One thing I have found from my interviews with fighters, the motivation that gets them involved in mixed martial arts is either that they were bullied when they were younger or they were the bullies.  In the case of Ted von Roll, fighting in the streets of Oakland, CA was his urban training ground however that venue usually led to trouble.  A good friend suggested that he try working out his fighting compulsion in a gym rather than the streets which is the path that brings him to Denver this week for his second amateur fight.  His record in the ring to date is 1-0 but as he told me, his street record is about 100-0! 

Even bad boys grow up.  Ted is 26 years old, is married and has a new 6 month old baby boy.  He doesn’t have time to get in trouble anymore.  His days are full trying to balance his dedicated 5 hours of daily training and his full-time day job managing his own company that does contract installation of home theater systems.  On hearing this I had to ask whether he ever worries that an injury caused by his sport might interfere with his ability to do his day job.  Although I did not get a direct response, I suppose the message was that pain does not keep him from working as evidenced by his heavily inked body and sleeve of tattoos down his right arm to the fingertips. 

Ted has only been in formal fight training for a year but already knows that this sport is the perfect channel for his energies.  He prefers the ring over to the street for many reasons but the one that made me laugh was that they never hug their opponent after a street fight but that you always hugged and shake the hand of your opponent in the ring – win or lose.  Ted trains under an inspirational Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at the Shoot Boxing Academy.  He is the first to say this sport is much more intellectual than street fighting.  Mixed Martial Arts allows him to use his analytical brain and also satisfies his hunger to compete and not lose.  That combination should shout a warning to his opponents!