Are you ready, fighter?

#7: 22/09/13

 

"IIIIIIIIIIIITS TIIIIIMEEEEE!" shouts Bruce Buffer, the Octagon announcer of the Ultimate Fighting Championship to a crowd of nearly 20,000 people in the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. A small group of MMA enthusiasts can also hear it on a sunny Sunday morning in the Irish pub of Chiang Mai. Nearly the whole competition crew of the local Team Quest gym came here to watch this event live. Alexander Gustafsson will fight for the title and if he wins, he will bring one of the popular belts of the world´s biggest MMA promotion to Europe (at last).

Sunday is not only the day off but it is cheat-day for the athletes who have to make weight for any upcoming fights. Today they are allowed to eat the unhealthy, high-calorie culinary foods of our civilization. And they do. While having bacon and eggs, fish and chips and jelly toast we watch the explosive fights.

While downing my fresh orange juice with contentment I think about the last days. A hard week of training lies behind us; for me it was the first week in which I trained twice a day. Every morning begins with a specific workout for the Mixed Martial Arts: Two days boxing, two days ground and pound (punching on the ground) and 2 days sparring. In the afternoon, it is alternating between Grappling and Muay Thai. I am surprised how fast my body adapted to the new circumstances - only on Thursday, after a brutal 1 1/2 hour takedown session on the evening before, I do not feel fit anymore and my muscles start to ache. As feared, the sprints are a regular part of the Muay Thai classes and alternate with strength exercises.

"Damn! This is tight!" sounds Joe Rogans prominent voice from the speakers "And heee puts him asleeep!". A fighter of the Heavyweight division fails to tap out early enough as he is in a submission and gets choked out; the referee steps in and ends the fight. Subsequently the room, decorated with old, Irish rugby jerseys, is filled with applause and acknowledging shouts.

“It was worth it to invest 50 cents for the freshly baked bread,” I think with a grin on my face and take another big bite from it. Everything works out effortlessly for me at the moment: Most of the sessions there are not more than ten participants and I fit into the group perfectly – my skill level is exactly where I want it to be: which is somewhere in the middle. While the Pros beat me up easily, there are a handful of fighters on my level. I can have great rolls on the ground and stand-up matches with them. Furthermore, less experienced grapplers and Thaiboxers offer the opportunity to try new set-ups and techniques. They, in return, profit from the fact that everyone can correct their technique.

Following Forrest Griffin´s advice as written in his book "Got fight?": "You want to be somewhere in the middle!"

Eddie Wineland underestimates the spinning back-kick of his opponent and gets caught right on his temple. "IIIIITS AAALL OVEEERRR!" shouts Rogan, as if out of his mind, when Wineland hits the ground unconscious. "OOOOOH" and "Oh damn it!" shout the guys in the pub while the tables wobble.

When you are a fighter, it is an exhilarating feeling when you are able to impress the people. I will get my chance to do this again next Sunday, the 29^th of September with a Muay Thai fight at Loikroh Stadium. I am already excited that I will take on this challenge again, especially because Thailand is the home country of this wunderful sport.

The main event is thrilling, everyone in the room watches with excitement, legs shake nervously and glasses are held tighter than usual. Will Gustafsson be able to create a sensation and take the belt from Jon Jones? Or will the champion defend it once again? Every landed shot is celebrated frenetically, analysed and discussed. You can hear things like "His defense is astonishing!", "This guy is an animal!" or "Come on Gustafsson! I believe in you!".

In my head the mirror neurons send chemical messengers through my body and my hands get sweaty. I am already thinking about the next morning: Monday. The training starts again and with it come the last days of preparation for my upcoming fight, the first one in Thailand. I am in good shape and after 20 days in Thailand I start to feel this hunger again...