Recently, we interviewed Calvin Cunningham about what led him to mixed martial arts and how he became an amateur MMA fighter.

Calvin is an Army veteran who has served in Iraq and plans on returning to the cage after returning from Afghanistan in December 2010. Don’t be surprised if you see him in the UFC octagon someday soon. Calvin is truly BORN STRONGER!
 

What is your current record? Any fights coming up soon?
My current record is 14-4. I plan on fighting after returning from Afghanistan in December of 2010.
 

Mixed Martial Arts is clearly not for everyone. At what point in your life did you realize you wanted to become a competitive Mixed Martial Artist?
Fight after my 1st fight. It lasted 32 seconds prior to me tapping my opponent out. I went up to the promoter and asked could I fight again that same night. Of course he said no but that feeling of competition was priceless.
 

Have there been any challenges in your life that you’ve had to overcome in order to get where you are today? If so, how did you overcome them?
Yes I have had a lot of losses of close friends of mine during deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and one of my training partners also passed right before a fight. Being in the military makes it tough to balance family, the military and MMA.
 

Is there a current MMA star you like to pattern yourself after?
I would have to say Quinton Jackson. We both started off with a little wrestling , both are aggressive and love the slam. The only real difference is he is a little more outspoken than me. I like to let my performance do the talking all though I love to clown around as well.
 

Where do you train? Care to make a shout out to any of your instructors or training partners?
I was training with Dogs of War out of Ft. Leonard Wood, MO prior to my deployment. When I get back from Afghanistan in December I plan on joining team ROC out of Fayetteville, NC. The guys that have pushed me to where I am today would be Ray Clayton, TJ Kitchen and Joseph Asano. 

Has your fighting style evolved since you began training or have you stuck with a specific style throughout?
I started off as a pure wrestler until I faced the national amateur champion that was better on the mat than me. So now I train everything boxing, Muay Thai, BJJ and sambo. You must be well rounded to make it all the way.
 

Is there any particular training you spend more time on? Cardio? Strength training?
I spend the majority of the time doing cardio and standup. I try to push myself with cardio because no matter how strong or skilled you are if you run out of gas you can hang it up.

The mental aspects of MMA training are often overlooked. What you do to prepare mentally?
This may sound a little cocky or something but I stay very calm until after the fight. That is the only time I get nervous. I learned early that if I stay calm I won’t get tired as fast and I will be able to execute my game plan better.
 

Is there anyone you would like to thank for helping you get to where you are?
Yes there is. My wrestling coach Brian Dunphy, for pushing me in the right direction my last two years in high school. He really believed in me and made sure I didn’t settle for just trying. He showed me how to push myself to new heights.

What advice would you give to other people looking to get into MMA, or any competitive sport, for that matter?
Go to a legit gym and really push yourself. I won five titles in two different weight classes by not taking an easy fight or ducking the competition. If you want to get better fight better opponents.

Check out some video of Calvin training in Afghanistan and Ft. Benning, GA below: