It's a Dirty Game

Ok, so let's touch on the dirty business. From loaded gloves to underhanded promoters, the fight business can be a difficult thing to navigate. Let's take recent events into view first. After the fight with Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito was busted in his next fight with Shane Moseley. Every excuse in the book was made by he and his training staff to discount the matter. The fact is that he could have seriously injured and or killed his opponent by having loaded wraps. When Cotto caught wind of this, he and just about everyone else were convinced that those same loaded wraps had been used on him in the fight prior and I would be inclined to agree. I mean the punches he hit Cotto with in the first fight seemed to do more damage then any regular punch i've seen, and i've seen thousands. It left him battered beyond belief. Let's fast forward to the rematch last weekend. The punches Margarito hit Cotto with this time hardly phased the champ and he ended up stopping Margarito in the 8th by TKO. I don't know for sure if Margarito did the unthinkable in the first fight but this is surely the payback that was required regardless.
Next, let's get into the promoters, from Don King to Bob Arum, the unsavory taste is in the air and hard to deny. He admitted to bribing the International Boxing Federation president to receive a more favorable ranking for one of his fighters. He was also fined by the Nevada State Atheletic Comission for a bribe to get one of his fighters sanctioned. One word to describe these actions...hmmmm... DIRTY! In connection to the Margarito incident, oh yeah, he's promoted by Arums company. It's all "racially motivated". The suspension given to your Mexican fighter for getting caught trying to use loaded handwraps in California(of all places) where he was set to fight a black guy was somehow racially motivated. This statement shows a serious lack of ethical and logical thinking. There's just no telling who's on the up and up these days. So if you got good friends that are close to you, keep it that way cause new ones may not be friends at all. Beware of the dirt, once it gets on your hands, its hard to get clean again. I know of people in the industry that won't even shake hands with promoters. I would say something about Don King but I wouldn't want to end up like 2 other people that crossed paths with him. Wikipedia it...

Fighter Mills?

I recently had a fighter come to me and ask about doing some training. I honestly always get a little nervous when they mention the gym they come from, if its considered one of the "best". I'm always concerned about the name and reputation it carries. I don't doubt my skills as a trainer but my reputation isn't as grandiose as some of the trainers from these gyms. More and more however i'm noticing a trend in the fighters, they lack simple fundamentals. The fighters lack proper stance, balance, don't keep their hands high, not throwing punches properly...etc, etc, the list goes on and on. Within 30 minutes of training this fighter I pointed out at least 5 major flaws. The response from him was "damn I've been at ______ for months and they never mentioned those things". At least one of the things I pointed out was a direct cause of him taking damage in his last fight. Why didn't the big name gym and trainers notice it, you ask? The answer is very simple. The saturation of combat sports in the recent future has made way to greed and "fighter mills". When MMA was still considered "human cockfighting", the trainers and fighters had to work very hard to even get fights, let alone win. Now you can find a fight anywhere. Because of this, gyms are no longer making fighters work their way up skill wise before fighting. Now, if you know how to throw a 1-2, they're willing to let you get on a card to fight. Guys aren't sharpening their tools the way they should be in exchange for the possibility of stardom and fast money. It sort of reminds me of when Hip-Hop was just starting and guys were signing deals for cars and gear but no real investment in future income. I'm not knocking the hustle, but instead the quality of the product. If you, as a trainer, aren't making corrections in your fighters skill set, then you're not a very good coach. Also, if you're a fighter and you aren't being corrected on your stance, defense, or offense, then you're being taken for a ride. Keep an eye out for the snakes they'll throw you to the wolves. If you know he's a snake and you get a beat down after they've been feeding you the "you're unbeatable" line, well you knew he was a snake. Money from the promoter, the sponsors, the fighters, and the fans is blinding the gyms and coaches. Beware of the fighter mills and make sure you share a connection with your trainers. They should care about everything you do. I would.

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Just believe

Something to think about when they say you can't. You have to.

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Product review: Triumph United Superlative Shinguards

Ok guys so in the spirit of Christmas here's a review of some shinguards you might want under your tree. I was on the hunt for some new shinguards that are protective, durable, and priced well. I had always used cheaper $40 grappling shinguards because they are light and I wanted to condition my shins(I like the feeling). This time however I wanted to try out the straight Muay Thai shinguards. I always felt that they looked heavy and even robotic on other people and since I like to move a lot I thought they would weigh me down. I researched plenty of brands before I came across the Triumph United Superlative Shinguards on sale. Before we go in depth I will only say they are the best shinguards I have ever owned. The hook and loop closure never comes loose and this after countless hours of sparring. These things are light and I never felt weighed down or sluggish. They are super durable and very protective I think I have had like one ding on the shin since I started using them. The color hasn't faded, the straps haven't ripped, and the elastic under the foot is still holding strong like the first day I put them on. I am overly impressed. The only thing I miss is the feeling of some roughed up shins after hard sparring, but that is a personal preference. I think i'll buy some of the Triumph United grappling shinguards for the days that I really want to feel it. I can only say if you need some quality shinguards the Triumph United Superlatives will not let you down. Oh yeah and I just looked them up and they're on sale at Triumphunited.com for like $53.00, crazy good deal. Happy Holidays!

