THE RESULTS ARE IN!!!!!!!

Record: 4 - 1 (2nd Place) 145-160lb Division


First and foremost, I made weight last night. I weighed in at 157.00 and instantly enjoyed a full Red Baron pizza right afterwards. It was so much harder cutting this time than last for some odd reason. I think it may have been because Aimee is on a high fat diet for Kayleigh to get as much nutrients as possible, the cooking reality shows we have been watching or the twinkies that are sitting on the island in my kitchen just staring at me everyday. I was three pounds over about 2 hours before weigh-ins. I decided to put on the bath at a steaming hot temperature, cut on the shower at full heat and laid in the tub for about 25 minutes. I then got out and sat on the side of the tub to continue to sweat as the bathroom was as hot as a sauna. I then laid on our bedroom floor for about 35 minutes after that, still sweating and trying to cool down. I dropped the pounds and headed to weigh-ins confident that I was in good shape to make it under 160. Their scale weighed a little light compared to mine at home, so that helped solidify reaching my weight class.

Well, I am pleased and proud to say that this tournament was a complete success for me. I ended up getting 2nd place amongst 8 competitors in my weight class. Below I am going to describe every fight individually and then you will be able to see the video of it all. There must have been something in the water these past 8 months because the guys in my weight class were in unbelievable shape. They must have come out of the wood works because these top notch athletes were not around during the first tournament. I mentioned before that if the level of competition was the same as last time, I would have no problem at all in this tournament. Well, I will be completely honest and tell you that I was not being very positive when I saw the guys I was about to go up against. I was thinking that I better have increased my skill level tremendously to be able to hang in there with these guys. I guess going in without a big head and being over confident helped me do the job that needed to be done.

The first fight started off a little shaky. When you see it, you will see the most unbelievable ankle pic I have ever seen. The guy takes me down within 2 seconds of starting and I hit the ground with him on top feeling like I was in really big trouble. This guy was good! I landed in half guard and worked a couple positions that I knew best which is called the lock down. It is where I tie up his one leg with my two legs causing agonizing pain to his shin. I keep him in for a little bit until he stands up, I then take him back down landing in side mount. He quickly regains the half guard where I put the lock down back in. Okay, now one of the submissions that you set up with the lock down goes a little like this...Once I get the lock down on his leg, I slide under his other leg, which will then spread his "cookies" apart and put major pain in the groin area. I then will grab the front of his knee and apply a knee bar while splitting his legs apart still. This submission is exactly what I did, although it didn't end how I would have wanted. He didn't tap! So I applied more and more preasure until his knee ripped like a stick that you break with two hands. "Crrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaccccckkkkk" is all I heard. I easily tore some ligaments in his knee which really stinks, but that is what happens when you don't tap. You are taught to apply pressure as slow and safe as possible so the opponent can tap before something like that happens. I hope the guy heals quick and he gets back out there because he was a hell of a grappler.

The second fight included the only mistake I made all day. I shot in too far out with my head down. That is a no no and of course I paid for the mistake. After he sprawled on me, he went for the guillotine choke, but I was able to pull my head out quickly. His guard was high and he landed a sweet triangle that I was not able to get out of. I was going to try to hang in there, but when the room started to go dark, I thought it would be wise to tap out before I went to sleep. The bad news is that I lost, but the good news is all the other fights were just as quick to the finish, but in my favor.

The third fight was sweet!!! I have been joking with my buddies in class that I would pull off a flying arm bar in this tournament if someone made the mistake in wrapping their hand around my neck when standing. If you have never seen a flying arm bar, you now have and it may not have looked as pretty as what some of the pros I have seen pull off, but it was effective because I tapped the guy out in about 20 seconds. This is a sight to see and I apologize, but I am stoked about pulling this move off. This move in grappling is like a triple play in baseball.

