By David Mayeda, PhD, FightTicker.com Social Issues Contributor

Those who have read Fighting for Acceptance almost always end up mentioning Toby “Tiger Heart” Grear and his story about his mother cornering him in a kickboxing match (Avila 7/7/08; Needelman 3/12/08). It had to be the most unique, hilarious, and positive story told among the many men we interviewed. These days, Grear continues to fight MMA professionally in the Total Fighting Alliance (TFA) and is their lightweight champion. He will compete in the main event of the organization’s biggest card to date against Bobby Green on Saturday night, July 12, at the California State University, Long Beach Pyramid. Over 4000 fans are expected, and the card can be seen for free on Totalfighting.net. Grear has been featured twice as a panelist on Inside MMA, hosted MMA radio shows, been the front page feature of a Los Angeles Times story, and also works as a coach. Grear took extensive time to answer some of my questions for this exclusive FightTicker.com interview, where he chimes in on the significance of Bruce Lee, how family support has influenced his athletic career, the importance of contributing to the media, and other important social issues.

Like many mixed martial artists, Toby “Tiger Heart” Grear hopes to make waves in the UFC. In the mean time, this college graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing and a minor in psychology from the University of Dayton works diligently to build his name in the Total Fighting Alliance (TFA). An Ohio native now living in Southern California, Grear made it a point to mention how influential his family has been in his progression as a mixed martial artist.

Said Grear of his family, “I have a huge family support structure back in Ohio … My family has always been very interested and involved in my career. My older brother, Todd, also cornered for me in a Muay Thai fight three years ago, and my younger brother, Tyler, is also an aspiring fighter with a lot of potential who has been there for me when I needed motivation and sparring…”

And of course there is his mother, the woman always in his corner, making sure he demonstrates balance both in and out of the cage. “She was the first person I called when I got my copy of the book. She did the same thing she has done when I have appeared in other fight magazines; she bought a copy for everyone in my family and went on a mini promotional campaign” (side note to Mrs. Grear – many thanks!). Unfortunately, Mrs. Grear cannot make the trip into Long Beach from Ohio for Grear’s upcoming fight, but she will surely be supporting him in spirit and watching him online.

In addition to having strong familial influence, Grear noted the significant impact Bruce Lee has had on his life in MMA. An icon not recognized enough for his effects in today’s MMA world, Grear credits Lee as someone whose legacy can be seen in contemporary mixed martial artists. “My biggest influence has been the teachings of Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do which my uncle John turned me onto at a very young age. Learning and understanding many of his concepts has made me understand how important it is to flow and not get too caught up in one style or form.”

And if anyone knows Grear’s style, it is all out, all the time. I get tired just watching his fights. Grear went on to explain how Bruce Lee influenced his approach to competing in MMA: “I go into every fight looking to end it in the first round and I always tell people that I would rather get knocked out trying to finish a fight than to win a decision, and you can see it in my style. My opponents, win or lose, come to fear me; no one I have ever fought wants a rematch – even the guys who got the win against me. Trust me, I have tried to set up rematches with all of them, and they want none of it. What sets me apart from other fighters is my willingness to take risks and be creative.” In working to finish fights, Grear has certainly displayed some creative methods (see embedded video, end of story).

And Grear’s creativity spans beyond MMA competition. Grear moved to Los Angeles in 2003, originally working as an Interactive Media Strategist where he focused on the company’s Nissan and Infiniti accounts. Having worked in this capacity, Grear saw first hand how media entities shape public opinion and has since brought his media skills and perspectives into the MMA world: “I came to understand that media is just part of a conversation and that I need to be part of that conversation. It is one thing to be a fighter and be a topic of the conversation. It is another thing to be part of the conversation itself.”

Perhaps more importantly, Grear views MMA as platform from which he can express his viewpoints on issues that extend well beyond the realm of athletics. Commenting on the value that traditional martial arts and MMA can have in society as a whole, Grear eloquently noted, “My whole life I have known that I want to change the way people see each other and themselves. During my search for the best platform I found Martial Arts and came to understand and appreciate the purity of MMA and what it represents.”

Further illustrating Bruce Lee’s philosophy that transcends the combat sports, Grear went on to state, “I consistently remind all of my students how important it is to keep what they find useful and discard what is not … I strongly believe that Mixed Martial Arts training reveals things within people that otherwise may not be discovered and that the training helps people to develop those positive traits and discard the negative traits by discovering and developing the true warrior within. I want to be as much of a part of that conversation with each of my individual students and society as a whole … Being very involved in media allows me to be a bigger part of that conversation and reach more people.”

To this end, in addition to competing one day in the UFC, Grear also hopes to eventually establish his own gym “that will also serve as a community center, housing students and providing educational opportunities for less fortunate children … My time living and training in South Central L.A. and Thailand has given me an undeniable urge to help those less fortunate, and Martial Arts training has given me a platform to help others become stronger both mentally and physically.”

And while critics incessantly bash MMA, Grear highlights the positive ways in which MMA has enriched his own life. “Mixed Martial Arts has provided me the opportunity to grow and express myself in ways I never imagined. MMA is not just about the fight but rather about the training and bonds created inside and outside of the gym.” This notwithstanding, Grear knows that MMA is a business, and that in some cases, the business practices can be cut throat.

Consequently, Grear provided cautionary advice for those just getting involved with the professional fight game, expressing how critical it is to nurture long-term supportive relationships with those you can trust: “It is important that you watch out for those people who are in it for themselves. Over the past two years I have learned that many people want to get all they can from me and then turn at the first opportunity. You cannot become a successful mixed martial artist alone. It takes a firm support structure of family, friends, trainers, and training partners, so try to give all you can to those people and it will come back to you. Success is a process, failure is an ending point, never give up!”

And of course Grear was focused heavily on his fight with Bobby Green. Despite working hard, “Tiger Heart” has kept himself in check and not wearing down his body. “Over a year ago Randy Couture took time and sat me down to discuss how important it is to have a schedule and stick to it because he told me that his biggest problem for years was that he over trained.” As for his opponent, Bobby Green, Grear was not shy about his objectives, “I intend to put Bobby on his back and beat him into submission.”

Grear closed out by thanking some of his supporters over the years and offering a “subtle” political message. “I would just like to thank my friends Frank and Misty for always providing me a safe and relaxing place to escape from the rest of the world, my Uncle for supporting me no matter what, my older brother for teaching me the importance of working smarter, not harder, and thank you to my mother for always being in my corner, even when it came to the literal meaning of the word! And Finally, OBAMA, OBAMA, OBAMA. REGISTER TO VOTE AND DO THE RIGHT THING!”

Watch Toby “Tiger Heart” Grear on Totalfighting.net July 12, 2008, 6:00pm Pacific Coast Time.

David Mayeda, PhD, is author of Fighting for Acceptance: Mixed Martial Artists and Violence in American Society, a political book on MMA, based on interviews with 40 mixed martial artists, including Randy Couture, “Rampage” Jackson, Dan Henderson, Antonio McKee, Guy Mezger, Toby “Tiger Heart” Grear, Frank Trigg, Travis Lutter, and with the Forward written by Jason “MayheM” Miller.