After Matt Hughes made the transition to Ultimate Fighting Champion, he developed many followers here at Eastern.

One of those followers is current graduate assistant coach Clayton French, who is trying to climb through the ranks to join the UFC.

After joining Mixed Martial Arts three years ago, French has fought in ten matches. His last match was a month ago against Shinya Aoki in Japan at the Bushido 13 event.

“I have a manager (Monte Cox) and he called me and told me there had been a big opportunity for me,” Clayton said. “He said there had been a cancellation and one of the fighters wasn’t going to fight in the show, and they needed a good fighter on short notice so there’s a list and I got picked from it.”

Gilbert Melendez, who was originally scheduled to fight, was forced to withdraw because of injury.

French had only had four days notice on this match, so he made a quick game plan and stuck with it.

Aoki, who went to the lightweight division in August, is one of the top in jujitsu, according to French. That is also one of his own strong points, he said.

“I tried to keep him standing, and in that part I did a good job, he couldn’t take me down,” he said. “I was making him pay with some shots. But in the end I got hit with a flying triangle, so by the time I hit the ground I was already in the submission. I fought out of it for a while but in the end I had to tap out.”

The flying triangle choke is a submission move seen often in the MMA, and used by Aoki to win two matches. It is where the fighter locks his opponent’s head and arm between his legs in a triangle.

With this contract for the match against Aoki, French will have one more fight next year, which he hopes will be in May after classes are over. He hopes to win the fight in order to possibly be offered another contract.

Head coach Ralph McCausland thinks this is a great opportunity for him to continue fighting.

“There is no professional avenue for these guys,” McCausland said. “For instance, with Matt Hughes, we talked about training for the Olympics.”

Hughes, a 1992 graduate of Eastern, is currently the unanimous No 1 welterweight in the MMA and is UFC champion.

Along with Hughes and himself, Clayton sees many more wrestlers in the future going to the MMA to continue fighting after college.

He thinks the two wrestlers right now who might go are senior 165-pounder Kevin Knabjian and freshman heavyweight Joe Trinka.

“That’s all I want to do for a living is fight, and I know Kevin does to,” Clayton said. “We got a number of fighters on campus we train with. Kevin Knabjian, Chase Beebe, Derrick Noble. He’s a grad assistant weight coach. He’s a UFC veteran. Last year he fought in the UFC about this time.”

Another reason for getting into MMA was his brother, Michael French, Clayton said.

“He started fighting in 2002, so I was wrestling here and he was fighting,” he said. “It looked fun.”

Their father, Mark French, agreed that Michael’s fighting influenced Clayton to fight.

“Michael, his older brother, got to be an ultimate fighter,” Mark said. “He saw that his brother was getting good money out of it, so Clay took up the profession.”

Michael is not surprised with Clayton’s decision to continue fighting.

“He’s wrestled his whole life,” Michael said. “It’s just another one on one sport and that’s what he wants to do.”

Michael has been helping him train throughout their lives. Currently, he mostly helps him with stand up fighting moves, and Clayton shows him more wrestling moves.

Clayton thinks that wrestling is one of the most important parts of MMA to master.

“It’s just my opinion, but it allows you to go where the fight goes,” he said. “If you’re fighting someone superior in stand up, take them down and vice-versa if he has a good ground game.”

Clayton’s next major event will be Jan. 19, as he fights against Mac Danzig for the King of the Cage title in Rockford.

Clayton said if he beats Danzig, he will be a legitimate contender in the MMA. Danzig currently only has two losses and a tie.

Clayton also thinks UFC might offer him a contract deal with a win at King of the Cage.

“They’re going to offer me something,” he said. “I got to win first. The guy I’m fighting is pretty good. Maybe like a four fight deal with them if I win, because I’ll be the champ. It’s for the title ‘King of the Cage’ and it’s a pretty big organization.”

Clayton Stats

Record: 8-2 (loss by armbar submission to Justin James and flying triangle choke submission to Shinya Aoki)

Age: 26 years old

Height: 5’6

Weight Class: 155-160

Professional competition: 3 years

Wrestling since: 8 years old

Eastern Stats: Wrestled 5 years, graduate assistant 3 years

Favorite Fighter: Matt Hughes

Next Big Event: January 19, ‘King of the Cage’, Rockford IL, against Mac Danzig

Jay Grabiec/The Daily Eastern News Graduate assistant and assistant wrestling coach demonstrates some boxing techniques during wrestling practice on Tuesday afternoon.

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