The Monkey is off her back.

Probably the hardest part to do, is to figure out how to write about the fight. I asked Nickie if it was okay to do this. She was behind me on this from the beginning.

So I’m going to break this down from the day of the weigh in.

Nickie came in at a perfect 134.8 lbs. Not a hard cut at all.  Unfortunately her opponent came in a whopping 7 lbs over weight at 142.6 lbs. Now this was a bit disappointing for Nickie because this meant that (A) she would not have the fight, or (B) she can take the chance and take the fight even though her opponent didn’t make weight. This has been three years in the making and Nickie, I don’t think had the patience to do this again because she would never know when her next fight would be. We always joked that no matter what, she would take the fight, even if her opponent came in 20 lbs over. Well reality sunk in. They asked Nickie if she wanted to take the fight. There was no doubt in her mind, she was taking it.

That night, she ate and relaxed, I went to the Halifax Mooseheads (local Major Junior hockey team) home opener. I just wanted to be out of her hair, let her do her thing. The next day we were up early and took the dogs for a walk never once talking about the fight. I couldn’t believe just how calm she was. She was about to take probably the second biggest step in her life (the first was marrying me). I on the otherhand was not so calm. I was a wreck, my heart felt like it was going to come out of my chest. I don’t know how she did it to this day.

We showed up at the venue early so she could get a feel for the ring and get situated. She was still calm and cool, I still was not.

The night opened up with what I thought should have been fight of the night. Two ladies, Rachel Wise and Jodi Philips, unleashed on each other. Pretty exciting fight to start the night off. The crowd went ballistic, I mean for an event that had a thousand or so people. I may be biased when it comes to womens MMA. That fight ending up going to a decision with Rachel coming out with the unanimous decision 29-28 on all judges score cards. The next two fights were pretty exciting. One going the distance again, and the other finished in the first round by RNC. Nickie was up next.

Her opponent came in first, I was still pissed at her for coming in overweight. No matter. Nickieis next.  Amazing (Kanye West) was her choice for her entrance song. The moment sunk in pretty quick. My wife is about to step into the ring and put it all on the line. Crazy!

It didn’t take long, Nickie dominated the beginning easily catching a kick, sweeping her opponent and took her to ground. Man this was going to be great, just like I hoped. Elias Theodorou said it best. You want to go into a fight, and come out of a fight, looking like you were never in a fight.

Her opponent started shifting her hips and Nickie started moving her around trying to stack her and smash her, throwing down hammer fist after hammer fist. Wait what was happening? Her opponent got a hold of her arm. Her coaches saw it, I saw it, Nickie felt it, but there was nothing she could do. It was locked in tight. Her opponent pulled out an arm bar. That was it. It boiled down to one minute and 19 seconds, with Nickie taking a loss by arm bar.

All of a sudden, for me, a load was lifted. She didn’t win, but I have this huge sense of pride now. She didn’t get her beautiful face beat in, and she did what not many can say, that she fought in a cage as a MMA fighter. There were many tears, and she had this guilt and disappointment, maybe a little embarassment, that she let everyone down. It was the exact opposite though, everybody was there to support her no matter what, win or lose, and it showed. Everyone was proud of her!

Saturday night, was a shit show! We may have partied like she won a belt. Dinner and drinks at the Foggy Goggle, and we may have closed a bar or two after that. After a couple hours of sleep, we just kept rolling on with breakfast and more celebrations.

She finally has that monkey off of her back! Now it’s back to the drawing board. Did I mention my wife is a MMA fighter?

Last couple of pounds

Like a champ, tons of energy, ready to go. She can wake up tomorrow, have a light breakfast and still be at weight, starting off fresh!

Sweating out the last pound.

Crew. Juliano Pereira Macario (coach), Nickie Cleroux (you), Me, Mitch “Money” Manette, not in picture Rob Walker (head coach)

With sweats on, going to be a good breakfast!

Emotional Rescue

This week has been up and down. Nickie is ready and now is just getting down to weight nicely, but to do so there has been a (little) tweaking to her diet. I never knew how much a certain item meant to her.

