Интервю с Frank Trigg

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Each additional candle on the cake can be an unwelcome reminder that we aren't as young as we once were. Frank Trigg has come to grips with what that reality means as a fighter. MMAjunkie.com

Calculated in calendar years, Trigg is anything but ancient. However, measured in fight years, the veteran mixed martial artist realizes his best days in the ring can be seen over his shoulder.

"At 36, you have to start thinking about that retirement plan," he told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "Not everyone can be like Randy Couture and fight until he's 44. I don't have that ability, so I have to figure out where I'm going to be and what's going to happen to me. I look at every fight as an individual event and see what happens."

With a mindset of "the next fight could be my last," Trigg (17-6) is putting the finishing touches on his preparation for a stout challenge in Falaniko Vitale in a featured middleweight bout as part of the Strikeforce "Payback" show Friday night at the Broomfield (Colo.) Event Center, outside of Denver.

"Twinkle Toes" has fought for a number of promotions during his 11-year career, but this will be his first start for Strikeforce. The fight against Vitale (26-8) represents a quick turnaround for Trigg, who fought just five weeks ago, posting a unanimous decision victory over Makoto Takimoto at the Sengoku "Fourth Battle" event in Japan.

"He's a typical Hawaiian-brawler type," Trigg said of Vitale. "He's got one-punch knockout power, jaw-breaking power and he's pretty decent in submissions, as well. Even though he's not ranked in the top 10, he's definitely a guy who can give me some trouble."

Trigg, who makes his home in Las Vegas with his wife and two children, is one of the elder statesmen at the Xtreme Couture training facility. When Couture is away, Trigg is usually the oldest fighter in the gym, but he has yet to fully embrace the mentor role typically associated with being the "older guy."

"I try not to let that happen because I want to learn from these guys, too," said Trigg, a finalist at the 2000 Olympic wrestling trials. "Every time I spar with Tyson Griffin, I get kicked in the liver, and I'm trying to figure out why that always happens. Every time I go with Mike Pyle, I keep getting caught in his triangle, whether it's the back-side triangle or the top-side triangle, and I'm trying to figure out how to get out of it. As a mentor, you're really not learning anything from these guys, but I am. So, it's really not a mentor role. I'm seeing what they can teach me, as well."

While the end of his professional MMA career appears in sight, Trigg will still have plenty to keep him busy. Trigg is looking forward to transitioning to the world of pro wrestling and continuing his duties as an MMA broadcaster. He made his pro wrestling debut at TNA's "No Surrender" show on Sept. 14 in Canada. Trigg faced AJ Styles in a match that ended in a no contest after Trigg was on the receiving end of a low blow.

The charisma and bravado that Trigg brought to MMA will serve him well in the pro-wrestling ranks, and though he might have a rewarding new career on the horizon, Trigg looks back on his days in MMA with a feeling of what might have been.

"I'm one of those guys who dwells on his losses a lot more than his wins," he said. "I'll always remember the two Matt Hughes losses. I'll always remember the loss to Carlos Condit. I had the victory in my hands in all those fights, and I wanted to keep it together, and I lost it. And, I'll always regret fighting Georges St. Pierre the way that I fought him because I was so banged up, had an injury and had only one leg to work with. You could look back on it, and say those guys went on to have tremendous careers. But, I'm just not wired that way. My whole wiring is that no matter how good I was, I could have always been better."

Trigg can remind us all at least one more time just how good he can be Friday night against Vitale.