As you can see, there is quite a gap between fights. Trevor and I do so many different things and most of them we do together. Fighting is something he does pretty much on his own, so the times he has committed to it have been few and far between.
This is my blog, not Trevor's, so the opinions and views expressed here are mine. This is how I see it.
Every fight, every situation has been different. The goals for each fight have been different as well as where we are at in our lives and what these things mean to us. Trevor's first fight was really just about doing it. Stepping into the ring that first time was a huge accomplishment in and of itself. The second fight was about not letting too much time pass before he fought again - we had just completed an Ironman triathlon and that had consumed us for the year leading up to the second fight. This third fight was a mixture of not wanting too much time to pass, just doing it and doing it better than before.
For over a year, Trevor struggled with finding the right time and place to train. For years, he had trained in Lake Oswego with our close friends and his Sifu, Chris. Our current situation does not allow for that. Between the businesses (both stores, our triathlon training business, our marathon coaching, the list goes on and on), our pets (especially a certain someone who can't see or hear) and our attempt to have any sort of married life, our time for other things is extremely limited. Our lives are booked from 9 am to 9 pm. Adding something new is almost impossible. And making a two hour round trip to Lake Oswego was just not in the cards anymore.
Trevor searched for months to find a place where he could train that would not only fit his schedule but provide the right kind of coaching. Fighting isn't like running a marathon. You can finish a marathon without really training. You can't fight without really training. Well, I guess you could but that would just be stupid.
There were a couple times that Trevor found a place that had gym time in the mornings. We could adjust our schedule and get him there but once he was there, it always ended in disappointment. It was never what he was looking for. I think he was just about to give up hope of finding the right fit. Then, we had a customer come into the store who belongs to a local MMA gym. He was telling Trevor about a coach at the gym who was wanting some products and suggested that maybe he could work a trade with Trevor.
Trevor was hopeful that it could work out, but he was also skeptical. He went to train with Jack and figured he would see how it worked before he really committed to anything. He came home after the first session and said that Jack was his guy. And so it began.
I knew Trevor wanted to fight again and it wasn't long until a date was set. He told me he was going to fight at 170. At that time, he weighed around 195. Its funny because I didn't really think anything of that. Looking back now, its seems hard to believe that a 6 foot 4 man who has always weighed close to 200 and most of his life weighed considerably more than 200, would be able to make it to 170. But I know my husband and I know that if he decides to do something then its done.
He put together his meal plan and emailed it to me. I do all the shopping and cook all the food. I just needed to know what to buy and how to package it for him. I knew he would do the eating! This meant no more pizza on Saturday night, ice cream on Sunday, trail mix anytime during the week. That was tough for me. I wasn't wanting to cut weight and Trevor's restricted diet was probably more of a challenge for me than it was for him. If I wanted any treats, I had to get them on my own and eat them when Trevor wasn't around. What fun is that?
Trevor had mapped out the plan for what he needed to weigh each Friday morning. For 9 weeks, he was dead on. He had calculated how many calories he needed each day and what his deficit needed to be, then worked in how many calories he needed to burn and didn't stop until he hit that number.
So, you can see, alot went into preparing for this fight. He made weight without issue on Friday - 168.8 - he needed to weigh 171. I will admit that the weight cut on Friday was more stressful for me than the idea of his fight. He weighed 178 on Friday morning and spent the day sweating out the difference. That part was not fun at all. But he did it pretty easily and was really no worse for the wear. After the weigh ins, we went to dinner and he rehydrated. Saturday he ate normal and felt fine come fight time.
Ah, fight time. It seems so close, yet so far away. I worked all day, closed the store at 4:30 and headed over to the gym where the fights were being held. We had some friends coming to watch and many others waiting for updates via text or facebook. I wasn't really nervous until I got there. One of the hardest things for me is talking to anyone before the fight. Its hard to put on the brave face and assure everyone else who is feeling nervous that its all going to be okay. They all say "aren't you nervous?". OF COURSE I am nervous.
