Interviews
MMATorch Interview: Roufusport featherweight Rick Glenn on the move to WI, working with Ben Askren, and much more
Oct 4, 2012 - 6:00:49 PM MMATorch Interview: Roufusport featherweight Rick Glenn on the move to WI, working with Ben Askren, and much more

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By: Rich Hansen, MMATorch Columnist

23-year-old Rick Glenn is currently one of the top featherweight prospects in the U.S. The 6'0" featherweight, fighting out of Duke Roufus' Roufusport camp in Wisconsin, has posted an 11-2 career record thus far, including a current stretch of four straight wins, and an unbeaten mark of 8-0-1 in his last nine. Glenn recently took some time to speak with MMATorch Columnist Rich Hansen, and he touched on how he got into the sport, working with Roufusport, Ben Askren, and much more.

Rich Hansen: What led you to get into fighting? Originally you were planning on physical therapy as a career…

Rick Glenn: I just always wanted to fight. It was kind of hard out in Marshalltown, Iowa because there's not a gym in Marshalltown (an hour from Des Moines). I'd drive there quite a bit for a couple of years. Then I was going to Cedar Rapids where Erik [Koch] was training, and that's an hour and a half [from Marshalltown]. I actually went to school there, too.  And then I couldn't get my classes for the next semester, so I just procrastinated when I couldn't get them scheduled. I just kept going to training and things were going good so I eventually had to come up here.

Hansen: Why did you make the move from Des Moines MMA? There were a couple of good guys there like [Jeremy] Stephens and [Josh] Neer. What was it that led you to move to Milwaukee from there?

Glenn: Well, Stephens went to California, and the coaching up there and the guys were, they just weren't good people. They were kid of; they just weren't good people. Long story short, I went back to Cedar Rapids after Des Moines and those guys were really cool at Hard Drive. In Marshalltown over the years I just had been training in the basement with my good friend, and we got some good training in, but it was only once a day and not very technical. I wasn't going to go far training like that. 

Hansen: Obviously you've become a better fighter since you came to Roufusport in Milwaukee, but how exactly has your style changed since you got here? Is it just the same style but you do it better, or are you a different type of fighter now?

Glenn: I think it's a little bit different now. I was always focused and confident, and now it's just way better, at a whole different level. My takedowns are a lot better. I've become more well-rounded. 

Hansen: The takedown improvement is a direct result of training with Ben Askren I presume?

Glenn: Yeah. Well, and Duke (Roufus), just because of the different strikes that we work and the postures and footwork.

Hansen: There's no wasted movement now.

Glenn: Nope! We work a ton of footwork, so that helps everything a lot.

Hansen: When you fought Charon Spain this May in Milwaukee, I was sitting about five feet away from Askren. And obviously you didn't pull off the camel clutch that he called for. Did you hear him calling out for the camel clutch (when you had Spain's back)?

Glenn: (laughing) Yeah, I heard that.

Hansen: Was he trying to make you laugh during a fight?

Glenn: I think so. And you know, I like to laugh in my fights sometimes, as long as I'm doing good you know, then I'll start having fun. But at first I don't want (a fight) to be all fun and games. Yeah, that was funny.  I cranked on Spain's neck and sat down and (laughs) I laugh about it later.

Hansen: The other thing I noticed was that I've never seen a fighter react so quickly to what his corner tells him to do. Particularly Askren's instructions. He was the most vocal guy in your corner, go figure. It was like as soon as he yelled for you to do something you did it immediately. How much of that is instinctive on your part, and how much of that is blind trust that what you hear form your corner you just do what you're told.

Glenn: I think it's both instinctive and trusting, and just knowing the position, all the positions we worked and went over for hours and hours and hours. [Askren] was coaching me more in that fight because I was doing more grappling.

Hansen: You recently signed a three fight contract with the Score Fighting Series in Canada, and you recently defeated Tristan Johnson for them. Is that contract exclusive? Meaning, if the UFC came to you tomorrow could you sign with the UFC or are you tied in?

Glenn: It's exclusive just to Canada. 

Hansen: So if they came to you tomorrow…

Glenn: I would jump on that (laughs). I'd be jumping up and down all day.

Hansen: At the end of your fight, you called out Chris Horodecki. Why?

Glenn: Well, I heard that he just signed with them and he's their #1 guy now. And I actually wanted to call him out before I walked out, and one of the guys working with the promotion, he was saying how Chris doesn't have a fight coming up, and [if I] get past this guy, joking like I wasn't going to get past Tristan, Then I should call him out. But the plan was to call him out because I want to [fight].

Hansen: Strictly professional?

Glenn: Yeah. I didn't mean any disrespect by it, but I want to fight good fighters and he's good. But I'm fighting in October, and it's either me or (Lyndon Whitlock) next.

Hansen: So, you obviously have a history of training with Koch going back to Iowa. And the plan is that you'll be in the UFC too. And even if you move up a weight class, you'll be in Anthony Pettis' weight class. What's your opinion on teammates fighting against one another? Absolutely never? Anyone anytime, like Donald Cerrone?

Glenn: I would like to say absolutely never. But in a sport where these guys are making millions of dollars, I don't see how they'd be able to turn down that kind of money. Like, we punch at each other all day anyway. I'm pretty sure if it gets to that point that, I don't know. We'd have to work it out somehow.

Hansen: If the title was on the line, maybe?

Glenn: Yeah. It would suck. But if there's millions of dollars …

Hansen: Is that a topic that you guys ever talk about, or is it a non-issue until you have to cross that bridge?

Glenn: We haven't really talked about that. I've heard Dana White saying with one of Georges St-Pierre's teammates (Rory MacDonald) that maybe they'd fight in the future someday, but they were saying no. But I think if they had that much money on the line and both guys were going to be okay, I would hope you'd be friends afterwards. But it'd be a shitty situation.

Hansen: How has morale been here since Erik got injured and had to pull out of his title fight with Jose Aldo?

Glenn: You know, everyone was kind of down about it at first. And, it sucks. We all know he's a tough guy, and we're going to keep fighting and stay sharp. He'll come back. Just got to keep at it. He's studying some video. I'm pretty sure he's still working, even though he can't actually work out.

Hansen: Between the Koch injury and Pettis getting a couple of promised title shots taken away from him, is there a sense around here that there's a curse on Roufusport or something?

Glenn: I just look at it like the victory is going to be that much sweeter when it happens. You've got to know that it's going to happen, and just keep working hard for it.

Rick would like to thank new Blood Fight Gear out of Chicago. "They actually helped me out with the move up here (to Milwaukee). They support me and are behind me 100%."