The beginning of MMA
Nick Harris

“Hell naw I ain’t tappin”! I could feel the pressure from opponent’s rear naked choke as he squeezed his arm around all the sides of my head. He knew the choke wasn’t in place until his arm was around my neck but still he squeezed with all of his might, to try to get me to tap just from the brute pressure he applied` to my neck. Normally this intimidation move wouldn’t even have me thinking about tapping but as my opponent squeezed my head I could feel my front bottom teeth puncturing my gums. My hands were literally tied behind my back and I couldn’t tap. Once I had finally got my hands free I abruptly tapped out, but it was` to late blood poured out of my mouth like a Kool-Aid fountain but I just wiped it away, “c’mon cuz lets keep going” my rolling partner urged. I couldn’t let all the guys think I was a p!@#$. “Let’s go” I muttered trying to keep the blood in my mouth. After we had finished rolling (rolling is the term for brazilin ju-jitsu sparring), I walked into the gym bathroom, closely examining my shredded gum-line, I was going to need stitches, and my mom was going to be pissed. “Those men are just too big, you don’t need to prove your tough you’re the smallest guy in the gym those men respect you!” I just sat quietly as my mom began to list all of the injuries I have sustained since joining the camp.

I had first learned about MMA thru watching the UFC on TV. I remember at age 14 thinking that was the coolest thing I had ever seen. I watched religiously till I had learned most of the fighter’s names and knew most of the terms. When I turned 16 I was fed up with just watching MMA so I asked my mom if I could find a camp to train at. She had no problem at the time with me being an aspiring cage fighter so we called a camp in Ludlow. The camp was called Team Link, it was a small sweaty Brazilian fight club on the bottom floor of an apartment building. It was by no means nice but that didn’t matter to me. The place smelled of sweat and testosterone. The place was filled with a handful muscled tattooed guys twice my age. I was somewhat intimidated at first but soon I fell into my groove. I was the smallest guy out there and I didn’t give a damn. The first few months were hell, by all means every time I stepped on the mat (the place were both the sparring and the rolling sessions were held) I would get my ass whooped. But after a while I began to hold my own, after a while the same guys, who use to tool on me I was catching them with arm bars and left hooks. As I began to gain respect and skills so did the injuries I came home with. Bruises and cuts were always frequent, but every once and while there were a few dislocated joints to black eyes to cauliflower ear (a term used to describe when wrestlers ears begin to harden due to broken cartilage that makes the ear appear deformed). I looked up to the experienced fighters at the camp like Gabriel Gonzaga heavy weight UFC contender or Paulo Fihlo a Brazilian Jiu jitsu master who is currently the WEC light heavy weight champion. The camp was growing in numbers due to young guys like me who wanted to prove our toughness. MMA has grown so much since its beginning it wasn’t always like this. The first UFC tournament UFC-1 was an 8 man tournament it was appropriately called No Holds Barred. It was held in Denver Colorado, on Nov 12, 1993 in the MicNicholas Sports Arena. There were about 2,800 in attendants. The event was sold on pay per view No rules and no weight classes. The only way you can win is by knockout or submission there was no judges, and unlimited rounds. Your corner could throw in the towel but most fighters back then would rather die then be embarrassed by this form of surrender. There were referees but they couldn’t stop the fight under civilized means, there only purpose was to stop the fight if the fighter tapped out or was knocked out. Why eye gouging, and biting were not allowed but, fish hooking (a move were one would use their index finger to rip their opponents cheek to the jaw), curb stomping, and groin shots. No gloves or headgear were worn. Most fights were described as huge overmatches or mismatches. The crowd was mostly filled with drunken rednecks with a thirst for blood. I probably don’t have to mention That UFC-1 was basically a sanctioned legal fight club. UFC-1 didn’t go down well with politicians or most Americans. Senator John Kerry compared the spectacle to “Human Cockfighting”.
After being brought to the public’s eyes by the disapproving politicians the UFC had a hard time finding states that would sanction their cards with their present “no holds barred” rule. Finally at UFC 12 the UFC overhauled their rules for their fighters. There were finally the use of weight classes 199 and under and 200 and up. Only two weight classes but to a small fighter two are better than none. At UFC-14 after being refused to be sanctioned by numerous states the use of light 4 once gloves were enforced. On October 17th 1997 at UFC-15 the final rule changes that made the UFC you watch today were instated. Strikes to the back of the neck & head, head butts, below the belt strikes, strikes to the back of the head and neck, curb stomping, small joint manipulation, pressure point strikes, and hair pulling were all banned. Once all of the rules were changed to their present day list it increased its liability among Americans. As the UFC began to rake in major dough so did the sports popularity. I can see why young guys like me would be interested in such a brutal. The UFC is way more exciting than boxing and more brutal than wrestling. It has way more contact than karate and is full of crazy characters. For my interview I grilled the UFC heavyweight contender Gabriel Gonzaga.
Me: You always compete in BJJ and Submission; will you dedicate yourself only to MMA now?
Gabriel: Jiu-Jitsu is my root and I don’t intend to leave the gi. When possible I’ll conciliate MMA with Jiu-Jitsu and Submission.
Last words before you leave for your next bout: I would like to thank my team Link BJJ for the support given. I would like to invite people on Massachusetts to join our academy.

