“So far, I’ve been treated the way I feel I should be treated here in the UFC,” Brooks said during a Dec. 10 interview with Fox Sports Live. “I know it’s still early, [and] I know I’m probably being afforded things that maybe other people wouldn’t because of my name value or who I am or what not. I have zero complaints, and I don’t foresee any complaining coming.”
Since Brooks’ signing was announced at UFC 181, reaction has been mixed. This is nothing new for the former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar, as professional wrestling fans are equally as passionate and vocal regarding their favorite and most hated personalities. Brooks was comforted by positive feedback he has received from some of his new peers in the UFC.
“I’m a polarizing figure,” he said. “I would have it no other way. People either love me and they want to see me succeed, or they hate me and they want to be a part of my demise or watch it. I’m just going to ride that wave. I’m friendly with a lot of fighters, so when someone like Daniel Cormer tweets something positive about me, that doesn’t necessarily shock me. It makes me feel awesome. Somebody like Robbie Lawler ... I’ve never met Robbie Lawler. I’ve been a fan of his for a long time, and for him to tweet, ‘Hey, people doubted me, too. They are going to doubt you. Just do your thing,’ it means a lot to me.”
Important decisions are still to be made, from choosing a weight class to selecting a camp at which to train. Quite a few prominent fighters have already taken to the Internet in an effort to recruit Brooks.
“I’m not so much worried about my weight right now; I’m just trying to get in the best shape I possibly can,” he said. “We are probably looking at 185 [pounds]. I’ve been called out, I think, by flyweights, bantamweights, featherweights, lightweights -- I mean everybody in between all the way up to heavyweights. I suppose everyone either needs to start bulking up or slimming down if they are going to meet me at 185; it’s probably going to be middleweight.
“As far as where I’m going to train, that one I’m not sure about,” Brooks added. “I think surrounding myself with the right people is a very key ingredient to this. I have to find a place where I am comfortable to an extent but I am taken out of my comfort zone, if that makes any sense.”
Brooks laid out the criteria that will come into play when it comes to deciding where he will train. He placed an emphasis on the facility being close to his Chicago home and cited his desire to be surrounded by fighters and coaches who support his route to the Octagon.
“I don’t want to step into a facility where there’s people who have these negative feelings towards me and begrudge the fact that I’ve gotten this opportunity,” Brooks said. “Like I said, I completely understand their point of view; I just don’t need to be training with someone that is going to actively be trying to hurt me. I think I have a lot to offer MMA. I am going to be an awesome student, and I want to learn as much as I possibly can from a multitude of people.
“Sticking close to home in Chicago is also very important to me -- and that kind of narrows it down -- but I’m also willing to sacrifice, move [and] go somewhere else,” he added. “Right now, I’m just trying to double up twice a day, work on different things and do technique things. Obviously, I’m not trying to full on go crazy and spar with some killers, but that will come when I pick a place.”
In the meantime, Brooks plans to focus on fine tuning all aspects of his martial arts skills. He admits improving his standup will be his most glaring area of need, though he does not want to rush into anything.
“Full-blown sparring, like going in there and doing the most simulated thing you can do besides stepping into an octagon -- I’ve only done that with some inexperienced people just a few times,” Brooks said. “I mentioned in the ‘Rolling Stone’ article that striking would be my biggest weakness. When I say sparring with killers, there’s a lot of guys out there that are amazing at striking and I would love to learn from them, but I’m not going to be sparring with them in the next 15 minutes or anything like that.”
Much has been made of Brooks’ lack of MMA experience, but he does have some Brazilian jiu-jitsu training in his back pocket. However, he remains a white belt under Rener Gracie.
“I’ve never even gotten my blue belt,” Brooks said. “I’ve trained so infrequently with Rener Gracie out in Torrance, Calif. It’s just nothing that has come about. I know that draws a giant target on my face, but I welcome that. I kind of tell people I’m a white belt for life anyway. I’m always going to be learning, and I’m never going to try to throw that in somebody’s face, like, ‘I’m a blue belt. That means you are a white belt and you suck.’ I think a lot of people look at me in that respect and I understand why they think negatively at that, but I’ve got to be me.”
The deck seems to be stacked heavily against Brooks and his chances of enjoying meaningful success inside the Octagon. He relishes the challenge.
“Deserve: That’s the key word, I suppose,” Brooks said. “I’m not really going to say that I do deserve it. I think time will tell if I deserve it or not. Respect has to be earned, not just given. I very much understand that. I understand the perspective of a lot of the fighters. Some of them are just trying to jump on the bandwagon, too, by calling names and picking fights. That is what they are supposed to do. That is the fight game, and I appreciate that. I will just roll with the punches. I will take all the positives and leave all the negative stuff behind.
“I don’t think you can approach anything with such a strong fear of failure that it would prevent you from doing anything,” he added. “There is a big chance I fall flat on my face with this and, obviously, it will be in front of the entire world, but that has never stopped me from attempting to do anything. You are talking to a man who crapped himself on national television before, so I’m ready to be embarrassed if it comes to that, you know?”
Brooks invites fans, detractors and those he remain on the fence regarding his pursuits to come along for the ride, whether it ends with a fruitful journey or in a crash and burn.
“Well, if you like fighting and you love me and you want to support me, that’s awesome,” Brooks said. “Watch me grow, watch me fight in the UFC; and if you hate me, it’s probably even better because you get to watch me get punched in the liver and punched in the face and people will be trying to choke me and all that other stuff, but the bottom line is I’m going to show the world what I am made of because I believe in myself and this is a dream of mine and I’m chasing it. So win, lose or draw, in a lot of ways I’ve already won. I’m putting myself out there for the world. I’m a raw nerve and everybody gets to come on this ride with me. I think that’s part of the fun of this. It’s all about the journey, not so much the destination, but when the destination comes you better believe I’m going to try to win.”