Lets hope for a better year

2007 was awesome, i beat up every body in the European circuit and prove all the haters wrong by showing that i still got it. I sign with the UFC and over night got lifted to some sort of stardom statue. I was experiencing one of my long time goal which was to fight in the biggest organization in the world and on the top of that i was winning my fights in spectacular fashion. I was living the dream and achieve what i always wanted in my life which was to be a recognize and respected martial artist. In France and europe i went from just another fighter to role model and a source of motivation from up and comer and unsparing fighters. I had peoples stopping me in the street for autograph or just to congratulate me for my fight and shake my hand. I was living IT.

2008 wasn't so good, i started by getting my ass knock out by Marcus Davis, on the top of that i was having personal problem in my life and was confuse at so many level. I was not really happy as i wanted to be in california but was spending must of my time in europe, i felt that i was missing on so many things. I fought twice more after that and losing both fights. A very close decision to Paul Taylor (that many peoples think i won) and my last fight against David Bielkheden, i ripped the cartilage of my rib in the 1st minute of the fight and couldn't fight to my best which was very frustrating as i felt i should have won this fight if i didn't get hurt in the beginning of it. To finish it all i got cut out of the UFC. Basically 2008 was a disaster ..... or was it ?

Peoples always say that things happen for a reason and i believe that, i dont hate peoples that let me down or hurt me, in fact i thanks them. It s easy to blame others for our own failing or when things dont go our ways. It s easy to see things in a negative way and say 'that was your faute'. It s a lot harder to realize it was in fact ours. I think the reason i loss some of those fights was maybe because i wasn't focus enough or didn't train 100% to my capacity or maybe it was just a little bad luck too, but definitely not someone else faute.
The same for all the thing that happen in my life, i dont hate or have any hanger towards peoples, every thing that happen to my life happen for a reason and made me stronger or teach me new things about myself , so i dont have any bad feeling toward them at all.

2008 was so bad ? I had a big documentary about my life that was on prime time tv in france but also belgium which was positive for me and the sport (which is still ban in france) but also gave motivation to young guy like myself that come from nothing but want to achieve some of there dream. I get mail or msg from those kids every week and that s what remind me that this year wasn't such a wast after all. I also experience fantastic things from traveling the world and training with some great peoples but also having the enjoyment to fight in the front of 17 000 fight fans live which is something inexplicable. I also meet some cool peoples and made great friends.

2009 is going to be very hard, fighting in small show for no money all over again and working my way back to the top. I am not gonna get to train full time anymore and at 35 it s not gonna be hard to stop all those up and comer that wanna live the life that i was leaving those past 2 years by beating me, but i am ready to the challenge and with the help of my manager and friends i ll be back to the top. And who knows..... there is maybe a few surprise ahead ; )

Anyway, enough of all this BS eheh!! I which you guys an Happy X mass and new year and stop thinking about all the negative shit that happen to you but all the great thing that you have and will achieve next year.