Looking Back on My First ( and Probably Last 뇤 눎 눐 눑 눒 눏 ) Amateur Muay Thai Fight (Spoiler alert: Lost by decision against a much better opponent) I tried to compile the answers to the questions I’ve been asked most often, and put them together below Question 1 – Let’s go back to the beginning. Why did you sign up for your first amateur fight? It was something that had been in the back of my mind for several years. Fighting was one of my personal sports goals for 2025, if the opportunity presented itself I had talked a bit about it with my friend Kaz, who had already fought in this promotion. He told me about the experience and gave me the contact of the matchmaker, Mark W. On October 29, I reached out to Mark. We talked on the phone, he asked me a few questions, and very naturally I ended up on the card for his next event. At that moment, I was very excited... and paradoxically also very calm, as if the decision had already been made a long time ago. Question 2 – How did you experience the days and weeks after signing up? At first, a lot of excitement. Then, fairly quickly, small moments of doubt and adrenaline spikes. The classic questions come up: “What if I end up against someone much heavier?” or “What if he’s been training twice a day for four years, while I trained more like... 2-3 times a week?” But pretty quickly, I tried to stay aligned with who I really am. I had no desire to pretend to be a “hardcore fighter.” That’s not me. I’m an athlete — curious, a bit courageous, someone who likes to push limits and expand their comfort zone. I wanted to test myself in that art, express it, and also get a reality check under true fight conditions. Question 3 – What was your “why” going into this experience? There were several. First, the physical and mental challenge. Then, the need for a reality check — to see what my Muay Thai is actually worth in a ‘real’ fight environment. And finally, expression: the idea of showing my creativity in this sport, my way of moving, of being fast. What I find beautiful about combat sports is facing someone whose level, style, body type, and habits you don’t know. That uncertainty is part of the richness of the confrontation. Question 4 – You talk a lot about mindset. How did you prepare mentally? I quickly understood that stress and adrenaline would a Ư ect both judgment and physical performance. My goal wasn’t to eliminate them, but to try to manage them — something I had already experienced in other sports. I had felt similar sensations in hockey, but this was di Ư erent: it was individual, alone with yourself, much closer to what I had experienced in ski competitions. One thing that really helped me put things in perspective was thinking about the “after.” Reminding myself that this event was just a moment in a life full of other projects. That helped to stay relaxed. Question 5 – The matchup process was eventful. Can you walk us through it? Yes, definitely. On November 20, Mark o Ư ered me a first opponent: 170+ lbs, heavier than me and more experienced. I politely declined — I wanted to fight under reasonable conditions. The same day, he proposed a second opponent: same weight as me, very tall, little experience. I accepted. A week later, the guy’s coach declined the fight. Mark told me that participating in the December 13 event might be complicated. At that point, I was on vacation in Puerto Rico, fairly focused, but it broke the momentum and I relaxed my focus a bit. Then a couple of weeks later, 10 days before the event, when I thought I would not go, Mark came back with a third opponent: Erik S. Same weight, a bit taller, more experienced, already one win. I had mentally checked out a little, but after a few days of reflection, I decided to go for it. I wanted to finish the year with a real challenge — something strong physically and mentally. Question 6 – Did you face any di Ư iculties during preparation? Physically, nothing major. I tried a bit too hard to preserve myself. I had a small cut on my foot in vacation that was annoying for a few days, then a minor ear infection when I got back to Boston that left me half deaf for a week 뇤 눎 눐 눑 눒 눏 . Nothing dramatic. Mentally, though, it wasn’t easy to get fully locked back in after the opponent changes. I also shifted my approach. Instead of building a pure strategy based on my opponent’s style, I followed the philosophy of “training for an experience.” Not training to win or not lose, but to be ready to live something. Question 7 – How was the week leading up to the fight? Very up and down. Some moments with strong adrenaline spikes (!), but also a lot of moments of deep calm and confidence. Even at work, there were times when I felt completely serene during the day. I did a lot of breathing work to manage those spikes, and day after