Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not where you start, but where you end up” as you’ve traveled through life?
It’s not farfetched to say that saying definitely applies to F2W 94 competitor Michael Clark. He started on a farm in the middle of nowhere, Mid-America and now finds himself in the midst of Silicon Valley, helming the design of one of the most popular creative apps on the mobile market.
Quite the departure from milking goats, wouldn’t you say?
Another thrill of Michael Clark’s life happens to be Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He’s competed on the Fight 2 Win stage multiple times now and counts it at one of his life’s more exciting moments.
Quite the compliment from a man who’s life experience indicates he has many exciting experiences on his checklist already.
Read on prior to Michael’s NOGI match against Coalition 95’s Tim Fagin this Saturday at Fight 2 Win 94 in Richmond, CA.
Fight 2 Win 94 – Michael Clark (Guardian Gym)
Michael, you’re a pretty interesting guy. Mind telling us a quick version of your life story?
I grew up on a farm in the middle of nowhere Iowa. Cattle, sheep, soybeans, and corn were my childhood. Knew I didn’t want to be a farmer and went to college in Wyoming and Colorado. Found tech while I was in school and have worked in the tech industry ever since. The one thing that was a constant was sitting in a chair all day. I gained a lot of weight over the years. About 8 years ago, started taking care of myself and lost a bunch of weight. Not long after I tried Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and have never turned back.
Tell us more about your work. Pretty cool stuff. How would describe it to the layman?
I work at VSCO which is a company that helps people fall in love with their own creativity. It’s a mobile app that let’s folks edit their photos and videos. I am the VP of Engineering and my team is responsible for building iOS, Android, and server software. We are always hiring is anyone is looking for a great place to work.
Didn’t even know you worked there but I downloaded that app for Android. I think I’ve unlocked all the presets by now. How does BJJ fit into the rest of your life?
It’s my physical and my mental fix. I have every class in my calendar and try to prioritize it. I teach classes super early a few days a week and then train every night, when I can.
The community of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is so strong and I love that anywhere I go in the world I can train and spar and have local friends instantly. It has introduced me to some of my best friends and given me better adventures then I ever thought possible. It makes me take care of myself and eat well, if you don’t, training is exponentially harder. When I decide to let my hair down, or what’s left of it, my jiu jitsu friends know how to have a good time.
You’ve fought for F2W a few times now. How would you describe the experience?
There is no more exciting stage in the world. The energy of the crowd and people are there for the art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and their friends, teammates, and coaches. The folks that don’t know Brazilian Jiu Jitsu are in awe of what is happening in front of them. The walkout puts all the focus in the arena on you for 30 seconds. Even with so many people there you can hear every voice in the room when the action starts. No more exciting place anywhere in the world.
What’s been the highlight so far as far as your competition career goes?
It’s hard to decide between two.
The first was the European NoGi championship a few years ago. It was a late night and a full bracket in this old school arena in Rome. I had 4 matches back to back with quick submissions in each match. The final match was against a strong wrestler. He shot a double, I sprawled, as he reset I shot on him and got stuck the tightest guillotine I’d ever felt. Felt the darkness moving in and in the last second got enough space worked to top half guard and right into an americana. From almost tapping to a win was such a short window and such a great win. Left the mat as the opponents coach was swearing and cursing at him for losing to an American.
The second was called Pirates on the Peak, put together by Dan Humke and Brad Nicolarsen. Last year 16 of us went to the top of Mount Evans in Colorado at the elevation of 14,069 feet. There was no oxygen and you had to be smart about every move you took because there was no simple recovery. It was mixed gender and weight and mats laid across a ledge. If you went too far out of bounds it was a few hundred foot drop. People have a hard time walking at that elevation and we had our Gi’s and had some crazy matches. So much fun!
Now you’ve spent some time with #TeamNoSleep. Crazy crew, huh?
Hahaha, crazy crew is putting it so lightly. I’ve known Brittney for years and she’s one of the best human beings I know. Brittney, Missy, and Kyu came by early before F2WPro62 and I gave them the full tour of the bay area. Everything from Italian food, to hiking beaches, to bath houses, and all the best craziness of the east bay. They are a great crew. The work they do has done so much for jiu-jitsu around the country. I have a huge love and appreciation for each of them in the crew. Even Troy.
You upcoming match – how have you prepared for it?
I just got off doing F2WPro92 in Denver a few weeks ago where I lost to Eddie Sisneros in the Gi. I had a 5 week training camp before that and am trained up from a cardio and technique perspective. The day after that match I was back on the mat in San Francisco with an open mat crew at Empire Jiu Jitsu, Kurt (Osiander) and Jake’s (Scovel) new spot. I had to get the loss and the Gi out of my head. It was the perfect reset and have been focusing on attack after attack. Mind and body are ready.
In a perfect world, which submission are you going to hit to finish this match?
Arm attacks are everywhere! Just don’t tell Tim.
You spent a lot of time in the bay area. Any words for the fans before the match?
Fans? I’ve never thought of it that way. Just a big room of friends to cheer me on. When I come out, I want to hear noise. I want to hear beating on tables and the stage. When my opponent, Tim, comes out I want to hear that same noise. We are there to put on one hell of a show and beat the crap out of each other.
Anything else you want to end with?
I train at Guardian Gym in Oakland. It’s a nonprofit trying to change the world for some lucky youth. I’ve seen it make a difference for so many kids already.
This week we will kickoff the most important campaign we’ve ever launched at Guardian in order to raise the remaining $420,000 that we need to build our future HQ that will cost over $1.1M. This will provide our youth students with a world-class martial arts facility, tutoring program, and healthy food options after school. You can hear from just a few of our kids who wrote, directed, and edited this short film over the last few weeks what Guardian means to them.
Typically fundraising campaigns exclude lower-income families and youth. With our #dollar4Oakland drive, we are trying to create an inclusive opportunity for everyone to contribute and share with as little as a dollar.
Thank you for helping us build something amazing that can hopefully make an incredible impact for decades to come for the Oakland community. 100% of the money goes to building the space. All of the details are below in the link.
http://www.guardiangym.org/dollar4oakland
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