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Team Alpha Male is one of the most iconic super camps in MMA history. With champions like founder Urijah Faber, Cody Garbrandt and (formerly) TJ Dillashaw etched in the history books plus a legion of fan favourites like Joseph Benavidez, Chad Mendes, Clay Guida, Sage Northcutt and Josh Emmett it has become one of the most sought after gyms in the world. Mike Malott has quickly risen to become the head striking coach and frequent cornerman at the illustrious gym. How did this fresh faced Canadian kickboxer end up cornering Urijah Faber? Malott may have started kickboxing at a young age but his first time at a pro gym, Stoney Creek’s House of Champions, was not for the faint of heart. “My new coach put me in there with one of their pro Muay Thai guys on my first day. I had only done waist up kickboxing until that point. And the guy just put it on me and chopped my legs out.” The wake-up call of getting his legs battered only furthered Mike’s resolve, “I showed up again the following week and he’s like ‘Oh, so you’re back’ and I said ‘Yep, I still want to be a fighter.’ ” Over the summer he trained with the likes of “Shaolin” Shane Campbell and took more hard lessons getting dropped by body shots from the veterans in the gym. “Everytime I showed resilience I earned their respect and attention.” Like steel hardened by fire Mike took on the gauntlet of talented training partners and eventually became elite in his own right. While attending Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia he picked up his first three professional MMA victories. Post-graduation with Mike’s fighting aspirations in the forefront he decided to take the trek to California to match his skills in the verifiable super gym; Team Alpha Male. The new team ended up being a perfect fit. “I didn’t want to be a guy that bounced around a lot. I also didn’t want to just go to the gym, train and not talk with anyone after.” Mike described the Sacramento based team as more like a family then an exclusive high profile training camp. “I really like the group of people I spend my time with at the gym. It makes going to the gym and doing something difficult a lot more enjoyable when we can joke around and have fun with my friends before and after. But it’s also very focused. It’s not like we are messing around, we’re working hard and working towards something.” Mike eventually improved his record to 5-1-1 fighting elite competition from around North America. His only loss came to future UFC standout Hakeem Dawodu (Pro Record 12-1; UFC Record 5-1) in a bout that he had an early advantage in. After taking out fellow standout Canadian Craig Shintani and winning the XFFC Lightweight title with a 46 second knockout Malott admitted he was beginning to get burned out by the sport. “I was about to sign for a local show and hopefully get a shot at the UFC but the whole thing just didn’t excite me. I was thinking about all the wrong things for a little while - money and retirement - I said to myself - ‘This is not why you should be in the sport.’ I started because I genuinely loved it and I think I just got burned out.” Mike sat down to have the tough talk with Team Alpha Male owners Urijah Faber and Danny Castillo to tell them he didn’t want to fight anymore. Thankfully the stars aligned for the disheartened fighter, “It was really convenient timing – the striking coach was leaving and no one knew yet – so Urijah offered me to take over as striking coach.” Teaching classes, holding pads and cornering fighters quickly became his new trade. “It wasn’t very long at all before I had a good stable of fighters. My third time cornering at the UFC was for Cody Garbrandt’s second fight against TJ Dillashaw for the Bantamweight title. Right away I was in the mix with all the big guys.” Though Mike had prematurely ended his MMA career he worked on repairing his relationship with combat sports. In his spare time, he continued training jiu-jitsu and competing in jiu-jitsu super fights while sharing his striking knowledge with the team. He went on to pick up a series of high profile wins in Fight2Win BJJ shows and recently earned his black belt under Felipe Bragiao. Mike became a staple for the Team Alpha Male squad and became a frequent ringside corner at UFC cards. In the last several years he’s been a part of some huge moments with the team. “When the UFC came to Sacramento last year, I cornered Darren Elkins and Urijah Faber. We had six fighters on the card so it basically felt like a local show sponsored by the UFC. Elkins lost unfortunately. He’s such a hard worker and a grinder. It hurts extra for a guy like that. When someone doesn’t put all the work in and they lose it sucks but what do you expect. Elkins always goes above and beyond. That one hurt.” “But the second half of the night was incredible for the team. Andre Fili knocked out Sheymon Moraes with a beautiful head kick. That one got me all teary. And then Josh Emmett knocked out Mirsad Bektic with a jab. That was unreal because that guy hits like a truck.” “Then I cornered Urijah. We were waiting in the tunnel backstage under the stadium waiting for him to walkout. Faber is pretty calm just walking back and forth, really calm, almost didn’t warm up at all. Just hanging out waiting to walk out. And then his walkout song ‘California Love’ (by 2Pac ft. Dr. Dre) came on and the crowd erupts. The building was shaking. By the time we walked out you could barely hear the speakers playing because the whole stadium was singing it; it was so cool seeing Faber coming back to his hometown. And then he got the first KO of his UFC career.” “Another was Cody [Garbrandt]’s return knocking out [Rafael] Assuncao. Obviously, an unbelievable knockout but just seeing this guy who’s been through some shit in the past few years. Going from being on