Eric 'Red' Schafer Pre-UFC 93 Interview

Eric "Red" Schafer spoke to MMAFighting.com last Thursday about his UFC 93 fight against Antonio Mendes. 

MMAFighting.com: Where are you at your training right now? 

Eric Schafer: Let's just say Monday and Tuesday were some of the hardest days of the whole training camp. We had Patrick Barry and Ben Rothwell, two of the biggest heavyweights out there rotating on me for about an hour straight. We're still going hard. Today was a little less and then we're going to taper off from now on. We're just peaking right now.

MMAFighting.com: Pat Barry told us how instrumental you were in helping him with his ground game. Has you noticed a significant improvement in your standup after training with him?

Schafer: Yeah, definitely We're a good team. I'm a grappler, he's a striker, so my striking has to get better everyday we spar. If I don't get better I'm going to get knocked out everyday so everyday I got a little better cause he's so awesome I have to raise my level and vice-versa. He's grappled with me everyday, he's been getting better everyday, every week and he's grown leaps and bounds. It's kinda good to have the opposite style there to push you.

MMAFighting.com: What do you know about Antonio Mendes?

Schafer: I've seen three or four of his fights. He's a really tall long lanky guy. Pretty much more of a striker than a grappler. A little bit different from a Houston [Alexander] though, he's not very powerful, but he's more technical. He'll pick you apart, very tough, he'll kinda wear you down two-three rounds. I definitely got to get him down, avoid the damage. Little dangerous than Houston on the short term but a little more dangerous on the long fight.

MMAFighting.com: The ground is definitely where you see yourself beating him in.

Schafer: From what I've seen he gets taken down a lot. He's tough, he's hard to finish, but he's definitely not doing anything amazing on the ground. He's definitely solid though, He's probably a little more technical than Houston but less explosive. They each offer their own problems. He's very good at surviving on the ground though, so that's a little bit of a problem.

MMAFighting.com: I was able to catch you at the NAGA in November. You don't see that many UFC fighters competing at NAGA. Even though you're a UFC fighter now, what draws you back into grappling competition?

Schafer: The reason I do it is that I love jiu-jitsu. It's my first love for sure, but I just like to keep edge. Especially in the UFC, you only get to fight three or four times a year. You get into those fights and you kinda get a little competition rust. The anxiety gets to you a little bit, so after NAGA actually, I did two other events, some super-matches in grappling so it really helps you control the nerves. Plus a lot of other UFC guys and black belts don't like to ruin their reputation. I really don't care. I'd rather compete, put the chips on the table and give it a try. I love jiu jitsu, I love staying afloat with the new techniques and you gotta test yourself so that's what I love to do.

MMAFighting.com: We asked our forum members for some question suggestions and one asked about your involvement in the Title MMA DVDs. How did that come about?

Schafer: Duke Roufus, he's my Muay Thai coach. He is a legend, definitely one of the best Muay Thai guys in the country, so he is probably more of a bigger draw than me. It doesn't hurt that I'm a black belt in the UFC. It's pretty much an intro to MMA, so it's got the basics, not too advanced. You guys got one of the best Muay Thai coaches around, and you got a black belt in the UFC – grappler too, so we're a good team together in the gym so the instructionals are pretty cheap and it's a very good alternative for the smaller gyms around.

MMAFighting.com: The UFC didn't give much attention to Evan Tanner when he sadly passed, so it was nice to hear you give a shout out to him after your fight. What is your connection with Evan?

Schafer: Actually in a related story, when I was an amateur, I was 19 years old. I did an Extreme Challenge trials and if you won, you got to get a pro fight, and I won two and lost in the semifinals to this guy – and the winner got to fight Evan Tanner, so that would have been cool, I would have been 19-20 years old and probably get the snot kicked out of me by Tanner. That's the first time I heard of him cause I wanted to follow that guy. I kinda followed the guy, he was a shootfighter first, he was actually a pre-med guy to so I related to him. He's a really smart guy and he's one of my favorite fighters and I'm not just saying that either. He's one of my favorite fighters growing up. Very similar styles, jiu jitsu, top position guy, he's one of my heroes so it was really sad to hear. I just saw him a week or two before at the HarleyFest in Milwaukee, he was signing autographs, so it was cool I got to see him one last time but very sad.

MMAFighting.com: Before we go, are there people you'd like to thank through this interview?

Schafer: I definitely want to thank my team at Roufus Sport. Duke Roufus my coach. We've got tons of good guys. Pat Barry, Ben Rothwell has been helping me out, Alan Belcher has been in the camp with me, and then I gotta definitely thank my sponsors TapouT, Sprawl, Knockout Fight Gear. They really help pay the bills so I can fight all year long, so definitely thanks to all those guys.