Читать книгу The Fighter Within. Everyone Has A Fight-Insights into the Minds and Souls of True Champions онлайн

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In the finals, my opponent was a really athletic guy that I knew would be a handful. He was boney and technical, my nightmare. I kept my mind on track; I wanted this win too much to let him get in my head. We circled for a good twenty-five seconds before I went in for the shot, a single-leg takedown, where I lunged in on him with one knee on the mats with the rear leg following to the front while I grabbed his front leg, placing me in a squat-like position. This kept the momentum moving to his side, which made him lose his balance and fall.

“Wow,” I thought in revelation. “I took this guy down.” It gave me a huge boost of confidence. I knew that if I could use my strength to offset his speed, I could finish this. I used my elbows to put pressure on his inner thighs to the point that he opened up his guard, just what I needed to pass. Once I was in his side mount, I was having difficulty keeping him down. He had squirmy hips, which meant he was not half bad on the ground. I had to work twice as hard to keep my position. I was breathing really hard while he stayed composed. The lactic acid was really starting to set in at this point, my muscles were burning and I was having difficulties getting a good breath in. But, one thing I was beginning to learn through all of my MMA training was that I had heart. My arm could have stopped working from all of the lactic acid built up in my shoulders, but I would still keep going with one arm. There was no way in hell, in my mind, that I was not going win.