UFC VET TREVOR PRANGLEY: "I HAVEN'T GONE AWAY"
It’s been six months since preeminent middleweight Trevor Prangley last stepped foot inside a competitive arena.
After being stopped for the first time ever in a fight during his career at the finals of the Strikeforce middleweight tournament by Jorge Santiago, he was in need of a long-deserved break.
After healing up from various nagging injuries and taking time to visit his native South Africa, Prangley has returned to the States renewed and ready to reestablish himself as a contender in the middleweight division.
Speaking from his adopted hometown of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, he explained his recent absence from the MMA scene, his personal restoration and the future of his fighting career.
MMAWeekly: First off, Trevor, what have you been up to since November’s Strikeforce event?
Trevor Prangley: I was going to take three months off after that (tournament). I had fought like seven fights in a fourteen-month period, so I was pretty tired and was going to take time off anyway. When I came back, I guess Bodog went through some changes, and so on and so on, and I’m just looking for new home now.
MMAWeekly: Speaking of Bodog, it’s apparent that they’ve closed down their fight promotion. What do you think about coming back only to have that happen?
Trevor Prangley: It’s business. They needed to do what was best for them, just like I have to sometimes do what’s best for me. I don’t have any hard feelings. I had a good time while I was there, and it is what it is, right?
MMAWeekly: Now that you’ve had time to just take a step back, recoup and get healthy, how do you feel?
Trevor Prangley: I feel great. I really forgot how it felt to be rested up and get back to training when you’ve rested. I don’t have a problem and I’m ready to go right now. I’ve been training for the last two months. I go down to AKA (American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif.) every two weeks, and two weeks up here. I’m back in shape, ready to fight, and I’ve just got to find a place to fight.
MMAWeekly: Was the reason for taking such a hectic fight schedule out of a sense of urgency or some other reason?
Trevor Prangley: Basically for me, the more I fight the better I get. I think I improve with every fight. I just wanted to stay busy, stay in shape a lot better, but it was also a sense of urgency too. The money was out there. The fights were out there. So why turn them down? Now I’m sitting without a fight. You can’t complain when you’ve got the work, so you’ve just got to take it.
MMAWeekly: Are there still any residual thoughts from your last fight, or are you over it and moved on?
Trevor Prangley: It doesn’t matter. It was a tournament. Not taking anything away from Jorge either, but he had an 18-second first (fight); I had a war. Basically I fought two fresh, top-level guys in one night, and anybody can suffer a loss with that. He won the tournament, fought a great tournament, but didn’t fight the best Trevor Prangley there is. I’m not too concerned about it, it happens, and it’s the luck of the draw in the tournament.
MMAWeekly: Would you want a rematch under more conventional circumstances?
Trevor Prangley: I’m not the guy who hunts rematches. If it comes up, it comes up; if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. It’s not going to bother me or be something I dwell on the rest of my life, you know?
MMAWeekly: Moving on to the present, what will fans see when you return to action?
Trevor Prangley: I think they’re going to see a stronger, faster and a better conditioned Trevor. I’m rested up and my body feels good again. I was falling apart before that tournament. I was going in there with three or four injuries, and two of them were really bad. I committed to taking it, I wanted to do it and I was excited to do a tournament again, but looking back in hindsight now I probably should have taken some time off in between there. But as I said, when the work is there, you’ve got to take it. That’s what fighters do; they fight.
I’m rested up now and feel 100 percent better than I did before that last fight. I was really burnt out. For me it’s a heavy cut (to make 185 pounds), and to cut it so many times in one year, I think my body paid a big toll for it.
If you’ve watched my fights you know I’m somebody that will stand in and take a couple (shots) to give a couple, and I’m trying to change that aspect of it. I’m trying to give more than I take. It used to be that I’d take the same amount or take a little more, just so I could deal out a little more damage, but I don’t want to do that any more. I really want to become a better fighter and not rely on having a great chin or just being mentally tough and working my way through it.
If you’ve never been stopped or never been put down, like I had, you get a false sense of security that you can’t be put down. So I thought the tournament was a learning curve for me, knowing that when you’re worn and tired like that, you can be put down by somebody, so I definitely don’t want to go there again.
MMAWeekly: Needing a new promotion to call home, what do you feel you can provide an organization looking to bring Trevor Prangley into their 185-pound division?
Trevor Prangley: Really, I think any organization I go into, will be beneficial for both of us. Right now I do believe I’m the toughest 185-pounder out there that’s not signed to an organization. I’ve always said I believe I’m a Top 10 fighter. I still believe that, and I’m not signed to an organization. I did some great fights for Bodog. Every fight I did there was exciting, whether it was quick or a long grueling match; it was an exciting fight. I didn’t have any sleepers in there or anything.
I changed my philosophy from when I was in the UFC; where I just wanted to win, win at all costs, whether you have to stall it out or not. I just want to go in there and fight now. I find when I go out there to put on an exciting fight I tend to win a lot easier and a lot more. So wherever I go, I believe it will be beneficial for all of us. I need a home and people need exciting fights, and I’m there to give it to them.
MMAWeekly: Sounds great, Trevor. Thanks for taking time out for us. Is there anything you want to say in conclusion?
Trevor Prangley: I want to tell the fans that I haven’t gone away. I’ve been quiet for a while, but I’m just looking for a home, the right place to fight. I’ll be back. I haven’t disappeared. I may be old, but I’m not done yet. I’m hoping to do at least three fights this year. (I want to work my way back into title contention) in one of the organizations; I believe I deserve to be there. If you believe that, you have to put in the work to prove it, and I’m ready to do it.
