I'm excited to offer an excerpt of the upcoming title, Sports by the Numbers Mixed Martial Arts.
For those interested in learning more about the format, click here.
Over the next few days I will post a few of the numbers, but for now, here is the introduction to Chapter Eight...
Rory...Little Rory MacDonald! Are you Sure?
The title, a line surely repeated more times than a few in Kelowna, British Columbia when those who knew Rory MacDonald as a youngster found out he won his sixth professional fight against zero losses, to claim King of the Cage Canada’s lightweight title.
Not because he rallied against violence as a twelve-year-old, or because he was routinely picked on in school. The main reason for the surprise...Rory was only eighteen years old!
He was a calm boy with an even demeanor and like most Canadian lads, dreamed of a career on the ice. He longed to play hockey, but he also grew up with mixed martial arts. Some of his earliest memories involved the MacDonald’s, dad, brother Ryan, and Rory, who was barely out of diapers, plopping down in front of the tube to watch the carnage of the first UFC’s.
His father was a martial artist himself and an avid fan. His enthusiasm rubbed off on the boys and they too quickly became enamored with the fledgling sport.
It all became much more for Rory though, when Ryan took a field trip to the Toshido gym. His elder brother told him all about it and images of Tito Ortiz executing a little bit of relentless ground and pound began to swim around in the fourteen-year-olds head. Rory determined to check out Toshido Fighting Arts for himself. Eventually he did, and fell in love with the non stop action, the rhythm of bodies crashing together, and the intense fluidity of grappling.
Then like many other beginners in the art of Jiu Jitsu he was taught the Kimura. In an instant a wild passion was formed, barely a teenager Rory had found his calling. His ice skates and hockey stick nestled into a place in the back corner of the closet, replaced by MMA training equipment. Rory ate up the new sport in huge bites. When not training he was most likely in front of the computer watching, studying, one fight after another.
Fortunately for MacDonald, not so much for his opponents, his ability matched his passion. The kid could fight! So much so that before long the teenager was winning grappling tournaments against adults. It only stood to reason then that at the ripe old age of sixteen Rory should participate in his first ever professional MMA fight.
He began his career with a submission victory over Terry Thiara on October 15, 2005 and over the course of two years marched through four more opponents. This afforded him the opportunity to fight Kajan Johnson at KOTC Avalanche for the lightweight belt. Johnson talked a lot of smack. He talked of how he’d dominate MacDonald, how the kid had no real skills.
When the bell sounded Johnson came out strong determined to back up his trash talk, but Rory stayed calm, kept working and eventually wore Kajan down. In the third round he caught Johnson with a knee, cut him with a couple of elbows, and then finished the fight when he postured up and delivered a barrage of relentless punches. The referee jumped in to save Kajan and just like that, eighteen-year-old Rory MacDonald was a champion.
MacDonald’s story is interesting in and of itself. But it is also intriguing because it may offer a glimpse into the future of MMA. In the early years the sport typically was not the first choice of athletes. They pursued other more popular sports before they found their way to MMA. But as the sport grows there will assuredly be more Rory MacDonald’s, more guys who end up in gyms like Toshido while they are still young, and with the purpose of becoming a professional fighter. In some ways it is already happening. KOTC middleweight champ Keith “KO Kid” Berry scarcely older than Rory is another fine example of youth turning to the sport.
Eventually more and more talented young athletes will choose MMA instead of football, hockey or any of the other more established sports. They will dream of climbing into the cage, of being the next great champion. When this occurs the sport of mixed martial arts will develop to a new and exciting level, and boy it will be fun to watch it all unfold!
The title, a line surely repeated more times than a few in Kelowna, British Columbia when those who knew Rory MacDonald as a youngster found out he won his sixth professional fight against zero losses, to claim King of the Cage Canada’s lightweight title.
Not because he rallied against violence as a twelve-year-old, or because he was routinely picked on in school. The main reason for the surprise...Rory was only eighteen years old!
He was a calm boy with an even demeanor and like most Canadian lads, dreamed of a career on the ice. He longed to play hockey, but he also grew up with mixed martial arts. Some of his earliest memories involved the MacDonald’s, dad, brother Ryan, and Rory, who was barely out of diapers, plopping down in front of the tube to watch the carnage of the first UFC’s.
His father was a martial artist himself and an avid fan. His enthusiasm rubbed off on the boys and they too quickly became enamored with the fledgling sport.
It all became much more for Rory though, when Ryan took a field trip to the Toshido gym. His elder brother told him all about it and images of Tito Ortiz executing a little bit of relentless ground and pound began to swim around in the fourteen-year-olds head. Rory determined to check out Toshido Fighting Arts for himself. Eventually he did, and fell in love with the non stop action, the rhythm of bodies crashing together, and the intense fluidity of grappling.
Then like many other beginners in the art of Jiu Jitsu he was taught the Kimura. In an instant a wild passion was formed, barely a teenager Rory had found his calling. His ice skates and hockey stick nestled into a place in the back corner of the closet, replaced by MMA training equipment. Rory ate up the new sport in huge bites. When not training he was most likely in front of the computer watching, studying, one fight after another.
Fortunately for MacDonald, not so much for his opponents, his ability matched his passion. The kid could fight! So much so that before long the teenager was winning grappling tournaments against adults. It only stood to reason then that at the ripe old age of sixteen Rory should participate in his first ever professional MMA fight.
He began his career with a submission victory over Terry Thiara on October 15, 2005 and over the course of two years marched through four more opponents. This afforded him the opportunity to fight Kajan Johnson at KOTC Avalanche for the lightweight belt. Johnson talked a lot of smack. He talked of how he’d dominate MacDonald, how the kid had no real skills.
When the bell sounded Johnson came out strong determined to back up his trash talk, but Rory stayed calm, kept working and eventually wore Kajan down. In the third round he caught Johnson with a knee, cut him with a couple of elbows, and then finished the fight when he postured up and delivered a barrage of relentless punches. The referee jumped in to save Kajan and just like that, eighteen-year-old Rory MacDonald was a champion.
MacDonald’s story is interesting in and of itself. But it is also intriguing because it may offer a glimpse into the future of MMA. In the early years the sport typically was not the first choice of athletes. They pursued other more popular sports before they found their way to MMA. But as the sport grows there will assuredly be more Rory MacDonald’s, more guys who end up in gyms like Toshido while they are still young, and with the purpose of becoming a professional fighter. In some ways it is already happening. KOTC middleweight champ Keith “KO Kid” Berry scarcely older than Rory is another fine example of youth turning to the sport.
Eventually more and more talented young athletes will choose MMA instead of football, hockey or any of the other more established sports. They will dream of climbing into the cage, of being the next great champion. When this occurs the sport of mixed martial arts will develop to a new and exciting level, and boy it will be fun to watch it all unfold!
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