The Next Step: I Fight In The Cage At 205 lbs. Against Jeff Holcomb
November 3rd, 2012 by Joshua Scott BeranisAcross the board it is being called a bad idea. So most everyone has suggested this not be the plan of action for me. Against the good advice of those who have been doing this professionally, and those who are familiar with the sport to degrees much higher than my own, I will be fighting Jeff Holcomb on December 1 at The Point Casino.
I just don’t feel like I can give the reader everything they are looking for in MMA journalism unless I start taking bigger risks, and modify my schedule (much to my expense) to fit with the lifestyle of someone who takes this sport very seriously, and has entered the cage themselves.
The regiment has already begun. I am dieting, exercising, and seeking further light in the realm of MMA as far as training and technique. What I am doing is not something anyone should do, especially having minimal training, and going up against a former pro who has agreed to fight an amateur bout to help me get a taste of the sport’s reality.
If I am going to take a risk, I might as well risk everything. Besides, the blog is suffering from the constraint of a rigid and unpredictable work schedule, and writing is the only thing that has kept me sane during these hard times. It is time.
So watch your local MMA writer pull a sort of impractical publicity stunt, not just with the aim of promoting himself, but with the aim of getting hands on experience which will shape future coverage of MMA.
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
November 10th, 2012 at 8:44 am
Josh, this is George Plimptonesque. Update this baby. Let us know how training’s going. I wanna be in the front row for this. Hook me up with a pass, brother. I’m in your corner. Rougheart, fight on!!!!
November 11th, 2012 at 1:13 am
You’ll be a corner then. You’re covered.
November 11th, 2012 at 1:54 am
Have you been working the bags? Sounds like a good idea to me, don’t hold anything back!
November 11th, 2012 at 4:50 am
Have you got a good cut man?
November 11th, 2012 at 4:59 pm
Don’t worry Papa. This is safer than it looks. Safer by far than boxing, considering that once your out your out..
November 11th, 2012 at 5:00 pm
I’ve been working on my breath with striking. My biggest concern is running out of gas and being taken after tiring.
November 11th, 2012 at 5:07 pm
You could pull the “rope a dope” like Ali….you know, lean against the ropes and let him tire out pummeling you. Then when you sense he’s exhausted unleash a fierce assault of your own. It might work
November 11th, 2012 at 5:11 pm
Or I guess, in your case, lean against the cage
November 11th, 2012 at 5:15 pm
They don’t lock the cage after you enter, do they? If one of you is badly injured will there be quick medical response?
November 12th, 2012 at 10:20 pm
Yes Papa. Very quick medical response. Rope-a-dope in MMA is a bit more complicated than in boxing. Grappling/wrestling, kicking, fists, everything is allowed. Getting up against the cage would be a disaster for me.