Four weeks until Battlefield 9 “Quest for Gold”. I am writing this while sitting in a car with coach Shawn Albretch and Mr. Main Event himself Jeremy “JBC” Kennedy as we drive back from Yakima, Washington where we just cornered Daniel Swain to his first of many pro titles. It was a dominating performance that ended with a rear naked choke in the third minute of the first round. On the trip Jeremy and I got to talk a lot about what this upcoming fight means to us. We both seem to agree that the Battlefield belt means so much more to us than the other promotions we have seen. The weight classes are well established and it takes hard work to even earn the chance to be in a contender fight, let alone getting that belt put around your waist. Winning that belt puts you one fight away from going pro with a good contract, and it’s pretty cool to win something so shiny to put up on your wall. Seeing the belts at the MMA Expo last weekend made it seem much more real to us both.
Road To The Pro’s: Micah Brakefield #3
I was talking to someone the other day and they mentioned that in 30 years I may look back on that belt and it could be my life’s biggest achievement. No offense to anyone who thinks that way, but if a piece of leather and metal no matter how shiny it is, is my life’s crowning achievement, I have failed. I love sports and I love MMA but it will never be the be-all-end-all of who I am as a person. I believe the lessons learned through sports are applicable in every aspect of life and one should use sports to better themselves as a person but not let the sport, or any one activity for that matter define who they are. That being said, it will still be a very cool memento to have as a milestone on my road to the pro’s.
For all of my previous fights I have walked into the cage with no plan (other than try to hit him more than he hits me, and tackle him first). This fight is the first fight I have sat down with my coaches and set up a “game plan”. Without giving away too much of my game plan it pretty much consists of hitting him more than he hits me and making sure when we go to the mat it’s because of something I did. I think that having a plan will make the fight less nerve-racking, even though nerves are inevitable. It’s silly when you think about it. If you train as hard as you can, you compete as well as you know how, win or lose that’s all you can do. So why be nervous? I suppose if I knew, I wouldn’t be. Nerves only really affect me when it comes to eating the day of the fight, I just can’t seem to make myself. I am going to try and battle this by eating while distracted watching a movie or something, and ingesting things loaded with nutrients like honey prior to the fight. I know the day of the fight will be a good one because not only will I be fighting on the same card as teammate Jeremy Kennedy but also with fellow teammates David Kennedy, Jessie Bird and Morgan Bently. The west coast team really is like a family and I feel very privileged to train with and fight alongside each and every person who is a part of our family.
Well, that’s it for this time. Thank you for reading.
Once again thank you to all my friends, coaches and teammates who make all of this possible. Also a big thanks to my sponsors. Tapout Canada, Dominant Ground, Klench kustom mouthguards, Passion Sports, Fine Art Bartending and Reflex on Kingsway. Also, check out www.kombatnation.com.
