Mixed Martial Erin

Who’da thunk that one day I’d be so excited to meet the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight Champion? More importantly, who would ever have guessed that I would know who that was?

It all started about a year ago, when my husband, Gene, took up mixed martial arts. He started with Muay Thai kickboxing and later took on Brazilian Jui Jitsu. Needless to say, the idea of picturing him getting wrestled into submission or kicked in the stomach was not very appealing.

But he was smart and snuck it bit-by-bit into our everyday lives until I became mesmerized by the sport. He had me do some of their drills, which were the hardest work-outs of my life. So, I had to respect their extreme athleticism. He continuously watched the reality tv show “The Ultimate Fighter” until I had favorite fighters and was screaming at the tv for someone to use a “triangle” to submit the jerk of the household. (Yes, they have 16 mixed martial arts fighters in one house together—you can imagine what happens.) He also convinced me to read the true-life book about and by Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell (the face of the UFC and the former UFC light heavyweight champion). I was hooked.

So, with all that strategic prepping, Gene has made a fan of me. We went to our first live fights in June. First we went to local fights to see fighters from his school compete. Then we went to a bigger production that same night.

This is the best part. This is where George “Rush” St. Pierre comes in. He’s the UFC Welterweight Champion. Oh, and he gets extra points for being French-Canadian. On this particular night George not only signed my shirt, but he also put me in a chokehold. I have pictures to prove it and to cherish the rest of my life. And I swear he giggled when I asked him to put me in the chokehold. You can see remnants of the giggle in our photo together. Gene, so happy I was embracing his sport of choice and the best hubby ever, was kind enough to take the picture of George and me.

The next stage in my new found love of the sport is being a cheerleader for Gene’s first fight. (That still makes me cringe a little.)