When I was about 8 years-old, I started doing Taekwondo with my cousin in the fight capital of the country, Las Vegas. During that time, I was channel surfing one day after practice and stumbled upon The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). It was the first season with Hall of Famers Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture coaching Light Heavyweights and Middleweights.
I fell in love with MMA right after that. My family didn’t have enough money for me to start training in different forms of martial arts, but I worked hard every day, training and teaching to make myself the best I could be. At a young age, I was drawn to MMA because I had a passion for the same thing, I knew the moves these guys were throwing, I knew different fight strategies, and I knew how to score fights.
I get the question “Why do you like watching these guys beat each other up in a cage?” quite often, and with that comes the response of “It’s more than just ‘beating each other up,’ it’s the technique, the blood, sweat, and tears that goes into every fight, and the preparation before that.”
That was always my response, and it was because I knew what it was like to prepare for a fight, to sweat so much just to lose half a pound. I knew what it was like to have such a strict diet, and eating so much right after weigh-ins. I knew what it was like to warm-up in the locker rooms. I knew what it was like to walk onto the mat and stare down your opponent. I knew what loss felt like, and I knew what winning felt like.
It’s exciting to see the press conferences, and see rivals build up the fight. The trash talk at the weigh-ins and the stare downs are intense. Watching Dana White trying to break up the little scrap that fighters have during their stare downs. The best thing about the UFC is when you call a fight, saying that your favorite fighter will win, and they do. There is nothing more satisfying to hear on T.V. than Bruce Buffer’s voice saying “It’s time!!!!” and hearing him announce the fighters in the corner, fighting out of the state or country they’re from. It’s great to see two individuals who have worked so hard just to get one step closer to the belt, or defend their title.
UFC is such an entertaining sport, and it’s more than just fighting. It's the preparation behind each fight, watching the Embedded series on the UFC YouTube channels and getting an insight on the fighters' world. The five-round fights that are an all-out bloody war, where each fighter is throwing bombs at each other. The post-fight octagon interviews by Joe Rogan. There are so many emotions that go into the sport. The reasons I fell in love with Taekwondo are the same reasons why I fell in love with UFC.
