I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving sorry I haven't post recently.
The smell of the wood chips always brings me back to that infamous day when I stood up to the bully at Darby Township Elementary's playground. I believe it was the summer going into second grade I would always ride my bike to the playground and do what a kid would do go on swings, slide down the slide, and climb the monkey bars. I would get picked on by the bigger kids playing at the basketball court but I would always ignore them. This one day I couldn't ignore the big kids playing basketball because they told a kid there to pick on me. This kid would harass me bad he pushed me call me names and one time he even spit on me! I would always ignore the kid because I thought haha the cops would of arrested me and I would not be allowed to go back to the park. For a 7yr old their is no steeper punishment except taking away Saturday morning cartoons!
Well one day push came to shove and it was a day I will never forget! The kid (aka the Bully) that the bigger kids were getting to pick on me punched me in the face. Now a a 7-8 year old kid doesn't have knockout power so physically I wasn't hurt, but right after the kid punched me everyone pointed at me laughed and that hurt. I remember thinking that the older kids should not of let this kid punched me and they sure as hell should not of laughed at me. I started crying and ran to my bike and pedaled home the whole way crying like a little kid who just got punched! The first person I told about the whole ordeal was biggest brother Nicky and my theory behind it was he was at that time we was and still is my strongest toughest brother so I knew he could of easily handled the situation. I remember Nicky kind of laughing at me while I told him the story and he asked me what I wanted to do? I told him that we should go to the park together because I knew the big kids would not of picked on me if I brought my big brother and I wanted to tell the kid that he shouldn't punch people in the face! I always loved riding shotgun in Nicky's blue Honda I felt so cool. Looking back no one looks cool in a 1980 something Honda. Our search turned out to be unsuccessful, when we arrived back to the park and everyone had already left and I am very thankful for that!! Can you imagine how bad I would of got picked on when I came back to the playground without my older brother after telling this kid to stop bullying people!? I can it would of ended up with at least an atomic wedgie or another beating.
It wasn't long after my other big brother Benny found out about what happen and man was he angry. Oh by the way I am the youngest of 6 kids so I was use to getting beat up only by my older brothers. At the time I couldn't tell if he was more angry at the fact that his little brother got punched or that I let some kid punch me without defending myself. So Benny did what every big brother does teaches his little brother to fight. I knew I was in good hands with Benny teaching me because he seriously at that time had already watched every Chuck Norris, Sean Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagul, and Arnold movie ever made. He also would make me watch every movie well he didn't make me I wanted to watch them! We would also play Miami Vice in the house when my Mom and Dad were at work. I always was the bad guy aka drug dealer and would get beat up by Benny, Danny Googs, and Robbie Keenan daily. Anyway back to the story Benny now became my first ever trainer and we were in the backyard learning cutting edge techniques! This was our strategy when the bully came over to me I was suppose to wait for him to push me and then I would push him back harder! This would obviously make the bully irate and he would push me back, but here's the twist when he came back to push me I was going to duck under the push and take him down. I would then hold hold this kid down hit him and then make him eat wood chips! Actually when I think about this now it still seems like a good strategy. Thanks Benny!!
My older sister Frances had a little league softball game at Briarcliffe Field and I decided to go watch her game and swing on the monkey bars. When I got to the park someone there had other plans for me yup it was the bully! This time I had a game plan and I wasn't going to leave the playground. I remember the bully approaching me and the bigger kids starting to yell and it was the first time I felt those butterflies in my stomach. It was my flight or fight responses going off in my body and I remember thinking to just leave. I turned around and grabbed the handle bars of my bike and I started to walk away. I will never forget the laughs of everyone and I started to squeeze the grips on my bike and before I reached the edge of the wood chips I decided that I wasn't going to run away. I got filled with this feeling that I can't describe, but in my head I compared it to the feeling that Hulk Hogan must of felt before he gave someone the big leg drop. I threw my bike down in the wood chips which I never would do haha I treated that bike better than I treat my car! I marched right over to the bully and shoved the hell out of him and he stumbled back and charged at me to shove me. This time I had a plan and I will never forget these next series of events when he came into shove me I closed my eyes and went for his legs and wrapped them up and we both went into the wood chips. In the scramble he went face down and I jumped right on top of him and I start to punch and swing like a mad man! When the first punch landed in my head I was thinking holy crap our plan is working. I had to of landed about 10 quick wild punches before the bully kicked and bucked and got his face out of the wood chips. The mayhem continued on the feet and it was a crazy scramble and I remember the wood chips were flying around and getting stuck in my shoes. I don't remember how we got to the final position, but the fight ended with me holding the bully in a standing head lock and I was squeezing as hard as I could and punching like crazy. All the big kids said "STOP STOP he's crying" and I let go right away. The Bully ran away crying and I was so happy not that I stood up to the bully but that the whole ordeal was over and I could go on the monkey bars. Honestly and this sounds weird from that day on I never remember seeing the bully at the playground anymore.
