Chatham’s Steve Eldridge Training Big for the 32-Man Showdown

Chatham-Kent grappler and athlete Steve Eldridge is as competitive and tough as they come in this neck of the woods, but he certainly isn’t stupid. An experienced jiu-jitsu player and up and coming MMA fighter Eldridge is set to compete in the 32-Man Showdown on February 26th from the Agriplex in London, Ontario. “The Showdown” is 32-man, open-weight grappling competition where competitors can range in size and weight from 135-pounds all the way up to 270-pounds.

Eldridge comes in at 170-pounds and that places him lighter than many of the men in this event. I have seen Eldridge compete and he is extremely strong for his weight and frame, and his cardio is at a very high level. His grappling knowledge and technical game are ever evolving, and place him in a He is well aware of the challenge he is up against and his attitude going in tells you much of what he is made of.

“This will be my first time at this event, first time I have heard of it actually. I am always looking for opportunities to grapple with some of the best and I am always looking for competition whether it be in the cage or on the mats. I expect that this will be my toughest test yet other than my last fight.”

Eldridge trains his game at Redemption MMA in Chatham and is also a grapplng instructor there as well helping younger, less experienced grapplers with their game. Eldridge has made some smart adjustments in his training based on the fact that this in an open weight competition.

“I have been grappling with the bigger guys on my team just to make sure that the weight isn’t too much of a problem when being on the bottom position. I have also been putting myself in bad positions to make sure I can reguard and work slick submissions from those positions.” Eldridge also tipped me off to a bit of extra motivation for him. “The fact that one of my original BJJ teachers is in this tournament is a huge factor, so I have been working at being more aggressive.”

Eldridge also left me with a juicy quote to show that win or lose, he is a fighter at his core and represents the true warrior spirit of a martial artist.

“A victory is great, but I seek the war.”

I hope the other 31 guys are ready.