Sensible phrases to a younger Will Brooks from his grandmother would have served him properly to heed sooner.
“She advised me that I may do one thing particular in life if I may simply get out of my very own manner,” recollects Brooks, talking with The Publish by way of Zoom earlier this yr.
Brooks (23-5, 11 finishes) achieved one thing particular throughout his spectacular fight sports activities profession. The previous Bellator light-weight champion and UFC veteran as soon as was proper there, maybe a win or two from difficult for a prestigious UFC crown.
He additionally obtained in his personal manner sufficient occasions to restrict his alternatives again to the place he’d really wish to be: Competing towards the most effective on this planet, corresponding to UFC contender Michael Chandler — towards whom Brooks is 2-0.
“I feel I’ve made this clear: I’m nonetheless making an attempt to work my manner again to the UFC and making an attempt to compete at a excessive stage there,” Brooks mentioned a month after a 19-second TKO victory April 15 by way of a checked leg kick, which snapped opponent Rafael Bastos’ leg beneath the knee. “Proper now, that’s my foremost focus. So it’s simply type of shifting on to the following one.”
That subsequent one comes Saturday in Columbia, S.C. Brooks is headlining a regional XMMA present towards UFC castoff Luis Pena, whom the UFC launched final October after a victory that adopted a home violence arrest. For the third time in a row, Brooks is competing as a 160-pound catchweight.
Brooks is aware of why he’s right here, and it’s not because of the sort of disturbing authorized points by which his upcoming opponent has discovered himself. Slightly, his banishment to the regional scene got here as a mix of merely failing to fulfill lofty expectations throughout a disappointing UFC run and sporting out his welcome with a pair of high promotions.
At the moment sitting atop Tapology’s US regional rankings at 155 kilos, a former champion like Brooks who’s 5-1-1 since his UFC launch sometimes garners consideration from, a minimum of, the likes of Bellator or PFL. However he’s not anticipating calls from them, not after the way in which issues ended at every cease.
Success with Bellator rapidly put “Unwell” Will on the map almost a decade in the past. The previous Harper School (Palatine, Unwell.) soccer participant and higher Chicago space native ran his MMA file to 13-1 inside three years of his professional debut, earlier than a pair of 2014 victories over Chandler topped him the promotion’s light-weight champ.
A pair of profitable title defenses solidified Brooks’ standing on this planet light-weight image, in addition to one of many promotion’s greatest names. However he was ruffling feathers at Bellator. By Could 2016, CEO Scott Coker introduced his group was “not going to be within the Will Brooks enterprise any longer.”
Pondering his penchant for rubbing administration the unsuitable manner, Brooks says a me-against-the-world mentality was a part of the issue, amongst different elements he now acknowledges in his mid 30s.
“I’ll be trustworthy, I’ve burned some bridges alongside my profession in that mindset, an absence of maturity, a lack of knowledge,” Brooks mentioned. “And that’s on me. I’ve accepted that.”
The Bellator launch opened the door for a easy bounce to the UFC, successful a short-notice debut over former “The Final Fighter” winner Ross Pearson. However Brooks seems again on that struggle as “underwhelming,” a lackluster begin to an in the end disappointing tenure.
Losses piled up, starting three months later with a knockout by the hands of Alex Oliveira — who missed weight by 5 1/2 kilos. Brooks fell by tapout in a pair of contests in 2017, first to future UFC light-weight champ and record-setting submission artist Charles Oliveira after which to longtime octagon staple Nik Lentz. At 1-3 underneath their banner, the UFC moved on from Brooks.
“All people [who] comes into this sport, you're employed to get to UFC,” Brooks mentioned. “And I lastly get there, and I didn’t carry out. I used to be underwhelming.”
PFL, readying its first league season in 2018 after transitioning from its former World Collection of Preventing moniker, scooped up Brooks. Every division’s league champion would win $1 million, providing a worthwhile comfort prize.
However Brooks’ head wasn’t in the correct place, he says, after his beautiful fall from the highest 10 to out of the UFC. He went 2-0 within the common season, however he misplaced the tiebreaker in his two-round quarterfinal draw towards fellow UFC veteran Rashid Magomedov — the winner of the primary spherical superior to the semifinals later that night time. His unbeaten PFL mark wasn’t sufficient to inexperienced mild a return the following yr, with Brooks once more pointing to problems with maturity and never working properly with administration as elements.
“I went into the PFL, and I used to be nonetheless in that mindset like, for lack of higher phrases, What the f–okay simply occurred?” Brooks recollects, laughing about it now. “Nonetheless in that house of disappointment. I used to be hyper aggressive and simply, once more, immature and responded poorly to sure issues that have been mentioned to me and put myself able the place, no matter for those who win fights, for those who’re in a draw and your boss is pissed off, he’s upset. And also you’ve gotta settle for that.”
Brooks’ profession hit all-time low in 2019, dropping a controversial technical submission by way of guillotine choke to longtime UFC veteran Gleison Tibau, because the referee halted the bout whereas an incredulous Brooks appeared absolutely acutely awareto most observers.