Well Sam that's a mean story you shouldn't tell kids to fight it is dangerous. I totally agree I am anti-violent and in my older years I grew wiser and I believe their is a peaceful solution to all of life's problems. The reason why I am sharing this story because we have to face life's problems. No I don't mean punch your problem in the face, but how many times in our life do we see a career that we want or have a goal we want to reach and we know that it will improve our quality of life so much and bring us happiness but we just tell ourselves their is no way I could do that? Guess what sometimes we will have to experience pain to reach our goals, but the reward at the end of the all hard work will far surpass any pain we felt in the journey. Challenge yourself today to face a problem and I guarantee you will feel the reward of knowing their is nothing that will stand in your way. Thanks for reading go live life!!!!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Red Bull for the Soul!
I had the unbelievable privilege to attend Tony Robbins' Unleash the Power Within (UPW) Seminar this weekend. Holy crap you mean to tell me Sam Oropeza listens to Tony Robbins? Yes I am a big Tony Robbins fan for those of you who don't know who Tony Robbins, yes he is banana hands from Shallow Hal. Really his list of accomplishments are much bigger than that movie.
People tell me often that I am very motivated and I have tons on energy and I am always asked what do I do and the answer is simple Crystal Meth! Haha Thats a joke please don't do crystal meth it has many bad side affects just ask Courtney Love! Seriously their are many things that go into how I keep my energy levels high such as balance and healthy diet, exercise and training, solid sleep pattern, and my mental state. Wait a second Sam you forgot the number on reason why you have a high level of energy and that's because your 25 years old! I am sorry I call it how I see it and that is a giant slice of bologna. Growing old is not a death sentence if it done correctly can be an amazing experience so I am told. I am not denying the fact that your body will see a shift when you grow older yes you will slow down, but your energy levels don't have to! I will use my Mom as great example she is 57 years young in great health, looks great, exercises and walks everyday, and has never slowed down since I can remember! Yes that's right my Mom is awesome and I am very proud of her and if anyone has a yo mama joke I will let her kick your ass because she can!!!Then you have one of the most inspirational people I have ever heard of Sister Madonna Buder aka The Iron Nun who is 80 and still competes in Iron Man Triathlons. For those of you who don't know what an Iron Man consists of its a 2.4 mile swim 112 mile bike ride and then you run a marathon!!! She does this and she is 80 and finishes under the 17 hour mark. Yeah Randy Couture eat your heart Sister Madonna is my hero! I guess I am tired of hearing everyone tell me how terrible it is to grow old I mean think of that guy who reminds you everyday just wait until you get older you won't be able to do that anymore and then they tell you there list of accomplishments. Lets do a an exercise right now everyone think of that person you work with who gives you that daily reminder that you won't be able to do what you do much longer. Now what is that persons diet like? Do they drink and smoke on a regular basis? How often do they exercise? Are they easily agitated? I guess my next question do you think all the years of eating poorly, alcohol, nicotine, and no healthy movement would make you feel like crap? One time before a training session I had this awesome idea to eat hot wings and I had to stop half way through the workout not because I was gonna puke but because I felt awful. I am not bashing the baby boomers I think you guys are awesome, but I am bashing the limiting belief that I won't have any energy when I get older. I also understand that people develop injuries and have situations they can't control and I would never knock someone in a unfortunate circumstance. To the 50+ crowd out there working hard and living healthy you are a huge inspiration and I thank you!
