DALLAS – When you’re one of the most highly touted up-and-coming wrestlers in MMA, a move from one elite training camp to another is going to raise a few eyebrows.
But when Bellator welterweight standout Kyle Crutchmer made the shift from American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif., to Fortis MMA in Dallas, he said it was only so he could put his family first, ahead of what had become his gym family.
He said his longtime wrestling coach at AKA, Daniel Cormier, who is Crutchmer’s mentor and a former two-division UFC champ, helped facilitate the move from California to Fortis under head coach Sayif Saud. Cormier, like Crutchmer, is an Oklahoma State wrestling alum.
“I have a daughter that lives in Dallas, and that was the main reason,” Crutchmer recently told MMA Junkie. “(It was) nothing against AKA or anything, but I heard about Coach Sayif. I talked to DC and they got us here, and we were here for about a month, just trying it out, checking everything out. We just kind of fit in with these guys. I’m a Midwest guy, myself, so it was an easy transition.”
Crutchmer started his MMA career hot at 5-0 before he dropped a decision to Kemran Lachinov at Bellator 294. After three straight decision wins, Crutchmer was upset by Jaleel Willis this past December.
Next month, Crutchmer (9-2 MMA, 5-2 BMMA) will try to get back in the win column when he takes on Bobby Nash (12-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) at Bellator 297 in Chicago. Nash fill be making his Bellator debut, but he has three UFC fights on his resume in 2017 – all three knockout setbacks to Li Jingliang, Danny Roberts and Song Kenan.
But because Nash is a Michigan State wrestling product and there’s a built-in Big 10 (MSU) vs. Big 12 (Oklahoma State) rivalry, this one has some extra intrigue.
“He wrestled at Michigan State,” Crutchmer said. “He’s a Big 10 wrestler vs. Big 12. There’s a rivalry there a little bit with that. But I respect all the wrestlers. I’m just ready to go out and perform and then put a different show on than maybe what I’ve put on before.
“Coming from AKA, everybody knows that style. So I’m just kind of blending the Fortis style of Coach Sayif, learning from these guys, and trying to blend everything. I’m about five years into this. A lot of these guys have been fighting a long time. I’m still blending these things. I’m still learning and I’m still excited. That’s the best thing about me right now is I still get excited about coming and learning these things.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 297.