There has been a number of events all over the US and from those events some big names have surfaced. A lot of people do not realize that they are still a number of great fighters out there who are not widely known for one reason or another. Jim Theobald came into the Ironheart Crown, like most of his other fights, the underdog, even though he knocked out his opponent at last year's Ironheart Crown in only 24 seconds. Everyone in the Chicago area knows he is a tough fighter, he has proven it on numerous occasions, but they did not think that he would win the heavyweight tournament. Well, the "sleeper" in the tournament caught HooknShoot's rising star, Scott Henze in a triangle and then arm locked Shidokan champion, Kestutis Arbocius to claim the Ironheart Crown 2000 Heavyweight Championship. This unassuming school teacher does not have high aspirations in NHB, he just loves to compete. Theobald comes from Bob Schirmer's All American Academy, the same academy that has produced Shonie Carter and Brian and Wes Gassaway, among other top-notch fighters in the Chicago area.

FCF: You have been fighting in the Chicago area for a while now and last year when I came up, Eric [Moon IHC's promoter] told me to watch you fight. What is your background?
JT: I started training when I was 19, I'm 23 now. I just wrestled one year, my senior year in high school and was pretty good at it. I needed some money to go to school and I heard about this stuff and one thing led to another. I just got me the right people through the years and they kind of molded me, like Chris Brooks, Tommy Bach, and Bob Schirmer recruited me out of a fight that he saw down in Indiana. Bob said that he could work with me so I started making the trip back up here. He's a great coach and I have phenomenal teammates in Shonie Carter, Brian Gassaway and Rolando Higuerros. With teammates like that you just can't be beat. I have been fighting for those guys forever. I have been doing a lot of my training with Tommy Bach because Chicago is kind of a far drive, but I try to make it out to Bob's [All American Academy], once or twice a week to work on my weaknesses.

FCF: Is Tommy your stand up coach?
JT: Yeah, he's a pro kickboxing, undefeated, 2 and 0. He just beat the middleweight or lightweight champ, Bunker.

FCF: What is your current record?
JT: You wouldn't believe me if I told you. [laughs] I have way too many fights. I just do all the Chicago matches. So I don't even know. I have well over 30 fights. Not all of them are close fist on the ground, some are open hand, some are no hitting on the ground. I've been all over, a lot of Jiu-Jitsu, a lot of Pankration.

FCF: How about mentioning some of the more notable fighters that you have fought?
JT: I'd like to think that everyone I have fought is notable because they have the courage to get in there and fight. The biggest name I have beaten is Adrian Serrano for the Total Combat title. It was a great fight. It was basically [a match up of] styles that won it. I studied him a lot. Adrian's always been a hero of mine for a long time, so knowing him as well as I did, helped me to win it. I just fight all the time against people with good records. I just do what my coaches say and I do all right. I just beat Danger Zone champ Jason Hallard, Kyle Hennings and Hector Garza. I just beat some of the local fighters here. Roberto [Ramirez], I beat him twice. I won a Pan American Gold Medal. [laughs] Hey Bob, who did I fight?
Bob Schirmer: He fights at a moment's notice. A guy will call me and say, "Hey Bob, you got a fighter?" And I will say, "Hey Jim, you wanna fight?" And he'll take the fight. He's just like Shonie [Carter], he will just take any fight.
JT: I'm going to catch up to Shonie. [laughs, to the number of fights that Shonie has]
Bob Schirmer: Shonie was already bitching that this belt is better than his.

FCF: Do you have any fight scheduled?
JT: I'm going down to Mexico with Bob.
Bob Schirmer: The World Pankration Federation's tournament of the Americas on November 11th. We will be representing the United States.

FCF: Do you have any more scheduled?
JT: No, but there will be like ten more scheduled by next week. [laughs] I'll probably get some calls.
Bob Schirmer: We got a Jiu-Jitsu championships, my Christmas tournament on December 10th. It will probably have about 180 fighters. It's straight Jiu-Jitsu.

FCF: Where are you heading? You obviously have a bunch of fights, a lot of experience, and a lot of tools.
JT: One of the things is that I have great training partners, like I said before. Shonie Carter, Brian Gassaway, Rolando, and all of them and great coaches, like Master Bob and Tommy Bach. Where ever they lead me to go. I mean, I do real well in practice when I roll with these guys and these guys go all over the world. Shonie should have won the Pancrase title. He was robbed. So I figure that if I can go into practice with them and can perform just as well, maybe I can be there, but I'm a school teacher first. This is for fun, something that I don't actively pursue. I just talk to Master Bob and he gives me the okay, then we do it. It he doesn't, then cool I'll just go to school and teach the next day.

FCF: So you are not actively seeking a major title?
JT: If one comes around, then I'll take it. I won't make a phone call, let's put it that way.
Bob Schirmer: If Pancrase or Shooto calls or someone like that and they have something going, then we'll weigh it and see if the time is right and he's healthy, then we'll take the fight. It depends on what comes up. And that's the same with all of our fighters. If they have enough time to get into super condition, ready for the fight if it is a big fight with a super good fighter, then we'll do it. We try to stay really focused on staying in great shape all the time, so if a fight comes along…that's an opportunity. When you get an opportunity to fight someone with a lot of championships, you got to be ready to take it.

FCF: Is there anything else that you want to add?
JT: Thanks for coming out to the fight and giving me an interview. Thank you very much.