COOL MOSS COOL MOSS COOL MOSS! Yeah I am a firewalker now, it's boring but it's my life. One of the most empowering moments of my life to date was walking over 1500 degree burning cinders Thursday night. There are so many things in our life that we want to change and to improve. Somewhere in our journey we just decide that our dreams and goals are just too far out of reach and we just settle. I have never meet who would not like to improve or change an area of their life. How many of us come up with great ideas or want to pursue a career we know will make us happy but we never take action or procrastinate? We all have a limiting belief i.e. I am not smart enough, I don't have enough money, I am too old etc... that is such crap and holding us back. Well when you are standing on 1500 degree burning coals you can't think that your not strong enough or smart enough and your not thinking about procrastinating you know your goal is to get to the other side and nothing will stand in your way! I urge everyone reading to take the first step today and never look back put your focus on the future and design your life!
So all your telling me is eat healthy, exercise, smile, think positive, and don't procrastinate and I will be successful thanks Sam your so smart! Ha if that's all you had to do I probably would be living in Laguana Beach drinking a soy latte with LC and Heidi. I am saying there are two formulas in this world success and failure and they are very similar. A great game plan and strategy always helps, but every time you fail you must change your approach. I think it took Thomas Edison a billion tries before me made the light bulb and Walt Disney got turned down by over 300 banks before he got the loan to start Disney World. Do think after each failure Walt and Tommy went home got on facebook and change their status to grrrr... FML!? No they knew their outcome and changed their approach until they got exactly what it is they wanted.
We are always one moment away from completely changing our lives forever. Please don't let your ego or limiting beliefs stop you from living a fulfilling life. Take the first step and put your focus on the future you want to create. Problems will come, but focus your energy on the solution. Set a new standard for your quality and life and commit yourself today to fulfilling that dream and I promise life will never be the same!
SammyO
People tell me often that I am very motivated and I have tons on energy and I am always asked what do I do and the answer is simple Crystal Meth! Haha Thats a joke please don't do crystal meth it has many bad side affects just ask Courtney Love! Seriously their are many things that go into how I keep my energy levels high such as balance and healthy diet, exercise and training, solid sleep pattern, and my mental state. Wait a second Sam you forgot the number on reason why you have a high level of energy and that's because your 25 years old! I am sorry I call it how I see it and that is a giant slice of bologna. Growing old is not a death sentence if it done correctly can be an amazing experience so I am told. I am not denying the fact that your body will see a shift when you grow older yes you will slow down, but your energy levels don't have to! I will use my Mom as great example she is 57 years young in great health, looks great, exercises and walks everyday, and has never slowed down since I can remember! Yes that's right my Mom is awesome and I am very proud of her and if anyone has a yo mama joke I will let her kick your ass because she can!!!Then you have one of the most inspirational people I have ever heard of Sister Madonna Buder aka The Iron Nun who is 80 and still competes in Iron Man Triathlons. For those of you who don't know what an Iron Man consists of its a 2.4 mile swim 112 mile bike ride and then you run a marathon!!! She does this and she is 80 and finishes under the 17 hour mark. Yeah Randy Couture eat your heart Sister Madonna is my hero! I guess I am tired of hearing everyone tell me how terrible it is to grow old I mean think of that guy who reminds you everyday just wait until you get older you won't be able to do that anymore and then they tell you there list of accomplishments. Lets do a an exercise right now everyone think of that person you work with who gives you that daily reminder that you won't be able to do what you do much longer. Now what is that persons diet like? Do they drink and smoke on a regular basis? How often do they exercise? Are they easily agitated? I guess my next question do you think all the years of eating poorly, alcohol, nicotine, and no healthy movement would make you feel like crap? One time before a training session I had this awesome idea to eat hot wings and I had to stop half way through the workout not because I was gonna puke but because I felt awful. I am not bashing the baby boomers I think you guys are awesome, but I am bashing the limiting belief that I won't have any energy when I get older. I also understand that people develop injuries and have situations they can't control and I would never knock someone in a unfortunate circumstance. To the 50+ crowd out there working hard and living healthy you are a huge inspiration and I thank you!
