During this past week, I have been through ups and downs trying to secure my pro debut. During the middle of the week, I received word of a potential opportunity to fight on September 17th in Pennsylvania. While it was a bit short-notice and a distance to travel, I felt that it was an opportunity that I couldn't pass up. However, there was one important detail that was preventing me from accepting the fight. They wanted me to do a catch-weight of 150. I've been fighting at 155 for a while now, and while I always make the weight, the thought of another 5 pounds was a bit too much for me to accept. So we asked to push it to 155. After a few days, and no response, I figured that was the end of it.
Suddenly, on Friday, I received word back that they would do 153. I hesitated..... I had already accepted that the fight wasn't going to happen, and had removed myself from the "fighting mentality," that I put myself in when prepping for a fight. Hell, I had even spoiled my dieting, not seeing the point. That hesitation didn't last long. I knew I could make the weight. I knew that I would be ready to fight. I want this, I need this chance. This is what I've been working for, and I don't want to wait any longer. I texted Sam King back, and told him that I would accept the fight.
Now, a series of steps needs to take place. First, we are working out all the fine details of the fight, the contract stuff, etc. Like Sam told me, "The first rule of Pro Fighting is nothing is certain until you get the contract." He's right, the bottom could fall out at any time, and all this hyping up that I've been doing could just be crushed with disappointment. In the back of my mind, I know that this could happen anytime between now, and when I step into the cage.
I can't let that distract me, though. I need to snap myself into fight shape, and into my fighting weight. I contacted Joshua Ortegon at Athlete's Arena, and told him that I'd be in for a workout, and to make it awful. I contacted Joshua Miller from Gracie Barra, told him the news, and asked him if he could try to make the trip with me. He said he would make every effort too, and that's all I would ever want from him. I already have my good friends and training partners Adam Ginsburg and Tommy Watson lined up to head out there with me. I told my family about the news, and they wished me good luck.
Saturday, September 3rd:
I wake up at about 7:30, help make my kids some breakfast, get dressed, and head out the door at 8:30 to make the 30 minute trip out to Athlete's Arena. Shane puts me through a rough circuit, but I feel good and push myself through it. At 10:00, I finish up, and head back home. After visiting with the family and drinking a protein shake, I headed over to Sor Sumrit Muay Thai to work with my striking coach Nik Rodriguez. I catch a glimpse of Josh Eagans working with Nik. He looks good, and I can tell by his appearance that he's taking this next fight at 170. I can't imagine what a wrecking ball this man is going to be at 170, because he is massive, quick, explosive, and technical. Whoever is fighting him on September 10th will not be ready for him. I warm up, shadowbox, and spar several 5-minute rounds with Nik, just boxing. Feeling great, we finished up the session at 12:00. No time for rest though, it was time to teach some Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I pulled everyone over to the mats, and we warmed up. I reviewed some basic techniques, and then went into a series from the guard. At the end, we finished out with some rolling, and I felt great. From standing to ground, I felt on-point. We finished up rolling, and everyone headed on to the rest of their day.
I would have loved to take a break, but that's not in the cards for a family man. I came back home and my wife was ready for me to get some jobs done around the house. This is where it takes a strong mindset to not let stress get the best of you. I went ahead and cleaned up my yard, cut my dog's hair, and wash him. I finally got the chance to take a shower and wash the stink and sweat off of me. Not to mention the dog hair that I was covered in. Now, here I am, typing up this blog before I go ahead and start on some college homework.
I wouldn't change what I do for anything. This is an incredibly motivating opportunity for me, and I am going to embrace every moment of it. Even when my wife lets me know that a husband's work is never done. I love that woman. I don't know where I would be without her, she has changed me from a man with no initiative into the successful happy father and husband that I am.
This upcoming week, I will be putting myself into "end of training camp" mode. Due to the short notice, there is no gradual build-up. Thankfully, I am not far-removed from my last amateur fight, so I am still in solid condition. I won't feel that I'm in good condition once I'm puking during Muay Thai class next week though....
However, if there's one thing that I know... it's necessary for my success.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Friday, September 2, 2011
My first blog post
Well, I've decided to start a blog to catalogue my journey as a professional mixed martial arts fighter. I figured that some people may be interested in the sort of daily struggles an aspiring fighter goes through, and the many hurdles that have to be overcome along this path. I hope that this blog provides insight into my path to becoming a successful fighter, and that anyone who reads this will learn that this path is not easy, and requires a ton of sacrifice.
