IFL Silverback fighter Ben Uker is busy doing some work at the computer in his capacity as a mortgage rep for Wells Fargo, when the phone rings for an interview with knucklepit.com.

Born in Osage, Iowa, Ben is presently in Bettendorf, Iowa, where he’s trained with Team Miletich for the past six years, after switching from pure wrestling to incorporating the discipline into his MMA game.

“I wrestled at one of the most prestigious colleges in the United States - the University of Iowa, and we (Iowa Hawkeyes) won five national titles. So wrestling was very dominant. When I finished college there, I still needed to compete in something, and the only option in wrestling was to go for the Olympics or things of that nature,” says Uker.

“I was kinda looking for something besides just wrestling, and I found MMA. I loved the jiu jitsu part of it, the boxing, kickboxing… I thought, ‘Man, this is something I want to do.’ I just wanted to compete, so that was one of the main reasons I got into MMA.”

Today, not only is wrestling big in Iowa, but MMA has also been welcomed with open arms. When the Iowa-based Silverbacks compete locally, there is always an enormous Quad-City support group in attendance to cheer ‘their’ team home. And the wrestling fraternity also appears to like their sport being such a major element in mixed martial arts.

“As far as the high school and college level go, wrestling has always been big in Iowa for anybody who lives here: It is extremely huge. In the last two years, MMA has just been growing and growing, and we’re starting to find that a lot of people who have been involved in wrestling in the last sixty years are starting to watch the MMA because they like the same kind of action and aggressiveness; it transitions well.”

Ben Uker vs. Delson Heleno

Ben, what’s Pat Miletich like as a coach?

“He adds a lot of good technique to everybody’s style; he’s got a good mentality; runs good, workouts – they’re hard workouts; he’s very knowledgeable about the sport itself and the coaching aspect of it; he’s been around a while – through the trenches; he’s been in a lot of corners so he knows the ins and outs of the fighting world… He’s definitely a great leader and somebody to look up to.”

With you and Rory Markham both welterweights, do you both get to compete for the Silverbacks at most of their competitions?

“Rory has competed at every one. I have competed twice as an alternate, so I would say no, and I see it as one of the biggest downfalls with myself at the IFL – not getting as much competition as I would like. I hope that changes.

“If you get a guy who does well at your weight class… like Rory’s done well, so they’re not going to take him out… Why switch him unless he’s hurt?  Being an alternate, you hope to get alternate fights or Superfights – whatever the case might be.

“Down the road, it might cause a lot of MMA guys to switch to other teams, or something of that nature, because people want to fight. And if you’re not given a tryout, how are you supposed to redeem the spot?

“Rory’s done well and I congratulate him and I’m proud of him, but it’s put me on the backburner.”

Will you be fighting at the IFL finals on December 29?

“I don’t think they’ve made that decision yet: I hope so, but I’m not real sure. I’m waiting to hear.”

Do you tend to use wrestling techniques for takedowns, and to dominate your opponents on the ground, and then use BJJ submissions to end the fights?

“Exactly: That’s exactly what I do. With the boxing and stuff, I’m not afraid to throw my hands and let them go, but my biggest strengths are takedowns, jiu jitsu and wrestling… punishing the guy with my ground’n’pound game, and make him tap.”

Herb Dean stops Ben Uker vs. Travis Doerge bout

So, as well as your BJJ submissions, you like to finish with g’n’p-ing?

“Yeah, I think it goes back and forth, and I don’t know which one I like better, but it’s more exciting to finish with strikes.”

Do you tend to soften up your opponents with standing strikes before the takedowns?

“A little bit. I want to look to do more of that, and that’s what I’m working on. But definitely wearing them out on their feet - hanging on them, wrestling, moving them… It’s hard for them to keep up with me. They usually go to the ground right away.”

Can you give a brief rundown of your bout with Travis Doerge (Superfight June 3, 2006) please?

“Well, if I remember: It was a while back…We both came out, kinda danced a little bit with our hands up and traded some punches. Immediately after that trade, we ended up in a clinch, and I took him down. From that point I worked my game and I got side mount; I didn’t throw a lot of strikes because I thought I was a lot stronger, and I knew if I stayed close and maintained my position, that I could get a submission. And that’s exactly what I did – I got a key lock (round one, 2:10). Once I got his hand out, I knew it was going to be over – just a matter of settling in and putting the right amount of leverage on.”

Is the key lock one of your favorite submissions?

“Yeah, I would say so…key lock, guillotine choke, arm bars… really, a lot of different things. I’d like to stay upper body, more or less, but the key lock is definitely one of my favorites.”

Who are you tipping out of Carlos Newton and Renzo Gracie?

