Andy’s Blog

If you haven’t seen this movie featuring Mickey Rourke, you should definitely take the time to check it out.  It has an interesting story line and something that most MMA fighters could probably relate to, the abuse we put our bodies through and the toll it takes on our personal and professional lives.  I lived and died for pro-wrestling when I was a kid and this movie definitely shows the other side of the business.  Great flick.

Finishing up the training for the fight that is next Thursday; sparring a few more times and then get in the cage and get to work.  Am excited and anxious to be getting back in there…

Just finished the morning workout which included a running routine at Hoover High School.  As you get older, you definitely begin to appreciate a nice, rubber running track and Field Turf football field to work out on.  The workouts are feeling good and I’m finally starting to feel that peak in my training and hope to keep it going.  It is tough as day after day you train at the same time, eat the same things at the same time, go to bed at the same time but the feeling of competition is always exciting and winning, of course, is well worth the sacrifice.

I’m definitely saddened by the recent death of former boxing champion Arturo Gatti, who was found in a hotel room in Brasil strangled.  For a great champion that put his heart and soul every time he stepped into the ring, it is sad to see him exit the world like that.  I used to watch his matches with Mickey Ward and no matter how many times I’d seen it, it was always exciting.  I definitely learned a lot watching him and hopefully whoever is responsible for this crime is brought to justice.

OK, lunch is ready!  Grab a bite and then head back to the gym for some muay thai sparring in the afternoon with one of my coaches, Nestor and hopefully have some time to drop by Best Buy afterwards and pick up the latest edition of my favorite video game, NCAA football.

Just finished another long day of training that included pad work, swimming and of course, grappling.   Definitely looking forward to putting all of my hard work to good use next Thursday night.  I’ve never been a very good swimmer but the cardio benefits are certainly there and it’s a lot less wear and tear on your body.  Next time you are in a regulation sized pool (25 meters), try going from one end to the other while being underwater the whole way.  It’s brutal.

I’m also trying to balance training with school and while it has had its moments so far, I am glad to be back in school.  The class I am taking now is one of the subjects I enjoy,  diversity in schools and it is fascinating how far we have come in balancing schools and making them equitable for students of diverse backgrounds.  At this point, I’m definitely not ready to assume any principal duties as the knowledge and responsibility is quite overwhelming, but I’m enjoying the challenge.  Sort of.

Well, lots of mixed reviews about this historic event, as most of the talk seems to be centered around Brock Lesnar’s post-fight comments.  Personally, I’d like to have been there when Dana had his conversation with Brock, knowing how Dana definitely is not one to mince his words.  The positives of this show were that Dan Henderson proved he could still hang with the young bucks and his vicious overhand right is still punching tickets.  I also liked watching Jon Fitch do his thing, very impressive and amazing how he is able to take away his opponent’s best weapons.  GSP.  What more is there to say?  I had a conversation with some of my friends about how he makes really, really good guys (Jay Hieron, Mayhem Miller, etc.) look human and he did the same to Thiago Alves.  I was pretty certain that Alves would give GSP the fight of his life, but once again, the Canadian knows how to shut down his opponents.  Simply amazing, considering the caliber of the opponents he fights.

My fight is about ten days away and it is business as usual.  Training.  Dieting.  Sleeping.  I’m very much looking forward to this fight as I’ll be wearing a special t-shirt made by Recoil Clothing, which was created by a Iraq veteran and is using proceeds from his company to help fellow Iraq vets.  My brother will be in attendance as he just returned from a long stint in Kuwait and I definitely want to give him a performance he can be proud of.

Recently attended an event that was held to honor the four Oakland police officers that were slain in the line of duty.  Gladiator Challenege donated some tickets to the next fight and had the ring girls there to help promote the show.  Here I am with some of the perks of the job…