Matt Masterson: Quest For The Belt

Matt Masterson went from renting UFC DVDs from Blockbuster in his teenager years to fighting for the UMMAXX Middleweight Championship a decade later. This Saturday will be Masterson’s biggest challenge in his MMA career when he goes toe to toe against Nate Kittredge. Kittredge is the top ranked Middleweight in New England and embraces an impressive record of 9-1. This battle is just one of six title fights on the stacked UMMAXX 10 Collision Course fight card.
` Masterson was a stand out football player in high school and became a fan of Mixed Martial Arts around the same time. Masterson, like many other cage fighters, went from the gridiron to the cage and has found much success in this transition. Masterson needed something to do after high school because he decided that college was not for him. Masterson decided he would turn to MMA and hasn’t looked back.
Masterson began training at Tracy’s Karate, now known as Strong Style. Masterson remembers the gym being a small one studio room with mats and other supplies that just got the job done. Now Strong Style is one of the top gyms in the area and has some of the top fighters and coaches around Northeast Ohio.
Masterson didn’t waste any time making a name for himself in the sport. “My debut was awesome, it was the first time I was ever at a MMA event and I was fighting on the card. It was an incredible experience!” stated Masterson. Ironically UMMAXX matchmaker Josh Hendricks promoted this fight in Mansfield. Let’s just say Hendricks has a good eye for potential. Masterson ended the fight early with a first round win via rear naked choke.
Masterson approaches every fight the same, it could be a small MMA event in a bar or could be on the main stage for the championship belt. He doesn’t think much about the fight, he just lets it happen. He sticks to the game plan and trains hard all the way up to the fight. This simple mind scheme has brought much success to Masterson in his pro fighting career.
When asked about his upcoming fight with “The Animal”, Masterson responded “I know he is a good wrestler and punches hard. That’s about it. I’m just going to go out there and fight my fight and stick to what my coaches have taught me.” Matt likes to keep it plain and simple and so far it has got the job done.
“I had dreams about pro fighting and it was something I just had to do” explained Masterson. “MMA is like a drug, like an addiction. It’s more like a lifestyle than a sport.” Masterson just loves the sport of MMA and takes a lot of pride in fighting. “Everyone thinks MMA is just competition, but I enjoy everything about it.” Matt lives his life one fight at a time and just hopes to keep doing well and finding success. We will all find out Saturday at UMMAXX if Masterson will build on his win streak.