SALT LAKE CITY — Carson Hardman credits mixed martial arts with saving his life.
As a teenager, Hardman suffered from depression, anxiety and suicidal tendencies.
For whatever reason, medication didn’t work. Years of counseling helped a little.
But it wasn’t until Hardman discovered his passion for cage fighting, against his family’s wishes, that his health improved.
“Nothing seemed to work as well as MMA,” said the Lehi husband and father of one. “It provided a grounding for me. I felt closer to God when I was taking care of my body and physically progressing in something. Spiritually I was doing much better in life. Mentally, emotionally, it felt right to be in MMA. So MMA really saved my life in a lot of ways.”
Hardman is one of three members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who will enter the cage to fight in the Legacy Fighting Alliance 75 lightweight event at the Maverik Center on Friday, Sept. 6, at 7 p.m. MT. The Mixed Martial Arts brawl will be televised on AXS TV.
The other two church members include Westin Wilson and Kaytlin Neil.
Hardman (7-2) will battle against Miles Hunsinger (6-0) in the feature Welterweight Bout (170 pounds).
Wilson (7-4) will face off with Bobby King (6-3) in the Featherweight Bout (145 pounds).
Neil (4-4) is matched up with Sam Hughes (2-0) in the Flyweight Bout (125 pounds).
The three Latter-day Saint cage fighters each shared a little about their respective stories in recent interviews with the Deseret News.
Carson Hardman
Hardman, of Lehi, became interested in MMA fighting at age 14 because he “got too fat for skateboarding” and wanted to be more physically active. Although his family wasn’t keen on the idea, he began training, he said.
At that point he had already dealt with depression and anxiety for a few years.
“I didn’t know what it was or how to express it,” Hardman said. “I was sad that I felt sick to my stomach every morning. I didn’t want to do anything. But I pushed through it. Excuses didn’t fly in my family. We grew up on the farm and if you don’t feel well, too dang bad, you’re getting up and you’re going.”
He pushed on through some dark times until high school when MMA helped him learn to function. Hardman expressed gratitude for his trainer, Mark Balcer, who became a trusted friend and father figure during that time.
Despite his challenges, Hardman served a full-time Latter-day Saint mission to Lubbock, Texas.
Today Hardman provides for his wife, Jamie, and son, Bentley, by working with a wire shelving business by day and as an MMA instructor by night. He serves in his local Latter-day Saint ward as a Young Men’s priest quorum advisor.
The LFA 75 event will be a first for Hardman.
“It’s exciting, it’s neat, it’s fun,” Hardman said. “The Maverik Center is a pretty big arena. I hope it’s filled.”
Kaytlin Neil
After failing to make the Dixie State University cheer squad in her first year of college, Kaytlin Neil found herself going with some friends to an MMA fight. It was impossible for this woman, who had grown up dancing, cheerleading and doing gymnastics, to anticipate how that experience would change her life.
“I thought it was so cool so I started training,” Neil said. “I wanted to stay active. I wanted to compete and do something. I found fighting.”
As Neil embraced the sport, a friend who was reading “The Hunger Games” said Neil reminded him of Katniss Everdeen, the main character in Suzanne Collins’ trilogy. Her friends nicknamed her “Katniss” and “Katnip.” The nickname was confirmed when the films were released, she said.
“The name just stuck,” she said with a laugh.
Neil lives in American Fork, where she owns a company called “Bad Athletics,” a women’s combat and fitness brand.
People are genuinely surprised when they find out Neil, a Latter-day Saint, fights in the cage. She’s grateful for the support of family and friends but wants to bring more recognition to the sport, especially for women.
“Don’t be afraid to do what you feel you are called to do. Break stereotypes. Do something out of the norm,” Neil said. “Fighting shows me that I can overcome things, even though it’s a constant roller coaster of highs and lows. It’s taught me to be resilient, not only in fighting but also in life. It helps me to keep fighting and come back stronger after seeing the setbacks of life.”
Westin Wilson
Westin Wilson is a 30-year-old husband and father of three daughters who works as a product manager for a software company in Orange County, California. He’s a returned missionary (served in New York) who currently serves as an elder’s quorum instructor.
He also loves to compete in the cage.
Wilson was first introduced to MMA fighting in fifth grade and was immediately hooked. In recent years as a pro, he’s compiled a win-loss record of 7-4.
He’s excited for the LFA 75 event because it will be a first for his mother to see him fight in the cage.
“This will be the first time my mom has ever watched me fight live,” Wilson said. “It’s cool to see my mom’s change of tune on all of this.”
Along with striving to be successful in MMA fighting, Wilson hopes to be an example and represent the church well with all those he meets in the cage-fighting world.
“I want to be the Steve Young of MMA. There’s not a lot of us (Latter-day Saints) in MMA. Just like Steve Young was for the church in the NFL, that’s what I want to be for MMA,” Wilson said. “When I started back in high school, church members really took offense to it and treated me differently because I was in the sport. I want to break that mold and be an example for kids that you can do what you want to do and still provide for your family, go to school and get an education.”
Wilson is in the process of trying to publish a book he’s written about gospel lessons he’s learned from the world of cage fighting.