So I leave this morning heading back to Portland for my last week of hard training before setting off to Ohio. This training camp has been fantastic albeit short and I have to thank Matt Lindland, Dan Henderson and Ryan Parsons for inviting me up here. Also, thanks to all the guys who have come and gone and helped with training. I’ll try to post some more pics soon.

In Portland I plan to get one workout Saturday evening then continue with 2-a-days until I leave for the fights. I’ll keep you posted.

Here are some pictures from Big Bear. Click on the Thumbnails to see the larger images.

Today was a cool practice. I had the opportunity to train with some new guys who came up here. Alberto Crane was here with some other guys like Joe, Cory and Tim. Basically, a mix of a bunch of really good wrestlers and submission guys. I got the chance to tone down the striking a bit and get tons of reps fighting off the shots and clinch takedowns against a bit smaller human beings than the 220 lb dudes that I have been fighting thus far. Kind of a nice change up. It’s a bit different style going from people who manhandle you to going with guys who are quick and slick and usually a step ahead. I am feeling good and getting more and more anxious for the fight.

In completely unrelated news, the betting lines I saw had me at +425. I’m a great dog bet… I think. I wonder if I’ll ever be favored in a fight? I’ve had title defenses where I wasn’t favored… Go figure. Take care everybody.

I wonder what it’s going to feel like to work out when there is some oxygen in the air. Gasping for air is a daily routine. It’s quite remarkable how hard you can push your body while starving it of oxygen. It all goes toward making the fight easier though… at least that’s what they say. This morning while Dan and others worked some technique, we (Gregory Babene and I) did a circuit training workout. We did 4 x 6 minute rounds switching stations every minute. That was quite exhaustive. Then Parsons looks over and asks “Got some running shoes?”

 I was thinking “Why does he want to borrow shoes right now?” hahaha

Turns out we weren’t quite done. Peter Graham and I were headed to do hill sprints… I said a little prayer so God might keep me from having a heart attack and we were off. Peter runs fast, more like a welterweight than a heavyweight if you know what I mean. Good times. We did a bunch, I don’t even know how many.

In about a half an hour we will do our evening workout… I wonder what surprises the evening holds.

I’m feeling better and better each day. My weight is a little low, but I would rather be fit and a bit lighter than heavy and tired during a fight. It’s been a lot of fun working with these guys. I forgot to mention that Darrel Gholar and Peter Graham are here too. They are both a crack up and have helped in their respective areas as well.

So the weekend is here. We’ll probably do a couple workouts (regular ones) over the weekend and hit it hard again during the week. Some of the guys headed down to Temecula and will be back tomorrow and some went home because they were only here for a week. Waiting for some fresh guys to get here… should be fun.