Nick Harris


Power corrupts, when said it makes you think of presidents and generals that were once considered great people but have fallen due to being consumed by the power they have been granted. Power can corrupt anyone from a senator to a principal to a preschooler. Macbeth and his wife are the perfect example of someone who has been corrupted. Here is a good man who has never committed a crime and is a loyal follower of King Duncan. By the end of the book Macbeth is a murdering evil plotting maniac. Macbeth had a good life his own castle and was the Thane of Cawdor, all this was not enough. In the following essay I will show some of the quotes that show Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s transition from good to evil.


My first quote is “What have we hear, you mysterious black hags of midnight what is it what you do” This quote means that Macbeth is looking for the eerie corrupted witches for advice. Why in the heck would he do that, that’s like me going to the neighborhood drug dealer to ask him for advice about life, not good! From the books that I’ve read that contained witches most of them only seek to hurt the main character in some way or to bring him or her misfortune. In the book you’re probably wondering about how this relates to the topic power corrupts, but Macbeth is going to a corrupted source for advice to keep his power. Last time I checked most witches are evil except for the one in the Wizard of Oz. My advice to Macbeth would be to go to Banquo or Ross, someone he can trust.


The next quote I have is about Lady Macbeth. She is so corrupted by the sense of power she claims "I have given suck, and know
How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me; I would, while it was smiling in my face,
Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you have done to this"(1.7.55-59). This basically means that Lady Macbeth is willing to bash her own baby’s brains out if that would enable her to be queen. I’m not a mom but I’m pretty sure that’s harshly unfathomable to most moms. Before Macbeth even mentions to his wife about the witches’ prophecy Lady Macbeth seems like a decent person, but after the news she turns moralistically cynical.


The last quote that I am going to use is “Let not light see my black and deep desires” (1.4.51). Macbeth knows deep down that he wants to be the big enchilada and that he must kill King Duncan to do it, and he is ashamed of himself for even considering these dark things. Macbeth is ashamed of himself because him and King Duncan are good noble friends and King Duncan would never even think about doing something like that to Macbeth. King Duncan considers Macbeth one of his most trustworthy devoted best friends and Macbeth knows that he feels like this. Macbeth knows if he does kill King Duncan he can never go back. While he thinks it will be a quick job that will be over in five minutes. I’m sure that there is something suspicious in the back of his mind that says he will have to keep lying and murdering to keep this a secret.

Nick Harris

Power corrupts, when said it makes you think of presidents and generals that were once considered great people but have fallen due to being consumed by the power they have been granted. Power can corrupt anyone from a senator to a principal to a preschooler. Macbeth and his wife are the perfect example of someone who has been corrupted. Here is a good man who has never committed a crime and is a loyal follower of King Duncan. By the end of the book Macbeth is a murdering evil plotting maniac. Macbeth had a good life a his own castle and was the Thane of Cawdor, all this was not enough. In the following essay I will show some of the quotes that show Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s transition from good to evil.

