A goal here at CagePages.com is to cover the latest news in mixed martial arts, but also to highlight some of the most interesting and competitive fighters in the game. Mixed martial arts is continuously growing, and you will find men and women from all over the world testing their skills in a ring or cage. However, it would be hard to find a fighter who tests themselves as hard and as often as Mark Matthews.
Matthews is in his first year as a professional and after his fight on December 12th at Gladiator Challenge: Chain Reaction, he will have already had six pro fights.
What makes this even more impressive is that Matthews has fought those six fights in three different weigh-classes.
“I’ve been fortunate to not take a whole lot of damage in that time,” Matthews said. “However, I have learned a lot about my body and what it takes for me to operate at an optimal level. I used to overtrain more than I wouldn’t and that would be the area that would have me feeling a toll. I’d wake up some days completely physically and mentally drained because I was doing everything as fast and hard as I could, for hours at a time for consecutive weeks. There was a time that in a training month, I only took two days off.”
Staying healthy is very important to any fight, but even more so when you are competing at such a frequent level. The ability to push through those injuries is also key. “I haven’t had an injury that forced me out of the gym.” Matthews added, “When something is hurt or injured, I just find a way to work around it or through it. I fought my last fight with an ankle injury that had me unable to even walk for a few days, as well as unable to grapple or spar at all for that fight.” Pushing through that injury and not letting up, Matthews ended up with a very welcomed result. “I found a way to still work, still fought, and came away with a very fortunate outcome. I KO’d an undefeated, game opponent with the first punch I landed of the fight. My training takes a greater toll than the actual fights themselves. “
Not many people can fathom waking up every day with the pain. The constant battle to push forward and always be willing to step up to a challenge. Fighting as much of a mental game as it is physical and Matthews has a great mindset and unbelievable heart. “I’m never one to quit. I’m always willing to test myself, no matter how much the odds are stacked against me… to me, that’s all these fights are, personal tests. How much can I endure? How hard can I push? What have I learned that I can utilize? You can gain a victory for yourself no matter what the outcome of the fight may be just through what you discovered about yourself during that fight. So, my outlook is pretty simple. It’s not about whether you win or lose, instead it’s all about the fight.”
The three weight-classes Matthews has fought in have been light-heavyweight, middleweight, and now welterweight for his upcoming bout. “I knew that mentally I was tough enough to handle 205ers, but reality set in when Im giving up 20+ lbs to my opponents who train to do the same things I do.
“At 185, I felt stronger and faster than any of the 3 opponents I’ve faced. Even if they were more skilled than I in any particular area of the fight, my strength trumped it. This upcoming fight will be my first as a welterweight. So far, I feel good through the weight drop. I’ve lost a bit of strength, but gained speed and endurance. I am looking forward to gauging it during this fight.”
I asked Mark if he would be willing to fight in multiple weight classes after this fight or if he thinks he could possibly have a home in the welterweight division. “I have fought at 205 to guys weighing much more than I, and I won’t be fighting at that weight ever again. Depending on the opponent and amount of notice I am given, I am not ruling out fighting at middleweight in the future. But, my body seems to be at its all around best right now.”
Matthews realizes that at 6’3 and walking around at 190 that fighting at welterweight gives him some advantages. “It makes the most sense to make 170 my home as it appears that would be the best chance I have to succeed. I feel that if I can do well against larger guys in the gym and in the cage, I’ll do very well facing guys my weight that I have physical advantages over. Especially with the skill set that I am acquiring by training with the guys that I do.”
A huge part of motivation for Matthews is his family. He recalls the day of his daughters birth, “I’m in my front yard, punching on a heavy bag hanging from a tree in my front yard. I’m thinking to myself , ‘How can I bring my daughter into this world and have her grow and develop with a great sense of security and protect her from the world? Without sheltering her too much?’ I started to think that maybe if she were to grow up through a childhood that saw me fighting and winning, it would give her a great sense of confidence and allow her to feel as if her Daddy could protect her from anyone or anything in the world.
