UFC Fight Night 16 broadcast set for three hours, minimum five fights

Originally posted on MMAjunkie.com

December's "UFC Fight Night 16: UFC Fights for the Troops," a nationally televised event that serves as a fundraiser for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, will feature a full evening of fights.

The broadcast, which airs on Spike TV, will run three hours and feature a minimum of five fights, Spike TV officials have confirmed with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

The Dec. 13 event takes place at the Crown Coliseum in Fayeteville, N.C., in conjunction with the Fort Bragg military installation.

....

The full UFC Fight Night 16 fight card includes:

MAIN CARD
Josh Koscheck vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
Jonathan Goulet vs. Mike Swick
Razak Al-Hussan vs. Steve Cantwell
Tim Credeur vs. Nate Loughran
Frankie Edgar vs. Matt Wiman

PRELIMINARY CARD
Brodie Farber vs. Luigi Fioravanti
Steve Bruno vs. Johnny Rees
Ben Saunders vs. Brandon Wolff
Dale Hartt vs. Corey Hill
Eddie Sanchez vs. Justin McCully

Click here to read the entire article at MMAjunkie.com

Dale Hartt vs. Corey Hill possible for UFC's Dec. 10 military event

Originally posted on MMAjunkie.com

A potential Dec. 10 event that the UFC would hold at a U.S. military base may have its first fight.

Sources close to the fighters told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that "The Ultimate Fighter 5" stand-out Corey Hill (2-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) is expected to meet Navy veteran Dale Hartt (5-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at the Spike TV-televised event.

However, bout agreements are not signed, and the UFC hasn't yet even officially announced the Dec. 10 event.

Click here to read the rest of the article at MMAjunkie.com

Hartt to realize dream tonight with UFC fight

By Andrew Neff
Saturday, July 19, 2008 - Bangor Daily News (Bangornews.com)

A little more than five weeks ago, Dale Hartt was still a man striving to realize a lifelong dream.

Saturday night, the 29-year-old Bangor man will likely be somewhat battered, probably bloodied, likely fatigued and maybe even injured, but he’ll be living that dream.

Hartt will step into the cage for the first time as a professional mixed martial arts fighter under the auspices of the Ultimate Fighting Championship as a combatant in one of the UFC Fight Night undercard fights at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas.

"I feel like it’s been a 29-year quest for me. I feel like since the day I was born I was meant to fight," said Hartt. "This fight is validation for a lot of blood, sweat and broken bones.

"I’ve endured my family telling me for six years to get a job and stop training, my ex-wife telling me [to choose] her or fighting, and six years of poverty. It’s been worth it and then some."

Hartt’s not overstating things. His quest has cost him a lucrative job as a financial manager, a marriage and some family relationships. Given all that, asking him about his approach to fighting Shannon Gugerty in the 155-pound lightweight class bout is almost unnecessary.

"I think I’m just going to fight hard," Hartt said matter-of-factly. "Honestly, I’m planning on doing what I always do: Put my nose down, go forward, and bring the heat.

"I just want it to be a battle of wills because I’ll win that. Nobody wants to win it more than I do."

So how does a financial economics degree holder from the University of North Florida, former varsity ice hockey player at Franklin Pierce College, and former United States Navy communications officer and electrician decide to become a professional fighter?

"This has been my dream since 1991, when I watched UFC1 at a friend’s house," said the Hampden Academy alumnus (Class of 1997). "I thought it was going to be like pro wrestling. I was kind of half watching it, but then I saw a kick boxer fight a sumo wrestler named Teila Tuli. After I saw Tuli’s tooth flying out of his mouth, I grabbed a chair and sat with my face about six inches from the TV and never took my eyes off it until it was all over."

The 5-foot-11, 168-pound Hartt started seriously training for a fighting career 15 years ago and has extensive training in Ju-Jitsu. He’s 5-0 in five mixed martial arts fights since turning pro in 2004.

"I would have liked to have a few more fights under my belt, but when the UFC calls, you answer," said Hartt, who signed a non-guaranteed, four-fight contract with UFC.

Hartt, who has won all but one of his fights in the opening round, is ranked No. 1 in New England by Massachusetts MMA (MassMMA.net).

"I’ve pretty much just been decimating people in Mass.," Hartt said. "None of my fights have gone into the third round and only one went into the second. I’ve broken two orbital bones and three noses."

That’s not to say Hartt has gone injury-free. He had to have his anterior labrum (shoulder) repaired and had to spend a couple of months rehabilitating.

"That’s the only time I wasn’t able to train for the last four years. I was in a cast for a month and completely immobile," he said. "I got that from a fight. I got slammed on my head four times in a row and the injury started happening when I was in training and my shoulder went out."

That didn’t prevent Hartt from going ahead with a scheduled fight.

"I knocked a guy named Matt Lee out and then had surgery the next day," he said. "He was talking crap about me so I couldn’t back out."

He won’t be backing out Saturday night, either. Not that he’d want to turn his back on $3,000 for fighting, another $3,000 for a win, possible endorsement money and deals, which would come his way after a victory, and exposure. Saturday’s UFC card will air live nationally for the first time on Spike Network-TV at 9 p.m.

Ironically, it was Spike that had a taped-up hand in Hartt getting his big break with the UFC.

"They flew me to Vegas to try out for the Ultimate Fighter reality show," he explained. "I didn’t make the cut because they said I was too nice, but I guess I made a good impression."

