STEELE SPORTS

This past week, I had the opportunity to travel to Florida to work as a photographer with professional MMA athletes training at Kill Cliff Fight Club (KCFC) in Deerfield Beach.

As a lifelong fan of the sport, this was easily one of the coolest experiences I have had as a journalist.

The moment I walked into the gym – a large, looming room with wrestling mats and a cage – I knew I had finally arrived; this was the big leagues.

Members of KCFC include fighters from the UFC, Bellator, Professional Fighters League and more major promotions, including names that I have watched regularly compete on TV over the years.

What surprised me the most about my time in the gym was not only the talent, but how well fighters from all corners of the planet mesh in such a small place.

KCFC has a super diverse team of fighters from Brazil, Russia, Kazakhstan, Thailand, and the Netherlands to name just a few of the countries represented, meaning that there can be a pretty imposing language barrier at times.

However, what translates across all languages is skill and technique.

Each fighter brings their own background to the table whether it be in wrestling, muay thai, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, or boxing.

I watched athletes with extreme cultural differences come together and partake in hour-long sessions of training that I think would have made me unable to get out of bed for a week.

The best part of it all: watching these fighters go through the hardest workouts I’ve ever seen with a smile on their faces.

The fight game is no joke, it can break you down.

You would never guess that from the way KCFC operated.

While fighting is largely an individual sport – nobody is out there in the ring or cage with you – it pays dividends to have a team atmosphere.

Not only does having teammates push each guy to get better day in and day out, it also gives these fighters a community to belong to.

My four days in Florida gave me the opportunity to witness this community first-hand.

I spent my time in the gym working on capturing moments and observing what high-level MMA looks like in a world-class establishment, but what I also got to see is what life as a fighter looks like outside the gym.

I was fortunate enough to have one of the gym’s athletes host me for my stay, showing me that fighting is an extremely full-time gig.

The most serious part of the lifestyle is easily the diet.

Fighters are strict about what they put in their bodies, which results in very organized mealtimes, calorie counts, and portioning.

Possibly the most surprising part of the lifestyle is the free time.

Outside of training and working out, fighters have a lot of time on their hands throughout the week.

Some guys work second jobs, but for the ones that are fortunate enough to fight full-time as their sole source of income, hobbies are important.

My host was a huge golfer and said he plays multiple times a week.

While I’m back in Minnesota now for the foreseeable future, I’ll be looking forward to potentially being able to share more stories from outside our Steele County borders soon enough.