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The Butcher is speaking. “If there is one thing, Arnold, that I am good for is… I am good for my word”. Bill Mahood’s words resonate loudly, they are interesting words to be sure, and the fact that they come from a man that has been dubbed “The Butcher”, makes for interesting listening.
Mahood hamming it up with "The Crow" David Loiseau
The Butcher is speaking. “If there is one thing, Arnold, that I am good for is… I am good for my word”. Bill Mahood’s words resonate loudly, they are interesting words to be sure, and the fact that they come from a man that has been dubbed “The Butcher”, makes for interesting listening. Hailing from Prince George, British Columbia, Canada, a small town of approximately seventy five thousand people, “The Butcher” is a dubious marker for anyone short of the employee’s at the local meat market. Mahood is no such employee. In fact, he won’t be within walking distance of the nearest steak when he headlines the start-up “Shut up and Fight” promotion in Vernon B.C against Chael Sonnen of Randy Couture’s Team Quest on Dec 6th. This fight will be by far the biggest fight of his career and he is treating it as such, don’t let the moniker fool you however, “The Butcher” is as much a prankster, as he is fighter and the proof is in the porterhouse steak. Inside and outside the ring “The Butcher” pulls no punches, and the proud telling of a horrific body fluid story in a public lobby is surely no exception. “Arnold, this is off the record right?” Mahood makes sure to keep me in check as he finishes his story, and I nod accordingly, while everyone at the table struggles furiously to forget the rancid story he has just shared. It is times like these I wish he was lying, but all five people sitting at this table know full well, it is the unfortunate truth. Across the table “Pain” Peters, a man who to the untrained eye may look like a cross between a serial Killer and a younger skinnier goateed Tank Abbott, is grimacing uncomfortably. To my immediate left David “The Crow” flinches in unison, responding to the vile story that Mahood has just finished telling, the two totally different personalities bear the same wincing face. "The Butcher", on the other hand, is laughing out loud. Mahood is a practical joker, a man that is just as happy to paint your toenails while you sleep, as he is to punch your face off in the ring, outside of the ring he is a gentleman, and a prank-a-holic. He is never afraid to bring his own brand of humor with him everywhere he goes, even to the ring, a trait that is fodder for the types of stories that sound so bizarre; they almost have to be true. As Mahood explains, his fight with Chris Peak is one such occasion “Chris wanted to do the big home town stare down, so he came into the ring and put his forehead right against my forehead and did the BiiiiiiiiiiiiG hometown stare down… So right before they broke us, I just reached over and gave him a BIG sucker kiss on the lips. It was pretty funny… right on the mouth. Peak just about had a heart attack. It was the funniest thing I think I have ever seen.” His abnormal antics did the job, and did it well, just over a minute later, Mahood’s hands were raised in victory. Chris Peak had tapped out due to strikes from the mount. When he is not playing the part of the jester he spends his time training as a full time, full contact fighter. He has no job, does not work in his spare time, and has no income to call his own. He lives off the savings of his successful business ventures which include a restaurant and a bottled water company, both of which he has since sold. “I did really well, in my business ventures, and had a fair chunk of change once I sold everything. Basically I am eroding my life savings doing what I want to do. I am really lucky because I have a wife that has a good job but completely supports me, is tolerant of what I do, and tolerant of the fact that I am not making an income. If it wasn’t for her it just wouldn’t be possible.” Every step of the way he is fortunate enough to have the blessing of his wife who in his own words is “Every bit as big” a part of the fight game, as Mahood himself. With an air of humility and graciousness he admits his wife is asked about the notion of his unemployment on a regular basis, her answer is easy on his ears. ’People ask her, How can you let him (Bill Mahood) do that? [Not work and fight full time] And her answer is always “How can’t I? I fell in love”. You know what… I am a lucky guy, not a lot of people have that kind of person who is willing to support them that way.” It is this support that has allowed him to take the opportunity afforded him by his wife and the “Shut up and Fight” promotion. His opponent Chael Sonnen will be the toughest challenge to date and he knows it. In his own words he is training like a madman, trekking his way to Vancouver to work on his hands with former pro boxer Tony Pep, and roll with Jiu Jitsu expert Denis Kang. At the age of 37 his time is now and he’s pulling out all the stops in the hopes of putting his best foot forward and proving he is ready to take the next step in his MMA career. “I believe that with Sonnen, it offers me an opportunity to fight a named American. He is a member of a fairly well known team; you don’t get any more well known then Randy Couture as a coach. He has had some success… if you want to advance in this game, you fight opponents that are going to bring your name out a little more down south as well as in Canada.” "The Butcher" is correct, and it could be a make or break situation for his career. Mahood is a fighter’s fighter, his attitude towards fighting is cut from the same cloth as that of Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture, he has no problems taking the tough fights, and does not flinch at the possibility of coming in on short notice to take the fights that no one else wants. His last fight, a win over Tom Sauer of Monte Cox’s team Extreme via TKO, was taken on short notice against a veteran who had Jeremy Horn and Matt Hughes in his corner. He drove 21 hours to Boise for the fight, and to top it off Sauer came in 18 pounds over the weight limit. The weight difference is reason enough for most to back out without any regrets, but Mahood felt otherwise. “I drove 21 hours to go to Boise, You are there all alone, the guy you are fighting comes in 18 pounds overweight, everyone like Jeff Blatnick is like “you are not going to take the fight are you?” And I am like, “Hell yeah” I drove 21 hours! Of course I am taking the fight, I don’t care how heavy he is!” Two rounds later, he got the win he came for, stopping Sauer in the second round. His success has yet to taint his attitude, especially in regards to his own blossoming career. “The Butcher” has no grand illusions about how far he is going in the sport of MMA, and is just taking it one step at a time, letting the chips fall where they may. He just wants to be sure the chips fall on his own terms and not a moment before. When quizzed on the subject of one day taking on some of the tyrants in the light heavyweight division such as Vanderlei Silva, Randy Couture, and Quinton Jackson on short notice, Mahood is forthcoming and unabashed in his enthusiasm at the prospect, a zest that is frequently lacking when the top names are mentioned. “Why not? Just for the simple fact that you did it. I don’t have any grand illusions about someone like Vanderlei Silva, you are talking about one of the top dogs in the world…What is the worse case scenario? You get your head knocked in…No big deal.” A fighter’s attitude to be sure, he is humble in his demeanor but simultaneously exudes a quiet air of subtle confidence that his difficult training regiment has afforded him. He knows what he is getting into and he is confident in his prediction. “I am going to knock him out”. Mahood’s is a bold prediction to be sure, but with the strength of the Canadian fans behind him and an even stronger woman in the forefront, it appears that “The Butcher” Bill Mahood is more than prepared to stand by his word. -MMARR-
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