That was back in April. Two months ago, agents started calling Hartt out of the blue, asking to represent him, leading Hartt to believe he might have a shot to sign with the UFC. He signed on with one and a little more than a month ago, he was in.

"I found out on a Wednesday, signed Thursday, and left my son and girlfriend to train in Boston on Monday," said Hartt, an only child who credits girlfriend Ashley Joler and his 1½-month-old son Orion for inspiration and support.

There aren’t many people Hartt can say that about as his career choice has alienated him somewhat from his family.

"My uncle [Tim Dysart] and grandmother [Irene Dysart] are my biggest backers, but some of my family doesn’t support me at all," Hartt explained. "I love both my grandmothers, but [Irene] and I have a special relationship.

"I don’t know if she’ll watch or not. She says I’m too pretty and thinks I’ll get brain damage, but I think a lot of my family thinks I have brain damage already."

Joler will attend the fight, as will fellow Bangor native Marcus Davis, a pro and UFC fighter who appeared in a past seasons of the Ultimate Fighter TV series. Davis, who owns a gym and has helped train Hartt, will be Hartt’s corner man for the fight.

Since arriving in Las Vegas Monday, Hartt has been concentrating on mental preparation, rest and relaxation. His only concern was cutting 13 pounds off to make Friday’s weigh-in.

"The hard work’s done. Right now is kind of my taper-down time because I’m kind of beat up from training," he explained. "Most of what I’m doing right now is sharpening up the mental game."

It doesn’t sound like that will take much time.

"I haven’t had a lot of anxiety and pressure leading up to this. I’m just really excited to fight," he said. "I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited to fight.

Sherdog Radio's Jordan Breen Show joined by Dale Hartt and Brad Blackburn

Courtesy of sherdog.com

Jordan Breen returned to the Sherdog Radio Network Thursday for the centennial edition of the Jordan Breen Show, and was joined by Affliction VP Tom Atencio (Pictures), and UFC debutants Dale Hartt and "Bad" Brad Blackburn (Pictures).

Atencio joins Breen to talk about all facets of Affliction's first promotional venture. Atencio talks about his history in MMA, including his time in cage, and how Affliction got started. Breen and Atencio also discuss Donald Trump's role in Affliction, what pay-per-view and gate expectations for the event are, and what the future of Affliction as a promotion will hold.

Hartt provides insight into his journey from shooting BB guns as a teen in Bangor to making it to the Octagon. Hartt talks about his forthcoming fight with Shannon Gugerty (Pictures), being a vegetarian, former 90210 star Shannen Doherty, as well as giving humorous anecdotes about the recent birth of his first son.

Blackburn gives a fighter's perspective on what it was like to be with the IFL over the long haul, and embarking on a new chapter in his career as he makes his UFC debut Saturday against James Giboo. Blackburn gives his explanation of the unevenness of his fight performances, and talks about selling his house to make the commitment to being a full-time fighter.

Breen also breaks down some of the non-UFC, non-Affliction action coming up, including bouts for Dream, Shooto, KOTC Canada, Palace Fighting Championship.

Education and regulation on the Sherdog Radio Network!

Copy and paste this link to hear the entire interview and show.
http://sherdog.com/radio/Radio-Jordan-Breen-Show-680

Dale Hartt Featured on FCF Radio

In this edition of FCF Radio, Jeff speaks with Eddie Alvarez about his upcoming match against Tatsuya Kawajiri in the Dream Lightweight Tournament finals. Also, "Wombat" is joined by Dale Hartt, who will fight in UFC Fight Night on July 19, as well as Kultar "Black Mamba" Gill, who faces Jaochim "Hellboy" Hansen in Dream.

Check out the interview by copying and pasting the link below.
http://fcfradio.fcfighter.com/

UFC Newcomer Dale Hartt Ready to Throwdown

By: MPeterson12 - fiveouncesofpain.com

Dale Hartt didn’t find his athletic fit until he found fighting. It wasn’t for a lack of trying though. As a high school athlete he played football, hockey, and lacrosse in the spring, but always felt something was missing.

“Every sport I played, other than mixed martial arts, all I really wanted to do was hit people,” Hartt said during a recent episode of the New England Fights! podcast. “I could care less at the end of the day what the score was or anything else that happened; I just wanted to go out there and hit people. So I found a lot better sport for me.”

Hartt will test his competitive spirit on July 19th in his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 14 when he puts his undefeated 5-0 MMA record on the line against fellow UFC newcomer Shannon Gugherty (9-2).

Hartt, a 155-pound fighter, amassed his flawless record fighting on the local level in New England. A Maine native, Hartt is a member of Team Irish under coach Marcus Davis, a fighter famous for his heavy hands and six-win streak in the UFC that was recently broken at UFC 85 after a three-round decision loss to Mike Swick.

“Marcus is just a warrior, first and foremost,” Hartt said during the show. “No matter what else happens, I will always think of Marcus as a hardnosed warrior with a Never-Say-Quit attitude… Win, lose or draw, Marcus comes to fight. And he’ll fight you, and he’ll fight anybody.”

Hartt’s call from the UFC came through his newly hired agent, Ken Pavia. Hartt connected with Pavia during his tryout for season eight of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Hartt was one of the last 155-pounders to be cut during the auditions.

