From a Parade Float Flyer to a Pro Debut: Klinton “Kamikaze” Whitmire at Empire Immortals Collide

Klinton Whitmire's MMA career began with a flyer. Two years out of the military, he was on a Veterans Day parade float when someone handed him a flyer for a jiu-jitsu class at an MMA gym. He put it in his back pocket. Later he looked at it and thought, "You know what? Let's give it a shot." On Saturday, November 14, the man the military nicknamed "Kamikaze" makes his professional debut at Empire Championship Series: Immortals Collide at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico, facing Mario Molina Ceballos. Doors open at 3 PM and the first fight is at 4 PM. We sat down with Klinton four days out for an MMA Stalker Fighter Conversation, with Steven Boardman asking the questions. A small town and a ticket out Klinton grew up in a town where, he says, you work at the mine or the prison. He wrestled from fifth grade through his senior year and had a wrestling scholarship offer out of high school, but he chose the military instead. He joined at 17, with his parents signing for him. "I knew that was my ticket out," he said. "I knew that I wanted to be a part of something bigger, and I thrive with discipline." He served eight years active and two inactive, and says he picked up the nickname Kamikaze there "for leading everything headfirst." Double gold with five days of jiu-jitsu After the flyer, Klinton entered a jiu-jitsu tournament in Phoenix with about five days of practice. He competed in the open weight division and his own weight class, had eight matches, "threw up all over afterwards," and came home with double gold. His first fight came in October of last year, after roughly three weeks of training. Steven put that fight at 17 seconds. By Klinton's count he has now fought six times, and this is his first as a professional. Desert Dogs and Coach Klinton recently switched gyms to Desert Dogs in Safford, Arizona, and credits head coach Philip Ornelas for the best shape of his life. [Verify spelling.] "He pushes you with a purpose. He has a game plan. Nothing's freelance," Klinton said. "I just found my home." This card is also the MMA debut for the Desert Dogs team, with Daniel Montiel fighting in his amateur debut on the same night. He walks around at 205 pounds and fights at 185. In fight week he's eating chicken, cauliflower rice and salmon, with his wife meal prepping. Saturday night's plan is homemade chicken Alfredo. "I'm shooting to be the scariest one" Klinton is a full-time CNC machinist at Open Loop Energy, so his days are spent cutting metal and doing the kind of math he never thought he'd use. At home, his family travels to his practices and fights. "I'm not shooting to be the best fighter in the world. I'm shooting to be the scariest one," he said. He wants to be a role model for kids and adults alike: "I'm going to be the positive influence." His message to anyone who thinks it is too late: "It's never too late." He is honest about the risk, too. He has told his family that if he ever loses the cognitive function to see something coming, or the speed to move, he'll hang it up. Why a wrestler wants to bang Despite the wrestling background, Klinton says he wants to stand and trade. "If I go out there and just wrestle everybody, I'm just another fighter." He wants to be exciting, to build fans, and to be "the people's champion." His sponsor Phenom, he says, has put together a collab shirt around the phrase "Kamikaze Time." Empire's own Phenom collaboration tees are part of the event's giveaway. When the hands are taped, he says, a switch flips. "I lock in. I'll turn into a tunnel." The sound bite Steven asked him for a message for the fans. Klinton delivered it on the spot: "I fight this weekend at the Pan American Center for Empire Championship… It's my pro debut… I'm not here to just take part. I'm here to take over… It's Kamikaze time." What's next Klinton said RUF has also reached out about a fight at home in Arizona early next year, and that he would look at a December fight if he comes out healthy this weekend. Immortals Collide: Saturday, November 14, Pan American Center, Las Cruces, NM. Doors 3 PM, first fight 4 PM. Tickets: https://blocktickets.xyz/e/empire-mma-presents-immortals-collide/Cr8obY2P/tickets . Immortals Collide Fight Coverage