Spencer Sullivan of RISE Athletics made a stunning debut in the MMA world near the beginning of the month, securing a first-round TKO at the Throne MMA event in North Dakota.
Entering the cage for the first time in an official fight, Sullivan’s striking training and composure under pressure led to an early victory against his opponent, Jacob Lavallie.
After fending off several takedown attempts by Lavallie, Sullivan gained control of the ground exchanges and unleashed a flurry of strikes, forcing the referee to stop the fight in under two minutes.
Jacob Lavallie (left), Spencer Sullivan (right) – Photo from Throne MMA socials
Building a fighter
RISE coach Souleiman Bouhata described Sullivan’s preparation, both his physical and mental development. Though Sullivan had prior striking experience, MMA required a full arsenal in grappling and takedown defence. Bouhata explained,
“He was training at another gym before, so he had like a base. So, I started working with him on his takedown defence and his ground game.”
Once the technique is drilled and becomes muscle memory, mental preparation becomes a focus. Bouhata worked through fight scenarios to anticipate what could happen in the cage: “Like I’ve been in this situation before, I know what can happen, right? So we’re gonna start like this. ‘Imagine he’s doing this, what’s your reaction?’ So, we’re working on scenarios.”
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Inside the Cage
Bouhata says that when it’s finally happening, watching someone that you have trained is nerve-wracking in more ways than one.
“I’m feeling bad from the first second to the last second. From the beginning to the end, I feel bad. I’m shaking… Just before the fight, we’re going to the fight, and I’m thinking, ‘I hate this job,’ and I’m thinking, ‘What is this guy doing? He doesn’t have his hands up?’”
Trusting that the work has been enough, and that the fighter has everything they need in their hands to take care of themselves, is part of that struggle, according to Bouhata.
Despite the high stakes, Sullivan executed the game plan, showing the skills Bouhata and his team had drilled. Bouhata praised his fighter’s ground game, strengthened with the help of RISE’s BJJ instructor Marcos Gaubert.
And to see all of that work pay off is incredibly exciting for Bouhata.
“Oh, I’m so proud, so proud. I’m proud of all my guys.”
With this debut victory, Sullivan has confirmed that he will continue his training, focusing on improving his ground game before taking on another fight. In this way, he hopes to take his training up a notch and RISE to the next level.
– with files from RISE Athletics and Throne MMA –