Hartt stated during the interview that he has been training for his upcoming UFC fight against Gugherty with Team Irish back in Bangor, Maine and Kenny Florian, Mark DellaGrote and the rest of Team Sityodtong in Somerville, Massachusetts. He admitted, however, that he knows little about his opponent other than what he looks like.

“I’ve been telling people that I look like his really good looking older brother,” Hartt joked.

But for Dale Hartt, it doesn’t matter. A Navy veteran who has almost completed his degree in Kinesiology, has found his calling.

“I’m going to come to fight,” Hartt said in closing. “I’ll throw down; I’ll give it everything I got. As long as I leave it all on the table for me, my family, for my fans—if I leave everything I have, if I dig as deep as I can go and I leave everything on the table—no matter what happens, I’ll be happy.”

To listen to the complete interview to hear what Dale has to say about fighting Fedor Emelianenko; fighting Dan Lauzon (“Why is he fighting someone who is 2-7? In a co-main event?”); and combat fitness, visit www.newenglandfights.com.

Editor’s Note: This article was authored by Matt Peterson produced by New England Fights! as a courtesy for FiveOuncesOfPain.com. Listen to the free New England Fights! podcast at NewEnglandFights.com.

“Different”: Meet Dale Hartt

By Tim O’Connor, New England Mixed Martial Arts

Wilmington, MA) – It is said that it takes a different kind of person to excel in individual sports. American athletes are typically prepared and trained for team sports starting in their youth. What American youth hasn’t played Little League or Soccer, teaching them the value of supporting another and the value of working within a group to achieve a common goal? When someone from this background splinters off and excels in individual pursuits they are often referred to as “different”. When that person doesn’t choose golf or an Olympic sport to earn recognition and instead chooses mixed martial arts well a few other words come to mind. Now when that person forgoes a lucrative career in finance and chooses to train in MMA in the hallowed grounds of Bangor, Maine…that person we simply call “Dale”.

Dale Hartt is different, very different, and it is in a refreshing way. Dale Hartt is honest, possibly too honest. Dale Hartt is passionate, occasionally too passionate. And Dale Hartt is a fighter, an Ultimate Fighter. On July 19th, 2008 on the under card of “UFC Fight Night 14” Dale Hartt will fulfill a life-long dream and compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

“Since November of ’93,” Hartt answered to how long he’s been dreaming of this opportunity, “Honestly I’ve been telling people it’s just a matter of time since I started fighting.”

And that time has come, in the form of Shannon Gugherty, a 9-2 Lightweight who owns impressive wins over Cub Swanson and Johnny Torres. Hartt could’ve chosen an easier UFC debut, but rarely does a fighter choose the UFC, the UFC chooses the fighter.

“I thought it was going to be like the pro wrestling crap and I hated pro wrestling, “Hartt answered on how the UFC first “chose” him, “All of sudden Gerard Gordeau kicks Tuli in the face and the tooth goes flying. I seriously put my chair like this far from the TV (squeezing his fingers together) and I sat there like a man possessed; and I’ve watched every UFC since.”

Hartt certainly has a passion for MMA and that passion was at first difficult to understand and even more difficult to accept. Growing up in the average American household which values education (Hartt earned his degree in Financial Economics from the University of North Florida) and foresaw a bright future for their son in the financial industry (Hartt turned down a well paying job with UBS/Paine Webber) isn’t exactly the breeding ground for a top-notch UFC fighter. Although Hartt couldn’t quite see his UFC future as a young man.

Hartt elaborated, “For the longest time I was like, have you ever seen those kids toys where they have like a square, a circle, and different shapes? Well I was like a circle and my whole life I was taking this square and trying to stuff it in there, right? It just wasn’t fitting. Then all of a sudden I started training and I found these other people who were also circles. You know what I mean? It was just a perfect fit for me and it was incredible.”

Incredible is not the word the family would use in describing their sons decision and still doesn’t understand the decision to fight.

“My mom’s like, ‘You’re the dumbest person I’ve ever met’. They just don’t understand it’s really hard. I hear about it literally every time I talk to my family; I hear about it and how dumb fighting is and how they hate it,” Hartt said, “My grandfather’s famous quote was, ‘Why would you let someone punch you in the face?’ (Laughs) I don’t let anyone punch me in the face! And he was like, ‘Well look at your face now!’ and I’m like, Well I didn’t let him!”

Hartt doesn’t let anyone do much of they want in the cage; his undefeated record in five professional fights illuminates that. Although he is loathe describing himself as anything but an “MMA Fighter”.

“I’ve been doing MMA since the beginning. I wasn’t a wrestler who turned to MMA; I wasn’t a jiu-jitsu guy who turned to MMA. I did jiu-jitsu because I was wanted to learn it, because I wanted to fight MMA. I learned Thai boxing because I wanted to fight MMA. It’s all I ever wanted to do, fight MMA,” an impassioned Hartt explained.

Such passion and singular focus has served Hartt well in developing his MMA skills. Hartt quickly rose through the ranks here in New England, having fought for Full Force Productions and their “Untamed” brand, and trained with Marcus Davis’s “Team Irish” up in Bangor, Maine.

“Your team is everything; all you’re drilling, all you’re sparring, everything from that comes from your team you can’t just do that in your basement,” Hartt continued, “it just doesn’t work. Marcus has been an unbelievable resource, I constantly bother him. I drive him nuts! I’m like, ‘What do you think of this? Is this a good idea?’ I’m a pretty crazy guy and I have all this stuff going on. I’m always bothering Marcus; he’s kind of like my guiding light, he gives me a good direction into the fog.”

