Full-Time Fighter: A return to Helsinki, Finland, for Saturday's Fight Fest

Originally posted on MMAjunkie.com

It has been a long time since I last did a column for MMAjunkie.com, but here I am back over in Helsinki, Finland, preparing for a fight on Saturday night. So I figured it would be a good time for a quick update.

If you have been paying attention, I have not fought since my loss to Josh Haynes at Kim Couture's "A Night of Combat II" card in October. Five months is a very long time for me to go between fights. However, I felt that I learned so much in that fight about myself and where I wanted my career to go. So from that point forward, I took that time off to continue to improve not only my standup, but the mental aspect of the game, as well.

You have to realize that as enjoyable as it is to compete as a professional fighter, it is also scary. I imagine it is a similar thrill that some get from jumping out of an airplane.

Embracing that fear can be a powerful thing.

That is exactly where I have finally gotten in my career. I am embracing the fear of stepping into a cage or ring to fight someone that has been training to hurt me. I am not meeting the fear on its own terms; I am making it my own to use as a driving force to compete at a level that is on par with my ability. Now that I feel that I am able to embrace that fear, I truly believe that 2009 is going to be the year that I pull a Frank Mir and put myself back into one of the top organizations. I suppose, like everything, time will answer that question.

So, here I am back in Helsinki preparing for a Fight Festival bout against Lucio Linhares (10-4), a Brazilian who also happens to be a black belt in jiu jitsu. I first fought here in September 2007, when I defeated Mikko Rupponen (16-5-2), who's probably the country's most famous fighter. It was a big win for my career (even though most U.S. fans never saw or even heard of the fight), and the Helsinki fans really treated my well despite beating "their" guy. It's great to be back, and maybe we can do that rematch later this year.

Anyway, I have been preparing specifically for this fight for the past nine weeks and feel that I couldn't be more prepared. We got here this morning after a nightmare in Chicago with the passport agency, and I am already down to 192 pounds with only one real day dedicated to losing weight. (It is amazing how much easier making weight becomes when you actually do things the right way.)

I will say that this was the single most productive training camp that I have had. Not only has my skill in every area of the game improved (thanks to my normal guys Jason Culbertson, Robin Geisler, Brandon Willis and Marc Cofer, who is also fighting on this card), but I believe that I finally found the perfect balance between physical suffering and being mentally motivated. I allowed myself more time to be normal, to goof off with my son, hang out with friends, and getting my gym up and running (finally, the grand opening is March 21 at 1 p.m.!).

I also made the very smart decision to work with a chiropractor, Jim Viers of Viers Chiropractic in Gahanna, Ohio, (right on the corner of Hamilton and Johnstown roads). I have also started working with Cage Fighter (mmaauthentics.com) based out of Columbus, Ohio. Mike and Adam DiSabato as well as Jake Castle are doing great things for the sport through their company, and I look forward to a long relationship with them.

I would like to take advantage of my position as a columnist here to send out my thoughts and prayers to all of Charles "Mask" Lewis Jr.'s family and friends. He will be sorely missed throughout the MMA community. I wish that I had some great quote or story to insert here to make you feel less pain, but those words do not exist. He was a great person, but hopefully his spirit will live on through Tapout.

Well, it is almost 5 p.m. here in Helsinki, so I need to get a little food in me before my evening workout. We are seven hours ahead of my hometown of Columbus, but lucky for me I don't get jetlag.

I plan on getting an update to MMAjunkie.com just as soon as Cofer and I are done fighting, so check back sometime Saturday late afternoon or evening. If something cool happens in the next 24 hours that I think you guys might enjoy reading about (or I decide I have more to say), I will write again tomorrow, but I will make sure to get an update on the fight to the MMAjunkie.com editors just as soon as I know. The event also features a main event between UFC vets Victor Valimaki and Jordan Radev, so it's generating some pretty good interest here in Finland.

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