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Ignorance Is Bliss

Written by Pat Bateman | January 22, 2025
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I originally started my jiu jitsu practice in the mid-2000s, about the same time Andrei Arlovski won the heavyweight title in the UFC. I remember watching that fight with a few friends in a second-floor walkup apartment in Wrigleyville on the north side of Chicago. As soon as Bruce Buffer announced him, we were all mesmerized: “Standing 6’4”, 240 pounds, fighting out of Chicago, Illinois, the Pitbull, Andrei Arlovski.” Arlovski looked supremely confident as he bounced from side to side, shaking out his arms. Staying loose. Ready to strike. Flashing his trademark fang mouthguard. He made short work of Tim Sylvia, first dropping him with an overhand right, then finishing him with a straight foot lock when Sylvia tried to play a sloppy open guard from his back.

We were all shocked by the explosive power and ferocity the Pitbull displayed that night, but I was the only one to make a separate mental note: “fighting out of Chicago.” The following Monday at work (this was before smartphones), I popped open my laptop and immediately searched up Andrei Arlovski. A few short keystrokes later, I found what I was looking for. Arlovski trained at a gym called Pow Kickboxing on West Washington in the Loop.

Pow Kickboxing was an early mixed martial arts gym. They offered boxing, kickboxing, Krav Maga, and Brazilian jiu jitsu classes. I took an intro to Krav Maga class and signed up immediately. I had heard Brazilian jiu jitsu was the most effective martial art, so I decided to try the beginner class a few days later.

I got paired up with a nice guy who worked nearby burning CDs for educational classes. We were both in our early 20s, but he didn’t look like he had an athletic background at all. I had wrestled a few years in high school, played football all four years, and had continued weight training in college. The class was set up with about 45 minutes of technique, then 15 minutes of sparring at the end. Coach Romero watched all the pairs as they trained and would suggest new pairs based on how it was going.

After a week or two of rag-dolling people in the beginner class, I noticed two new guys showed up just for the rolling portion of class. The first guy was the same size as me but felt like a chimpanzee when you grabbed him. He asked me to roll, and we slapped hands. He proceeded to submit me 10 times in 5 minutes. And not nice submissions either. Neck cranks and armbars mostly. I later found out he was a college wrestler.

The second guy was about 6’4” and probably outweighed me by about 25 pounds. We slapped hands, and the same thing happened—10 submissions over the course of 5 minutes. I later found out that guy was Arlovski’s main jiu jitsu training partner. I limped out of that training session with my tail between my legs. Here I was, thinking I was a tough guy for beating up on some out-of-shape hipsters. I found out quickly who the real tough guys were when the blue belts showed up and handed my ass to me.

At home, I showered up and fell into bed. Both my arms were so hyperextended from being arm-barred I could not put weight on them. I didn’t sleep a wink that night. Every time I would doze off, I would startle back awake from the adrenaline still pumping through my veins and the horrifying knowledge that I was at the bottom of this new pecking order.

The next morning, I dragged myself out of bed and into work, sure of only one thing: I wasn’t going to quit my new practice.

After all, that which does not kill us makes us stronger.

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