Broken Arm Takes Russow Out for 6-8 Weeks
Loretta Hunt Jun 3, 2010
Mike
Russow tasted a bit of notoriety last Saturday night in his
third-round comeback knockout of Todd Duffee
at UFC 114 in Las Vegas. The Chicago police officer and recent
father survived on the receiving end of Duffee’s punches for the
better part of three rounds until he found his one-punch answer
that sent an out-cold Duffee to the canvas.
The 34-year-old veteran had plenty of reasons to quit, not the least of which was a broken arm, which came from deflecting Duffee’s advances at the end of the first round. Russow said he knew the injury was serious when no amount of adrenaline could dull the pain.
“It hurt pretty bad throughout the fight, but I had no choice but
to keep fighting,” Russow told the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Jordan
Breen Show” on Thursday. “Every time I threw a punch, in the
back of my mind I thought, ‘This is gonna hurt.’”
The broken arm was set and casted on Thursday. Russow predicts he’ll be able to start training again in another six to eight weeks. Russow, who works the 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. police shift and finds time to train during the day, is anxious for another opportunity to prove himself.
Russow’s flabby 253-pound physique was another topic for fans during the bout. The 6-foot-2 heavyweight, who played football for Illinois State University before transferring to Eastern Illinois’s wrestling program under the coaching of future UFC champion Matt Hughes, said he’s always carried extra weight.
“I was like 315 (pounds) when I played football in college and I think some of that’s loose skin,” said Russow. “I could probably eat a little bit better, but I know I’ve worked just as hard as anybody and I’ve still got that extra fat. When I was in the police academy, I was 220 and still had a gut.”
Russow said he was able to take a month off from the police department to train for the bout, a luxury he wasn’t able to enjoy in his first 13 bouts.
“I felt like I was in the best shape of my life really wind-wise,” said Russow. “I was easily going five- five-minute rounds in practice. I felt in great shape. I didn’t think I was that tired during the fight.”
Russow, whose only career defeat came to Russian boxer Sergei Kharitonov at Pride 33 in February 2007, said he learned something about himself in the fight.
“Out of the 14 fights I’ve had, I’ve never felt really comfortable standing up,” he said. “It showed I could get out there and I could take some punches. I felt a lot more comfortable as the rounds went on.”
Russow’s resilience secured him not only the biggest win of his career and a $65,000 pay bump for knockout of the night, it also earned him another shot in the Octagon. Maybe it’s the last perk that Russow is looking most forward to.
“I’ve always felt I could do good. I still have a lot more to prove and I think a lot of people don’t really know about me and my style, a lot of people don’t like,” said Russow. “Wrestling. Some people think it’s boring…but I think it did help knocking Todd Duffee out, especially because everyone was so high on him.”
The 34-year-old veteran had plenty of reasons to quit, not the least of which was a broken arm, which came from deflecting Duffee’s advances at the end of the first round. Russow said he knew the injury was serious when no amount of adrenaline could dull the pain.
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The broken arm was set and casted on Thursday. Russow predicts he’ll be able to start training again in another six to eight weeks. Russow, who works the 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. police shift and finds time to train during the day, is anxious for another opportunity to prove himself.
“No one wants to be a punching bag, you know? I was excited and
obviously I’ll take a win any way I can get it,” said Russow. “I
just wish I would have done a lot better.”
Russow’s flabby 253-pound physique was another topic for fans during the bout. The 6-foot-2 heavyweight, who played football for Illinois State University before transferring to Eastern Illinois’s wrestling program under the coaching of future UFC champion Matt Hughes, said he’s always carried extra weight.
“I was like 315 (pounds) when I played football in college and I think some of that’s loose skin,” said Russow. “I could probably eat a little bit better, but I know I’ve worked just as hard as anybody and I’ve still got that extra fat. When I was in the police academy, I was 220 and still had a gut.”
Russow said he was able to take a month off from the police department to train for the bout, a luxury he wasn’t able to enjoy in his first 13 bouts.
“I felt like I was in the best shape of my life really wind-wise,” said Russow. “I was easily going five- five-minute rounds in practice. I felt in great shape. I didn’t think I was that tired during the fight.”
Russow, whose only career defeat came to Russian boxer Sergei Kharitonov at Pride 33 in February 2007, said he learned something about himself in the fight.
“Out of the 14 fights I’ve had, I’ve never felt really comfortable standing up,” he said. “It showed I could get out there and I could take some punches. I felt a lot more comfortable as the rounds went on.”
Russow’s resilience secured him not only the biggest win of his career and a $65,000 pay bump for knockout of the night, it also earned him another shot in the Octagon. Maybe it’s the last perk that Russow is looking most forward to.
“I’ve always felt I could do good. I still have a lot more to prove and I think a lot of people don’t really know about me and my style, a lot of people don’t like,” said Russow. “Wrestling. Some people think it’s boring…but I think it did help knocking Todd Duffee out, especially because everyone was so high on him.”
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