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  - DARREN UYENOYAMA'S STRIKEFORCE TRIFECTA
Tuesday, November 25, 2008 - by Mick Hammond - MMAWeekly.com
It’s not uncommon anymore for fighters to get more into the business side of MMA.
Fighters have begun to become promoters, create clothing lines, and have long run the gyms and teams that have produced much of the sport’s talent. Rarely, however, do you see someone coming from the business side of MMA to have a successful fighting career.
Darren Uyenoyama plans on changing that.
Having formerly worked for such high-profile fight companies like Fairtex and Ouano, Uyenoyama returned to fighting last year after a five-year absence and has proven himself a formidable foe in the 135-pound division.
“I think that sometimes a lot of the fighters thought I was just a paper-pusher, and now they see me out there fighting and they’re kind of shocked,” said Uyenoyama of reactions he’s gotten from the fighting community. “It's kind of fun to see their expression now that I’m fighting.”
The decision to fight full-time has paid off with solid performances, especially in Strikeforce where he has won all three of his fights for the promotion. However, just as in business, it’s not all easy going, as was the case with his win over Brad Royster this past weekend.
“It proved to be a pretty tough fight,” admitted Uyenoyama. “It went to a decision, but I would have preferred to have submitted him or had a referee stoppage, but all-in-all it was a pretty good fight.”
As is his nature, he sees the silver lining in everything.
“I felt like I got to develop more as a fighter and become more comfortable in the cage,” he stated. “I feel like I’m growing leaps and bounds in this last year, and I don’t think I’m even close to being the same fighter.
“I feel I’ve matured a lot due to the fact that I don’t get rattled, (even though) I have been in some pretty tough situations. I know I can take what most people can throw at me – weather the storm – and it’s given me a lot of confidence as a fighter.”
When asked which he felt was a harsher MMA environment, business or fighting, Uyenoyama admitted they both have their good and bad points.
“They’re both pretty cutthroat, but at least in the fighting you can see the person that’s trying to attack you,” he explained. “In the business side there’s people around every corner that’s trying to take your job or do something like that or take advantage of your hard work.
“At least in the ring – you can’t hide anything – it’s pretty honest in the ring.”
Along with his successes in the fight game, Uyenoyama continues to push his business pursuits by opening his own gym, the Faito Tamashii Fight Club (FTCC), and taking the lessons he’s learned from other teams to make his own a Grade-A place to be.
“I’ve always felt I wanted a place where I could train smart and how I wanted to train, instead of traveling, banging it out for two hours here and then two hours there,” he said. “From travelling I got to see how a lot of the pros train and wanted to implement that in my own plan.
“It works out great for me. I’m in better shape, I’m not over trained, and don’t have any injuries going into my fights now. It’s a very smart, scientific approach as opposed to just beating myself up every day.”
With a fight remaining on his Dream contract in Japan, as well as blossoming possibilities with the Strikeforce promotion, among others, Uyenoyama seeks to make next year his biggest ever, both inside and outside of the cage.
“I’d like to thank Joachim Hansen, Antonio Carvalho, everyone at AACC for their influence on me for this fight; JJ Performance and Rodney at our gym for helping me get prepared,” he closed out. “Thanks to my manager John Benjamin, my sponsors ShoYoRoll and OnTheMat; MMAWeekly for the exposure; and my wife and kids for all their support.
“To the fans, definitely look for me on any of the fight cards. I’m always looking to put on a really good show with a lot of submission attempts and hopefully some knockouts in 2009.”
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