Ben Parrish talks ‘Big Tuna’ babyface turn ahead of Bellator 273
Read Time:6 Minute, 2 Second
Ben Parrish tests skills with Sullivan Cauley at Bellator 273 on January 29th. This light heavyweight bout goes down on the event’s preliminary portion and emanates from Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
I spoke with Big Tuna ahead of this bout and excerpts from our chat are below.
Co-workers at the Industrial Supply Company being excited for Ben Parrish’s fights–
“When I came back to work Monday and went to the maintenance department. All the maintenance men were there and they saw me come in a day after I won that big fight, they were blown away at the humility. So I got big supporters down there for life, man.”
The pronounced sentiment shift online from a torrent of trolling to many becoming Ben Parrish fans–
“They really do love me now for the most part. I had a couple of trolls pop in the other day and I almost lived long enough to see myself become the bad guy. This guy was flaming me really bad. Calling me fat again and his girlfriend was easily my size. I almost, almost Main Street-ed him and did it. Then I realized that was wrong. So I didn’t ever do it.”
“I just let him off the hook. I know that I’m getting older because I’m letting these guys slide instead of burning their little asses up. It’s just who I am. Like I do what I’m supposed to. I’m down to earth. Me talking to you right now is exactly how I would talk to you if you were in front of me right now. And I’d be super nice. Until you give me a reason not to be, for the most part.”
Ben Parrish
Being a family man and how pissed off his daughter gets losing at Mario Party–
“Big pissed. My dad didn’t give me no leeway. Growing up playing games and stuff. Dunking on me on the basketball court, me and my brother. They ain’t getting no free wins. I’ll throw a game every once in a while. Like one of the team-based mini-games on Mario Party. Just hold my other opponents back if she’s on my team. Or if one of the persons I don’t want to win is on my team, I’ll chuck the game. But besides that, Nah. I ain’t cutting no slack.”
Mentoring up and coming amateur fighters and imparting knowledge–
“I remember all the things I wish I had when I started fighting and I try to be that for them. Make sure that they’re as prepared as possible or as can be. Most all of them see what it takes to do it and I give them the blueprint. They take it and run with it. What they do after that on fight night, it boils down to them. But I don’t have anybody in my gym that I wonder about being underprepared. Because I’ll ride their ass like a surfboard till they’re in shape.”
“That’s a big benchmark for me. If you didn’t do strength, conditioning, and cardio stuff and you got tired, that’s the only thing that you have a say-so over in the fight. If a guy hits you with a jump spin kick to the jugular out of the blue off the cage like Anthony Pettis, that’s just how it is. But if you gassed out and the guy came out in the second round. Just toppled you with a body kick because you were so tired you couldn’t stand up, it’s totally different.”
Bellator 273
Ben Parrish constantly being the underdog and how that compounds the motivation towards a chip on the shoulder dynamic–
“When they put the odds out, my brother sent them to me and said just remember. This is just like last time. These people don’t think you belong. Remember how mad it made you last time. You’ve got to show up one more time. That’s exactly how I feel. Mad props to him, man. He could have taken a lot easier route. But he’s not. I know he’s tough. And like I said, I’m willing to go to the darkest harbor under the New Jersey Turnpike to get rid of this guy.”
Thoughts on the overall skill set of his opponent Sullivan Cauley–
“He’s very athletic. And he’s got underrated striking. I think his wrestling is probably a little overrated, but he’s still really good. He still wrestled in University, which we don’t have a lot of that here. But in layman’s terms, he’s going to try to hit me really hard, really fast, and try to take me down. That’s really all I needed to know.”
The possibility of an entrance through the Bellator MMA crowd ala Sandman in ECW–
“I will say after this fight, I want to go back to San Jose and come out through the crowd like The Sandman. I’m really trying to see the most of both coasts. I’d like to go to Boston, New York City. I don’t know what Bellator’s even got going on this year. I’d love to go to England, London. The UK in general. I’d love to go there. I’ll even fight that big dumb dosser Luke (Trainer). What do they call him? Big ears. Looks kind of like a camel. Anyway, he called me out one time. I don’t remember his name. He’s a dosser.”
Bellator MMA
Ben Parrish trolling around Christmas with Luke Trainer–
“And I don’t know, man. I can’t wait. I can’t wait to come out in Phoenix. They just better hope they don’t boo me because I’ll turn heel in a heartbeat. I swear to God I will. You don’t want to find out. Big Tuna sees things in gray… I got a funny story about him (Luke Trainer) real quick. I sent him a message on Christmas and said Merry Christmas you dosser. I’ll see you soon. He read it and didn’t say anything.”
“So he can drop the fake nice guy thing. He didn’t even tell me Merry Christmas back after he tried to clout chase me. So, dosser. Keep doing the good work over there though. I do really like that kid (Luke Trainer). I like Sullivan Cauley too. A lot, man. I love seeing these younger guys coming in. Really hope Bellator stops picking up retirement home folks. Not that I don’t love them too. And there’s a spot for those people. You know what I mean?”
“Like (Lyoto) Machida no doubt deserves to be on the roster. But why does he got to be in the top 10 with four straight losses? Can’t he just be on the roster, kind of linger, if he was to get hot again, jump him right back in?… Give me a job with these guys. They need this creative.”
“I can’t give it to them from here. I guess I can but I don’t know what else I’m gonna have to do to make people start listening to me. Everybody else in the state listens to me now and their life is that much better. But the rest of the world, I’m still having to get through to them. It’s okay.”
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
About Post Author
0
0 
Average Rating