Trevor is the same way - doesn't want to be talked to while getting ready for the fight and he gets to stay in the back room for the fighters. So I get to answer all the questions for him - everyone wants to know how he feels, how'd the weight cut go, what do we know about his opponent, is he nervous, who's his coach? I appreciate everyone's interest, I really really do, but its tough to focus on the questions at hand when I really just want to focus on what's about to happen!
My favorite question to answer is "Is Trevor nervous". I love that question because I always answer "No" and its the truth. Trevor is the most even tempered, calm person I have ever known. I love that about him - mostly because it is exactly the opposite of how I am.
We had front row seats, right behind Trevor's corner. I sat with our friends Josh and Laura, who are both nurses. That made me feel better, there would be someone there to monitor my vital signs! Josh reminds me very much of Trevor and I find his presence very calming. Laura is the same way. They are both so cool under pressure and being with them made me feel better.
I realized that the hardest thing about Trevor fighting is that I want to watch it and talk about it WITH HIM, but I can't because he is in the ring. I saw Jack, he came over and hugged me and asked if I was excited. I knew he was and I loved that.
The fights started. Trevor was up 4th, so I had to sit through 3 fights. That's hard. I just want them to be over so it can be our turn. As soon as the first fight started, I realized I was too close to the ring and there was no way I could sit that close and watch Trevor fight. So when his time came, I got up and stood to the side of the ring, behind his corner guys - I was close enough there.
Trevor walked into the cage, got to his corner and blew me a kiss. This moment before the fight starts is so hard for me. I am sure my heart rate skyrockets, I sweat (which is really nothing unusual for me). This all disappates a little once the fight starts but I can't totally relax until its over.
We knew that the guy Trevor was fighting was good on the ground so the plan was to keep it standing. The fight started and it wasn't too long until they were on the ground. Trevor fought hard to stand back up, ground control changed hands a couple times, but for most of the first round, Trevor's opponent was in control. There were punches to the face and I kept hoping for the banging on the mat to signal 10 seconds in the round. "Hold on Trevor, just hold on" I kept thinking. Finally I heard that 10 second notice and then the bell. Round 1 was over. Trevor made his way to the corner where Jack and his other corner guy took care of him. I was behind him so I couldn't see his face and I didn't want to. I knew he was headed into the second round, the reset button had been pushed.
Round 2 started, Trevor got in some good punches and leg kicks, worked hard to defend the take down and eventually ended up back on the ground. F*ck. I am pretty sure I said that outloud a couple times. Just like in the first round, Trevor fought him on the ground, tried to get out of his control, worked and worked. He rolled over and eventually got caught in a choke. He said he felt himself passing out, so he tapped. And it was over.
Afterwards, the promoter interviewed Trevor before talking to his opponent. Trevor thanked his friends from coming to watch him and named some of them by name. I knew then that he was okay. I met him at the door to the fighters room and he put on a happy face for me. I kissed him and told him I was proud. Actually I think I said "that's what happens when you go to the ground". Then I went back to my seat.
The next fight was about to start and Jack was heading into the ring with another fighter. He told me Trevor was asking for me. I went back to the room and helped him get his gloves off. I went and got Josh and Laura so they could check him out. We cleaned him up, got him some water and just sat for a while. Its amazing how exhausting five minutes of work can be.
Trevor had certainly taken some punches to the face and I knew that was going to hurt for a couple days, but overall, he was in pretty good shape. Since we had Laura and Josh with us, we had our own personal emergency room! They drove one of our cars home and checked Trevor out. They said he seemed fine and told us what dosage of tylenol and advil to take. We ordered a pizza and settled in for a couple days of healing.
You know, someone has to win and someone has to lose. You can't always come out on top and that is disappointing. You can't lose if you don't step in the ring....or can you? Its easy to sit outside the ring and talk about all the things that should have or could have happened. Its completely another to get in and do it. Trevor is 38, almost 39. The majority of the fighters on the card Saturday night were in their early 20s. We aren't getting any younger, so the time to do these things really is now. We can't wait anymore.
This week has been very low key - there's been lots of eating, sleeping and relaxing. Training will start again next week. I get asked all the time "will he fight again". I believe he will and I believe he should. And when he does, I'll be sitting ringside or standing behind his corner, feeling a strange combination of needing to vomit and being overwhelmed with pride.
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