It’s been six months since preeminent middleweight Trevor Prangley last stepped foot inside a competitive arena.
After being stopped for the first time ever in a fight during his career at the finals of the Strikeforce middleweight tournament by Jorge Santiago, he was in need of a long-deserved break.
After healing up from various nagging injuries and taking time to visit his native South Africa, Prangley has returned to the States renewed and ready to reestablish himself as a contender in the middleweight division.
Speaking from his adopted hometown of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, he explained his recent absence from the MMA scene, his personal restoration and the future of his fighting career.
MMAWeekly: First off, Trevor, what have you been up to since November’s Strikeforce event?
Trevor Prangley: I was going to take three months off after that (tournament). I had fought like seven fights in a fourteen-month period, so I was pretty tired and was going to take time off anyway. When I came back, I guess Bodog went through some changes, and so on and so on, and I’m just looking for new home now.
MMAWeekly: Speaking of Bodog, it’s apparent that they’ve closed down their fight promotion. What do you think about coming back only to have that happen?
Trevor Prangley: It’s business. They needed to do what was best for them, just like I have to sometimes do what’s best for me. I don’t have any hard feelings. I had a good time while I was there, and it is what it is, right?
MMAWeekly: Now that you’ve had time to just take a step back, recoup and get healthy, how do you feel?
Trevor Prangley: I feel great. I really forgot how it felt to be rested up and get back to training when you’ve rested. I don’t have a problem and I’m ready to go right now. I’ve been training for the last two months. I go down to AKA (American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif.) every two weeks, and two weeks up here. I’m back in shape, ready to fight, and I’ve just got to find a place to fight.
MMAWeekly: Was the reason for taking such a hectic fight schedule out of a sense of urgency or some other reason?
Trevor Prangley: Basically for me, the more I fight the better I get. I think I improve with every fight. I just wanted to stay busy, stay in shape a lot better, but it was also a sense of urgency too. The money was out there. The fights were out there. So why turn them down? Now I’m sitting without a fight. You can’t complain when you’ve got the work, so you’ve just got to take it.
MMAWeekly: Are there still any residual thoughts from your last fight, or are you over it and moved on?
Trevor Prangley: It doesn’t matter. It was a tournament. Not taking anything away from Jorge either, but he had an 18-second first (fight); I had a war. Basically I fought two fresh, top-level guys in one night, and anybody can suffer a loss with that. He won the tournament, fought a great tournament, but didn’t fight the best Trevor Prangley there is. I’m not too concerned about it, it happens, and it’s the luck of the draw in the tournament.
MMAWeekly: Would you want a rematch under more conventional circumstances?
Trevor Prangley: I’m not the guy who hunts rematches. If it comes up, it comes up; if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. It’s not going to bother me or be something I dwell on the rest of my life, you know?
MMAWeekly: Moving on to the present, what will fans see when you return to action?
Trevor Prangley: I think they’re going to see a stronger, faster and a better conditioned Trevor. I’m rested up and my body feels good again. I was falling apart before that tournament. I was going in there with three or four injuries, and two of them were really bad. I committed to taking it, I wanted to do it and I was excited to do a tournament again, but looking back in hindsight now I probably should have taken some time off in between there. But as I said, when the work is there, you’ve got to take it. That’s what fighters do; they fight.
I’m rested up now and feel 100 percent better than I did before that last fight. I was really burnt out. For me it’s a heavy cut (to make 185 pounds), and to cut it so many times in one year, I think my body paid a big toll for it.
If you’ve watched my fights you know I’m somebody that will stand in and take a couple (shots) to give a couple, and I’m trying to change that aspect of it. I’m trying to give more than I take. It used to be that I’d take the same amount or take a little more, just so I could deal out a little more damage, but I don’t want to do that any more. I really want to become a better fighter and not rely on having a great chin or just being mentally tough and working my way through it.
If you’ve never been stopped or never been put down, like I had, you get a false sense of security that you can’t be put down. So I thought the tournament was a learning curve for me, knowing that when you’re worn and tired like that, you can be put down by somebody, so I definitely don’t want to go there again.
MMAWeekly: Needing a new promotion to call home, what do you feel you can provide an organization looking to bring Trevor Prangley into their 185-pound division?
Trevor Prangley: Really, I think any organization I go into, will be beneficial for both of us. Right now I do believe I’m the toughest 185-pounder out there that’s not signed to an organization. I’ve always said I believe I’m a Top 10 fighter. I still believe that, and I’m not signed to an organization. I did some great fights for Bodog. Every fight I did there was exciting, whether it was quick or a long grueling match; it was an exciting fight. I didn’t have any sleepers in there or anything.
I changed my philosophy from when I was in the UFC; where I just wanted to win, win at all costs, whether you have to stall it out or not. I just want to go in there and fight now. I find when I go out there to put on an exciting fight I tend to win a lot easier and a lot more. So wherever I go, I believe it will be beneficial for all of us. I need a home and people need exciting fights, and I’m there to give it to them.
MMAWeekly: Sounds great, Trevor. Thanks for taking time out for us. Is there anything you want to say in conclusion?
Trevor Prangley: I want to tell the fans that I haven’t gone away. I’ve been quiet for a while, but I’m just looking for a home, the right place to fight. I’ll be back. I haven’t disappeared. I may be old, but I’m not done yet. I’m hoping to do at least three fights this year. (I want to work my way back into title contention) in one of the organizations; I believe I deserve to be there. If you believe that, you have to put in the work to prove it, and I’m ready to do it.