After knocking out his opponent in the third round of his last match Friday, Sept. 30 at Marlene’s Place, English writing sophomore Michael Sanchez is one step closer to his dream career as a successful kickboxer.

With a record of four wins, no losses and one draw, the fighter said he is giving his all to his favorite sport.

“I’ve been fighting since I was a tiny kid,” Sanchez said.

The San Jose, Calif. native said that the people he fought were always older and larger, rather than his own size.

“I didn’t really fit in,” Sanchez said.

According to Sanchez, being abandoned by his group of friends had much to do with his fighting.

“All of a sudden it was, ‘you’re not cool, you can’t hang out with us.’ So my sophomore year is when I started, like, raging,” Sanchez said.

According to Sanchez, he started a transformation in which he cut his hair short and started wearing baggy clothes.

Sanchez said he was angry, hot-headed and wound up getting into more fights.

After he got into an altercation with a group of juniors, Sanchez said his reputation for fighting began to emerge.

Sanchez said he used the school wrestling team as an outlet for his anger. It was on the wrestling team that Sanchez said he learned his love for the competition of fighting.

“There’s something pure about fighting,” Sanchez said. “You see the guy in front of you, and it’s just, who has more spirit? Who has more heart?”

It was then that Sanchez said he decided to shape up, realizing that the way he had been acting in high school wasn’t the person he wanted to be. Sanchez said he finally started to calm down after continuing to wrestle his junior and senior years.

Once in New Orleans, Sanchez said a friend recommended he visit the God of War Mixed Martial Arts gym where Sanchez said he watched the fighters in the gym and became absorbed.

According to Sanchez, his coach at the gym, Steven “Spyder” Hemphill, approached him and asked if he had any fighting experience. Sanchez said it was Hemphill who requested that he jump in and fight, right then and there.

Hemphill said he has always seen potential in Sanchez as a fighter.

“He’s done fantastic,” Hemphill said. “I’m always expecting a lot from him, and he’s always come through.”

Since joining the gym in March, Sanchez has been undefeated and said he plans on keeping his record and keeping his cool.

“Fighting is a way of life. It’s not all about violence,” Sanchez said.

Camara Thomas can be reached at [email protected]