I have been wasting a lot of time on the computer, so I might as well be constructive about it and start my blog today.
First of all, I’m excited to say that I have an announcing gig with The Super Fight League in Mumbai, India on March 11, 2012. That’s going to be a crazy trip. As much as I have traveled, India is one place I’ve never been and hardly know anything about. It will be a pretty big event. They’re bringing in J-Lo to do a concert during half time. These SFL guys are coming out with a bang and are definitely not being cheap about it. I’d like to help them with fight booking etc. if they ask me. There are a lot of good fighters not signed to exclusive deals out there. Plus they are going to have to figure out a way to build their home-grown talent.
Currently, I’ve been spending most of my time training. I trained all last month light at Xtreme Couture. I grappled a lot in the catch wrestling class and did pro practice when they weren’t sparring. I’m just working myself back into shape slowly. I’ve been hitting mitts with Marc Beecher a few times a week. I need to work on my Muyai Thai a lot more. Marc’s pretty much one of the best American Thai boxing coaches for MMA. He holds some some of America’s best Thai boxers like Kevin Ross.
It feels pretty good to be back training. Today I rolled at Drysdale’s. Always a great room with a lot of good guys there. I learn something every class. I need to get my ass in there more often and roll. I know it’s a great gym; Frank Mir is in there all the time, plus Forrest Griffin, John Alessio and some great Brazilian fighters, too.
As far as building my body back, I’ve been going to PSI, Mark Philippe’s gym. He held the World’s Strongest Man title. He also was the head athletic trainer at UNLV. I’ve been going in there lifting real heavy, trying to get my strength back where it needs to be. I was pretty weak when I got there; with my shoulder injury I think I was about as week as I was in high school. I definitely could bench more as a junior in HS. Anyway, been training there three days a week for a month and a half. I’m getting my strength back up pretty quickly. The weird thing is I’m starting to look stronger than I am. I should be benching over 365 and squatting over 405, by the way I look. I guess the muscle memory thing works in the looks department before it comes to the strength of the muscles.
So I’ve been lifting consistently and training light so as to not re-injure myself. I’ve been in the gym consistently twice a day for over a month. Im starting to see and feel the results. I’m twice as strong as when I started and running 5 miles faster than I ran 3 miles six weeks ago.
Coutors Gym is solid. Same core guys as usual working hard. My boy Jay Heiron from NY always grinding. Martin Campman and Mike Pyle are all doing good and have successful UFC careers. Brad Tavares is in there also looking tough. And the rest of the team
I’m still deciding where I’m going to have my training camp and how I want to split it. AKA is always easy for me. Same gym same times twice a day. Worst case I’ll do that a month for hard sparring and training with the team. Or maybe two months if I need to and I don’t have it set in Vegas.
All said, I’m feeling pretty healthy for the first time in years. I think my shoulder is good. Both my knees have been scoped. I got two discs in my neck and one in my back shot up under Xray and they feel great. I think with a good training camp and staying healthy I can give it a go this year. Though I do have to change my game up a bit by incorporating my wrestling and Thai boxing into my game plan. I know I can’t just go out there trying to sprawl and brawl from the get-go time and time again.
At the last UFC I had a bit too much to drink. LOL actually at the last two UFC’s I had a lot to drink. Then I went out and partied a little too hard. I got thrown out of I think Tryst ha ha. As I write this first blog I’m thinking this blogging shit isn’t for me. Im pretty private. My home life is good. The wife is good. I don’t like people knowing my shit and I guess I’m a loner when it comes down to it. I do my own thing a lot, and I like it that way. I went to Thailand alone for two months. I go to training camps at AKA to pretty much be alone. I guess I’m a loner; interesting I never really knew that. I excelled in wrestling and I’m a pro fighter—both individual sports. Probably has something to do with why I like to switch up training camps a lot. Or maybe not.
I do have regrets other than not training hard year round and being coachable when I was younger. I regret two things. One, I didn’t get into boxing at a young age when I wanted to. But that wasn’t under my control; there was no boxing where I lived. If I could have I woulda rode my bike 20 miles like I did back then to wrestling clinics. But I woulda trained Muyai Thai. I just really like the sport for some reason. I woulda loved to compete in Thailand and traveled and trained there and around the world. As a kid I loved wrestling but I wish I was a Thai boxer, even though there is no money or fame in it. I just love and respect the sport. I really enjoy the training and the toughness of it.
With that being said, I’ll be 36 in April and although I tell myself Chuck Lidell didn’t win the title until he was 36, the clock is ticking. The sport is evolving and I have some catching up to do. I’m not sure how much longer I can compete on a high level and make enough money where it’s worth it for the amount of abuse I take and longterm damage I’m doing to my body. My chin’s still solid, thank god. I’m healthy now and I can wrestle. I’m pretty comfortable where ever the fight goes and I have a ton of big fight experience. I guess at this point I have to focus on my skill set more than my physical. Something I never did in the past. I have to become a better skilled fighter rather than rely on trying to out-physical everyone I fight. Beat them pretty much how I was always getting beat in the past, out-techniqued and game planned. I have to increase my skill set, use my brain and mix it it up. I can’t plan on overpowering and KO-ing everyone I face. I probably lost some speed over the years. I definitely have lost strength, but I know how to fight much better than I ever did in the past. I’m also a lot more open to learning and adapting.
I still have a hunger and passion for the sport. I still have drive and determination. They say the last thing a fighter loses is his punch, so if all else fails I can alway throw a Hail Mary right hand.
I’ll finish my last blog with this. I’m going to train hard and prepare the best I can where I am for my next fight where ever that may be. I still hold onto the big dreams I had over ten years ago when I got into the game. But I’m setting smaller, more accomplishable goals. Goals I can achieve regularly. One thing that will never change is I always leave it all in the ring.
If you guys have any questions e-mail them to the site I’ll answer them in a blog once I get enough.
Thanks for the support and reading my blog and questions or comments are appreciated.
NYBA
PhilB