Out to prove doubters wrong: MMAmania.com exclusive sit down with UFC middleweight Travis Lutter
By: Andrew Nostvick
Travis Lutter will make his long-awaited return to the UFC on April 19 at UFC 83: “Serra vs. St. Pierre 2″, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. His opponent will be a challenge as he takes on former UFC middleweight champion, Rich Franklin.
Lutter — The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season four middleweight winner — will fight in the Octagon for the first time since his non-title submission loss to 185-pound champion Anderson Silva at UFC 67: “All or Nothing” more than one year ago. For Lutter though, Octagon rust will not be an issue.
“I train everyday, it’s just one of those things that I’m not too worried about,” Lutter said.
Lutter was slated to fight Ryan Jensen at UFC 74: “Respect” back in August 2007, however, he was unable to compete because of a neck injury. He’s acknowledged that his neck is all better and will be ready to go come April.
“It feels good right now, so I’m happy,” Lutter said.
“The Serial Killer” is aware that he has a big opportunity going up against Franklin. And he’s eager to get in there and win.
“He was the UFC champ for a reason. He’s a tough tough guy … This is the type of fight that motivates me,” Lutter said. “It’s a chance to go out there and prove I am as good as I think I am.”
Lutter, who has a 9-4 record in MMA, believes he can defeat Franklin and knows what he needs to do if he wants to leave Montreal with a victory. His plan for Franklin is simple.
“I have to take him down. If I can take him down, I think I’ll win the fight,” Lutter said. “First thing I need to do is make weight, next thing I need to do is take him down.”
Lutter failed to make weight for his middleweight title opportunity at UFC 67 against Silva.
Both fighters are coming off losses to the same fighter, current UFC Middleweight champion, Silva. Lutter lost at UFC 67 and Franklin lost the rematch to Silva at UFC 77: “Hostile Territory” back in October 2007.
Lutter says he learned a lot from both fights.
“I’ve got a whole bunch of respect for Rich, he’s a great fighter. There’s a reason he was the the UFC middleweight champion for a long time. He presents a lot of problems to a lot of different people,” Lutter said. “One of those he matches up with poorly is Anderson Silva.”
Lutter felt confident getting in the Octagon with Silva at UFC 67 and proved his worth. He now believes that he can hold his own with the “Spider.”
“I didn’t win that fight, but you know I went in there and I felt like I won seven minutes of that fight, right up until I got submitted,” Lutter said. “I felt like I belonged in the Octagon with Anderson.”
There’s no telling what might happen if Lutter defeats Franklin at UFC 83. Once you get past Silva, Franklin and Dan Henderson, there’s not much more competition in the middleweight division.
With the strong return of Ricardo Almeida and the comeback of former middleweight champion, Evan Tanner, the division has received some relief, but not even close to enough. Some have suggested bringing up current WEC Middleweight Champion, Paulo Filho, or even bringing back former top contender in the division, Matt Lindland.
For now though, outside of Henderson, there is no clear-cut contender in the middleweight class. There’s nobody who can really step in and go toe-to-toe with Silva.
Yushin Okami does have an opportunity to be Silva’s next opponent. However, that is assuming that Okami beats Tanner and Silva beats Henderson.
If the cards fall right, it is not out of the realm of possibility for Lutter to take on Silva.
“That’s up to the UFC, I don’t get to control who I fight,” Lutter said. “If they ask me to fight Anderson, I’m going to fight Anderson. That’s who I want to fight. If they give me Rich and Anderson immediately afterwards, I’m down with that. If they make me wait two years, they make me wait two years. It all depends on what happens between (Anderson) and Henderson and I think it depends on how I do against Rich.”
Right now though, Lutter is not concerned with who he might fight next. Instead, his intentions are on Franklin.
“I’m just concerned about going out there and getting Rich right now,” Lutter said.
Only time will tell if Lutter gets another opportunity at the middleweight crown. One thing is for certain, however: He controls his own destiny in a division that is desperate for contenders.
It begins all over again for Lutter on April 19.
Side note: Lutter is picking Silva to defeat Henderson at UFC 82 and retain the title.
27 Comments »
He is probably the worst athlete in all mma..
he looks everything but an mma fighter.
But he did better with silva than anyone else so far, but I imagine hendo will do very well and beat silva, my prediction.
