Dave “The Fugitive” Jansen still remembers watching Ultimate Fighting Championship for the first time.
It was 1993. Jansen, a rising wrestler who, at the time, was involved with Marc Sprague’s USA Oregon Athletic Club (now renamed Cobra Wrestling Systems) watched these skilled fighters go at it on a VHS tape that was brought to a training camp. Jansen’s mind was blown. While he and his teammates weren’t quite sure what to make of a sport that had no weight class – UFC was still getting its feet wet as a sport at the time – Jansen was nonetheless intrigued.
To predict that Jansen would later be contending for the Bellator Mixed Martial Arts lightweight world title on Spike TV April 10 in front of nearly 500 million homes worldwide in over 140 countries would have been impossible. Not because he didn’t have what it takes from an athletic and skill standpoint — but because his path was unlike any other.
Jansen’s story is one that has been untold up until this point – due to scarce media coverage of MMA in the Pacific Northwest – and it’s also one that involves life-altering moments of unpredictability and loss, the very moments that ended up shaping his career for the better.
“His story, there will probably never be another one like it,” boxing coach Andy Minsker said. “He just took everybody by surprise.”
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Growing up, Jansen was among the top wrestlers in the state of Oregon. Jansen undoubtedly stood out from the rest, winning the state title in 1997. He planned to continue his career post high school with offers to compete at the Division I level. He eventually narrowed his college choices down to Oregon and Oregon State. Looking back, the Damascus, Oregon native and youngest of five said he chose to be a Duck because he connected with Eugene and its environment more than Corvallis. Growing up an avid Grateful Dead fan played a part, too, as the band has played multiple times at the University of Oregon, the Hult Center and Autzen Stadium.
Jansen still recalls teammate Chael Sonnen, who is a former UFC fighter, taking him out to an expensive Japanese dinner in town for his recruiting trip. Knowing his new peers would be willing to pay a hefty tab for one of their first nights out in town together, Jansen ordered the most expensive item on the menu: Surf N’ Turf. He still vividly remembers enjoying the “theatrics” and live cooking like it was yesterday.
Needless to say, it was a memorable meal.
While Jansen still carries these types of fond memories from his time at Oregon, his wrestling career was not as perfect. In fact, it was cut short.
Jansen — who was a regular long boarder — had bought new wheels for his board the day he cruised down Skinner’s Butte. It wasn’t his first time speeding down a hill. But on this particular day, Jansen picked up too much speed, too soon, miscalculating the turning radius on the new wheels and headed full speed toward a tree which, according to him, would have broken his neck. In a last ditch effort, Jansen bailed. The results were two severely injured ankles in a tragic accident that led to depression.
This was essentially the last straw for Jansen’s wrestling career. Already struggling with the pressures and duties of being a student athlete – he had felt burned out and no longer enjoyed the sport – Jansen just wasn’t happy anymore. Jansen is still proud to say he was a Duck and fondly looks back on his two years in Eugene, but it was just wasn’t meant to be.
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The next move for Jansen was flipping burgers at an airport restaurant. It wasn’t something he enjoyed. Jansen, then 24, felt he had more to give with his time.
Then, fate struck.
By coincidence, the bartender at the same airport restaurant was amateur MMA fighter Chris Wilson, who was representing Team Quest. Wilson had a stint in 2008-2009 with UFC. He was the one that first planted the seeds for Jansen’s fighting career. While it would take Jansen two years to really get his career into motion, it was the inspiration that he had been looking for.
Only knowing how to wrestle and with no prior fighting experience, Jansen had to work to jumpstart his MMA career. Minsker, his longtime boxing coach and star of well-received 1987 documentary Broken Noses, still remembers how long it took to build trust with Jansen.
Now, Minsker embraces every moment he gets to share with Jansen.
“It was just incredible,” Minsker said. “He works as hard or harder than anybody I’ve ever trained before. He’s one of those guys I’m glad I’ll never have to fight.”
Jansen, now 35, will enter Friday’s title fight with a 20-2 record (one of the best in MMA lightweight division) and seven-fight winning streak. The consensus is that Jansen has never looked or fought better than he does now, despite his age.
In 2013, Jansen was scheduled for his first shot at the belt. An untimely and gruesome knee injury kept him out. But unlike other injuries he had suffered in the past, Jansen made sure to come back stronger than ever.
Sure enough, the work paid off.
When Jansen walks into the ring, he’ll be carrying years of misfortunes with him, including losing his dad in 2007 to a car accident while riding his bike. He’ll also be carrying a love and passion for a sport that he was destined to pursue. His mom, significant other, brother, massage therapist Bill Proppe and countless friends will all be at the Bren Events Center on April 10 to see the fight live.
“When I first started watching him, it was very difficult,” Dave’s mom Joyce said. “But over the years, I started appreciating the skill that’s involved. I’m proud of him.”
Jansen will undoubtedly be looking to take the belt from Will Brooks (15-1), who will be defending his title after earning it back in November 2014. If he manages to do so, Jansen said the belt would be a mere “by-product” of how far he’s come. It’s a small miracle that Jansen even entered the realm of MMA, let alone the fact that he took it by storm. He’s absolutely right.
Jansen considers himself blessed to have finally settled down into his true calling in life.
“The emotions that I revel in are: happiness, gratefulness and joy,” Jansen said. “I’m grateful for all the support and the generosity that people have shown me. I’m prepared. I did all the heavy lifting; I’ve done the mental training. Now it’s time to enjoy (the ride). The belt itself, it’s not something I’m focused on. It will just be a by-product of the hard work I’ve put in.”
Follow Hayden Kim on Twitter @HayDayKim