King of the Jungle — Facing the Unknown and Adjusting with the Punches

Going into King of the Jungle (KOTJ), I was confident, excited, and ready for the tournament. The organization was a little different from what I was used to, with our bout times not being confirmed until as late as 3 a.m. on the morning of each competition day. While it was different, it kept me on my toes and ready for anything.

With weight changes being allowed at check-in, the anticipated lineup for the tournament shifted. A new competitor joined our weight class and, lucky me, I was matched against her in the semifinals. It looked like it was going to be a competitive fight. Coming from an MMA background, I expected her to be comfortable in a fight and not back down from the pressure.

Unfortunately, she was a no-show on the day of our scheduled bout, leaving me without a warm-up fight before the finals. Regardless, there was nothing to do but push forward. I mentally reset and prepared myself to face a bigger and potentially tricky opponent in the final.

Leading up to the finals, I spent time watching the bouts and trying to figure out what the judges were looking for. The officiating was different from what I was accustomed to, with referees often allowing the action to continue without obvious calls or warnings. It made it difficult to determine what separated one winner from another.

One thing that was consistent across the bouts I watched was the aggression and volume from the American boxers. Every fight was an all-out battle, with fighters willing to trade shot for shot. I have to give them credit; showed tremendous heart, and that was evident in their reactions whether they won or lost.

That became an important takeaway for me heading into my own fight. I expected my opponent to bring a similar approach to what I had seen in her semifinal, and while I wanted to box and fight my fight, I was prepared to brawl if that was what the bout demanded.

As it turned out, the latter was exactly what happened.

As much as I tried to box and control the fight in the way I had intended, the environment or perhaps the combination of our styles seemed to pull us into a scrappy battle. Sometimes you can have a plan, but once the bell rings, you have to be willing to adapt.

And that’s exactly what I did.

I walked away with a unanimous victory and, more importantly, another opportunity to learn.

I’m happy with the result, but I’m also leaving this tournament knowing exactly what I want to work on. I’m excited to get back into the gym, sharpen my skills, and continue developing the ability to manage a bout and keep it in the style and rhythm that I want even when the fight tries to take me somewhere else.

King of the Jungle was a successful return to the United States, my first international tournament experience, and another belt coming home with me.

One more step forward.

Let’s keep it going!