relevance

In MMA your only as good as your last win and the last BIG press you have done. When you are on TV and in every magazine or on a HUGE win streak, you are relevant. You have worth. People want to know you and opportunity is everywhere. What happens when Your not winning, not on TV, not in the magazines, not RELEVANT?

Its strange for me. Ive been in all aspects of the fight game. I started off fighting in 2002 when the sport as a whole had no mainstream relevance. It didn't matter to those of us in it, because it wasn't about fame, money or anything related to these things. As the sport grew, so did the fan base. With that comes money. With money comes publicity and through that the sport becomes RELEVANT. It ,means something to be a fighter now. EVERYONE is an aspiring fighter. EVERYONE sees the sport, thinks its an easy way of being something and wants a piece of it.

I went from the upstart to a champion(WEC). From a Champion to making the "big show"(at the time the UFC was just starting to have monthly shows and making the strides that it had. It was also rebuilding the lightweight division). From the UFC to reality TV. I was known and had made huge steps and then it crashed down.

Because of the TV shows portrayal of me, I sucked as a fighter and didnt have any credibility. I was a coward and had no work ethic. I then had to take 1yr off to get neck surgery, putting back any chance of utilizing at the very least the attention I had garnered from the TV show(Good or bad, people at least knew who I was). So now, I went from having some worth to really starting all over again. I lost all RELEVANCE.

Now, here I am, 5 wins in a row all by finish, still without a contract with a major organization and without any really financial stability still pushing forward and for what? I I do it because of regardless of public relevance, its what I enjoy and its what I strive for. Ive been at this sport for 8yrs and Im not stopping until Im ready to. Ill keep fighting everyone that is put in front of me and keeping pushing forward to be a better fighter and person. And you know what? that makes me relevant.