She still requires the right amount of calories to function, but enough so she can gradually lose a couple of pounds. Her little something is pitted dates. Those are packed with sugar and it had to go. She did all she could I think in her power from telling me to GFY. A little pout on her lip and she left to train, grumpily (is that even a word) telling me she loves me.

She had her five minutes of fame the other day, (if you missed it check it out on twitter @rottenronnie70 I think I may have posted it there once or twice) and I couldn’t have been prouder. The media of course twisted everything, but it is what it is. It’s exposure for the sport and for her personally.

Friday is the weigh in, I don’t know what to expect the next couple of days. It’s hard because it seems she is on edge more than she was the last time she was prepping for a fight. The last one got cancelled right at the weigh in time due to city by-laws that conflicted with the province of PEI. I have been trying to be cautious about what I say. The rule is think twice, speak once. I can’t motivate her anymore, never suggest anything, and sometimes if I look at her the wrong way…

People of MMA land, please, please, please never ever boo at a fight or scream boring. If you don’t understand what goes into all this training and prepping, then you shouldn’t go to these fights to heckle. Yes they may be grinding on the fence, or on the mat, and it’s not the most exciting to see, but think about the fighters. Try once to imagine how much energy they are expending to get into a position and meanwhile defending themself. If you think it is so easy, go to your local MMA club and buy a month membeship. Endure what you might think these fighters go through. It’s brutal! That’s only half of it, the stuff that happens at home is the other half. The dieting, the family relationship, loss of friends. It goes on and on. I hope I gave some insight into this, and you enjoyed reading youmeandmma.

 

The Finale

“It’s the final count down”…It’s all coming down to the final seven days. Crazy! Meals are getting tighter, lots more sleep needed, and the training goes on.

Today Nickie got to do the “local girl” shoot for a National News station. Kind of good for her, and promoting the sport of women’s mixed martial arts. She also has a radio interview next week with a local radio station. Not much of a fan of the interviewer, but hey, it’s exposure for Nickie.

I have been helping out with the ticket sales, which are good, considering we will have the TARS Rugby Football Club women’s side in attendance, all former teammates of Nickie. It’s going to be noisy. By the way,  I want to thank you all for purchasing tickets, and tables. Without you, this event wouldn’t happen.

I got to read some wise words from a seasoned veteran today. He pointed out the costs of putting on a small promotion and how you need to promote yourself as a fighter.

For those that question the costs, this puts it into perspective, and remember, amateurs don’t earn money! They get punched in the face for free. Looking at what we’ve accomplished, I think we are on the right track. We have posters up all over the city, sold tickets, promoted Nickie.

The rest of the week should be a breeze. For me anyhow. Tonight a nice easy meal, a walk in the park with the dogs, and some well deserved relaxation time. A glass of wine for me and green tea for Nickie. 

Things are getting crazy!

You can cut the tension in the air. Sometimes I don’t know if I should talk or just wait until something comes out of her mouth. She is tired.

Up at five am, she takes off for her run with Earl. He ‘s our Husky Lab Shepherd mix, Arleigh, our pitbull, well her hips wouldn’t handle the hour run. I tuck her into bed. I’m usually off for my bike ride to workout (by workout I mean TRX, which is enough for me to stretch and work my total body in under an hour) or instruct TRX.

Today I woke up to a flat tire and used it as pour excuse, to just stay home and skip my morning workout. I relaxed with my morning joe, read a bit, and watched Nickie and Earl take off.

Morning run complete.

I pack my gear into my backpack and head off to work, again like passing strangers, I’m able to get her to pose for a pic, (which she will hate, not going to get into it) kiss her goodbye and head off to work only a mile away. I got my Dropkick Murphys on, great music to wake up to.  Meanwhile Nickie is getting ready for her shift at the hospital, which is in forty five minutes.

