IFL Pitbull lightweight, Erik Owings, just got through training and is briskly walking down the street to a studio in Brooklyn, where they’re about to shoot a commercial for the IFL. During his rush there, Erik chats to us on his cell phone, and explains how he first became involved in martial arts.

“I trained in karate when I was a little kid, but I quit after about six months or a year. I guess what attracted me to it was all the kung fu and other martial arts on TV and at the movies. I also played traditional sports – football, basketball, worked out with athletics, and then got into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu,” says Owings.

In an MMA spectacular that can only be described as HUGE, the IFL Finals will be taking place on December 29, 2006 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut. And featured on that card in one of the IFL Superfights, Erik will be facing off against the fiery Sabres lightweight, Ed West, whose previous bouts have always provided fans with non-stop action.

And like West, Erik Owings has shown in past battles that he certainly knows how to bring his own brand of NYC nitrous oxide to the table.

Erik Owings, Renzo Gracie & Lori Tyler

Erik, could you give a brief rundown of your bout against Justin Jones please?

“It’s always hard to recall a fight exactly unless you watch it later on video. I just remember when he hit me I dropped, and I got back to my feet and he was clinching – holding me a lot, but he wasn’t striking that much. And there was a point where I got the back of his head, kinda like Dan Henderson does, and I landed three or four really good hooks and it did damage to his eye and broke his nose. So that’s what dropped him. Then I put the guillotine on and that was it. But he was pretty much out of it from the punches.”

At one stage you did a left high kick that Justin caught, and you countered with a right hook that appeared to force him to drop your leg. Was that the case?

“I think I yanked the leg out which caused it to drop. I don’t think my punch had that much power on it. I think he then put his hands back up because he didn’t want me to keep hitting him in the face.”

I thought Bryan Vetell showed a lot of potential against the more experienced Ben Rothwell. How is Bryan’s training going?

“Bryan’s training is good. He’s a great wrestler and a very strong guy, and it’s just something he has to work on as far as the jiu jitsu and boxing go. But he has a good future in MMA for sure.”

Do you do a lot of deadlifts? 

“I do deadlifting, power-cleaning, snatches… I only do deadlifts once a week. I don’t do too much strength training because if you put too much energy into the weights, you’re not going to have the energy for fight training.”

So how did you build such a muscular V-shaped back?

“Well I do pull-ups, Olympic snatches, power cleans… But I keep everything very functional – not like a bodybuilder’s routine. I’ll do two to three sets of one to three reps – heavy weights for low reps, but explosive.

“I get my endurance from the heavy bags, pad work and the sparring. I also do one or two interval workouts and some plyometrics.”

Erik Owings vs. Justin Jones

What’s Renzo like as a coach?

“Renzo is an amazing person; his technical understanding of the fight game is pretty much second to none. If you have a question he always seems to have an answer for you, and he has a really good mind to watch things and learn quickly.”

Do you find he’s a bit too serious and introverted?

“Who’s that?”

Just joking.

“Oh, yeah, Renzo’s definitely a fun, cool guy. But when it comes down to business he can definitely turn it on. What’s great about Renzo is he knows how to leave it on the mat: He’s not 24/7 fighting all the time.”

Do you expect your bout with Ed West to go at a thunder-crack pace?

“I haven’t had a chance to see the video of him – I’m hoping to get it next week. So I don’t know too much about him, but I can imagine being a lightweight fight it will be a high-level, intense fight. I mean the pace is a lot faster than with the heavyweights, and if it goes a couple of rounds… MMA is much the same… First they try to hurt you on your feet and then they try to hurt you on the ground… The lighter the weight classes, the faster the pace.”

How do you think Renzo will go against Carlos Newton?

“I think it will be a take-down battle and a jiu jitsu match.”

Do you think Renzo will win?

“Yeah, of course; I think the last fight was very close and I think he can pull it off. But with jiu jitsu, it only takes one error: If you put your arm out - they can break it. If you put your neck there - they can choke you out. And if you drop your hands in an MMA fight, they can hit you on the chin and knock you out.

“But I think he can win, and I’m sure everyone training with Carlos is saying the same about him.”

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

“I’d like to thank my family and friends who support me, my training partners, and the IFL for making this all happen.”

Your sponsors?

“Fairtex.”

Erik Owings defeats Justin Jones by guillotine