I like Henderson against Silva. I think TKO or Ko in the 3rd round. I also think Rich will win this fight, but like he said, if Lutter can take him down he can win this fight.
“I’m just concerned about going out there and getting Rich right now,” Lutter said.
Haha, sounds funny if you think of it as rich and not “Rich(franklin)”
Does anyone really care what Travis Lutter has to say. He has never been and will never be a great MMa fighter. He had a washed up career, was given a second chance and given a title shot that he, in my opinion, really didnt deserve (just like Serra in my opinion didnt deserve his)-there were a bunch of guys in the UFC that had contracts un the UFC that were way more deserving of title fights that these two guys. Then what does he do when given a title shot (probably the only one he’ll ever get in hids life), doesnt make weight then loses the fight anyway. Talk about a Gabe Ruediger moment. So who cares about Travis Lutter. All he’s going to be known for is how he blew the biggest undeserving opportunity of his career. Its like if you were to win the Powerball then tear up the ticket-completely stupid.
silva the Great to keep the belt, KO round 3 agains hendo. lutter is a punk, don’t like him much because he couldn’t make weight and had too much time to do it. rich by KO, round 1
The reason I believe Rich will beat Travis is a little different from everybody here…..
Travis showed me, while on TUF, just how mentally weak he was. He tried pulling Serra aside (on the show) as if their was a conspiracy going on….LOL!
You can take out the fact he didn’t make weight and all that. Just the fact that his mind was somewhere else showed me he is NOT ready for UFC competition.
Travis, go talk to Gary Shaw. You’d match up better w/ some of their guys. And thats the TRUTH!!!
I dont know what to think…
185 is such a weak division, or atleast thats how it seems you could take the top 8 UFC MW and top 8 UFC WW and put a mini tournament on and have quite a few of the WWs make it to the second round, it would be pretty interesting…
Think about it…
Anderson vs GSP
Jason MacDonald vs Karo
Lutter vs Fitch
Franklin vs Serra
Ed Herman vs Burkman
Bisping vs Koscheck
Henderson vs Hughs
Leben vs Diego
Thats not even having Penn or Swick…
rich is tough to get down and tough in scrambles. and travis has barely any boxing…..so i think he will take damage attempting the takedown.
but his jits is good but I doub’t he’ll get any of it to work on rich who’s got good strength and conditioning…..as well as referrees instructed pre-fight to stand them up quickly so the golden boy can bang.
dana don’t want travis to win……and the ref’s will be quick to stand it up so travis….be busy, very busy on the ground if you are able to get it there….
[quote comment=”316170″]He is probably the worst athlete in all mma..
he looks everything but an mma fighter.[/quote]
u cant be serious
Lutter thinks he can beat Anderson but thinks Anderson can beat Hendo? Hendo is like 5 times better at Lutter’s best attacks and defenses.
Well, he has a lot of doubters to prove wrong, and he’ll get his chance vs Franklin. Personally, I think his performance vs Silva was more due to the fact that Silva just had surgery on both knees than Lutter is that good.
It makes for an interesting fight, and I think that Lutter has a much better chance than a lot of people are giving him. His strengths are wrestling and BJJ, and it is well known that wrestling is one of the weakest parts of Rich Franklin’s game. If Lutter can get him on the ground he might be able to submit him, but Rich has an underrated ground game and he’s never been submitted. It has the potential to be an exciting fight. With the exception of the Okami fight where he was just trying not to lose, I’ve never seen Rich in a boring fight. I think Rich will win fairly easily if it stays standing, but if Lutter can take him down and do enough to keep it from getting stood up he might be able to grind out a decision.
The Million Dollar Question: Will Travis Lutter Make Weight?
Rich Franklin is a more well rounded fighter than Lutter. Franklin is stronger in the clinch, and a better wrestler than Lutter. While Lutter does indeed have a advantage in the Jitsu area, but I call that a slight advantage. Rich Franklin has very good submission defense, and actually is not THAT bad on the ground.
Franklin will win this fight via TKO.
[quote comment=”316419″]The Million Dollar Question: Will Travis Lutter Make Weight?
Rich Franklin is a more well rounded fighter than Lutter. Franklin is stronger in the clinch, and a better wrestler than Lutter. While Lutter does indeed have a advantage in the Jitsu area, but I call that a slight advantage. Rich Franklin has very good submission defense, and actually is not THAT bad on the ground.
