This is the only video online, but I haven't bothered to study it. It's unlikely that his game in 2011 looks anything like it does in 2016. My first amateur fight was also in 2011, and I know my current game doesn't look anything like the 2011 version. I expect him to be a tough opponent and that's that.
Fight 7 of ?
I think that the Terrence who debuted in 2011 would be surprised to learn that the 2016 Terrence is still fighting. Back in the late 2000s when I started training MMA, I thought that maybe I would have one fight, just for the experience. I figured that I would get it done, and check it off my bucket list. But here I am about to enter my 7th fight (3rd as a pro), at 35 years and 9 months, with no thoughts of exiting the sport. In fact lately, I feel like I'm on a mission to prove that an older athlete can thrive in this sport, and in a division that's dominated by younger fighters*. I've been doing this through ridiculous amounts of time spent researching nutrition, sleep, exercise, and movement. I recently went to a movement coach in Salt Lake City to get help with how I can train my joints to keep them working stronger and better throughout their range of motion for a long time. My opponents have youth, but hopefully I have wisdom.
I know there is risk in this sport. I know that no matter how well I take care of myself, this is a sport that is hard on the body and brain. But I am taking the long view; that if I take care of myself, that I can extend my career as long as possible. Put simply, I refuse to stop participating in this sport because of my age. I'll stop if I feel old, but I won't stop because I am old.
* success at advanced age inversely correlates with fighting weight; see here and here. Flyweight and lightweight are the only weight classes with no fighters over age 33 in the UFC's top ten.
