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Training camp is winding down. I leave for Sydney in a little over a week. I really looking forward to getting on that plane because once I leave, I know I’m finally done with the training.

Don’t get me wrong – I love martial arts and I love to train. But believe it or not, pushing yourself every day to the breaking point gets old. I know I’m in great shape. I know I’m in fight shape. But I still have to go through a little more of this. I’ve been fighting long enough and have noticed this happens every fight. The last week or so of training is always the hardest because I’m so ready to fight and so sick of pushing so hard every day. No fight could possibly be worse than what I’m going through now. Almost there – I can’t wait!

I shared with you guys a little insight into my training and the joy of the shark bait drills. So I’ll fill you in on another aspect of my training – the strength and conditioning, which I have been doing at the Philippi Sports Institute (P.S.I.). Mark Philippi is one of those meatheads you may recognize from the World’s Strongest Man competition. He is an ox who can deadlift cars. No – seriously. I’m not joking. There are pictures of him in the gym deadlifting cars! The place is great because it makes me do the things I dread and would not be doing on my own, like heavy squats, cleans, snatches and sled pulls. Does that even make sense? I like the place because it makes me do the things I hate. I even feel like a strongman in there. I’m grunting like a wild boar and dropping loaded barbells from overhead all the way to the floor. Anyway, I started there a few months before my last fight and have been going religiously ever since. I’m glad I have. It’s definitely been paying off. My lifts have nearly doubled since I started, and I feel the carryover when sparring. I am just stronger. These big meatheads like the 280-pound Carl I mentioned in my last blog can’t manhandle me like they used to. I no longer feel like a little boy trying to fight his father.

Since this is my blog and I can talk about anything I want, I’m going to have to rant to you a little bit about the last Strikeforce card.

You know what really grinds my gears? I’ll tell you. How about the fact that Strikeforce wastes its precious airtime to show us not one, but two crap fights! Did you guys know that veterans Jay Hieron and Joe Riggs fought in a three-round absolute war of a bloodbath with Hieron winning a close decision to earn a title shot? Well, you should have, damn it! Why wouldn’t Strikeforce show us two battle-proven warriors competing for the No. 1  contender spot at 170? Why!!! In a fight that displayed great technical stand up and ground skills. Why?!?!

Instead, we get to see a novice, Herschel Walker, make his MMA debut against a complete tomato can. Sure, he’s a big name, but come on. The fight was filled with rudimentary MMA skills. Also, we got to see big beefcake Bobby Lashley fight an out of shape, pregnant-looking Wes Sims. Who would have thought that fight would have been exciting enough to air? It wasn’t! The fight didn’t mean anything, either. Was that for No. 1  contender? Hell no!

So come on Strikeforce. You’re making yourself look bad. Give us the talent! Give us the guys with skills developed over years of hard training! Give us the battle-tested veterans who have proven themselves. I wanna see the fights that mean something. Have you not learned anything from the UFC? The next time you think of doing something like that, ask yourself, “Would the UFC do that?” Trust me, it will make the organization look better as a whole. Damn, did that piss me off.

I feel better now. I guess shrinks are right when they say if you are upset about something, just write a letter and let it out. OK. Now that I am on to something, I might as well continue to my next letter.

“Dear Dad … You know what really grinds my gears?”

Wait a second. This letter’s not for the blog. Better keep this one between me and him.