Q: How did you get into competing in mixed martial arts?
Shamar Bailey: I competed in wrestling in college and then as soon as I got out I was looking for a way to continue to stay in shape and still be competitive. So I found my gym that teaches Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and boxing and coincidentally it’s the same gym that Chris Lytle and Jake O’Brien train at and one thing lead to another.
Q: Where did you wrestle in college?
Shamar Bailey: I wrestled for a bible school in Wisconsin called Maranatha Baptist Bible College. It was Division III and the reason I chose that school over a couple of other state schools that offered me a scholarship was because the coach there was a gold medalist in the Olympics and I really looked up to him as a person and a coach.
Q: Is your family supportive of what you do?
Shamar Bailey: Yeah, my Dad used to be a wrestler. He’s the one who got me into wrestling since I was a little kid so he’s very supportive. My mom, you know, she likes to watch the fights so they’re very supportive.
Q: Are you one of these guys that is holding down a full time job as well as training and fighting when you can?
Shamar Bailey: Yes. My full time job is with the fire department. We work 24 hours on and then we get 48 hours off. It’s good for my training, especially on my days off. Then I have people come out and help me out with my workouts at the fire station also, while I’m working.
Q: If you had to describe your style of fighting, what would it be?
Shamar Bailey: It would be definitely wrestling influenced with ground and pound but I’m looking to integrate a few things. I finish most of my fights, had quite a few tough opponents lately, and looking to get back on my track with finishing people, not letting it go to decision.
Q: Have you ever seen Roger Bowling fight before?
Shamar Bailey: No, not in person. Obviously he has a couple of videos on YouTube that people have shown me and I definitely look forward to fighting him.
Q: Is there anything in particular that you have to worry about when you’re facing a guy like him?
Shamar Bailey: At this point, I don’t think so. Obviously with this fight I don’t want to wait around for him to get lucky. I don’t think Roger’s fought the caliber of fighters that I have. I’m just being completely honest, that’s not a knock or anything. I don’t think he’s fought anybody of my caliber; he’s finished all his fights in the first round because he’s fought people that I just don’t think are that tough. I’m not sure if he’s ready for this fight or not, but he took it so there’s only one way to find out.
Q: Would you consider this your toughest fight to date?
Shamar Bailey: No, I don’t. I mean I don’t want to overlook Roger, that would be a mistake. We’re definitely training to win and training to fight just like any other fight, but I think I’ve definitely fought tougher fighters than Roger at this point.
Q: I interviewed Roger last week and he said he knew that you were a great wrestler but he felt that he had stronger wrestlers in his camp, Division 1 level wrestlers from schools like Syracuse and Ohio State. He stated that he thought he’d be comfortable wrestling with you or even working off his back. Do you have anything to say in response?
Shamar Bailey: Like I said, it’s good that he thinks that I guess. To be honest with you, I wrestled in D-III but it’s something that you don’t want to make the mistake of, is in wrestling it doesn’t matter what level you’re at when you make it to the national level. I’ve gotten scholarships to wrestle Division I and I was also invited to train at the Olympic Training Center. So there’s only one way to find out, especially when integrating with mixed martial arts. Let’s hope he doesn’t make that mistake, but if he does I’ll take it.
Q: You mentioned being invited to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Did you ever make it out there to get in any training with those guys?
Shamar Bailey: I trained at the Washington training camp in, I think it was 2005, I believe. But there’s no money in wrestling, have to be at the very top. I had to pay off my school bills, so I came back to Indianapolis and started working.
Q: Tell us what the atmosphere is like at your gym, Integrated Fighting, with two UFC fighters like Chris Lytle and Jake O’Brien leading the squad?
Shamar Bailey: It’s good, those guys obviously have a lot of leadership. Jake O’Brien has gotten a lot of exposure being a heavyweight. They’re all great guys, but at the same time we all do the same workouts. Chris Lytle is probably my main training partner, another reason why I’m definitely not concerned about Roger Bowling. We train every day together. Really, I just can’t allow Roger to get lucky, that’s the only thing I’ll even be concerned about. I’m just worried about what I’m gonna do and hopefully Roger and me can meet in the middle and we’ll get it on.
Q: What’s a typical day like for you?
Shamar Bailey: If I get off from the fire station, in the morning I’ll get off work, go home and try to catch up on a little bit of sleep if it was a busy night the night before. Then I’ll go to the gym, hit my strength training and conditioning, do a lot of plyometrics also. Go home, eat, get some rest. Then in practice we do a lot of sparring, do a lot of jiu jitsu, a lot of kickboxing, you know, some pad work. Then we’ll do a lot of conditioning after that. That’s why our fighters are always in shape and ready for our fights and we definitely keep our mind on our opponents.
Q: Do you have a favorite move?
Shamar Bailey: Anything that gets the job done, man. I like the rear naked choke, I like to choke people, but for the most part anything that gets the job done.
Q: Do you have any heroes/mentors within the sport?
Shamar Bailey: Definitely a mentor would be Chris Lytle. As for heroes, I wouldn’t necessarily say hero, I try to learn from everybody. I don’t stand in awe of anyone. The only person I stand in awe of is God, who’s my Lord. Anyone that knows me knows that I am very committed to my faith also.
Q: Anybody you want to thank or give a shout out to?
Shamar Bailey: I definitely want to give a shout to my team, my trainers, just anyone that’s been helping me get ready for this fight. Thanks to all the fans that are gonna be in attendance, the Indianapolis Fire Department for allowing me to do what I need to do to get ready, and to my lord and savior Jesus Christ for giving me the strength to do what I do.