Bubba McDaniel: The Menace in the Ring

Bubba McDaniel, also known as “The Menace,” is a veteran of the MMA world with a career spanning over two decades. He has fought in some of the biggest promotions in the world, including the UFC and Bellator. On June 24th, McDaniel will take on Brian Houston in the main event at Elite Championship Fighting.

McDaniel has trained with some of the best coaches and fighters in the world, including Bruno Bastos BJJ and The War Room. He has had over 50 professional fights and is a three-time UFC veteran, a four-time Bellator veteran, a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship veteran, and a pro kickboxer. However, his journey to the top has not been an easy one.

He started his combat sports career doing Toughman Contests in 2002 before transitioning to MMA in 2004. McDaniel turned pro in 2005 and has been grinding ever since. McDaniel has had to overcome many obstacles throughout his career, including being on probation and stuck in Wichita County, which has made it challenging for him to train with others. This means that 99% of his training is done alone, where he can get in front of a bag and get a little grappling in.

Despite these challenges, McDaniel is a fighter who respects all aspects of MMA, but has made most of his money with ground and pound. However, being a fighter has not always been easy for him, and he is still fighting at 40 years old because he never had a plan B and put all his eggs in the MMA basket. Making it was the goal, and he temporarily did, but it was short-lived.

McDaniel’s story is one of perseverance and determination. He is older school than most of the new day “pussies” who claim fighter status to look cool to their friends. McDaniel has always been real and led people in the right direction and helped them avoid the mistakes he made.

Throughout his career, McDaniel has fought on two main cards for the UFC, and he is known as “The Menace.” He acknowledges that he was an asshole kid and has had to work hard to become the person he is today. He balances working, taking care of his new son, and sleeping, while still pursuing his passion for MMA.

When asked if he was doing this because it was the “cool” sport to be part of, McDaniel answered with a resounding “Hell no!” He has been doing this since before it was “cool” and will continue to do it long after the hype dies down.

McDaniel’s ultimate goal is to retire from MMA but keep fighting in places where his body will still allow him to. He acknowledges that he owes James Irvin Staley a long brutal beating for murdering his 2-year-old son almost five years ago. This is the only fight he truly wants.

When he is not training or fighting, McDaniel is learning to use an axe. He plans to go shooting and hunting again after his probation ends. He is interested in all combat sports and has been particularly drawn to Bare Knuckle Fighting lately.

When asked about his most significant accomplishment, McDaniel spoke about winning his UFC debut in 2013 with all his family in the crowd. He also offered advice to aspiring fighters, saying, “Always go in a weight class above your true weight so you don’t go through horrible weight cutting for months on end.”