Few people have the opportunity to see a fight between two highly-skilled combatants. Plymouth State freshman Nate LaMotte not only has this opportunity, he is also one of its main attractions.
The 22-year-old LaMotte works with Massachusett’s Kipp Koler, owner of North American Grappling Association, Reality Fighting, and other no-holds-barred fight companies. Koler is holding only the second legalized competition of its kind in New Hampshire on June 17, where LaMotte will show off his skills for the second time in his young career.
Nate LaMotte is a Memorial High School graduate with four years of high school wrestling experience. He also began training in Kempo at age seven and Jiu-Jitsu by the time he was nine. His father, a former amateur boxer, trained him in this art as well. These skills are serving him well thus far at the 170 pound, or welterweight, class.
When asked about his plans for a future career in fighting, LaMotte said he wants to travel the country over the summer, visiting places like Florida, California, New Jersey, and Massachusetts to hone his skills for an Ultimate Fighting Championship trial at the end of the summer. He also said that even if the competition did not hold the promise of a paycheck he would participate, because he loves it. He currently teaches wrestling and plans to open a dojo when he gets older.
LaMotte has a very vigorous training schedule. He gets up at 5 a.m. every day. Monday through Friday he stretches, does pushups, and watches training videos. He then runs for an hour in the HUB, eats breakfast, does more stretching and pushups, then heads to classes. He weight trains in between classes, runs to Wal-Mart and back 4-7 days a week after classes, and participates in Monday and Wednesday PSU Boxing Club sessions, as well as Wednesday wrestling practices. His weekend training consists of going to Manchester and working on actual technique with his trainer, John Burgess.
LaMotte shared one of his favorite quotes, one that he uses every day when he trains: “You talk, I train”. He also spoke of what he sees as his strengths: namely his aggression, lack of fear in the ring, heavy grappling experience, and submission technique.
When asked about camaraderie in the field of fighting, LaMotte dissuaded the idea that most fighters don’t get along. He explained that he and his last opponent, who he beat in under four minutes, ate a meal together afterwards and talked about their fight.
Reality Fighting came to New Hampshire due to a January 22, 2006 ruling that allowed such competitions within state boundaries. Rules on contact are simple, disallowing knees and elbows to the face, small joint manipulations, eye gouging, and rabbit punches and other back-of-the-head strikes. Everything else goes. Because of the scale of the competition, as opposed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, fighters only make money off of the ticket sales. This means funds are relatively limited, but LaMotte is hopeful for a larger paycheck down the road, as two UFC fighters in Kenny Florian and Jorge Rivera started with Koler’s organization.
LaMotte will be one of several combatants in the June 17th competition, taking place at the JFK Coliseum in Manchester, NH. For tickets or information, call 860-295-0403, or log on to www.realityfighting.tv.