Above: Andy Wefald, OTM sponsored fighter James Krause, and Daniel “Montanha” de Lima.
KANSAS CITY, Missouri — 6 years ago, James Krause began training MMA. In that time, he has fought for some of the top MMA promotions in the country and compiled a record of 16-4. Impressively, 11 of those 16 wins have come via submission, including 3 in 3 days in August 2008. 6 months ago, right after participating on the fifteenth season of the UFC’s hit reality show The Ultimate Fighter, Krause decided to fortify his jiu-jitsu skills by training with the gi.
When asked what prompted him to begin training with a gi, Krause explained, "Well I’m a scrambler, so it slows me down and makes me stay technical. It adds another dimension to my game."
In June, Krause received his blue belt from Gracie Barra’s second-degree black belt Daniel “Montanha” de Lima, just 3 weeks before he defeated Amir Khillah at RFA 3. This summer, Krause submitted everyone he faced in a blue belt jiu-jitsu tournament in Manhattan, Kansas and on Saturday, Montanha promoted Krause to purple belt, just 3 weeks before he steps back into the cage to fight undefeated Guilherme Trindade (8-0) at RFA 4.
RFA 4 takes place on Friday, November 2nd at Texas Station in Las Vegas, Nevada. This will be the third time Krause has competed for the RFA and he will look to remain unbeaten in the organization. RFA 4 will be televised nationally on ASX TV with the featured lightweight bout between Krause and Trindade taking place on the main card of the 11-bout fight card. Tickets to the event are available at Ticketmaster.com.