But Hartt wasn’t done, “Honestly, all I really do is I do the mental preparation. Like that is my job, I get mentally prepared to fight and I do the final stages of me mentally getting ready to fight; which is something that I am stronger at than your average person, and mentally I’m like a bulldozer, but your team is who gets you physically ready.”

Hartt understands what his New England roots have meant to him and his career. Having fought in Brockton, Boston, and Plymouth for well-run, professional organizations, like Full Force Productions, and some questionable organizations, Hartt has learned the ropes of this professional fighting game.

“I’ve learned a lot. I take a realistic view of the whole fight game and promotion, and promoting. It’s not like necessarily the cleanest, most honest business you’ve ever seen, there’s a lot of hustlers,” Hartt detailed, “I love fighting for Untamed. Honestly, I deal with Mike Littlefield a lot and Mike Littlefield is the best guy on the planet as far as I’m concerned. He’s unbelievably intelligent, people really under estimate his ability…he is very private about his fight picks, but he is very accurate. That’s a secret no one knows! So you piss off Mike Littlefield you’re going to lose! That’s why I send him flowers and candy.”

In an area used to hearing “Manny Being Manny” the above is the essence of Dale Hartt, honest to a fault, but a person who enjoys the laughter which is often forgotten in MMA. Just “Dale Being Dale”.

“I look at it as like its fun for me, its fun. Like I could care less, if I lose an MMA fight I’m (not) going to go home and shoot myself,” Hartt described.

But that laughter, that joy belies an intense drive for the sport. Few fighters possess the laser-like focus Hartt displays for a great fight, no matter the consequence.

“I don’t really care what happens, like if I lose the fight I’d be ok with that. If we go out there and just like, have one of those fights that I tell my kids about it, that’s all I want. I don’t even care if it’s in the gym or where it is I love good fights!” Hartt nearly screamed.

And so on July 19th at “UFC Fight Night 14” Dale Hartt will showcase his laughter, his passion, and his New England roots; it’s what makes Dale “different”.

Dale Hartt is ready to entertain you

by John Morgan on Jul 13, 2008 at 8:00 am ET
MMAjunkie.com

Is Dale Hartt (5-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) the future of MMA?

Hartt will not bring an impressive amateur wrestling resume to his bout with Shannon Gugerty at UFC Fight Night 14 this Saturday night. There will be no discussion of Hartt's Brazilian jiu-jitsu world titles -- no talk of any highlight-reel knockouts in Muay-Thai.

Yet the 29-year-old Hartt told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that he has been focused on MMA since its beginning.

"I watched the first UFC, and ever since then all I've wanted to do is mixed martial arts," Hartt said. "I trained in Florida before I started training in Bangor, (Maine), with Marcus (Davis). I did Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and I did Muay-Thai. I wrestled a little bit. But everything I did, I did because I wanted to fight MMA. I never wanted to be a jiu-jitsu guy. I never wanted to be a Muay-Thai guy. I always wanted to be an MMA guy."

Hartt has taken the blue-collar approach to MMA, and he has become a jack-of-all-trades en route to his UFC debut. Now less than a week away from the biggest night of his life, Hartt is looking forward to an opportunity to silence his critics.

"It's like a validation," Hartt said. "Validation for the sacrifice I've made and all the sacrifice my family's made.

"It's like before you fight in the UFC, everybody looks at you like you're wasting your time. My whole family, they think I'm wasting my time. And now, all of a sudden, the UFC thing comes along, and oh, maybe I'm not wasting my time."

Hartt nearly reached his lifelong goal earlier this year. After trying out for season eight of "The Ultimate Fighter," the Team Irish fighter just missed getting a plane ticket to Las Vegas.

"I was pretty much the last guy cut for 'The Ultimate Fighter,'" Hartt said. "I've had a girlfriend for a long time, and she was pregnant. I knew if I went on the show, I was going to miss the birth of my child. I was prepared to do that, but I wasn't super happy about it."

Despite missing out on what seemed to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Hartt now finds himself with a golden ticket providing direct access to the world-famous octagon. The undefeated lightweight remembers fondly the moment he received the offer to fight for the UFC.

"If someone from the Olympic gymnastics team would have been there, I think they would have asked me to go to the Olympics," Hartt said. "I was in the parking lot, and I was doing back handstands and flips, and all kinds of crazy [expletive] I've never even seen before. I'm telling you, it was amazing the athletic endeavors I was undertaking in this parking lot -- all while still staying on the cell phone."

Hartt has finished all five of his previous opponents, but he realizes that his game planning must improve now that he is competing on a much-higher level.

"I'd like to stay a little bit more relaxed and a little bit smoother than I normally am," Hartt admitted. "I hope Shannon Gugerty's not reading this, but I'm kind of a tank. It's kind of my nature. They call me 'Dale Monster' in training. I'm just like 'Forward.' I use sheer determination and will to overcome my obstacles. I'm trying to actually use my feet to move and not just engage and go forward."

As a valued member of Marcus Davis' training camp, Hartt has been exposed to the rigors of life in the UFC. Now it will be his turn as the center of attention.

