{"id":151795,"date":"2015-06-25T10:16:15","date_gmt":"2015-06-25T17:16:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/?p=151795"},"modified":"2022-02-04T18:46:59","modified_gmt":"2022-02-05T02:46:59","slug":"bamma-usa-16s-brandon-morris-from-young-money-to-redrum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/mma-news\/exclusive-interviews\/bamma-usa-16s-brandon-morris-from-young-money-to-redrum\/","title":{"rendered":"BAMMA USA 16\u2019s Brandon Morris: From \u201cYoung Money\u201d to \u201cRedrum\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Keith Harmon<\/p>\n

Brandon Morris and Chris Saunders will clash in a lightweight title eliminator in the main event of BAMMA USA \u2013 Badbeat 16, which streams live on Go Fight Live<\/a>\u00a0tomorrow, Friday, June 26.<\/p>\n

I had the chance to talk with Morris about his upcoming fight.\u00a0 We discussed what it\u2019s like training with MMA legend Dan Henderson, how he finds balance, how quickly he\u2019s on the brink of getting a title shot, how having a child has helped him forge a must win mindset and how he\u2019s already been given two nicknames, \u00a0\u201cYoung Money\u201d and \u201cRedrum.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keith Harmon:\u00a0 How did you get into MMA?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brandon Morris:\u00a0 I wrestled for ten years before I had my first amateur fight.\u00a0 So one thing lead to another and then I started to work with Team Quest.<\/p>\n

KH:\u00a0 You mentioned in a prior interview that you sometimes work until 3 a.m.\u00a0 How do you find the balance between such a late work schedule and the time to train?<\/strong><\/p>\n

BM:\u00a0 That is another miracle I have going on.\u00a0 My wife lets me sleep in a little bit before practice.\u00a0 Then I go to practice and go to work right after.\u00a0 You have to make sacrifices, and she knows that and so do I.<\/p>\n

KH:\u00a0 What do you do for your regular job?<\/strong><\/p>\n

BM:\u00a0 I work at one of the Amazon<\/em> warehouses.<\/p>\n

KH:\u00a0 Your last fight was your first fight at lightweight.\u00a0 Now you\u2019re on the cusp of a title shot.\u00a0 Did you think that would happen this quickly?<\/strong><\/p>\n

BM:\u00a0 I honestly didn\u2019t think it would happen this quickly.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t even think I could make 155 until my last fight when I made 155.\u00a0 But I\u2019m glad it\u2019s happening this quickly.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been working out every day for the past couple years trying to improve my stuff, and I\u2019m excited to show the world what I got.<\/p>\n

KH:\u00a0 Many fighters are fighting above or below their natural weight class.\u00a0 Do you feel that 155 is your permanent home?<\/strong><\/p>\n

BM:\u00a0 For now.\u00a0 All my other fights at amateur were at 170.\u00a0 And when I got to the professional level you have day before weigh-ins.\u00a0 The four guys I fought at 170 were walking around at 200 pounds the day of the fight.\u00a0 So I dropped down to 155 and I\u2019m feeling pretty good.<\/p>\n

KH:\u00a0 You said your wife has helped you tremendously and your dad told you about your Inside MMA<\/em> highlight in which Bas Rutten had mentioned you.\u00a0 How has your family helped you with your MMA career?<\/strong><\/p>\n

BM:\u00a0 My wife is everything. She cooks my food for me.\u00a0 She tells me what I can and can\u2019t eat.\u00a0 I may want to sneak a cookie, but she keeps me on point, and doesn\u2019t let me do that.<\/p>\n

My family loves MMA.\u00a0 My mom loves it until I get into the cage.\u00a0 She can\u2019t watch.\u00a0 She usually goes to sleep when I\u2019m about to fight, and she doesn\u2019t watch it until the next day.<\/p>\n

KH:\u00a0 That\u2019s pretty interesting that she can turn it off and watch later.<\/strong><\/p>\n

