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MARK EPSTEIN Heavy
Hands and a Lion’s Heart
©Marc
Wickert Just
forty-five seconds into round one, Dave Lenego was totally out from a
huge left hook. The
dispatcher of this massive leather tranquilizer was UK’s
light-heavyweight champion, Mark Epstein. It was one of Cage Rage’s
biggest knockouts on record. After this impressive exhibition of savage
‘bestiality’ at CR-17, Mark sent out a challenge to the winner of
the Melvin Manhoef vs. Ian Freeman match to be decided later that night. At
the time of this interview, Mark is relaxing at home, enjoying a rest
day from the busy schedule of preparing to defend his British title
against Ian Freeman. The pair will trade blows on September 30, at
CageRage18: Battleground. Ironically,
it was more or less therapeutic purposes that caused Mark to take up a
fighting system. “I just thought it was a good way of getting rid of
some stress and tension, while at the same time utilizing the discipline
of training. And from a young age, I’ve always managed to get involved
in scraps because I’m naturally quite aggressive,” says Epstein. This
pro MMA fighter, who also does some personal training, suggests his
individuality may have contributed to his altercations on the street:
“Yeah. I’m not typically English. I’m different - in colour and
ethnic background. One of
my parents is Jamaican, and one is English. My mother’s mum was from
Waipiro Bay on New Zealand’s North Island. I’m proud of my Maori
heritage.” According
to Mark’s web site, his circle of friends is also rather varied, with
the list including Mike Tyson, Jenna Jameson and Tim Sylvia. But
surprisingly, Epstein is a totally professional athlete and he rarely
drinks. “It’s only after a fight that I’ll celebrate with a drink
to relax. I’m a lager lad, and I like a cold bottle of Becks, but I
don’t normally drink.” Mark,
do you still train at London Shootfighters? “Yes,
I do.” Were
you happy with your victory over Dave Legeno at Cage Rage 17? “I
was very happy. I thought it was a night where I finished it off nice
and sweet: I gave the crowd what they wanted with a beautiful knockout.
I was well happy with that.” It
was a huge knockout. Was it a left hook, right cross combination? “Yeah.
The right kick set it up, and then the left came, and the right just
followed. It was just a nice combination that I’ve worked on for many
years now. But I’ve never used my kicks that much in MMA because
they’re quite a high risk if you try to kick to the head or get taken
down. Not that I mind the floor. It’s just that I like to keep it
standing. “I
knew that the left put him out straight away, and then I hit him with
the right – just following through – and then I did give him a
little tap on the way over as well. But it was only a little tap on the
way over. Nothing malicious.” Did
you line it up, or did an opening just appear? “I kinda lined it up really. I was aiming for a body kick, hoping he’d block it with his arms and leave his chin open for my left to come over the top. And it was perfect.”
You
haven’t won too many bouts by ankle-lock submissions. Do you like the
finality of the KO? “I
do have submissions, but I like to think of myself as a striker. I like
to bang, and I like to go out with… I’ve been knocked out twice. My
record says more than that, but it’s not. Craig Amer and Cyborg did
put me out. But If you see the DVD of Cage Rage 9, where I had a fight
with Mike Bisping, who just won The Ultimate Fighter 3 series, you’ll
see that I slipped. “You
can blatantly see my back foot slip in a patch of water, but the fight
was stopped and Mike was given it as a knockout. I took Mike Bisping’s
best shots and he never put me out. I don’t think he ever could, but I
would definitely put him to sleep. I know for a fact that I could, and
I’d love a rematch with him. He’s just signed with UFC and there’s
a rumour they’re bringing UFC to England in March. If I beat Freeman
and I’m still the British champion, I think for me to be the champion
I need to beat Mike Bisping – once and for all.” You’ve
won your last five matches, and after your most recent victory, you
called for a fight against the winner of the Ian Freeman vs Melvin
Manhoef bout. However, you’ll be facing Ian and not Melvin at Cage
Rage 18. Will you get to test your skills against Melvin down the track? “I
hope so. I would love to. I mean, Melvin’s one of the best out there,
and I don’t think I’ve got that much longer left. I don’t want to
be going past my forties. Within the next two years I’d love to face
up with Melvin. We’re both big hitters and it’s just who’d be more
durable.” What
do you expect from Ian? “I
expect him to try to get me to the ground and try to punish me – look
for a submission or ground’n’pound. I don’t think he’ll want to
stand with me: He’s seen me knock out a few people. I know he’s got
some power, but I don’t think he has knockout power like mine. I feel
I have a much bigger punch. We will see.” After
Ian’s loss to Melvin, do you think he’ll really want to prove
something against you? “Yeah,
he’ll want to prove… He doesn’t want to go out like that. I’m
not saying I’m going to do the same thing, but hopefully somewhere
down the line I will get a good clean shot on him and I’ll put him to
sleep. That’s what I’d like to do… or if he does want to keep it
on the floor, I’ll ground’n’pound him. What
will be your strengths? “I
think my punching power and my kicks… My takedown defense is quite
good, and is getting better all the time. I believe my standup is going
to be too much for him.” Mark,
is there anything you’d like to add? Hopefully,
one day, I’ll get to display my skills in UFC or PRIDE. I definitely
believe I’m good enough.” Your
sponsors? “Innovation
- a drum and bass music company; Eternal Fitness; and my trainers:
Alexis Demetriades – the main trainer at London Shootfighters; Lee
Whittington – my Muay Thai trainer of UK Warriors; and Alan Ingerfield
– my personal trainer. For
more on Mark Epstein: www.myspace.com/markepstein
Form
more on Cage Rage: www.cagerage.tv
Mark
‘The Beast’ Epstein’s stats MMA
record: 12-7-0 Division:
Light heavyweight Stance:
Orthodox Height:
5’10” Date
of birth: 26 October, 1968 Birthplace:
East London Fighting
out of: Greenwich, London.
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