As I’ve seen a number of comments about me competing, so I wanted to take the time to address them. Trust me “not having enough time” has never left my lips or fingers.
I retired from competition in 2006, not as choice. In my competitive career I’ve competed in international level competition and medaled in Judo, Sambo, Combat Sambo and Submission Grappling. I’ve also fought in Golden Gloves and for a US title in Amateur Kickboxing. I was the number one ranked heavy weight in the US in Sambo, ranked 11th in Judo and won a lesser Judo national title. I’ve been lucky enough to face multiple National Champions, World Champions and Olympians in competition in multiple combat sports, something only a few can boast about. I also played college football as an inside linebacker at a D3 school here in NY. I was always competing, it was one of the hardest pills to swallow when the time came I had to stop.
Between 2004-2006 I had 3 major reconstructive surgeries. The first was a reconstruction of my right ankle, that had me out of work for 2.5 months and took me nearly 6 months to get back on the mat to even train lightly, they wound up repairing torn tendons and carving and reshaping the bones in my foot and ankle. Then next 2 surgeries were only 6 months apart. I tore my right distal bicep tendon off completely, it rolled all the way up into my shoulder. 6 month later I did the same exact injury to my left arm during a fight at Golden Gloves. Both are repaired by having holes drilled in my forearm and my biceps are attacked to the hole by a plastic pin. The worst of my injuries requires a hip replacement that I refuse to have done until I can no longer roll with my students. I have a chronic dislocating hip and snapping hip syndrome due to degeneration of the joint, they aren’t sure is genetic or just due to the trauma I continually put on it. I’m currently working with a team of chiropractors that rotate aggressive therapy along with more restorative treatments. On a weekly basis they put me into traction and forcefully dislocate my hip and re-tear the soft tissue in an attempt to reeducate my hip, yeah it feels as pleasant as it sounds. This is all so I can maintain what mobility I do have left, they all but given up on improvements due to the continued trauma I cause it on a daily basis.
In 2006 following my second bicep re-attachment surgery, my surgeon had an intervention with my wife and father. He sat them down and told them I’m at severe risk of being crippled if I continue on my current course of fighting and competing. I had heard it several times before, but I knew this time I had to listen. If my biceps tore again, it was probable I would lose the ability to use my arm enough to train at all. So at that time I decided it was time to hang’m up, and focus on my next passion, coaching. I had been teaching my own program since 1997, but could never fully invest due to my own competitive drive. So I dumped all my energy in teaching.
My Sambo coach had returned to Russia, my Judo coach had retired, and while I was under Pat Miletich at the time I needed something more to stimulate me. So shorty after retiring I started looking for something to peak my interest, I knew of Eddie from the Underground forum (at MMA.tv) so I went out and bought Jiu Jitsu Unleashed, I was hooked. I already used the lockdown a bit, the truck, banana splits, calf crushes, etc. are stuff I was familiar with from Sambo and I wanted a teacher I had access to. Eddie’s open mindedness was super appealing to me so I had him out to my school for a seminar, and shortly thereafter the affiliation program started and we were in.
In 2009 I broke my commitment to myself to stay retired; my ego got the best of me and I trained through the toughest training camp I’ve ever put myself though, it paid off as I was in the best cardio shape of my entire competitive career. So I entered Grapplers Quest Nationals and sure as shit during that day I landed a huge take down and separated my shoulder, and for the first time in my career I was submitted in competition as a result. So rather than go out that way I fought for 3rd anyway, went out there with one arm pulled guard and threw up what subs I could for a win, and I wound up losing via advantage and taking 4th place. I come back to the Academy, and was on the side lines for 6 weeks, and who suffers, not me, my students do. I was lucky I didn’t do something far more serious to my hip or worse yet re-tear a bicep.
I teach full time for a living now, being a cripple is not conducive for this profession. Its surely not going to allow me to obtain my coaching goals, which are nearly as high if not higher than my competitive goals. Including: Cornering my fighters in the UFC repping 10th Planet on the biggest MMA stage in the word. Second is to coach grapplers all the way to Abu Dhabi the biggest submission grappling stage in the word. Last is to share all my knowledge with my 10th Planet brethren in attempts that some of that knowledge imparted will have a positive impact on the system.
Let me be clear, I still roll, 3-4x a week for 45mins-1 hour with my students and everyone that drops in to my academy, at seminars and at camps. The difference is being in a controlled setting, vs. a contest with physical and ego struggles. I cannot compete without ego, I don’t have that switch, injured or not I fought, and I have the scars to prove it.
I’m being completely honest in saying the competition topic is a sensitive subject for me, I’d like nothing more than to be out there housing dudes on the competition mats again. It’s one of my biggest ego struggles. I’m not looking for sympathy, I’ve had my run, and it was a blast.
I waited until after the contest to post this as I didn’t want it to seem like I was going the sympathy route for votes, but I wanted to address some of the questions that had been raised.
