Back down to 170lbs and looking trim and full of fire, Dennis "Superman" Hallman 'wowed' the crowd with his aggressive stand-up skills, sporting muay thai shorts, and impressively chalking up a win in his debut match with King of the Cage on PPV in Reno, Nevada at the Silver Legacy.

Hallman spoke with MMA Ring Report after his fight. We wanted to catch up with him to see what he’s been up to and to see what this UFC veteran has planned. He’s in the game and looking to get that King of the Cage belt and replacing Pat Militech in the WFA match against Frank Trigg, not to mention his thoughts on beating the current UFC champ--Matt Hughes, but we’ll let you hear it from Hallman himself:

MMARR: When did you sign on with KOTC?

DSH: About 4-5 months ago. I’m happy with the organization. They’re taking care of me. I signed a three fight deal but it’s not exclusive or anything like that.

MMARR: Let’s talk about your match against Mansouri. Did your match go as planned?

DSH: Everything went as planned. It’s my first time back at 170. The first high-level competition at that weight. I don’t like lifting weights and when I don’t lift weights, I’m about 175. I hate cutting weight.

MMARR: What do you think your chances are of getting that title?

DSH: Nothing is ever in the bag but I think I’m the best in that weight class right now.

MMARR: You looked like you’ve been working on your stand-up more. Care to comment on that?

DSH: I’ve been doing some Muay Thai. I’ve been training with the guys--Joey Guel, Benji Radach, and Aaron Riley. It all depends on my opponent. If it’s a stand-up guy, I’ll go to the ground and if it’s a ground guy, I’ll try to keep it standing up.

MMARR: What did you know about Bettis Mansouri?
DSH: I just knew that his move was the triangle choke and that he was really good at it.

MMARR: What’s your window of opportunity like?

DSH: Well, if I’m like Dan Severn, I’ve got several more years to go (laughs). I’m only 26 so I still have time.

MMARR: Would you fight Matt Hughes again if you had the chance?

DSH: If they paid me.

MMARR: What would it take to beat someone like Matt Hughes?

DSH: Go out there and pressure him. If he’s relaxed, he has time to think. The only time he has is when he’s on his back. He makes a lot of mistakes if he has pressure on him. I can beat him again. I just wouldn’t give him time to think.

MMARR: So, you’ll be taking Pat Miletich’s place in the WFA match against Frank Trigg. What are the possibilities of beating him?

DSH: He’s not good at submissions. He’s a really strong ground n’ pound wrestler who likes to stand and throw. I have the submission advantage. He also got knocked out by Sakarai and Ray Cooper and I wouldn’t exchange punches with those guys.

MMARR: What would be your method to beat Trigg?

DSH: I’d attack him and go full blast. I usually end up in the better position if I come out fast. Hopefully my cardio will be as good as his, in order for me to push his cardio to the brink. It’s hard on your cardio when you have to cut a lot of weight and Trigg will have to in order to make weight.

MMARR: With KOTC, will your next fight be a title shot?

DSH: It’s up to Terry. My first fight was supposed to be a title shot. It’s looking like I’ll be facing Romie Aram for it.

MMARR: What do you think Carlos Newton did wrong in his last match against Hughes to cost him that loss?

DSH: I didn’t see the fight but the thing about Hughes is that you never have to worry about getting submitted by him. Newton should never have to worry about that, especially with his submission skills. From what I understand, while Matt had him on his back, he should belly out and roll. He should never be in the position of being on his back by Hughes.

MMARR: What are your predictions for the Castillo vs. Hughes match in upcoming UFC 40?

DSH: Guys that could beat Matt are guys who have decent submission skills. I’ve only seen a couple of Castillo’s fights but from what I hear, he’s fairly strong and has a good ground game, good at submissions. It also, seems as if he likes to do the same things as Matt but with not as much strength. I don’t know if he’s as strong as Matt. We’ll see.

MMARR: What makes Carlos Newton a dangerous fighter?

DSH: He’s dangerous from all aspects. He’s a decent wrestler, even though he’s not a wrestler. He’s a decent striker and has a strong ground game. Newton is a thinking fighter. He’ll set up a submission and think where he’ll end up. Everything has to be taken into consideration when you’re that type of fighter. Where wrestlers will take you down and hold you down. Newton is always thinking. I have a lot of respect for that guy.

MMARR: Would you ever fight him and be able to beat him?

DSH: I’d fight him. I’d fight anyone. I’d be able to beat him. I know he doesn’t like to get bullied. So, I’d bully him out, be mentally stronger than him and pressure him until he tanked. I could submit him if he got caught.

MMARR: You’ve been promoting your own amateur shows up in Olympia, WA. When is your next event?

DSH: The Ultimate Ring Challenge 3 is on January 4th, 2003. I’ve been doing amateur fights since 1999. It’s NHB but the politically correct term is Pancration. There are lots of talent coming out. We’ll have guys coming from Team Quest, AMC Pancration, Gibson’s Pancration, and even Team Idaho. Plus a lot more teams. There’ll be 12 fights
and the same weight classes as Nevada.

MMARR: So, you’ve fought 2 of the UFC’s champions, beat one and technically lost to another, but you cut drastic weight for the latter. Yet, you were let go by the organization after the one loss. Care to comment on that?

DSH: It had to do with the contract in the fight I had against Pulver and about money. Plus, it was really hard to cut that weight. I was way too light for my natural weight. It was hard. Well, if I beat Frank Trigg, I think it’ll make a difference. I hope I win.

So, what does happen if Hallman beats Trigg? Well, that means he just beat out the two toughest competitors in his weight class and does this mean he should get a shot back into the UFC? After all, he has proven that he is capable of beating Matt Hughes and that it was no fluke but based purely on skill. One could only tell what’ll be next for Hallman. If anything, this competitor is staying active, in and out of the cage. He’s helping to build future fighters through his gym--Victory Athletics and through his amateur promotions. Going down to 170 is a good weight for him and his boys. It makes training that much easier for Hallman. This "super" athlete looks to be going for a few titles in the near future and with his determination and confidence, we just might be seeing this "Superman" wearing a few belts here and there. Good-luck to Dennis in his match against Frank Trigg and all other future matches!

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