Two Fights in Two Days at Mr. Olympia in Las Vegas

I arrived in Las Vegas on the evening of September 17, 2014. I was 6lbs over my fight weight of 157lbs, which was perfect for a day before weigh-in. Antonio and I were rooming together at the Riviera, which put us within walking distance of the Las Vegas Convention Center where the fights would be taking place. The next morning I linked up with my teammates Jen and Pam, and we hit a local gym to use their sauna. My cut was smooth, and I was ready to weigh-in after about an hour. We made it back to the Convention Center, I weighed in at 156.6, checked in with the doctor, and was off to rehydrate and grab some food. Mike and Chrissy showed me the ins and outs of the Vegas rail and shuttle system, then we settled in for a late sushi lunch. I then made my way back to the Riviera for the rules meeting.

My first fight would be against Thomas Hughes out of Utah. He came into the match with an undeafeated record of 4-0. During this fight, I had a little bit of regression to early on in my career where I'd start fights slow, then "wake up" in the third round. This was the most slippery ring I'd ever fought in and the shaky footing made me very uneasy about putting much power on my shots. Thomas had no problems unleashing and started really aggressive. I weathered the storm and started turning things around midway through the second, then really poured it on in the third. Conditioning was huge in this fight, as Hughes was clearly spent by the third which allowed me to throw the kitchen sink at him. I was relieved to get the victory and was determined to perform from the opening bell the next day. Respect to Thomas who landed some nice techniques, including a jumping front kick to the face!

In my second bout I was to face Chris Burgett of Portland, OR, who came into the tournament with a 6-1-2 record, so he had a little more experience than I did. Tournaments are great because they allow you to assess shortcomings in your first fight(s), and make the necessary adjustments to your game or mentality in the moment. Mistakes from the day before can be discussed and addressed. For me, my main concern was to not start the fight being hesitant. My goal was to move forward and put pressure on my opponent. I came out aggressive for this fight, which my opponent later said he did not expect based on what he'd observed the day before. The first round seemed pretty even, but I was eating a lot of straight lefts from the southpaw, Burgett. Lefties are naturally set-up to land power shots against orthodox fighters, and though I was aware of it, sometimes when I make a decision to be the aggressive fighter, I'll come in with my hands too low. I paid for this in the second round, as I was putting Burgett in the corner he caught me with a big straight that dazed me, then he landed a hook that dropped me to my knees. I remember looking to my corner where my coach gave me the hand signal to take my time before standing. We've talked about that before, how if you're ever dropped, to not rush to stand because you can come crashing down immediately and the ref may wave off the fight. So, I waited for the referee to begin his count, and a gathered myself the best I could before standing. A bit wobbly, I continued the fight and made it to the end of the round. I somehow managed a monster third round, landing some huge knees to the body of my opponent. I had my opponent fading by the end of the fight, and thought I'd done enough to overcome the second round knockdown, but alas the win was awarded to Burgett.

I was crushed after the fight as I'd put everything into preparing for this tournament. I really thought that this would be the moment where I put the stamp on what I'm aiming to do as a fighter, but it just wasn't my time yet. I've still got some mental hurdles to overcome, as well as a few weaknesses in technique that continue to be exposed. I'm proud of the way I fought though, and I was excited by what I may be able to achieve in this sport once I can let go of fear and allow myself to control the fight. In most of my fights, including losses, I feel that I've been the more technical and athletically gifted fighter, I just need to believe in my capabilities a little more. I also need to work on developing my ability to listen to my corner during a fight. My coach was calling for things that I could hear, but my body wasn't letting me execute. These are things that can be addressed in training though, and I know they will get better with time and experience.