AFTER WATCHING MY FIRST UFC FIGHT AT THE AGE OF 24, I KNEW MMA WAS SOMETHING I WANTED TO BE A PART OF. MY FIRST NIGHT OF TRAINING AT THE LOCAL GYM, I DID AN HOUR AND A HALF OF KICKBOXING AND THEN AN HOUR AND A HALF OF JIU JITSU. I GOT THE CRAP BEAT OUT OF ME SO BADLY, I KNEW I HAD TO KEEP RETURNING UNTIL I COULD AT LEAST HOLD MY OWN.

THOSE EARLY WORKOUTS WERE ALL LEARNING EXPERIENCES. THE ONLY THING I HAD EVER DONE BEFORE WAS LIFT WEIGHTS - SO I JUST DID MY BEST TO "MUSCLE" MY WAY THROUGH EVERYTHING. UNTIL ONE DAY WHILE I WAS GRAPPLING WITH A MACHADO BLACK BELT NAMED CHRIS HAUTER. HE SLAPPED ON A TRIANGLE SUBMISSION AND I PROCEEDED TO PICK HIM UP AND PILE DRIVE HIM INTO THE MAT. HE IMMEDIATELY SWITCHED TO AN ARMBAR AND HAD ME TAPPING FOR WHAT SEEMED AN ETERNITY. WHEN HE FINALLY RELEASED HE LOOKED AT ME AND SAID, "YOU MAY WANT TO CONSIDER USING SOME TECHNIQUE AND NOT JUST BRUTE STRENGTH." I LOOKED AT HIM, STILL RUBBING MY ELBOW, AND SAID "YES, SIR. AND THANK YOU FOR NOT BREAKING MY ARM." GOOD TIMES, GOOD TIMES.

AFTER A COUPLE YEARS, MY GYM AT THE TIME STARTED A COMPETITION TEAM AND ASKED ME TO BE ON IT. I DIDN'T THINK I WAS READY, BUT FIGURED I'D GIVE IT A TRY. THAT TURNED OUT TO BE ONE OF THE BEST THINGS I HAD EVER DONE. THE ADRENALINE RUSH AND SELF-DISCOVERY INVOLVED IN FACING AN OPPONENT WITH ONLY YOURSELF TO RELY ON, WAS A FEELING THAT CAN ONLY BE EXPERIENCED.

IT WAS DURING THIS PERIOD THAT I MET RANDY COUTURE. I KNEW FROM DAY ONE THAT RANDY WAS DESTINED FOR GREAT THINGS IN THIS SPORT, SO I WENT OUT OF MY WAY TO TRAIN WITH HIM. I WAS ONE OF HIS MANY TRAINING PARTNERS FOR HIS FIRST BOUT AGAINST VITOR BELFORT. RANDY ACTUALLY HELPED CORNER ME FOR MY FIRST FIGHT. EVENTUALLY, I LEFT MY FORMER GYM AND JOINED RANDY AT THE BRAND NEW TEAM QUEST. SINCE THEN THINGS HAVE JUST HAPPENED LIKE A WHIRLWIND. FIGHTS HERE AND THERE - SOME WON, SOME LOST - ALL A LEARNING EXPERIENCES.

THEN AN OPPORTUNITY PRESENTED ITSELF ON THIS LITTLE TV SHOW CALLED "THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER" - THE REST IS HISTORY.

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT. IT IS TRULY BECAUSE OF THE FANS THAT ANY OF THIS HAS BECOME POSSIBLE.
-NATE "ROCK" QUARRY