I'm a married father of two wonderful children. Though there have been ups and downs, my wife has remained steadfast on this long trip I have been on, as I have been training near full-time for several years now. She has seen my growth along the way, and has never stopped pushing me to reach my highest goals. Sure, sometimes she becomes a bit sick of all the time I put in, but I can understand her perspective. When you come home from a hard day of work, it is probably hard to watch the man you love say goodbye and step out the door, and not return until it is time to go to bed. I am grateful for my family's support, and I always will be.
The sacrifices that are made are tremendous, and the help in my training is without a doubt, incredibly valuable to me. I don't know what I would do without all of the trainers and training partners who have helped me to grow, and continue to help me grow. They can rest assured that I will always let everyone know how much they are appreciated, and how valuable they are to my success.
My path has not been without it's share of failures, and I am not nieve enough to believe that there won't be more. I view these as opportunities to grow and learn how to become a better man and fighter. In my first fight, I took a beating for two minutes before losing via rear-naked-choke. I was busted up badly, my eyes blackened, my lips busted, and my nose broken. I still remember bleeding all night long in my hotel, after I drank myself silly, like an idiot. I didn't quit though, I took it as an opportunity to be motivated, and I have went 5-2 in my time as an amateur, learning every step of the way, through my successes and failures.
When I went to the modern army combatives tournament for the first time, I did very well, making it to the intermediate rules portion, which you could say was more or less the semifinals. One baseball bat choke later, and I was unconsicious for everyone to see. However I pulled through, and came back the next year even better. I made it to the finals against the late Pedro Lacerda, and took one of the worst beatings I have ever taken, losing by triangle choke in the second round. Still, this experience was incredibly motivating, as so many people came through to pat me on the back, as they knew how good Pedro was, and were shocked that I was even able to push him past the first round. I even had a few legit guys tell me that I was, "on my way."
I am looking forward to the many ups and downs this trip has to offer, the near-impossible training sessions where I put my body to the test, and the fights and competitions in front of screaming fans. I am excited and blessed to be doing something that I love, and I hope that I will be able to make a great career of this. Thanks to everyone for their support.
I'm a married father of two wonderful children. Though there have been ups and downs, my wife has remained steadfast on this long trip I have been on, as I have been training near full-time for several years now. She has seen my growth along the way, and has never stopped pushing me to reach my highest goals. Sure, sometimes she becomes a bit sick of all the time I put in, but I can understand her perspective. When you come home from a hard day of work, it is probably hard to watch the man you love say goodbye and step out the door, and not return until it is time to go to bed. I am grateful for my family's support, and I always will be.
The sacrifices that are made are tremendous, and the help in my training is without a doubt, incredibly valuable to me. I don't know what I would do without all of the trainers and training partners who have helped me to grow, and continue to help me grow. They can rest assured that I will always let everyone know how much they are appreciated, and how valuable they are to my success.
My path has not been without it's share of failures, and I am not nieve enough to believe that there won't be more. I view these as opportunities to grow and learn how to become a better man and fighter. In my first fight, I took a beating for two minutes before losing via rear-naked-choke. I was busted up badly, my eyes blackened, my lips busted, and my nose broken. I still remember bleeding all night long in my hotel, after I drank myself silly, like an idiot. I didn't quit though, I took it as an opportunity to be motivated, and I have went 5-2 in my time as an amateur, learning every step of the way, through my successes and failures.
When I went to the modern army combatives tournament for the first time, I did very well, making it to the intermediate rules portion, which you could say was more or less the semifinals. One baseball bat choke later, and I was unconsicious for everyone to see. However I pulled through, and came back the next year even better. I made it to the finals against the late Pedro Lacerda, and took one of the worst beatings I have ever taken, losing by triangle choke in the second round. Still, this experience was incredibly motivating, as so many people came through to pat me on the back, as they knew how good Pedro was, and were shocked that I was even able to push him past the first round. I even had a few legit guys tell me that I was, "on my way."
I am looking forward to the many ups and downs this trip has to offer, the near-impossible training sessions where I put my body to the test, and the fights and competitions in front of screaming fans. I am excited and blessed to be doing something that I love, and I hope that I will be able to make a great career of this. Thanks to everyone for their support.
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