Fight Path: Football toughness provided XFL champ Myron Dennis a foundation

The bottom line was that Myron Dennis felt he was too big.

He had always been big, which was one of the reasons he was a good enough defensive end and offensive lineman at his Oklahoma City high school to earn a college football opportunity at Southern Nazarene University. But he was up to about 280 pounds when, a few years out of football, he thought kickboxing might be a good workout.

Within a few months, he was on his way to a combat-sports career that has seen success and the different challenge of being a big man in MMA.

"At first, I didn't think I would do MMA," Dennis told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) while describing his experiences in muay Thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. "Then I got more serious in it, and I thought it was something I could do."

He has continued to do it well. Dennis successfully defended his Xtreme Fighting League light-heavyweight title in July by beating John King in a main-event unanimous decision. The victory ran his record to 7-1, with only a defeat to Raphael Davis at Bellator 53 reaching the loss column.

Dennis might not have expected the win-heavy record the first time he experienced sparring, when he suffered a broken nose and two black eyes. But he returned to the gym, continued his training, dropped his weight to a steady level and has continued his climb in wins.

The 23-year-old who lives in Oklahoma City with his wife (who was his high school sweetheart) hopes to continue combining martial-arts skills with power – a unique challenge for a bigger fighter. He also receives help from his older brother, Demoreo, himself a fighter who is scheduled to fight at the upcoming King of the Cage show in Norman, Okla., on Sept. 15.

Dennis said he feels like he is coming off his best win, which has provided more optimism for his future.

"There was a lot going on in that fight, so I think it took even more," he said. "I think that was a big win for me."

Concentrating on football

If you're a male and growing up in Oklahoma, there are two main sporting options.

"It's a big state for football and wrestling," Dennis said. "I wish I had done more wrestling actually, but I still kind of feel like wrestling is in my blood."

Dennis grew up as one of four children raised by a single mother. Those children included Demoreo, who like Dennis was athletic from the beginning. As other kids moved along to wrestling, Dennis focused on football once he started playing it in sixth grade. He grew into a tough big man for his high school team, which earned him at the spot at Southern Nazarene.

But football didn't hold the same passion when he got to college, and he left after one year. He moved along to a few jobs, including one in a warehouse and another as a certified nurse's assistant, so he could support his longtime girlfriend-turned-wife.

By July 2008, Dennis was feeling out of shape with a serious need for direction. He knew of a local gym that offered kickboxing, which he thought would be a good workout and something fun to try.

He was soon dabbling in everything from muay Thai to jiu-jitsu and then finally MMA. He figured he would pursue some form of combat sports, though he didn't know exactly what. He joked that his prospects in MMA didn't seem strong when he first sparred.

"I guess a broken nose and two black eyes sometimes make you not want to come back," he said with a laugh. "But I came back."

Skilled big man

When Dennis started his combat-sports training, he was walking in at about 280 pounds.

That's where a different challenge arrives for bigger men who are trying to enter the sport. Everyone has to learn the skills, but the biggest of the big men balance their training with the need to lose some or much of that weight to be as competitive as they would like to be.

"I had to – and a still have to – kind of watch myself," Dennis said. "It took awhile to get down to where I was comfortable and then keep going down to light heavyweight. Once I got down to about 220, it was a long way, and it was hard, but it was something I had to do."

Dennis was competing in amateur muay Thai just a few months after first arriving at the gym, and he continued fighting from there, including competitions in several disciplines. After two amateur MMA fights, Dennis made his pro debut in March 2010 with a split-decision victory, and he followed that with first-round wins in 49, 53 and 47 seconds.

He started 5-0 by the time he earned his shot in Bellator, and after that loss, he won two more XFL fights to retain his championship.

"It was a tough fight," Dennis said of his win against King late this past month. "He took me down in the first 10 or 15 seconds, and we battled from there. But I executed what I was doing, and it was great to get that win."

The win means Dennis is continuing success with the support of his wife and fighter brother, and he hopes to be back on an XFL card in September. In the meantime, he'll continue training in the sport he didn't even know he would begin.

"I'm well-rounded, and that took a lot," Dennis said. "I've been working hard to have some experience in everything, and I'm hoping to keep showing what I can do."


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