Daniel Puder is a perfect 3-0 in his new Ultimate Fighting
career
He can punch, kick, tackle, hold and wrestle his opponents, with
the hope that they either get knocked out or give up by tapping for
mercy on the mat.
About the only thing that Daniel Puder can’t do when competing
inside his Ultimate Fighting cage is pull hair, kick his opponent
in the groin, draw blood or manipulate small joints, like fingers
and toes.
Daniel Puder is a perfect 3-0 in his new Ultimate Fighting career
He can punch, kick, tackle, hold and wrestle his opponents, with the hope that they either get knocked out or give up by tapping for mercy on the mat.
About the only thing that Daniel Puder can’t do when competing inside his Ultimate Fighting cage is pull hair, kick his opponent in the groin, draw blood or manipulate small joints, like fingers and toes.
On Friday, March 10 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Puder, who works out and lives part time in Morgan Hill, will be competing in the first-ever Ultimate Fighting event in the state of California.
Puder, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 230 pounds, will be fighting in the heavyweight division against an opponent that is yet to be named.
The main event will take place between former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight king Frank Shamrock (20-7-1) and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black-belt Cesar Gracie (14-0).
Six years ago Puder was the top wrestler in the Central Coast Section’s 217-pound division. Despite entering the CCS tournament with a broken hand, Puder won the section title that year as a senior at Monte Vista High School, the same year his family moved to Morgan Hill.
Capitalizing on his Hulk-like frame and wrestling skills, after graduation Puder would soon become a professional Mixed Martial Arts fighter.
Today, he is 4-0 in professional bouts and had a perfect 3-0 record as an amateur.
Puder’s first big break came in October 2004 when he was selected among thousands of applicants to compete in the World Wrestling Entertainment’s first-ever $1 million Tough Enough Challenge.
Puder gained national recognition a few weeks into the contest when he nearly made 1996 Olympic Gold Medallist Kurt Angle tap out on national television.
By out-dueling the already-famous MTV Real World celebrity, Puder was voted the Tough Enough Champion.
Winning that contest allowed the 24-year-old to pocket $250,000, which he receives through 2008.
After winning the Tough Enough Challenge, Puder would soon compete on the WWE circuit.
Last year, he competed in the WWE’s 2005 Royal Rumble. Realizing his talent and marketability, he was enlisted in WWE’s Ohio Valley Wrestling developmental territory, where he continued his training, perfecting an unbreakable submission maneuver called the “Key Lock.”
Despite a successful, eight-month stint with the WWE, Puder opted not to re-sign his contract with them and chose instead to pursue a career in the Mixed Martial Arts field.
“The WWE offered me a bad contract,” Puder said. “I said no to it. They were paying me $5,000 at first then they wanted me to sign for $750 a week and I would have had to travel 250 days a year.”
Instead, he opted to sign with Strike Force in order to compete in Ultimate Fighting events.
With Strike Force he only has to fight three times a year. At the San Jose event and every other, he’ll get paid a minimum of $10,000 a fight in addition to anything he generates from endorsements.
“They want to build me up for the next two years and work me up through the ranks. Eventually, I’ll fight for a heavyweight belt,” Puder said.
Signing with Strike Force also allows Puder to develop his other business ventures, which also includes a nonprofit organization that focuses on strength training for youth.
Ultimate Fights comprise three, five-minute rounds. Matches are either won by knockout, tap out (where one person decides that he’s had enough) or by decision.
“(I’m successful because) I have more heart than anyone else. I train hard and I have the best coaches,” said Puder, who also works out at San Jose’s American Kickboxing Academy. “I like the coaches that I have and the discipline (that you get from the sport) is always good too.”
During an Ultimate Fight Puder is all business.
“I don’t think whatsoever,” he said. “If you think, your reaction time is way too slow. I’m real focused; that’s how it should be.”
Although he’s had less than 10 fights, Puder believes that his amateur wrestling experiences in high school helped him tremendously in his new sport.
“It helps me a ton,” he said. “My amateur wrestling career is the reason why I’m good at this.”
Although he’s had a great deal of success in the cage, his parents are somewhat apprehensive about his unique career choice.
“People think Ultimate Fighting is more violent,” Puder said. “But overall people who do this live longer and they’re able to speak better than some kick boxers. My parents don’t like the violence part of it. They don’t want me to get hurt. Overall, I understand. No parent wants their kid to get hurt.”
At the HP Pavilion Puder will be fighting in front some 12,000 ruckus fans that will not only include his parents but also every friend he knows.
“I know all of my friends are going,” said Puder, who will fight all of his future fights in San Jose. “It will pump me up.”
For more information on the event or to purchase tickets, go to www.danielpuder.com.
