Charlie Brenneman: Story was the beginning to his storybook ending

Brenneman is focused on getting ready for a "Rumble" (Hector Castro/MMADieHards.com)

Prior to being thrown to the wolves at UFC on Versus 4, Charlie Brenneman felt he had the means to compete with anyone in the division.

The event was surrounded with controversy and storybook endings.  Fortunately for Brenneman, he played Cinderella.

By now, most know details of the fiasco that led to Nate Marquardt’s unemployment due to botched hormone replacement therapy and resulted in Brenneman’s chance against Rick Story.  Brenneman’s original opponent, T.J. Grant, withdrew days before their fight with mono and “The Spaniard” was offered the chance to sub in for Marquardt moments before weigh-ins.

Brenneman believes that being a consummate professional helped him get through it.

“Being frustrated isn’t the word to explain it,” Brenneman admitted to MMADieHard.com in an interview.  “I was there, I was ready to fight, plus I had a ton of people coming to watch me fight.  The way it unfolded was extremely frustrating.  In terms of my mind being in the right place and all of that, I was fine.  I am technically a professional and I consider myself to have a grasp of the mind game, so I wasn’t too concerned about that.”

Brenneman never hesitated when the UFC approached him with the opportunity.

“That was a golden egg somebody put in my hand, so I had to take it,” he said.

Following his victory over Story, Brenneman enjoyed a few days of eating fatty foods and lazing around the house, but his competitive edge got the better of him.

He could not resist the temptations of the gym, therefore he returned to AMA Fight Club about a week after his second straight victory inside the Octagon.  Shortly after that he received some news that boosted his ambition in the gym.

Brenneman post-victory in Pittsburgh (Maggie Krol/MMADieHards.com)

“I went right back in the gym (after beating Story),” Brenneman said. “I got a fight right after that, so that was extra motivation.”

The opponent in that fight is Anthony “Rumble” Johnson.

Johnson is popularly regarded as a top-tier UFC welterweight.  He brings solid wrestling and striking with his athleticism, but Brenneman believes he can overcome the challenge.

While Brenneman has his work cut out for him, he might maintain a few key advantages.  One is that Brenneman does not so much focus on his opponent as much as his own strengths and strategy.

“Anthony is really big, and I’m a smaller welterweight,” Brenneman said.  “That being said, my team at AMA will come up with a very good game plan.  At times he’s kind of faded in deep waters, but it’s hard to say which Anthony Johnson will show up.  I just have to keep doing what I’m doing, mixing striking with the takedowns and working on my jiu-jitsu.  All I can do from there is hope for the best.”

Brenneman is not going to hit the gym full-throttle as of yet.  The fight is Oct. 1.  He does not participate in a traditional training camp and intends on partaking in some enjoyable warm weather through the end of the month.

“I hate classifying it as a training camp because that signifies starting and stopping,” Brenneman explained.  “I take a small break in the summer for a little bit, but I’m back training hard.  About five weeks out from the fight is when I start turning it up and focusing on specific things and intensifying my strength and conditioning.”

For a fighter in a rebuilding stage after losing to Johny Hendricks at UFC 117 in August 2010, Brenneman is on a whole new path to title contention just one year later.  It may come as a surprise to some with the way he turned his career around so quickly, but “The Spaniard” does not believe his own hype.

“Anything can happen, expect it hasn’t happened yet,” Brenneman explained.  “I have to keep winning and if I can beat Anthony, then maybe I can say, ‘Yes, I’m surprised by how fast this all happened.’  But, as of a month ago I’m just a guy who had a very solid win over a great competitor that needs to establish himself a little more.

“There are not many people beyond (Johnson in the rankings).  He was slated to fight Nate Marquardt, and Marquardt was one of the top dogs at welterweight.  It’s a tough fight, but if I can get past Anthony there’s not a lot of people beyond him that I need to beat to be at the top.”

Should he get there, Brenneman would see either Georges St-Pierre or Nick Diaz.  Count Brenneman out of a title contest at your own risk against the first-ever Pros vs. Joes winner.

“GSP has pretty much everything figured out,” Brenneman stated.  “That guy is hard for anybody to beat because he has almost every bit of the puzzle figured out.  But one thing I am extremely confident in is my team at AMA, Mike Constantino, and my boxing coach, Mark Henry.

“With my abilities and their guidance, I am confident I can beat anybody they put in front of me.”