|
JEREMY HORN
The Perfect 30th
Birthday Present
© Marc Wickert
www.knucklepit.com
All photos copyright 2004 Zuffa LLC
Photography by Joshua Hedges On August 20, 2005, light heavyweights Jeremy Horn and Chuck Liddell will meet again in battle at UFC 54: Boiling Point - just days before Horn celebrates his 30th birthday. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, on August 25, 1975, 6’1" Jeremy made a living as a construction worker whilst spending his free time training to be a no-holds-barred fighter. "It was just something to do – a hobby," says Horn. His unofficial N-H-B debut resembled a scene from Charles Bronson’s The Street Fighter movie, when Jeremy accepted an invitation to compete in a bout at Atlanta, only to discover the stadium was in fact an old warehouse where bare-knuckle tournaments were held. Despite the venue, Jeremy scored his first victory. Horn eventually hooked up with MMA manager Monte Cox, who arranged for Jeremy to compete in some of the more up-market MMA events. He then met Pat Miletich and moved to Davenport, Iowa, in 1999, where he trained with - and helped coach - members of Team Miletich. During this time, Jeremy made his Octagon debut as an underdog against Frank Shamrock at UFC’s Night of Champions. After dominating the match throughout regulation time, Jeremy made a mistake that cost him the bout during extended time. For UFC 19: Young Guns, at a time when first rounds were set for a duration of 12 minutes, Horn defeated Chuck Liddell by side choke. Like a poised boa constrictor, in the closing moments of the round, Jeremy wrapped his legs tightly around Liddell’s waist and applied the choke. But it wasn’t discovered Liddell was unconscious until the end of round one. When Big John McCarthy moved in to separate the fighters before the bout went into overtime, it became apparent Chuck wasn’t conscious, which surprised both McCarthy and Horn. "I didn’t realise he was out until I let go of the choke as the bell rang," says Jeremy. Today, Horn runs his own Elite Performance gym in Salt Lake City. "There are a lot of guys I’ve met over the years who come out to train with me from time to time, but generally, on a day-to-day basis, it’s just the guys here that I teach. I’m not with the Team Miletich fighters any more: They’re in Iowa and I’m out here. We’re still friends, and I get along with all of them, but we’re kinda doing our own things now." A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since Jeremy and Chuck last squared off. In their previous match they fought as middleweights rather than as light heavyweights, and Chuck was allowed to wear shoes during the bout. Now with an impressive career of over100 fights behind him, the thing Horn doesn’t expect to change for his second meeting with Liddell is the outcome. And already this year Jeremy has notched up victories over Aitor Canup (IFC), Josh Burkman (XFC), William Hill (EC), and Kazuki Okuba (Euphoria).
Jeremy, do you think Chuck will want to keep the fight standing at all costs? "Oh, of course." Will he be going for an early KO? "I’m sure he will." You’ve never been knocked out, have you? "No, I have not." And you don’t intend to be. "I don’t intend to start it happening, right." Randy Couture said he’s never seen you in better shape, and he hopes Chuck isn’t taking you lightly. Do you think Chuck sees this as an easy victory? "You know, I don’t know. Chuck’s a pretty confident guy. So it wouldn’t surprise me to find out he’s taking me lightly and not training the way he should. But on the other hand, it really burns him that I beat him the first time, so he might be taking this very seriously and training really, really hard. I don’t know. I’m assuming he’s training really, really hard." If you win this fight on August 20, will you be seeking revenge against Randy after you last fought at King of the Rings in 2000? "I don’t know what the UFC has in mind. I’m sure that will be down the road somewhere. I’m sure that will happen. It was a good fight the first time, and I’m sure they are going to want to see it again, but I don’t know if it will be right away." How are you going to win this bout next week? "However it comes to me." Do you expect to win on the ground? "I don’t know what will happen. You know, I’m going to take whatever he gives me - obviously at the first opportunity." Jeremy, is there anything you’d like to add? "Just to say hello to the fans. I’m always appreciative of any fans I have. That’s for sure." Your sponsors? "Tap Out, Full Contact Fighter, KTFO, and Fairtex."
For more on UFC 54: Boiling Point – www.ufc.tv.
|
