Name: Adam “The Prototype” Milstead Age: 28 Weight Class: Heavyweight Record: 5-1 Fighting Out Of: Pittsburgh, PA (Fight Club Pittsburgh / Strong Style MMA) Next Fight: Lewis Rumsey (GOTC MMA 18) MMA came into heavyweight fighter Adam Milstead’s life at a time when he needed it the most. Playing football at Geneva College his NFL aspirations were brought to an unexpected halt and for the first time in his life, he didn’t know what to do next. “I ended up tearing my ACL on the football field.” Milstead told MMAOddsBreaker. “It really sucked, it was really difficult to come back. Still I had the idea that I wanted to play professional football one day. As I was rehabbing I went out, got the mail and at that particular moment I was doing absolutely nothing. I would go to work, come home and just sit on the couch. That just wasn’t me. It was like a sign. I looked on the back of this pennysaver and it said ‘Try MMA, 30-day Free Trial’ I gave the coach a call, his name is Dan Roppo [who is my MMA coach now]. I came down and got stuck with it. Crazy thing, two months later I fought in my very first fight and I ended up winning it. What got me to stick with it was the fact [my coach] came up to me afterwords and said ‘Man you have a very bright future in the sport.’ “ Going from football to MMA was seamless transition for the Maryland born fighter, who amassed an impressive 10-2 record as an amateur. Somewhat overconfident from his success, Milstead fell flat in his professional debut in 2011, losing by first round knock-out to Dane Bonnigson. A loss like that would have steered most fighters away from the sport but as Milstead explains, it ended up being a valuable learning experience. “I tell people all the time, you can learn ten times more off a loss then off a win. For it to happen in my professional debut was actually really beneficial. That loss, it taught me a lot more about actually who I was as a person on the inside. There was a moment where I was like ‘Man is this sport really made for me?’ I worked my butt off to get into the professional division, I finally did [after] eight months. It was like I got in there, I got knocked out. But I did it off doing something stupid, something extremely amateur. I realized at that point that these guys are serious fighters, you’re opportunity to make mistakes are slim to none. It taught me number one how to be a professional. Number two how much inspiration I have for the sport. Right off of that, I got knocked out on Saturday. On Sunday I was right back in the gym again. It did something to me; it inspired me to keep going forward and see what I can do. The loss helped, it did. But it’s not something I look forward to doing; I know it might happen again. In the meantime I just continue to look back on it, remember that feeling and never want to have that feeling again.” Milstead (5-1) hasn’t lost a fight since then. However he’s endured an even greater battle outside the cage this past year dealing with a serious injury. The NAAFS veteran works full time as a pipeline technician and one day on the job he was walking down a hill, his knee slipped out. His knee immediately began to swell up, this was serious. Seeking medical attention, Milstead had two choices; have the doctor clean up the knee, return to action and likely make a trip back to the doctor’s office in the near future. Or he could undergo a extensive procedure that would ensure there would be no issues in the future. Being mindful of his career, the 28-year old chose the extensive procedure which involved regrowing the cartilage back in his knee. For seven weeks straight, Milstead couldn’t put weight or bend his knee. For work he had to go on short term disability and the experience was extremely difficult. Now back to optimal health, the Fight Club Pittsburgh product can’t wait to return to the cage on Saturday as he takes on Lewis Rumsley. “This is the thing about Lewis Rumsley, you don’t really know what type of fighter you’re going to get. He’s a tough dude, his record doesn’t show it. He may have taken some fights that normally you wouldn’t take. But that’s actually something I admire about the guy. He’s gone three rounds with UFC veterans, the guy has been all over the place. I’m dealing with a journeyman, somebody who actually has the experience of fighting all these different types of fighters. But not to mention the fact that this guy fights at 185-pounds, light heavyweight and heavyweight. He just doesn’t care. I’m excited because I know this guy is just there to fight which is what I’m looking for.” Ahead of this match-up Milstead has been cross training at different gyms to ensure the best camp possible. He splits time between Fight Club Pittsburgh, Tommy Yankellos – who also used to coach champion boxer Roy Jones Jr. – and Strong Style Fight Team in Ohio, with hosts the likes of UFC heavyweight Stipe Miocic. He’s also been sparring with Bellator veterans John Hawk and Dan Spohn, making sure he has the best training partners available. While Milstead heads into this match up with a sense of confidence, he’s not taking his opponent lightly. “It’s a heavyweight division and we’re wearing four ounce gloves. On paper I match up well, I have a longer reach, I’m bigger than he is. So that’s what I’m looking at. I’ve been watching a lot of his videos. Everybody I’ve talked to says I have this fight, but like I said I’m not taking this lightly. I’m striving for [the finish] I tell people I’m a heavyweight, I don’t like to go three rounds, I want to get in, get out and go have a beer. Ultimately the only thing I’m worried about is having my hand raised at the end. Yeah I’d like to knock him out, submit him, do whatever I can do finish the fight. If it goes all three rounds, it will be a fun one to watch at least.” Without looking past his opponent, a win for Milstead would push his record to an impressive 6-1. The goal is always the UFC, but Milstead feels he will achieve that milestone when the time is right. “I think the thing is to just show those promotions that I’m actually active. I almost had an opportunity to fight for the UFC but they went with another guy only because of my particular record and the fact that I hadn’t fought in over a year. But definitely a win is going to push me in the right direction. So I’m looking forward to going in there and getting the win. Hey if it happens great, if it doesn’t I’m going to continue fighting because these knees good, I’m ready to go, I’ve got the itch. Eventually I’ll get that call, I’ll work for it.” You can follow Adam on Twitter/Instagram @AdamMilstead. He would like to thank Fight Club Pittsburgh, Intimidation Clothing, Gladiators of the Cage. His friends, family and those who stuck with him through thick and thin.
