Assembling the troops: The biggest show of them all – UFC 205 has rolled into town. Chris Weidman came to RGA to hone his highly developed skills in preparation for his fight with the uber talented Yoel Romero. It was a joy to see all the premier fighters and trainers around Madison Square Garden for this historical event. MSG was a fight center I would see on television when I was a child growing up in New Zealand when the greats of boxing in the 1970's and 80's fought their epic battles. To be among it all at the very first event at MSG in the modern era of MMA is such a special feeling. All the troops got together for a special night of training that went past midnight and created a memorable atmosphere among the many coaches and athletes. My beloved master, Renzo Gracie was on the mats delving out his priceless wisdom , experience and wit. My senpai (big brother) Ricardo Almeida was there. He is one of the few men I know who has been incredibly successful as a jiu jiu jitsu athlete, mma athlete, coach of both sports, ambassador of the sport and as a businessman growing the sport through schools – he has done it all and done it exceedingly well. The immortal Ray Longo and tactician extraordinaire, Mark Henry were working hard. UFC Champions and standouts Fabricio Werdum, Eddie Alvarez, Stephen Thompson, Khabib Nurmagomedov showing a skill set that would make the entire Marvel and DC superhero line up look like wimps. What a room to be in!! As I went home at 1am on the subway I felt so privileged to be a tiny part of such a special city, at a special time, among so many special people
