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From The Seattle Tiger Sharks at Welterweight is "Bad" Brad Blackburn. Brad's well known for his fun-loving, humorous attitude and antics. Blackburn has been fighting professionally out of The Great NW since August 2001 when he won his first bout by KO over Pat Healy. Since then Blackburn has faced seventeen more battles, and whether he wins or loses, is known for his aggressive "go after it" style of in-your-face fighting. Blackburn started boxing at 22, and was introduced to MMA by Dennis Hallman and Jeff Monson. Blackburn spent the next seven years training under Hallman mastering his ground game. He loves to fight on his feet still though, so we could see a stand-up battle as he faces Jay Hieron from The LA Anacondas. Hieron is 12-3 in MMA, his IFL record is 4-1, and has the momentum of winning his past two bouts.
NWFS: Thanks for the time Brad! How have you and your family been?
Brad Blackburn: Things have been going good with the family.
NWFS: Hey, first I've got to ask, where did you get your nickname,
"Bad Brad"?
Blackburn : My nick name came from when I was younger. My friends would call me
"Bad Brad". I guess they would call me that because I wasn't what you would consider a
"Good Brad". (all laugh...)
NWFS: So what's the deal with the decision on the Mark Miller bout? There seems to be quite the stir about that decision!
Blackburn : I won the first 2 rounds hands down, and Miller won the 3rd. I was at the tail end of the flu, and was on antibiotics at the time of the fight. That's why Maurice was not upset with me for being lazy in the 3rd round. He knew that I was only good for 1 round in practice. But the answer to the question is I won 2 out of 3 rounds. Not taking anything from Miller. If he wasn't in good shape he wouldn't have been able to win the 3rd. It was definitely a bad decision.
It made me a
"Sad Brad"!
NWFS: How do you think you've grown as a fighter from Maurice Smith's contributions as your coach?
Blackburn : I can thank Maurice for my improved conditioning, not counting my last fight, and improved striking.
NWFS: Jay Hieron is your bout that night. What do you think of that match-up? What's your gameplan?
Blackburn : I think that Jay and I make a really good match-up. We are both well rounded fighters. I believe that he might have a little stronger wrestling, my stand up will be a little stronger, and our Jiu-jitsu will be about the same. I plan on trying to make it a kickboxing match. But this is MMA... so my plan could change!
NWFS:
How have you prepared for that fight?
Blackburn : Nothing really specific for this fight. I've been working on my striking, wrestling and Jiu-jitsu pretty evenly because this fight could go anywhere.
NWFS: As one of the original IFL athletes, how would you grade The IFL?
Blackburn : I feel that the IFL got off to a slow start. But it's starting to take off now. I'm glad that I'm a part of it.
NWFS: If you weren't fighting for a living, where would you be and what would you be doing right now in life?
Blackburn : Working hard and playing hard.
NWFS: Where do you see yourself in five years? What are your goals?
Blackburn : My goals are to be happy, and have more money.
NWFS: Any shout-outs you'd like to holler brawler?
Blackburn : Carmen Electra, Jessica Biel, & the IFL Ring Girls.
NWFS: Thanks for your time Brad. It's always a pleasure. See you on June 1st!
Blackburn : Thank you. Anytime.
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