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couple of my young fighters think they'd be able to do much better if they could, but it's something you can't rush because it's a technique that takes time to learn. It took me a while until I got comfortable, but now I'll kick box with anybody around. I haven't shown too much of my stand up in fights. Nobody has really seen what I can do on my feet. My comfort zone is on the ground and pushing the pace to break my opponent. My philosophy is I'm going to get you tired, and then I'm going to beat you up. When the situation calls for it, I'll be more than ready to stand up and trade. FiveKnuckles.com: Your nickname is "Fancy Pants" and you wear the fight shorts to match the alias. Please explain.
Lyle Beerbohm: Well, my mother is 70 years old and retired so she doesn't do too much around the house, but the one thing she loves to do is sew. My dad was in the process of building her a new sewing room and one day she asked me to help move her fabric into the new sewing room. In the process, I came across these really colorful neon spandex and told my mom I wanted a pair of fight shorts out of that material. She laughed and thought it was a joke, but I really did want her to make them for me. So I put the exact fabric on her sewing machine, about ten days went by and they were still sitting there so I mentioned it to her again. She didn't understand why I would want a pair of shorts out of that silly material, but she finally gave in and made them for me. When she finished, I tried them on, she laughed and thought it was really funny. My dad totally disagreed with the whole thing and didn't want to see me fight in the "fancy pants", but I was intent on what I was going to do. The following weekend I had either my second or third amateur MMA fight. I came out wearing sweatpants over the shorts and had my sweatshirt on too. I jumped into the ring and did a lap around then took off my sweatshirt. As soon as I took off my sweatpants the crowd saw the shorts and went crazy. All the guys were laughing and yelling and all the girls were hooting and hollering and whistling. For some reason I wanted to wear them. I wasn't trying to stick out. That wasn't my purpose from the beginning. I just thought they were cool. It was a hit right from the get-go and that's how I got the name "Fancy Pants".
FiveKnuckles.com: They are indeed a hit and we wouldn't be surprised if a major clothing brand markets these "fancy" fight shorts.
Lyle Beerbohm: My ultimate goal would be to get a clothing company to pick me up. Whether it's Tapout, Hitman, or Pain... Ecco's also a good brand. There are a hundred of them out there that I like. I think it's a great idea, but nobody has contacted me yet. I'm still waiting around... It looks like I'm going to have to win a couple more fights.
FiveKnuckles.com: When the cage door shuts, what's more important skill or conditioning?
Lyle Beerbohm: It depends. At the amateur level I think a fighter that has more skill will do better....
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