(Photo courtesy of myspace.com/scottthelionheartblevins.) 

As losing streaks go, the one that Scott "LionHeart" Blevins is currently riding has to be one of the roughest in the sport. Sherdog lists the Indiana-based fighter’s record as 0-13, with all losses by first-round stoppage, and no match lasting past the 2:10 mark. But that doesn’t account for all of his fights — it doesn’t include his losses to David Love or Ryan McIntosh, for one thing, and it doesn’t include his victory-via-DQ over Eddie Mirabella, whose win was reversed after he threw his mouthpiece into the crowd.

Yes, Blevins’s fights generally end badly. The first time I heard about him, I had to know two things: 1) Was this some kind of joke? 2) If it wasn’t, why keep doing it? When I finally tracked Scott down, a few days after his most recent loss to Chico Camus at an Evolution Fighting Championship event in Wisconsin earlier this month, he was on the way to the hospital, due to a mysterious ailment that had laid him out. But he took the time to explain that despite the losses, despite the haters, despite a family that thinks he’s crazy, this shit is the furthest thing from a joke. As for why he keeps doing it, well, you’ll have to keep reading. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you…LionHeart.

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CAGEPOTATO.COM: How frustrating is it to put yourself on the line again and again, and still fall short of winning?
SCOTT "LIONHEART" BLEVINS: Well, I admit it does get to me, but I know I gotta keep on trying and I know that eventually I’m going to get those wins. It’s just going to take some time to do it. Each fight is different and I do see an improvement in myself each time I step in the cage. But I’ve had some tough competition throughout my career.

What went wrong in the Chico Camus fight?
He got me to the ground and I ate a bunch of his elbows. His trainer is Duke Roufus, and Duke is one of the top guys out of Wisconsin, and he just trains those guys harder than what most guys train. Chico is a top-notch fighter. He’s undefeated.

Where do you train for your fights?
I’m from Mentone, Indiana, and I run Fighting Dragons Mixed Martial Arts, and I do that pretty much seven days a week. It’s based out of my house, because I haven’t found a facility for it yet. My training regiment is basic stuff — boxing, jeet kune do, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, kickboxing. It’s a mix of everything. But I try to move around to different gyms in Indiana, and I try to find [training partners] at my weight who have the same skills.

You compete as a 135-pounder. How much weight do you have to cut before each match?
I don’t cut weight. I’m actually 130 pounds. I did take a match at 125 once, but I lost; the guy was just really, really tough.


I know you come from a Tae Kwon Do background. What first inspired you to try your hand at MMA?
I just got sick of Tae Kwon Do, believe it or not. I was putting out a lot of money into training, trying to get up the belt ranks. When I heard about cage-fighting, I went into it as an amateur, and I never thought I’d make it to pro status, but things kicked off differently.

Were you nervous the first time you got into a cage to fight?
I was never really scared, but I was a little intimidated by my opponent because I didn’t know what to expect. It’s just like a street fight — they’re coming at you, throwing punches, trying to hurt you.

How do you feel when you step into the cage these days?
It’s like an office job, you know, another day at the desk. I don’t get nervous anymore. I enjoy doing what I do. And it’s because of the fans that I’ve continued to stay where I’m at. Because I thought about management, I thought about giving up the career, period. But people keep making it possible where, “we want to see Lionheart, we want him back.” And that’s what’s kept me in it.

Are your family and friends mostly supportive of your passion to compete as a mixed martial artist, or do they think you’re crazy for doing this?
My family’s not very supportive. I am the black sheep of the family because I’m a fighter. I try not to tell them much about what’s going on, but if I go to the hospital, that’s something different. For the most part I don’t get much support. My support is through MySpace and fans that show up at the fights.

What’s your ultimate goal in MMA? Do you want to be a world champion one day, or would you just be happy to get a couple wins together?
My actual goal is to be a world champion, I don’t care if it’s in the WEC, I don’t care if Joe Silva and Dana White start a 135-pound class in the UFC where I can get over there. Or even in leagues like Pancrase in other countries. I have an ultimate goal, and I’m not gonna give up until I get to where I’m going. I have this will, and it’s so strong that you just can’t break it.

Would there ever be a point where you’d say to yourself, “maybe MMA isn’t for me”?
Everybody’s going to have their losses — there’s always someone bigger and better. But I’m pretty convinced that this is what I’m here for. I know I have a losing record right now, but you look at Shonie Carter or Matt Serra, and they took some losses in the beginning of their careers, and they just got bigger. And that’s where I stand in my career. I’m just going to keep on fighting until I find my niche, just like any other fighter would.

There’s a pretty old tradition in boxing of guys who are brought in to pad the records of more talented up-and-comers, even if they’re not literally paid to lose. Do you think that at this point, promoters are booking you in fights because they think you’ll lose?
They sometimes book me because they have a tough guy that needs a win, and they’ll bring me in just so he can get that win. It’s just something that’s in the theory of a matchmaker and a promoter. I have mixed feelings about it, but there’s not much I can really do about it. If they’ve got somebody who’s 0-3 or 1-3 and they’re trying to put me in there, and this guy’s overweight or something, then chances are I get to the show and I might have to fight him at a catch weight. Because I can’t gain weight — I might gain one or two pounds and that’s the max.

I guess this is the million-dollar question, then: According to the Sherdog database, you’re 0-13 now — why keep doing it?
Because I’m capturing my dream. It’s something I want; something I desire. I understand Sherdog has my record up showing 0-13 or whatever it may be, but it’s like the Rudy story from Indiana — this kid had heart, and he tried so hard to get into Notre Dame. And I’m trying everything I can to get into the WEC or the UFC, and if it takes a lot of losses to get there, just so I can get one win, just so I can get that opportunity, that’s what it’s going to take. Because I’m just that committed. Win some, lose some — I’m not afraid of a bigger guy, I’ve taken on guys at 190, and I’ve taken on guys at 155. I took on David Love from Bodog Fight, and he was 155 to my 130, and I still fought him. I got my nose broken, but I got up and shook it off like it was nothing, and I just kept on going after that.

Well that’s all I have for you Scott. Thanks so much for your time. Is there anybody or any sponsors you’d like to shout out before we sign off?
Yeah, Omega Attire out in Georgia, and No Surrender Fight Wear out in California — they’ve been supporting me through my adventure in the last four years. MMA Expose out of Ohio has also been sponsoring me, and MyMMASpace in New York, they’ve been working with me as well.

Well good luck with everything, and please let us know about your health. I’m sure everyone reading this will want to know how you’re doing.
Oh, I will. You know, everybody’s got health issues throughout their life. You got your personal life, you got your career life, and sometimes with fighters your career becomes your personal life, and it’s just how you take it. Nobody lives forever, and not everybody’s gonna stay well all the time, and it’s just how you take care of yourself I guess.

Scott sent this to us later, via text message:
Im ok spent 8hrs in er…had surgery a while back and gained inner infection. they wanted to keep me in er but I wouldn’t let them ib ok I think

(BG)