Exclusive: Louis Fisette wants a chance to prove his worth in the UFC | MMA News
Louis “Petit Pain” Fisette (5-1 MMA) is quickly making a name for himself in MMA’s 135-pound division. The Canadian bantamweight standout has reeled off five straight victories, with all five wins coming by way of stoppage.
Fisette, who hails from Winnipeg, Manitoba, most recently saw action at “AFC 13 – Natural Selection” on November 3rd in Victoria, British Columbia. The “WAMMA” trained fighter, Fisette, took just 37 seconds to dispose of his opponent Diego Wilson, ending the contest with a one-punch KO.
“Petit Pain” sat down with Chris Taylor of bjpenn.com to talk about his young MMA career and his plans for the future. Here is their conversation:
Taylor: First off, I want to say congratulations on your recent victory over Diego Wilson at AFC 13. The win came by way of a one-punch KO only 37 seconds into the first round if I’m correct?
Fisette: Thank you! Yea, it was a solid left hook that landed 37 seconds into the first round.
Taylor: Awesome, so it’s probably safe to assume that you couldn’t be happier with the way things turned out at “AFC 13 – Natural Selection”?
Fisette: Yea the fight went absolutely as planned. I was honestly expecting a war, I figured I would win late in the fight or even drag out a decision. I have never KO’d anyone in my life, so it felt great!
Taylor: I bet. Although it was your first official KO, you’re no stranger to finishing fights. All five of your wins have come by form of stoppage, 3 of the 5 by way of submission?
Fisette: Well you know, fans pay to see exciting fights. Nobody wants to see the “lay and pray” style that some safer fighters like. The fans are the ones who pay my bills so I’m going to give them what they want. I am always looking to finish the fight regardless of where it takes place. Whether standing, or on the ground, I’m trying to end it!
Taylor: Speaking of the fans paying your bills, what is life like for a fighter in the Canadian MMA circuit? Your only 22 years-old but I’m sure you have bills to pay, is fighting everything or do you also work?
Fisette: Haha well the pay isn’t great. Most guys in the circuit can’t just live off of fighting, most guys try to juggle it while working fulltime. I do have a fulltime job at MTS working at a desk all day. Not ideal, but it pays the bills.
Taylor: Your last 2 fights have been with the Aggression Fighting Championship (AFC) promotion, are you currently under contract with them?
Fisette: Currently, I am not under contract with anyone. I am looking into signing a multi-fight deal, but for now I am just fielding offers and seeing what types of options are out there. In regards to AFC, they treat us so well. I love the quality of event they put on and love fighting for those guys in general.
Taylor: You train out of WAMMA (Winnipeg Academy of Mixed Martial Arts). Tell me a bit about your gym and getting to train under a great coach like Curtis Brigham. How has he helped mentor you in your young MMA career?
Fisette: Curtis is one of the best guys you will ever meet. He’s not only a great coach but also a very good friend. He really makes his “Jits” and training work effectively in the MMA game. He is by far one of the best Jiu-Jitsu instructors for MMA. He’s super supportive and always willing to help me out. As far as WAMMA goes, all the guys there are great. Eric Perez has been working my stand-up for the past few months, and clearly that has really helped. And then Roland Delorme making the UFC has really given me the extra confidence that I can compete at that next level.
Taylor: Your head trainer Curtis has been in the cage with the likes of Sean Sherk, Eric Perez has fought numerous times for CFC (Canadian Fighting Championship), Delorme is 2-1 in the UFC and you’re on a 5-fight win streak.. Safe to say things are going well at WAMMA and Winnipeg is producing some solid young talent.
Fisette: We just have a great group of guys who can all push each other in different aspects of the game. When I fight with a guy of Rolly, Curtis or Eric’s skills, I might be in for some work. But, I can hang with all of those guys and believe I could beat any of them. So that in itself gives me the confidence to bang with any 135ers out there.
Taylor: For sure. So what are your future aspirations in the sport? You have only been fighting professionally since January 2011 and already have 6 bouts under your belt. Being that you’re on a 5-fight win streak, with all wins coming by stoppage, are you hoping to get the call from one of the premier MMA organizations?
Fisette: Yea you know, some people might not think that I am ready for the next step, but I feel like I can hang with the guys in the big show. At the rate I’ve been learning and with a few more fights, I don’t see why I wouldn’t get the call. I’m not saying I am the next big thing, but I put on exciting fights and always come ready to scrap. If that is what the big organizations are looking for then why not me?
Taylor: If you got the chance, what would you say to Dana White or Lorenzo Fertitta in regards to campaigning for a job?