I retired from competition in 2006, not as choice. In my competitive career I’ve competed in international level competition and medaled in Judo, Sambo, Combat Sambo and Submission Grappling. I’ve also fought in Golden Gloves and for a US title in Amateur Kickboxing. I was the number one ranked heavy weight in the US in Sambo, ranked 11th in Judo and won a lesser Judo national title. I’ve been lucky enough to face multiple National Champions, World Champions and Olympians in competition in multiple combat sports, something only a few can boast about. I also played college football as an inside linebacker at a D3 school here in NY. I was always competing, it was one of the hardest pills to swallow when the time came I had to stop.
Between 2004-2006 I had 3 major reconstructive surgeries. The first was a reconstruction of my right ankle, that had me out of work for 2.5 months and took me nearly 6 months to get back on the mat to even train lightly, they wound up repairing torn tendons and carving and reshaping the bones in my foot and ankle. Then next 2 surgeries were only 6 months apart. I tore my right distal bicep tendon off completely, it rolled all the way up into my shoulder. 6 month later I did the same exact injury to my left arm during a fight at Golden Gloves. Both are repaired by having holes drilled in my forearm and my biceps are attacked to the hole by a plastic pin. The worst of my injuries requires a hip replacement that I refuse to have done until I can no longer roll with my students. I have a chronic dislocating hip and snapping hip syndrome due to degeneration of the joint, they aren’t sure is genetic or just due to the trauma I continually put on it. I’m currently working with a team of chiropractors that rotate aggressive therapy along with more restorative treatments. On a weekly basis they put me into traction and forcefully dislocate my hip and re-tear the soft tissue in an attempt to reeducate my hip, yeah it feels as pleasant as it sounds. This is all so I can maintain what mobility I do have left, they all but given up on improvements due to the continued trauma I cause it on a daily basis.
In 2006 following my second bicep re-attachment surgery, my surgeon had an intervention with my wife and father. He sat them down and told them I’m at severe risk of being crippled if I continue on my current course of fighting and competing. I had heard it several times before, but I knew this time I had to listen. If my biceps tore again, it was probable I would lose the ability to use my arm enough to train at all. So at that time I decided it was time to hang’m up, and focus on my next passion, coaching. I had been teaching my own program since 1997, but could never fully invest due to my own competitive drive. So I dumped all my energy in teaching.
My Sambo coach had returned to Russia, my Judo coach had retired, and while I was under Pat Miletich at the time I needed something more to stimulate me. So shorty after retiring I started looking for something to peak my interest, I knew of Eddie from the Underground forum (at MMA.tv) so I went out and bought Jiu Jitsu Unleashed, I was hooked. I already used the lockdown a bit, the truck, banana splits, calf crushes, etc. are stuff I was familiar with from Sambo and I wanted a teacher I had access to. Eddie’s open mindedness was super appealing to me so I had him out to my school for a seminar, and shortly thereafter the affiliation program started and we were in.
In 2009 I broke my commitment to myself to stay retired; my ego got the best of me and I trained through the toughest training camp I’ve ever put myself though, it paid off as I was in the best cardio shape of my entire competitive career. So I entered Grapplers Quest Nationals and sure as shit during that day I landed a huge take down and separated my shoulder, and for the first time in my career I was submitted in competition as a result. So rather than go out that way I fought for 3rd anyway, went out there with one arm pulled guard and threw up what subs I could for a win, and I wound up losing via advantage and taking 4th place. I come back to the Academy, and was on the side lines for 6 weeks, and who suffers, not me, my students do. I was lucky I didn’t do something far more serious to my hip or worse yet re-tear a bicep.
I teach full time for a living now, being a cripple is not conducive for this profession. Its surely not going to allow me to obtain my coaching goals, which are nearly as high if not higher than my competitive goals. Including: Cornering my fighters in the UFC repping 10th Planet on the biggest MMA stage in the word. Second is to coach grapplers all the way to Abu Dhabi the biggest submission grappling stage in the word. Last is to share all my knowledge with my 10th Planet brethren in attempts that some of that knowledge imparted will have a positive impact on the system.
Let me be clear, I still roll, 3-4x a week for 45mins-1 hour with my students and everyone that drops in to my academy, at seminars and at camps. The difference is being in a controlled setting, vs. a contest with physical and ego struggles. I cannot compete without ego, I don’t have that switch, injured or not I fought, and I have the scars to prove it.
I’m being completely honest in saying the competition topic is a sensitive subject for me, I’d like nothing more than to be out there housing dudes on the competition mats again. It’s one of my biggest ego struggles. I’m not looking for sympathy, I’ve had my run, and it was a blast.
I waited until after the contest to post this as I didn’t want it to seem like I was going the sympathy route for votes, but I wanted to address some of the questions that had been raised.
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Originally Posted by Clinton lawrence
