Will Chope / Lanky Madness Fighting at URCC 23 Speaks to World MMA News Digest

Will Chope He's Tall and He Fights A Lot 

Watch him at URCC 23 Unrivaled

Will Chope (15-5-0)  vs Andrew Benibe (4-3-0) at URCC 23 Unrivaled
SMX Convention Center, Pasay, Philippines April 27th, 2013.

Will Chope had his first pro fight with almost no training way back in 2010 and quite rightly he lost, serves him right for showing off! He won his next fight and then reality caught up with him and he lost three in a row, Five fights in and he had fought under five different organisations and things did not look too promising with a 1-4 record.

But by now he was training harder and learning some real MMA skills. He fought in Thailand at DARE's first show and got a decision win and since then he has lost just once (to Ev TIng January 2012). At present he is on a ten fight winning streak and stands at 5-0 under the URCC banner. He has made it quite clear he wants the URCC belt and this interim championship belt bout will put him one big step closer.

Will very kindly took a break from being the tallest man in Baguio to speak to us.

Q) We have not spoken in a while so how about telling us a little bit about what you have been doing since your last fight at Friday Night Fight Night 2 when you defeated Tanaphong Khunhankaew via first round Rear-Naked Choke.

A) Yes it' been awhile. Things have been good. After my last fight I went to wife's hometown spent a lot of time with my family actually it was kind of a short break. But then got back to Phuket and kicked up training hard to get ready.

Q)  Andrew Benibe is a URCC regular who recently stepped up the ONE FC where he was beaten in the third round by Honario Banario who as we know recently defeated Eric Kelly. So going almost three full rounds shows that Benibe is versatile. What do you see as his biggest strengths?

A) If you watched that fight he got dominated the entire fight barely even striking back. It was one of the most 1 sided fights I have watched. In saying that Andrew Beninbe can take a beating from a world class guy, so he's durable. But I am here to prove I can beat ONE FC fighters and that is what I want to do and I want to do it fast, so that way I can make a statement.

Q) And how do you feel you two match up?

A) I think I matchup well he is more of a striker as am I but he is physically strong so I don't think I can bully him in the ring. Going to be good.

Q) Obviously this is another step towards that URCC championship belt that you have made it very clear you are after.

A) After this fight I want to reunify the title and fight Sapno for the undisputed FW title.

Q) If you win that event do you think you might get a call from ONE FC?

A) I don't know if I'll get a call I am looking to just keep winning and doing the best I can so I can get noticed by some bigger organizations.

Q) What has it been like re-uniting with Mark Striegl at Baguio?

A) Finishing my fight camp in Baguio is crucial, working with Mark fine tuning my wrestling and strength & conditioning with the altitude is great. Plus get to see all my friends and family here and train with all the new guys at Fight Corps MMA.

Q) It’s been a relatively quiet year for you so far, do you intend to step it up or are you getting lazy in your old age.

A) Yea I really apologize to my fans and supporters out there. I am dissappointed in myself as well. I really wanted to be fighting a whole lot more. Since the New Year I have only fought 2 times, one muay thai and one MMA. I will step it up and still try to push out 20 fights this year. This summer a lot of fights are coming up so will do my best to get on as many shows as possible.

Q) Any sponsors you want to mention?

A) Thanks to Phuket Pro Nutrition, Vicious Circle, and Kombat Mouthguards all companies based in Thailand and have supported me a lot through my training camp and career.
Thanks also to my friends and family for supporting me.

You can read more about this upcoming event HERE a superb story that gives some insight into the work that goes into making an event happen!