Heart of a lion

Ever since he started fighting, his head is constantly messing with him. Doubt flows through him like a man who has never seen battle. 

  This soldier is Blake Rubin '12, and he is an Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter. 

  When Rubin turned 12, a family friend, Christian Garcia, also a former Olympic Judo champion, inspired him to learn Judo. Garcia brought Rubin under his wing, leading him to several tournament victories. Garcia later introduced Rubin to Jiu Jitsu, marking the beginning of the young athelete's MMA career.

  Two years ago Rubin stepped onto the mat for the first time in formal competition. His head was spinning with negative thoughts.

  "I didn't even know if I was prepared for it," Rubin said. "I felt like I'm going to war without my weapon."

  He would go on to win first place.

  "After I won that first fight by an arm bar, I said to myself, if it worked the first time I might as well try it again," Rubin said, explaining how he advanced to actually win his first major tournament.

  Rubin has also worked with Danillo Villefort, a professional fighter, and now trains under light-heavyweight former Ultimate Fighting Champion  Thiago Silva. 

  " I hope to have my first amateur fight in a few years under all of my coaches' names, and I will win that fight," he said. (For more photos, see "Blake Rubin wins NAGA" under "Image Gallery.")

By Alejandro Martinez-Oletta '14