David Bielkheden has never been one to let where he’s at dictate where he’s going, whether in competition
or in life. It explains his decision to drop from the 170-pound weight class to the lightweight division after losing his UFC debut in March to Diego Sanchez, and it also gives insight into his choice to leave his native Stockholm nine years ago to begin training with Murilo Bustamante and the renowned Brazilian Top Team.
It’s not your usual commute, even in a sport where packing your bags and uprooting yourself in order to improve your game is a regular occurrence. For Bielkheden, he was traveling to a country with an entirely different language and culture at the age of 20. Needless to say, his mother wasn’t too thrilled about what probably seemed to be an impetuous decision, but a necessary one for the budding pro fighter.
“She wasn’t that happy because she knows it’s very dangerous there, but she accepted it and today she’s very proud of my success,” said Bielkheden, who made his way to Rio De Janeiro in order to work with some of the best jiu-jitsu players in the world and eventually take his place with them. He knew there would be an adjustment period, both in the gym and outside of it.
“At that time there weren’t so many foreigners (in Brazil) like now, and the sport wasn’t so big, so it was different,” said Bielkhden, whose training in Brazil began at a time when MMA was in its “dark ages” in the United States, and fairly non-existent in Europe. “It took some time (to get adjusted), and of course there was the different language, and people over there don’t speak English as well, so I had to learn Portuguese, but they accepted me as I am.”
Most importantly, Bielkheden was welcomed into the Brazilian Top Team family by its leader, former UFC middleweight champ Bustamante.
“Murilo doesn’t judge people by color, religion, or race,” said Bielkheden. “He evaluates you on how good you are and how you treat other people in the Academy.”
And now, Brazil is like a second home.
“It’s very good there,” said Bielkheden of daily life in Rio. “The food is very good, the weather is much better than in Sweden, the people are very friendly, and I’m very relaxed there because I don’t have the daily distractions like I have in Sweden.”
Eventually, Bielkheden – now a BJJ Black Belt – added more than just jiu-jitsu to his martial arts background, and by 2001 he was making his MMA debut against Arben Lafti, a fight he lost via decision. He would not lose again for another three years, fighting for Shooto’s European league and even making a trip to the States to beat future UFC fighter Charles McCarthy in 2004. The “Brazilian Swede” also found time to compete in grappling competitions such as the Abu Dhabi European trials, where he faced the man he will meet up with at UFC 89 on Saturday – Jess Liaudin – in 2003.
“I fought him once in grappling in the European trials for Abu Dhabi, but that was five years ago,” recalled Bielkheden. “I submitted him pretty fast, like one minute (ed. note – 1:40), but now it’s MMA, so it’s a different sport.”
By 2005-2006, Japan was calling for Bielkheden, and he was fighting in Shooto and PRIDE. And though his record was spotty, he was never stopped or submitted, and he showed enough in his European wins that after beating Lubormir Roumenov and Nikola Matic in back-to-back bouts that he was called by the UFC to take on Sanchez at UFC 82 in March.
Unfortunately, the four weeks notice for the fight wasn’t enough for Bielkheden, who was stopped with 17 seconds left in the opening round by ‘The Nightmare.’
“I was nervous, but that wasn’t the main factor,” said Bielkheden. “You have to be ready mentally as well as physically, and I learned not to take fights on such short notice.”
Following the bout, Bielkheden decided that his height (5 foot 10) and frame would be better suited for the 155 pound division, and on Saturday, he will be facing off with another newcomer to the weight class in Liaudin. It’s an evenly-matched bout and one that has not only given Bielkheden the time he needs to get ready, but it’s in Europe, making the transition from training to fight night even smoother.
“I feel very comfortable in Europe because I’ve fought there for many years now – especially in England,” said Bielkheden, who has been back home in Sweden for the last couple of weeks. “I’ve had good fights with good results there and I’m very confident for next week.”
As for his future at 155 pounds, the 29-year old feels that competition wise, he will be well served to remain in the division currently ruled by BJ Penn.
“It (lightweight) is a very good division, but I think 77 kilos (170 pounds) is tougher in the UFC than 155,” admits Bielkheden. “And at 155 I’m gonna be one of the bigger guys. I think I’m gonna be the strongest one and definitely the most handsome.”
He laughs, and though he’s laid down the gauntlet in terms of what he expects to do in his weight class, he refuses to look too far ahead – at least publicly.
“That’s jumping too far ahead,” he said when asked his timetable to get into title contention. “I take it one fight at a time.”
