As he recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio), Jason Reinhard has been granted a second chance to make a first impression.It is both a unique circumstance and a statement that implies his initial opportunity did not go as planned, which is affirmative.
After accumulating a sparkling, unblemished record on the regional circuit fighting mostly in the Midwest, he got the call from the UFC to compete on the UFC 78 card in November 2007.
Unfortunately, his night would last a mere 74 seconds.
Then-hotshot prospect Joe Lauzon secured a body-lock takedown, worked to assume a dominant position, and forced Reinhardt to give up his back and tap to a perfectly executed rear-naked choke.
It was a harsh reality to endure for a man who spent years trying to reach the sport's pinnacle.
The loss forced him back to the regional circuit , where he promptly won back-to-back fights via first-round stoppage.
It was enough to propel him back into the good graces of the Zuffa brass; Reinhardt (20–1 MMA, 0–1 UFC was pegged to welcome Chinese import Zhang Tie Quan (10-0 MMA, 0-0 WEC) to the U.S. on the WEC 51 card this past September.
The proposed bout, however, simply was not meant to be.
Reinhardt failed a pre-fight medical exam conducted by the Colorado State Boxing Commission that halted the matchup in its tracks.
"They cancelled my fight at the last minute because they said my eyes were too bad," Reinhardt told MMAjunkie.com Radio. "I fought with my contacts (previously). I had a high prescription. I couldn't see very well without my contacts. Now I am seeing 20/15. I had the corrective-vision surgery."
It turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
Post UFC-WEC merger, the same matchup with Quan again was given legs by management, only this time it will fall under the UFC banner. The pair finally squares off on the preliminary card of UFC 127, which takes place Feb. 27 in Sydney, Australia.
In his preparations, the 41-year-old Reinhardt has been training diligently with Team Curran in Crystal Lake, Ill.
"I come from Miletich Fighting Systems, where we would go in the gym and just brawl," he said. "I thought we trained hard there, which we did, but up here where I am at (with Team Curran), it is literally five, six, sometimes seven hours a day. It is pretty insane, actually."
It is safe to say this will be an important fight –if not the most important of his career – for Reinhardt for a myriad of reasons. If he walks away the victor, he potentially could stick around with the promotion for the foreseeable future.
Conversely, a disappointing outcome like in his first attempt in 2007, and it is quite possible he may never fight in the UFC again.
"This is it for me," he said. "I've never wanted anything more in my life. I have given up everything for this fight. I have been dreaming about this moment since I was 12 years old. I started in martial arts when I was 9, and at 12 years old, I always knew in my mind I would be training for a big fight one day."
A source of further inspiration for his impeding fight is the current situation of his friend Will Ribeiro.
Ribeiro, once a promising WEC fighter, continues to struggle in many facets of his life following a devastating 2008 motorcycle crash that has relegated him to a wheelchair.
"I talk to him all the time on e-mail," Reinhardt said. "He's hurting. He doesn't even have food in his apartment. The only person that stuck by him is his brother (Wladimir). He can walk a little bit with a walker. He can get up, but he'll never fight again, never. I am hoping one day he can teach and still be involved in the sport.
"When I get home, I am going to do a big-fight show promotion (under his co-owned Courage Fighting Championships), and if it makes money, I am going to get the proceeds and get him over here to the United States so he can get the rehab he deserves. The guy needs our help. We can't turn our back on one of our own."
With his heavy heart in tow, Reinhardt will soon make the trip across the Pacific Ocean to the Land Down Under with plenty on his mind and plenty to fight for.
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