The fourth fight was shocking. This guy that I went up against has beaten all the other competitors he faced and showed unbeatable skills. When I saw who I was going up against, I literally said to myself, "Oh crap, I guess I am not going to place at all this year" Well, it turns out, that I proved myself wrong because I tapped this guy out in 35 seconds. When were standing for a short time when I actually tried to nail the flying arm bar again, but it didn't work this time around. I went straight to his guard and ended up reaching around getting a guillotine choke on him to tap him out. I was on a roll and shocking myself completely. This was a great feeling and I only have one more guy to go.

This is for second or third placing, so I sure didn't want to go home with third place. The guy I went up against had lost one fight already to a guy that I beat, but that was nothing to get confident over. It is anyones fight at anytime. When the round started, the guy pulled guard not to far in the match. I was trying to break his guard to pass and get a better position, but he wasn't budging. He tried to get a triangle choke by throwing his leg up over my shoulder. I went to pass his legs to get to side mount, but he blocked that quickly and unfortunately left a leg for me to grab. I sat back to pull off an ankle crank, but he stood up to defend against it. This guy knows what he is doing. But, all of a sudden he twisted to pull his leg out leaving a heal out for me to lock up and I ended up getting him in a heal hook to tap him out.

This tournament was a complete success and I am so excited about the outcome. I have a nice little metal for keepsake. 2nd place feels so good because I not only improved my game tremendously in 8 months, but I reached my goal of placing in the top three like I wanted. Above is the video and I hope you enjoy it. I am going to go eat a brownie with a glass of milk and watch it myself :)

***A TRIBUTE TO JAKE***

Record: 2-2 (2nd Place) 130-145lb Division

Jake Kozlowski is a good friend of mine and my training partner at Seven Owl. He and I have been training hard for this tournament for the past couple months. When we are not working out during normal class periods, we would get together in his garage to roll around. We changed our training to work a lot on our endurance by grappling for sometimes up to (15) 3 minute rounds with only a minute rest in between rounds. This has allowed us to get used to the round lengths and train our hearts to recover quickly inbetween rounds. Compared to the last tournament, I know it has greatly increased my cardio and from watching Jake kick ass today, I am sure it helped him too.

Jake was competing in the tournament today too and he was supposed to be in the 130-145lb class for 30 years and up, but there was only him and one other guy in that class. So, he decided to drop down to fight against the 18-29 year olds in the same 130-145lb weight class, which I give him total props because that is a tough class with a lot of talent. I am very proud of Jake because he kept a level head and remained calm while on the other hand, my heart was pounding out of my chest with nervousness. He did an amazing job today finishing 2nd place too in his weight class.

Jake won his first match by gaining higher points in the second round against his opponent. The guy was strong, but Jake was able to control him with a double leg take down and remained in side mount for most of the match. He swapped positions a couple times, but was able to remain in a more dominant position more often giving him higher point for the win. Jakes, second match didn't go so well, as his opponent pulled off one of the quickest set ups for an arm bar that I have ever seen in my life. There was just no time to react and he had to tap. Jakes third match ended with a sweet submission. To be honest, I don't think we know what the name is. I think we call it some kind of crusifix, but it is something Jake has pulled off on me several times in class so I know how bad it hurts. The tape cuts out a little between the round a little, but you can see the crusifix submission and the guy tapping out. Jakes last fight was against the guy who already beat him once before. Jake put up a good fight with him this time around, but got stuck in a triangle choke. I must say, Jake was able to hold on for dear life with that triangle choke as you will see in the video. It is not an easy submission to get out of and it usually ends people pretty quickly, like the one I was submitted with but Jake hung in there for a while before the guy tightened just enough. The finaly fight put Jake in second place with a proud fan base behind him.

Jake! We are all proud of you for your hard work and impressive results! Way to go dude!

Now enjoy Jake's video -

Just A Couple More Days!!!

