Dane Sayers shows heart, wants to show skill next

By Brett Okamoto

Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2010 | 8 p.m.

At the beginning of filming for the 12th season of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality series, UFC President Dana White told 28 athletes he was looking for someone willing to fight.

None of them listened as close as Dane Sayers.

For those who missed it, the 22-year-old Sayers, fighting out of Fargo, N.D., earned his way onto the newest season of TUF with a second-round submission win over Ariel Sexton in what arguably was one of the gutsiest performances in the show's history.

Taking White's speech to heart, Sayers opened the fight with a flying knee attempt off a full-on sprint that just missed taking out Sexton immediately.

"I knew I was going to do that as soon as (the referee) said, 'Get it on,'" Sayers said. "I just sprinted at him full-speed and threw the hardest flying knee I could. I talked to (Sexton) after the fight and he said he could hear the wind go by his head.

"I was just trying to do something exciting. Dana said the day before the fights to not leave anything out there. I wasn't about to."

Following the opening sequence, the fight clearly started to go in Sexton's favor. During certain points in the second round, cameras actually caught White predicting Sayers was about to get knocked out.

The knockout never came, however, and Sayers showed enough heart to defend a few late takedowns and hop onto Sexton's back for the standing, rear naked choke finish.

As soon as Sexton tapped, Sayers fell to the mat and said he had just won the biggest fight of his life.

Looking back on his path to that moment, one can see why Sayers felt that way.

The Native American fighter has spent his entire life in North Dakota, where mixed martial arts exists but on a somewhat smaller level than in other parts of the country.

Sayers' first experience with the sport came in a traditional kung fu academy in Fargo, which he quickly abandoned after six months.

He had resorted to simply punching a heavy bag in a normal gym when he caught the eye of a boxer there. It was from this chance interaction that Sayers learned about an MMA fighter in the area named Ethan Boyle.

"This boxer introduces me to Ethan Boyle, and before you know it, I'm training in his basement," Sayers said. "I trained with him for nine months, and he spoke to some promoters about me and got me my first fight.

"He got me a fight with a guy at 185 pounds who was 9-4. I didn't think I was ready but (Boyle) assured me I would win. I just trusted him for some reason, so I took the fight and won in the second round."

Sayers went on to compete in more fights on smaller shows, including one at 205 pounds.

His dedication to the sport increased in 2009, when he joined the legitimate Academy of Combat Arts in Fargo and actually started the process of cutting weight.

The heart he showed in his first nationally televised fight is nothing new to Sayers. He admits he suffers from a lingering shoulder injury that occurred when he refused to tap from an omaplata in a grappling tournament years ago.

Eventually, Sayers said, he might get it checked out — but only when it seems right to take some time away from fighting.

"To this day, I'll hold 45-pound weights during sprints at practice, and then I can't hold my arm above my head," Sayers said. "I should probably get it checked out, but at the time I didn't think it was that bad."

How far Sayers makes it through the tournament-style format of the show remains to be seen, despite his first impression on White and this year's coaches.

Although he defeated Sexton in the elimination round, Sayers said, he wasn't completely happy with the way he fought and still was struggling to adapt to the 155-pound weight class.

"This is the first time I ever went down to 155," Sayers said. "I try to put too much into every punch. I try to knock guys out with every hit. A 155-pound guy moves a lot different than a 185-pound guy.

"With those guys, you have an extra half-second to wind up. It doesn't work on the smaller guys."

Days after recording the win, Sayers said his focus while on the show would be to work on his standup and prove he's more than just a guy that can take a punch.

One thing that should work to his advantage is that those are the types of things that can be taught by coaches Georges St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck.

The heart he displayed in the very first episode of the season can't.

"I want to be able to show everyone watching I'm not just some crazy guy and I have skills, too," Sayers said. "The last fight was just me going nuts because it meant so much to me."

Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at LVSunFighting