Q&A: Luke Cummo prepares for a battle at UFC 69

By Robert Cheshire

It doesn’t matter if you call him a Jedi or a ninja because Luke “The Silent Assassin” Cummo comes prepared for a battle of wit and skill.

Less than a week away he will face Josh “Bring The Pain” Haynes at UFC 69 in Houston, Texas. Prepare for a war since both of these gladiators bring a never say die attitude to all of their bouts.

RC: What did you think when they told you that you'd be on the card at UFC 69 and fighting Josh Haynes?
LC: I was scheduled to fight last fall when I got injured. After I recovered, it was the first time I was in the driver's seat as to when I would fight. I also was excited to be on my first pay-per-view event in front of a large crowd and to have a reason (an opponent) to train hard again. Fight training is brutal but pushing oneself to the limit has many rewards

RC: Several people think you gassed early when you fought Johnathan Goulet. Did you and what steps have you taken where that won't happen fighting Haynes?
LC: I was not myself physically or mentally for my last fight. Even in a weakened state, I almost put Goulet away on several occasions. The crowd at UFC 69 will see a much-improved performance. My training has been intense like always except that for this fight I had much longer notice to get ready.

RC: What is the most important aspect of your training?
LC: Every aspect of training is equally important. A fighter these days has to be good at everything, so my focus is to improve in all areas. I think that a fighter's style is dictated by his body type. For example, Matt Hughes is built like a fire hydrant and my body is similar to Anderson Silva's. If my opponent has a particular strength I will dedicate a lot of my training to countering that. When I was to fight Joe Stevenson, I trained a lot of jiu-jitsu for defense.

RC: On The Ultimate Fighter, you had an interesting diet. What does your diet consist of and what benefits do you feel it gives you?
LC: Life is a journey and I am always learning. During filming of TUF 2 my diet closely resembled a macrobiotic diet, emphasizing organic fruits, vegetables, grains, and some flesh. Since then I have discovered a wonderful lifestyle called Lifefood. This is the diet that was consistent in our evolution up until only relatively recently. It is vegetarian and uncooked and doesn't include the starchy, hybridized fruits and vegetables. Eating this way has improved all areas of my life in and out of the gym. I never have to take off due to illness and my recovery time is amazing. My increased vitality will present itself on April 7th.

RC: On the show you also splurged after a win. Is that the only time you go off your diet?
LC: Binge-eating has been a problem for me since having to follow a restrictive diet for fight training. I do love to go out to eat with friends. Since discovering Lifefood and the corresponding nutritional fasting, cravings for junk have all but disappeared. After the fight I will probably go out to eat a few times, though more so for social reasons.

(Continue Reading)