That is what I keep saying to myself when I think about the list of foods I can't wait to eat after the tournament. This Saturday is the day and I am stoked! It is my time to see how well I have improved since the first tournament. Well, I should do much much better considering I had only trained for 2 months before the first tournament. I have 8 more months under my belt, so I am expecting to do much better. Aimee hit the nail on the head and said that if my competition is at the same level as last time, then I should at least place first, second, or third. So that is my goal this time around. Of course I want to win the whole freak'n thing, but I will be certainly satisfied if I place in the top three.

Training has been great and my conditioning is still proving to be ten times better than it was before. I have been cutting water weight this week and I weighed in at 164 this morning. If I can just maintain that, I will be able to drop the last four pounds the day of weigh-ins. My body has started to cramp a little with the lack of water, so I have increased some potassium to help get rid of those nagging things. The crappy part is, it is not just a normal leg cramp. It is those nasty cramps in the arch of your foot or below your shoulder blade that hurt like crap. Just a couple more days, I keep saying to myself.

Jake is going to come over Friday night around 7:00 and Aimee, the kids and I are going to leave together to go to weigh-ins. Once I get back, I have to eat a lot of carbs and drink a lot of Pedialyte which will help get the water back in my system. I have plans to eat spaghetti for dinner and several pieces of bread/butter. Carbing up is very important so I can put a little weight on and get my stamina back up. If I don't eat enough at the right times, I could very easily be gassing out like last time. But, I don't think carbing up will be a problem for me since I am dying for a change in food.

Scott and Josh are coming in to town to celebrate Dad's birthday and to come watch my tournament. I am so looking forward to afterwards when we head on over to parents house because Mom is cooking two of my favorite things...Ribs and Macaroni & Cheese. Yes, I know they don't go together too well, but when you haven't eaten anything but chicken and rice for the past three months, you really won't care either. ha-ha. Aimee is actually at the store right now getting ready to spoil the crap out of me. She is going to make me my favorite cake, which is this amazingly soft, white cake with the most deliceous icing known to man. I bet you can picture what my face looks like when I describe it. It looks like the face on a kid in a candy store.

Well, I will certainly be in touch on Friday night after I weigh in. Wish me the best of luck as I torture my palat for a couple more days.

3 WEEKS TO GO!!!

Well, here we are and the countdown begins. I have a little over three weeks left and I am feeling great. I am currently weighing 173lbs and I want to get down to around 167 in two weeks, so I can just cut the rest off in the last week by shedding water weight.

Training has never been better. I am doing my cardio twice a day (unless I have class) to get rid of the weight. I do my conditioning training two or three times a week depending on my available time when I am not working or doing other training. Jake, a training partner and I have been getting in an extra grappling session a week, so that helps me with my conditioning. We have been really pushing ourselves through our workout with what sometimes feels like never ending rounds. I feel like my conditioning and my skills are 150% better than the first tournament, so I am expecting great things this time around.

Jake is also doing the tournament, but in a different weight class than me. We have been working situations left and right, and pushing our conditioning to make sure we are completely ready. I really feel we are both going to do a great job and we will make sure we video again and take photos so everyone can see us kick some butt.

While I have been training really hard, eating perfect and trying to sell some houses in a slow market, our little one (Kayleigh Anne) is having a battle of her own. Aimee is 22 weeks, but Kayleigh is only measuring 18 weeks. The Doctors are not giving her but a couple weeks to live due to a placenta that is not delivering enough nutrients or allowing her to produce enough amniotic fluid. Kayleigh is completely healthy, but the placenta is not allowing her to grow and without many prayers and a miracle, it will soon take the life of our little one we so preciously love. We ask of you all to pray for her health and pray for Aimee and I to be strong as we deal with this very hard time in our lives. If she is anything like me, we know she is going to put up a hell of a fight.

We love and miss you all very much!!

Round Two!!!!

It is that time again!!! I am three months out from my next tournament. You can view details about the tournament at http://www.hayastangrapplingchallenge.com/. The date is June 7th. I have started to watch what I eat so I can cut the weight in time. I am currently weighing 185lbs, and I want to get back down to 155 again. I am very excited to see how the turn out is with this tournament since I only had two months of training and was not in tip top shape for the last one.

