Shamrock FC 276: Bobby Voelker Climbing Back to the Top

Shamrock FC 276 features UFC veteran Bobby Voelker in the main event, and his career is on the upswing with the Missouri-based promotion.

Bobby Voelker has fought in many places and on many stages in his 40-fight career, including the Octagon. Now with Shamrock FC, Voelker has strung together four victories in a row for the first time since 2007.

This weekend, he fights 6-2 Bellator veteran Kyle Kurtz in the main event of Shamrock FC 276. Another win will bring him closer to a title shot, and closer to the highest levels of the sport again.

Bobby Voelker took some time out of his fight week preparation to talk to Cage Pages about his past experiences and his current matchup.

Kurtz and Voelker were scheduled to fight in a Shamrock FC main event in January, but Kurtz was unfortunately scrapped from the card with a fight week knee injury. Therefore, this is not the first time Voelker has prepared for Kurtz.

“I’ve watched him fight a couple of times in Bellator. He’s a tough kid. He likes come out swinging and throwing, not afraid to exchange by any means. So we’re gonna mix it up nicely. He’s also good off of his back, I’ve seen him tap a couple of guys from there.”

One thing that jumps off the page when looking at this matchup is the experience gap between Kurtz and Voelker. Voelker has 40 fights under his belt, while Kurtz will be stepping into the cage for just the ninth time.

“The matchup is what it is. Anybody can go out and pull off a win. But yeah I’ve got the experience which definitely helps me out. He’s a young pup that wants to excel and rise to the top and he’ll have to get through me first.”

After a winless UFC run, Voelker has strung together four straight victories with three knockouts in Shamrock FC. Having a lot less on his plate now certainly helps Voelker.

“Getting my head back together and really getting focused on fighting (helped the swing in momentum). I’m not going to make excuses, when I lose the guy just has a better night then me. But before I had work, school, working another job, and training for a fight. My head is all clear now though”

You read that right, Voelker was a college student working two jobs while he was at the highest level of mixed martial arts (he is currently doing part-time construction work while trying to get his paramedic career rolling). It’s safe to say he was unable to reach his full potential in the Octagon for that reason alone.

“It was just hectic. Trying to use my brain on the school side then flipping it and trying to use it on the fight side. It was a lot. It wasn’t too much, but it was tough. I was able to do it though, and now I’m trying to work my way back up to the UFC or Bellator so I can prove that’s where I belong and that’s where I need to be.”

Making it to the UFC 32 fights into his career was certainly an unforgettable experience for Voelker, and it gives him a goal to work towards in the current stage of his career.

“It was wonderful. The moment was great. I plan on being there again. I learned a lot of good things I did and a lot of bad things that I needed to improve. After the UFC that was the time to improve on the downside of things and make sure I get even better at the things I’m good at.”

As for right now though, Bobby “Vicious” Voelker is a member of the Shamrock FC roster, and is enjoying his time there.

“Man, I’ve been to a lot of different shows, a lot of different cards. Shamrock FC is just a classier organization. I feel like they care about putting on good fights. I know some of the earlier ones are amateur and you never know what you’re going to get with that. You might get a great fight, you might get a quick one, you never know. They just put on good fights, they care about the fighters, they try to make sure everything goes as smooth as possible for them.”

When asked how Saturday’s fight will end, Voelker has a fairly simple prediction.

“Knockout. Me knocking him out.”

You can see if Voelker will take another step towards a second Octagon run Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. via online pay-per-view on Shamrock FC’s website, ShamrockFC.com.