It’s midnight and I just finished watching the movie “The Social Network”, I give it two thumbs up. It’s funny how Facebook has become this huge entity. It did remind though, that most billionaires are corrupt mental midgets.
Fighting Ambition #6: My Motivation
Right now my wife is sleeping and she is probably sleeping diagonally in the bed…she does that. I don’t want to go in there, try to move her, and wake her up, so tonight the couch summons. It’s okay I don’t mind. I usually go to bed late on Friday nights and I end up waking up early from my daughter jumping on me and wanting me to turn on Winnie The Pooh or Kipper the Dog.
I’m not sure what I’m going to write about for this Fighting Ambition Blog entry. I usually just sit down, write and see what comes out. I’m fighting on March 19th at Battlefield 6 at the River Rock Casino. On January 15thBattlefield 5 will be going down at the Rock. If you are in the Vancouver area, I recommend getting tickets for this show at Ticketmaster. A lot of my West Coast BJJ teammates will be fighting, including the welterweight Champ, Jacen Brooks. Jacen is a great guy, and one of the leaders at the gym. That guy is a workhorse and has a real future in the sport. It’s been an honor to train with him and all the guys there. I’m really lucky to be at West Coast BJJ.
I don’t mind getting my ass kicked anymore. If anything I’m use to it. I train with some of the best guys in the province. That is no disrespect to the other great guys that train at other gyms. I have the utmost respect for all the guys and gals that train and get into that cage. Getting my ass kicked by guys who have been at this for years will only make me stronger and ready for whomever they put in front of me.
In my last Blog entry I mentioned that I’m not a Fighter. I got some flack for saying that. MMA is very much a mental game. In some ways by me saying that, I’m already making excuses. I’m not going to make a career out of fighting that is obvious. This will be the first and only MMA fight that I will compete in. It’s been a strain on my personal life. It’s been a physical grind and most nights I’m exhausted.
I miss food! I miss my friends, but you know what, I’ll miss this when it is all over. I haven’t decided if I’m going to continue training afterward. I play soccer in the Spring (yeah, yeah, insert your soccer is for pussies joke here) and there is no way my wife will allow me to compete or train in two sports. I will have to make a decision. I have been playing soccer all my life and I’m good at it, so I enjoy it. I like team sports. However, I will not go back to my lazy fat self. This MMA experience has been a life changer, and if anything I will be a healthier person going forward, physically and mentally. It’s going to be hard to decide and extremely hard to walk away from training.
We are all fighters. We all have things we struggle with, we all battle personal demons. Each of us walk into a cage every day and fight. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose, but life is a daily MMA fight. Subconsciously you are going toe to toe with your fears. I know that’s really deep of me, but it’s true. Think about it.
There are days where I’m excited about March 19th and getting into that cage and there are days where I’m scared shitless. There are days where I go to training and I feel strong and energized and there are days where I feel like I’m punching in and punching out like a job. I have moments of weakness and moments of strength. Ups and downs. Like a fight. What I am learning to do is battle through it. We are all fighters. You don’t have to get punched in the face or put on a slick arm bar to be considered a fighter. What you don’t want to be though is a quitter. Don’t pack it in. Get up and get back at it.
My motivation in life is my daughter. Her name is Raeleigh and she is the best thing that has ever happened to me. She is three years old, and honestly no lie; she is the most gorgeous thing on this planet. Some of you know what I’m talking about, as I’m sure you have daughters, sons, nephews and nieces that you feel the same way about. On March 19th I fight for myself, but I will also be fighting for Raeleigh. I will be bringing her care bear in with me. Yes a care bear will be in my corner. My opponent is in for a world of hurt. I may not have a ton of skill with only six months of training thus far, but what I will bring is a tremendous amount of heart (no pun attended) and motivation. Instead of putting pics of me training on here, I decided to show off my little girl and my gorgeous wife. I’m a very lucky man.
It’s been really tough balancing my family and training. Right now I train every other day. I would like to go more, but it wouldn’t be fair to my family. One thing I will be focusing on is my cardio. I plan on going into that fight for a five round war. Yes I know it’s only three rounds, but I hope my opponent realizes, that I’ll be ready for five. My opponent may have more training than me, hell he will probably be the favorite, but don’t underestimate me. Never look past me.
I’m coming into that cage not just for the experience, but I’m going in there to win. Sure afterwards win or lose I’ll be glad I went through this experience, but I will be so pissed off if I lose. I’m not putting myself through the ringer for the participation ribbon. This is not Sports Day in Elementary school where everyone is a winner. This is competition and I want my hand in the air.
I will conclude this entry with this quote from the movie Rocky Balboa. It has got me through some rough patches. It makes a lot of sense. Thanks for reading. If you don’t know, I write for MMASucka.com and the 24Hrs Vancouver every Monday morning in the sports section, I hope you check it out. Thank you for supporting MMASucka.com and me. I’m on “The Facebook.”
Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth then go out and get what you’re worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain’t you! You’re better than that!
-Rocky Balboa-
PS:
I almost forgot. I always like to make sure I thank people. I’m not doing this alone; I have a lot of great people supporting me.
Reign Full Contact; with out them I wouldn’t have my training gear. They are an up and coming company and they are from Canada, please support them.
DominantGround.com sells all kinds of gear and clothing, again they are amazing please shop there because you get great customer service and great gear. FREE SHIPPING!
Klench Kustom Mouthguards, who made my sweet ass mouth guard that so many people comment on. You can buy Klench guards at Dominant Ground or on the Klench website… seriously get yourself a good mouth guard…screw the Boil and Bites.
I want to throw some major love at West Coast BJJ. If you are looking to train and you want to learn from the best, check out their website and find a school near you and train. There are no egos there. It’s a great way to get in shape and to train your body, mind and soul. All the coaches, guys, gals that train there are super nice and it’s a comfortable place to learn. BJJ Black Belt Don Whitefield has done an amazing job with that school. If you want to see a great video series on BJJ moves and techniques, check out Don’s video series of 1000 BJJ Techniques. Click here.
Last but not least, I want to thank my friends and family for allowing me to do this. I’m sorry that I’m distant, tired, and not around. Please forgive me. Thank you for understanding and we will celebrate on March 19th. Next entry is in two weeks.
God Bless.
STATS:
- Height: 5’7
- Starting Weight: 205lbs
- Current Weight: 163lbs
- Targeted Weight: 145lbs
- Training: West Coast BJJ
- Fight Date: March 19th
Music Picks: Local Band Versus The Nothing…check out their Myspace Page…they have a new album coming out soon. My friend Jacob Wyman plays drums. I’m also really digging the new Linkin Park.
Movie Picks: The Social Network – Young kid gets really rich and has no friends…ironic huh? Megamind – I thought it had its moments of funny, and I just watched a really good documentary about street art and the artist Banksy called Exit Through The Gift Shop. I recommend checking those movies out.