It has been another five months that have past and I feel like I am 150% better than I was before. I make the joke that if I can prolong the time of getting tapped out by my instructor (John), then I know I am improving. And well, I am blessed to say that I have actually tapped him out a few times in the last couple practices and that it is not an easy thing to do. John has been a great teacher and I feel with his knowledge and how hard he has been working me, I am going to finish no less than first place this time around.

I know that cutting the weight wasn't a problem this past tournament, but the conditioning was. I have already designed a weekly program leading up to the fight to prepare my physical endurance to be in the best shape I can possibly be in. I have alternated my days with a circuit training routine from hell or miles of running. Training in class is going to be my main workout because there is no perfect training for grappling, but to do the real thing. I am going to push myself in class to grapple longer rounds and with heavier people than me, so I can hold my ground when I am competing with someone my own size. John is a great person to roll with because he is a lean 192lbs and stronger than hell! He makes me work hard and pushes me to new limits. The other guys in the class are really good too because they all bring different techniques and skills to the table, and I must say that no one in our class is a breeze to grapple with.

John decided that we should change our training strategy up a little and instead of just going live from the standup all the time, he decided to put us in different situations. Whether they are good or bad, he wants us to work every situation until it becomes more familiar to us. So sometimes I will be stuck with a guy on my back trying to sink a choke in and my goal is to get out of the situation by hopefully reversing it. The guy on my back has it easy because all he has to do is finish me with a choke and he is already half way there. The hard part is that we are not drilling, we are going live and hard! All this technical training will prepare us all for our fights, tournaments or on the street if need be.

My future goals at this point will be determined on how well I do at this tournament and the next. The following tourament is in September and if I do well at both, I am going to train and focus a little more on my stand up game and try and get a ametuer cagefight somewhere. If you go to http://www.mma.tv/, you can see that there are fights all over the place looking for fighters, so it won't be too hard to get in somewhere. I just want to make sure that I am confident with my ground game that I can get in the cage and take it to someone because most fights are taken to the ground anyways. I just need to keep in mind that I am not going to get anywhere unless I bust my tail! So please say a prayer for me that I stay healthy and continue to give it my all.

Happy New Year!!!

Cheers to the end of a great year full of many wonderful memories and accomplished goals. Congratulations to Brandon and Allyson for passing their yellow belt test. "Way to go, we are so proud of you two. You both have worked so hard and we love you so much."

It is now time to get back to busting my tail, eating better and getting back down to a good weight. I am currently weighing in at 180, which is about 20 pounds that I don't regret gaining over the holidays. The food was good, but now it is time to get back down to around 165 so I can cut the rest off pretty easily when competition comes around.

There is another Hayastan Grappling Challenge come June, so as of right now I am going to take my time in getting in to tip top conditioning shape and at the right weight. The conditioning is what hurt me last time around and I will not let that happen again. I have started back training after taking a couple weeks off for Disney and the holidays. My first two practices were tough and I was about an inch away from hurling both times. I guess that is what I get for stuffing my face. After being quite dissapointed with how quickly you can get out of shape, I started to run 2-3 miles every morning to get back on track. Since our normal gym shut down and we are waiting for the new one to open, I have no other choice but to run outside. "I want the treadmill!!!!!!" The treadmill is so good because I can hike up the speed and run straight uphill which can get you in better shape in no time.

Congrats to Padraic (Paddi), who trains with us at Seven Owl. He went to corner a friend for an MMA event out in Arkansas and when the venue had a fighter not able to fight due to an injury, they asked Paddi to fight. Needless to say, the training we endure at Seven Owl has proved superior over all fighters in Arkansas. Paddi, who had planned to fight an MMA event in the near future, wasn't expecting a 30 minute preparation time. One of his friends ran to Wal Mart to get him a cup (jockstrap) and a mouth piece. He then borrowed a pair of shorts and went to battle, beating the mess out of the guy in less than 35 seconds (Ground and Pound referee stoppage). It was the most exciting fight of the night and it was so exciting, Paddi was invited back next month for a title shot in the 155 pound weight class. We are going to help him train hard so he can go back there and get the job done and bring home a belt.

