I think training has humbled me more than I was before just doing muay thai. I am thankful that I have never fought someone who knew what I am training now for sure I would have been choked out or something would have snapped. I think I feel a little better about my ground game. I got so much to learn though its really refreshing to train and learn something instead of teaching muay thai I become the student again.
I have met and trained with such awesome people. I mean, I train with Relson Gracie, but we had Renzo, Ralph, Ryan, Roger Jr., Igor, Gracie, Royler came for the last ROTR, I met Royce, trained with Jake Shields and Gilbert Melendez, Margarida. I mean awesome people I would never have met just working out at a gym.
Last week I trained with Daniel de Lima a Gracie Barra BB from Brazil
www.gbmiami.com . His credentials were just amazing. He was showing me some things that HE used in his tournaments. After Daniel tapped me out about 20 or 30 times, I got to train with another GB BB Rodrigo ???? from Seattle. He was only 140lbs but his guard and legs were so damn tight I nearly broke in half. I tapped at least 4 or 5 times to him.
Of course I am still nursing a big toe and shoulder injury but at least I am still rolling. I really look forward to training and its not like "Oh man, now I got to go train." No its more like, "Babe, I see you at 10pm ish" when it is only like 4:30 p.m. My girl makes sure my gi is clean so I'm not that stinky guy you can smell a mile away.
I have been in a magazine because I train and even though it was very small I was there and I stand out because I take a LOT of space. Hahaha. I won three first place, one overall absolute championship, and a second place, so far.
I met more people from the outer islands and here on Oahu from training and when I see them at mma events, we hang out and talk story. There is that mutual respect I think, they know I train and compete and vise versa. When we watch fights we are the quiet ones and the people making the most noise don't look like they train in anything. Its funny like that.
Even here on sherdog, met some cool people and some not so cool but hey such is life.