A setback for local MMA fighter

By David W. Powers
For Weekly Surge

"Everything is up in the air right now," said Maurice Travis, manager and trainer for local mixed martial arts star Nissen Osterneck. Osterneck was set to fight Bryan Baker, a 185-pound powerhouse known for his ground-and-pound ability, on last week's "World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) Live on Versus" event. The live WEC fights are shown weekly on Versus, the channel formerly known as The Outdoor Life Channel. Unfortunately, Osterneck was sidelined due to a shoulder injury that occurred while training for the match.

The WEC event was to be the first fight of a multi-fight contract he just signed. Though Osterneck has fought and defeated well-known opponents, the WEC fight with Baker would have marked his entry into the big leagues of professional mixed martial arts. About the contract, Maurice Travis said, "We went ahead and signed with the WEC because it was the best opportunity all the way around. There's perhaps another opportunity with a Randy Couture promotion in January of 2009, but we'll have to wait and see how things go."

The injured shoulder will hopefully be repaired by surgery in the next week or two,
but Osterneck will still be out of the game for at least six months to allow it to heal. In a sport as demanding as mixed martial arts where a fighter can go from punching to grappling in a split second, full power and complete range of motion are an absolute necessity.

Osterneck is confident it will only be a minor setback. "I went to Vegas and watched the guy I was supposed to fight. I would have crushed him. As soon as I'm good to go, I'll be in the WEC ring."

For an up and coming fighter like Osterneck, this injury is comparable to a rookie baseball pitcher blowing his rotator cuff out before his first major league game. He is eager to get back in the ring, so don't expect this setback to hold him back any longer than necessary. "This is just a small tear, so with a little healing time, I'll be back stronger than ever," he said. "You never know how much you'll miss something you love until it's gone, so I'm anxious to get back in."

Before signing with WEC, Osterneck was weighing offers from fight promoter Global Fighting, LLC and a shot at being on "The Ultimate Fighter," an MMA reality show on the Spike TV cable network.