Forrest "The Meat Cleaver" Petz Interview

UFC veteran Forrest Petz discusses his MMA career and future fights

Pro Fighting Fans Director of marketing Luke Jernigan paid a visit to Strong Style Martial Arts & Training Center in Independence, Ohio and spoke with one of the most well-known members of the Strong Style Fight Team, 5-fight UFC veteran Forrest Petz. Petz, a Welterweight, has a resume full of tough opponents having faced three current UFC fighters outside of the Ultimate Fighting Championship promotion including a victory over the UFC's top 170 pound contender, Dan Hardy. Petz, a soft-spoken man, has been fighting "officially" since 2002 amassing a 17-7 record (23-7 according to some sources) including a 2-3 record in the UFC with wins at UFC Fight Night 6 over Sam Morgan and UFC Fight Night 10 over Luigi Fioravanti. A native of the Northeast Ohio area, Petz is the reigning NAAFS Welterweight Champion.

Luke - Talk about your background and what helped shape your interest in Mixed Martial Arts.

Forrest - About 10-12 years ago I saw a UFC video at the video store and decided to check it out - I was hooked right away. I wanted to learn Jiu Jitsu or Shootfighting and as a result I came to Strong Style which was was called North Coast Shootfighting back then.

Forrest Petz topped Luigi Fioravanti at UFC Fight Night 10 by Unanimous Decision.

Luke - You currently train with the Strong Style Fight Team. Speak about your experience here at Strong Style.

Forrest - For years Jeff Cox and I were the only pros here at Strong Style. I liked the boxing & kickboxing aspects of MMA and Jeff was big into the wrestling side. As a result we learned from each other and as the team around us grew we really evolved into a family of sorts. We were Marcus Marinelli's (Strong Style's owner) first pro fighters and he really was ahead of his time and taught us and opened all the doors for us and continues to do so today.

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Luke - Your nickname is one of the more unique ones out there; "The Meat Cleaver." Where did the nickname come from and why did it stick?

Forrest - My old roommate came up with it. At one of the events I fought in a promoter gave me a nickname that we did not like so my roommate changed it to "The Meat Cleaver" and it stuck.

Luke - Your first professional fight was over 8 years ago. What is the biggest difference between Forrest Petz in 2002 and Forrest Petz today?

Forrest - I think the biggest thing is I am much more complete today. Back when I started I had a big punch to rely on while today I am better at all pieces of MMA. As a result I am no longer relying on the big haymaker today.

Luke - When it comes to tough opponents, your resume is filled with a ton of them. Who is the toughest opponent you have ever faced?

Forrest - Probably the hardest fight I have ever had was with Dan Hardy. It was a greuling 5-round fight and my nose was broken in the 1st round. I thought I had Hardy put away several times but he always seems to stay alive. (Petz defeated Hardy by Unanimous Decision at Fight Fest 2 in Canton, Ohio on April 14, 2006.)

Luke - What is next for Forrest Petz?

Forrest - I really just take things one fight at a time. I am expecting to fight in mid-March where I will be going for my 4th straight win. I'd like to try to get back into the UFC and should Hardy lose to Georges St-Pierre (as the main event atop the UFC 111 fight card) we could position a rematch in the UFC as a "bounce back" fight for Hardy. Since my previous win over him makes me look good we could position a revenge fight to help my cause. I may also fight in June at the NAAFS Fight Night in the Flats event to defend my NAAFS Welterweight Championship belt.

Luke - Has there been any contact with Strikeforce or other MMA promotions that you would want to pursue?

Forrest - My manager, Monty Cox, hasn't really talked to Strikeforce but there was a possibility of fighting in a DREAM event in Japan. Basically whoever will pay I will fight for; I just really enjoy fighting.

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Between questions as we discussed how Forrest got into MMA he mentioned not having been into sports a lot as a kid and how wanting to prove to himself that he could do it played a roll in his entry and participation in Mixed Martial Arts. However, the most enjoyable side-note that came from the interview time was his recollection of a story of his first real pro fight, one that Forrest said "you won't find that one on Sherdog," poking fun at my earlier verbal reference to researching his previous fights on the popular MMA source. That first fight took place in the early 2000s in Moundsville, West Virginia in an open-ended barn and Forrest laughed as he remembered wearing his wrestling shoes in the fight. He recalls cleaning the hay off of his shoes before the fight and watching someone sweep the sawdust off the mat between rounds. That first fight was a Unanimous Decision win for Forrest Petz as he defeated Adam "El Torro" Rivera.

Stay tuned to Pro Fighting Fans in the coming days for more about our recent visit with Strong Style Martial Arts & Training Center.

By Luke Jernigan
ProFighting-fans.com Director of Marketing

Photos by Luke Jernigan