“ I made my decision right then and there to get my ass into a fitness gym and begin conditioning myself. I did exactly that, and about a year later, I found the MMA gym that was a perfect fit for me at the time, UnderGround MMA in Jackson, CA. I began training there as well as at Ultimate Fitness in Sacramento simultaneously.
“I fell in love with the physical and mental challenges presented to me during my training immediately. These challenges motivated me and I’ve been in the gym ever since. Eventually, I moved into training exclusively at Ultimate Fitness due to the skill level of the other fighters there, as well as the elevated level of instruction there.”
Matthews stays busy even when not training. Apart from being a father and a fighter, he is a tattoo artist. He is working on MMAInked.com which as he states, “It will serve as an internet portfolio for myself, and I am also looking to make it an internet magazine that brings the worlds of tattooing and MMA together in as far as educating MMA fans and tattoo enthusiasts can go. I will do features on MMA fighters who have exceptional tattoos and the tattooers who tattooed them as well. I will also be doing features on the rare breed of tattooers who are MMA fighters also. Anything that I can do to bring these two worlds together through the medium of media will be done, while also educating fight fans on tattoos and artists, as well as educating tattoo enthusiasts on the world of MMA.”
You can currently check out some of his artwork on http://www.myspace.com/mmainked.
Mark plans on being a tattoo artist for the rest of his life and if he applies the same attitude towards that art as he does to his fighting art it is within his grasp. He even shared some similarities between fighting and tattooing, “One would be attention to detail. In tattooing, paying attention to technical detail goes a long way when applying a solid tattoo. Same can be said for technique in fighting. If you’re not paying attention to detail, you’re going to get a result that is less than your best when it is time to apply what you’ve learned. Another similarity is self-discipline. You have to take it upon yourself to do the things that make you a better tattooer or fighter. No one else can do it for you… No matter how much you master in either area, there is ALWAYS more to learn. To me, that is the most beautiful aspect of it all.
“I will be tattooing for the rest of my life. Just as I will be doing various mediums of art. I know that my body will only allow me to fight for so long, and I have a whole lifetime to focus completely on art after that. It is my plan to eventually be the most recognized and marketed tattooer in MMA. But, I have to earn that hype first,” Matthews said. “ I want to be the guy that fighters as well as fight fans WANT to get tattooed by based on my talent level in the tattoo industry and involvement in the sport of MMA. I plan to do paintings, sell them as well as their prints, sell sketch books, and eventually launch a clothing line that appeals to both MMA and tattoo fans.”
Matthews is a great guy, a loving father, a determined athlete, and an exceptional artist. There isn’t much to not like about him. His story is unique and inspiring. The ability to constantly push ones self is not something that comes easy to everyone.
Matthews continues to show that he is a modern day warrior both in the cage and in life. He won’t ever stop trying and his love and passion drives him to success.
In closing, this is what Mark wanted to share:
“I would want everyone to know that I am just an average guy who isn’t afraid to challenge myself on any level. That no matter what the result is, you can be assured I gave my best and my all in any fight. That I am appreciative of any support or encouragement that I have ever been given. I would want everyone to know that I do the things that I do so that I can help make my world a better place. That I am a continually growing work-in-progress and that you will always see a better me than the last “me” you saw. And last but not least, I would want everyone to know that I love my wife, Christina, and my beautiful children Sevena and Marcos…..
In closing I’d like to thank my sponsors; WAR (www.warwrap.com), OTM Sacramento (www.otmfightshops.com), West Coast Nutrition (www.exnutrition.com), New York Fitness (www.nyftyfitness.com), Gunz Up Urban Fight Wear, and Striker Battle Gear.
Be sure to follow Mark Matthews and check out his next fight on December 12th at the Red Hawk Casino. The event is Gladiator Challenge: Chain Reaction and his opponent is Robert Ballard. The fights start at 6pm and it is a 24 fight card.
For more on Mark Matthews, follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/MMAInked
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