WNO 26 is in the books. Months of preparation came down to 15 minutes on the mat, and I fell short. 

For those out of the loop, last Friday I fought the number one-ranked grappler in my weight class, Diego Pato, in the main event of WNO. The match was spirited, but I lost a fairly one-sided judge’s decision. 

Despite the loss, this was easily the most fun I’ve had competing in maybe my entire life. 

Amazing memories combined with harsh lessons. The culmination of which was a renewed perspective on competition and life.

I’m here to share with you the biggest takeaways from my experience at WNO.

Enjoy Every Moment

A lesson that I learned from last weekend was one that I already knew, but sometimes need to be reminded of: be present and stay grateful. 

I’ve developed a surface-level understanding of those two principles over the years, but I felt that putting them into practice paid dividends in strengthening my mindset before WNO. 

Instead of letting the attention scare me and stress me out, I embraced it as a unique and short-lived challenge that I should be honored to experience. This allowed me to stay present and calm, without letting the gravity of such a big opportunity crush me. 

Technique is King

The top athletes are there for a reason. Some of the highest-level competitors in the world were on this card, and it was apparent that they weren’t there by mistake.

This was not your average local tournament. The combination of physical dominance and technical excellence was something you don’t see at your everyday jiu-jitsu gym. These athletes are at the top because of the countless hours of preparation they’ve put into perfecting their craft, and you can see it.

The positive realization that I took from this was that such a level of expertise is attainable if you’re willing to put in the work. It won’t happen by accident, but it is possible through a high degree of effort.

Embrace Being a "Winner For All The Losers"

Jakob Brooks, a.k.a. “Spatch” from Pedigo Submission Fighting, told me a few years ago that I was “a winner for all the losers.” That statement had a big impact on me. 

We all go through ups and downs, mine just happen in front of the public eye. That doesn’t make me embarrassed or ashamed. It fills me with pride. I get to show people that losing isn’t the end of the world, and winning doesn’t make you better than anyone else. 

I may never be the best. I will likely fail many more times before my career is said and done. But I won’t stop trying to be great. 

I carried this energy into my match last week. Whether I won or lost, I was going to give my all. By pursuing greatness, hopefully, I can show others that anyone can become a better person, even if they often fall short of their goals. 

What’s Next

For now, I’m going to take some time off. I’ll still be in the gym, but I'll be taking more time to do things outside of grappling. Surfing, skating, writing, traveling, teaching, trying new restaurants, cooking new meals, and things like that. All activities that I rarely have time and energy for when I’m training to compete against the best in the world. 

For a few weeks, my life’s purpose won’t revolve around becoming a better grappler. It will be about enjoying life with the people I want to enjoy life with. This period of recovery is as much for my mind as it is for my body. I’m not the guy who can just grapple year-round (not anymore at least). 

Once I’ve sufficiently healed my injuries and rested to the point where I feel I can handle hard training again, I’ll get back to competing. 

My long-term goals all remain the same: continue to hunt that WNO belt, conquer another ADCC trials, and finally earn that elusive ADCC medal I’ve been after for the last 7+ years. 

But before I accomplish any of that, I have to focus on the here and now. What can I do now that will lead me to those goals later on? Things like dialing in my sleep and nutrition, optimizing my training routine, and finding more efficient ways of obtaining new techniques that will benefit my game. All of those will be tinkered with and perfected along the road. 

I’ll continue to take matches that I find fun and challenging, but I’ll make sure that they align with my goal of making me a better grappler. The days of me chasing down every cash prize invitational in the United States are over. My body simply can’t sustain that pace anymore. 

What I’m after now is a healthier and more manageable approach to training and competing. I would recommend this method to other natural athletes who can’t handle wear and tear like they used to.

Other Personal Highlights

• I met Jocko Willink, a man I’ve listened to on repeat during the majority of my weight-lifting sessions.
• Many of my old friends and teammates from college came to watch me compete. This filled my heart with so much love and gratitude.
• I taught a seminar at 10th Planet Costa Mesa the morning after the event. A gym that I would ride my bike to every Sunday for open mats during college.

Closing Thoughts

I really appreciate everyone taking the time to read about my perspective on this match and grappling as a whole over this past month. Returning to long-form writing has been a very cool experience for me, and I look forward to sharing more with everyone in the future. 

If you’d like to keep up with my exploits, feel free to follow me on Instagram @keithkrikorian or sign up for my Patreon here. 

It has truly been my honor to speak to all of you through this platform, and I hope that you enjoyed looking at life through the lens of a pro grappler.

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