Today starts off my blogging experience for MMASucka.com. I’ve always considered myself pretty smart, although my grades in school wouldn’t necessarily show that. From the time I was four years old I knew I wasn’t meant to be some guy with an office job. You see when I was four, I took my first step on to a wrestling mat and my life was forever changed. I’ve always known what I wanted to do and to a certain extent I am doing it. I always thought wrestling was going to be my job when I grew up, until I was ten years old and I honestly believed it. It was at ten when I watched UFC for the first time; then something clicked. It was UFC 34 and I watched two wrestlers walk out of the cage with world titles, Matt Hughes with a slam KO over Carlos Newton and Randy Couture with a vicious TKO over Pedro Rizzo. The first words out of my mouth after watching were “I’m going to be a world champion in MMA one day.”
I am now almost two years into my career as a fighter and I have to say I’m doing fairly well. I boast a 6-1 record as a pro and I have trained along side such fighters as George St_Pierre, Kenny Florian, and Rashad Evans. I recently was invited to go train with the Blackzilians, which is made up of multiple UFC, Strikeforce, and Bellator fighters. It was an eye opening experience to be honest; I was in the same room with former world champions holding my own. While I was down in Florida Mike Van Arsdale, Mario Sperry and Henry Hooft coached me. I can remember the exact moment they actually took notice to me. It was the second night there and third training session I had been to (MMA sparring). I was paired up with former world champion Miguel Torres. Needless to say I was a little over matched in just about every aspect of the game, except wrestling, but if you know me as a person you would know I’m too stupid to quit. So I kept coming and coming, and the coaches and everyone else took notice. From then on, I wasn’t just the red head; I was Swain.
I was invited back to train their full time; something that I feel is an absolute honor to say the least. To know that you are welcome to go train with some of the best in the world and that they want you there is amazing and does wonders for your confidence. Not that I have ever needed help in that department. I have had many talks with my girlfriend on when would be the best time to go down there since she is still in University. Unfortunately, being a pro fighter not in one of the three big promotions (UFC, Strikforce, Bellator) means you pretty much have no extra money whatsoever. We are still deciding on when would be the best time to go.
For right now though, I have something else to worry about and that is Lee Morrison. I am fighting Morrison about as close to my hometown of Newport, WA as I’m going to get. Not only will I be under a ton of pressure to make a statement in my hometown, but Morrison is also on the UFC’s top prospects list for 145lbs. This fight is one of the most important of my career so far for so many different reasons, but this is just fine and dandy for me because I feed off of pressure. I have my goal as an MMA fighter in sight and Lee Morrison is just another stepping-stone for me.
I have to give a huge thanks to everyone who has supported me throughout my career Dominant Ground, Klench Kustom Mouthguards, Drako, Elite Organics, The Blackzilians, my management Echelon FM, West Coast BJJ, all my training partners, MMASucka for letting me do this blog , Kombat Nation for the continued support and my very supportive girlfriend Amber Lewis.
