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

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• Three times undefeated King of Pancrase World Champion

• Undefeated UFC Heavyweight Champion

• UFC Hall of Fame inductee

• Fifth-degree Kyokushin Karate

• Second-degree Tae Kwon Do

• Second-degree Shin Tai Karate

• Commentator / Actor

Chapter One

THE MEAT GRINDER

“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”

—Mark Twain

The bell rang, and the sound of cheers faded deep into my psyche as I raised the sixteen-ounce gloves up to my chin, taking in the smell of used leather and sweat. My breath steadied and my eyes focused until I absorbed a hard right hook and thunderous leg kick that elevated my lead leg clean off the mat. The stark realization hit me like a speeding freight train; a mix of emotions comprised of fear, anxiety, delight, and pride swirled in the upper tier of my stomach, eating at my throat. I was in a fight!

My opponent, seasoned and much stronger, pressured me as I tapped him with weak combinations, either out of fear or from the extreme adrenaline infusion I had just endured. My endorphins were shooting from synapse to synapse, and my six months of training in Muay Thai had not prepared me for the stresses or accumulation of adrenaline before the fight, let alone the effects of depleting that adrenaline, which left me feeling drained of energy and hopeless.