By KOTC Staff
Trent Thorne was quick to concede in early October that he was thrilled to be fighting MMA pioneer Shannon “The Cannon” Ritch, at King of the Cage Canada’s upcoming November 21st show in Edmonton, Alberta. Thorne was coming off his first KO win in July to run his pro record to 6-3, and was looking forward to testing his abilities against a “big name” like Ritch. As circumstances would have it, however, Thorne will now step in for the injured Ryan Chiappe on November 21st, meaning, not only will Thorne still fight a notable competitor in UFC veteran Joe Riggs, he’ll battle for the promotion’s interim Canadian middleweight title.
“When they asked me I was kind of in shock,” said Thorne, when asked for his reaction upon finding out he’ll fight the 33-11 Riggs at Rexall Place. “I just figured, how many times in your life are you going to get an opportunity like this? Hell, I’ve been getting my ass kicked my whole life man, so I figure what’s one more ass kicking going to do if it happens you know? What’s the worst that’s going to happen? The guys kick my ass in the gym every day, so, worst case scenario is that I lose.”
It’s no secret that Thorne will be a heavy underdog going into the bout with Riggs, a fighter who has wins over highly regarded fighters like Joe Doerksen, Nick Diaz and Chris Lytle on his resume. That said, like the vast majority of fighters, Thorne wouldn’t take the fight if he didn’t think he had a chance to win.
“The guy fought his way to fight the UFC Welterweight Champion (Matt Hughes) you know? So obviously he’s been around. What else is there to say? As far as the MMA world he’s a household name. He’s very well rounded; like I say, I don’t mind fighting guys that are better than me. I definitely think there’s a couple of ways I can beat him.”
“No, I don’t think so,” Thorne added, when asked if he’s had to change things up in his preparation, due to the fact Riggs is more known for his striking abilities than Ritch. “The boys at the gym here all hit pretty hard; couple of the guys I train with Tim Hague, Victor Valimaki now this week, I’m going to be there training right through until fight time, and they’re definitely all heavy hitters. That’s what I’m expecting from Joe; he’s either going to try to take me down and ground-and-pound me or try to knock me out.”
Thorne has clearly welcomed the opportunity with open arms, and despite the fact he’ll face the highly regarded Riggs, for the interim belt, he contends nerves won’t be an issue.
“I don’t think so,” said Thorne about the title fight, the winner of which will face Chiappe sometime in early 2011. “A fight’s a fight. Besides my first couple of fights I don’t really get nerves. Every fighter has their different things; some guys cry, some guys get really angry before fights, I just try to put my head down and take it easy, breathe. I’m going to go in there the same way I would against anyone else.”
So how does Thorne think the fight will unfold?
“I don’t know; I just figure no matter what happens it’s going to end in the first round. I don’t see it going out of the first round; no way. If I do get beat I’m going out in a blaze of glory.”