Fisette: I’d just say look, you’ve seen what Roland Delorme can do in the UFC octagon, give me my chance. I’ve never been in a boring fight. I fight to finish guys and put on a show. Just look at my record, I lost my first pro-fight (which was a FOTN winner) and since then I have finished 5 solid opponents. It’s a win win really. You sign me, you get a young talented fighter who is gonna put on a show. Worst case scenario, I come in and put on a hell of a show and lose. Oh, and I have got good hair haha.
Taylor: Haha well said. Have you ever considered taking the “TUF” route like your training partner Roland Delorme?
Fisette: Yea for sure. Last time around I was too young and didn’t even have enough fights to apply. If they were to put on a 135 or 145 pound show again I would apply in a heartbeat.
Taylor: So obviously getting to the “Big Show” (UFC) is your ultimate goal, but what will keep you happy until you get that opportunity?
Fisette: I just want to keep putting on good fights, beating solid opponents and making some cash while I am at it. Keep on the same route that I’m on now and continue to work myself up the ranks. Ideally I would like to be able to train fulltime and not have to work, but till then I’ll just keep grinding towards my dream.
Taylor: UFC officials have confirmed that the organization will hold 5 events in Canada in 2013. Surely two of those shows will be held in Montreal and Toronto, but there is potential that your hometown of Winnipeg could host an event. As a fan and as a fighter, how excited would you be to see the UFC come to Winnipeg?
Fisette: I think that would really open a lot of people’s eyes and give exposure to MMA in Winnipeg. And hopefully they could use some good local talent on the card as well. Personally, I’d love to see the UFC come to Winnipeg.
Taylor: For sure, and it is well known that the UFC likes to use local talent when fighting in Canada so maybe we will see you in the octagon sooner than later.
Fisette: Let’s hope! That would be a dream-come true for sure. It is weird thinking that my dream, that was exactly that a few years ago, just a total DREAM, could come true in the near future. All of the hard work is finally paying off and I can taste it man. It’s no longer unimaginable to think that I could fight in the UFC in the near future.
Taylor: How do you stay motivated in working towards your dream? With training everyday and working fulltime, it must get exhausting.
Fisette: Yea, there are definitely some days where I just need to sit back with the girlfriend and relax. My last 2 fights, I haven’t had a break in between, so it’s nice this week to just sit around and watch movies and take my girlfriend out to dinner haha. Staying motivated though just comes from me really wanting it. I have a great support system with my family, my girlfriends family, my girlfriend, and my gym friends. They keep me on the right track and I use them as fuel to keep me going. I have so much support and really no excuse not to succeed. PLUS, it is really easy to get motivated when you know someone else is training to punch you in the face haha. I have to train just as hard to punch him in the face y’know haha.
Taylor: What type of message would you give to aspiring young fighters coming up in the MMA world?
Fisette: Just keep grinding! You’re always going to have bad days, you just have to work through them and keep your head up. I got beat up for the first 6 months I was at WAMMA haha, I just kept working and picking things up. Hard work will eventually pay off. I’ve given up so much for this sport, parties, drinking, I’ve even lost 90% of my friends from High School, all because I’m always at the gym. In order to achieve great things, you have to be willing to make sacrifices.
Taylor: Your nickname, “Petit Pain”, who gave it to you and why?
Fisette: Haha well, long story short, we had a few drinks after an amateur MMA event in Regina, Saskatchewan I believe. Anyway, I went to Tim Horton’s and took their “Homestyle Biscuit” sign and brought it home. In the morning, we forgot where we got the sign and realized that the translation in French was “Petit Pain Dejeuner”, which means like “Little Breakfast Bread” haha. And ever since then I’ve gotten called “Petit Pain”. Not glorious, but it is original.
Taylor: Haha good story. Being a Canadian MMA fighter, I’m sure you are familiar with current UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, I was wonder how you see his fight with Carlos Condit playing out at UFC 154?
Fisette: Well, GSP takes that one in my mind. He is one of the smartest game planners out there. He will likely have a plan A,B,C,D and they will all be better than Condit’s plan A haha. So I will say GSP by decision, mostly because he doesn’t finish fights anymore.
Taylor: Alright, well before we end things would you like to give any shout outs?
Fisette: Yes absolutely. First thank you bjpenn.com for the interview, I have to thank my sponsors, Hunter and Gunn Barber Shop, Gorilla Jack Supplements, Icetime Sports, Undefeated Crossfit and Print It On Printing. I want to thank everyone at WAMMA and wamma.ca. Last but not least I want to thank my family and most of all my amazing girlfriend!
Taylor: Any last words from “Petit Pain” to your fans and the MMA world?
Fisette: Thanks to everyone for the ongoing support! You can follow me on twitter @L_PetitPain and be sure to check out my website louisfisette.com! Now let’s get this “pretty boy” into the UFC!
Be sure to keep an eye out for this young and exciting MMA prospect. It seems like it’s only a matter of time before fight fans get to see “Petit Pain” throwing down inside the octagon.
Previous Post
Topics:
MMA News