Tony Sims
on Fighting
The first time I really got to know Tony was backstage at his last fight. I barely knew him but he said he didn’t mind if I came and filmed. We were in one of the back rooms of a big arena. There was no privacy. There were a few wrestling mats on the ground and thin curtains cutting the room in half. There were going to be around 10 fights and all the fighters from the blue corner were in this room, all the fighters from the red corner in another room.
Being backstage at a fight is a very surreal and strange experience. Tony was relaxed and calm the entire time. He was laughing and joking with a few of his teammates and coaches. His was the last fight so he had a few hours to wait. During that time, the other fighters would come back to the room we were in to get changed and decompress after their fights. We saw one fighter come back surrounded by an aura of sheer ecstasy. He had knocked his opponent out in less then 30 seconds. The next fighter was not so lucky. He was an older local fighter in the 2nd half of his career and he came back covered in blood. He had been beaten badly and was not in good shape. He sat in a corner with one of his closest friends and sobbed.
It was a shocking display of raw emotion on both opposite ends of the spectrum, and Tony sat through all of it staying focused on his fight. His opponent was a very tough young kid who had been on the TV show “The Ultimate Fighter”. It was a highly anticipated fight and ended up being awarded “Fight of the Night”. It was a brutally exciting fight that went all three rounds.
Tony lost the fight on a very controversial decision. He also broke his hand. If he had won, he would have been on the short list to be in the UFC, his dream. His opponent, Drew Dober, is fighting his first fight in the UFC this May. Instead he lost, he broke his hand, and had to shelve his dream months in a sport not known for its longevity. He had fought his best, encountered all of his own worst case scenarios in a fight, and many still believe he should have won, but MMA has no room for “should have”.
“There is no teacher more discriminating or transforming than loss.”
-Pat Conroy
Shortly after the fight, Drew Dober started training on the same team as Tony. At first I was shocked. This seemed like adding insult to injury, to have to train with someone who took so much from you. I was even more surprised by how everyone handled the situation. Apparently this happens quite often, and I was the only one surprised. There was no animosity during training and Drew was immediately accepted by the team. It was and continues to be a testament to the sportsmanship in martial arts.
