It’s less than two weeks away from the fight and I can feel the intensity picking up.  Every time before a fight I get pretty nervous.  The fighters that say they do not get nervous are not honest with themselves.  The weeks, months, and years leading up to the fight go through my head as I think constantly about what I will do in certain situations.  I picked this tendency up from an old wrestling coach that told me to have at least three moves in my mind and three moves off of my opponents counters.  My nerves are on edge and I study film of Kevin[Forant] as well as my own films to see what I can do.  The mood in the gym is starting to change as well.  Three of the Team ROC Charlotte fighters are getting ready and we pick everything up even more. 

This past week was incredible.  My weight is the best it has ever been this far out from a fight. Same goes for my cardio.  Rodney[Wallace] and I have been working a lot together, and if that guy can’t motivate you, I don’t know who will.  We had a crazy intense practice Saturday night to simulate the time of the event and try to get our bodies ready for that particular time. 

The team has been very supportive of us, and is very encouraging.  Sometimes when your body and mind are drawn a little thin you need a little support and that is where a good, close knit team, family, and community of friends come into play.  But for me, my most reliable rock is my Lord and my God, Jesus Christ.  I am always a very religious person, but the pressures and anxiety of getting into a cage to fight are more than I want, or should carry, and that is why I hand my worries over to God.  He cares for me!

Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts, and if you have any questions or just want to chat, you can find me on Facebook or on twitter: @JordanRinaldi.

“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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