The last 3 days were definitely interesting. As I was surfing the web, I go to the Modern Gladiators website (http://www.moderngladiatorsfc.com) and see this on the fight card:
#8 Eric Russi One Spirit Martial Arts, Herndon VA Vs (155) George Arauot Team Hybrid, Virginia Beach
Cool right? other than they destroyed my last name (which is something I got used to), the weight was 155 and not 160. No panic - probably a typo error. I ask coach about it and we double check it and true, I am fighting at 155. This affected my whole diet of eating healthy nutritious food and drinking Vitamin Water and Gatorade, to simply eating fruits and drinking one bottle of Vitamin water a day (sipping through it). As I followed this diet, and I was walking at 170 lbs at that time, it worked terrificly. Yesterday after having my last "easy" training by just doing the boxing/conditioning class (basically just hit the bags with some combos), I weighed 162lbs. How to get rid of the remaining weight without killing my body as it needed nutrition? The options were numerous. Surrounded by so many skilled coaches and pro fighters, I looked like the task was not as hard as I thought. Yesterday all I had was a milkshake (banana and strawberry + non fat milk) and a Gatorade bottle (whole day). As I woke up today, I weighed in 159lbs. I went for a 3 miles jog with my friend Mehdi and was shocked to see my body collapsing at 1.5 miles. I was wearing sweat pants (it was way too hot for a whole sweat suit) and still without water nor food. We had to walk the way back. At this point, I realized that I need to find another way to lose that weight without using my body. The best way ---> what I hate the most "SAUNA". I got to the academy and weighed in at 157 lbs (yeah that jog didn't do much). I got in the Sauna with my iPhone and thought 30 min in it would be just fine (spend it probably playing games or facebooking). It took less than 10 minutes for me to start choking. It was the first time I felt like this. I was totally dehydrated. I felt like a claustrophobic person (and I'm not) who is dying to get out. It's like my body was begging me to get out of that tiny room. I was dripping water more than the usual because, Melissa, one of the female fighters, gave me Avalon, a product designed for make up that opens up your pores and lets you sweat dramatically! 20 minutes were over and I was going nuts. I couldn't even concentrate on a simpl fighting magazine written in poor English. I got out, weighed in, and it was 156lbs. One more pound to lose. I go back again, another 10 mins, I rush out, wash my face, wondering how the hell am I going to go back in there. I was putting cold water on my shirt and rubbing it all over my face (it felt better than anything at that point!). Occasionally I would put it on my lips and try to suck as much water I could from it. Another 10 minutes go by and I literally can't take it anymore. I get out weigh in at 155.4lbs . As I start walking around realizing that cutting weight for me is probably harder than the fight itself, Coach Chase asks me to weigh in without my shorts. I was wearing MMA shorts that don't weigh anything, but then realized that they absorbed a lot of the sweat so as I weighed in naked, my weight was 153.8lbs - yes, I felt like an idiot. At this point it was 3pm and I had 3 hours to lose before the weigh ins. I took a shower and literally collapsed. I laid down on the floor for more than two hours not being able to move or think. I sipped a bit of water since I was almost 2 lbs under but didn't want to take any risks. Sometimes, their scales are different.
Eventually, I went to the weigh ins and it was less formal than I thought. It took place at VBAMA (10 mins away from our academy). I went there with Coach Pete (the boxing instructor) and Lee Marvin Rahrlien who is fighting for the Welterweight Title on the same event with me. I weighed in 154lbs and realized that since it was my first fight they would have allowed me to weigh in at 156 lbs. Thanks! too late now...
Now i'm on a REHYDRATION MISSION. As soon as I weighed in, I was already sipping a bottle of PediaLyte - a drink that tastes horribly but refuels your body with electrolytes faster than anything else. Champions call it the Magical Remedy (yes also researched it - I'm a geek). It definitely does work, since I have taken it at 6:15pm, and it's 8:05pm now and feeling great already...
One thing I promised myself is to never go fight at this weight class again. It was a nightmare for me to cut down to this weight, since all I had to lose was "water". It was a time where I envied people that had bellies or extra fat. That would have been so easy to lose. Monday, I'm hitting the gym to gain all that weight back, or shall I maybe just take a week off? :)
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So how do I feel now? Actually it feels good. I am trying not to think too much about it. I feel very confident. Do I have a plan? not really. More like, whatever works on my opponent to finish the fight quickly. Trying not to take it to decision. I am going for the KO and not worried about getting knocked out. It's a game, you either win or lose, there's no shame in it as long as you don't quit. I have been trained by the best and took my body to the extreme. At this point, I want to win so badly, but accepting any decision. The reason being is that this training camp was simply a very beautiful experience to me. I got to see how everyone would help you get in shape, get better, and point your mistakes. I got to see that Hybrid Academy was another family that I had. I would be sparring with someone and random fighters would step in and start correcting techniques and giving advices. People I barely know. I would be doing some sit ups and again, random fighters would come and start pushing me "You have a fight coming!", "Come one, you can do this ALL DAY", "Go Teach him a lesson".... god , I love this academy.
All I can say is, tomorrow's win is dedicated to them more than anyone else. It's not going to be for me, but for them...
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