I have some really shitty news...terrible Christmas and 30th birthday news at that...Not the positive happy posts that you guys are used to seeing from me, but ok, here goes...I know its not my fault and things like this happen, but I still feel like an explanation is necessary. I want to apologize to those who were looking forward to starting the year off, with me, with a bang. Ive learned that my opponent is not able to compete on the 3rd due to the fact that he injured his knee pretty badly while training, and that Joe Cuff asked everyone he could to fight me at 145lbs, 150lbs, or even 155lbs as a formidable replacement, but had no luck getting someone on such short notice. He looked outside of the northeast for interest in the fight. He even asked friends of mine, which was rather upsetting, but I guess ya gotta do what ya gotta do to make things happen last second...We also reached out to matchmakers and friends in other promotions, with no luck either. (Thank you Pat Sullivan, Jimmy Burchfield Jr., and Calvin Kattar for doing what you could to help.) Im heartbroken because of the hours upon hours upon HOURS I spent training and traveling to train and prepare for this night seem wasted, but even more upset that I cant repay all of my fans with the show that they deserve out of me. Training and sparring hard through a likely broken nose for weeks (and not telling anyone so that they wouldnt take it easy on me) and still beyond ready to fight. Dieting hard through the holidays, when I could have been enjoying the food and stress-less times with my family. Being irritable because of the stress that comes with all of this...man, it just wasnt meant to be. What a nightmare....Ive never had an opponent drop out last minute and on top of that, no replacement; its terrible. Ughhh!!!...the time and money put in, with nothing to show for it is so frustrating! I want to thank everyone for saving the date and being excited for the event, especially my new family at Mayo Quanchi in West Warwick, RI. So many people bought tickets JUST to support me and I wont even be able to perform for them. You never expect something like this to happen to you, but it does. I know you guys are just joining the fan base, but if you ask anyone before this, this has just never happened! - I just spoke to Serge and he said that I can do a 3 hour seminar at the dojo for those that wish to learn some Jiu Jitsu/Striking/or MMA techniques. Havent figured out what exactly Id show, but Id like to do something to show my appreciation. For all of my awesome, supportive, incredible sponsors that stepped up to be a part of this fight, your financial support will carry over from now until the next fight, and youll actually get more time and exposure on social media. Ill wear the shorts and the shirts made for the 3rd, for the next fight, though youll just have to wait a couple months longer to be on the banner, come fight night. (The shirts and shorts were printed and sent out to everyone on Monday.) I REALLY hope those who bought tickets still go to the fights so your money isnt wasted. Enjoy the casino, have some good food and drinks, and go without stressing out because Im not fighting...Also, go to watch my teammates Johnny Lopez and Carlos Candelario fight. Johnny has been on an absolute tear lately. Nobody makes it out of the first round with his man; ironic for a fighter with the nickname, Mr. Nice Guy. Carlos is an undefeated, two weight class amateur MMA champion who is also an ammy golden gloves boxer, making his pro MMA debut. Theyre machines and theyve both worked SO hard for January 3rd. I know this because they were right there with me in training, preparing for January 3rd. Ill still be going, obviously, to help these guys out wherever they need it, so we can all chill post fights, like usual. The only thing that changes is that Im not competing... Again, guys, if there were anything else we could do, it would have been done to make sure I could still put on a show. In 19 professional fights before this, Ive never had this happen, but it is always a possibility. At least I didnt have an opponent no call no show, be scared to show for the fight after weighing in, or miss weight and get sent to the hospital instead of being able to fight. All of those are very normal in this sport, unfortunately. Please accept my apology on behalf of ugly fate and terrible luck, and my promise to be ready to put on a show in the near future. For now, Im going to celebrate my 30th birthday stress-free...Stay tuned Mangler
Posted on: Sat, 27 Dec 2014 00:56:16 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015