OREM — Steve Siler started fighting long before he ever trained to be a Mixed Martial Arts athlete.
"I fought for two years before I ever stepped into a gym," said Siler, who is known as Super Steve Siler in the MMA community. "That's why my record is as bad as it is. I had 11 fights and was 5-6. Then my friend said, 'If you're going to do this, you need to train.'"
It was the same friend who introduced him to the sport when he was still in high school.
"He respects the sport," said Siler. "Back then, I didn't…He said, 'If you're going to do this, then you need to take it seriously. You need to commit to it.'"
So he joined a gym — the RIVEN Academy in Orem — and was a little surprised at what structured training offered him.
"I realized what I didn't know," Siler said. "You think you know; you think you're a tough kid. Then all of a sudden, you realize, there's a lot of groundwork where you learn, 'Whoa, that's all I had to do to get out of that?' You find out a lot you didn't know."
Even with the new techniques and expectations, Siler worked hard and was a quick study. His coach agreed to let him fight just a month after he started training. He won that fight in 21 seconds.
"Some of my friends had never seen a fight before and they were like, 'That's it?'" he laughed. "I felt bad I didn't put on a better show."
Siler's love for the sport was instantaneous.
"I called up (a company that puts on fights) and asked if I could fight," he said, "Just to prove I was a tough guy…just for the fun of it. I ended up winning and I just fell in love with it."
Siler was the first fight on an impressive card that drew thousands to the E Center.
"Walking out, seeing the crowd, it was just a big rush," he said. "Especially only being 18 years old."
The discipline of a coach and the camaraderie of a team have benefited Siler.
"Since I stepped into the gym, I've won 14 of 15 fights."
It is the sport, he said, that helped him find direction and purpose.
"It straightened me out big time," he said.
His advice for others, regardless of their chosen profession is simple.
"Just make sure you enjoy what you're doing in life, because if you don't, it's definitely not going to be worth it."
He doesn't hesitate or mince words when he talks about his goals in MMA.
"I'm going to the UFC," he said.
While he hopes to be invited to do the reality television show "The Ultimate Fighter" because the winner of that show not only earns a contract with the UFC, he builds a base of fans across the country.
"The UFC is the NBA or NFL of fighting," he explains. "It's the big show."
Utahn Court McGee, who also trains at the RIVEN Academy, won the show last year and has become an inspiration to local athletes.
Siler is laid back and possesses a good nature, which is part of why he missed out on sports when he attended Weber High.
"I know I missed out," he said. "My junior year, my parents were going through a divorce and m room was pitch black. I would wake up at two in the afternoon and think, 'Well, it's too late to go to school now.' But I know I missed out."
Siler played football until his sophomore year.
"I hated not playing sports," he said. "The first time I tried out for football and they told me my grades weren't good enough, I was crushed."
He laughs when asked why that didn't motivate him to improve his grades or attend class.
"I guess I wasn't that motivated," he said. "I still enjoyed high school. I just sloughed a lot."
His only goal was to make his mother proud and graduate from high school.
"I did that," he said.
Both his parents have become MMA fans, as well as supporters of Siler's. His mother was more hesitant about attending the events in which her son was competing.
"I was about 8 fights into it, and she was still against it," he said. But Siler was living on his own with his older brother. She was living in Florida and when she returned to Utah for business, he convinced her to attend his fight.
"The first fight was probably the bloodiest, worst mess you could ever see," he said laughing. "But then my fight wasn't that bad. I didn't really get hit at all."
While he waits for that call from the UFC, he said he does the only thing he can — works hard and wins fights.
"I know how hard I train," he said. "I'm pretty relaxed…And I know I’m the best. I don't figure there is anyone who should be better than me as hard as I work."
Siler is one of the featured bouts at Friday's New Blood 2011 at the UCCU Center in Orem. The event is organized by Showdown Fights and the RIVEN Fight Team, of which Siler is a member.
Siler will take on Cole "The Apache Kid" Escovedo in a Featherweight bout.
Others on Friday's card are:
Brian "The Bandit" Cobb and Rad Martinez in a lightweight bout; Felix "Oso" Guel will take on former BYU football star Jan "Janimal" Jorgenson in a heavyweight bout; Brad "Mickey Rae" McRae will square off against Steven "Razor" Sharp in a lightweight bout; Travis "T-Train" Marx will fight Tervor Mellen in a bantamweight bout; Eddie Rincon and Jordan "Maxiumus" Clements will face each other in a lightweight bout; James "Birddog" Birdsley will fight Dan "DJ Dan" Gardner in a welterweight bout; Tim "Showtime" Lund will battle Kasheem "The Dream" Peterson in a welterweight bout; Czar Sklavos will fight Denver Merrifield-Nirva in a bantamweight bout; Ryan Wong and Trevor Carlson will square off in a heavyweight bout; and Brandon Beach will take on Josh Bateman in a welterweight bout.
Tickets are available at SmithTix, online at www.showdownfights.com or at the box office from $22 to $152. Preliminary fights start at 6 with the main fights getting underway at 7:30 p.m.
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