Armed with little more than a mouthguard, a pair of four-ounce gloves, his 135-lb. frame and a whole lot of wherewithal, local resident Oliver Berkland will put his body and will to the ultimate test when he fights in his MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) debut March 21 in Oroville.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s been my long-term goal since I started and I’m finally getting there,\u201d 5\u20199\u201d Berkland said from his training facility\u2014Grass Valley\u2019s Ironworks Gym: Combat Training Center.<\/p>\n
Though he\u2019s been in the cage many times, this will mark what Berkland determines to be the biggest fight of his life so far, all on the path to becoming professional in the sport.<\/p>\n
Of the March 21 battle, Berkland said: \u201cIt\u2019s like what they do in UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). It\u2019s smaller promotions that I am messing around with right now; mixed marital arts, a combination of boxing, kickboxing, jiu jitsu, and wrestling.\u201d<\/p>\n
The goal, said Berkland, is to be a master of all of those things.<\/p>\n
26-year-old Berkland said he has been fighting in a more organized manner for about six years, and made the move from Iowa to Nevada County in 2019. He\u2019s honest in saying that he made the move and engaged in organized combat to escape a situation he recognized he needed to abandon.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy whole life has had a violent theme, and it’s a way to channel the things that I kind of got stuck doing into a positive manner,\u201d Berkland said. \u201cIt has really changed my life, and I really don’t see myself doing anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Berkland said he will go as far as he can in the sport. \u201cIf it kills me, I’ll die happy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Some may take that to mean that Berkland doesn\u2019t care about what happens to himself or his loved ones. It couldn\u2019t be further from the truth. Berkland explained his training is intense, with everything he does helping keeping his body in check. This means everything from physical to mental training, and eating well and conciously.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s taking care of myself so I can destroy myself,\u201d he said succinctly.<\/p>\n
MMA fighting requires no shin guards, no head gear; it’s basically bare knuckle. Some may find the sport makes them squeamish but Berkland added that it\u2019s all about perception. He is confident that he can change the lives of others so much like him and make a positive impact for those looking for an out from a bad situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ve always loved to fight,\u201d Berkland said. \u201cI started getting in trouble for it when I was 14. That’s the first time I ever got in trouble with the law; it was assault. (MMA is) really just channeling all the bad stuff I like to do. I lived a very different life before all this. This has really impacted my life a lot and really changed my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the inevitable punches and kicks to various body parts, despite the potential gore and brutal physicality of it all, Berkland finds fulfillment in the cage.<\/p>\n
\u201cI look at it as alchemy,\u201d he said. \u201cI’m transmuting negative emotions to positive emotions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anyone going into the cage who says they aren\u2019t scared, he speculates, is a liar. Berkland tries to negate all emotions once he is in the fight, stating that stoicism and calculation are key when gloves are flying.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is intimidating to a point, but I just try to separate feelings from it,\u201d said Berkland. \u201cI just try to approach it as a job.\u201d<\/p>\n
After any fight, Berkland said he bounces back pretty quickly, no doubt as a result of him taking meticulous care of his weapon\u2014his body. Recovery, he said, is both mental and physical, but win or lose he is always ready to get out and fight again, no matter how much damage has been afflicted on his frame.<\/p>\n
Berkland said he was influenced by a therapist who he was connected with through Nevada County. The therapist\u2019s name, which Berkland only said is \u201cRob,\u201d runs an at-risk group in which Berkland said he was acquainted with those who had similar upbringings to his. Therapy, said Berkland, is a way to \u201cget better\u201d in all ways. His choice of physical exercise is all a part of that.<\/p>\n
Preparations for MMA match<\/p>\n
Before his MMA debut, Berkland will be held strictly to a series of medical tests ensuring that he and his competitors are clear of drugs, and are healthy enough to fight.<\/p>\n
In the amateur division, to which Berkland belongs, there are three, three-minute rounds, totaling nine minutes. Professional fights can go up to 25 minutes but Berkland said is is rare for a fight to last all rounds.<\/p>\n
While he wouldn\u2019t be happy, if Berkland were to be defeated March 21, he said losing is all part of any game.<\/p>\n
In that case, Berkland said, he realizes: \u201cThey bested you. I think it’s more honorable to admit it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next step after a win would find Berkland back in the training room to keep working and advancing in the same Pure Combat promotion, and then in future events he would fight for the belt.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith my age and my experience, I have no time to wait,\u201d Berkland said. \u201cI’m hungry and I’m ready. I\u2019m gonna go fight in a cage for money. It doesn’t really get more barbaric than that.\u201d<\/p>\n
WHAT: Pure Combat: Spirit Warrior III<\/p>\n
WHERE: Mechoopda Event Center, 149 Openshaw Road, Oroville<\/p>\n
WHEN: Saturday, March 21 | Doors 5 p.m. Fight 6 p.m. | All ages welcome<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Armed with little more than a mouthguard, a pair of four-ounce gloves, his 135-lb. frame and a whole…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":515951,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[570],"tags":[64,63,786,322,785,44,85],"class_list":["post-515950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mma","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-fighting","tag-local","tag-mma","tag-news","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/515950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=515950"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/515950\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/515951"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=515950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=515950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=515950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}