SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — The first time his opponent's fist connected with his face, the reality of the situation became crystal clear for Jon Steel.
He was in a locked cage with a trained fighter on a mission to dominate his opponent. Eith make him stay down or submit.
Logically, he knew that was what he had signed up for – but living in that moment was something else entirely.
"You spend so much time training and doing what you're doing, but you never really get to know if it's effective, if it's going to work. The best way to test that is to get in that ring and see what that's like," said Steel.
The 29-year-old Summerside man made his mixed martial arts (MMA) debut during an amateur-level match at a Fight League Atlantic event in Truro on Feb. 8.
The combat sports bouts at that level consist of three, three-minute rounds. Jon's match was called off prematurely in the second round by the ringside doctor due to a cut above one of his eyes. The injury wasn't serious but it bled enough that medics were extra cautious during amateur-level bouts.
It was a disappointing end, said Steel, but it was a great learning experience and he feels he'll be better prepared for his next match.
"All in all, it's positive, whether I'm taking the win or the loss."
The premature ending certainly didn't phase Steel's fans. A sizable group of supporters from the Summerside area, including many of his young martial students and their parents, did some fundraising and rented a bus to travel to the fight to watch him. They even had home-made signs, and cutouts of him to wave in support.
Jason Saggo, one of Steel's mentors and coaches, said the level of fan-support his pupil has garnered right from the start has been impressive.
"I've been involved in hundreds of fights either cornering, coaching or being in them and I've never seen greater support than what Jon had," said Saggo.
Saggo, said Steel, has been a significant influence on him.
Steel grew up in Yukon and started practising martial arts there; but he didn't dedicate himself to it until he moved to Summerside three years ago and started training with Saggo, an experienced MMA fighter and trainer.
"Once I started training under him I started taking it a little more seriously and looking at it as more of a career path than just something to do on the side," he said.
Steel eventually started teaching at Saggo's gym, Summerside Martial Arts Academy and developed a passion for sharing what he knew with others. He's now an assistant instructor at the academy and has aspirations of continuing his teaching career. He views MMA as a means to that end.
At 29, he's relatively old to realistically make a career in combat sports. Fighters usually spend time in the amateur leagues before moving on to the professionals. If fighters are good enough, they can get offered more lucrative opportunities in leagues like the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC). Most fighters retire before they're 40-years-old. Steel is hoping to compete at a professional level for a few years and then retire to focus on training students.
"I figured if I'm going to be telling others how to do it, I need to experience it myself," he said.
Saggo said Steel is a skilled fighter who is eager to learn and prove himself.
He is also almost too calm and collected for his own good, he added, as it's not unusual for new fighters to be so nervous before their first bouts that they shake uncontrollably or vomit.
Steel was so relaxed that Saggo had to remind the younger man that he should have been more worried than he was. Fear creates adrenaline and fighters need that to be at their best, explained Saggo.
Steel is the first of Saggo's Summerside students to get a competitive MMA match, but there are several more who are ready for that level.
Especially now that they've seen Steel's match, they are eager to have their chances to prove themselves, he said.
Anyone interested in keeping track of local fighters and where and when they will be fighting can do so on the academy's website at summersidemartialarts.com.
