wordplay: JJ
images: Sean Hartgrove

Aside from his obvious physical stature, “Big” Mike Nickels lives up to the nickname “Big” in more ways than one. Covered in tattoos from head to toe, Nickels screams intimidation. He’s big on family, friends and, of course, fighting. Talking of “immersing” himself in his work and family and “getting the most out of life,” one thing that isn’t big about Nickels is his ego.
But that certainly doesn’t reflect on his hunger to win.

And on April 28, at the Broomfield Events Center, Nickels is about to participate in a big fight, “Aftershock,” the 29th Ring of Fire Ultimate Fighting Event.
“It’s really going to be a lot of fun fighting in front of the hometown crowd,” Nickels said. “Even in the beginning I had a huge amount of support from my friends, family and tattoo clients.”

The fight serves as a chance for Nickels to showcase his relatively untested talents in front of a hometown crowd for the first time since September 2005. Since that time, Nickels has become somewhat of a Denver celebrity after appearing on Spike TV’s mixed martial arts reality show The Ultimate Fighter. “My manager at the time just put a tape in front of the UFC producers and they bit,” Nickels said. “The rest is history.”

Nickels lost his first match on the show to Matt Hamill by decision, but came back in the season finale and won his undercard match by defeating previously undefeated Wes Combs by submission with a picture-perfect rear naked choke hold.

“Since the show I think a lot of people have gotten to know my personality and what kind of person I am,” Nickels said. “I speak from the heart and I think everyone appreciates that.”
The fight is put on by ROF frontman Sven “Boogie” Bean and is the second fight Bean has arranged for the state-of-the-art Broomfield Events Center. Bean has also continued to showcase local talent, as he did with Denver playboy Andre “The Silencer” Walker and with Nickels, whom Bean manages.

“Sven Bean has had a great deal to do with my success,” Nickels said. “This is the first time I’ve fought for anyone since the UFC show, but it’s something that Sven asked me to do and I’d do almost anything for him.”
Nickels will be hoping to regain some pride for Denver and the rest of the ROF fighters as he goes against Carpaccio Owens. Owens defeated Walker in ROF 28 in February of 2007 at the BEC.

“I saw him at the last (ROF) fight and he’s good,” Nickels said. “I know he’s training at altitude. I wish him the best and just know we’re going to bang.”
Despite Owens’ victory over the K-1 Walker, the opponent claims that Denver’s altitude affected his last fight and looks to acclimate to the thin air by arriving a week early and training for the fight at Fort Carson, a fitting training ground for the active Army Combatives champion.

Since his appearance on Spike TV, Nickels has been training with Colorado Brazilian Jujitsu coach David Ruiz, as well as Muay Thai trainer Oscar Martinez. Nickels also gathers with eight or 10 other professional fighters each week for a sparring session.
“They offer a really high level of competition when it comes to training,” Nickels said.
Nickels is relatively new to the fighting circuit, entering into only his fourth year of competition. Nickels approached the sport fast and fittingly furious, training for about a year before entering the ring.

“I was at a point in my life where I didn’t have the time to pay my dues and spend a lot of time training, so I just threw myself to the wolves,” Nickels said. “It’s not the easiest road buy it definitely makes you a stronger competitor.”

And being a strong competitor gives promoter Bean all the more reason to look forward to the April 28 fight. ROF 28 not only broke Colorado’s ultimate fighting attendance records, but was the first Colorado-based fight to be aired on a national broadcast.  Bean’s ROF 28 event packed over 5,000 fans into the BEF and with Nickels’ popularity, those numbers look to skyrocket for Bean and the ROF organization. Also, for the first time in ROF’s seven years of promotion, every fight of the night will be held inside the cold steel cage that makes ultimate fighting such a brutal sport.

Aside from Nickels’ bout, the event includes 11 other Mixed Martial Arts fights showcasing three battles for championship belts.  Eliot Marshall squares up against Las Vegas’ Marcus Sursa in the heavily hyped 205-lb. light heavyweight division, while 145-lb. flyweight Christian Allen will defend his championship belt against up-and-coming Iowa boy Ryan Hass. In the Young Guns division, Tyler “Thunder” Toner defends his championship against Scott Jorgenson. Toner has won all five fights he’s competed in thus far – four of them by TKO or submission.

All in all, it is certain to be a showdown that should not be missed.

“I don’t have to be the best at what I do but it’s the experience of my life and every time I step into the ring I’m looking to test my skills,” Nickels said. “I look forward to putting up a good show on the 28th.”

April 28th @ Broomfield Events Center

(303) 246.5237
ROFMMA.com