"I'm kind of a weird guy," Hartt admitted. "I always known I'm a weird guy, but this has just accentuated that for me. I'm not really nervous, and that actually makes me nervous. I'm nervous about not being nervous. I'm worried that all of a sudden, I'm going to be standing there at the gate, and all of a sudden this huge wave is going to hit me and I'm going to be like, 'Holy [expletive], I'm fighting in the UFC.'"

Despite those concerns, Hartt is prepared to deal with the possibility of first-time jitters.

"I'm going to try my best, and I'm not making any promises here, to have that nervous energy empower me to perform," Hartt said. "Empower me to give me strength, speed and hellacious pain endurance."

It is that type of attitude that fuels Hartt and that pushes his desire to be a new fan favorite.

"I don't care if I went in there and fought Fedor (Emelianenko) and he beat my face in for 15 minutes," Hartt said. "If I went in there, and I gave it everything I have, even if I was on the bottom eating punches, but I was still fighting him the whole time, and he said afterwards, 'Man, that son of a bitch never gives up, and he was fighting me that whole time,' I'd be happier than a pig in poop."

The Maine resident, who runs his own website dedicated to a fitness revolution (www.combatfitness.us), wants to prove himself as one of the UFC's most exciting fighters.

"I don't want to be like, 'Oh, God, Dale Hartt's fighting,'" Hartt said. "Say I fight a great wrestler, and he holds me down, and he doesn't really hurt me. I'll do everything I can to get to my feet. I'll give up my back. I'll do whatever I can. I'll take big risks to get to my feet to make the fight exciting. That's just my nature.

"As long as I'm in great shape, I'll rock and roll. I don't mind getting hit. I don't mind getting beat up. I don't mind any of that. I'm fine with that. I'd way rather get beat up and get the crap kicked out of me than have a boring fight any day of the week. It's not even a close call for me."

These days UFC fighters have to remember that they may be one lackluster loss away from their walking papers, so the fear of a boring decision loss weighs heavily upon the debuting UFC combatant.

"If a guy held me down in side mount and just held me there and I wasn't able to get up ... that's just the most horrible way to lose in my book," Hartt said. "I'd rather get choked unconscious. I'd rather get my arm broke. I'd rather get my face smashed in and go home and tell my girl and my family. I have a small boy at home. He doesn't really know, but I know. And I don't want to go home and be like, 'Yeah, dad lost, and dad doesn't have a mark on his face. Dad's not broken. Nothing's wrong with dad, but he lost.' That's not OK to me."

Whether you consider yourself a casual or hardcore MMA fan, it is quite possible you've never heard of Dale Hartt. But if next Saturday night goes according to his plan, you might soon be ready for his next appearance.

"It's an exciting prospect for me for people to want to see me fight," Hartt admitted." I'm going to go out there, and I don't promise to win or lose. I will go out there, and I'll give it everything I have."

A Conversation with UFC New Comer Dale Hartt

by TruPlya — published on July 7th, 2008 - promma.info

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with 155 lb. Dale Hartt about his upcoming UFC debut, July 19th and UFN 14. The segment was going to be called 5 minutes with Tru, but it turned out to be 22, which I edited down to 12. Dale, (5-0) 3 TKO and 2 SUBS, gives PRO MMA the low down on breaking into the UFC, rolling with Gina Carano, his beef with Jason Chambers, his out of body experience and Joe Lauzon’s huge ears. Hartt plans on bringing his passion for fighting and offbeat personality the UFC, where he will take on Shannon Gugherty (10-2).

http://boomp3.com/listen/4b3j673z_3/dale-hartt-interview (Copy and paste to hear the interview)

theMMAcraze Exclusive: Dale Hartt Interview

By Brian Holt, theMMAcraze.com

Dale Hartt, who is set to make his UFC debut on July 19th at UFC Fight Night 14, was recently able to take some time out to talk with theMMAcraze. Hartt currently sports a 5-0 professional record after making his pro debut in 2004 at Mass Destruction 18 with a win by submission. Since then he has finished all of his fights with none going past the second round.

Dale discussed a variety of topics ranging from training with Team Irish and Marcus Davis to his 450 pound dead lift and his opponents dislike for getting hit in the face. Needless to say, there was nothing boring about this interview.


theMMAcraze: So who is it you are training with to prepare for this fight, still with Team Irish?

Hartt: Yeah, I train with Marcus Davis, I started to train in Florida with Tom Burke and Lionel Perez, then moved to Maine in like December 2003. I started to train with big bad Marcus Davis and the rest is history. I also train with Mark DellaGrotte of Sityodtong.

theMMAcraze: How did you get started in mixed martial arts?

Hartt: Well, I was at my buddy’s house and he had ordered the first UFC and I’m kind of embarrassed to tell you this but I used to do Tae Kwon Do and so I thought it was going to be something like pro wrestling or some pro wrestling scam. So I was watching and this guy gets kicked in the face and I see a tooth go flying like before the even show the instant replay, and I honestly, I took my chair right up to the TV screen and I didn’t move for like the next 3 hours. I was like, man …..honestly, this is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

theMMAcraze: So, you started training in Florida and then you moved up to Maine start training with Marcus Davis and Team Irish?

