By Tom Rohrer
True dedication for a sport means an athlete will put themselves through unbearable pain and strenuous training in order to reach victory.
For mixed martial arts fighter Dennis Hallman, that dedication and personal sacrifice has driven the Olympia area fighter to a successful career in the UFC, one that has lasted through parts of three decades.
The Yelm High School graduate (class of 1994), who won a state championship for the Tornadoes, will fight in Las Vegas on Saturday, Sept. 1, against Thiago Tavares, part of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 151 on Pay Per View.
With an all-time record of 66-12-2 in official fights, the 36-year old Hallman, who goes by Superman, has put together a consistent career in the lightweight division using a slew of submission and wrestling tactics he began developing at a young age.
“The ground for Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is basically wrestling and I’ve been training in wrestling my whole life,” Hallman said via phone interview with ThurstonTalk.com. “When I was growing up, I was a baby wrestler, and as I got older, I really had to learn to understand the core of wrestling and to be tough. I was able to do that and put my mind in places where others cannot.”
Now on the forefront of the worldwide sporting conscience, MMA and the UFC has had a long journey towards acceptance, one that is surreal for Hallman.
“It’s pretty surreal, especially when I started and people were telling me it was the most violent and disgusting sport,” Hallman said. “I was at times threatened to be arrested just by participating. Now, the same people are saying it’s the next great thing. I never thought it would turn into the fastest growing sport in the world.”
That shift from underground to mainstream has taken place in the Thurston County area as well.
“When the training programs started, it was me and my garage,” Hallman said. “Now actually, the local gyms consist of Victory Athletcis, Eddie Ellis United Fight Team on Martin Way, the Academy of Brian Johnson and Team Quest from Portland opened in Lacey recently. There has been a huge shift in popularity and in turn with increased training participation.”
While the sport has grown in popularity, MMA is not for everyone.
“People don’t have any idea what it really consists of, especially at the higher levels of the sport,” Hallman said. “What we go through is something the average individual couldn’t manage. I’ve been able to maintain the physical aspect since I’ve been doing it and have never stopped to take a break from the sport. The mental aspect, you have to be a certain type of person to fight another person. There is that huge violent aspect to the sport.”
Leading up to fights, Hallman must cut weight while maintaining physical strength and endurance, a demanding process to an athlete’s psyche. However, following the weight cut endeavor, Hallman focuses on the fight at hand, while blocking out other distractions.
“Leading up to the fight, the biggest thing is making weight at 155 lbs., and losing 25 pounds of water weight, which is a fight in itself,” Hallman said. “After I make the weight, my mind switches over. I don’t try to think about (the fight) too much. I really have competed so many times that the crowd doesn’t really affect me. I really don’t hear too much of the crowd and I just picture me and the opponent at home in my gym. If I focus like that, I perform better. Realistically, when you are training, the best and worst days are in the practice room and I try to emulate the best practice day and ask myself how I feel with my hand raised in victory and try to make that vision happen.”
Hallman’s long and illustrious career could not have been made possible without the support of his wife Brenda, four children and his parents.
“My wife, I met her when I first started fighting and she’s been really supportive when I’m cutting weight and performing,” Hallman said. “She tries to let me do my own thing, and instead of holding onto things I say, she lets them roll off of her. It takes a special person to be able to put up with someone putting themselves through something so physically demanding. My parents have been so supportive beginning when I started fighting at 19. They have been really helpful when I’m on the road with my four kids. It truly takes a village to produce a fighter.”
For more information on Dennis Hallman, his fight results and the upcoming fight in Las Vegas, visit www.ufc.com/fighter/Dennis-Hallman.