Cough, cough, cough... (throat clear) cough...ugh!

Ok guys, so I learned a huge lesson about being fight ready the hard way. I was training like craaazy with an amazing instructor. I got my cardio up better than ever, I was feeling like a beast, but there was one thing wrong the week of the fight, I was sick and not flu sick but congested, coughing, and weak sick. Though I felt mentally like I could destroy Allistair Overeem if he looked at me wrong, my chest and muscles had a different idea. I had started with daytime cold meds and nighttime cold meds cause I couldn't sleep due to the coughing. By the 3rd day I was into some antibiotics I had leftover and a little extra on the nighttime meds. The thought of cancelling the fight crossed my mind once and I literally laughed it off standing in my kitchen swallowing said antibiotics like some mad scientist. I ended up calling out of work and a work related dinner the next 2 nights because I figured I would be fine with a little extra rest. The next day got on the road and made great time getting to Daytona and checking in the hotel. I hadn't really worried about my weight too much as I was good about my eating habits throughout training so I thought I would be right on as I hit the scale. Wrong again, I was about 2.5 lbs lighter than my fight weight, shrugged it off(dumb). Let's fast forward to the fight. As I got loose in the dressing room I kept thinking that my legs felt "soft" for lack of a better word. The fight starts and my thoughts in my head started with "holy shit I can't move". My wildly aggressive opponent besides ducking his head and windmilling punches at me, hit me with a spinning back kick to the old noggin which I never saw coming and knocked me to the canvas. Not sure what my opponent was thinking after I got up but with those points scored he abandoned trying to knock me out and instead decided to ride it out laying his weight on me on the ropes. I didn't have the strength to move him the ref would split us and again he would barrel in and lay on me on the ropes. I would take my L like a man, he did what he needed to do to win. So I know I was sick, but I was in shape. I felt horrible (understatement) about my loss until I looked at a picture I had taken before the fight. I had run into Din Thomas and really wanted a picture with him, dude is super cool, he obliged. My eyes in the picture tell the story, half open and swollen I looked horrible...ugh! Never again! Lesson learned, if you are remotely ill, I totally advise against fighting. I got lucky to be honest. It could have meant the end of my career, don't let it be the end of yours. Don't fight sick!!!

Getting back on the horse

Hey there H20'ers, I know it's been a while but i'm back and ready to update and educate(lol). Okay so if you don't know or it's your first time reading my blog I was taking some time away to prepare for my fight. I lost a decision. Yeah I know, it sucks. Well these things happen and I could go into details of how and why and a million and one excuses but at this point that's not important and I plan on writing on some of those things later. What's important now is getting back on the horse and back to training. Working towards getting better and shoring up those holes in my game. I could sit back and tell you all the cliche quotes in the world from every kind of philosophy about getting up after being knocked down but the fact of the matter is in every aspect in life you will find adversity. From relationships to fighting to working a 9 to 5 you will be tested on all levels, physical and mental. How will you deal with your adversities? The truth is you never know til it happens and the only advice I have is to KEEP GOING! None of us are perfect and we all will fall, not all of us will get back up. Just for the record though, I will and I hope you do as well. Only when you face adversity head on can you genuinely say you're really alive. So live people!! Get back on that horse when it bucks you off and ride it with your head high and your shoulders back because nobody can beat you but you. I love you all and I will be fighting again in February 2011. I have plenty of subject matter to discuss over the coming weeks so check back regularly. Peace!!!!

UFC fan or MMA fan?

Let me start by saying every fight you see in a cage is not put on by the UFC. Adding to that, watching the UFC doesn't make you an MMA fan. Yes they are the biggest organization out there however they are not the only game in town. In fact there are organizations all over the world that put on quality fights, some big some small. A true fan of the sport of MMA may have favorite fighters in other organizations some of which UFC fans have never even heard of. If you really "love the UFC" i suggest you broaden your horizens i guarantee you'll enjoy watching some of the other talent out there. Also, watching the styles that make up MMA in competition such as jiu jitsu tourneys or kickboxing and boxing matches allows you to see your favorite fighters compete at a high level while honing their skills outside of MMA. MMA is the fastest growing sport in the world, not only because of the UFC but also largely in part of other promotions putting on fights locally or regionally. I'll leave you with a list of promotions for you to check out. Hopefully, you'll now get more of what you love.

MMA promotions:

(MFC) Maximum fighting championship

(KOTC) King of the Cage

(XFC) Extreme fighting championship

M-1

Bellator

Proelite

Strikeforce

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