Jamie Varner's blog for mmaweekly
Ever wonder what goes through a fighter's mind before, during and after a fight? How about a championship fight? Jamie Varner, who recently - successfully - defended his WEC lightweight title, wrote a revealing blog for mmaweekly.com:
I wanted to come back and give you a recap of my final week before my first title defense and what it has been like since that fight.
In my last blog entry I was about a week out and walking around at about 170 pounds. I was just starting my cut to 155 pounds. That week I had to get my shorts and shirts finalized and make sure everything was set and all of my helpers knew where and when I might need them.
I arrived in Vegas with Trevor Lally on the Wednesday before the fight. Vegas was as hot and nasty as it has been in Phoenix this summer and the air felt thicker. As we arrived and got all checked into the hotel that was across the street from the Hard Rock Hotel, a lot of the WEC support staff and fighters were all arriving and getting checked in to the hotel. I found an LA Fitness that was nearby and I headed over to make sure they had what I needed to get the weight off.
I started cutting heavy on Wednesday and the weight was not coming off as quick as easy as it has in the past. That is one of the dangers of training as hard as I do, if I add too much muscle, I won't be able to cut muscle. Also I think with the extreme heat that my body was trying to keep me cool and hydrated. This was the hardest cut I can remember and I really must applaud Marcus for being able to cut that one pound in the hour he was given to do so. It could not have been easy.
I wanted to thank Cobra Kai and Scott Berry for the gym time and the use of their facilities. They are always so great to us when we are in town.
On Thursday we did our face-offs. Because the hotel was so small, we were all basically right on top of one another. So when I came down to do go over to the Hard Rock for the face-off, Marcus was right in front of me. Here I am trying to get my mind around the fact he wants to beat me and take my belt and he is right there in front of me.
We do our promotional work and Marcus is all class and very professional. For me, my nerves are now taking over. I have gone over this fight a million times in my mind and I know I have missed something. While I won't say I am freaking out, I am really starting to feel the pressure of the event and what I have riding on this. All of the hard work and sacrifices have been made and how they will factor into the fight is still an unknown.
The next day is much of the same. I have about 10 pounds to go and as we get closer to the fight the pounds are coming off slower and slower. My other cornermen, Todd Lally and Steve Rosenberg, arrived today and my manager Jason Genet should arrive later in the evening.
The best part of today was my Premier Fighter shorts. I hate wearing board shorts as my thighs and ass are big and the board shorts never give me the room I need to throw my kicks and feel comfortable when shooting or the like. Todd gives me my shorts and they were perfect. Hands down the best shorts I have ever had to wear and they needed no alterations. During the fight I can honestly tell you the shorts helped me and gave me the flexibility I needed to fight my game.
Saturday rolls around and I cannot loose these last four pounds. I am stuck at 159 and I have done everything I can think of to lose the weight. I am now starving, thirsty and pissed at everyone for making me go through this misery. I can smell food everywhere and as far as my portable scale says, I am on weight.
At the weigh-ins we go over last minute reviews and anything that the NSAC may need from us. We weigh-in according to our fight schedule, so I am one of the last people to weigh in, they go off without a hitch for me and I feel good, I am ready to fight. I can feel the love from the crowd at the weigh-ins and I wish we could fight right now. I immediately begin hydrating and eating whatever food is presented to me. For dinner tonight I will go have a big pasta plate and carb up. My goal is to get as much weight as possible back on and increase my energy.
The day of the fight I have my rituals, essentially I want to be left alone until it is time to fight. At this point I have done everything I could do to be ready. I either am ready or not and if not it will show in front of millions of fans. I wanted a clean fight and a clean finish. I wanted to make sure everyone knows the WEC has some of the best fighters in MMA and I want to be considered one of them.
In my last fight I fought a world champion Thai fighter and in this one I am up against a black belt who trains as hard as I do and wants the belt as much as I want to keep it. Little did he know I had forgotten my belt at home in the closet and if he won he was going to have to come to my house to get it.
Marcus looked ready at weigh-ins. He looked hungry and determined and I knew he was going to bring his "A" game. The guy won the golden gloves, he has a great ground game, and is undefeated. The pressure was mounting and I was ready to put this training camp to good use.
Backstage we have rooms that we share with other fighters. They have screens up so you can gauge how long of a wait until you are fighting. I was warming up, practicing my guillotine defense, and going over the game plan. On my path to become the best I am going to meet a lot of diverse and well-rounded guys like Marcus, tonight was going to be a real test.
When the bell rang everything went as planned. The pace was fast and furious and Marcus was strong and powerful. He was able to take me down, which was surprising, but he was not able to keep me down, which in turn surprised him I think. He landed some powerful shots on me. I returned the favor and I felt at home, sort of at peace. I saw all of my shots and I placed my knees and punches where I wanted them. He was absorbing lots of these shots and I did not want to rush in and get caught. Everything fell into place and I kept landing and with every shot he got weaker and weaker.
When (referee Steve) Mazzagatti stepped in, I felt like for that very moment I belonged. I really fought like a champion and I defended my belt. More importantly, unlike when I beat Rob for the belt, this win felt like just another win. I have not reached my goal of being called one of the best 155-pounders in the world, yet. I did what my trainers and the WEC expected from me, I did my job. I am taking one week off and I will be back in the gym building towards that goal of being one of the best fighters in the world.
Marcus Hicks is a bad, bad man and when I meet him again I want to be better and stronger. I have no set opponent, but I would love a rematch with Razor Rob.
I want everyone in the world to know I am here to stay. I am here to become one of the best fighters in the world. I am 23 and have a long road ahead and many more great battles in front of me. I hope you will follow me on this journey. I promise you I will always come to bring it and while in MMA you cannot guarantee victory, I guarantee you in a Jamie Varner fight you will always be treated to a show.
In the mean time, please go to JamieVarner.com and sign up for my newsletter. I will pick some names when I get back from my vacation and the winners will get some cool prizes like an iPod Nano, my signed fight shorts from WEC 35, my signed WEC 35 gloves, a signed MTX Fight Team shirt and some posters and stuff. I will announce my fights and keep you posted on my life in between fights at JamieVarner.com.
Thanks to my sponsors, training partners, and MMAWeekly.com for allowing me some space to keep you informed.
