Live your dream and stay true to it

"Live your dream and stay true to it;” that’s the creed MMA fighter Jimmy Spicuzza lives by everyday. It is part of what sustains him on his quest to become a champion one day. It hasn’t been an easy road so far for this talented lightweight (155 lbs.) fighter from Las Vegas, but that road is also what drives him to make his dream come true.

So you want to be a professional fighter? That’s what you hear Dana White asks prospects every season on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’. Too bad he hasn’t asked Jimmy Spicuzza yet, because he would’ve gotten his answer by now. When I last interviewed Jimmy a year ago, he was an amateur champion in the Tuff ‘N‘ Uff organization who had just won his fifth fight. Everything was looking up as he was about to turn pro and make his dream come true.

One year later, the dream remains and luckily everything is still looking up, but things haven’t progressed as Jimmy Spicuzza expected. He’s had one pro fight so far and it’s one he had to figuratively fight for. In March of this year, he headlined a nine fight MMA card in St. George, Utah for the CFC or Crown Fighting Championships organization.

“They brought me in as a fall guy for the hometown boy Rusty Pearson who was (7-2) at the time I fought him,” Spicuzza said. Apparently the promoter didn’t do his homework or didn’t know what I already knew because it took Jimmy all of two minutes to catch Pearson with an armbar submission. “I had broken my nose two weeks before that fight during sparring, but there was no way I was going to let this fight go that I had worked so hard to get.”

You’d think after a performance like that in your professional debut the offers for future fights would come flying in. However, to date that’s the only fight Spicuzza has had. “I’ve hired a management company, so I can just concentrate on training. They told me they are fielding some offers, but nothing has materialized a/o yet. They are affiliated with Alchemist MMA and they said they may hook me up with them, so I remain optimistic.”

Meanwhile, Jimmy Spicuzza continues to stay committed and show the same sacrifice and dedication he showed a year ago. He still gets up every morning to work in the family business and then trains at various Las Vegas gyms with some of the sports best. “I’m still working my Muay Thai and striking with Master Chen @ J-Sect and my Jiu-Jitsu with Robert Drysdale. I’m also getting in training at Xtreme Couture and Frank Mir’s gym as well.”

As for the immediate future, Spicuzza says, “I’ve been contacted by the CFC about possibly fighting for them in Utah again for their lightweight title. Also, I have potential fights lined up for August and September in Hawaii and Arizona respectively. I am hopeful I can get in at least three more fights before the end of the year.”

As for long term goals, “I am hoping I can get a few fights and then eventually land either on a Strikeforce Challengers Series card or maybe even a Bellator tournament," he said. The diligent way this kid lives his life and the skills he possesses, I anticipate that those goals will be reached a lot sooner than later. However, don’t believe me, believe what Jimmy Spicuzza himself wrote, which is tattooed on his right rib cage:

“The lessons we learn in life come from the mistakes we make. The best thing someone can do is never give up. Life is what you make of it; learn from what you experience, don’t let it break you. You always have your pride and your family. Understand the fact that the sun will rise another day and the world can be yours. Live your dreams and stay true to those that you value most; because they are those that will be there when the sh** hits the fan. LIFE.”

You can follow Jimmy on Facebook at Jimmy Spicuzza or on Twitter @JimmySpicuzza and also on his website www.jimmyspicuzza.com