My first quote is “What have we hear, you mysterious black hags of midnight what is it what you do” This quote means that Macbeth is looking for the witches for advice. Why in the heck would he do that, that’s like me going to the neighborhood drug dealer to ask him for advice about life, not good! From the books that I’ve read that contained witches most of them only seek to hurt the main character in some way or to bring him or her misfortune. In the book you’re probably wondering about how this relates to the topic power corrupts, but Macbeth is going to a corrupted source for advice to keep his power. Last time I checked most witches are evil except for the one in the Wizard of Oz. My advice to Macbeth would be to go to Banquo or Ross, someone he can trust.

The next quote I have is about Lady Macbeth. She is so corrupted by the sense of power she claims "I have given suck, and know
How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me; I would, while it was smiling in my face,
Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you have done to this"(1.7.55-59). This basically means that Lady Macbeth is willing to bash her own baby’s brains out if that would enable her to be queen. I’m not a mom but I’m pretty sure that’s unfathomable to most moms. Before Macbeth even mentions to his wife about the witches’ prophecy Lady Macbeth seems like a decent person, but after the news she turns crazy.

The last quote that I am going to use is “Let not light see my black and deep desires” (1.4.51). Macbeth knows deep down that he wants to be the big enchilada and that he must kill King Duncan to do it, and he is ashamed of himself for even considering it. Macbeth is ashamed of himself because him and King Duncan are good friends and King Duncan would never even think about doing something like that to Macbeth. King Duncan considers Macbeth one of his most trustworthy best friends and Macbeth knows that he feels like this. Macbeth knows if he does kill King Duncan he can never go back. While he thinks it will be a quick job that will be over in five minutes. I’m sure that there is something in the back of his mind that says he will have to keep lying and murdering to

Siddartha comes to LA California

Siddhartha comes to LA California


I patiently waited at the LAX airport for my friend to show up. I had invited my pen pal from India to come to my hometown for one day so I could show him my different way of life. As tons of people poured in and out of the airport, I noticed a man dressed in a robe with sandals. This fit the description my pen pal had sent me so I uneasily approached the strangely dressed man. “Siddhartha?” I said.
“Yes” he replied.
“Nice to meet ya cuz welcome to Cali.”
“Very nice to meet you Nick I have had a very long trip and I need to rest, my chi is uneven”
“Oh yeah of course I’ll show you my crib, but first were getting something to eat.”
As we drove through the city towards the restaurant Siddhartha asked where we were.
“Is this what they call the city?
“Yep welcome to Los Angelo s”
While we were riding I turned on the radio and cranked one my favorite songs.
“My goodness must it be so loud!”
“Hellz yeah! when you in Cali you can’t just drive somewhere, ya gotta roll tha F@!# out! Just bob your head to the beat and feel the bass.”
Siddartha gave me a puzzled look and made a humorous attempt of bobbing to the beat. When we pulled up to Del Taco Siddhartha asked why everybody was hanging outside in the neighborhood.
“It’s to hot inside so everybody just sits on their steps or just walks around. It’s no very uncommon in the city.
“I am very hungry and I am very excited to taste my first American meal.” Siddhartha almost blurted out.
“Say no more”
As we walked into the restaurant mostly everyone spoke Spanish.
Del Taco was a small hot, and somewhat stuffy Mexican restaurant in the city, the kind of place people from out of the city would never find or know about.
“What is that strange gibberish?”
“That’s Spanish if you were to live here its something you might wanna pick up on because you’re going to be living in a Mexican neighborhood.”
“We’ll take two pico de galllos”
After we got to our seats I told Sid to try it
“It is very greasy, must I eat it” Sid muttered”
“Just try it you’ll love it. You were the one talking about your first American meal and this is pretty damn American…..well um Mexican well um uh well you know what I mean!
After Sid had taken his first bite his face lit up
“Oh my goodness this is quite wonderful!”
“Eat up today is far from finished”
When me and sid Finished we hit the streets again.
“Where are we going now? “
“To a massage parlor, one that may remind you of those clubs you use to chill at in India.
“This pleases me to no end”said Sid gleefully
I could feel the excitement in Sid's voice as we pulled up to the red dragon.
You see this wasn't any normal massage bar this was a massage bar where you could pick the girls that gave you the massage.
It was my first time being there and I was almost as excited as Sid.
"I'll take you and.....Oh I'll take you... and I cant forget about you" said Sid as he picked out his masseuses. After we were had picked our masseuses we laid back and chilled for a taste before I told Siddhartha we would have one more stop. I had planned to take Sid to his first real house party. I heard It was going to be crazy as hell, and when I told Siddartha he said" I have had many shindigs Like the one you describe to me and my chi is very even."
When we got there music was blaring through the apartment and there were people everywhere.
"Stick clo.........." I barely got my words out when Sid jumped on the dance floor and started to hold his own.
"C'mon my friend get it while the getting is very much good"
I had forgotten that Sid was very familiar with the whole party scene.
The following morning I scraped Sid of the couch of the apartment and swerved down to the airport, just about in time for his flight.
"I'll um see you uhhhh later um yeah, where the hell am I" I said barely coherent.
See you old frie........... uh huh. Sid muttered incoherently before he stepped on the terminal.