Cut to the end of the day, which is just the next round. I’m covering instructing back to back classes at Cyclone Cycling studio, and Nickie is off to Forca MMA for her training sessions. (In case you’re wondering, my buddy Devin took care of the dogs for us today.) I roll in around seven to an empty house, and get to relax a little before I have to prep meals for my lovely wife. One less thing she needs to worry about. We follow a strict routine in the final three weeks, with only a few pounds left to shed in the end. Makes life so simple and we have it down pat. She makes it home much later than usual, probably refining technique, don’t want to ask because she’s got that look of fatigue.

Seventeen more days. Here’s a little advertisement for the promotion. She’s probably a little nervous, but I know she’s ready to rumble!

Have you seen my wife?

No? Neither have I. Joking aside, just over seven weeks remain until the fateful day! Nickie has been killing her workouts and training. With each day, she is improving. There is absolutely no question of her fitness or cardio. She has maintained her level so high, when even pushed to the max, she is noticing (as well as others) that her recovery is fast. Very important in the world of MMA I would say.

Her coaches know that she is ready for this fight. Still keeping my fingers crossed though. Her coach has been beating on her more lately, literally and figuratively. She came home the other day with a couple of contusions. Nothing surprising. Guess she will have to move her head a little more hey? She still has a big smile when she comes home and that’s always nice to see. She isn’t dreading anything.

Or is it? The next day she comes home from training, I can tell there is something obviously wrong. Nickie has this thing, where if she isn’t satisfied in her training, no matter the amount of reassurance she gets from myself, teammates, coaches, she feels she is missing something. Of course the waterworks start and the sniffling, (you need to see Juliano imitate this), and I guess I hear it has been a regular occurence. Nickie has always worn her heart on her sleeve. I coached her in rugby and have seen this, I guess I should have warned her coaches. She would get smashed on the field, ( in rugby they don’t stop play if someone gets injured, the play only gets stopped if the injury is in the way of play), so the coach/me would run out and check on her. Of course being sympathetic like I am, I’d ask her how what is broken, only to the reply through tears, she will be fine, regain her composure, and run off and smash someone back.

I think she feels sorry for me sometimes. We don’t spend a lot of time together so the times we do, we try to make them special. Like getting our haircut together at SAILOR BUPS. If you’re in Halifax and need a shave or haircut, not a bad place to visit. Tell them Ronnie sent you!

We watched the last couple of UFC fights and nothing was really a surprise. Meisha Tates’ fight was pretty to watch. We were looking forward to the matches in Brazil but I think deep down in our heart we know what the results were going to be. We decided to go camping instead. This didn’t stop Nickie from training. She would drive back to the city in the morning go to training and come back to the campsite. She is just trying to fit a little time in with me when she can. On Sunday, Nickie’s day off, we managed to do a 15 km hike. Pretty huge for me but it was a start. The intention was to walk in a klick or so to see a waterfall, but what the author of the blog about the said waterfall failed to mention, was that the road to our destination is barricaded. We made it though!

I love watching Ronda dismantle her opponents and everytime she fights she is just getting better. Glad I got to see the thirty four seconds on the interweb the next day (saved the $60 too). I am hoping to see the same results from Nickie. I love sitting listening to her coach Juliano explain the fights as we are watching them, the technical side of the fight. “See Nickie, squeeze the legs, they don’t go down, punch them in the head!” or something along those lines. I like the way he thinks. Juliano showed us his collection of his fights. I think he knows a thing or two. Very impressive! Anyhow he reminds me “Nickie, when we first started, she was here, (making thumb and forefinger tiny indication), now she is here, (arms spread apart), (BTW I’m writing this down trying to talk with a thick Portugese accent). She will be good!” Those words are reassuring.

 

Nickie’s new do.

Nickie and I have been together for the last 8 years, and she has grown her hair since before then. Today I feel like I have a new woman! Look at that smile!

Look at that smile!

Set to Work

I guess she can come home.

Earl.

Well , it’s been a busy couple of weeks since I last visited. Nickie was successful in Montreal, taking gold in her weight class. She made the mistake of not entering the open where she could have had more rolls with more experienced women. Next time.

