Mitch Clarke from Saskatoon will fight John Cholish (record 7-1) from New Jersey at the UFC 140 being held at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on December 10, 2011. Clarke is undefeated in 9 fights, with 6 wins via submission, and is now on a roster with Georges St Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Cain Velasquez. “It’s one of those things,” Clark told the Star Phoenix while he was training at the Hayabusa Training Centre in St Albert Alberta.
“It’s weird when you wait all these years for something you really want to come along and then finally it’s there. Personally, it almost puts a little bit of pressure. But at the same time, you’re fighting in the UFC. There’s going to be pressure regardless. It’s awesome to have it there. If it would have been Vegas, Wisconsin, Germany, I really don’t care. This is what I’ve been working to try to do, and UFC is where I want to fight.”
Clarke wrestled at the University of Saskatchewan and has shown a lot of promise in his nine fights. He stacks up against opponent John Cholish; their standup strategy is similar, and both are accomplished grapplers. “Our kung fu matches up well,” said Clarke showing respect for Cholish. “He’s not afraid to stand and bang. I don’t think he really likes getting punched, but neither do I, so I think it works out that way.” Clarke tried to keep the bout a secret until December, but his opponent’s camp broke the news on Facebook. “I’m not supposed to tell anyone anything,” Clarke said with a laugh, and even though he is training now, the real boot camp will be in December before the bout. He admits to overtraining before, and the advice he has received so far makes him not want to repeat the same mistake. “I had a talk with a couple of guys who have fought in the UFC that I know. They said, ‘You’ve got to not let it overwhelm you.’”
