It only took thirty seconds from when the ref said go for my footing to slip out from me on a high kick and my opponent to take advantage with numerous knees. My eye orbital and nose broke in those first thirty. It took two and a half rounds of back and forth for me to finally give in. I've spent the past three hours reading through forums of countless people ranting and raving. And all I can say is okay. I will not lie and say that I do not deserve it or that I am just gonna be a 'big boy' and ignore it. No. I will read each comment. I will take it in and remember it. Three years ago i found myself pretty much in a shitter. I lived a very unhealthy life style. I was a few twinkies short of being sent to fat camp. A good percentage of the people around me were involved in some sort of drugs or alcohol abuse. Instead of walking away from a confrontation I would sooner grab the nearest blunt object and swing away. In other words I was probably bound to end up in rehab or even prison. I did not have the time nor the drive to join any school sponsored sports. I work at a part time job to pay my own way. So when I fell into MMA I held on for dear life. This was a sport that breaks you mentally and physically. I understood all that. I accepted it and three days out of the week I would go the local wrestling room with bigger and more experienced guys who took pitty on me and let me grapple and spar with them. I would take my beatings and come back in the next day like the day before. Ready for another beating. Cause I knew it beat the alternative of falling into the scums of life. And eventually I was not taking such a bad beating all the time. I could stay in step and roll with the others and even showed some other guys a few things. I loved it all. The passion and strife you had to endure. I watched countless videos and read dozens of articles on technique. I do not lose my temper and focus now like I once did. I have a new found respect for people as a whole. A dream is to want to do something with your life. I absolutely love this sport. Every part of it. I spent a lot of sweat, blood and vomit doing it. I was stupid enough to think that I had finally reached that point where I was ready for actual competition. I spent many months after that night questioning everything I've ever done. So I'll read each comment, knowing full well that this is a mistake that I will live with for the rest of my life and I know there is nothing I can do to change people opinions on me if they do not even know me. I'll remember it tomorrow while I'm hitting mitts or grappling. And when I feel like quitting I won't. Just for all of you.
Every day of our lives we are tested. How we get through that day is what counts.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Iowa Pride
I have read more and more into Senator Heckroths propositions and I do have to agree with most of what he said. Most fighters want to be treated as what they are. They are athletes. If some one is serious about pursueing a martial arts career of any level they can not rely on skill alone. They have to build up their athletic ability and improve upon themselves. We do deserve fair treatment. I sat down with my training group and over all we like the idea of a commision over seeing amateur MMA. I applaud the idea of oversight on smaller promotions who try to get by with 'meat grinder' shows. HIV and physicals are a requirment for boxing. This should be carried over into MMA. As well as stricter limitations on fighters. It is true that fighters have been known to fight a couple nights in a row. Even after suffering a concussion. Give us the opportunity to legitimize this sport. It is not human cock fighting. This is the purest form of athletic competition. Where one persons will is matched up against anothers. It is not about who is the toughest guy around rather who has the most heart and determination.
I find it slightly humerous how I have been hearing all these people describing my own bout. Yes, I got beat up pretty bad. Yes, I lost. Yes, the guy was far more experienced then me. No, the fight was not a one sided beat down. I was not just some random kid walking in off the streets trying to act like I was a UFC fighter. I went in knowing what could happen. Even during the fight we went back and forth. I rememeber every time the fight seemed like it could be called I would push forward and fight harder until the very end. Once again, I am not trying to glorify what I did but just to give some insight.
I whole heatedly dissagree with the possibility of changing the fighting age from eighteen to twenty-one. If a person can be veiwed as legally being an adult they can make that decision for themselves. Plus this goes back to the concept of possibilities of under ground fighting. These people fight because that is what they do. They will find some way around it whether it is going out of state or other means.
Thank you,
Jerod Botts
I find it slightly humerous how I have been hearing all these people describing my own bout. Yes, I got beat up pretty bad. Yes, I lost. Yes, the guy was far more experienced then me. No, the fight was not a one sided beat down. I was not just some random kid walking in off the streets trying to act like I was a UFC fighter. I went in knowing what could happen. Even during the fight we went back and forth. I rememeber every time the fight seemed like it could be called I would push forward and fight harder until the very end. Once again, I am not trying to glorify what I did but just to give some insight.
I whole heatedly dissagree with the possibility of changing the fighting age from eighteen to twenty-one. If a person can be veiwed as legally being an adult they can make that decision for themselves. Plus this goes back to the concept of possibilities of under ground fighting. These people fight because that is what they do. They will find some way around it whether it is going out of state or other means.
Thank you,
Jerod Botts
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
“he got the living snot knocked out of him”
"He got the living snot kicked out of him during this fight. There was nobody there from a health standpoint so his two buddies grabbed him, threw him in a car…and dropped him off at home. His dad woke up, found him, rushed him to the hospital…He had a broken eye-socket…He almost lost his eye,”- Sen. Heckroth
That kid is me, Jerod Lee Botts, residing in Waverly Iowa. So much is being said about me but no one is actually asking me anything. All I want is to be heard. It does not matter to me if you take what I say negatively or positively as long as you take it. First off I am not going to try and glorify what I did. I was stupid thinking that I was ready to step into a cage three months and twenty-five days prior to my eighteenth birthday. Eighteen being the legal age to compete in a mixed martial arts bout. It was wrong of me to put my father in that position, but I can not undo what happened and will not sit here and let others speak for my actions. I know what is going on is way above my head but every voice counts in my opinion.
