In one of the more interesting match-ups in the 2005 Abu Dhabi World Submission Wrestling Championships, Dennis Hallman was paired against Frank Trigg in the opening round of the 77-87 kg division.

The two MMA fighters had previously met in the ring of the WFA, where Trigg delivered a front kick to Hallman’s groin forcing the bout to an abrupt end. The two faced off again in a rematch in the UFC where Trigg knocked out Hallman and then, in one of the more unsportsmanlike gestures in the sport’s recent history, Trigg flipped off his downed adversary. This time, however, the rules were different and Hallman would obtain some retribution.

Trigg accepted his invitation to the ADCC on short notice. The two quickly engaged in battle and Hallman made quick work of Trigg. From his back, Hallman secured an ankle while Trigg was standing in an attempt to relieve pressure and escape the hold. Hallman made a quick adjustment and secured a heel hook. Trigg, still standing, resisted only briefly and then quickly tapped out; not taking any chances of acquiring an injury. Had it been an MMA match Trigg probably could have tried to punch his way out of the lock, but Trigged tapped an then motioned to his corner man Rico Chipparelli and also to the crowd that indeed he felt a pain that he needed to tap to. The two grapplers shook hands and congratulated each other.

In his second match, Hallman faced a former training partner in Reece Andy. The two smiled and exchanged a few words prior to the start of their match. Andy picked Hallman up off his feet early in their match and took him to the mat, but he was unable to improve his position. Hallman soon took advantage and escaped to secure Andy’s back and eventually would finish the bout with a rear naked choke. As the two men got up to meet in the center of the mat, Hallman was hobbling and nursing a leg.

In his next match, Hallman faced Brazilian black belt Renaldo Jacare. Hallman would lose that match and Jacare would eventually go on to win the 77-87 kg Championship defeating Demian Maia in the finals. Hallman went on to face another tough Brazilian black belt, Saulo Riberio to decide the third and forth place positions. In the Consolation Match, Hallman would lose again, ending up taking fourth place in the division, while Riberio finished third.

MMA Ring Report met with Dennis Hallman who had just defeated Reece Andy in the second match of the opening round and was mending some wounds backstage. Hallman was kind enough to take the time to conduct the following interview.

Photo Caption: Saulo Riberio works inside the guard of Dennis Hallman during their Consolation Match. Hallman lost the match and finished in forth place of the ADCC 77-87 kg division with two wins and two losses.

MMA Ring Report: Dennis, you had a match against Frank Trigg today whom you have previously faced, do you feel you vindicated yourself?

Dennis Hallman: Yeah, I’m vindicated. I feel good about the win.

MMA Ring Report: Do you mind telling us about the heel hook?

Dennis Hallman: I went for an ankle lock and he lifted up his foot to counter the ankle, so I slid it underneath my right elbow and switched to a heel hook. Simple transition.

MMA Ring Report: In your second match, you faced another opponent from Washington. You looked like you had known of him. Was he a teammate of yours?

Dennis Hallman: Yeah, Reece. Reece actually was a two-time NCAA runner up for Wyoming. He came and trained at AMC when I was still a member of that team. We trained together a couple of years ago a lot. So I knew a lot about him.

MMA Ring Report: So you were familiar with his grappling style?

Dennis Hallman: Yeah, I wasn’t surprised when I was thrown.

MMA Ring Report: Do mind telling us how you got the win in that match?

Dennis Hallman: He threw me into side mount and I just reversed side mount to taking his back, sank the hooks, and worked the hooks into a figure four. Then I just outdid him in hand fighting until I got him in a choke.

MMA Ring Report: It was a rear naked choke, is that correct?

Dennis Hallman: Yeah.

MMA Ring Report: So what’s next for you? It looks like you got a little banged up in that match.

Dennis Hallman: Yeah, hopefully the match doesn’t come too soon. I got Jacare in the semifinals.

MMA Ring Report: How do you feel about that?

Dennis Hallman: I don’t know, the guy’s tough and he’s big and tough and he’s good. So it should be a tough match.

MMA Ring Report: Is this your first time in Abu Dhabi competition?

Dennis Hallman: No, I won the US qualifier in 2000, and competed and lost in the first round to Renzo Gracie.

MMA Ring Report: What’s next for you after this competition? Are you going back into MMA or will you continue working in submission?

Dennis Hallman: Well, I’ve done submission grappling, on and off, my whole career. So I’ll keep doing this. I’m an MMA fighter, so I’ll be back fighting MMA.

MMA Ring Report: Do you have any fights planned?

Dennis Hallman: The only thing I’ve got scheduled right now is June 18 th in New Mexico and July 16 th in Oregon.

MMA Ring Report: Is there any chance in seeing you in the bigger organizations such as the UFC or Pride or are you sticking to independent productions right now?

Dennis Hallman: Hopefully, I’m up for anything. I’ll fight anywhere.

MMA Ring Report: Thank you for your time. We appreciate it. Good luck to you in the future, in this competition, and elsewhere.

Dennis Hallman: Right on, thank you.

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