Canada’s Joe Doerksen is at home in Winnipeg, Manitoba at the time of this interview. With the IFL semifinals approaching on November 2, the enterprising Joe is looking to the heavens for inspiration. “I did a workout this morning and I’m just relaxing – watching Star Trek. I’m a little bit of a Trekkie, but not real bad. I don’t dress up,” laughs Doerksen.

After recently turning 29, Joe says he celebrated his birthday by going out with a bunch of friends one night and having a few drinks; then he had his whole family together the next night. With a 36-9 MMA record, Joe has already crammed a lot of quality fight-time into those years.  

But it was through viewing more earthly programs that Doerksen first became involved in a fighting art. “Basically it was because I was a kid watching martial arts movies, and they interested me; so I thought I’d try it. It became a hobby and I never quit.”

It appears with many fighters that one reason they take to their chosen sport is because they prefer the individual competition rather than being swallowed up by team sport. And Joe Doerksen is very much an individual, who says he was never really into the league competitions. “I played a little bit of baseball and some volleyball, but I never really got into any one of those.”

Fortunately for Joe, and a lot of other MMA athletes, the IFL seems to allow fighters to be members of a team, whilst they are also able to shine as individuals. When Doerksen competes for the Dragons in Oregon on November 2, his main concern will be to add another scalp to his own impressive record.

Joe, are you still working in construction, or are you a professional athlete now?

“I gave up the construction job a few months ago. It’s kinda fun now wondering how to fill in the extra hours in the day without watching too much Star Trek.”

Joe Doerksen vs Brian Foster

Most of your victories have been through BJJ submissions. What other fighting disciplines do you have for your background?

“I’ve been working my stand-up for the last four or five years – mostly Muay Thai, but a little bit of boxing – and I’ve also worked with some wrestlers in the last few years.”

Do you use wrestling positioning to set up your submissions?

“You know, wrestling’s definitely not my strongest point, but I’ve found that when I use my hands to throw punches first, it works better. I don’t usually go for a takedown until I’ve hit someone with a solid punch first.”

To soften them up, Joe?

“Yeah, take them down while they’re still dizzy.”

MMA seems to be very popular in Canada, and it has produced a lot of stars in the sport. Do Canadians tend to go in for the more physical sports like MMA, ice hockey, etc.?

“I don’t really follow the sports scene here. Hockey has never been something that I’ve been a big fan of: I mean, I don’t hate it, but it’s definitely not something that I’m a big fan of. And fighting is a little different to most team sports.”

That’s what attracts you to it, isn’t it?

“That for me is the biggest thing. We train as a team, but we compete alone.”

You have a wealth of experience. What’s it like fighting four-minute rounds now?

“I think the four-minute round is a good idea: It changes the pace and makes the fighters naturally more aggressive, knowing that they are short on time. And I think it makes for a more exciting fight; the fighters are just going to go out there and be more aggressive.”

Renzo Gracie took out Pat Miletich with a standing guillotine, and Daniel Gracie took out Wes Sims with a standing rear naked choke. Now that strikers are defending well against the takedowns, are we seeing a new trend where grapplers are adapting their skills to work in the stand-up game?

“You know, that’s an interesting question: I hadn’t really thought about it. It’s a possibility – not so much that the grapplers are adapting, but if the strikers are too focused on staying on their feet, it’s more likely that the strikers are so focused on avoiding the ground, that they’re making other mistakes.”

Doerksen vs Foster

Are you looking forward to the semifinals in Oregon on November2nd?

“Yes. Things are going well, my training’s going well, and I’m anxious to get out there and fight again. The fights are six weeks apart, and I’ve fought a lot over the past few years, with the matches close together. So for me, it’s not too big a problem backing up. I’m just excited to be fighting again.”

What will Ryan McGivern’s strengths be?

“I think Ryan has well-rounded skills; obviously he won’t be easy to catch with a submission, but I think I can do it.”

Will you be stronger in the stand-up game?

“That’s hard to gauge: I don’t know too much about his stand-up game. I’ve only seen him fight one time… He’s a tall guy and he’s got a long reach, and that could present some problems, but the thing is that I know I have a good chin, and if I do make a mistake and get hit, it’s not going to end the fight. I also know that I have heavy hands…”

Do you think he’ll be happy to keep it standing, or will he want to wrestle?

“I think he’ll do the same thing I do: I think he’ll come out and try standing for a little while, but if I hurt him with a punch, I think the wrestling side will take over and he’ll try for a takedown.”

Are you expecting an upset from the Dragons?

“I think the team was underestimated in the first round and we came out and won. I believe we have just as good a chance of winning as the Silverbacks do.”

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

“I’m happy that there are fans in Australia who are interested. I’m flattered. And I just hope I put on a good show when I fight next.”

Joe Doerksen looking relaxed in pre-fight shot

It’s 4.30pm on Good Friday in Winnipeg, and MMA star Joe Doerksen is at home, busily playing Halo 3 with a buddy when the action is interrupted by the telephone, and Joe graciously stops to talk about his upcoming bout with Jason MacDonald at UFC 83.

“I worked out a little bit at noon – did some grappling with a couple of buddies, and I’m going to have dinner with my family for Easter at home,” says Doerksen.

