Let me give you a brief introduction about Tyson Chartier. He is a MMA fighter who just turned pro and in doing so scored a third round submission victory. He was 7-1 as an amateur and is currently 1-0 as a pro. I was recently able to score a brief Q and A session with him.
When did you get your start in MMA?
Tyson: “I started training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at North Shore BJJ in Salem, MA, August of 2006 under Danny Morera. In November I competed in my first NAGA and won 1st place and then one of my teammates Jay Viola was getting ready for his MMA debut and needed sparring partners so I started sparring. That was my first taste of MMA.”
What got you started in MMA?
Tyson: “I was a HS wrestler and played lacrosse at SNHU in college. when I graduated with my MBA in 05′ I was lacking competitiveness in my workouts so I started training BJJ just as a hobby and fell in love. I told myself I wanted to just do one fight to say I did it and I got hooked.”
Who are you currently training with?
Tyson: “I train my ground game at North Shore BJJ in Salem, MA under Black Belt Danny Morera and Boston BJJ in Newton, MA under Black Belts Roberto Maia and Chris Owen. I train my striking at Sityodtong under Mark DellaGrotte, John Johnston, and Neil Legallo. I train my strength and conditioning at TD Athletes Edge in Swampscott, Mass with Scott and Tim Difrancesco. They really get me into shape and keep me healthy as they are also physical therapists. Some of my training partners include Rick Hawn (2004 judo Olympian and Bellator fighter who is 9-0 MMA) Greg Rabello (12-2 MMA, fought to get on the Ultimate Fighter but lost) Chuck O’Neil (#2 ranked 170 LB. fighter in North East) Tateki Matsuda (#2 ranked 135 LB. fighter in Northeast) Patrick Cote (UFC Vet) Marcus Davis (UFC Vet)”
What are your ranks in each disciplines?
Tyson: “I was an All State HS wrestler in New Hampshire at Manchester Memorial HS. I hold a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Danny Morera and Roberto Maia.”
Do you have your next fight scheduled? If so, who and when?
Tyson: “I am fighting February 25th at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, RI for CES. opponent is TBD at this time.”
What was it like to be named the Sityodtong Amateur Fighter of the Year?
Tyson: “The award was actually Northeast amateur fighter of the year for 2010 and was awarded by the Boston Herald. It was a a very big honor to get this award, especially with the vast number of amateur fighters that the northeast has to offer! I feel like it validated all the hard work I put in as an amateur fighter. I “retired” as an amateur with a 7-1 record (4-1) in 2010, with my only loss coming in Las Vegas for Tuff-N-Uff Fighting Championships for the 155 LB. belt. I was ranked #1 amateur in the northeast at 170 LBs. and had wins over the #2 170 LB. fighter and the #5 155 LB. fighter. I finished the year off with my 6th fight of 2010 in December making my pro MMA debut and won by RNC in the 3rd round against Justin Switzer who had a 2-0 amateur MMA record and 0-1 pro record. He was a state wrestling champion out of Rhode Island.”
Who are your favorite fighters to watch in MMA? What fighters would you compare yourself to?
Tyson: “I love watching wrestlers who use their wrestling in “reverse” fighters such as Grey Maynard and Frankie Edgar and Tyson Griffin who use their wrestling to keep the fight standing and show that they have evolved as talented strikers as well. I hope to someday have that ability such as they do.
I would compare my fighting style to Kyle Watson who was a semi finalist in the last season of the Ultimate Fighter. We both are both ground fighters who have methodical top games. I like watching his fights because he is so smooth with his transitions to submissions!”
What are your goals for 2011?
Tyson: “I hope to fight 6 times in 2011 so I will leave the year with 7 pro fights. I hope that after this year ends I will be a more dangerous striker and well rounded enough to step up to the toughest fights that the Northeast has to offer.”
Do you see any difference and feel that it helps your career now that MMA is sanctioned in Massachusetts?
Tyson: “The only difference I see is that its VERY annoying to get licensed now in MA. The last year has seen a number of “growing pains” They put in policy, then change it.. then change it again.. it just makes it hard to stay on top of what you need to stay licensed. It was just a lot easier before it was sanctioned. The only benefit I see is that the UFC can now come to Mass. (Laughing) In the long run once all the kinks are ironed out it should be for the better though.”
Was it difficult to deal with your first loss and what was your mindset after the fight?
Tyson: “Not really….losing in MMA is inevitable, even the best guys eventually lose. I stuck to my game plan and fought a great fight and just got caught with a kick. Had i fought sloppy or didn’t stick to the game plan than I would have been disappointed in my performance. Basically, I was disappointed with the outcome but not with how I fought. After coming home to Boston from Vegas I got with my coaches and watched the film of the fight and we got to work with what I needed to work on. Mostly footwork, I was very off balance in that fight and didn’t have my legs under me enough so I was getting knocked down etc etc.
Losing motivated me more than anything and it made me hungrier to get back in the cage and move on!”
When you tell people you are a fighter, what is their usual reaction?
Tyson: “Its mixed.. If u tell girls they usually are like, “you do what?” What’s that and OMG does it hurt?? (Laughing) Guys will say oh that’s cool and its ALWAYS followed by “I have a friend who does that”. Then you ask them who it is and usually its some kid who does Jiu Jitsu or kick boxing and brags to his friend that he trains “UFC” but has never even sparred let alone fight.(Laughing) That’s the reaction I usually get.”
Finally, if you could fight any fighter from any period of MMA, traditional martial arts, boxing, who would it be?
Tyson: “I would LOVE to fight Floyd Mayweather. (Laughing) I think he’s kind of annoying and runs his mouth too much about how he could win in MMA if he wanted to. He’s slightly smaller than me but I would fight him in a second if he would do it! In his world he’s the king, in my world I’m an up and comer.. Not only wold it allow me to represent MMA and shut him up but it would put my name on the map!”
Thank you again to Tyson for taking the time to do this interview, best of luck on February 25th. The MMA Loudmouth will give you readers an update on the fight as more information becomes available.
