When local mixed-martial artist Gwyn Berry got into the ring at Battlefield Fight League 48, it was an almost zen-like moment for him.
As he stepped into the cage to face opponent John Kutz, he didn鈥檛 feel nervous 鈥� he was calm.
鈥淚鈥檓 just ready to go,鈥� the 23-year-old recalled. 鈥淚鈥檓 just waiting for the ref to say, 鈥楩ight.鈥欌��
Five rounds later, the 170-pound fighter was standing in the middle of the cage, his hand raised by the ring official declaring him winner of the amateur welterweight division by a unanimous decision. It would be one of two fights won by 麻豆社国产fighters during the event.
The fight started off with Berry throwing kicks and feints to his opponent, trying to feel out the best approach to confronting his adversary.
It鈥檚 these moments in a match that are often most crucial 鈥� fighters often spend much of the first round trying to determine how opponents react to attacks. It鈥檚 this information that is often used to formulate a plan for the rest of fight.
One of the things on his mind, Berry said, was trying to determine if Kutz was more comfortable on the ground or on his feet.
Stand-up fighting in mixed-martial arts usually entails striking attacks such as punches, kicks, knees and elbow strikes, as the moves are often derived from boxing, kickboxing and muay thai.
The ground game, however, is often derived from wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which involve taking opponents to the ground, grappling them and employing joint locks and submissions to finish the job.
Knowing that fighters often have a preference for one or the other, Berry said that once he figured out his opponent appeared more comfortable with ground tactics, he started pushing for a stand-up fight, striking his opponent repeatedly with kicks.
鈥淚 just kept him standing the first round 鈥� just picked him apart,鈥� he said.
And pick him apart he did. Berry wasn鈥檛 afraid to go to the ground either.
At one point, Berry trapped Kutz in a rear-naked choke, a submission that involves wrapping one鈥檚 arms around an opponent鈥檚 neck from behind. Berry nearly got his opponent to tap out, but the bell rung, saving his adversary.
Kutz was saved by the bell for a second time, when Berry managed to get on top of him for a ground-and-pound, which involves mounting a downed opponent and punching him repeatedly.
However, the bell didn鈥檛 save Kutz from the end result of the match.
In the end, Berry was able to claim the win via unanimous decision. This would bring his record with Battlefield Fight League to an undefeated 4-0 in the amateur division.
It was the latest victory for Berry, who got into the sport four years ago, and has been training out of The Sound Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai & MMA.
But that wouldn鈥檛 be the only victory for a 麻豆社国产martial artist.
In a separate event in the competition, Taran Bir was able to take a win in the muay thai 140-pound amateur division.
The 24-year-old beat out Victor Dodge in a unanimous decision.
It was significant victory for someone who at one point may have found himself on the receiving end of a fight.
鈥淚 was bullied a lot as a kid,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have too many friends growing up.鈥�
鈥淚 was sick of being picked on,鈥� he added.
It was those kinds of experiences that led Bir to martial arts, eventually setting him on the path to muay thai.聽
Muay thai, also known as Thai kickboxing, is one of the main fighting styles upon which mixed martial arts are based.
The style employs conventional punches and kicks, but gained wider renown for its use of knee and elbow strikes. Perhaps the most high-profile example of the art was displayed in the hit movie series, 鈥淥ng Bak鈥� that became popular in the mid 2000s.
Bir said the key to winning his fight involved using a counterhit strategy.
Knowing that fighters often have difficulty blocking when throwing a strike, Bir waited for Dodge to attack, hoping that an opening would reveal itself.聽
鈥淛ust drawing him in, waiting for him to throw, and then I鈥檇 come back with a counterpunch,鈥� said Bir, who also trains out of The Sound.聽
鈥淥ur gym鈥檚 all about movement and counter-punching and fighting smart rather than brawling.鈥�
It was a strategy that paid off, helping him earn his first win in a Battlefield Fight League event.
But the win wasn鈥檛 without its challenges.
To get ready for the fight, Bir had to cut a significant amount of weight to make his class, a challenge for the relatively new fighter, who鈥檚 been training for about two years.
Normally weighing at around 157 pounds, he had to shed enough mass to compete in the 140-pound division.
It鈥檚 a common routine for fighters changing weight classes, but for someone like Bir, who had to cut mass for the first time, it can be a gruelling exercise.
Bir said he spent time working out while dressed in a plastic suit, a method used to raise his body temperature and get him to sweat out water weight.
A strict meal plan was also required.
鈥淚 had to starve myself for a day and a half,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat wasn鈥檛 fun.鈥�
After training in such conditions, it鈥檚 easy to come into a fight exhausted and weak. There is a 24-hour period after the weigh-in which competitors are allowed to regain their natural weight, but this isn鈥檛 always enough to recover.
However, Bir was still able to put in a decisive win despite his worries that he would run out of energy.
鈥淚t felt amazing,鈥� he recalled, when the judges ruled in his favour. 鈥淚t felt like it all paid off 鈥� a huge burden off my shoulders.鈥�
