Tom Shoaff Looks to Stay Undefeated

November 30th, 2011

At first glance, Tom Shoaff doesn’t look like he punches people for a living. The grey pea coat and button-up might deceive the casual onlooker, but a closer look paints a different picture. The small bruises around the eye, the tattoos on the neck and wrist, the purple stuff (we assume is a recovery drink) that he carries around in an empty water gallon, all give the impression that he can knock motherfuckers out.

 

Ok, so none of that stuff really gives us any indication that Tom Shoaff can knockout people, but sitting down and hearing Shoaff passionately talk about what he loves leaves us with little doubt where this kid’s heart lies.

 

We sat down with the undefeated 23-year-old to talk about his training, his fighting style, and his upcoming fight at Invasion 4 this Friday. Here’s what he said:

 

 How long have you been an MMA instructor?

I started instructing when I was 20. I was living in Oklahoma and they had a gym that had just opened up. It was actually opened up by a guy called Grady Brewer. He won The Contender in 2006, so it was mainly a boxing gym. But he had mat space, and we opened up an MMA program. I started instructing real low-level stuff. I wanted everyone to know that, ‘Hey, I’m not a black belt, I’m not the best fighter in the world, I just enjoy teaching people what I know.’

 

What are your strengths as a fighter?

My stand-up. My stand-up is my bread and butter. I was with a camp that is mainly a boxing and kickboxing gym. I was with them for a little over a year, and all we did was box. So I was on my feet for 14-15 months. That’s where my heart and soul lies.

I’m training with a lot of great guys at Carlson Gracie, and we’re really working on my ground game, putting everything together, blending everything, and molding me into a well-rounded mixed martial artist.

 

So that’s what you want to be, you don’t want to be a specialist?

Absolutely. I wouldn’t mind my stand-up being a step above the rest of my game, but that’s only if my ground game is up to par with everybody else. I definitely want to be well-rounded, but I love using my hands. So if I can keep it upright, I’m going to.

 

You said you were working on your ground game, have you been focusing on anything else for this upcoming fight?

At this level of competition we tend to work on things for any opponent. So it’s all about working on general basics.

For this particular fight I just want to keep the fight on the feet. I’ve always said that I’ve got really good hands, I’ve got really fast hands, and I’m accurate with my punches. But in my last three fights I haven’t really gotten a chance to show that. I haven’t really gotten a chance to show the fans that I’ve got machine guns in my hands and I know how to use them. So that’s what I want to do in this fight, I want to keep him on his feet and pick him apart.

 

What’s your dominant hand?

I’m right handed, but I’ve got a real mean left hook. I drop a lot of people with overshots in the gym. It’s probably one of my favorite punches.

 

You’re undefeated. I read on your gym’s site that you feel like you ‘have a target on your back.’ Is that true?

I do and I don’t. Everyone always wants to give someone their first loss. That’s guaranteed. But a lot of people, I don’t want to sound arrogant or egotistical, but when you have a record like mine, you tend to get a lot of people running away from you rather than to you.

I have 14 MMA fights and I’ve won all of them, I’ve won a muay thai fight, and two boxing bouts. That’s 17 fights in the last five years. I’ve only had one fight go to a decision, and I’ve had only two fights go past the second round. So when you have a display of dominance like that, people see that and say, ‘Yeah I want to setup to the challenge and see what this guy has.’ But nine times out of ten people aren’t going to want that. They’re going to run away from that.

 

Where do you see yourself five years from now?

I honestly don’t know. I’m willing to take this as far as I can. I love this sport. I love training. I love teaching. So if I can take it to the next level, which I want to do, which I intend to do, then I’m going to. I’m going to put everything I have into this. I feel that I was given a gift, I was given an opportunity, and I’m going to use this gift and opportunity to see where I can take it. So maybe we can talk in five years and see where things have gone.

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Tom Shoaff trains and instructs at Carlson Gracie Team MMA, and will be fighting at Invasion 4 in Aurora.

 

Michael Claire -Onlinesportfreaks.com