Globe Trotting

I sit in my hotel room writing this, lovely hotel, courteous staff, great facilities but it just isn't home. I miss all my creature comforts, my girlfriend, my pups and being able to cook my own healthy food. I have been away for most of this month and can't wait to settle back into routine again. On the other hand it has been well worth it, I have been all over Europe doing what I love to do, fighting, training and watching fighting!!! it is a tough old life but someone's got to do it.

Let's back track a bit, last weekend I was in Iceland accompanying Mr Mike Russell for his grappling super fight with world Ju Jitsu phenom Gunnar Nelson. Iceland is a very strange place, baron would describe it best. Coming into land all around was nothingness. Apparently there are only 300,000 inhabitants in Iceland, considerably less than in London, which equates to 3 people every sq KM. another observation, most of the men are huge. The behemoth that picked us up from the airport was 191kg's in weight, 2m5cm tall and only 18 years of age. "It hurts when I sleep but I like it because it means I am getting bigger!!" was a peach of a line from the baby monster. Mike's fight was due to be on at 9pm the Saturday night so we turned up at 730pm to prepare and get relaxed. The fight didn't start til almost midnight which was shite but Mike tookk it all in his stride. It was a spectacle of grappling skills displayed by both men. Gunner showed why he is widely rated as one of the best young Ju Jitsu talents in the world by capitilising on the briefest opportunity to take Mike's back and sink in the rear naked choke. Mike proved that he could more than hang with hte best and should definitely hold his head high. The future is bright for both guys. After a late night/early morning post fight drinking we trapsed off back to the airport to return home and snatch a night in our own beds!!!

At 0500 the next day my alarm sounded and my brief reconciliation with my home and my loved ones was over, up out the door and off to pick up the wagons for the MMA clinic trip to cagewarriors 39 in Ireland. After driving to Wales, hopping on the ferry and then getting back on the road our little convoy finally reached it's destination at just gone 11pm the same day. A long old day I'm sure you'll agree. The Irish leg of the journey was toughest, pitch black and windy roads combined with tiredness makes for a few nervy moments but we arrived in one piece. The week has gone by pretty quick,driving people and equipment around and rolling with various fighters, the MMA Clinic lads arrive tonight and tomorrow morning so it will be nice to have the crew around again. Chaos is starting to ensue as more people arrive and more shit needs doing and no one knows where they are going etc........ 2 more days and it will all be over. It's gonna be a blast, a stressful one but a blast all the same.

The 'Mo' has gone from strength to strength, I look like a fucking idiot and it turns out that I have a blond top lip, strange but true!!! I am really looking forward to next week for a number of reasons as previously mentioned but an added bonus will be shaving off the caterpillar!