Red Hawk Essentials #67
Saturday Night Masterclass, Trust Your Fighter, Be Borderline Delusional
Saturday Night Masterclass
The weird thing is, I did expect that type of performance against Chito.
But most of the time, the things I expect to happen, usually don’t happen.
It’s a fight. There are so many different things that could happen. So it’s almost surprising when a fight plays out the way you expect it to.
Sean went out there and got started first and Chito was never really able to pick it up.
I knew Chito’s counter-striking wouldn’t be able to keep up and time Sean like that.
Sean’s eyes and reactions are top-notch. I’ve seen him strike with some of the best guys in training. And he gives them hell.
Chito’s good, but he’s not one of the best guys. His main strength is his durability.
He can take a beating and that’s what happened. He took a severe beating from bell to bell for 25 minutes.
With that being said, we were prepared for a back-and-forth war. You always have to prepare for something to go wrong and fight through it.
Sometimes you get cracked, get hit with a good body shot, or break a bone. But you have to stay in there and fight through it and that’s what we did.
Post-Fight Run In With Petr Yan
Earlier in the week, I shook Petr’s hand and it was all respect.
After the fight, we were backstage and Sean had already passed. I saw Petr pass by and went to shake his hand, but he looked at me and said he was not shaking my hand.
He mumbled something under his breath. Not sure what he said, but I took that as disrespect.
I told him he barely won the Song Yadong fight. Honestly, I didn’t really get to see the Song Yadong fight so I think he could’ve won.
But I said if that Petr shows up against Suga, you’re dead.
Then his coach decides to enter the conversation. The guy said how about we do coach vs. coach.
I just laughed at the guy. And they got a little pissed off.
But I get it. They’re looking to get a title shot, so they’re looking to get a little dust up. Get some of the attention.
If it happens in the future, they can use the clips from backstage to hype the fight. But whatever.
We went out and did what we needed to do and brought the belt back home. That’s all that matters.
Trust Your Fighter
Here’s the thing about Sean. He has a high fight IQ, but he’s such a showman.
He wants to go out there and create highlights and make the crowd happy. That’s who he is.
As the coach, I can give him what I think and my input. But Sug’s the one in there. He’s the one making the reads.
In the 5th round, Sug could’ve easily gone in there, and bounced around throwing 3-4 jabs.
That’s what I wanted him to do. I didn’t want him to give Chito the slightest chance of winning.
The only way Chito would have a chance is if Sean chose to stay in the pocket and trade.
And that’s what Sean did.
He chose to stay in the pocket and trade in the final minute. See if he could put him out, but that’s the way he is. He’s a showman.
That’s why the crowd loves him.
But at the end of the day, I trust his decision. He’s very alert and his IQ is high.
Some fighters go in there wide-eyed and black out. That’s why when you talk to some fighters after the fight they don’t remember much of it.
But Sean’s in there. He’s the one fighting and I trust his decisions more than mine.
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Be Borderline Delusional
To be a superstar in this sport, you gotta be delusional.
You have to believe things that only you and a handful of people believe, while everyone else thinks you’re nuts.
A lot of guys come into the gym and think they’re something they’re not. As a coach, you need to test them.
If they’ve never been through a tough practice, a 15 minute fight, a 9 minute amateur fight, or a hard wrestling practice – but they’re still confident in being a champion – okay, we’ll see.
Let’s put you through some practices and see if you still have the same mindset.
Some coaches try to beat that confidence out of people.
If I see a kid who’s a good athlete and very confident, but not arrogant and is willing to learn – I’m open to working with them.
But I’m not trying to destroy their confidence. I want to keep that confidence in them because as I said before, confidence is the most dangerous weapon for a fighter.
I want to keep building that confidence and hopefully, they respect me enough to take my technical advice and work on that.
That’s basically the backstory of Sean.
He was a skinny kid from a small town in Montana. To get to where he is right now, he had to be delusional and also be willing to work for it.
It takes consistent good habits for years. And that’s the hardest thing.
I see so many guys who are so talented, but they just can’t stick with it long enough.
If you’re a good athlete and you’re at a good gym with coaches who know what they’re doing – you’re going to get an opportunity eventually.
It may take 5, 7, or 10 years. But when the opportunity comes, will you be ready?
Red Hawk Academy Patreon
Welcome to all the new Patreon members and shoutouts to all the OGs!
On Patreon, we’ve done a bunch of giveaways, podcasts, and vlogs.
We’ve been going 4 years strong with our Patreon. There are hundreds of videos on there, with new content going up all the time.
You can get exclusive access to technique videos, extra podcasts, and general healthy living videos.
We’re also doing a new show called the Confident Pod exclusive on Patreon every Friday. We get a little spicy on there and it’s a good time.
As a Patreon brother, you can get exclusive discounts for 30% off of Thorne and other things that are only Patreon-exclusive.
I reply to everyone on Patreon, so if you have any questions, hit me up there!
Snapchat
If you’ve got Snapchat, hit me with a follow! Timwelchmt
Posting a lot of behind-the-scenes and rowdy stuff on there.
That ends it for this week’s Red Hawk Essentials.
Hope you enjoyed this one. Give me a like/comment/subscribe below.
If you’re new here, welcome to the fam! We’re dropping gems like this each week.
Luv ya, talk next week.
Tim
My name is David Mertens I am nineteen years old and to be honest with you I am stuck. Every morning I wake up to a life that I can’t stand. I go to a school that I can’t stand. I live with roommates that I can’t stand. Although I am great full for all of the blessings that god has given me in my life, I want more. I want to be a part of something bigger and something I am passionate about. I have been following Sean and Tim’s journey since the contender series and have been a fan since then. I love what you guys are doing with this whole new approach to MMA and the creativity your team displays. To put it simply I want in. I have trained jiu jitsu as a hobby since watching Sean’s first fight and although I’m getting better I know that it will not be a career for me. However I still want to be a part of that world. Currently I live in Buffalo NY the weather is cold and the days are short. I know your team is based out of Arizona and I want you to know that if either of you need a personal assistant I would fly west as soon as possible. Whether I’m picking up dry cleaning or cooking your steaks (I am a great cook) I would be passionate and as hard working as one could be. I am not asking for a hand out simply an opportunity. I promise you, you won’t regret it and if I am not the best personal assistant you have ever had in the first month then you don’t need to pay me a penny and I will return to Buffalo knowing that I truly tried my hardest. Thank you for reading my long ass message.
Sincerely,
David Mertens
Great read Uncle Red! 🔥❤️