Fighter of the Month for May 2009   Dennis “The Menace” Olson

Dennis Olson is another successful young fighter representing the Gracie Barra NH team. Dennis is a six foot tall 170 pounder who, at just twenty-three years old, has a record of seven wins with three losses. His record is deceptive though as he is undefeated at 170 pounds with all of his losses coming when he was fighting at 180 pounds or higher. While his losses have been to some of the areas better fighters in Eric Magee at Heavyweight and Woody Weatherby at Middleweight, Dennis has had some notable wins at Welterweight defeating Mike Littlefield and Eric Henry among others.  Dennis is a hard-working young fighter who has dedicated himself fully to the sport even living at the gym when necessary to commit himself to his training. I recently interviewed Dennis via e-mail regarding being the May Northeastmma fighter of the month and here is what he had to say.

NortheastMMA:   How long have you been training in BJJ and to fight in MMA?

Dennis Olson:  Well I have been fighting longer then I have been training believe it or not. My first fight was at club lido and I was a fill in from the crowd with about 45 min notice and that was about three years ago.

NEMMA:   In your GFL profile video you said that you wrestled for about eleven years, what is your wrestling record and how did you do at Norwich in wrestling and what did you get a degree in?

Olson:  I believe that my varsity record was something like 100 something and I think like 9.  I was only at Norwich for one semester.

NEMMA:  Of the fights you’ve won, which was your toughest fight and why?

Olson:  By far my toughest fight was against Eric Henry. The week of the fight I cut 30 lbs and had a bad ankle. Eric was really tough and we went at it for 3 rounds.

NEMMA:   Who is the overall toughest guy that you have fought so far?

Olson:  The toughest guy that I have fought so far is definitely David Branch, a Renzo Gracie black belt and an absolute beast. He did a really good job of showing me why I fight at 170 haha.

NEMMA:   If you could choose how to win a fight, would you like to win by submission, ground and pound or stand and bang?  ( 57% of your wins have come by submission)

Olson:  I don’t really have a preference in how I win fights; I just do what I can to end it as fast as possible. I just like to finish.

NEMMA:   Is it true that you were pulled from the audience at a show to fill in last minute and fight? Had you been training then or just wrestling?

Olson:  Yes that is true, I started as a heavy weight. All I had ever done was wrestling.

NEMMA:   Who is your all-time favorite MMA fighter and why?

Olson:  The “Natural” of course, he’s just awesome. Very inspirational!

NEMMA:   What do you do for fun when you’re not training? Any hobbies?

Olson:  Well I work construction so when I’m not fighting I’m working and vice versa. Not much time for anything else.

NEMMA:   Who is your favorite band? If you have one, what are the top five bands on your ipod play-lists?

Olson:  Well it depends on what I’m doing, But mostly hard stuff, such as Slipknot, Rage Against the Machine and Mudvayne.

NEMMA:   Where is your hometown? Where do you live now?

Olson:  Well I have lived in Amherst NH for about 10 years now.

NEMMA:   What is your favorite food when training?

Olson:  I eat at a Brazilian restaurant in Nashua called Sabor Brazil I would recommend that place to anyone. Delicious!

NEMMA:   Do you have a website or myspace page where people can keep up with your career? What is the web address?

Olson:  I do have one but I’m not on it to often just because I’m always busy with work and training.  I am on the chat forum at www.graciebarranh.com

NEMMA:  Do you currently have any sponsors? Who are they?

Olson:  My sponsors are Boston Brawler and Dynamic strength and conditioning. They both take really good care of me.

NEMMA:  Where would you like to be in your career in one year? In two years?

Olson:  Well I’m not really sure but I would like to have another chance at the big show… my first national appearance didn’t really turn out to well for me. I’m just taking my time now though training and getting ready for my next fight.

NEMMA:   Do you have any fights coming up that you would like to mention?

Olson:  Yea definitely, I am actually fighting Ricardo Funch in November for Combat Zone. I am really excited about that fight. I think it is going to be awesome. I have a lot of respect for him and I think he is tough as nails… should be a crowd pleaser.  I also hope to fight in the WCF in September.

NEMMA:   Is the team Gracie Barra NH or Triumph or is it the same team and who is your head trainer?

Olson:  It is Gracie Barra; I love training here and it has upped my game a lot. My head trainers are Phil Myers and John Fain. I couldn’t ask for a better corner either.

Thanks to Dennis for the interview and to John Fain for helping me get in touch with Dennis.