Well, after nearly 3 years and some unfortunate situations, I finally returned to MMA competition. Can't believe it's been that long, but it really has.
It was really strange, I figured I'd feel similar to my first fight since it was so long since the last one, but I felt calmer than ever. I actually couldn't even get amped up. I wanted to sleep right up until I got in the ring. I thought something was wrong with me. LOL Guess it's from learning from my old roommate, who really did sleep up until he had to go out.
I guess fight 16 is the charm, because I was calm, cool and collected. Unlike the 5 I've dumped(3 of which were just by sheer retardism), I didn't panic at all. In fact, I just played with this motherfucker. I had a game plan and I stuck to it. Nothing swayed me from it.
It's actually pretty strange, because I'm a wrestler by background, but I kept this fight on the feet on purpose. My strking has come a long way in the last year and a half. I'm actually pretty friggin' good on my feet. I can outstrike virtually anyone I meet in the gym. There's only one guy I routinely train with who can give it to me and, in the last couple of weeks, I've been able to overcome him. He's a really, really good boxer, so I knew that if I can stand with him, then I can stand with any Indiana lard ass, so I decided I was going to keep this fight on the feet.
And I did. I told my corner that I was going to jab him right off the bat. I said, "Watch. The first jab I throw goes right through his hands." It did. (Incidentally, I have a fantastic jab. One of my training partners insists it's my best punch, so ol' boy was not happy on the receiving end) I came out and jabbed him. Then I forget the exact sequence, but it was something like that jab and then a flury and he clinched, so I stomped his foot and kneed him a bit.
I remember pushing him off and throwing my first ever "live" leg kick. Never done it before in a fight, but I did this time and he certainly didn't like it! So he kicked me back to show that he was studly or something....except it didn't work because it didn't hurt. LOL I let him kick me a couple times, actually. No biggie.
Basically, I let him do whatever he wanted, because I knew I had the fight. If he wanted to tie up, we tied up and then I would foot stomp, knee, leg punch, etc. I let him hit dig my body and do pretty much whatever because it wasn't doing any damage and all I really wanted to do was look for my opening. I was able to dig an underhook and turn it into a nice upper cut. Unfortunately, it didn't KO him.
After one clinch, I pushed him off and, as we closed, I did a fake shot/overhand right and put him on his ass! It was less a fake shot than more of a feint/level change, but that's what I did and he fell for it and took it right on the button. He hit the canvas and I thought he might be out, but he was just dazed, so I got on him a bit and hammer fisted and punched him, but, to his credit, he covered very well and weathered the storm.
Honestly, I give the guy a lot of credit. He came to fight. He was seriously outmatched, but he didn't quit. He kept bringing it the entire fight. I thought for sure that overhand would put him out, but it didn't and he got up and kept fighting. Cheers to him!
Anyhow, after that, we did whatever. I don't remember. Same old shit. He finally went for a serious takedown(told you my striking was good) and I caught him in a guillotine. I was going to let it go, because I told everyone I would KO him, but I decided that that would be stupid and just take the win when I could. I need the money to pay rent. No shit. Despit that fact that I made $1200 in two and a half minutes, I only netted about $7 after all is said and done.
After I got the win, his fan base started yelling at me and cursing me out and all sorts of inbred, Indiana bulshit. The security guy told me to go downstairs to diffuse the situation, interrupting a conversation between myself and a guy I went to high school with. Apparently, they were mad about the foot stomps. I guess I broke his foot and they thought it was shitty or soemthing. I don't know. It's legal and unexpected, so I do it. In fact, those will be my contributions to MMA.
When I finally make it to "the big show" you can expect 3 things: The popularization of the foot stomp, the leg punch and the "tickle tap." I'm not fucking around. One day, I'm going to catch a dude in a leg lock, lose the hold, but not the leg, and then tickle his foot until he taps. No shit. It works.
All in all, I'm very pleased. I did exactly what I said I would do and what I planned on. I had a game plan and I stuck to it. I didn't even flinch at all when I got cracked. My corner said I was wide eyed and alert the whole time. Honestly, it didn't bother me at all when I got hit. Not a single bit. I must have been doing this too long or something. I caught two of his best right hay maker punches and didn't even give a shit. He split my lip. He fucked up my throat. I didn't care. I guess I have just gotten accustomed to getting punched.
I really wanted the KO, but the win is more important. My conditioning needs some work, because I feel that I got too tired for what I did, but, other than that, I feel very confident for my next fight. It's kind of gay, in that, our gym has been shut down for a few months, but my coach wants to just train on the beach instead. That's fine with me. It can do nothing but help. Running in sand with a 360lb man on your back can only make you stronger, right?
I ate some leather, as the bruises attest, but I didn't, for a single second, think about taking it to the ground.