The Barbeque

The barbeque

It was a hot muggy California afternoon; the sky had an orange warm look to it. It was Sunday and my parents had dragged me to another barbeque for “old people” at the Yoder’s house. I was 7 years old and couldn’t have been more restless. I remember complaining in the car during most of the car ride until my dad threatened to pop me if I didn’t shut up. When we got to the party my parents told me and my brother to go play and to stay out of trouble. My brother and I went in the backyard where most of the other children were playing. The only problem with playing outside was that the backyard was kind of small and that half of the yard was off limits due to the Yoder’s dog. Their dog was chained up in the corner of the yard. This dog was by all means out of its mind. I remember thinking the dog was crazy he continued barking and growling while it looked like he was having convulsions. All the kids in the backyard could barely hear each other because the dog was barking so loud and so much. The dog’s owners assured us that the dog was harmless, but I just stared them like they were crazy, “yeah right” I thought to myself. My brother got the ingenious idea that it would be funny to get up in the dogs face and yell at him to shut up. I really didn’t see a problem with this but this dog was going insane stretching his chain lease as far as it could in attempt to get to my brother. After my brother had teased for a good 15 minutes I went inside to get something to eat, when I came back out I remember just sitting on the backyard porch watching my brother play with the other kids, and thinking in my mind that getting dragged to the barbeque wasn’t so bad. I was having more fun than I thought I would have. Exactly at that moment I remember hearing a loud Snap. A brown blur and I mean blur ran straight into my brother and both of them began to roll on the ground. It happened so fast the dog had broken its chain and was attacking my brother right in front of me. The kids who owned the dog ran over and tried to wrestle the dog from my brother, but this dog had blood in his eyes. My mind went absolutely blank. I ran inside and yelled as loud as I can Alex is getting mauled by the dog! I ran back outside and grabbed a big plank of wood from a firewood stack and began to try my best to smack the dog and mot my brother, but they were moving so fast. I swung with all my might in my best attempt to separate the dog from Alex. I heard a loud crack! And then a yelp. The kids who owned the dog managed to wrestle the dog off of my brother while he was stunned. My brother who before this event was grinning from ear to ear was now crying and had blood trickling down his left cheek. My parents quickly gathered me and my brother and loaded us into the car. I remember telling my parents about what happened during the car ride home. My parents were pretty pissed at what happen even though it was partially my brother’s fault. For the next couple of days I was trippin. Every time I heard chains jingle or car keys I would freak out and always look over my back, because the sound reminded me off a dog running towards me. After a couple days I was chill again.