BY SCOTT HADDOW
During his first fight, it took only a few
seconds for Dan Grandmaison to realize just how brutal the
sport of full contact fighting can be.
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It's full contact fighting or
nothing for Dan Grandmaison who is establishing his
roots in the sport. |
Grandmaison competed in his first fight in
mid-January in Hull, Quebec at an Apex Championship Fighting
event and won, thanks to his fortitude.
With the bell signalling the start of the
fight still ringing, Grandmaison squared-off against his
opponent who went for a high inside leg kick, but missed and
nailed him in the groin.
Despite wearing a protective cup, the kick
made its point. Grandmaison was awarded a few minutes to relax
as groin shots are illegal. Grandmaison
continued and eventually knocked out his foe
in the third round.
"I got kicked in the groin at the very start
of the fight...And it had to be one of the most painful things
I've ever experienced," said the Hagar native. "I was sore, but
I continued and won. I went to the hospital afterwards and
found out I had hematoma, that's how hard the guy kicked
me."
After collecting his thoughts, Grandmaison
took control of the fight after some shaky moments.
"My opponent was striking me in the head and
I had to defend a lot in the first two rounds," said the
five-foot-eleven scrapper. "Finally, in the third round I
turned it around on him. I inflicted strikes of my own and then
knocked him out. It was a TKO. He was dazed and confused, so
the ref stopped the fight."
The victory brought Grandmaison to an
emotional level, and reinforced the time he's spent in martial
arts during the past five years.
"Winning...It's almost indescribable to me,"
said the 170-pound fighter. "I felt pride, joy, excitement and
a feeling of accomplishment. It's the most exciting thing I
have ever done. It's the ultimate adrenaline rush for me. To
work so hard in martial arts for so many years, and to have it
all amount to something is great."
Grandmaison is now ranked as a welterweight
with Apex, and is looking to further establish his roots in the
sport.
"I can't wait to do it again," said the
28-year-old. "I want to become a professional fighter in the
world of mixed martial arts. Whenever Apex has another event
and they ask me to go, I will. I am 1-0, so I have a lot of
climbing up the ladder to actually be ranked as a top fighter.
It will take a few years, but I have the dedication to do it
and maybe become the best."
A keen mind, quick fists and a
punishment-absorbing attitude are Grandmaison's main weapons of
destruction.
"I thrive on the full contact fighting," said
Grandmaison. "The harder people are on me, the more I try
harder and enjoy it. My patience is one of my strongest assets.
I don't panic and I have goof hands for striking."
Grandmaison credits his social support as the
key reason for his success, even above intense training.
"If it wasn't for the commitment from my
instructor, Yves Charet, my personal trainer Rick Kilganon and
my girlfriend Helen Florentis, none of this would be possible,"
said Grandmaison. "Helen is very supportive and the glue that
holds everything together. They make it all happen for
me."
