Ok. So you missed UBERSMASH II? Guess who didn’t??
I didn’t miss UBERSMASH II!! Along with local fighters, Shawn Carthon, Andy Wade, Zach Lassetter and Dray Burch. I wasn’t in the octagon like the fighters, but I did have the opportunity to have a backstage pass to the anticipation, nerves and adrenalin before the fights.
Preparation for the fights is a knot of emotions for the MMA fighters. Mental attitude is 90 % of the fight. It’s the feelings – the rush, the panic and the anxiety – of walking to the Octagon in a MMA professional debut and staring right down the barrel at an opponent with a desire to ground-and-pound your face to mush. Despite that initial fear they entered the octagon, the Wolfpack fighters wanted to make a good first impression and show the world what they can do. I’m sure their opponents went through all the same anxieties. Backstage the fighters have pep talks with their coaches, they get their knuckles wrapped, gloves in place and then they get in the right frame of mind for entering the octagon. I watched the fighters bounce around, throw punches and get pumped with their ipods and mostly chill to go inside their own heads before the fights.
I eased some of the tension
Area 51 Computers, 3123 Ross Clark Circle, Dothan, AL 36303.
Ph: (334) 794-2732.
Ubersmash II was held at The Moon, Talahassee, FL There was a huge crowd. There was not an empty seat in the whole place. I had a great view and saw a few Dothan locals there who also came to support the Wolfpack team. The fighters appreciated local fan's support. It was plain to see by the cheering of the crowd that our guys were the underdogs. I screamed my single voice out for Shawn, Andy, Zach and Dray surrounded by a mob of locals vocalizing their mad love support for local fighters. I have a loud voice and being a single loudmouth cheering for the opposing team in a fight pumped crowd was similar to the feeling of being an alien in a new world. I felt the same anticipation as any fan when their favorite fighter is in the octagon, I screamed, I yelled their names, and I made suggestions of what to do in the octagon. (uh, like I know what a ‘triangle’ is and how to get out of one????) I know the fighters heard my coaching all the way from my place on the stairs just below the third tier of raging fans. I was in the moment and felt my voice could make the difference, like yelling at the TV during a sporting event, but the difference was I was there live; the Wolfpack was fighting right in front of me. My voice could be heard. To my dismay, I might have well had been across the world, because my words had no impact.
I saw Shawn Carthon loose to a guillotine choke, Andy Wade had to tapout, Zach Lassetter almost made it to round 2 with a little blood loss, and Dray Burch, came to impress at his second time in the professional octagon. When the Wolfpack entered the octagon, I had a sense of pride from watching them locally and then seeing them in the larger arena. That pride continued even with the losses. I am a fan. I feel like they are back at the beginning of their game. They have just begun. They will take a few losses, but it won’t be long before it is a Wolfpack arm that is raised after the match and any or all of the Wolfpack team will be announced as a winner after the professional fight. I hope to be there when it happens. I hope you will be there also to share in the victory. You can also follow along with their careers and stats by looking up their names in the official MMA record finder here on the right.
Shawn, Andy, Zach and Dray-
“the pain of difficulty is nothing like the pain of regret.” - unknown. You all have nothing to regret. Wolfpack fighters entered the octagon at the Moon and did all they could do. For some, they had never been in a professional fight before, it was a scary place. Once you’ve been there, you know that you’ve got to keep pushing and you can change things. You keep going until they break you or knock you out. A fighter can’t train for that; they’ve had to have been through it before. Experience is a great lesson.
During the night other fighters had a much tougher night than the Wolfpack. Other fighters really took a beat down. The fourth fight of the night went three rounds and was an approx. three point win. One other fighter lost by a serious KO. Get a copy of the DVD from Area 51 Computers, 3123 Ross Clark Circle, Dothan, AL 36303.
Ph: (334) 794-2732 and watch it for yourself!
There was excitement each time a pair of fighters stepped into the octagon.
Here is the fightcard for Ubersmash II:
1. Shawn Carthon vs. Lionel Skinner
Winner: Lionel Skinner by Submission 0:48 in the first round
2. Andy Wade vs. Mitchell Chamale
Winner: Mitchell Chamale by submission (by rear naked choke) 1:58 in the second round
3. Zach Lassetter vs. Matt Munzey
Winner: Matt Munzey by TKO / RSC at the end of round one
4. Shane Weinsichke vs. Dan Funes
Winner: Dan Funes by Unanimous decision at the end of the third round
5. Ramon Keizman vs. Zack Odom
Winner: Ramon Keizman by submission 0:42 in the first round
6. Josh Hancock vs. Jeremy Smith
Winner: Jeremy Smith by TKO/ RSC 1:11 in the first round
7. Dray Burch vs. Tristian Payne
Winner: Tristian Payne by TKO/ RSC 3:15 in the first round
8. Chris Cope vs. Josh Samman
Winner Josh Samman by KO in the first round.
Losing Ubersmash II was very unfortunate for the Wolfpack and that’s just the way it goes sometimes. The Wolfpack will just move on from it. I know they got straight back into training, working hard and looking forward to another opportunity, to be announced “Winner!”
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