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It might have been a given that Joseph Kropschot ended up fighting in the UFC, but earlier in his life he didn’t realize it.
Kropschot, now 31 and living in Walnut Creek with his fiancee, was raised in San Ramon and went to San Ramon Valley High School … well, for at least a while.
“I got in some trouble when I was in high school,” Kropschot said. “I got suspended like 15 times for street fighting. I was sent to one of those wilderness programs in Utah.”
When he was done with the program, he headed back to the Bay Area with a firm grasp on what he needed.
“When I got done, I knew I needed an outlet,” Kropschot said.
He found a gym that offered jiu-jitsu and he took to it, like a fish to water.
“Pretty early on, I was good at it,” Kropschot said of jiu-jitsu. “Then I started some fighting – you know, you need that weird belief in your ability.”
After getting into mixed martial arts, Kropschot started climbing the ranks. With the UFC as the goal, Kropschot climbed the ladder. Recently he landed a spot in Dana White’s Contender Series with a shot at a UFC contract.
Next Tuesday (Aug. 11), Kropschot (8-3) faces a middleweight fight with Jon Kunneman (10-0) on Paramount Plus as part of the Contender Series.
A win there and Kropschot feels like his goal of making the UFC will become a reality.
“My jiu-jitsu is pretty top notch,” Kropschot said. “I think with my style, a win on the 11th may get me a UFC contract. My style lends itself to TV.”
Kropschot has embraced the sport and has learned along the way.
“I think 80% of fighting is mental,” he said. “I have learned composure over my fights. I enjoy the fights and am super locked in.”
His record certainly supports Kropschot as a fighter. He’s won his last four fights, all with early stoppage.
His most-recent fight was Feb. 6, for the Legacy Fighting Alliance middleweight title. Kropschot ended up giving David Allaverdiev his first loss, finishing the fight in the second round when he got Allaverdiev to submit to a rear-naked choke hold at the 3:24 mark of the fight.
Now that he has a title, it’s full speed ahead.
“I feel like I am in my prime,” said Kropschot. “I want to take this as far as I can.”
SRV Little League
The three-year run the San Ramon Valley Little League All Stars have been on has now taken the team one tournament away from the Holy Grail of all stars – the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Penn.
By virtue of a 12-2 win over El Dorado in the Northern California finals, SRV advanced to the Western Regionals in San Bernardino. They open play this Sunday (Aug. 9) against Southern California in a game that will be televised by ESPN+.
The team has won district and sectional titles in each of the last two years. As 10-year-olds, they also captured the NorCal title.
“The key for this team is – it’s truly a full team,” coach Greg Isom said. “There is not one kid that didn’t contribute. Every single kid had a game-changing play at some point. There is no sniping – they all have a role and they have succeeded.”
It has been a team effort. Most of the time when teams get to this level, they are riding one big arm or a couple of key hitters. That’s not the case with SRV.
“We have four main pitchers,” Isom explained. “Our bats are great and our defense has been incredible.”
It is a full-circle moment for Isom. In 1991, he was a member of the SRV team that lost to Chinese Taipei in the Little League World Series championship game in Williamsport.
Jake Anderson, the father of SRV player Blake Anderson, played for the Alaska team in the 1991 Western Regionals, losing to Isom’s team that year.
Isom doesn’t necessarily feel his experience makes a difference to this year’s team.
“Now that we are there, the kids have asked me about it,” he said. “What I bring to the table is keeping the kids loose.”
The San Ramon Valley players are Blake Anderson, Jackson Audino, Brantley Brazil, Luke Guevara, Isaac Hairston, Mason Hall, Dane Isom, Milo Kaiser, Camden Kangas, Michael Panagotacos, Parker Petty and Camden Purkiss. The manager is John Audino, supported by assistant coaches Leonard Hall, Greg Isom and Matt Purkiss.
Editor’s note: Dennis Miller is a contributing sports writer for Embarcadero Media Foundation’s East Bay Division. To contact him about his Pleasanton Preps column, email acesmag@aol.com.
