Canada Can Wait

Real sacrifice lightens the mind of the doer and gives him a sense of peace and joy. The Buddha gave up the pleasures of life because they had become painful to him.

Only two weeks remain.  The nerves are finally starting to set it.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a nervous wreck; for the first time, though, I think it has really dawned on me that I will be stepping into the cage in only 15 days, and that I really don’t know what to expect.  I mean, I’ve trained my grappling, trained my striking, did my endurance work, yet I still haven’t been punched in the face by a trained fighter with 4 ounce gloves on.  Hell, I’m not even sure what the canvas floor of the cage will feel like.

However, this is probably a good thing.  I’ve always performed best when backed against a wall, and discomfort can be a great motivator.  Like Cortez sinking his own ships, success often comes from knowing that the only way out is forward.  In my case, the ships are the friends and family that know about my fight.  It’s not a choice anymore.  I am going to have to face something that causes me, and every other fighter, discomfort. 

Bring it on.

I still do not know who my opponent will be.  I really wish I could tailor a bit of training toward the type of opponent I’ll be facing, but I guess this is just the reality of amateur MMA: train hard, show up, try to beat the shit out of whoever is across from you.

Something I forgot to consider before committing to fight:  Since I was about 15 years old, I planned to spend my 19th birthday getting shitfaced in Canada.  However, that’s probably not going to happen, since my birthday is 5 days before my fight.

Oh, the sacrifices we make.

15 Days Until the Cage