UFC recruit Tom Breese; “I’ve stopped everyone I’ve fought, I’m going to keep stopping them”

For those familiar with the regional circuit in the UK and Europe, it would have come as no surprise when the news emerged on Monday night that the UFC had added undefeated welterweights Nicolas Dalby and Tom Breese to their ranks.

While Dalby may be more recognisable given his time as the Cage Warriors 170lbs champion, submission specialist Breese has been under the radar, steadily destroying all in his path to the big show. He tells Severe MMA about sparring with GSP and rolling with Renzo Gracie.

Tom Breese is a perfect example of what Joe Rogan describes as the ‘new breed’ of fighter. Those that are a template for the future, who have by-passed all traditional forms and trained solely for MMA.

The 23-year-old, as his record denotes, has a penchant for grappling but his education in unarmed combat has been comprehensive. He began training at 16 in his native Birmingham and, after a stellar amateur career, turned pro less than two years later. In that time, MMA is all he’s known.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htH3YcQqxTc

“I got into in MMA just when it was becoming really popular and I was lucky enough to jump into an MMA gym straight away, unlike most people who start in a specific martial art. But I’ve always liked jiu-jitsu and submission grappling. I’ve got a big passion for jiu-jitsu and I try to compete in it as much as possible,” he said.

In his seven professional fights, Breese has yet to go the distance. Six of those victories have come by way of submission, with a KO thrown in for good measure.

After defeating Warren Kee for the BAMMA welterweight title in December 2012, he travelled to the famed Tristar Gym in Montreal, to further hone his craft. While there, he unexpectedly found himself as a training partner for then UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre.

“I had just won the BAMMA title and I went to Montreal just to improve my skills and get some high-level training, and during one of the training sessions they asked if there was any southpaws in the gym and I ended up sparring with Georges St. Pierre.

“Then they wanted me to stay because I was useful, particularly because GSP was fighting a tough southpaw in Nick Diaz, so I stayed the whole eight weeks. For those eight weeks I was training with the best-of-the-best. John Danaher would come down twice a week and I got a lot of attention from the coaches in those eight weeks and learned so much.”

In the summer of 2013 he penned a five-fight deal with Cage Warriors and returned to Montreal to train for his promotional debut. However, disaster then struck, when he tore his ACL, which meant an almost two-year absence from competition.

The rehab process was a resounding success and he took the decision to reside permanently in Montreal, where he lives in the Tristar dorms, next door to the gym. He made his Cage Warriors debut last November and, true to form, submitted Thibaud Larchet in the third round.

He says training under the guise of Firas Zahabi and his coaches has been incredibly educational and, despite his relative youth, expected the call from the UFC to come sooner rather than later.

“Georges (St. Pierre) has taught so much about how to train, as has Firas Zahabi and Eric O’Keefe. With John Danaher, I go down to Renzo Gracie’s every now and then, and I’m actually going down there to train with John very soon. In those first eight weeks, the contacts that I made have really set me up.

“I knew I was close (to the UFC). I’m training with the best guys in the world and I’m improving all the time. I feel like the UFC is where I belong and it’s where I’m going to stay for the rest of my career.”

Since his arrival in early February, to prepare for his recent successful UFC debut, Breese has struck up a friendship with Ireland’s Joseph Duffy, who, like him, is managed by Intensifi.

“Joe came into the dorms so I spent a lot of time with him outside the gym. He’s become a real good friend. It’s been good for me because he’s from Ireland, a similar neck of the woods, and he’s on the same level as me. He’s very determined and disciplined; I like to surround myself with good people, and he’s a good person.”

He says the UFC have given him a date for his Octagon debut, though he’s waiting for the promotion to make the official announcement. He recognises that a bump in competition awaits him, particularly in the densely populated welterweight division, but believes his training has prepared him for all eventualities.

“There’s no doubt I’m going to be well prepared; I train with the best. There’s no area that’s going to be left uncovered. Of course it’s going to be a step-up because it’s the premier MMA organisation. But I’ve stopped everyone I’ve fought so they have to step me up or I’m going to keep stopping them and, in my opinion, I’m going to stop people at the higher level as well.”

@oldmanrooney

Photo: CageWarriors