CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – To reach the pinnacle in any aspect of life, many dues are often expected to be paid along the way.
In Nate “The Train” Landwehr’s case, some fans in the MMA world might say the 31-year-old’s UFC debut has been long overdue after the resume he’s put together over the years.
“I’m just blessed,” Landwehr said of the opportunity. “Everything happens for a reason. I think if I would’ve gotten the shot younger, then I would’ve missed out on some stuff across seas. I’m just glad I got to experience everything over there. Now it’s only forward.”
As a Clarksville native and Rossview High School alum, Landwehr is chomping at the bit to bring a win back to his hometown.
“It was great,” Landwehr said of his upbringing. “Clarksville has always been a good place to grow up. It’s a beautiful area to raise a family.”
Before becoming a professional fighter, Landwehr attended Highland Community College in Kansas for two years. It was during his time there where he made the life-altering decision to follow his true calling.
“My time there was wonderful,” Landwehr said. “I had a track coach take a risk on me and give me a scholarship. I ended up running track for two years, but I never really loved it. I just loved the competition of it. I felt that there was something else out there for me. I saw the UFC on one day in my dorm room and told a couple buddies, “I think I could beat up those guys.” I remember telling my coach I’m going to go home and try this fighting stuff. He thought I was crazy, but just told me be good or be good at it.”
Landwehr currently trains at Wildside Fitness and Martial Arts which is formally known as SSF Submission Academy. For the casual MMA fan, Landwehr described what a normal day is like in the life of a professional fighter.
“You have an a.m. practice and a p.m. practice with recovery in between,” Landwehr said. “Usually in the morning I focus on striking or strength and conditioning. At night, it’s more team-practice based and you work on wrestling, sparring and mat time. Just real training.
“Think about the toughest thing you’ve ever done and do that twice a day for six days a week. If you want to get an idea of what it’s really like, I would say run a mile and every 100 meters have someone smack you in the face with a brick.”
Before landing a UFC contract, Landwehr competed in M-1 Global which is a UFC affiliated fighting organization located in Russia. After capturing the featherweight title in just his third fight with the promotion, “The Train” began to pick up steam.
“The first fight was like an interview,” Landwehr said. “By the third fight, I was the champion, sealed the deal for my legacy over there in the fourth fight and then the fifth fight was the fight of the year. Two years ago, they didn’t know who I was, but now they’ll never forget me.”
Landwehr (13-2) is set to take on Herbert Burns (9-2) Saturday, January 25 at UFC Fight Night 166 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
“I would say Herbert is a great competitor,” Landwehr said. “He’s got world-class grappling, but as far as man-on-man, heart-on-heart and will-on-will goes, I’m going to break him. I’m going to finish him late in the first round or maybe even off the rip.”
Landwehr recognized his camp and sponsorships for the roles they play in his success.
“Shout out to Clarksville and all of my people,” Landwehr said. “Christian Nielson who is my head trainer and head coach, Mike Merriman who has been with me the longest and Kelvin Garcia with American Pride Boxing. I’d also like to thank my main sponsors Veteran’s United Home Loans and Pearle Vision.”
Even with the pressure of an entire city on his back, Landwehr will enter the UFC octagon for the first time, as he’s done previously in many others; with no jitters or nervousness.
“I always say that this sport kind of found me and not the other way around,” Landwehr said. “The first time I ever stepped in a cage to fight I just felt at home. If you have to describe it to somebody it’s unexplainable. You either get it or you don’t.”