Submitted Photo

Portsmouth native Tim Dunn (left) lands a punch during an amateur-level fight.

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CODY LEIST

PDT Sports Writer

Organized fighting can be a lucrative business.

For Tim Dunn, he is wanting to receive and deliver punishment for a living. Dunn, 24, told the Daily Times last week he plans to compete as a professional mixed martial artist for the first time when he fights Sept. 15 at the Columbus Aladdin Shrine Center.

“After the first three or four fights, I enjoyed it,” Dunn said.

The move comes after Dunn won his fourth career heavyweight title (207-265 pounds) in this month’s American MMA Championships Ohio tournament final at Cincinnati’s US Bank Arena. He forced Jordan Beverly to verbally submit at the 1:50 mark of the first round to receive the crown.

“He threw some punches, he cracked my nose and cut my eye,” Dunn said. “I got a take-down after landing a few punches and laid on him for a minute.

“I rolled over, went for a choke and then I went for a rolling knee bar. It landed on his shoulder, it separated it and fractured.”

Dunn, who was last listed at 260 pounds according to the website mixedmartialarts.com, plans to trim down to 205 pounds and fight in the light heavyweight division. The 5-foot-9 Dunn, a 2006 graduate of Portsmouth High School, currently holds an amateur record of 10-2-0 with three knockouts and hasn’t lost since Aug. 6, 2011.

In 2005, Dunn started a brief boxing career but decided to pursue other ventures. He feels his work with the sweet science is his biggest strength.

While punching is only just a certain aspect of MMA, the actions on when the game goes to the ground are what he needs to work on. Since Scioto County does not have any wrestling programs, people with wrestling backgrounds outside the region venture to Portsmouth in order to improve Dunn’s ground game.

The physical aspect may be one part he fights with, but the mental side of the sport is another battle Dunn faces every day. Focusing on the grueling mental schedule that comes along with training brings every day is something Dunn feels like he needs to control if he wants to keep getting better.

Among the places Dunn trains is the FighterZ Wanted Training Center in Portsmouth. John Bruce, a former Marine, operates the facilities and is Dunn’s primary training coach.

Cody Leist can be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 242, or cleist@heartlandpublications.com.