“…Well of course you gotta eat. But that’s secondary, I like to fight.”

With Ultimate Fight Night rapidly approaching this weekend of August 6th, we had the opportunity to talk to Pete "Drago" Sell and trainer Ray Longo about his upcoming fight with Ultimate Fighter Nate Quarry. Pete’s BJJ coach Matt Serra was still in Hawaii after being in Renzo Gracie’s corner as he took on the Hilo Boy himself, BJ Penn.

On a humid August 1st night I took the Long Island Railroad from beautiful Brooklyn to mysterious suburban Mineola, Long Island to interview Pete Sell of the Serra Longo Competition Team one night before flying to Vegas and only five days before he encounters this gentleman from Team Quest in the biggest televised MMA event in American TV history thus far.

Thanks to a generous last minute invitation from coach Ray Longo, I was able to watch Drago putting the last finishing touches on his striking game inside the ring.

In his UFC debut Pete Sell made Phil Baroni take a late night nap but he has yet to prove his worth to the skeptical masses. Photography by Dave Mandel

Just watching these final stages of his footwork, striking and cardio preparation for the battle made me tired. But as always since I first met Drago, he seems to be in superb physical condition, peaking perfectly, focused, and ready to let his fists do the talking.

But before we get to witness this in the Octagon, here are a few words from Drago himself.

BR: We’re here with Pete "Drago" Sell at the Ray Longo Academy.

First of all, congratulations on your victory against Phil Baroni in UFC 51. Phil Baroni is making quite a splash in Japan right now. How do you feel about the fact that perhaps you haven’t gotten enough recognition for taking him out in the Octagon? Do you feel you deserve more credit for this?

D: Yeah, maybe! Keep knockin’ em out Baroni. It makes me look better, keep going. You know, my stock is going up because of him.

BR: How do you feel about your opponent for this next fight, Nate Quarry? You are going to be fighting in one of the most highly televised UFC shows ever. They are expecting about three million viewers. Do you feel a lot of pressure for this fight?

D: Nah! (Smiles) Man I go out there and I block out everything. There’s nothing there’s no crowd I just go out there and handle my business, and that’s it, bottom line. I think about it all after. Right now it’s a one-track mind, I just think about the fight and that’s it.

BR: How do you focus for a fight? How do you get yourself mentally prepared?

D: Man, I just gotta have that don’t give a fuck attitude in general, to life. Expect the worst hope for the best no disappointments. It doesn’t bother me; I’m ready to go.

BR: Do you expect the fight to wind up standing, are you prepared to trade with Nate or do you think this fight is going to be a grappling match, since you are a Jiu-jitsu man and he is a wrestler?

Drago warming down at the Longo Academy the night before flying to Las Vegas in order to acclimate for Nate. Photography by Fernando Avila

D: No, I think we’re gonna battle on the feet we’re gonna battle on the ground too if it comes to that. Wherever this fight goes I’m letting it go, it doesn’t matter.

BR: So you don’t mind trading with Nate?

D: No, I don’t mind trading with him at all. No.

BR: What do you think of his trading, or stand up skills against Shonie Carter?

D: I just feel that Shonie, he’s been around awhile but he definitely doesn’t belong in that weight class. Nate’s a lot taller than him; he traded but couldn’t get close to the guy. And the guy had only three weeks notice for the fight, so I don’t think he was in the best shape in the world. You know and I know that they are looking for the calculated risk for the Ultimate Fighter guys; they want those guys to win. By picking me for Nate, I think it’s the wrong move.

BR: How do you feel about that, the fact that these guys from The Ultimate Fighter are getting so much hype, and it’s mostly people who are not so in the know about MMA, the general public who seem to be embracing these guys? Does that make you even hungrier to prove yourself, since after all you are the man who took out Phil Baroni?

D: Yeah, all that press stuff, that’s all cool and all, but it really doesn’t matter I just like to fight. I’m just having fun with it. All that other stuff is secondary, if it comes it comes, if it doesn’t, I really don’t give a shit.

BR: What motivates you as a fighter, everybody likes their rewards. Are you looking for recognition as a fighter, is it money, is it women, I mean, what turns you on about being a fighter? It’s a hard job, you’re training a lot, and you’re taking vicious hits that could disable most people?

R E S P E C T means so very much to me. One way or another I'm gonna getcha... Photography by Fernando Avila

D: All the perks are fun, fighting is just fun, it’s like the old school. We’re like modern day gladiators going at it, that’s what I like. I just like to fight. All the other perks, like women, money, well of course you gotta eat. But that’s secondary, I like to fight.

BR: So are you still working as a bouncer Drago?

D: Yeah, I’m still working as a bouncer making my chump change, living the life as a mixed martial arts fighter. Trying to get up there.

BR: Do you feel that if you do wind up winning this fight, that this could be your big break? Do you think things will blow up for you, or at least you’ll get the respect?

D: They’ll definitely give me my respect, and you know either way I’m getting my respect. One way or another so I’m not worried about it. I’m not going nowhere, I’m gonna take my respect, you gotta earn it.

