Teddy “Bear” Ash hungry to run it back against UFC vet Dom Steele at Unified 36
Feb 20, 2019
EDMONTON — Teddy “Bear” Ash is hungry — hungry to rebound from his controversial first-round TKO loss to UFC vet Dom Steele in December. Thankfully for the fast-rising Unified MMA Middleweight Champion, he’ll get an opportunity to do just that when he and Steele lock horns in the co-main event of Unified MMA 36 on March 1 at River Cree Resort & Casino in Enoch, AB. Prior to that, he spoke with Unified MMA’s Ed Kapp.
How has your training been going for this fight?
Awesome, man. Training camp has been going great. I’ve been pushing hard, and we’ve got a lot of other guys on Unified 36, including KB Bhullar and Graham Park, who are both at my weight and pushing me really hard. Everyone is ready to go.
How has having two of the top Canadians in your division preparing to fight at the same event benefited you?
It’s awesome, man. We’re feeding off each others’ energy. We’re competitive with each other, but we’re also helping each other every day. The energy and morale in the gym is really high and there are lots of fights on the horizon, so we’re loving it.
Were you at all hesitant to take this rematch with Dom Steele?
I instantly wanted it, as soon as the fight was over (laughs).
What went wrong in your first meeting?
I was a little inpatient, I made a mistake, and I got rocked with a big punch. Fair is fair, I got caught slipping, and he did his job.
Do you think it was stopped prematurely?
I think the ref was just trying to do his job. I was already recovered when the fight was stopped, but I know he was doing what he thought was best. Of course, as a fighter I’m always looking to keep going.
Did you take away anything positive from that fight?
Oh, for sure. I still got five minutes of action, I got to try some techniques I’ve been working on at the gym. Every experience in there is a learning experience.
How important is it for you to get this win back?
I’m really hungry, man. Being a back-to-back rematch, it would be great to scratch that loss off my record. And right now it’s kind of a grey area. Technically he didn’t win the title because he missed weight. We’ll both make weight this time and we’ll have a true championship fight for the fans.
How is this fight going to play out?
It’s hard to say, but I’m ready for anything. I can take him out on the feet, I can take him out on the ground, and I’m really looking for a finish. Dom is a tough guy, so he won’t go down without a fight. The fans are going to love this one.
