Lucas Punkari
All of the months of training and preparation couldn’t prepare Terry Carmody of Emo for what he was to experience Saturday night in Duluth as the 22-year-old made his debut in the world of Mixed Martial Arts.
“I don’t think I’ve had that much adrenaline going into anything, and I’ve never been that nervous before in my life,” Carmody admitted.
Carmody, who stands 5’11” and tips the scales at 190 pounds, was up against Minnesota-based fighter Richard Ojala in a middleweight bout, which took place on the amateur portion of the card at the Fearless Fighting Championship 8 event at the Black Bear Casino.
“I was in the cage and I was just trying to stay calm, and it felt like out of nowhere that [the] music stopped and [the] ref asked me I was ready,” recalled Carmody, who goes by the nickname “Full Throttle.”
“And then before I knew it, my opponent was coming right at me,” he added.
After both fighters exchanged punches, Carmody was able to get a take-down on Ojala and began to seize control of the fight on the ground.
“I was able to gain side control, and then I landed a hard upper cut that really busted him up a bit,” Carmody said.
“He was just taking punches by that point and once he rolled onto his back, I was able to secure the rear naked choke and get the win.”
It was a dominating performance that only lasted about a minute, and especially impressive given Carmody only started training with Borderland Combat Sports over in International Falls this past October.
“I came in there with no MMA background at all,” Carmody stressed.
“Since I started, though, I’ve learned a little bit of everything.
“But my main strengths would have to be kickboxing and wrestling, which Pete Benedix has really helped me on,” added Carmody, who watched clubmate Billy Christianson win a lightweight bout on the professional portion of the card later that evening.
Once Carmody had his arm raised in the centre of the ring by the referee, it was a mix of emotions that immediately came into the mind of the fighter.
“It was a mix of joy and relief,” he explained.
“After you do all of the training for that long, and not knowing what the hell is going to happen when you go in the cage, after it’s all over the first thing that you’re thinking about is, ‘When can I go and do this again?’”
Although Carmody has been offered a fight in June, it may interfere with tests he’s writing for the OPP.
So at this point, it seems his next bout will take place at the next show put on by Fearless Fighting in Duluth in July.
