OPERATION DESERT STORM UFC 94
My experience going to Las Vegas with Combat-In-Effect was pretty surreal. As both a fighter and a fan, I was surrounded by talent all around which makes it hard for me verbalize the experience.
I arrived in Las Vegas at around 2 p.m. on Friday the 30th, the day of the weigh-ins. After putting all our things in the hotel suite, we made a B-line to Fat Tuesdays at the MGM Grand to get a drink before the weigh-ins. The weigh-ins, although very entertaining, left a sour taste in all of our stomachs because of Nate and Clay’s extremely intense stare down. There wasn’t one person with us that didn’t want to see Clay put his foot in Nate’s ass right then and there. But unfortunately for us (and luckily for Nate) we had to wait one more night to see that take place.
After the weigh-ins we met up with Clay Guida and John Fosco (Clay’s manager and owner of the hard-hitting MMAStop) at a small lounge at the MGM to see how Clay was doing. But the second Clay got out of the room he was bombarded with fans. It took us 45 minutes to get from one side of a hallway to the other. We caught a glimpse of what has made Clay a popular fighter in the ranks of the UFC. He stayed and talked with each and every fan, signed anything they put in front of him, and took pictures for everyone. It definitely showed what kind of person Clay is. He gave everything back to his fans that night. He showed them how much they actually meant to him, and because of that, it showed me why he really is so loved by everyone in the sport. Towards the end of the night Clay, his brother and friends, including the staff and other fighters from Combat-in-effect went to eat sushi at a restaurant in the MGM where I had the opportunity to meet Clays parent’s and friends who were both very kind and excited. It really showed that ‘you are who you are around’ because through Clay’s parents you were reminded as to why Clay is such a good guy.
While walking through the halls, we ran into Loyota Machida, now if you listened to my last radio show on the LA Downtown Lounge, with Erik Mackentroth and Robert Ortiz, you would point out that I might have made a couple of comments, about him not being the most exciting fighter in the world….. But listen up, usually when you make comments like that, it’s over a couple of beers with friends and you start saying stuff like “Ya I can beat his ass” or whatever, BUT YOU DON’T EXPECT TO SEE THE GUY THE NEXT WEEK. Dude let me tell you what; I almost lost control of all bodily fluids. I wanted to hit the ground and pray he doesn’t own a radio. And of course John Fosco had to say “Isn’t there something you wanted to say to him Mike?” so of course I put my head down and turned my back to him as quickly as possible. The truth though is Loyota Machida stopped and talked to us and was a really nice guy. He had on the most killer fanny pack ever!!! Trust me if your not a fan of the sport and you saw Loyota walking around you would not think that he had the capability to give you a swift kick to the dome, but believe me HE CAN.
Then came the explosive night on the town (most of which will be buried in the Top Secret/Classified Files of the Combat-In-Effect vault) but what I can say is that this ‘crew’ may be about making the world a better place (Most of the effort behind Combat-In-Effect is in support of extensive charity work) but this group knows their way around Vegas!!! Combat doesn’t just take care of their own but also the fighters, the fans and the people they come across. It was a dangerous night!
Now comes the big day. I wake up with the awesome Las Vegas sun and honestly need to pinch myself because it hasn’t hit me yet that I’m going to be sitting damn near front row at the UFC 94 show that night… So we all get ready and go get some food, check out the town, and I even went to the gym for a little bit. Oh Yeah Big John!! When you read this, I didn’t let Vegas get the best of me, I stayed dedicated HAHA (I would like a raise please). After that we got ready and headed to the MGM Signature hospitality suite, where I got a chance to witness about 10 of the most beautiful women take photos modeling the AWESOME Combat-In-Effect apparel, Sexiness was taken to a whole other level!!!
The time has come! 6 p.m. rolls around and the big show is underway. We were chauffeured to the MGM Grand Garden Arena. When I got into the show I literally almost jumped out of my shoes when I realized how close my seats were, but I was going to be sitting right next to John Fosco and Clay’s friends. Once the show started I was stoked, it finally hit me where I was and what I was doing! It’s time: we see Clay walk out of the tunnel and the MGM Arena literally explodes with the loudest thunder of cheers I have ever heard. Once the fight started I realized that this wasn’t going to be the same as all the other fights I have watched. Spending all the time with Clay and sitting next to his family and friends I felt this was different. I wasn’t watching a random guy on the TV, it was like watching your older brother be in there and you really almost can’t watch the fight because of all the emotion going wild. I would look over at John from time to time and would see him and everyone just watching the clock, counting the seconds, hoping he wouldn’t make a mistake, then the clock winds down to 0 and all I felt was a rush of relief as we knew that Clay did everything he needed to and he pulled out a beautiful victory.
The rest of the fights were incredible and I had the most amazing time, but you could tell that this night was about Clay. Getting the opportunity to see veterans like St. Pierre and Penn, up and comers like Jon Jones, or contenders like Loyota put on a clinic (WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN MY FACE) was incredible.
After the fight we went back to our suite and on our way up to our room believe it or not, standing no more then 1 foot from me was GSP. Getting an opportunity to see THE MAN right after fighting in front of 14,000+ people, and just being able to talk to him and see what kind of emotions he was having off camera was priceless. Let me add by the way, that when standing there not only is GSP the best champion ever, but he also represents what a champion should be like on and off the stage. He stood there shook everybody’s hand, looked everyone in the eyes while doing it, and showed how humble of a man this guy really is. He has a character that every champion needs to emulate, and for that I respect him more than ever.
From there we went straight over to the Hawaiian Tropic Zone at Planet Hollywood for Clay’s after party. This was a fantastic event! As soon as we walked in I realized that not only were the Combat-In-Effect girls present, hanging out with everyone, but also I was literally surrounded by HUNDREDS of the most beautiful girls I’ve seen (a 22 year old’s heaven). We had a couple drinks, danced and partied. As soon as Clay got there everybody got a chance to hang out with him, his brother and family the whole night. We passed out tons of free shirts, hats, etc…. I don’t think anybody left till 4 in the morning. It was an amazing time.
All and all, my entire trip with Combat-In-Effect can be summed up as no less than amazing. It has given me a new outlook on fighting, and has gotten me excited for my own fighting career. Its shown me that work is not just done in the ring, and in the gym, but it’s actually done everywhere, whether it’s signing things for fans, doing interviews, or simply not forgetting to put on a hat or shirt for your sponsors. I’m excited to be apart of something as big as Combat-In-Effect, their charity work and, in a round about way, the UFC and can’t wait to see where it takes me next.
Mike Dear is a member of Big John’s McCarthy’s Ultimate Training Academy Fight Team With a history in Muay Thai, Wrestling and Jujitsu. His views do not necessarily reflect those of COMBAT-IN-EFFECT. Thank you, in advance, for your understanding.
