Stumpf (photo via Crystal Lake.Patch.com)

By Kelsey Mowatt

When Mike Stumpf was contacted about the possibility of fighting Pascal Krauss at the upcoming UFC on FOX 6 card in Chicago, the Team Curran fighter confesses he wasn’t very familiar with the German welterweight. Once Stumpf proceeded to learn more about Krauss, and that the “Panzer” is one of Europe’s top prospects, the American didn’t hesitate to sign the bout agreement.

“I was not familiar with him,” Stumpf relayed recently on Full Contact Fighter Radio. “I heard he was one and one in the UFC, he was from Germany, well rounded and I kind of dug up some information about him. I thought I matched up well with him and it was a good fight for me to take.”

“I took this fight pretty quickly once I found out more about him,” Stumpf added. “I’m excited to get in there in a couple of weeks and mix it up with him.”

Krauss made his Octagon debut in November, 2010, and proceeded to hand Marc Scanlon a unanimous decision loss, before losing by UD to noted British welterweight John Hathaway last May.

“The only fights that I have seen are his last two UFC fights,” said Krauss. “He went one and one and both fights were decisions…He looks tough. He’s a well rounded fighter who can grapple. Supposedly he’s one of the best grapplers to come out of Europe, from what I hear, and his striking game is no joke either. It’s going to be a good fight.”

In fact, Krauss (10-1) has been spending time training at the Roufusport facility in Wisconsin, which is of course headed by renowned striking coach Duke Roufus.

“He’s not a powerhouse, he’s not a black belt in jiu-jitsu, and he’s not an out, outstanding, well known striker with well known knockout power,” Stumpf furthered about the 25 year-old Krauss. “He’s well rounded, which is pretty much what I am, but with my wrestling I think I have a little bit more of an advantage.”

“My striking I’m very proud of and have a lot of confidence in,” the 29 year-old Stumpf added. “I think that if I can just get inside on him, I can change the whole fight, I can take away his reach advantage…keep pressure on him, get inside, get some takedowns and work my ground-and-pound.”

Like many American fighters, Stumpf (11-3) transitioned into MMA after finishing high school, due to his love for wrestling and an ongoing drive to compete.

“Wrestling plays a big role in fighting in general,” said Stumpf, who made his pro MMA debut in January, 2007 and proceeded to go 9-1 in his first 10 bouts. “As far as preparing, how to train and cutting weight, and actually getting in there and taking people down, and being able to get ahold of somebody and controlling them…wrestling is a great tool that I use for fighting.”

As Stumpf notes, however, the Roufusport gym isn’t only famous for the top level strikers it has at the gym.

“It’s going to be a big role in this fight, but I know he has some wrestling and I know he’s training with (Ben) Askren over there in Milwaukee,” added Stumpf, who made his Octagon debut in September, 2011, and was submitted by TJ Waldburger. “That’s one of the best training partners you can ask for as far as wrestling.”

Of course, Stumpf also trains at one of the best gyms in the midwestern U.S. in Team Curran, which is headed by the highly regarded vet and BJJ black belt Jeff Curran.

“I’ve been training with Jeff for eight years now,” said Stumpf. “He’s definitely developed my ground game and jiu-jitsu by far the most, as far as how I fight and what he’s done for me as a fighter. He’s given me a solid fighting base with jiu-jitsu…he’s been really developing my ground game and it’s huge.”