The Mod Cabin sponsored MMA fighter and all around good guy Kyle "The Spartan" Todd recently talked MMA, beard balm and future plans with The Mod Cabin.

The Mod Cabin Beard Balm Kyle The Spartan Todd

The Mod Cabin:
Tell us about where you’re from and how you got the nickname “The Spartan.”


Kyle Todd:
I am from Woodbury, MN. It is about 20 minutes outside of the Twin Cities.
I got my nickname before I had even taken a fight. I had gotten it at the gym where I first started my training. I happened to have a pretty good beard at the time and we were all sitting around and my coach wanted me to say "This is Sparta." I kind of laughed it off but the nickname had stuck. I thought of changing it when I made the move to another gym called Spartan Martial Arts, but everyone told me to keep it. You can't pick your nickname so I kept it.

The Mod Cabin:
What initially got you interested in mixed martial arts?


Kyle Todd:
I had wrestled half my life. When I went off to college, the school that I went to dropped their wrestling program the year I got there. So I chose to go the coaching route. I had coached for 3 years and enjoyed it. But I was missing that competitive factor. I had finished up coaching my 3rd year of youth wrestling and ran in to one of my teammates from high school. He mentioned to come check out a gym that he was training at. I went down to check it out thinking I was only going to train. MMA interested me and gave me a way to train like I had back when I was wrestling. I ended up taking a fight 2 months in to training and the rest is history. I have been at this for 2.5 years now.


Kyle The Spartan Todd The Mod Cabin

The Mod Cabin:
Tell us about your gym and the MMA community in Minnesota in general


Kyle Todd:
I switched gyms about a year and a half ago. There was some falling out at my original gym and the gym I switched to had better guys to train with as well as more guys. I currently train at Spartan Martial Arts in Oakdale under Tom Schmitz. Tom came from the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy under Greg Nelson and is a black belt under Pedro Sauer. We have a fight team but we are a martial arts gym first. We train jiu jitsu in a gi 7 days a week. We also offer kickboxing, mma and wrestling. We have plenty of members that help push the fight team. And we have some of the top amateurs and professionals in Minnesota. We have a few guys at the gym that currently hold titles in their respective weight class.

Backwoods Beard Balm Kyle The Spartan Todd

The Mod Cabin:
Summarize your career to this point and tell us about your upcoming fight and plans for the future.

Kyle Todd: Well I have been doing this for a little over 2.5 years now. I took my first fight in June 2011. I suffered a loss in my first fight but stuck with it and am currently 7-2 as an amateur and hold the Sterling Entertainment Group/Driller Promotions Welterweight Amateur Title. I have been riding a 5 fight win streak. I will be looking to go pro in 1 or 2 more fights. So we are looking at possibly the end of May or late next year. As far as plans for the future, I want to make it in to Bellator or UFC. I feel like I turned the corner in my last fight and that the ultimate goal is very obtainable if I keep working hard and putting in the time.

The Mod Cabin: What brought you to the beardlife and what does it mean for you?

Kyle Todd: Haha the beardlife. Well I have always had some sort of beard whether it was stubble or growth. But for the past 3 fights, I chose to not shave during training camp. I mainly did this because, well shaving sucks, especially when your grinding your face all the time. So I let my beard grow over the course of the 12 weeks and then we shave it the night of my fight. After my last fight, I kept the longer beard because apparently I now have a "look." Through some of the guys I know via twitter, I was intrigued by The Mod Cabin products and started actually taking care of my beard and taking care of it the right way. The beard life just adds more awesomeness. I mean, why would you not want a beard?

Backwoods Beard Balm Kyle The Spartan Todd

The Mod Cabin:
Has maintaining an awesome beard while training as a high level MMA fighter been difficult?

Kyle Todd: Maintaining a beard can be difficult sometimes. Sometimes it gets caught when going over different submissions and can get annoying. But with the help of The Mod Cabin beard oil, birch tar soap and beard balm. I have been able to keep a clean, well maintained beard.

The Mod Cabin: What is your daily beard care regimen and what is your favorite product from The Mod Cabin?

Kyle Todd: My daily regimen consists of washing my beard with Birch Tar soap at night. Followed by using one of many scented beard oils to keep my beard nice and soft. Then when I wake up in the morning, I apply beard balm to give it a bit of sheen and some shape to the beard. Every now and then I trim my my mustache or the wild hairs then tend to grow, as well as part of my neck because that shit gets ithcy as hell.
My favorite product has to the beard balm. It allows me to take my beard to a whole new level of awesomeness adding a sheen to it.

The Mod Cabin: Anything else you would like folks to know about Kyle “The Spartan” Todd?

Kyle Todd: My next fight is scheduled for February 22nd. It will be held at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, MN. I will be defending my title for the second time against a tough opponent in 8-1 Nate Williamson. The fights will be streamed live for all of you out of town fans. I currently do not have a link for it but will post closer to my fight.
I also just want to say thank you to all of the support from all of my sponsors ( Currine & Company, CageBanner, Taco Loco, The Mod Cabin, Horsepower Strength & Conditioning, Nutrishop Lakeville, Law Offices of John Conard, Tiger Rose Tattoo, Kasey Jean Photography, Zeus & Company, Avelli Diet, Sterling Entertainment Group and future sponsors that are not named yet.) Want to thank my friends and family for the continued support. As well as my girlfriend for being there through everything.