COOL MOSS COOL MOSS COOL MOSS! Yeah I am a firewalker now, it's boring but it's my life. One of the most empowering moments of my life to date was walking over 1500 degree burning cinders Thursday night. There are so many things in our life that we want to change and to improve. Somewhere in our journey we just decide that our dreams and goals are just too far out of reach and we just settle. I have never meet who would not like to improve or change an area of their life. How many of us come up with great ideas or want to pursue a career we know will make us happy but we never take action or procrastinate? We all have a limiting belief i.e. I am not smart enough, I don't have enough money, I am too old etc... that is such crap and holding us back. Well when you are standing on 1500 degree burning coals you can't think that your not strong enough or smart enough and your not thinking about procrastinating you know your goal is to get to the other side and nothing will stand in your way! I urge everyone reading to take the first step today and never look back put your focus on the future and design your life!
So all your telling me is eat healthy, exercise, smile, think positive, and don't procrastinate and I will be successful thanks Sam your so smart! Ha if that's all you had to do I probably would be living in Laguana Beach drinking a soy latte with LC and Heidi. I am saying there are two formulas in this world success and failure and they are very similar. A great game plan and strategy always helps, but every time you fail you must change your approach. I think it took Thomas Edison a billion tries before me made the light bulb and Walt Disney got turned down by over 300 banks before he got the loan to start Disney World. Do think after each failure Walt and Tommy went home got on facebook and change their status to grrrr... FML!? No they knew their outcome and changed their approach until they got exactly what it is they wanted.
We are always one moment away from completely changing our lives forever. Please don't let your ego or limiting beliefs stop you from living a fulfilling life. Take the first step and put your focus on the future you want to create. Problems will come, but focus your energy on the solution. Set a new standard for your quality and life and commit yourself today to fulfilling that dream and I promise life will never be the same!
SammyO
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Fighting vs Martial Arts
In my pursuit to becoming the best Mixed Martial Artist I can be I am doing many things to enhance my performance (which doesn't include needles or any type of male.. well you get the point) and one thing I recently started was seeing a specialists on improving my flexibility and muscle recovery. During our session I was asked what I do and I replied "I am a Mixed Martial Artists" and then I was asked the most confusing question I have ever been asked since I started training he said that's interesting but what is it called while your doing your sport? He then replied are you "Mixed Martial Arting?" I laughed and said no and reluctantly I said "I am Fighting."
Fighting???? Now this has been driving me crazy since Sunday and I can't seem to get my mind off it. I am by no means some elitists with a giant ego who wants to be called a certain title to make himself feel better, but having a deep passion for what I do I wanted to get to the bottom of this issue. Well let's see a Boxer boxes a Wrestle wrestles well than what do I do??? I will never forget the day when I was in 5th grade and I was brought to Upper Darby's Boxing/Kick Boxing gym. I never went to Disney World ever in my whole life, but the feeling I had when I walked up those steps and saw for my first time how Boxers and Kick Boxers train was probably an equal feeling to taking a kid to Disney Land(I would of rather done Andy Carr's Kick Boxing Class than had breakfast with Mickey any day). My motives entering the gym was not to fight, but to learn this brand new fascinating world.
When we look at the birth of Martial Arts it wasn't started by a bunch of drunk dudes who wanted to prove how macho they were after you accidentally bumped into them. I am sure there are people out there who will argue, but Martial Arts were started to basically defend yourself from that macho drunk person who is pissed that you smudged his puma ( Jiu-Jitsu was started by Monks who were tired of getting wedgies and wanted to know a nice way of defending them selves i.e The Gentle Art). Without getting into a crazy history lesson it then spread to way of life to bring structure and discipline and then evolved and evolved to where it is now a sport with rules, safety precautions, and time limits.
When we look at fighting where did it start? I can't answer that question, but I guess I can give you my thoughts on it. A fight mainly starts from a difference, disagreement, or a dispute of some kind ( We have all seen the many reasons lead to fight most common I seen is sports teams haha I seen people come to blows to prove the team they were cheering for is better). If anyone has seen a street fight it is usually ugly technique with two people swinging for fences risking life and limb to prove a point that really is not worth the risk.
To wrap this thing up and to answer my argument Martial Arts has shown me that I really don't want to be involved with a fight. I am learning to de-attach from ego and avoid unnecessary conflict, but I am trained and ready if I can't. To answer the question what is called while I am doing my sport I still don't know. The most important thing is I know it has brought joy and fulfillment to life and really that's more important to me than a label. Thanks for time and consideration.
