GMMA Primer: Q & A with Mike Hauben

NEW YORK

At the last Golden MMA Championships back in November, Mike Hauben latched on to Ken Sweeney's leg and didn't let go until Sweeney was screaming in pain and tapping out. It was an impressive win, and one Hauben probably wants to repeat when he steps into the cage at GMMA this Saturday night.

To get a little more insight into the Merrick, Long Island native, TheMMAJournalist reached out to him and got these tidbits...

Talk about your training background.
I've trained at some of the best gyms in the world. I started with Matt Serra and Ray Longo, though had to move to Florida so I was with American Top Team headquarters for a couple years. I trained a bit at New York Combat Sambo, and now I'm back at Serra's, and doing boxing at Gleason's. Between the boxers at Gleason's and the MMA guys at the other gyms like Serras, NYCS, and ATT, I feel I probably have more elite training than anyone on the circuit.

What do you do for a living?
I own Fight Summit. We're a popular annual event and online program to help MMA academies and brands succeed by giving them expert business training by some of the best in the business.

What are your goals in the sport?
My goals in MMA vary daily. I'd love to take this as far as I can, but I'm limited because I have a great job I love and I put a ton of time into that. I train a lot, but I'm not sure if I'll ever have time to train full-time like a lot of these guys, it would mean walking away from my business which I'll never do. For now, I'll keep fighting and take it day by day. But I'm content with being a dominant amateur or minor pro.

What made you decide to get into the cage?
I just enjoy competing. I wrestled in high school, and I'm an extremely driven person. I can't really do anything without taking it to the full extent. If I'm going to put time and effort into training, why not compete and see how I do?

What are you expecting out of your opponent on Saturday?
My opponent Saturday... he's a fairly big guy, but size doesn't win fights, skill does. It's not a bodybuilding competition, and from what I've seen from him I think I have a big edge in most areas. He'll likely be a bit stronger than me but I'm confident I can negate that with technique. I'm not the type to talk much, I'd rather let the fighting do the talking. But again, training where I train, I'm completely prepared for what he's going to bring.