MMA Submission: Mike Swick

The dude seems a little too fascinated with Chuck Norris, honestly.

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The real question is: did Swick vote Huckabee?

[Ed's note: If you're interested in more of Ryan's writings on MMA and the fight world, you can check his archives here. ]

Mike Swick was like all kids growing up in Texas: he idolized Chuck Norris.

"Just the beard alone made him a super hero," Swick says.

Swick grew up memorizing the Missing in Action movies and later Walker, Texas Ranger. Living in Houston, Swick on occasion would be sitting in the back seat as his family drove by Norris' Texas ranch. Once, Swick even wrote a note to Norris, put it in an envelope and sealed it. At age 8, Swick didn't yet know that Norris doesn't read letters, only minds.

"Dear Mr. Norris," the note read. "I want to be tough like you some day. I am very interested in martial arts and if you would be willing to train me, I believe I could become a super fighter."

Swick's mom talked him out of putting the note at the front gate for two reasons. One, Chuck Norris is very busy, she said (probably curing Crohn's Disease with his beard shavings). Secondly, Norris had an electric fence (with electricity most likely generated by, again, beard shavings). So Swick junked the note, but not the dream.

In fact, Swick has become a super fighter. He's 12-2 overall, with his two losses coming to Chris Leben and Yushin Okami. Swick is 7-1 in the UFC, with four first-round knockouts that total 5:10. With a win on Dec. 10 against Jonathan Goulet (they fight in a co-feature fight on the UFC's live charity event on Spike TV from Fayetteville, North Carolina), Swick should vault into the title mix at 170 pounds.

Long-term, Swick would love to take away Georges St.-Pierre's welterweight belt. Short-term, though, it's about two things: put on a good show for the crowd, which will be comprised primarily of troops from nearby Fort Bragg, and raise some money for the Fallen Heroes Fund. He also wants to win big, boost his bobblehead sales on his My Space page and shut up anybody who accuses him of taking his time. After a flurry of fast knockouts to begin his career, Swick has been in four straight three-round fights. None were boring. But none were "Quick," his nickname, and he took his first loss, a unanimous decision against Okami last year in April, especially hard.

"Okami wasn't a better fighter," Swick says. "I know I can beat him, and I look forward to a rematch some day. But people who think I've become a boring fighter are wrong. If you think that, you won't after Dec. 10."

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