top of the world to a three fight skid and not having the success he wanted to. To then having the knockout of the year and just having all that hype back. Having everyone saying Cody Garbrandt is back. I was pumped. It’s sick whenever your friend knocks a guy out and gets a big win. But this time it was more like he’s a good person who deserves good things. Finally seeing his hard work payoff was really nice.” The time spent in the training room at Team Alpha Male and the general evolution of MMA training has produced a lot of changes for Malott and the team. “I used to [spar hard] a lot more. You know what you’re getting yourself into. I’d try to kill everybody because that’s what I was used to but I don’t really do that anymore.” Smarter training instead of harder training is becoming more commonplace in the MMA world. “I actually don’t train with anyone that I don’t know for the most part. The way I train is different. It’s still intense but I pick my training partners carefully. It’s all about efficiency. If they make me work hard great, if they’re going to force me to make intelligent decisions that’s great and if I’m going to learn something from them fantastic.” Malott has welcomed the new training style. The team has seen benefits from hitting more reps at lower intensity and had less injuries. “If it’s some spazzy guy who’s going to try something for the first time against me and throw his elbows around, I’m not going to get cut and miss two weeks or for you to fall on my knee. As John Danaher said ‘White belts with good intentions have caused more injuries than blackbelts with bad intentions.’ Spazzy people get in situations where they panic and that causes them to make bad decisions.” “That’s where most of the cuts on my face come from. One of my front teeth has to come out because I got head butted by a teammate while I was in mount. I was throwing shots lightly to make him move and bam. Guy had twenty pro fights and he panicked, I said ‘...you’re way too good to be doing that.’ I’m careful with who I train with, there’s a fine line of having intelligent training partners and guys who push you. You have to keep yourself honest and that’s where a good coach will come in. They will tell you when, where and how to find that next level.” After being away from the inside of a cage for four years Malott recently made his first foray back into martial arts in December 2020. Under two minutes into his fight at CFFC 91 Mike picked up a rear naked choke victory against then undefeated Solomon Renfro (6-0). “At the end of the day I didn’t want to fight [in 2017] so I stopped. I started fighting again because I wanted to.” Finding his passion for the sport again took time but he never truly stopped training. “I don’t take time off. This is my time off. I’m in Canada away from the team and what do I do? I go to multiple gyms a day to hang out with my friends. And what do we do? We train. It’s what I like to do. I quarantined for two weeks; lifted weights every day and ran a few times a week. And once that was done I’m training everyday again.” Cornering events and training at one of America's best gyms has also given him perspective on where his skill level stands. “I go to high level shows all the time and I see guys in the UFC and other places and realize 'I could kick that guy’s ass for sure.’ I could definitely be making more money beating that guy up. I’m already training anyway. I just want to [fight] again.” As for the future Mike doesn’t plan too far ahead these days, “…I used to have massive goals in mind and I think that’s still important. Now I’m just enjoying the journey. Thinking about the immediate future is a little more beneficial to me now. I had a tough opponent in December and got a pretty quick win over him. I think making it to the UFC this year is realistic.” Recently announced through his social media Malott has signed a 4-fight deal with Cage Fury Fighting Championships. CFFC has been a feeder league to the UFC for the last decade with stars like Aljamain Sterling, Paul Felder, Jim Miller and Katlyn Chookagian building their records and refining their skills before heading to the big show. “Winning another fight or two or their belt. I’ll keep training and be ready for a short notice UFC fight should it become available. I expect it to. I want to be successful in this sport, make a handsome living, win some big fights, have big moments and win a championship. I want to make a living doing something I love.” “I just really enjoy doing this sport and training. It's more being recognized as being intelligent and recognized by my peers. I don’t want to not be able to go to restaurants like a McGregor, it in no way appeals to me. It sounds awful. When I’m cornering a guy having another coach nod at me and say ‘Oh that guy’s a good coach and fighter, good job man, I like your stuff,’ that’s what makes me feel good.” Expect to see Malott make his second appearance for CFFC later this year. And keep an eye out for him in the corner of Team Alpha Male fighters around the world. Whether it’s in fighting or coaching; expect to hear Mike Malott’s name a lot more often.
As Mixed Martial Arts has exploded into popularity the need for representation and management is at an all-time high. With so many agencies out there which one is right one and how do you know which group will be the right fit for you? Dave Fish is someone who has always been fighting for his clients whether it be as a lawyer in New York State, as an independent agent in MMA & now working with one of the biggest agencies in combat sports, Paradigm Sports, with illustrious clients such as Conor McGregor & Manny Pacquiao. I spoke with Dave on how he got into MMA management, the difference in working for himself and working for a big company like Paradigm Sports and his thoughts on getting an MMA Fighters union.
