“I have no anxiety or fear going in,” says Dearborn Heights, Michigan, native Todd Allee of his willingness to get in the cage on short notice and trade kicks and punches with an opponent he admits is “definitely in the top 15 in the world.”
On just two weeks’ notice, Allee will face formidable Elite XC and Strikeforce veteran Brett “Da Grim” Rogers of Chicago in the main event of Donofrio Entertainment’s “MY BLOODY VALENTINE” professional mixed martial arts event on Saturday, February 18, 2012, at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
Allee replaces fellow Michigan fighter and original Rogers opponent Jeff Kugel, who was forced to withdraw.
“I didn’t take this fight to lose, if I put in a good performance, I did well for myself. I don’t feel worried.”
30-year-old Rogers is a world-renowned MMA fighter, who has fought on national television several times and taken on many of the world’s best heavyweights including pound-for-pound king Allistair Overeem, former p4p king Fedor Emilianenko and former UFC Heavyweight Champions Andrei Arlovski and Josh Barnett.
Rogers was able to defeat Arlovski in a matter of seconds.
Despite the inherent danger, 38-year-old Allee says the fight with Rogers is more attractive to him than other offers he receives.
“I think it’s a good opportunity to fight a guy like him in my hometown. At this point, I would rather fight a big-name guy like this than some kid from nowhere who is an All-American wrestler and undefeated. Even if I beat him, it does nothing for my career. If I beat Brett Rogers, I’m a superhero!”
Allee is the co-owner and strength and conditioning instructor at Mash Gym in Redford, Michigan, so despite having had just one fight in the last five years, he feels he’s ready for battle.
“I’m a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Master Caiqui. I’ve been a kickboxer. I study under Matee, a champion Muay Thai Fighter from Thailand. The head instructor at Mash is Don Richard. He’s had 20 pro fights. My boxing coach is Matt Dersa. I may not have been fighting, but I’m constantly training with the best people in the State. I’ll be ready for anything.”
Allee says because of his gym’s success at competitions around the city and the country, he may not get the support he’d hope for from other local fighters and gyms.
“Being co-owner of Mash, we have a big team of around 30 amateurs and eight pros and we have really good records in our fights. Our pros are known all over the States. We’re the school in Michigan that everyone likes to hate on. I’m not going to make any bones about it, I’ll probably have 50/50 there rooting for me and against me. One half will be hoping I don’t get hurt and I win and the other half will be hoping I get my butt kicked. It’s a huge step up. I’m expected to lose this fight, so I’ll just have fun with it. I’ll just go out there and throw punches and kicks and freestyle it and see how things shake out. I have better than a puncher’s chance going into it with my mind clear and no pressure on me. I’m not afraid to fight anybody.”
Tickets for MY BLOODY VALENTINE are priced at $10, $20, $30, $50, $75 and Super Fan $100 are on sale now at Palacenet.com, The Palace Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations. Tickets may also be charged by phone to American Express, Visa, Discover and MasterCard by calling 1-800-745-3000. A limited number of cageside VIP tickets are available by contacting Donofrio Entertainment at [email protected]
