After enduring near-death experiences in the Army, Nicholls student Matt Blanchard tries to balance school, family, a part-time job and fighting.
The general studies junior from Houma is married with two children. Aside from attending Nicholls State, he works as a manager at Creole Lanes in Houma and is fighting in the “‘In Ya Face Fight Productions’ Throwdown on the Town” Saturday night in Thibodaux.
Given all of his responsibilities, Blanchard said life can be tough, but his love for the sport of MMA helps him through it.
“Between work, school and training it can be a burden, but if it’s something you love, you have to go for it,” he said.
Blanchard served in the Army from 2003-2008, and he said his near-death experiences have put everything into perspective.
“I live life to the fullest because of some of the scenarios I’ve been through in the Army,” he said. “I’ve lost buddies, I’ve had to take lives, and I almost died several times.”
During his four and a half years of service, Blanchard has been on convoys where he has been shot at changing tires and had bullets buzzing by his head. He has been in three different improvised explosive device explosions, and he has been in cases where trucks in front of him have blown up.
The most frightening of all of these experiences came when Blanchard had a napalm bomb land in his truck. Luckily for him, it was a dud.
“The EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) guys asked who was sitting passenger, and I said me. He was like, ‘dude you’re one lucky S.O.B. because had that ignited you would have been done,” he said.
Blanchard’s fight this Saturday will be the fourth of his career, and he is fighting Noel Watson from Texas in a featherweight bout. According to Blanchard, this will be Watson’s first fight, but former UFC fighter Din Thomas has trained him.
Like Alistair Overeem, his favorite fighter in the UFC, Blanchard prefers to stand and trade strikes with his opponents rather than exchange with them on the ground. He is a freestyle fighter that trains in Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu and Sanshou.
Blanchard made no secret that he wants to keep this fight standing.
“Any fighter who’s been in there and stood up with me didn’t like it. I have an unorthodox style, and I just come from every angle,” Blanchard said.
Of Blanchard’s two wins in his career, both of them have come by way of knockout or technical knockout, and his one loss has come by submission. To avoid another submission loss, Blanchard has been working hard on his jiu-jitsu so that he is comfortable no matter where the fight goes.
He is going into the cage Saturday night to win by knockout once again, but he said that win or lose, he is just going to do his best because he loves to perform.
“I love the sport,” he said. “I do it for the competition, not to go in there and be the best.”
The fights start this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the Harang Auditorium. Admission is $20, and tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.