Andrew Law faces Trent McCown in the Caged Madness 33 headliner
In the world of local and regional mixed martial arts, there are three letters that are such a Holy Grail that nearly every fighter utters them at some point in his career.
The UFC is such a powerful entity and the “NFL of MMA,” meaning that it’s the goal of nearly every fighter who ever steps foot inside of a fenced cage to ply his trade at the art of mixed martial arts.
The reality is, however, that very few fighters ever make it to the professional level in the sport, let alone the summit, and that UFC goal eventually becomes a pipe dream that is never fulfilled.
Such is the actuality in professional sports, where only one percent of the one percent ever make it to the top.
Eventually that all becomes white noise, with fighters either flaming out or making it. That’s why it’s refreshing to hear a fighter talk the way that Andrew Law (4-2) talks.
Heading into his upcoming main event bout at Caged Madness 33 this weekend in New Philadelphia, Ohio, Law took to his Facebook account earlier this month to post a bit of a resolution for his fighting career.
That’s a refreshing statement, because it’s not as though Law lacks the talent to compete with the best in the sport. Rather, he modified his goals to mirror similar martial artists, who helped develop the sport that has become so popular.
“I am simply not letting myself feel the pressure of ‘making it’ anymore,” Law said in an exclusive interview with BluegrassMMA.com. “I am a martial artist first, and a fighter second; I lost sight of this for a little bit with the big, bright lights and large paychecks occupying my thoughts.”
He wouldn’t be the first person to let the bright lights and big dreams of fighting in the UFC flood his thoughts. And he wouldn’t even be so far-fetched to think that he could make it on the top level. His boxing coach, former Olympic alternate Bob Meese, is a well-respected coach in the area, and just spent the New Year watching his nephew, Cody Garbrandt, make waves in his UFC debut.
Law is a lifelong martial artist and has followed the martial way his entire life, with his father and fellow judo black belt Jim Law sending him along that path.
“From the time I could stand up, he was tossing me around,” Law said.
He started training at six years old and never looked back.
“I got to grow up traveling all over the country with my dad, competing in almost every state. I don’t take that opportunity for granted, I cherish those memories and it means so much to me to still have him in my corner.”
Law uses his judo well in fights, and spectators in the seats can see that he is a special type of athlete who can change the momentum of a fight in an instant with a perfectly-timed throw or takedown. But there’s something a little different about Law’s game as well.
“The judo we do is not traditional judo, it’s freestyle judo,” Law said. “My dad has always been a submission specialist. Almost every fight I’ve seen him in, he’d pull someone’s arm out no matter what and start cranking on it until the dude yelled out or tapped.”
No wonder his son has taken to the sport of mixed martial arts so effortlessly.
The younger Law was a standout from the day he started the sport, racking up an 8-3 amateur record with five finishes. The 26-year-old has since continued his winning ways as a pro, earning stoppages in all of his wins thus far.
Now he faces what could be the toughest test of his career, as the highly touted Trent McCown (6-2) will be standing on the opposite side of the cage from him on Saturday night. Both fighters have the added pressure of coming into the contest off of a loss, but Law sees that as a positive rather than a negative.
“My last fight – my seventeenth cage fight – I finally figured out how to fight,” Law said. “I lost the fight, and what lost it for me was relying too much on my Judo.
“I always learn so much more from my losses than my wins. Losing absolutely sucks, but its almost necessary for progress. I now have a toolbox full of tools that are brand new and razor sharp. I feel like I have this huge secret that I am just dying to tell everyone.”
If Law is just figuring this fighting thing out, then what the future holds for him could be scary for opponents.
His only two losses thus far have come at the hands of Rob White and Ian Rammel, who have both had a cup of coffee in the big show. The loss to White was especially eye-opening for Law, who says he has become more well-rounded since getting bloodied by the slicing elbows that reined down on him in that fight.
“When I fought Robert, it was like I was trying to build a house with one tool,” Law said. But now he has taken to even more cross-training, enlisting the help of fellow fighters like Caged Madness 33 co-headliner Matt Anderson and Bellator veteran Rocky Edwards to expand his horizons.
But that last loss still looms, as does the tough matchup against McCown. Law isn’t letting that pressure faze him; he’s turned over a new leaf.
“I have never lost two in a row, Law said. “I refuse to. I am ready to fight the way that I know I am capable of fighting.
“I can tell you this: I train to fight, and I always show up to fight. We both have a nasty habit of finishing fights. So I’m predicting it’s going to be a barn burner.”
Caged Madness 33 goes down at West High Auto in New Philadelphia, Ohio on January 17th. You can see the full fight card HERE.