Hartt: Yeah, I like Florida a lot and I absolutely love training down there. Marcus wasn’t even here in Bangor when I first got here; he was in Portland which is about 2 hours away. But I started out in Bangor, my family is here, and I moved back to be close to them. To be perfectly honest I moved back for a girl, but she gave me an ultimatum, her or fighting…..it was time for her to go when she started saying that . I graduated from University of North Florida still training full time, ever since I found a gym I could train at, I’ve been a gym ever since. I did an internship at UBS Paine Weber and they offered me a job for like $70,000 a year but I turned them down to go work at a Gym for like $10.00 an hour so I could train. I’ve always had jobs, I worked at bars a lot-bouncing and temporary jobs and stuff but they were always my “other jobs” and they would have to accommodate me and my training schedule and if they didn’t then I wasn’t going to work for them. I call it my fighting vow of poverty, pretty similar to being a monk.

theMMAcraze: How did you end up on the fight night card?

Hartt: I have to give Ken Pavia some of the credit for that. I thought I was fighting in X1 at end of July and then I thought that was scrapped and a few weeks ago he called and said hey you’re in the UFC, next thing I know I’m getting ready to be in the UFC. It’s very special to me for a couple reasons. One, because it’s the one I started watching from the beginning and that’s the one who got me started in it and now I’m going to be fighting in it. That’s pretty amazing to me. I’m a fighter but I’m also a big fan. I love fighting, I love watching fighting, I love everything about fighting.

theMMAcraze: Now, your upcoming event you’re fighting Shannon Gugerty. He’s a 10-2 fighter who’s also new to the UFC. I know that 7 out of 10 of his fights he’s won by submission, have you been able to find much to help you prepare?

Hartt: Yeah well I’ve watched a lot of his fights, he’s a brown belt in Muay Thai, he’s got good kicks, he likes stand up but doesn’t like to get hit in the face. Which may be a self evident thing – who does like to get hit in the face, but you can’t really be an effective puncher if you’re afraid to get hit in the face. You can tell, the way he holds himself, he leans back, he throws really good kicks, he takes their backs a lot but the guys backs he’s taking I don’t think are the most successful fighters I’ve seen in my life. I’m not saying he won’t take my back because I give up my back a lot. I’d rather give them my back then have a boring fight.


theMMAcraze: What about with the time frame? I know you only found out about this fight a few weeks ago, do you feel as though you are pretty well into your training camp right now, you feel like you have plenty of time to get ready?

Hartt: I think I’ll come in about 75%, maybe 80%.

theMMAcraze: And is that enough for the win?

Hartt: Well, I can tell you this. I’m bringing the heat. Fighting for me is almost spiritual and although I never promise victory, I’m very confident, I think it’s bad karma and bad faith to be like oh I’m gonna go in there an kill this guy. I mean how many times have you seen some guy talking about a fight and then the tiniest thing happens and then changes it all around. Ya know, I think the only attitude to go into this game with is an attitude where I’m going to go in there and I’m gonna give it everything I have, I’m gonna put my heart and soul in it, I’m gonna leave everything I have on the table and no matter what happens I’m gonna go home and sleep like a baby. As long as inside I know, I don’t care if he knocks me out in 10 seconds, I don’t care what happens as long as I give it everything I have. And I think and hope that people enjoy watching me fight, I think I’m an exciting guy. I do not like to have boring fights. I bring it, I like to be exciting, it’s not one of those boring fights. I’m pretty well rounded, I’m a pretty good athlete, I’m a pretty strong guy, I’m gonna be a pretty good size 155’er. And I’m excited. It’s an opportunity for me, an opportunity for my family, and everybody who’s supported me.

theMMAcraze: You mentioned fighting at 155 – you’ve been fighting heavier than that previously right?

Hartt: Yes and no, I’ve been fighting at catch weights. I’ve been fighting between 155 and 170. I’m walking around a lot lighter now. I went on the Ethiopian diet for a while.

theMMAcraze: Oh yea, I don’t think I’m familiar with that one, what exactly is that?

Hartt: Well, yea, that’s when you just stop eating food. No, but I did lose a lot of weight. I did the ultimate fighter try out and lost some weight for that and I’ve been trying real hard to keep it off.

theMMAcraze: So what are you walking around at now?

Hartt: Well, I got up first thing this morning and I’m at 175 which is pretty perfect for me. I expect to get down to about 170 maybe 169 and I’ll cut from there.

theMMAcraze: So you mentioned working with Mark DellaGrotte and I know you’re into striking and in your Matt Lee fight you seem like you’re pretty comfortable on your feet, do you think you’re more of a stand up fighter then a ground fighter?

Hartt: I consider myself, and everybody says it, but I’m one of the guys who is truly well rounded. I’m like a 7 across the board. I’m not a 10 in anything but I’m not a 2 in anything either and I have a bit of athleticism and that kind of helps. I was never a wrester and thought, oh I want to fight, I was never a jiu jitsu guy who was like, oh I want to fight. I’ve been all about learning everything right from the beginning.

theMMAcraze: So in your training, regardless of your opponent, do you still train all over, like wrestling, jiu jitsu, striking , you pretty much do everything or do you concentrate in one area?

Hartt: At different times I may concentrate a little more on one thing or another but like right now I’m concentrating on my stand up and wrestling a little more, but it’s a little more just coincidental because I mean I’m training with Mark DellaGrotte and the guy’s like a stand up genius. And he’s helping me out. And this guy named Moose, he’s from Pakistan, and he’s a human killer….he’s a mean bastard. That’s all I have to say about him. He likes to throw me on my head. A Lot! There’s days where I have to do like 5 rounds with him and when I’m already tired, it’s just murder.

theMMAcraze: What is a typical training day like for you?