“There are two grappling schools in Winnipeg and each is run by a blackbelt. I train with both of them from time to time. One is Rodrigo Munduruca and the other is Curtis Brigham. Those are the two main grappling guys that I’m training with.

“Then there are my main training partners that I’m working with as well: There are too many to list, like really good striking guys and really good grapplers, and a couple of guys who do both. So things are going pretty well, and in the next week or two, Jeremy Horn will be showing up for me to train with for two weeks before I leave. I’m very much looking forward to working with him.”

And Joe is pleased to be fighting at the first UFC to be held in Canada, after all 21,000 tickets were snatched up by eager fans within the first day. “It’s quite an honor to be included on that card, actually – I’m very excited about it. It’s a big deal and I’m very happy to be one of the people chosen to fight.”

But Joe says he was not too surprised by the public’s response when the tickets did go on sale. “No, not really. I know that Canadian MMA fans are wild and crazy; they like their fights. I was a little surprised that it sold out so quickly, but I wasn’t surprised that they sold out. I think everyone was surprised that they went so fast.”

Joe, you’re competing against a fellow Canadian. Does that up the stakes for you?

“You know what? Not really. I have a personal interest in winning this fight because I lost to Jason a few years ago, but at the end of the day, the job is the same as always: It doesn’t matter if he’s Canadian or American, or whatever country he’s from. A fight is a fight and I’ve got work to do, and I’m going to go do it.”

So do you see yourself as more of an international professional athlete rather than a Canadian fighter?

“I would say so because most of my early fights were done in the US. It was very difficult to find fights at home when I first started fighting. It’s easier now, but now I’m fighting for the UFC. I’ve had a lot more fights outside of Canada than I have had in Canada. I’m a Canadian and I like fighting, so I guess I’m a Canadian fighter, but I don’t put too much emphasis on being Canadian. Being Canadian is important to me and I like the country I live in, but I’m not trying to prove anything by being a Canadian fighter – I just want to go and do my job like I always do.”

You touched on this a little bit before, but Jason took the victory against you at Ultimate Cage Wars 3: Caged Inferno. Does that provide more motivation for you in training for this upcoming contest?

“Yeah, the fight was a good one, but I felt that I could have done something differently… I felt that something shifted the momentum of the fight in his favor that doesn’t happen all the time: I got cut early on in the fight, and I felt that that had a negative effect on my performance. And I’ve always said that, given the opportunity, I’d fight him again, and now I’ve been given the opportunity, so I’m very excited.”

In the last few years you’ve been focusing on your stand-up: How is it going these days?

“I’m always working it and I’m more and more comfortable all the time. Obviously, old habits die hard, but I think Jason, being another grappler, is a really good fighter for me to stand up with. I think the ground game is where the fight is going to be most competitive, and I think that my stand-up is better than his, so now I’m going to have to try to prove it.

“My game plan is very simple: I want to stay on my feet. I think he knows it and I’ve said it out loud before. I’m not trying to hide it from anybody. I think it’s the most intelligent thing to do – the most obvious choice. So that’s what I’m going to try to do.”

Do you expect to have heavier hands than Jason?

“I believe so. I believe that he’s got the reach advantage, but in terms of who has the heavier hands, I think that’s me all day long. It’s just a matter of being able to land them and that’s going to be the trick – to find a way past his reach and start scoring some blows without getting taken down.”

Will cardio preparation be a factor?

“He’s notorious for being in great shape, every time he fights, so he won’t gas. I have a very good strength and conditioning coach; I’m not ever going to worry about gassing again. He’s pushing me pretty hard and he’s got me in very good shape, very good condition. I won’t gas out. I think if we had a five-round fight and something bad happened that caused me to fight differently, or if I were injured and freaking out panicking, maybe I could get tired in the fourth or fifth round. But in a three-round fight I won’t get tired – not in the condition I’m in.”

You both have UFC experience, but will your experience from fighting 50 bouts be an advantage in settling into your game plan?

“I think having more experience is an advantage up to a point, but Jason’s had more than twenty fights, and after about twenty fights I don’t see… you know… twenty fights, forty fights… I really don’t see it being a really big difference. If I had twenty fights and my opponent only had two, I would say then there’s a huge advantage.”

What do you see as Jason’s strengths?

“I think his conditioning is a huge strength; his ground game is very good; he has an awkward style that’s hard to deal with and he’s long and lean, which can cause some problems; and he’s difficult to finish – he’s a survivor and can get through a lot of difficult positions and still come back. So he’s definitely not someone to be taken lightly.”

How are you going to notch up your 40^th win?

“I’m going to keep my hands up for a change, and then land some punches. I’m going to go for a knockout in this fight. I’m going to try to punch him in the body, punch him in the head, and just do some damage. I know that I have heavy hands and I don’t have to swing hard, I just have to move my body around the ring and throw a high volume of punches. I think once they start to land they’re going to start doing damage.”

Your sponsors?

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

“Basically, I want to say once again I’m excited to be fighting in the UFC. It’s a dream come true every time they put me in there and I hope that I can give the fans some entertainment while I’m in there.”