Franklin will win this fight via TKO.[/quote]
I dont think it will really matter if he makes wait against Rich. This isnt a title fight and Rich is all about the fans, I cant see him not fighting Lutter because he failed to loose the last couple of pounds. If I were Rich, I would make it a point that Lutter has to make weight. No one like’s cutting weight but they all do it…Lutter should have to as well.
As for this match up…Its OK, but there are probably more exciting match ups out there for both fighters. For example: Lutter vs. Almeida would have been a very exciting and technical grappling match. Talk about Chess matches.
Franklin probably shouldnt have to fight someone as good as Lutter, he lost twice to current champion Silva, and maybe should have to start a little lower down the middleweight ladder. Franklin vs. Cote would have been interesting, but Cote got injured anyway. I also think that Belcher vs. Franklin would have been really exciting stand up bout.
Still, this isnt a bad match up, it could have been much worse. I am still waiting for Marquardt vs. Franklin, I dont understand why this match up hasn’t even been considered yet.
Travis Lutter poses a threat to anyone in the MW division Is he one dimensional absolutely and with that being said it made me think that if your going to be one dimensional the best MMA dimension to have is a great ground game because if your able to get your apponent to the ground you have the upper hand (Perfect example Lutter vs Cote) unless your fighting a true mixed matial artist like GSP I am not the biggest fan of GSP but I believe he is the most well rounded fighter in the world without question he has no weakness.
this kind of fight motivates him then why in the hell didn’t he make weight against silva. talk talk talk that and jiu jitsu (i don’t know if i spelled it right) take him down HA this fight is already over lutter just say you hurt yourself in training and save yourself the embarassment. you should be in the WEC and making sure the young fighters there are versed in submissions before they get to the UFC. HE IS GOOD BUT HE IS JUST ONE THING HE IS GOOD AT. AND FOR ALL YOU SAYING HE KNOCKED EASTMAN OUT THAT WAS LUCK. HAVE THEM FIGHT AGAIN AND I BET YOU LUTTER SUBMITES HIM.
[quote comment=”316170″]He is probably the worst athlete in all mma..
he looks everything but an mma fighter.[/quote]
What?
come on man you should know by now its not what you look like its about skill and lutter has it.
lutter is one of the best submission wrestlers in mma period.
people like you drive me crazy!
[quote comment=”316221″]Does anyone really care what Travis Lutter has to say. He has never been and will never be a great MMa fighter. He had a washed up career, was given a second chance and given a title shot that he, in my opinion, really didnt deserve (just like Serra in my opinion didnt deserve his)-there were a bunch of guys in the UFC that had contracts un the UFC that were way more deserving of title fights that these two guys. Then what does he do when given a title shot (probably the only one he’ll ever get in hids life), doesnt make weight then loses the fight anyway. Talk about a Gabe Ruediger moment. So who cares about Travis Lutter. All he’s going to be known for is how he blew the biggest undeserving opportunity of his career. Its like if you were to win the Powerball then tear up the ticket-completely stupid.[/quote]
I agree with you for the most part except for when TUF 4 started. Franklin and Hughes were beating everyone in sight and the UFC almost needed an excuse to give someone a title shot that wasn’t Evan Tanner (lost twice to Franklin already) or Frank Trigg (lost twice to Hughes). Of course when Silva and St Pierre won the titles it defeated the whole purpose because the landscape of the divisions always change when you have new champions, especially coming off of a dominant championship reigns.
In all honesty, I’m disappointed that Lutter didn’t address his weight issue more, he struggled to make weight for the TUF 4 finale as well as for his title shot. Seems stupid to be the guy that people make excuses for like we used to for BJ Penn (he’d be the better if he got in shape…) Lutter has got some serious jiu jitsu talent to be a threat in the middleweight division but I question his ‘Serial Killer’ moniker.
You know lutter can be a threat to anyone. who doesnt respect his bjj game, but i dont see lutter beatting franklin at all. lutter is like a less well rounded version of jason mcdonald…goes for the lose trips and sweeps and single leg sweeps that most bjj orinedted fighters do. we saw that when j-mac went against franklin..but his wrestling skills are pretty good. and was able to stuff most of those take downs and when he was taken down he pretty sweeped j-mac very quickly and dominated up top…and even more to solidify that…okami is areal strong wrestler with a good submission game and frankin was able to keep composure and find a way out of 2 deep submission holds. i owuld like to see lutter vs j-mac to see what lutter is really made out of.
