WNO 26: Pato vs Krikorian

Keith Krikorian: Why You Must Take Risks (In Jiu-Jitsu and In Life)

Keith Krikorian: Why You Must Take Risks (In Jiu-Jitsu and In Life)

WNO 26 Headliner Keith Krikorian is back to explain why you should be taking risks to get what you want - on and off the mats

Jan 30, 2025 by Keith Krikorian
Keith Krikorian: Why You Must Take Risks (In Jiu-Jitsu and In Life)

I’ve taken many leaps of faith in my lifetime. Some paid off, many didn’t.

"Success is a journey, not a destination.” – Arthur Ashe

But along the way, I’ve learned a lot about how to reframe success and failure into the same thing. And I’ve developed several strategies for how to navigate the many highs and lows that come with pursuing your dreams. 

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If you’re someone who is having trouble taking that first big step towards something new and scary, this article is for you. 

Here Are A Few Reasons Why I Think It Is Actually Wise To Take Risks:

  • You build strength 
  • You develop confidence 
  • You become a far more interesting person
  • Sometimes risks pay off

You’ll notice that the first three points don’t even mention accomplishing your goal. They’re simply a by-product of even making an attempt. 

I’m going to explain that last bullet point more at the end because I want to start by telling you why it really doesn’t matter whether you accomplish your goals or not. The most important thing is that you take that first, very important leap of faith. 

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When assessing risks, ask yourself this question: from what do I stand to learn the most? 

The easy path is rarely the right one. 

This is one of the best mindsets to carry into goal-setting and life in my opinion. It focuses on the process of growth rather than just achieving the quickest results. 

Life is full of highs and lows, and that’s what makes it special. Don’t avoid the possibility of facing those lows. Embrace challenges head-on and accept the results, good or bad.

When you look at risk-taking through this lens, you start to define it in your mind as a win/win. You take a big risk and lose: great, you learned. It pays off and you win: that’s great too. 

Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone

I see this a lot in jiu-jitsu. Someone isn’t willing to take chances. They’re hesitant to shoot takedowns, pull guard, attack submissions, etc. Those matches always end up being incredibly boring and usually, the more reserved player loses anyway. 

On the mat and in life, be willing to take chances. There’s no worse feeling than losing because you didn’t try as hard as you could have. 

This is difficult for anyone to do, and as a generally anxious person, I can tell you from my own experience that this is something I’ve always struggled with. 

Going to the gym, talking to people, and traveling to new places are all things that I’m pretty frightened of. But ironically, those same activities have led to some of the most positive experiences of my life. 

I’ve learned to embrace being uncomfortable. I allow it to challenge me and help me grow.

Reframe Failure

I’m no stranger to failure. I’ve failed many times. And honestly, I’ve failed at basically everything I’ve ever tried. Especially in my career as a pro jiu-jitsu competitor.

I’ve failed at both the regional and pro level, and I can tell you with certainty that losing never gets easier. 

But I can also tell you that no matter how much I’ve failed, life always goes on.

When you encounter failure, don’t think of it as a step back. Think of it as an opportunity for growth. You just broke a barrier that would have been left untouched had you not even tried. Now you get to move past it.

Confidence

Confidence is earned, not given. You get it by trying new things, failing, and trying again. After enough times repeating that cycle, you’ll realize that you got stronger, smarter and wiser just by making the effort.

You’ll know that even failure won’t defeat you. From this, you start to feel like maybe you should take more risks because if the worst that happens is you don’t succeed, you know you’re going to be alright. 

The more chances you take, the more you will realize that you can handle the outcome, good or bad. 

Loss is not the end of the world. But the only way to realize that is by experiencing it. You’re much stronger than you think you are, even though you’ll naturally feel fear or trepidation when facing uncertainties. 

Big Risks = Big Rewards

I saved this point for last because although I like the idea behind it, to me it feels like I’m promoting gambling. 

While it isn’t why I feel we should try new things, it is a reality of what makes risk-taking worthwhile. Because indeed, there are hundreds of thousands of examples in human history of huge risks paying off.

Christopher Columbus took a chance to find a new part of the world and was celebrated for centuries because it turned out he was right. Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard to start Microsoft and now he’s one of the wealthiest people on Earth. Elon Musk earned millions from PayPal and used that to fund Tesla and SpaceX, which created even more wealth.

Those risks paid off because they had a vision and saw it through, despite no guarantee it would work. 

But I use those three men as examples because although I admire their drive and commitment, I don’t view them as fundamentally virtuous people. 

I feel a big part of why we should take risks is to make us better and more learned human beings, not ultra-famous or wealthy. 

Closing Thoughts

I stand to gain a lot from beating Diego Pato at WNO 26, but that’s not why I’m doing it. I’m doing it because I know that this will push me to become a much better version of myself, win or lose.

This isn’t my first time putting my health and career on the line, and it won’t be my last. I’m in love with the process of acquiring experience and knowledge. 

When you watch me compete on February 7th, I hope you can draw inspiration from the fact that you’re watching a man chase his dreams in the pursuit of becoming a better person, win or lose. 


WNO 26 Full Card

  • WNO Lightweight Championship - Diego Pato vs Keith Krikorian
  • Middleweight Bout - Jay Rodriguez vs Ronaldo Junior
  • Light Heavyweight Bout - Roberto Jimenez vs Elder Cruz
  • Light Heavyweight Bout - Ryan Aitken vs Luccas Lira
  • Middleweight Bout - Tainan Dalpra vs Rene Sousa
  • Women's Heavyweight Bout - Rafaella Guedes vs Paige Ivette
  • Welterweight Bout - Daniel Sathler vs Michael Sainz

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