I am so proud of Paddi because I know how hard he works and his dedication. He deserves great things and I learn a lot from Paddi's style of fighting. He has a bright future and the determination to become something great. "We wish you the best, brother!!!"

I guess I can't leave without telling you my new years resolution. Besides Aimee and I's business goals of reaching the limitless sky, or training to be a feared fighter in the cage, my new years resolution is to do whatever it takes to make my pregnant wife happy. Yes, I am going to be a Daddy. Disney sure was magical :) Aimee and I are so pumped up and excited that we will be proud parents of either Seth Thomas or KayLeigh Ann in September of this year. I love you Aimee!!! :-)

Back to Training

After the tournament, I have enjoyed my normal eating style which is anything and everything. I am weighing 174 again and I am going to enjoy the holidays and good cook'n. I have been training twice a week and since business has kept me busy, I have not been in the gym much lately. As I said before, I am going to take it easy, learn more fighting techniques and enjoy the holidays. Once the holidays are over, I am going to be full steam ahead with a strict workout, diet and training regimen.

At class we have started a new phase in our training. We have started sparring. I never really thought about it before, but reality sets in when you put the gloves, head gear and mouth piece on. "I am about to throw some punches and I am about to get hit." And getting hit is what happened. Our instructor's words of advice were to stay in there, throw some punches and gain experience on what it feels like to get hit. So after a pounding headache and bloody nose, I feel much more comfortable sparring. The second class I had to spar against John, who is our instructor. He is a Golden Gloves Boxer from New York. So needless to say, I was scared. I figured that could get my butt kicked or stay in there, take some shots and prove something. So I did just that. He hits hard and was very complimentary of me staying in there with him and dooking it out, although I left with another bloody nose and headache. ha-ha. It was a lot of fun and I can't wait to learn some more. Above is a picture of me throwing a nice jab while sparring with Jake. I must say that the pic makes me look like I know what I am doing :)

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 :)

Time to kick some Butt!!!!

I just got back from weigh ins and having the most delicious dinner. I ended up weighing in at 155, so now I know my scale was off a little but it was off in the right direction. There were a lot of competitors there weighing in early and of course everyone was sizing everyone else up. Aimee said she was not impressed with what she saw.

After we weighed in, we went to Macaroni Grill and it was amazing. I ate almost the whole loaf of bread upfront and devoured the new lasagna dish that they have. I highly recommend it. My belly is hurting right now as I am drinking plenty of fluids. In a little bit, I am going to make a couple PB&J sandwiches and then go to bed. Aimee is going to make pancakes in the morning too. Woo Hoo!

I am so looking forward to tomorrow and I hope everything goes well. I will let you know how it goes as soon as I get a chance to post again. Have a great weekend and God Bless!

I MADE WEIGHT!!!!

Not officially yet, but tonight I will be weighing in at the location of the tournament at 8:00. All I have to do is keep my weight exactly where it is right now for a little over ten hours. I actually weighed in on the scaled at 158.6, but the the camera weighs .4 pounds. ha-ha. I am not allowed to eat or drink anything today unless I see my weight dropping even more and I can sip some water to stay somewhat hydrated. This is going to be a rough day considering all I have been craving lately is two double cheeseburgers and a dollar fry from McDonalds and or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. If you have never felt how strong a craving feels for food, then you haven't experienced true pain. My stomach has been cramping up and full of knots all day long, then my mouth starts to water and my heart sinks to the tips of my toes as if I were depressed or something. I never knew how much food meant to me until this week. I feel like I am a changed man and will start to appreciate how blessed I am to have the chance to lick the brownie bowl again soon. ha-ha.