BM:\u00a0 I understand that I\u2019m her baby and she doesn\u2019t want to see me get hurt, but she\u2019d rather me be happy doing something I love than doing something I hate.<\/p>\n

KH:\u00a0 When you\u2019re cutting weight, is there any food that you crave?\u00a0 You mentioned cookies, or is it fast food?<\/strong><\/p>\n

BM:\u00a0 My big thing that I would love to have when I cut weight is a 7-11 Slurpee and a pizza.\u00a0 I\u2019m not talking about a regular size Slurpee.\u00a0 I want to fill up a 64 ounce cup to the top and (eat) a large pizza.<\/p>\n

KH:\u00a0 You train with Dan Henderson\u2019s team, Team Quest.\u00a0 Were you intimated or nervous at all when you first started training there?<\/strong><\/p>\n

BM:\u00a0 When I first started there, I \u00a0actually drove around the building twice before I had the courage to go in the gym.\u00a0 Just because it\u2019s Dan Henderson.\u00a0 But it\u2019s all cool, when I started training there, and now we\u2019re a family.<\/p>\n

KH:\u00a0 You\u2019re fighting Chris Saunders, a UFC and Bellator veteran.\u00a0 Any thoughts about him as an opponent?<\/strong><\/p>\n

BM:\u00a0 I know he likes to strike and stand and bang, which is what I like to do.\u00a0 He\u2019s going to be my toughest and biggest fight to date.\u00a0 As for him having been in the UFC, I\u2019m not really worried about that.\u00a0 I train with guys who currently fight in the UFC.\u00a0 Until he got hurt, I trained with Tarec Saffiedine, who was the Strikeforce welterweight champion and, every now and then, I spar with Dan Henderson.<\/p>\n

KH:\u00a0 How has Dan helped you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

BM:\u00a0 Every time I spar with him, I always ask if I did certain techniques correctly.\u00a0 Or if I did what he needed me to do.\u00a0 He\u2019s always giving me feedback, and he has that wise mentality that has helped me out a lot.<\/p>\n

KH: Before \u00a0his last fight, a lot of people counted him out and, then he went out and won it in under 30 seconds.<\/strong><\/p>\n

BM:\u00a0 I actually got a chance to watch that fight.\u00a0 I went on my lunch and thought I\u2019d be able to see the first and maybe second round, and then it was over and I was like hell yeah!<\/p>\n

KH:\u00a0 You have a seven month old.\u00a0 How has being a father changed your fighting life?<\/strong><\/p>\n

BM:\u00a0 She\u2019s my motivation.\u00a0 Before, it was just me and my wife.\u00a0 She\u2019s working too, and I was working my other job and fighting.\u00a0 Now that I have my daughter, my mindset has changed, and I can\u2019t lose.\u00a0 I have to win.<\/p>\n

KH:\u00a0 You\u2019ve had a couple of nicknames.\u00a0 First it was \u2018Young Money\u2019 and then it was \u2018Redrum.\u2019\u00a0 What\u2019s the story behind the two?<\/strong><\/p>\n

BM:\u00a0 My first nickname was given to me before a fight.\u00a0 One of my training partners, Richie Whitman gave it to me.\u00a0 I was buying a Gatorade at the snack bar and I pulled out a bunch of one dollar bills and he started calling me \u2018Young Money\u2019 and that stuck.<\/p>\n

My wife didn\u2019t like that nickname.\u00a0 And then, one of my coaches said he\u2019d come up with a good one.\u00a0 Then one day before the fight, he came up to me and said, \u2018I have your new nickname – Redrum.\u2019\u00a0 I had never seen The Shining<\/em>, so I thought it had to do with my red beard.\u00a0 When he told me about the movie, I was cool with that.<\/p>\n

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Benavidez: Paige VanZant Is Our Perfect Alpha Female<\/strong><\/p>\n

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