Tag: my first fight

My First Fight: Rashad Evans

Filed under: UFCWhen Rashad Evans showed up to his very first MMA training session, he was pretty sure one of two things was going to happen: either he was going to learn to fight, or he was going to get robbed at gunpoint.

He was really hoping for t…

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When Rashad Evans showed up to his very first MMA training session, he was pretty sure one of two things was going to happen: either he was going to learn to fight, or he was going to get robbed at gunpoint.

He was really hoping for the former, but from the looks of the alleged gym a stranger had just driven him to, the latter seemed more likely.

“It looked like a set-up,” Evans says, looking back. “I looked at the building and was like, this sh-t cannot have a credible gym in there.”

My First Fight: Frank Shamrock

Filed under: Strikeforce, FanHouse ExclusiveWhen Frank Shamrock paroled out of Folsom Prison in the early nineties, he had narrowed his career choices down to three possibilities.

“I was going to be a physical therapist, or an exotic dancer, or I was …

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Frank Shamrock When Frank Shamrock paroled out of Folsom Prison in the early nineties, he had narrowed his career choices down to three possibilities.

“I was going to be a physical therapist, or an exotic dancer, or I was going to do this no-holds-barred fighting thing that Ken [Shamrock] was doing. And I didn’t know anything about any of them.”

Shamrock had spent most of the last decade in one institutionalized setting or another, whether it was group homes, youth crisis centers, or prison. His adopted father, Bob Shamrock, pointed him in the direction of the Lion’s Den, then an unknown gym for a mostly unknown sport, and run by Frank’s adopted older brother Ken. The first day Shamrock walked in the door, he was told he’d be getting a “tryout.”

My First Fight: Frank Shamrock

When Frank Shamrock paroled out of Folsom Prison in the early nineties, he had narrowed his career choices down to three possibilities.

“I was going to be a physical therapist, or an exotic dancer, or I was going to do this no-holds-barred fighting th…

When Frank Shamrock paroled out of Folsom Prison in the early nineties, he had narrowed his career choices down to three possibilities.

“I was going to be a physical therapist, or an exotic dancer, or I was going to do this no-holds-barred fighting thing that Ken [Shamrock] was doing. And I didn’t know anything about any of them.”

Shamrock had spent most of the last decade in one institutionalized setting or another, whether it was group homes, youth crisis centers, or prison. His adopted father, Bob Shamrock, pointed him in the direction of the Lion’s Den, then an unknown gym for a mostly unknown sport, and run by Frank’s adopted older brother Ken. The first day Shamrock walked in the door, he was told he’d be getting a “tryout.”

My First Fight: Pat Miletich

Filed under: FanHouse ExclusiveIn 1995 Pat Miletich had one long-term goal: getting into the UFC. His short-term goal? To make at least enough money so that he didn’t starve in the meantime. Something called the “Battle of the Masters” could help him a…

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In 1995 Pat Miletich had one long-term goal: getting into the UFC. His short-term goal? To make at least enough money so that he didn’t starve in the meantime. Something called the “Battle of the Masters” could help him achieve both, or so he hoped.

Battle of the Masters was a one-night, eight-man, no-holds-barred (with the exception of biting and eye-gouging) fighting tournament at St. Andrew’s Gym in Chicago.

It was also winner-take-all. The prize for second place was little more than a pat on the back and a free bag of ice for your swollen face.

“I needed the money worse than any of those guys,” Miletich says now. “I don’t think they knew what they were getting into.”

My First Fight: Mike Pyle

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse ExclusiveIf you walked up to a 175-pound fighter with no pro bouts to his credit and asked him if he wanted to fight 205-pound Quinton “Rampage” Jackson for a hundred bucks on a week’s notice, chances are he’d look at you lik…

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If you walked up to a 175-pound fighter with no pro bouts to his credit and asked him if he wanted to fight 205-pound Quinton “Rampage” Jackson for a hundred bucks on a week’s notice, chances are he’d look at you like you’d just declared yourself to be the rightful king of England.

That’s today. That’s the state of the fight game in 2010. But back in Memphis, Tenn. in 1999, that exact same proposal didn’t seem so bad when it was put to Mike Pyle.

“I was set to fight someone in my weight class,” Pyle remembers. “I was 175 pounds soaking wet, with my gi on. My opponent had gotten hurt at a jiu-jitsu tournament a week before. Why the hell he was doing a jiu-jitsu tournament a week before, I don’t know, but the promoter…called me and said, ‘Hey, there’s a problem. Your boy got hurt, so how about Rampage?’ I was like, okay, let’s do it. That was all it took.”

Classic Story Alert: The One Where Matt Lindland Slaps His Money on the Bar and Offers to Fight Royce Alger

("What part of ‘No, I am not interested in becoming a Jehovah’s Witness *or* accepting your complementary copies of "The Watchtower"’ do you not understand?" PicProps: Strikeforce)
Since the UFC and Strikeforce are set to go head-to…


("What part of ‘No, I am not interested in becoming a Jehovah’s Witness *or* accepting your complementary copies of "The Watchtower"’ do you not understand?" PicProps: Strikeforce)

Since the UFC and Strikeforce are set to go head-to-head tonight with dueling shows, we feel it’s only right to pass along another fairly fascinating story courtesy of Old Dad’s ongoing “My First Fight” series over on MMAFighting. This particular gem involves Matt Lindland, who at 40 years old faces a must-win against Robbie Lawler in Strikeforce tonight and prior to that was a royal pain in the UFC’s ass from about 2000-05.

The following story is an example of what we might call “classic Lindland behavior.” It also could serve as a good litmus test for any aspiring fighters out there who may be questioning if they have what it takes to make it in MMA. The test is this: When confronted by a man who tries to crush your dreams, how do you respond? Do you A) Nod sheepishly and slink away? Or B) Offer to fight that man for all the money you have in your wallet? If you answered B, you sir, are a fighter. You may also be Matt Lindland.

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