‘Razor’ Rob McCullough – Baja Racing and Fighting (March 28, 2008)
By Justin Bolduc
PunchDrunkGamer’s Justin Bolduc caught up with “Razor” Rob McCullough to ask a few off-topic questions. Rob spoke about his experience in the Baja 500, his loss against Jamie Varner, and more.
PDG: Let’s go back to your experience in the Baja 500. What was it like for you?
Rob: It was like climbing Mount Everest – that is one way that I heard someone put it. It was a great experience – once in a lifetime. It was pretty crazy. It was a grueling week of racing in the Baja.
PDG: What were you driving in the race?
Rob: I drove a Toyota Tundra – a stock full class. It was all tricked out by Camburg Racing in Huntington Beach. It looked like an average off-road truck that you’d get from a dealership, like it obviously had the lights on it, but it had some great suspension on it. It was a really nice truck.
PDG: How did it feel to get through the race; it’s a very popular event?
Rob: To be honest with you, I didn’t really know what I got myself into until I started mentioning it to people and they were like “Dude, that’s crazy – you can die!”
PDG: It’s crazy too because fans like to build jumps and traps and stuff.
Rob: Oh yeah, we hit a booby-trap. It was a bunch of silt – it’s like talcum powder and dirt. We got stuck in it up to our knees in the stuff and had to be pulled out.
PDG: You’re into other extreme sports, like snowboarding. How often do you go out doing other stuff like that, and does the fact that you are a pro fighter hinder you at all as far as those hobbies go?
Rob: Yeah, kinda. I probably would be doing it a lot more if [fighting] wasn’t my profession. Now when I go [snowboarding] it’s more carving and more away from doing jumps and stuff. I love going up to the mountains and doing that kind of stuff, but my schedule is so hectic now – and I have to think about the risk to reward factor. The last time I went snowboarding I went to Whistler Mountain in Canada. I was going through the snowboard park and I hit a rail and was going down it and thought “if I fall right now and hurt my wrist I’m done right now.” I started thinking about how much money I would lose and it took all the fun out of it. I went really slow [laughs].
PDG: Fighting fits in well with other things you like to do. Is it still a fun experience for you or is it becoming more of a career path?
Rob: It’s definitely still fun, and it’s also the thrill of competition. It’s fun to get in there; it’s almost like showing off. To me, it’s “oh, you think you’re better than me?” and it turns into a competition. People are like “that sounds dangerous, you’re going to get hurt.” No way, I don’t plan on getting hurt – I plan on hurting someone else. To me it is still way fun. Even if I didn’t get paid to do it, I would still be doing it somewhere.
PDG: Obviously MMA is your big focus, but you’re also a very good Muay Thai fighter. What kind of interest would you have getting in the ring, fighting some of the elite of Muay Thai?
Rob: I think it would be awesome. If the money is right I will fight anyone.
PDG: How about video games, do you play a lot and what kind of games do you like?
Rob: A while back I was really into it, but nowadays I’m so busy doing other stuff that I kind of got away from it. I was into [Grand Theft Auto] Vice City, I finished Hitman 2, and I played Medal of Honor a lot.
PDG: What kind of movies are you into?
Rob: I’m into really funny movies. I’m into Will Ferrell, he’s really funny. I also like Jim Carrey. I like those kinds of movies, I think they are hilarious and I could watch them over and over.
PDG: How about action movies, like Jason Statham movies with fighting – it’s obviously very different than real fighting, so what is it like for someone like you who actually fights?
Rob: When I was younger I was all into those kinds of movies, like Chuck Norris and Jet Li – I was just enthralled by them. Nowadays I just kind of break down their technique and I’m like “oh, c’mon man!” [laughs]. It kind of took the fun out of it when I learned how to fight well.
PDG: Have you heard of the new mixed martial arts movie coming out, called Never Back Down?
Rob: Yeah, I saw a commercial about it.
PDG: It appears to be kind of like The Fast and the Furious gears towards MMA. What are your thoughts on a mixed martial arts movie coming out, and marketing for an MMA movie which targets kids who wear price tags on their hats and pop their collars?
Rob: [Laughs] I think if the sport is growing that much that they will have a movie about it, that is awesome. I haven’t seen it so I don’t know how lame it is, but it kind of looked like a modern-day Karate Kid to me.
PDG: Original-Karate Kid or Hilary Swank-Karate Kid [laughs]?
Rob: [Laughs].
PDG: Are you looking to fight again soon?
Rob: Yeah, I just started training camp this week.
PDG: How do you feel going in after a big loss?
Rob: I’m really hungry now, and pissed. I was really upset with my performance and the fact that I lost – but mostly the way I lost. I focused so much on wrestling, and my wrestling was awesome, but the one thing I’m good at… I hit him with a big shot and should have finished him, but I didn’t. With that being said, I just want to get back in there and hurt someone.
PDG: Did his hands surprise you at all?
Rob: You know what, I expected him to be throwing some. I’ve watched a few of his fights and he has good hands. I was just waiting for the takedown so much that I didn’t let my hands go at all. Everyone was like “wow, he looked really good,” but I didn’t do anything, so I made him look that much better. I’d love a rematch so I could pound his face in.
PDG: How many fights do you have left on your WEC contract?
Rob: I have one fight left.
PDG: Are you looking to stick with the WEC, or go with another promotion?
Rob: Yeah – some other organizations have been talking to me, but I will probably re-sign with them.
PDG: To wrap things up, is there anything else you would like to add?
Rob: I started my own clothing company, Razor Clothing – you can purchase some stuff there. I’ve been going around to other shops and shows and getting my stuff out there, so it’s pretty cool. Whatever I have to do to make money and stay in the fight game.
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