Daniel Molina has been chilling out at home, watching TV, and says there hasn’t been anything of particular interest on, so he was just flicking through the channels. ‘The He-Man’ is having two days off from his rigorous training schedule and he’s glad to just rest up a bit.

“Right now I’m in Susanville, but we’re getting ready to do the move to Reno, which is about an hour and a half away. Ken Shamrock has a fighters’ house up here in the mountains, and that’s where I stay during the week,” says Daniel.

Martial arts is a natural way of life for Molina who took up karate when most kids were still playing in sand pits. “It was Lima Lama karate. I’m not sure what the difference is – I think all karate is kinda the same really. My older brother and dad were involved in karate, so I wanted to do what they were doing. I was begging to go along, so at three years of age, they signed me up for classes.”

However, it was while attending a class of a different kind that caused Daniel to try his hand at mixed martial arts: “I had to do a paper for high school and we were asked to pick a career, so I thought ultimate fighting would be a really cool topic for my paper. Well, my English teacher didn’t approve it, saying mixed martial arts wasn’t a real career. I wanted to prove to her that there is a team competition now, and it’s a growing sport… Wait a few years and everybody’s going to hear about it.

“He called Bob Shamrock and convinced him that although I was only 16, I could hang in there with the older guys and pass the tryout. So I went along to prove my English teacher wrong… This was before the IFL invited Ken to coach a Lions team.”

Daniel, have you spoken to your English teacher since then?

“No; she moved so I haven’t seen her since.”

She hasn’t gotten in touch to asked you for an autograph?

“Ha, ha… No she hasn’t.”

How many people auditioned at the tryouts?

“About 18, and we had from 155- to 220-lb divisions.”

Were you middleweight at the time?

“I was 170, but I lied about my weight because I didn’t want to get turned down for being too small. I wasn’t sure if they had a lightweight division then, so I said I was close to 190, but I didn’t look it at all.”

How many of you made it through the elimination process?

“Four of us passed.”

Are the other three still there?

“No, they all left. I’m the only one still with Ken, but two of the guys are still fighting to this day.”

What did the tryout involve: Does Ken still do the500 squats and that sort of thing?

“Yes, he does. But it was the last thing we did that day and I only had to do 200: If you can do 200, you can do 500, but your legs usually go numb. There was a lot of other stuff we did at the tryout and once they saw me do 200, they knew I could keep going.”

Do members of the IFL Lions team train together much?

“Yeah, that’s part of the deal: If you’re on the Lions team you have to move here, and we all live in the fighters’ house together for training.”

Do you train with Vernon White?

“Oh, yeah; I’ve been training with him for years now. I can’t ask for anything more: Anytime I have a question, he has the answer.”

Does Bob Shamrock have much to do with the team now?

“Not as much. Every night we go to Ken’s house for dinner and we see him there and that… He doesn’t really have much involvement anymore.”

When you say you go to Ken’s house for dinner every night, who does that involve?

“The whole IFL Lions team, all the Lion’s Den fighters, and sometimes friends of the family.”

So how many people will be there for dinner on a given night?

“With Ken’s family, probably about 30 people.”

It’s a real family atmosphere then?

“Oh, definitely.”

You’ve won fights through leg submissions such as heel hooks and toe holds; did you pick those leg-attack moves up from Ken’s pancrase background?

“I learnt it from Ken – he’s really big on that. Some people think going for the legs is risky, which it is. But if you really get it down, people won’t be walking away. I listen to Ken about that, and for years I’ve been practicing it. I just know that not a lot of people know how to get out of them.”

With the amount of experience you’ve gained in leg locks, it wouldn’t be too easy for an opponent to roll out of one then?

“Oh, no. In my last fight, the guy had to grab the ropes to pull himself out of it – almost an illegal move to pull himself out of it, because he knew it was either that or he was getting his leg snapped.”

It’s against the rules to grab the ropes, isn’t it?

“Yes, it is.”

Coming from the Lion’s Den, you’d have to have pretty solid strike capabilities too, wouldn’t you?

“Yeah, that’s kinda what we’re working on the most for me because I have the grappling background and I tend to go to that area too easily, so we’re working on my stand-up and trying to make me more of a stand-up fighter now.”

Are you taking to that well?

“Yes, I am – surprisingly enough. I guess because I have the karate background, so I’m not totally lost when they start showing me moves. It’s almost kinda natural, really. Every once in a while, I’ll throw a spinning back kick and they say, ‘What are you doing?’”

Does Ken train with you guys or does he mainly coach?

“He used to, but now he’s retired… He’ll get down to show us some moves, but he’s just enjoying retirement.”

He’s not looking at taking on another IFL coach in a superfight down the track?

“I can’t really say that he’s not because Ken never stops surprising me. But right now he’s more worried about us and trying to win that championship.”

You take on the Silverbacks in Moline, Illinois, on April 7. Are you looking forward to that showdown?

“Yes; ever since my last fight, I’ve been having dreams about it every night. I don’t feel very satisfied with my last fight – coming off a loss, so I want to get in there and beat somebody up to prove I belong in the IFL.”

And in those dreams you’re having: Do you win the fights?

“Every night.”

Has training for that event started yet?

“We started last week. We had two weeks off and we’re back at it.”

What will be your strengths against Ryan McGivern?

“I always feel that my submission skills outclass a lot of other guys. There may be other guys who could give me a run, but I don’t believe Ryan will be able to submit me or get out of a submission if I apply it. I know he has good takedowns, but I’m more of a counter-wrestler. If somebody wants to take me down, I usually reverse it and take them down.”

With both training camps – the Lion’s Den and Team Miletich – known for their high fitness standards, will fitness be a factor in your bout, or will you both be prepared to go full-throttle the whole three rounds?

“I know he’s in great shape: I’ve seen him fight and he can keep pretty consistent speed up, and he’ll do full throttle the whole three rounds. I know he won’t gas out, so I’ve got to make sure that I don’t gas out, and I’ll go as hard as he can.”

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

“Just watch out!”

Sponsors?

“I’m open to offers.”