from 8 weeks out to 8 days out

It's been quite the journey. Eight days from now I will have fought my first MMA fight in Battlefield Fight League's 11th event. There are only a few more days of training, which are more skill days than conditioning days. The hard work has been put in and the serious blood and sweat have been left on the mats (figuratively, of course). Now all that remains is a little weight cut and a lot of mental preparation.

If I'm to be brutally honest, this training camp hasn't gone so perfectly. There have been some rough times. Not everything went as smoothly as it could have been. There's been a lot of adversity. I questioned myself a lot. There were times where I didn't think I'd be able to do this or to get to this point. But here and now, on this Friday night just one short week away, I truly believe that I am going to win next Saturday's fight and move on up in the promotion. And that's pretty big for me.

One thing I do know in my heart of hearts is that I have done absolutely everything within my power to put the best possible me out there on September 17. I've been disciplined, diligent and intelligent in training, diet, and mental preparation. If it's not enough to win, then so be it. The process has been a good one, I've learned a lot about myself and what I'm capable of, and I've grown. In some sense, I've won already by getting to this point.

In another sense, fuck that hippie bullshit. There is no outcome that I am allowing to penetrate my thoughts other than the following one:

On Saturday, September 17, I'm going to win violently and decisively. End of story.