**THE THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS IN THIS BLOG ARE NOT THOSE OF GATEWAY MMA OR ITS STAFF. THE WRITER OF THIS BLOG IS SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS CONTENT**

***DISCLAIMER’S DISCLAIMER: THE FOLLOWING THOUGHTS ARE THOSE OF SOMEONE WHO WAS SLIGHTLY INTOXICATED AT A FIGHT SHOW AS A FAN WITH HIS FRIENDS AND ARE IN NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM THE OPINIONS OF GATEWAYMMA.COM OR ANY OF IT’S SUBSIDARIES. IF YOU ARE OFFENDED EASILY BY NON-SENSICAL RAMBLINGS, PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR COMPUTER AND CRY YOURSELF TO SLEEP … WE’RE SERIOUS … ALRIGHT, READ ON AT YOUR OWN RISK THEN, BUT DON’T SAY WE DIDN’T TRY TO WARN YOU. ***

Fellow Free Thinkers,

Well this past weekend was the highly anticipated Fight Nite in the Flats 7 event and I have to say it most certainly lived up to the hype. This was a unique experience for me as it was the first time I’ve ever attended the show as a “fan”, but I learned on Saturday night that I will always have a special place in the NAAFS’ heart and the NAAFS will always have a special place in my heart. I honestly didn’t know what to expect before going to the show, but it turned out to be perhaps my favorite Fight Nite in the Flats of all time. I knew the only way to do this would be to do it right and that was with the “Originals” by my side so that is exactly what we did as I was joined by Jon (and Amelia), Tony, & Rachel; along with her brother’s Jon and David. I am going to give you my thoughts from the show, but I have to warn you that not much of this is going to cover the fights themselves. There are several talented writers on GatewayMMA and NAAFS.tv who were there for the specific purpose of covering the action. If that is what you are looking for, then I suggest you read their recaps. Hell, I suggest you head their recaps anyways. This is more of observations in human behavior and my experience as a whole. Now that we understand each other, here are my thoughts totally at random:

-          Never underestimate the power of positive vibes! I walked into the show with a positive attitude and was treated to one of the best times I’ve ever had.

-          I had an interesting exchange with Marcus Marinelli as he was exiting his SUV. I wished him good luck and he asked me if I really meant it. I told him yes. Positive vibes my friends, positive vibes.

-          “If you are just cheering for someone to lose, they are going to win.” – Dustin Young. Those are some very wise words.

-          I loved the expanded layout of the Jacob’s Pavilion. More space is always a good thing.

-          The B3 Enterprises VIP Room freaking rocks! Granted I wasn’t technically a VIP, but since when has THAT stopped me.

-          I felt really bad about possibly offending Mike Calavitta with my comments about the program in my blog a few weeks ago, so I made sure to go out of my way to personally apologize to him. Mike and Jen are two amazing people and the world is a better place with them in it. Good to see you my friends!

-          You were missed Mike Moran and Nick Kubik, just saying.

-          I had several people tell me that they liked the t-shirt I was wearing. You can pick up the Hard Luck T-shirt at IntimidationClothing.com. Tell Luke that Diggs’ sent ya and maybe I can receive more gear!

-          It was a pleasure seeing my good friend and World Light Heavyweight Champion Dan “Dragon” Spohn, along with his lovely wife Rachel. There is a picture of Dan and me giving the goofiest grins on my Facebook page if you want to check it out. Ironically, we are both wearing the Hard Luck T-Shirt from Intimidation Clothing. That’s two plugs already Luke, cough up the gear!

-          It’s always a good time whenever I can watch Stipe Miocic fight standing alongside Stipe’s best friend Nick. The enthusiasm and passion he displays is a kinship that is more like a brotherhood. I’m not sure if Nick will read this, but always a pleasure hanging out with you my friend. Oh and congrats to Stipe on winning the belt! I can’t help but wonder how much longer before we see Stipe on a global stage.

