Just Another Monday...Long Over Due Blog...Passion, WMMA and Swallowing Your Pride

So, today was pretty much crap. Let's be honest. Today was crap. Well, I'm speaking for myself of course, but it was just one day. It was Today. Not Monday. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. It was Today. In that, there is hope. 

By hope, I mean that when tomorrow becomes Today, I get a reset. But before I get that reset, I still have Today. So, since my morning up until about 1 PM was complete and utter crap where, let me tell you, things just went south FAST, I spent the remainder of the afternoon trying to salvage the morning fiasco and never really recovered.  C'est la vie. Such is life. So, in an effort to salvage this today, instead of posting on Twitter what a suck day it was, I thought I'd salvage something positive out of it.  What might that be?  Well, read on...

This weekend I had the opportunity to watch the Invicta Fights on the internet. The fights were free and, if you read some of my previous stuff, you know I love MMA, Mixed Martial Arts, in all its forms all the way back to UFC 1. Let's face it. I liked to see skilled fighters fight. And these weren't just any fighters, these were "guuuuuuuuuuurrrlllssss." That's right, Women's Mixed Martial Artists!  And through that, I made some "friends." Yeah, they are Twitter followers, but hey, that's the way we roll in 2012. My online friends. Since I have so few offline friends, I'll TAKE IT!

So, anyways...I watched the Invicta Fights and let me summarize the entire thing in a word! Passion! Here's another word. Attitude! Let me tell you what! These ladies left everything in the Octagon and after every fight, win, lose or draw (I don't think there were any but you know what I mean), they were smiling. How in the hell do you go into a fight and come out smiling? That is attitude! That is passion! WMMA has both! They were amazing to the point I had tears in my eyes, not because the fights were that good (And they were! HUNGRY! There's a word!). But because of the attitude and the passion that just bled out of the screen. I was genuinely inspired, so much so that they added to my dream!

I want to sponsor a WMMA fighter! In order to do that, I need to do what I have done and pick back up on my dream that I have let slip away some, but I'll get to that in a moment.  That's another word I have for you. Spectator.  I'll get back to that one in a second. But let me share some of the results with you, specific results because these are some of my new fellow Tweeps and Tweep-friends.  

Sara McMann def. Shayna Baszler via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
Sarah D'Aleilo def. Vanessa Porto via submission (armbar) at 3:16 of Round 1
Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc def. Angelica Chavez via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Raquel Pennington def. Sarah Moras via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Liz McCarthy def. Jessica Philippus via TKO (doctor's stoppage) - Round 1, 5:00

Out of 5 fights that I had a genuine interest in, the rest were spectacular but I didn't know them so much as I did some of the fighters here.  My fellow Tweeters along with a couple of others, Tara LaRosa for instance who became a Follower during the fights and had a long "conversation" with me afterwards about stunts and acting and such. Love her now! She's a beauty and I'm not just talking about her looks. Just a beautiful human being.  

Anyways, I digress.  

In the fights, I picked (from bottom to top)... Philippus, "Cheesecake" Moras, Nicdali, Porto and Baszler.  I was one out of five.  I should be crushed! 

Nope, not even a little bit and I'll tell you why. I saw stars in those fights. I saw "No Quit", Passion, Integrity, Good Sportsmanship, Drive, Dreams coming true and so much more! All of the things you want in the mix...to become an Actor!

Dreamers share these things! Whether it is WMMA or Acting (and I compared the two because of these qualities), that dream to achieve a goal so big that it keeps you awake at night thinking about it, visualizing it, that is what I saw!  

And it only got better at the end of each fight. I do admit that one fight in particular broke my heart and it was the very first one. Jessica Philippus was making her pro debut and lost at the end of the first round due to doctor stoppage. Is that really a loss? Well, in the record books it is. But I could see it in her eyes how badly she wanted to continue and I even had a Twitter Chat with her about it and she insisted on continuing, but you have to protect the athlete and she wasn't allowed to continue. I can accept that and she had to, but it doesn't make it any less heartbreaking.  

The same can be said of Sarah "Cheesecake" Moras. I just wanted to cry. Well just damn! The same can be said of Baszler. Did they do enough to win? Hey, I'm not a Monday Morning quarterback. I think they did enough when they stepped across the threshold of the Octagon. I wouldn't do it! I like my teeth!  

But they went after their dream and "lost"! Yeah, right! They didn't lose except in the record books! But they did add another brick to the foundation and in a big way! HUGE! Twenty years from now, they are going to look back at Invicta Fights 1 & 2 and talk about the legends and these ladies will be in that list. Arguably, some of them already are!  

And, yes, I've heard the criticism of these wonderful ladies and all I can say is this. Here, let me scream for you stupid morons who can't understand simple English! "ANY FOOL CAN CRITICIZE, CONDEMN AND COMPLAIN! MOST FOOLS DO!"  

Ignore them, ladies. Unless you get to punch one of the little Trolls in the mouth. And then I'll do it for you. Save your hands for the Octagon. 

But I was genuinely inspired and felt genuinely blessed by their responses as I watched the fights and compared notes.  

As for my record book winner, Keep Up the Good Work, Nicdali! YOU ROCKETH!  As for D'Aleilo, it was nothing personal. Porto did so well against Cyborg, I just kind of thought no contest. Boy was I wrong! I think I see Cyborg on your horizon and when that time comes, I'll be firmly in your corner cheering you to victory! You won me over in high fashion!

When brings me to pride. Yeah, I'm swallowing it here. I still haven't finished my Business Plan for "Tintallin Entertainment" and I need that investment money for a Film Studio. Having been inspired by these ladies, and now wanting to sponsor one, I need to get off my ass, finish it and get it out there! I'm on it.  

And my script that I've been working on for a long time now, "Whosoever," well, that is half written. So at least I've made some progress, yes?  But swallowing pride sucks! I should have had it all finished and I haven't!

There, I've kicked my own ass for it and now it is time to get back to work. I'd like to thank Invicta Fights, Jessica Philippus, Sara Moras, Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc and Shayna Baszler for inspiring me so much and for Tara LaRosa for being so passionate not just for WMMA, but for wanting to do stunts and putting up with my "treatise" on how to do it.  

You all are just wonderful people and I wish the very best for you! One day, and I mean it, I'm going to ask you to wear the Rhino-PIG Productions symbol on your shorts when you fight. What is that?

Rhino: Tough, tenacious, unstoppable. Fears no other creature. 

PIG: Pride, Integrity and Guts!

Be a Rhino-PIG, ladies! Be a Rhino-PIG! YOU ROCK!