-SammyO
Fighting???? Now this has been driving me crazy since Sunday and I can't seem to get my mind off it. I am by no means some elitists with a giant ego who wants to be called a certain title to make himself feel better, but having a deep passion for what I do I wanted to get to the bottom of this issue. Well let's see a Boxer boxes a Wrestle wrestles well than what do I do??? I will never forget the day when I was in 5th grade and I was brought to Upper Darby's Boxing/Kick Boxing gym. I never went to Disney World ever in my whole life, but the feeling I had when I walked up those steps and saw for my first time how Boxers and Kick Boxers train was probably an equal feeling to taking a kid to Disney Land(I would of rather done Andy Carr's Kick Boxing Class than had breakfast with Mickey any day). My motives entering the gym was not to fight, but to learn this brand new fascinating world.
When we look at the birth of Martial Arts it wasn't started by a bunch of drunk dudes who wanted to prove how macho they were after you accidentally bumped into them. I am sure there are people out there who will argue, but Martial Arts were started to basically defend yourself from that macho drunk person who is pissed that you smudged his puma ( Jiu-Jitsu was started by Monks who were tired of getting wedgies and wanted to know a nice way of defending them selves i.e The Gentle Art). Without getting into a crazy history lesson it then spread to way of life to bring structure and discipline and then evolved and evolved to where it is now a sport with rules, safety precautions, and time limits.
When we look at fighting where did it start? I can't answer that question, but I guess I can give you my thoughts on it. A fight mainly starts from a difference, disagreement, or a dispute of some kind ( We have all seen the many reasons lead to fight most common I seen is sports teams haha I seen people come to blows to prove the team they were cheering for is better). If anyone has seen a street fight it is usually ugly technique with two people swinging for fences risking life and limb to prove a point that really is not worth the risk.
To wrap this thing up and to answer my argument Martial Arts has shown me that I really don't want to be involved with a fight. I am learning to de-attach from ego and avoid unnecessary conflict, but I am trained and ready if I can't. To answer the question what is called while I am doing my sport I still don't know. The most important thing is I know it has brought joy and fulfillment to life and really that's more important to me than a label. Thanks for time and consideration.
-SammyO
Sunday, October 31, 2010
"Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want"
My first blog ever! Wow never really thought I would do this, but I never really thought that I had the capability to become a Professional Fighter. I wanted to start this blog to give myself the opportunity to connect to the world while I am in my training camps for upcoming fights. It really means the world to me all the love and support I have received since I started this journey and I want to stay connected to everyone. Also if any of these post inspire the person reading than I know I am doing my job. For my first post I wanted to share an amazing expernince I had for this last fight.
9 days before my last fight I was in Bridgeton NJ getting my medicals done so I could be cleared to fight. I had my manger, Bill Shuker who I consider my 4th older brother, had to drive me because after the eye examine I can not see at all! Haha for my 1st pro I drove myself and needless to say the drove home was terrifying. I had to stop at a subway hoagie shop in NJ for like an hour before I could see. Anyway sitting in the lobby of the eye office was other fights waiting to get their test done. To my surprise I got the pleasure of meeting Luiz Azeredo from the Chute Boxe Academy. For those of you who do not know who Luiz is he is the first person to beat Anderson Silva and is also known for his wars with Takanori Gomi back in the Pride days. When I meet him I couldn't help to think why out of all the days I could of gone to get my medicals we picked the same day. I guess I started to think that because I am a big fan of Dr. Wayne Dyer and his writings. He has taught me many things, but one of my favorite teachings is we live in a world of no accidents and everything has a purpose and everything happens for a reason. At that moment I couldn't figure out why we were there together but as the story unfolds it all fell perfectly into its place.
Well as everyone knows the day of the fight wasn't exactly my best performance. Yes I had a bad day. No I am not making excuses. There were several factors that contributed to my lost and a series of events that went wrong. At the end of the night I am the one who has to face my problems and I have always said you have two choices A. Complain about them and let them run your life or B. Solve them. After the fight my oldest brother Nicky greeted me with a hug and a smile and told me he was proud and he walked me back into the locker room with my Trainers Steve Haigh, Kru Eric Karner, and my Manger Bill Shuker. Everyone was telling me not to be upset or worry about everyone makes mistakes, but I couldn't help this feeling of disappointment. To add to the lost I also got one of my teeth knocked out hahaha for the second time so technically I got one of my fake teeth knocked out. I always here people talk about a walk of shame well here's a walk of shame for you walk by your opponent and his corner after a lost while your holding your tooth and you hear their cheers. As I walked back to my hotel room at around 1 am I locked myself in the bathroom as I do after all of my fights and I stared in the mirror. I kept hearing myself say "what are you going to do?" I told myself that I am going to find the solution. Then I asked "who are you?" I told myself you are still a champion and that will never change. I packed my bags and drove 3 1/2 hours to my girlfriends house in Scranton. That next day I super glued my tooth back in and went to a wedding with Kate!
