A Conversation With Mark Lemminger: Revving Up The Engine For Bellator

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Exclusive Interview by Anthony “Zute” George

Mark Lemminger is an accomplished mixed martial artist who will face a tough foe Friday night at Bellator 244. The Madison, Wisconsin native began his combat sports journey in the wrestling discipline. “I got into wrestling pretty young. I started with a couple of buddies of mine in school in the second grade. I carried that all the way through high school.” It was soon after that Mark looked to expand his horizons, “After high school, I was looking for something else. MMA was the logical next step. I clung onto that (MMA) right away and fell in love with the sport,” Mark recently told Ringside Report.

A simple love affair is not enough to become an accomplished mixed martial artist, however. A fantastic blend of hard work and skill has taken Lemminger to an impressive 11-1 record. Five of his wins have been courtesy of stoppages via strikes. Mark also has three submission victories and has earned three wins by decision. Eclectic indeed. His highest-profile victory is also one of his most impressive. At Bellator 242, Mark dominated the formidable Jake Smith, stopping him on punches in the second round. Mark cites that he was able to continue training as a contributing factor for his dominating performance. At a time where training and sparring is scarce for many, Mark kept his engine revving “The Coronavirus did not slow me down a whole lot. I have my own little gym down the street from my house. I was able to invite a small group of people, my teammates, to my own gym. Basically, I never stopped training. I have been in fight shape all year,” Mark explained.

The only thing missing from Mark’s regime in 2020 were actual fights. As he had three scheduled fights canceled in 2020, beginning in February. “Some of it was due to the pandemic, some of it was due to opponents pulling out. I had a fight scheduled right before the Coronavirus hit the U.S., so I was training for that, and that was canceled the last minute. I handled it better than I thought I would, I would stick right through with the training and know there was going to be another fight coming. I was able to stay focused. I think the pandemic had something to do with it. I did not have the typical distractions, there was really nothing to do but keep training.”

Mark was finally able to earn a paycheck on July 24th, at Bellator 242. Since he was so impressive in that fight, he is right back at it Friday night.

The next fight coming is a tough one. Yaroslav Amosov has a professional record of 23-0. Like Lemminger, he has an impressive mixture of submissions and stoppages via strikes on his record. “His record proves that he is good. But I think this an opportunity for me to prove how good I am…I think my skills match up really good with his,” Mark said of Amosov.

Indeed, when two fighters of equal footing are pitted against each other, anything can happen. Making it a big treat for the fans to watch. Such a circumstance occurred during Mark’s only loss against Jason Witt. In that fight, Mark explains, “That was a case where we were both evenly matched. I actually almost stopped him in the second round. I caught him with a hook that dropped him; I think if I had a little more time the fight would have been stopped in the second round. But, going into the third, he ended up catching me with an overhand right. It kind of took me out of it. I was still fighting back, but the referee hopped in and thought it was a good time to call it, which I agree with his decision.”

A combined record of 34-1 strongly suggests that Mark finds himself in another evenly matched battle on Friday night. While some observers may give Amosov an advantage in the experience category, he has eleven more fights. Lemminger can cite an edge in the sense that he has fought five rounds on two occasions. Amosov has never gone past three rounds. While it is true Friday’s fight is scheduled for three rounds, a case can still be made that Mark will have an advantage in stamina. “There is a lot in MMA that you cannot control. Still, I always felt the one thing you can control is how good of shape you get in when you get into that cage. So, I always make sure when I get in there, I am in great shape. The five-round fights that I have had, I felt I could have gone a couple of more rounds,” Mark stated.

If he is to be successful against Yaroslav Amosov, he is going to have to take care of business inside of three rounds, however. Having said that, Lemminger has it made clear that if he is not successful, it will not be due to an empty gas tank.

This fight will be on the undercard of the much talked about light heavyweight title fight between Ryan Bader and Vadim Nemkov. Will Mark Lemminger find a path to victory against his most impressive opponent to date?

Stay tuned…

Anthony “Zute” George is the Author of Tough Man: The Greg Haugen Story, a new boxing book that covers the skilled champion from Auburn, Washington, as well as the scope of the times during his days of pugilism.

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