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Tarec Saffiedine

TRAINING: I usually train in the morning and do either MMA, Muay Thai or wrestling/grappling, depending on the day. In the afternoon I do conditioning, and in the evening some drills and techniques in what I need to work on.

When and why did you start training for fighting? I played a lot of sports growing up and in high school. When I was 16 some friends were training in MMA, so I tried and liked it as soon as I tried. I tried to train everyday with them until I started training in Shihaishinkai Karate. I got my black belt in 2005, then I wanted to turn pro in MMA after a lot of amateur fights in Muay Thai, grappling, Shooto, karate etc...

What ranks and titles have you held? I won the Belgium amateur Shooto tournament, and I went to ADCC Europe after winning the ADCC Spain qualifications.

Do you have any heroes? I got involved in MMA also because I was reading a lot of manga (japanese comics) and one of them was called TOUGH. It told the story of a young kid who learns MMA through his father, his name was Kibo Miyazawa, and I loved the story behind it and wanted to do like him.

What does it mean for you to fight in STRIKEFORCE? It's huge; honestly, being able to represent my country in such a big show means a lot to me, especially since my next fight is on a big card. I’m really excited to be part of Strikeforce and hopefully I’m staying there as long as I can.

Did you go to college and if so what degree did you earn? I stopped going to college because I was skipping too many classes to go train, so I stopped. Later I did a few classes to earn a certificate in personal training.

What was your job before you started fighting? I worked as a gardener, popcorn maker in a cinema, ticket seller in a cinema, guard security, worked in a doctor office and painter

Ranks in any martial arts styles: Black belt in Shihaishinkai Karate, Purple belt in BJJ

Favorite grappling technique: Armbar

Favorite Striking technique: Leg kicks

What do you consider to be the key fight in your career, and why? I take each upcoming fight as the biggest fight of my career because it's what's gonna decide my future.