The fights were interesting, had two different people want to bet me 20 bucks on two different fights. I made 40 bucks on the night. I also had someone bet me a dollar on the Rameau Sokoudjou vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura fight. At the end of the first round, it didn’t look like Nakamura was going to make it to the end. I took the bet. The person who bet me, his exact words were, “He won’t make it out of the first round.” I took the bet, the horn blew for the end of the first round, both fighters went to their corner, then Nakamura said he couldn’t continue. A lot like the end of the Sherk vs. BJ fight. So, my question to you is, did I win the bet or did the other guy win the bet? I say he made it out of the first round, let me know.

This weekend was great, got to see a lot of family and friends that I don’t get to catch up with much. Mark set some jugs out this weekend to catch some fish and also set a turtle trap out. We caught 8 big catfish and 4 turtles. Sunday we had a nice card game, for about an hour the game was played by flashlight because we lost some power during the rain. I’m the type of guy that can sit next to a campfire and socialize with my friends all day long. Monday we also hit the zip line and had a lot of fun. We’re trying to be able to do some kind of a flip off of it and haven’t figured out how yet.

These are some fish we caught at the Hughes Farm, on the left is a bass, on the right is a bluegill:

Some photos from the zip line:

This week I go to New Jersey for Robbie’s fight. I come back and then leave just about directly for my fight. So, I’ll be busy the next couple of weeks with my fight coming up.

Had a buddy email me and I found it very interesting. This is the entire email, I deleted nothing:

Matt,

I read your article on MMA Junkie today and it gave me the urge to email you. I hope all is going well with you and your family and that your training is on schedule. I am sure you have a a lot people telling you all kinds of things, but I couldn’t resist the temptation to throw in my 2 cents as well. Anyway, I feel like attitude plays an important role in the outcome of any endeavor. There is a famous quote by Henry Ford that illustrates my point. Here is what Ford said:

“Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right.”

For example, if you think something is not possible or out of your reach, you’re probably not going to commit much energy and resources to accomplishing that goal…Old habits die slowly because they are driven by an outdated mindset… In order to replace old habits through a change in your mindset, there are three steps you should follow:
1. First, begin by specifically identifying the results you want.
2. Then create and develop actions that will accomplish those results.
3. Lastly, examine your beliefs about those actions to determine if they are holding you back…So if you want to achieve your goals, create a mindset made of beliefs that support the truth you want in your future.

I don’t know why I am telling you this. You are one of the most confident people I have ever met. Your attitude, confidence and mental toughness are all a big part of why you have been so successful. I just wanted to remind you that you have every
reason to be confident in your next fight. If you go into the fight believing you will win, you will do so. I am not a trainer or a coach, but if I were, my advice would be to stay aggressive, apply pressure and take control of the fight.

Good luck Matt. I will be rooting you on from NYC.
Jake

-matt

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