Getting to know Brent Kinberger

During the day, Brent Kinberger is a mild-mannered electrical engineer at DEKA in Manchester. But at night he unleashes his wild side as a cagefighter, and on March 5 the 36-year-old from the Queen City will put his 5-1 record on the line against Chandler Holderness of Boulder, Colo., during Combat Zone 32 at Rockingham Park in Salem.
Holderness is 7-2.
Kinberger, who fights out of Miletich Fighting Systems of Hooksett, grew up in Louisville, Kent., and attended Waggener High School. He dabbled in wrestling and kickboxing during a stint in the U.S. Army and now lives in Manchester with his wife and two sons.
Q: You've got a good job as an electrical engineer with DEKA. Why risk getting hurt and missing work by cagefighting?
A: I don't see physical injury as a serious risk for the type of work I do in electronics.
Q: Does Dean Kamen know you fight? And if so, what does he think?
A: No. I don't have regular interaction with Dean Kamen. He's a pretty busy guy. I doubt very seriously he would be interested in MMA.
Q: What attracted you to MMA?
A: I wrestled and kickboxed. When MMA appeared on the scene, it seemed right up my alley. Basically, my brother dared me to do a fight after seeing local "toughman" contests. MMA appealed more to me because of the ground aspect.
Q: You're now 5-1 as a pro and getting some pretty good fights. As I mentioned before, you also have a good job at DEKA. Do you plan on making a career out of cagefighting?
A: No. It is mainly a hobby for me and I will only continue doing it as long as it's fun and I'm winning. If I got a shot in a big show, I would certainly do it, if not only for the money.
Q: Who has been the toughest opponent of your career?
A: Obviously Magno. My two amatuer losses came in similar fashion. I felt I was winning and got caught in a submission. Magno is also the only fight going past the first round. He was/is a top-class fighter, both his standup and ground was great...I didn't feel as though I was winning against him.
Q: If you could fight anybody in the cage, who would it be and why?
A: I really don't have any preferences about fights. I like fighting top guys.
Q: What's your favorite movie of all time?
A: I don't know, probably something like Reservoir dogs or Forrest Gump.
Q: Favorite food?
A: I like a good steak, but I can put away some chinese food too.
Q: Favorite song?
A: No way to ID that one....I play guitar and wouldn't be able to finger a single favorite song.