Hartt: I get my conditioning first thing in the morning – first thing meaning 9:00 – 10:00, when I’m home I run blocks at like 6am, but here, Mark DellaGrotte doesn’t let me get out of the gym until like 10pm, so by the time I eat and everything it’s midnight,
so I’ve been doing my strength and conditioning at like 10 o’clock with Kevin Kerns. I do a lot of the resistance bands and things along that nature, I train a lot of free weights but not right now. The time leading up to my fight I cut down on free weights a lot.

theMMAcraze: Yeah, I saw your dead lift video on You Tube. 450 pounds was it?

Hartt: Yeah, you wanna hear the story on that video? Me and Dan Lauzon had been talking about fighting, he had been beating a bunch of guys that belonged in the 145 pounds weight class and so when he and I were supposed to fight I took that video and sent it to him as a private message on my space and wrote no more 145er’s for you. Now I hope the UFC brings him up and I can get that fight in the UFC, that’d be great.

theMMAcraze: So, I hear you’re a vegetarian is that right?

Hartt: Yeah, I am a vegetarian, it’s tough. It’s really tough.

theMMAcraze: I’d imagine with all your training and the amount of exercise you’re getting being a vegetarian is probably a difficult thing to do.

Hartt: Yeah, I’m not a vegan which allows me to eat whey protein, eggs and both of those things make life a lot easier. I read a lot about a guy, who’s a strength and conditioning coach, and his vegetarian diet and he kind of made me think it was possible.
I’m a little PETA activist too. You’d find it funny if you knew where I was from. I line in Bangor, Maine and there’s not a lot of PETA activity. It’s common to see people with their deer or whatever they just got done shooting. And people hunting doesn’t bother me, it’s the fact that those slaughter houses and keeping those animals in those tiny cages that they can’t even turn around in all for the purpose of me eating it. From my point of view for me it’s kind of pompous.

theMMAcraze: I know you mentioned earlier, you don’t like to promise and make predictions; do you have any thoughts or feelings on the fight you got coming up?

Hartt: You know when I meet him at the weigh in, I’m gonna ask him, what do you think about tying some rope, we’ll go ankle to ankle, we can just sit there and we can just swap it out until one of us goes down and I think everybody would like that and I think we’ll get fight of the night, I’m sure he needs it and I need it. And, I think that’s the way to go right there.

I’m sure in his head he thinks that my jiu jitsu is not as good as it is and as long as, I have to be able to fight my fight, I have to be able to go in there and make the deal 100% that the deal can be and if I do that, then he’s going to have a hard time. I mean, I’ve trained with Kenny Florian, I’ve trained with Marcus, other than BJ Penn, I don’t think there’s any guy that has better jiu jitsu than Kenny Florian at 155 pounds. And Kenny doesn’t catch me very often. And you know, like I said its just bad karma. I mean maybe Shannon does catch me, but I’ll tell you right now, he’s gonna have to break something cause I’m not saying I’ll never tap, tapping’s a smart thing to do, but I don’t like to tap cause I don’t like to lose but yeah, it’s gonna take a lot.

It’s like this for me, fighting is very spiritual for me and I just want to go in there and I just want to give it everything I have. I want to put everything I have on the line and I just hope for one of those fights where I can just feel his will and my will colliding and going back and forth. That’s the kind of fight I want to have. If I know and people talk and say man that was a really great fight, you guys put it all out there on the line, I’ll be happy. If people come up to me and have like crazy eyes because of my fight, then that’s what I want. That’s even more important to me, honestly than a $20,000 fight of the night bonus.

theMMAcraze: How long or how many fights are you signed for with the UFC?

Hartt: 4 fights. Hopefully everything goes well and I fight well and the UFC says that’s the kind of guy we want to have, and if things don’t go well then hey, I’ll keep fighting and keep going in smaller shows until I get another shot and I’ll give it everything I’ve got and we’ll do it again. I’ll keep trucking no matter what happens. You look at a guy like, I’m not going to say I’m half as exciting a fighter as Clay Guida because he’s an exciting fighter. Like he’s lost a lot and a lot of guys don’t get that chance to lose that much. But I know that every time I watch Clay Guida, you know it’s going to be exciting. I would watch that guy lose like 50 times just because every single time, he brings it, he never quits, he never gives up and he never takes a step back and to me, that’s worth a lot to me. I’d rather watch him then someone who wins but doesn’t go for it.

theMMAcraze: Is there anyone you would like to thank or any other comments you would like to make?

Hartt: I have a friend named Scott Trayhorn and I’d really like to thank him, he’s like my moral compass, he’s a school teacher and he fights for Xtreme Couture in Washington. He’s my best friend and guidance and everything you could ask for in a friend. And Marcus Davis and Mark DellaGrotte. And also www.combatfitness.us which is my website. I’m trying to have a fitness revolution and my website, that’s my attempt.
I just feel lucky. I feel like one of the luckiest guys on the planet right now. Everything is going so well and everything is so great and I’m really to that point. It’s just unbelievable.

Radio: Remember The Name Dale Hartt

Check MMArated.com's Radio Interview at...

http://mmarated.com/articles/article/news/20080703/radio__remember_the_name_dale_hartt-14697.html

By: Ariel Helwani
I have never met a fighter quite like Dale Hartt. From the moment we started speaking, I instantly felt like we were high school friends catching up again. His infectious laugh and joie-de-vivre oozes right out of the phone and you can't help but feel like this is one person who truly loves his life.

