Carlton Haselrig might be 42 years old, but he’s still a youngster when it comes to the world of mixed martial arts.
With just two professional fights under his belt, the former All-Pro guard with the Pittsburgh Steelers is still learning. But he’s already got a pair of belts to show for it.
Haselrig will defend his Battle Cage Xtreme and United States Kick Boxing Association championships on Saturday when he takes on Joe Abouata during Battle Cage Xtreme V at the Tropicana Resort and Casino in Atlantic City, N.J.
The promoter for BattleCage Xtreme, David Mastrogiovanni, said Haselrig has stayed out of the spotlight for this fight, but that his company has fielded a number of calls asking about the ex-NFL star.
“This fight, he’s been focused more on training,” Mastrogiovanni said. “But there’s always a buzz because of who he is and where he has been. He’s the main event on a 15-fight card, and he’s our headliner.”
At 25, Abouata has youth on his side, but he doesn’t have much of an edge in experience over Haselrig. He’s just 2-1 as a professional, and he was knocked out in 31 seconds by Rick Cheek in his last bout on April 14.
Haselrig scored a technical knockout over Shane Ott in Battle Cage Xtreme IV to win the belts, and then beat Carlos Moreno on the undercard of EliteXC’s nationally televised event. In that, the six-time NCAA wrestling champion from Pitt-Johnstown learned that not all MMA events are handled the same way. He was able to get Moreno off his feet as part of his ground-and-pound strategy, but was frustrated at times by the refereeing.
“They stand you up if there’s no action on the ground,” Haselrig said this week. “They told me about that, but I wasn’t ready for that. If you take a man down and hold him down, it’s up to him to get up, right?”
Haselrig is not sure if this Battle Cage event will be like his first or more like the EliteXC fight, and he doesn’t know exactly what to expect from Abouata.
“He’s been in some submission, grappling tournaments, things of that nature,” Haselrig said. “He has some submissions. It has him listed as a freestyle fighter, which means that anything can go.”
While Haselrig is still intent on getting his opponent to the mat and using his grappling skills, he’s also trying to become more versatile.
“I feel pretty good. I feel ready, and I feel confident,” he said. “As it progresses, I keep learning new things. I’m adding new things to my arsenal. The main thing is to relax and stay calm. Don’t make any mistakes more than anything.”
Staying calm is definitely a key for Haselrig.
“I felt myself being tense in my last fight,” he said. “When you do that, you lose a lot of energy.”
While Haselrig is off to a great start, he still thinks there’s plenty of room for improvement.
“I have yet to catch my rhythm in a fight,” he said. “That’s what I’m still looking for.”
That could be a scary thought for his opponents.
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