With the UFC’s return to Montreal just a few months away, one of the matchups flying under the radar ahead of UFC 186 is a preliminary bout between Canadian Chad Laprise and Bryan Barberena. The matchup will serve as a hometown fight for Laprise, who made the permanent move from London Ont., to Montreal last July to train full time at the famous Tristar Gym. For the 28-year-old, experiencing change is nothing new. It’s just part of the process. Growing up in Chatham, Ont., Laprise was involved in a number of different sports.
“I started off as an athlete as a kid [playing] every sport there was,” Laprise told Sportsnet. “I started boxing when I was 15 years old. I had some boxing fights then I went into kickboxing then I had some fights then I kind of wanted that next step. I saw guys in the gym doing jiu-jitsu and wrestling. I decided I wanted to try that out and that’s kind of how it all started.”
Thanks to his strong athletic base, Laprise’s transition to MMA was seamless. He won his first four professional fights by first-round knockout, putting his years of boxing and kickboxing technique to good use. It was also around this time where he would catch the eye of renowned trainer Shawn Tompkins.
“After that fourth win that’s when I met Shawn Tompkins. That’s when he’s like, ‘man you’re actually really good.’ I owned a gym at a time, ended up quitting my job, I sold my gym, I sold my house and I moved full time to [London in 2010] to do this permanently.”
We’ve ranked the 25 Greatest NHL Games Ever Played. Get the free, digital-only edition of Sportsnet magazine on your iOS or Android device right now.
Working with Tompkins was ideal timing for Laprise. Bellator hosted two events in Windsor that year and Laprise competed on both cards winning impressively each time out. While that could have likely paved the way for Laprise to become a star in Bellator, the former Adrenaline Training Center product had bigger plans.
“I knew if I signed a long term deal with Bellator and if I kept winning I would never get out of that contract, so I ended up taking less money [fighting on local shows] for like a quarter of what I would have got paid. Things worked out for the best.”
Opting to fight on the regional circuit paid off, as being a free agent allowed him to compete on The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia last year, but as Laprise points out, the selection process didn’t come without its share of challenges.
“I didn’t think they were going to pick me.” Laprise said. “I knew skill wise that I definitely belonged there but I thought personality, they usually go for different guys than me. It’s a TV show at the end of the day. It was like a month before the show was going film, I had a fight lined up in London on one of the regional shows. So I was training for that fight and then I finally got the call from the [UFC] you know and I was super happy. I ended up having to fake an injury to get out of my fight in London. Obviously I wasn’t allowed to tell anyone what I was doing, so I had to say I had an injured knee and I just disappeared for six weeks.”
Following his successful stint on TUF Nations where he won the welterweight tournament, Laprise dropped back down to the lightweight division last November and earned a unanimous decision victory over Yosdenis Cedeno at a UFC Fight Night in Halifax. There was talk about Laprise competing on a rumored UFC card in Windsor this upcoming March, but he admits nothing was ever confirmed. Instead he fights this April, where four of his Tristar teammates will also be competing on the Bell Centre card.
“We have so many guys getting ready for fights right now at Tristar its crazy. Even guys from the States, guys all over the world you’re definitely pushing each other every day. The thing I like the most about all of us fighting on the card, when you’re in the back or doing media stuff, you have all your teammate supporting you there.”
Despite boasting a perfect record and being Canadian, Laprise finds himself relegated to the undercard, but he’s sees this as a positive situation and understands how the fight business works.
“Reason I’m on the undercard is because this card is just stacked. There is two title fights, there’s Bisping, there’s Ramapge there is a bunch of big name guys. I’m actually excited because when I fought in [my last fight] Halifax, I fought at 1:30 in the morning. Out here I’ll be fighting at like 8:30-9 p.m. and then I get to watch the rest of the fights.”
While his opponent, “Bam Bam” Barberena doesn’t have the name value of a top flight opponent, Laprise respects his skill set and isn’t taking this fight lightly.
“He’s kind of dangerous everywhere, 10-2 with eight knockouts. But I think a lot of his knockouts come from ground-and-pound TKOs. He’s a real tough guy. That’s his number one thing his toughness, heart. He’s one of those guys who want to come in there and outwork you. It’s definitely a challenging fight and I’m looking forward to it.”
With that said Laprise is confident he’ll come out with the win and while he won’t say exactly how this fight will play out, he believes fans will get their money’s worth.
“I can guarantee 100 percent that the bell’s going to ring and he’s going to come forward and try to knock me out which is exactly what I want. I don’t feel like he’s as technical as I am and I feel like his style plays right into my hands. I definitely have to be really very well conditioned for this fight because he’s a guy that doesn’t gas out and he can also take beating. I’m going to have to be in tip top shape and be ready to go to war with him.”
Should Laprise push his record to a perfect 10-0, it could potentially set him up for a Top 10 opponent in his next outing. But for Laprise he has a more ambitious goal in mind for the duration of the year.
“My big thing is I want to get four wins this year. I’m going to fight this fight, I’m going to win and then hopefully three months later I can pick up another win. Just to stay undefeated and pick up four wins.”