Actually, tonight after weigh ins, Aimee and I are going to Macaroni Grill to eat some good cook'n. I am going to eat pasta and meatballs, along with lots of bread and butter to put my weight back on again. And when I get home, I will have some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before I go to bed which will give me more carbs, good fats, and sugar for energy. In the morning, I am going to eat pancakes with syrup for the same reason of getting a lot of carbs in me and sugar for energy. You would think I was crazy for eating those types of foods, but they serve a purpose to prepare for the fights.

Well, keep me in your prayers as the next post will have the results of the tournament. I am going to go out there and enjoy myself as this is a learning experience. I am either going to go out there and win and continue to do what I am doing correctly or I am going to get my butt kicked and know that I have to just train harder. Either way, it is going to be fun and I am glad that I can share it all with you. Wish me luck and say a prayer!

Do or Die!!!

Hello everyone!!! I am in the final week and it is do or die. No award winning movie has been created without some kind of suspense, and unfortunately I have created a lot of suspense as to whether or not I will make weight. I just got over a food poisoning illness that has set me back a a bit. But no worries, I am going to pull through it and make it happen. I have a little over five days until I weigh in and I am still in a reasonable amount of weight to make it under 160. I am on hyper drive right now and I have cut back my calories even more than before and doubled my cardio. Here is what my day to day outline looks like:

Sun-Fri
Meal 1: Oatmeal (2 packets)
-take all vitamins and suppliments
Meal 2: Protein Shake
Meal 3: Piece of Chicken (4 ounces)
Meal 4: Chicken (4 ouce) and Broccoli (1cup)
Meal 5: Protein Shot

Water intake:
Sun-2.5 gallons
Mon-2 gallons
Tue-1.5gallons
Wed-1gallon
Thur-1gallon(stop drinking at 8:00)
Fri-no water
***Diuretics should continue to get rid of water from my system to drain my water weight. Cross your fingers because this is where I am counting on losing most of my weight.

Cardio: AM/PM 1 hour each (burning over 750 calories each session)

As you can see there are only carbs in my morning meal to supply a good source of energy and enough fiber to flush all protein from prior meals. I will tap in to my protein intake for most of my energy throughout the week and then carb up a lot right after weigh ins so I have total energy for the fight.

This is DO OR DIE because if I don't make weight, I will have to fight at a higher weight class. The higher weight class is 160-175 which will consist of fighters who normally walk around at 190 and cut to make their lower weight class. Don't get me wrong, I am going to fight in this tournament no matter what calss I end up in, but I would highly prefer to fight at a weight class where the odds are more in my favor. For the most part, I will say this already has been an amazing experience and I jut can't wait to get on the mat and make some poor bastard TAP OUT!!!

2 Weeks To Go!!!

With two weeks to go, I am struggling to get rid of the weight. I have been eating good and training hard, but the pounds just won't seem to come off as quick as I want. I am down to 169.2 right now and I want to get to 165 in one week from now. I am on hyper drive with cutting more calories out of my diet and increasing my cardio training. I will consume 1200 calories a day with no more than 5g of fat and no more than 15g of sugar. I am also doing (2) one hour cardio sessions in a fat burning zone each day burning atleast 700 calories per session. I am doing fat burning zone so I don't burn any muscle that I have and I won't lose strength. I think that will get the weight off pretty quickly. Being this is my first cut, I will know exactly what I need to do the next time around without stressing. I certainly know the next time around, I am going to put more emphasis on my endurance/strength training and try to keep my weight around 165, so I don't have to worry about cutting that much.
I am very excited for the tournament and I have been working hard on my techniques. I don't think a minute passes by in the day where I am not running situations in my head. I just know that I have to go out there and push hard for a take down, advance the position and get a quick
submission. "Sounds easy" lol. I know that if I let it drag out, my conditioning might fail me. I seem to be really gassed when I am training in class, but I also know that I have not had a day off of training either. Maybe with the three days prior to the fight when I am just cutting water, I will rest and allow all my muscles to re-energize. It all depends on where my weight is at that time. Aimee has been pushing me hard and making sure I am staying under my sugars, which let me tell you is the hardest thing to do because everything seems to have some source of sugar in it and it all adds up quickly.
I will keep things posted as the days of the tournament are approaching quickly. Keep me in your prayers as I deperately need to get in to the 145-160 weight class. Thank you all for your support and I will be in touch soon.

