THE CANADIAN PRESS
Peter Sobotta has come a long way since his UFC debut at UFC 99 in June 2009.
At the time, the young German welterweight was juggling school and training. The week of the fight, he finished his final exam — wrapping up an IT system merchant apprenticeship — on a Monday and then headed to Cologne for a date with England’s Paul (Relentless) Taylor that Saturday.
Sobotta lost by decision but put on a gritty performance against a more seasoned pro — Taylor had already had five UFC fights under his belt going into the German card.
After the loss, Sobotta did his mandatory national service — spending nine months working with kids — and started his pro fighting career for real.
A friend of Tomasz Drwal, he joined the Polish fighter in San Diego to train with the likes of Jeremy Stephens and other pros. He spent eight weeks there preparing for his next bout, against American-based Brit James (Lightning) Wilks at UFC 115 in June in Vancouver.
Sobotta (8-3) lost another decision but showed improvement in a close fight. He thought a second loss might earn a pink slip, but matchmaker Joe Silva saw enough to give him another shot.
And Sobotta’s value remained considerable outside the cage, with another German card looming.
So on Nov. 13, the 23-year-old gets another chance to fight before hometown fans when he takes on American Amir Sadollah at UFC 122 in Oberhausen.
"I feel very good. I feel confident," Sobotta said. "It’s my second fight as a professional athlete."
"My weight is good, I’m healthy, I have no injuries," he added.
Just as Sobotta’s MMA game has evolved since UFC 99, it seems Germans have adapted to cage fighting.
The live show is still restricted to those 18 and over and the sport is not allowed on TV — the UFC is fighting that regional restriction in court — but Sobotta says there has been none of the outcry this time that there was in Cologne.
That card coincided with civic elections and allowing cage-fighting in the city became a hot campaign issue.
"There has been less stress with the media," Sobotta said of UFC 122.
"A lot of people like it, some people don’t like it, but it’s not that big a deal like last time," he added. "We’re very happy to have the UFC back in Germany."
UFC president Dana White, showing his savvy, stepped in after regional German authorities took the sport off TV. The UFC now airs all its shows for free in Germany via its website, www.ufc.com.
Sobotta and German lightweight Dennis Siver, who takes on England’s Andre Winner, are both on the UFC 122 main card, whose main event features middleweight contenders Nate (The Great) Marquardt and Japan’s Yushin (Thunder) Okami.
Newcomer Pascal (Panzer) Krauss, a friend and training partner of Sobotta, faces English debutante Mark Scanlon on the undercard.
Sobotta and Krauss spent another eight weeks training in San Diego and living in a small flat.
"It was a great time over there. We had so much fun," said Krauss. "We spent like 20 hours a day together because we trained together, we ate together … I don’t know many people I could do that with."
"He’s a great guy and hopefully he will kick Sadollah’s ass."
The two German 170-pounders met at a national jiu-jitsu tournament.
Sobotta won that day. He reckons he has the edge on the ground but Krauss has better hands, although he says the two are such good friends they will never fight for real.
And he’s betting on Krauss to turn a few heads in his UFC debut.
Sobotta, who lives in Balingen in southern Germany, has his own gym and trains others while not preparing himself.
"It’s a very unique life and I’m enjoying it. I’m loving it," he said. "That’s what I want to do.
"It’s much harder than I thought it was but I still love it. There is nothing I want to do more. I’m very happy."
While Sobotta showed improvement against Wilks, he faded in the third round. He’s not sure why, saying he had no problem going five or six rounds in training.
But he expects to be able to last the distance better this time, noting his sprint times in San Diego were improved at this camp than the last.
He will need to be sharp. In Sadollah (4-2), Sobotta faces a tough Muay Thai competitor who has experienced some ups and downs since winning Season 7 of "The Ultimate Fighter."
Sadollah is coming off a decision loss to South Korean Dong Hyun (Stun Gun) Kim at UFC 114.
Growing up, Sobotta played soccer like all German kids. A fan of Jackie Chan, he started in martial arts and tried his hand at judo before taking up taekwondo and eventually jiu-jitsu.
A national jiu-jitsu champion, he had his first pro MMA fight at 17 in a clash that had virtually no rules. Stomps to the face and hair pulling were allowed, he recalled. "It was like UFC 1."
Sobotta may have lost at UFC 115, but he speaks glowingly of Vancouver. He and his coaches visited Stanley Park and also took in some of the local nightlife after the fight card.
Travelling around the world on someone else’s dime is hard to beat, even if you have to step into a cage and fight someone to do it.
"I’m young and I don’t have much money," said Sobotta, whose Vancouver purse was listed at $4,000.