-          I have a new found level of respect for both Travis Clark and AJ Aeschlimann when it comes to heart. In all my years I’ve never seen anything like what took place in the World Middleweight Title fight. AJ was coming off a knee injury and reinjured it during the fight. Travis knew what happened and didn’t want to do anything to cause AJ permanent injury. AJ sucked it up and was coming with the heart of a champion to do whatever he could to retain his title. In the end it was the doctors who called a stop to the action declaring Travis Clark the winner and new champion. I understand what the sport is all about, but unlike some people who think they are in there to kill the other guy; Travis quite possibly could have severely injured AJ or worse but chose not to. That’s called respect and last time I checked respect is what the sport is all about.

-          Clint Musser has elbows now. May the gods have mercy on your souls.

-          I’ve never seen a fighter as happy after a loss as I did Amanda Wilcoxen. Sure she may have lost the fight, but damn it she had fun throwing punches. I also happened to be standing nearby when she apologized afterwards to Andria Caplan about the whole weight issue. Both of those ladies are class act individuals and are fine additions to the sport. Congrats to Andria on the win and congrats to Amanda on letting her hands go!

-          I have a message for Bellator owner Bjorn Rebney and Bellator matchmaker Sam Caplan: SIGN DONNY WALKER!!!!!!!!! Thanks!

-          One of the reasons I came to the show was because Cody Garbrandt personally asked me to be there. I’ve never had a fighter do that before, so I told him I would go. He had an answer for everything Tyler Saltsman tried to dish out and fought a perfect fight. There is a part of me that kind of wishes Tyler will go online in classic heel fashion and say that fight didn’t count because he wasn’t ready. I know that won’t happen, but I have to confess that I am a fan of Tyler and his trash talking. The only thing about trash talking though is that you have to either win when you do it or be a fat guy who is never going to enter the cage anyways.

-          I miss seeing Johnny Soeder fight. Hell, I just miss Johnny Soeder.

-          Isaiah Chapman coming out the Strong Style theme was a hilarious blunder. I saw Isaiah warming up by himself under the bleachers and thought that was pretty cool, so I approached and wished him good luck. Congrats on your win!

-          Big Dave was in the house coaching Francis Healy to another win and thus is being recognized in my blog.

-          Vadim STILL has the best hair in the business! Don’t even bother trying to mess it up, you will fail.

-          I am going to confess the world’s worst kept secret: I am in love with the entire women’s division. These are some of the most incredible ladies anywhere and congrats to any man who is lucky enough to be married to or involved with one of these women. You are a lucky man. The division started with just two and has blossomed into something amazing. I also have to give love to Nichole for having a dream and seeing it through. She deserves so much credit for the hard work she’s put in giving credibility to my favorite division.

-          There was a funny moment at the after party where Lalani decided to hoist me in the air. I didn’t know whether to call for help or fall in love. I think I chose the latter, which led to a great reaction from Rachel the Rage. It’s moments like that which truly make me love my life. Note to self: clear my schedule next time I hear the Filipino Wrecking Machine is unleashing her fury.

-          There is one thing that has been consistent at every Fight Nite in the Flats: somehow I always ended up drinking Jaeger with Joe McCall. This time I didn’t have to be at work though, so I stayed until the bottle was gone. You have to love the Circle of Death. Josh Williams wasn’t there, I swear.

-          I FINALLY was able to chant “FRANK THE TANK! FRANK THE TANK! FRANK THE TANK!” and it was just as fun as I hoped it would be. Congrats Frank!

-          All of my love to the NEW 125lbs Women’s World Champion Ais “The Bash” Daly! If there were ever a fighter who was the living embodiment of positive vibes, Ais would be her. She was cool, calm, and collected in enemy territory. We’ve exchanged emails via Facebook, so I wanted to introduce myself personally before the show. She very quietly, yet confidently said “I’m going to disappoint a lot of people tonight.” She used the power of positive vibes, saw an opportunity, and we have ourselves the first ever Irish born NAAFS champion! One of my reasons for going to the show was to drink Jameson with Aisling but our paths were separated after the show. It just gives me something to look forward to next time!

-          I was asked my prediction for the main event from a few friends before the event and I half jokingly/half seriously went with the Rocky IV ending that had Ais playing the role of Rocky. She comes into enemy territory against a badass beast that has been bred to destroy. She somehow overcomes adversity to win not only the fight, but the respect of the hostile crowd as well. I’ll be damned if that isn’t almost exactly what happened. I have to give props to the “Eye Believers” for showing Ais total class with a standing ovation after her post fight speech. Honestly, how can anyone not like her?