That Monday morning after the fight that disappointment still has not left me. I had big plans for myself after the fight and the money from winning was going to fund my plans. By 8 am Monday morning I was on my way to the Philadelphia Fight Factory to get out that crappy feeling. Once I started to break a sweat this overwhelming feeling of happiness and joy had completely encompassed me! The truth is I never started training in Martial Arts so I could turn pro, fight for a major organization, or get a contract to fight on tv it all just seemed to happen. I start training for myself, now when I say myself I don't mean to be selfish all I am saying is I started to challenge myself, to make myself happy, to see who I really am. Life is a great thing but the truth is life can be tough and your problems will not runaway from you so you have to be willing to stand in front of them bite down on your mouth piece tuck your chin and fight back. I would say that Monday's workout was one of the best workouts of my life because I got to experience that feeling of when I first step foot in the gym and forgot about everything that didn't matter i.e peoples opinions, your record, etc...
This is where everything falls into place when I drove home I was still searching some inspiration so I could email the team of individuals who help train me mentally. They were not able to come to the fight and after each fight I have always emailed them telling them how are training and visualizations worked perfectly. Still feeling great I called the one person who has always seemed to be able to give me the best advice my trainer Stephen Haigh. We talked about the fight and he gave me some awesome advice. He told me for him as trainer he always wants to warn us about mistakes we can make in a fight, but basically you can never really understand those mistakes until they happen. Basically fighting is a process and your going to make mistakes (sounds a lot like life) but you have to be willing to learn from them and make the proper adjustments to get where you want to be! It was a great conversation and I know I shouldn't be on the cell phone while driving but when I hung up the phone I turned the car radio up and what song was playing? Well none other than Everlast What it's like!!!! I couldn't stop laughing I felt like I was eating an irony sandwich since we were just talking about you really don't know what it's like until it happens. So I kept driving down 95 and the next song on the radio was Tom Petty-Learning to Fly. There was my answer that I was searching for right there playing on the radio. I am not exactly a Tom Petty fan but the words in that song told me how to respond. The truth is that really I know exactly who I am and really that's all that matters. I am learning to fly right now and I will make mistakes, but I know my outcome. I know that I am committed to becoming a champion and I have the courage to rebuild and learn from my mistakes.
To wrap everything up as for Luiz Azeredo I have the up most respect for him! I feel we got our medicals done at the same time because he showed me that my favorite fighter Anderson Silva may have lost the fight with him but he never lost his commitment to becoming a champion. As for me sure I may lose another fight, but you can trust that I will never lose my commitment to becoming the best fighter I can possibly be and I know for a fact that will lead me to great accomplishments! Thanks for your time and consideration feel free to comment it is always great to hear feedback and I will be posting every week to share some inspiration with all who read. When I get more details about my next fight I will post them immediately! Thanks make today a great one!
-Sammy O
9 days before my last fight I was in Bridgeton NJ getting my medicals done so I could be cleared to fight. I had my manger, Bill Shuker who I consider my 4th older brother, had to drive me because after the eye examine I can not see at all! Haha for my 1st pro I drove myself and needless to say the drove home was terrifying. I had to stop at a subway hoagie shop in NJ for like an hour before I could see. Anyway sitting in the lobby of the eye office was other fights waiting to get their test done. To my surprise I got the pleasure of meeting Luiz Azeredo from the Chute Boxe Academy. For those of you who do not know who Luiz is he is the first person to beat Anderson Silva and is also known for his wars with Takanori Gomi back in the Pride days. When I meet him I couldn't help to think why out of all the days I could of gone to get my medicals we picked the same day. I guess I started to think that because I am a big fan of Dr. Wayne Dyer and his writings. He has taught me many things, but one of my favorite teachings is we live in a world of no accidents and everything has a purpose and everything happens for a reason. At that moment I couldn't figure out why we were there together but as the story unfolds it all fell perfectly into its place.