Dress to Impress!!!

With only a month left to before my tournament, diet and work outs haven't been getting any easier. I have lost 3 lbs so far and I have 11 to go, so I don't think it will be too hard to get there. I just miss my snacks while watching tv at night on the couch with Aimee. She is dieting too so it makes it easier for the both of us to eat clean. I am so proud of her for working so hard and being so dedicated to my training. I couldn't do it without her help. Speaking of my wonderful Aimee...she surprised me today with a sweet pair of grappling shorts made by my favorite gear...TapouT. Their website it http://www.tapout.com/, so check out some of the clothing they have. She is so awesome!!!! Thank you sweetheart!

While at training this week, I worked a little more on what to expect at the tournament. I learned that no matter who I am paired up with, they are going to be just a nervous as I am and when the bell rings, they are going to size me up until they feel comfortable. What I learned is not to let them size me up and go full steam ahead to scare the mess out of them and lower their confidence even more. I learned a couple tricks from experience competitors at my training facility, so I look forward to putting those tricks to good use. Over the next four weeks, I am going to work mainly on my take downs as I feel that is the week point of my game right now. I feel really confident in other positions, but need to work on nailing a few submissions. It is a load of work and a lot of fun so I am looking forward to the end result.

Aimee made a good point, that even though I am working my tail off to come out a winner, it is my first tournament and what I need to take most from it is a learning experience. I know that I want to beat everyone out there, and I surely would hate to lose my first two matches of a double elimination tournament, but I need to remember that this is not the last but the first tournament experience for me. I am glad that I have her on my side because she is a great team player. I am also very excited to hear that Scott will be in my corner as well. He will be in town that weekend and it will surely give me more comfort/confidence knowing that I have family there who cares about me and wants to see me succeed. Thank you Scott!

I have to cut 14 pounds in a month!!!

Hello all! It is time to get serious. I have until 8:00pm on Friday September 21st to cut 14 pounds. The good thing is that I get to weigh in the night before, so whatever body fat I can't cut, I will lose in water weight. With my past history of personal training, I have designed a work out program that consists of weight training, conditioning and a strict diet.

Weight Training: My goal is to build up as much muscle endurance to last 3 (3) minute rounds with my opponent with only a minute rest between each round. I will have to incorporate push/pull exercises to mimic the movements that will take place during the match.

5/15's: All these exercises will be done as quickly and correctly as possible within 3 minutes with only 30 seconds of rest inbetween using dumbells for 5 rounds total. The weight of the dumbell will increase as weeks go on. The exercises in this routine consist of:

Bent Over Rows

Upright Rows

Overhead Press

Goodmornings

Lunges -right leg in front

Lunges - left leg in front

Squat/Curl/Overhead Press

Dead Lifts

Conditioning: Each conditioning training exercise is done once a day everyday to help me lose the weight that I need and to gain endurance through the whole fight.

Running: 3+ miles either on the running trail, road or treadmill.

Heavy Bag: (5) 3 minute rounds with 1 minute rest in between. I will work on combinations and follow it up with consecutive power punched to built my punching strength endurance.

Jump Rope: (3) 3 minute rounds with 1 minute rest in between.

Diet: I have designed a diet that is high in protein and low in fats and sugars. It also consists of minimal carbs to allow me to complete the exercises without gassing out.

Breakfast: 12 Egg whites

Snack: Protein Shake

Lunch: Chicken/Fish w/ rice

Snack: Protein Shake

Dinner: Chicken/Lean Red Meat w/ vegatables or Chicken Salad

Cutting Water Weight:

I am expecting to cut about 8 lbs with my diet which should be pretty easy if I stick to the food source I have planned. My main objective is to cut body fat and not lose any muscle to after weigh-ins, I can eat some carbohydrates to gain energy for the next day and pedialite so I can hydrate myself quickly. I have from 8pm on the 21st until 11:00am on the 22nd to do this.

