Well, I’ve been out of the game since November 20, 2010. I’ve auditioned for The Ultimate Fighter and experienced knee surgery and recovery over this past year. On November 5, 2011 I get back in the cage and back to work. Follow me on this journey through rehabilitation, training, recovery and dieting.
The Road Back
Recovery since my surgery has been great. I was back to full range of motion in about three months. I am now working with a physical therapist and personal trainer full time for my lower body, which has made me much stronger than before. Chip Sigmun is my strength and conditioning coach for my legs, and he is great. He has really stepped up my strength, balance, and explosiveness. The knee in general is much more stable than before. From many years of wrestling, my knee was pretty loose and torn up already, but now with the new ligaments from cadavers, the knee is much, much better.
The Challenge Ahead
The fight coming up is huge for me. Kevin Forant is a tough opponent and presents problems for any fighter. There is a lot of pressure on me for this fight because it will be in Charlotte and I will have a large crowd of friends and family there to support me that I do not want to let down. But most of the pressure of this fight comes from what I have already done in the cage. After beating Dennis Bermudez, there was an expectation for me to be at a certain level for every fight, and to be ever improving. This pressure is a good thing, I want to improve every fight, and I put in the hard work to showcase this, but none the less it puts a lot of pressure on me. After the Bermudez fight, I was expected to do such big things, and now I plan to get back on course by marauding Kevin Forant on November 5th.
Determination to Get Better
Training for this fight has been incredible. I have gotten on to a new weight lifting program that I started early this year, I have stepped up my intensity and cardio training, and I have worked with some very good fighters. Every day I get to walk into the gym with Snake (Hallie Hair), a brown belt under Royce Gracie, Ranard Brown, a brown belt under Royce, and Rodney Wallace, a Royce purple belt and former UFC fighter, I can’t ever complain about my teammates. Last week I went to Team ROC Raleigh and trained with Jason Culbreth, and Billy Dowey, both are Royce black belts, and Brandon Garner, a Royce brown belt, among others in there very deep gym. I was basically thrown to the wolves and beaten into the ground all week there and I loved every second of it. Training is top notch, and my skills will also be come November 5th.
Thank you all for taking the time to read my thoughts. I hope you will be there to support not only me, but everyone fighting at Imperial II. Stay tuned for the second installment of my blog next week as I continue preparation for this big fight. Through hard work and discipline, talent will be on display in just a few short weeks.
“The Jordan Rinaldi Experiment” will be an ongoing weekly ProMMAnow.com blog series written by one of North Carolina’s top lightweights as he prepares for his Nov. 5 fight at the Imperial Fighting II event. “The Jordan Rinaldi Experiment” is part of our ongoing series of exclusive content written by individuals involved in the mixed martial arts industry.
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