Burkman overcomes injuries, faces Carl in WSOF 6
By BOB EMANUEL JR. | Scripps Howard News Service
For Josh Burkman, injuries and setbacks defined the early part of his career.
Burkman compiled a 13-3 record en route to an appearance on “The Ultimate Fighter’s” second season. There, he overcame a broken arm to defeat Melvin Guillard in the first round of the tournament, but the injury forced him to leave the competition. Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White consoled Burkman by offering him a shot in the UFC.
Burkman won five of his first several fights in the UFC, but health concerns again derailed him. He fought through a series of spinal ailments and lost his next three fights. He was released by the UFC in late 2008.
“On my last couple of fights for the UFC, I knew my career was coming to an end just because physically I couldn’t train or perform like a professional athlete should,” Burkman said. “I had three different surgeons tell me I should not fight, I should not continue in mixed martial arts.”
Burkman took a holistic approach and worked with the Nevada Institute of Sports Science.
“We came up with a protocol to help heal my back,” he said. “It was also to heal my spirit and help me get back into a good place. After about a year, my back felt better. I’m not healed. I still have injuries. I just know how to deal with them better.”
Burkman won his first three fights in his return. A controversial decision cost him a fight in Canada, but Burkman won his next two fights to earn a position with the World Series of Fighting.
Burkman won his first three fights in the WSOF, including a showdown with former UFC contender Jon Fitch earlier this year. The victory earned Burkman a bout against Steve Carl this Saturday in the main event of WSOF 6 at the Bank United Center in Coral Gables, Fla. The winner will be crowned the inaugural WSOF welterweight title — the first belt awarded by the fledgling promotion, which was started last year.
“At the end of the day, our lives are all about stories and the people around us,” Burkman said. “I think that would be a great story. It’s something I’ll be very proud of, but my goal will definitely not be to just win this title and sit back. I want to make this title relevant in the mixed martial arts community. I want to help this organization grow.”
The remainder of the main card, which can be seen on NBC Sports at 3 p.m. HST, features welterweights Jon Fitch vs. Marcelo Alfaya, lightweights Dan Lauzon vs. Justin Gaethje and bantamweights Marlon Moraes vs. Carson Beebe.
The preliminaries, which are listed at www.wsof.com, can be seen live on the same site at noon HST.