Cutting the water weight will consist of this plan:

5,4, & 3 days prior to fight: I will drink 2 gallons of water to get my body on a reguar routine to flush everything out of my system.

2 days prior: I will drink only a gallon of water, but will still be using the bathroom a lot to flush out the water, being that my body will be used to it. I will also take a laxative to rid any food left in my digestive tract.

24 hours prior: I will cut all water and food consumption and spend some time exercising with heavy clothing on to flush out more water or hit the sauna if that doesn't work quick enough and sweat it out

WEIGH IN: Hopefully at 160 or below. I am going to over shoot just incase my scale reads a little higher than theirs.

After weigh in: I will drink pedialite to rehydrate myself and eat every 2 hours nothing but carbs such as pasta and bread. The morning of, I will eat some high energy foods such as honey and an energy bar or two.

My First Challenge!!!

It has been slightly over a month since I have started my quest to the cage and one of my training partners just told me, "Get as much experience as possible by competing in grappling tournaments." So with out thinking twice about it, I am entering in my first grappling tournament on September 22, 2007. I will be competing in the 145-160 weight class, so I have some pounds I need to lose. I am currently weighing 174, so 14 pounds isn't too bad in a little over a month. I am going to treat this as if I were training for a real full on contact fight so you will be able to read week by week how my training goes and what I will be doing to get ready for the tournament. Here is the link to the tournament website, so you can go on the site and check it out. (http://hayastangrapplingchallenge.com/) I am pumped and ready to kick some butt. As I am training for this tournament, I will need many words of encouragement, so leave as many posts as you'd like. Thanks everyone!

Training has begun!!!

After doing endless research on where I would like to train and gain the most knowledge for the goals that I have set for myself, I ended up at Seven Owl Dojo. The reason I chose this facility is because they are one of the very few places in the area that specifically train for MMA (Mixed Martial Arts). They work on submission fighting, catch-wrestling, Jiu Jitsu, Judo, and kickboxing We not only learn competition rules, but street fighting rules too...ha-ha, which consist of "no rules." I have certainly learned quite a bit since I started my first class over a month ago. I learned that I am out of shape and I have a lot to learn. It takes a certain athlete to endure the physical training and pain tolerance of getting your butt kicked day in and day out, but I am managing to grow every class. I have increased my endurance to where I don't feel like I am going to throw up after class and my confidence is certainly getting better. In my class, there are several guys who outweigh me by 40-50 lbs. So when I am able to go up against someone my own weight, I can hold my own. One thing I thought I knew growing up was how to throw a punch, but I was completely wrong. Throwing a blow while dipping your head, shrugging your shoulders and keeping your opposite hand to block is one hard thing to do correctly. I am sure with time, everything is going to come natural. I just need to work hard day in and day out to better myself and set small goals so I can reach my overall goal when the time comes to step in the cage.

The Beginning!!!

Hello All!

After seeing the work that Scott has put in to his blog about his family and events, I figured I would do something similar and share with you the journey of my training to the day I step in the cage for the first time.... Yes, the cage where a battle between two men who have trained endlesly ends with the excitement of a hand being raised in victory. A battle consisting of a chess match of submissions and a race of outlasting endurance and strength. A battle where you could end up getting knocked out by a devestating blow to the chin, tap out because your arm is about to snap in the wrong direction, or fade to black as a choke has sunk in deeply cutting off all air supply to your empty lungs. This is a competition where two fighters have not only trained physically, but just as much mentally to control the stomach stabbing nerves and to have the highest peaking confidence to be the victor in the end. Both fighters have waited impatiently for the bell to ring as all hell will break loose. It is survival of the fittest in the 155 pound weight class and here is the beginning of my journey to the day I step in the cage to claim victory upon my first unfortunate opponent.