Fight Analysis: 1
Nathan Stahr XFC 1: May 2003
Southport, Queensland
The Baptism
Pre-Fight opponent Data:
Who was Nathan Stahr? I had no real connections in MMA at the time, and finding info on a prospective opponent was very hard. I did know that he had fought MMA before and had a solid stand up back ground. He was also to my knowledge capable on the ground as I had heard he won a Qld BJJ comp. Also he was big, strong and tough. Plus he had a shaved head, which said to me he could probably swim faster than me. I now had a demon to face. The fight was set at 95kg.
Game Plan:
In order to have a really effective game plan you really have to know who you are as a fighter. Since this was my debut, I really did not know how I would perform; my training leading up to this was solo to say the least. Adelaide in 2003 was just blossoming slowly when it came to MMA or functional martial arts. I wanted to take the fight so as to learn as much as I could from the experience and ultimately in order to do this I had to feel the big man out on the ground and on his feet. I decided that I would throw something and then initiate a clinch. Oh and not get hit.
Preparation:
I did a lot of bag work, as this was my staple training for years. I also did body weight exercises, shadow sparring and I ran a heap of Km, even though I was a podgy boy in this fight. Most of my grappling was oriented towards G’n’P defence from the bottom position. This seemed to come in handy as it would later turn out.
What Happened:
I discovered just how lonely, yet liberating it is to walk from the change room into the bright lights and then to step through those ropes. It was me and him, nothing else mattered except for what would happen as soon as the bell sounded. I had made a previous bet, with a good friend, that I would attempt a jump spinning back kick, so the first thing I did was this. Stupid, yes but the things you do for $50. Of course I did this near the corner where it was wet, so subsequently I lost my footing and ended up on the ground. Nathan being the experienced warrior that he is, seized his opportunity and began pounding on me from my back. We then were stood back up and after wearing some knees, I found myself again on my back beneath the big man. Eating elbows and right hands, I knew I had to keep tight and cautiously defend as I was unsure what damage I could truly take. The first round ended with Nathan on top in half guard beating me up, we were again stood up where I ducked in my head on Nathan’s ribs as he smacked me some more. I figured if I hugged him enough, he may take it easier on me.
I felt heavy, almost drained but on the whole good, considering I was getting hit. My corner’s advice was “Go hit him”, and that would be the theme of there advice for the duration. On our feet I clumsily absorbed more knees and punches and then pulled Nathan on top of me, again. Here I was able to scramble and end up on top. From here I had an opportunity to be offensive to swing the balance. But…nothing, I had nothing left. I felt heavy and out of steam. So I fell back to guard and let Nathan punch me some more, after all he really was doing a good job of it. I attempted an arm bar from the guard on Nathan’s left arm, but I decided he would escape it, so I released it before I ever had it and went back to being fist bait. Nathan got to his feet, kicked me as I laid on my back. We danced some more on our feet, only to fall to the ground again. We were stood back up and on our feet my hands on my head, Nathan teed of landing at will, as I occasionally threw some random kicks or punches. As the second round closed, I was on my side, Nathan atop of me his fist finally finding my chin. Getting back to my feet, I now knew the meaning of jelly legs.
The third round started with both of us mixing it up, Nathan again getting the better of me. One of those knee’s which he had been throwing for the duration of the fight got through and the result of it was me crumpling to the ground. Blackness was all that I could recall at this stage. The Referee, stood me up and through my grogginess gave me a standing 8-count. Now as far as I was concerned Nathan had KO’d me. I was out, but for some reason there was an 8-count and I was going to keep going. Nathan opened up, dismantling me as he threw his barrage of strikes. Ducking my head again, Nathan cranked my neck and forces the tap. I was beaten twice in a matter of minutes. Man…did that suck….did I suck. Instantly I felt ashamed, frustrated and so disappointed. If I left fighting now, this would be my epitaph, a punching bag for Nathan Stahr.
What I did wrong:
I think it’s easy to list things and simply say, that you could have been better here, or done that a little different there. I prepared wrong, that was the biggest factor. No sparring and no grappling equal a very bad performance. My mobility and rhythm was dictated by what Nathan was doing or going to do, as opposed to what Kym should be doing. I fought a very dysfunctional and poorly timed counter fighter fight.
What was learnt:
Ultimately my conclusion was, it was fun ! I had a great time. Sure I was concussed and got beaten well. But in all honesty, I was not surprised. Sure I wanted to win, and I really hated being beaten up. But I accepted that out come and knew I had something to build from. The biggest factor was functional training. I needed to train relevant for MMA. No more Gi stuff, no more sliding side kicks, no more escrima sticks. It all came down to basics, drill them, train hard, condition yourself and train to fight.
Outcome:
Loss by submission, Round 3. Record 0-1.
