Er zullen veel Nederlandse mma’ers in actie komen tijdens de M-1 Challenge van aankomend weekend. Een daarvan is Danny van Bergen. Danny komt uit voor Team Benelux. Zij zullen het zondag op gaan nemen tegen Team USA East. Danny’s tegenstander is David Zitnik.

• What gym do you currently spend most of your time training out of in Holland?
  I do all my training at Mike’s Gym and sometimes I train with Remco Pardoel (at the M-1 training center).

• What was the original martial arts discipline you began to study and at what age?
  When I was fifteen I started training kickboxing at Mike’s Gym. After one year I started to train MMA. because I felt there was more to gain than kickboxing for me. I myself thought so and my environment encouraged me to go for it. Furthermore, I like the sport in general due to its complexity and the ways you can finish the fight.

• Renato Migliaccio is out for USA East due to a shoulder injury and a replacement has yet to be named [editor's note: David Zitnik has since been added to USA East]. Are you at a psychological disadvantage because there is less than a month to go and you do not know your opponent?
  I never worry about my opponent. If you think of that to much it will only make you nervous. Of course I study my opponent by watching his videos so you know what kind of fighter he is. It doesn’t affect me at all who is in front of me because I came to fight.

• After making the finals last year, Benelux will not be able to qualify for this year’s post-season. What do you think needs to happen for Benelux to come back on top next season?
  I think we have to train hard for it and show everybody that next year we will be back in the top. I know we can do it and we are going to show it.

• Holland is known for its history of producing world class kickboxers. However, four of your six official wins have come via submission. Where did you develop such good jiu-jitsu skills?
  I’ve been working on my groundgame when I was 16 and started to know more and more. There are some things on the ground that I developed and I can use quickly in a fight and that’s the reason I won those matches.

• This is your first year in the M-1 Challenge. What are your thoughts thus far about the team concept and how were you discovered?
  I like the concept very much and a country versus country is always appealing because it’s great to represent your country so I proud to do so. Another great thing it’s the exposure we get on a international level and maybe fight at the bigger shows.

• The “weekend of fighting” will be in Holland. Since it is your home turf, are you expecting a lot of friends to attend?
  Some of my relatives and close friends always come to my fights and I hope a lot of Dutch fans will come to support us. When they it gives you more energy and it feels much better to defeated USA on our home ground.

• Additional people will be watching live via Internet PPV on M-1Global.com and Mixfight.ru. What can they expect in your fight?
  I come to fight and I make sure it will be a hard battle and will do my best to give the people at home a fight that they will remember and will be talked about.

Met dank aan M-1Global.com