I’d like to share about another debut fighter for 247 Fighting Championship’s Brawl in the Burgh – Edwin Vera.

There are plenty of people that see MMA as something that it isn’t… I’ve heard words like “barbaric, too violent, brutal”. Now, I cannot argue that MMA is not a violent sport, but it is certainly not this awful barroom brawl that some make it out to be. It is actually very far from that.

It can have the opposite effect on a young man’s life. Save them from battling with the temptations that we are all often surrounded with. Such is the case with debuting fighter Edwin Vera. Growing up in the tough streets in the Bronx, Edwin always found himself on the wrong side of trouble. From fighting to getting In trouble at school, Edwin was headed down a very bad path.

It got worse. He was kicked out of school. That lead to a 5 year move to Atlanta. It didn’t get any better. He returned home from Atlanta and continued down that same path, surrounding himself with all the wrong people.

That is when big brother had to step in. You see, Edwin Vera has a scrappy brother who was being productive with himself. Oscar Vera was training MMA and he scooped Edwin up from the streets and talked to him about life and what MMA had done for him. He felt that it could do the same for Edwin.

Edwin was stubborn though, because he had never excelled at any sport. So he declined for quite some time until his persistent brother got him to finally agreed to give it a shot.

He started by training BJJ and Judo for nearly a year until he was just no longer able to afford the cost of classes and cost of living in New York. He ended up moving to Pittsburgh but did NOT go back to training at that time.

Years later, Edwin woke up one morning and told himself he didn’t want to live life with regrets, so he hit up a boxing gym in Tarentum and started training there. But there was still something missing.

That’s when life changed for Edwin. This is that pivotal moment, his ah ha moment! Through a bunch of research, Edwin Vera found The Mat Factory and his entire life changed. He was surrounded by discipline, dedication and most importantly, a new FAMILY.

He vows to not look back and says, “I’m going to be a champion and that’s a fact!”

You see, MMA isn’t just a bunch of guys getting into a cage and throwing haymakers. It is a test of hard work, skill, heart and determination. It changes peoples lives and their direction in life all the time. Just like it did for Edwin.

Come see Edwin Vera make his MMA debut on July 27th against Daequan Overton, who will also be making his MMA debut. Get your tickets now!