I will let you know a little about me. I litterally do three things with my time. I am a proud student at Waverly-Shell Rock High. I am work twenty-five hours a week at a local grocery store to pay my bills and earn my own spending money. Lastly, I am an aspiring martial artist. I train with a small group of other amateurs with big dreams at the local colleges wrestling room. We do not really have enough money or time to go to an actual MMA gym, so we come together a few nights out of the week and learn from each other. I will not pretend to be some super athlete or act like I am a top UFC fighter. I know exactly what I am and my skill level. Amateur is the key word. I, like many of my training partners, live, breath, eat, and even dream about mixed martial arts. It is just a way of life. Before I had martial arts I was an obese punk who was probably going to wind up in a detention center at some point. This sport has not only transformed my physical life but my attitude in general. I am much calmer and disciplined person. I do not fight because I like hurting but to challenge myself. I never had time for school sports because I needed to maintain my job, but martial arts gave me that oppurtunity to challenge myself on my own time.
MMA is a sport. It needs to be treated as one. I agree and even promote many of the concepts the Iowa Senate is trying to pass. These local amateur shows need more regulation. They do need medical staff present and thorough inspections. The fighters should have proof of age and physical condition. This is an evolving mainstream sport that needs to be handled gently. Although at times it seems some are less interested in regulated as they are in banning. That will not solve anything. The point being, fighters are fighters. We as fighters no what we are getting into and will still step into that cage. The blood pumping through us is that of a fighter. If amateur mixed martial arts is banned in Iowa it will not stop them. It will just cause those promotions to go underground where there would be no regulations or safety procautions.
I just watched a channel seven news report about me. It described the shadier part of mixed martial arts and my own Dad speaking on thhe subject. I have done my own research. I know about all the statistics on MMA and boxing injuries. I am in perfect health. I have beautiful 20/20 vision and am even now getting my gym gear ready to go to the gym with my training partners and break a sweat.
Thank you,
Jerod Botts
Sources:
http://www.radioiowa.com/2010/02/16/mixed-martial-arts-bill-moves-ahead-in-senate/
http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/article_d621c3f1-ab88-5b1e-a6ab-bbc2751c70fd.html
http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/article_010ad5a6-1b40-11df-878a-001cc4c03286.html
That kid is me, Jerod Lee Botts, residing in Waverly Iowa. So much is being said about me but no one is actually asking me anything. All I want is to be heard. It does not matter to me if you take what I say negatively or positively as long as you take it. First off I am not going to try and glorify what I did. I was stupid thinking that I was ready to step into a cage three months and twenty-five days prior to my eighteenth birthday. Eighteen being the legal age to compete in a mixed martial arts bout. It was wrong of me to put my father in that position, but I can not undo what happened and will not sit here and let others speak for my actions. I know what is going on is way above my head but every voice counts in my opinion.
I will let you know a little about me. I litterally do three things with my time. I am a proud student at Waverly-Shell Rock High. I am work twenty-five hours a week at a local grocery store to pay my bills and earn my own spending money. Lastly, I am an aspiring martial artist. I train with a small group of other amateurs with big dreams at the local colleges wrestling room. We do not really have enough money or time to go to an actual MMA gym, so we come together a few nights out of the week and learn from each other. I will not pretend to be some super athlete or act like I am a top UFC fighter. I know exactly what I am and my skill level. Amateur is the key word. I, like many of my training partners, live, breath, eat, and even dream about mixed martial arts. It is just a way of life. Before I had martial arts I was an obese punk who was probably going to wind up in a detention center at some point. This sport has not only transformed my physical life but my attitude in general. I am much calmer and disciplined person. I do not fight because I like hurting but to challenge myself. I never had time for school sports because I needed to maintain my job, but martial arts gave me that oppurtunity to challenge myself on my own time.
MMA is a sport. It needs to be treated as one. I agree and even promote many of the concepts the Iowa Senate is trying to pass. These local amateur shows need more regulation. They do need medical staff present and thorough inspections. The fighters should have proof of age and physical condition. This is an evolving mainstream sport that needs to be handled gently. Although at times it seems some are less interested in regulated as they are in banning. That will not solve anything. The point being, fighters are fighters. We as fighters no what we are getting into and will still step into that cage. The blood pumping through us is that of a fighter. If amateur mixed martial arts is banned in Iowa it will not stop them. It will just cause those promotions to go underground where there would be no regulations or safety procautions.
I just watched a channel seven news report about me. It described the shadier part of mixed martial arts and my own Dad speaking on thhe subject. I have done my own research. I know about all the statistics on MMA and boxing injuries. I am in perfect health. I have beautiful 20/20 vision and am even now getting my gym gear ready to go to the gym with my training partners and break a sweat.
Thank you,
Jerod Botts
Sources:
http://www.radioiowa.com/2010/02/16/mixed-martial-arts-bill-moves-ahead-in-senate/
http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/article_d621c3f1-ab88-5b1e-a6ab-bbc2751c70fd.html
http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/article_010ad5a6-1b40-11df-878a-001cc4c03286.html
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