Kyle Dietz is a 22-year-old young man who grew up in Iowa and is living his dream. No, he did not win as a contestant on American Idol and he is not a well-known actor reaping the benefits of fame and fortune.
Kyle Dietz is an undefeated professional mixed martial arts fighter who has finished his last four opponents in the first round with a combined total time of under six minutes. He has fought in the “Extreme Challenge” and “Courage Fighting Championshps” organizations and is currently teaching out of Spencer Fisher’s new Evolution Gym in Moline, Illinois.
He is living the dream of making a living as a professional athlete. Sure, he has not received a multi-million dollar Gatorade endorsement or fought for a UFC Title…yet. But there are whispers a WEC contract could be in his near future and he is definitely in the right camp and has the right people behind him to make things happen. It is for all these reasons Kyle Dietz was our pick for the “PRO MMA (promma.info) Rising Star of the Month.”
PRO MMA: You train out of Spencer Fisher’s camp is that right?
KYLE: Yeah, I used to be at Miletich Fighting Systems but Spencer Fisher just opened his own gym so I’m teaching and training there now.
PRO MMA: What is the name of Spencer’s new gym and where is it located?
KYLE: Evolution MMA in Moline, Illionois.
PRO MMA: Where are you from Kyle?
KYLE: I’m from Davenport, Iowa.
PRO MMA: You fight at 145 lbs. is that right?
KYLE: From now on I’m going to be fighting at 135 lbs.
PRO MMA: I was checking out your record, it looks like you are 5-0.
KYLE: Well, I have a lot more fights but a lot of them haven’t been sanctioned so, I’m actually 13-0. We’re still trying to get those fights in and get them put on Sherdog.
PRO MMA: What titles have you held?
KYLE: I have two titles in the Midwest Kings of the Ring. I was a two-time champion.
PRO MMA: How long have you been training MMA?
KYLE: About three years now. I started off wrestling when I was little, then I kind of didn’t do anything for awhile, then some of my buddies started training and said “Hey you should come with me and check it out” and now I train two times a day, everyday, train full time. Ever since then, it’s been on.
PRO MMA: Are you able to do this for a full time job for now?
KYLE: Yes, for now.
PRO MMA: It definitely beats a 9-to-5 no doubt.
KYLE: Yeah, it can get hectic and scary at times but most of the time I get by.
PRO MMA: Who are some of the guys that help you most there at Spencer’s gym?
KYLE: We have Matt Peña, he’s been helping me a lot with my boxing. A bunch of different guys come in, Jens Pulver, Spencer Fisher. We got Drew McFedries, he’ll come in every now and then, he’s still at Miletich though. And then the local guys, we push each other, we have a real good tight crew.
PRO MMA: How far apart is Spencer’s gym, Evolution, from the Miletich gym?
KYLE: About eight miles, maybe.
PRO MMA: What was the reasoning of going to Spencer’s instead of staying with Miletich?
KYLE: Well, I didn’t even go to Miletich until… cause I looked up to Spencer, and for the longest time I didn’t know him but he was one of my favorite fighters, then one morning he called my out of nowhere and said, “I really want you to train with us.” So that morning I went and trained with them and he kind of took me under his wing and showed me everything I basically know now. My striking is where it is now because of him. So I’m loyal to him and he’s the one that really trained me all the time, It wasn’t Pat or anyone else, it was Spencer. So when he asked me to make the move with him, I was right with him.
PRO MMA: Do you know why he left Miletich?
KYLE: Not really, you know, he just wanted to do his own thing. It was time for him to branch out. He was kind of doing his own thing at the gym anyway, teaching his own guys. It’s kind of like we had our own… “The FIT Squad” is what we called ourselves so it was kind of our own little group inside the gym that trained together all the time. So I think he just wanted to branch out and do his own thing.
PRO MMA: Well, you are off to a great start in this thing at 13-0. What would say are your long term goals?
KYLE: I want to be the WEC (World Extreme Cagefighting) Bantamweight Champion. That’s what I want to be. Hopefully when I get my shot I’ll be able to shine and showcase my skills.
PRO MMA: What do you think of the guys in there right now?
KYLE: I think the 135 and 145 lbs. are the top classes right now. They have all the best fighters in the world. No one is a slouch, everyone is going to be tough. I want to be in there in the mix with them. I think I will stand out. I think my striking is top notch; training with Spencer, Jens and those guys and I think I’m ready to face whatever comes to me.
PRO MMA: How do you think you match up with Miguel Torres?
KYLE: I think stand up wise it will be great, it’ll be a great fight. On the ground he’s a black belt, he’s been on the ground a lot longer than I have. That’s probably where I need the most work. If it was standing up, I think it would be great, it would be a great muay thai match, stand up kickboxing, boxing, I think that would be a great match. We’re both aggressive. We both like to mix it up I would say. Training with Spencer, he teaches a lot of combos normally you wouldn’t see. So I think it would be a great match up.
PRO MMA: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us at PRO MMA (promma.info). Do you have any sponsors you would like to thank?
KYLE: I want to thank Hitman Fight Gear, Bodybag MMA, Iceman RX, Cageside MMA, and MMA Agents.
Fight Video: Kyle Dietz vs. Steven Vuser at Extreme Challenge 100
Fight Video: Kyle Dietz makes short work of opponent at “Spring Break”
By: Jack Bratcher