My journey to becoming a journalist began in the late 2000s. I was injured and couldn’t train in BJJ, and I wasn’t sure what to do with my time. I got the idea to start blogging because it seemed like a straightforward way to get started, so I set up a page on Blogger.
I decided to call myself ‘That Jiu Jitsu Guy’ since I started writing about my training experiences. But the more I wrote, the more I wanted to do. So, I began writing UFC previews and opinion pieces. I was loving it a lot, but I wasn’t enjoying using Blogger (it turned out to be my crappy internet, not Blogger).
I moved over to WordPress, and I decided a change of name would be appropriate as well. On that day, ‘The Fight Writer’ was born. I was impressed that I came up with a name without having to go to one of those name generators.
Once I started, I made sure I was consistent and would always do previews in the lead-up to events. I loved all MMA, so I was always watching other promotions as well as local Australian ones, getting to know the fighters. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to write for several websites. This is where I had the chance to cover local events, and I also covered UFC on FX: Alves vs Kampmann.
I was thrilled to have the opportunity to travel and cover these awesome events. While obtaining a media pass, I was still incurring expenses for hotel rooms and travel. My girlfriend at the time suggested that I consider going to university and earning a degree, which would allow me to live my dream of covering the sport I loved and getting paid for it. And so I packed my bag and went to pursue a degree in sports media.
I won’t bore you with what happened between then and now, but life got in the way, and I changed my mind a lot on what sports I wanted to cover (I had rediscovered my love for rugby league). I covered more events and wrote for additional websites, but the workload eventually decreased to the point where I stopped altogether.
Last year, I created a sports and pop culture website called Game On Oz. I was worried that outside of work, I wasn’t being creative enough, so I thought that was the answer. There are dedicated sports and pop culture websites in Australia; the only one that comes to mind is Complex, but I’m pretty sure that’s it. Unfortunately, I was unable to create all the content I had envisioned for the site, so I decided to take a break.
During my break, I thought it was time to return to the sport that got me where I am today. Through my passion for MMA and writing, I have had some truly remarkable opportunities. And I thought that if I had just stuck to MMA writing and content, who knows where I could be. But as they say, better late than never!
Anyway, welcome to the new Fight Writer website. I will also be setting up the social media pages, so if you see a follow or a subscription from me, feel free to follow back.
Until next time, take care.
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