Two of MMA's big boy journalists, PROMMA.INFO's "Fast" Eddie Constantine and MMA Junkie's John Morgan, are competing in a weight loss competition.

MMA’s Biggest Loser is under way featuring ProMMA.info’s “Fast” Eddie Constantine and MMA Junkie’s John Morgan going toe-to-toe belly-to-belly in a weight loss competition.

Well, week one of training has come to a close and what a week it was. Before I get into how training went and how sore I am, let’s start with how this competition came to be.

As most of you know, I am an avid MMA Junkie Radio fan. While listening to John Morgan on a recent episode talking about his desire to lose weight, the idea dawned on me.

With our mutual love for the sport I thought it would be a great idea to tie in our weight loss to MMA. As such MMA’s Biggest Loser was born. The guidelines are as follows.

The contest will run from 10/19 – 12/19.
NO SAUNA CUTTING ON THE LAST DAY!!! We must do this the right way. Also, weigh ins are done in shorts and a T-shirt. This way no added weights in pockets or anything like that! The person who has the largest percentage of body mass lost during that time frame will win.

The loser will embed the winner NFL team logo on their chest, document it, and we are using the services of Fight for your Life Communications to distribute the photos to the MMA media.

The weight loss will be sponsored by our local gyms. I am sponsored by Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu/VIP MMA. Due to Morgan’s travel he will be training at various MMA gyms where he will be working throughout the time frame.

I started the week at 230.8 pounds. The first week back to competitive training is always the hardest in my opinion. This is where having quality consistent training is so crucial. A good coach knows when to push you and knows when to ease off (especially with my having back issues – three bulging discs from L3 – S1). This was evident in the first BJJ class Tuesday night.

Dave Camarillo was teaching the basic sweep from closed guard when your opponent stands. This move was not something I was able to do as the twisting motion was too much for me to bear. Not to worry, thanks to the careful instruction of Dave Camarillo.

He would not allow me to drill this technique. “If you hurt yourself, you will be out for a week or so and lose the competition.” Class continued as normal with the 50/50 drills and open mat which I participated in without any issues. I repeated the routine with the second Guerrilla Jiu-jitsu class of the evening.

My second day of training during week one consisted of Muay Thai and Jiu-Jitsu. Now BJJ is one thing, but I have never taken a formal stand-up class in my life. Again thanks to quality instruction provided by Anthony Morales and Steve Del Fierro I knew I had nothing to worry about. Then the kicks started.

Learning how to Thai kick requires conditioning of your shins. “Virgin shins, I love it,” exclaimed Anthony and the work began.

As you will see in the video of my stand up training, my technique is rough at best. But my objective is to not be a fighter but to lose weight. I was dripping sweat ten minutes in and it continued through the hour fifteen that Thai practice consisted of.

My shins were wrecked half way through with several knots up and down my leg. Anthony then went to work with his ointment and knowledge. He applied his solution and rubbed the knots out. This is a pain that the written word cannot describe. It is however, extremely necessary to get the knots out in order to train on a consistent basis.

The attention I am receiving is no different than the other students that attend VIP MMA/ Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu in Pleasanton, Calif. While catching my breath, Steve worked with the other students and his attention to detail to all of his students is second to none.

Following this ass whooping, it was back to my natural surroundings of the BJJ class. Today’s technique was butterfly guard drills, followed by 50/50 drills and open mat.

About half way through the back pain was catching up to me and my pace slowed.  Dave’s laid back and fun atmosphere in the class made it is easy to push and relax as I needed. This is a drastic change from the old Ralph Gracie days. Both methods are good in their own ways, but for me Dave’s approach will yield the best results at this point in my life.

Week one ended with my first cortisone shot on Friday to alleviate the pain and inflammation in my discs. The procedure capped off my painful week in fitting fashion. This was my first cortisone injection and the feeling is a unique one for sure. I could actually feel the needle penetrating further and further through my back and going to my spine.

The results are a bit slow as I write this article but I do feel greater range of motion and less pain. My weight as of Saturday afternoon was 221.2 lbs. So roughly, I lost nine pounds from four training sessions. As most active athletes know the first several pound will come off easy, then will become more difficult as my fat content lowers.

This is where a quality diet is CRUCIAL. As such, I am eating 5-6 meals a day of high quality food such as fruits, lean protein, brown rice, egg whites etc. I feel that if I can make 190lbs. by the end of this completion I should be able to take it home.

Now, for John Morgan. He has had an extremely busy week to say the least. Traveling from Las Vegas to Los Angeles to cover UFC for 104 has left Morgan with little time to train. I am completely fine with that as it gives me a head start!

Hopefully he was able to take advantage of the Black House open training that hosted Lyoto Machida and get a sweat in while there. So there you have it, week one in the books. Week two will consist of training three days with two sessions a day.

Eventually I will be training four or five times a week. Combined with a quality diet and the amazing trainers at VIP MMA, I look forward to seeing John Morgan with the Eagles logo across his body!

By:  “Fast” Eddie Constantine

7 thoughts on “MMA’S Biggest Loser – week one recap from Fast Eddie”
  1. Eddie, you dont “look” fat, seriously. You are a tall guy with a large frame. Morgan on the other-hand, well, lets just say he doesnt look skinny. You got this bro, no problem.

  2. Great idea Eddy! This is going to be very good for you, assuming you don’t rupture any discs! Fortunately, you are in good hands. Train carefully yet kick some ass! This is something you, of all people, can do!

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