THURSDAY, JANUARY 28

Logan's first blog entry:

Fighting is fun. It really is as simple as that. Sure, it may be nerve-wracking for many, but most guys realize at the end of a fight that they are happy to just compete, regardless of the outcome. I see the same thing every night because it turns out that practice is fun as well. There may not be anything at stake on a practice night, but that doesn't mean that the simple act of getting a workout in isn't good for a person's mental status.

People come into the gym feeling like crap, and after a good workout they feel revived. This is one aspect of the sport that keeps me coming back from injuries and frustrations. I know that despite being sore, slightly injured, annoyed and stressed before I go in for a sparring session I will always come out feeling better than before. Mood elevation without the use of drugs is usually a good thing.

I perform a variety of roles in MMA as a competitor, trainer, manager, cornerman and sometimes matchmaker, and through these writings I hope to give you a greater understanding of those roles, the training necessary to move forward in the sport, and all the strange things that go into putting together events.

Before jumping right into all the interesting things that I will write about in future posts, you should probably get a bit of the boring background about me. I started in MMA in 2005 when I joined a loosely knit group called Team Crazy. We had a lot of fun in the not so far past wild days of MMA in the Midwest. I worked as a trainer as well as fighter in that group, but I primarily depended upon my wrestling background at that time.We didn't really know what we were doing all the time, but we all improved, and we all had a lot of fun.

My stories from these days are usually more entertaining than stories of my more high-profile fights. This includes the time I fought in a venue that included a beam passing directly above the cage. We were encouraged to try not to run our opponent's head into beam when we went for takedown, but it still didn't seem all that safe.

As I improved, I was able to put together a string of wins that eventually led me to fighting in the UFC at the end of 2006. This also coincides with the beginning of my training at the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy in Brooklyn Center, Minn. This is the home to Sean Sherk, Nick Thompson and many others well-known fighters, and for me it was the place where I refined my technique and learned how to become a well-rounded fighter.

The next year and half I competed for the WEC, but they didn't hold enough events to keep me busy, so I had the time to start a training facility in Rochester in March of 2007. I had previously done some work with small promotions and occasional management, but when Rochester MMA started up I suddenly had people who knew me as their primary trainer and manager. I never really asked for those jobs, but they have definitely been interesting.

After leaving the WEC in mid-2008, I got the chance to compete in Japan for a company now called the Sengoku Raiden Championships. My opportunities to compete there were wonderful experiences. I got to fight a couple of top 10 middleweights and met a lot of interesting people. It was there that I got the only picture I have ever wanted taken of a celebrity and me (if you don't know him, look up Don Frye vs Yoshihiro Takayama. You are in for a treat.)

My contract status is in limbo in Japan at this time, but I intend to head back there again when we get everything sorted out. I take the good with the bad when it comes to fighting in Japan, and the apparent disorganization is balanced out by the wonderful hospitality and respect that fighters are shown by the promotion.

Now that I have gotten my basics out of the way, you can look forward to a wide-ranging blog. I will talk about training techniques, the fight-related activities of myself and my Rochester MMA fighters, the inside scoop on the business of MMA, and probably some extremely unrelated topics as well.

Stop back again soon, and don't forget that fighting is fun.

— Logan Clark