From the desk of Billy Hofacker:
11/04/05 Friday, 9 AM

Luke Cummo began martial arts at the age of 15. He was drawn to the art of Kung Fu after watching “Enter the Dragon” and having aspirations of being like Bruce Lee. At age 19 Luke switched training academies and began studying Jeet Kun Do under Ray Longo. Ray Longo, who also teaches kickboxing, encouraged Luke to begin competing after a few short years. Through Ray Longo Luke met the world renowned Serra brothers and furthered his martial arts career.

Matt Serra was approached by Dana White, the President of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) for a possible student who would be a good fit the 2nd season of The Ultimate Fighter reality show. Luke applied and the rest is history. Talk about being proactive! Luke’s record was 4-1 prior to the show and he was 2-0 on the show for a total of 6-1. The 2 wins on the show were very impressive.

Luke participated in a reality television show in which 16 fighters were chosen to live in a house. The fighter were split into two teams and had to participate in team challenges as well as one on one fights. The losers of the fights were forced to leave the house until there were only two fighters left from each weight class (welter and heavy). Luke was one of the last men standing.

I got a chance to talk to Luke and do an amazing interview with him a few days prior to The Ultimate Fighter Finale. Luke called me from Vegas at around 11 PM Eastern time. He was worried that he woke me because it was so late. Fortunately I wasn’t asleep yet and Luke had just finished a 3 hour training session and was on his way to retire back to his hotel.

On with the interview:

Billy Hofacker (BH): Luke, your eating habits were quite different from the other fighters. Please explain.

Luke Cummo (LC): When I was 20 years old I got sick with a pretty bad illness. It was either mono or tonsillitis. Since then I started researching a healthier diet. I got into fasting and learned all about how to eat organically. I believe in a holistic approach. I do eat meat though because I feel it helps me with aggressiveness as a fighter.

As I drove to the fighter’s house in Vegas my trunk was heavy with things like dried rice and beans, garlic, onions, sea salt, and various teas. To get down to my fighting weight of 170 I needed to be really strict. I also avoided dairy products.

Most of the other fighters adhered to a typical American diet consisting of a lot of steak and sandwiches.

BH: My perception was that at first you were shown a lack of respect. How did that affect you if it all?

<>BLC: I didn’t feel disrespected because most of the talking was done behind closed doors (Luke didn’t know much about it until it actually aired). Also I don’t look like a fighter with the exception of my cauliflower ears. I think the underestimation helped a bit because it enabled me to fly under the radar and get a couple of good match ups…do some damage. I also helped my team win some challenges.

BH: What is a typical day of training like in Vegas?

LC: Instead of doing doubles which I have been doing all along, I’m only doing one intense workout per day. My first day here (in Vegas) the doctor told me to only do a 10 mile walk just to get used to the area and atmosphere. My training now includes striking, grappling, and sprinting. My main goal is to create muscle memory with all of the techniques. It’s still intense but I’m tapering down now as I get closer to Saturday.

BH: What is your mental strategy and is that a big factor for you?

LC: Actually it is. I work a lot with our sports medicine doctor, Sheryl Wulkan on the mental aspect. Sheryl works with members of the local professional sports teams as well as some of the U.S. Open competitors. She helps athletes like myself stay focused using visualization techniques.

What I do is picture myself mentally in a variety of scenarios. I envision myself in bad predicaments and escaping to come out on top. I also picture the opposite like seeing myself attacking. Another big factor is dealing with the crowd. I take myself to a place mentally where the crowd is energizing me every step of the way. This way no matter what happens on Saturday; I will have already been there in my mind.

(Before I ask the next question, Luke asks me to hold on and I hear him telling the cab driver as tactfully as he could to extinguish his cigarette).

BH: What did you learn from your experience, from the other fighters, and what advice can you give to anyone reading?

LC: One thing I learned is the type of conditioning I need to compete at this level. We trained for as much as 6 hours a day. The level of conditioning is extremely high and I was already pretty well trained. Although I didn’t learn too much from the other fighters, I did learn some techniques and strategies from the coaches. It was an interesting and positive experience meeting and hanging out with people from different areas of the country and world.

My advice to people would be to have a goal in mind and focus on taking it one step at a time. When you take a huge obstacle and break it up into many smaller goals while keeping the end goal in mind, the process will seem much quicker and it will be more enjoyable.

BH: Luke among your many one liners, you mentioned on the show that “I may be a geek but geeks run the world.” What the heck did that mean?

LC: Look at Bill Gates.

BH: What are your interests other than fighting?

LC: I am very much into cooking and nutrition. I also enjoy drawing, reading comic books, and collecting action figures. With my added notoriety from the show I look forward to creating my own persona with self created T-shirts.

BH: Thanks for a riveting discussion and for taking the time out of your busy day. I really appreciate it. My subscribers and I will be rooting you on from our living rooms Saturday night at 9PM on Spike.

LC: Awesome. Thanks Bill.

October 12, 2009

If you haven’t heard of Eric Sherman yet, don’t worry, you will. Eric is making major waves on the BJJ tournament circuit winning almost everything he enters, most recently the purple belt Pan Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship. This is after winning the title as a blue belt last year. Eric also won the Abu Dhabi Regional tournament in August so he’ll continue on the road to Abu Dhabi 2011.

The reason I asked Eric to do this interview is because he has certain traits that help him maximize his talent. One of them is positive belief. I’m currently reading John Maxwell’s book, Talent is Never Enough. In it Maxwell says, “Your beliefs control everything you do. Accomplishment is more than a matter of working harder or smarter. It’s also a matter of believing positively.”

I was at the Serra academy on the Saturday before Eric Sherman was to defend his Pan Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi title, but this time at the purple belt level. As he was leaving the school I gave him some words of encouragement but it was almost as if he didn’t need it. I could see from the look in his eyes that he knew he had put in all the hard work and he expected to win. Did Eric thinking that he would reach his goal guarantee the win? No. But I believe it’s this attitude that helps him to maximize his talent and keep moving forward

On with the interview…

Billy Hofacker (BH): One thing that stands out to me Eric is your positive attitude. You roll and carry yourself with confidence (certainly not cockiness). Where does this belief in yourself come from and how important do you feel it is in your performance?

Eric Sherman (ES): The belief in myself stems from where I train. I take a lot of pride in being part of the Serra academy. I take my training very seriously — and there are no better mentors than Matt and Nicky Serra. Both of them are world renown for their Jiu-Jitsu. It’s like a kid playing baseball and learning the game from Derek Jeter. Believing so much in the academy and having Matt and Nicky behind me enhances my performance greatly. I feel very prepared when I step on the mat because I’m training under the best in the world.

BH: It is always a pleasure to have you in class. Besides being a great guy, your work ethic is second to none (Eric always seems to be the last one on the mat). What motivates you to constantly go the extra mile?

ES: Well, I love training and love Jiu-Jitsu. Going the extra mile for me is not a chore. The extra work comes naturally because Jiu-Jitsu is my passion. That’s the most important element. Also, I just want to make sure that I properly represent and carry the Serra flag to the fullest.

BH: You are definitely a stud on the mat during training at the academy but everyone knows that it doesn’t always translate into competition. How do you go about developing your strategy and game plan for a greater chance of success during competition?

ES: When I’m getting ready for a tournament, I put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure I’m at peak condition. I don’t focus too much on strategy or game-planning. I go into each match with an open mind and “go with the flow” or as Rickson Gracie says, “Flow with the Go.”

BH: Another thing I commend you for is your tremendous focus. Most 19 year olds are simply bouncing from one thing to the next but you seem to have your “eye on the prize.” Does this laser like focus come naturally to you or are there things you can do to help prevent being side-tracked.

ES: I think it comes naturally. Jiu-Jitsu is a lifestyle for me. It’s so much of who I am. When something is so meaningful and you’re that passionate about it, it’s easy to keep focused.

BH: Teachability is also an important characteristic. I’ve noticed over the years that the best athletes are the ones that are willing to learn. Unfortunately sometimes the most talented athletes think they know it all and limit their growth. You always seem to be listening, learning, and applying techniques and strategies. How much has this hunger to learn helped you as a grappler?

ES: There has to be a constant hunger and willingness to learn in order to excel. Once you stop learning, or think you know it all, you may as well quit. Jiu-Jitsu constantly evolves. All the best grapplers in the world still ask questions, go over techniques, and learn new details to a move. It would be ignorant for someone to think they know everything. You never stop learning.

BH: Although you seem to win all of your matches, I’m sure you’ve been beaten and/or tapped out (just like everyone else) during training. Although losing is never fun, has it taught you any lessons?

ES: Of course. Everyone loses at one point, it’s part of the game. I hate losing. I have an absolute disdain for it. But I try to channel my anger and disappointment into fuel for moving forward and improving myself. I can only try to turn the negative into a positive, no matter how hard that is.

BH: I’m sure a lot of my readers are on the fence about competing or doing something else where they have to stretch themselves a bit. Do you have any advice for them?

ES: Yeah for sure. I would say go for it, definitely compete. If you’re training consistently, taking classes, and putting in the mat time, than you’ll be fine. Tournaments give people the drive to push themselves more in order to have a great result. Tournaments will improve your game. Competing gives you valuable experience and more confidence. The matches will expose your weaknesses whether you win or lose. When you get back to training you know what you need to concentrate on. To me, that’s a win-win.

BH: We’ve talked about training and competition quite a bit. Tell us something else that a lot of people may not know about you or something else you like to do other than train.

ES: I’m a sophomore at C.W Post, so when I’m not studying or training, I love hanging out with family and friends.

BH: Eric, it’s been a pleasure doing this interview with you and I wish you all the best in your grappling career and life. See you on the mat soon my man!

ES: Thank you Billy! It was a pleasure, See you soon!

*Note from Billy: I hope you enjoyed the interview and more importantly find it useful for your own training. The one thing that stands out to me the most besides Eric’s confidence and where it stems from is his passion for his chosen sport of BJJ. If you love what you do, working hard won’t feel so much like “work.” Now find your passion and persevere, no matter what until you reach your goal.

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