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ave on always being a fan of combat sports: “While I have been involved in combat sports for a very long time. I didn’t really come to it from a traditional way that most people do. I started wrestling in College. I did not wrestle in High School or anywhere else as being from New York there were really limited opportunities. The way I got into it was going to college (SUNY Albany). I didn’t know a lot but I knew there was a good wrestling team and a very well known coach there; Coach Joe DeMeo who has sadly since passed away. I remember having the contact info and nervously calling Coach DeMeo. I remember calling and saying I’m Dave Fish I’m coming to SUNY Albany I’m really into wrestling and I was wondering if I could come out for the team? Coach DeMeo replied back and said I really appreciate the call but this isn’t how this works. I have a great recruiting class coming in we don’t teach people how to wrestle in college. My first week at Albany I stumbled on some people who were on the team. I told them my story and the told me the first day was this day and why don’t you come on out. I thought they were kidding but I decided to do that. I remember going to the wrestling room and seeing everyone. What they do on first day is come down to a classroom the coach will come down to the class & everyone will introduce themselves. For whatever reason I was the last guy who got up and spoke I said my name is Dave Fish I’ve never wrestled before but if you give me the chance I won’t quit. I remember the coach saying I talked to you over the summer I told you we don’t do that we don’t teach people to wrestle. I remember leaving feeling dejected but some of the seniors or captains convinced the equipment manager to give me a lock, a pair of shoes and my wrestling gear.
Dave’s passion for amateur wrestling has been a big help with him in recruiting talent: “You see now there is a track record of collegiate wrestling being one of the best bases for long term success in MMA. Look at most of the champions and the majority of the top ten in Bellator, UFC or even regional promotion promotions. A large percentage are ex-wrestlers”
Dave has always been know as being a hands on manager in MMA both with guiding his clients careers to literally getting down on the ground and rolling. Dave’s ability to be hands on helped him go from being a lawyer to an MMA manager “I started training MMA a little bit later in in life maybe 12 to 13 years ago, before Paradigm was even around. My training parners and a couple of the coaches said Dave we could use your help as we’ve got contracts that aren’t good and we aren’t really sure what we are doing. At the time there were very few competent managers. 10-12 years ago was like the stone ages. This was new to me as I had experience in employment law & trial work. This was new but I started doing it a lot because I care about these people and seeing success and what started as an informal side job became more formal and part of my career as I built a combat sports management to my practice and it took off.
The thing that I love so much is that I’ve worked with athletes from their first amateur fight through to being top ten in the UFC. As the sport has grown so has the language in the contracts and what makes a ‘good contract’ versus a ‘bad contract.’ It all comes down to what your leverage is and right now certainly without a union the promotions have the leverage. There are some unicorns & exceptions. But the promotions have the economic leverage and the power. What has changed over the last 10 years is the professionalism. I saw athletes managed by “MMA Managers” who couldn’t even read a contract.
One of the biggest discussions in MMA over the last decade has revolved around the development of a Union in MMA. Dave gave his perspective on a Union and how it would affect his job: “When you have athletes that are unionized it changes the landscape. As you look at the NFL there is a guarantee that percentage of their revenue goes to the players. That would be the first thing that the athletes are paid what they deserve. Most of the athletes in MMA deserve to be paid 10x what they are paid. That sounds crazy to say but when you look at what these athletes are making in combat sports compared to the other sports it’s far from crazy to say they deserve 10x the amount. If you look at the top 10 paid people in other industries whether in tech in sales in entertainment or pharmaceuticals it’s astronomical. But when people are asked to understand what a top 10 basketball player in the world make what they make people act like they are offended. I think MMA fighters are working harder than or as hard as anybody else. If you are a top ten fighter in your division in the world I think you justify making a lot of money.
Dave on how he scouts talent: “I love this part of the job. I’m a fanatic researcher. To me it is enjoyable to be on the internet looking at film of regional promotions most people have never heard of. It’s no secret that at the beginning I’m looking for talent. I’m looking for people who are going to win fights. At the end of the day it’s about winning fights. That’s what creates leverage in negotiation, that’s what creates opportunity to achieve your goal and make money. This is a career for these people and like any of us part of our career is making sure we can sustain ourselves pay our bills and make money. I’m looking for people that are talented and have good records. You don’t typically pick up the 5-5 athlete. The major promotions are looking for the 8-0, the 10-0 with 8 finishes. Not only how successful they are record wise but how are they finishing their opponents? What are their opponents records like? Records of opponents is a very big deal to me. Once I’m watching somebody I’m impressed with their skill and their record it’s at that point I want to talk to somebody. Above all else I want to know that I like you. You want to avoid having to spend 80% on that one difficult person. The easiest way to avoid that is to not bring that on. Lastly the intangibles all matter too. If the person has a great personality. If they know how to use social media in a very positive way. If they are involved in charitable causes. All that stuff is meaningful, it matters to me and adds to my desire to bring someone on.”