This Friday one of the rarest occurrences in modern day mixed martial arts will take place as Legacy Fighting Championship and RFA will team up to stage the a super fight card pitting fighters from each promotion against one anther. Cross promotions between rival promotional companies is a rarity these days but were pretty common occurrences in the early day of the sport. The event, which will take place this Friday night at the Horseshoe Tunica Resort & Casino in Robinsonville, MS, will air live on AXS TV.
One of the fortunate fighters to be selected to be on this huge event is Dallas’ Charles Byrd who will represent the Legacy Fighting Championship promotion. His RFA opponent will be Bojan Velickovic. While Byrd may struggle with the pronunciation of his opponent’s name, he beams with pride at being selected to rep one of the top regional promotions in the world.
“Ah man, it is an honor,” says the soft spoken Byrd. “I feel very thankful that Legacy selected me as one of their select fighters that the want to put against a rival promotion. I have friends that fight RFA. I am ready to prove what Legacy is all about.”
At 7-3 Byrd is one of North Texas’ most exciting young prospects. For fight fans of the local scene Byrd’s exploits are no secret. Of course in speaking with Byrd it’s easy to understand why he has had early success in the cage as Byrd has been a martial artist since childhood.
“I started of as a kid in Isshin-Ryu karate,” said Byrd. “ I did that for a while then I wrestled in high school.”
However, much like a number of fighters, MMA entered Byrd’s world via The Ultimate Fighter.
“Believe it or not, it was The Ultimate Fighter season 2 and I seen Rashad. That kind of propelled me in that direction,” explains Byrd on his first exposure to MMA. “ I started finding a Muay Thai gym and ended up training with Saekson Janjari and now with Octagon MMA, that’s how it all started.”
Having cut her early fighter teeth under the tutelage of the renown Muay Thai fighter-tuned coach Saekson Janjira, Byrd enjoyed success early on in his career. There still is an air of reverence for the amiable Thai instructor.
“Saekson showed me what it was like to fight on a world class level,” explains Byrd. “He’s a seven-time world champion and been through so many different fights. His best friend growing up is one of the greatest Muay Thai fighters ever. From Saekson I got the technique and the father-like mentor. He basically guided me to what it is like to fight those big fights and how to stay calm and composed.”
But today’s MMA requires its fighters to be versed in all types of techniques and to continued evolution. Seeing a need to expand his fighting repertoire, Byrd soon joined up with Dallas’ Octagon MMA fight team. Boasting a roster of some of the most accomplished fighters in the game, Byrd quickly recognized the professionalism within the team.
“I’m here at Octagon MMA and it is the grind,” says Byrd. “We put in work. There is not much talking, it’s coming in here and doing business. I’m taking that mentorship I got from Saekson and infusing it with this hard working atmosphere.”
Being a professional fighter is no easy job. It takes a relentless drive to be the best and internal motivation in order to deal with the rigors and demands of the sport. Byrd is a natural competitor but finds an unwavering drive in providing for his 8 year-old son.
“He is one of my biggest fans,” states Byrd. “Who knows, he may be a fighter himself but right now he just loves watching daddy go to work.”
Byrd continues, “Man everything I do day in and day out is for my son and his future. I wouldn’t put my body through this pain for no reason.”
“I want the glory and I just want to be able to offer my son something more later on in life. I want to show him what hard work does and put something in his pocket so when he gets older he can go to college.”
But first there is the matter of Bojan Velickovic on May 8. Byrd is aware of his opponent and the inherent pressure both fighters are under but he remains confident he will emerge victorious Friday night.
“Dynamite. Straight fireworks. When I’m coming in there, I’m coming to hurt, get paid, and go home,” explains Byrd. “That’s what you can expect from me when you see me fight. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a non-exciting fight. Even if it goes the distance you are still going to get your monies worth when you see me fight.”
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