Opportunity Knocks For South Grad Turned Cage Fighter

Mike Stumpf said he doesn’t know much about the opponent he’ll be facing Saturday. 

He took the fight with T.J. Waldburger with less than a week’s notice.

“Am I the underdog?” Stumpf asked Tuesday. “You could say that. I have the better record, but the guy I’m fighting has been in the UFC longer. This is my first UFC fight.”

Stumpf spoke on his cell phone from New Orleans. He arrived Tuesday morning. He said he didn’t have much time to prepare for the bout. He was able to see just one of Waldburger’s bouts on the Internet before he left on the plane Tuesday.

“We were asked Sunday if we were interested in the fight,” said , Stumpf’s trainer. It was such short notice that Mango wasn’t able to make arrangements to get away. But he wanted to make sure that Stumpf would be there.

“I worked with [Stumpf] Monday and we talked,” Mango said. “I told him that this is one of those fights you’ve got to take. It’s one of those opportunities you can’t turn down. The UFC is the big show. Every MMA fighter strives to get into the UFC.”

Stumpf was a wrestler in high school, coached by his father, Donald Stumpf, who was the wrestling coach at  and taught drivers education at High School District 155.

Mike Stumpf graduated from Crystal Lake South in 2005.

Mango said Stumpf would not be left with strangers. Members of  and SuckerPunch Promotions will be in his corner.

With luck Stumpf’s fight — part of the UFC Fight Night card — may be shown on national television, Mango added. 

“It’s going to be a good matchup,” Mango said. “Both fighters have wrestling pedigrees. Both fighters are good boxers. Both fighters can kick.”

The UFC website lists Stumpf as a 25-year-old wrestler and grappler.  He’s 5-foot-10, 170 pounds. His record is 11-2-0.

Stumpf will be taking the place of Daniel “Ninja” Roberts, who was — due to an injury — forced out of this weekend’s UFC Fight Night bout with Waldburger, 13-6, according to Monday’s edition of MMAWEEKLY.com.

Stumpf will be fighting on the card Saturday night at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.