Sport allows man to channel his energy through cage fighting
By Dominick Mastrangelo
Jackson Citizen Patriot
JACKSON, Mich. (AP) — It did not take Brandon Sandford long to fall in love with mixed martial arts, and their relationship has been mutually beneficial.
The sport benefits by having a fighter who respects the brutality of it and also promotes the positive side of mixed martial arts.
Sandford benefits by having an outlet for his aggression, a stage to showcase his abilities and a path to a bright future that got its start in an ominous place.
The two met in prison.
“From the moment I started learning more about fighting, I was in love,” Sandford told the Jackson Citizen Patriot. “It turned into a way for me to channel some of my energy once I got let out (of prison).”
The 26-year-old Jackson resident has fought 15 bouts, winning 11 of them, and has received high praise from a trainer who knows a thing or two about talent.
It’s a talent that Sandford is grateful to show off after surviving the fight of his life in prison.
Sandford’s troubles began before he could legally vote. In December 2004, when Sandford was 17, he and a friend broke into a residence and stole property. He pleaded guilty to a charge of first-degree home invasion and one of second-degree home invasion and spent five years and four months in various prisons around the state of Michigan.
While serving at Carson City Correctional Facility, Sandford bonded with a fellow inmate who introduced him to mixed martial arts and the raw and gritty nature of the sport.
Sandford was released April 28, 2010, and soon after began immersing himself in the MMA lifestyle.
Later that year, he met Jackson MMA trainer Quincy Rice, who has been working with professional fighters for more than 20 years. After only three months of training, Sandford competed in his first MMA fight on Dec. 5, 2010.
He won by an arm bar submission in 55 seconds.
“Brandon is on his way to the top,” Rice said. “I’ve worked with hundreds of fighters in my time and I can say with confidence he is the hardest working and most gifted fighter I’ve seen. He’s going places.”
Sandford averages about six to eight fights per year and spends some part of every day of his new life in the gym training for his next bout.
“There is always a ‘next fight,’” he said. “That’s the way I always think. Even if I don’t have a fight in the near future, I train like I do. That’s how I keep my intensity where it needs to be. Quincy would accept nothing less from me.”
Sandford said he is “well aware” of the stigma associated with cage fighting. The Michigan Legislature has pushed for bills to regulate MMA fights within the state after a 35-year-old Canadian fighter died in April after losing by technical knockout in a bout in Port Huron.
“The thing is, most people have a misconception about what we do,” Sandford said. “It’s not a fight to the death, it is a civilized thing. If more people actually came out to a fight and saw how awesome and safe it is, they wouldn’t be so worried about everything.”
Sandford said he takes little pride in championship belts, tournament wins or other accolades. Instead, he said he values beating the best fighters he can find above all else.
“It’s a lifelong process,” he said. “You have to keep on your game at all times. That’s the mindset I constantly have.”
After his release from prison, Sandford moved in across the street from his current girlfriend of two years, Emily Everett.
“He was just the sweetest guy you could ever meet,” Everett said. “He loves me and my son. He loves his competition. He is so passionate about everything he does it is just so special to see.”
Sandford said having Everett and her family in his corner serves as greater motivation than he thought possible.
“Having them around really gives me a sense of security,” he said. “This is not the easiest career choice. She knows that and she supports me. It’s really great.”
Because he is an amateur fighter, he gets no prize money from his bouts. Sponsors can help pay for clothes and assist with training expenses, but he makes a living by teaching classes at the Jackson MMA and doing personal training.
Sandford’s parents, Angela and Jeff Smith, attend his fights often. They and many other supporters were on hand April 27 to see Sandford improve his record to 11-4. He defeated challenger Christopher Nix of Decatur by decision after three rounds of a fight night hosted by Jackson MMA.
When the judges made their decision and the announcement of the winner was made, the crowd roared in support of its hometown fighter.
“Jackson, Michigan!” Sandford screamed into the microphone after his victory. “Are you entertained?”
Rice continues to seek higher-profile fights for Sandford in an attempt to expose the up-and-coming star to the national MMA scene one day.
Sandford’s next fight is scheduled for Saturday, July 6, at the Avalon Hotel and Conference Center in Jackson.
“I can only get better. I have to keep working and improving on my skills,” he said. “I have come this far and life could have been so much different. I can do anything if I work hard enough. If nothing else, that’s what MMA has taught me.”
