V3FIGHTER OF THE MONTH

Chan “Da Man” Waison, one of the most popular amateur fighters in the Mid-South area, is V3’s August Fighter of the Month.  Whenever Waison is scheduled to fight on a V3 card, you can bet that he will have the largest cheering section of any of the fighters.  He is currently ranked #10 in the ATO polls and is V3’s #1 contender for the lightweight title.  Chan got started in MMA four years ago when his cousin, professional MMA fighter Shawn Allen, taught him jiu-jitsu.  Chan then met up with some friends who also knew jiu-jitsu and they started up their own gym in Marion, AR.  From there one thing led to another and he started training at Memphis BJJ for a few months. After that he and his friends started up their own gym again and that lasted for almost a year.  Around that time Brian Kleck moved to the Mid-South from St. Louis and started 21st Century MMA.  Chan has been training there ever since.  Growing up, Chan played just about every sport and he loves to compete, which is the main reason why he is so passionate about MMA.  He loves the one on one aspect of the competition.  Chan plans on being in the fight business for a while in some aspect because he loves it so much. Waison is probably one of the most structured fighters out there.  First and foremost, he is a family man.  He lives with his long time girlfriend Tammy Clay and they have a 15 month old son.  He works two jobs anywhere from 8-10 hours a day, he trains 2-3 hours a night in MMA, and when he has a fight coming up he puts in another couple of hours at the gym.  According to his coach Brian Kleck, “Chan is an outstanding individual.  He is 22 years old and has everything together.  He’s a natural born leader and definitely is an asset in the gym.“ Chan will be fighting Tripp Carter for the lightweight title on August 14 at the FedEx Forum in the most anticipated rematch in V3 history.  Based on past history, every fighter that V3 crowned “Fighter of the Month” has gone on to win a title and Chan expects to keep that streak alive.  Good luck to Chan “Da Man” Waison on August 14 and congratulations on being named V3 Fighter of the Month.

by Rod Galvan