Morristown Native Ready for His 'Main' Event

When some people think of mixed martial arts or MMA, they may think about big name arenas and fighters–places like the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, or arenas in Asia and Europe. Fighters like Ken Shamrock, Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir are mentioned a lot. Competitors with colorful nicknames like Shogun, The Natural, The Ice Man, or Baby Face try to get your attention.

There are also places and competitors in the world of MMA not so well known to the general public, like the Mennen Sports Arena, in Morris Township, which will soon host MMA competitors that call the Garden State home.

One of those up and coming fighters is 22-year-old Andrew Main, originally from Morristown and nearby Rockaway. He has no fancy nickname or travels with a large entourage. But, the soft spoken young fighter is still determined to make his mark in the mixed martial arts world.

Main’s strong drive and athletic skills have already earned him a chance at competing on a national level. He has even appeared as a competitor on the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)-inspired reality television series, The Ultimate Fighter in 2010.

The Ultimate Fighter held an open tryout in Charlotte, N.C. in April 2010. Main drove his car to the event and beat out about 500 other applicants who arrived to be considered for the show. “Out of the many applicants they narrowed the field down to 70 people," he said. "The producers then flew us to Las Vegas for physicals and interviews. The field was further cut down to 28 athletes who had to fight each other and win to get on the show.”

Main was one of the last men standing and made the final cut to compete on last season’s program. Main won his first match but lost his second, yet remained on the show to its conclusion. Once you lose you can’t compete anymore but can stay and train at the facility until filming is over. He was released by the UFC after the last episode.

Main turned pro in 2009 and his professional record is 5-1-0. His bout on Friday, April 22, at Mennen, will be against Felipe Arantes who has won seven bouts in a row with a record of 13-3-0.

MMA is something Main has had an interest for a long time. “When I was younger I was always athletic and in school I played football, soccer and participated in track and field," he said. "But, I could never stick with anything until I tried Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was the form of competition I was looking for. I did well in Jiu-Jitsu competition and from there that led to a career in fighting. I never intended to compete professionally in mixed martial arts but things kept working out for me in competition and I am still young and will keep at it.”

Andrew Main will be the main event at the New Jersey-based Urban Conflict Championship (UCC) 4 Supremacy cage matches at the Mennen Sports Arena Friday, April 22. He will be joined on the under card by other New Jersey fighters such as Sean “Shorty Rock” Santella from Roxbury and Scott "Silence of The" Fairlamb from Butler. 

To keep up with the latest developments about Andrew Main, visit his Facebook page.