Well, that life is about to get a whole lot better as on July 19th Hartt (5-0) makes his UFC debut against Shannon Gugherty (9-2) at "Ultimate Fight Night 14" at the Palms in Las Vegas. It's a battle of rising lightweight fighters and one Hartt promises will be memorable.

Hartt's road to the UFC is quite unique so, needless to say, this is definitely an interview worth checking out.

Dale Hartt's Sherdog.Com Blog

I sit here thinking about the Irony of my life. Opportunity to make enough money to support my family and train has come my way. At the same time a ticket sits next to me unassumingly quite for failure to pay a toll. I wasn’t aware of the upcoming toll or I would have driven around. Funny thing is I really didn't have the money, not on me, not anywhere. I’m Dale Hartt and July 19th I will become a UFC fighter. This diary is going to be written to give people some perspective on the feelings and experience of a first time Ultimate Fighter.

Somehow the Irony constantly reminds me just to ride life's flows instead of trying to make my own river. I signed with Ken Pavia looking for bigger and better paydays and the opportunity to showcase my skills. Unfortunately pickings for fights were dry and I was forced stretch my financial economics degree to the limit, picking up a paint brush. Kevin and I would head to work around six am every morning and work until four or so. Then I would hit the gym with Marcus around five, lift weights from eight until ten and head home to see my baby.

I probably don’t need to tell you that when Ken called with the news of getting me into the UFC it was amazing. In another strange twist of fate earlier in the day he had told me the news that I wasn’t fighting in the UFC or a fight for X-1 that I’d been hoping for. So I did what every self respecting member of society does when finding out such news while road tripping for a fight, I hit the bar. Not being much of a drinker the shots I was pounding with my friend Travis seemed to be doing the trick. I wasn’t upset anymore about not being able to fight, and as a bonus, I couldn’t feel my toes. No really at least ten minutes was spent trying to feel them, but they were gone. After the bars closed we dropped off my friend Garth, who was fighting, at the hotel room. You know desperation has set in when your forced into a random room hotel room with soccer players because you saw they had beer when you rode by. Nothing against soccer players, I just don’t see the point of all that running just to kick a ball. I’m too fat for that nonsense.

Ken Pavia calls me at 2:30 am telling me I'm fighting in the UFC. I proceed outside and successfully completed a triple spring with hand stand. I don’t know what that means but it was probably the second happiest moment of my life. Ken asked me if I had been drinking, I told him a couple, he told me to put the beer down promptly, which I did. Probably the most important part of this story is about the emotions that come to somebody who has suffered greatly and then achieved their dream. I have lived in third world poverty so I could train everyday. My girl and I sleep in a bed much too small for two human beings, and it's especially bad for her since I like to make snow angels when I sleep. I don’t like the idea of getting ahead of myself with excitement and don’t want people to misinterpret what I say as a arrogance that I have made it. I realize fully that fighting in the UFC is easy compared to staying in the UFC. I still am very proud of just the fact that I will be stepping into the Octagon as a contestant. I will be a peer with many of the people I admire and look up to. It’s the biggest honor I could have asked for. Besides my son everything else in life pales in comparison to it. For me, if they called and said would you like to be president of the United States, but you’ll have to give up fighting I would tell them to stuff it. I can think of no accomplishment that would mean more to me, nothing. Thanks for taking the time to read my first diary entry. I'll make the next one on the training I’m doing to get ready. Please feel free to email me at Dale@combatfitness.us and let me know what I can improve upon, and check out my website at Combatfitness.us and MMAagents.com.

Newcomes Dale Hartt and Shannon Gugherty to meet at UFC Fight Night 14

by Dann Stupp on Jun 20, 2008 at 6:00 am ET

Two more UFC newcomers have been scheduled to fight at next month's UFC Fight Night 14 event.

Lightweight fighters Shannon Gugherty (9-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and Dale Hartt (5-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) have agreed to meet in an undercard bout at the July 19 event. A source from Gugherty's camp alerted MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) of the bout, though Hartt's agent, Ken Pavia, could neither confirm nor deny the fight.

UFC Fight Night 14 takes place at The Palms Las Vegas and airs live on Spike TV.

Gugherty, a longtime veteran of the Total Combat organization, fights out of San Diego with City Boxing. He's currently riding a six-fight win streak, which includes six stoppages (four of which came in the first round).

Gugherty kickstarted his career with a victory over WEC contender Cub Swanson, and in his most recent fight, he delivered Johnny Torres (5-1) his first career loss.

Hartt, who's competed recently for Full Force Productions in Massachusetts, trains under UFC welterweight Marcus Davis in Maine. The 29-year-old is a perfect 5-0 with five stoppages since turning pro in 2004.

UFC Fight Night 14, which was officially announced just this week, will go head-to-head with Affliction's debut card. "Affliction: Banned," which features a star-studded lineup with headliners Fedor Emelianenko and Tim Sylvia, kicks off on FSN before jumping to pay per view for the night's main card.

Gugherty and Hartt join a number of other UFC newcomers tentatively scheduled for the July 19 event, including Johnny Rees, Nate Loughran, Reese Andy, Brad Blackburn and James Giboo.

For the latest on UFC Fight Night 14, check out the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Dale Hartt, courtesy www.myspace.com/dalehartt)