“I really think Carlos is going to beat Renzo. I know Renzo is good at submissions and things of that nature, but from what I see, I think Carlos is a more dominant fighter.”

How will you be celebrating Thanksgiving?

“Training.”

Ben, is there anything you’d like to add?

“No, that’s cool with me.”

Ben Uker defeats Travis Doerge

IFL Silverback Ben Uker is back at full-throttle training in Bettendorf, after briefly celebrating the beginning of 2007.

“I hung out with some old wrestling buddies at Iowa City for New Year’s Eve after traveling back from Connecticut this past weekend. We were pretty worn out, so I didn’t do a lot. I had three or four drinks, but I was really tired and didn’t carry on too much,” says Uker.

Ben did get his wish to fight as an alternate at the IFL Final in Connecticut, although he says he received the billing on late notice. “It was after the weigh-ins that they came and told me I was fighting. I wish I’d known a little sooner. That’s no excuse: I still train to be in shape. I’m the kind of athlete who likes to know ahead of time. It definitely benefits somebody like me, but so be it. And I was glad I got the fight, so…”

Leading into the match, Jake Ellenberger had a 13-1 record, with his only loss being to Jay Hieron. And Ben admits Jake did enter the bout with an impressive pedigree. “He’s a good athlete: I was a lot stronger than he was and a lot better wrestler. All round, I think I’m a better athlete. But I hit an energy dump right at the end of the first round; I felt real heavy in the chest.

“Then coming out in the second round, I just didn’t feel I was breathing properly for some reason, and it kinda caught up with me. I’m not sure why, but … He’s a great athlete: I’m not taking anything away from him. I’d like to get back in there and fight him again. I think the outcome would be totally different.

Ben Uker training with fellow Silverback Bart Palaszewski

“At no point did I feel in any danger or anything of that nature. I was more or less fighting myself more than I was fighting him, which frustrates me a little bit. At the end, I was going to take a shot and I dropped my head. He threw a knee, which hit me in the forehead and put me to the canvas. He threw maybe three or four punches that didn’t really hurt me. I didn’t think the fight was going to be stopped, but it was.”

With their bout being on short notice, obviously the fighters didn’t have time to watch tapes on each other.

Ben, did you know much about Jake before the fight?

“I knew enough about him to know he was a good competitor. He actually trained with us for a week or two at a time here in Bettendorf, and I pretty much dominated him in all the practices that we did together. So I felt really good about the fight – about having to compete against him.

“And like I said, at the end of the first round I had trouble breathing, and I don’t necessarily think it was due to shape… I don’t know what it was, I just felt real heavy in my lung area. Then I started worrying more about that than fighting.”

Is there anything you feel you want to work on more after that fight?

“I’d probably say just continue working on my stand-up. And I missed a lot of opportunities on the ground, when I was on top of him, the whole first period. I felt that I should have submitted him then and I didn’t. I’d like to watch the tape and maybe see if there was something in the fight where I can pinpoint what went wrong: Just talking to my coaches, they said, ‘You looked great, then you were a different fighter; it looked like something was wrong, or you weren’t all with it.’ So…”

Ben Uker takes on the Stormtroopers

When we last talked, you mentioned an interest in possibly competing for another IFL team. There are now 12 teams in the 2007 league competition, and the IFL has just announced an additional five new teams for 2008. Are you still looking around?

“Not as much as I was. I actually took a trip to Tucson, Arizona, visiting Don Frye and the Scorpions, and they offered me the 170-pound spot. I did not take it: there was a bunch of reasons why, and one of them was just being with the Miletich Fighting Systems (MFS). I’ve been with Pat for six years. I sat down and talked with him, and when I put everything down, it was a better decision for me to stay here. I think I’m going to further my fighting career in the IFL, but in other organizations as well.

“It just didn’t make sense for me to go at this point. Maybe in a year, but as of right now, I don’t feel I’ve exhausted every possibility with MFS. There’s still a lot I can get out of this program here. And for me to up and move, it may be a disadvantage to me. I may not grow as well as a fighter. And that’s my ultimate goal – to be the best athlete I can be, and I think I’m going to find that here.”

Do you know when you’ll be fighting next?

“Well, I thought it was going to be on February 10, but I sustained a cut on the forehead from that knee, and the Connecticut Commission suspended me for forty-five days. So I’m waiting for that time to lapse, and I’ll probably get something at the end of February or beginning of March.”

And train like crazy in the meantime.

“Yeah.”

Ben, is there anything you’d like to add?

“Just to congratulate my team, the Silverbacks. Hopefully we’ll dominate in 2007; I think we’re all on track, we’re a very good team with Miletich Fighting Systems, and we’re just going to get better and better.”

Ben Uker with Lori Tyler and Emily Miller

For more on Ben Uker: www.ifl.tv.