I was busy building a deck with an old Navy buddy. Nice to finally enjoy this sun.

Oh ya, Nickie signed a contract. Pretty big news too I guess. She started her camp two weeks ago. What’s this mean?

Well let’s take her last two weeks for example. Pre-contest weight is a bit higher than usual so I started cutting her calories. She is on a healthy regimen of fruits nuts veggies eggs and chicken. We throw the odd cheat meal in to rejuvenate her, letting her body know she can still burn more calories.

Training twice a day still, six days a week, working odd shifts, nights this week, I don’t even bother trying to fit in time with her. Bills still need to get paid. We manage to get a Sunday in here and there. But for you readers  out there that happen to read this and have a significant other in MMA,  you can relate. But maybe you’re the fighter, this is what you can expect and maybe take into consideration how your significant other may feel.

All I can say is be supportive no matter if you’re the ME or the fighter. Nickie is always texting me, telling me the meals are “Delish”. It brings pleasure to get up early to ensure her meals are made, (I know weird huh?) and knowing that’s one less thing she has to worry about. The amount of effort she puts into her training deserves that much! She asks how my day was even though she knows I do the same thing everyday. I don’t tend to worry about myself when she is in training mode, although we have had little breakdowns in communication, or stressful days where she hasn’t felt like she hasn’t accomplished anything from a training session. As of lately though, with the inclusion of her new BJJ coach, and training partners, she comes home happy feeling good. Everything is finally coming together.

I am looking forward to the next couple of weeks, maybe I won’t be as cheery. Someone has to keep their cool, and I tend to be the one (insert wink) I can hear my friends laughing all the way from Prospect.

Oh by the way, her fight is slated for September 19th 2015, Halifax Nova Scotia.

I’m back

So good to be back. Finally off my crutches! It feels good to be free of those wretched things. Ten pounds heavier and one leg half the size of the other, still good considering circumstances.

Last weekend I had the chance to do some light TRX. I wanted to get a feel of how my knee is going to hold up to light exercise. I convinced Nickie to join me even though it was her birthday weekend. Ken led us through sixty minutes of class at Cyclone fitness Studio.
After class we grabbed the dogs and went to watch my fifteen year old daughter play rugby. After coaching for twenty or so years it’s nice to sit aside and watch. My daughter’s team, the Halifax Tars RFC, beat the Windsor Machine modestly, subbing in the youngest of girls, some fifteen years old, to get a run in.

Nickie is still plugging away at her training. We went to her BJJ class. She’s training for an upcoming roll in Montreal. It’s hard to comprehend, why someone would have/want to travel a couple hundred of miles to compete. Some insight to this problem on the East Coast of Canada, from my prospective, particularly with womens’ BJJ, is everyone trains but no one wants to test their new skills. I get the aspect of not wanting to lose, but I feel BJJ is a little different. I think if you would apply those new skills to practical use,  instead of practicing on loved ones at home, ( “I learned this new move today, let me show you!” Ya you know you have done this!) and compete, there would be more satisfaction out of the couple of hundred bucks you spend on club dues. I couldn’t imagine joining a club and not competing. Whether it be dance, rugby, pool, darts, etc. you should compete!

There is my little rant. So as it stands she will have her MMA fight September 19th, and with that, more training (as if she ever stops). She is loving her training with her new BJJ coach Juliano Pereira Macario.  They will be driving twelve hours, with a car load of teammates, to Montreal this weekend, and she will get to compete with more ladies in this tournament than she has in all the tournaments she has competed on the East coast, (typical for Nova Scotia tournaments, might, being generous saying might, have three ladies competing). I am proud of her that she wants to bring her level of BJJ up and if the only way is to travel 1200 kilometres to do so then so be it. All I leave her with is “Bring back Gold…or don’t come home” Not really, but I want her to learn to make herself better and it will only help her confidence, win or lose, she is learning through competition.

 

Sunny Days

“Sittin stoned alone in my backyard Askin myself why should I work so hard…” Well not so alone. I got this  chicka. The few moments in between her training and work are few and far between.

Say cheese!