02/12/2008
Written By Ann Dain (ColoradoFightEvents.com)
http:coloradofightevents.com/interviews/brian-wood-spiritual-pacifist-and-amazing-wrestler.php
In preparation for BattleQuest 7, ColoradoFightEvents felt that it was appropriate to do thumbnail interviews with some of the fighters as most of them have not had much cage or ring exposure in the public eye. The first on my list was Brian Wood, the 145 lb. featherweight who had his ring debut at Ring of Fire on December 1st 2007 where he won handily over his opponent by rear naked choke a mere 2 minutes into the first round.
Brian is the founder of Next Level Sports (see nextleveltrainingstudio.com) where he trains and works with 10 -18 year olds in multiple sports’ disciplines that include wrestling, baseball, yoga, aerobics, pilates and meditation. March 1st will be the one year anniversary of Next Level Sports but Brian has been a professional trainer since he graduated from college 8 years ago. It was hard to keep up with his litany of achievements (my mama told me I should have taken shorthand in college!) but some of the highlights are his certification as a strength-conditioning trainer and having been nationally ranked among the top 20 U.S. wrestlers when he was a Senior at the University of Wyoming in 1999.
Although I have interviewed some fighters who talk about what it was like to be bullied growing up and how that gave them the incentive to fight back, Brian comes from a different perspective. He grew up with the meanest baddest kids whose idea of weekend recreation was to beat-up on a peer. Although Brian was in their midst, he could not hit anyone for no reason believing, even then, that there was a karma that would make him pay for it if he lashed out for no cause. Brian is a pacifist who practices non-violence and describes himself as peaceful, calm and relaxed. If this sounds like a contradiction to a fighter who we will see step inside the ring at BattleQuest 7 on February 22nd, it is best encapsulated in Brian’s own words: Mixed Martial Arts is the physical expression of a spiritual self. What a poetically perfect description which in itself should not be a surprise as Brian is also a poet and musician.
This complex man who garners respect from all who know him understands that MMA competition is a business that will assist him in the life business of improving the lives of the young athletes that he coaches. Brian also sees the professional path of MMA as a means to raise the funds necessary to promote the strength training and exercise physiology for which he has become locally renowned. The key word here is “local” as I don’t see Brian Wood as only being a Colorado name beyond February 22nd. Sven Bean has a sharp eye for talented fighters and he knows what he sees in Brian Wood – a WEC contender before years’ end with a Featherweight Championship belt waiting for him somewhere in the not so distant future. Don’t blink!