My First Loss

**OiScout** · Posted On: 8/17/2010 7:28pm

Well I'm pretty ashamed of this fight, but after reading what Sang posted in another thread, I realized how stupid it is. I wasn't ashamed that I lost, but because of the mental game. That is to say, I couldn't focus and wasn't thinking the right thoughts.

My gym told me the fight was at 130(I was like 138 and had 4-5 weeks) and was a sad panda when they told me it was at 135. I came in 1-0, I'm not sure what my opponent was. But apparently he's 4-1 as of July 1st 2010.
round 1
2

TL;DR in advance:
Accepted a fight and kept going while injured and being under prepared. Got nowhere close to enough sparring in. Had no focus/got psyched out. Working hard without hard sparring will only get you so far.

Funny thing is I remember reading about people talking about dumps/throws on the forum and how awesome they were. And then I got tossed around.

I also learned that I have a hard time differentiating between a left leg kick and left body kick. I don't know if I was trying to throw a lot of superman punches or they just ended up looking like failed supermans because I was teeped/leg kicked. I also caught myself doing the scooping/catching legkicks at bad times(meaning I'm doing them reactively because I'm getting kicked to ****, rather than planning on checking and scooping the leg up).

I thought that since I already had one fight out of the way my mind would be strong. Boy was I wrong.

Rant:
Now that's out of the way, here comes the excuse train. I was unprepared for this mentally and physically. My first fight I did well, was actively thinking about fighting, what to do next, how should I try to bait, observing what my opponent was doing, and listening to my corner. Then I start slacking off again, training maybe two days a week(for like 5-6 months), and eventually go on vacation for a month. I come back, and my coach asks me if I want to fight, and I have about 4-5 weeks to train. I accept, even though I have a bad left knee. It acts up as I never got it checked out, on top of going from 0-60 in training stresses it out. I get in one hard sparring session with this new guy who destroyed my quad(and knee). Now I can't throw right roundhouses to the body(or head).

My first fight I read that I should essentially meditate to help my nerves. Just imagine being in the changing room then walking out to the ring. I did none of it this time. My first outing I was the 2nd fight, this time I had like 9-10 before me. I let everyone else affect me. There was this girl from my gym fighting like two before me(and she's damn good), but she was just panicking and stressing out the whole time, one friend lost to a decision and another got TKOed in round 1. It felt like I waited so long I adrenaline dumped.

Eventually I hop in the ring but I have a different feeling. I just can't focus on the fight, my mind is shitting itself. I couldn't find the confident me who was trying to psyche myself up that I had previously. I kept forgetting my opponent was southpaw as well. On top of that I couldn't hear anything but my opponent's corner, and even thought that the bodyshot after he caught my leg would hurt. I also distinctly remember sitting down in my corner and then zoning out for 10 seconds. It was bad enough I actually told my coach to hit me. On top of that, technique went to ****. I even thought at one point, hey, if I don't block his punches maybe start punching more. Although I also wasn't worried about his hands.

It was like I devolved.

**Vector** · Posted On: 8/17/2010 8:39pm

Props for posting a video where you don't feel that you did so well.

We have some young hungry fighters that will take just about any chance to fight, regardless of whether or not they are ready. I big part of our responsibility is to ensure that they don't get in the ring/cage if they aren't prepared. I have to wonder about the wisdom of training part time for half a year, then going on vacation for a month, then fighting a month later while injured.

I think you showed a lot of heart to get in there and mix it up; not too sure what your gym/camp was thinking.

**OiScout** · Posted On: 8/17/2010 11:07pm

Pretty much it's being young/stupid. I mean I guess I train hard enough and did well enough the first fight that they figure I shouldn't have such a huge problem.

I thought I was mentally prepared, but now I know that having a good/stable life isn't the same as being mentally prepared.

Regardless, injury or no injury, my head wasn't in the game. I probably would have lost either way.

On a side note I'm 24 even though they list me as 22.

**sambosteve** · Posted On: 8/18/2010 12:08am

My rant: How come I had no idea about this fight?

Second rant: If you know you are not ready, don't fight. If you are not going in there to win, don't do it.

Third rant: If your coach let's you fight injured, as a noob, that's a problem.

***WhiteShark*** · Posted On: 8/18/2010 7:34am

As an amateur fighting late on the card is really really hard. Watching other people come back in with wins and losses can be an emotional rollercoaster that can drain you before your fight even starts. I wouldn't be so hard on myself honestly. I've fought late on a card before and had essentially no idea what was going on or what I was thinking by the time I got in the ring. The only thing I found that worked was putting a towel over my head and trying to nap until it was time to start warming up. Waiting in a noisy adrenaline filled fight space can be very stressful.

**OiScout** · Posted On: 8/18/2010 9:30am

Originally Posted by sambosteve

My rant: How come I had no idea about this fight?

Second rant: If you know you are not ready, don't fight. If you are not going in there to win, don't do it.

Third rant: If your coach let's you fight injured, as a noob, that's a problem.

Sorry, I forgot to mention this was back in April.

One of my coaches did ask me if I was alright(pretty much everyday), but I guess at that point I tend to just tough it out and sit through it everything. Hell, I once sat in an empty dentist's waiting room for an hour because the receptionist didn't notice I came in.

I wouldn't be so hard on myself honestly.

Yea it just annoys me how much my brain shat itself.

**sambosteve** · Posted On: 8/18/2010 9:31am

Originally Posted by OiScout

Sorry, I forgot to mention this was back in April.

One of my coaches did ask me if I was alright(pretty much everyday), but I guess at that point I tend to just tough it out and sit through it everything. Hell, I once sat in an empty dentist's waiting room for an hour because the receptionist didn't notice I came in.

Oh, April. That explains it. I thought is was this past weekend! LOL

**OiScout** · Posted On: 8/18/2010 10:03am

Originally Posted by sambosteve

Oh, April. That explains it. I thought is was this past weekend! LOL

Yea dude I would have mailed you an invitation card otherwise. And damn you respond fast.

I know this shouldn't matter, but my heart also sank into my stomach for like 15 seconds when I found out what gym my opponent was from. I knew that I didn't spar enough so it was going to be kinda rough. Then I saw his gym and was like FFFUUUUUU

**Neo Sigma** · Posted On: 8/18/2010 3:34pm

Originally Posted by WhiteShark

As an amateur fighting late on the card is really really hard. Watching other people come back in with wins and losses can be an emotional rollercoaster that can drain you before your fight even starts. I wouldn't be so hard on myself honestly. I've fought late on a card before and had essentially no idea what was going on or what I was thinking by the time I got in the ring. The only thing I found that worked was putting a towel over my head and trying to nap until it was time to start warming up. Waiting in a noisy adrenaline filled fight space can be very stressful.

I second this. I specifically asked my coach to get me on earlier in the card because I didn't want to deal with the anxiety of having to sit and wait while everyone else fought. I figured, I'm going to have enough brainfarts while fighting without adding even more nerves on top of it.