Hunter Tucker, 25, is an up-and-coming mixed martial artist from Wichita Falls. He has a professional record of 2 wins, no losses and an amateur record of 7-1.
I was a witness to his only loss at a King of the Cage show at the Kiowa Casino in 2008. He had been punishing his opponent for two rounds and got caught in an anaconda choke as he took his opponent down in the third round. Tucker refused to tap and as a result went unconscious. This goes to show how much heart and dedication he has towards the sport.
“Looking back on it now I think it’s the best thing that ever happened to me,” he said.
Up until that point he didn’t feel he had the killer instinct he has today. Since the loss he knows no matter how under control he thinks he has everything, his opponent is still dangerous. Now he fights to finish till the end, whether he’s winning or losing.
“Challenging myself and realizing my potential are two of my main motivators along with my family,” he said. “I fight because it’s my passion and there is nothing in life that is more of a thrill for me. There is nothing like being at your best and testing yourself in the sport you love.”
Tucker graduated from Wichita Falls High School in 2004 and got his bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of North Texas in 2008.
At the moment he trains at Greg Jackson’s training camp in Albuquerque, NM. He wrestles and spars with fighters who fight for high-level organizations such as the UFC. Carlos “Natural Born Killer” Condit, Clay “The Carpenter” Guida, Diego “The Dream” Sanchez, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, Keith “The Dean of Mean” Jardine and Jon “Bones” Jones are a few big names he trains with.
The Jackson camp is known for producing monsters in the cage.
“I am blessed to be a part of the best team in the world. The team and coaches are amazing and it’s like a big family,” he said. “It’s pretty tough. The talent level is extremely high. You really have to want it to keep coming back.”
Tucker was a huge fan of MMA in high school. He wanted to learn the things he saw mixed martial artists doing, so he joined a gym shortly after he graduated.
He trained with local mixed martial artists Keith Sutton, Jason Maxwell, Bubba McDaniel and Jason Hobbs.
“I loved training with those guys. I feel like they had a huge part in making me the fighter I am today,” he said. “They gave me a great base and taught me so much. They also showed me how to take a whooping and keep going.”
His first cage fight was for King of the Cage at the Kiowa Casino about 15 minutes from town. He won by TKO in the 1st round. He has been hooked ever since and has come a long way from that point. He won his second professional cage fight last Oct. by guillotine choke in 2:28 of the second round against Freddie Crosby.
With his dedication to the sport and his great training camp there’s nowhere to go but skyward for this young mixed martial artist.
“I would like to take my career as far as possible. This is my passion and I have a limited time to pursue it, so I am going all out and letting the chips fall where they may,” he said. “I feel like you get one life so you have to find a dream or something you love and chase it with all of your being. As long as I still feel like MMA is my passion and I’m healthy enough to compete I’ll be chasing that dream.”
