ANDRE WINNER
BIOGRAPHY
Andre Winner shot to fame when he was cast as a member of Spike TV’s The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom, reaching the final and receiving a contract from the UFC. Winner has gone on to become one of the UK’s most established ambassadors of the sport with a professional career spanning over a decade and victories in the UFC, BAMMA, CWFC and Cage Rage. Dre is still regarded as one of the UK’s leading competitors in his division.
A teammate of UFC star and current UFC analyst Dan ‘The Outlaw’ Hardy, Bellator’s Paul ‘Semtex’ Daley as well as UFC fighter and fellow Lions coach Jimmy ‘Judo’ Wallhead, Winner is still training and competing at the highest level.
As a coach, Winner is able to offer his wealth of experience to the next generation of fighters and has played a key role in the development and progress of Lions Gym’s British MMA Champion, James Dixon.
QUALIFICATIONS: UFC Veteran / Professional MMA Fighter
ACHIEVEMENTS: FX3 Champion
Stablemate of UFC lightweight Ross Pearson
Holds 2006 submission win over TUF9 teammate Jeff Lawson
Three wins by submission, two by TKO / KO
Last six fights before TUF9 went the distance (4-1-1)
AON 6 Champion
COACH INTERVIEW
When and why did you start training for fighting?
Since the age of 11 I have been involved in sports. When I was 14, my older brother’s friends made me go to the gym with them to push a few weights. I really liked boxing but ended up joining a karate club when I was 16. From there on I got really deep into training but never did anything with it. I had seen Vitor Belfort (he was a monster) when he was 19 in the UFC and always wondered how I had would face up with those guys if we were similar ages. I went to Leicester Shootfighters to hold some pads for a friend as he was holding a self defence session there. That’s where I met my coach Nathan Leverton. At that session I saw Dan Hardy and Paul Daley; I found out that we were similar ages and that they were doing well on the UK MMA scene -I thought if they can do it, so can I.
What does your usual day consist of?
My days of training vary, but I train twice a day. I now do my grappling/sparring sessions around late morning /mid day and my striking session / strength and conditioning session in the evenings.
What ranks and titles have you held?
I held the FX3 lightweight belt.
Did you go to college and if so what degree did you earn?
No I didn’t go to university; it was not something that I took a big interest in. I was not sure what course I wanted to do and I didn’t want to get into debt; I also had a belief that I was not meant to be just the average person.
What does it mean for you to compete/fight professionally?
It means everything to me to be a Professional MMA Fighter; it’s a dream come true. This is what I love doing, but it is also my livelihood. If I was not fighting, God knows what I would be doing because there are not that many jobs out there that motivate me.
What was your job before you started fighting?
I worked as a doorman at nightclubs.
Favorite grappling technique?
Either working for takedowns from the clinch, or the triangle.
Favorite Striking technique?
Straight right hand.
Lastly, do you have any heroes?
I have many heroes, probably too many, but my 5 favorites are Mike Tyson, BJ Penn, Anderson Silva, Roy Jones Jr. and Bruce Lee.