The UFC invades Pittsburgh for the first time and Steel Nation Magazine’s John Wagner sits down with the night’s biggest winner in Charlie “The Spaniard” Brenneman 7-17-11
By John Wagner
The UFC invaded Pittsburgh for the first time ever this past June with their UFC Live 4 on Versus TV. The announced attendance of nearly 8,000 shows there is good mixed martial arts following here in Pittsburgh. However, just 24 hours before the event was to take place the UFC was tossed a serious curveball when the main event was thrown into flux. Headliner and arguably the biggest name on the card Nate Marquardt failed his pre fight medical exam. He tested for elevated testosterone levels which made him inactive for the fight and placed on indefinite medical suspension. As the UFC always seems to do, they picked themselves up from this blow and scored a knock out. Insert “The Spaniard” Charlie Brenneman. Charlie was scheduled to be on the undercard against TJ Grant. Charlie showed up in Pittsburgh Tuesday only to find out TJ pulled out of the fight due to injury/illness. Brenneman stayed in Pittsburgh trying to make weight to collect his purse money and clinging to the slim chance he could be a replacement in a heavy loaded welterweight card. That chance came when Marquardt was pulled from the main event. Brenneman stepped in to fight a heavily favored and rising star in Rick “The Horror” Story. Brenneman went off as a 5 to 1 underdog but none of that mattered once they got in the ring. Story, known as a great wrestler and his biggest strength was matched and exceeded by Brenneman. For three rounds Brenneman took the fight to Story. Story was on his back for most of the fight with seemingly no answer for The Spaniard. After three rounds there was no question whose hand would be raised. Brenneman won a unanimous decision to the delight of the Pittsburgh crowd and placed The Spaniard firmly on the welterweight map.
I was able to catch up with Charlie and talk to him about his incredible opportunity he seized in Pittsburgh, his Pennsylvania roots and his MMA career.
Steel Nation Magazine: Charlie, Thank you for taking some time with me today and congratulations on your huge win in Pittsburgh.
Charlie Brenneman: No problem John, thanks I appreciate it.
SNM: Take me through your week when you thought you were coming to fight TJ Grant only for him to pull out of the fight, then getting thrown into the co main event.
CB: It was a total rollercoaster week of emotions for me. I got to Pittsburgh on Tuesday prepared for a fight with TJ only for the UFC’s Joe Silva to call us on Wednesday and tell me TJ got sick and wasn’t fighting. I knew I had to stay on my diet and keep training to make weight so I would still get my fight purse. Friday afternoon came and the UFC called me and said there may be a chance I would be fighting. But I really had no idea if that was a real possibility. I was so up and down that week. I was devastated, miserable, depressed, everything. Then hearing there might be a chance I was trying to be optimistic but I really didn’t have any faith in it. But it came through and was like a dream come true. I found out Saturday that Nate Marquardt would not be fighting and they gave me the opportunity to fight Rick Story and I was ready to go.
SNM: What was it like preparing for Rick Story on such short notice? Was it basically a crash course the night before the fight?
CB: It really wasn’t a crash course at all. I’ve watched his fights a lot, and I am a fan of the sport. I liked his style. I’ve seen probably four of his six fights. I had my game plan. My teammate Jim Miller has the attitude that a fight’s a fight, and I’m going to do my thing. That’s the attitude I took into the cage.
SNM: I know you were born and raised in Hollidaysburg which isn’t far from Pittsburgh. Do you come to Pittsburgh or spend time here?
CB: I like Pittsburgh a lot. I have been here with friends for sporting events and parties. I enjoy it a lot. I consider myself more of Pittsburgh guy than a Philadelphia guy. Pittsburgh fans are really passionate and into their sports. It was great hearing them cheering for me and being fully behind me in the fight. It was a great atmosphere.
SNM: Well the fans of Pittsburgh will definitely like hearing that.
SNM: You got a lot of attention for wearing the red Sheetz shirts to the ring for your fight. Most people outside of Pennsylvania watching it on TV probably said what the hell is Sheetz? Where did that come from?
CB: HAHA, yeah I actually got a lot of attention for that. Everyone seemed to love it and comment about it. The truth is the first ever Sheetz was in Altoona which is right by where I grew up. I am friends with the family and we talked about doing something. There are now Sheetz Spaniard shirts available. We got so much attention for that we thought that would be a good idea.
SNM: A lot of people don’t know or would be surprised to hear you were actually on the first season of Pro’s vs Joe’s. How was that experience and how did you get involved with that?
CB: Yeah, that was a lot of fun. I just applied and filled out the application and was selected. Flew out to Hollywood and competed and won. It was a great experience, all the pros were great. It was a fun time for sure. Then I was selected to return in the team competition and I brought my brother. We won that competition too so it was just a blast and really cool to do it alongside my brother.
SNM: I know you have been training at the AMA fight club out of New Jersey for almost 3 years. Tell me a little bit about that and what that has done for your career.
CB: It’s a great gym and a great environment to be in. Mike Constantino is the founder and my primary trainer. It’s a perfect fit for me. There are big names and small names. There are established UFC fighters here and there are fighters making their way up in the business. The Miller brothers, Jim and Dan fight out of here as well as The Ultimate fighter 12’s Andy Main. Former WEC champion Jamie Varner also trains here. So we have a vast array of fighters.
SNM: It was recently announced your next fight will be against Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in October. Johnson is definitely one of if not the largest welterweight in the UFC. This is a big fight for both of you with the winner surely getting a huge jump in the welterweight rankings and setting up a possible top 5 opponent for your next fight. What are your thoughts on this fight?
CB: I'm very excited to be offered Anthony. He's been in the UFC for some time, and he has the type of name that can really help my career. I'll do my best to push him into deep waters. One thing is for sure, I will not stop for the entire 15 minutes. I'm continually working on every aspect of the game, so I'll be prepared regardless. I trust my team (AMA Fight Club, my boxing coach Mark Henry, and my strength and conditioning coach Don Messing) will have me well prepared for this!
SNM: Charlie thank you very much for your time and good luck against Anthony Johnson and continued success in your career.
CB: Thank you