Interview with Ben Stark from TUF 11

This is our interview conducted with Ben Stark American Top Team (ATT) fighter and a guy that made it to the 28 fighters for TUF 11 but lost before he made it into the house, so didn’t make the 14. Ben talks about what happened in the fight in our interview so you can get behind the scenes information not the 30 seconds of the fight that UFC showed you.

Fight Trader: When did you start training at American Top Team? Who do you train with mostly there?

Ben Stark: I started training there about 6 years ago. There are so many guys and no one is safe from anyone lol.

You will end up working with guys on all levels from amateurs about to turn pro to the highest of top tier guys. As for coaches the head instructors are Ricardo Liborio, Conan Siviera, Marcos DeMatta, Shawn Sheldon, Master Cha, Master Katel, and Howard Davis.

Fight Trader: How did you get into fighting?

Ben Stark: I remember being a big fan back when I was a kid. I always said I wanted to fight whenever Pancrase or UFC commercials came on. When I got to college I randomly came across a kid who trained BJJ and I made him take me to his gym. The rest is history.

Fight Trader: Tell me about your fight with Jamie Yager on the first episode of TUF 11?

Ben Stark: It was my first time making 185. The cut was pretty difficult. Not taking anything away from Jamie, he kicks hard as hell and kept the pressure on through out. I actually thought my left arm was broken, which luckily (if you can call it that) turned out to be a cartilage tear and a partial tear of the TFCC ligament.

Fight Trader: Who do you think are some of the early favorite’s for TUF 11? Who should we keep an eye on?

Ben Stark: Man there were a bunch of guys who should have gone far that got eliminated on the first day, Jordan Smith, Charley Lynch and Constantinos Philippou to name a few. Then of the guys who got in Rich Attonito and Charlie Blanchard are both stud wrestlers with solid stand up games Josh Bryant has an aggressive controlling style that should pay dues and of course Jamie Yager who’s a hell of an athlete with the power to match.

Fight Trader: Do you have any fighters that you look up too? Or any fighters that you try to fight like?

Ben Stark: There are so many guys at ATT that I look up to stylistically just run down the list and pick a name.

Fight Trader: So our fans know what is your fighting background? Are you more of ground or stand up fighter?

Ben Stark: I started as a grappler and I’m very comfortable there. My stand up is technical but lacks the comfort of my ground game. That being said I’m extremely stubborn and have been working on that.

Fight Trader: I heard tons of guys from TUF 11 have some interesting jobs? What is your job or are you a full time fighter?

Ben Stark: I work at “The Original Fat Cats” in Downtown Ft. Lauderdale and at “The Playhouse” in Hallendale. I also am a recent upstart in reptile breading specializing in Dumerils Boas and Brazilian Rainbow Boas.

Fight Trader: What are we going to see next from Ben Stark?

Ben Stark: Most likely you will see me train my ass off once the doc OK’s my wrist then try to keep a consistent fight schedule (once every 6-10 weeks would be nice) for the next year or so and work my way back to hopefully get another shot at the big show.

Fight Trader: What do you want to tell a low level amateur MMA fighter or someone wanting to get into MMA?

Ben Stark: Find a gym you’re comfortable with, work as hard as your body allows then push a little harder. Mind your injuries and keep your body healthy. Check your ego at the door and remain open minded.

Fight Trader: Any last words or plugs you want to leave your fans with?

Ben Stark: I’d like to send out a HUGE thank you to my ATT family!

Big thanks to:
Underground Reptiles – www.undergroundreptiles.com
Cafe of Life Chiropractic – www.cafeoflifewellness.com
Sigmund Ringoen Chiropractic -

I’m always looking for new sponsors and fights. If you’d like to train with me you can find me at ATT Ft. Lauderdale and Ultimate Boxing & fitness in North Miami Beach

By: Kyle Stoltz