Fighting is all in the family for 蜜桃视频appresidents Cole and K.C. Smith.
You can regularly find the duo grappling and teaching at the 蜜桃视频appMartial Arts Centre in downtown 蜜桃视频appand if Cole has his way, you might one day see him in the octagon on pay-per-view.
But it wasn't always that way for the 24-year-old. He said he walked into the centre about six years ago and hasn't looked back since.
"I was always an athlete but I had three older brothers and had to defend myself from them," Cole said, laughing. "I had to figure something out."
Cole said his brother Cody began martial arts training and told him about the benefits of the sport. After a quick visit to the centre in Squamish, Cole was hooked. Instructor Scott Strachan said Cole quickly developed into a strong fighter.
"What caught my eye with Cole is that he showed up to every class and that his energy was good for everyone," he said. "He got excited about class and brought a disciplined frame of mind for it."
Cole admitted that the first time entering an MMA gym can be a little intimidating.
"The first day is always the toughest," he said. "You think that you have to spar in front of everybody and everyone is judging you, but you go in and it's the nicest people around. Everyone was so inviting to me."
Cole continued to develop and that's when his skills were noticed by his brother K.C.
"We have a room in the basement and one day me and Cole decided to wrestle," K.C. said. "We're going hard and I don't want to let him win, obviously, so for the first 35 to 40 seconds I'm tossing him around. But the next thing I know he's got me in this move that I don't know how to defend. I just thought, 'I can't have my little brother beating me up anymore.'"
K.C. said Cole's submission knowledge humbled him and he decided to enrol at the centre shortly thereafter. He agreed with Cole that the first day can be a bit of a challenge.
"I remember sitting in my truck 20 minutes before class started just listening to music," he said. "Just walking through the door is the hardest part but I did go in and I never looked back."
K.C. has excelled since joining the club, having competed in tournaments throughout the province. He recently won two gold medals in a Brazilian Jui Jitsu tournament. Both K.C. and Cole have become instructors at the centre and Strachan said they've helped the club thrive.
"These Smith boys are why the club is going strong," he said. "I got it started but I don't have the energy they have. They regularly have 12 to 15 guys showing up to their classes I got it started but they took it to the next level."
Cole has also taken his training and dedication to the next level and the sport has become a full-time job for him. He holds a professional record of 2-0 and has won several kickboxing and jui jitsu tournaments. Strachan said Cole has a lot of potential as a fighter.
"He's a really well-rounded fighter," Strachan said. "He's got kind of a Nick Diaz-type stand-up, he has good hands and is very comfortable on the ground too."
Cole said being comfortable in several disciplines is crucial for any fighter.
"I like to stand, grapple, box or use my jui jitsu," he said. "If you don't know a lot of disciplines you will get exploited pretty quickly. I'm taking it one step at a time I'm pretty confident in my skills but I'm still young."
Cole is training five days a week in anticipation of one of the biggest fights of his career on Dec. 7 at new Hard Rock Casino in Coquitlam. He's scheduled to take on Brandon Fratino at Battlefield Fight League (BFL) 26 in the 145-pound division.
"I'm focused on my next fight and then winning the BFL title and then whatever is next," he said. "But these guys [Strachan, K.C.] make it easy for me to do this full-time. They're always there for me and I might not even be fighting or training if it wasn't for them."
K.C. and Cole encouraged anyone interested in the sport to check out one of their classes.
"You just need to walk through that door," K.C. said.
For more information on local classes, visit www.squamishmartialarts.com.
