'LDS Mixed Martial Artist Aims 4 UFC'

Derek "the Gentleman" Downey is not your typical mortgage salesman.  Although he can check credit, consolidate debt & refinance mortgages w/the best of them, he can also get you into a submission hold much faster than he can get you into a home.

But Downey's mortgage-selling days may soon be over.  Having recently signed a contract for 4 televised fights w/the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Downey is one step closer to stepping out of the office & into the ring full-time.

While the UFC is the organization that pits fighters against each other, the sport Downey & other fighters participate in is called Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA.  This sport combines various types of martial arts, including Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai & Judo, & w/the foundation of the UFC in 1993, MMA has taken the U.S. by storm, raking in more than $200 million annually from pay-per-view alone.

Downey got involved w/MMA after he returned home 2 Orem, UT, from his mission in 2001;  he started off doing Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu w/some of his friends @ a local gym.

Downey's instructor noticed his natural ability & started spending more one-on-one time w/him, & as Downey progressed, he became a sparring partner, helping prep other guys 4 their fights.  Once he started beating the guys he was prepping, Downey tried a fight of his own.  He never looked back.

"I took 2 it like a fish 2 water," said the father of 4.  "It made sense 2 me."

As a BYU graduate in philosophy, it may seem odd that Downey would be so involved in what many believe 2 be a violent & mindless sport, but just as Aristotle suggested that our perceptions are often wrong, there may be more 2 MMA than meets the eye.

"It's more like kinetic chess - 2 guys using their minds & their bodies 2 try & win a physical contest," said Adam Legas, Downey's sponsor & owner of the Throwdown Elite Training Center in Orem.

And what a grueling contest it is;  in order 2 simply prepare 4 matches, Derek trains anywhere from 5-7 hrs a day, w/strength training @ 8 am, sparring @ 10 am, work @ noon & then team practice @ 8:30 pm.

It can be hard 2 juggle so much, but Downey is careful about focusing his efforts on whatever he does - whether it's training or family.  "When I'm @ work, I'm @ work, when I'm lifting, I'm lifting & when I'm home, I'm @ home;  I don't let them overlap," Downey said.

In addition 2 his responsibilities as a mortgage salesman, fighter, husband & father, Downey is also the 1st counselor in the Young Men's presidency in his ward & attends every mutual every Wednesday night.

"My goal [in the UFC] is 2 be the world champion, & I want nothing more than 2 fight 4 a title & be known as one of the best fighters," Downey said.  "But I love the youth.  This is my 2nd time serving w/the Young Men, & eventually my long-term goal would be 2 work w/high school kids, speaking 2 them about goals & preparing & conditioning."

How AWESOME is that??  :D  I think it's so GREAT that there's more positive aspects of this sport being portrayed by the media & that it's not just looked @ as a 'mindless' sport.  I love it!!  :D  It's such an INTENSE sport that requires so much training & I totally RESPECT all the fighters that participate in it & give it their ALL 2 become the BEST!!  :D  I love this article & just had 2 post it cause it just goes 2 show that if you LOVE & WORK HARD @ things in your life. . . .there's always a way 2 balance things out in a way that YOU benefit 4rom it most.  Although it may not be EASY, the outcome always outweighs the less appealing side of things.  It's like Christ's famous words, "I never said it would be easy.  I only said it would be worth it."