It's April 1st of 2009 and "UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann" is unfolding. After an excellent 5-1 start to his professional MMA career, Nissan Osterneck has landed an opportunity in the big show. His 3-round, grind it out battle with Jorge Rivera ends in a split decision loss. The UFC doesn't decide to offer him a contract, but Nissen keeps competing and winning 2 of his next 3. He was already an accomplished Jiu Jitsu practitioner, having won over 10 championships, including being a Gracie National Champion and submitting 13 opponents in 1 day to win the 2006 Nationals. His career was on the rise until injuries sidelined him for 2 years.
For some fighters, this may have been a reason to perhaps move on to other walks of life. For Nissen, the question of rehabbing and coming back stronger and better to pursue his passion doesn't exist. It is, and was always, a foregone conclusion. I had the opportunity to train with him earlier this summer while filming a segment for my TV show. It was a chance to see firsthand how hard he was training, how ready he was, and to be able to understand a little more about why fighters fight. August 24th is his comeback fight for Warfare MMA at the Myrtle Beach Convention center, so I took advantage of another opportunity to speak with him about that fight, his future, and his thoughts on this UFC.
SWD: Welcome back. Its great to know that you're fighting again. It's been a 2-year hiatus because of injuries. How's your health and how are you feeling?
NO: I'm feeling good and it's great to be back doing what I love to do.
SWD: How long and intense has this training camp been?
NO: It's really been a progression for about the last 6 months coming back from a knee injury and just getting stronger and improving one step at a time, and then turning up the intensity. I've been doing a lot of yoga and really testing the knee to make sure it's back, and right now, I feel great. I've been going balls to the wall and I'm ready.
SWD: You've been training with an undefeated light heavyweight fighter, Marvin Skipper, quite a bit. He's one of the stronger guys you can find in that weight class. Is that an advantage to training up in weight class and are there any downsides?
NO: I'm training with him and I've been training with guys at 170 and 155, so you get the feel for both. You're not as strong as the guys at light heavyweight, so that's a challenge, and you can't expect to be as fast as the guys at 170, but you have the feel and advantages of both.
SWD: Sort of the best or worst of both worlds.
NO: Exactly.
SWD: Recently, you achieved a major accomplishment in your life, earning a Black Belt in Jiu Jitsu under Shane Briggs and Relson Gracie, which is about as tough a Black Belt as there is to earn. What was that like after 10 years of study?
NO: Well, it's really been longer than that, but you just take it one step at a time and keep pushing yourself. I wasn't expecting the Black Belt at this time, so it was a cool accomplishment.
SWD: You're really known as a Jiu Jitsu guy, but you've been studying Muay Thai under World Champion Maurice Travis. Your clinch and knees are crazy brutal and you've won 3 of your fights by KO. Watching you train recently, it seems as though your standup is even more refined or brutal, depending on your perspective. Is that a fair assessment?
NO: It's a refinement of the technique. I still go out to California to train with Maurice and the technique is there, but it's a constant quest to try and take what you know and what you're learning and perfect that in your head and the technique so that when you fight, there isn't a drop off.
SWD: You divide your time between Myrtle Beach, California, and Hawaii. Any advantages training in 3 different places?
Nissen; Yes. When I'm in Hawaii, I do a lot of surfing and hunting, and can combine some cross training techniques. When I'm here (Myrtle Beach), I live on the beach, so I can run the beach right out of my front door. Plus the variety of training partners is a big advantage. Mostly I prefer Hawaii. Although this (Myrtle Beach) is where I grew up, so is Hawaii and it feels a little more like home. It's where I'm most comfortable.
SWD: In all 7 of your wins, you've either submitted or knocked out your opponent. Is that game plan and strategy or is it more of a mindset of who you are as a fighter?
NO: I don't think it's a strategy as much as a mind set. I go out there to end fights, not to last 3 rounds. I want to finish my opponent.
SWD: So you picked a top level guy for a comeback fight. Hector Urbina, who's 15-6 and pretty well rounded. Have you seen him fight and do you have much knowledge of his skill set and tendencies?
NO: Yeah, he's a tough guy, but there is not a lot of video on him. I know he's a lot like me. He's well rounded and he's tough and likes to bring it.
SWD: Some camps and fighters like to study their opponents excessively and then design the game plan around that. Some are more focused on their own skills and just want to bring their strategy and let the other guy try and adjust. Where are you with that mind set?
NO: Probably somewhere in the middle. If you're hunting a prey, then you want to know how it thinks and what it likes to do, but you still want to hunt your way.
SWD: He's been pretty active and he's fought twice this year already. How much does ring rust play into this for you and how much can you overcome that by simulating the fight in training?
NO: Sparring is tough because you can't go as hard as a fight, but everything else you can simulate. As far as conditioning, I have a number of guys that can push me hard and keep me getting stronger and push my conditioning. Full on takedowns and rolling, you can do full speed and I am. Mostly, I don't put a lot of thought into ring rust. It's like riding a bike and once I get in there, I'll know what to do.
SWD: In some ways, one might say Urbina's record is the polar opposite of yours. All 6 of his losses have been submissions or KO's. Does that play into your game plan at all?
NO: No, not really. He'll come at me balls to the wall; that's how he fights, just like me. For me, I'm just going to try and control him, match his toughness, but not get in just a brawl, but take the fight to where I'm in control. I definitely feel like I have superior Jiu jitsu and that's where I'll be most comfortable, although I'm sure he'll want to get on top of me and ground and pound.
SWD: Going back to April of 2009, after a stint in the WEC, you fight Jorge Rivera in the UFC and lose a tough split decision. Did the UFC give you any inclination about staying in the organization or was it just a one and done?
NO: I think that Joe Silva didn't think either one of us looked that good. We were clinching a lot on the cage and it was a tough fight that took a lot of energy, but probably wasn't the most exciting. Look, everyone wants to be in the big show for the money and for the pride, so there is a lot of competition to get there. When you have that chance, you need to make the most of it.
SWD: Let's talk about your future. When we spoke a few months ago, you mentioned that you may stay fighting locally for now, which I know you love because your fan base is so strong in Myrtle Beach, and get a few wins under your belt. Assuming you keep winning and having fun, what are the long term fight goals?
NO: I definitely can compete with the best 185-pounders in the world and the UFC is aware that I had a 4-fight win streak before I got injured and that I'm making a comeback. Hector is in the same boat coming off a loss. This is a must win fight for both of us and my goal is to win this fight and be back in the UFC.
SWD: Any other thoughts that you would like to share with us and the FightHype readers?
NO: No, I think we covered it, except that I'm glad to call you a friend and I appreciated being on your show and the interview.
SWD: Thanks Nissen; best of luck to you.