up in competition for a while now. This is a perfect opportunity to show just how much I have changed since my move to the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy. Drew is a very tough guy and has been in the ring with some of the best. I look forward to showing everyone, including him, that I belong in there with the next level of competition.
Darrick: Any words of advice for other individuals looking to compete in MMA?
Nik: I would say start out slow. I started out very fast and with little knowledge of what it takes to be a MMA fighter. It turned out okay and I managed to win most of my early fights, but if I would have started slow I am positive that I would be undefeated right now. I would also say find a good school to train at and be honest with yourself. Don't call up the local gym in your area and say, "I want to be a UFC fighter, what time do the pros train?" Try out some Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, and wrestling before you attempt a MMA fight. It will save you a lot of headaches and injuries. Trust me, I know.
Darrick: Who are a few of the people in the sport that you highly respect?
Nik: I really respect the people I train with everyday. When I moved to train with M.M.A.A. I got my butt handed to me for a while. This was an eye-opening experience and it showed me what it takes to be a real fighter. Nick Thompson and Sean Sherk were very helpful. Those two guys really helped me grow as a fighter, so I have to give them a lot of credit, but I would definitely say the person who I respect most is Greg Nelson. He trains with me every day and has dealt with things in his life far harder than a MMA fight. He is someone that really defines what a coach should be like.
Darrick: What brings you the most fulfillment out of martial arts?
Nik: Seeing myself progress as a fighter. As I said earlier, when I started training with people like Sean Sherk, it showed me what a real fighter is like. There are plenty of people at the gym in different areas of martial arts that used to be better than me, but now it's a different story. It feels good to see yourself progressing and becoming great at different martial arts - and of course winning never really gets old.
Darrick: Who are some of the people that greatly influenced you while growing up?
Nik: Not to go into great detail, but when I was a kid I didn't have many role models. I lived in a bad part of Austin, Texas with lots of gangs and generally not great people. Growing up, I just wanted to get the hell out of there. If I looked up to anyone as a kid, it was people with money because I didn't have any. That's obviously not a good thing, but at the time it's what I thought.
Darrick: Outside of MMA, what are your other interests?
Nik: I'm a big video game player. I was a huge Unreal Tournament player for a long time, but switched to playing Quake awhile ago. I also love science fiction shows, anime, and playing poker - as well as playing with my dog Tilly and my two rabbits Sampson and Delilah.
Darrick: If you were the last person alive on Earth, what do you think you'd do to entertain yourself?
Nik: Well, hopefully I would have a computer so I could at least continue to play video games. After that, I would probably try to find out what the hell happened.
Darrick: What is your oldest memory?
Nik: Going to sleep in a clothes basket.
Darrick: Tell us something about you that most people don't know.
Nik: On most IQ tests I score between 135 and 141. I score extremely high on spatial-temporal reasoning, as well as math and logic, but on language ability I score just above a mentally handicap. As one of my good friends Joey says, "You can't win 'em all."
FOR OTHER EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS BY DARRICK PATRICK:
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=4974388&blogID=343519835
You can also check out Nik Lentz in the following places:
Official Nik Lentz MySpace Profile:
http://www.myspace.com/niklentz
Official Nik Lentz Facebook Site:
http://www.facebook.com/people/Nik-Lentz/13914836
Nik Lentz on Fight Finder:
http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Nik-Lentz-15058
Tags: Nik Lentz Darrick Patrick Interview Interviews Mma Mixed Martial Arts
