If you haven't heard of Josh Clopton chances are you will soon. The "Skrap Pack" fighter is an up-and-coming featherweight that spends his time training at the El Nino Training Center in San Francisco, California.

An avid history buff and Oklahoma native, Clopton is a perfect 3-0 in his budding mixed martial arts career. He credits smaller fighters like Kid Yamamoto for sparking his interest in the sport and has nothing but praise for Matt Wiman, Jake Shields, and Gilbert Melendez who have helped him progress.

Clopton lands this month's featured spot as FiveKnuckles.com Elite MMA Prospect Profile as he prepares to take his game to the next level.

FiveKnuckles.com: You're obviously in top physical condition. What sports did you participate in early on and how did that transition you into MMA?

Josh Clopton: Growing up, I was always a pretty good athlete. After high school, I tried to play baseball and football in college. I played baseball growing up all the way through high school. Before my senior year one of my friends talked me into playing football and I ended up playing linebacker which was kind of crazy because I'm only 5'7 and at that time I weighed about 150lbs. I had a really good year making over 200 tackles which led the state of Oklahoma. I had a lot fun with it and landed a partial scholarship for the next year in college where they had me playing corner-back. I was a bit over-matched and I wasn't performing well enough for my capabilities at the new position. I ended up bailing out of school before tuition costs racked up because it was a private college and I wasn't getting a full scholarship. I still wanted do something physical and stay active. I moved to Tulsa where there was a kickboxing gym close to my house. I started with kickboxing and as one thing led to another, it turned into MMA. About four months into my training, Matt Wiman started a grappling class there. It was something I really enjoyed, I've been really close with him ever since.

FiveKnuckles.com: What made you move from Oklahoma to California and how did you hook up with Gilbert Melendez's new camp?

Josh Clopton: Before I met Gilbert, I was fighting, training, and working. I was working a full-time job in Computer Tech which was a good job. I got to the point where I had to make the decision to fight and make the best of it or be the best local fighter in Tulsa while keeping my job. I made the decision to be a fighter so I quit my job and my wife and I moved out to California. My wife wanted to go somewhere that was close to the ocean. I had met Jake Shields (who also trains with Gilbert) through one of my friends when he came to Tulsa Top Team (the place I used to train) and did a seminar. Gil was always one of my favorite fighters to watch before I had even met him. I had watched all of his fights and highlight reels; I read all of his commentaries, basically everything that I could find on him. He was just my favorite fighter. The way he fights, he is very tenacious and always pushing the pace which is the way I want to be in the cage. Once I decided to...