Ronnie Britt Week 5 Blog

Photo courtesy Brian Frank www.bfrankphoto.com

“The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place… and I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently, if you let it. You, me or nobody, is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit… It’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward… how much you can take, and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done. Now, if you know what your worth, go out and get what your worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hits.”

This was a scene from the last Rocky movie.  Its part of one of the more inspirational speeches I have heard from Stallone and it means a lot to me. It epitomizes my philosophy about fighting and life in general and I agree with it wholeheartedly. This week the training has intensified for me and I have been feeling pretty run down.  This week there have been days I don’t want to even get out of bed, let alone go to the gym.  What normal person wants to work hard all day and then go to a gym and put yourself through a puke inducing workout? Or go to nightly sparring sessions for round after round of men trying to punch you in the face or choke you out? Day after day of eating vegetables, fruits and lean meats? I have a passion for fighting and I have made numerous sacrifices for this sport I love. But I am glad I am coming to an end. The last fight draws closer. I just have to keep moving forward.

Perhaps my main regret is that in my early fighting days i didn’t take my ‘career’ as seriously as maybe I should have.  I wonder if I should have approached it with more vigor and ambition. As it was, I just viewed the occasional competition as a test of courage and skill for myself. I wish I had fought more often and with a purpose of maybe achieving something. My goal is the same as always though, I want to win. I cant go out a loser in this fight. I have joked that if I lose, I am coming back for another fight. I will shave my head, change my name and come back as Ronnie Favre or something.

I don’t know too much about this opponent, but that’s nothing new.  I will assume he is bigger, faster, stronger and younger, they all almost always are. I figure he will be explosive and come after me right off the bat. He may try to use his reach and speed on me and keep it standing. He will most likely assume since I am older that I am slow.  Or that I don’t have the stamina to be a threat late in the fight. Perhaps he is reading my blogs and knows I am training very seriously for this final fight. It doesn’t matter, anything can happen in a fight. I may end it quickly and none of that age stuff will matter. Or maybe it will be a war. I am preparing for a three round battle nonetheless, I will leave it all in the cage. I want this one bad, I am preparing for this fight like its my last. I am more than willing to take the hits.

This weeks training has been much like last weeks, alternating nights at Spartan and at team DMEF. The intensity level has been even higher and the rounds have been more numerous. My weight is close to fight weight already and I feel very strong compared to my last several fights. My diet has consisted of fruits in the morning, vegetables and turkey for lunch and chicken, fish or beef for dinner. There have been a few nights this last week that I have felt a bit punchy or wore down. That’s not uncommon when you train with some very tough dudes. You will get your bell rung.  Unfortunately I was unable to make it to training this past Saturday at the DMJJ academy and I was a bit upset about it. I didn’t feel up to training, but you have to keep moving forward, right?  However, my friend and masseuse, Silla from Blade Massage Therapy, called me out of the blue and let me know she had a new gizmo in her office for me to try. She thought it would be very beneficial to me as a fighter.  Maybe God was trying to tell me to slow down and take it easy today I thought?! The new gizmo is called a Migun Thermal massage bed and it was just what my tired old body needed. At ten bucks a session, its a steal compared to a massage therapist session. I am going in again tonight after turning in this blog, lol.  I suggest to my fellow fighters to look into checking it out as the benefits are everything a fighter wants.

Question and answer time again! I was asked by a few of you if i would list the best submission guy, the best striker, best wrestler, etc, i have fought or trained with.  Lets start with the best submission guy, bear in mind that this list is subjective as to who gives me the most trouble, lol. As far as the best submission guy, several come to mind. Chris David is at the top, he is so cerebral and crafty. Another top guy is Doug Owens, he just never even seems to be trying and you end up in bad spots. The best striker has too many people to mention as it seems so many guys have punched and kicked me silly. At the top are guys like Tyrone Roberts, Josh Neer, Kevin Burns and John Halverson. They have all had me seeing stars. The hardest puncher is Josh Neer, he hit me so hard once my legs went numb. The best take down/wrestler guy would be Charles Blanchard from when I trained at Obakes gym. Anthony Porcelli is at the top with him.  The most heart? That’s a tough one, Nick Walker and Chris Mickle seem to have more heart and resolve than anyone. The fastest? Joe Brammer can move about as quickly as anyone, he is not quick, he is sudden! The strongest person I have trained with is Aaron Koiker, an Iowa power lifting champion. But the strongest I have faced in a fight is Bryce Teager, he seemed to be able to bench press Buicks.  The best training partner I have had is Danny Anderson, he is always there when you need him and he is well rounded. He is there when you need to prepare, need a corner, need advice, whatever. What more could you ask from a training partner?

Next week I will discuss MMA in general, the way it was and the way it is.  My mindset for fights and how I prepare mentally. And I will get to more of your questions, as for now, I got to get to that massage thing, later!

See you next week, till then, dont croak!
Warfrog