Since the Ultimate Fighter debuted on mainstream television, watching Ultimate Fighting Championship fights has become increasingly popular across the country. Johnny Case, originally from Jefferson, will be taking part in Ultimate Fighting Championship Fight Night 77, to be held Saturday, November 7 in San Paulo Brazil.
Case says it was his background as a wrestler that led him to UFC fighting.
“I found mixed martial arts, and that was my outlet after high school wrestling. I was training, and I was doing well. But I didn’t have the desire to compete until I started doing good in the practice ring,” he says. “My first match was terrifying. I remember sitting in the locker room warming up and realizing I was next. It was just pure adrenaline.”
In UFC Fighting, eye gouging, eye strikes, elbows to the top of the head and strikes to the back of the head are forbidden, but pretty much everything else goes. Case says that despite the criticism that UFC fighting is too violent, he views mixed martial arts as a sport.
“You know, I classify violence as something that involves aggression, and that’s not the case in this sport. At the end of the day, we’re all compassionate human beings, and we’re doing what we love to do and getting paid to do it.”
Case’s fight will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1 on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. central time. He'll face Yan Cabral of Brazil.