day it improved. I also told myself that this fight could be seen as a celebration — almost a farewell gala to the Muay Thai competitive experience. That idea helped calm me down. Question 8 – What was your mindset on fight day? Answer: Pretty calm, surprisingly. I woke up without an alarm, took a hot shower, had breakfast, stretched. Alex (one of my corner guys) came to the house around noon; we had lunch with Farida in a relaxed atmosphere. Then we drove to the weigh-in, stopped at a café to talk, and headed back to the venue for the fight night. No excessive stress. I was genuinely happy with how I was managing my emotions. Question 9 – Let’s talk about the fight itself. What happened in the ring? After giving him a few low kicks that weren’t impactful enough, my opponent took control. And from there, I ...clearly took a beating for three rounds. I remember being mostly in survival mode. Every time I thought I could breathe and think, he was already attacking again. I wasn’t prepared enough for that intensity, that volume and power. There was probably a mismatch — same weight, but one or two levels above me. But that’s part of the game. In real life, you don’t choose the level of the person you face. I knew that was a possible scenario and it can’t be an excuse. Question 10 – Did you think about quitting? YES! Haha. At the end of the first round, and again at the end of the second, I thought: “If my corner asks me whether I want to stop, I’ll say yes.” I think I would have. Alex laughed a lot when I told him afterward. The end of the second round was especially tough. The referee even told me it was a good thing the round ended... Question 11 – And yet, you made it to the end. What do you take away from that? That’s the positive lesson. It sounds cliché, but it’s true: when you think you can’t go on anymore, when you want to quit, you can usually keep going at least a little longer. Not quitting is a real satisfaction. So is being solid enough to walk out without serious injury against a much stronger opponent. That said, this is not a game. Things can go badly. But this experience showed me that courage, sometimes, is simply staying upright, going back in, and limiting the damage until you can do better. Question 12 – How did you feel after the fight? Full of endorphins, happy, and probably also relieved not to be injured. Performance didn’t matter much at that moment. The next day, though, sleep was impossible — I woke up at 6 a.m., replaying the fight in my head and thinking about everything I could have done di Ư erently. Question 13 – If you had to summarize what you learned from this experience? What mattered wasn’t the performance, but having been there, having seen, having tested. Having had the courage to go. I may have failed technically, but I learned a lot about myself — especially about mental preparation and energy management. Question 14 – Any final words? Answer: After the fight, Erik — my opponent — told me, “You’re tough.” I’ll take that as a compliment/consolation, haha. This fight reminded me why I love sport: for experiences that confront you with yourself, without filters, that push you into zones you don’t often visit. I don’t know if I’ll ever fight again. But I know this experience will help me in my other sports — and even in my professional and personal life. Question 15 – To conclude, What would you Do Di Ư erently If you Were to Fight Again If I had to extract one clear, actionable lesson from this experience, it’s that my mental preparation before the event was much better managed than my ability to handle things during the fight. First, I would make sure to create better conditions to express myself from the very start of the fight. That means being more acclimated to real fight intensity: volume, constant pressure, power. That requires training harder — something I thought I might be able to avoid — but also integrating more situations that truly resemble what I experienced in the ring. Second, I would work specifically on the transition between mental preparation and action. I felt ready mentally beforehand, but once the fight started, I froze a bit. The goal would be to trigger my instinctive/creative mode earlier, even if I’m drowning at some point. I would also pay more attention to fight rhythm: accepting not to absorb volume, choosing my moments, entering and exiting more clearly. Not just surviving for too long, but existing — even in small moments. Finally, I would keep the same overall philosophy: fighting for the experience, not to prove anything. But with added lucidity — respecting even more the potential level of the opponent and the real risks involved. The goal isn’t only about enduring; it’s also about knowing when and how to give yourself the best chance to express your game.