[quote comment=”316295″]I dont know what to think…
185 is such a weak division, or atleast thats how it seems you could take the top 8 UFC MW and top 8 UFC WW and put a mini tournament on and have quite a few of the WWs make it to the second round, it would be pretty interesting…
Think about it…
Anderson vs GSP
Jason MacDonald vs Karo
Lutter vs Fitch
Franklin vs Serra
Ed Herman vs Burkman
Bisping vs Koscheck
Henderson vs Hughs
Leben vs Diego
Thats not even having Penn or Swick…[/quote]
Now that is an interesting thought.!.!.!
GSP - Karo - Fitch - Franklin - Herman - Kos - Herderson (not even close) - Diego
I like the way your thinking.
HATERS. Lutter is the truth. This guy has champion potential. Where does all this hate come from, just cause he couldn’t make weight one time? So what, mistakes happen. Thats really a coaching issue more than it is his fault.
[quote comment=”316796″][quote comment=”316295″]I dont know what to think…
185 is such a weak division, or atleast thats how it seems you could take the top 8 UFC MW and top 8 UFC WW and put a mini tournament on and have quite a few of the WWs make it to the second round, it would be pretty interesting…
Think about it…
Anderson vs GSP
Jason MacDonald vs Karo
Lutter vs Fitch
Franklin vs Serra
Ed Herman vs Burkman
Bisping vs Koscheck
Henderson vs Hughs
Leben vs Diego
Thats not even having Penn or Swick…[/quote]
Now that is an interesting thought.!.!.!
GSP - Karo - Fitch - Franklin - Herman - Kos - Herderson (not even close) - Diego
I like the way your thinking.[/quote]
bisping vs koscheck? did u not see the rashad evans fight come on. but the other fights r good fights.
[quote comment=”316598″]You know lutter can be a threat to anyone. who doesnt respect his bjj game, but i dont see lutter beatting franklin at all. lutter is like a less well rounded version of jason mcdonald…goes for the lose trips and sweeps and single leg sweeps that most bjj orinedted fighters do. we saw that when j-mac went against franklin..but his wrestling skills are pretty good. and was able to stuff most of those take downs and when he was taken down he pretty sweeped j-mac very quickly and dominated up top…and even more to solidify that…okami is areal strong wrestler with a good submission game and frankin was able to keep composure and find a way out of 2 deep submission holds. i owuld like to see lutter vs j-mac to see what lutter is really made out of.[/quote]
We are going to find out what lutters made out of when he fights rich.
“the serial killer”???? More like the cereal eater. Nice bone they are feeding Franklin. Rich can go into this fight, knowing that he wont need recontructive surgery on his face afterwards.
Rich should be able to fend off Lutter’s sub attempts and make for a boring 3 rd snoozer, similar to his Okami fight
[quote comment=”317705″][quote comment=”316598″]You know lutter can be a threat to anyone. who doesnt respect his bjj game, but i dont see lutter beatting franklin at all. lutter is like a less well rounded version of jason mcdonald…goes for the lose trips and sweeps and single leg sweeps that most bjj orinedted fighters do. we saw that when j-mac went against franklin..but his wrestling skills are pretty good. and was able to stuff most of those take downs and when he was taken down he pretty sweeped j-mac very quickly and dominated up top…and even more to solidify that…okami is areal strong wrestler with a good submission game and frankin was able to keep composure and find a way out of 2 deep submission holds. i owuld like to see lutter vs j-mac to see what lutter is really made out of.[/quote]
We are going to find out what lutters made out of when he fights rich.[/quote]
I think the best measure of Lutters ground game would be: Lutter vs. Almeida. That would be a seriously technical ground war.
It should have been:
Almeida vs. Lutter
and
Cote vs. Franklin
I know Cote got urt and Almeida just fought, but these would be good match ups.
Well, Anderson Silva seemed to make short work of Dan Henderson.
Travis Lutter faired far better against Silva than anyone else has so far…
Lutter even MOUNTED Silva. It’s the closest Silva fight by far.
Travis Lutter is underestimated, but time will tell.