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By: Brad Walker, MMATorch Columnist
This past Friday brought XFO's X-Treme Fight Night to East Dundee, Illinois, and a stacked card full of bouts. Although I was happy to see another loaded local card, I was there for another reason: to manage one of my fighters. In the last six months, I - along with my friend and professional fighter Phil Williams - have formed a management company called "MMA:10 Management." The initial plan was for it to be a news and analysis show for YouTube, but once the need presented itself for management, we answered the call. Since inception we have signed five fighters (including Phil) and are growing quicker than we had imagined. XFO X-Treme Fight Night was the second time a fighter under my management had fought, but the first time I was assuming full duties.
As a manager, you get a very different view of an MMA event than you do as a spectator or a writer, and although I consider the promoter, Dan Lardy, a close and personal friend, I now saw him as one of the hardest working individuals in the sport. The viewpoint changed heavily; guys from the gym (Team Curran) went from being teachers to coaches. The mindset you put yourself in is one of anxiety and worry, because after all the last thing you want to see is your fighter losing a bout. Lucky for me on this night I did no such thing, but I can't lie and tell you that the thought didn't pass through my mind. My fighter on this night was Justin Seeberger, a 4-0 flyweight, coming into a bout against a last minute replacement opponent who not only had a size advantage, but literally looked like a killing machine.
As the night moved on I attended the referee and fighter meeting where the rules are discussed, and let me tell you, that is one interesting Q and A session. Fighters are not shy, they readily ask questions to make sure that everything they do is not only legal, but fair. It's reassuring to see things like this where someone is not going to shy away, but speak up to make sure everything is clarified. I had often wondered what it would be like to sit in when this was going on, and now I know it's basically a tiny little fighter and referee session where the ref makes known that he won't allow certain things to float under his radar; it's a great thing to hear. There was a lot of focus on the eye pokes, but thankfully we had none throughout the night.
As the card began, word came to heavyweight Wes Anderson (who trains locally out of MTC and abroad at Greg Jackson's gym) that his opponent had failed to submit approved blood work. This was a true loss to the card since Wes is as talented a heavyweight as I have seen in ages; he was disappointed but he moved past it and is ready for his next shot. My fighter, Justin, was sitting very calmly in the dressing room, warming up on and off with my business partner Phil Williams, Bellator champ Pat Curran, Team Curran trainer Brett Brendel, and teammate David Williams. The essence of teamwork is very strong among the Team Curran fighters, and even when multiple teams are present, they stand out in cohesiveness. The headline fight also included a Team Curran fighter by the name of Vince Romandine, who looked as ready to fight as any man ever has.
Soon guys I knew were heading to the cage; Team Curran member Rene Alverado went in against a much larger opponent who had missed weight and lost via TKO. Rene is a damn good fighter and a fantastic guy, but that night was simply not his night. His spirits remained high despite taking his first loss, and as the night went on he went from fighter to fan watching his friends walk into the cage after him. Justin continued to prep for his fight, and as Phil and I strung up ropes from his banner to make sure it would be able to hang from the cage, his name was ready to be called. Phil and I were out first to hang up the banner, and then Justin, flanked by Brett Brendel and Pat Curran, came out to the cage. My stomach was personally in knots, as you never know what's going to happen when that cage door closes.
Luckily on this night Justin was the better fighter. He slipped a couple of punch combinations and locked in a deep rear naked choke to end the fight in the first round. The crowd went absolutely insane – and since Justin had a huge amount of people in attendance, rightfully so. His career record moves up to 5-0, and now he has found himself challenging for the Title on XFO's very first televised card on August 10 at Outdoor War.
Being a manager for a night instead of a columnist is a very different experience for me, and one that I will not forget anytime soon. My fighters are all friends of mine, and I want to see them succeed – so if I can help that process along I will scratch and claw to do so. The way you see things differently and the things you see that you otherwise wouldn't are simply astounding, but mostly it is a large learning curve to which I am going to have to adapt.
Thank you for reading, and follow me on Twitter @BradMMATorch
Also our management company @MMA10Management
On behalf of myself, Phil and Justin we also want to thank his sponsors, including Baraboo Electric Art in Baraboo, Wisconsin - @BarabooElectric – Cutting Edge Lawn Care – Certified Auto Body – Brian Bolinger Agency of Farmers Insurance – Intimidation Clothing – Ecko MMA and SFL Shirts.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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