Inside the mind of Scrappy MMA head coach Ben Vickers
Vickers explains how his life experiences have shaped his approach to training
The British Army veteran tells me about his coaching philosophy - how his experiences in the military shaped him as a coach, the desire to constantly improve, and why Jack Della Maddalena is a future champion-in-waiting…
Ben Vickers cracks a big grin. “Hello mate - it’s been a while.”
12 months have passed since we last spoke and a lot has happened in that time.
Vickers has been busy. He and his business partner Cam O’Neill (father of UFC fighter Casey) own mixed martial arts promotion Eternal MMA, which has put on five events over the course of the past year alone. He also trained former Australia cricket star Mitchell Johnson for a charity boxing match.
On top of that, his prizefighter, Jack Della Maddalena, is now 5-0 in the UFC, with finishes in four of his last five fights.
Vickers joins the Zoom call on his phone leaning against the counter of the welcome desk in his new gym which is close to his home in Perth. The gym is still under construction but is close to being completed, with tatami mats covering the entire length of the floor. A giant poster with the words “Welcome to Scrappy MMA North” hangs on one of the walls.
He admits that there was a time last year when he wasn’t sure what the future held for Eternal MMA. But now, fingers crossed, things are on the up.
“Eternal is doing really well,” Vickers says.
“We had a rough year financially, but the brand was continuing to grow, so we had to cut back on a few things. Now we seem to have taken control of that. We’ve had lots of good attendances this year, great fights, so it’s trending in the right direction.
“It’s starting to become more popular, fans are starting to take notice of people like Steve Erceg, someone I’ve been talking about for a long time. Eternal champions in the UFC are 12-1. Jack Jenkins, he’s another one, he’s had a couple of wins.”
With that, Vickers has just wrapped his last training session of the day. He says goodbye to Jack’s brother Josh, before getting in his car to go home.
Fortunately for him, the new gym is round the corner from his house, no more than a ten-minute drive or so.
As he pulls up into the driveway, I ask him which one of his fighters will be next to receive a call from the UFC.
“Jack Becker, probably. He did a grappling competition just after we got back from the States last,” Vickers says.
“He’s fighting the week before Jack, he’s fighting in Sydney, Rod Costa is fighting again, he’s another one of my fighters, they’re both on the same card. So we’re all flying over on Wednesday, they fight Friday night in Sydney, we fly out Saturday morning to Las Vegas, then Jack fights the following weekend. We could have gone earlier but he wanted to stay.
“We’re like a band of brothers. We do everything together. It’s something I learned in the army, it’s important to develop that team spirit, especially when it comes to fighting.
“So Becker’s up next. We’ve had a verbal that if he gets the win then he should get a UFC contract but I don’t want to get ahead of myself so we’ll have to wait and see. But he deserves it, after all he’s been through with the injury, he definitely deserves it.”
It’s not all fun and games, though. Vickers accepts that his family are the ones who have to make the personal sacrifice while he continues doing what he does for a living.
“I’m in the gym every day when I’m not travelling,” he says.
“The boys will fight and they’ll have a few days off and go on holiday for a week. I’m back in the gym the next day. I make a point of it.
“A good coach should also be a good mentor. It’s about making sure they have the right habits. That’s the important part of coaching.
“But my family are the ones who suffer because I’m never here. I can’t live like that anymore. It gets harder every time I go away.
“It’s never been about the money for me. That’s how I’ve got this far in the sport. Because if you’re in it for the money you’re going to get out of it very quick.
“From my point of view I want to be the best coach I can be to help the boys do their job. I’ve trained in every discipline you can think of. I’m obsessed with it.”
Naturally, our conversation drifts to Della Maddalena. Vickers becomes more and more animated as he discusses preparations for his fight with Kevin Holland.
“The thing about Jack is that he is really good at everything he does,” he says.
“For me the biggest compliment I could get about my fighters is that they are good everywhere.
“You’re not going to plan to fight one of my guys in one area. You’re going to have to plan for a MMA fight. That is what you should be training for when you are preparing to fight someone from my gym.
“Not many people know this but Jack is a phenomenal grappler. Craig Jones came to my gym and didn’t manage to submit Jack. He was the only one who didn’t get submitted.”
On paper Holland is a tough test for Della Maddalena who will give up four inches in height to his opponent. Not that that will faze him.
At 26, he has earned recognition as one of the best prospects in the UFC.
“I know for a fact Jack will be UFC champion one day,” Vickers says.
“He genuinely loves the sport. He’s always looking to improve as a fighter. He never turns down a challenge.
“It’s the kind of things you can’t teach. If you ask him to do something he’ll do it. I don’t think there is anyone who is as technical as he is.
“Everything comes like second nature to him. That’s what separates the best from the rest. It’s the ability to make the fundamentals subconscious.”
And with that, the call abruptly cuts off. Vickers messages later to apologise for his phone running out of charge. No hard feelings.