In November, 2012, Tyson "the man of" Steele walked into the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) cage in Las Vegas. He had fought tough opponents before, but this was his first on the stage of the World Series of Fighting. Knowing his opponent, Gregor Gracie, was a tough fighter, Steele prepared himself physically and mentally for the showdown.
Steele knew Gracie was going to be tough competition; but, he went into the fight with the only frame of mind a fighter can have, that he was going to win. Despite being taken to the ground by Gracie, with announcers thinking it would all be over, Steele was resolved to gain the upper hand. Waiting for his moment as the two grappled on the ground, Steele was able to slip out of Gracie's hold, get to his feet, and attack. Knocking Gracie to the ground with a knee to the head, Steele was then on top of him instantly, delivering the final blows to earn him a TKO and the win.
Some would call him crazy, others would say he is a modern day gladiator; but, no matter their opinion regarding MMA, Steele has a warrior's heart.
"I just enjoy everything about it, so that's what keeps me going," Steele explained. "I've seen a lot of people who just want to fight for the sake of fighting, because they think it's cool or whatever; but, then they don't understand how much hard work goes into it, so unless you genuinely enjoy learning and the challenges behind it then you're not going to be successful because being able to just compete and win. People just don't realize what it takes to get there, to get to that point."
Since, having faced Gracie in November Steele, hailing from Carlyle and training out of Saskatoon, has been preparing for his next fight, which is scheduled for June 14. Steele will be travelling back to Las Vegas for the World Series of Fighting III (WSOF III). Here he will face Steve Carl of Iowa, a formidable adversary, as one of the co-headliners of the WSOF III.
"[A] matchup between two of MMA's fastest rising stars who are both on course to become future champions," WSOF president Ray Sefo stated in a press release.
In regards to Carl as an opponent, Steele stated: "He's really tough and gritty, he's fought some of the best guys in the world already and he's only about 28-years-old, I think, and he's had over 20 professional fights; so, he's going to be a major step up for me again."
For the past five weeks Steele has been training hard to be at the top of his game come June.
"I do about three hours a night of MMA training and then an hour during the day of strength and conditioning at a different gym," Steele explains.
"I stayed in pretty good shape throughout the time off. I've felt like I've been in fight shape for quite awhile now, so come June I'll be even more prepared than normal I think."
Steele currently sits with a record of 10 wins and one loss, while his opponent holds a record of 19 wins and three losses. Having seen Carl fight, Steele is prepared to train in ways that will help him both defend against Carl and, hopefully, gain the upper hand during the competition.
"As we get closer we're going to start concentrating on more, focusing more on stuff that will be good to use against him specifically in this fight," Steele stated.
With a strong overhand right, being hard to take down, and doing well on the ground Carl is a force in the cage; but, Steele is focused as always and is increasingly confident in his training and himself.
"... I'm starting to feel more comfortable and am in really good shape, I'm injury free and everything like that, so I'm starting to feel really confident going into it."
The venue is set for the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
The main card fights, including Steele's, will be aired on NBS Sports, while the preliminary card will earn attention online at www.sherdog.com through video streaming.
