Here is the letter:
Hey Everyone,
Just thought I would share this with you all before the weekend!
Probably the thing I admire most about Mark is his ability and desire to follow his dreams with all of his heart! Many of you might not know this about him, but when he was in high school he broke all the bones in his ankle and was told he might not ever walk again. He was told he would definitely never play football again (which was his passion at the time). Being as active as he was, he was determined to prove the doctors wrong. Instead of letting it get him down, he turned his focus to wrestling. It took him only 3 months to ditch the crutches and by 7 months he had won his first high school state wrestling championship. 1 year later he won the High School National Championship, the top 189 pound wrestler in the country!
He then went off to college to Oklahoma State University, which holds the most NCAA Championship titles in collegiate history. He knew in his heart he would win at least one championship there. His junior year he went into the championship tournament seeded #1, but was derailed in the semifinals by one of his nemesis. He finished 3rd that year. But his senior year, nothing stood in his way. He was determined, and it showed. In 2001, he earned the top spot as the 197 pound NCAA Division I National Champion.
After college, he got a coaching position at UC Davis, only 30 minutes from his hometown. It was there that he met Urijah, one of the up and coming MMA stars at the time. Urijah, who wrestled at Davis, was constantly encouraging Mark to try fighting. Mark had 3 kids at the time, was working towards his masters degree, and was coaching full time. He was not interested in fighting...until December 2006, when he attended the New Year's UFC year end event (Ortiz vs. Liddell). He felt his heart pumping as the lights went out and the crowd was roaring. He watched as Liddell took out Ortiz, and he thought "I could do that". This was the moment he decided he wanted to try his hand at fighting. He said he would be there someday. A year and a half later, on June 1, 2008, he walked out for his first big WEC fight at Arco Arena. The crowd went crazy! I remember looking at my brother, both of us with tears in our eyes, thinking he had reached his dream. Win or lose, it didn't matter. He had reached the place he set his mind upon.
Which brings us to this weekend, and the reason I am writing this email! I came across this picture of our family at Lego Land a couple years back. Mark was 1-0 in his career as a fighter at the time. He stood in front of the MGM lego statue, put his fist in the air and said, "Take a picture Kris! I will be fighting here one day!"
Mark may not be as quick as the next guy, he may not have the better footwork or the better punch, or maybe he does I don't know...but what he does have is the will and desire to work hard at everything he does. Not just in his athletic life, but his personal life, his family life, and his spiritual life. He is the most amazing person I have ever met, and I just wanted to share a little bit of him with you before we head out this weekend.
Can't wait to celebrate this weekend with you all! See you at the MGM!
P.S. Check out the attached picture if you get a chance!
With Love Always,
Kristi "The proud wife"
