He’s a family man. He’s a police officer. He’s a religious fellow. But don’t let that fool you into climbing into the ring with Spencer “The Rhino” Woodland.
Combat sports have always been Woodland’s thing. He loved karate as a kid. He wrestled in high school. He competed in Brazilian jiu-jitsu after graduating. He’s undefeated in amateur boxing. It’s only natural that he become a mixed martial artist.
Woodland looks to improve to 1-1 all-time in amatuer MMA as he takes on Carson Newman Saturday at the Fierce Fighting Championship in Idaho Falls.
“(It’s) something I just always knew I wanted to do and pursue,” Woodland said.
A week after getting knocked out in his first-ever amateur fight, Woodland met his future wife’s parents for the first time — mangled face and all. But he didn’t let a KO or a battered appearance stop him from climbing back into the ring — that’s what drove him to keep going.
Day in and day out, Woodland hit the gym, doing everything he possibly could to do better in his next fight. His next opportunity soon came. He took a boxing match in Wyoming and, in Woodland’s own words, he “destroyed the guy.”
“0-1 in MMA, 1-0 in boxing, we’re gonna make it 1-1 in MMA,” Woodland said.
Woodland is confident in his ability to handle Newman, his opponent in the upcoming fight.
“He’s got some wrestling experience, which doesn’t faze me because I’m a ground shark,” Woodland said. “He has no striking experience — I do. So, it’ll be fun.”
He followed that up by noting that a person should never underestimates an opponent.
“No matter what, I take everybody seriously,” Woodland said. “I like to go in there with the mentality that I’m going to win. Either I’m going to win or you’re going to knock me out. I’m not giving up.”
Woodland teaches classes at PAC Jiu-Jitsu, a gym in Rexburg. He models his game after several UFC fighters, including Israel Adesanya and TJ Dillashaw.
The fight takes place Saturday at Mountain America Center in Idaho Falls. Doors open at 4 p.m. and the fights start at 5 p.m. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.