I WON!!!!!!!

Well....the first match atleast. ha-ha. It was an awesome experience and as I was right about a previous post, my conditioning was what I was worried about. That is exactly what beat me. After reviewing the tapes, I realized that I was doing a lot of things right and some things wrong, so it wasn't my grappling that failed me, it was my stamina that beat me.

Now let's talk about the win first! lol. Wow, it was sweeeeeeeeeet and it felt amazing!!!! It was my first match and I am all pumped up on adrenaline and nerves. The match started and no less than 10 seconds, I pulled a beautiful arm drag and took him to the ground. As we both hit the mat, I was already planning my next move, which was to advance the position. I wanted to atleast get side control, but the poor guy gave me more than that. I took his back and for all those out there who know something about grappling, I landed an awesome "rear naked choke" to win. Now for those who don't know, it goes something like this....I have my opponents back and I have to sink my legs in, meaning I wrap my legs around my opponent and my feet are tucked in between his legs keeping him from being able to post up to stand up. My right arm is around his neck, grabbing my opposite bicep which then my left arm is pressing against the back of his head to squeeze in the choke. I will squeeze my legs and arch my back as I tighten the choke until he taps out or passes out. You will notice that I when I get the guys back, I am struggling for hand control so I can sink in the choke. Once I get it nice and tight, he taps. The cool thing about my first match is that I tapped him out in about 35 seconds, so Don't blink!

After the nerves, adrenaline, intensity, and hard strain to choke that first opponent out, my biggest fear was happening....my stamina was no longer there. I usually roll 3 minute rounds with 1 minute rest between rounds in class, but there is something completely different when you add in a recipe of nerves and excitement. The second match started off good, but as my body gave up on me, I could not finish my opponent. He shot in on me and took me down, but I landed a guillotine choke which is opposite of a rear naked choke. The guy is facing me and I am choking him from a different position. My only problem was that using all the muscle strength in my arms for the first fight failed me when I tried to choke out this guy. He broke lose after a while and I noticed that I was grappling really good against him, but once I pulled a sweet reversal and landed sideguard which is a position of advancement, the round was over. The second round was where I messed up completely. I rushed a shot and the rest is just history.

The third fight was not too bad either, but still ended in fatigue and left myself open for a choke. From the very beginning, the guy tried landing a guillotine choke on me, but the only way to complete it is if his legs were wrapped around my body. When he pulled that choke on me, I went to the ground and got side position where I could relieve the stress of his choke. I also landed a better positioned choke on him while I was in the north/south position, but fatigue kept me from finishing it and before long, I made a stupid move to allow him to get the guard position and wrap his legs around me to finish the guillotine choke.

It was not a complete failure today and I learned SO MUCH. I learned that I need to condition myself ten million times better before I get in another competition. Another thing is that when I am fatigued, I need to take a deep breath, be patient and don't rush something that may put me in a bad position. I feel I was better than those guys out there, but I beat myself because I was not in the best shape. I may have to figure out how to cut weight easier because cutting almost 20 lbs in a short amount of time takes it's toll on my body. I am glad that I experienced victory and defeat, so I know what to expect the next time. This has been a great learning experience and I will hold my head up even though I lost and know that it has made me a stronger fighter and person. Aimee has been there right by myside through it all and I owe a lot of credit to her. I would not have been as strict on my diet if it weren't for her. I wanted more than anything to make her proud of me and she has been my motivation. If I didn't have this to share with her, I don't think I would have worked as hard. She is my everything and I love you sweetheart!

Thank you all for keeping up with my post and I will be sure to update this often as my training continues. I am not ready for the cage anytime yet, but this is one stepping stone for sure. I know where I stand right now and certainly where I plan to go. It is going to take a lot of hard work, but the end result is going to be so rewarding.

Now, enjoy the video of all three fights. Take Care :)