Well as everyone knows the day of the fight wasn't exactly my best performance. Yes I had a bad day. No I am not making excuses. There were several factors that contributed to my lost and a series of events that went wrong. At the end of the night I am the one who has to face my problems and I have always said you have two choices A. Complain about them and let them run your life or B. Solve them. After the fight my oldest brother Nicky greeted me with a hug and a smile and told me he was proud and he walked me back into the locker room with my Trainers Steve Haigh, Kru Eric Karner, and my Manger Bill Shuker. Everyone was telling me not to be upset or worry about everyone makes mistakes, but I couldn't help this feeling of disappointment. To add to the lost I also got one of my teeth knocked out hahaha for the second time so technically I got one of my fake teeth knocked out. I always here people talk about a walk of shame well here's a walk of shame for you walk by your opponent and his corner after a lost while your holding your tooth and you hear their cheers. As I walked back to my hotel room at around 1 am I locked myself in the bathroom as I do after all of my fights and I stared in the mirror. I kept hearing myself say "what are you going to do?" I told myself that I am going to find the solution. Then I asked "who are you?" I told myself you are still a champion and that will never change. I packed my bags and drove 3 1/2 hours to my girlfriends house in Scranton. That next day I super glued my tooth back in and went to a wedding with Kate!
That Monday morning after the fight that disappointment still has not left me. I had big plans for myself after the fight and the money from winning was going to fund my plans. By 8 am Monday morning I was on my way to the Philadelphia Fight Factory to get out that crappy feeling. Once I started to break a sweat this overwhelming feeling of happiness and joy had completely encompassed me! The truth is I never started training in Martial Arts so I could turn pro, fight for a major organization, or get a contract to fight on tv it all just seemed to happen. I start training for myself, now when I say myself I don't mean to be selfish all I am saying is I started to challenge myself, to make myself happy, to see who I really am. Life is a great thing but the truth is life can be tough and your problems will not runaway from you so you have to be willing to stand in front of them bite down on your mouth piece tuck your chin and fight back. I would say that Monday's workout was one of the best workouts of my life because I got to experience that feeling of when I first step foot in the gym and forgot about everything that didn't matter i.e peoples opinions, your record, etc...
This is where everything falls into place when I drove home I was still searching some inspiration so I could email the team of individuals who help train me mentally. They were not able to come to the fight and after each fight I have always emailed them telling them how are training and visualizations worked perfectly. Still feeling great I called the one person who has always seemed to be able to give me the best advice my trainer Stephen Haigh. We talked about the fight and he gave me some awesome advice. He told me for him as trainer he always wants to warn us about mistakes we can make in a fight, but basically you can never really understand those mistakes until they happen. Basically fighting is a process and your going to make mistakes (sounds a lot like life) but you have to be willing to learn from them and make the proper adjustments to get where you want to be! It was a great conversation and I know I shouldn't be on the cell phone while driving but when I hung up the phone I turned the car radio up and what song was playing? Well none other than Everlast What it's like!!!! I couldn't stop laughing I felt like I was eating an irony sandwich since we were just talking about you really don't know what it's like until it happens. So I kept driving down 95 and the next song on the radio was Tom Petty-Learning to Fly. There was my answer that I was searching for right there playing on the radio. I am not exactly a Tom Petty fan but the words in that song told me how to respond. The truth is that really I know exactly who I am and really that's all that matters. I am learning to fly right now and I will make mistakes, but I know my outcome. I know that I am committed to becoming a champion and I have the courage to rebuild and learn from my mistakes.
To wrap everything up as for Luiz Azeredo I have the up most respect for him! I feel we got our medicals done at the same time because he showed me that my favorite fighter Anderson Silva may have lost the fight with him but he never lost his commitment to becoming a champion. As for me sure I may lose another fight, but you can trust that I will never lose my commitment to becoming the best fighter I can possibly be and I know for a fact that will lead me to great accomplishments! Thanks for your time and consideration feel free to comment it is always great to hear feedback and I will be posting every week to share some inspiration with all who read. When I get more details about my next fight I will post them immediately! Thanks make today a great one!
-Sammy O
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