At just 25 years of age, Will “The Kill” Chope has fought 39 times in his career.
To put that into perspective, Chope has fought an average of 6.5 times in his six year pro mixed martial arts career. That does not count his amateur MMA record and his kickboxing fights.
“I’ve been lucky that I’ve never been seriously injured and I think I try to fight smart and not take damage,” Chope told Tiebreaker Times. “I think I also train smart. A lot of the other guys, they train kinda stupid and get injured.”
“I keep fighting every two or three weeks. I’m always training and fighting. I want to go down in history as the busiest fighter ever.”
Last Saturday, at the Marriott Grand Ballroom in Paranaque City, the American made quick work of Richie Redman in submitting the Filipino-American with a rear naked choke a couple of minutes into the bout. The win also added a new belt in his growing collection as he copped the vacant URCC Light Heavyweight belt.
“I like fast fights because we don’t get paid by the hour. So I try to finish as fast as possible,” he reflected about the bout. “But I was surprised that he was really strong and he hit me with good body shots. That’s why I needed to finish the fight fast.”
His bout last Saturday was extra special for the journeyman.
He disclosed that his daughter Yayee was confined in a hospital in Thailand due to a blood infection. “My wife is from Thailand. My daughter, six months old, has been in the hospital for a week because of an infection in her blood. So most of the money, pretty much my entire purse, is going to her hospital bills,” he shared.
After fighting in Korea last March 19 and a kickboxing bout last April 2 for K-1, Chope is again fighting on Saturday, April 30 in China. “That’s why I’m also fighting on April 30 in China so I can payoff everything,” he added.
“Right before I was walking down the cage, I was just thinking about my wife and my daughter. It definitely means a lot. I just called my wife, who is in the hospital with my daughter, and she’s very happy.”
Once he settles all his daughter’s hospital bills, Chope plans to represent the URCC, the Philippines’ oldest mixed martial arts promotion, well in continuing to stay active for the promotion.
Even if he stands at 6’4, he plans to cut to featherweight and face new URCC Featherweight Champion Do Gyeom Lee (4-2-1) just so he could avenge the Philippines.
“I just asked Alfred, the matchmaker, if I could go down to featherweight and fight the Korean,” he quipped “I don’t want to fight Filipinos because I fought here so many times. I want to avenge the Philippines and fight the Korean.”
“I want to build my career here in the URCC. I want to be the first fighter here in the Philippines to hold two championships. Let’s see if they give me this one.”
In continuing to stay busy, Chope is hoping that one day he could break the 127 pro fight record of MMA legend Dan “The Beast” Savern. “He is one of my idols. I want to break his record definitely,” he closed.