Fight Path: WEC hopeful T.J. O’Brien’s slick ground game aided by horse-jumping background

For decades, T.J. O’Brien’s family has been involved in horse jumping.

A grandmother, for instance, taught Olympians in the sport. His mother is heavily involved, which meant O’Brien grew up around horses in the heart of Iowa. Even O’Brien admits that he did his share, but while he was a small-school three-sport athlete, he just couldn’t maintain the horses.

“That was the reason I didn’t like it,” O’Brien said, “I just didn’t feel like you needed enough skill.”