BR: I know you’re not looking past this fight, but if you were to win this fight, what are you looking for next? Are you going to keep fighting in the UFC, are you hoping that Bushido comes knocking on your door?

D: One thing, I love the UFC, they’ve got TV time, they’ve got the best fighters in America. I’d love to stay with the UFC. But definitely before my careers over I wanna go over to Japan. You definitely got to experience that, fighting in another country. They put on a good show over there, I wanna fight all over the world.

BR: Are you worried about this fight going to a judges' decision? If you watched the pay per view of your own fight, and you listen to all the commentaries that were flying around, they were pretty much calling it for Baroni all the way through. Now if this goes to a decision, does that worry you? Or are you not going to let it go to a decision?

Two times Drago took out UFC veteran Chris Ligouri in Ring of Combat for the belt. Photography by Minori Yoshida

D: I’m not going to let it go to a decision. I’m going for the kill. I don’t have much of a choice cause they want to build this guy up and they want him to win, so. Gotta take him out.

BR: How do you think you are going to take him out?

D: Ah, I’m going for the KO, you know. The KO!

BR: Have you been working more on the stand up fight? It seems to me that every time I have seen you recently you are concentrating more on the stand up, the striking…

D: Yeah, you know what it is, I’ve done the ground game so much since the beginning, so I feel that I have that to a level that I need for the mixed martial arts right now. I’m still trying to get better here and there but I’ve been trying to concentrate on my weakest points and that’s what I’m gonna try to be my best at. We gotta approach each fight differently, and in this fight we feel like that’s what we’re gonna capitalize on.

BR: What do you feel are your strongest assets, your best skills, your strongest points?

D: Definitely my submissions, I’ve got a lot of balls, I gotta lot of heart, and I hit hard man! So if I land that shot on the chin it’s good night you know.

BR: Do you think you have a mental toughness that puts you ahead of other fighters?

D: I definitely have an edge on a lot of people. If I feel them breaking down I eat it up, I can smell the blood.

BR: Pete, your only twenty two years old, that’s really young to be at this level in MMA right now, the competition is super stiff. Do you think that’s gonna be a factor in this fight also? Maybe you have more energy, more gas than Nate, or are you gonna be more cautious because of that? Thinking, this guy is a little older, a little bit more experienced?

D: I feel that if we get into a war situation, him being older is going to play into it. Being older takes its toll on the body, that’s gonna become a factor, I’m gonna be able to push it a little more because of my youth factor. He won't be able to match my pressure.

BR: But do you think his experience as a wrestler will play into it? In the recent past wrestlers have done very well in the Octagon?

Can he get past Rock Quarry, or will he be sent back to the stone age? Drago sees the blood. Photography by Fernando Avila

D: The reason wrestlers have done well is because in the UFC whoever’s on top is winning, even if you’re not doing anything. If you’re on the bottom you could be attacking the entire time, trying for submissions but it doesn’t matter.

BR: What are your advantages over Nate. From what you have observed from Nate’s fights, what are you going to take advantage of from your own arsenal.

D: Definitely my submissions, my hand speed, my foot work. He’s very stiff, I feel I could pick him apart and I think I can hit harder than the guy. I got more balls than him.

BR: The fact that UFC rules favor wrestlers does that mean you have to be careful or change your own game plan as far as implementing Jiu-jitsu tactics.

D: Yeah, you gotta try to be on top during the fight, you can’t get taken down as much. That’s the way the rules are in the UFC. You gotta play within the rules, it’s a game.

BR: Do you think MMA is becoming more and more of a game?

D: Yeah, it definitely is more of a game, your playing with rules. A lot of fighters have a lot of fights under their belts by just taking guys down and holding them down not doing much really. It’s the fight game, you live and learn.

BR: Do you think it’s become more of a game because they’re trying to make it a more popular sport?

Ray Longo (left) and Matt Serra (right) seem to have a winning combination in Pete Drago Sell. Photography by Minori Yoshida

D: America is based on boxing and wrestling. Most people know it’s in every high school, or you can go to the local PAL and join a boxing gym, it’s all over the place so everybody knows what it is, that’s what people are most familiar with. So they think wrestling, whoever’s on top, whoever’s pinning the guy that’s who wins. That’s what most people know, they’re not so familiar with BJJ. They don’t know the rules of Jiu-jitsu, that you can fight from your back, they just don’t get it.

BR: Are you at all concerned with Nate’s reach? If in this fight Nate starts connecting are you gonna be tempted to take it the ground?

D: No I’ll just keep it on my feet. I’m not worried about it.

BR: Any predictions on how this fight will turn out?

D: Him looking up at the lights on the ceiling, knocked out.

BR: Is there anything else you would like to say or add?

D: No that’s it man. I’m ready to go to war, if he wants to go to war I’ll take the fight wherever he want to go. I’m ready to rock, I’m in shape, I’m ready to go.

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