MMA

An Unlikely Fan

Posted By RJ Clifford on the Jun 30 2009

As the lead guitarist for one of the most popular bands from the 1980’s, it would be easy to see Phil Collen from Def Leppard on stage playing his instrument but who would have guessed he is just as often on the delivering end of a set of Muay Thai pads? Collen has been a martial artist most of his life but has found a passion for Muay Thai that can not be duplicated on stage in any arena.

Still on tour, Phil was kind enough to tell us about his training and his passion for MMA.

MMA Worldwide: What got you into Mauy Thai?

Phil Collen: I’ve done Karate before, a few years ago, and I’ve always been a fan of it. But you know there’s an intimidation thing where you need this master or some kind of sensei to get you into this stuff.  I literally walked into a place in Orange County, CA by looking into the window of the dojo and the man inside said to come on in and from there he took me from white belt to black belt literally from that day. Then I just got into different martial arts and everything and then I went to kickboxing. I worked with Benny the Jet for about 3 or 4 years actually.  Because I had to relearn everything, obviously all of the Karate stuff is great it’s a really great discipline and all, but in a street fight you’d get your ass kicked.  I just remember watching the first UFC and some of the Gracie stuff and everything and you’d get some weird six-degree black belts going in there and a hockey player would go in a take them out, just straight away.  So just the sport and the actual art would keep the whole honor system going, so I think that’s kind of a cool thing.  

I got into American kickboxing and I hadn’t worked out for a while and I was with Jean Carreo, who had coached several world champions.  His stuff was pure Mauy Thai but with a European flair, which was almost like the Mike Tyson style of boxing but with the Thai leg stuff.  What with the knees and the blocking and the power that you get from Mauy Thai, so he was combining that.  So just when the whole mma thing was going off it sort of morphed, like back when Bruce Lee took aspects from Mohammad Ali’s boxing which was a big no-no as far as oriental martial arts were concerned.  So now it’s just gone a stage further and again the Mauy Thai that I’ve been taught is a combination of all these different things.  It’s German and French European kickboxing style with this Thai base.  

MW: So what is it about the martial arts that attracted you to this really tough kickboxing style?

PC: It’s just that it’s more real and I totally appreciate the belt systems and stuff.  I’ve really been fortunate and I’ve been training with some really great people in different countries.  I was in Africa where I met the president of the whole African Karate Association and I got to train with them.  They were really hardcore karate like the Japanese style but the training and stuff was weird.  Like we’d be doing all of this stuff in the water at like six in the morning and shit like that and stuff that I would never have access to and that was really cool.  The thing that really attracted me about the Mauy Thai thing apart from it being brutal was that I just saw my power go up literally 100%, it was ridiculous.  The fact that you’d sweat and it’d be a lot harder to do and there aren’t any belts it’s all fighting and technique and power and just getting fit really.  Again for me you know at 51 the fact that I can actually do twelve 3 minute rounds where just a few months ago I could barely do one minute of pad work.  So it just built up really, it was exciting and so much fun.  The fact that you can feel the power even when you’re just hitting pads you can really feel it and see it.  So it’s a real just amazing art.

MW: Did you get into good shape like you haven’t been in before and how has it affected you body wise?

PC: Well like last year I was benching twice my body weight, which I couldn’t do in my teens or twenties.  So I think it’s just having someone there to push you.  I have my girlfriend who used to compete in the Miss Fitness USA stuff so she works out and cooks for me, it’s like a little team almost.  The fact that I’m not even an athlete and I actually feel like one is great and it’s great when you go on tour.  You have all of these benefits it makes it so much better. I could never do the stuff that I do now. I can kick straight up into the air without even practicing. So just different things with the technique but I’ve never been in this kind of shape in my life, it’s weird.

MW: Do you follow mixed martial arts now that you’ve gotten into Mauy Thai?

PC: Yes I do because I like the way MMA has transformed from when it started up. It was a tough man competition; anyone could really go in there and compete. But now that there’s more technique to it we’re actually getting real athletes who are doing real training and combining the whole lot.  So I am a fan actually, I like seeing some of the guys who really excel.

MW: Who are some of your favorite fighters?

PC: Well because I never really got into grappling, when I see Frank Mir grapple it’s almost like a show.  It’s amazing and perfect to watch.  I also really like Georges St. Pierre. He’s cool and really well rounded.  I like Chuck Liddell not so much for his technique but for his heart, he’s great and is going through a little thing right now. There’s a bunch of guys who have really stepped up, guys that were fighting in PRIDE and everything and it’s just taking off everywhere.  You’ve got the whole British thing with Michael Bisping and all of that stuff.  It’s just really cool to watch it transform, as it’s a new sport, it’s really exciting.

MW: What do people say when you tell them that you’re a 51-year-old rock star and a Mauy Thai practitioner?

PC: People generally think it’s pretty trippy when we’re doing pad work and they see and they go, “Well OK.”  As for the age you know it’s a number, just a number.  People get to like 34 and they quit. People really think that they’re done at a certain age.  But I think as long as you’ve stayed healthy you know not have a bunch of surgeries or anything that you can keep being competitive through 60.

MW: Do you think that we’ll ever see you in the cage?

PC: I don’t know some people have been saying that but it’s like you know I play in a band I can’t just go and jump in a ring with a bunch of 20-year-old guys.  And it’s not really the age thing again I just don’t really want to get f***ed up like that when I have to go on TV and stuff.  So unless I knew that I was just going to kick someone’s ass then I don’t think that I’ll do that.  I just like the training and the discipline and I think it’s really cool.

To catch Phil and the rest of Def Leppard on tour, log on to www.deflaeppard.com.