-          In a completely happenstance moment, Jon Alexander and I happened to be standing on stage right behind the curtain when both fighters were coming out for the main event. I really wish the score from the old Wild West showdowns would have played in the background when that happened. I’m quite sure the LAST person they expected to see standing at the top of the stage steps was me. Life gives you those little moments sometimes when you least expect it.

-          I had a great conversation with Jazz after the event, exchanging respect from one professional to another. I told him I loved that he used the theme song from Saw in the background of the 60 second commercial spot. I found a certain sense of irony in that. He told me I was the only one who acknowledged the promo videos, but that’s because I remember not being acknowledged for them either lol. Jazz is a cool guy and we had a great conversation. We even took a picture together which I posted on Facebook. He does a great job, even though Dustin said I was 1000x’s better lol. Jazz and I had a laugh afterward and he told me that he can still tell who fans of mine are when they approach him at shows.

-          Jon and I did walk out with Travis Clark and Jessica Eye respectively. We’ve always wanted to walk out with a fighter, so we did it. I thought about walking out with Ais, but I also wanted to make it out of there alive.

-          I am personally looking forward to seeing Jessica Eye’s return to the cage. I was talking to several insiders after the show and we were all in agreement that this could be the best thing to ever happen to her career. I hadn’t spoken to Jess really since last Sept and she emailed me on Weds out of the blue, which made a red flag go off in my mind. She had all these people who “believe”, yet she reached out to the supposed “hater” of all people. I think that even though she has so many “believers”, I insist I was a believer before it was a catchphrase and she remembered that. We talked about the old times on Ashley’s (good to see her btw!) porch, sharing our dreams, and creating the most unique bond I’ve ever had with anyone let alone a fighter. We’ve caused each other emotional highs and lows, but still never gave up on each other as a person. I do believe that Jessica will do great things not only in her MMA career, but with her life as well. She has been and continues to be a positive influence on so many people. I noticed all the “EYE BELIEVE” default pics on Facebook. I noticed the love in the crowd. That is an intangible of a person’s ability to reach the emotional core of someone’s soul and you can’t measure that in wins or losses. To paraphrase a quote from the Smallville Series Finale; “You and I will both be great leaders, because of each other.” If anyone thinks this the end of Jessica Jo Ann Eye, I’m here to tell you that “Eye Believe” it is only the beginning. (NOTE: Rumor has it she has signed with Bellator. Good for you Jess!)

-          “The DNA Princess” Jessica Zomcik stole my Ryan Lose pin! I want that back. However, she also flattered me greatly when she and Sonic asked if I would perform their wedding service. I was taken aback by that and would be honored. For those who don’t know, I am an ordained minister. Yes, I am a man of the cloth.

-          If you would have told me that two of the last people left in Jacob’s Pavilion at 2:30am would be myself and Greg Kalikas, I never would have believed you. I sat with Greg, Christie, Troy, and April while drinking tequila and talking about a whole variety of topics. Before long almost two hours had gone by and we were the only ones left. It was something I never expected to happen, but I am so glad it did. The conversation was very positive and Greg even confided a few things in me, which he didn’t have to do. I’m not going to betray that trust, so don’t bother asking. It literally felt like everything had come full circle and there we stood. I mentioned on my Facebook page that it felt like a dark cloud had been lifted and I truly mean that. We hung out like old times and wished each other nothing but success. If you go through life holding grudges and emitting negative energy, that is what you are going to receive in return. I did laugh when Greg told me he had about 12 people come up to let him know that not only was I in the building, but the ENTIRE CREW was with me. He laughed and welcomed us to the show with open arms. I’m still going to be the voice of the people, but it’s nice to know that my contributions I made over the past 5 years to help the NAAFS grow into what it has become have been appreciated.

This was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had at a NAAFS show. I came to Fight Nite in the Flats VII looking for closure on a dark period in my life and I can honestly say from the bottom of my heart that I received just that.  I don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring, but the future is looking brighter and brighter with each passing moment.

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF POSITIVE VIBES!

Much love,
Diggs

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