If you don’t know him personally, the 6 foot plus, 265 pound mixed martial artist and all around tough guy Keith Bell might be pretty intimidating.  But if you do know him, you would know that he is one of the most approachable and personable guys you will ever come across.  Oh, and he’s still pretty intimidating.  He has started his young career with two impressive TKO victories, both within the first round of the respective fights. We sat down briefly with the DRIVN fighter after his TKO victory (at 2:01 of the first round) over Adam Gilbert at the AFL’s “Fight to the Finish IV”.

DRIVN: So tell us about the fight, were you happy with your performance?
KB:  Well it went the way I expected.  Adam Gilbert was just out of his weight class.  The fight went pretty much the way I imagined it, so I was overall happy with my performance yes.

DRIVN: How long have you been involved in combat sports, anything from wrestling to MMA?
KB: About 13 years now, with wrestling as my main background.  I went to Niagara County Junior College in Sanborn, NY with Rashad Evans, we were actually captains together.  He helped me train for my first fight, Rashad is a good guy.  So needless to say I have wrestled with some good company.

DRIVN: Wow, that’s pretty damn cool.  Any aspirations to be in a place like Evans is currently?  What are your long term and short term goals for the sport?
KB:  Of course there’s always that big goal.  Short term would be not to lose (laughs).  Long term would be to open my own gym and maybe be a trainer.

DRIVN: Are you happy with your position in the sport now?
KB: As far as North Carolina yes, especially considering the “newness” of it in the state.

DRIVN: So at the end of the day, who or what do you fight for?  What drives Keith Bell?
KB:  Winning! (laughs).  But no, I fight for my daughter, my wife, myself and my future.

Keith is expected to fight again in late March or April.  Check one of the DRIVN outlets (DRIVNindustries.com, our facebook or myspace pages) for updates on Keith’s next fight.