HOUSTON, TX, June 29, 2011 – Next up in our Cage Combat 4 interview series is Jeremy Hunter, a Cage Combat (2) veteran who’ll be making his return to Garcia Promotions this Friday for the first time since winning by TKO over Arturo Delgado this past March.
As far as how he got into MMA, Jeremy has somewhat of a unique story in that he didn’t grow up a boxer, wrestler, or come from a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu background before all this. He was just an every day blue-collar Texan who decided he wanted to fight immediately after John Malbrough got him into Kingwood MMA.
Before he started training, Jeremy spent most of his time working out in the oil fields of West Texas. As a driller out in the Panhandle, he still spends every other week on a rig away from Houston, but he’s also pursuing his dream of becoming a fighter as well.
According to him, he fell in love with MMA the moment he stepped on the mat. Ever then, all he’s wanted to do is to keep getting back in there and test his skills.
“There’s nothing in the world like it,” he says.
Set to fight as a lightweight this Friday night, Jeremy is a far cry from being the 245 pound man he was when he first started training. It took a lot of hard work and perseverance, but training is the thing he credits for changing his lifestyle for the better. In fact, he feels like a whole different person nowadays.
“I’m definitely a better person now,” he says about life now compared to what It was pre-MMA. “I’m in great shape, I feel much better, and this (being a fighter) has changed my life completely. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve had a drink this year. I don’t party anymore. It’s all about MMA for me.”
Living a clean lifestyle while working in a tough industry not exactly known for model behavior while off the rig, Jeremy is proud to say that everyone from co-workers to his company are all behind him as he makes way towards becoming a pro fighter.
It’s that kind of support that’s allowed him to train week-in and week-out, no matter where he is.
“Whenever I’m out of town, I train. I wake up four hours earlier than everyone else on the rig every day to get my training in and do what I have to do. Working on my cardio… strength and conditioning… I actually do most of that training while I’m away at work.”
Training under a hard-nosed coach like KMMA’s Tom McCusker and fellow fighters like Malbrough and Shawn Blanding when he’s home here in Houston, Jeremy doesn’t get any rest on his weeks off either.
No rest for the weary.
To him, it will all be worth it come Friday night when he gets in the cage against Efrian Martinez or whoever else they put across from him.
“It’s all about Kingwood MMA,” he says. “We got a little saying out there, so on Friday, “BOOM!”
Acknowledgements
“I’d live to give a big thanks to coach and everyone at Kingwood MMA and also Brett Boyce, my manager at Made to Win. He’s doing one great job so I want to give a big thanks to him. As far as anyone else, just one BIG shoutout to the A-Team! My guys know who that is!” – Jeremy Hunter
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