Worse but, he and the others on that notorious Battlefield FC 2 card in Macau, China have but to be paid. Brooks had considerations one thing fishy is likely to be in retailer from the second he arrived at his lodge for struggle week, getting a nasty vibe from conversations with the occasion’s promoters. He knew forward of time, too, that their repute was suspect, however he felt he had no selection however to maneuver ahead in any case that had occurred with UFC and PFL the previous two years.
“Desperation, melancholy, nervousness, worry, lots of issues taking place directly, and simply being overwhelmed,” mentioned Brooks, who was considering of his pregnant spouse and two kids at residence as properly.
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic shut down plans to jumpstart his flagging profession with Ares FC, exacerbating frustrations. He nonetheless may hardly course of how he went from Bellator champion and potential UFC title menace to castaway, and now he couldn’t compete both. He was in a “darkish place.”
Caught in a self-described “pity social gathering,” Brooks’ spouse CeCe, a physician of nursing follow, advised he search remedy. He didn’t love the thought, partly as a result of, he says, remedy “doesn’t occur within the Black neighborhood.”
“We don’t speak about remedy. We’re not educated on remedy,” Brooks mentioned. “We’re not educated on melancholy, nervousness, generational traumas, and various things like that. We don’t get these kinds of training. We don’t get folks speaking to us about these issues, and I didn’t develop up with that.”
However at the same time as he wasn’t essentially the most prepared participant, Brooks caught with it.
“After I first considered remedy, I felt like she was attacking me,” Brooks mentioned. “I’m like, ‘There ain’t nothing unsuitable with me. I ain’t loopy. I’m not this. I’m not that.’ I used to be reluctant. I fought towards it.
“However then I spotted that, ‘Hey, you’re not working on the highest stage, not as a fighter, not as a competitor, however as a husband and a father. You’re missing one thing.’ ”
By remedy, Brooks recognized what he says are a lot of the childhood roots for his self-destructive tendencies: a Vietnam Struggle veteran father with post-traumatic stress dysfunction, himself rising from the grip of dependancy; bodily and verbal abuse; previous emotions of abandonment by his mom.
The concept of generational trauma resonated with Brooks, who resolved to interrupt the cycle for his kids. It wasn’t about merely coming to phrases with profession struggles anymore.
“When preventing and all the things is alleged and completed, I've to proceed to reside this life,” Brooks mentioned. “I've to proceed to be the most effective husband and father and human being that I may probably be. And the way do I try this? I hadn’t discovered the reply. I used to be making an attempt to hunt it out by myself. So I went one other route. I’ve dived again into my religion, and I’ve additionally mixed that with remedy as a result of you possibly can’t do all the things by yourself. I’ve constructed my group, so I’m simply in a special house now.”
Brooks looks like a special individual right now than he did through the peak of his profession. He speaks like a person at peace with himself, and he desires to champion the thought of being open about one’s vulnerabilities.
He says he has reconciled along with his tumultuous childhood and the trauma that got here with it. He feels no embarrassment talking publicly about his vulnerabilities and hopes his openness spreads to others who might have related assist.
“I really feel like there’s no extra rage,” Brooks says. “I’m not dwelling a life primarily based on rage. I’m dwelling a life the place I really feel like I’m comfy in my very own pores and skin now. I don’t have this mindset the place it’s everyone towards me, and I’m comfy with shifting ahead in life.”
Brooks additionally closely credit the assist of his spouse, who put him on the trail to restoration by remedy.
“I don’t assume that I'd have come out of the pandemic or been capable of be trustworthy and susceptible with myself and say that, ‘Hey, I would like to hunt different assist,’ if it wasn’t for her.” Brooks mentioned.
With a three-fight successful streak coming into the struggle towards Pena (11-3, eight finishes), Brooks’ big-picture profession focus stays squarely upon a reunion with the UFC — and, basically, solely the UFC. Whether or not Bellator or PFL would even welcome a return to the “Will Brooks enterprise” isn’t a consideration for him.
Brooks describes his relationship with the UFC as “fairly stable, from what I do know.” However he realizes the deck should still be stacked towards reaching his purpose. He has heard from a supervisor that UFC senior vice chairman of expertise relations Sean Shelby was not focused on bringing him again, however he counters that such a place might not be set in stone.
“The struggle recreation is a struggle recreation. You by no means know what occurs,” Brooks mentioned, holding out hope his destiny just isn't set. “I’m not going to take that as a no as a result of, possibly at the moment, there’s no fights out there. Perhaps a man misses weight or a man will get harm or some last-minute sort of deal; you [have] nonetheless obtained to be out there.”
And if a second probability within the UFC isn’t within the playing cards, Brooks hardly appears bitter about the place that leaves him. He’s not in his personal manner, and that’s one thing particular to him. His grandmother can relaxation assured of that.
“I need to return to the UFC. However I additionally perceive that, if that doesn’t occur, man, I’m blessed in abundance,” Brooks mentioned. “I’ve been lately saying to folks, ‘I've all the things I would like, so I've nothing to lose.’ ”
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