Photo/Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesThe last time we saw lightweight fighter Nik "The Carny" Lentz was at UFC Live: Kongo vs. Barry back on June 26. Lentz fought Charles Oliveira and suffered a blatantly illegal knee, which referee Chip Snider somehow managed to miss.
Although he was aware of his options, Lentz made a deliberate choice to keep fighting.
"I'm not ever going to roll over just because something's illegal," he explained. "I kind of feel like that'd be the anti-warrior, anti-sportsmanlike way to do things; to just roll over. If I would've just rolled to my back and said he kneed me illegally and then my corner made a fuss, I'd win the fight, but I didn't think that was the right thing to do; I think that's kind of a coward thing to do."
Lentz did continue after the two illegal knees and originally lost the bout due to a rear naked choke, but the fight was later declared a no contest after review by the Commission due to the illegal strikes.
Nik Lentz (Photo/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)Both fighters earned Fight of the Night honors for their performance. Despite the silver linings, Lentz was left to go home with a broken eye socket, unable to train for weeks while waiting for the bones in his face to heal.
"It was a process that I didn't like," Lentz said. "I had to take a lot more time off than I wanted to. Initially I couldn't do anything because doing any kind of exercise would prolong the injury, you know, blood flow, swelling, that all is going to increase if you continue to exercise. So I had to take a good month and a half off which was hard for me because usually I take a week off and then I go right back to working out. Even if it's not hardcore training and fight-oriented I still go a bit crazy just being in the house, so it was something that wasn't really fun. It put me in a bad mood and I hated it, so I'm really glad that I was able to get back to training full-time and I feel one-hundred percent now."
Originally, Lentz wanted to rematch Oliveira pretty quickly but the powers that be wanted to wait a little longer, so Lentz's eyes are firmly fixed on his next opponent, submission specialist Mark Bocek.
"He's very skilled, very talented," Lentz said of Bocek. "He's been around a long time and he's a good fighter. He's been in there with some of the best guys but I feel like I'm a better fighter in every area and I feel like I have the abilities to stop him," he said.
As for Bocek's strategy, Lentz thinks he will go for the takedown.
"He has a pretty good double leg, and he has an aggressive push-against-the-cage takedown kind of style," Lentz said. "He likes to be on top, so I think he's definitely going to try to move in, kind of pressure me and then get me against the cage and take me down and try to win the fight in a jiu-jitsu, grappling style way."
Lentz believes every UFC fighter in his division is extremely dangerous, and Bocek is no exception.
"Each person presents their own unique style matchup and that's what makes fight styles; styles clashing. That's what makes fights harder or not and I feel like his style really works well into mine," Lentz added.
Lentz has been on a tear since he started fighting for the UFC in 2009, going 5-0-1-1 with wins over Andre Winner and Tyson Griffin. He is currently ranked No. 18 in the InterMatFight lightweight rankings. He has not had a loss since March 2007, and attributes his success to his background, learning ability and support system at home.
"I think I've been successful one because I have a very good wrestling background and a good technical background, which is what you need for fighting," said Lentz. "It's not just winning wrestling matches, it's a technical background that transfers to fighting. I think I win because I learn a lot faster than most people when it comes to something I dedicate myself to. Also, I'm a student of the whole game. I don't try to just focus on the wrestling. I don't just focus on the grappling. I don't just focus on the striking. And that's why I can always produce problems for those who fight me, because there's always a place that I'm better than them at. I'm very well-rounded, so I can really take out specialists very well."
Lentz's fiancé, Elissa, is another reason he gave for being successful.
"She's very supportive," Lentz said. "She helps me with my training camp when I'm at home. A lot of times I need special kinds of food preparation and I need someone to be there for me when I'm frustrated or when something's not going right. She's always there for whatever I need."
Lentz has been training at the Academy (formerly the Minnesota Mixed Martial Arts Academy) alongside Sean Sherk, Jacob Volkmann and local fighters Jordan Parsons, Zach Juusola, Rich Taylor and Mike Richman. He starts training shortly after waking up at 8 a.m. and goes until at least 1:30 or 2 p.m. "Then I go home, eat and relax and play games and go to bed," he described.
Aside from training and spending time with his many species of animals (which include an Australian shepherd, a Corgi, two rabbits and two hamsters), Lentz is an avid gamer and particularly enjoys playing Starcraft.
"It's competitive, and it's a way for me to step away from MMA so I can do something completely different ... so I don't get bogged down thinking about MMA fights all the time and I can do something that's still engaging and fun while at the same time is completely different from training," he said.
Lentz's nickname, The Carny, actually comes from a display of video game prowess.
"I was in Japan with Nick Thompson and I was bored," Lentz recalled. "I won just a ridiculous amount of stuff. I won so much stuff that Japanese people were stopping and taking pictures with me. They were just amazed that I could win so much stuff, and one of them said I was like a carnival person because I was so good at all the ring games, and then Nick Thompson instantly named me The Carny," he said.
Lentz comes across as someone who is approached everything in his life -- from wrestling to fighting to gaming -- with dedication and competitive intensity, but he faces a tough opponent in Mark Bocek, a Nova Uniao black belt with two Submission of the Night victories. Most recently, he went the distance in a close battle with top contender Ben Henderson, ultimately losing by decision.
Expect fireworks on Saturday.
Fans can follow Nik Lentz on Twitter at @NikLentz.
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